CHAPTER XV--HUNS AT PLAY
The wagon rumbled heavily along the road. The two men stood just withinthe wood, watching the driver and the soldier, looking up and down theroad with a half-formed fear that more troops would come in sight. Theyallowed the wagon to pass them; then, running behind it on tiptoe, theyleapt up, and plunged into the hay, which was loosely piled, just as ithad been pitched down from a looted rick.
They burrowed their way through the scented mass, drawing it closelybehind them to cover their tracks. The creaking of the cart wheels, theloud tramp of the big Flemish horses, the sleepiness of the men in frontwere all in their favour. They reached the forepart of the wagonwithout having attracted attention. Kenneth's nostrils itched. It waslucky, he thought, that the hay was dry and the season far advanced, ora fit of sneezing would have betrayed him.
To get air, and to enable them to see down the road, they made littlegaps in the hay, scarcely broader than two fingers. Then they laystill, happy in their escape from the Uhlans, but desperately anxiousabout what might come.
The wagon was travelling towards Luxemburg. Presently, muffled by thehay, the sound of men's voices reached their ears. These continued forsome minutes; no doubt they proceeded from the Uhlans in the wood. Afterabout twenty minutes they heard a louder voice, close at hand. The wagonstopped.
"Have you seen two officers?" asked a man in German. "Dressed asGermans. One a lean ugly fellow, the other a round moon-faced baby.They are spies."
The soldier, pulling himself together, answered briskly "No!" Consciousof having been dozing on duty he went further.
"We have seen nobody for the last three miles," he said. "The wholecountry is deserted. What is doing about here?"
"The spies came down in that aeroplane yonder, and escaped into thewood."
"Teufel! I see no aeroplane."
"It is in ruins; the fellows blew it up. It was one of ours, too, aTaube. They stole it."
"There will be fine shooting when they are caught. These Belgians arethe very deuce. Half my regiment are down. My horse was shot. I'mgoing to take one of these cart horses when we get to Spa. They arerather heavy, but one must take what one can get. Horses are scarce."
The Uhlan who had spoken came round to the back of the wagon, and pulledout an armful of hay for his horse. The fugitives shivered. If othersof the troop did the same thing, their screen would be removed,detection was inevitable.
"Not too much," called the trooper in front, standing up and peeringround the corner of the load. "Don't get me into trouble. I wasordered to bring back a full load, and the Herr Major is a terrible manin his anger."
"Where did you get it from?" asked the Uhlan, now joined by several ofhis comrades who had been left in charge of the horses of thosesearching the wood.
"From a farm about two hours' journey back, somewhere about Theux, Ithink they call it. It's an out-of-the-way place, but we got the tipfrom a Hussar who lodged with the farmer for a year or two; there wasn'tmuch he didn't find out; and he knew exactly how much fodder he had."
"Did you leave any?"
"Two good ricks. Are you short?"
"Yes, our supplies haven't come up. Plenty of beer on the farm?"
"Not so much as there was," replied the man with a laugh. "But enoughto get properly drunk on if they give you time."
"That's the place for us. How do you get there?"
"Up the road about five miles, turn down a by-road on the right; there'sa row of poplars on one side; you can't miss it. We must move on. Ihope you'll catch the spies. Good luck!"
The wagon jogged on.
"Whip up your horses," cried the soldier to the driver. "We have beentoo long on the road."
The fugitives, on tenterhooks all this time, breathed more freely whenthey had passed the spot where the Uhlans were grouped on the grass,guarding the horses and the ruins of the aeroplane. But they realisedthat they were escaping one danger only to fall into another. Thedestination of the wagon was Spa, no doubt filled with Germans. Theymust leave the wagon before it reached that town.
They were thinking of slipping out at a quiet stretch of the road, andtaking their chance of bolting across the fields, when the wagon was metby another Uhlan patrol, who after questioning the trooper, wheeledtheir horses and rode alongside.
"You are just in time, Schmidt," said one of the newcomers.
"What for?" asked the trooper, who evidently belonged to the sameregiment.
