CHAPTER III.

GIRAFFE MAKES A BARGAIN.

"That's the stuff, Thad," declared Bumpus, enthusiastically.

No one considered this an odd remark for the stout boy to make, because they knew from past experience that he was not an ardent pedestrian. Bumpus was not built for action along those lines; he "het up" too easily, as he was fond of explaining, and even now could be seen mopping his perspiring brow with his bandanna handkerchief.

The man with the disabled car was so busily engaged that he did not notice the approach of the four chums until they reached the spot. Apparently he was about ready to give it up as a bad job, for he scratched his head helplessly, and had a look of utter chagrin on his face as he turned toward them.

Thad had previously asked Giraffe to conduct the negotiations, using his best German to produce results.

The man was apparently some small tradesman in one of the towns so thickly scattered about that region. He stared hard at the boys, understanding immediately that they had a foreign look. Still the Rhine country attracted many thousands of pilgrims each year, and myriads of honest people helped out their living by what the tourists left behind them; so he must have been used to seeing strangers.

Perhaps the news that had reached his ears concerning the breaking out of war may have been the cause of his puzzled look.

While Giraffe engaged him in conversation, the others took a look at the engine of the car. Both Thad and Allan had a fair smattering of mechanical knowledge, and it did not take them long to size the situation up, as the latter termed it.

"An old rattlebox, sure enough, Thad," observed Allan, knowing that the owner could not very well understand what he was saying.

"I've seen a few worse machines, but I believe I could count them on the fingers of one hand," the patrol leader admitted.

"It's easy to see what the matter is, though the man doesn't seem to know," was what Allan remarked next.

"Yes, and so far as that goes it can be remedied without a great amount of time and trouble," continued Thad.

"Would it pay us to make an offer for the discard?" asked Bumpus, anxious to have a little say in the matter.

The other two exchanged looks.

"Let's take another squint at the thing before we decide," remarked Thad.

"Agreed," his chum added. "I never did like to buy a pig in a poke, as they used to say."

Once more they examined the engine, and then took a look at each of the pretty well-used tires. Meanwhile Giraffe had exhausted his vocabulary, and both he and the old German owner of the stranded car stood and watched what the others were doing.

Bumpus bustled around like a busy beaver. From the way he poked his head under the hood of the machine, touched this part of the machinery and then that, one would have thought he might be an experienced mechanic; and yet what Bumpus did not know about such things would fill many volumes. But then it pleased him to look wise.

"Did you ask him if he cared to sell the old trap, Giraffe?" questioned Thad.

"Yes," the other scout replied, "I put it up to him, and he told me he didn't care if he did, providing he could get his price, and that it was in cash."

"The cash part we could meet easily enough," continued the scout leader, "but I'd want to know what sort of a price he means to put on the wreck. It's of little use to him as it stands, for he can't do a thing with it."

"I told him so," said Giraffe, "and that if we chose to buy the car it would only be to have a little fun out of it, and then throw the old tub in the discard."

"It's only fit for the scrap heap," ventured Bumpus, pompously.

"Well, get him to set a price on it, spot cash, and if it's too high we'll step out with shank's mare again," Thad told the negotiator.

Accordingly Giraffe brushed up his high-school German and set to work. The man listened to what he was saying, nodding his head meanwhile. His eyes had a cunning look in them Thad thought, that seemed to tell of covetousness.

"Whew!" they heard Giraffe say in an explosive way, after the other had committed himself.

"What is his lowest figure in cash?" asked Thad.

"He nearly took my breath away," declared the other; "actually asks five hundred marks for an old trap like this!"

"It's highway robbery, that's what!" commented Bumpus, in dismay.

"He says all the decent cars are being taken over by the military authorities," continued Giraffe; "and that this sort of machine is the only kind that it's safe to own."

"Well, so far as that goes he's right," admitted Allan.

"Yes, but he couldn't get twenty-five dollars for the tub if he put it up at auction!" Bumpus asserted, just as though he were an authority on all such subjects; "and here he asks a plump hundred for the bunch of scrap iron."

All the same Bumpus kept an eager eye fastened on Thad, as though he were in hopes the patrol leader might yet find some way to negotiate a deal; for Bumpus would a thousand times rather travel in the slowest and most uncertain car ever known than to walk.

"Offer him two hundred marks cash down," said Thad; "and that's a heap more than it's worth. The balance is for the accommodation. We'll likely throw it away after we've used it a bit."

"All right, just as you say, Thad," remarked Giraffe, and turning to the German owner of the car he started in once more to dicker.

