[CHAPTER XIX]
Bouresches
Staplely and Duncan with their weapons ready, waited, crouching. In their agitation they had not observed other ambulances coming along the road at the foot of the hill and they did not doubt that the spies, seeing no light and not suspecting the return of the ambulancier whose car they had broken and whose passenger they had killed, might be returning perhaps to lie in wait for him. They seemed to be having things all their own way of late so why should they not try to accomplish more?
The glaring lights came nearer. The throbbing motor had easily the better of hills such as this. The seekers of a just revenge tried to see who was on the driver’s seat behind the lights—a difficult thing to do. A voice caused their weapons to lower.
“Reckon dis de place t’ stop. One amberlance done quit gittin’ all het up, heah. Yu kin turn her roun’ easy by backin’ into de fiel’ a ways, lessen yu hits a groun’hawg hole er sumpin’.”
“No groundhogs in this country, Wash. We might hit a rock, though. Hello, you fellows! Are you stuck?” This last addressed to Duncan and Stapley who had risen and come forward.
If Clem felt any bitterness toward Don he did not think of it now; there was too much else to occupy his mind. But Don, leaping to the ground instantly, seemed not to know him. Duncan knew Don and at once began to relate their experiences.
“And you mean to say you fellows couldn’t stop them? Let them get away up yonder and murder this poor helpless soldier on the way! And only yesterday this fellow,” with a bend of his head he referred to Clem, “rubbed it into me because—”
“Well, that—that was dif—” began Clem.