CHAPTER XII.

THE PENALTY OF MEDDLING.

"The thing that's bothering me," said Bumpus, a little later on, "is this. If the military in Belgium here are so hard up for cars that they'd even think to take such a tough-looking machine as this, how are we ever going to keep hold of the same, somebody tell me?"

"We'll do the best we know how," Thad informed him. "For one thing, every time we chance to run across any Belgian soldiers I intend to coax the engine to puff and groan the worst you ever heard. It'll help discourage envy on their part. We'll act as though it's stalled every twenty feet, and that we're having a dickens of a time with it."

That idea amused Giraffe, who laughed heartily.

"It certainly does take you to get up some of the smartest games going, Thad," he ventured; "and I guess now that'd be the best dodge to save our palatial car from being commandeered by the army. When they see what a cantankerous mule it is, they'll ask to be excused from trying to bother with such a kicker."

Perhaps the car understood what they were discussing. At any rate, it proved to be most accommodating, and tried to give them as good an excuse for calling it hard names as it could. At the very next rise it refused to work its passage and only for Thad's expertness in backing into a gully they might have had a wild return ride down the grade, with a fair chance for an upset.

"Hey! look at that, will you?" puffed Bumpus, after half tumbling from the car, when the others jumped nimbly out; "now we _are_ up against it good and hard. If the poor old tramp refuses to make the climb, however are we to get over the rise?"

"Take off your coat, Bumpus," Thad told him.

"Oh! do we have to really _push_?" asked the fat scout, looking at the balance of the hill, and scratching his head in a manner that told how little he enjoyed the prospect ahead.

"It's the only way," Giraffe explained, "unless we want to leave the car here, and continue our long journey afoot!"

That caused Bumpus to get out of his coat hastily.

"Anything but that!" he declared. "And when you get me started at a thing I guess I can do my share, all right."

He proved as good as his word, because Bumpus was strong, even if he seldom cared to exert himself, on account of indolence. When four husky, well-grown boys get busy, with their shoulders against a vehicle that has balked on a rise, they are able to accomplish a good deal.

There were several things in their favor. In the first place, the car was far from being a very heavy one; then the hill did not have a steep grade; and they were half way up when the engine refused to do its duty; besides, they could rest several times by allowing the car to back into the gully again.

Bumpus did his full share of the work, though with many a grunt. In the end they reached the top and then got aboard, after Thad had made sure the engine would do its duty again.

"Now for a good, long coast down-grade," said Bumpus, as though that pleasure would pay up in part for his recent labor; as he expressed it himself, "It helped take the bitter taste out of a fellow's mouth, anyhow."

"What were you limping about the last part of the way, Bumpus?" asked Allan, as they continued their journey, after reaching level ground again.

"Guess I must have worked too hard," explained the other, with a grin, "because it seemed just like I'd strained my muscles some way. Feels some sore at that, and it's lucky I don't have to do any walking about now."

"Thad, what would you call that thing away off yonder? Sometimes it disappears in among the fleecy clouds, and then comes out again. From here it makes me think of one of those big buzzards we used to watch soaring ever so high up, while we were down in Louisiana."

Thad gave a steady look.

"It's an aeroplane!" he told them positively.

Allan had apparently come to the same conclusion himself, for he instantly echoed the assertion of the patrol leader.

"No hawk about that, or buzzard either, if they have such things over here in Belgium," he said. "See, there's another of the same kind further on. They must be German Taube machines, and are being used to spy on the positions of the Belgian forces down below."

All of them looked and wondered, as was quite natural, for although they had of course seen aeroplanes maneuver many times at county fairs and other places, this was their first experience at watching the evolutions of war machines doing scout duty.

"You see how valuable they are going to be in this war," Thad remarked. "From a safe position thousands of feet above, the aviator can see every movement of troops, note the coming of reinforcements, take stock of the position of every battery of big guns, and by a code of signals inform his side just how to direct their fire in order to do the most execution."

"Whew! it's wonderful when you come to think of it," Giraffe exclaimed, with a whistle to indicate the state of his feelings; "and I can see how an up-to-date war with such a country as Germany is bound to give the world heaps of surprises and thrills."

"Just stop and consider," said Allan, still gazing at the far-away soaring objects among the light clouds, "what those chaps are seeing as they sail around up there. It must be a wonderful spectacle, and I'd give a lot to be up there half an hour or so."

"But it must be dangerous work at that, I'd think," observed Bumpus.

"All aeroplane work is," admitted Giraffe, "and if you once started to take a drop it'd be the end. You'd never know what had happened; but, say, I'd pity the poor fellow underneath when _you_ landed, Bumpus!"

"I didn't mean that, Giraffe," expostulated the other; "don't you suppose now if those are German airships the Belgians must be cracking away at them with their guns and trying to bring them down?"

