CHAPTER XXII
THE ESCAPE
Silently, the desperate prisoners crouched in the dark corner of themiserable German camp. Their hearts that had been so deep in despairnow beat with new hope.
"Now this is the plan in detail," announced Franz. "We must get itall straight, as the least slip means failure. It's lucky I can speakGerman like a native. I always despised the language, and when thiswar broke out and I heard the terrible things the Boches were doing Iwas ashamed to twist my tongue to the language. But now it comes inmighty handy. I think I can fool the guard at the barracks where theyrepair the uniforms. Once I get him out of the way it'll be fairlyclear sailing. We can pass out in the dark, and, once we get beyondthese hateful wires, it'll be the best chance we could hope for. Thenit'll be every man for himself, for it won't be safe for so many of usto stick together, even if we are in German uniforms. Now does everyoneunderstand it?"
They all said they did, and then, as it was risky to remain any longeraway from their sleeping quarters, they silently stole back to theirmiserable pallets. But there was hope now, where they had had onlydespair before.
In brief, the plan made by Franz and some of his companions was this.Not all in the prison pen could be included, as there were too many ofthem. Some refused to take the chance, and others had plans of theirown for getting away.
Franz could, as he said, speak German like a native. He had formeda plot to overpower the officer on guard at the shop where Germanuniforms were repaired. Then Franz hoped to be able to get inside theshop, pass out a number of German suits to his companions, don onehimself, and, under some pretense, lead the daring band out of the penunder cover of darkness.
Such was the bare outline of the plot, but there were many side issueswhich rendered it much more hazardous than it sounds.
Among the many tasks the Allied prisoners were set at in the Germandetention camps was the repairing of German uniforms. The Huns werehard put, after the first two years of war, to provide clothing fortheir troops. And, as the Allies did later, the Boches formulated asalvage plan. That is, the uniforms, when not too badly damaged, weretaken from the dead bodies of their soldiers and sent to the rear to becleaned, mended, and put in shape, to be issued to men whose clothinghad worn out in service.
Franz, Bob, and some of the others worked day after day remaking theseuniforms, and they knew the inside and outside of the barracks shopwhere the uniforms were revamped and stored against the time of need.
After dark the uniform shop was deserted, but it was guarded generallyby but one officer, as it was somewhat removed from the prisoners'sleeping places.
Franz planned to steal up on this officer as he was on duty in front ofthe uniform building, overpower him in the most silent way possible,and then don his uniform. He would hide his own miserable suit someplace, and also drag the body of the officer out of sight.
Once attired as a German officer and with his knowledge of thelanguage, Franz could move about the prison yard freely. He hoped hewould not have to do much talking, however, as he did not know whatorders the uniform guard might be under.
However, Franz intended to work quickly. Once he was attired as a Hun,though he hated the uniform, it was his idea to slip into the shop andbring out two other uniforms. Bob would put on one, and one of theother conspirators the remaining suit. Then the trio could move aboutwith but little danger of detection.
Franz then proposed that he, Bob, and their companion should bring fromthe shop enough German uniforms to fit all who were going to try toescape in this way. They would don them in their sleeping quarters, andthen, under cover of darkness, would be led boldly to the main entranceof the prison pen by Franz.
Here was the weakest and most dangerous part of the plot. If for anyreason the guard at the gate suspected anything they would all be shotdown without mercy.
But here again Franz counted on his knowledge of German. It was oftenthe practice for squads of German soldiers to march into and out ofthe yard under the guidance of an officer, and Franz hoped he and hisfriends would be taken for one of these parties. He could give theguard at the gate any reason that seemed feasible for taking the menout at night. All the prisoners were soldiers. They could march in asquad like the Germans, and, though they might not be able to do the"goose step," there would be no need for that.
"Well, we've got to take the chance," said Franz, as he and Bob turnedin on their pallets.
"Yes, it's worth taking a lot of chances to get out of this hole," wasthe answer.
How they lived through the next day Bob, Franz, and the others in theplot hardly recalled afterward. They were wistfully anxious for nightto come, and terribly worried lest by some chance the plan might bespoiled.
But fate seemed to favor them. None of them was sent, as sometimes wasthe case, to labor in distant mines. They were all kept at tasks withinor near the prison enclosure, and, to their delight, Bob and Franz wereput at work sewing buttons on revamped uniforms.
This gave them a chance to note that an unusual number of repairedsuits were ready to be issued. This was another matter that had worriedFranz. Sometimes the stock of available uniforms in the shop wasexhausted. If that had occurred at this time there would have been nonefor the escaping prisoners.
"There's enough here for all of us," Franz remarked to Bob, as theystopped work that night.
They filed in to their meagre supper, as did all the prisoners, and,hungry as they all were, each one managed to smuggle away a small pieceof bread, or what passed for it, and some other food. For some dayspast they had been hoarding such victuals as they could, for, onceescaped, they must hide in holes, live the best way they could, andsubsist on what they found until they could reach Holland or get backto the American lines. And they all hoped to be able to do this, ratherthan reach the neutral Netherlands, where they would be interned.
