CHAPTER VI
THE TUNNEL
Fred found the secret passage much less confusing than he had thought itlikely to be. As soon as he had stepped in, the panels slid back intoplace, and the passage was immediately dark. But Boris had had time tofind an electric torch for him, and had told him where to findanother--or two or three, for that matter--when that was exhausted.
"We've always kept them there in case of emergencies," he had explained.
So Fred had felt assured of a supply of light, which was the oneabsolutely necessary thing if, as was entirely possible, the Germansoldiers stayed in the house for any time. One other thing, of course,was necessary; food and drink. And that, too, he knew where to find.Boris had told him of a store of compressed foods, and of fresh water,piped into this amazing passageway from the outer entrance, far beyondthe limits of the gardens and grounds of the house.
The first thing Fred did was to switch on the light of his torch andinspect the warren in which he had found sanctuary. It was not at allthe musty, bad smelling place he had expected it to be. The walls hadbeen plastered and stained a dull grey, which did not reflect the lightfrom his torch appreciably. The arrows appeared, as Boris had said theydid, at frequent intervals.
"Not much of a secret." That was Fred's first thought. "But it needn'tbe. The men who worked in here are the ones the family can trustabsolutely, I suppose."
It gave Fred a certain thrill to feel himself in touch with such things,to know that he belonged to such a family as the Suvaroffs, capable ofinspiring such devotion in its retainers--which, though Boris regardedit as a matter of course, seemed a great thing to Fred, with hisAmerican upbringing.
"What a piece of luck!" he reflected. "Imagine my stumbling on such asplendid fellow as Boris! If it hadn't been for all this trouble, Imight never have known I had a cousin! And he's the sort of cousin Icall worth having! He amounts to something--and I don't believe he's asold as I am. Well, I've got to show him that an American scout can keepup his end! I'll try to play the game with him."
It made up for all the trouble he had had since he had first seen hisuncle. He was more puzzled than ever, after what Boris had told him, toaccount for the behavior of Mikail Suvaroff.
"I'll bet there's some explanation," he said to himself. "I certainlyhope so! Seeing Boris makes me inclined to like these Russian relativesa whole lot, and I'd like to think that Uncle Mikail could squarehimself somehow. He's got a whole lot to make up for, of course."
Though he did feel that very strongly, he was able now to frame athought that had come to him more than once after he had become certainthat it was Prince Suvaroff who had caused his arrest. And that wasthat Suvaroff had seemed far too big and important a man to do a small,petty thing.
"He's got a wrong idea of me, some way," Fred decided. "He has heardsomething, or made up his mind to something that isn't so. Well, I hopeI get back to Russia and stay out of jail long enough to find out whatwas wrong. Perhaps this war will make a difference, especially if I'mlucky enough to be able do something for 'Holy Russia'."
Fred moved along quietly while he was thinking of the extraordinarysequence of events that had brought him to where he now was, flashinghis light on the arrows, and looking for the double mark that would showhim he had reached the spot of which Boris had told him. But when he gotthere he had no need of any sign, for he could hear voices distinctly onthe other side of a very thin wall. Boris was speaking.
"I'm so sorry, Herr Hauptmann," Boris was saying, in faultless German."I did see some of the peasants chivying a fellow down below. And I didgo out, of course, in my car, to see if I could help him. I got him awayfrom them. But he didn't come all the way back. He wanted to go on, andit's not just the time I should choose for entertaining guests. So Ididn't urge him to stay."
"I'm sorry to seem to doubt your word. In fact, Prince, I don't," said arumbling voice, that of the German captain Boris had been addressing, asFred could guess. "But was this person you rescued so--chivalrously--anEnglishman?"
"I really don't know, Herr Hauptmann. He might have been. Or anAmerican. One or the other, I should think."
"Clever Boris!" thought Fred. "He'll tell him some truth and somefiction! He has got to deceive him, of course--that's war."
"I have reason, Prince, to think that he was an English spy," thecaptain went on. "You will allow my men to make a search? And, by theway, I shall be sorry to take away your servants, but my orders are toarrest and send to detention camps every man of military age I findhere."
"I understand, captain. I am entirely in your hands, of course. I shouldlike to know if it will be possible for me to return soon to Russia?"
"You must go to higher officers than myself, Prince," said the captain."If it rested with me--! But, of course, it does not. If you see yourfather soon, however, will you give him my compliments? And tell himfrom me that I should esteem it an honor if we should meet in thefield?"
"Gladly, captain. It is a pity that such good friends and neighbors aswe have all been must be enemies, is it not? But it was not our doing."
Fred frowned a little.
"That sounds rather bad," he said to himself. "If this captain has livednear here, he must know a good deal about the place. And, by George, ifthey make a search they will find the wireless machinery that Ivanbrought in with him! It may be a mighty bad thing for this house and forRussia that Boris saw me and brought me in, though it was certainlylucky for me!"
