CHAPTER XIV
FRIENDS IN TIME OF NEED
"That's so, Jack; unless he can produce the little sister we've got tobelieve his fine yarn is all a fraud," Josh observed seriously.
"Did you say as much to him, Jack?" questioned George.
"I did," came the ready reply.
"And what was his reply to that?" asked Buster.
"I gathered from his gestures and actions," explained Jack, "that hestood ready, yes, and anxious, to go into the woods near by and get hissister, if only we gave him permission. So I thought I'd put it up tothe rest of you first."
"Oh, tell him to go and fetch her along," sneered George. "If he reallyhas got a little sister, and she's hungry, why, I'd be willing to go onhalf rations myself to help out. I may be suspicious of him, but thereisn't a stingy bone in my whole body."
"We know that, George," Jack told him quickly, "and since you seemwilling I'll let the poor fellow know about it right away. You can seehow eagerly he's watching us now, because he understands what I'mtelling you."
"Tell him supper's about ready, and that he ought to hurry," explainedBuster.
Jack had another short interview with the young Serbian. Then the othersprang hastily to his feet and ran off, looking back once or twice, andsmiling as he waved his hand toward Jack.
"Good-by!" called out George derisively, and then, turning to theothers, he added: "Because I hardly expect to see him again, unless hecomes back with the other three. Chances are he knew we'd got on to hisgame, and means to slip away now so he couldn't be nabbed by theauthorities."
"Shame on you, George, you old unbeliever!" cried Buster.
"Wait and see who's right," warned the other sturdily, for George alwaysclung to his belief until convinced that he was wrong, when he wouldfrankly confess his error of judgment.
A minute, two of them, passed, and still the boy did not return. Itwould really seem as though he had had time to go to where he left hissister concealed at the time he crept toward the landing spot of thecruising party in the motorboat, and come back again.
George was grinning with that important air of his, which, beinginterpreted, meant the usual "I told you so."
Then Josh, whose sharp eyes had detected a moving figure in thesemi-gloom, exclaimed:
"There they come over yonder, I do believe!"
"Two or four?" questioned Buster.
"It's all right, boys," Josh continued, for he was standing on a stump,and in this position could see what was invisible to the others.
"Then he's got his little sister along with him, has he?" asked Buster.
"Sure thing," reported Josh, "and as for you, old croaker George,it'd be doing the right thing for you to beg everybody's pardon, andespecially the boy's, for thinking such mean things about him."
"Who was the first to guess that he must be one of that band of desperateSerbian youths, tell me?" demanded George. "I was wrong, I'll admit, butan ounce of prevention is always better than a whole pound of cure."
With that he threw away the club which he had been gripping, as thoughin company with it went all his suspicions.
Presently the Serbian boy came into camp, holding by the hand a prettydark-eyed little maid of about seven. The boys were immediately smittenwith her charms, and no longer wondered that her brother had so openlyboasted she was the prettiest little girl in all Belgrade.
Apparently that noted surgeon had done a splendid job, for never hadthey looked into brighter and more roguish eyes than she possessed. Ifthey had been dulled by cataracts, as Jack suspected was the case, thenthe curtains had been skillfully removed.
Buster immediately announced that supper was all ready, and would bespoiled by any further waiting; so they sat down, places being preparedfor the guests of honor.
While they ate the boys kept up a conversation among themselves. Jackfrom time to time would hold communication with the Serbian youth, whoseappetite proved the truth of his assertion that no food had passed hislips during the whole of the preceding day.
Later on Buster amused himself trying to talk with the little girl andteach her a few words in English. Jack and Josh and George got theirheads together, being desirous of settling on what they ought to do withregard to the pair cast adrift in a strange and hostile land.
"They can stay with us all night, anyway, and have breakfast in themorning," suggested Josh.
"And we could make up a little purse among us," added the now penitentGeorge, "enough to carry them across the border and into their owncountry."
"That's fine of you to mention that, George," Jack told him, "but youare forgetting something. Serbia is at war with Austria, and so you seeno trains can be running to the border that would allow a Serbian youngfellow to pass. If he ever gets across the river to Belgrade it must bewith our help."
"You've got a plan fixed, I guess, Jack?"
"I've been thinking it over, and wanted to hear what your ideas might bebefore I mentioned it," the other explained. "But, now that you ask me,I'll tell you what I'd like to do. We can find room for them aboard theboat when we start in the morning. Unless we are overhauled on the waythere'd be little danger on account of our having Serbians with us, aboy and a child at that."
"I agree with you there, Jack," said George, now evidently seeking tomake all amends possible for having allowed himself to believe thestranger a desperate character, when in truth he was only a kind andprotecting big brother.
"Ditto here," added Josh glibly, as though he were a parrot.
"We will have to tie up by the time another night comes along,"continued Jack, "and if it's cloudy we can hope to try and pass thehostile batteries by keeping in the middle of the river and justfloating with the current, never showing a single light. But before thatwe might make a landing on the Serbian side and put the brother andsister ashore."
Josh and George exchanged looks, nodding their heads as if in approval.
"Now, I call that a good scheme, if you want to know it," declared theformer.
