by E. J. Craine
CHAPTER XXIV
TOM KEEPS HIS WORD
THE air service boys did not hesitate.
Tom had mapped out the course, to which Jack had agreed, and they wereready to undertake the task set before them.
Tom hastened to help lift the little girl, so that his chum might get afirm clasp with one arm around her. He also knew that Helene'sinstinctive action in clinging to Jack's neck would greatly assistmatters.
Now Jack was sliding down. Tom's heart seemed to be in his throat withsuspense. Would the rope hold? He hoped age had not weakened thestrands, so that a sudden extra strain might cause it to part. Still hehad tested as best he could. It would hold--it must hold.
The seconds slipped by, though if Tom's feelings had been consulted theymight be said to drag; for it seemed an age before he knew that Jack hadsafely landed by the sudden slackening of the rope.
How eagerly did Tom clamber over the window-sill and start downward! Itwas a mere nothing to him, accustomed to all sorts of athletic action.He quickly found himself alongside the crouching figure of Jack, whostill held the child in his arm as if to reassure her.
Louder than ever came the babel of voices from the road. The officershad, it seemed, finally come to believe what the chauffeurs were saying.Some unknown prowler had stolen their petrol while they waited for thecoming of their officers. The thought was demoralizing. The loud, sharpwhistle that now came to the ears of the air service boys must mean ageneral alarm. There must be a body of troops in camp somewhere back ofthe chateau. These would be quickly on the scene, ready to scour thewhole neighborhood, in the hope of ferreting out the spy who had beentrying to discover the subject of the consultation, or council of war.
Tom now took the lead. The sooner they made off the better for theirchances of ultimate escape. Delay now might lose them the game, for itwas to be expected that with the alarm once given all avenues of escapewould be closed, and a cordon of troops thrown around the chateau, inhope of enmeshing the prowler.
This getting away required some clever work, because if they werediscovered it would be next to impossible to slip through, with Heleneto be carried, for of course the child could not run fast enough. Jackclasped the child in his arms and followed close on Tom's heels.Dodging, and taking advantage of such cover as presented itself theysucceeded in passing beyond what seemed to be the danger point. Ifequally successful in eluding any soldiers who might be running towardthe chateau in response to the imperative summons of the general, theycould call themselves lucky indeed.
"Somebody coming ahead there, Tom!" gasped Jack suddenly, as he caughtthe hasty patter of footsteps.
"Into these bushes, and get down on all fours!" Tom ordered, setting theaction himself.
Hardly had they succeeded in leaving the road and concealing themselvesin this way than several bounding figures came into sight. They wereGerman soldiers without doubt, their spiked helmets could be seen andalso the glitter of guns in their hands could be caught.
Once they had rushed past, Tom again took to the road. The danger fromsuch sudden encounters was great, but there was no other way for them toproceed. And in order to escape it was necessary that they reach thecemetery where the big bombing plane awaited their coming.
Once again did they have a thrill. This was when a figure crashed outof a thicket without warning, and came face to face with them. He, too,was a soldier, who had possibly taken a short cut through the thicketsin order to reach the road the sooner.
He uttered a startled exclamation. With the shrill sound of the alarmwhistle still echoing through the valley below, of course his suspicionswould be aroused by seeing two figures clad in the garments of aviators,and bearing away with them the child he, in common with his fellows, mayhave noticed playing near the chateau on sunshiny days.
His actions were so hostile that Tom, acting instantaneously, gave him ablow with the weighty club he had picked up a moment before.
It must have been a well-aimed blow, for the soldier fell in a heap, andhis helmet rolled on the ground.
Jack, unable to resist the temptation to gather in the spoils as asouvenir of the event, snatched this metal headgear up. Then he rushedheadlong after Tom, who was making off down the slope at full speed.
Just as Jack, still carrying Helene, but making good time, overtook hischum, he heard a fearful shouting back of him. Jack ground his teethwith rage, for he could easily guess what it all meant. The soldier whohad been attacked must have recovered quickly. He was now running in thedirection of the chateau and shouting in German.
While, of course, Jack was not able to tell exactly what it was heyelled, he could give a guess that it meant:
"Here they are! This way everybody. The French dogs are here!"
Of course that would mean immediate pursuit. It complicated thesituation, too, because even though they were fortunate enough to gainthe country cemetery before the searching party came up, they might beprevented from getting away.
It was down-grade, and that helped a little, if Jack could only holdout. The little girl was no light weight, and carrying such a burden wasapt to delay even a good runner like Jack, who was already getting shortof breath. But Tom could get the airplane ready to make a quick start assoon as Jack and his burden should reach the cemetery.
The sounds continued to break out in their rear.
