CHAPTER IX. AT A WAYSIDE BELGIAN INN.
"It looks all right to me, fellows!" remarked Bumpus, as they approachedthe inn where a swinging sign announced that travelers and their animalscould be entertained.
"Yes, and if the grub is as attractive as the surroundings," addedGiraffe, "I'd wish it was night time right now, so we could put up here.I've heard how neat as wax these Dutch vrouws are about their beds andfood, and it'd sure suit me to try the thing out. But of course, sinceBumpus here is in such a hurry to get to Antwerp, we couldn't think ofthat."
"You don't blame me, I feel sure, Giraffe?" mentioned Bumpus, with avein of mild reproach in his mellow voice.
"Sure not," instantly replied the tall scout, for he felt that thoseblue eyes of his chum were filled with surprise; "I'll do everything Ican to help get you there in a rush, even to going hungry if I have to."
"Oh! we haven't come to the starvation point yet, I hope," thered-haired chum told him, as the car stopped in front of the road-house,and all of them clambered out.
Giraffe patted the seat as he left it.
"After all, you've turned out to be a heap better than you look, oldstick-in-the-mud car," he said, meaning it as a compliment; "appearancesare often deceptive, and in the pinch you didn't fail us."
"We ought to be thankful for that," said Thad. "I know my heart seemedto be up in my throat more than a few times when we were making thatlast mile of the mad race. I thought sure the engine would give up theghost with a groan, and leave us there stranded on the road to be takenprisoners by those Uhlans."
"Oh! we're the lucky bunch, take it from me," said Giraffe; "but herecomes mine host, smiling all over at the honor we do his house to stopour elegant car before the door. I'll try him in my best Teutonic first;but I hope he can understand United States Dutch like our friend back atthe border post."
The landlord joined them. He wore a long white apron, and had a cleanlook that impressed all of the boys immensely. His face was as rosy redas health and good living could make it.
It turned out that, while his English was faulty, he could understandthe language fairly well, and that was the main thing.
When the boys explained to him that they were hungry, and hoped he couldget them up some sort of a dinner, he readily promised to do the best hecould, though of course, he explained, it was long after the usual hourfor dining.
So they found a way to wash up, and then sat on the broad porch restingwhile awaiting the call to dinner. Their car attracted more or lessattention; but Giraffe was of the opinion this was because of itsdilapidated appearance more than anything else.
"I'd hate to be seen driving such a wreck over around Cranford," heremarked, "but here it was a case of take it or leave it, and there youare."
"Just you go slow about running that machine down," warned Bumpus,shaking his head threateningly; "it's served us a noble purpose, let metell you. Think of all the tiresome tramping we'd have been forced to doonly for our great luck in picking up this vehicle."
"Yes," said Allan, "we'll never know, I suppose, where that man got it,or whether we bought a stolen car; but it stood the racket splendidly,and we won the day against the crack horses of the German cavalry."
Just then the urbane landlord came to announce that dinner was served,and there was a hasty exodus from that porch. The boys had sharpappetites, and everything tasted just right, for there is no bettersauce to any meal than hunger.
"If this is only a picked-up dinner," said Bumpus, as he sighed andshook his head when Thad asked him to have a fourth helping, "I'd liketo sit down to one of the regular ones, just to see what it would belike."
"All through?" asked Thad. "If you are, I'll settle the bill, afterwhich we'll cut for the western border line. We ought to get over a fewBelgian miles before night comes on."
Even the thought of finding themselves on Belgian soil thrilled thescouts. It was easy to understand why this should be so. There the twoarmies were fast in a death grapple, with the Germans doing theassaulting, and the heroic forces of King Albert trying to delay thepassage of the invading hosts across their land as much as was possible.The mere idea of being close to a battlefield was enough to fill theirboyish hearts with eager anticipations, for without experience alongthese lines they could not as yet realize the horrors of war.
The settlement proved to be an easy one. This Dutch landlord at leasthad not learned the tricks of his trade, so far as overchargingtravelers was concerned, for his prices were exceedingly moderate.
When once more they found themselves on the road, and headed into thewest, the boys began to discount their arrival at the other border line.
"Of course we'll run smack up against more Dutch soldiers on guardthere," said Allan; "because by now they'll be mobilizing all theirforces, so as to be ready if they have to enter the war to preservetheir country. You've often heard of Dutch courage, and they do saythese smiling soldiers don't know what fear is."
"Let's hope that this road across into Belgium isn't guarded as yet,"ventured Giraffe, "or else that they'll be glad to get rid of us."
It was not a great while later that they discovered a white postalongside the road. There had been one just like it back where they cameover from the country of the Rhine, and from this they judged they hadarrived at the dividing line.
Several soldiers now appeared, attracted by the noise made by theexhaust of the car, for the muffler worked poorly even when used.
"They're giving us the high sign to pull up, Thad," announced Giraffe,as the Dutch guards were seen to make motions.
