CHAPTER XVII
AN OLD ENEMY
Suddenly over Fred's head there was a peculiar whistling. He had neverheard that sound before, but somehow he knew by instinct what it was. Hewas under fire! Behind him were the shots, but the firing was wild andat random. He plunged into the bushes now, for to do so was to choosethe lesser of two evils. He was fairly safe, so sheltered from thebullets, since if they could not see him, the Uhlans would not be likelyto fire at him at all. And while it was certain that they could followhim in and catch him if he stayed in the brush, he would delay them atleast, and the Russians were so near that they might hear the firing andcome up.
That came about even sooner than he had thought possible. He stopped,panting. The Uhlans were close on his trail by this time, and he heardthem coming up. But then came a sudden shouting of orders, and, amoment later, a furious fusillade that was answered from the Russianside. Over the rattle of the firing, too, came a sound he rememberedwell, though he had heard it only once before--the yelling of chargingCossacks. For the second time the wild Russian horsemen had come to hisrescue in the nick of time!
But this time there was more of a fight, since the two little bodies ofhorsemen were far more evenly matched than had been the case whenGeneral Suvaroff had led his daring raid behind the German lines in theeffort to capture von Hindenburg. For five minutes the fighting was fastand furious. Fred could hear the clash of steel against steel and thespiteful spitting of revolvers and automatic pistols. Then the wildRussian shout of victory arose, and he heard sounds of galloping fastdying away. Even though he could see nothing, he knew which side hadwon.
"Thank Heaven!" he said to himself. "I wonder if they couldn't chasethem and raid the culvert. There aren't so many troops there! Then wecould surely get Boris away from them."
But the first thing to do, of course, was to come out of his cover andmake himself known to his rescuers. There was a certain risk in eventhat simple procedure, and Fred was not so carried away by theexcitement of the fight as to forget it. There was more than a chancethat if he broke out, the Russians would mistake him for some German whohad tried to escape by taking refuge in the brush, and that they wouldshoot without waiting to make sure. But he had to take the chance, andhe minimized the risk as much as he could by tying his whitehandkerchief to a stick and carrying it before him as he pushed his wayinto the ditch.
He waved this as he emerged. At first no one saw him. Then a Cossackspied him and sent his horse straight at him. Fred leaped aside as hesaw that the man meant to ride him down, and, shouting, waved his whiteflag. He dodged the first assault, but the Cossack spun his pony aroundin little more than his own length, and waving his dangerous lance, cameat him again. He shouted again, and waved his white flag harder thanever. That would not have saved him, however, but just as the Cossacklunged and Fred threw himself down, sure that he would either be spearedor trampled by the horse, an officer dashed up and struck up the lancewith his sword.
"Don't you see the white flag?" he roared. "We do not kill men whosurrender!"
"They say that the Germans are hanging every Cossack they capture," saidthe man, sullenly.
"Never mind what they say!" said the officer. "Hello! That man is not asoldier at all!"
"Neither soldier nor German!" cried Fred in Russian, springing up."Those Uhlans were chasing me! I have just escaped from the Germanlines. I did not think that I should fare as badly among my friends asamong the enemy!"
"Nor shall you, friend!" said the Russian officer with a laugh. "So youare a Russian? Well, you look as if you might be anything!"
"I'm afraid I do," said Fred, a bit ruefully. He could imagine, eventhough he could not see himself, that the Russian was quite right. Hewas caked with dirt. In the fall from the automobile, as he haddiscovered while he was walking away from the wreck, he had sustained anasty cut over the eye, which, though it was not painful, had bled agood deal. And this had made his appearance even worse than it had beenbefore. His clothes were torn, too.
"Who are you, and where do you come from?" asked the Russian.
In a few words Fred told his story. When he said that he had left BorisSuvaroff a prisoner at the culvert, with a broken leg, the officerstarted.
"Can't you go after him?" Fred pleaded. "They have very few men there.You could sweep them away."
