Boy Allies at Liège; Or, Through Lines of Steel

by Clair W. Hayes

  CHAPTER XXII.

  CHESTER DISCOVERS A PLOT.

  For half an hour the lad stalked his prey through the streets of thecity, winding about here and there until Chester had absolutely lost hissense of direction. Several times the man turned round and glancedfurtively about, but apparently he took no notice of his shadow.

  Finally he turned into a crooked little street near the outskirts of thecity. Chester also turned the corner, just in time to see the mandescend a pair of steps into the basement of what was apparently anunoccupied house.

  The lad hurried up and arrived in time to hear the man give a peculiarknock at the door--one loud tap, followed by three soft taps, thenanother loud one.

  Chester walked back around the corner, where he stopped to think.

  "If only I could get in there," he said to himself. "I wonder--"

  He stopped, struck by a sudden idea.

  "By Jove! I believe it can be done," he said.

  He continued to pace up and down, apparently deep in thought.Occasionally he stopped to look in the direction from which he hadfollowed his prey to the rendezvous.

  After nearly an hour the lad, after a glance down the street, slippedquietly into a doorway. Apparently the thing for which he had beenwaiting was about to come to pass.

  Footsteps sounded on the street, coming closer. Save for the one lonepedestrian, the street was deserted. The footsteps approached closer, andChester gathered himself for a spring. As the man came abreast of thedoorway in which the lad was hiding, Chester hurled himself upon him.With one hand the lad clutched his victim about the throat, and with theother he struck out heavily. There was a stifled groan, and the man felllimp in the boy's arms.

  Glancing hurriedly about to see that there was no one in sight--nowitness to his deed--Chester dragged the man into the doorway. Here hequickly discarded his own clothes, stripped the stranger of his outergarments and donned them himself.

  Then tearing his own clothes into strips, he bound his victim and gaggedhim, after which, now attired in his victim's clothes, he stood up andmade a search of the pockets.

  "If my surmise is correct," he said to himself, "I shall be all right."

  The hand which was exploring the inside breast pocket came forth with alittle piece of cloth.

  "Good!" the lad exclaimed. "I thought as much. I didn't believe theywould take too many chances. A stranger might get in and betray them."

  For the little piece of cloth the lad had taken from the pocket of hisnewly acquired apparel was a black mask.

  "Now," said the boy to himself, "to see if I cannot find out who I amsupposed to be."

  He continued the search of the pockets. Several pieces of paper and oneor two documents he glanced at hurriedly, and restored. Finally he drewout a paper that seemed to please him, for his face lighted up with asmile. He glanced at the slip of paper and read aloud:

  "This is to certify that the bearer is an accredited agent of theOne King."

  At the bottom was a seal of peculiar design, but there was no signature.

  "Evidently," said the lad, "members of this gang are not known to oneanother, at least all of them. They may spot me and they may not.However, I've got to take a chance. Nothing risked, nothing gained."

  The lad stepped quickly from his place of concealment and approachedwhere the man he had followed had turned in more than an hour before. Hedescended the steps into the basement and knocked upon the door--onceloudly, three times softly, and once loudly again.

  The door swung open before him, and a masked man peered out. Taking adeep breath, and feeling in his pocket to make sure that his revolver wasin readiness, the lad stepped inside. The door swung to behind him.

  Chester followed the man who had opened the door down a dark hallway, andinto a dimly lighted room. Masked as he was, the boy had little fear ofbeing discovered, but his hand rested on his automatic in his right-handcoat pocket.

  Inside the room Chester perceived a circle of dark faces, stretchingalmost around the room. At one side, facing the circle, was a raisedplatform, and on this sat a huge bulk of a man, masked, as were allthe others.

  They all rose as Chester entered the room, and without a word the boymade his way to the one vacant seat. The conspirators then resumed theirseats, and Chester sat down also, four chairs away from where the chiefhimself sat.

  "Number One," called the chief, and the man nearest him on Chester's sidearose. "What have you to report?"

  "Everything is ready, sir. As you know, I am on the staff of the Belgiancommander. With the information I shall impart to him at the proper timeto-morrow, the main force of Belgian troops will be withdrawn from thenorthern part of the city and the surprise will be complete."

  "You are sure? There is no chance of failure?"

  "Not the slightest, sir."

  "Good!" said the chief, and the first man resumed his seat.

  "Number Two," called the chief, and the second man arose.

  By his first words Chester recognized the man who had first spoken at thehome of Edna Johnson.

  "And what have you to report?" demanded the chief.

  "That word has been sent to attack at five o'clock," was the reply."I have received an answer, showing that my message was deliveredwithout mishap."

  "Good!" boomed the chief again. "That is all."

