Brighton Boys in the Radio Service Page 19

  CHAPTER XIX

  TURNING THE TABLES

  To Jerry, lying there half frozen, stiff in every joint and scarcelydaring to move for fear of making some sound that might not only divulgehis presence and result in his own capture, but also prevent the escapeof Slim, it seemed that never did it take men so long to eat a meal.

  And as they ate, his own appetite became ravenous. The cruelestpunishment of all was to lie there half starved and hear them vulgarlysmacking their lips over the warmed-up remains of a chicken undoubtedlyfilched from a countryside barnyard.

  But at last, after what seemed to Jerry to have been hours of feasting,they did finish. With a derisive laugh the German lieutenant gatheredall the bones from every other tin plate and shoved them, with mockcourtesy, toward Slim.

  The latter was biding his time, and, his courage increased by knowledgethat his friend was close by, refused to get angry. He merely waved theplate aside.

  Their stomachs filled, the Germans almost immediately began to thinkabout sleep. In truth, they all looked as though they had been up all ofthe night before, as probably they had. One of them, a mere youthcertainly not yet out of his teens and the youngest in the party,yawned. The lieutenant saw it, and in a fit of apparently unreasonableanger said, in his native tongue:

  "So! You want to serve notice that you desire to sleep? Very well, youshall do sentinel duty--and all night. And mind that you do not sleep!"

  A pitiful look came over the boy's face, but without a word he salutedand departed to the circle of outer shadows to take up his long andtedious vigil.

  Jerry felt genuinely sorry for him, but he sincerely hoped that theofficer would not change his mind or relent. He knew the youth could notpossibly stay awake the whole night through.

  Half an hour later the other four Germans were conducting a spiritedrivalry in snoring, and Slim, also, to all appearances, was fast asleep.

  Not daring to move, Jerry kept his eyes constantly upon the youngsentry. Frequently he yawned. Once or twice he stopped uncertainlybefore a stump and seemed about to sit down, then started on againaround his monotonous beat. But his step was wavering, his eyes wereheavy, and Jerry knew it was only a question of time--a comparativelyshort time--when nature would conquer, and the sentinel, too, wouldsleep.

  Had he been able to bring himself to it, he could have shot the sentryand killed the others as they slept, before they could even have reachedfor their weapons. But he could not do that.

  Better the other way, he told himself, even though it carried a greaterrisk.

  And finally his own vigil was rewarded. The sentinel placed two or threemore pieces of wood upon the fire, stood for a few moments within itsgenial warmth, looked dully at the others so soundly sleeping, and thencrossed to the stump and sat down.

  His rifle was on the ground beside him. His elbows rested upon hisknees, and his chin in his hands. Presently his lids drooped and closed.His head, and then his whole body, sagged forward. He wakened with astart and changed his place to another tree more within the shadows.There he was able to lean back in a more comfortable position, and soonhis heavy, even breathing assured Jerry that nature had, indeed, won.

  Softly, without so much as a sound, he rose to his hands and knees. Hetossed a pebble, which hit Slim upon the hand. The latter turned hishead ever so slightly and gazed fixedly in Jerry's direction. Finallyhis decided wink indicated that he had made out the form of his friend.

  Still upon all fours, and feeling every inch of the way, Jerry retracedhis steps over the ledge. Quietly he slid down to the lower level andtook a wide circle about the little camp, finally closing in near towhere the sleeping sentry sat. Deftly and silently he pulled thelatter's gun from where it lay beside him. This he carried over to nearwhere the horses were corralled. Slim now was watching his every move,but awaited Jerry's signal before he stirred.

  Jerry then returned, and, so gently that the sentry never made amovement, lifted his loaded revolver from its holster. With this hetiptoed to Slim, placed the weapon in his hand and with a gesture badehim rise.

  They were now masters of the situation, but Jerry did not want to takeany chances. Two of the Germans were lying in such a position that hecould get their revolvers, also. They did not carry rifles. This heaccomplished after having stationed Slim in the shadows at such a pointof vantage that he could cover all of the Boches, should they awaken.

  One of the additional guns he gave to Slim; the other he kept himself.Thus doubly armed, they stepped over to the sleeping sentry, and whileSlim pointed his two guns at the others, to prevent any hostilities upontheir part, should they rouse, Jerry shook and awakened the bewilderedsentry.

