CHAPTER X.
MORE NEWS FROM THE FRONT.
Three men who wore the uniforms of French soldiers, one of whom wasevidently a lieutenant, looked hastily up when Rod entered the vegetablecellar, and addressed them in the words we have given. The ordinarysoldiers carried guns, and these weapons they half raised, as thoughwishing to be ready for any emergency.
Of course, it was immediately manifest to the officer that these threewideawake lads were not of the enemy. Like most other people he at firstsuspected them to be English boys. That would mean they were allies ofthe French; but nevertheless those splendid wheels were a greattemptation; and the Grand Army was in sore need of all such means ofrapid locomotion it could commandeer.
"You are English, then?" he asked, politely, returning Rod's salute.
"No, American, monsieur," replied the boy, promptly; "we were making atrip down the Rhine on our motorcycles when the war broke out. We hadjust managed to get across the line into poor Belgium when the Germanscame. You can well understand that we have seen much of what happened inthat unfortunate country, for we were compelled to go to Antwerp onbusiness."
"But--this is France," interrupted the lieutenant, as though puzzled;"and here close to the firing line it is peculiar that we find threeAmerican boys mounted on such wonderfully fine motorcycles."
Rod smiled blandly.
"You wonder how we managed to retain possession of them through it all,"he went on to say; "but the secret lay in a certain magical paper whichwe carry, and which you shall yourself be permitted to examine."
With that he once more carefully extracted the document given to them bythe brave king of the Belgians, and which had proved to be worth athousand times its weight in gold.
So the French lieutenant, by the light of the flickering lanterns, alsoread the brief but forceful sentences penned by King Albert. He was ofcourse greatly impressed, as who would not have been, remembering what aprominent figure the royal writer of the "pass" had already become inthe world war?
"It is plain to be seen, young monsieur," the officer hastened to say ashe very carefully folded the precious paper, and with a bow returned itto the owner, "that you and your brave companions have found occasion tolend a helping hand to the grand cause for which all loyal Frenchmen areready to shed their last drop of blood. But I notice that here thewriter speaks of _five_ young Americans, and I see but three."
"That is easily explained," replied Rod; "two of our chums werecompelled to return hastily to America, having received a cable message.They sailed from Antwerp for London, and by now are far on the wayacross the Atlantic."
"But what possessed you three adventurous boys to wish to come once moreto the scene of battle and carnage? It is hardly a fit place for lads ofyour age, I should think?"
"But American boys are full of the spirit of adventure, monsieur," urgedRod; "and the opportunity would surely never come to us again. Still, itwas not merely curiosity that caused us to decide to make this trip. Wehave come on an errand of mercy; to assist one of your countrywomen whowas in great trouble."
He thereupon hastily sketched the situation in which Jeanne D'Aubrey wasplaced, with a chance of securing a competence could her husband becommunicated with, and allowed to sign the important paper within thespecified time limit.
A Frenchman is always filled with a love for anything that borders onthe dramatic. He also has the greatest respect for such heroism as thesethree boys were now exhibiting in undertaking the dangerous mission forthe sake of the poor woman at whose humble home they had been temporaryguests.
Impulsively he stretched out his hand to Rod, and then to each of theother two boys.
"I am proud to meet you, young messieurs," he announced; "and whilethese magnificent mounts would be put to a glorious use in the grandarmy that needs many such so badly, I could not have the heart todeprive you of your property. On account of what you have already donefor the cause, and stand ready to aid any further attempt if theoccasion arises, here then we hand you back your beloved motorcycles."
While Josh and Hanky Panky could not understand much that was spoken,still it was possible for them to read the signs aright. Josh grinned asthough greatly tickled over their good luck; and Hanky on his partdoubtless felt like offering thanks because the searching party hadturned out to be friends instead of foes.
When further conversation took place between Rod and the lieutenant theboy was given to understand that the French had learned of the presenceof a German spy in that neighborhood, and several patrols were searchingevery farmhouse and cottage within a radius of three miles, as well asthe patches of woods that lay between.
After considerable more talking the lieutenant explained that as therewas more country which he and his detail had been directed to search, hemust linger no longer.
When the Frenchmen had departed the boys once more sought their room inthe new wing of the farmhouse. They had hardly reached their quartersthan a timid knock on the door was heard, and the good woman of thehouse appeared, to ask with more or less trepidation if they hadsuffered any loss from the visit of her countrymen, whose uniforms shemust have recognized.
Rod assured her that all was well with them, at which she seemedparticularly pleased, and vanished from the scene.
"Well, after all it turned out to be a false alarm," ventured HankyPanky, giving an exhibition of one of his fancy yawns; and really no boycould excel him when it came to stretching his mouth wide open, so Joshalways declared.
"But it might have been serious, all right," asserted the latter. "Ourluck only caused them to be French instead of German. It was what youmight call a narrow squeak, Hanky Panky; and only for my waking up whenI did we'd have lost our property anyway."
