CHAPTER XXIV

HEADED FOR PARIS

Somehow or other Thad felt strangely drawn toward the French colonel who had been so kind to them. Perhaps the fact that he had just told them of his own son had something to do with it. At any rate, it seemed that the soldier entertained a sincere affection for boys, thus telling that his own heart was still young.

As he walked at the other’s side an idea came to Thad, who evidently believed in the old adage, “strike while the iron is hot,” for it was a favor he wished to ask, and one that might prove of considerable advantage to them later on.

“Would it be possible for you to give us some idea concerning the roads around Paris, M’sieu?” he asked, in that persuasive tone of his.

“Nothing would please me better,” came the quick reply. “I understand why you make the request. Yes, it would be easily possible for a stranger to lose his way, and wander far out of his course. Stay, I can do better than that. Even now I remember that I have a small road map in my possession, such as will give you all the information you require.”

He soon put the article mentioned in Thad’s possession, and proceeded to show him several courses, which, if followed religiously, would land them safely in the great French capital.

Giraffe was deeply interested. As a scout he had always shown considerable ability with regard to negotiating strange paths. Then, besides, it must not be forgotten that Giraffe was the only one of the four who had already been to Paris.

He scanned that little map, and listened closely to all the officer said. Doubtless Giraffe, with his woodcraft education in mind, was fixing the details of that road chart in his mind, so that on occasion he could recall it almost as plainly as print. This is always possible when one has learned to remember details, a feature of scout education.

Later on Giraffe meant to have something to say about that same chart; but for the present he contented himself with listening, and taking it all in.

“Another thought comes to me,” observed the colonel, about the time they drew near the spot where their car stood, with Bumpus occupying the whole rear seat, upon which he was sprawled in perfect contentment. “You may meet with trouble on the way. Some officious patriot might even think of taking your car from you, always in the interest of France, which just now is in sore need of every such conveyance. I can arrange it so that you will avoid all such inconvenience.”

“And depend on it, M’sieu,” Thad assured him, “we do mean to turn the car over to the military authorities just as soon as we have reached the city. That was a part of our agreement when we accepted the loan of it from the owner.”

“Wait for me, then,” he was told.

They saw him vanish within the small house where General Joffre held forth, with the whole extended battle line in his single grip. One minute, two passed; then their friend reappeared again. He was smiling encouragingly, as though his mission had not been in vain.

“Look! he’s got a paper of some kind in his hand!” exclaimed the observant Giraffe. “Now, I bet you it’s a pass that’ll give us the right of way.”

Well, Giraffe had guessed truly, for that was exactly what it turned out to be, a brief pass in French, and bearing the magical name of General Joffre himself in the bargain. No wonder Thad received it with more or less delight, while Bumpus and Giraffe and Allan surveyed that signature with awe.

“General Joffre was only too pleased to sign the pass I wrote and presented to him,” announced the officer, proudly. “He said it was a small thing to do for such brave boys who had shown their sympathy for the great cause. You should have no trouble in getting to Paris. In a way, I wish I could go with you, for it would take me nearer my dear ones; but there is a stern duty that holds me here. Some day, when we have really saved France, and driven the enemy from her border, I may be allowed to see them again. And now adieu, my young friends. Heaven preserve you, and take you all safely back to your own country.”

He turned and left them hastily after shaking hands. Thad thought there were signs of emotion on the soldier’s face, which he did not wish them to see. Undoubtedly he had his own fine boy in mind much while in the company of these intrepid American lads.

“Get aboard, the rest of you!” urged the impatient Bumpus, making room for Giraffe alongside him on the rear seat; but they could excuse his eagerness to be off, remembering that he yearned to see his invalid mother again.

Giraffe gave a last look toward the small house that would go down in history as a famous place, since between those four plain walls had been planned all the wonderful moves that had given the French the victory of the Marne. In days to come that spot would ever be a holy shrine to which untold thousands of patriotic citizens would journey, to feast their eyes on the “Headquarters of Joffre.”

“Unless I’m away off my guess,” said Giraffe, wagging that long head of his in a wise fashion, “there’s bound to be a shift of base here pretty soon. I can see signs of it right now. And why not, when the scene is going to change, with the whole German army in full retreat to the north?”

“Oh! _please_ tumble in here, Giraffe, like a good fellow,” pleaded Bumpus, who of old knew how fond the other was of talking, once he got upon a subject like that; “you can buzz me all you want, while we’re on the move. I don’t see how I’m going to stand the delay much longer.”

Giraffe did not make any reply, but climbed aboard and settled himself in what space the stout chum could afford to give him. He and Bumpus always managed pretty well, for as Giraffe was fond of saying jokingly, they were like a choice strip of breakfast bacon, since they represented the “fat and the lean of it.”

