CHAPTER XII
THE TRICK
It was nervous work going through the lower floor of the house, throughthe garden, trampled by the rush of the Cossack charge, through bushesclipped and torn by bullets. All about was a curious silence, brokenonly by the sounds that the birds made, and the humming insects, whichwere not at all disturbed by war and the ruin it left in its wake. Itwas a relief to both scouts to pass into the tunnel. There everythingseemed normal, strange though the place was. And in a few moments theywere back in the great hall of the Suvaroff house, and were beinggreeted with delight by old Vladimir, though he reproached them, too,for coming back.
Their first thought was for the wireless. Fred sent a brief report ofwhat had happened, describing the escape of General von Hindenburg. Andthen, as he was about to end the message, Ivan stood beside him. Hiseyes were shining and he seemed greatly excited.
"Tell them that von Hindenburg has only a masking force here with veryfew first line troops," he said. "Most of the Germans are far to thesouth. Their plan is to join the Austrians in an advance from Cracow.Here they hope to hold the lakes with a few troops. They expect our armyto advance. They will give up Johannisberg and Ortelsburg. They willmake no stand at all until we come to Allenstein. The whole movementhere is a trick. They hope to lead us on here and then drive a greatwedge into the heart of Poland, until they can strike at Warsaw."
Fred made no comment. He sent the message, then asked his own questions.
"You know of the raid last night?"
"I heard something of it--and that the old fox Hindenburg escaped. Tellme the rest."
"I'll be off," he said, when they had done. "Half a mile away I have acache. There is a motorcycle and the uniform of a German soldier--a manof the cycle corps. I shall follow General Suvaroff."
"Can you catch them?" asked Boris, doubtfully. "They ride fast."
"Not so fast," said Ivan. "There may be fighting to do as well asrunning, and for fighting you need horses that are not too tired. Itwould be foolish to save an hour or two by hard riding and loseeverything at the end for lack of the power to break through. And amotorcycle can do better than the fastest horse."
"But how did you get one?" asked Fred. "And the German uniform?"
Ivan smiled significantly.
"I met a man of about my size," he said. "I was walking. And I wastired. I took his cycle and his uniform away from him."
There was something about his tone and the look in his eyes that madeFred refrain from asking any more questions. He admired Ivan greatly,but he was a little afraid of him, too. In him he could see what laybehind the general belief that Russia was still a barbarous, partiallycivilized state, the underlying truth of the old saying: "Scratch aRussian, and you will find a Tartar beneath." He was glad that Ivan wason his side, and was bound to him, moreover, by his loyalty to the nameof Suvaroff.
"Listen, now," said Ivan. "Here it is very dangerous. Stay as long asyou can, but never let yourselves be caught in the house by any Germans.Do not let the villagers see you. Take to the tunnel without hesitationif there is an attack upon the house, or a search. I think you will besafe as long as you are watchful, but you cannot be off your guard foreven a moment. The Germans will think that you went back with theCossacks but they will try to make sure."
"We will be careful," said Boris. "You are sure of what you havelearned? There will be no more than two army corps in this region?"
"That is certain. I have scouted for twenty miles to the west and I havebeen along the railway lines. If there were more troops coming, Ishould have discovered it. I am sure of that."
"And now you are going back toward our lines?"
"Yes. I may be of service to your father. And, in any case, I shall beof more use if I am with the German advanced position than if I stayedhere, far in the rear. Good-bye!"
He departed through the tunnel. And then for Fred and Boris began a taskalmost harder than any that could have been set. They had to wait. Therewas nothing for them to do except sit in the little turret room. Below,Vladimir and the others kept a sort of guard, but there seemed littlereason even for that.
From the turret, whence the wireless waves were sent pulsing out throughthe air, a fine view of the surrounding country for a good many mileswas to be had. For the most part this was a level section, slightlyundulating, but with very few high spots. From their vantage point theroads stretched out like ribbons or like lines on a map. Fred opened thewireless and amused himself by listening. At first he could hear only aconfused jumble through the receivers that were clamped to his ear. Thenhe changed his wave length, experimenting until he got a clear series ofdots and dashes.
"I think I'll take this down," he said to Boris. "It'll be like Greek tous, of course, but it's all German wireless talk, and it all meanssomething. Perhaps if we're lucky, we'll stumble on to the key of thecode they're using, and that might be useful."
After a time Boris, who could receive well enough but was an inexpertsender, relieved him, and Fred, taking the field glass, began to searchthe horizon. Soon something caught his eye and held his attention. Atfirst he thought he saw troops moving, coming from the east. It seemedstrange that German troops should be in retreat so soon, but in a momenthe understood. He did not see soldiers moving along the road, but acompany of civilians, with carts that were drawn by men and women. Atfirst the sight puzzled him, but then he understood, and he called toBoris to look.
"They're clearing out the villages toward the border," he said.
Boris only glanced through the glass.