  As he faced the two revolvers, and the changed situation suddenly dawnedupon him, the young German's expression was pathetic. Apparently he wastoo stunned to speak a word. Jerry motioned him to take a position justbehind the sleepers, which he did.

  With Slim standing beside him, and their four revolvers pointedmenacingly at the Germans, Jerry kicked the lieutenant upon the sole ofhis boot. The latter roused angrily and was about to give vent to hisfeelings when he looked into the barrels of the automatics. Hisexclamation was one of complete chagrin.

  Slim stepped over and extracted his revolver, which he dropped into hisown pocket. By the same process the other armed Boche was awakened, andin the same way he was disarmed. Then, with his foot, Jerry jabbed theremaining two back to consciousness.

  "You are our prisoners," Jerry informed them, in their own language."One hostile move from any one of you and you will be shot."

  Forming them into pairs, and purposely leaving the sentinel as thesingle one of the party and in the lead, Jerry ordered them to walktoward where the horses were tethered.

  He made two of the men put saddles and bridles upon the animals, andthen compelled them to mount as they were paired--the lieutenant and oneof his men upon one of the horses, two others upon another, the sentryalone upon another, but carrying a good supply of rations--while Slimand he each had an animal to carry themselves, the wireless and otherparaphernalia when they should pick that up.

  Thus, with hardly a dozen words having been spoken, they came throughthe ravine and at forced speed struck out across the level groundtoward the mountain from which Jerry and Slim had come that morning.

  "You!" the lieutenant hissed between his teeth at the sentinel as theycame side by side. "What were you doing when this second Americanarrived? Asleep, eh?"

  "I came up behind him. He never had a chance, for I did not make asound," Jerry interposed in German, before the young Boche could makeeven an involuntary admission.

  As they approached the base of the mountain where they had parted fromLieutenant Mackinson, Joe, and Frank early that day, the moon reachedits zenith, and its beams, reflected upon the white ground, made thenight almost as light as day.

  Two hours later they were upon the identical spot from which they hadwirelessed headquarters in the morning. It was midnight now as two ofthe Germans, working under Jerry's orders while Slim kept a weather eyeon the others, set up the pack-set.

  Jerry worked the key half a dozen times and then got an almost immediateresponse. The first query after he had identified himself was:

  "This is Joe; where are you?"

  "Just got back to where we left you this morning," Jerry ticked off intothe air. "Bringing in a German lieutenant and four of his men asprisoners. Should arrive by daylight, as we have horses."

  "Great," was Joe's radio response. "Have letter from Brighton and finenews. Will make your report."

  And the pack-set was put back in its compact case, and, paired off asbefore, the journey was resumed.

  "Say," said Jerry, as they urged their horses down the side of themountain leading to fairly level ground all the way into camp, "I'mhungry enough to eat dog meat, but I guess we can hold out now until wereach our lines."

  "Yes, I suppose so," Slim answered. "But how'd you like to have somesausage, and some plum pudding, and----"

/>   "Don't," pleaded Jerry. "The idea is too much. My stomach is accusing meof gross carelessness now."

  "Wonder what's in that letter from Brighton, and who wrote it?" saidSum, glad to change the subject and forget his own hunger.

  "Can't imagine, but my own curiosity has been as to whether the finenews Joe mentioned comes from there or refers to something atheadquarters."

  And so, sore, tired and hungry, but happy withal, they continued on. Themoon waned and set, and tradition proved itself--it became darkest justbefore dawn.

  "Wait!" said Jerry, just at this stage of the journey, and he jumpedfrom his horse to recover something that he had seen the Germanlieutenant drop.

  It proved to be a packet of papers, bearing the official German armyseal.

  "Ah-ha!" Jerry cried, riding up to the officer and thrusting thedocuments out before him. "So you thought to get rid of them, eh? Well,we'll just take these along to headquarters, too. They may containsomething of interest to our commanders. Yes?"

  The lieutenant gave an ugly, menacing grunt, but refused to say a word.

  Daylight came, and with it a clear view of the American lines. A quarterof an hour later they saw two horsemen coming toward them. Slim examinedthem carefully with his glasses.

  "The lieutenant and Frank," he announced. "Guess Joe's still on duty."

  And Joe was. He was just relaying to the commander of the Americanforces in France orders forwarded from London, and they were of thegreatest import to the three boys from Brighton.