CHAPTER XXIV HEADED FOR PARIS
Somehow or other Thad felt strangely drawn toward the French colonel whohad been so kind to them. Perhaps the fact that he had just told them ofhis own son had something to do with it. At any rate, it seemed that thesoldier entertained a sincere affection for boys, thus telling that hisown heart was still young.
As he walked at the other’s side an idea came to Thad, who evidentlybelieved in the old adage, “strike while the iron is hot,” for it was afavor he wished to ask, and one that might prove of considerableadvantage to them later on.
“Would it be possible for you to give us some idea concerning the roadsaround Paris, M’sieu?” he asked, in that persuasive tone of his.
“Nothing would please me better,” came the quick reply. “I understandwhy you make the request. Yes, it would be easily possible for astranger to lose his way, and wander far out of his course. Stay, I cando better than that. Even now I remember that I have a small road map inmy possession, such as will give you all the information you require.”
He soon put the article mentioned in Thad’s possession, and proceeded toshow him several courses, which, if followed religiously, would landthem safely in the great French capital.
Giraffe was deeply interested. As a scout he had always shownconsiderable ability with regard to negotiating strange paths. Then,besides, it must not be forgotten that Giraffe was the only one of thefour who had already been to Paris.
He scanned that little map, and listened closely to all the officersaid. Doubtless Giraffe, with his woodcraft education in mind, wasfixing the details of that road chart in his mind, so that on occasionhe could recall it almost as plainly as print. This is always possiblewhen one has learned to remember details, a feature of scout education.
Later on Giraffe meant to have something to say about that same chart;but for the present he contented himself with listening, and taking itall in.
“Another thought comes to me,” observed the colonel, about the time theydrew near the spot where their car stood, with Bumpus occupying thewhole rear seat, upon which he was sprawled in perfect contentment. “Youmay meet with trouble on the way. Some officious patriot might eventhink of taking your car from you, always in the interest of France,which just now is in sore need of every such conveyance. I can arrangeit so that you will avoid all such inconvenience.”
“And depend on it, M’sieu,” Thad assured him, “we do mean to turn thecar over to the military authorities just as soon as we have reached thecity. That was a part of our agreement when we accepted the loan of itfrom the owner.”
“Wait for me, then,” he was told.
They saw him vanish within the small house where General Joffre heldforth, with the whole extended battle line in his single grip. Oneminute, two passed; then their friend reappeared again. He was smilingencouragingly, as though his mission had not been in vain.
“Look! he’s got a paper of some kind in his hand!” exclaimed theobservant Giraffe. “Now, I bet you it’s a pass that’ll give us the rightof way.”
Well, Giraffe had guessed truly, for that was exactly what it turned outto be, a brief pass in French, and bearing the magical name of GeneralJoffre himself in the bargain. No wonder Thad received it with more orless delight, while Bumpus and Giraffe and Allan surveyed that signaturewith awe.
“General Joffre was only too pleased to sign the pass I wrote andpresented to him,” announced the officer, proudly. “He said it was asmall thing to do for such brave boys who had shown their sympathy forthe great cause. You should have no trouble in getting to Paris. In away, I wish I could go with you, for it would take me nearer my dearones; but there is a stern duty that holds me here. Some day, when wehave really saved France, and driven the enemy from her border, I may beallowed to see them again. And now adieu, my young friends. Heavenpreserve you, and take you all safely back to your own country.”
He turned and left them hastily after shaking hands. Thad thought therewere signs of emotion on the soldier’s face, which he did not wish themto see. Undoubtedly he had his own fine boy in mind much while in thecompany of these intrepid American lads.
“Get aboard, the rest of you!” urged the impatient Bumpus, making roomfor Giraffe alongside him on the rear seat; but they could excuse hiseagerness to be off, remembering that he yearned to see his invalidmother again.
Giraffe gave a last look toward the small house that would go down inhistory as a famous place, since between those four plain walls had beenplanned all the wonderful moves that had given the French the victory ofthe Marne. In days to come that spot would ever be a holy shrine towhich untold thousands of patriotic citizens would journey, to feasttheir eyes on the “Headquarters of Joffre.”
“Unless I’m away off my guess,” said Giraffe, wagging that long head ofhis in a wise fashion, “there’s bound to be a shift of base here prettysoon. I can see signs of it right now. And why not, when the scene isgoing to change, with the whole German army in full retreat to thenorth?”
“Oh! _please_ tumble in here, Giraffe, like a good fellow,” pleadedBumpus, who of old knew how fond the other was of talking, once he gotupon a subject like that; “you can buzz me all you want, while we’re onthe move. I don’t see how I’m going to stand the delay much longer.”
Giraffe did not make any reply, but climbed aboard and settled himselfin what space the stout chum could afford to give him. He and Bumpusalways managed pretty well, for as Giraffe was fond of saying jokingly,they were like a choice strip of breakfast bacon, since they representedthe “fat and the lean of it.”
