CHAPTER XII. THE PENALTY OF MEDDLING.
"The thing that's bothering me," said Bumpus, a little later on, "isthis. If the military in Belgium here are so hard up for cars thatthey'd even think to take such a tough-looking machine as this, how arewe ever going to keep hold of the same, somebody tell me?"
"We'll do the best we know how," Thad informed him. "For one thing,every time we chance to run across any Belgian soldiers I intend to coaxthe engine to puff and groan the worst you ever heard. It'll helpdiscourage envy on their part. We'll act as though it's stalled everytwenty feet, and that we're having a dickens of a time with it."
That idea amused Giraffe, who laughed heartily.
"It certainly does take you to get up some of the smartest games going,Thad," he ventured; "and I guess now that'd be the best dodge to saveour palatial car from being commandeered by the army. When they see whata cantankerous mule it is, they'll ask to be excused from trying tobother with such a kicker."
Perhaps the car understood what they were discussing. At any rate, itproved to be most accommodating, and tried to give them as good anexcuse for calling it hard names as it could. At the very next rise itrefused to work its passage and only for Thad's expertness in backinginto a gully they might have had a wild return ride down the grade, witha fair chance for an upset.
"Hey! look at that, will you?" puffed Bumpus, after half tumbling fromthe car, when the others jumped nimbly out; "now we _are_ up against itgood and hard. If the poor old tramp refuses to make the climb, howeverare we to get over the rise?"
"Take off your coat, Bumpus," Thad told him.
"Oh! do we have to really _push_?" asked the fat scout, looking at thebalance of the hill, and scratching his head in a manner that told howlittle he enjoyed the prospect ahead.
"It's the only way," Giraffe explained, "unless we want to leave the carhere, and continue our long journey afoot!"
That caused Bumpus to get out of his coat hastily.
"Anything but that!" he declared. "And when you get me started at athing I guess I can do my share, all right."
He proved as good as his word, because Bumpus was strong, even if heseldom cared to exert himself, on account of indolence. When four husky,well-grown boys get busy, with their shoulders against a vehicle thathas balked on a rise, they are able to accomplish a good deal.
There were several things in their favor. In the first place, the carwas far from being a very heavy one; then the hill did not have a steepgrade; and they were half way up when the engine refused to do its duty;besides, they could rest several times by allowing the car to back intothe gully again.
Bumpus did his full share of the work, though with many a grunt. In theend they reached the top and then got aboard, after Thad had made surethe engine would do its duty again.
"Now for a good, long coast down-grade," said Bumpus, as though thatpleasure would pay up in part for his recent labor; as he expressed ithimself, "It helped take the bitter taste out of a fellow's mouth,anyhow."
"What were you limping about the last part of the way, Bumpus?" askedAllan, as they continued their journey, after reaching level groundagain.
"Guess I must have worked too hard," explained the other, with a grin,"because it seemed just like I'd strained my muscles some way. Feelssome sore at that, and it's lucky I don't have to do any walking aboutnow."
"Thad, what would you call that thing away off yonder? Sometimes itdisappears in among the fleecy clouds, and then comes out again. Fromhere it makes me think of one of those big buzzards we used to watchsoaring ever so high up, while we were down in Louisiana."
Thad gave a steady look.
"It's an aeroplane!" he told them positively.
Allan had apparently come to the same conclusion himself, for heinstantly echoed the assertion of the patrol leader.
"No hawk about that, or buzzard either, if they have such things overhere in Belgium," he said. "See, there's another of the same kindfurther on. They must be German Taube machines, and are being used tospy on the positions of the Belgian forces down below."
All of them looked and wondered, as was quite natural, for although theyhad of course seen aeroplanes maneuver many times at county fairs andother places, this was their first experience at watching the evolutionsof war machines doing scout duty.
"You see how valuable they are going to be in this war," Thad remarked."From a safe position thousands of feet above, the aviator can see everymovement of troops, note the coming of reinforcements, take stock of theposition of every battery of big guns, and by a code of signals informhis side just how to direct their fire in order to do the mostexecution."
"Whew! it's wonderful when you come to think of it," Giraffe exclaimed,with a whistle to indicate the state of his feelings; "and I can see howan up-to-date war with such a country as Germany is bound to give theworld heaps of surprises and thrills."
"Just stop and consider," said Allan, still gazing at the far-awaysoaring objects among the light clouds, "what those chaps are seeing asthey sail around up there. It must be a wonderful spectacle, and I'dgive a lot to be up there half an hour or so."
"But it must be dangerous work at that, I'd think," observed Bumpus.
"All aeroplane work is," admitted Giraffe, "and if you once started totake a drop it'd be the end. You'd never know what had happened; but,say, I'd pity the poor fellow underneath when _you_ landed, Bumpus!"
"I didn't mean that, Giraffe," expostulated the other; "don't yousuppose now if those are German airships the Belgians must be crackingaway at them with their guns and trying to bring them down?"
