Boy Allies in the Trenches; Or, Midst Shot and Shell Along the Aisne by Clair W. Hayes
CHAPTER XXII.
INTO THE UNDERWORLD.
Hal did not see the look of understanding upon Uncle John's face, as theywere led along, but Chester did. He smiled to himself.
"Uncle John has caught on," he said to his friend.
"Caught on?" echoed Hal.
"Yes. He knows that we have hoodwinked him."
"So much the better, then," said Hal. "It will save our mothers someworry." He turned to the officer who conducted them as soon as they wereout on the street. "It's all right now," he said. "We can go the rest ofthe way alone."
"Perhaps you can," was the reply, "but you won't. You'll come rightalong with us."
"But," protested the lad, "we must first go to our other hotel and getthe clothes we have secured for our work."
"You will have to talk to General Gallieni about that," said theofficer gruffly.
"But General Gallieni knows all about our plans."
"Does he? I'm not so sure. However, I guess he will before long?"
"Look here," said Hal, "what's the matter with you?"
"Come, now," said the officer, "that's enough of that. March."
Chester broke into a laugh, and Hal glanced at him in surprise.
"What are you laughing at?" he demanded.
"Why," said Chester, "I am laughing because you can't see through this."
"Is that so?" said Hal, somewhat nettled. "Perhaps you can seethrough it?"
"Of course," said Chester. "General Gallieni simply sent this squad afterus. He didn't explain the situation to the officer."
"By Jove!" said Hal. "Now, why didn't I think of that? It's plain enough,now that you speak of it."
They marched along in silence, and soon were ushered into the presence ofGeneral Gallieni. The latter dismissed the other officers with a wave ofhis hand and turned to the lads.
"Well, I see you escaped," he said, with a semblance of a smile on hisgrim features.
"Yes, sir; thanks to you, sir," said Hal, also smiling.
"Thank yourselves," said the general. "It took some resourcefulness tothink of such a plan. It proves to me that you can use your heads. Iam, therefore, more confident that you may be successful in yourdesperate work."
Hal and Chester were greatly flattered by this high praise, but theysimply saluted and said:
"Thank you, sir."
"Now," said the general, "you may as well go about the work at once.Further delay is useless. But you cannot go in those uniforms. Didn't youlay in some other clothes, as you suggested?"
"We did, sir," replied Hal, "but the officer who conducted us herewouldn't let us go after them."
"True," said the general. "I didn't explain the situation to him, becauseI feared that he might possibly give the _coup_ away. Perhaps I can fixyou up here, however."
He struck a little bell on his desk a sharp tap. Immediately an orderlyentered and to him the general spoke briefly. The orderly saluted anddeparted, returning a few moments later with a bundle of ragged clothing.
"You may go into the next room and change," said the general, and thelads hastened to obey.
Ten minutes later, dirty, ragged and unkempt, they once more stood beforeGeneral Gallieni. The latter surveyed them critically.
"You'll do," he said at last, with an approving nod. "Now--are youarmed?"
"Two automatics each, sir, and a good supply of cartridges," said Hal.
"_Bien_! Here," the general handed each a little silver whistle, "shouldyou ever be in a tight place and in need of assistance, blow these, and,if help is near, you will get it."
The lads shoved the whistles out of sight in the clothes.
"I guess that is about all," said the general. "Remember, the main thingI want is Duval. Establish his true identity and learn where he can befound and you will have done enough. The rest of the work will be forother hands. By the way, if I were you, I would go first to the _QuartierLatin_, and loiter about there. You know where it is?"
"No, sir," said Hal.
The general gave them the necessary directions and then rose.
"That is all," he said, and the lads, realizing that their interview wasat an end, saluted and took their departure.
For an hour they walked along the streets, and at last found themselvesin the midst of the Latin Quarter of the French capital. Here they sawmany others of their own apparent ilk, dressed in rags, dirty, andcarrying a certain hangdog and famished look.
"Guess we are in the right place," said Hal to Chester in a low voice.
