Army Boys on the Firing Line; or, Holding Back the German Drive Read online

  CHAPTER XIII

  A DEEPENING MYSTERY

  "He came off his perch mighty quick," remarked Bart to Frank in awhisper.

  "I don't wonder," replied Frank. "He'd be a pretty poor insurance riskif these people could get a whack at him."

  The corporal asked a few formal questions as to the lieutenant'sregiment and division, which were answered sullenly though promptly.But these had little interest just then, and their asking was really amatter for headquarters. They were simply the prelude to otherquestions in which the company were much more deeply concerned.

  "You had a prisoner here?" asked the corporal.

  "Yes."

  "Where is he now?"

  "He was placed upstairs."

  "He is not there now. What have you done with him?"

  "Nothing."

  "What were you going to do with him?"

  The officer moved uneasily.

  "Take him back to my quarters," he finally answered.

  "Why did you have that rope put over the tree by the well?"

  There was no answer, but the officer grew red in the face.

  "Did you hear the question?"

  "It was to frighten him," the lieutenant finally blurted out. "Anywayhe was a spy and deserved to be hung. He had come into our lines indisguise."

  The corporal motioned to Frank.

  "Ask the girl again if she is sure the prisoner had on an Americanuniform," he directed.

  Frank did so.

  "_Oui, oui,_" she affirmed emphatically.

  To make sure, Frank repeated the question to the farmer and his son andreceived the same answer.

  He reported to the corporal.

  "These people all say that the prisoner was not in disguise,Lieutenant," said Wilson. "Do you still wish to insist that he was?"

  "Yes."

  "That is enough," replied the corporal with quiet scorn. "Line up theprisoners, men," he commanded.

  This was quickly done, and the homeward march commenced, but not untilanother search had been made for the missing captive of the Germans.

  It had the same result as the previous one and the boys were full ofquestionings and forebodings as they marched back guarding theirprisoners. But there were some elements of comfort in their perplexity.

  In the first place, they had saved some American soldier, whether Tomor another, from a horrible death. Then, too, they had in their powerthe brute who had planned that death. It was not impossible, too,that, under further questioning of the lieutenant and his men atheadquarters, more might be learned of what they wanted so badly toknow.

  Another subject of congratulation also was that the prisoner, if he hadescaped, was not far from the American lines. He might find his way inat any time.

  But there was one thing that bothered Frank considerably, and hementioned it that night when he found himself alone with Bart and Billy.

  "Do you remember the minute at the edge of the wood when the corporalgave the order to fix bayonets?" he asked.

  "Sure thing," replied Bart. "What about it?"

  "Just this," replied Frank. "At that minute I caught sight of a manrunning away from the farmhouse into the woods on the other side. Igot the picture of him in my mind, but I didn't have time to thinkabout it just then, for we were making a rush for the house. Thenother things crowded it out of my mind altogether. But it came back tome on the way home this afternoon."

  "What did the man look like and how was he dressed?" asked Billyeagerly.

  "He had on an American uniform," replied Frank slowly, as he tried tomake the picture clear in his own mind.

  "Perhaps it was Tom!" cried Bart.

  "No, it wasn't," said Frank positively. "The uniform was smart andnewer than ours. Tom's must be in tatters and you remember the girlsaid it was. Then, too, I'd know Tom's gait among a thousand just asyou would. No, it wasn't Tom, worse luck."

  "Who was it, then?"

  "I think it was Nick Rabig," replied Frank.

  "Nick Rabig!" the others cried together.

  "Mind, I only say I think," repeated Frank, looking around to see thatno outsider was within hearing. "I wouldn't be willing to swear to it.But the motions were Nick's--you know he runs like a cart horse--andyou know that Nick has been togged out in a new uniform since he cameback from that queer captivity of his among the Huns."

  "Nick Rabig there," mused Bart perplexedly, as he began to pace up anddown. "What on earth could he have been doing there?"

  "Say," put in Billy with agitation, "could he have done anything toTom? Suppose he went there, no matter for what purpose; suppose hefound that German crowd dead to the world; suppose he found Tomupstairs bound and helpless. You know how Nick hated him."

  "Keep cool, old man," counseled Frank, though there was a trace ofanxiety in his own voice. "No, I don't think anything of that kind hashappened. If it had we'd have found some traces of it. I think we canleave that out of our calculations."

  "I'm only too glad to," said Billy. "But what was Nick's reason forbeing around that farmhouse anyway?"

  "What have always been Nick's reasons for being where there areGermans, or where he expects there will be Germans?" said Bart."Suppose--just suppose--that Nick knew--had a tip, let us say--that acertain German lieutenant on a certain day would be in a certain place,ready to receive and pay for any information about the American forcesthat Nick had been able to gather. Do you get me?"

  "I get you, all right," answered Frank, "and from what we know of Nickwe've got a right to think so. Well, he didn't sell anything todayanyway. He didn't find the German lieutenant in any condition to talkbusiness."

  The bugle blew for "taps" just then, and the conversation came to anend. And the two days that followed were so crowded with events thattheir own personal interests were thrust into the background.

  For the great drive was coming, the drive for which they had beenlooking for months, looking not with fear but with eager anticipation,their ardent young hearts aflame with the desire to fight to the deaththe enemies of civilization.

  The weather had favored the enemy in his preparations. Usually at thattime of the year the ground was soft and not fit for militaryoperations on a grand scale. But the ground this year had dried outunusually early and was suitable for the bringing forward of men andguns.

  There were all sorts of rumors afloat as to what the enemy had instore. There were said to be monster guns that could throw shells morethan seventy miles. There were new and diabolical inventions in theway of gas that were to cause unspeakable agonies to their victims.There was talk of gigantic mirrors that would act as burning-glassesand blind the opposing troops.

  Some of these things proved to be true. Others were mere lies,designed to sap the morale of the Allied armies and civil populationsbefore the fight began.

  "Heinie's the biggest boob that ever happened," grinned Billy, when theboys were discussing the coming conflict. "He acts as if the Allieswere a lot of children. He thinks that all he has to do is to dress upa bugaboo and we'll all roll over and play dead."

  "He'll get something into that thick head of his after a while,"predicted Frank. "It will have to be jabbed in, but there are a lot ofus ready to do the jabbing."

  "Let him bring on his bag of tricks," scoffed Bart. "When all's saidand done, it's going to be man-stuff that will decide this war. Andthere's where we've got him on the hip. Man to man we're better stuffthan the Huns. We know it and they know it. They can't stand beforeour bayonets."

  "Right you are, old scout!" said Frank, enthusiastically, giving him aresounding slap on the back. "Let them bring on their old drive assoon as they like. They can begin the drive. We'll end it. And we'llend it in the streets of Berlin!"