CHAPTER XXVII. THE UHLAN HOLD-UP.
Bumpus was heard to give a big sigh.
"I can see our finish, boys," he remarked, calmly, as though he hadresigned himself to the inevitable. "I'm ready to cry quits, and hold upmy hands. Holland looks pretty good to me just now."
"Let's wait and see what happens," said Thad, though he secretlyrejoiced to hear Bumpus admit this, for the fat scout had more at stakethan the rest of them, in that his sick mother was waiting and watchingin the city of the Schelde.
The Uhlans came swiftly along. If they noticed the old car drawn to oneside of the road, out of the way, they gave no evidence of the factuntil the leaders had arrived almost abreast of the spot.
Then a bugle sounded, and the whole squadron halted, causing the dust tomount up more furiously than ever.
A score of troopers gathered around the car, most of them officers, Thadcould see, although the dust covered them so completely that itconcealed the insignia of their rank to some extent.
"Giraffe, it's your turn," said Thad to the lanky scout; "air whatGerman you know, and tell them we're American Boy Scouts; also ask ifone of them can converse with me in English."
"There is no need to ask that, because most of us are familiar with yourtongue," said the stout officer who seemed to be in chief command, muchto the satisfaction of the scouts. "But we must take that assertion ofyours with a grain of allowance. We even suspect that you are Englishboys, bent on getting through our lines with valuable information forthe enemy, which we cannot allow, you understand."
Thad was not surprised. He realized that at such a time every one whospoke the English language must come under the ban with the Teuton race.Already he had discovered that this stout man was inclined to be amartinet, and possibly ruthless in dealing with those whom he had reasonto suspect.
"I assure you, sir," he hastened to say, respectfully but firmly, "thatwe are every one of us native-born Americans. We were making a cruisedown the Rhine and when we arrived at Cologne news that war had brokenout gave us a shock. One of my comrades here has a sick mother inAntwerp, under the care of a specialist. That is why we are trying tomake our way there."
"Where did you get this car?" asked the officer, sternly.
"In Cologne, or rather near there, buying it from a man we met. I havethe bill of sale here. It is a terrible car, and has broken down with usmany times. That is why we were allowed to keep it."
"But if, as you say, you were in Germany when the Kaiser's troopscrossed over into Belgium, how happens it you are here? They would notlet you come by way of Aachen, where the glorious army crossed theborder?"
Thad, of course, did not mean to tell how they had been hotly chased byGerman troopers, and just managed to elude them by reaching the Dutchguards in time. He fancied that such an account would hardly be likelyto influence this stern looking Uhlan leader in their favor.
"We figured that there would be all sorts of difficulties in trying tocross at that point, sir," the boy explained, simply; "and so wearranged to pass over into Holland where it is very narrow, and fromthere reach Belgium. That is what we have done."
"Yet you have been allowed to proceed this far in peace, it seems?"observed the Prussian, as though he considered this a very significantfact.
"Oh! we have had all sorts of troubles besides our poor car breakingdown," Thad continued. "Yesterday from a hilltop we witnessed the fightfor a bridge that was defended by a Belgian battery. The Germans chargedbravely, and would have carried the bridge, but it had been mined, andwas blown up just as they reached it."
The Uhlan officers exchanged glances. Thad was of the impression thatpossibly they may have been having a tragic little experience themselvesin connection with the ingenuity shown by the Belgians in setting trapsat bridge-heads. He remembered how he and his chums had been told bythose Belgian soldiers that they had fixed it so the bridge they guardedwould fall as soon as troopers started to swing across it, carrying someof them down in the ruins.
He heard them talking among themselves in German. Giraffe was listeningeagerly to what he could catch, and when he found a chance he whisperedto Thad what he was able to make of it.
"They say a breathing spell for the men will do no harm, and you can seetheir horses are sweating something fierce, Thad. But somehow all you'vesaid doesn't seem to have convinced that head officer. He must hateeverything English like the mischief, for some reason or other. He'stelling them that perhaps we're cunning spies after all, smartBritishers playing a game, and pretending to be neutral Americans. I'llkeep on listening and see what they mean to do, Thad."
Meanwhile, now that most of the dust had settled, Thad found a chance toglance along the line, and notice what a sturdy, well-set lot thoseUhlan raiders were. As a rule they seemed to be fair-haired young chaps,with clear eyes and ruddy cheeks. Thad was more than a little surprised.Like many others, he had imagined that all Uhlans, having such areputation for daring and recklessness, must be grim-looking men, afterthe type of the Russian Cossacks. These fellows were not at all what hehad pictured them.
They sat their saddles like men who were born to ride hard. And thehorses were a picked lot, capable of standing great fatigue, Thad alsonoticed. After all he believed he would always be glad he had come incontact with these Uhlans; for he had wanted to see them at closequarters; and on that other occasion the moonlight did not allow of muchscrutiny.
Presently the chief officer turned again to the boy in the car.
