CHAPTER XXIII. "A TEMPEST IN A TEAPOT."
Bumpus seemed to scent more trouble ahead.
"Now I certainly do hope we'll be able to get what we want here at thisplace," he went on to remark, dubiously. "So few of these Belgians inthis section of the country understand plain United States as she isspoken. We'll have to make use of signs to bargain with them for ourgrub."
Thereupon Bumpus began to practice what he imagined was a good idea forshowing he was hungry, and wanted to buy food. He rubbed his stomach,sighed heavily, then pointed to his open mouth and champed his jawsvigorously, after which he smiled sweetly, and, with a nod of his head,held up a franc.
"Oh! you'll be able to satisfy anybody going that your proper place isin an asylum, Bumpus, if you carry on that way," jeered Giraffe; "youleave it all to Thad and Allan and me. We have the goods, and candeliver them. They're all wool and a yard wide, let me tell you, too."
So the car entered the village, and pulled up in the most likely placethe pilot could see. This was where there seemed to be some sort ofopen-air market, with all manner of things good to eat exposed for sale.
Their coming of course excited considerable interest. People began tocluster around the car as soon as it stopped. Curious eyes observed theinmates, with their natty khaki uniforms. Of course there were few amongthem but who realized that these lads must be Boy Scouts, but theyseemed to understand immediately that they were not of the Belgian type.
The boys jumped out and started to try and find some one who couldunderstand what they desired to do. Bumpus alone was left sitting therein the car, and he amused himself looking around. When he thought hischums were well out of sight he concluded to try his little scheme; sotaking a coin from his pocket he held it up and began his grotesquemotions.
At first the crowd seemed to watch him in wonder. Then they began to saythings among themselves, and smile. After that some of the half-grownboys laughed rudely, and began to mimic poor Bumpus.
This humiliated him so that he stopped his show, realizing that theywere beginning to look on him as some sort of circus performer, perhapsa hokus-pokus medicine fakir on his travels, and trying to gather acrowd around before opening his box of goods for sale.
Meanwhile the other boys were trying to find some one who could talkEnglish, in order to engage a midday meal, and later on purchase whatsupplies they needed.
Thad noticed almost immediately that there was a scarcity of able-bodiedmen in the river village. He knew the reason, because every one capableof bearing arms had been hurried to the front to try and resist theinvaders.
Women, old men, cripples, and children of all sizes made up thepopulation of the place, and Thad really believed the entire villagemust have come out of doors to size up the strangers within their gates.
Although at the time he did not imagine any harm could come of theirseparating, Thad afterwards wished he had insisted on the other twokeeping with him. If that had been done possibly they would have beensaved from more or less inconvenience, not to use a harsher term.
The patrol leader had just managed to locate what looked like a sort oftavern where possibly they could make arrangements for a dinner, if theywaited until it could be prepared, when he saw part of the crowd heavingin a strange way. At the same time loud angry voices began to reach hisears.
Allan was hurrying towards him from another direction, as though he toohad noticed the upheaval and considered it best that they consolidatetheir forces.
"It must be Giraffe who's gone and gotten himself into trouble some wayor other," Allan was saying hurriedly as he joined Thad.
"We'll soon know," added the other, "because they're pushing this waynow. Yes, and there's Giraffe in the lead too. See him brush off thehands of those women and boys. They look excited enough to tear him topieces! This is a bad job, I'm afraid."
"What can have happened to cause it?" said Allan, glancing back uneasilytoward the car, and finding that it was near at hand, with the alarmedBumpus already standing up to observe what was going on.
"I'm afraid," said Thad, hurriedly, "Giraffe has been unwise enough intrying to make himself understood to air his German, and that's madethese people suspect we may be spies sent on ahead of the army to getthe lay of the land, and learn where they're hiding all their valuablesand wine."
In another minute Giraffe came hurrying up. He was looking disturbed,and a little white of face, though his teeth were clenched, and therewas an ominous glitter in his eyes.
"What's all the row about, Giraffe?" asked Thad, though he had to speakmuch louder than ordinary on account of the noise made by the increasingmob.
Boys were whooping, women shrieking and chattering as they shook theirfists toward the four strangers, and taken in all the prospect wasdecidedly stormy. No wonder Bumpus was rubbing his chubby handstogether, and staring with open mouth at the "tempest in a teapot."
"I don't know what ails the sillies!" cried Giraffe, indignantly. "I wastrying my best to make them understand that we wanted a dinner and tobuy some food. One fellow turned around and shouted something to theothers. Then they began to flock about me like people at a county fairdo when the snake-charmer comes out of the side-show to give anexhibition with her scaly pets. Say, they even tried to lay hands on mebut I shook 'em off!"
"Look here," said Thad, sternly, "did you try any of your German onthem?" demanded Thad.
Giraffe wilted at once.