Now Thad had started, and Giraffe must needs squirm around so as tocatch one last look at the wonderful picture, which he wished to impressupon his mind “for keeps,” as he put it.
Of course they did not expect to return over the same road they hadtaken when heading for the place. While the bombardment had long agoceased, at the same time the condition of the road might be very bad inplaces. Besides, there was no necessity for doing this, since theirfriend the colonel had marked out another course for them to pursue.
Giraffe got busy almost as soon as they had covered the first half mile.Leaning forward, he asked Thad for the little road map which the officerhad given him.
“I’ll tell you why I want to look at the same again,” Giraffe went on tosay, as he took it from Thad. “Seemed to me there was a cross-road thatwould take us over to that main line where I met you. And, you see,Thad, I’m familiar with that same, having navigated it twice. If wecould make it handy to strike over there I’d like to act as guide to theexpedition, you know.”
“Figure it out for yourself, Giraffe,” Thad told him. “I’m willing to doit, if we think the road looks good to us. One way is as easy asanother, so long as we keep our heads about us and don’t go astray.”
“Oh! I surely hope now nothing like that does come along,” sighedBumpus; “I’ve had enough of getting lost, for this trip, anyhow.”
“Don’t worry,” Giraffe told him, “we’ll get there O. K., you can dependon that. We haven’t many more miles to go before we strike the outskirtsof Paris, for the Germans got almost within big gunshot of the place,you know, before they were forced to swing around.”
“I understand that, Giraffe,” said Bumpus, “but all the same I haven’tforgotten how it’s always the very last lap that’s the hardest to cover.All sorts of things go wrong when you’re in sight of the goal. I neveryet tried to do a series of things but what it seemed like the very lastwas harder to get through with than most of the others combined.”
Thad understood what he meant, for he too had often noticed the samething; but nevertheless Thad was not one of the kind to allowdiscouragement to get the upper hand.
“A little more patience, Bumpus, and you’ll be there,” he told theanxious one. “We’re on the way now, and no small troubles will beallowed to hold us up long, if we can prevent it.”
Three minutes after Thad sai
d this they heard a sharp report. Bumpus ofcourse jumped to the conclusion that they were being made a target forGerman shrapnel again; but Giraffe rested under no such delusion.
“There goes a tire, as sure as anything!” he exclaimed, in disgust.
“Oh! what rotten luck!” cried Bumpus dismally.
“We’ve got to try everything once,” Allan called out, cheerily, for hisnature was one that could not be easily discouraged.
Thad hastened to draw up. An examination showed them that one of therear tires had been punctured. While this might cause them a littledelay, it was not so bad as it might have been.
“Fortunately we’ve got an extra inner tube along,” announced Giraffe.“Bumpus in prowling around while we were up on that hill watching thebattle came across it. So now let’s get busy, and fix her up again.”
A little experience along such lines had made the boys fairly proficientmechanicians. Thad went about things in a business-like fashion; whileeven Bumpus fluttered around, and offered to do anything they told him,such was his eagerness to hasten repairs.
“Well, crawl under, and hold up the car while we work,” suggestedGiraffe, maliciously; “because I’m a little afraid of that jack we’vegot; it doesn’t look overly strong. What’s the use of having a broadback like yours, Bumpus, if you can’t make good?”
However, Bumpus declined to be tempted to undertake the job. He didcease his complaining remarks, and went to one side of the road, wherehe sat down and waited for the others to get through.
They did not have the road to themselves all this time. Occasionallysome vehicle would come along. Now it was a van loaded for the front,either with goods, or soldiers, or ammunition. Again it might turn outto be some of the wounded heroes on their way to the rear. Several timesthe boys had seen men in uniform, with perhaps an arm bound up, walkingalong the road. They had stoutly declined to take up precious room in anambulance, meaning to walk all the way to the city. That was the kind ofstuff those French fighters were made of. Being sent to the rear meantto them a punishment they did not much fancy, while the battle was stillon, and enemies to be struck.
“All right again!” announced Thad, finally, at which Bumpus wasgalvanized into life, for he scrambled to his feet, and ambled towardthem, his face creased with amiable smiles.
“After all we made pretty fine time of it!” declared Allan; “just twentyminutes, and a hard job in the bargain, because we’re not familiar withthe French style of tires and inner tubes.”
Once more they were moving along, and all seemed well. Giraffe even madeready to keep an eye out for that cross-road which Thad had promised toexplore in the endeavor to reach the main line into the city. He guessedthat it must be somewhere ahead a short distance; any minute they mightcome upon the turn, when Thad expected to decide on their next move. Ifthe road looked good they would try it.
“I think I see the turn, Thad,” he presently called out; “just wherethat post is planted. Yes, it has some sort of sign on the same. And nowto decide whether we want to try the run across, or not.”