The Boy Scouts Afoot in France; or, With the Red Cross Corps at the Marne Read online

  THE BOY SCOUTS AFOOT IN FRANCE

  Or

  With the Red Cross Corps at the Marne

  by

  HERBERT CARTER

  Author of“The Boy Scouts at the Battle of Saratoga”“The Boy Scouts Through the Big Timber”“The Boy Scouts on Sturgeon Island”“The Boy Scouts in the Blue Ridge”“The Boy Scouts’ First Camp Fire”“The Boy Scouts in the Rockies”“The Boy Scouts on the Trail”“The Boy Scouts on War Trails in Belgium”“The Boy Scouts Down in Dixie”“The Boy Scouts in the Maine Woods”“The Boy Scouts Along the Susquehanna”

  Copyright, 1917By A. L. Burt Company

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER PAGE I Landed in Antwerp 3 II Held Up on the Border 11 III Down the Slope 20 IV Giraffe on Guard 29 V At Calais, on the Channel 39 VI Caught Between the Lines 48 VII A Narrow Escape 58 VIII The Dangerous Crossing 65 IX With the French at the Front 76 X Giraffe Faces a Serious Charge 87 XI The Battle 98 XII The Wanderings of Bumpus 106 XIII A Thrilling Spectacle 114 XIV Back to the Firing Line 123 XV In the Service of the Red Cross 132 XVI At the French Hospital 141 XVII The Scouts Under Fire 151 XVIII Making History 162 XIX Thad Turns Magician 170 XX Running the Gantlet of Shells 178 XXI At Joffre’s Headquarters 189 XXII The Man Who Saved Paris 198 XXIII Where Victory Was Seized 207 XXIV Headed for Paris 216 XXV Giraffe Has a Narrow Escape 225 XXVI The Badge of Courage and Honor 234 XXVII Conclusion 244

  THE BOY SCOUTS AFOOT IN FRANCE

  CHAPTER I LANDED IN ANTWERP

  “Well, here we are, up the River Schelde at last, and landing at oldAntwerp, boys.”

  “Yes, that’s right, Thad, and glad to set foot again on solid ground,after that long trip over the North Sea from Rotterdam, away up inHolland.”

  “Of course Bumpus is happy, because he expects to join his mother hereat the Sanitarium. We all hope you’ll find her much improved, and readyto start for the good old United States, where peace hangs out and folksdon’t dream of lining up in battle array like they’re all doing overhere in Europe.”

  “Thank you, Thad, I am hugging that same wish to my heart myself rightalong. Just as soon as we can get some sort of vehicle let’s head forthe Institution. I’m in a cold sweat for fear something may havehappened. It’s a long time since I heard from my poor mother, you know,boys.”

  “Yes, you worried all the time we were drifting down the Rhine on thatboat we chartered; and Bumpus, I really believe you’ve been thinking ofyour mother every hour we spent trying our best to get through Belgium,while running into so many snags at every turn that we finally had to gointo Holland and take a steamer here.”

  “I admit all you say, Giraffe, I humbly do, for you see she’s the onlymother I’ve got. But please look for a vehicle, Thad, or you, Allan. Ihave cold spells, and then flashes of fever by turns.”

  “I’m thinking we may have considerable trouble finding any sort ofconveyance, because most horses and cars have been seized by the Belgianmilitary authorities. But we’ll do our best, and money generally talksover here as it does in America.”

  There were four of the boys in the bunch. All of them wore more or lessfaded khaki suits, and had battered campaign hats on their heads, whichfacts told louder than words could have done that they must belong tothat famous organization known as the Boy Scouts of America.

  First, to introduce them in as short a space as possible, for theconvenience of any reader who may be making their acquaintance for thefirst time, let it be set down that their names were Thad Brewster,Allan Hollister, “Bumpus” Hawtree and “Giraffe” Stedman.

  The Hawtree lad was once in a while known as “Cornelius Jasper”; and onrare occasions he who answered to the family name of Stedman, a lankychap in the bargain, had “Conrad” tacked to his address; but never whenin the society of his comrades of the baseball or football field, orwhen scouring the country in the company of those who wore the khaki.

  These lads were all members of the Silver Fox Patrol connected withCranford Troop of Boy Scouts; and the enterprising town in which theylived was located in the eastern part of the States.

  They had seen many strange sights, and passed through a host ofexperiences, both singular and thrilling, as any one who has readprevious volumes in this series can attest. Perhaps the most remarkableof all their exploits had come to them during this summer upon findingthemselves in Germany when the Great War suddenly broke out, and theyhad the time of their lives trying to get past the fiercely contendingBelgian and Teuton armies, in the endeavor to reach the city of Antwerpon the River Schelde.[1]

  A few words with regard to the reason for their being abroad wouldperhaps not come in amiss here, in order that the reader may understandwhat follows: It had come about that Mrs. Hawtree, being ill, wasrecommended to go to Antwerp and stop for a season at a famousSanitarium, where celebrated physicians who had made a specialty of suchcases as hers would very likely be able to render her more or lessassistance, possibly effect a permanent cure.

  Mr. Hawtree, being unable to accompany his wife on account of pressingbusiness engagements, sent his son instead. As Bumpus was usually an“easy mark” on account of his good nature, it was arranged that hisfaithful chums, Thad, Allan and Giraffe, accompany him, half of theexpense being paid by the Hawtrees.