"And as Buster is always ready to agree to anything Jack says," Georgeremarked, "I move we call it unanimous."
The readiness of his chums to fall in with his proposition, of course,pleased Jack. He always made it a point to invite the fullest discussionwhen offering any plan of campaign, because it was better that all ofthem should feel that they had a hand in engineering matters.
So it was settled, later on Buster being told the arrangements. AsGeorge had prophesied, the fat boy had not the slightest objection tomake; indeed, he was enthusiastic over the idea of helping the littleSerbian girl get back home to her anxious mother.
Arrangements for sleeping were soon effected. As their guests had noblankets, George and Buster insisted on loaning them one each. Theysaid they could go without easily enough; though Jack finally inducedGeorge to share his covers, while Josh compelled the fat chum to crawlunder with him.
The night passed without anything occurring to disturb them. Everybodyslept after a fashion, though doubtless the boys were not as comfortableas though each possessed his own blanket.
It made them feel that they were suffering in a good cause, however,when they saw how happy both the boy and his sister seemed in themorning. The dark clouds that had of late been hanging over their headshad apparently taken flight, and with the rising sun they smiled, andseemed contented with having found such good friends.
After breakfast they started down the river again. It might prove to bethe last day of peace for them for some time, since Jack figured thatby another sunset they would very likely have reached the scene ofhostilities, when danger might be lying in wait for them at every turn.
Of course, all of them were more or less concerned about the prospect ofbeing held up again by some Austrian river war vessel. The presence ofSerbians aboard the motorboat would look suspicious in those tryingdays, and might get the boys into trouble. Nevertheless, not one ofthem so much as hinted at any desire to be rid of their guests.
The little girl was s
o winsome that she had captured all their hearts bystorm, and they could not do too much for her.
As the afternoon began to pass Jack looked earnestly ahead many times.He wondered what awaited them in that mysterious region whence they wereheaded. All sorts of strange things might crop up to confront them asthey proceeded on their dangerous course; still, no one even gave theidea of turning back a thought.
He had managed to let the Serbian boy know what they meant to do aboutgetting his sister and himself on his native soil. How those black eyessnapped as the plan was unfolded to him! Jack fancied he could seeunshed tears there also, showing how their generosity must have affectedthe other. He could not express his gratitude by repeating that one word"thank" again, but he did display it by almost fiercely seizing Jack'shand and actually kissing it, an act that made the American boy feelexceedingly queer, because he was not accustomed to such things.
They kept, as a rule, closer to the right bank of the river, for thatwould in time prove to be the one on which the Serbian capital waslocated. Besides, Jack believed it would answer their purposes better incase circumstances forced them to make a hurried landing, so that theirpassengers might conceal themselves in the brush.
The sun was hot again, and as the afternoon began to wear along theyfound that the breeze created by their own swift passage was the onlyinvigorating thing to be met with.
"But it's beginning to cloud up, you can see," Josh remarked, whenBuster complained that he was melting away with the heat; "and once theold sun gets out of sight it'll be a whole lot more comfy."
"I've been watching those clouds," remarked Jack, "and they please me awhole lot, because we must have a cloudy night if we're ever going torun past the batteries on both sides of the river."
"Whew! that sounds as if we might be away back in the civil war, tryingto pass Memphis on a gunboat, with the Confeds whanging away at us tobeat the band. But, of course, you don't expect to have any real troublegetting by, do you, Jack?"
"So far as I can see, there's no reason why we should meet up with any,"the skipper informed him.
"And once we're well by Belgrade the worst will be over," cheerilyobserved Josh. "You see, the railroad runs down through Serbia from thecapital, and any invasion must, of course, follow the Morava River,because Serbia is a mountainous country, and there are passes throughwhich troops have to go if ever they hope to reach Nisch down near themiddle of the nation."
"Seems like you've been reading up on Serbia, Josh," ventured George.
"I have, all about the last war between the Balkan States," Joshadmitted. "And let me tell you right here, if the Austrians and theGermans ever try to invade that little country of born fighters they'llfind they've bitten off more than they can chew. The Serbians know everyfoot of ground, and can lay in ambush on the heights, dropping rocksdown on the enemy, and using all sorts of quick-firing guns to cut themdown in windrows."
"If only all these Balkan countries were agreed on a single policy,"said Jack, "they could snap their fingers at the Teuton alliance, for noforce could ever be brought to bear against them that would smash theirdefenses. But petty jealousies keep them apart, and may be their undoingin the end."
The sun vanished about this time, the clouds having risen far enough tocover his blazing face.
"That feels a heap better," announced the panting Buster; "and it lookslike we mightn't glimpse old Sol again to-day. For one I'm glad.Sunshine is all very well in winter time, but when it's hot summer Iprefer the shade."
The others laughed at his odd way of putting it, for Buster oftenexpressed himself in a peculiar fashion. Josh said he "mixed hismetaphors," though Buster was never able to get him to explain what hemeant by saying that.
Just then something came stealing to their ears that caused the boys toexchange meaning glances. It was a distant grumbling that died awayalmost as soon as it reached them, a sort of complaining, reverberatingboom that brought a thrill with it.