"Not with this force. And I should not dare to go so far without specialorders," said the officer. "We could not charge the culvert, and,approaching it from this side, we should have to ride uphill. But I amsure that when those in command know your story, a force will be sent torescue Prince Boris. Come with us now. I will get you a horse if youare able to ride. The Uhlans left some behind!"
Fred could ride, and said so. And in a few minutes he was riding towardthe fires that twinkled before them, side by side with the Russianofficer, who was anxious to know all that Fred could tell him.
"That was splendid!" he cried enthusiastically when he heard how Fredhad discovered the real purpose of the Germans by his ruse in pretendingto be deaf and dumb. "And it means, too, that we will get some real workto do here in this quarter. I thought at first that the army in thenorth would get all the fighting. We have been sitting here for nearly aweek, doing nothing. This is the first skirmish we have had, for ourorders are not to bring on an action, but only to prevent the enemy fromcoming toward us if they show any sign of attacking."
"If what I have heard is true, there will be an advance from thisquarter soon," said Fred. "If the Germans are to be outflanked, it mustbe by the troops here. And that ought to mean as much fighting as anyonecould hope to get."
"That is what we are looking for," said the officer. "But you--you willbe glad of a rest for a time, I should think!"
"I want to get my cousin back," said Fred. "It was hard to leave him."
"It was the only thing to do. You saved his life as well as your own bygoing. And one who saves a Suvaroff does a fine thing for Russia inthese days--if this Boris is like the rest of the breed."
"Oh, we have never known!" said Fred, suddenly remembering. "Did GeneralSuvaroff get back safely after he failed to catch General vonHindenburg?"
"He did! He had less than a thousand men, and he rode for sixty miles ormore through a whole German army! He was intercepted but when he found aGerman brigade lined up in his path, instead of trying to circle aroundit, and so giving the Germans time to surround him, he cut rightthrough it!" answered the officer, smiling.
"That was splendid!"
"I don't think the war will show anything better!" said the Russian,with enthusiasm. "He charged before the Germans knew that he was fairlyupon them, and the whole fight lasted less than ten minutes. Then ourfellows were through and riding for our lines. And the best of it wasthat not more than fifty of our saddles were emptied. The Germans arewonderful fighters, I believe. We shall have a hard time beating them.But they fight too much by rule. A German cavalry commander would havebeen brave enough to try to do that, but he would not have tried becausehe would have known that it was an unsound plan."
"I wish Boris knew that his father was safe," said Fred, a little sadly."He has been worried, although he has said nothing."
"Eh--he might have known it! Yes, he got back safely enough. As towhether he is safe now, that is another matter. He is in the thick ofthe fighting around Gumbinnen, and he is not one of those generals whostay in the rear. He is like Skobeleff. Have you heard of him?"
"He commanded at Plevna, against the Turks?"
"And in a good many other battles! Skobeleff, though he was in commandof the whole army, would insist always on being in the thick of thefighting himself. He wore his white coat, and he rode a white horse. Sohe was always to be seen by his own men and by the enemy. Perhaps he waswrong, but soldiers will fight better for a general who shares theirperils. Skobeleff used to do impossible things, because he believed thatnothing was impossible that brave men made up their minds to do."
Fred thought of Russian generals in the war with Jap
an who might havechanged the whole course of that conflict had they had such ideas. Buthe said nothing of this. Russian soldiers were mindful of thatdisastrous war, he thought. And Fred had an idea that before this fargreater struggle was over, the world would have been forced to forgetthe failures of Manchuria. Men who fought as he had seen Russians dowere not going to be beaten again.
Fred was mounted now on a big, rawboned horse that had lost its Uhlanrider. He was so tired that he was swaying in his saddle, and theRussian noticed this.
"Keep awake a little longer," he said, cheerily. "We haven't very muchfurther to go. In half an hour, I think, you can be in a real bed, withsheets and blankets."