Now Thad had started, and Giraffe must needs squirm around so as to catch one last look at the wonderful picture, which he wished to impress upon his mind “for keeps,” as he put it.

Of course they did not expect to return over the same road they had taken when heading for the place. While the bombardment had long ago ceased, at the same time the condition of the road might be very bad in places. Besides, there was no necessity for doing this, since their friend the colonel had marked out another course for them to pursue.

Giraffe got busy almost as soon as they had covered the first half mile. Leaning forward, he asked Thad for the little road map which the officer had given him.

“I’ll tell you why I want to look at the same again,” Giraffe went on to say, as he took it from Thad. “Seemed to me there was a cross-road that would take us over to that main line where I met you. And, you see, Thad, I’m familiar with that same, having navigated it twice. If we could make it handy to strike over there I’d like to act as guide to the expedition, you know.”

“Figure it out for yourself, Giraffe,” Thad told him. “I’m willing to do it, if we think the road looks good to us. One way is as easy as another, so long as we keep our heads about us and don’t go astray.”

“Oh! I surely hope now nothing like that does come along,” sighed Bumpus; “I’ve had enough of getting lost, for this trip, anyhow.”

“Don’t worry,” Giraffe told him, “we’ll get there O. K., you can depend on that. We haven’t many more miles to go before we strike the outskirts of Paris, for the Germans got almost within big gunshot of the place, you know, before they were forced to swing around.”

“I understand that, Giraffe,” said Bumpus, “but all the same I haven’t forgotten how it’s always the very last lap that’s the hardest to cover. All sorts of things go wrong when you’re in sight of the goal. I never yet tried to do a series of things but what it seemed like the very last was harder to get through with than most of the others combined.”

Thad understood what he meant, for he too had often noticed the same thing; but nevertheless Thad was not one of the kind to allow discouragement to get the upper hand.

“A little more patience, Bumpus, and you’ll be there,” he told the anxious one. “We’re on the way now, and no small troubles will be allowed to hold us up long, if we can prevent it.”

Three minutes after Thad said this they heard a sharp report. Bumpus of course jumped to the conclusion that they were being made a target for German shrapnel again; but Giraffe rested under no such delusion.

“There goes a tire, as sure as anything!” he exclaimed, in disgust.

“Oh! what rotten luck!” cried Bumpus dismally.

“We’ve got to try everything once,” Allan called out, cheerily, for his nature was one that could not be easily discouraged.

Thad hastened to draw up. An examination showed them that one of the rear tires had been punctured. While this might cause them a little delay, it was not so bad as it might have been.

“Fortunately we’ve got an extra inner tube along,” announced Giraffe. “Bumpus in prowling around while we were up on that hill watching the battle came across it. So now let’s get busy, and fix her up again.”

A little experience along such lines had made the boys fairly proficient mechanicians. Thad went about things in a business-like fashion; while even Bumpus fluttered around, and offered to do anything they told him, such was his eagerness to hasten repairs.

“Well, crawl under, and hold up the car while we work,” suggested Giraffe, maliciously; “because I’m a little afraid of that jack we’ve got; it doesn’t look overly strong. What’s the use of having a broad back like yours, Bumpus, if you can’t make good?”

However, Bumpus declined to be tempted to undertake the job. He did cease his complaining remarks, and went to one side of the road, where he sat down and waited for the others to get through.

They did not have the road to themselves all this time. Occasionally some vehicle would come along. Now it was a van loaded for the front, either with goods, or soldiers, or ammunition. Again it might turn out to be some of the wounded heroes on their way to the rear. Several times the boys had seen men in uniform, with perhaps an arm bound up, walking along the road. They had stoutly declined to take up precious room in an ambulance, meaning to walk all the way to the city. That was the kind of stuff those French fighters were made of. Being sent to the rear meant to them a punishment they did not much fancy, while the battle was still on, and enemies to be struck.

“All right again!” announced Thad, finally, at which Bumpus was galvanized into life, for he scrambled to his feet, and ambled toward them, his face creased with amiable smiles.

“After all we made pretty fine time of it!” declared Allan; “just twenty minutes, and a hard job in the bargain, because we’re not familiar with the French style of tires and inner tubes.”

Once more they were moving along, and all seemed well. Giraffe even made ready to keep an eye out for that cross-road which Thad had promised to explore in the endeavor to reach the main line into the city. He guessed that it must be somewhere ahead a short distance; any minute they might come upon the turn, when Thad expected to decide on their next move. If the road looked good they would try it.

“I think I see the turn, Thad,” he presently called out; “just where that post is planted. Yes, it has some sort of sign on the same. And now to decide whether we want to try the run across, or not.”