CHAPTER XXII.
AT THE FORD OF THE RIVER MARNE.
"Oh! did you hear that?" exclaimed Hanky Panky, all excitement; "it wasa sure-enough moan. Rod, Josh, there's been some poor fellow down thereall this while; and we never dreamed of it when we pulled that bucket ofwater up!"
Saying this Hanky Panky leaned far over the edge of the well curb, andattempted to see into the murky depths. Rod cast a quick look in thedirection of Josh, who gave him a sly wink, but kept a straight face.
"I can't see anything, for a fact," complained Hanky Panky in greatdistress; "but it was a groan, I'm sure--there it goes again, and worsethan before. Oh! Rod, do you believe some poor chap tried to hide in thewell when he saw all those awful Germans coming, and hasn't been strongenough to climb up again since?"
"Why, that might be possible, of course," replied Rod, "though just howhe could stay down there this long is more than I can understand."
"What do you say, Josh?" demanded the sympathetic one.
"Oh! me?" remarked Josh, with a shrug of his shoulders, and not evenoffering to change his position; "if you asked me straight off thehandle now I'd say that it might be only the wind sighing through thetrees, or something like that. Don't stand to reason that anybody couldbe down there in that well."
When Hanky Panky met with opposition he always became more positive;possibly the sly Josh knew this full well, and allowed the fact togovern his actions.
"But we all heard the groans, didn't we?" demanded Hanky Panky; "and Iguess I know one when it hits my ears. There certainly is some one downthere. Listen to that, will you; isn't it just fierce the way he keepsgoing on, though?"
Indeed, the sounds had once more commenced to well up from the darkdepths, and in a most agonizing fashion too. Even Rod felt a thrill,although he could give a pretty good guess concerning the nature of thepoor unfortunate who was the contributing cause for those dismal groans.
"No use talking, fellows!" declared Hanky Panky presently, after theyhad listened again to the suggestive sounds that seemed to spell humanmisery; "I just can't stand this any longer. Something's got to be done,that's what. I've a good notion to slip down the rope myself, and findout what it means."
"But that'd be going a whole lot, just to satisfy your curiosity,wouldn't it?" asked Josh, cunningly, for he knew that he was taking justthe course to further aggravate the other's intention to act.
"Well, you don't seem to care much what happens to a poor chap who'smade a fool of himself, and got caught down in a well; but I do,"asserted Hanky Panky, proudly. "I don't think I could ever sleep decentagain if I had the nerve to ride away from here, and never even try toget him out."
He deliberately started to remove his coat, showing that his mind wasmade up. Rod looked at Josh, but received in turn a pleading glance, asthough the other begged to be let alone, and turn his trick. The chanceto "get one" on Hanky Panky was too good to be lost, Josh evidentlybelieved.
So those amazing groans continued to well up out of the depths,increasing in pathos if anything as they proceeded.
"Take care not to slip, Hanky," advised Rod, "or we'll have the job ofdrying a chum out before we can go on our way."
"And say, that well water's awful cold in the bargain," remarked Josh,carelessly; "keep a tight hold on the rope. We'll look after this end,and when you say the word pull you out."
Accordingly the determined one started to lower himself into the hauntedwell, showing a most commendable spirit, Rod thought. It was really toobad to allow the joking Josh to play this trick on so gallant a fellow;but possibly there would be no harm done in the end, and at least itserved to break the terrible monotony of seeing sad sights on the roadthrough the devastated country.
Presently the shaking of the rope ceased, and the voice of the explorercame up from the depths.
"This is certainly a queer deal I'm getting," he said, complainingly.
"What's the matter now?" asked Josh, tantalizingly.
"Why, I tell you there's nothing down here," replied Hanky Panky. "Myeyes have got used to the dark, and I can see perfectly well. All aroundme is the stone of the well, the water is just under my feet, but highor low I can't see a single sign of anybody."
"Didn't I tell you so?" asked Josh, laughing harshly; "the old well mustbe a haunted one, I reckon. If that was really a groan we heard it wasgiven by a ghost, or a goblin, and not a living being."