"Yes. They were doing it the day after the war began, too," he said."It's better for them, of course. If civilians are about where there isfighting, they are in danger from both sides. The Germans wouldn't stopa minute at shelling one of their own villages if we were holding it.Fred, I think they must be going to send our little lot away, too. Thereare soldiers coming along the road--Uhlans."
Fred looked down and saw a picket of lancers approaching, headed by anofficer. And in a few minutes there were signs of great activity in thevillage. Soon the exodus began. And then the Uhlans turned at the roadleading up to the great house, and began to climb.
"Coming to warn our people, I suppose," said Boris. "We'll makeourselves scarce, Fred. Vladimir can talk to them when they arrive."
But Fred did not go without one more sweeping look about him. And itshowed him something that surprised him.
"I've got a curious feeling," he told Boris, when they had slipped intothe secret passage. "I've got what we call a hunch in America--a feelingthat Ivan has been fooled. You didn't see what I did just now. I'mperfectly certain I saw troops marching on two roads that aren't veryfar apart, to the north."
"Marching east or west?"
"East. I think a real trap is being prepared, Boris. And--I'm going totry to find out the truth!"
"How?"
"I'd better not tell you, Boris. Go back and listen--see what you canhear at the thin wall. I'm afraid that if we both go we might be heard,if they are near there. I want to know where those Uhlans come from."
"All right," said Boris, wondering a little. He went off, and Fred, assoon as he had disappeared, began to make his way very quietly, almoststealthily, indeed, toward the other end of the tunnel--the one thatgave to the open air.
"He'd never have let me go if I had told him," he said to himself,feeling the need of justifying what looked like treachery, since his ownconscience was accusing him. "And I didn't lie to him. I didn't say thatI would be there when he came back. I only hope I get out before hefinds I've gone!"
When he reached the opening he felt safe, and there he stopped and wrotea note to Boris, telling him what he meant to do and why he had nottaken him into his confidence before.
"He's sure to find that," said Fred to himself. "He'll come down herelooking for me, and I suppose he'd go out, too, no matter how dangerousit might be, if I didn't leave this note."
As he swung the door that let him out, Fred felt the lit
tle thrill thatalways came to him when he opened the way thus to the outer air. Eversince he had come upon the German soldier here the first time, he hadhad this feeling. This time, however, the way was clear, and he slippedout and made his way swiftly toward the parsonage. He took advantage ofevery bit of cover for he had no wish to be seen, at least as yet. Soonhe reached the vantage spot he sought. From it he commanded a view ofthe village, and of the entrance to the great Suvaroff house on the hillas well.
The dismal procession from the village had already begun. The place, infact, was already almost entirely deserted. Orders from the armyevidently counted for a good deal here. Fred wondered what Americanswould have done in a like case. But the departure of the villagers, whoknew him, and might have recognized him even in his German guise,relieved him immensely. Before the house on the hill he could see amounted Uhlan on guard over the horses. The rest had gone inside. Therewere only five of them altogether, which made him feel confident thatnone would be left behind. There were too few for that.
As time passed, he wondered why they stayed inside so long. In a way, itwas to his liking that they should, but it made him nervous. He wasafraid that a real search was being made; afraid that, by some stroke ofmisfortune, Boris's hiding-place had been revealed. But at last he sawthe solitary horseman outside the house stiffen to rigid attention. Thenthe others came out, and he almost shouted in his relief when he sawthat they brought no one with them. The officer swung to his saddle andin a minute more the little command was cantering down the hill. Fredlooked at the village searchingly now. There was no one left. A quarterof a mile away the rear end of the wretched procession of refugeesstraggled along the road, going west. They were not looking back.
Now it was time to put his plan to the test. The chances of fullsuccess, as he understood perfectly, were most remote. And the dangerwas great. He had not seen these Uhlans; there might well be someoneeven in that small party who would recognize him. And he knew what wouldhappen then, if he were caught. But his plan compelled him to run thatrisk, and he emerged from his shelter, and struck out boldly along theroad the Uhlans had taken to come to the village. He walked northeast,and he knew that that in itself would be suspicious, but it was all partof his plan.
He had not long to wait for the plan to begin, or at least to work outaccording to his calculations. Behind him he heard a shout, but,affecting not to hear it, he did not turn. And in a few moments he heardthe sound of galloping hoofs behind him. Even then he did not turn untila Uhlan had ridden past him.
"Stop!" cried the soldier. "Where are you going?"
Fred looked at him blankly.
"Stop!" said the German again, for Fred, after having looked at him, hadmoved on. Still Fred paid no attention, and the man rode up to him andleaned over, dropping a heavy hand on his shoulder and shaking him inno gentle way.
"Where are you going, I say? Answer!" roared the Uhlan.
But Fred only smiled and pointed first to his ears and then to hismouth. By pantomime he pretended to be deaf and dumb. And when theofficer came up, Fred was still smiling--and silent. He knew he hadnever seen this officer before.