CHAPTER XII.
A NOBLE SACRIFICE.
"You say Captain Eberhardt is to be shot? What for?" demanded Hal.
"For allowing his prisoners to escape," was the reply of the German soldier, captured the following morning by a squad of French troopers, who had picked him up on their side of the river, where he had been on scout duty.
The conversation was taking place in the tent of the French officer in charge of the outpost. Questioned upon various topics the German had volunteered the information that Captain Eberhardt, from whom Hal and Chester had escaped the night before, was to be put to death.
"Tell us more about it," said Chester.
"Well, there isn't much to tell," said the soldier. "During the night a shot gave notice of the escape of two prisoners. General Steinbach, suspecting the cause of the shot, went himself to Captain Eberhardt's tent. There he found the captain bound and gagged. He immediately ordered him put under arrest, and commanded that he be executed at noon to-day for allowing the prisoners to get away. That is all there is about it."
Chester quickly drew his watch from his pocket and glanced at it.
"Nine o'clock," he said; "plenty of time."
"Plenty of time for what?" asked Hal in surprise.
"Why, plenty of time to save Captain Eberhardt."
"What have you got on your mind now?" demanded Hal, grasping his friend by the arm. "How do you figure you are going to save him?"
"Go back across the river," said Chester briefly.
"Go back!"
"Exactly. Didn't Captain Eberhardt put himself out attempting to save us?
He interceded for us, didn't he?"
"Yes, but—"
"Well, then, it is our fault that he is to be executed."
"I know all that," said Hal; "but, if we go back to intercede for him, we shall probably be shot in his stead."
"That's a chance we must take," said Chester briefly.
"Well," said Hal slowly, after some hesitation, "I don't know but you are right."
"Of course I'm right," declared Chester. "We can't stand by and have a man shot because of us."
He turned to the French officer, who stood by with wide-open mouth while this conversation progressed.
"Can you furnish us with a couple of French uniforms?" he asked.
"Why, yes," was the reply, "but I—"
"Never mind the rest of it," Chester broke in, "we haven't much time."
The officer said no more, but quickly left the tent, returning in a few moments with two uniforms, which he gave the lads.
"What's the object in changing clothes?" asked Hal.
"It may help a bit," replied Chester. "If we went back in civilian attire we would undoubtedly be shot."
"I don't see that changing now will help matters," said Hal.
"Well, I hardly think so, either; but it may."
Attired in the uniforms of French lieutenants, the boys were at last ready to go; but, before leaving, Hal drew the dispatch he carried and put it into the hands of the French officer, saying:
"Will you have this forwarded to General Joffre at once?"
"It shall be done," was the reply. "I shall attend to it immediately."
"I guess that's all, then," said Chester. "Good-by."
The French officer shook hands with them warmly.
"You are brave," he said simply, as the lads left him.
On the river they found a small rowboat. Into this they climbed hurriedly and set out for the opposite shore. Halfway across a bullet from the rifle of a German sentry greeted them. Chester immediately dropped his oars, and, standing erect in the boat, waved his handkerchief.
There was no further shooting.
On the opposite side of the river a squad of German troops, commanded by a sergeant, awaited them when they landed. Chester approached the sergeant, and said:
"Take us to General Steinbach at once."
"What for?" inquired the sergeant.
"That," said Hal quietly, "is none of your business."
"Is that so?" blustered the sergeant. "If you get too gay, I shall have you clapped in irons and kept right here."
"I'll guarantee that you shall lose your stripes if you do," returned Chester.
The German sergeant looked at him long and searchingly. Something in the lad's face must have impressed him, for he said gruffly:
"I'll take you to the general, but I warn you that your business with him must be urgent."
"It is," replied Chester, and once more he glanced at his watch.
It was now after eleven o'clock.
"Great Scott!" cried Chester, "if we don't hurry we are likely to be too late!"
Realizing that the lads—for some reason unknown to him—were in great haste, the sergeant, in spite of his recent gruffness, hurried them along.
