CHAPTER XIII.
A FIGHT IN THE DARK.
Each boy put his best foot foremost, and they traveled at top speed.They wanted to put as much distance as possible between themselves andthe house where they had so lately found shelter, for there was littledoubt in the mind of either that young Dersi was a traitor, and thathe would soon put their erstwhile captors on their track again.
Nor were they wrong; and, had they but known what they learned later,they would have sought shelter almost anywhere rather than continuetheir journey afoot. Even now the same band of German motorcyclistswho had given chase the night before were again in pursuit. But now,instead of an even dozen, there were thirteen. For Young Dersi himselfwas with them.
Just out of sight of Dersi's home the Germans halted, and the youngman himself approached the house. His mother greeted him effusivelyand inquired the cause of his sudden return.
"Well, mother," he said, "I have accomplished my mission. I havelearned the strength of the German army, and am now returning to myown regiment. But what of the two lads who were here? Have they gone?If not, we can all continue our journey together."
"They departed several hours ago," his mother informed him.
"Then perhaps I can overtake them," said the young man. "In whichdirection did they go?"
The good woman pointed out the road taken by Hal and Chester, neverthinking for an instant that her son meant to harm them. A momentlater young Dersi left the house; and soon the Germans were once moreupon the trail of the two lads.
Hal and Chester hurried along as fast as their legs could carry them.It was now nearing dusk, and with each forward step they knew thatthey were that much closer to a place of safety. Darkness fell andstill the two lads plodded onward.
At length, coming upon a small brook beside the road, they stopped toquench their thirst. Hal had risen to his feet and was waiting forChester when from the rear once more came the faint "chug-chug" of amotorcycle, or motorcycles, the boys were unable to tell which.
Chester sprang to his feet.
"Here they come again," he cried. "We were right. It is the traitorDersi who has put them on our trail. Hustle!"
Side by side the two lads sprinted for a clump of trees almostdirectly ahead. They reached their friendly shelter just before theglare of a searchlight down the road gave evidence of the approach oftheir pursuers.
Once among the trees the boys dropped to the ground and becameabsolutely silent. A moment later and the band of Germans flashed byat terrific speed.
The boys arose to their feet and continued on their way, keeping inamong the trees.
"We must be very careful," Hal warned Chester. "When they fail toovertake us they are sure to return. When we hear them coming we'llclimb up a tree, or hunt a hole, or something. But we might as well goahead as far as we can."
"That seems the best way to me," Chester agreed.
They continued their journey for perhaps an hour without hearing asound of the Germans, and then, suddenly, they were made aware of thepresence of the enemy.
Chester's cap seemed suddenly to jump from his head. Both lads heardthe hum of a bullet and the crack of a rifle. Immediately they bothdropped to the ground.
They had not detected from which direction the bullet had come, andfor that reason were at a great disadvantage. Crouched close to theground they waited, ears strained for a sound by which they couldlocate the man who had fired.
But a sound came not. Nothing but silence. Crouched close to theground as they were, the silence soon became stifling. Hal endured thesuspense as long as he could, and then whispered to Chester:
"We can't stay here. I'll wriggle my way to that tree," pointing, "andyou creep behind that one," pointing again, this time to a treeperhaps a hundred yards distant from the first.
"All right," Chester whispered back.
Hal had hardly taken his position behind the tree he had selected forhis own cover when a second sharp crack of a rifle broke the stillnessof the night, and there was a flash of fire hardly fifty feet fromhim.
In the darkness Hal made out the form of a man, his gun pointed towardChester, who at that moment succeeded in wriggling behind a tree.
"The dog!" said Hal angrily to himself. "I'll fix him."
Both lads were without weapons, their arms having been confiscatedwhen they were captured by the Germans.
On hands and knees Hal made a short detour and approached his enemyfrom behind. Now he was hardly ten feet from the man, who loomed uplike a giant in the darkness. Hal rose suddenly to his feet, and, ashe did so, he stepped on the fallen limb of a tree.
The deathly silence was shattered by this sound, and Hal's enemyturned suddenly to confront this unexpected assailant. But, before hecould bring his rifle to bear, Hal was upon him.
The man did succeed in raising his rifle above his head, and he nowattempted to bring it down on the lad's head. But Hal was too quickfor him. Stepping in close, he struck his opponent a stinging blow inthe face, and at the same time seized the rifle barrel with his otherhand.
As the man staggered back, Hal wrenched fiercely on the rifle, and theweapon came away in his hand. But the man was not badly hurt by theforce of Hal's blow, and he suddenly dropped his hand to his belt. Amoment later and the naked blade of a knife gleamed in the night.
Hal saw his enemy's move and sprang back. But the man was after him inan instant, his knife raised to strike. They were too close togetherfor Hal to bring the rifle to bear upon his enemy, and, realizing thathe probably was no match for his opponent, the lad suddenly turned andran.
But it was not Hal's intention to run very far from his enemy. He wasnot that kind of a boy. His idea was to get far enough ahead of theman so that he might turn and shoot him. But as he ran he felt a gustof air pass his ear, and he heard the sound of something whizzing byhim.
The German, realizing the boy's purpose, and also that he could notovertake him, had hurled his knife. Hal also realized this the momentthe knife sped by him, and stopped suddenly in his tracks.
In spite of the fact that his assailant had attempted to murderhim, Hal could not find it in his heart to kill him in cold blood.Therefore, even as he turned, he raised the rifle high above hishead, and, holding it tightly by the barrel, rushed upon his enemy.
In vain the man threw up his hands to ward off the blow. The forcebehind it was too great. Hal, wheeling half around as he swung,brought the heavy butt of the rifle against the side of the German'shead with a crack. The man dropped limp at the boy's feet.
Hal lowered his rifle, and stood for a moment over his fallen enemy,wiping his brow. Then he stooped over and relieved him of his otherweapons, two automatic Colts. These he slipped in his pocket, and oncemore turned his face toward the spot where Chester lay, unaware of theterrible fight that had just occurred.
Hal whistled softly--the whistle of the old days in America--and,listening, heard Chester whistle softly in return.
Believing now that everything was safe, Hal left his fallen enemybehind, and started toward the spot where Chester was rising to hisfeet.
Hardly had he traversed half the distance, when there was anothershot, and Hal saw Chester, who was advancing to meet him, topple tothe ground.
Hal turned in the direction of the flash of the rifle, and, scarcelytaking time to aim with his newly-acquired automatic, fired. Hiseffort was rewarded with a howl of pain, but, as the lad started torun to where his fallen friend lay, there was another shot, and Halfelt a bullet whiz by his head.
Quickly he dropped to the ground, thinking that his unseen antagonistwould believe him dead. He held his revolver ready, prepared to fireat the first sight of his enemy.
But the latter was not to be caught thus easily. Evidently he hadheard of such subterfuges before. Hal waited patiently for somemoments, and then, as there was no sign of his unseen enemy, hecrawled slowly toward the spot where Chester had fallen.
What was his surprise to find that Chester was not there. For a momentHal was stup
efied, but his amazement was brought to an end by a lowwhistle, and, looking to the right, Hal beheld his friend behind alarge tree.
A moment later Hal was beside his friend.
"Are you hurt much?" he demanded anxiously.
"Not even touched," was the reply. "I dropped to the ground when thebullet whizzed by. I was afraid he would hit me next time."
Hal seized Chester's hand and squeezed it warmly.
"I was afraid it was all up with you," he said. "I----"
The sudden flash of a rifle interrupted him, and another bullet flewpast.