"Why, yes, I own up I did, Thad!" he confessed. "You see I thought someof them might be able to understand the language, and I bet you they dotoo; but whee! they acted mad at me. I never thought my German was asrank as that."
"Don't you understand that German is in bad favor through Belgium justnow? Those who do speak it are trying to forget all they know. Whenstrangers drop into a Belgian village and talk it, with the Kaiser'sarmy only a few miles away, it's only natural they suspect us. Now I'vegot to try like everything to set things right."
So saying Thad turned to the shouting crowd, and held up his hand.Somehow there was something about the boy to inspire confidence. Theyelling and jeering gradually died down. Several old men cowed the boysand the women. Possibly they told them to give the stranger a chance toexplain.
"Is there any one here who talks English?" called out Thad.
At that an old man pushed his way forward through the crowd. Judgingfrom the deference shown him by the others he must be a person ofconsiderable importance in this humble little village on the river.
"I do, young m'sieu," he said. "I lived in London some years, andlearned the language. What is it you desire to say?"
Thad smiled. He knew now he would be able to convince these good peoplethat far from being German spies or even sympathizers, he and his chumswere deeply concerned over the threatened fate of poor little Belgium,in danger of being made the battleground for warring neighbors.
"We are American Boy Scouts," he started to say. "We have been travelingthrough the country, and had just made a trip down the Rhine when weheard that war had broken out. One of my friends has a sick mother inAntwerp. We are trying our best to make our way to her. We bought thisold car to help us along. When we get to our journey's end we expect toturn it over to the authorities, if they can make any use of it."
"But why does this young m'sieu speak the hated language?" asked the oldman, looking straight at Giraffe.
"He learned it in school, and thought some one might be able tounderstand him," continued the scout leader. "He was asking where wecould buy some dinner, and then a few supplies afterwards. That is all.It was not wise for him to expose his knowledge of German, but the veryfact that he did so proves he meant no wrong. See, we have our passportsto prove who we are."
The old man came closer, to look the documents over. Thad just then feltglad to remember that he had concealed in the lining of his hat thepaper given him by the German aviator whose life they had saved. Itmight have been very unpleasant for the boys had this b
een found on hisperson.
Besides the passports Thad exhibited several letters he had receivedfrom across the water since coming abroad. Allan and Giraffe alsocontributed their quota to this display. It really had more influence onthe old villager than the official documents, which might be false afterall, but he knew those stamps and post-marks must be the genuine thing.
The old man turned and talked to the crowd. Evidently what he saidimpressed the assemblage, for their angry looks gave way to others of amore genial nature, though some of the half-grown boys continued to gettheir heads together, and confer mysteriously, as they looked at the carwith Bumpus in it.
"Here is the proprietor of the inn," said their friend, the oldvillager, who had once worked at his trade in the great city across theChannel. "He has promised to supply you with dinner in half an hour. Ifyou wish to buy anything you are at liberty to do so. But I would notleave the car alone, for something might happen to it."
Thad told Giraffe to get in along with Bumpus while he and Allan madewhat purchases they had in mind. As fast as these were secured, whichwas only after more or less argument in the deaf and dumb alphabet, theboys carried the things to the car and stowed them away.
Bumpus saw that in the end they were well supplied with enough food tolast several meals, as well as a tin pail in which they could boilcoffee.
As the half hour was now about up they took the car into the inn-yard,and Thad meant to keep an eye on it if possible while they ate theirdinner. This was rendered possible because he sat where he could lookout of an open window; but after all nothing out of the way happened.
The boys noticed that there had been a bridge at this place, but itseemed to have been destroyed by some flood, for a new one was underconstruction, though only partly built, and of no use at that time.
This of course necessitated their going further along the river roaduntil they arrived at the small bridge of which they had been told bythe Belgian soldiers some time before.
There was no fault to be found with their meal. Even Bumpus admittedthat it tasted good, and was in abundance. So the four scouts arose witha feeling of satisfaction, and Thad settled the account. It is not avery hard matter to pay bills, even when two parties are unable to speakeach other's language, for signs and the sight of money go a long waytoward settlement.
As they passed out Thad saw their old friend beckoning to him.
"Get in the car, fellows, and I'll join you as soon as I've had a fewwords with the old chap, and thanked him heartily for his friendly act,"said the leader.
A few minutes afterwards he came hurrying toward them, and when Giraffesaw the way Thad's brows were knitted he knew some new trouble was instore for them.
"What's coming next, Thad?" he asked, and if any one had taken the painsto look beneath the surface they might have found an undercurrent ofsatisfaction in the tones of the tall scout.
"Our good old friend has warned me that a parcel of the rougher boys ofthe village have started out, meaning to waylay us, and take our caraway. He says they've got an idea we've no business riding around whentheir military authorities need every sort of motor car they can get.And that's how the land lies, boys!"