"I don't need anything like that," said Fred, rousing himself andsmiling. "I think I could sleep on a board that was studded with nails!And I know that they could fight a battle all around me to-night withoutwaking me up when I once get to sleep."
"I'd like to let you stop here--we are within our lines now--but I knowthe staff will want to see you and ask a few questions. And you havedone so much already for Russia that I believe you will want to do thatmuch more before you rest."
"Oh, a few minutes more or less won't make any difference!" said Fred.He yawned hugely. "As long as I'm awake, I can make myself stay awake.If I once let go, though, I promise you I'll be hard to rouse!"
There were more Russians about here than Fred had supposed. It was plainthat since Ivan had had any information as to the conditions here,re-enforcements had been brought up, for it was not through outpoststhat they were riding, but through a large body of troops. Tentsstretched in all directions and fires were numerous, dotting the fieldslike stars. There were no woods here; it was open country again. To theleft Fred caught a glimpse of the silver sheen of a river reflecting thestarlight.
"How far are you going to take me?" asked Fred.
"To headquarters. We have less than half a mile to ride now. Thegeneral will be glad to see you."
The Russian chuckled, and there seemed to be a hidden meaning in hislaugh. At any other time, when he was less weary, Fred would havenoticed that. He would have wondered at it, at least; he might even haveguessed its meaning. But now he only asked, quite idly: "Who is incommand of the troops here?"
"You will soon know," said the Russian, repeating his chuckle.
Fred did, indeed, soon get the answer to his question. They rode up to asmall farmhouse, ablaze with light, late as it was. The place was wellguarded. The Russian officer slipped off his horse.
"Wait one minute," he said. He went, and returned at once. Then he ledthe way inside. And Fred, all weariness banished by the sight, staredinto the cold, evil eyes of Mikail Suvaroff, wearing his general'suniform.
CHAPTER XVIII
THE GREAT WHITE CZAR
There was a moment of absolute, chilling silence; the sort of silencethat, in the old phrase, can be felt. For just an instant it was plainthat Mikail Suvaroff did not recognize the nephew he hated. But then heknew him, and a flash of cold, malignant hatred lit up his eyes, whilehis lips curved in a curious, sneering smile.
"So--it is you?" he said. "I thought I had not seen the last of you onthe platform at Virballen! Lieutenant, you may leave us."
"Yes, general," said the lieutenant who had rescued Fred. He was plainlypuzzled and confused. "I did not tell your kinsman that you were incommand here. I thought he would be delightfully surprised by beingconfronted with you suddenly. But--"
"Exactly! You were quite right, lieutenant. And now you may leave us!"
The lieutenant flushed at the rebuke, saluted stiffly, and left theroom.
Fred was alone with his uncle.
"You are brave, at least," said Mikail, presently. "That will, perhaps,be a comfort to you later. Yet you were not well advised to serve theGermans as a spy. They have not been able to save you from me this time,you see. It is not a case this time of the station at Virballen, withthe superiority of numbers on their side for the moment."
"It is your Cossacks who saved me from the Germans," said Fred. "I havebeen a spy--but it has been in the interest of Russia. General AlexanderSuvaroff and his son can tell you that."
"Perhaps," said Mikail, his eyes and mouth fixed, so that no one couldhave guessed what was in his mind. "It is strange that you feel forcedto call upon those who cannot say anything for or against you--sincethey are in the hands of the Germans."
Inspiration came suddenly to Fred, and he said nothing. He gave hisuncle stare for stare.
"Well, what have you to say?" said Mikail, at last. "What defence haveyou, spy?"
Still Fred said nothing, and he saw the veins in Mikail's hands swellingwith anger.
"So?" he said, when he understood that Fred would not speak. "Well,there will be a way to make you talk, doubtless. I might have you shotnow--or hung. But you are my nephew. You shall have the fairest oftrials, for it must not be said that I did not see that you were welltreated!" He chuckled ominously. Then he raised his voice. In answer tohis call two officers came in.
