CHAPTER XIV.
THROUGH THE NIGHT.
Hal and Chester listened intently.
One minute passed, then two, then three, and then a low whistle broke thestillness. Once, twice, it came.
The boys sprang into action.
"You go first, Hal," whispered Chester.
Hal nodded, and, dropping to his knees, crawled beneath the tent. Ina few seconds, he was on the outside, where Chester joined him amoment later.
They looked around for Stubbs, but he was not there. The little warcorrespondent, his work done, had sought safety in flight. He realizedthat, should anything go wrong and the three be recaptured together, itwould go hard with all of them.
The lads could hear the footsteps of the guard, as he paced to and fro infront of the tent they had just left. While to the rear and on bothsides, farther away, they could also hear the tramp of other sentries, asthey made their rounds.
A sentry came into view to the rear, but passed on without seeing them.Immediately the lads made their way whence he had come, and soon had putconsiderable distance between them and their late prison. Here, sure thatthey were far enough from their recent quarters not to cast suspicionupon themselves should they be seen, they walked boldly forward.
The huge German camp was asleep, for the hour was after nine and thesoldiers always turned in early except when they were on night duty or anight attack by the French was anticipated; but they slept on their arms.
"Which way?" asked Chester of Hal, in a low voice.
"I don't believe we had better try for the river," was the reply. "We hadbetter strike straight west."
"Suits me," declared Chester, and the boys set off through the sleepingGerman camp at a fast walk.
Row after row of tents they passed through, walking along the improvisedstreets until they were well beyond the main camp. Here they were stillin the midst of the enemy, but the tents were more scattered. Suddenlythey slackened their speed.
A German sentry was approaching them.
Perceiving the two shadowy forms, the sentry brought his rifle to hisshoulder, and cried:
"Halt!"
The lads obeyed, and the sentry came close to them. Perceiving that thefigures he had accosted were attired in women's clothing, he dropped hisrifle and demanded:
"What are you doing here?"
"We have been selling apples to the soldiers," replied Hal in French in ashrill voice.
The soldier understood French and replied:
"Where are your baskets?"
Hal replied as he had been instructed by the little war correspondent.
"Well," said the sentry, apparently satisfied, "you have no businessaround here at this hour of the night. Go quickly."
The lads needed no further urging, and, bearing off a trifle to thenorth, continued their journey.
Their shoulders stooped and their shawls thrown over their heads so theycould barely see, they went on with slowly shambling steps.
"When we get back to America," whispered Chester, "I am going on thestage as a female impersonator."
"After this," Hal whispered back, "I am inclined to believe that we wouldboth make good."
All night they continued toward the northwest, and when morning dawnedthey were still within the German lines.
"We shall have to be more careful now," said Chester, as it began togrow light.
"On the contrary," said Hal, "we may go forward more boldly."
"How do you make that out?" demanded Chester in surprise.
"Why," Hal explained, "two apple-women strolling about the enemy'scamp in the night would attract more attention, should they bediscovered, than in broad daylight, when they might possibly have somebusiness there."
"Right," agreed Chester. "I hadn't thought of it in that way."
Accordingly they proceeded more boldly now.
Here and there troops of German cavalry now came to life. The lads alsopassed regiment after regiment of hurrying infantry; but they were notso much as challenged. Old apple-women, such as the lads appeared tothe enemy, were plentiful in the German lines, and no attention waspaid to them.
Suddenly the lads beheld a sight that caused them to start back inastonishment and dismay.
Directly ahead of them they saw a long trench, stretching out oneither side as far as the eye could reach--and it was filled withGerman soldiers.
"Great Scott!" ejaculated Hal. "I had forgotten that the Germans wereprobably intrenched along here. How on earth are we to get through?"
At that moment the two lads beheld three old women coming toward them,and Hal exclaimed:
"I wonder if we look like that?"
In their hands the women carried large baskets, and even from where thelads stood they could see that they were chockfull of bright red apples.
