Kenneth Ward

“ If we are caught here at daylight it is all up with us," remarked the captain.
"Why, is it any more dangerous then than now?" asked Alfred.
"Because the patrol boats and submarine chasers will spy us, and then a shot, and all will be over," replied the captain with a solemn voice.
"Then I think we ought to do something right away," said Ralph, as he half rose and glanced out.
"I am afraid that will put the burden of getting out of the nets on our shoulders," replied the captain. "No, let them work at it, as long as they care to, but we must try by some means to determine the time." ”

“ Each day rumors grew stronger, and more persistent, that the great German army had begun its march to overrun Belgium. Liège had been entirely invested. The Belgian army had stretched like a cordon across the highways between Liège on the one hand, and Tirlemont, St. Trond, Landin and Namur on the other.
Soldiers, camp outfits, guns, ammunition, food supplies, horses, and every sort of equipment for the use of soldiers were arriving by every train. In the meantime the boys were very busy at every sort of work which chanced to fall in their way. ”

“ They ought to be shot if they are really spies."
"There's one thing about this business I can't understand," said Alfred. "I don't think spying is any worse than other things that are done in war. It isn't worse than killing, is it?"
"No; but don't you remember Lieutenant Guyon saying that it was not the doing of a thing, but the way it was done that was wrong," said Ralph.
"Well, I can't see how that helps things in the least. Here comes the captain; he just passed the window. Come in!" said Alfred. "We've been discussing what is right and what is wrong in war. ”

“ Luncheon was announced, and the boys were descending the stairway leading to the cabin, when they felt a peculiar sensation. They were thrown down the steps, taking with them several women and children, who were alongside.
No sooner had they landed at the bottom, when the most terrific crash was heard.
"Submarine!" shrieked a voice.
The sensation of the oscillating movement of the vessel was a sickening one. The dining room was half-filled with women, children and men.
"To your cabins at once; life belts as quickly as possible!" shouted an officer. "The men must aid the women and children. ”

“ Alfred said this in a regretful tone of voice, and Ralph's face brightened at the thought.
Ralph looked up, and then turned to the men. "Well, is that anything?"
"Why, anybody can ride an old bicycle. That's nothing. But it's something to get in the way of a bullet that has been shot by an enemy for the purpose of killing," said Alfred.
Ralph smiled, and the men about them turned their heads away. There was a philosophy in that remark which went home to many of them that day. Can it be possible that a man can be a hero because he is wounded on the battle field? ”

“ It was a revelation of the power of the French gunnery, and the wonderful co-operation of the infantry in moving forward in the shelter of the curtain, as it has been so aptly termed.
Gradually the deafening din ceased and appeared to die away. One gun from each battery still remained on duty, and fired at regular intervals. With field glasses many things could now be distinguished, the important one, and that which most interested the boys, being the immense number of troops moving to and fro and through the fields so lately harrassed by their guns. ”

“ Go up boldly, as though you had a perfect right to, or that you did not suspect it was a forbidden place; if some one accosts you look at him in a surprised way, make an apology, and retire; I give you this pointer because you may be flustrated and unable to make a prompt reply, and that would show guilt of some kind," said the captain.
Ralph went out and loitered about, gazing at the various pieces of machinery, and finally stood on the steps of the conning tower, which, at the angle of the boat in its inclined position, were almost horizontal. ”

“ Ralph informed him.
"I remember when we made our first flights at Bar-le-Duc, that the lieutenant asked us to give him our impression as to the sizes of objects we saw and to tell him what they were. When a fellow is flying about the first thing he will notice is a river, if there is one anywhere in the neighborhood, and, of course, I saw a bridge. I couldn't wait until we landed before I marked it down on a piece of paper: 'A bridge; 200 feet long.' I thought I'd get it long enough. We were then flying about 5,000 feet above the earth. I saw the lieutenant smile. ”

“ The three-inch guns mounted on most of the merchantmen, with an effective range of three miles, could tear the weak hull of a submarine to pieces at a single shot, and all would be sure to go down before help could arrive from the attacking steamer.
"The machinery seems to go very slow now," remarked Ralph.
"They may be cautiously coming to the top," replied the captain.
"Did you hear that peculiar noise?" said Alfred, as he laid his hand on the captain's arm.
"That was plainly a shot from a ship," said the captain.
"Do you think we could hear firing through all this metal?" asked Ralph. ”

“ Five miles north of the junction Ralph was the first to notice a peculiar moving dust cloud a mile or so distant east of the train. He called Pierre's attention to it. A turn in the road gave them a better view of the phenomenon.
"That is a troop of cavalry," said Pierre, in excitement.
Jacques burst in and cried: "The Germans are to head us off. I suppose you and I will have to make a run for it."
"I am sorry for that," said Pierre, looking at the boys. "But you will be safe here. You are Americans, and they will not molest you."
"If you go we will go, too," said Alfred. ”

