Boy Scouts Mysterious Signal

Chapter 13

A GREAT SURPRISE

From the tone in which the remark was made Jimmie understood that the speaker was referring contemptuously to either himself or Dave.

He thought that he recognized the voice, but could not at once determine the identity of the one who made the statement. Just at the moment there appeared to be a world of canvas and ropes wound about his head and body. He gasped for breath.

Struggling to free himself from the entangling mass of cloth that seemed to be smothering and weighing him down, the lad presently found an opening, through which he thrust his head. Blinking rapidly as he cleared his eyes from the dust that had arisen because of the sudden downfall of the tent, the lad gazed about in astonishment.

"Here, here; cut it out!" he cried as he felt a rough hand laid upon his ankle. "What do you think you are doing, anyway?"

"Aus!" a rough voice sounded in his ear.

For a moment Jimmie lay without making an effort to rise. He was trying to regain his sense of location that had been momentarily disturbed because of his fall and sudden change of scene.

The next instant the hand shifted from his ankle to his collar, and he was unceremoniously dragged forth from the enveloping folds of the tent cloth. Without an apology the one who had so effectively taken the boy from his position set him upon his feet.

"Hands off!" the lad cried with hot resentment at the treatment. "Leave go of me or I'll start working on you! Who are you, anyway?"

"That will do, young man," spoke a well-known voice, and Jimmie recognized von Liebknecht. "Why do you enter my tent so rudely?"

"Is this your tent?" asked Jimmie, wrinkling his freckled nose and blinking at the officer as he sparred for time.

"It was!" came the reply in icy tones, for von Liebknecht was plainly angered. "Why do you enter unannounced?"

"Well, if you'd ever been on Wall street," Jimmie began, with a twinkle in his eye, "you'd understand me perfectly when I say that I took a little flier in aeroplanes. The stock went up rapidly, and I felt the bottom drop out of the market. When I landed, my surprise was, to say the least, quite 'in tents'!"

"You speak strangely," von Liebknecht replied. "What do you mean?"

"Sorry if I say things you can't understand," went on the boy, "but you will have to let me tell the story in my own way. Not to change the subject at all, but I'd like to ask after my partner."

"Your partner?" was von Liebknecht's surprised question.

"Yes, the lad who came with me. Did you see anything of him?"

"Oh, you mean the Boy Scout. He is somewhere about. He was not quite so fortunate as you. He is being cared for."

"Where?" was Jimmie's startled query. "Let me see him."

"All in good time. He is over there," replied von Liebknecht, pointing to a little group of officers and men not far away.

"Excuse me; I'll be back in a minute," stated Jimmie, darting in the direction indicated. "This is rotten luck!" he added as he approached the group. "I hope that kid isn't hurt badly."

Much to Jimmie's relief he saw the other boy rise to his feet as he approached. In another instant he was by the other's side.

"Are you hurt badly?" he inquired solicitously.

"Not hurt a bit!" declared Dave, drawing himself to his full height and stretching one arm after the other to prove his statement.

"But you're pretty thoroughly shaken up, though!" declared the red-headed lad. "You must have fallen harder than I did."

"Well, I'll admit that last statement," laughed Dave. "I guess the breath was jolly well knocked out of me, don't you know."

"Not quite Johnnie Bull enough to be English," mused Jimmie aloud, "but still too much Johnnie Bull to be strictly United States. Say, Scout, where are you from, and what is your name, and where are you going?" he went on, gazing earnestly at the stranger.

Dave laughed at Jimmie's broadside of questions and answered by introducing himself. He received in turn a statement of Jimmie's name and rank, together with the name of his patrol.

"What were you trying to do?" asked Jimmie as he noted that Dave was able to stand alone and even to walk a few steps.

"Why, we were trying to give you a chance to get out of this mess," replied Dave. "If it hadn't been for the rotten luck that German marksman had in cutting the line by which we hung, we'd have made it, too!"

"And then the German army would surely have been defeated," put in Jimmie with a broad smile, "for without this valuable addition to his fighting forces the Kaiser would never be able to conduct this war at all properly. They need me here in the army, it seems."

"It begins to look to me as if they'll be needing me, too," added Dave. "I'll wager a pretty penny they won't let either of us go now!"

"We'll see about that," confidently replied The Wolf. "We may have a word or two to say in our own behalf. We'll try, anyway."

"What shall we do now?" asked Dave as he brushed a bit of dust from his uniform. "We can't very well take French leave just now."

"We'd better report to von Liebknecht, who is in command here. He'll be apt to make us carry garbage away from the kitchen, but we'll have to submit to that until the opportunity for escape appears. Here he comes now. Just keep a stiff upper lip and leave the talking to me."

But von Liebknecht spared both Jimmie and Dave the necessity of making explanations. His men had already reported fully the attempted rescue of their red-headed recruit by those in the aeroplane.

A sharp order was given, and instantly the boys were being escorted toward the stables. There they were assigned to tasks under the watchful eyes of certain soldiers, amongst whom Jimmie noted his erstwhile friend Otto. In the hurry and excitement of breaking camp conversation between the newly made chums was impossible.

