“Here is the packet you are to place in the hands of General Joffre personally and as quickly as you can get to Headquarters. If they could have been sent by aeroplane it would have been done, but that means was not available. I am putting a great trust in your hands, my boy; see that you carry it through as becomes a true-hearted American Scout.”
Thad without any hesitation accepted the packet and hastened to conceal it upon his person. It must have struck him that in so doing he was taking more or less risk, for should he happen to be caught by any raiding German column he would be treated harshly, and might even be looked upon as a spy.
“And now, sir, how about the directions?” he asked quietly, trying to keep his voice well under control.
“I will give them to you plainly, and I request all of you to listen carefully, so that if one should forget another can remedy the defect.”
Then the surgeon proceeded to describe just how the course was to be followed; telling how many miles they would proceed along a certain road, how they were to know where to branch off, and, finally, taking them to an obscure spot far in the rear of the French battle-line, where the great General Joffre had his headquarters, sending most of his orders forth by telephone, or it might be aeroplanes, which, it appears, is the modern way of conducting a great engagement between hundreds of thousands of combatants on either side.
“Do you think you can remember it all clearly now?” demanded the surgeon, when he had finished his instructions.
“I’ve got it printed like a map in my mind,” said Thad. “Scouts are taught to do that sort of thing, you know, sir; and unless something we don’t count on hits us a hard blow we’ll get to General Joffre’s headquarters all right. Now please make some arrangement for a vehicle. Can you get us a car, sir?”
“I suppose you are used to driving one?” queried the other with a smile; he had apparently taken a most decided fancy to Thad, and deep down in his heart believed the wide-awake lad could do almost anything that was possible for the best of them to attempt.
“Oh! yes, we know a whole lot about such things, sir;” Thad assured him; “but I hope we have better luck than with an old rattletrap affair we got hold of along the Rhine when we heard war had broken out and tried to break through the lines so as to reach Antwerp.”
“I’ll see what can be done,” said he.