Part 19 (1/2)

Arthur shuddered a little. The idea of actually attacking a man from behind in such a way was unpleasant. But he realized that Paul, who had a reputation for gentleness, could like the idea as little as he did himself, and also that it was vitally necessary to secure possession of the car, though even yet Paul's whole plan had not come to him.

”All right!” he said. ”Come on, then!”

”No; wait until he has finished! We might as well let him do the work, and have the car ready.

”But he will do the tires on this side first! He will be on the other side of the car afterward.”

”No, he won't. He's got to come back to side when all the tires are on because the jack is on this side. Don't you see?”

”Oh, yes. I didn't think.”

They waited breathlessly while the German worked. There was something oddly familiar about him, but his long, flowing overcoat prevented them from seeing him very well. He wore a uniform cap, fortunately, instead of a helmet, which would have given him a much better chance since it would have been very difficult for Paul to do what he planned with a helmet in the way.

Bad as the accident had been, the German worked so fast that in a very few minutes he had all the tires on, and was pumping them up as fast as possible. Then, when that was done, he came back, as Paul had seen that he must, and stooped over to remove the jack that had lifted the wheels from the ground. And that was the moment in which Paul struck.

”Stay behind!” he whispered, to Arthur. ”I may need your help if anything goes wrong.”

Then with one leap he reached the German. He landed quietly, and, though the German heard him and half turned, it was all over in a second. Paul brought down his horseshoe on the officer's skull, and he crumpled without a cry and fell in a silent heap in the roadside.

”Quick!” cried Paul. ”Look under the seat! There ought to be drinking water there.”

Arthur found a vacuum bottle, and a big gallon bottle of mineral water.

This Paul broke, and, dipping a handkerchief in it, made a wet bandage for the German's head. Then he dropped the vacuum bottle where the officer must find it when he recovered consciousness. And now he did something that surprised Arthur. He stripped off the officer's coat, took his uniform jacket and his cap. These he himself donned, and, though they were far too big for him, he cried out with satisfaction at the fit of the cap.

”Now do you see?” he cried. ”I bet we could go through the German lines like this! h.e.l.lo!”

”What's wrong?”

”Nothing, but this is that chap Poertner--one of the men we got away from! He was taken into Liege as a prisoner. Don't you remember? He must have got away or else the Germans must have taken the fort where they were holding him! I'm afraid it's that!”

But there was no more time to be wasted. Paul leaped to the steering wheel of the car.

”In with you, Arthur!” he cried. ”Get down, so that you won't be seen.

Down low, on the floor!”

”Why?” asked Arthur, though he had obeyed before he asked the question.

”You haven't any uniform. You'd be spotted at once. If they see me in this rig, they may mistake me for a German officer, you see. That's why I took it. I was sorry to have to do it, but it's war, and all's fair! Now we're off!”

On the word he turned the car around, and they were really off in another moment, racing down the hill that the car had just climbed so laboriously, to have its journey so ingloriously halted.

”It's a wonderful little car. They must use a lot of these for dispatch bearers,” said Paul. ”Arthur, isn't it lucky that Marcel showed us all about how to run different sorts of cars? I hope he's all right. I bet he enlisted too, if Uncle Henri joined the army when he went to Brussels.”

”It runs so smoothly and it's ever so much faster than the fastest horse, of course,” said Arthur. ”I suppose all the armies must be using automobiles for this sort of work. Where are you going, Paul?”

”I'm going to make a great big circuit, if we're not stopped before we really get started,” said Paul. ”On foot we never could have got ahead of the Germans in that sweeping flank movement of theirs. But now, when we can make sixty miles an hour, I should think we ought to be able to do it. I think the worst time will be right along here in the first ten miles or so. All I'm hoping is that we don't run into the people who know where Poertner was going in this car. I think we can get by anyone else. But there's no telling where he did start from.

Perhaps from Huy.”

”Huy? But we were there this morning--and our troops were there, too!”

exclaimed Arthur, plainly puzzled.