CHAPTER VII
A CLOSE SHAVE
Probably Dick did not realize that he was really showing a high order ofcourage in going while Harry remained behind, caught in that cruel trapand practically in the hands of enemies who were most unlikely to treathim well. In fact, as he made his way toward the wall, Dick wasreproaching himself bitterly.
"I ought to stay!" he kept on saying to himself over and over again. "Iought not to leave him so! He made me go so that I would be safe!"
There had been no time to argue, or Harry might have been able to makehim understand that it was at least as dangerous to go as tostay--perhaps even more dangerous. Dick did not think that there was atleast a chance that every trap was wired, so that springing it wouldsound an alarm in some central spot. If that were so, as Harry had fullyunderstood, escape for Dick would be most difficult and probably he toowould be captured.
"I'm such a coward!" Dick almost sobbed to himself, for he wasfrightened, though, it must be said, less on his account than at thethought of Harry. Yet he did not stop. He went on resolutely, alone, ashe got used to the idea that he must depend on himself, without Harry tohelp him in any emergency that arose, his courage returned. He stopped,just as he knew Harry would have done, several feet short of the wall.His watch told him that he had time enough to make a dash, had severalminutes to spare, in fact. But he made sure.
And it was well that he did. For some alarm had been given. He heardfootsteps of running men, and in a moment two men, neither of them theone they knew as the sentry, came running along the wall. They carriedpocket flashlights, and were examining the ground carefully. Dick sensedat once what they meant to do, and shrank into the shelter of a greatrhododendron bush. He was small for his age, and exceptionally lissomeand he felt that the leaves would conceal him for a few moments atleast. He was taking a risk of finding a trap in the bush, but it wasthe lesser of the two evils just then. And luck favored him. Heencountered no trap.
Then one of the men with flashlights gave a cry that sounded to Dickjust like the note of a dog that has picked up a lost scent. The lightswere playing on the ground just where they had crossed the wall.
"Footsteps, Hans!" said the man. "Turned from the wall, too! They havegone in, but have not come out."
"How many?" asked the other man, coming up quickly.
"Two, I think--no more," said the discoverer. "Now we shall followthem."
Dick held his breath. If they could follow the footsteps--and there wasno reason in the world to hope that they could not!--they would bebound to pass within a foot or two of his hiding-place. And, as herealized, they would, when they were past him, find the marks of hisfeet returning. They would know then that he was between them and thewall. He realized what that would mean. Bravely he nerved himself totake the one desperate chance that remained to him. They were far toostrong for him to have a chance to meet them on even terms, all he couldhope for was an opportunity to make use of his light weight and hissuperior speed. He knew that he could move two feet, at least, to theirone. And so he waited, crouching, until they went by. The light flashedby the bush, for some reason, it did not strike it directly. That gavehim a respite. Fortunately they were looking for footprints, not fortheir makers.
The moment they were by, Dick took the chance of making a noise, andpushed through the bush, to reach the other side. And, just as the cryof the man who first had seen the footprints sounded again, he gotthrough. At once, throwing off all attempt at silence, he startedrunning, crouched low. He was only a dozen feet from the wall he leapedfor a projection a few feet up. By a combination of good luck and skillhe reached it with his hands.
A moment later he had swarmed over the wall and dropped to the otherside just as a shot rang out behind. The bullet struck the wall, chippedfragments of stone flew all over him. But he was not hurt, and he ran ashe had, never known he could run, keeping to the side of the road, wherehe was in a heavy shadow.
As soon as he could, he burst through a hedge on the side of the roadopposite the wall, and ran on, sheltered by the hedge until, to hisdelight, he plunged headfirst into a stream of water. The fall knockedhim out for a moment, but the cold water revived him and he did not mindthe scraped knee and the hurt knuckles he owed to the sharp stones inthe bed of the little brook. He changed his course at once, followingthe brook, since in that no telltale footprints would be left.
Behind him he heard the sound of pursuit for a little while, but hejudged that the brook would save him. He could not be pursued very far.Even in this sleepy countryside he would find it easy to get help, andthe Germans, as he was now sure they were, would have to give up thechase. All that had been essential had been for him to get a few hundredfeet from the park, after that he was safe.
But, if he was safe, he was hopelessly lost. At least he would havebeen, had he been an ordinary boy, without the scout training. He was inunknown country and he had been chased away from all the landmarks hehad. It was of the utmost importance that he should reach as soon aspossible, and, especially, without passing too near Bray Park, the spotwhere the motorcycles and the papers and codes had been cached. And,when he finally came to a full stop, satisfied that he no longer hadanything to fear from pursuit, he was completely in the dark as to wherehe was.
However, his training asserted itself. Although Harry had been incharge, Dick had not failed to notice everything about the place wherethey made their cache that would help to identify it. That was instinctwith him by this time, after two years as a scout; it was second nature.And, though it had been light, he had pictured pretty accurately whatthe place would look like at night. He remembered for instance, thatcertain stars would be sure to fill the sky in a particular relation tothe cache. And now he looked up and worked out his own position. To dothat he had to reconstruct, with the utmost care, his movements since hehad left the cache to the moment when he and Harry had entered BrayPark.
But the chase had confused him, naturally. He had doubled on his trackmore than once, trying to throw his pursuers off. But by rememberingaccurately the position of Bray Park in its relation to the cache, andby concentrating as earnestly as he could to remember as much aspossible of the course of his flight, he arrived presently at a decisionof how he must proceed to retrieve the motorcycles and the papers.
As soon as he had done so he hurried on, feverishly, taking a coursethat, while longer than necessary, was essential since he dared not gonear Bray Park. He realized thoroughly how much depended on hispromptness. It was essential that Colonel Throckmorton should learn ofthe wireless station, which was undoubtedly powerful enough to send itswaves far out to sea, even if not to the German coast itself.
And there was Harry. The only chance of rescue for him lay in what Dickmight do. That thought urged him on even more than the necessity ofimparting what they had learned.
So, scouting as he went, least he encounter some prowling party fromBray Park silently looking for him, he went on hastily. He was almost asanxious to avoid the village as the spy headquarters, for he knew thatin such places strangers might be regarded with suspicion even in timesof peace. And, while the war fever had not seemed to be in evidence thatafternoon, he knew that it might have broken out virulently in theinterval. He had heard the stories of spy baiting in other parts of thecountry; how, in some localities, scores of absolutely innocent touristshad been arrested and searched. So he felt he must avoid his friends aswell as his enemies until he had means of proving his identity.
Delaying as he was by his roundabout course, it took him nearly an hourto come to scenes that were familiar. But then he knew that he had foundhimself, with the aid of the stars. Familiar places that he had markedwhen they made the cache appeared, and soon he reached it. But it wasempty; motorcycles and papers--all were gone!