"You go," said Jack. "I guess I'm strong enough to lower you."
"And leave you here in danger of the flames?" protested Bill, for it wasgetting uncomfortably hot now, and the smoke was blinding.
"I'll be all right, if we hurry," said Jack. "Go ahead, Bill, there'snot a minute to be lost."
"I know, but----"
"Never mind any 'buts'--it's a matter of life and death."
So Bill reluctantly looped the "rope" under his arms and then Jacklowered the young engineer to the next floor. This done, Jack had a hardtask in front of him. He had to fasten the life-line round the woman andlift her to the edge of the gulf.
This he accomplished by knotting the rope to the marble pillar, tying itsecurely at just such a length as would allow its unconscious burden tobe suspended over the gap in the stairway. This was accomplished. Shewas lowered, and in a short time the woman was received by Bill, whoreleased her from the line with all speed. Then came the little girl'sturn. She was terrified at the idea, but at last Jack, with the loss ofmuch valuable time, succeeded in persuading her to make the attempt.
But the delay had made his position terribly dangerous. The fire was sointensely hot now that its breath scorched him. The smoke was so dense,too, that breathing was difficult.
"I'll have a close shave of it," thought Jack, as he glanced behind himand prepared to lower the little girl.
As before, the feat was successfully accomplished, and then came Jack'sturn. As he slid nimbly down the rope that had done them such goodservice, the flames actually singed his garments. He was none too soonin reaching the lower floor, for he had hardly landed when the firereached the pillar to which the line was secured and burned through itsfabric.
"Well, 'a miss is as good as a mile,'" said Jack, "but that's about asclose as I want to come to being roasted alive."
CHAPTER XXVI.
TWO YOUNG HEROES.
The corridor was deserted, but a few lights burned dimly. No damageappeared to have been done there, and it was clear that the bomb hadwrought havoc only on the top floor, which was the one occupied by theboys and those they had rescued.
"I wonder if the elevator is running?" asked Bill.
The lift was at the upper end of the passage and they carried the womanto it, but there was no response to their rings. Outside they could hearfire apparatus clanging wildly up and the confused roaring murmur of animmense crowd.
In the distance, the guns of the forts boomed, filling the air withtheir sonorous thunder as they fired at the daring night raider of theenemy. With this sound was mingled the sharper crackle of lightartillery and specially built "sky guns." But as they learned afterward,the perpetrator of destruction on the sleeping city escaped scot-free,to make subsequent attacks.
The elevator apparently not running, they had to face the task ofcarrying the unconscious woman down to the lobby and securing medicalaid. Luckily for their tired muscles, Antwerp hotels are not like ourskyscrapers, and it was not long before they reached the ground.
The scene was a wild one. Hysterical women and white-faced, frightenedmen, in every stage of dress or undress, were huddled in the centre ofthe place while the hotel clerks and servants were doing their best topacify them. In the confusion, the boys attracted hardly any attention,and they laid the woman down on a lounge while they summoned a doctor,of whom several were already busy attending to women who had swooned orbecome hysterical.
The fear of the crowd was that another bomb might follow the first.Already word had spread that a hospital had been struck and a dwellinghouse wrecked, two women and a man being killed outright in their sleepin the latter.
"What an outrage!" exclaimed Bill, looking about him at the wild scenewhile a doctor administered restoratives to the woman they had saved."To attack women and children and harmless citizens from the sky."
"I hope they get that old wind bag and blow it to bits," wished Jack,with not less warmth.
"Well, this is our first taste of war, Jack, and I can't say I like it."
"Nor I. It would do some of those jingoes in our own country, who wereyelling for war with Mexico, a lot of good to see this," returned theyoung wireless man.
"Let's go outside and see what's going on," suggested Bill. "I guess ourcharge is all right, now she's beginning to recover."