  So they had left the lady in Antwerp, and then started out to put along-cherished plan into operation. At a certain city on the Upper Rhinethey chartered a boat, aboard which they began to descend thewonderfully beautiful river, admiring the famous old castles on itsbanks, and having a “simply glorious time,” as Bumpus himself always putit.

  Then came the thunderbolt when they learned how war had suddenly brokenout, with the great German military machine pouring troops over theBelgian border by tens and hundreds of thousands, thinking to catchFrance totally unprepared, so that Paris could be taken, and the countryforced to its knees.

  The boys had hastily abandoned their cruise on the Rhine, and, securingan old rattletrap of a car, for fear a good one might be taken fromthem, they started for the border, in hopes of getting across, andfinally reaching Antwerp.

  But after many adventures they had finally been forced to change theirplans, retreating to Holland instead, and then coming around by way ofthe North Sea. So here they were, safe at last at their destination, andglad to know that they had broken down all obstacles to their progress.

  Thad Brewster was the leader. He held the position by virtue of hiscommand
ing nature, as well as the fact that he was at the head of theSilver Fox Patrol, and indeed often served as scout-master of the troopin the absence of the duly authorized gentleman who occupied that loftyoffice.

  On his part Allan Hollister could claim to be the best-posted member ofthe troop when it came to a knowledge of woodcraft and an acquaintancewith the denizens of the wilderness in the shape of fur, fin andfeather, for he was a Maine boy, and that stands for a great deal.

  Giraffe, he of the long “rubber-neck,” was a master hand at severalthings, though it must be admitted that he took more pride in hisability to start a fire in a dozen different ways than concerninganything else he did.

  As for Bumpus, he did not claim to excel in anything, unless it was aremarkably good judgment with various kinds of food and ways in which toprepare them so as to arouse the appetites of his mates.

  It happened that they found little difficulty in securing the servicesof a driver, since they had made up their minds not to scorn any sort ofvehicle so long as it got them to the Sanitarium on that August morning.

  As they bundled in with their scanty luggage and started off from thequay at which the steamer from Rotterdam had tied up, the boys naturallyfound themselves keenly interested in all they saw. Antwerp under warconditions was quite a different city from the rather quiet, staid placethey had thought it before. Indeed, all of them admitted that it fairly_seethed_ with excitement, and was full of most thrilling sights justthen.

  Men in soldierly garments could be seen on the streets, all apparentlyhurrying toward some central point of mobilization. Twice the boys heardthe clatter of many horses’ hoofs as their carriage was drawn hastilyaside to allow a battery of field-pieces to pass by with a whirl. Thesewere possibly heading for the front, where the Belgians still heroicallyresisted this forced invasion of their country by their powerful andunscrupulous northern neighbor, one of the countries guaranteeing theneutrality of Belgium at that.

  Cars shot this way and that like hurrying meteors. Often they could seethat officers of rank occupied them. For all they knew the boys may havebeen looking on the King of the Belgians himself, though it was moreprobable that Albert kept much closer to the firing line while his menwere sacrificing themselves for the national honor.

  “Honest to goodness!” Giraffe was heard saying as they surveyed allthese interesting sights, turning their heads constantly from side toside like boys in a “three-ringed” circus. “I kind-a hate to get awayfrom here while things are booming this way. It’s a chance in alife-time to see what war means. I seem to feel something strangestirring within me every time I think of how these brave Belgians aretrying to hold the Kaiser’s terrible military machine in check, andsomehow I imagine it may be hero-worship that ails me.”

  “Huh!” grunted the more practical Bumpus, “more’n likely it’s thatcucumber salad you had aboard the steamer for supper last night. It gaveme a few spasms myself, and you know I’m nearly fool-proof.”

  “Well, there’s the Sanitarium ahead of us,” suggested Thad just then,and of course Bumpus had nothing more to say; though his face againassumed that anxious expression so foreign to its usually calm andsatisfied condition.

  Holding the vehicle at their service, the four boys hastened to enterthe grounds of the big and famous institution. Somehow it struck Thad asthough there was lacking considerable of the bustle he had noticed whenthere before. He fell to wondering what that sign could mean, and ifpoor Bumpus was to have a bitter disappointment after all his trouble.

  Gaining the office they found that instead of the pompous individualwhom they had met before, a rather obscure-looking party now held forth,undoubtedly a subordinate. Bumpus hastened to push forward, and they sawhim talking with this party, who evidently was able to comprehend andspeak English. Indeed, many of the patients came from foreign parts,even distant America, so it was only natural that those in charge mustbe linguists.

  Bumpus looked as though far from happy, Thad noticed. The official,after satisfying himself that the stout, red-cheeked boy was the partyhe claimed to be, had produced a letter, which he handed over. ThisBumpus had opened with trembling hands and was seen to devour greedily.

  “There’s something gone wrong, take it from me,” remarked Giraffe, asthey saw the other starting toward them, still gripping his letter andlooking pretty pale. “What’s hit you, Bumpus?” he continued, not coldly,but really with a touch of brotherly sympathy in his voice.

  “Oh! what do you think!” exclaimed Bumpus, bitterly; “my mother has goneto Paris with the head doctor, most of the staff and some of thepatients, and she wants me to join her there.”