CHAPTER XVIII.
THE ROAD TO PARIS.
"How far are we from Paris, Hal?" asked Chester, when they were once moreon the outside.
"Not more than eighty miles," was the reply. "You heard what the Kaiseris said to have told his troops, didn't you?"
"No; what was it?"
"He told them that they were but two hours' ride, by automobile, fromtheir goal; by which he meant the French capital."
"Great Scott! I didn't realize they were so close."
"It is pretty close; but still, when you stop to think, not so closeafter all; for the road to Paris, for the Kaiser's troops, at least, isstrewn with insurmountable obstacles, and death and danger lurk onevery hand."
"True," said Chester. "Besides which, the Kaiser is considerably fartherfrom his goal than he was some months ago."
"Yes," agreed Hal, "he has been forced a long way down the field, as wewould say on the gridiron."
Besides the document which they were to carry to the French PrimeMinister, General Joffre also had given the lads an order for one ofthe large army automobiles, that they might make the trip with allpossible haste.
Hal accosted the proper officer, and soon the lads had the huge car attheir disposal. The officer also offered to furnish them with achauffeur, but Hal declined this offer, electing to drive the machinehimself. Chester climbed into the tonneau and Hal took his place at thewheel. Both waved a good-by to the officer, and, under Hal's guidinghand, the large automobile started off slowly.
Gradually Hal increased the speed, till at length they were flying alongthe road at the rate of forty miles an hour. There were no speedrestrictions in the war zone, and as the car dashed over the ground Halkept a keen eye out for machines approaching from the other direction.
Chester leaned over the front seat and clutched Hal by the shoulder.
"At this rate," he shouted, "it won't take us long to get to Paris."
"About two hours," Hal shouted back, without taking his eyes from theroad ahead.
Through the towns of Villers and Cotterets the automobile flashed,although Hal reducing his speed a trifle when the little cities came insight. On the road beyond, however, he proceeded to let the car outagain, and so they dashed into Nanteul.
Here, because of somewhat more congested traffic, Hal was forced toreduce his speed considerably, and they went slowly through thestreets of the towns. Before setting out on their trip, Hal had spenthalf an hour over the maps of the road, that there might be no dangerof their getting lost, and the lay of the country was firmly impressedupon his mind.
As they wended their way slowly through the streets of Nanteul, therecame suddenly the sound of an explosion beneath them. Hal brought the carto an abrupt stop and leaped lightly to the ground. Chester did likewise.
"Tire blown out," said Hal briefly, after a quick glance at the rearleft-hand wheel.
He walked to the rear of the car, where a spare tire should have beenready for just such an emergency. There was none there.
The lad stepped back with an exclamation of dismay.
"What's the matter?" asked Chester.
"Matter is that we have no spare tire," replied Hal. "Where shallwe get one?"
"I don't know," returned Chester. "The chances are that every spare tirewithin forty miles is in use. However, we might go into this restaurantand make some inquiries."
Hal followed his friend into the restaurant, where Chester made knowntheir wants.
The proprietor, a smiling and effusive little Frenchman, greetedthem warmly.
"I myself have a tire that shall be yours," he told them. "It shall betaken from my own car and put upon yours. Jacques!"
In response to this call a dapper little waiter came forward, and to himthe proprietor made known his desires. The waiter bowed and departed. Theproprietor turned to the lads.
"While Jacques is making ready messieurs' car," he said with a bow, "itwill give me pleasure to have messieurs lunch with me."
"How long will it take him to fix it?" asked Hal.
The little Frenchman shrugged his shoulders.
"Perhaps fifteen minutes, perhaps twenty," he replied.
"In that event," said Hal, "we shall be glad to accept your invitation."
The Frenchman beamed upon them, and led the way to the rear of the littleroom, where he motioned them to seats at a somewhat secluded table.
"We shall not be disturbed here," he said.
A light luncheon was soon upon the table, and the lads fell to with awill, for they were quite hungry.
While the lads were in the midst of their meal, a group of Frenchofficers, all young lieutenants, came boisterously into the restaurantand took seats at a table close to where the lads sat. It was plain toboth boys that they had been drinking more than was good for them, andthey paid no attention to them beyond acknowledging their salutes.