“ Are they our machines?"
"Yes! yes! four, five, six, eight; some of them Sopwiths; now there'll be some fun," cried Ralph enthusiastically.
"They'll be there in ten minutes," said Alfred. "They are going up, up; that was Lieutenant's favorite trick; they are doing that to frighten the German aeroplanes away from Captain Winston."
"And it's succeeding, too," replied Ralph. "One of the machines is coming this way; no, it's not the lieutenant, so it must be Captain Winston."
"Order the men to stand at attention," shouted the commandant. "Are they all ready?" ”

“ CHAPTER XIII THE RESCUE IN THE CHANNEL
"The boat is on the way," shouted the captain, as Ralph tried to direct himself toward the captain and Alfred.
"We were just in time," said Ralph. "How is Alfred?" he asked.
"Only stunned," replied the captain. "I think he hit the conning tower as the vessel up-ended."
"Poor fellows," said Ralph, "I suppose it's all up with them."
"They are gone beyond all help. But we did the best we could," answered the captain. "Here, take this fellow first," continued the captain, addressing the officer in charge of the boat. ”

“ As she looked at them, her eyes frequently filled with tears.
"Two of our boys are now at Liège. One of them is an officer in Fort V. Flerion," she said.
"Maybe we saw some of the shells which he has been throwing at the Germans," said Alfred, enthusiastically.
"Undoubtedly you saw some of them when you were down near the great forest," said Gascon, "but we are too far west now for the guns from that fort."
"I hope," said the woman, "that this trouble will not be for long. But our boys must serve our country, even though all of us suffer for it." ”

“ We had several dozens of cases the day after the great drive,—in fact, at the very time you were brought here,—of Germans who were brought in suffering from that ailment."
"What is it?" asked Ralph.
"It has been called 'War Psychosis,'" answered the doctor.
"What is the cause of it?" asked Ralph.
"I suppose it is brought about by the patient being compelled to witness the most terrible sights," answered the doctor. "It occurs where the man has a peculiarly sensitive or nervous organization."
"A man like that cannot be very brave, I suppose," said Alfred. ”

“ The attendant left them without closing the door, and as the prisoners glanced about, nothing was to be seen of the stairway which led to the conning tower. Men were noticed at work, each being stationed at some particular machine or set of machinery. Then, with a bang, something like a trap door swung aside and the stairway was revealed, and a peculiar light streamed in through the hatch opening.
"It's the sun," said Ralph, in ecstacy.
"I never thought we'd see that again," said Alfred, almost overcome.
"May we walk around?" asked the captain, as he approached an under officer. ”

“ The town, like many others throughout Belgium, was distributed out along little lanes, which shot out at all angles, and it was not surprising that Alfred should become confused, and lose his way.
To add to the confusion there was great excitement in the village. Men were running to and fro. Women were holding their children, and looking pale. Alfred stopped.
"What is the trouble, Monsieur?" he asked as a man slowly moved along, quite in contrast with the people who formed the excited crowd.
"Trouble? Don't you know the Germans are beyond, and that all the roads are patrolled. ”

“ No; it is not necessary that America should declare war. Germany has done so by torpedoing your ships, and killing your citizens; that is an act of war; for every nation, and Germany itself, knows that its submarine war is illegal, and without any standing in International Law. ”

“ I have seen that many times when flying, and Lieutenant Guyon always told us to watch for it," replied Ralph.
"You are right," answered the captain. "That will be your work. Here, men, follow the instruction of these boys as to the placing of the boughs."
The sergeant showed his pleasure at the order, for he somehow felt himself to be sponsor for the boys. "You've got the old man going," he whispered to the boys.
"Shall I go to the next gun?" inquired Alfred, addressing the captain.
"By all means; orderly, instruct the workers to follow the direction of the young men," said the captain. ”

“ The soldiers could have hugged him with joy. When Alfred came into the quarry, still on his wheel, he handed the note to the commander, who hurriedly perused it. Without waiting for questions he gave a command, and soon a hundred men were on the way, under double time.
"So you two boys have been commended for bravery? We shall take particular pleasure to see that a proper report is made about you. As long as we have boys like you we shall have brave men," was his comment.
Alfred was bewildered. Antonio had commended him and Ralph as well, in the note. ”

“ As the commander remarked to the captain, after the latter reached the bridge, he felt sure that the speed alone, which he was able to make in an emergency, would baffle any attempt to reach his hull. It seemed so, for the vessel fairly skimmed the surface of the water, and left a trail which could be marked for miles.
Every one felt happy, and there was a feeling of security aboard that was shared by every one. ”