"To see how we reduce the population. There's a big farm in a hamlet aquarter-mile up the road. Rumpelmeyer was shot near there, so we routedout all the men in the place except the farmer, who escaped. As soon ashe is rounded up we are going to shoot the lot."
They rumbled on into the hamlet, and pulled up at the gate of the farm.The terrified villagers were penned up like cattle in the farmyard,guarded by a dozen Uhlans. A few women at the wall, imploring theGermans to have mercy, were answered with brutal jeers.
"A dirty herd!" said the trooper on the wagon. "Why don't you shootthem at once?"
"The Wachtmeister thinks that would be too good for them. First dinner,and then sport, says he. He is a humorist, our Wachtmeister. Here heis."
"Thank goodness I needn't go any further on this lumbering wagon," saidthe trooper. "Is the whole regiment coming up from Spa?"
"In the course of the day. Fifteen of us came in advance. Two arehunting for the farmer."
"Well done, Schmidt," said the sergeant, coming up to the wagon. "You'vea good load there."
"Shall I unload, and give the horses a feed?" asked the trooper.
"They can wait. There's a hot dinner ready, prepared by our kindfriends the Belgians. They entertain us; afterwards we shall entertainthem. Poor Rumpelmeyer has gone. But a dozen Belgians are waitingyonder to join him. A dozen Belgians are not worth one good German, butit's something to go on with. We shall find others; it would be a pityto leave too many to bother us when the country is ours."
Kenneth, under the hay, was squirming. Pariset, knowing no German, wasnot aware of what was coming, but his apprehension was all the greaterfor his ignorance. Kenneth whispered that the wagon was not to beunloaded yet; he dared not say more at the moment, with so many enemieswithin hearing.
The sky was becoming overclouded. The wagoner took the horses out, andled them to loose boxes in the stables. The trooper Schmidt had sprungdown and entered the house, where all the Uhlans except three left onguard over the prisoners had assembled for the good dinner prepared bythe women of the farm under the eye of their truculent visitors.
The wagon having been left standing at the gate, Kenneth ventured torepeat to Pariset the gist of the conversation he had heard. TheBelgian swore under his breath.
"We must get out while they are at dinner," Kenneth whispered.
"Those three brutes would see us," said Pariset, eyeing the three Uhlanssavagely through his peephole.
"I'm afraid they would," Kenneth agreed. "But we are bound to bediscovered when they unload."
"Well, we'll get away if we see half a chance. We must wait. I wish wecould do something for those poor wretches in the yard. These Germanshave much to answer for, Ken; and they shall pay--they shall pay!"
They lay in their stuffy shelter, listening to the sounds ofmerriment--heavy-hoofed merriment--from within the house, the grumblesof the Uhlans who had been left outside and were losing the fun, thesobs of the women at the wall. The sky grew blacker and blacker, rainbegan to fall. The Uhlans on guard turned up their collars and swore.
Presently there was a diversion. The two Uhlans who had been outrounding up the missing farmer had caught him and a second man, and werebringing them along at a trot, prodding them with their lances to makethem keep up with the horses. There were cries of dismay from theherded prisoners, and of pity from the women. The attention of theUhlans on guard was somewhat diverted from the prisoners to thenewcomers, as these were marched through the gate and across thefarm
yard to the hurdles within which their fellow villagers wereconfined.
"Now's the time!" whispered Kenneth. "Creep behind the cart and roundby the stables. There's just a chance."
They slid out of the wagon, slipped into the yard, and ran to thestables, being screened from the guards' observation by the horses ofthe Uhlans who had just returned. Behind the stables there was a barn,with a ladder reaching to its high loft.
"Up there!" whispered Pariset. "We should be seen if we ran across thefields."
They clambered up, and panting with excitement and haste threwthemselves on the floor of the loft.
"Perhaps we can remain here until night," said Pariset. "The place isempty; they've no reason for visiting it again."
They heard the newly-arrived troopers lead their horses to the stablesand address some one there in loud peremptory tones. Then their spurredboots were heard clanking over the cobbles, and they went into thehouse. Shouts of applause followed their entrance; no doubt they hadreported their capture.