From that moment the boys noted preparations for the departure of the regiment. Far into the night they worked side by side with the soldiers of the Imperial Kaiser, loading horses and various items of baggage and supplies into a train waiting not far distant from the camp.

By the time that the last horse had been properly placed in the cars and the last item of baggage was correctly stowed, the lads were so weary and exhausted they were glad to lay themselves on a pile of forage. In another moment they were both fast asleep.

Jimmie was wakened by the stopping of the train. He reached out a hand and touched Dave on the arm. As Dave turned and was about to rise, Jimmie slid his hands over the other's lips.

"Hush-sh-sh!" he whispered in a scarcely audible tone. "I don't know where we are. Maybe we'll have a chance to make a getaway."

"Let's try to find out where we are," replied Dave, instantly wide awake and using the same cautious tone employed by The Wolf.

Carefully the boys rose from their position and proceeded to a position where they could look from the car.

"No use!" declared Jimmie as he peered forth. "They've got the track lighted up all along the train, and there are about 'steen billion or so of soldiers patrolling the blooming train!"

"I can count up to seventeen million myself," added Dave in the same spirit. "After that I lose count on a fat one. I don't know whether to count him as two or whether I'm seeing double."

"I guess you're not seeing double at all, at all," replied Jimmie. "I think I see the same guy myself. He's certainly some big gun!"

"Which one do you mean?" queried Dave, trying to locate the one Jimmie referred to. "I can't quite make him out right now."

"That fellow over there," answered the other, pointing toward the forward end of the train. "Can't you see the big automobile that just pulled up? I saw that big guy get out of it just now."

"Sure enough!" declared Dave. "I can see the auto now, and I think I can see the man, too. Wonder who he is and what he wants."

"Probably he's only a station master or something," said Jimmie with feigned unconcern. "Maybe it's the Kaiser himself for all we know. If it is he, I'm going to scold him roundly for deserting all the perfectly good sausages in Berlin and coming way out here just to stop our perfectly good little train. Wonder what he wants."

"There they come now," went on Dave excitedly. "They're all coming along this way, and it looks as if he's going back to the caboose. Maybe he's going to ride with us a little way."

"Can you see what they're trying to do now?" asked Jimmie.

"In just a minute I will," was the answer. "Let me get a good hold here and I'll lean out a ways from the car."

Dave grasped the side of the door and leaned far out from the carriage in which the boys were riding. Had he not done so the result might have been far different. Jimmie had only time to utter a single word of caution before he saw that his chum was slipping.

With a cry Dave tried to regain his lost balance. Finding that it was impossible to draw himself back into the car, the lad chose the only other possible course and leaped into the air in an effort to land squarely on his feet as he left the car.

In this he was successful. He came down beside the track upon his feet, turning just in time to face the approaching group.

Jimmie gazed in wonderment and amazement upon the features of the man he had previously noted. For a moment he stared speechless.

"Well, I'll be sold for a cent!" he declared as he observed the individual closely. "If it isn't the Kaiser I'll eat my hat!"

It was indeed none other than the Kaiser himself! Jimmie had recognized the man because he had seen so many pictures of the notable person who was directing the fighting forces of a great nation.

Instantly the lad recognized the fact that he was committing an act of extreme incivility in thus shouting out the identity of so august and important a personage. Yet he also knew that it was too late to retract his statement. He therefore, with his usual air of unconcern, determined to face the matter and make the best of it.

Without waiting for further preliminaries the lad dropped to the ground and placed himself beside his comrade.

Drawing himself to his full height, the lad faced the Kaiser and saluted, using the well-known form adopted by the Boy Scouts.

Much to his astonishment, his salute was gravely returned by the other, and the party came to a halt.

"What can I do for you?" inquired the Kaiser in a not unkindly tone, dropping his hand again to his side.

"Well," began Jimmie, scarcely knowing just how he should address the man, "in the first place, we are not spies, and then, besides, we'd like to get back to the United States without any trouble."

"So?" inquired the other. "And why do you wish to go to the United States, may I ask? Is your business urgent there?"

"Not at all," replied Jimmie. "Nothing urgent about it except that we understand you are having a war over here and we don't want to get mixed up in it. That's all, and it's enough, too!"

"And you declare that you are not spies. Who has said you were?"

"Well, it seems to be the pretty general opinion that because I was found in Peremysl with a Cossack uniform on that I am a Russian," went on Jimmie. "Mr. von Liebknecht, here, seems to think that I am trying to get back to the Russian army with a lot of information that I haven't got and--oh, a whole lot of things!"

So great was the lad's excitement at an opportunity to unburden his grievances that he spoke rapidly. As he paused for breath the other looked about the group of officers. Then he said:

"This is indeed a strange circumstance. Just now the regiment is moving westward, and it is not proper that they should be delayed. Orders have been given for their departure, and they must be obeyed. If you will come with me we will inquire into the merits of your case and decide what shall be done. Will you do that?"

"Yes, sir, we'll be glad to," replied Jimmie, turning to Dave for confirmation. "We'll go with you."