CHAPTER XI. WARNED OFF.
"I've been thinking it all over," said Giraffe, "and I've got itarranged. You know our landlord isn't much on the American lingo, and Iexpect to have some little trouble making him understand; but I'mgetting my hand in at this interpreter business, and I'll make it orbust the boiler trying."
"Don't forget," cautioned the patrol leader, "to give him to understandthat we love the fresh air, and really prefer to sleep in the open,being scouts. Yes, and you can hint at the same time that it would be aserious thing for any rascals if they tried to steal our car."
"Do you suspect the landlord knows anything about the raid, if there isgoing to be one?" asked Giraffe.
"Perhaps he doesn't," Thad told him, "but there's no harm giving himthat hint; he may manage to push it along and save us some excitement."
"Huh! that doesn't bother me any," remarked the other disdainfully; "youknow I live on excitement. But I'll try and do all you say, Thad."
He was gone some time, almost twenty minutes, and when he once moreappeared on the porch it was with his arms full of blankets. Bumpus wassound asleep in his chair and breathing as peacefully as though safe athome in his own bed.
"Gee! but I'm weak," said Giraffe, sinking down in a seat, the blanketsbeing dropped to the floor. "Oh! it isn't because of the heft of thosecoverings, you know, but the way I had to work to get that old innkeeperto understand. When he did finally get it through his head he was asnice as pie about it--insisted on getting four clean blankets for us,and hoped we'd have a pleasant night."
"Then that part is settled," remarked Hugh. "He took the money, ofcourse?"
"Sure thing, Thad. Did you ever hear of one of his kind shoving any coldcash aside when it was offered to him?"
"Did he act as if he felt disappointed at our wanting to stand guardover our old car?" asked Allan.
"Why, he tried to tell me that people were very honest around thisplace, and never even fasten their doors. Fact is, you can't find a lockin the inn, only a hook to keep the doors from flying open. But I mustsay I couldn't see any sign of his being upset by our action."
"Then I reckon he doesn't know the plan of those men, if they do reallyintend to try and run the car off," Thad concluded.
Giraffe yawned.
"I tell you, I'm as sleepy as they make 'em," he remarked. "Suppose wetrek over to the barn and get busy. Me for the hay."
"There's Bumpus here to be looked after," suggested Allan.
"He looks so happy it's a pity to wake him up," said Thad; "but ofcourse we couldn't think of leaving him here on the porch all night."
He shook Bumpus gently as he said this. The fat boy gave a grunt, butbeyond this there was no sign of life about him.
"Wake up, Bumpus!" said Thad, giving him a little rougher treatment.
"Oh! leave me alone, can't you?" grumbled the other; "'tain't mornin'yet. When the coffee's ready I'll climb out, I tell you. Leave me be!"
Bumpus evidently imagined that he was in camp somewhere, with some ofhis chums bent on routing him out at an unearthly early hour. Thad thistime gave him so sturdy a shake that Bumpus began to sit up and rub hiseyes.
"Hey! what's all this, anyway? Where am I at? I was dreaming that----"he commenced, when the impatient Giraffe interrupted him.
"Never mind what you were dreaming, Bumpus; we're going out to the barnto sleep, and, unless you want to be left alone here on the inn porchthe rest of the night, hump yourself and trot along with us. I've got ablanket here for you, see?"
Of course Bumpus stirred himself at that. He quickly realized he wasindeed far away from the dearly beloved camp up on Silver Fox Island inOmega Lake, near his home town of Cranford.
Once out at the so-called barn they began their simple preparations forsleeping in the hay. The moon had arisen and flooded the world withlight on that August night. Everything looked so peaceful and lovelythat Thad found it hard to believe tens of thousands of human beingswere engaged in a terrible and sanguinary battle only a comparativelyfew miles away from that spot.
Still, whenever he listened carefully, and the night wind happened to bejust right, it was easy for him to hear that uneasy grumbling which heknew must come from the fighting line, where the Germans were batteringthe steel fortresses at Liege day and night.
With the supply of petrol down to the last dregs, and a section of thenecessary working parts of the engine secreted, it would seem as thoughthieves might have some trouble in carrying the car off, even if theycame to the barn. But Thad did not mean to take any chances.
When each of them had been apportioned his bed in the hay, within touchof one another, Thad gave a few last instructions.
It was understood that no one was to do anything to betray theirpresence until Thad uttered the signal. Even Bumpus had it sternlyimpressed on his mind that if he felt a hand shaking him he was tosimply hold his breath and lie quiet, waiting for the next move.
Thad's little electric torch came in very handy in selecting theirsleeping quarters, though he did not use it more than was necessary.
Finally all settled down to get what sleep they could. Bumpus had beenforced to lie on his side so that he might not make any of those queersnorting sounds which so often amused his fellow-campers, and frequentlyexcited their ire in the bargain.
