CHAPTER XVI.

THE GERMAN RAIDERS.

The moon was well up in the heavens and this made it almost as light as day out there in the open. Both the scouts could see that scores and scores of men mounted on fine horses had halted for a breathing spell. Down by the pump as many horses as could gather around were drinking their fill at the very trough where only a few hours before the animals drawing the guns of the Belgians had stood, according to what Giraffe had told them.

Crouching there in the window the boys stared and listened and took it all in. It happened that the moon was on the other side of the inn so that the wall here was well in shadow. This prevented Thad and Allan from being noticed, and they had the good sense to remain perfectly still so as not to attract undue attention.

There could be no telling what these hard-riding Uhlans might do. Doubtless nine-tenths of all the terrible stories told about their cruel work could be set down as pure fiction; but even then some among them might be reckless enough to fire a shot at a shrinking figure, half seen in a window, under the impression that it might turn out to be a "sniper" getting ready to shoot into their ranks.

The landlord had come out, and was now talking with one of those who seemed to be in charge of the band. None of the boys had known up to this time he could speak German; and Giraffe in particular would be surprised to know it, for had he only been aware of the fact on his previous visit it would have saved him much time and effort.

When Thad remembered about the Belgian battery having been on the identical spot such a short time before he was strongly impressed with the strange vicissitudes and contrasts of war. And had that same battery but lingered in hiding it would have been in a position to strike a blow at the invaders not often encountered.

Remembering that they had companions in the other room Thad started to creep through the connecting door, with the intention of waking them. Then they too could afterwards boast of having looked upon a band of those dashing hard riders known as Uhlans, and who with the Russian Cossacks have had the reputation of being the most terrible fighters of all Europe.

He had his trouble for his pains, for he found the bed in the other room empty, with Giraffe and Bumpus over at the window watching all that was going on below.

"Keep quiet, and don't draw any attention if you can help it," Thad whispered to the others as he reached the spot where they crouched.

"Some of the officers are coming inside," said Giraffe; "I reckon they've ordered the landlord to fetch up his best wines. It would be just like them to make him clean up his wine cellar for the benefit of the troop. And just our luck not to have paid our bill yet; for he's bound to make good his losses on his guests."

"Oh! let us hope they won't think to set fire to the inn, because his stock of drinks gives out," whimpered Bumpus, doubtless already picturing in his mind what sort of work he could make of climbing out of the window and down the water pipe, in case such a dreadful catastrophe did come about.

"Here, you're shivering at the window, fellows," whispered Thad; "and I'd advise you to go and get a blanket over your shoulders, if you want to stay and see all that happens."

"You don't think they'll burn the house, do you, Thad?" asked Bumpus; "I want to know, because it'd take me some little time making a rope ladder out of the sheets. That's the best way to get down from here, because it'd be too big a drop for a fellow like me."

"Oh! don't worry about that," Giraffe told him; "there won't be any burning done. You stand more chance of freezing to death right now; so get that blanket, Bumpus. Hold on, stay where you are, and I'll fetch one for you; it isn't safe to have you moving around so much."

Thad soon went back to his own room and provided himself with the bed covers which he divided with Allan. There was really nothing new to report. More men and horses kept pushing up to the pump and the water trough. The handle of the former kept up a continual groaning as strong arms worked it constantly, to keep the trough from running dry.

"Here the officers come out again," remarked Allan; "they've had their wine, and mean to let the landlord off easy this time. Perhaps they're in too big a hurry to stay long in one place. That was the call to mount we just heard. And, Thad, this is about as thrilling a scene as we've ever looked at."

"Yes," added the other, "and inside of a week half of those fine strapping big fellows may be dead, for all we know. They take their lives in their hands when they go galloping across an enemy's country this way. Any hour they are likely to find themselves in a trap, with deadly rapid-fire guns pouring a hail of bullets into the troop, cutting down horses and men. It's terrible just to think of it."

They saw the Uhlans begin to gallop away, with a sense of great relief. The little pennons at the ends of their long lances fluttered in the night air. Seen in the mellow moonlight it was an inspiring picture that made the hearts of the onlookers beat faster than usual.

"I don't like that, though," Thad was muttering as he watched, with the last of the troop leaving the watering trough.

"What is it, Thad," demanded Allan, who had just barely caught the low words.

"Don't you see which way they're going?" asked the patrol leader.

"Why, they seem to have come into town from the left-hand road, and are leaving by the one that runs toward the southwest," replied Allan.

"Well, that's our course to-morrow, you know," Thad continued, with a meaning in his voice that could not well be mistaken.

Allan gave a low whistle.

"I see now what you mean, Thad," he remarked. "It begins to look as if that Belgian gunner Giraffe talked with knew what he was saying when he said we didn't have more than one chance in ten to slip through. If there are many more detachments of Uhlans like this floating around, so as to fairly cover the country, we'll be hauled up as sure as anything, and chased back."

