Part 21 (1/2)

”I heard you yelling something to me, but I was too anxious to go at it as fast as I could. I didn't want to stop then. What was the trouble?”

”That's what I'm afraid of, Tom--there may be trouble. Just before you tackled the barn for a knockdown, instead of a touchdown, as we might say, I saw a man running out of it. I thought if there was one there, perhaps there might be more. That's why I yelled to you.”

”A man running from the old barn!” cried Tom. ”Whew!” he whistled. ”I wish I had seen him. But, Ned, if one ran out of harm's way, any others who might possibly be in there would do the same thing, wouldn't they?”

”I hope so,” returned Ned doubtfully.

”Great Scott!” cried Tom, as the possibility was borne home to him. ”If anything has happened--”

He sprang for the door of the tower and threw over the catch, springing out, followed by Ned. From the engine room of the armored tank the men came, smiles of gratification on their faces.

”We certainly busted her wide open, Mr. Swift!” called the chief mechanician.

”Yes,” a.s.sented the young inventor; but there was not as much gratification in his voice as there should have been. ”There isn't much of a barn left, but Ned thinks he saw some one run out, and if there was one man there may have been more. We'd better have a look around, I guess.”

The engineering force exchanged glances. Then Hank Baldwin, who was in charge of the motors, said:

”Well, if there was anybody in that barn when we chewed her up I wouldn't give much for his hide, German or not.”

”Let us hope no one was in there,” murmured Tom.

They turned to go back to the demolished structure, fear and worry in their hearts. No more complete ruin could be imagined. If a cyclone had swept over the barn it could not have more certainly leveled it. And, not only was it leveled, crushed down in the center by the great weight of the tank, but the boards and beams were broken into small pieces.

Parts of them clung in long, grotesque splinters to the endless steel belts.

”I don't see how we're going to find anybody if he's in there,”

remarked Hank.

”We'll have to,” insisted Tom. ”We can look about and call. If any one is there he may have been off to one side or to one end, and be protected under the debris. I wish I had heard you call, Ned.”

”I wish you had, Tom. I yelled for all I was worth.”

”I know you did. I was too eager to go on, and, at the same time, I really couldn't stop well on that hill. I had to keep on going. Well, now to learn the worst!”

They walked back toward the demolished barn. But they had not reached it when from around the corner swung a big automobile. In it were several men, but chief, in vision at least, among them, was a burly farmer who had a long, old-fas.h.i.+oned gun in his hands. On his bearded face was a grim look as he leaped out before the machine had fairly stopped, and called:

”Hold on, there! I guess you've done damage enough! Now you can pay for it or take the consequences!” And he motioned to Tom, Ned, and the others to halt.

Chapter XVIII

Ready for France

Such was the reaction following the cras.h.i.+ng through of the barn, coupled with the sudden appearance of the men in the automobile and the threat of the farmer, that, for the moment, Tom, Ned, or their companions from the tank could say nothing. They just stood staring at the farmer with the gun, while he grimly regarded them. It was Tom who spoke first.

”What's the idea?” asked the young inventor. ”Why don't you want us to look through the ruins?”

”You'll learn soon enough!” was the grim answer.

But Tom was not to be put off with undecided talk.