CHAPTER V
A WILD GOOSE CHASE
Like a flash, five uniformed figures flattened themselves to the groundas several more bullets whistled above them. Though they heard noreport, a peculiar sound as of an almost silent concussion accompaniedthe whine of each winging bullet.
For a moment or two the Khaki Boys pressed close to the cold earth, toogreatly flabbergasted for speech.
It was Jimmy who first cautiously raised himself a little from thefrozen ground. A bullet promptly sang past his head causing him toquickly duck and resume his former position.
"Where are they coming from?" breathed Bob.
"On the left. That gateway," muttered Roger.
The Khaki Boys had been in the act of passing an apparently desertedhouse on the outskirts of the village. It was surrounded by a highstone wall, but the gate was missing, leaving a wide aperture.
Roger's alert eyes had noted it just as they came abreast of it. On theother side of the road a little above it stood another house, dark likethe first.
"Then charge it," came impatiently from Jimmy.
Up in a flash, the quintet made a bold dash toward the danger spot.Strangely enough not a single bullet more was directed at them by theirunknown foe.
Reaching the gateway, no one was to be seen. The clear moonlight shonewhitely down upon it, bathing the darkly outlined wall with radiantlight.
"Whoever ambushed us has cut and run along close to the wall and downamong those trees and outbuildings," surmised Bob.
"Come on, let's after 'em," proposed Jimmy sharply. "We're losing time.We'll never nab 'em at this rate. Hug the wall, though. It's safer."
Led by impetuous Jimmy the party traversed on the run a long stretch ofbare ground that sloped gradually down to a small orchard at the endof the grounds. Their eyes were sharply trained ahead to catch a firstglimpse of their quarry, hidden perhaps behind the trunk of a tree.
Against the moon's silver rays the trees stood out sharply, their barebranches affording little shadow in which the fugitive enemy might seekconcealment.
First impulse toward self-protection under fire had been completelyrouted by the desire to give chase. The hunters now darted recklesslyin and out among the trees, oblivious to the possibility of a freshattack from a new quarter.
None came. Neither did they glimpse any human beings other thanthemselves. The enemy evidently had abandoned his or their murderousproject, and fled from the premises. Continued search led to thediscovery of a gap in the lower end of the wall.
"Here's where they beat it!" Bob pointed triumphantly to the gap.
"Looks like it. We've gone over every foot of this orchard."
Roger frowningly eyed the break in the wall.
"I don't believe it was _they_." Jimmy shook a decided head. "It was_he_. A one-man game. He had a gun with a Maxim silencer, too. That'swhy we heard only a queer muffled sound instead of distinct reports."
"That's so," agreed Schnitzel. "Anyhow, if there'd been two or three of'em the whole bunch couldn't have skiddooed without our seeing at leastone of 'em."
"So think I mebbe scare som' Boche pretty bad, we run after," offeredIgnace.
"Somebody was sure plugging for the Fatherland," asserted Bob. "Nearlyplugged us, too. The first shot zipped between Blazes' head and mine."
"If we'd jumped up and started on we'd have got another peppering. Thesharpshooter who couldn't shoot sharp didn't figure on our rushing thegate. It gave him such a jolt that he beat it."
"Where did he go?" demanded Jimmy.
"In an opposite direction to us, I suppose," surmised Schnitzel. "Whilewe were hiking for that orchard he was hot-footing it along the otherway. Two of us should have gone one way and three the other."
"Then he certainly didn't go through this gap. We're a nice bunch ofrookies," jeered Bob. "All run in one direction like a flock of sheep."
"Well, we were excited," excused Jimmy with a sickly grin.
"You mean rattled," laughed Roger.
"It was all Bob's fault," accused Jimmy jocularly. "If he hadn't goneand said that our gunman had beat it along the wall and into thatorchard we wouldn't have been in such a rush to beat it after him."
"Yes, and what did you say?" retorted Bob in the same joking spirit."You were first man to yell, 'Come on, let's after him.' Then away youwent and took us along."
"Well, you didn't have to go, did you?" countered Jimmy.
"Sure we did, else why are we Blazes' bunkies?"
There was an earnest note back of this lightly uttered reply. Jimmycaught it. Slapping Bob on the shoulder he said: "Good old Bob. You'renot so worse. I kind of like you."
"So glad, I'm sure," simpered Bob, returning the slap with interest.
"It's just as well that we kept together, I guess," commented Rogersoberly. "There's safety in numbers, you know. I don't see that there'sany use in hanging around here. Our man has given us the slip. It musthave been some stray Boche out on his own. Not a soldier, but somesecret sympathizer with the Fatherland, perhaps. Else why would he beslipping around behind gates to plug passing soldiers? It's unusual fora party from camp to be shot at like that so far back from the fightingdistrict."
"This yellow sneak might have been hanging around the station when wegot off the train."
As usual, Bob was full of theories. "He knew it was a straight roadto camp and that he couldn't miss us. Very likely he knows this partof the country like a book, so he just took a cross-cut and waited atthe gate for us. It was a fine chance to get a whack at the 'Americandogs.' Long live Bunco Bill--not! I hope he chokes!" anathematized Bob.
"Some healthy little hate," snickered Jimmy.
"Oh, Bobby's a fine hearty hater," was the light assurance. "Well,let's be on our way. We'd better be traveling along to camp. Doublequick, fellows, when we hit the road. We'll stand less chance ofgetting potted as we go."
Out on the road again an excited discussion arose as they hurriedcampward. It pertained to the motive for the unexpected attack.Undoubtedly a prowling Boche had fired on them. They believed it wasnot usual for soldiers to be thus attacked so far back of the fightingdistrict. Certainly they had not anticipated such an ending to theirpeaceful pleasure jaunt.
Camp limits reached, they were challenged by a sentry and allowed to goon to quarters after making satisfactory response and being advanced tobe recognized.
After he had turned in that night a swift, unbidden thought popped intoSergeant Jimmy Blaise's brain just as he was dropping off to sleep.It left him wide awake and staring reflectively into the darkness. Hewondered if, by any possible chance, the "tiger man" had succeeded inpicking up his trail.