CHAPTER FOUR
_Prisoners Of War!_
"Good Grief, a German!"
Freddy Farmer's whispered exclamation served to jerk Dave out of hisstunned trance. He blinked and swallowed hard and tried to stop thepounding of his heart.
"Hey, there, we're lost!" he suddenly called out. "Where are we anyway?"
The advancing German soldier pulled up short and stopped. He stuck hishead forward and stared hard. There was a sharp exclamation behind himand then a second figure came into the light. The second figure was aGerman infantry officer. He kept one hand on his holstered Lugerautomatic and came up to Dave and Freddy.
"You are English?" he asked in a heavy nasal voice. "What are you doinghere? Ah, an ambulance, eh? So, you are trying to sneak back through ouradvanced lines? It is good that I have found you just in time. Keep yourhands up, both of you! I will see if you have guns, yes!"
"We're not armed, Captain!" Dave exclaimed. "We're not soldiers. We'rejust lost."
"I am not a captain, I am a lieutenant!" the German snapped and searchedDave for a gun. "You will address me as such. Not soldiers, you tell me?Then, why this ambulance? And why are you here?"
"As you were just told," Freddy Farmer spoke up in a calm voice,"because we are lost. Now, if you will be good enough to tell us the wayto Courtrai we will be off."
The German officer snapped his head around.
"Ah, so _you_ are English, yes?" he demanded.
"And proud of it!" Freddy said stiffly. "And this chap, if you mustknow, is an American friend of mine. Now, will you tell us the way toCourtrai?"
The German said nothing for a moment or two. There was a look ofdisappointment on his sharp featured face. It was as though he was verysad he had not found a pistol or an automatic on either of them. Hemoved back a step and stood straddle legged with his bunched fistsresting on his hips.
"American and English?" he finally muttered. "This is all very strange,very unusual. You say you don't know where you are?"
"That's right, Lieutenant," Dave said and choked back a hot retort."Where are we anyway? And what are you doing here? My gosh! Is thisGermany?"
The German smiled and showed ugly teeth.
"It is now," he said. "But that is all you need to know. I think youhave lied to me. Yes, I am sure of it. I will take you to the_Kommandant_. He will get you to talk, I'm sure. _Himmel!_ Our enemiessend out little boys to spy on us! The grown men must be too afraid.But, you cannot fool us with your tricks!"
"Tricks, nothing!" Dave blurted out in a burst of anger. "We told youthe truth. I was on my way to join my father in London...."
"Don't waste your breath, Dave," Freddy Farmer said quietly. "I'm surehe wouldn't understand, anyway."
"Silence, you Englisher!" the German snarled and whirled on the boy."You will make no slurs at a German officer. Come! We will go to see the_Kommandant_ at once!"
"We'd better do as he orders, Freddy," Dave said swiftly. "After we'vetold our story to his commanding officer they'll let us go. They can'tkeep us very long. If they do, I'll appeal to the nearest AmericanConsul. He'll straighten things out for us."
"So?" the German muttered and gave Dave a piercing look. "Well, we shallsee. If you are spies it will go very hard with you, yes. Now, marchback to the car in front of me."
The officer half turned his head and snapped something at the soldierwho had been standing in back of him. The soldier immediately spranginto action. He hurried past and climbed into the front seat of theambulance. Dave impulsively took hold of Freddy's arm again.
"Don't worry, Freddy!" he whispered. "Everything, will come out allright. You wait and see. Don't let these fellows even guess that we'reworried."
"What's that?" the German suddenly thundered. "What's that you aresaying to him?"
The officer had half drawn his Luger and the movement chilled Dave'sheart. He forced himself, though, to look the German straight in theeye.
"I was simply telling him the American Consul would fix things up forus," he said evenly.
The German snorted.
"Perhaps," he growled. "We shall see."
Walking straight with their heads up and their shoulders back, the twoboys permitted themselves to be herded back to the car. When they passedbeyond the glow of the headlights they were plunged into darkness andfor a moment Dave could see nothing. Then his eyes became used to thechange and he saw that the car was a combination car and truck. It wasactually an armored troop transport. Steel sheets protected the back andthe driver's seat, and instead of heavy duty tires on the rear wheelsthere were tractor treads instead so that the army vehicle could travelacross country and through mud as well as along a paved road.
In the back were some fifteen or twenty German soldiers each armed witha small machine gun and completely fitted out for scouting work. Theypeered down at Dave and Freddy as the officer motioned them to get intothe transport, but none of them spoke. They either did not understandEnglish, or else they were too afraid of the officer to speak. And soDave and Freddy climbed aboard in silence and sank down on the hardplank that served as a seat. The officer got in beside the driver andgrowled a short order.
The engine roared up, gears clanked and crashed, and the transportlunged forward. It traveled a few yards and swung off the road andaround in the direction from which it had obviously come. That directionwas to the east, and that caused Dave to swallow hard and press his kneeagainst Freddy's. The pressure that was returned told him that theEnglish boy had a good hold on himself, and wasn't going to do anythingfoolish.