Chester was struck with a sudden idea. Stepping out of view behind Hal,he quickly lifted his skirts and thrust his hand into his pocket. Hepulled forth a handful of gold and silver, from which he extractedseveral German pieces. Then he advanced toward the old women, Halfollowing him in surprise.
Chester accosted the women in French.
"How much do you want for your basket of apples?" he asked,addressing one.
The old woman named a sum.
Chester counted it out and dropped it into her hand, much to hersurprise, and relieved her of her basket. Then he turned to a second andrepeated the operation, passing the second basket to Hal.
"Now, we'll see how business is," he said, and led the way directlytoward the trenches.
In the midst of the German soldiers, the lads did a thriving business,and, although they did not know it, the reason was because they wereoffering their wares at a much lower price than had been customary.
The soldiers joked with them and resorted to flattery in an attempt tocause them to reduce the price of the apples even more. The lads, talkingin shrill, wheedling tones, joked back, and made quite a hit with the menin the trenches.
At last, having disposed of all their apples, and having come to a placesomewhat more secluded than the rest, the lads sat down to wait. As theylooked around, they observed that for some reason this short section hadnot been dug to fit in with the rest of the trenches. As a result theywere out of sight of either side.
Becoming conscious of voices from beyond the little wall of earth to theright, the lads became silent and listened.
"Then everything is in readiness for the grand advance?" asked a voice.
"Yes," replied a second.
"And where will the assault be made?"
"At Soissons. The French are secure in their belief that a concertedattack will not be made for some time--at least not until the Kaiser,who, as you know has been very ill, returns to the front."
"I thought that myself."
"Well, you are right, to a certain extent. What the French don't know isthat the Kaiser will be on the firing line the day after to-morrow."
"What! So soon?"
"Yes."
"He has recovered, then?"
"Practically! Therefore, the grand offensive will be resumed aroundSoissons two days later, which will be Saturday. The French--absolutelyunprepared for any such movement--will be caught unawares, and a wedgewill be driven into them."
"And the object of this new offensive?" queried one of the voices.
"The object," was the reply, "will be the same as was the object when wefirst moved into France."
"Paris?" asked a voice.
"Paris," was the brief reply.
"Good! And there is no chance of failure, you say?"
"Not unless our plans come to the ears of General Joffre. If he knew ofthe plan he might, of course, hurry up reenforcements enough to stop it."
"And if, by any chance, this offensive fails, the other plan will be putinto execution, you say?"
"Yes, it has been arranged, I understand, down to the last detail. TheParis Apaches, as you know, have neither love of country nor love offellow-men. They seek only gold. Well, a
man, Pierre Duval, by name,the King of the Paris Apaches, has been reached by one of our agents.I am told he has 500 underworld denizens at his command. These, at anauspicious moment, will seize the president, who will be hustled intoa closed automobile surrounded by the army of Apaches, and the restwill be easy."
"But Poincare's bodyguard?"
"_Ach_! It will not be strong enough to cope with the Apaches. Besides,the surprise itself augurs well for the success of the plan."
"Well, I hope neither plan fails."
"You may rest easy on that score. If one fails the other is sureto succeed."
Hal and Chester, from their concealment, heard the men rise and move offin the opposite direction.
"Great Scott!" cried Chester. "Do you know what that means?"
"I do," said Hal simply. "It means that, unless General Joffre is warned,the French army may suffer a crushing blow; also, if President Poincareis not warned, he may be kidnapped by the enemy!"
"Exactly," said Chester. "But what are we to do?"
"We must make a dash for it," was the quiet response.
Quickly the lads stripped themselves of their woman's garments, andadvanced to the very edge of the German trenches.
"Now!" cried Hal, and, jumping from the shelter, they darted across theopen field to where the tricolor of France fluttered aloft.
Boy Allies in the Trenches; Or, Midst Shot and Shell Along the Aisne Page 14