  Number Two resumed his seat.

  "Number Three!" called the chief.

  The man next to Chester rose to his feet.

  "Your report," commanded the chief.

  "I have to report, sir, that the thousand men sent to me have allarrived. They came singly, and the last one arrived shortly before Icame here. They are all armed and are quartered in vacant houses onBrussels Street, at the southern extremity of the city. They areawaiting the word."

  The chief nodded, and the third man sat down.

  "Number Four!" called the chief.

  Chester rose to his feet, as had the others.

  "And you, sir?" demanded the chief. "Is your report satisfactory?"

  Chester was thinking rapidly. He was in the most ticklish situation hehad ever faced, and he was fully aware of it. He knew now that there wasnot one chance in a thousand of his escaping detection. But the lad didnot falter, and his right hand grasped the handle of his automatic morefirmly, as he made reply:

  "Entirely so, sir," and then paused.

  "Well, well!" shouted the chief. "Explain!"

  Chester drew a deep breath, and took a haphazard shot:

  "My men are ready to seize the entire Belgian staff, at a moment'snotice, sir."

  The confusion that broke out immediately following his words told Chesterthat his shot had missed. But the boy stood his ground. There was nothingelse he could do.

  From the opposite side of the room came a cry:

  "That was the work assigned to me."

  "That is not true," was Chester's quick reply. "I was the man selectedfor that work."

  The man on the other side of the room made a spring toward Chester, buthe was arrested by the commanding voice of the chief, who now stood up tohis full height, a revolver barrel gleaming in his outstretched hand.

  "There is a traitor here," said the chief calmly. "I shall be the one todecide who it is, for you are all known to me. Unmask!"

  Every person in the room save Chester obeyed this command, and for thefraction of a second he stood alone, his face still covered. But he stoodfor a fraction of a second only.

  Then with a quick move his revolver leaped from his pocket, and there wasthe sound of a shot. The chief toppled over to the floor.

  Chester leaped to one side, and with a backward sweep of his left armknocked the single lamp from the wall and plunged the room into darkness.

  Then he dropped to his knees. And none too soon, for twenty pistolscracked and as many bullets went hurtling by the spot where he had stooda moment before.

  Ten feet behind Chester was a door. He had noticed it when he firstentered the room, and had decided that ther
e lay whatever chance he hadfor safety should he be discovered. Quickly, and still stooping, he rantoward the door.

  And even as he reached it a match flared up and a bullet whistled by hisear. But the door was unlocked and gave before the boy's weight, and as,after passing safely through it, he turned to close it in the faces ofhis enemies, one man blocked him, his arm raised to fire.

  But Chester's revolver rang out first. The lad had fired from his hip,and the man went sprawling.

  The lad turned his weapon on the others who now rushed toward him, andfired three rapid shots. Then he slammed the door shut, bolted it with asingle movement, and, turning, ran along the dark passageway, at the endof which he could discern a dim light.

  Chester wiped his brow with his hand, and his hand came away wet. Holdingit close to his eyes as he ran, Chester saw blood. A bullet had struckhim a glancing blow on the side of the head, but in the excitement of themoment he had not realized that he was wounded.

  At the end of the passageway the lad emerged into another room. There wasnot a window in the room, and, glancing hurriedly about, Chester espied apair of stairs. Quickly he leaped up these, and came into what apparentlyat one time had been a kitchen.

  The boy's gaze roved hastily about for a means of exit. He tried thedoor, but it was locked. Twice he threw his whole weight against it, butit did not budge. He looked at the windows. For some reason, they wereheavily barred.

  Chester put the muzzle of his automatic to the keyhole of the door andfired. The lock was blown entirely away, and the door flew open beneaththe lad's weight.

  Not hesitating, the lad leaped through the next room and sped into thehall beyond. He could clearly see that his way now led to the front door,and he made for it at a run. He grasped the knob and gave a quick wrench,but the door would not open.

  He sought for the key to turn it, but there was no key. Evidently thefamily, upon going away, had barred it from the outside. From behind, theboy could hear the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, and he knewthat every moment's delay spelled disaster and almost certain death.

  He picked up a chair, and with a single blow shattered the glass front ofthe door. He drew the leg of the chair across the ragged pieces of glassleft at the bottom, and then, dropping the chair, drew himself up.

  Just as he was about to tumble out on the far side, four men dashed upthe steps with drawn revolvers. Chester took in the situation at aglance. He was between two fires, and escape was impossible.

  "Well," he told himself quietly, "I guess it's all up with me this time."

  He dropped back inside and faced his pursuers. Throwing his now uselessrevolver to the floor, he raised both hands.

  "I surrender," he said quietly.