If the scene in the hotel had been wild, like a nightmare more than areality, that outside was pandemonium itself. Imagine a crowd ofwild-eyed men and women, few of them wholly dressed, surging behindlines of policemen and the entire street lighted by the ghastly glare offlames upon which the engines were playing furious streams.
"If that bomb-thrower sailed over here now he could wipe out half ofAntwerp, I should think," said Jack, as they elbowed their way throughthe throng. Oddly enough, although the lads had only been able to throwon a few garments hastily, they did not, till that moment, recollectthat their new outfits had been destroyed. It was Bill who calledattention to this.
"We ought to make the fortunes of a tailor," he commented. "We'll haveto get a lot of new stuff to-morrow,--or rather to-day, for it's afterthree o'clock."
"If this keeps up we'll be reduced to Adam and Eve garments before weget through," laughed Jack.
Far in the distance, on the outskirts of the city and on the chain offorts, the white fingers of the searchlights were sweeping the skyquestioningly, looking for the sky-destroyer to deal out death to him inhis turn. The guns boomed and cracked incessantly, sending a rain ofmissiles upward.
But flying high, and favored by a misty sky, the Zeppelin escapedwithout injury, leaving a panic-stricken city in its wake. There was nomore sleep for any one in Antwerp that night. Vigilance against spiesincreased ten-fold, and it was bruited about that the real object of theaviators had been to blow up the royal palace, and by destroying theking and queen to terrify the Belgians into submission.
Naturally, sleep was out of the question for the boys. They spent therest of the night wandering about the city and visiting the ruins of thehouse that had been struck just before the hotel. Its entire front wastorn out by the force of the explosion, and just as they arrived, threebodies had been found in the ruins.
The sight of the shrouded, still forms brought home to them with stillgreater force the horror of it all.
"Tell you what, Bill," said Jack, as they returned to the hotel tobreakfast, and found that the fire had been extinguished and the panicquieted down, "war is a pretty thing on paper, and uniforms, and bands,and fluttering flags, and all that to make a fellow feel martial andwar-like, but it's little realities like these that make you feel theworld would be a heap better off without soldiers or sailors whoseplaces could be taken by a few wise diplomats in black tail coats. Itwouldn't be so pretty but it would be a lot more like horse sense."
"Gracious, you're developing into a regular orator," laughed Bill.
"Well, the sight of these poor dead folks and all this useless wreckagegot under my skin," said Jack, flushing a little, for he was not a boymuch given to "chin music," as Bill called oratorical flights.
During the morning they secured new clothes for the second time sincelanding in the city, and then paid their appointed call on M. La Farge.
"I have good news for you, boys," he said as they came into his office."Your man was last heard from at Louvain. I suspect he is rather givento adventure, for I understand that he has been quite active in aidingour people. It's strange that his people have not heard from him,though."
"Perhaps they have by this time," said Jack; "but if he has beenactively siding with the Belgians, isn't his neutrality in grave danger,with all its serious consequences?"
M. La Farge nodded thoughtfully.
"I have heard much of your wealthy young Americans," he said, "and whiletheir hearts are warm and it is good of this young man to be doing whathe can, my advice to you is to get him to return home as soon aspossible--the Germans shoot first and listen to explanations afterward,as they s
ay in your country."
CHAPTER XXVII.
"THE GERMANS ARE COMING!"
It was in the early days of the war when the gallant defenders of Liegewere still undauntedly holding back the Teuton thousands with theirgreat "caterpillar" siege guns that were destined, ere long, to hammerdown the stubborn defense of Belgium's neutrality. Trains were runningand business, although seriously hampered, was still being carried on,though the foe was at the gate and the capital had been removed fromBrussels to Antwerp.
Armed with passes signed by M. La Farge, to which their photographs wereattached for purposes of identification, the boys started for Liege thenext day. It was likely to prove an arduous and not unhazardous taskthat they had embarked upon. In the first place "spy fever" was at itsheight. Anyone not in uniform was liable to be held up and questioned,and if satisfactory explanations were not forthcoming, they were liableto very unpleasant consequences.
