Belgians to the Front

by Ralph Henry Barbour

  CHAPTER XV

  THE BUTCHER'S WIFE

  Major Kellner was walking.

  "I am saddle weary," he explained. "So I am walking for a time for arest and a change, while they lead my horse. Walk with me, you youngones."

  They found that Major Kellner, gruff as he was, was really an officerof the same kindly type as Colonel Schmidt, whom it seemed he knew verywell.

  "If Colonel Schmidt was satisfied to let you go, it is well," he said."Now tell me what you have seen."

  There was not much, of course, that they could tell him. He was nottrying, it seemed, to extract military information from them, butwanted to know how the Belgian people felt about the war.

  "We have nothing against your people," he said. "It is the stupidgovernment that has caused all this trouble. Had King Albert submittedto the inevitable, his country would not have suffered. We do not wishto be harsh with the people."

  "Then why are you burning their farmhouses and their villageseverywhere?" asked Arthur, boldly. "Standing on the hilltop, we couldsee the smoke on all sides."

  Major Kellner laughed.

  "It is kind sometimes to be cruel," he said. "We have a great work todo, and whoever stands in our way must suffer. We want the Belgians tounderstand that if they do not oppose us, except with their armies,they will be spared. But we must make an example of those who fire atus treacherously, or who keep guns and other weapons after we haveordered them to be given up. If we are severe with those who haverefused to heed the warning that we have given, it is so that theothers will pay more attention. It is better to burn a few villagesthan to destroy your beautiful city of Brussels, is it not?"

  "But why do either?" parried Arthur then.

  "Because the lives of our soldiers must be guarded against the skulkingmurderers who hide behind a window and shoot when there is no chancefor our men to reply. Our men take their lives in their hands whenthey go to war, and if they die on the field of battle, they diewillingly because they know that it is for the Fatherland. So we mustpreserve them for that glorious death."

  Arthur was silent. He was not convinced, but he felt that it would dono good to argue, and Paul, moreover, had managed to look at him, sothat he understood that his chum and leader wanted him to be quiet.

  When they came near to Hannay Major Kellner mounted his horse again,since he had to maintain his dignity when he was entering a capturedplace, however small it might be. He spurred his horse on and took hisplace at the head of the battalion.

  "Now we're in a nice fix, aren't we?" said Arthur, disgustedly. "We'refurther from our own army than ever! Likely to stay, too!"

  "I hope that we shall be able to get away from here soon, Arthur. Idon't believe they'll hold us very long. And we're really in luck, Isuppose. If there are German troops all around, others would have heldus up, if we hadn't come on this detachment, and we've had proof forourselves that all the officers wouldn't treat us as well as MajorKellner. Suppose it was that young lieutenant of Uhlans who had caughtus?"

  Arthur made a grimace.

  "Ugh!" he said. "Yes, that's true! Or a detachment that had that manRidder along! You're right, Paul. We might be a great deal worse offthan we are! But I'll tell you one thing. When we come back intoHannay with the Germans, there will be a lot of people there who aresure that we have been in league with them from the beginning."

  "I hope not," said Paul, looking troubled. "But I'm afraid you'reright. They can't understand, of course. I don't blame them forfeeling as they do. But it's rather hard, when I was only trying to dowhat would be best for them. And I believe we did save them fromhaving a very bad time there. You see, these people have a couple ofguns along. They're not very big, and they wouldn't make very muchimpression on a fortified place, but if they were turned on adefenseless village like Hannay, they would destroy it in a very fewminutes."

  In Hannay, as the battalion marched in, past the remains of thebarricade, at which most of the men looked with a tolerant smile, thestreet was again deserted. Major Kellner rode straight up to themairie, and Paul and Arthur could see that he was holding a conferencewith the maire. The battalion was halted and during this conferencestood at ease. Then quick orders came back; never from the officers,but always, Paul noticed, from the non-commissioned officers, to whomthe captains and lieutenants gave the commands.

  Then the battalion split up. One company broke ranks and immediatelyswarmed through the village, looking curiously at everything, while theother marched on, passing out of sight before long in a cloud of dust.Major Kellner remained with the company that stayed behind, and Pauland Arthur, who were at liberty, seemingly, to wander about the villageas they pleased, saw him looking for quarters in disgust. After a timehe settled upon the house of the local doctor, and there he and theofficers were soon at home. Meanwhile the men scattered themselves inthe different houses of the place, two to each house, as a rule, thoughsometimes there were more.

  "Why are they staying here, I wonder?" said Arthur.

  "I don't know," said Paul, with a shrug of his shoulders. "But Isuppose there will be fighting all along here if the Germans advance onBrussels. It's all done on orders from the staff headquarters, yousee. If I knew what sort of a force was operating here, perhaps Icould tell you. I think Liege is being attacked by one armycorps--that's about forty-five thousand men, in three divisions. Thesemen may be part of a division that is operating independently, or theymay be getting their orders from the headquarters of a whole army."

  "What do you mean by army? The whole German army?"

  "No. You know roughly how they will divide their forces, don't you?An army has a certain work to do. It may be of almost any size--twohundred, three hundred, even five or six hundred thousand men. Thatis, from five to fifteen army corps. It has its own commandinggeneral, who is responsible to the general staff. One plan that I'veheard talked about as likely to be used by the Germans is to have twoarmies coming through Belgium, one through Luxembourg, one throughLorraine and one from the Rhine Valley. Then they would have one armyin East Prussia and another in Silesia to fight against the Russians."

