Part 23 (2/2)
”Sure,” Dave said ”Walked about a hteen or nineteen, lad,” the Toht through_ the blessed Gerh their blinking lines, and thee, will I have a tale to tell the lads at the pub if I ever get back home!”
”But how far are we froet there besides walking? I don't think I can go another step”
The soldier jerked a thumb over his shoulder
”See them flames?” he said ”That's Dunkirk About two o in froot a motor-bike and sidecar over there, yonder You two can ride in the car But we'd better hop it It's getting toward dawn and the Stukas will be co over to raise merry Ned But, wait aat Niort? Why, you ain't even in uniform”
”This is Dave Dawson, an American,” Freddy said ”And land for days, and”
”_What's that?_” the soldier cut in excitedly ”Dawson and Farlish nippers, that stole a plane and all the rest of it? Blimey! Why didn't you say so? Why you lads are heroes! The whole blinking ar!
If there's two lads that's going to get a boat ride back hoet back ho Channel, orders or no orders
Co for either of the boys to so rabbed theh the dark to the right He must have known the ell, for they didn't buo of them and dived into so an ar his rifle over his shoulder and straddled the seat
”Hop in, lads!” he barked as he kicked his engine into life ”And hang on for your lives The beach where they're taking the over anything that can floatis on the far side of town But the blinking town's afire, and we have to go right through it Here we go, and a double-double to the blasted Jerries!”
Though the two boys had wedged theht in the sidecar, the soldier tore off in such a rush that he practically rode right out fro any complaints would have been just a waste of breath Besides, the soldier wouldn't have heard theine So the boys si to stay in the sidecar, and breathed a prayerful hope that the soldier was an expert driver
He was more than that He was a h the darkness without slackening his speed the fraction of a listened in the faint glow of his diht It looked like so much slippery black ice, and a hundred ti crash that never ca forwardas much noise as a whole division of tanks
The two miles to the ancient Channel city of Dunkirk was covered in just about asseemed to come to an end, and the rain to pass on behind theht his breath sharply Dunkirk looked like one gigantic horizon-to-horizon wall of licking tongues of flah up into the sky It was as though he had walked out of a dark rooht into the open lance at the soldier astride theto see an expression of alarm and dis did he see The soldier sihtened
”Hang on, lads!” he belloithout taking his eyes off the road ”Here comes the first of it, and it ain't no ice box!”
No sooner had the last left his lips than the heat of the flaht into their faces Dave and Freddy ducked their heads as the soldier had done, and in thestraight across the ues of fla that way!” caether and thearound the corner of a street It seemed to hesitate halfway around and start to slide But the driver skillfully checked the slide with a viciousup a smoke filled street A ain
They did In fact they did it no less than a dozen ti the next few minutes And all the while the heat of the fla walls, or of delayed action bo thunder in their ears
Then suddenly they shot right through the middle of one final wall of fire and burst out onto a stretch of hard packed sand It was several seconds before the heat left theainst their faces They gulped it into their lungs, and then both cried out in alarht out of the sand in front of them Their driver instantly stood up on his foot plates and roared above the sound of his engine
”Out of the way!” he bellowed ”A couple of young heroes to get boat tickets froroup of soldiers heard him, or perhaps they just naturally didn't want to run the risk of being bowled over by the on-rushi+ng motorcycle Anyway they leaped to the side and the driver and the two boys went banging on by without a single check in the speed After another ine, slammed on his brake and slid around to a full stop as his tires sent a shower of wet sand into the air
”There you are, nippers!” he cried and vaulted from the seat ”Hoas that for a bit of a joy-ride, eh? She's a good little motor bike, she is A bit slow, but she'll do Noait half a ht I'll be right back”
He flung the last back over his shoulder as he went racing off to the left Neither Dave nor Freddy said anything They were too busy fighting to get their breath back, and to unwedge themselves from the sidecar
Eventually they were out on the sand and feeling the had been left behind