They had now reached the bottom of the ridge, Tom well in advance. Thelevel valley lay before them. But it seemed to Tom, on glancing back,that his chum was staggering under the strain, so he called out:
"Here, what's the matter with my spelling you, Jack. It isn't fair tomake you the burden-bearer, when I'm so willing to help. Give me thechild, and let me carry her awhile. We'll make better time if you do."
There was more or less force in the suggestion advanced; so Jack thrustlittle Helene into Tom's waiting arms. She did not hesitate to clasp hisneck, even as she had done Jack's, an action which endeared her to Tom,less prompt than Jack to answer to the appeal of childhood.
After this they seemed to make better time, and Jack also had a chanceto recover his wind. There could be no doubt about their being pursued,for they could hear loud shouts bursting forth every half minute.
Presumably General von Berthold had by this time realized that his planwith regard to realizing a fortune some day through little Helene andthe rich iron deposits on the property that would come to her, were indanger of going astray. Doubtless, also, he had offered an incentive tothe soldiers in the shape of a money bonus, in case they recovered thechild. Jack imagined he could hear the harsh voice of the commanderraised above the tumult from time to time, which would indicate that hehimself led the pursuit.
But here at last they were at the place where the smaller road left themain one, and entered the country burial grounds.
How fortunate that they had made all their arrangements beforehand! Whatif the mending of the leaking reservoir had been left until their returnwith Helene! Small chance they would have in that case of effectingtheir escape with the aroused Hun soldiers scouring the country insearch of them.
Just then another thing came to pass that caused Jack's heart to feel asthough a cold hand had been pressed down on it. From above came afamiliar sound, especially to the ear of an aviator. It was theunmistakable buzz of an airplane motor. The sound was growing constantlylouder, as though the machine were heading directly toward the chateau.
Of course it was next to impossible for it to be an allied plane; and soJack must conclude that it bore some courier sent from Hindenburg'sheadquarters, wherever they might be, with a message of vast importancemeant for the general commanding the sector opposing the Americanadvance. Tom and Jack exchanged looks. It seemed as though they were nowbetween the upper and the nether millstones. If they lingered where theywere the soldiers were almost certain to come upon them; and should theychoose to start their motor and make a successful start into the upperair currents the hostile plane would be ready to challenge them todeadly combat.
But Tom was already beginning to fasten little Helene in a seatalongside his own position. From this Jack understood that his chum'smind was made up, and that half a dozen waiting planes might not daunthim. They would have to take chances one way or another; and by goingaloft they might at least be in a position to hold their own.
Jack hoped with all his heart they could get away without an upset. Theground was far from being all that might be wished; but then he hadknown even worse in his experience, and had never yet come a cropper.Besides, Tom would be at the helm, and that stood for a great deal. Jackhastened to get aboard.
None too soon did the pilot get his machine to going. The Huns werealready howling close by, and must have turned in at the cemeteryentrance as though suspecting the truth.
With a whirr and a clatter the plane was off. Guns had commenced to barkand red splashes of fire to stab the opaque mist that had now fallen onthe lower ground with the deepening night. Jack felt like laughing atall these vain efforts to stop their departure.
Bumping along, Tom increased the speed, with Jack waiting in more orless suspense to ascertain what the outcome would be. Ahead of them rosethe barrier of trees. If they struck that all was lost. But Tom was onthe alert, and just in good time he changed his lifting lever thatcaused the nose of the plane to incline upward.
With a rush and a roar they cleared the treetops, though there did notseem to be a yard to spare. That danger past, Jack felt that they werebetter able to cope with the next peril. Down below the disappointedgeneral continued to shout and the soldiers to shoot, but one was justas harmless as the other.
"He's coming for us, Tom! That Boche pilot!" shouted Jack. "Swing aroundso as to give me a chance to pepper him good and hard!"
Tom did so, and Jack speedily found an opportunity to handle hismachine-gun, which he did with all his old-time vigor.
There was a feeble response from the Hun, who, however, seemed hardly tounderstand what it was all about, or just why he should be chasing afteran unknown plane that had come from the region of Von Berthold'sheadquarters.
Two minutes passed, and they were no longer followed by the Hun machine.Jack never knew whether he had done any damage or not, though convincedthat he had seldom made better use of his gun. It was enough for the airservice boys to realize that the field was clear ahead, and withreasonable luck they ought to be able to make their goal without furthermishap.
Some little time later there was a bit of a sensation created among theAmerican aviators when a big bombing plane that had been listed as"missing and supposed to be lost" came settling down like a huge bat.
Harry Leroy was the first to rush alongside to learn if his two chumswere safe and sound. When he saw Tom unstrapping a little girl, Harrybelieved, on the spur of the moment, it must be Jeanne Anstey.
And it can be easily believed that both Tom and Jack felt they had hadthe most energetic night in all their experience, one that would notsoon be forgotten; while Helene, clasped in Jack's sheltering arms,contented herself with a repetition of just one word--"Jeanne."