One of the young officers pounded loudly on the table and demanded wineimmediately. The proprietor arose from the table where the lads sat andhastened to attend to the wants of his customers himself, and soonseveral bottles of wine were upon the table.
The proprietor filled the glasses of the young officers, and then, at anod from one of them, approached the table where the lads sat and pouredout two more glasses of the sparkling fluid, which he placed before Haland Chester.
The French officers at the other table rose, each with his glass in hishand; then one of them looked toward Hal and Chester, and the latter,realizing that the young Frenchman was about to propose a toast, also gotto their feet; but instead of holding their wine glasses aloft, theglasses which they raised held nothing more than water.
The young Frenchman gave his toast.
"France!" he said gravely.
Each man raised his glass to his lips and drained it, but Hal andChester drank the toast in clear, cold water. As the first Frenchmanreturned his glass to the table, he noticed that the wine before Hal andChester remained untouched. His face turned a dull red, and heapproached the lads.
"And why does not monsieur drink with us?" he demanded in a harsh voice,thrusting his face toward Chester. "Can it be that you are spies?"
"No," said Chester, taking a step backward; "we are not spies. Weare British officers, and we drank your toast in water. We do notdrink wine."
"British officers!" repeated the Frenchman. "Then how comes it that youwear the uniforms of French lieutenants?"
"That," replied Chester quietly, "is none of your business."
"None of my business!" echoed the Frenchman. "_Mon Dieu_! And what if Imake it some of my business, eh?"
"If I were you," said Chester, "I wouldn't think of such a thing."
The Frenchman took a step backward at the menace in the lad's tone; butthe other French officers now gathered about, and these reenforcementsapparently lent him courage.
"So!" he exclaimed. "It is that we are not good enough to drinkwith you, eh?"
"No," replied Chester; "we simply don't drink. That is all. We appreciateyour courtesy in thinking of us, and we drank your toast in water, whichis the strongest drink we ever touch."
Hal, who up to this time had remained silent in his chair, now roseto his feet.
"Look here," he said, facing the fiery Frenchman; "we are on importantbusiness and haven't time to fool with you. My friend has explained whywe didn't drink wine with you. That should settle the matter."
"But it doesn't settle it," exclaimed the Frenchman, now in a rage. "Yourefused to drink with us because you think us not good enough."
"All right, have it that way if you will," said Chester wearily. "If yousay so, then we didn't drink because you are not good enough."
"_Mon Dieu_!" cried the Frenchman, and his hand rested upon the butt ofhis revolver. "You have insulted me, and for that you shall pay."
With one hand still resting upon his revolver, he stepped quicklyforward, and before Chester could realize what was up, he slapped the ladsharply in the face.
This was too much for C
hester. Up to this time he had remained perfectlycool, but the blow in the face, light though it was, was more than hecould stand. He took a quick step forward, and as he did so his rightfist flashed out, and the young Frenchman, struck squarely upon the nose,went to the floor with blood streaming from his wounded member.
There came several subdued exclamations from the others of the party, andthe hands of the other French officers dropped to their revolvers.
But before any of them could draw, Hal had whipped forth his ownautomatics, and covered them.
"I'll blow the head off the first one who makes a move," he said sternly.
The French officers made no move to draw.
The Frenchman whom Chester had knocked down now got to his feet,considerably sobered up by the force of the lad's blow. He was sufferingmore from wounded dignity than anything else, and he was very angry. Heapproached Chester.
"For that blow," he said very quietly, "monsieur shall give mesatisfaction."
"I'll repeat the dose if that's what you want," said Chester, alsothoroughly aroused, and he took a step forward.
The Frenchman drew back.
"_Non! Non!_" he exclaimed. "You shall give me satisfaction with swordsor pistols, as a gentleman, if, for the moment, you can be one."
"So," said Chester, "I am no gentleman, eh? I'll make you wish you hadnever seen me, you little--"
"Hold on! Hold on!" interrupted Hal. "We have other business to attendto. We have no time for duels."
But for the moment he had relaxed his vigilance, and the nearest officer,with two quick blows, knocked his revolvers from his hand, and the ladfound himself covered.
"Now," said the young Frenchman to Chester, "will you fight or not?"
"I'll fight," replied the lad calmly.
Boy Allies in the Trenches; Or, Midst Shot and Shell Along the Aisne Page 18