But even then Fred did not guess the extent of the trouble he had reallycaused. He listened intently, but for a time there was silence beyondthe wall. Then he heard a murmur of voices, and guessed that a report ofthe search for him was being made. And then the captain's voice boomedout.
"Prince," he said, "I must ask you to come with me and to consideryourself under arrest. It is very painful but those are my orders.Colonel Goldapp wishes to see you. I think it is only a form."
"What? You will take me away?" Fred caught the dismay in his cousin'stone, and winced slightly. But then he understood that it was not fearfor himself that moved Boris, but anxiety lest the important plans ofwhich he was such an essential part should be spoiled. "But myfather--he thinks that I am safe here until he can make arrangements forme to return to Russia."
"I am sorry." The German's tone, gruff though it was, was by no meansunkindly. "Orders, however--I have no choice. Doubtless you will beallowed to return as soon as the colonel has seen you."
"Well, there is no use in arguing, of course," said Boris. He raised hisvoice, and Fred understood that what followed was meant especially forhis ears. "Where will you take me, Herr Hauptmann?"
"Colonel Goldapp's quarters are at present in the parsonage near thevillage. You will be examined there, Prince. We shall be there to-night,at least, perhaps longer."
"I see. I will be ready in a few moments. Will you excuse me if I writesome instructions for Vladimir, who will be in charge after I go? Youmay, of course, read what I write."
"Assuredly."
Then there was silence. The room outside was so quiet that Fred had achance to realize how perfectly the place in which he was hidden servedits purpose. He could hear the heavy breathing of someone near thewall. Then a chair scraped along the floor, and in a moment he heard thescratching of a pen. And then there came a new sound, a tapping, as withtwo fingers. That was Boris, and quite suddenly Fred understood. Boriswas tapping out a message to him in telegraphic code.
"You must take charge here," Boris tapped with his fingers. "I will tellVladimir to get you as soon as it is safe. The parsonage where I will betaken is very near the outlet of the secret passage. If Ivan returns,tell him I am there, and that I will sing or whistle the song of theVolga boatmen from time to time, so that he may know the window of myroom, if there is no guard in the room with me. Do not answer, for theymight hear."
"Good boy! He certainly has nerve!" said Fred to himself, admiringly."He doesn't know what's going to happen to him next, but he is certainlydoing all he can
to make things come right."
Then there was a new confusion of noise outside. Fred heard Boris callVladimir and speak to the old servant in Russian. Then the Germanofficer gave Vladimir his instructions.
"This place will be left alone for the present," he said. "PrinceAlexander Suvaroff has been a good friend and neighbor, and, though heis an enemy, we desire to respect his property as long as possible. Butneither you nor any who are left in the house with you must go out--thisfor your own safety--except to get food and then go yourself."
Fred heard a general movement then, and guessed that they were goingout. Silence followed, and, after listening for a time, he decided uponan exploration of the secret passage. A vague plan was taking form inhis mind already. It seemed to him that, as he was at liberty, he shoulddo anything that was in his power to free Boris. Until he knew more ofthe lay of the land, he could not even make a real plan, but it waspossible, he thought, that something that was in his mind might easilyprove to be feasible.
It was easy, with his torch and the guiding arrows, to follow thedevious, winding course of the passage. He surmised that its ascents anddescents, which seemed arbitrary and unreasonable as he pursued them,were due to other entrances than the one he knew. It would be necessary,as he could understand, to have more than one means of getting in andout of such a passage. And when he found himself at last going in astraight path which sloped easily downward, he guessed that he wasbeyond the house, and that he had come to a part of the passage that ledto the outer world.
Here there was a trace of dampness, but nothing like what might havebeen expected in what was really a tunnel. Fred had to admire theexcellence of the construction work. The descent, as he knew from whathe had seen outside, must really be very sharp. But it was managed herewith turns and zigzags so that the grade was never very sharp.
Fred became suddenly conscious of a change in the air.
"I must be near the opening," he thought.
A couple of minutes proved that he was right. He now remembered thatBoris had not had time to tell him how the door or gate was operated.But he decided not to go back at once, but to try to discover the secretfor himself. It had occurred to him that it was more than probable thata sentry or two might be left in the house, and he had no mind to stayin the passageway, helpless and useless, if Vladimir found it impossibleto let him out at once.
At the end of the passage he found a solid, seamless door. He decided atonce it must work on an axis of some sort and that it must be set inmotion by pressing a spring. And so, steadily and systematically, hesearched the whole door, until he struck the right spot at last. As thedoor moved, he marked the spot with a tiny pencil mark. It swungopen--and he looked into the eyes of a startled German soldier, hismouth wide open!