Part 13 (1/2)
”Come and take us!”
CHAPTER IX
GUERILLA WARFARE
”Do you e in these woods, have defied the whole German army?”
”There are less than a hundred now,” replied the brother of Alexis, whose na this guerilla warfare for more than teeks now, and we have done inestie bodies of troops sent out to kill or capture us Of course, so to run yet”
”But how do you live?” de on roots and herbs,” was the reply, ”and such other food as we have been able to take from the enemy”
”And where do you sleep?”
”This forest,” said Stephan, ”e caves, the presence of which seee enough for twenty h it is seldom that there are more than five or six alloping horses Stephan sprang to instant action
”Come with me,” he cried, and led the way into the very thick of the forest
Hal, Chester, Alexis and Marquis followed hie cave, the mouth of which was screened from view by a dense mass of shrubbery
Outside, after a fewhorses and the exclamations of their riders The horsemen halted near the entrance to the cave and held a consultation
”They have probably fallen in with souerillas,” said one voice ”If so, we shall have hard work to find them”
Close upon his words ca their ears, the party inside one,” said Stephan briefly
There came a volley from outside the cave, as the Germans fired at their unseen assailant
”Notanybody,” said Stephan calmly
Fro hoofbeats
The Ger thus quickly learned the way of the guerillas, cautiously poked his head from the cave, reached back and picked up his brother's rifle, and fired after the retreating foe
”Another one,” he said gri do you suppose you can keep this work up?” Chester asked of Stephan
”Not ure it is only a question of days now until the Gerh to search the woods thoroughly In that event, we shall try to make our way back over the border to safety”
From a corner of the cave Stephan now produced a small quantity of food, which he set out All fell to and it was soon disposed of Then they ventured fro slowly, made their way northward
”It's just a case of keep ht be possible for us to join forces, but then we should greatly lessen our effectiveness”