CHAPTER IX
THE HUNGARIAN MOB
"There's only one thing we can do," Jack told them, "which is to workthe boat along closer to the western shore. Before long, unless my mapof the river is all wrong, we ought to strike a town by the name ofMohaca, a railroad place situated on a sharp bend of the Danube, andthere must be some one in that town who can do the necessary repairs toour engine, if we hold over half a day."
The others admitted that the plan proposed by their leader sounded goodto them. And accordingly they set to work first of all to get thetrailing anchor aboard, so that their progress would be delayed nolonger.
Buster was much relieved. Besides, it was Josh who was saturated to theskin now, and when one means to be cheerful it counts for considerable"whose ox is gored," as Buster liked to put it.
Still he felt sorry when he saw Josh shivering, for the air had becomesuddenly quite cool after the passing of the storm, and insisted onwrapping a blanket about the slim boy.
All of them kept watch for signs of the town below. The afternoon waswearing on very fast now, and they hoped to arrive before sunset. Itmight be a difficult matter to find the machinist they wanted if theyreached the town on the bank of the Danube after darkness had set in.
"I reckon it's at that bend below there," said Jack; "if you look sharpyou can see the sun glinting from what looks to me like a churchsteeple, with a cross on the same."
"You hit it that time, Jack," asserted Josh, "because that's just whatit is. For one I'll be glad to get where we can have a fire and dryout."
They were compelled to work pretty hard in order to get the boat overclose to the shore where the town stood. The current seemed to run in acontrary direction, and did its best to frustrate their efforts.
Jack, however, remembering many other times when they had been aboardmotorboats that acted queerly, or else broke down, had seen to it thatthere was a push-pole lashed to the side of the craft. The river at thispoint proved to be comparatively shallow, so that it was easily possibleto reach bottom.
By changing hands, and each one having a turn, they kept where theywanted to go, and in this way made the town.
It did not differ from other places they had been seeing along theDanube, and after the storm it looked rather subdued. In the morningthey would find the customary amount of life in the place, together withthe usual display of soldiers' uniforms, Jack did not doubt in theleast.
As they were passing slowly along in search of some place where theymight hope to have their broken-down engine repaired on the followingday, as well as a harbor of refuge for the coming night, loud cheersdrew their attention to the railroad which ran close to the river bank.
"It's only another train-load of troops going to the front!" announcedJosh, as they saw numerous heads thrust from the windows of thecarriages, together with wildly waving hands.
"They think it's a picnic to start with," said George, "but before longthey'll sing a different tune, I guess; that is, those who live throughthe first battle. In these days of quick-firing guns and the terribleshells, the chances a fellow has of coming back home are mighty small.No soldiering for me if I know myself."
"Oh, that's all hot air you're giving us, George," scoffed Josh. "Youknow mighty well that if our country was in danger, and you were oldenough, you'd enlist right away. So would we all of us, as well as Herband Andy at home. You've got your faults, George, as all of us have, butbeing a coward isn't one of them by a long shot."
George did not make any reply to this speech, but smiled as though hefelt rather pleased to know even Josh had such a good opinion of hisfighting abilities.
The long train with its shouting crowds passed from sight. Evidentlythese troops were headed for the Servian border, and expected to seewarm service there, fighting against the brave little country that hadlong since won its independence from the Turks.
"I think I see what we're wanting to find," remarked Jack presently.
"It's the usual boatyard you find in nearly all river towns," addedJosh; "and we ought to be able to make arrangements for having ourengine looked over and repaired in the morning."
"Make your minds easy on that score," advised George, calmly enough;"for even if we don't run across a machinist who can do the job, trustme to tackle it."
"What! you?" ejaculated Buster.
"Why not?" demanded George, as though aggrieved that any one should fora moment question his ability in that line. "Haven't I taken the engineof my Wireless to pieces many a time and put it together again?"
