Belgians to the Front

by Ralph Henry Barbour

  World's War Series, Volume 5

  THE BELGIANS TO THE FRONT

  by

  COLONEL JAMES FISKE

  Illustrated by E. A. Furman

  [Frontispiece: "Unless you can prove that you are innocent, you will betried as spies," said the lieutenant.]

  The Saalfield Publishing CompanyChicago ------ Akron, Ohio ------ New YorkCopyright, 1915byThe Saalfield Publishing Company

  CONTENTS

  Chapter

  I A Discovery II The Marked Plans III The House of Mystery IV The Flight V Pursuit VI At Headquarters VII The Fire VIII The Uhlan IX War X Prisoners of War XI The Spy XII A Close Shave XIII The Civic Guards XIV Submission XV The Butcher's Wife XVI The Wine Shop XVII The Battle XVIII Victory

  The Belgians To The Front

  CHAPTER I

  A DISCOVERY

  In the great public square of the ancient city of Liege, in Belgium, atroop of Belgian Boy Scouts stood at attention. Staffs in hand, cladin the short knickerbockers, the khaki shirts and the wide campaignhats that mark the Boy Scout all over the world, they were enough of aspectacle to draw the attention of the busy citizens of Liege, whostopped to watch them admiringly. Their scoutmaster, Armand Van Verde,had been addressing them. And now in the fading light of the lateafternoon, he dismissed them.

  At once the troop broke up, first into patrols, then into smallindividual groups of two or three. The faces of the scouts were gravefor it was serious news indeed that Van Verde had communicated to thetroop at the meeting just ended. Paul Latour called sharply to hisgreat friend, Arthur Waller.

  "Come on, Arthur," he said. "We'd better be getting along home. Theremay be something for us to do."

  "All right," agreed Arthur, cheerfully. He was a little younger thanhis chum, and was nearly always willing to agree to anything Paulproposed.

  The two boys were not natives of Liege. However, they spent theirsummers with relatives who lived in the country a few miles beyond thelimits of the famous old town, in the direction of the village ofEsneux. They themselves came from Brussels, and, while not themselvesrelated, were both cousins of the family which they were now visiting,that of M. de Frenard.

  So now, striking out with a good, swinging pace, they made their wayrapidly through the streets of the old town of Liege, narrow andcrooked, once they were beyond the great square. They passed over thenew Exposition Bridge and so to the new town of Liege, where the greatsteel works of Seraing were beginning to cast red reflections againstthe darkening sky.

  "They have begun to work all night long," said Arthur.

  "It's a good thing, too," said Paul, soberly. "If there is to be awar, as Mr. Van Verde says, we may need all the guns they can turn out."

  "But we shall not go to war, Paul! Belgium is neutral. All the powersjoined in declaring Belgium to be a neutral state. We have learnedthat in our history in school!"

  "I know that, Arthur. But will the Germans respect our neutrality? Ifthey don't, we shall have to defend ourselves against them. And thefirst attack will be here, at Liege."

  "Then these forts that Uncle Henri showed us will really be useful?They are strong forts, Paul."

  "I hope not. But just because there are forts there it is a sign thatthe government has feared an invasion, Arthur. I hope that if there iswar we shall stay out of it. But Belgium has always been exposed towar when her great neighbors fought. Some of the greatest battles inthe history of the world have been fought on our soil."

  "I know! Waterloo was where Napoleon was beaten finally. We have seenthat battlefield, Paul, you and I. Do you think there may be a battlethere again? That would be exciting!"

  "Waterloo was only one. Ramillies was fought in Belgium, too, and manyother battles. Even Caesar fought here. Do you remember the placewhere he says that of all the tribes he conquered, the bravest were theBelgians?"

  "Oh, that's so! I'd forgotten that! But, Paul, you said there mightbe something for us to do. What did you mean?"

  "I'm not sure yet, Arthur, and I'd rather not say anything more until Iam. But I want you to slip out with me to-night, after dinner. We'llfind out then, for certain. And I don't want to tell Uncle Henri oranyone else, and afterward find I was wrong. We'd be laughed at then,you see."

  "Then you have found something! Oh, tell me, Paul! I won't repeat itto a soul!"

  "You'll know all in good time. Do you remember that man who tried theother day to get work as a gardener?"

  "Yes, I do. Uncle Henri didn't have any work for him, but he sent himto the factory in Seraing, and told him they would give him a job."

  "That's the one. You know he said he was hungry, and that he hadn'tbeen able to get any work for a long time, so he didn't have any money.Uncle Henri told the cook to give him a dinner."

  "Yes, and I was sorry he didn't get a place. He looked as if he wouldhave been all right."

  "Well, Arthur, I saw him again, last night! He was in Esneux, and heseemed to have plenty of money, though he hadn't gone to Seraing to getwork. He was in Madame Bibet's wine shop, and he was treatingeveryone. Do you know what he paid with?"