"They'd be silly not to, Bumpus," replied Giraffe, "and if we only had aglass along the chances are you'd be able to see some of the bombs orshrapnel exploding up there. But it's hard to hit such a moving target,and besides I reckon the pilots fly high enough to be well out ofrange."
Since leaving the roadside inn they had covered quite a few miles, withnothing out of the way happening, except that little trouble on theslope of the hill. Thad had studied the little chart he carried withhim, and tried to lay out a route which he hoped would carry them beyondthe danger line.
He understood that the invaders must be stretching out toward the westso as to control that section of country. There was a chance that at anytime the boys might meet with a raiding band of rough-riders connectedwith the German army; but he hoped this would not happen, for it waslikely to spoil all their plans and set them back.
"Why, this is getting too sleepy for anything," Giraffe was complainingfinally. "We don't even have any housewife rush out and threaten us forrunning over her dog, or killing a poor old hen. Why, even the ducks canwaddle out of reach of our slow-poke car. It makes me feel like I'mgoing to a funeral."
"You're the same old Giraffe," declared Bumpus, chuckling, "alwaysfinding fault. Now the only thing that makes me sad is because I neveryet had a chance to show what I know about driving a car. I took threelessons last spring, and later on Thad might let me spell him some."
"I'll get out first, if ever you do!" vowed Giraffe; "I don't care to besplashed up against a wall, or hoisted twenty feet up in the branches ofa tree, to hang there with my head down. And I don't think Thad'sreckless enough to take chances with such a green driver. Bad enough asit is, with a wobbly car."
Bumpus did not answer, but there was an aggrieved look on his roundface, which would indicate he did not agree with Giraffe at all, andstill considered that he might be trusted.
The sun, being well up, was beginning to prove pretty warm, so that itwas not surprising to hear Giraffe express a desire for a cool drink.
"Since such things as road-houses seem to be as scarce as hens' teethalong here, and you can't expect to get any soda or sarsaparilla,suppose we keep an eye out for a spring, and call a halt to water ourdusty throats?"
Everybody seemed willing, and Bumpus even went to the trouble to producean old well-battered tin cup he had picked up somewhere, a
s he remarked:
"And if you do run across a spring, Giraffe, please fetch me that fullof nice cold water, will you? My leg still pains me, and I'd better notget out. I hate to give any one trouble, but it's a case of necessity.Get your fill first, and fetch mine when you come back to the car. Youwere always a good friend of mine, Giraffe."
"No trouble at all," the other told him; "but first catch your rabbitbefore you start cooking the same. We have yet to find the spring. Here,stop making such faces, Bumpus; I know your throat is full of dust, butyou can't hurry things that way, for even two swallows don't make aspring!"
Bumpus pretended to feel faint after hearing that, but recovered almostmagically upon hearing Thad say he believed he saw what they werelooking for up ahead.
"These Belgian country people are always thinking of others," he said,"and they mark a spring near the road with a white stone so passers-bycan know it."
"Yes," added Allan, "and ten chances to one we'll find it as neat aswax, with some sort of a clean mug to drink out of."
"I hope this isn't going to turn out a false clue, that's all," remarkedGiraffe, "because I've gone and got my mouth watering for a drink, andthe disappointment might prove fatal to me."
Two minutes afterwards they halted.
"Yes, it is a spring, I do believe!" said Giraffe, making one of hisflying leaps out of the car.
"Here, you're forgetting all about my cup!" screeched Bumpus, and ofcourse the impatient one had to come back in order to keep his promise.
The spring was at some little distance from the road, it being necessaryto negotiate several fences before reaching the white stone marking thespot where the ice-cold water gurgled forth.
"You were wise not to try the venture, if your leg pains you, Bumpus!"Allan called back; and the one left behind in the old car doubtlessagreed with him there.
Giraffe was swallowing his second cup when the others arrived on thescene. He looked as though he might be enjoying himself hugely.
"I'm on the water-wagon now!" he warbled, making way for them, andpointing to a stone mug that lay close by for the use of thirstytravelers.
It was water that could hardly be excelled anywhere, and Allan, fillingthe mug, insisted on Thad drinking the contents. After that he dipped infor himself, while Giraffe came along for his third helping.
"One good turn deserves another!" he chuckled; "and it seems as if Inever could get enough of this splendid stuff. I mustn't forget to fetchpoor old Bumpus his share, and if he wants more I'll have to trot backhere and get---- Hey! what's that mean, Thad? The car's running awaywith Bumpus, as sure as you're born!"
The trio by the spring stared for a few seconds as though they thoughtthey must be dreaming, for it seemed utterly impossible that such athing should come to pass. And yet there was the car hurrying along theroad, with the fat scout clutching the steering wheel, and looking halfscared to death as he tried to keep from running into the gullies thatlay to the right and to the left!