"Show me your passports!" he commanded, and if anything his voice andmanner were sterner than before.
Thad was only too glad of the opportunity to do so. He also gave up theseveral letters so that the other could glance them over, which heproceeded to do. All that time the look of suspicion did not leave hisset face. Every now and then he would eye the boys keenly.
"He just keeps on thinking we're sailing under false colors, Thad,"muttered Giraffe, who had also observed the actions of the Uhlancommander.
"Take out what letters the rest of you have had from home since comingover," said Thad, hoping that this would convince the other, and bringabout their release; for should they be arrested as spies, and treatedharshly, he considered that would be the hardest blow of all.
Even when he had carelessly glanced at these the face of the officerstill wore that same frown, as though he could not get rid of hissuspicion that they were really English boys, and all this might only bea cleverly arranged scheme to hide their identity.
Thad was almost ready to give up in despair. He felt that he had aboutreached the end of his rope, and could do nothing more. Just how thesehard riders could hold them prisoners, and make them accompany them hecould not guess, unless they happened to have four empty saddles amongthem. And it would be difficult to imagine Bumpus going at headlongspeed across country, keeping pace with such mad riders as these Uhlans.
Then all at once Thad remembered something. It was not that a verbalplea would do any good, for he suspected the more he talked the strongerwould this martinet be inclined to hold them under the ban of hisdispleasure.
The brief note written by the aviator whom they had aided--might notthat be of benefit to their cause?
It will be remembered that Thad had taken pains to conceal this underthe lining of his campaign hat, lest some Belgian eye read what theTaube birdman had written over his signature, and charge them with beingGerman spies.
Taking off his hat he fumbled under the lining, and quickly produced thepaper, a bit crumpled, and lacking freshness, but with the penciledwriting plainly legible, which was all Thad cared about.
When he looked up he saw that many eyes had been following his motions,as if the Uhlans had had their curiosity aroused.
"There is one incident connected with our trip through this part ofBelgium, sir, that I would like to speak of, hoping it will convince youwe are what we claim to be, only that and nothing more. Have I yourpermission to tell you about this ad
venture, sir?"
"Proceed," the officer told him; "we are giving the horses a littlerest, which they sorely need, so a short delay will do no harm."
"We were coming along when we had an accident to the engine. While I wasmaking the necessary repairs one of my friends made an astonishingdiscovery. We saw the figure of a man caught in the top of a tall tree.He was moving his arm to us as if he hoped to attract our attention inthat way. When we hurried up to the tree we found, just as we expected,the wreck of an aeroplane there!"
Thad purposely paused at that thrilling point so as to let them graspthe full force of his assertion. He was not much surprised when theofficer demanded:
"Could you tell from the build of the aeroplane what sort of a machineit may have been, boy?"
"Yes, for I had noticed them while over in Germany, sir," replied Thad."It was a Taube model. We climbed the tree at once, three of us, andafter some hard work managed to get the aviator safely down. He told ushow he had been scouting over the Belgian lines when both his machineand himself were struck by shots. He tried to sail slowly to the groundmiles away from the fighting line, but by hard luck struck that tree,and became caught there, his machine falling to the earth."
Again Thad stopped as though to get his breath, but it was really donefor effect and to give the officer a chance to ask a question, which heimmediately did.
"Then you claim that this man whom you aided was a German aviator, doyou?"
"He had a bad wound in his arm," proceeded the boy, promptly, "which wehad no trouble in binding up, because you may know, sir, that scouts aretaught how to treat all manner of wounds. I am sure he felt verygrateful on account of what little we were able to do for him. We wereonly carrying out the principles of our scout organization. It did notmatter to us whether he was German, Belgian or French, he was in need ofassistance, and we gave it."
The officer in command swept a look around at his comrades, and Thad sawthat several of them nodded their heads as though they rather liked theway the boy in khaki had put forward his ideas concerning strictneutrality.
"Would you know the name of this German Taube operator if you heard itagain, boy?" asked the commander.
"Oh! he left a note with us, which he signed with his name," said Thad,smilingly; "you see he said it might be of assistance to us in case wecame across any party of Uhlans on our travels. I supposed from that hemust be pretty well known, although of course none of us had ever heardhis name."
"Was it that note you just took from under the lining of your hat?"asked the officer.
"Yes, sir, and here it is. You see, I felt that it might get us intotrouble if Belgian eyes saw it, for they would not like to know we hadsaved the life of a German aviator who would have died in that tree,perhaps."
The officer hastily took the piece of paper and read the few lineswritten thereon by the man of the wrecked Taube. Thad saw that it seemedto create something of a sensation among the Uhlans as it was passedfrom hand to hand, and from this he felt satisfied that the aviator musthave been one of the leading airmen in the German flying corps.
Now the grim face of the Uhlan commander had relaxed. He even smiled onthe Scouts.
"I am convinced that you are what you claim, my brave boys; so shakehands with me, one and all of you," he said.