Glad of that, Dave stared ahead over the shoulder of the driver at theroad. At various points the pavement had been torn up by a bomb or by ashell and the transport's driver was forced to detour around such spots.Presently, wrecked ammunition wagons, and light field artillery pieceswere to be seen, strewn along the side of the road. They were allsmashed almost beyond recognition, and close by them were the deathstilled figures of Belgian soldiers, and refugees who had been unable toescape the swiftly advancing German hordes.
Suddenly the sound of airplane engines lifted Dave's eyes up to theskies. He could not see the planes, they were too high. However thepulsating beat of the engines told him they were Hitler's night bombersout on patrol. Impulsively he clenched his two fists and wished verymuch he was up there in a swift, deadly pursuit or fighter plane. He hadtaken flying lessons back home, and had even made his first solo. But hehad not been granted his private pilot's license yet because of his age.
"But I'd like to be up there in a Curtis P-Forty!" he spoke aloud. "Ibet I could do something, or at least try!"
His words stiffened Freddy Farmer at his side. The English boy leanedclose.
"Are you a pilot, Dave?" he whispered. "Do you fly?"
"Some," Dave said. "I've gone solo, anyway. I hope some day to getaccepted for the Army Air Corps. I think flying is the best thing yet.There's nothing like it. Hear those planes up there? Boy!"
"They're German," Freddy said. "Heinkel bombers, I think. Or perhapsthey are Dorniers, I can't tell by the sound. I'm crazy about flying,too. I joined an aero club back in England. I've got a few hours solo tomy credit. When war broke out I tried to enlist in the Royal Air Force,but they found out about my age and it was no go, worse luck. But, someday I'm going to wear R.A.F. wings. At least, I hope and pray so. I...."
"Silence!" the German officer's harsh voice grated against theireardrums once more. "You will not speak!"
"A rum chap, isn't he?" Freddy breathed out the corner of his mouth.
"Sure thinks he's a big shot," Dave breathed.
And then as the transport continued to rumble and roll eastward Naturetook charge of things as far as the boys were concerned. Strong andhealthy though they were, they had been through a lot since dawn. It hadbeen more than enough to wear down a full grown man. And soon they fellsound asleep.
The rasping and clanging of gears and the shouting of voices in Germaneventually dragged Dave out of his sound slumber. It was st
ill dark buthe could see the first faint light of a new dawn low down in the east.The motorized transport had come to a stop in the center of a smallvillage. Dave could see that here, too, shells and bombs had been atwork, but lots of the buildings remained untouched. There were Germansoldiers in all kinds of uniforms all over the place. A hand was slappedagainst his shoulder and he looked up to stare into the small brighteyes of the German lieutenant.
"Wake up your friend!" the German snapped, "We are here. Get out, bothof you!"
"Where are we?" Dave asked and gently shook Freddy Farmer who was fastasleep on his shoulder. "What town is this, Lieutenant?"
The German smiled slyly. Then annoyance flashed through his eyes. Hewhipped out a hand and took a steel grip on Freddy's shoulder and shookviciously.
"Wake up, Englander!" he barked. "You have had enough sleep for thepresent. Wake up, I say!"
A smart slap across the cheek emphasized the last. The English lad wokeup instantly, and he would have lunged out with a clenched fist if Davehad not caught hold of his arm.
"Take it easy, Freddy!" he exclaimed. "This is the end of the line.Here's where we get off. How do you feel?"
Freddy shook his head and dug knuckles into his sleep filled eyes. Thatseemed to do the trick. He was fully awake in an instant.
"Oh yes, I remember, now," he said. "Where are we, though? What's thisplace?"
The German threw back his head and laughed.
"I will tell you," he said and waggled a finger in front of their faces."This is the Headquarters of the German Army Intelligence in the field.I am taking you before the _Kommandant_. And now we shall learn allabout you two. Yes, you will be very wise to answer truthfully all thequestions _Herr Kommandant_ asks."
With a curt nod to show that he meant what he said the German climbeddown onto the street, and then motioned for Dave and Freddy to climbdown, too.
"That building, there," he said and pointed. "March! And do not be sofoolish as to try and run away. I warn you!"
Dave and Freddy simply shrugged and walked across the street to thedoorway of a solidly built stone building. A guard standing in frontclicked his heels and held his rifle at salute at the approach of theofficer.
"My compliments to _Herr Kommandant_," the officer said sharply."_Leutnant_ Mueller reporting with two prisoners for questioning."
The guard saluted again, then executed a smart about face and went inthrough the door. Dave caught a flash glimpse of desks, and chairs, andthe part of a wall covered by a huge map, before the door was closed inhis face. He looked at Freddy and grinned, and then glanced up into thesmall eyes of the German officer. Those small eyes seemed to bore rightback into his brain.
"You will do well to tell the whole truth!" the German said withouthardly moving his lips. "Remember that!"
At that moment the door was reopened and the guard was nodding at thelieutenant.
"_Herr Kommandant_ will see you at once, _Herr Leutnant_," he said.
"Good!" the officer grunted, and pushed Dave and Freddy in the back."Inside, at once!"
Dave Dawson at Dunkirk Page 4