"Looks like it," said Hal, "but the question is, how are we going to findout anything?"
"We'll have to trust to luck," said Chester.
But Dame Fortune smiled upon them sooner than they could possibly haveanticipated, and it came about in this wise:
As the lads walked slowly along they were attracted by a terrible din andconfusion in the distance. They stopped for a moment and listened andthen went forward swiftly.
Rounding a corner into a dark side street they came abruptly upon thescene of the confusion. A dirty little street Arab was defending himselfwith bravery and skill against an overwhelming number of other rowdies.The little fellow was fighting with tooth, nail and foot, but in spite ofhis agility and stubbornness, he was getting the worst of the encounter.
He went down and the others piled on top of him.
"Come on, Hal," exclaimed Chester, "let's give the fellow a hand."
"All right," agreed the latter; "but, remember, no guns. It wouldgive us away."
They dashed quickly forward, and, striking out right and left, cleared apath for themselves and were soon at the side of the fallen man. WhileHal stood off the enemy Chester bent down and lifted the little man tohis feet. The latter recognized the touch of a friendly hand and quicklyjumped up.
"Thanks," he said briefly, and jumped to Hal's side to renew theencounter.
Chester sprang forward with him. And these reenforcements reached Halnone too soon, for he was being sorely pressed by his foes. One of theenemy, making a slight detour, suddenly launched himself headlong at Hal,and came down on his shoulder, and with his talon-like fingers clawed atthe lad's face.
With a quick twist of his arm the lad succeeded in catching his opponentby the throat, and, exerting great pressure with his other arm, boreupward heavily. There was a choking screech from the man and he lay limpin Hal's arms. Then the lad, raising him at arm's length, dashed him fullin the faces of the foe.
The little man to whose help the lads had come took this in out of thetail of his eye.
"_Bien! Bien!_" he exclaimed, and dashed forward.
Hal and Chester were right behind him.
Hal struck out with his right, and one of the enemy toppled over with anoath. Another went down before his left fist. Chester, with a heavy blow,felled another of their opponents, and the little man, snarling andfighting with hands and feet, quickly disposed of two more.
The enemy drew back and the three had time for a breathing spell. Theirfoes, however, had no mind to give up the fight, and with a suddenconcerted dash, surrounded the trio.
The fighting became fast and terrific. The weight of numbers wasbeginning to tell, and suddenly Chester went down before a heavy smash onthe jaw. He was badly shaken up, but was not unconscious. As he scrambledto his feet, the clear sound of a whistle shattered the night.Immediately the fighting stopped and the assailants drew back.
"_Les Gendarmes_!" exclaimed one, and took to his heels, followedby the rest.
"_Les Gendarmes_!" exclaimed the little man to whose assistance the ladshad come. "_Voila_!"
Chester got to his feet quickly, and, with Hal, dashed forward upon theheels of the little man. Round corner after corner, through dark streetsand darker alleys he ran, the lads following close behind him. Finally,out of breath and tired of limb and body, he came to a halt in a secludedspot in a narrow street.
The lads came to a stop beside him. The man immediately threw himselfupon the ground and the lads did likewise.
Finally the little man spoke.
"You came to my aid just in time," he said, "and I thank you. But for youI should have been killed."
"Killed!" exclaimed Hal. "And why would they have killed you?"
"Because," said the little man, "I myself picked the pocket of a man whomone of their number was trailing."
"I see," said Chester, manifesting no surprise, for he was well awarethat the street Arab had taken them for his own kind. To have betrayedsurprise would have been to invite suspicion.
"Now," said the little man, "we shall have to hide. The police will bescouring the neighborhood. Have you a refuge handy?"
"No," said Hal.
"Then you shall come with me." He hesitated a moment, then added: "Whichdo you love best, your country or gold?"
Hal took a long chance.
"Gold," he said briefly.
The little man slapped him familiarly on the back.
"As all true Apaches!" he exclaimed. "_Bien_! Then you shall come withme."
He led the way along the dark street and the lads followed him.