Dave Dawson at Dunkirk

  CHAPTER SIX

  _They'll Never Beat Us!_

  "Keep the old chin up, Freddy," said Dave. "They can't do anything tous. They wouldn't dare! Don't let it get you, fellow."

  Freddy lifted his face and smiled wryly. There was the faintestsuggestion of tears in his eyes.

  "I'm not afraid of them!" he said scornfully. "I'm mad at myself. Icould kick me all around this room. Through my own stupidity I've goneand lost our boys a perfectly good ambulance. That's what I can't getover. I could chew nails when I think of it falling into the hands ofthe blasted Germans. I'm just no good, Dave."

  Dave laughed and doubled up a fist and put it under the other's chin.

  "Hey, none of that!" he cried. "You're my pal, and I don't let peoplesay crazy things about my pals. Gee whiz, you were swell downstairs,Freddy. You talked right up to him when I was all the time quaking in myboots. You bet! Don't worry about that ambulance. Maybe we'll get itback. Heck! Maybe we can figure out some way to steal it back."

  Bright hope flickered in the English youth's eyes.

  "You think so, Dave?" he whispered. "You think there's a chance we mightsteal it away from them?"

  "We can sure try," Dave replied with a vigorous nod. "You just keepeverything under control, and.... Sh-h-h! I think somebody's coming upthe stairs. Come on, Freddy! Let's not let them get the idea we'reworried at all."

  "Right-o!" Freddy whispered back and gave Dave's hand a quick squeeze."Count on me to hold up my end, Dave!"

  Footsteps were now just outside the door. They heard the outside boltslap back and then the door was pushed open. The German guard stood inthe hallway outside. In one hand he carried a battered tray containingfood, and tucked under the other arm was a bundle of old clothes. Justbehind him stood Colonel Stohl. The big German's face was beaming like afull moon.

  "Did you think I had forgotten you, boys?" he boomed and strode into theroom. "But of course not. Here is food for you. And take off yourclothes and put on these things. I will have what you're wearing mendedand cleaned up. So!"

  "That's very kind of you, Colonel," Freddy said in a faintly mockingtone. "You're going to be frightfully disappointed, you know."

  "Disappointed?" the German officer mumbled and gave him a puzzled look.

  "Quite so," Freddy said and started peeling off his dust and dirt cakedclothes. "I can assure you you'll find no secret messages or maps sewedinto the lining. No matter what you suspect, we really aren't spies, youknow."

  The German laughed loudly but there was a look in his eye that did notmean laughter to Dave. The Intelligence officer didn't like the idea ofa sixteen year old English boy seeing right through him as though hewere made of glass.

  "Why that's ridiculous!" the Colonel cried. "Of course you aren't spies.I just want to have your clothes cleaned. We Germans take good care ofthe people we have to protect. You will do well to think of that whenyou return to your homelands. Now, get into these clean clothes and theneat your food. There, that is better, yes!"

  The officer waited until the guard had gathered up the boys' clothes,then he smiled at them and went out the door followed by the guard. Daveand Freddy waited until the bolt was jammed home and then, being halfstarved, they fell upon the tray of food. The very first mouthful was adelightful surprise to them both. The food was excellent and there was alot of it. They wolfed it down for a moment or so and then Dave put arestraining hand on Freddy's.

  "Wait a minute!" he said in a low voice. "I think this is another partof the trick he thinks he's playing on us."

  "What do you mean?" Freddy whispered and stopped eating at once. "Goodgrief! You think there is something in this food? I once heard a storyabout the Germans using some kind of a drug that makes a prisoner talk.But I'm starved, Dave!"

  "Me, too," Dave nodded. "I don't mean that. I'm sure the food's okay.That's the point. It's swell! I bet the troops don't get this kind offood. Look, Freddy! I've got a hunch he wants to make a hit with us.Feed us up good and then get us to talk about the French and Britishmilitary units we saw yesterday. You know, they're always afterinformation that will give them a line on what's in front of them."

  "Then he is a fool, if he thinks filling my stomach with good food willmake me tell him anything!" Freddy snorted in disgust.

  "Check and double check for both of us!" Dave agreed. "But here's what Imean. I think we'd be wise not to eat all of this. Let's save some.This bread, at least. We might need it later, and bad."

  "You're right, Dave!" Freddy said, realizing instantly what his Americanfriend had in mind. "When we do escape from here we'll certainly needsome food to take along. And I think that's what we'll have to do ...escape somehow."

  Dave nodded but didn't speak. There was a queer feeling inside of him,and the back of his neck was beginning to tingle a little. That was asure sign with him that there was trouble ahead. And it had proven to betrue more than a couple of times during his young life. No, the Germancolonel wasn't fooling him at all. Perhaps they puzzled the Intelligenceofficer, but Dave felt pretty sure he didn't really believe they werespies. Yet, you never could tell. One thing seemed certain, however. TheGerman hoped to pump them for what little they could tell him. He wasgoing to keep them prisoners until he was satisfied. And perhaps hewould keep them prisoners even after that. This thing worked two ways.Would the Intelligence officer let them pass safely through the Belgianlines knowing full well they'd tell the authorities what they'd seen onthe German side?

  No, that wasn't at all likely, and Dave suddenly didn't feel veryhungry. He got up and walked over to the rear window. The sill cameonly to his chin for he was close to six feet tall, so he could see outwithout any trouble. That is, after he had wiped away some of the dustand cobwebs. What he saw, however, brought no joy to his heart. Thewindow looked out on a tree studded hill that blocked out everythingbeyond. Another fine day was well on its way and as Dave screwed hishead around so that he could look high up into the blue sky he sawcluster after cluster of planes in line and in V formation. And all ofthem were moving swiftly westward. By straining his ears he could justbarely catch the throbbing beat of German engines. Even as their soundcame to him he heard louder and more thunderous sounds farther to thewest. He did not need two guesses to know that German bombers were onceagain dropping their loads of death and destruction upon the soldiersand civilians of the countries Adolf Hitler desired to crush under hisiron heel.

