CHAPTER XI.
A BREAK FOR LIBERTY.
Chilled to the bone by their cold swim the boys marched along with chattering teeth. Their clothes froze to them until they were stiff, and the lads moved with difficulty.
"Where are you taking us?" asked Hal, shaking with cold.
"To my quarters right now," was the reply, "where I shall let you warm up a bit before taking you before General Steinbach."
It was a long walk to the quarters of Captain Eberhardt, for as such the captain later gave his name, and when they reached there both lads were blue with cold.
Captain Eberhardt's condition was just as bad, and once inside the hut all three shed their frozen garments and drew close to the fire. Here they thawed out quickly, and the German officer motioned them to seats.
"You are both brave lads, as I learned a long time ago," he said, "and it pains me that I must turn you over to my commanding officer. I bear you no grudge for anything you have done against me, and if I could do otherwise I would. But my duty is clear. The necessity of war demands that you be tried by court-martial."
"Tried by court-martial!" exclaimed Chester. "What for?"
"You were found within our lines in civilian clothes. Had you been in uniform you would have been treated as prisoners of war. As it is—"
The captain broke off and shrugged his shoulders expressively.
"True," said Hal quietly. "I forgot."
"So we are to be shot as spies, eh?" said Chester.
"I am sorry," replied Captain Eberhardt. "I will speak a word for you, but I doubt if it will do any good."
"Thanks," said Hal.
They sat about the little fire for several hours, when the German officer, arising, said:
"Well, whenever you are ready I shall conduct you before General
Steinbach."
"We are ready any time," replied Chester.
The lads followed the captain from the tent, and at last stood before the German commander. Here Captain Eberhardt briefly explained the details of the capture.
"And you say they were in civilian attire?" asked the general.
"Yes, sir."
"Then they shall be given a trial, but unless they can show good reason for their actions they will be shot."
"But, General," said the captain, "I have told you that they wore civilian attire simply to get through our lines. I can vouch for the fact that they are not spies."
"You can make your statement before the trial board, sir," replied the commander briefly. "I may as well say, however, that I do not believe you will be able to do them much good. You know our rules are ironclad."
The lads returned to Captain Eberhardt's tent, the general ordering him to guard them until they should appear for trial early the following morning.
"I am afraid I cannot be of much help to you," said the captain. "I am sorry."
"Never mind," replied Hal. "We are grateful for what you have done for us. Of course we know that you are governed by a sense of duty in capturing us, and we would have been forced to do the same had we been in your position."
"I am glad to have you say that. However, I shall do what I can for you."
An hour later all turned in and soon were fast asleep.
Hal had been asleep for perhaps three hours when he was suddenly awakened. Glancing up quickly he was surprised to see Chester standing over the sleeping figure of Captain Eberhardt. His arms were free and he had untied his legs.
Just before the three had turned in Captain Eberhardt, with an apology for the necessity of his actions, had bound them. Chester, after sleeping for perhaps an hour, had roused up, and, by holding his hands over the blaze, had loosened the knot that bound them. Then quickly untying his feet, he had relieved the German officer of his weapons, and in turn had bound and gagged him. He was just approaching Hal when the latter awoke and saw him.
To untie his chum was the work of a moment. Then the boys, in low tones, talked over what was best to be done.
"There is no use staying here," said Hal. "Every moment brings us that much nearer death."
"Right," agreed Chester. "Therefore, to my way of thinking, the sooner we make a start the better."
Without further delay the lads stepped cautiously from the hut. Keeping out of the glare of the small fires on the outside they stole away in the darkness.
At the far end of the camp, toward the river, they came upon a troop of horses picketed. Silently Hal crept forward, and with his penknife slashed the ropes with which two of the horses were tied. Leading the animals quietly some distance away, he gave the bridle of one to Chester.
Quickly both lads leaped to the saddles.
Chester now passed one of the weapons he had taken from Captain Eberhardt to Hal, and, grasping a bridle in one hand and a revolver in the other, the lads urged their mounts silently forward.
They passed close to several bodies of moving troops, but were not challenged.
Hal rode his horse close alongside of Chester.
"We had better bear off to the east or west," he said. "We may not have so much difficulty in getting across the river there."
"Right," Chester agreed. "They will probably be keeping a careful watch along here, as the result of to-day's doings."
The lads turned their horses' heads to the right, and headed in a direction that eventually would bear them to Coucy, on the French side of the Aisne, should they be able to get through the German line.
Consequently they did not approach the river bank for upward of two hours.
Perhaps a mile from the river the lads came upon thousands of sleeping men, housed in little tents. Here and there sentries flitted about in the dark and campfires blazed merrily.
Keeping their horses well out of the glare of the fires, and going very slowly, so as to make no sound, they drew nearer and nearer to the river. The Germans were some distance back from the water's edge, to escape the danger of being bombarded by the heavy guns of the French during the night, and consequently there was quite an open space between the river and the most advanced German outpost.
Their horses made no sound, and they crept between the sleeping thousands, evading, by careful vigilance, the eyes of the enemy's sentries.
At last they were beyond the German line. Urging their mounts on with low words, they at length reached the edge of the little stream.
Without a moment's hesitation they forced the animals into the icy water, and the big German chargers, after shivering once or twice, struck out for the opposite shore.
The water was bitterly cold, and the lads drew themselves out as much as possible, holding their arms aloft, weapons in hand, that they might keep the revolvers dry.
There was no sound from the German side of the river until they were in midstream. Then one German sentry, chancing to cast his eye over the distant water, made out the two forms in the moonlight.
Instantly he brought his rifle to his shoulder and fired.
But the distance was too great for accurate shooting and he missed. At the sound of the shot the lads urged their horses to even greater efforts, and soon were upon the opposite shore, in comparative safety.
"Well, we are over here at last," said Chester gleefully, in spite of the fact that he was shaking with the cold.
"Right," said Hal; "and the thing to do now is to find a fire before we freeze to death."
They rode forward.
Suddenly in the moonlight a squad of armed men sprang up before them as though by magic.
"Halt!" rang out a command.
The lads drew up their horses and raised their hands above their heads.
"Who are you?" came a voice.
"British officers," replied Hal, "on our way to Soissons with a dispatch for General Joffre."
"Advance!" came the command, and the two lads obeyed.
An officer approached and looked at them closely. At sight of their civilian clothes he stepped back.
"How do I know you are British officers?" he asked.
"Because I say so," replied Hal angrily. "Take us to your commanding officer at once. We have just come across the river. Do you want us to freeze to death here in the cold?"
"But he was not to be disturbed," replied the officer hesitatingly.
"Well, you lead us to his tent and we'll do the disturbing," said Chester gruffly. "Hurry up, man."
Without further words the young officer motioned for the lads to follow him, and, dismounting, they did so. At the entrance of a rather large tent the officer halted.
"I don't like to disturb him," he said, "but—"
"We might possibly be German spies," said Chester, "so you had better arouse him at once—unless you want to take the responsibility upon yourself and find us quarters for the night."
"Oh, I couldn't do that," was the quick reply.
"Well, then, get your commanding officer out here immediately," ordered Hal. "We are officers of General French's staff, and we are entitled to some consideration, if we have to fight for it."
The French officer finally entered the tent, and returned a few moments later followed by the officer in command of the outpost. To him the lads explained the mission and recent difficulties, and the officer soon had them fixed up with comfortable quarters, where, safe once more and perfectly easy in their minds, they turned in for the night, and soon were sleeping the sleep of the exhausted.
On the opposite shore the German camp was in confusion. The escape of the prisoners had been discovered, and Captain Eberhardt, held responsible for his prisoners' disappearance, was under arrest.