CHAPTER XX
A RESCUE BY THE WAY
As soon as they were out a short distance from the shore the ever-presentcurrent took hold of the boat, and they found that they were beginning tomove down the river.
Jack worked hard at his task. He knew it would be to their advantage toget as far away from the bank as possible before passing the placeswhere the Serbs had lain in ambush. There would be less danger of theirpresence on the water being discovered in that case.
Josh hovered near by. Unable to resist the temptation, he finally tookhold of the pole while Jack was pushing, and "leaned on it" in a way torender considerable assistance.
Everything seemed to be working in a satisfactory manner so far asmaking good progress went. If it kept up for a few minutes more Jackbelieved they would have achieved their end.
A single shot coming from further down the river on the northern bankgave him some little cause for uneasiness lest the fierce bombardmentbreak out again. It proved to be a false alarm, since nothing followed,the Serbs never even taking the trouble to respond to the invitation.They had taken up new positions, and apparently were averse to lettingthe enemy "feel them out."
Now they must have reached the place where the swaying bridge made ofheavy planks laid upon successive pontoon boats had a short while beforebeen in the process of completion.
It gave the boys a queer sensation to remember this. Over the spot whichthey were now passing had swept that hurricane of missiles, mowing downthe engineers engaged in bridge building as though they might be wheatfalling before the reaper.
All was clear now, not a sign of the recent dreadful engagement beingvisible. Further down the river doubtless there would be met withfragments of the wrecked bridge. Jack knew that later on they would haveto keep on the lookout for all such obstacles to a safe passage; butthere would be little or no danger up to the time they started theengine and increased their pace.
About that time, when all of them felt exceedingly nervous over thepossibility of being fired upon, possibly Buster may not have been theonly one of the little party who called himself a fool for havingaccepted this risk.
It was too late now for vain regrets, however; they had made their bedsand must lie in them.
"Well, we're past that awful place, anyway," whispered Buster presently;and no doubt, while the others did not echo his words, they felt justabout as the stout chum did.
"Do you know," Josh was saying cautiously, "the way that bridge went topieces made me think of a house of cards when you blow at it."
"Please don't talk any more just now," asked Jack; "we're still tooclose to the bank, and you might be heard."
"Correct!" said Josh, which in his vernacular was as much as asking Jackto excuse his break.
After they had floated along for some time, and Jack figured that theymust by then have covered all of two miles, he decided it would be safeto start the engine. Of course, this could not be done without more orless popping and similar noise, try the best he was able; but Jackfigured that the Serbs would not open fire for several good andsufficient reasons.
In the first place, they knew they had nothing to fear from one smalllaunch, no matter if it were an enemy craft. Then again, as the AustrianRed Cross was undoubtedly searching for victims of that fusillade, therewas a chance that this might be one of their units pursuing a missionof mercy.
Accordingly Jack started things up.
The engine responded readily to treatment, much to the satisfaction ofBuster, who had been entertaining serious fears. The motor had provedtricky on one other occasion, he remembered, and on this account hewondered what they would ever do should it go back on them again.
They were now in the war zone, and it would hardly be possible to getrepairs made and secure permission to continue down the Danube on theircruise.
Of course, Jack did not think to put on a full head of power; that wouldhardly have been wise while they were apt to come upon floating remnantsof the bridge at any time.
"Josh, you can help me now if you want to," he presently told the other.
"Give your orders, then, Commodore."
"Crawl up forward, and keep as close a watch on the water as you can,"Jack told him. "I mean directly in front of us, because it might get usin trouble if we ran smack into one of those pontoons out here in themiddle of the river."
"I get your meaning, all right," responded Josh, starting to carry theplan out. "I'll call myself the lookout man, and signal you to back herin case I see any sign of trouble ahead."
"Give a sharp whistle, and I'll know what that means," the skipper toldhim.
So Josh crept past Jack and sprawled there in the extreme bow. Hepossessed good eyesight, and was likely to discover any floating objectlong before they were in danger of striking the same.
Buster, too, strained his eyes in order to try and supplement the goodwork; but George contented himself with lolling there in a comfortableposition. What was the use, he doubtless figured, of everybody gettingexcited? If later on Josh wanted some one to "spell" him George would bequite willing to assume the responsibility; but he did not mean to wearout his eyes when not on duty. And no doubt George was quite right.
Things were going on so well that every one felt much encouraged. Busterwas even trying to figure on what sort of speed they were making, andwhere they would arrive if able to keep on at this pace all through thatnight.