"That's right, you have," spoke up Josh, "because you never could letwell enough alone, but must be monkeying around your engine all thetime. That's why Jack insisted in the beginning of this voyage that youwere to be a passenger and let him act as pilot and engineer."
"But the engine's broken down, isn't it?" demanded George.
"Sure it has," Josh admitted, "but that was a sheer accident, and youdidn't have a thing to do with it."
"There's no reason to believe we'll get left about finding a machinisthere," Jack remarked, to calm the troubled waters. "I think that signtells us as much. But we'll soon know."
They managed to push the boat inside the enclosure. Here they found anumber of river craft of various types, and Jack noticed that among themwere several launches, from which fact he judged that the man did allkinds of general repairing.
A short time later they landed and found the owner of the shop. He couldunderstand English, fortunately enough, so they were able to make abargain with him. Doubtless he must have charged them an exorbitantprice, for upon their accepting his terms he showed them unusualcourtesy, even telling them to push the boat inside his house, where hecould get to work at the engine in the morning.
He also informed the boys that if they chose to sleep aboard they wereat perfect liberty to do so. Should it storm again they would have thebenefit of a roof over their heads; and they could cook their supper atthe fire he would leave in the forge.
Buster immediately declared it would be a jolly thing all around.
"You know we do feel more or less cramped aboard our boat," he went onto remark, with considerable eagerness. "And if you say the word, why,I'll take my blanket and camp out here on the floor. There are plenty ofchips to make a soft bed, even if they don't smell as sweet as hemlockbrowse such as we have at home."
"And another thing," added Josh, "Jack and myself can get nice and dryat the fire here in the forge. I think the man must have noticed thatwe'd been soaked."
"Yes, and he soaked us some more in the bargain," complained George,"according to the price we agreed to pay him for the easy job of mendinga broken engine. See, you might have saved all that money if you'd hadenough confidence in me to let me run the job."
"Perhaps!" said Josh dryly, and there was such a world of meaning inthat one word as pronounced by him that George immediately fell silent,not caring to bring about another verbal controversy.
The owner of the boatyard and shop was certainly very kind in allowingthose who were perfect strangers to him to remain over night there. Hemust have seen by looking at the faces of the four boys that they wereworthy of trust. It was not everybody whom he would grant such a favorto, and Jack told his chums they had reason to feel quite proud of thefact.
It was by this time getting quite dark. The man had lighted a lamp forthem, which served to dispel the gloom in the shop's interior. Josh wasalready using the bellows in order to blow the dying fire into new life.When the heat became noticeable he and Jack proceeded to warm up. Bydegrees they found that this steaming process dried their clothesadmirably. Buster could tell them how efficient it had been in his owncase, only that Buster was now impatient for them to get through, so hecould have the red bed of coals for the purpose of cooking supper.
At the time the proprietor of the boatyard went away Jack had steppedoutside the door with him. As he expected, he found that the shop facedon a street running close to the river itself.
As they had laid in ple
nty of provisions at Budapest, there was reallyno necessity for any of them to wander around the town. If the boysexhibited any curiosity in that respect, Jack meant to dampen their zealby telling them there might be some danger of strangers being eyed withsuspicion in these exciting days, and that it would be safest to stay atthe shop.
Besides, there could be no telling just when the repairs would befinished, for, after all, the damage was apt to be slight; and in thisevent they would want to be on the move with as little delay aspossible.
Bumpus was soon in his glory. It had indeed been a long while since theyhad enjoyed the privilege of preparing a meal over such a fine fire asthe blacksmith forge afforded them. Besides, the glowing coals seemed somuch nicer than ordinary smoking wood; as Bumpus said, it saved thecook's back considerable, in that he did not have to bend down so much.
They found something that answered for a table, and by the light of thelamp so kindly loaned by the owner they ate their supper. No matter whatit consisted of, for there is no time to go into particulars--at leastit had a "homey" taste to it, and brought back to their minds numerousother meals which had accompanied their various cruises down Americanrivers, through the Great Lakes, and among the islands of the Floridacoast.