"Yes, because they'd be afraid we might carry important news to the enemy, and set the Belgians on their trail," Thad went on to say.

They had no further reason for staying up in the chilly night air, with a comfortable bed so close at hand, and a few minutes later the two chums were tucked under the covers once more.

"You don't think they bothered our car, do you, Thad?" asked Allan, as he prepared to coax further sleep to visit his eyes.

"I hope not," he was told. "I did see several of the men go into the shed and move around the stables, but they must have been looking for sound horses, and not broken-down wrecks of cars. As they didn't carry off any horses that I could see I reckon all the good ones have already been taken for the Belgian cavalry and field batteries."

When eventually morning came it found all the scouts up bright and early. Even Bumpus astonished his mates by showing no desire to remain in bed after being aroused.

"Course we're going on, boys," he decided, as they were dressing; "just because there's a bunch of German rough-riders cruising around these parts isn't enough to make us back down and show the white feather, I hope."

They all assured him that so far no one thought of doing such a thing, which information doubtless gave Bumpus more or less satisfaction.

"I wouldn't like to promise that we'll be able to break through, though, Bumpus," Thad warned him. "It's all going to depend on how the Germans have scattered over the country down in that direction. If we have a lot of luck we'll escape them; but don't forget that we've still another scheme up our sleeve in case this one fails."

This fleeting visit by a troop of the enemy had aroused the Belgian village as nothing that had ever before occurred could have done. The women were out gossiping over the low fences, or else gabbling in groups in front of the houses. Boys, old men, and those who from some physical defect were debarred from participating in the active service of the army could be seen talking in knots.

Although as yet they had not heard the crash of gun, and seen men falling in scores before the modern rapid-fire guns, or those using shrapnel, it was getting pretty close to the border line with them. To have two rival forces visit the quaint and peaceful place only a few hours apart brought the war home to those who dwelt in the little Belgian town.

Giraffe had been greatly impressed. He was by nature a pugnacious sort of a boy, and it had always been a hard thing for him to subdue his passion when he first subscribed to the twelve cardinal rules that govern the life of a scout. Now and then that old spirit would persist in cropping out again, in defiance to the law of the scouts.

"Tell you what," he was saying this morning, when, after eating breakfast at the inn, the boys started out in a bunch with an empty five-gallon can, determined to pick up enough petrol in small lots to serve to carry them over a good many miles of Belgian territory; "tell you what, fellows, I'll be pretty much disappointed and broken-hearted if after being so near the firing line I don't get a chance to glimpse just one solitary battle between these Belgians end the Germans. Somehow I've got a hunch that King Albert and his boys can put up a good article of scrap; and from what we've heard they're giving the Kaiser the surprise of his life over at Liége right now."

Thad told him he was foolish to wish that, because a battle was a terrible thing, and apt to give him a fit of the horrors every time he remembered what he saw.

"General Sherman knew what war was when he called it a pretty hard name," the scout master continued, "and it's silly for a boy to want to see men shot down as if they were ripe grain. A scout should know better than that, Giraffe, you want to remember."

Giraffe did not make any reply, but from his manner it was plain to be seen that he was far from being convinced by Thad's logic. What was bred in the bone it was very hard to beat out of the flesh; and in other days Giraffe had even owned a game rooster which he had proudly boasted could whip any barnyard fowl in and around Cranford.

They first got a few hints from the landlord, and then started out to try and get enough petrol to give them a fair start. Sometimes they met with luck, and then again their mission proved just as fruitless as had Giraffe's on the preceding evening when on the way to this same town.

Still, when half an hour passed and they had managed to buy four gallons they considered that they were doing very well indeed.

"If we can double that in the same length of time we'll consider ourselves pretty lucky," said Thad; "but no matter how we come out we're going to start about that time. Every chance we get on the road we can stop and hold up the little sign our friend the landlord has made for us, and which reads: 'We want to buy a gallon or more of petrol, and will pay twice the regular price for it. We are American Boy Scouts trying to reach Antwerp. Help us out.'"

They took turns in carrying the can which was by this time beginning to feel rather weighty. Even Bumpus insisted on taking his regular spell, for when they tried to spare him from doing his share of things he always grew indignant, and wanted to know why they tried to make him out to be a baby. Bumpus was getting to be exceedingly touchy on such matters, it seemed, for his pride received a severe jolt every time it happened.

When the next half hour had expired and Thad told them they must go back to the inn so as to make a start they had close on seven gallons of petrol. Apparently the fluid famine had already started in that part of little Belgium, and it was certain to get worse continually as the bitter war went on.

The scouts quitted their refuge of the night, feeling that they had passed through another novel experience in watching the coming and going of the raiding Uhlan troop.