The word of any frightened peasant choosing to "denounce" anybody hadled to riots and affrays in which men and women, suspected of espionage,had been rescued by troopers after being half beaten to death.
Above all, the boys were warned not to carry weapons of any kind, aninjunction which they obeyed as they did all the rest of M. La Farge'sadmonitions. The train journey proved exasperating. Sometimes it wouldbe halted for hours on a side track while trains, loaded withyoung-looking soldiers in a strange medley of gay Belgian uniforms, wentby, the men cheering and singing. Again, much time was wasted by carefulreconnaissances, for there was fear that bridges might have beendynamited or the right of way mined by the spies who were rifethroughout the country.
A whole day passed thus, with the train creeping like a snail andcontinually stopping and starting. The roads at the side of the trackwere alive with peasants flocking to different centres from their lonelyhouses in the country. Some had their family possessions piled high insmall carts drawn by dogs. Others carried what they had been ablehastily to collect. It was another sad picture of war and the desolationit had brought on an inoffensive, industrious little country.
Several aeroplanes soared above the train, reconnoitering the country.At first the boys were nervous lest there might be a repetition of thebomb-dropping at Antwerp, but they were assured by the official on thetrain, who had examined their passes, that the aircraft were allfriendly French and Belgian aeroplanes, after which they watched themwith less uncomfortable feelings. As Bill put it:
"If we were at war and shouldering rifles for the dear old U. S. A.,we'd take the chances of war with the rest of them, but being a neutral,there's no sense in throwing away our bright young lives," a sentimentto which Jack agreed heartily.
It was dark when the train rolled into Louvain. After innumerablechallenges by armed sentries, they at last reached the hotel of theplace where many of the soldiers were quartered. If Antwerp had seemedlike an armed fortress, signs of military activity were much more markedin the old cathedral town.
Lights were not allowed after eight o'clock. Citizens were kept off thestreets at night after certain hours. Artillery rumbled through the cityall night, going to the front, the boys were told.
Disquieting rumors of the fall of Liege, and the advance of the Germans,had already reached the town, and on the outskirts, barbed wire defenseswere erected and trenches dug hastily. Residents were warned, in theevent of the Germans entering the city, to behave themselves strictly asnon-combatants, the magnificent cathedral was fitted up as a hospital incase of emergencies. The thrill of warfare was in the air.
It was early the next morning that Jack aroused Bill from his sleep.
"Hark, Bill!" he exclaimed, holding up one hand.
From far off came the boom of cannon. The ground seemed to tremble underthe thunder-like reverberations. Down in the street a squadron ofcavalry raced through the town. Then came the rumbling of guns beingrushed to the front.
"It's a big battle," declared Jack; "and what's more the sounds havebeen growing louder. It must be a retreat."
Bill looked grave.
"In that case we are likely to be in the thick of it."
"I'm afraid so, and it may be mighty difficult to get away. We'll haveto find Tom Jukes as soon as we can, and then get back to the coast."
An aeroplane buzzed by overhead, its powerful engines whirring, buzzingthunderously. By daylight the town was almost empty of soldiers; theyhad all, except a few detachments, been called to the front during thenight.
The landlord of the hotel was in a great state of perturbation.
"Ah, those terrible Germans!" he exclaimed, "they will wreck ourbeautiful town and put us to death. I know them. Oh, what unhappytimes."
"Perhaps they may be beaten back," encouraged Jack.
"Oh, no! No such good fortune," said the landlord, wringing his handsmiserably. Just after dawn, a mud-spattered courier arrived, anddeclared Liege had fallen, "the Germans are coming."
Everywhere that was the cry as, after a hasty breakfast in thedisordered hotel, the boys hurried out.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
FAST TRAVELING.
