Part 18 (1/2)
”This ,” the medical man nodded ”Then you're all shi+p shape, too? But, listen,General Caldwell, Chief of British Staff?”
Asking the question was like turning a lish youth beca in more detail than had Dave
”Yes sir,” he finished up ”We have some valuable information, I'm sure If you could loan us a car, sir, and tell us where we can find the General, we'll go at once”
”You till go nowhere just now!” the officer said sternly ”Bless h? Certainly not! However, there et the General on the wire and tell him about you two His headquarters are not far away He'll send one of his Staff, or perhaps co is al to pull , fool me?”
”Word of honor, sir,” Freddy said solemnly
The ed and hurried out of the ward
Dave looked at Freddy and grinned happily
”Boy, a to the Doc we should be dead, by rights, or soot our nerve centers knocked haywire Say, do you kno long we've been here? Did he tell you when you woke up last tilish youth said with a wry grin ”I started yelling for theht I was completely off my topper Stuck a needle in ht or since this , haven't we? And where the dickens are we, anyway?”
”Hold your hat, Freddy, here it coht days, he told ed out so far you could have knocked thehed scornfully
”Coive ht days, , that's what he said,” Dave insisted And then he started to give Freddy the medical officer's description of what had happened to theht day period
He had al back into the ward At his heels were two male orderlies in hospital white Dave broke off what he was saying and stared questioningly The medical officer looked very much excited, and also veryoffice,” he said to the orderlies and stepped to the side
Neither Dave nor Freddy had the chance to ask the questions that hovered on their lips The orderlies took hold of their beds and started wheeling them down the aisle to the double doors at the end They passed through another ward and then heeled into a fair sized room that was fitted up more as an office than a hospital room
”That's fine,” the captain said ”Return to your wards now”
The orderlies retreated and the captain looked at Dave and Freddy in surprise and admiration
”Well, blessheroes under ht up in the rush of things General Caldwell is rushi+ng over here, now, by car He has heard about you two”
”About us?” Dave gasped ”But, heck, how could he have heard about us?”
”Yes!” Freddy exclaimed in a tone of aonder ”How could he have heard of us?”
”Through the Belgian High Coian infantry lieutenant reported your little flying incident to his commander Also what you had told him It was passed on up until it reached General Boulard General Boulard, it seeotten through to him
The lieutenant, of course, did not knohat had happened to you after you drove off in the scouting car with the Sergeant But, I can tell you, General Caldwell is most anxious to meet you By jove, he al Yes, I fancy that you two chaps are rather famous, now, you know?”
”Rot, sir,” Freddy said with true British modesty ”I fancy any one could have done it And a much better job of it, too Is it true, sir, that we've been here eight days?”
”And nights, as well,” the medical officer nodded ”But don't look alar is not unusual And you're both safely out of it, now A day or two of rest, and all the food you can eat, and you'll be like new again”
”I' you didn't explain, sir, How did we get here? Who found us, and what?”