CHAPTER XVII.
A FIGHT FOR A BED.
With a word to the sergeant to order an immediate retreat, Hal crossedthe room and shook His Lordship roughly.
"Get up!" he shouted.
His Lordship opened one eye sleepily.
"What's that?" he demanded.
"Get up!" repeated Hal.
"Not on your life," said His Lordship slowly, and closed his eyes again.
"Quick!" shouted Hal. "We must retreat! A whole German regiment is aboutto attack us."
"All right," came the reply, and His Lordship did not take the trouble toopen his eyes.
Once more the lad shook him roughly, and Chester added his voice.
"Get up out of here," he commanded sharply. "A German regiment is uponus."
"I don't care if it is the whole German army," replied His Lordship, withsome heat--and it was the first time in his life that he had ever beenaroused--"they won't get my bed."
"I order you--" Hal began.
But His Lordship calmly shut his eyes, turned on his other side, and wentpeacefully to sleep.
"Now, what do you think of that?" demanded Hal of Chester.
"Well," said Hal, "there is nothing we can do. It's up to us to save ourown skins. We have done the best we can for him."
He stepped to the door and Chester followed him. They looked about forsome sign of their men, but the latter had gone, and Hal, Chester and HisLordship were left alone in the house.
"We might as well make a dash for it," said Hal. "Come on!"
He stepped from the door, but, as he would have started ahead, somethingwhistled by his head. He started back with an exclamation, and, jumpingback into the house, closed the door.
"Too late," he said briefly.
For a moment he stood listening.
"What are we going to do?" demanded Chester.
Hal considered.
"Follow me," he said at length.
He led the way beyond where His Lordship was sleeping, and, swinginghimself out of a rear window, quickly clambered into the house next door.
"Maybe they won't look for us here," he said. "Then, when they have gone,we can escape."
"Maybe," said Chester dubiously, "but I don't think so."
The boys approached the front of the house and looked out the window,taking care to keep out of sight from the street. But just then therecame a sound of a shot.
"Wonder what that is for?" asked Hal.
He peered through the window. At the far end of the street he beheld asquad of German troops gazing toward the house they had just left.
"Guess they are afraid we'll take a shot at 'em if they rush us," saidChester. "They don't know we have left."
At that moment, from the house they had so recently quitted, there camethe sound of a shot. A German soldier tumbled in his tracks.
The enemy was just beyond the town, and the others, instead of rushingforward when their companion hit the ground, scattered and took refugebehind the nearest possible shelter.
Another shot rang out from the next house, and a second German trooper,who had exposed his head for a moment, toppled over.
"Great Scott!" exclaimed Chester. "That's pretty good shooting, if youask me. Wonder who's doing it?"
"There is not much question about that," said Hal dryly. "That is HisLordship, fighting for his bed."
"By Jove!" cried Chester. "I'll bet that's just who it is."
The lads were right.
No sooner had they left the room in which His Lordship lay asleep than hearose and peered forth. His eyes fell upon the Germans in the distance.
His Lordship muttered to himself: "Why can't they let a man sleep?"
It was at that moment that one of the Germans, thinking to draw a firefrom whoever chanced to be in the house, fired through the window. Thebullet whistled close to His Lordship's head and moved him to action.
"Shoot at me while I'm trying to take a nap, will you?" he said tohimself. "Well, if you want my bed you'll have to come and take it."
He reached for his rifle, which stood near the bed, and, dropping on hisknee at the window, brought it to bear upon the first German. A crackand a puff of smoke and the Teuton was no more. A second one met thesame fate.
These were the two shots whose effect the lads had witnessed from thehouse next door. Now His Lordship calmly left the window and dragged thebed right up against it. Then he climbed in and lay down flat, stillkeeping his hand upon the rifle, which protruded through the window. Ashe glanced over the sights he rested.
Several German bullets crashed through the window and sped above hishead; but to these he paid no heed, nor did he fire until he drew a beadupon a vital spot of some German. Then there would be a sharp crack andthe result would be one enemy less.
Hal and Chester also were able to pick off an occasional enemy when onehappened to expose himself. But the Germans became more cautious now.
"It's only a question of time until they get us," said Hal quietly."Certainly they will not allow us to remain here and pick them offlike that."
"True," replied Chester. "But I guess we'll be able to pick off a fewmore before they get us."
From the next house came a hail in His Lordship's languid voice:
"You fellows hold 'em off a little while," it said. "I'm going totake a nap!"
"Great Scott!" exclaimed Chester. "Do you hear that?"
"Oh, I heard it, all right," replied Hal, and he was forced to smile alittle to himself.
There came no further shot from the next house, even when a Germanexposed himself. Had His Lordship been on guard he could have picked himoff with ease.
"He's asleep, all right," said Hal briefly. "We need look for nohelp there."
But in this the lad was mistaken, as he was soon to learn.
The silence from His Lordship's station evidently had caused theGermans to believe that one of their bullets must have gone home, forthey came into the open and appeared to be ready to make a dash uponHal and Chester.
Immediately both lads opened upon them, and several fell. In spite ofthis, however, the Germans came on. But, as they drew closer to thehouse, and the lads continued to pour lead into them, there came severalquick flashes from the window next door, and as many Germans dropped intheir tracks.
His Lordship's repeating rifle was at work once more. The Germans drewoff.
His Lordship pumped lead into them right and left as they dashed for thenearest shelter, and by the time they reached it half the number who hadrushed forward lay upon the ground.
Now, from the distance, came the sound of trampling hoofs. The sound camefrom the rear, and in another second the Germans broke from behind theirshelter and fled swiftly.
A force of French cavalry dashed into view around the house.
Both lads heaved a sigh of relief and left their refuge.
"May as well go in and tell His Lordship he can finish his nap," saidHal.
But there was no need for this. When the lads entered the room HisLordship lay sleeping peacefully, one hand still grasping his rifle.
"Well," said Chester, "he's the limit. However, he's some fighter, too.You'll have to give him credit for that."
A few moments later the squadron of British, which had advanced again inthe wake of the cavalry, came into sight. The sergeant dashed rapidlytoward the house where he had left the boys.
The latter greeted him at the door.
"We didn't miss you until we had gone too far to come back," said thesergeant. "I feared you had been killed."
"We are all right," replied Hal, "but there is no telling what might havehappened to us had it not been for His Lordship, who is sleeping in thenext room."
"What! His Lordship sleeping while all this was going on?" exclaimedthe sergeant, pointing to the bodies of the dead Germans that layscattered about.
"Oh, that!" exclaimed Chester. "His Lordship did most of thatbetween naps!"
The Allies were now in force enough to hold the town, which they
did allthat day with Hal and Chester in command. With the coming of night,however, an officer appeared to relieve them. He also informed them thatGeneral Joffre desired their presence immediately.
Accordingly the lads left the little village, and midnight found themback in their own quarters. They retired immediately to rest, for GeneralJoffre had left word that he would postpone his interview with them untilthe morrow.
Bright and early the next morning, however, the lads were admitted tohis presence.
"This," said the French commander, placing a paper in Hal's hands, "is animportant communication for the French prime minister. I have selectedyou two lads to place it in his hands immediately. Since you told me ofthe plot to kidnap the President, I have investigated. From a prisoner Ihave learned additional facts, which I have put into the paper you hold."
"The prime minister is in Paris, is he not?" asked Hal.
"He is. I have informed the prime minister, by wireless, that you are onthe way with the message; also, that if there is any work to be done, hecould not do better than to give you chaps a hand in it."
"Thank you, sir," said both lads in one voice.
"Make all possible haste," said General Joffre, waving them fromhis presence.