He had hardly gotten part-way through his speech before the others saw a broad smile appear on the red face of the man, who began to nod his head eagerly. At the same time he thrust out his hand toward Thad.

"What d'ye think of that, boys!" exclaimed Giraffe, apparently both surprised and disgusted; "he snapped me up like a flash. Two hundred marks it is, Thad, and the trap is ours for keeps."

"Oh! why didn't we set it at a hundred," groaned Bumpus; "a fine lot of traders we are, I think. No David Harums in this bunch. We're easy marks."

"Yes, two hundred of them," chuckled Allan.

Thad meanwhile, fearful lest the man might change his mind, counted out some bills and handed them over to Giraffe.

"Write out a receipt in German, Giraffe, and have him sign the same before you give him the money," he told the go-between.

This Giraffe soon did, and the man signed it without hesitation. Then clutching the money, he said something to Giraffe, nodded his head several times to the rest of the boys, and hurried away.

Somehow his actions, coupled with the way he glanced back over his shoulder several times caused the four scouts to look at each other in surprise.

"What do you think he means to do, now he's got the money?" Bumpus asked.

"Oh! put for home and hide it away in a stocking, most likely," Allan laughingly remarked.

"He acted as if he was afraid we'd repent, and want the money back," suggested the patrol leader. "That price was about twice as much as the rattle-trap is worth, you see."

"You don't think he's hurrying off to get into town and report that there are suspicious characters on the road who talk English, and may be spies from across the Channel?" ventured Giraffe, uneasily.

"Worse than that, it may be," said Bumpus mysteriously.

"Explain what you mean, then," demanded Giraffe.

"Mebbe he _stole_ the car somewhere," suggested the other, "and before we know it we'll be hauled up for the job."

The thought was far from pleasant. In the present disturbed state of the Rhine country any one who did not have the stamp of the Fatherland on his face and in his tongue was apt to fare harshly if placed under a cloud by any circumstances.

"Well, the sooner we get busy and fix up our new purchase the better, I should say, no matter where the man got it," Allan went on to remark.

Thad thought the idea so good that, taking off his coat, he started in to working at the engine. He had enough experience to know what was wrong, and how to go about fixing the defect, with Allan at his back to give occasional bits of advice which helped out considerably.

Bumpus and Giraffe hovered around. They could not be of any material assistance, and did not want to get in the way so as to delay things. So they talked matters over, and every now and then would step closer to see how the workers might be getting along.

"I only hope she holds out till we're safe over the border, don't you, Giraffe?" remarked the fat boy, fanning himself with his hat, for the August day was pretty warm, and there did not happen to be a breath of wind blowing at the time.

"Yes," replied the tall scout, "because once we get beyond where the fighting is we can move around without being held under suspicion."

"There, Thad seems to be fixing things up, and I do believe he's going to try the engine to see if it works!" exclaimed Bumpus.

It took several efforts to get the result Thad was after, but all at once the loud thumping told that he had succeeded.

"Hurrah!" cried Bumpus, showing signs of excitement.

"All aboard!" exclaimed Thad.

Fortunately the car happened to be headed in the direction they wished to go, so there was no necessity for turning, which might not have been an easy task. All of them soon stowed themselves away in the body of the car, though it required some crowding, due principally to the fact that one of their number took up enough space for two ordinary fellows. Of course that was not the fault of poor Bumpus, who was willing to squeeze himself into as small a cavity as he possibly could.

When Thad started the car they actually found themselves moving along at what seemed to be a fair rate of speed, after their recent slow progress afoot.

Bumpus almost held his breath for a short time. He acted as though he feared he must be dreaming, and that he would presently awaken to a bitter disappointment.

After they had actually covered a full mile, and the machine was still moving ahead, Bumpus could restrain his exultation no longer.

"Ha! this is the life!" he exclaimed with a broad smile on his happy face. "A fellow would be a fool to walk when he could sit here in his own private car and whirl along the highway at this dizzy pace of five miles an hour. Thad, that was a dandy idea of yours about buying the wreck; and Giraffe, I want to give you great credit for doing the bargaining. Here we are headed for Belgium in fine shape, and with our cares yet to come."

Being boys, and with abounding spirits, they did not believe in crossing bridges before they came to them. So while unaware of what the uncertain future might hold for them they did not mean to worry. It was enough, as Bumpus said, that the present looked sunny, with not a cloud on the horizon.

In that jolly frame of mind they started to do the next mile with slightly increased speed, as the engine "got its second wind," as Giraffe called it.