Some difficulty was experienced on this occasion, for none of theDutchmen could speak any English. Giraffe worked hard to explain justwho they were, and how they simply wanted to be allowed to cross overinto Belgium on a peaceful errand.
Bumpus hung on his words, and looked so appealingly at the puzzledguards that it could be easily seen he hoped there would not be anymiserable delay.
By dint of extravagant gestures, displaying the little flags on theircoats, saying the word "American" lots of times, then "Antwerp," andfinally pointing toward the southwest, in the end Giraffe seeminglymanaged to convince them that all the boys in the old car wished was tobe let alone, and continue their journey.
Finally one of the guards nodded his head, shrugged his shoulders, spoketo his companions, and after about ten minutes' delay they steppedaside, as if to signify that the way was clear, and they would notinterpose any further objection to the boys going on.
"Hurrah!" cried Giraffe, as he settled back in his seat, "get hermoving, Thad, before they wake up and change their minds! I kind ofthink I mesmerized that big chap some. He looks half dazed still."
"I think you must have talked such a mixture of German and American thathe began to think we were all crazy," laughed Allan; "but no matter,we're thankful for even small favors."
"Why," said Bumpus, who was vastly relieved by this sudden change forthe better in their fortunes, "as for me, I'd be willing to be looked onas demented if only it carried the day for my plans. We're across theline, Thad, wouldn't you say?"
"No doubt about that, Bumpus."
"And this is really Belgium we're running over?" continued the delightedstout scout.
"Yes, really and truly," Giraffe told him; "but it looks as like Hollandas two peas in a pod. If it wasn't for the Dutch guard, and the whiteborder post, none of us would ever know we'd changed countries."
After that they continued to forge ahead at a fair pace as the balanceof the afternoon slipped away. Once the engine chose to balk, whichnecessitated an overhauling on the part of Thad and Allan. Happily thetrouble was again located and rectified, so that they did not lose agreat deal of time.
"There's one thing sure, Thad," said Giraffe, who had been prowlingaround while the repair work was going on, looking into a number ofthings; "we couldn't think of going much more than another hour."
"Gas tank getting low, is it?" asked the o
ther, who had seen Giraffemeddling in that quarter, and could make a good guess as to whatdiscoveries he had run upon.
"Just what it is," replied Giraffe; "about enough juice to do us till wewant to stop for the night. We must manage to buy ten gallons or so inthe morning, no matter what they ask for their old petrol, as they callit over here."
"There, you see how obliging a car we've happened on," said Bumpus. "Itholds out till we get ready to stop over, and then asks for a freshsupply. I think this must be a French make of car, it's so very polite."
"Yes, just so," said Giraffe; "do you know, I've been suspecting forsome time it was swearing in French every time it groaned and gruntedwhen Thad was driving the engine so hard."
The next hour passed and once again fortune seemed to favor the boys,for just as the sun was about to sink out of sight they came to avillage where they discovered a quaint-looking inn.
When they found that there was plenty of room, and that they could besupplied with a supper and a breakfast, the boys asked for nothingbetter. The car was taken into a sort of barn, where cattle weremunching their feed, and left there.
As before Thad and his chums managed to find the pump, and washed up thebest way possible, after which they sat around in the taproom, waitingfor the welcome call to the table.
There were a number of men over by the bar, where they talked in theirown language, which of course the boys could not understand. But Giraffeseemed to think one of the natives took an unusual amount of interest inthe new arrivals, since he looked their way again and again, and calledthe attention of another fellow to the wearers of the khaki uniforms.
Of course, it might be that the possession of these same garments hadaroused the curiosity of the man; but Giraffe fancied he had a sinisterlook on his face, and being possessed of a suspicious nature, the boyactually got up and sauntered over to the door, after he saw the partygo out.
Looking that way, presently Thad discovered that Giraffe had actuallyvanished.
"I hope now he doesn't get himself in any scrape," Thad told the others,for he knew only too well the impetuous nature of the boy with the longneck.
Allan and Bumpus did not think there was any reason for fearing such athing. According to their way of looking at it, everything seemedpeaceful, and Giraffe was acting foolish in entertaining any suspicions.
About five minutes later, with supper as yet not placed on the table,Giraffe entered the room about as silently as he had left it a whilebefore. He hurried over to where his three chums were lounging, and theybegan to rouse themselves at noticing an expression of excitement on theother's face.
"What's wrong now?" asked Thad, just as though Giraffe could always belooked on as the bearer of bad news.
"I told you so," came the answer; "that fellow with the sneaky eyes is abad egg, and he means to do us trick or I miss my guess."
"Are you only saying that in a general way, or do you know something?"asked the scout leader, in the voice he used when giving orders to thetroop in place of Dr. Philander Hobbs, the real scout master, who wasoften absent when the boys were enjoying an outing in camp or on thetrail.
"I followed him outside," continued Giraffe, sinking his voice to amysterious whisper, "and saw him talking with some other tough-lookingfellows; and, let me tell you, they acted mighty suspicious."