It may well be imagined that none of those in the plot to escape sleptthat night. The hour for the trial was set at two o'clock in themorning, that being the time when the guards would be least on thealert.
And, much as rain was hated, everyone was glad when it began to drizzleshortly after midnight. This meant that the guards would seek suchshelter as was available on their posts, and not be quite so alert asthey would be were the night fine.
"So far so good!" whispered Franz to Bob, as the time drew near. "I'mgoing to start now."
He slipped from his hard bed and silently made his way to the door.Franz knew the habits of the guard there. He generally was dozing offat this hour, though it was against the rules. But as no escape hadbeen attempted in a long time, a little carelessness had crept into theiron discipline.
As silently as a cat Franz crept up on this guard. In his hand theKhaki Boy carried a file that had been worn down to what constituteda dagger with a needle point. There was so slight a struggle andcommotion at the entrance of the barracks that Bob and the others,breathlessly waiting, hardly heard it. Franz shuddered at the deed hehad been obliged to commit, but it was either his life or the guard's.
The lifeless body was dragged out of the way, and then Franz crawledfrom the building. It was raining harder than ever now, and he was gladof it. Quickly he made his way through the darkness to the clothingshop. He was not stopped, and for this he was also glad. For though hemight have got past a sentry in the blackness by giving some excuse,in German, for walking around, there would have been grave danger ofdiscovery. But, as it was, Franz found himself at the clothing depot,and then he began to look for the guard.
"The most likely place he'll be will be in the shelter of the doorway,out of the wet as much as possible," mused Franz. "I'll tackle himthere."
As he approached the door to the shop a figure stepped from thedoorway, just as he expected.
"Halt! Who comes?" demanded the under-officer in German, as he broughthis rifle around ready for instant use.
"I have some important information for you," said Franz, speaking inthe tongue he hated. "Hush! do not make an alarm.
"
As he spoke he drew near to the officer with the sharp-pointed file inreadiness.
"What is the information, and who are you?" asked the officer, who wasa corporal.
"This!" exclaimed Franz, and he struck true and hard.
There was a gasping, choking cry, hardly audible above the sighing ofthe wind and the patter of the rain.
"I--I hope I don't have to do this again," thought Franz with ashudder. "It isn't like killing men in battle. But it has to be!"
The way was now clear for him. As quickly as he could he stripped offthe corporal's uniform and donned it in place of his own rags. Theselatter he tossed under the building, where he also hid the body.
Possessing himself of the officer's keys Franz hurried into the shop.Fortunately he knew his way about even in the dark, and he caught uptwo complete uniforms and two long coats from a pile he had noticedthat afternoon near the door, where they were stacked ready to beshipped out in the morning.
Hurrying back to the sleeping shack, clad in the dead officer'suniform, Franz carried with him the two other outfits he had picked up.Quickly Bob and a man named Rayburn donned these suits, and then, inthe darkness and rain, they carried away enough uniforms to fit out theentire escaping party.
Feverishly the men worked to get into them, and at last they wereoutfitted. They were ready to be led to freedom by Franz now, if onlyfate were kind to them.
"All here?" asked Franz in a whisper.
"All here," answered Bob, who had kept count. Some of the otherprisoners awoke, but none would join the escaping party. They regardedthe chances as too slim, and they knew what the result would be if theywere caught.
Out into the rain and darkness Franz led his squad of "German"soldiers. Boldly they approached the gate. It was the crucial moment.Would they be stopped?
The sentry came out of his little box as Franz led his men up in doublefile.
"Halt!" came the command, and Franz repeated it.
"Who goes?" demanded the sentry.
"A party from the prison commandant's quarters to bring in a squad ofAmerican prisoners," answered Franz. "Our brave fellows have capturedsome more of the swine."
"Good!" grunted the sentry. "They ought all be shot. You have an order,of course?" he asked.
"Yes," answered Franz, and for a moment his heart went cold. He had notthought of this. In desperation he put his hand in the pocket of theovercoat he had taken from the dead officer.
Franz was about to take out the deadly file, and use it for the thirdtime, but as he felt for it his fingers encountered a paper. He did notknow what it was, but he would take a chance. At any rate it would besomething in German.
Boldly he took it out and offered it to the guard at the gate. Hadthere been any slip here Franz was ready to kill the sentry at once.But the latter was intent on getting what he supposed was an orderpermitting a squad of German soldiers to pass out. He took the documentfrom Franz's shaking hand.
"It is too dark to read," spluttered the guard. "And my flashlamp isbroken. Pass on!"
"Forward, march!" ordered Franz, in German. And how those wordsthrilled the prisoners! They filed past the sentry who had turned to goback into his little box. Then, as Bob, who brought up the rear, wasabout to go through the gate which the sentry had unlocked, somethingseemed to strike the guard as wrong.
"Your men have no guns, corporal," he said. "And to bring inprisoners----"
"Bah! An unarmed German is a match for any number of the swine-dogs!"returned Franz.
"Right! Pass on!" chuckled the guard.
And the prisoners were outside the gate!