Part 10 (1/2)
”About that map, Freddy,” Dave said presently in a low voice ”I think this is Estalle, ure how far we are froh They only started the invasion yesterday one very deep into the country”
”I don't agree with that, Dave,” Freddy said ”The Gerhty and ninety htars meant on the Colonel's map, but I'm pretty sure those little yellow pins represented their advanced arosh, they were as far west as Brussels and Charleroi!” Dave gasped ”That's ian frontier forts, and the forts of Liege, and such big places? Wouldn't they hold them back?”
”I don't know,” Freddy said ”But I suspect the Gern Their light fast ht on past the heavily fortified centers and capture small positions in the rear Then the bo forts It's as I heard my father say shortly after the Polish invasion You don't have trench warfare anyattack with s up behind and concentrating on et Hitler's air force, Dave It cleared the way for him in Poland, and in Denainst the Belgians At least until the British stop them And we'll jolly well stop theular uess your Dad taught you a lot War certainly isn't what it used to be, I guess But, look, there were some blue pins on that map, and beside each one was a date I saw dates a week and teeks froiulish Channel IHoly smokes! It just struck me The yellow pins shohere the Germans are today, and the blue pins mark places they expect to capture on certain days! Could that be true, do you think?”
”Yes, I do,” Freddy said ”I'h Coive a million pounds to see
Five ence map of the whole Gerosh, then let's get going!” Dave cried, and leaped to his feet
”We've got to get through to Allied High Command, wherever it is We can't show theh about it to help them plenty We”
A wild yell from down at the base of the hill, and three pistol shots in rapid succession, cut off Dave's words like a knife He shot a quick look down the hill and saw a cluster of lights suddenly spring into being He wasn't sure but he felt pretty certain they were fro where he and Freddy had been held prisoners
A second later whendrifted up to hiuard had probably taken another look, and found out they had escaped Now the alar flashed through hione He reached down quickly and pulled Freddy up onto his feet
”They've discovered our escape!” he cried ”We've got to start , and fast Stick close to me We'll still head north”
”But why north?” Freddy protested ”We should go west if ant to reach the Belgian outposts as soon as possible, and get them to take us to Allied GHQ, Dave!”
”No, north!” Dave said ”They'll guess we're trying to get to the Belgians, you see? So they'll start hunting toward the west, and sending word ahead If we go north we'll be fooling them for awhileI hope
Anyway, it's our best bet See? There go a couple of their cars racing down the road toward the west Come on!”
CHAPTER NINE
_A Desperate Mission_
Daas a little over an hour away and Dave Dawson couldn't drag his body forward another step For hours he and Freddy Farh the darkness striving to putGer into roving German mop-up patrols And once they had crouched for a solid hour in a road ditch while a long line of tanks, andard
But now he just couldn't go another step He didn't care if the whole Gerht at their heels He had to stop and rest There is a liest of men, and Dave and Freddy had most certainly proved the those hours of round Where they were Dave didn't know, nor did he care uide all the way, but they had been forced to change their direction in order to skirt boed with parts of the uess how far they had traveled, or in what general direction
Now, though, as he cae of some woods and saw the shadowy shapes of barren fields beyond, Dave flung hiave his body over to the utter fatigue and weariness which had been trying to drag him down for the last severalfor water, and his sto for some of the bread and the hunk of cheese he and Freddy had so wisely saved froe breakfast, and had stuffed inside their shi+rts before crawling out theYes, food and water would go fine, but later He was too dead tired now to so much as move a muscle In a dull sort of way he was conscious of Freddy flopping down beside him, and then a moment later he felt hi warmth on his back eventually woke him up He started to ht a stifled groan to his lips He stayed where he was for aup the soothing warmth on his back Then he rolled over on his back and stared up through the bush branches at the sky It was another perfect spring day and the sun ell up on high That realization finally filtered into his tired brain and brought hiht
”Gee, it must be close to noon!” he heard his own voice whisper ”And we've still got a heck of a ways to go But where, and in what direction, I wonder?”
He turned and put out his hand to shake Freddy sleeping close beside him But when he saw the pale drawn face of his friend he let his hand drop back into his lap He just didn't have the heart to wake up Freddy
The English youth was positively dead to the world, and one look at the completely exhausted expression on Freddy's face told Dave the youth wouldn't be fit to travel even if he were awakened True, it erous for theht stue sense of responsibility took possession of Dave He was the older of the two, and the stronger By more or less mutual consent he had become the leader