CHAPTER IX.

AT A WAYSIDE BELGIAN INN.

"It looks all right to me, fellows!" remarked Bumpus, as they approached the inn where a swinging sign announced that travelers and their animals could be entertained.

"Yes, and if the grub is as attractive as the surroundings," added Giraffe, "I'd wish it was night time right now, so we could put up here. I've heard how neat as wax these Dutch vrouws are about their beds and food, and it'd sure suit me to try the thing out. But of course, since Bumpus here is in such a hurry to get to Antwerp, we couldn't think of that."

"You don't blame me, I feel sure, Giraffe?" mentioned Bumpus, with a vein of mild reproach in his mellow voice.

"Sure not," instantly replied the tall scout, for he felt that those blue eyes of his chum were filled with surprise; "I'll do everything I can to help get you there in a rush, even to going hungry if I have to."

"Oh! we haven't come to the starvation point yet, I hope," the red-haired chum told him, as the car stopped in front of the road-house, and all of them clambered out.

Giraffe patted the seat as he left it.

"After all, you've turned out to be a heap better than you look, old stick-in-the-mud car," he said, meaning it as a compliment; "appearances are often deceptive, and in the pinch you didn't fail us."

"We ought to be thankful for that," said Thad. "I know my heart seemed to be up in my throat more than a few times when we were making that last mile of the mad race. I thought sure the engine would give up the ghost with a groan, and leave us there stranded on the road to be taken prisoners by those Uhlans."

"Oh! we're the lucky bunch, take it from me," said Giraffe; "but here comes mine host, smiling all over at the honor we do his house to stop our elegant car before the door. I'll try him in my best Teutonic first; but I hope he can understand United States Dutch like our friend back at the border post."

The landlord joined them. He wore a long white apron, and had a clean look that impressed all of the boys immensely. His face was as rosy red as health and good living could make it.

It turned out that, while his English was faulty, he could understand the language fairly well, and that was the main thing.

When the boys explained to him that they were hungry, and hoped he could get them up some sort of a dinner, he readily promised to do the best he could, though of course, he explained, it was long after the usual hour for dining.

So they found a way to wash up, and then sat on the broad porch resting while awaiting the call to dinner. Their car attracted more or less attention; but Giraffe was of the opinion this was because of its dilapidated appearance more than anything else.

"I'd hate to be seen driving such a wreck over around Cranford," he remarked, "but here it was a case of take it or leave it, and there you are."

"Just you go slow about running that machine down," warned Bumpus, shaking his head threateningly; "it's served us a noble purpose, let me tell you. Think of all the tiresome tramping we'd have been forced to do only for our great luck in picking up this vehicle."

"Yes," said Allan, "we'll never know, I suppose, where that man got it, or whether we bought a stolen car; but it stood the racket splendidly, and we won the day against the crack horses of the German cavalry."

Just then the urbane landlord came to announce that dinner was served, and there was a hasty exodus from that porch. The boys had sharp appetites, and everything tasted just right, for there is no better sauce to any meal than hunger.

"If this is only a picked-up dinner," said Bumpus, as he sighed and shook his head when Thad asked him to have a fourth helping, "I'd like to sit down to one of the regular ones, just to see what it would be like."

"All through?" asked Thad. "If you are, I'll settle the bill, after which we'll cut for the western border line. We ought to get over a few Belgian miles before night comes on."

Even the thought of finding themselves on Belgian soil thrilled the scouts. It was easy to understand why this should be so. There the two armies were fast in a death grapple, with the Germans doing the assaulting, and the heroic forces of King Albert trying to delay the passage of the invading hosts across their land as much as was possible. The mere idea of being close to a battlefield was enough to fill their boyish hearts with eager anticipations, for without experience along these lines they could not as yet realize the horrors of war.

The settlement proved to be an easy one. This Dutch landlord at least had not learned the tricks of his trade, so far as overcharging travelers was concerned, for his prices were exceedingly moderate.

When once more they found themselves on the road, and headed into the west, the boys began to discount their arrival at the other border line.

"Of course we'll run smack up against more Dutch soldiers on guard there," said Allan; "because by now they'll be mobilizing all their forces, so as to be ready if they have to enter the war to preserve their country. You've often heard of Dutch courage, and they do say these smiling soldiers don't know what fear is."

"Let's hope that this road across into Belgium isn't guarded as yet," ventured Giraffe, "or else that they'll be glad to get rid of us."

It was not a great while later that they discovered a white post alongside the road. There had been one just like it back where they came over from the country of the Rhine, and from this they judged they had arrived at the dividing line.

Several soldiers now appeared, attracted by the noise made by the exhaust of the car, for the muffler worked poorly even when used.

"They're giving us the high sign to pull up, Thad," announced Giraffe, as the Dutch guards were seen to make motions.

