CHAPTER XVII.
BACK INTO ITALY.
"Now here," said Stubbs, "are my papers. You just take them, and for themoment you will be Anthony Stubbs, war correspondent of the New York_Gazette_. You are a little young looking, so put on all the airs youcan, for they'll think you must be awful good to have such a job."
Chester and the little war correspondent had left Trieste without troubleand had arrived in Trent without adventure of any kind. True to his word,Stubbs had arranged for Chester's departure with him and now the time forparting had come.
Chester took the papers Stubbs held out to him and thrust them intohis pocket.
"And when will you be across?" he asked.
"Oh, I'll be there before the day is over," was the reply. "When you onceget within the Italian lines, you demand to be taken to the nearestgeneral commanding a division and explain matters to him. Then wait forme, if it is until to-morrow. I'll be there."
"All right," agreed Chester.
"I'll walk as far as the outposts with you," said Stubbs. "No, I won'teither," on second thought. "I'll be wanting to get out myself directlyand it wouldn't do for us to be seen together."
He held out his hand.
"Good-bye, and good luck," he said. "You just do as I tell you and you'llhave no trouble. Remember, you are just as big as any of these fellows,and a whole lot bigger, if it comes to that."
Chester gripped the hand hard.
"Good-bye," he said, "and thanks."
The little man gazed after the boy as the latter strode away withshoulders squared and head held high.
"He'll do," he muttered to himself.
Chester disappeared, and Stubbs turned and strode in the oppositedirection.
"Now for my holler--and my new papers," he told himself.
Chester was halted at the extreme Austrian front. He produced Stubbs'papers, which he gave the man without a word. Luckily, as Stubbs hadexplained, the safe conduct was simply made out to "Anthony Stubbs, warcorrespondent," without description.
The officer scanned the papers closely, looked Chester over from head tofoot and seemed about to speak. Chester gazed at him sternly and theAustrian closed his lips without uttering a word. He shrugged hisshoulders, summoned an orderly and commanded:
"Take a flag of truce and conduct this gentleman to the Italian lines."
Two hours later Chester was safe.
To the Italian officer who approached him, he demanded to be taken to thegeneral commanding the division, and this was done without protest.Chester explained the circumstances to the general, and the latterbelieved him. He turned him over to an orderly, with instructions that hebe taken care of; and in a tent of his own, Chester sat down to await thearrival of Stubbs.
Stubbs, after Chester had left him, immediately betook himself to thecommander of the Austrian forces at this point. The latter received him,although he didn't know Stubbs from any one else.
"General," said Stubbs, "somebody stole my papers, among them a safeconduct to the Italian lines. I want to get there."
"No papers, no safe conduct," replied the general briefly.
This was what Stubbs had expected.
"Look here now, general," he said familiarly, "that's no way for you totalk. I want to get into Italy, and I had safe conduct from GeneralOberlatz at Trieste."
The Austrian commander got to his feet.
"I have told you, sir," he said, "that without papers you cannot leaveour lines."
"I heard you," replied Stubbs, "but you don't seem to understand theanswer to my being here. I've got to get into the Italian lines. Youcan't blame me. The fellow you want is the one who stole my papers; he'sprobably a spy."
"And you may be one, too," said the officer.
"Sure, I may be," said Stubbs; "only I'm not. Now, I'll tell you, youjust push through a little wire to General Oberlatz and he'll straightenthis thing out."
"Can't be done," replied the general.
"But it's got to be done," declared Stubbs. "I can't stay around herewhen I have orders to go elsewhere. I don't want to have to take thismatter up with my friend, the archduke."
The Austrian commander looked up in surprise at this last remark.
"You know the archduke?" he questioned.
"Well, rather," said Stubbs. "He and I are pretty good friends."
"Then," said the general, "it would do no harm for you to appeal to himin person."
"You're right, there, general," declared Stubbs. "My friend, thearchduke, would fix this thing up in a minute. The only trouble on thatscore is the matter of time. Time is precious, you know, general, andtime presses."
"Fortunately for you," said the officer, "the archduke happens to be inthe next room at this moment. If you will be seated, I shall call him."