"I wish we could do something!" murmured Pariset restlessly. "But wecan't tackle twelve or fifteen."
A few minutes later, when the tremors of excitement had ceased, Kennethgot up.
"We can at least go and see who is in the stables," he said. "Perhapswe could make off with a couple of horses."
"Anything rather than lie here idle," said Pariset.
They crept down the ladder, and stole round the outbuilding towardswhere they knew by the sounds the door of the stable was. It was on theside remote from the corner where the prisoners were herded. Peeping inat the door, Kenneth saw the driver of the wagon sitting disconsolatelyon an upturned pail, and beckoned to Pariset to precede him. Theyslipped into the stable. The wagoner jumped up with a start when he sawtwo Germans, as he supposed.
"Hist! I am a Belgian," whispered Pariset hurriedly in Flemish. "Myfriend is an Englishman."
The man looked at them narrowly, only half believing.
"It is true," said Pariset. "We want to save the prisoners. Do youknow the place? Will you help?"
Convinced by their appearance and by Pariset's Flemish the man said:
"My word! will I help! One of them is my brother; two are my cousins.Only tell me what I can do, mijnheer. But not here; it is not safe;come to the back."
"Wait!" said Pariset, pointing to a door at the further end of thestable. "Where does that lead to?"
"Into the harness room."
"And beyond that?"
"The kitchen."
"Who are in the kitchen?"
"I do not know; maybe the mistress and the women servants. They cookthe meals for those hogs."
"Is the door unlocked?"
"Most likely; it is never locked during the day."
"Then creep into the kitchen and tell the women we are here. Quickly!We will hide in the harness room. And find out where the Germans havestacked their rifles, and how many there are."
The man passed through the door, followed by Pariset and Kenneth, whoremained among the harness while the wagoner went on to the kitchen.
"It's a frightful risk, Remi," whispered Kenneth.
Pariset set his teeth.
"I'm a Belgian," he said. "It's not your job. Go back to----"
"Rubbish!" Kenneth interrupted. "We sink or swim together.... Here hecomes!"
"I saw the mistress," said the man. "They have caught the master; sheis frantic. There are ten Uhlans in the big room; the sergeant is alonein the parlour beyond. The maids are serving them."
"The rifles?" said Pariset.
"They are not stacked, mijnheer. There is no room between the wall andthe big table. They are laid anyhow in the corner near the kitchendoor."
For a minute or two Pariset and Kenneth conversed in rapid whispers.While they were speaking the farmer's wife, a large capable Flamande,came to the door, an expression of mingled agitation and hope on herbroad red face.
"We try it?" said Pariset to Kenneth.
"Yes."
The three men entered the kitchen.
"If you can save my husband and my son--" began the good womanimploringly.
Pariset cut her short. She had the appearance of abundant energy.
"We want your help, meffrouw," he said. "Courage! Can you smuggle someof the rifles out of the room? Not all."
"I will try, mijnheer," she said quietly, with the firm look of theFlemish housewife.
There was much noise from the room beyond. The troopers were eating anddrinking hard. Pariset and Kenneth stepped behind a large Dutch clockwhen the women pushed open the door, carrying a dish of steaming stew.They saw her recoil a little when the Germans hailed her appearance withboisterous shouts. She beckoned to her two maids, stout Flamandes likeherself, then disappeared towards the right.
The two airmen waited anxiously. Would the housewife's nerve fail?Would the Germans detect her? They had fallen gluttonously on the newdish, praising Belgian viands after the short commons of the dayspreceding.
Presently the woman reappeared at the door. Her face was pale; she wasgrimly pressing her lips together, and when she had entered the kitchenand closed the door she took from the folds of her gown a rifle.
"The maids stood in front of me," she murmured.
"Take the rifle into the harness room," said Pariset to the wagoner."Another, meffrouw."
The poor woman trembled, but summoning her courage she passed again intothe room. The door at the further end was now open, and the sergeantstood in it. He had consulted his dignity by dining alone in theparlour.