"Jack said it was about a hundred miles down to the Iron Gate," he toldhimself, "where the river makes a turn and starts to divide Serbia fromRumania. Wonder if we could make half of that between now and morning,and what would we do through the day? I must ask Jack first chance Iget if he thinks it would be safe for us to keep on down the river bydaylight, with soldiers guarding every mile of the banks and ordering usto come ashore and explain who we are."
Just then Buster gave a sudden start, for Josh had whistled sharply.Jack instantly cut off the power and then started to reverse the engineso that their headway might be reduced to next to nothing.
"Steady, Jack; we're going to come alongside a pontoon that seems to bepartly filled with water!" said Josh in a stage whisper.
He leaned still further over the bow, as though bent upon reaching outto fend off from the object that was floating like a derelict upon thebosom of the great river.
"I've got it all right, fellows," Josh continued saying; "and would youbelieve it, there's a wounded man in the same! Guess he'd have gone downin less'n ten minutes only for our coming along."
"What's that you say, Josh?" asked Buster eagerly, "a wounded man! Howdo you know but what he's dead?"
"Because he's sitting up here," came the prompt reply.
Jack knew what that meant. They could not leave a poor fellow badlyinjured to go down with the leaking pontoon.
"We've got to get him aboard here, that's flat!" said George, as thoughvoicing what was passing through the mind of each of his chums justthen.
Jack left the wheel and, passing along the side of the boat, leanedover. Yes, there was a man in the sinking pontoon. He did not appearto know whether they would turn out to be friends or foes; but hissituation was desperate, and upon seeing several heads appear in viewhe commenced saying something in a weak voice.
"That's Magyar, of course," remarked George; "but the trouble is none ofus can translate a word of the same. However, that doesn't make anydifference. Shall we help him over the side, Jack?"
"Three of us can do the business, easy enough," responded the other.
When the Austrian engineer realized that they meant him to leave hiswretched float and clamber into the motorboat, he lost no time instarting to obey; though his actions quickly told them he must be veryweak, either through loss of blood or from the shock of his wound.
Once he was deposited in the cabin, Jack sent Josh again to the lookout,and himself started the engine. The man had sunk upon the cushionedseat as though quite content to take things as he found them. He heardthese unknown parties speaking in wha
t he must have known was English,and was no doubt much astonished. Just the main thing with him was beingrescued from the fate that had been threatening him with a watery grave.
"Jack, he's pretty badly hurt, I reckon," suggested George soonafterward.
"Well, something ought to be done for him, that's certain," the skipperstarted to say. "Do you think you could manage it, George? I don't wantto give up the wheel, and Josh is really needed forward there."
George did not hesitate long. He guessed that it might be anything but apleasant task, but then George had learned long ago not to shrinkbecause things were not always delightful.
"I'm willing to do the best I can, Jack," he said quickly.
"I knew you would, George, and there's not one of us can dress a woundbetter than you, once you set your mind to the job. Get Buster to helpyou, George."
"Sure I will," spoke up the stout chum, "though I'm not clever athandling sick people, and always shiver at sight of blood. But you'llneed some kind of light to work by, won't you, George?"
"Wait," said Jack. "You remember I've got that little vest pocketelectric torch. I've been saving it because I'm afraid the battery willsoon run out. But this is just the time to make use of it."
He thereupon handed Buster the article in question, a small nickeledaffair not over three inches in length. When the button was pressedthere came a shaft of light that was fairly strong.
"Just the ticket, Jack," announced George, who was removing his coatwith a business-like air that quite tickled Buster, who thought Georgealready seemed to take on a professional look.
They could now see that the man taken from the sinking pontoon was ayoung Austrian soldier. He had no marks on his uniform to prove himanything save a private, but that made no difference to the boys. Theyhad seen how those engineering corps men had taken their lives in theirhands in order to bridge the Danube so that the artillery might betransported across to the other bank, and had also watched them goingdown by scores when that furious fire burst out from the hidden Serbiantrenches. On this account they must honor him as a brave man.
He knew what George was about to do. Perhaps, after all, taking off hiscoat was the sign that made his intentions clear to one who could notunderstand English very well.
Buster shut his teeth hard when the light focussed on the man showedthat one of his arms was bloody. Still he did not quail, for Bustercould do a thing once he put his mind to it.
George set to work. The Austrian soldier understood that he was tohelp as well as he could, and between them they managed to get thewater-soaked coat off. Then the sleeve of his shirt was carefully rolledup, disclosing the wound.