"You will be held personally responsible for this prisoner," he said."He is to be sent at once to Grodno for trial as a spy. I will dictatethe process accusing him. Let him be dispatched in the morning, underheavy guard."
The officers saluted. Then soldiers were called and Fred was led away.From the first he realized the utter hopelessness of any attempt toescape. He was in the midst of a great army. He could not hope, nomatter what happened, to get more than a few yards in any direction. Yeteven the thought of his peril did not keep him awake. No sooner was heput in the guard room, where half a dozen soldiers were with him, thanhe sank into a heavy sleep. He was too tired, in fact, to realize to thefull how serious the matter was.
But in the morning, when he was roused to partake of a meal, the fulland dreadful peril of his situation came over him. There was somethingappalling about the way in which his guards looked at him. Most of all,there was a terrible quality in the sympathy of the young lieutenant whopaid him a hurried visit.
"I did not know, of course," he said, quickly. "I should have had totake you to him, just as I did, but I should have prepared you for whatwas coming. I have heard something of the story. You have aroused thegeneral's hatred--and there are terrible stories of his power. Tell me,is there anyone who can speak for you? It may be that I can get someword to them--though it would cost me dear if Prince Mikail discoveredthat I had done it."
"Boris Suvaroff and his father would help me," said Fred. "But Boris isa prisoner, and so is Prince Alexander, if my uncle tells the truth! Andthe American ambassador--though I suppose he could do nothing."
"I will do what I can. And remember that Dmitri Sazonoff is your friend,and will believe always that you are a true friend of Russia. Good-bye!You go to Grodno. There, unless there has been a change, are theheadquarters of the Grand Duke Nicholas Nicholavitch, who is in supremecommand of all our armies. You will be tried there by court-martial. Iwish it meant more--but count upon me for all that I can do."
It was still comparatively early when Fred began his journey to Grodno,which was, as he knew, one of the concentration points of the Russianarmy. The trip was begun in a great motor truck, empty now, which hadbeen used to bring food and ammunition to the front. It was one of along train of similar vehicles, and in it he rode to the border, wherehe was transferred to a military train.
He was able on the trip to see what was going on, since no attempt wasmade to keep him from doing so. And everything he saw served only toimpress him more and more with the utter hopelessness of his position.The roads were choked with dense masses of advancing Russians. Troops,horse and foot, hospital trains, ammunition and provision trains,guns--all were moving up; evidently in preparation for the striking of aheavy blow at the German power in East Prussia on a new line of attack.
For the first time Fred saw a country that was really in the grip of amodern army. The swift movements of the German army around the Suvaroffhouse had not given this impression. There were not so many Germans,relatively
speaking at least, and their movements were made with lessconfusion and greater speed, owing to their possession of railways thathad been built with an especial view to their being used in time ofwar.
Here the railways had all been destroyed by the Germans who hadretreated before the advancing Russians. In many places, too, fields hadbeen burned over, that the standing crops might not fall into the handsof the invaders.
Fred almost laughed at the irony of the whole sight. It was because ofhim that this movement was being made. At great risk to himself he hadobtained the information that had led to the sudden change in theRussian plans, of which the great movement he saw was a part. He shouldbe receiving thanks and honors instead of being on his way toheadquarters as a prisoner of war, condemned, as he well knew, inadvance. For Fred had no illusions. He knew the power of MikailSuvaroff, who was so plainly an important member of the high Russiancommand. Against so great a man his word would be valueless.
"This Russian army is like a steam roller," Fred thought to himself. "Itmay be stopped here or there, but not for long. It will roll over thiswhole country sooner or later. Well--I'm glad! Even if I've got tosuffer because my uncle hates me, it's not Russia's fault. I want Russiato win."
His guards treated Fred well enough. He had an idea that he owed theconsideration he received to Lieutenant Sazonoff. He was quite sure thatGeneral Mikail Suvaroff had nothing to do with it! And his journey,which might have been one of acute discomfort, was made more thantolerable.
