Chapter 23

WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES.

Briefly now Hal recounted to his two friends what he had overheard in the farmhouse, pointing out the danger that threatened the allied armies. When he had concluded he said:

"Now I have another plan, and I want to know if you, Chester, and you, Lieutenant Anderson, will follow my instructions?"

"Certainly," said the lieutenant.

"You know I will, Hal," said Chester.

"All right, then. What I want you to do is this: Return and report to General French what I have just told you. Take the men with you. That's all."

"But you?" demanded Chester; "aren't you coming, too? Surely you have accomplished the mission successfully."

"No," replied Hal. "In this German uniform I believe I shall be perfectly safe on this side, and I am going to try and gain further information. It may be that I can learn something that will be important."

"Then I shall go with you," declared Chester.

"And I, too," said Lieutenant Anderson.

"Oh, no you won't," said Hal grimly. "Didn't you just promise to obey my commands, both of you?"

"But we didn't know what you planned to do," said Chester.

"I know you didn't," said Hal. "That is why I asked your promises before I told you."

"But I don't think it is fair," protested Chester.

"I don't care what you think," replied Hal. "You have both promised, so that's all there is about it."

In vain did Chester and Lieutenant Anderson protest. Hal was firm.

"Come, now," he said at last. "You are making it more dangerous for me every moment you stand here arguing about it. Get in the boats and return at once."

Slowly Chester and Lieutenant Anderson complied with his request. The men already were in the boats, and Hal stood and watched them row away.

"I shall be back some time to-night or in the morning," he called to Chester; "but," and he smiled grimly to himself, "if I were you, I wouldn't wait up for me."

Chester and Lieutenant Anderson waved their hands in reply, and with one last look Hal turned and made his way back in the direction of the farmhouse.

He walked by the house without stopping, for he had no mind to linger long in that vicinity.

"The quicker I find the main army and lose myself among the rest of the officers the better off I shall be," he told himself.

He espied a small squadron of Germans approaching him at a quick trot. Making sure that his revolvers were ready for instant action, the lad trudged bravely on. The mounted troops passed him at a distance of perhaps a hundred yards, and the officer in command waved his sword in greeting as they went by.

"So far, so good," muttered the lad to himself.

Small bodies of troops passed him at more frequent intervals now. But feeling perfectly safe in his German uniform, with shoulder straps of captain, the lad continued boldly on.

At last, some distance ahead, he made out a large encampment.

"Guess this is the place I am headed for," he told himself.

He approached boldly and soon mingled with the German officers, who were taking life easy, war, seemingly, being far from their thoughts. The place, to Hal, looked as if it might be a drill ground, with a large body of troops on parade.

He walked about for an hour or more and was not challenged once, although once or twice passing officers nodded pleasantly to him.

"Either they mistake me for someone else, or they are a very pleasant and courteous set," the lad told himself. "However, I didn't come here to learn how they behave themselves. I won't get any information this way. I wonder who is in command here, but I can't afford to ask."

Continuing his stroll, he at last mingled with a crowd of officers who were idling about talking.

"I heard General Beulow say that we were likely to be ordered forward within a few hours," said one of the group of officers.

"So?" questioned another. "I had forgotten that you are now a member of his staff."

"What's up, do you know?"

"Nothing that I can talk about," replied the other with a pleasant smile.

"All right," said another. "The sooner the better."

The little group broke up and Hal continued his stroll.

"Good," he said to himself. "At least I have learned that General Beulow is in command here."

And he had learned not a moment too soon, as it turned out.

At that moment an officer approached him.

"I can't seem to place you," he said. "Is your regiment here?"

"No," returned Hal, in excellent German, without the slightest accent. "I am attached to General Von Kluck's command. I came here with him to-day."

"Oh," said the German officer, "then you are on his staff?"

"Yes."

"In that event I am in luck. Evidently you are the very man I have been sent to seek. You are Captain Dersam?"

Hal took a long chance.

"Yes," he replied.

"Good," said the German officer. "Come to my quarters. I have documents to deliver to you."

Hal followed the German officer to the latter's tent. There the German took from a small express box a small package of papers, which he placed in the lad's hands.

"These," he said, "you are to deliver to General Von Kluck. I suppose you knew that he had already returned to his command?"

"Yes," replied Hal firmly. "I was simply waiting for these. My horse is yonder," and he waved his hand.

"Oh," continued the German. "Then perhaps you know that Von Kluck, Von Moltke and the Emperor himself had a brush with a bunch of British or French spies a while back. The Emperor was much put out. He believed that information of an expected coup had leaked out, so all generals were hurried back to their posts to see that everything was shipshape."

"Yes," said Hal briefly; "I know."

He placed the papers in his pocket.

"Auf Wiedersehen," said the German officer, bowing Hal from his tent. "Your orders are to put those papers into General Von Kluck's hands at the earliest possible moment."

"It shall be done," said Hal as he walked rapidly away.

"Great Scott!" he said to himself. "I am in luck. I wouldn't be surprised if these papers were orders concerning the movement which I overheard in the farmhouse."

Quickly he sought out a quiet spot, and broke the Imperial seal. It was even as he had expected--only more. For the papers contained the present troop positions, their expected movements and the number of men and how stationed.

Hal whistled softly to himself.

"Won't General French be surprised when he sees these?" he said softly. "Now to get back."

It was growing dusk, and as Hal walked along toward the outposts in the direction from which he had so recently come, he whistled blithely to himself. It was a mission well done, and the lad, although by no means egotistical, was well aware of it.

He passed the farthest outpost of the camp unchallenged, and made off in the darkness. Then, still feeling safe in his German uniform, and more confident at having not been recognized during his stay in the German camp, he paid no heed to footsteps that were now approaching.

A lantern swung suddenly into his face by a newcomer caused him to start back in surprise. And even as he did so he made out that the pair who had accosted him were a man and woman.

And what is more he also recognized the woman. It was she whom he had so recently bound in the farmhouse. And her cry made it apparent that she had recognized him as well.

"It is he!" she exclaimed in a loud voice.