CHAPTER XIV.

MORE HARD LUCK.

During the next few hours they made progress, but the distance covered did not count for many miles. There were several reasons for this. In the first place Thad found he had made a mistake in the road, for his chart was not as accurate as it should have been, and of course to rectify this they had to go back and try it all over again.

Then Giraffe complained of being hungry, and that necessitated looking for some place where they might get something to eat. Coming to a village finally, they saw another tavern, and as money "talks" with people who keep caravansaries of any sort, arrangements were made whereby they might be supplied with a meal.

So an hour and more was consumed in waiting for this to be cooked, and in afterwards eating the same. No one, however, begrudged the time or the money, for what they had proved to be quite appetizing, with its flavor of French cookery.

Another cause for delay consisted in the fact that the road they were following mounted several rises, and as they had already learned, to their cost, the tricky old car disliked hill climbing above all things. So they were compelled to display their scout knowledge of "first aid to the injured" in the way of lending a helping hand.

They came upon many people as they pursued their way. Some were going in the same direction as the boys, while others came from the opposite quarter. They could not help noticing that all looked unusually excited; while some of them seemed to be carrying heavy burdens. These were doubtless possessed with the idea that the German cavalrymen would be raiding through that entire section at any time now, and if they hoped to save their most cherished possessions it was time they took them to some place of security.

The day was passing, and only another hour remained for them to push on. Thad was not at all satisfied with the poor progress they had made.

"We'll try and do better to-morrow," he told them as they jogged along, the engine making more noise than ever, it seemed. "If only we can get to a point where there's no danger of being stopped by commands of raiding Uhlans we can figure on reaching our destination--hello! what's gone wrong now, I wonder?"

The engine had given a last weak throb and refused to carry on the work any longer. Thad, Allan and Giraffe all jumped out and started to investigate.

"Oh! ginger! what do you think of that?" the last named was heard to exclaim, as though he had made a startling and unexpected discovery.

"What is it, Giraffe?" asked Bumpus, who had not descended from the car, but for all that was deeply interested in everything that went on.

"Tank's clean empty!" burst from Giraffe.

Thad and Allen stared hard at each other.

"You must be mistaken, Giraffe," said the former.

"You certainly have made a bad guess," added Allan, "because we put in five gallons just an hour ago, and couldn't possibly have used more than a third of that amount by now. Try again, Giraffe!"

"Look for yourself," said the tall boy, with a shrug of his shoulders that stood for disgust, and perhaps a little indignation as well, that his word should be doubted.

An investigation revealed the fact that there was hardly a drop in the tank.

"Here's the reason," said Thad, pointing with his finger to where plain signs of a leak could be seen; "the reservoir has gone back on us. It must have sprung that leak in the last mile or two, and drained the tank."

"Oh! what tough luck!" exclaimed Bumpus, and then settled back in his seat in the consciousness that these comrades, so fertile in resources, would speedily find some solution for the problem.

Thad glanced at Allan, shook his head, and smiled dismally.

"Looks as if we're bound to run the whole gamut of car troubles before we're done with this machine, doesn't it?" he observed. "Of course there are several things we might do. One is to pull the car aside so as not to block the road, and then strike on in hopes of finding a village, where we can either put up for the night or else get some gas, enough to bring us on."

"Failing that," said Giraffe, "what's to hinder hiring a farmer and his horse to pull the machine along to town? It's a common occurrence over in our country, and these Belgians are ready to do anything like that to earn a dollar or two. And if you say the word, Thad, I'll be glad to strike off right now to either get the juice or hire a horse to tow us out of this."

That was always the way with Giraffe, for there never breathed a more willing comrade than the tall scout.

"It's nice of you to make that offer, Giraffe," the patrol leader told him, "and I guess we'll have to take you up on it, since there seems to be no other way."

"We'd find it pretty tough to try and push the car a long ways," ventured Bumpus, always remembering the effort it took to surmount the low hills they had struck; "and as to camping out here without a bite of supper, I'd rather be excused from trying it, even if I had to go for help myself."

Of course no one would dream of allowing such a thing as this last hint covered; and doubtless Bumpus knew that he was perfectly safe in making it.

"Then I go, do I, Thad?" asked Giraffe, looking actually pleased at the chance to make himself "useful as well as ornamental," as he himself called it.

"Yes, if you will," he was told; "we'll promise to stay here and watch the car, though it'd be hard for any one to steal it without a bit of petrol in the tank to run the engine. Take your time, Giraffe; no need of sprinting. If you can't get the gasoline, bring a horse and a driver."

"We're not so very proud!" laughed Bumpus.

"It'll only be another experience," ventured Allan; being boys they could grapple with troubles without being greatly discouraged, for as is often the case they saw something of a frolic in each successive adventure, something to be remembered and retold later on with more or less pride.