It was enough to make one with a stouter heart than Buster shudder, forthe cut was severe, and had bled a great deal. From his pack George tooksome linen bandages, without which his mother would not have let himleave home. He had other appliances in the bargain, among which wassurgeon's adhesive plaster, with which to keep the ends of bandages inplace.
First of all George proceeded to wash the wound, Buster getting him somewater from the river in a tin basin they carried. After that he appliedthe soothing salve that was intended to purify and take away some of thepain that would be sure to follow on the morrow.
Jack glanced in every little while, and saw that George was getting onsplendidly, having tied a tourniquet above the wound in order to stopthe bleeding. He was now engaged in winding a bandage tightly around thearm in a most professional way.
The man appeared to be very grateful. He said something once in a while,but as none of them could understand a word of Magyar they had to guessat its meaning. Actions speak louder than mere words, however, so theyknew that the patient appreciated their efforts in his behalf, and thathe was trying to tell them as much.
Finally, to the great relief of Buster, the job was done, and the manhad his coat on again, though that left sleeve hung empty at his side.
"And I want to say, George," remarked Buster, as he shut off the lightand handed the little pocket torch back to the owner, "that you did thejob up as neat as wax. If ever I have the misfortune to get jabbed by abullet I want to engage you as the chief surgeon right now. I'd feelmyself in good hands, all right."
Of course, this pleased George very much. It was not so very often thathe did anything to call for such fulsome praise; but he knew Bustermeant every word he uttered, because Buster was candid and sincere.
"I'm beginning to wonder what will strike us next," George went on tosay. "We are sure neutral in this world war, because one day we holdout a helping hand to a couple of young Serbs in trouble, and rightafterwards pick a wounded Austrian out of a sinking pontoon and lookafter his hurts."
"Well, that's the way it goes," asserted Buster, with a philosophicalair. "You never can tell what will happen, and especially when there's asilly old war on. We may run across others who are clinging to fragmentsof that bridge until we gather up a boatload."
"Then there'd be nothing else for us to do but run over to the Austrianside of the river and land the whole bunch," George told him.
Josh meanwhile had kept a good lookout. Several times he sighted otherpontoons and floating planks, but as they did not happen to be in thedirect way of the motorboat he had not given the warning whistle tocause Jack to stop.
He had watched in every case to ascertain whether there happened to beoccupants to these boats, but discovered none. If men had floated awayon them when the Serbian gun smashed the bridge, they must either havemade their way to the shore and been taken off by search parties or elsegone down into the depths.
By degrees, however, these reminders of the dreadful tragedy becamefewer and fewer until Josh failed to discover any more of them. Fromthis he decided that, owing to the increased momentum attained for themotorboat by the use of its engine, they had by this time distanced alldrifting snags. Still he clung to his post until another ten minutes hadelapsed, when he came back to where Jack sat.
"We've got beyond all the floaters, Jack," he remarked, "and anyway myeyes begin to feel the strain. So I thought I'd just drop in and findout what your plan of campaign might be."
"Do you mean for to-night?" asked the pilot at the wheel.
"Sure thing, Jack. We're moving right now at a healthy pace, but howlong do you mean to keep the same up, I'd like to know?"
Jack took a look aloft. He found that the same conditions prevailedthere, with the heavens covered with clouds so that the moon wasentirely shrouded from view.
"If things continued like that up there," he assured Josh, "I'd feellike keeping on the move the whole night long. We'll have to hidesomewhere in the daytime so as to keep from getting into trouble; andperhaps to-morrow night we can cover the balance of the distanceseparating us from the Iron Gate."
"But how will you be able to stand it?" demanded Josh, indignantly.
"Oh, I can make up for lost sleep to-morrow, you know; there'll bereally nothing else to do the whole day long but sleep. And if I findmyself getting too dopey for any use, why, I can call on George or youto take hold. It's all right, Josh, and please don't waste any pity onme. I'm only too glad to be able to cover half that hundred miles beforedawn comes on."
Josh knew better than to dispute Jack when his mind was made up.Besides, that arrangement just suited his own ideas.
George had been listening to this talk, also Buster.
"I don't call it fair for you to take all the burden on your shoulders,Jack," expostulated the former; "especially when the rest of us arewilling to do our part."
"Oh, so far as that goes, George," he was told, "you're all underorders, you know; but if I get tired I promise to call on you forhelp."