“ Thus the boys spent the first day of their journeyings as soldiers. How proud they were. They actually petted the guns. They had no uniforms, of course, and it was the only thing needed to make them supremely happy.
Their joy was so great that they almost forgot home, and when, in the dangers that later came, they thought of their parents, it was with great pride that they were able to be of service to Belgium in her hour of need.
There was another thing which awakened a sense of pleasure. The men realizing that they were only boys treated them like privileged characters. ”

“ The words had hardly left his lips before it seemed as though a dozen shells had burst simultaneously. One of the missiles had struck the load, or some of the flying pieces went through. The truck stopped. The assistant was lying on the ground motionless, and Ralph, although unhurt, was beneath a heavy box, as Alfred picked himself up and looked around.
He drew Ralph out and glanced at the assistant. "Too bad!" said the driver, as he descended from the van, and stooped down to examine his assistant. "That fragment finished him. But we haven't time to wait here. ”

“ Alfred was now in the tower, and Ralph, walking up backwards, had his head through the hatch opening, when a shot was fired. He dropped one of his revolvers, and Alfred quickly seized him by the shoulders and drew him up. The hatch cover came down with a bang.
"Are you hurt?" asked Alfred, as Ralph dropped down, but he was reassured as the latter arose. For the moment the captain's gaze was averted, when, quick as thought, the officer's hand touched a lever.
The captain smiled, as he said: "I am afraid the valve of the submerging tank will not work; I prefer running on the surface. ”

“ A woman who crossed their path was greatly startled at their appearance, but their speech at once reassured her.
"Do you know, M'selle, whether the Germans are in the village?" asked Ralph.
"No," she answered. "But we were informed that they are coming up the road."
"They are not far away. They left the bridge last night."
"I wonder why the bridge was not destroyed?" said Ralph. "Well, don't let us wait. We must go on while we have time," was Paul's eager and hurried observation.
They leaped forward. They could now see the villagers,—that is, women and children on the main road looking east. ”

“ As each gun was able to fire twenty shots a minute, they hurled over one thousand high explosive shells from all of the guns each minute.
This multiplied by sixty, to represent an hour, and then by five to get the grand total, in point of time, makes more than three hundred thousand missiles distributed over an area of less than five square miles. Imagine, if you can, what it would mean to have ten of those terrific shrapnel shells explode over every acre in that region. No wonder that human flesh cannot stand that sort of warfare. ”

“ Let me see; there are three men in addition to the commander, who need not be reckoned with in a contest. Fortunately, one of the men is a machinist, and the only other man except the sub-lieutenant, of any intelligence, is the doctor. I doubt if he would be a strong factor against us," said the captain.
"The fellow who had charge of the men carrying the boxes is nothing but a chump," said Ralph. "I wouldn't be afraid of him."
"I am considering more the character of the men who are able to handle the boat, and who know the intricacies of the mechanism. ”

“ Gascon smiled. "Yes, if they have advanced beyond the battery we shall have to wait until night, because it would be unsafe to cross the Meuse in their rear."
A boom from the east, followed by another, and still another, was sufficient notice to them that the great forts at Liège were answering the challenge. They burrowed into the hedge, and made enclosures with bushes and leaves. Meantime, the battery on the hill opened fire with its three guns, and soon the surrounding atmosphere grew misty, and they could smell an unmistakable odor of burning powder. ”

“ But stop; might that not be feet, eh, Captain?"
"Not at all likely, for that would land us somewhere near the top of the hill, and I think you have plowed up that region pretty thoroughly," answered the captain.
"Enough; if that battery isn't 300 meters to the right then we must make another guess. Get your ranges for 300 meters, and we'll pepper them tomorrow," said the captain in a decisive tone. "Before you go, boys, I want to say that you are certainly deserving of praise for your methods of observation; it is exercised in a direction that might be observed with profit by many others." ”

“ It would be a pretty hard job for a navigator in a submarine to calculate when the boat had passed sufficiently near to know the opportune time to come to the surface and give us the shot."
"But couldn't they come near enough to take a chance? They might come up 500 feet away or 2,000. At either distance they could land a torpedo, couldn't they?" asked Alfred.
"Quite true; but the submarine might not know whether we were armed or not, and it would not take the risk of exposure in that reckless manner," replied the captain.
"But we are not armed, are we?" asked Ralph. ”