"While you're away, Giraffe," continued Thad, "we'll see if we can mend the hole in the petrol tank. I believe I saw a little soldering outfit in the kit of tools. Just as like as not this isn't the first rust hole that's happened in that same old tank. If we can't do it, some plumber will have to undertake the job, for we can't go ahead otherwise."

So Giraffe walked on, taking great strides with those long legs of his. Bumpus, who being so stout only made mincing steps, always declared Giraffe must have inherited the famous Seven League Boots they used to read about in the fairy story books.

Giraffe waved his hand back to his comrades before turning a bend, and that was the last they saw of him on his mission for help.

Thad and Allan were soon busily engaged. They made a little fire close by, where the small soldering iron could be heated. Bumpus having asked if he could be of any assistance, and being told to the contrary, solaced himself by sitting there and watching all they did.

"No telling but what I might want to mend a hole in a coffee pot some of these fine days," he remarked, complacently, "and it's just as well that I learn how to handle the tools. I believe in a scout's knowing things every time"; then as though his conscience suddenly smote him he hurriedly added: "but once in a while you may run up against a snag, like I did when I fooled with that driving wheel. Think you c'n fix it, Thad?"

"It begins to look that way, Bumpus," the other told him; "we seem to be making some progress, anyway."

"Oh! we'll get the hole mended all right," Allan remarked, confidently; "but it's always going to be a question how soon another will come along. The tank is worn out, and not worth much."

"We can only hope it serves our purpose, and after that who cares?" ventured the now philosophical Bumpus.

In the end the leak was repaired, and so far as they could see the tank would do its duty again as a reservoir, providing any petrol was to be had.

By this time the boys were thinking they ought to see something of their messenger. Giraffe would surely have had plenty of time to run across some wayside cottage where they had a horse that could be hired.

"I expect," Thad explained, to account for the delay, "he's got his mind set on getting some juice, and so he's gone on to the next town. Well, if he fetches it with him we'll get along in a hurry all right."

Sitting there in the car, which had been dragged to one side of the road, they settled down to wait. The day was done, and with the setting of the sun thoughts of supper naturally came into the mind of Bumpus, because that fierce appetite of his gave him little peace.

"What if he doesn't show up to-night, Thad?" he remarked, voicing a fear that had latterly been tugging at his heart.

"I hope it doesn't come to that," replied the other, looking serious. "We'd be worried about him. Of course we can put up the top of the car. It's a pretty ragged top at that, but would keep the dew from falling on us. As scouts we've camped out in a good many queer places, and ought to stand a little thing like that."

Bumpus did not much relish the prospect, but being a wise fellow he kept his disappointment to himself. The minutes crept on, and pretty soon darkness had engulfed the stalled car. Still no Giraffe. It looked very strange, for they could not imagine what might have happened to their chum.

Another hour passed.

The moon even peeped into view over in the east, and there was no welcome hail in the cheery voice of the absent chum. Bumpus gave himself up to the most agonizing speculations. He possibly saw, in his mind, poor Giraffe undergoing all manner of tortures, from being shot as a German spy on account of having tried to converse with some one in the Teuton language, to being taken prisoner by a band of raiding Uhlans.

And while engaged in thinking of all these things Bumpus actually fell asleep. He could do that about as easily as any one Thad had ever known. Hearing his regular breathing, and seeing that Bumpus was lying back in the corner under the hood which had been raised, Thad gently placed the one thin cover they possessed over the sleeper; and after that when he and Allan wanted to converse they lowered their voices so as not to disturb Bumpus.

"What do you think has gone wrong, Thad?" Allan asked, as though not fully satisfied with his own conclusions.

"It's hard to say," replied the other; "but let's hope it's only because Giraffe is dead set on getting the juice, and nothing else will suit him. We know once he makes up his mind he can be dreadfully stubborn, almost as bad as Bumpus here, for a fact."

After that they sat there and exchanged sentences only once in a while. The time was August, but all the same the night air began to feel more or less cool; and Thad was even wondering whether it would not be a good idea to resurrect the fire they had used for heating the iron, so as to ward off this chill, when suddenly he heard sounds along the road that gave him a thrill.

Instantly his hand sought the arm of his chum. Allan may have been half dozing, but as he felt that warning touch he was instantly wide awake.

"Listen!" whispered Thad.

More plainly than before came the sounds, and Allan, too, was thrilled when he made out what seemed to be voices, mingled with a clanking noise such as would be made by soldiers bearing arms. Yes, and now he plainly caught the thud of horses' hoofs on the hard road.

"Sit tight!" said Thad; "there's nothing we can do to help ourselves. Even if it is soldiers they may be Belgians maneuvering to get in the rear of the Germans. But we'll soon know the worst, for the sounds are coming closer all the time."

So, sitting there while Bumpus slept peacefully on, the two chums awaited the explanation of the mystery.