The sound of firing was now much closer. Frightened faces were peeringfrom behind shuttered windows. All traffic appeared to have stopped, andthe only life beyond the few persons abroad, whose curiosity wasstronger than their fear of the big German guns, was when an occasionalbody of troops would rush through the streets.
The beautiful Hotel de Ville and the fine old cathedral, so soondestined to be damaged by fire and bullets, attracted the attention ofthe boys and gained a hearty expression of admiration from them both.All at once there was a whirr and the snort of a horn, and an armoredwar-automobile, carrying a machine gun, and painted a business-likegray, dashed around a corner and sped on. Another car came close behindit.
The second machine carried an American and a Red Cross flag. It wascoming fast and contained two occupants. Both were youths, and onecarried a camera over his shoulder by a broad strap. But the otherattracted Jack's notice, for in him he recognized instantly the lad theywere in search of, Tom Jukes, the millionaire's son.
"Hey, Tom Jukes!" he hailed.
The car slowed up and the young driver turned questioningly in his seat.
"Well, by all that's wonderful, it's Jack Ready and Bill Raynor!" heexclaimed, as the two lads came up to the car. "What in the world areyou doing here?"
"We've been sent to ask you that same question," responded Jack, who, itwill be recalled, became well acquainted with Tom Jukes when the youngwireless man was in the hospital in New York following his battle withthe desperate tobacco smugglers he was instrumental in sending toprison.
"What do you mean?" asked Tom with wide-open eyes.
"Why, your father hadn't heard from you and----"
"Hadn't heard from me! Why, I've written several letters," declared Tom."I'd have cabled, but they've stopped all that for the present, atleast. I declare, that's too bad. And so the governor sent you on asearching expedition, eh?"
"Well, it was to be a combination of that and a vacation," laughed Jack,and he told something of their adventures on board the "Gold Ship."
"My word, you fellows are always having adventures," said Tom, with asmile on his good-looking face. "The fact is, I guess reading of yourexploits made me stay over here when this row started to see if Icouldn't have some of my own. I'm staying with Belgian friends, abouthalf a mile from here, and so far I haven't done much but get ready tohelp in Red Cross work and so on. But now I guess it's up to me to getback to the U. S. A."
"If we can," said Jack. "I don't know where the ship we came over on,the _St. Mark_, has been sent to. London and Paris are overrun withAmerican refugees. When we were there, hundreds of them were unable toget passage, or even change their money."
"Oh, the whole world seems to have been shuffled in this thing," frownedTom, "but let me introduce my friend, Philander Pottle. He's aphotographer for a New
York newspaper."
The boys shook hands with Pottle, a dark young fellow who talked asexplosively as a machine gun.
"Glad to meet you--fine fight--be here soon--great pictures--snap!bang!--action--that's the stuff!"
"We're going out toward the front, that is, if we can get by," declaredTom; "want to come along?"
The boys looked rather dubious.
"I don't know what your father----" began Jack doubtfully.
Tom interrupted him impulsively.
"Oh, there's no danger so long as we don't get in any of the scrimmagesourselves," he declared, "and then the American flag and the Red Crossemblem will keep us out of trouble."
Both boys were anxious to go, so that it did not take much morepersuasion to make them get in.
"Now then off we go--bang! biff!--big guns!"
Outside the city lay an open country. Far off they could see a greatcloud-like mass of smoke which, no doubt, marked the place where thefight was taking place.
"We'll make a detour to the north," declared Tom. "There's rising groundthere and we can look down without danger of getting hit."
"Not want to get hit--cannon ball--gee whizz, off goes your head--muchbetter keep it on," said Pottle, in his firecracker way.
"He talks as fast as a photographic shutter moves," chuckled Bill toJack in a low voice and the other could not but agree. As they rode on,they passed groups of soldiers and artillery. Now and then a lumberingwagon, bringing back wounded men lying on piles of straw, jolted by,bearing mute testimony of the havoc going on at the front.