Stubbs sat down abruptly. A slight whistle escaped him, though it did notcarry to the general's ears.
"Good night!" muttered the little man to himself. "I've sure enough goneand done it this time."
But Stubbs didn't betray himself. To the general he said:
"The archduke here? By Jove! This is what I call luck. Have him come outand talk to me."
With a bow, the Austrian commander turned and passed from the room. Themoment he crossed the threshold, Stubbs sprang to his feet and dashed tothe door through which he had entered a few moments before.
"This," he said, as he came again into the open, "is no place forAnthony Stubbs."
He disappeared from within view of the general's quarters withamazing rapidity.
"Wasn't much use of me patting the archduke on the back," he toldhimself. "Never having seen me before, I guess he wouldn't haveremembered me. I don't want to be shot."
Half a mile from the scene of his trouble, he entered a littlerestaurant and sat down to have something to eat and to figure out whathe should do.
"This place is going to be too small to hold me," he said to himself overa second cup of coffee. "They'll have all the natives on my trail. I'vegot to get over the frontier some way. The question before me is how?"
He meditated for some moments, then rose, paid his check and left therestaurant. In front of the door he stopped and looked toward the south,where, in the distance, he knew heavy Austrian patrols faced the Italianpickets only a few miles beyond.
"That's the way I want to go," he told himself. "So I may as well bestarting in that direction."
He moved off.
Possibly half a mile from the utmost Austrian line he stopped and satdown. So far he had been unchallenged and now, as he sat there, a plancame to him. He took his revolver from his pocket and examined it.
"I'll try it," he said briefly to himself. "If Chester knew what I wasabout to do, he would be greatly surprised. But the thing is I am moreafraid to stay here than I am to take this chance."
He arose and moved on. As he expected, probably five minutes later, amounted officer came toward him. There was no one else near. He haltedthe correspondent.
"Where are you going?" he asked sharply.
"I'll tell you," was the reply. "I am a war correspondent and I am justlooking about a bit. Am I going too far? If so, I shall turn back."
"Well, I can permit you to go no farther," said the Austrian, with asmile.
"Oh, all right," said Stubbs.
He drew a cigar from his pocket, bit off the end, struck a match andlighted it. Then, with a start, he produced a second cigar.
"Beg pardon," he said. "Have a smoke?"
The Austrian signified that he would. Stubbs gave him the cigar andstruck a second match. The Austrian leaned from his horse and put thecigar to the flame. At that moment Stubbs drew his revolver with his freehand and, dropping the match, seized the Austrian by the leg with theother. The latter came tumbling from his horse, and when he looked up, hegazed squarely into the mouth of Stubbs' revolver.
"Quiet," said the little man briefly. "I want you to changeclothes with me."
The Austrian appeared about to protest, but changed his mind andsigni
fied his willingness to comply with the command.
"Stand off there and remove your clothes," ordered Stubbs, pointing.
The man obeyed, Stubbs the while keeping him covered with his revolver.The man's clothes removed, Stubbs approached him.
"I'll have to tie you up minus your outer garments," he told him. "Ican't take any chances on you while I am donning your robes."
He tied him up in most approved fashion and then gagged him with hishandkerchief.
"Just to keep you from giving an alarm," he said.
Rapidly he donned the Austrian's clothes and then walked over to hishorse. This he mounted and turned the animal's head southward. He waved ahand at the Austrian.
"_Auf Wiedersehen_," he said, and rode away.
He kept as far as possible from the Austrian troops that patrolled theoutposts and half an hour later was beyond the Austrian lines. Out ofsight he halted and discarded the Austrian uniform he had drawn on overhis civilian attire and then rode on more confidently.
And the little man welcomed a command that broke upon his ears a shorttime later:
"Halt!"
He drew rein. A soldier in Italian uniform advanced toward him.
"Thank the Lord," said the little man.
He drew a hand across a moist brow and gave a whistle of pure relief.
"No one will ever know how scared I was," he muttered. "Now tofind Chester."
He turned to the soldier who had accosted him.
"Take me immediately to your commanding officer," he ordered.
Boy Allies in Great Peril; Or, With the Italian Army in the Alps Page 17