It seemed very quiet down by the river. If the town itself was boomingwith the spirit of war, the boys heard very little of it while they sataround chatting, after partaking of the meal Bumpus provided.
Once George sauntered over to the door that led to the street and lookedout, but he did not venture forth. When he came back Josh, of course,wanted to know what he had heard.
"Oh, nothing much," the other replied with a yawn. "There's considerablenoise up above, and perhaps some soldiers are getting ready to go away.You know they make an awful lot of fuss over here when the boys are offfor the war."
"So far as that goes, they do it everywhere," remarked Jack. "I rememberplainly hearing my folks telling all that happened in our town inninety-eight, when the war with Spain broke out. Of course, all of uswere kids then, babies in fact, and we knew nothing about it; but I takeit there were lots of exciting things happening day after day, as trainspassed through. One country doesn't differ a great deal from another,when you come to take notice."
"I hope you took pains to put up that stout bar again, George, after youshut the double doors?" remarked Bumpus. "Not that I expect we'll betroubled with unwelcome visitors in the shape of thieves while we'reroosting here, but you know it's a heap nicer to know everything'slovely and the goose hangs high."
"Oh, don't borrow any trouble about that bar, Buster," George assuredhim. "Sure I put it back, just like I found it. I reckon the owner usesit when he's working in here behind closed doors and doesn't want to bedisturbed. You know he locked the small door before going away. It's allright, Buster, so let your dear timid soul rest in peace."
"Oh, not that I'm afraid," asserted the other indignantly; "honest,George, I only mentioned the matter as a simple precaution. Jack heremight have done the same, given a little more time. You ought to know mebetter than that, George."
The boat lay tied up in the basin inside the shed. Back of it was awater gate, which had also been closed and fastened by the owner beforedeparting. Surrounded as they were by all the tools of a boat repairer'strade, the boys felt as though they were in strange company. Possiblysome of these same tools were built along different lines from what theymight have found in the same sort of an establishment in the States.
For quite some time the four chums sat there and talked over variousthings of interest. Of course, these as a general rule had someconnection with their own fortunes. Many questions were asked andanswered, by one or another, as the case might be, although as a rule itwas Jack to whom most of them were addressed. The whole scheme of acruise down the Danube had originated with Jack, and for this reason, aswell as others, the remaining three boys looked to him to find answersto the many puzzling enigmas that faced them.
Jack was fully qualified to assume this task, and it was seldom theywere ever able to "stump" him with a twister.
So the time passed on, and, judging from the repeated way in which someof the motorboat boys were yawning without even putting up a hand tohide the gap, it became evident that they could not remain awake muchlonger.
Indeed, Jack himself felt pretty drowsy, and was just about to proposethat the meeting adjourn _sine die_, so that each could prepare his cotfor the night, just as he saw fit, when something occurred to interferewith this peaceful scheme.
"Listen! Seems to me that hollerin's coming closer to us," exclaimedJosh.
"Sure it is," added George, which was pretty conclusive evidencepointing that way, because as a rule he would have questioned it beforegiving in.
"There's a crowd coming," said Jack quietly.
"More like an angry mob, it sounds to me," muttered Josh.
"Say, you don't think for a minute, do you," cried Buster, "that theyknow about us being hidden in this coop, and mean to interview thebunch, perhaps shoot us for Servian spies?"
"Oh, hardly as bad as that," Jack went on to say, seeking to calm theexcited Buster; "they may pass by and never bother us at all. Perhapssome soldiers are going along to a place of meeting, where they expectto entrain for the front."
"Anyway, we'll soon know the worst," declared Josh, "because they'renearly up to the shop by now."
The shouts outside had an angry and insistent ring about them that Jackdid not like. Then came a series of heavy and imperative knocks on theclosed shop doors!