"More wine!" he shouted. "It's poor stuff, mother, but I must make thebest of it till we get to Champagne. Then we'll break a few necks--ofbottles and Frenchmen."
Roars of laughter from the men greeted this sally. One of the maidscarried a fresh bottle into the parlour. Meanwhile the housewife hadtaken advantage of the diversion caused by the sergeant's pleasantry toremove another rifle. Three more she brought out at intervals; thenPariset said it was enough; to abstract more might lead the men tonotice the diminution of the pile. Pariset examined each of the five;there were cartridges in all.
"Do your maids know German?" he asked the woman.
"Katrinka knows a little," she replied.
"Ask her to take some wine to the men on guard outside--it is by thesergeant's orders. You and the other maid each take a bottle too.Supply the Uhlans in there with plenty of food first, to keep themoccupied. They will gorge themselves so long as you please."
While the women carried into the room dishes loaded with cakes andpatties, Pariset and the two others held a whispered conversation in theharness room. On the return of the women, Pariset asked the mistress togive the carrier a bottle of wine. The man took it in his left hand;his right held a knife.
The inner door of the kitchen was closed. They moved quietly to a sidedoor opening directly on the farmyard. Rain and mist threw a murkygloom over the scene. The women, carrying bottles, moved quicklytowards the discontented Uhlans, who uttered guttural exclamations ofpleasure when the girl Katrinka gave the message with which Pariset hadprimed her. Behind them slouched the wagoner, lifting his bottle to hislips with ostentatious enjoyment. Within the shadow of the door Parisetand Kenneth stood with levelled rifles, their eyes fixed on the scene infront, their ears alert for sounds in the rear.
The women had given the Uhlans a bottle each. The good wife had asecond in reserve. Turning their backs upon the prisoners, the guardbroke the necks of the bottles, and drank with great gulps. Unnoticed,the wagoner slipped round behind them, cut the cords that bound thenearest prisoner, handed him the knife, and edged towards the Uhlans,still taking pulls at his bottle.
Five of the prisoners had been released by their companion before one ofthe guards, half-turning, noticed a commotion within the pens, and at asecond glance saw with amazement what was happening. Dropping hisbottle with a furious oath, he seized his rifle, but before it reachedhis shoulder the wagoner swung his
uncorked bottle with all his forceand broke it on the Uhlan's head, stretching him on the ground in acrimson pool of wine. He caught the man's rifle as it fell, andbayoneted the second German, who had turned at his comrade's cry. Thethird, evading a blow aimed at him with her bottle by the sturdyhousewife, shouted for help, and was lifting his rifle when it waswrenched from his hands by the villager who had been first released, andhe fell beside the others, stunned by a blow from the butt end.
Kenneth and Pariset, who had followed every movement with breathlessanxiety, felt that the party outside would give no trouble for a time,at any rate. They turned sharply round on hearing a commotion from theinner room, where the guzzling Uhlans had heard, through their ownnoise, the shout from the farmyard. Jumping to their feet, they crowdedtowards the rifles in the corner, and had just discovered that theweapons would not go round, when the door was thrown open, and they sawstanding in the doorway two German officers.
"Achtung!" cried Kenneth, in the short sharp tone he had many a timeheard in a German drill yard.
The men sprang to attention, clicked their heels, and saluted. They hadno time to think; they acted with mechanical obedience. Standing thusrigid they were amazed to see the officers cover them with their rifles,and to hear a peremptory summons to surrender. Fuddled, astounded, theythrew up their hands.
At this moment the door of the parlour was flung open, and the sergeant,red with wine and rage, before he had taken in the scene, demanded whatthe noise was about. His voice dropped at the end of the sentence, whenhe saw, as he thought, a captain and a lieutenant before him. A soundof rushing feet behind him caused him to swing round hastily. With astartled cry he raised his revolver, and fired; but he was immediatelyhurled backward to the floor by a dozen sturdy peasants, the foremost ofwhom held a knife.
There was a great silence in the farm.
A Hero of Liége: A Story of the Great War Page 15