  "I see. Paul, aren't you hungry? I am."

  "So am I, now that you remind me of it! Let's see if we can't buysomething to eat. I think we can, if the Germans haven't takeneverything."

  But now, as they went about trying to find someone to sell them food,they found that Arthur's fear as to the opinion the villagers had ofthem was justified by the facts. At first they met only excuses.

  "I have had to give up all I can spare for the Prussians," they weretold.

  But finally, when they went to the shop of Raymond the butcher, hopingto buy some meat and cook it for themselves, they got plain speech.

  "Go to your Prussian friends if you want food!" said Raymond, eyeingthem angrily. "You will get none from any good Belgian in Hannay, Ican tell you!"

  "The Prussians are not our friends! They forced us to come back withthem because they had forbidden everyone to travel in the direction wehad taken," said Paul.

  "Tell that to the gatepost!" said Raymond. "Be off with you! Youfooled our people this morning, but now they know the truth."

  And so Paul and Arthur faced the prospect of going hungry. They mighthave appealed to Major Kellner, who had shown himself inclined to befriendly toward them, apparently because his boy was, like them, a BoyScout. But that neither of them would do.

  "I'd rather go without than ask the Germans for anything!" said Arthur.

  "So would I!" agreed Paul. "But I would like to get away from here."

  That, however, proved to be impossible. Sentries were posted all aboutthe village, and new notices had been added to those the Uhlans hadposted earlier in the day, forbidding anyone to leave Hannay untilpermission was given by the officer in command of the German troops.

  "I could laugh if it weren't so unpleasant!" declared Paul. "Thesepoor people, whose village would be in ruins now except for us,
thinkwe have betrayed them! And the Germans would send us home asprisoners, if we were lucky, if they even guessed that it was becauseof us that they were kept from taking Liege in their first attack!"

  "The only one who gave us so much as a friendly look was the wife ofRaymond, the butcher," said Arthur, thoughtfully.

  "Did you see that? So did I! I think perhaps he has got his courageback and has frightened her--but she was on our side this morning, too.Perhaps if we could see her alone, a little later, she would sell ussome food. I tell you what we will do. We will watch to see if hedoes not go out, and then if the coast is clear, we will try her again."

  "Yes. Paul, I shall never let them send a beggar away who asks forfood if we ever get home! I know now how they must feel."

  The two scouts were in no danger of starvation, of course, and theywere plucky enough, as they had certainly proved, to be able to endurea little discomfort if it were necessary. But they suffered the morefrom their hunger because there was nothing for them to do. Until theGermans revoked the order that kept them from leaving Hannay, theycould not make a move toward giving the proper authorities theinformation they possessed. And so they tried to be patient while theywatched for Raymond to go out in the dusk that was now beginning tofall.

  They saw him several times, when men came to his shop and went in totalk to him. And at last, when it was almost dark, he emerged, lookingstealthily about him as he came into the street, perhaps for Germansoldiers. There were none near by. All save the sentries weregathered together about a great fire that they had built, and weresinging while the busy camp cooks prepared their supper for them. Thiswas the first time that Paul and Arthur had heard German troopssinging. They were to learn, before long, that that was their usualcustom when they were off duty.

  Now, as soon as the butcher was well out of sight--he had gone, theynoticed, in the direction of the barricade he had caused to bebuilt--the scouts went quickly to his place and went in. There was onelight placed by the door, but at first they could not see his wife.Then they heard the sound of someone sobbing, and called. It was thewoman who had helped them in the morning.

  "Oh!" she said, chokingly. "It is you! I hoped you would come--poorboys! Here is a parcel of bread and meat I hid for you. Oh, I am insuch trouble!"

  "Why? What is the matter?" asked Paul.

  She trembled and for a moment seemed afraid to say more. Then shegathered her courage.

  "It is Raymond," she said. "He has concealed some guns! He and someof the others mean to fire on the German officers!"

  "But that is madness!" said Paul. "What good does he think that willdo?"

  "He says that the men, without their officers, will be terrified andwill run away. He says it is an easy thing to do, since they think allour men are afraid of them."

  "It ought to be stopped for their own sake, and for the sake ofHannay," said Arthur. "I thought Paul was wrong at first, but I cansee now that he was not."

  "Do you know their plans? Tell me all you know," said Paul quickly, ina tone of command.

  "You will not--betray them to the Germans?"

  "I am a Belgian," said Paul. "I shall try to save them and all inHannay from the ruin that such a thing would mean. You may trust me."

  "Then the guns are hidden in the cellar of Marcel's wine shop. Theyplan to get into the cellar from the back of the house, where there isa concealed door. Very late one of them is to raise an alarm--how I donot know. They expect the German officers to run out of the doctor'shouse, and then they will shoot them down. It will not be beforemidnight."

  "Then there should be time enough to stop it," said Paul, withdecision. "Thank you for your bread and meat, madame. Perhaps weshall repay you by saving your home and your husband's life. Come on,Arthur."

  "What will you do, Paul?" asked Arthur, when they were alone.

  "I don't know yet, Arthur. I want to see this wine shop. Then perhapswe can make up a plan together. It would be easy to tell the Germans,but they would burn the wine shop. And I do not want to tell them ifthere is another way."