It was late when the train in which he rode after the border was reachedarrived in Grodno. Here the army was in complete possession. Men inuniform were everywhere; the civilian population seemed almost to havedisappeared. The din was constant. For hours, after he had been taken toa cell in the central police station, he lay awake and listened. Gunsrumbled through the streets, motor cars chugged all through the night.He was aroused in the morning by sounds of frantic, steady cheering, andwhen the guard brought him his breakfast, he asked what that meant. Theman's eyes lighted up.
"The Little Father has come to be with his soldiers!" he said. "He hascome to give us his blessing and bid us fight for him and Holy Russia!How can we lose now?"
"The Czar himself?" said Fred. He smiled. He had hoped, when he leftAmerica, to see the Czar before his return. There was small chance ofthat now, even though they were in the same town.
The Russians delayed as little as had the Germans in bringing him totrial. And here in Grodno there was even less ceremony than there hadbeen in the dining-room of the East Prussian parsonage.
A young officer was assigned to defend him, but he took the task as ajoke.
"You'll be condemned, of course," he said. "Prince Mikail knows you area spy. I think you're very lucky that he didn't hang you outside of hisown headquarters! Better plead guilty. It will save time for everyone."
But Fred refused. Hopeless as the case was, he was still determined totake every chance there was, and to fight for every minute of delay.But the proceedings were soon over. The charge against him was read soquickly that he could scarcely follow it. He was allowed to speak forhimself, but none of the officers of the court paid any attention tohim. The verdict was quickly found. And the president of the court wasjust about to pronounce sentence when there was an interruption. Intothe room strode a man at whose entrance every officer started to hisfeet, saluting. The newcomer jerked his hand to his forehead, answeringthe salute, and then stood staring about.
Fred, had never seen such a figure. The man was a giant. He wore a khakiuniform. He was nearly seven feet tall, but he was so magnificentlyformed that it was only the way he towered over even the tall Russianofficers about him that his great height was apparent. Fred knew him atonce. It was the Grand Duke Nicholas.
"The court is dissolved!" he said, in a harsh, rasping voice. "I willtake charge myself of the prisoner. Boy, come with me!"
Utterly amazed, Fred obeyed. The Grand Duke seized his arm in avise-like grip and half pushed, half dragged him along with him. Fredwas too amazed even to wonder what had happened or what was to happennext. He found himself being led into a room that was filled withofficers. They were grouped about one end of the room, where, near awindow, there stood a short man in a brilliant uniform. Fred gasped ashe recognized him. At the same moment the grip on his arm was loosened,and the Grand Duke Nicholas swept off his cap.
"Your Majesty," he said, "this is the American boy of whom we haveheard. One who has done such things as he is charged with must hear hisfate from your own lips. He is charged by Mikail Suvaroff with being aspy and a traitor. On the other hand--"
The Czar smiled.
"Thanks to our good Alexander, we know the truth," he said. "By yourkinship to the great family of Suvaroff, Frederick Waring, you are ofour kin. Were you a Russian, there would be another reward that wemight give you. But you own your father's nationality, though you haveproved that there is good Russian blood in your veins. It is ourpleasure to confer on you the order of St. Stanislas, with the crossedswords, given for bravery only! Now you may go to the cousin who camehere in time to save you."
Dazed, Fred backed away, knowing only that he had not done the rightthing. A hand fell on his shoulder and he looked up into the eyes ofBoris's father.
"Boris is waiting for you," he said. "The mystery of Mikail's hatred foryou has been solved. He is quite mad--he has been relieved of hiscommand. I have long suspected this madness and now the whole worldknows it! Your trials are over, my American cousin!"
"But how was Boris rescued?"
"Your friend Lieutenant Sazonoff managed that. He got permission fromhis brigadier to attack the railway. I shall see that he is promoted."
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