"Hey! that's enough, Josh! Get me up out of here quick, I tell you!"called Hanky Panky, shaking the rope vigorously; "you promised youwould, remember!"
Josh was chuckling at a great rate; nevertheless when Rod signalled tohim he condescended to lend a hand, and between the two of them theyspeedily had Hanky Panky up safely, none the worse for his experiment,but looking deeply puzzled.
"That's the queerest thing I've run across for many a day," he wassaying; "but you notice that it doesn't come any more now, since I wentdown. Oh! thunder! I spoke too soon, didn't I?"
The sounds had indeed started in again with even more vigor than before.Hanky Panky, catching what seemed like a chuckle, suddenly turned onJosh.
"I've tumbled to your silly game at last, Josh," he said, pointing afinger at the other in a stern fashion; "somehow I clean forgot how youused to be such a smarty at throwing your voice, and aimed some day tobe a regular ventriloquist on the stage. Well, you _did_ fool meall right, I own up; and I had my climb down into the old well fornothing. Hope you're satisfied now. Let's take another drink all around,and then get along."
Hanky Panky was one of those good-natured fellows who could laugh at aclever joke even when himself the victim; so that he did not bear anygrudge for the way in which Josh had deluded him.
"But I'm glad anyhow that I didn't lose my grip, and drop into thewater," he went on to say; "because it was terribly cold down there."
"All's well that ends well!" croaked Josh, with a happy grin, for hebelieved he had once more cleared the slate in the account with hisfun-loving comrade.
Soon afterwards they left the ruined place and once more started alongthe road. Again they came upon scenes of desolation, with clusters ofnatives standing by the ruins of their late possessions, to wave anencouraging hand as the three boys sped past. Doubtless many of thembelieved Rod and his mates must belong to some section of the braveFrench army, for their khaki uniforms seemed to proclaim this. And everylittle helped when the gigantic task of turning the invaders out ofFrance was considered, even the assistance of a trio of half-grown lads.
If things kept up as they were now going Rod confidently believed theywould be close to the battle line again inside of two hours. The roar ofthe guns announced that severe fighting was going on not many milesdistant.
They were making only slow progress at this time, so many obstaclesimpeded their way. Numerous stops were also made so that Rod couldexchange a few sentences with some of the people they came upon, so asto pick up information that might prove of advantage to strangers in asection of country new to them.
There was no time when right and left they could not see a myriad ofinteresting things. Most of them pertained to warfare--marching troops;strings of prisoners being led to the rear; broken caissons andabandoned guns; wrecked bicycles, and even motorcycles cast aside whenof no further service to the retreating Germans; cooking outfits thathad been wonderful contrivances before being utterly smashed on theirlate owners finding they could not be taken along; and other things toonumerous to mention.
Rod himself was of the opinion that the enterprising peasants mightmanage to partly indemnify themselves for their losses by takingpossession of some of the various things abandoned, and renewing theirusefulness.
It was now getting well on toward noon. Hanky Panky had even been heardto call out that he felt hungry, though Rod could see little hope ofappeasing their appetites in that country, so thoroughly cleaned out bythe enemy.
Suddenly there came an outburst of heavy firing close at hand. It was sofurious that the three boys involuntarily st
opped short, and huddledtogether to compare notes, so that they might decide upon the safestcourse for them to pursue.
Smoke began to climb upwards above the trees not more than a mile away,where Rod had reason to believe the Marne River ran.
"That's where the fight is going on, Rod, you can see!" shouted Josh,eagerly, pointing as he spoke; "look at the French batteries wheelinginto position, would you? They mean to give the Germans a lot ofpounding, looks like. I wonder what it all means; can you give a guess,Rod?"
Rod could, and lost no time in advancing his opinion.
"From what I heard when I talked with that last bunch of natives," hecalled out, for the racket was growing more deafening with everyminute's passage, "there's a ford to the river right about that place.Now like as not the Germans have determined to dispute the passage ofthe crossing, and left a big force there to hold Joffre's men in check.The battle for that ford is now starting up, and it will be a prettystiff fight unless all signs fail."