"We owe you our best thanks for your wakefulness, Josh," Rod told him.
"Oh! that's all right," laughed the other; "thanks to a bad dream Ichanced to arouse myself, and caught the flicker of some sort of movinglight out there. So of course I just tumbled out and made for thewindow. When I saw lanterns moving this way and that I began to think wewere going to be in the soup; so, knowing you ought to be put in touchwith the situation, I wakened you, Rod."
"By the way," Hanky Panky continued, "what was the lieutenant tellingyou all the time he kept on talking, Rod?"
"That's so," echoed Josh immediately; "whatever it could have been itseemed to give him a whole lot of pleasure to be able to inform you, forhe was smiling like everything, and I could see the pride sticking outof his face."
"Oh! I was asking him for the latest news from the battle front,"replied Rod, "and what he told me was great stuff, to be sure. It seemsthat what we heard before was part of the truth."
"You mean how the German General Von Kluck, swinging down to attackParis from the northwest, didn't get within gunshot of the outer fortsbefore he found he had exposed his flank, and it was in danger of beingturned--was that it, Rod?" and Josh, who was intensely interested in allmilitary matters, eagerly waited to hear the answer to his leadingquestion.
"Just what happened," Rod explained. "You see, a new army was hastilygotten together by General Gallieni, the Governor of Paris, consistingfor the most part of the regiments meant to defend the city. This,assisted by the British forces, was threatening the exposed flank of VonKluck. If it struck hard it would throw his whole army into confusion,and start a rout. So instead of attacking the forts as he had intended,Von Kluck made a swift swing, and passed Paris on the north."
"And what did Joffre do then?" asked Josh.
"The whole French army had been held for just such an opening. It wassent forward with impetuous speed to strike like an avalanche. Thelieutenant said that already the blow had started to fall, and thatthere could be no doubt about the Germans being in retreat, headingnorth again to positions they must have arranged for along the AisneRiver."
"Hurrah! that makes me sing for joy!" cried Josh, exultantly; "thenParis isn't going to fall like a ripe plum into the hands of the_invincible_ German army. They co
unted without their host thattime, I guess."
"Much of the praise for what has happened goes to Joffre because he kepthis army intact and refused to risk a general engagement until hebelieved the time was ripe. When Von Kluck exposed his flank, and thatnew army came out of Paris to threaten it, Joffre knew the fatal hourwas at hand. Then he struck home, and already they are pushing theGermans back along the Marne with frightful slaughter."
Josh was so pleased with hearing this wonderful news that he went aroundand insisted on shaking hands with each of his chums.
"Why, I'm nearly as tickled over it as if it was Washington that hadbeen spared from the hand of the despoiler," he went on to say,hilariously; "those Germans are learning something, it seems to me. Theybelieved their army couldn't be beaten, but by now their commanders knowthere are others just as brave as Germans--French, British, Belgians,Russians, yes, and Americans too among the lot. I'll sure be able tosleep better after hearing that glorious news, Rod."
Somehow they seemed to feel that their machines would not be disturbedagain during the balance of that particular night, so fraught with bigevents for the people of imperiled France. All of them managed to get tosleep again without much trouble, and really knew nothing more until thesun shining in Rod's face awoke him.
They were soon dressed, and on entering the other part of the farmhousefound that breakfast was already under way. Rod had to explain a lot ofthings to the old Frenchman, who it seemed had not been awakened by whathad occurred in the night, but had heard something of the event from hisdaughter.
It was worth while to see how both of them smiled when they heard aboutthe sudden change of plans of the German general, and that even then,when the big guns were once more commencing to speak in the distance, itmarked the retreat of the rash invaders who had expected to take Parisas easily as they had battered down the defences of Liege and Namur inBelgium, with their wonderful forty-two centimetre cannon.
The incident of the night, while at the time it had been quitethrilling, was already relegated to the past. Rod and his chums hadreally been through so much that was exciting during the time they ownedthose motorcycles, that events of this type were only so manyreminiscences, once they had passed.
They had a bountiful breakfast, and then prepared to mount for anotherride over the good roads lying north of the French capital.
As usual Hanky Panky began to speculate on what they were fated to seeor experience during that day. Situated as they were, with warringarmies near by, anything seemed possible. Indeed, Hanky could notventure to even give a guess as to what might come their way before thesetting of another sun.
"I only hope we manage to get on the track of the regiment that Andrebelongs to," he ventured to say as they made ready to depart; "and thatwe find him still in the land of the living. Once we get that papersigned and witnessed, Jeanne D'Aubrey's future is made secure, no matterwhat happens to her husband afterwards; though we do hope he'll live togo back home, whole or crippled, as the fortunes of war decide. Allready here, Rod, so give the word to get started!"