“He was in a big touring car, just leaving the outskirts of Paris. He was with his old master who is a celebrated surgeon at the front and they were both going back to his hospital. Duke told me to tell you that he was very sorry to leave you all without a chance to thank you for being so good to him and to say good-by. When he left the boat he had only intended to run up in the city and take a look at his old home, but when he got there who should he see coming out of the house but his old master, who was just going to get him at the dogs’ hospital, where he thought Duke had been all this time. And Duke said to tell you that when he saw his old master again, all his love for him came back and he could not bear to leave him to run away to America.”
“Well, if that doesn’t beat all!” exclaimed Button.
“I think it is just as well he left us,” said Stubby, “for I am afraid he would not understand our free and easy life in America after living all his life with formal people.”
“Guess you are right,” agreed Stubby and Billy.
CHAPTER XV
BLOWN UP BY A SUBMARINE
YOU will be surprised to learn that the Chums had no trouble whatever in sneaking off the canal boat and secreting themselves on a packet bound for Queenstown that night.
Before boarding the boat Billy said, “This boat is not sailing for America, but we must take any boat we can get on to escape from France where we are so well known. If we don’t, we will be captured and sent back into the army in no time. When we get to Queenstown, we can ship on another bound for the United States of America, for many boats stop there before crossing the ocean to pick up the last mail from England.”
The boat they were on left the dock at about half past nine, with all lights out, as was necessary to avoid attracting the attention of the submarines that infested those waters. For a wonder the Channel was smooth as glass and as the night was clear, with a big moon shining, anything afloat on the water could be seen for miles.
“Keep your weather eye peeled for submarine periscopes!” said Billy to Stubby and Button as they lay on the forward deck, looking out over the water.