It was a considerable distance to the German commander's headquarters, and Chester became nervous as the minutes flew by. Half past eleven came, and a quarter to twelve, and at last they came in sight of General Steinbach's tent.
They approached rapidly, and the sergeant inquired for the general.
"He has gone to witness the execution," was the reply.
"Where is the execution to take place?" asked Chester, stepping forward.
The German soldier pointed over his shoulder.
"Nice place for an execution back there," he said. "Plenty of trees, so the sun won't interfere with the aim of the executioners. I am waiting now to hear the pop of the rifles."
Chester darted hurriedly forward.
"Come on!" he cried to Hal.
Hal dashed after his friend. Neither heeded the frantic cries of the sergeant, who called on them to halt.
It was now four minutes to twelve, but in less than that time the lads, Chester in the lead, came upon the scene of the execution. Their eyes took in the situation at one brief glance, and Chester hurled himself forward.
Standing firmly erect, with his face to the west, was Captain Eberhardt. Facing him, with grounded rifles, were six soldiers. These made up the firing squad who were to snuff out the life of the German captain.
Right between these men and their victim Chester and Hal dashed.
There came a startled cry as the Germans made out the French uniforms in which the lads were dressed, and an exclamation of alarm broke out.
"The French!" came the cry.
The Germans turned quickly in the direction from which the lads had come, evidently expecting to see more of the enemy. Then General Steinbach, realizing that he only had two of the enemy to dispose of, raised a hand and commanded:
"Shoot them!"
The rifles of the Germans came to their shoulders, but before they could fire Chester stepped quickly toward the general and raised his hand.
With a quick command the general stayed the fire of the soldiers, and advanced to hear what the lad had to say. In their French uniforms, he had not recognized Hal and Chester as Captain Eberhardt's erstwhile prisoners.
"What is it?" he demanded sharply.
"This execution must not proceed," said Chester.
The general took a step back.
"And why not?" he asked.
"Because," said Chester, "Captain Eberhardt in no way aided the prisoners to escape. It was through no fault of his that they were able to get away."
"How do you know this?" asked General Steinbach. "Who are you?"
"We are the prisoners," replied Chester quietly.
"What!" exclaimed the general, starting back.
"Yes," said Hal, "we are the prisoners."
It did not take the German commander long to recover his poise, and he advanced toward the lads.
"I thought you had made good your escape," he said. "I was told that you had made you way into the French lines during the night."
"We did, sir," said Chester.
"Then how comes it that you are back here?"
"We learned from a prisoner this morning that Captain Eberhardt was to be shot because we escaped," said Chester, "so we came back to help him if possible."
"Do you mean to tell me," exclaimed General Steinbach, "that you risked your lives to save that of an enemy?"
"He interceded for us," said Hal quietly, "and it was because of us that he was sentenced to be shot. It was no more than right for us to save him if we could."
The general looked at them in undisguised amazement.
"Hïmmel!" he exclaimed, and added beneath his breath: "No wonder we are having such trouble disposing of these English!"
"We hope, sir," said Hal, walking up to the German commander, "that you will see fit to stay the execution."
"In that event, you will have to consider yourselves prisoners and stand trial as spies," was the reply.
The lads bowed their heads in assent.
The general threw wide his arms in a sudden gesture.
"Captain Eberhardt shall go free," he said.
He turned, and with a word, dismissed the firing squad.
Captain Eberhardt approached the lads and grasped each by the hand before the very eyes of the general.
"I can never thank you half enough," he said, and there were tears in his eyes.
"Oh, that's all right," said Chester. "We couldn't do less."
General Steinbach turned upon Hal and Chester.
"Such bravery as you have exhibited," he said quietly, "is not often seen. You are prisoners, but you have my word that you shall not even be tried as spies. You shall be treated as prisoners, and sent back to Berlin until the war is over."
Hal twisted his face into a wry expression.
"Back to Berlin!" he exclaimed in the deepest disgust, "where have I heard that expression before?"