  He turned from the window and stood staring flint eyed at nothing atall. Yesterday he had reached seventeen years of age. But today? Todayhe somehow felt a dozen years older than that. What he had seen sinceleaving Paris had added years to his way of thinking, if not to hisbody. A fierce anger at the injustices wrought had sprung up within him.He wanted to do something about it. What, he did not know. But todaythere had been born in him a blazing desire to do what he could to spareEurope, and perhaps the whole world, from the bullets and bombs and thetyranny of the Nazi legions.

  "What are you thinking of, Dave?"

  Freddy's quiet voice at his elbow jerked him from his thought trance. Heturned and stared into the clear blue eyes of his new found friend andally in the face of danger.

  "A lot of things, Freddy," he said. "Maybe I'm crazy, but I want nothingbetter than the chance to do something. A chance to get back at theseGermans for what I've seen them do. We may be kids and not old enough toenlist, Freddy, but there must be _something_ we can do to help. And,believe me, I sure want to do it. Listen, Freddy, have you any ideawhere we are? I've never been in Belgium in my life. And I guess this isstill Belgium, isn't it?"

  "Yes, I could tell from the looks of the buildings, and some of thetownsfolk I saw when we arrived," the English youth said. "But what townthis is, I haven't the faintest idea. I ... Wait!"

  "What's the matter?" Dave asked.

  "That map in the colonel's office downstairs!" Freddy whisperedexcitedly. "Did you see it, and see how it was marked with those littlepins and tiny flags?"

  "Sure, I saw it," Dave sa
id with a nod. "But I didn't pay much attentionto it."

  "Nor I," Freddy said. "But I'll bet you something, Dave. This is anIntelligence headquarters, and I'll bet those little pins and flags markthe points of advance by the German forces. Do you see what I mean,Dave? If we could get a good look at that map, and remember some of thethings it tells, and then get away from here, why...."

  The English youth stopped. He was shaking too much from eager excitementto continue. Dave nodded and gripped him by both arms.

  "You're right, Freddy!" he whispered. "It might help a lot if we couldtell the Allied commanders where some of the German units are, and whatplaces they seem to be heading for. Let me think. How in heck can we getanother look at that map?"

  "We could pound on the door," Freddy said, "and tell him we're willingto tell all that we know, if he'll let us go. He'd probably take us downto his office to hear what we have to say."

  "Maybe," Dave said with a frown. "But I think it's a little too soon tomake him think we're scared and giving in. And, besides, he may not betricking us. Maybe he really is going to just check on us and then letus go."

  "Let us go back and tell what we've seen behind the German lines?"Freddy scoffed. "Not a bit of it, Dave. You must be off your topper!"

  "Yeah, I'd thought of that, myself," Dave said sadly. "It's a cinch he'snot going to let us go no matter what he thinks about us. Well, the wayI see it there's only one thing we can do. We can't try an escape now inbroad daylight, so we've got to wait. Let's put on these clothes andcatch up on some sleep. The only thing we can do is wait for awhile.Wait to see if he makes any move."

  "I hate waiting," Freddy said and started pulling on the old clothes theguard had brought with their breakfast. "But of course you're right,Dave. There's nothing else we can do, right now."

  "But plenty later on!" Dave said determinedly and flung himself down onone of the cots. "You wait and see, Freddy. It's a promise!"

  * * * * *

  Later that afternoon, the Colonel did make the next move. A guard cameup to the boys' cell, woke them from a deep sleep and ushered them downto the Colonel's office.

  "Sit down, boys," he said and circled around to in back of his hugedesk. "I want to have a talk with you."

  Dave and Freddy exchanged quick looks, then sat down as ordered.

  "Now," the Colonel said and clasped his big hands together on the edgeof his desk. "Our Leader is a man of peace. He _loves_ peace, and wouldgladly give his life for peace among nations. You, my little Englisher!Did the Fuehrer declare war on your country, or on France? No! Theydeclared war on him, on Germany. Listen to me! Don't you want peace?"

  "Certainly,"' Freddy replied. Then he added, "At the right time."

  "No, peace as soon as possible," the German said. "Now is the best time.Before there is more bloodshed. You two boys can help bring this war toan early end. You will be doing a favor to Germany's foes. Now, why notbe good boys and tell me the truth? Then everything will be fine."

  Neither of the boys said a word. As for Dave, it all sounded as thoughhe were listening to a broken phonograph record. "Tell me the truth....Tell me the truth.... Tell me the truth!" It was like the title of asong. He sat silent and kept his eyes fixed on the huge map on the wall.He stared at it hard and tried to memorize the dates he could readthere, and the names of the towns and cities, and the locations of thepins and flags. One town on the map was well smudged by finger and thumbmarks. It was named Estalle and was close to the Belgian-Germanfrontier. He suddenly had a hunch that that was where they were. AtEstalle, close to the German frontier, but how far behind the advancedGerman lines? He thought of the long ride in the motored transport lastnight and his heart sank down toward his boots.

  "Well, for the last time!" the German Colonel suddenly thundered. "Doyou tell me the truth?"

  "For Heaven's sakes, we already have!" Freddy shouted at him. "We'vetold you nothing but the truth a dozen times. What must we do to get youto believe us?"

  The German didn't answer at once. He slammed both hands down flat on thedesk, hoisted his huge bulk forward, and glared at them.

  "Very well," he said. "I have tried to be gentle and kind with you,because you are only young boys. But, you refuse my kindness. So, Ishall treat you as grown men. I shall have you both _shot_!"