Some difficulty was experienced on this occasion, for none of the Dutchmen could speak any English. Giraffe worked hard to explain just who they were, and how they simply wanted to be allowed to cross over into Belgium on a peaceful errand.

Bumpus hung on his words, and looked so appealingly at the puzzled guards that it could be easily seen he hoped there would not be any miserable delay.

By dint of extravagant gestures, displaying the little flags on their coats, saying the word "American" lots of times, then "Antwerp," and finally pointing toward the southwest, in the end Giraffe seemingly managed to convince them that all the boys in the old car wished was to be let alone, and continue their journey.

Finally one of the guards nodded his head, shrugged his shoulders, spoke to his companions, and after about ten minutes' delay they stepped aside, as if to signify that the way was clear, and they would not interpose any further objection to the boys going on.

"Hurrah!" cried Giraffe, as he settled back in his seat, "get her moving, Thad, before they wake up and change their minds! I kind of think I mesmerized that big chap some. He looks half dazed still."

"I think you must have talked such a mixture of German and American that he began to think we were all crazy," laughed Allan; "but no matter, we're thankful for even small favors."

"Why," said Bumpus, who was vastly relieved by this sudden change for the better in their fortunes, "as for me, I'd be willing to be looked on as demented if only it carried the day for my plans. We're across the line, Thad, wouldn't you say?"

"No doubt about that, Bumpus."

"And this is really Belgium we're running over?" continued the delighted stout scout.

"Yes, really and truly," Giraffe told him; "but it looks as like Holland as two peas in a pod. If it wasn't for the Dutch guard, and the white border post, none of us would ever know we'd changed countries."

After that they continued to forge ahead at a fair pace as the balance of the afternoon slipped away. Once the engine chose to balk, which necessitated an overhauling on the part of Thad and Allan. Happily the trouble was again located and rectified, so that they did not lose a great deal of time.

"There's one thing sure, Thad," said Giraffe, who had been prowling around while the repair work was going on, looking into a number of things; "we couldn't think of going much more than another hour."

"Gas tank getting low, is it?" asked the other, who had seen Giraffe meddling in that quarter, and could make a good guess as to what discoveries he had run upon.

"Just what it is," replied Giraffe; "about enough juice to do us till we want to stop for the night. We must manage to buy ten gallons or so in the morning, no matter what they ask for their old petrol, as they call it over here."

"There, you see how obliging a car we've happened on," said Bumpus. "It holds out till we get ready to stop over, and then asks for a fresh supply. I think this must be a French make of car, it's so very polite."

"Yes, just so," said Giraffe; "do you know, I've been suspecting for some time it was swearing in French every time it groaned and grunted when Thad was driving the engine so hard."

The next hour passed and once again fortune seemed to favor the boys, for just as the sun was about to sink out of sight they came to a village where they discovered a quaint-looking inn.

When they found that there was plenty of room, and that they could be supplied with a supper and a breakfast, the boys asked for nothing better. The car was taken into a sort of barn, where cattle were munching their feed, and left there.

As before Thad and his chums managed to find the pump, and washed up the best way possible, after which they sat around in the taproom, waiting for the welcome call to the table.

There were a number of men over by the bar, where they talked in their own language, which of course the boys could not understand. But Giraffe seemed to think one of the natives took an unusual amount of interest in the new arrivals, since he looked their way again and again, and called the attention of another fellow to the wearers of the khaki uniforms.

Of course, it might be that the possession of these same garments had aroused the curiosity of the man; but Giraffe fancied he had a sinister look on his face, and being possessed of a suspicious nature, the boy actually got up and sauntered over to the door, after he saw the party go out.

Looking that way, presently Thad discovered that Giraffe had actually vanished.

"I hope now he doesn't get himself in any scrape," Thad told the others, for he knew only too well the impetuous nature of the boy with the long neck.

Allan and Bumpus did not think there was any reason for fearing such a thing. According to their way of looking at it, everything seemed peaceful, and Giraffe was acting foolish in entertaining any suspicions.

About five minutes later, with supper as yet not placed on the table, Giraffe entered the room about as silently as he had left it a while before. He hurried over to where his three chums were lounging, and they began to rouse themselves at noticing an expression of excitement on the other's face.

"What's wrong now?" asked Thad, just as though Giraffe could always be looked on as the bearer of bad news.

"I told you so," came the answer; "that fellow with the sneaky eyes is a bad egg, and he means to do us trick or I miss my guess."

"Are you only saying that in a general way, or do you know something?" asked the scout leader, in the voice he used when giving orders to the troop in place of Dr. Philander Hobbs, the real scout master, who was often absent when the boys were enjoying an outing in camp or on the trail.

"I followed him outside," continued Giraffe, sinking his voice to a mysterious whisper, "and saw him talking with some other tough-looking fellows; and, let me tell you, they acted mighty suspicious."