CHAPTER III.
A THRILLING MOMENT.
UNDER oak rafters, festooned with dried herbs, and toasting their feetat the cheery blaze of an open, roaring fire, the boys regained theChristmas spirit that had been sorely subdued in the previous dismalhour in the wave-tossed launch.
The house that had thrown open a hospitable door at the bidding ofRoque overlooked the bay, and its solid walls had resisted the stormsof a half-century. Mine host, Spitznagle, had he been dressed for thepart, would have come very near to the Santa Claus idea, and even as hewas, some of the idea hung about him in a radiant circle.
He could not, though, have possibly trimmed a tree in manner moresatisfactory than he decorated the big, square table in the center ofthe wooden-walled dining-room, within easy distance of that first-classfire. Sizzling sausages, small mountains of crullers, fragrant coffee,mulled cider, and such like in quality and quantity, indicated a royalspread.
Roque, who had been prowling around somewhere outside for a time,suddenly preceded a gust of sleety wind into the cozy interior.
The Christmas spirit had apparently conjured up a bit of a kindlyspell for him, as the iron man fitted into the scene with far lessfriction than the boys had anticipated, considering the mood of thisdriving force during the trying day.
"Snug haven, this, eh?" jovially queried the late arrival, as he spreada pair of sinewy hands over the inviting fire. "You're spoiling theseyoungsters, Spitz," was Roque's side remark to the blooming boniface,at the moment stirring some savory stew in a glistening copper pot.Mine Host waved a three-foot spoon in mock protest against the playfulaccusation.
"Nothing like that at all, my dear man," he declared in big bass tone."I will not spoil but will cure these children of their hunger."
"Draw up, my hearties," urged Roque, setting example by dragging an oakbench alongside of the bountifully laden table. Billy and Henri jumpedat the bidding.
"Where are the men that brought us over?" asked Billy, presuming uponthe fact that Roque was in one of the rare periods out of his shell.
"Back, I hope, where they came from," briefly replied Roque. "Thosefellows are hardy stock," he added, "and can see in the dark. Don'tworry about them."
"Cuxhaven is some aircraft place, isn't it?" Henri put this wedge inthe conversation.
"Perhaps it is," acknowledged the secret agent, "and" (grimly) "it maysoon return the upper-story visit just paid with a cloudful of warcraftthat will start a general hunt for cover."
"Had you ridden often in airships before to-day, Mr. Roque?" inquiredBilly.
Spitznagle muffled a chuckle by a slight fit of coughing when he heardthe question, and muttered something to himself like "donner vetter!"
Roque turned a quick eye upon the fat offender, and then gave Billy asmiling look-over before he made response.
"I confess, young man, that I have enjoyed some lofty travel before Imet you, but I am willing to admit that I could not teach you and thatpartner of yours many new tricks in flying the heavier than air kind ofmachines."
"How about the Zeppelins?" cried Spitznagle, who could no longersuppress a desire to show his knowledge of Roque's prowess as an airman.
"Hold your peace, Arnold," advised the secret agent, shaking his fingerat the eager champion, "my business compels me to learn a little ofeverything, and it's all in a day's work, anyway."
The boys were satisfied that Roque's renown had not all of it been wonon the ground. Spitznagle would have made a good witness to that effectif he had been permitted to speak.
While the tall clock in the turn of the winding staircase leading tothe upper floor of the old house was whanging the twelve strokes ofmidnight, Roque and Spitznagle pledged the fatherland with upliftedgoblets, and Billy and Henri offered a silent toast to the assured softbeds upstairs.
When the early morning brought no disturbance of their inclination fora little longer time to press the pillows, the boys sleepily guessedthat Roque, for once, was not in a hurry to dash into new territory.As the sun kept climbing, and still no summons from below, curiosityoverruled napping, and the young aviators decided to investigate thecause of this unusual consideration of their comfort.
Halfway down the stairway their ears convinced them that the placewas not deserted, for a spirited conversation in the language of thecountry was in progress, accompanied by a clatter of dishes, and theever present cooking odor of sausage assailed their noses.
Besides Spitznagle, shrouded to the rib-line with his flowing apron,were three very short men and an extremely long one. The latter provedto be no other than the giant Zorn. Roque was nowhere to be seen.
The heavy host noisily hailed the late comers:
"Good morning, sleepyheads, and all this fine food waiting for you,too."
Zorn gave his best wide-mouthed grin, and then went on talking, inlower tones, however, to his short companions.
Billy and Henri made a substantial breakfast, and in doing so, hardlyfelt the need of the constant urging of the boss cook.
They could not imagine what had become of Roque, and as nobodyvolunteered to tell them, they concluded not to ask any questions.
The boys observed that one of the short men, with a large head whollyout of proportion with his stocky body, commanded much deference fromthe rest of the party.
Henri learned from the drift of the conversation that this determinedlooking individual was Capt. Groat of Friedrichshaven, the great centerof Zeppelin factories, and while the captain was not in uniform he hadthe manner of rank.
Billy was quietly advised by his chum what the talk was about, andwagered that the two strangers were airmen.
"When these fellows commence to flock together on this coast," heasserted, "you can figure on what Roque meant when he fixed a comebackto get even for that flying raid yesterday on Cuxhaven."
The boys had withdrawn to the fireplace, and had an opportunity toexchange comments and conclusions between themselves.
"I'd like to take a whirl myself in one of those Zeppelins," was thewish expressed by Henri.
"Our flying education has been sadly neglected in that respect,"admitted Billy, "but, you know, these dirigibles are among the thingsmade only in Germany, and we're just over, so to speak."
As the morning wore away, Zorn made some remark to Capt. Groat that hadattracted the latter's attention to the boys lounging at the fireplace.The captain arose from the table and approached Billy and Henri withoutstretched hand.