"They'd be silly not to, Bumpus," replied Giraffe, "and if we only had a glass along the chances are you'd be able to see some of the bombs or shrapnel exploding up there. But it's hard to hit such a moving target, and besides I reckon the pilots fly high enough to be well out of range."

Since leaving the roadside inn they had covered quite a few miles, with nothing out of the way happening, except that little trouble on the slope of the hill. Thad had studied the little chart he carried with him, and tried to lay out a route which he hoped would carry them beyond the danger line.

He understood that the invaders must be stretching out toward the west so as to control that section of country. There was a chance that at any time the boys might meet with a raiding band of rough-riders connected with the German army; but he hoped this would not happen, for it was likely to spoil all their plans and set them back.

"Why, this is getting too sleepy for anything," Giraffe was complaining finally. "We don't even have any housewife rush out and threaten us for running over her dog, or killing a poor old hen. Why, even the ducks can waddle out of reach of our slow-poke car. It makes me feel like I'm going to a funeral."

"You're the same old Giraffe," declared Bumpus, chuckling, "always finding fault. Now the only thing that makes me sad is because I never yet had a chance to show what I know about driving a car. I took three lessons last spring, and later on Thad might let me spell him some."

"I'll get out first, if ever you do!" vowed Giraffe; "I don't care to be splashed up against a wall, or hoisted twenty feet up in the branches of a tree, to hang there with my head down. And I don't think Thad's reckless enough to take chances with such a green driver. Bad enough as it is, with a wobbly car."

Bumpus did not answer, but there was an aggrieved look on his round face, which would indicate he did not agree with Giraffe at all, and still considered that he might be trusted.

The sun, being well up, was beginning to prove pretty warm, so that it was not surprising to hear Giraffe express a desire for a cool drink.

"Since such things as road-houses seem to be as scarce as hens' teeth along here, and you can't expect to get any soda or sarsaparilla, suppose we keep an eye out for a spring, and call a halt to water our dusty throats?"

Everybody seemed willing, and Bumpus even went to the trouble to produce an old well-battered tin cup he had picked up somewhere, as he remarked:

"And if you do run across a spring, Giraffe, please fetch me that full of nice cold water, will you? My leg still pains me, and I'd better not get out. I hate to give any one trouble, but it's a case of necessity. Get your fill first, and fetch mine when you come back to the car. You were always a good friend of mine, Giraffe."

"No trouble at all," the other told him; "but first catch your rabbit before you start cooking the same. We have yet to find the spring. Here, stop making such faces, Bumpus; I know your throat is full of dust, but you can't hurry things that way, for even two swallows don't make a spring!"

Bumpus pretended to feel faint after hearing that, but recovered almost magically upon hearing Thad say he believed he saw what they were looking for up ahead.

"These Belgian country people are always thinking of others," he said, "and they mark a spring near the road with a white stone so passers-by can know it."

"Yes," added Allan, "and ten chances to one we'll find it as neat as wax, with some sort of a clean mug to drink out of."

"I hope this isn't going to turn out a false clue, that's all," remarked Giraffe, "because I've gone and got my mouth watering for a drink, and the disappointment might prove fatal to me."

Two minutes afterwards they halted.

"Yes, it is a spring, I do believe!" said Giraffe, making one of his flying leaps out of the car.

"Here, you're forgetting all about my cup!" screeched Bumpus, and of course the impatient one had to come back in order to keep his promise.

The spring was at some little distance from the road, it being necessary to negotiate several fences before reaching the white stone marking the spot where the ice-cold water gurgled forth.

"You were wise not to try the venture, if your leg pains you, Bumpus!" Allan called back; and the one left behind in the old car doubtless agreed with him there.

Giraffe was swallowing his second cup when the others arrived on the scene. He looked as though he might be enjoying himself hugely.

"I'm on the water-wagon now!" he warbled, making way for them, and pointing to a stone mug that lay close by for the use of thirsty travelers.

It was water that could hardly be excelled anywhere, and Allan, filling the mug, insisted on Thad drinking the contents. After that he dipped in for himself, while Giraffe came along for his third helping.

"One good turn deserves another!" he chuckled; "and it seems as if I never could get enough of this splendid stuff. I mustn't forget to fetch poor old Bumpus his share, and if he wants more I'll have to trot back here and get---- Hey! what's that mean, Thad? The car's running away with Bumpus, as sure as you're born!"

The trio by the spring stared for a few seconds as though they thought they must be dreaming, for it seemed utterly impossible that such a thing should come to pass. And yet there was the car hurrying along the road, with the fat scout clutching the steering wheel, and looking half scared to death as he tried to keep from running into the gullies that lay to the right and to the left!