  "No."

  "A German gold piece! That's how I know about it, because Madame Bibethad never seen such a coin before, and she was afraid it wasn't good.So she came out, and when she saw me she asked me, and I told her itwas good, of course."

  "Well, that's nothing, Paul. We often see German money here in Liege.Isn't it like that in all places that are near a border? I supposethat on the other side there is a lot of French money. Why, there is,even in Brussels."

  "It may mean nothing at all, Arthur. I hope it doesn't. But I thinkit's funny that that man should be staying around so. He must havetold Uncle Henri a lie when he said he didn't have money. I'd like toknow what he's up to. I'd like to be sure that he's not a German spy."

  "Oh, I never thought of that! A spy! Why should the Germans havespies around here, though, Paul?"

  "It's just the place where they would have them, Arthur. The forts!They want to find out all they can about them. Boncelles is near us;so is the fort of Embourg. They want to know if our people are ready.If they come through Belgium, you know, they will want to get throughas quickly as they can, to attack the French."

  "But I don't see why they should want to come through Belgium at all,Paul. Why can't they leave us alone? They can attack the French alongtheir own border, I should think."

  "They can. But the French know that, and they have their strongestfortresses all along there, from Belfort to Verdun. It would take theGermans weeks, months perhaps, to get past these fortifications alongthe border, and that would give the French time to bring up all theirsoldiers. And the Germans have to beat the French quickly this time,or else not at all. They aren't fighting France alone, but Russia aswell, and their plan must be to beat France first and then turn onRussia. They think that here in Belgium it will be easy for them toget around these forts. If they once get behind them, the French willhave to retreat. And the Germans think that the quickest way to bringthat is for them to go through our country and so attack Paris."

  "They ought to be stopped!" said Arthur, hotly. "England and Francewould help us, wouldn't they?"

  "France certainly would, because she would have to. And I believe theEnglish would help, too. I hope so. Because even if the Germanspromised to go away as soon as they'd beaten France, I don't believethey would. They'd make Belgium a part of Germany."

  "They can't do that! They shan't! Why, we're not German! We're afree country!"

  "Yes, but we may have to fight to remain free, Arthur. Free countrieshave had to do that before. If there is war, I think we
shall see theGermans here within a day of its declaration. We had better hope forpeace. But we must be prepared for war--and we must not deceiveourselves. A treaty guarantees our neutrality, but I think the time iscoming when treaties will be forgotten."

  "We shall have to teach these Germans to remember them, then," saidArthur, valiantly. "We may be weak, but we are brave, we Belgians. Ibelieve we can give them something to think about."

  Paul smiled a little sadly. He understood the true facts, the realpossibilities, better than his friend.

  "If it comes to fighting, we will do our part," he said, "but we shouldbe helpless against Germany alone, Arthur. The only thing we could dowould be to try to hold them back long enough for the French and theEnglish to come to our aid. Either that, or we would have to let thempass through without resisting them."

  "So that they could fall on France? But that would be treachery!" saidArthur, indignantly. "I have heard of that treaty of neutrality. Weare safeguarded from attack, but we are forbidden to allow the troopsof a country that is at war to pass through our territory. If it wasthe French who talked of invading us to reach Germany, I should saythat we must fight them."

  "Yes, you're right, Arthur," said Paul. "I think we should make anysacrifice to keep faith. But be sure that it will be a terriblesacrifice, if we must make it."

  "Look there!" whispered Arthur, suddenly. "Someone started up just nowfrom behind the bushes. A man--and he is running away from us!"

  "After him!" cried Paul. "It looks--yes, it is the man I spoke of!"

  They ran as hard as they could, shouting as they went, in the hope thatsomeone might intercept the fugitive. But he had too good a start, andin a few moments he had distanced them by climbing a rail fence anddisappearing into a thicket that came down to the edge of a field.

  "No use!" said Paul, disgustedly. "He got away from us. But I don'tsuppose it would have done us any good to catch him. We couldn't havedone anything--hello!"

  He ended with an exclamation of surprise, and stooped over. They wereat the foot of the fence the flying figure had climbed a moment before.

  "What is it, Paul?" asked Arthur, eagerly.

  "This!" said Paul. He held up a small black pocket-book, and from ithe took a package of papers, wrapped in oil silk. "I struck against itwith my foot! I wonder if that man who was running could have droppedit?"

  It was almost dark by this time; too dark, at any rate, for them to beable to see the papers. But then Arthur remembered the pocketflashlight he carried and produced it, switching on the light.

  "Let's have a look," he said.

  They unwrapped the oil silk covering. And, at the first sight of whatwas within it, they gasped. They were holding in their hands acomplete sketch of the fort of Boncelles, the most important of theworks defending Liege to the southwest. Before they could examine itmore fully there was a shout from the fence. The spy had missed hispapers. They saw him for a moment. But now it was their turn to run.