"You speak the German?" With the question he bestowed a strenuous gripupon each of the boys.
Henri nodded, and Billy confessed by blank look that he did not knowthe language.
"It is easy, the English," politely assured the captain, "and we willtalk it together."
Billy brightened at this. He was not fond of hearing through aninterpreter.
"I hear you are the great aviators, and for so young it is wonderful."
"Thank you, sir," was Henri's modest acknowledgment.
"It is with the Zeppelin I navigate," advised the captain. "You know itnot?"
"Not much," put in Billy, "though we once dangled on the anchor of one,and another time I fell with a monoplane right across the back of oneof your dirigibles."
"Yes," remarked Henri, "and if it hadn't been for that, there wouldn'thave been any Billy alive to tell about it."
The captain showed a disposition to continue his talk during theafternoon with the boys, but a new arrival of evident importanceinterrupted. This addition to the party was a much older man than therest, wore a military cloak, and his long, gray mustache curled at theends in close touch with his ears. As he stood at the end of the bigtable, now cleared of its cloth, and rested a hand, enveloped in agauntlet, upon the shining surface, everybody in the room saluted. Overthe shoulder of this distinguished guest the boys saw the face of Roque.
As if by signal, further increased by the hasty entrance of threeadditional numbers, the attending company ranged by equal division oneach side of the table, and al
l followed the directing movement of theman at the head of the board in seating themselves.
Billy and Henri were the only bystanders, for though Spitznagle had notventured to flop down upon a bench at the table, he perched himself ona high stool, completely blocking the door leading into the pantry.
One of the short men who had first appeared with Capt. Groat produceda capacious wallet, and laid out in orderly array a number of neatlyfolded papers which had been contained in the leather.
"This is the navigator detailed to determine air currents, sir,"explained Roque to the chief figure, at whose right elbow the secretagent was stationed.
The man in the cloak fixed his gaze on the expert with the notes. Thelatter accepted this as permission to speak, and read in precise mannerthe results of close observation during a recent aerial expedition ofZeppelins, escorted by armed German biplanes, in the vicinity of Doverstraits.
Henri's quick ear and thorough knowledge of the Teuton tongue put himin line of complete understanding of the report, and that it seemedpreliminary to a proposed general raid of aircraft on territory withwhich he was well acquainted.
Billy's only satisfaction was in watching his chum's change ofexpression as the news sifted through the latter's mind. He could seethat there was "something doing."
So intently interested was the gathering at the table in the reading,that the very existence of the youthful outsiders seemed to beforgotten.
"Good; excellent!" commented the chief.
"It's a game with double trumps." Roque held the affair at Cuxhaven asa choking memory.
"There'll be quite a fall of hot shot, I promise you, if we get startedright." This was the prediction of Captain Groat.
His lieutenants from Friedrichshaven nodded their approval.
In anticipation of a telling counterstroke by their air squadron, theplan makers at the table puffed up clouds of smoke from pipes andcigars, freely distributed by the happy Spitznagle when the lengthydiscussion officially ended. In the added hours, when stone mugs werepassing among the thirsty, night had fallen outside, and the bencheswere turned to the glowing fire.
While Spitznagle was touching the tips of numerous candles with thetiny flame from a paper spiral, the empty mugs were being removed by anoddly dressed fellow, who shuffled around in carpet slippers like hewas tormented with a thousand pangs of rheumatism.
The boys had boosted themselves to good lookout points on the widewindow ledges, behind the lively circle around the fire.
The leather wallet and the survey notes of the expert air traveler layseparate and apart on the table, just as they had when the readingconcluded.
Billy was idly watching the halting action of the queer servitor, when,to the great astonishment of the watcher, the apparent cripple, withrapid hand movement, under cover of the wiping cloth he carried, deftlylifted and concealed the papers somewhere in the scarecrow garments hewore.
It was a tense moment. The word that would have turned things upsidedown in that room trembled on Billy's lips. But one of those remarkableinstances of mental telegraphy checked the utterance. The man whohad stolen the papers felt that his action had been detected from anunexpected quarter, and his eyes lifted to the very point of danger.There was an appeal in the look--and something else, a flash ofrecognition that compelled a response. They were the smiling eyes ofAnglin--or, as Roque would have it, Ardelle.
Billy, tongued-tied, saw the bent figure slowly shuffle toward thekitchen. He inwardly trembled at the thought of the stocky airmansuddenly turning from the fireplace to seek his precious reports. Headded another little shake in advance of the turmoil that was boundto be raised, anyhow, no matter how soon or how late the loss shouldbe discovered. But the consolation of delayed discovery would be thatAnglin had a chance to save his neck.
"What's the matter with you, pal?" Henri had just noticed that Billywas off color and wide-eyed as a trapped rabbit.
Billy, for caution, laid a finger on his lips. "I've seen a ghost," hewhispered.
With a glance of apprehension at the group circling the fireplace,Billy leaned against the shoulder of his chum and with underbreathspeed told of the presence of Anglin and the taking of the papers.
Henri was thrilled by the exciting story poured into his ear, andimmediately took on his share of anxiety as to the outcome of Anglin'sdaring action.
Bursts of laughter resounded at the fireplace. The company was thenapplauding some humorous tale volunteered by Zorn, who had risen likea tower to impress the point of his story.
"Gee," murmured Billy, "will they never quit?"
"Don't fret," advised Henri, "the blow will fall in due time."
It did fall a few minutes later.
The main mover of the meeting was saying: "Gentlemen, it is nearing anew day, and there is great achievement before us. We go to prepare forit."
Benches were pushed back to clear the way, and this scraping soundhad hardly ceased when the short airman, who had made the interestingreport, hurried to the table for his valuable records.
The boys leaned forward in breathless suspense.