“ Sometimes, when the bullets passed over, they could hear a whizzing sound.
"Do you hear the sounds like bumble bees?" said Ralph to Roland.
"They must be bullets," said Alfred.
The latter nodded but did not reply. The boys now had an opportunity to see a little through the clouds of smoke around them. Antonio passed from one end of the column to the other incessantly. "Shoot deliberately," he said to one. "Don't hurry," to another. "Be sure to aim carefully; it is the true shot that counts, not the number." ”

“ With shrapnel flying all about, he halted and as Ralph came up he drove alongside.
"What is the matter?" asked Ralph.
"Nothing," answered Alfred. "Wait until the other fellows come up. Some one must take the lead."
The third machine drew alongside.
"Go on," said Ralph. "We don't know the way."
"Nor do I," replied the driver.
"Has your driver recovered?" asked Ralph.
"No, I am afraid he is done for; he has an awful cut across the head," answered Alfred. "But come on; we can't wait to get information here."
Another machine appeared as the vans driven by Alfred and Ralph were getting under way. ”

“ No, he would not waken Alfred, much as he had to tell him, so he quietly wended his way back to the caisson. As he did so he passed the commandant's quarters, and that officer greeted him.
"And you are the wounded boy?" he said.
Ralph blushed, and answered: "I am the wounded soldier, sir." And then he stammered to correct his answer.
The officer laughed, as he responded: "You are right; I should have called you a man, because you have done a man's work. You boys are made of the right kind of stuff. But weren't you afraid when the bullets began to come whistling around you?" ”

“ The captain's face paled, and the boys plied him with questions as they saw his perturbed countenance.
"What do you think it is?" asked Ralph, as he saw the anxious seamen, and the second officer rushing about shouting orders, while one of them seized the main valve wheel and turned it.
"We are caught in one of the steel nets," said the captain quietly.
The boys' faces grew deadly pale. They knew what such a calamity meant. Few, if any of the submarines caught in the nets, ever escaped. ”

“ No sooner had they regained the road when they met a hail of shrapnel, this time one of the shells striking full and fair beneath the machine directly ahead.
Alfred had barely time to turn the machine to avoid the wreckage made by the shot. It was not such a time as to enable the men on one machine to aid those who were so unfortunate as to be hit by the missiles. The last series of explosions, unfortunately, struck the driver of the first van to pass them, as well as demolished the second. Ralph saw the driver fall and the machine turn. ”

“ BELGIAN FRONT
CHAPTER I
AN INTERRUPTED JOURNEY
"Give it more gas; more gas, Pierre; they are coming up the cross road!" exclaimed Ralph excitedly, as he leaned forward.
Pierre the chauffeur looked straight ahead and nodded, as he answered: "Oui, oui!"
Before he had gone a hundred feet farther the occupants of the machine heard something like a shot, and Pierre turned his head slightly.
"Two kilometers more and we shall be in Belgium," he said. ”

“ Stores of every kind were set up for the comfort and need of the troops, and it was a never-ending scene of bustle and activity.
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Roland, who was with them much of the time, answered: "An army must live, and to be effective must be well fed. Napoleon said that an army fights on its stomach."
"What did he mean by that?" asked Ralph.
"That without a well-filled stomach a soldier cannot fight well."
"But how do they know how much food of this kind to send down here? It seems to me they have enough here now to feed a big army," said Alfred. ”

“ PURSUED BY THE UHLANS
Still Liège did not surrender. Every day the glorious news would come of the terrible bombardment, and of thrilling deeds of heroism. Brave little Belgium was checking the giant which dared to molest her soil. Ten days of intermittent thunder followed, which could plainly be heard twenty-five miles beyond the outer circle of forts, to the north.
A Dome-Topped Fort of Liège
The twelve great forts were not silenced by the incessant hail poured on them from all sides. The Germans were astounded; the Belgians exultant. ”

“ As I passed through the wheat field I had a good chance to hide, but the troopers came on and leaped over the fence only to catch sight of the stranger."
"So my friend saved you," said Gascon. "Well, I suppose that is what this war does. It does not respect anyone. You must suffer for what I do. In war nothing is right but might."
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"We have been attacked," responded Roland, "and our only course is to fight. I am sorry I waited so long before going to the city. Belgium needs all of us, so to-night we must start, Mother."
The boys looked on Roland in admiration. ”

“ Then he recalled that he had met no patrols and this puzzled him. He remembered how the peasants looked at him in astonishment as he went by, and the terror of doubt was upon him.
He slowed down his machine. And now, for the first time, he looked behind him. To his amazement he saw the outlines of a half dozen men, with the characteristic spiked helmet, and at once knew who they were. Here was a situation fraught with danger. As he approached the crest of a little hill he turned his machine aside, so that in going back across the road he could obtain a better view of his pursuers. ”