Thad, being a light sleeper, expected to be aroused should any one openthe door. The sudden influx of moonlight was calculated to accomplishthis, but he did not depend on that alone. Having found a small, emptytin can, he fixed it so there would be something doing in case the doormoved, enough noise made to arouse him, whereupon he could touch each ofthe others.
Some time must have passed before Thad was awakened by this same smallclatter. He felt Allan move on one side of him, showing that the secondleader of the Silver Fox Patrol was on the alert.
"Give Giraffe a shake, Allan!" he whispered in the other's ear.
"It's all right, for he kicked me just then!" replied the other, in thesame cautious tone.
It only remained to arouse Bumpus. Thad would have let the fat scoutsleep right along, only he was afraid his heavy breathing might awakensuspicion, and lead to an investigation before they were ready to springtheir surprise.
For once Bumpus proved to be on his guard when Thad bending over shookhim, and at the same time whispered in his ear:
"Wake up, Bumpus, and keep as still as a mouse!"
They lay there, hardly daring to breathe, for all of them could tellthat some one was opening the wide doors of the barn, since themoonlight began to flood the interior. It was quite thrilling for theboys to be lying there straining their eyes so as to see to advantage.
Dark figures flitted in through the opening. They could hearlow-muttered words, and might have understood what the intruders weresaying only that none of the scouts happened to be up in the Flemishlanguage, which was like so much Greek to them.
But from the fact that the prowlers immediately gathered around the carand seemed to be once more examining the same, it was easy to understandtheir motives at any rate.
Thad waited to make sure that their night visit might not have beencaused by some other motive than a desire to steal the property ofhimself and chums. When after considerable fussing around he saw thatthe men were actually starting to push the car outside, he knew it wasfolly to hold back any longer.
So Thad gave the signal. The other three had doubtless been waiting,like hounds held in the leash, for the call to arms. Instantly Allan andGiraffe sprang erect, while poor, clumsy Bumpus, trying to beexceptionally swift, got his feet entangled and actually rolled out intofull view.
Thad instantly turned his torch upon the astounded schemers. Theintensity of that white glow must have done much to demoralize them. Ifanything more were needed, it was supplied when the three figuresextended their right hands and seemed to be covering the intruders withwhat looked like dangerous pistols.
"Get out of this, you rascals, or
we'll open fire, and shoot you downlike dogs!" Thad shouted, and the whole three of them waved theirweapons in a most suggestive manner that could not well be mistaken.
It is of course doubtful whether those fellows understood a single wordof that dreadful threat. They did know, however, that they were caughtnicely in the act of stealing other people's property, and that safetycould only be secured by a hasty departure.
It was surprising the way in which they vanished through the open doors.Even the big man mentioned by Giraffe as being equal to three of Bumpusseemed to slip away as if on wings of fear. So the four scouts were leftto shake hands with each other over their great victory.
"It was almost too easy," said Giraffe, who seemed disappointed becausehe had not been able to get in a single blow.
Still Thad said they should be satisfied with having chased the thievesoff, and in this fashion saved their property. He fastened the doorsagain, set his tin-can trap, and told the others he was going to finishhis sleep out, as he did not fear any further annoyance.
In fact, the balance of that night passed without anything happening toarouse the four chums. Morning found them ready for breakfast, andcongratulating each other on the success of their little game.
"We'd be out a car, such as it is, this morning," asserted Allan, "if wehadn't camped out here."
"Don't suppose we'll ever know just what they meant to do with her,"suggested Bumpus; "and we don't care much, either. When a fellow's beenrobbed it doesn't matter to him what becomes of the stuff. But seems tome I smell cooking going on."
That was enough to excite Bumpus, and Giraffe as well. They were soonenjoying a hearty breakfast, and as the landlord asked no questions theydid not think it worth while to tell him about the night alarm.
The next problem was to secure a supply of petrol. While there was noscarcity of the fluid as yet, still every one who owned any seemed tosuspect that the time was near at hand when it would become veryvaluable, especially if German raiders overran this part of Belgium, andcommandeered every gallon they could discover.
Upon asking the landlord he put them on the track, and in the end theywere able to purchase just five gallons, at about three times the usualprice. Still this would enable them to make a start, and there wasalways hope that they could pick up a further supply as they went along,even if it had to be in driblets, a gallon here and another there, toeke out.
Leaving the roadside inn, the boys were feeling in fairly high spirits,especially Giraffe, who declared that with such luck on their side theywere bound to get to Antwerp some way or other, sooner or later.
"I tell you we're just bound to do it," he said, with spirit, as theymoved along the road, "and if all other channels are blocked, what's tohinder us backing up again and crossing the border into Holland? Wecould make our way to Rotterdam, and there take a small boat through theinside passages to the Schelde River, so as to get to Antwerp all right.So keep that in your mind, Bumpus--when the Silver Fox boys settle ondoing a thing it has to come, that's all!"