CHAPTER XXII
PRESTO! CHANGE-O!
WHAT could the lads do but comply with this order? The German soldiersseemed jubilant; they had merely been set to guard a prisoner who,though firmly bound, had proved himself somewhat of the wildcatspecies. Now, in pure good luck they were to add two more prisoners andthus gain some recognition from their commander; perhaps added rations.
The biggest Hun handled his automatic with evident evil intention; hethrust it almost into Don’s face and called on his comrades to disarmand to bind the captured Yanks, which was speedily done. Then he flungthem both upon the ground and Don fell across the legs of the firstprisoner, who lifted his head to stare from bloodshot eyes. The boygazed into the much bruised face of Gill.
“Sho! Got you, too, eh? And the lieutenant! Reckon we’re in for Berlinnow, sure enough. And there ain’t no way to make a break. I tried it;fit three of ’em over ’bout ten acres, I reckon, an’ hurt ’em some,too, I’m bettin’, but they got me, final. Wish I had somethin’ to eat.”
“I’d go without grub for a week longer to be out of here!” Donexclaimed.
“This is tough luck,” Herbert agreed. “But we seem to be in for it. Ifwe could only get a yell out that would reach the other fellows; maybethey’d understand.”
“Let’s try it, Herb! All together, Gill; now then----”
And the yell of “Help!” twice repeated that rent the air was almostenough to wake the dead. The big Hun leaped forward and swung thebutt of his gun at Herbert’s head, but the lad leaned back quicklyand avoided it; then the fellow tried to kick the agile lieutenant inthe face, but again without avail. Two of the other men went over toDon and Gill and threatened to shoot them. Don understood that much.He urged that it would be better not to risk too much by shoutingmore. But Gill was of a different opinion and obdurate; he would notthen have taken orders from the President of the United States and heyelled again, as only a full-lunged mountaineer can yell. The flow ofhasty and guttural German that resulted did not equal in ferocity theheavy-booted kicks that the American received from all four of thecaptors, taking turns that seemed to greatly satisfy them. They turnedaway and immediately Gill yelled, even louder than before. The biggestHun caught up his rifle and put the muzzle against Gill’s head and thetorrent of German that followed was like ten pigs in a pen clamoringfor swill. The weapon was held in this position for some time; then waswithdrawn with apparent reluctance and the very moment that the barrelwas pointed elsewhere Gill set up another yell.
Don undertook, then, a means of saving Gill from further torment. Herolled over in front of the mountaineer and with a grin and a shake ofthe head looked up at the Germans. The boy’s face was at once so kindlyand youthful that even the big brute of a man hesitated while Donadmonished Gill:
“They will surely kill you if you keep it up. Why persist? For oursakes, Gill, please don’t yell again!”
“I’d rather they would butcher me than keep me this-a-way and carry meoff to have that old Kaiser feller rub it in on me!” Gill declared.
“Maybe there’ll be a way out of this, Gill,” Herbert suggested. “Don’tyell again and let’s wait a bit.” Whereupon the mountaineer subsidedand lay back upon the ground. Don bethought him to try a little Germanon their captors, but it fell flat. Either they did not understand himat all, or they affected not to; he got no reply. He addressed hiscountrymen:
“If we could manage in some way to get them to loosen up on this twine,I’d feel almost like whistling a tune. These strings cut and there aresome plagued mosquitoes around here.”
“They’re here, too. I’m going to bite the legs off one presently,”Herbert affirmed. “Don’t you think it’s queer if our fellows out theredidn’t hear us and Gill?”
“Mighty funny if---- Lie low! I hear someone coming.”
“In the brush yonder. A lot of them. More Huns, I suppose. They’vestopped now. The Germans seem to hold this hill and we must have beenright in the thick of them, Don. They’ll get our fellows, too, and turnour prisoners loose if they don’t keep a sharp eye.”
“They’re coming on again, Herb. Our jailers are taking notice, too.Friend or foe, I wonder.”
“We’re going to find out mighty sudden. Look alive, Gill! There maybe something doing in about half a minute. Our dear friends here aregetting on to them.”
One of the smaller Huns had climbed on the big fellow’s shouldersin order to see over the bushes; suddenly he slid to the ground andall four crouched, one of them gazing anxiously at the Americans,especially at Gill. Nearer came the noise of advancing men, forcingtheir way slowly through the thicket. Then the sound veered off to theright and was surely passing.
“Huh! Them’s Yanks,” Gill observed quite calmly. “I can tell by the waythey hit the ground with their feet. Heinies walk like a ol’ raccoonfull o’ huckleberries. Them fellers’s goin’ past, eh? Not if I got anyholler left!”
And yell he did, once again, with no uncertain voice; upon which thefour Huns leaped to their feet, picked up the guns of the Americansalso and ran past the prisoners, giving Gill another savage kick or twoas they went.
“I’ll get you fer them kicks an’ things, if I got to hunt you fromhere to Hail Columbia!” the mountaineer shouted after them. And then,bursting through the bushes into the clearing by the old pine came amost welcome half dozen khaki-clad men.
Hardly stopping to take in the situation, they at once knelt to unbindthe late captives, the corporal of the squad, however, making quick useof his very ready tongue:
“Reef the mainsail and throw the jib overboard! Oh, you Whitcomb, aliveand kickin’ and ain’t we overjoyed? Won’t the captain cut a caper?Where have you been? And how did you get lost? How long have you beenin this fix? And if there ain’t old Gill! Lieutenant, where’s the restof your bunch?”
“Thanks, thanks for this timely release, Peters, my man! Three of mymen are out yonder with a lot of Hun prisoners; the rest are prettymuch all dead. This is my friend Lieutenant Richards, Corporal Peters.Say, man, you came just in time.”
Further question, reply and comment were interrupted by Gill:
“Get me free, quick! And I want your gun, buddy!” This to one of thesquad. “Make him lend it to me, Corp.--Lieutenant. I got to go afterthem polecats that beat me up and just quit here. I got to get ’em!They got our guns, too.”
The man’s eagerness was catching; his words thrilled both Herbert andDon, for they had witnessed some of his treatment at the hands ofthe captors and they felt now instinctively that he would make good.Telling Corporal Peters that he would be entirely responsible, Herbertinsisted that Gill be given the weapon. In spite of his bruises andaching bones, the mountaineer, gun in hand, dived into the thicket likea panther, and those in the clearing, uttering hardly a word, stoodwaiting and listening.
A shot sounded not a hundred yards away. Two more followed in quicksuccession; then was heard only the more distant shooting in the valleyand beyond the ridge, the firing in the continuous battle.
“It’ll be either Gill or some of them. I think it won’t be Gill,” Donsaid in a whisper. Again they all waited.
“That fellow’s a terror. He’ll come back with a big score, or he won’tcome back at all,” Herbert remarked in a very low voice.
“Listen. He’s coming back!” asserted one of the men.
“Someone is coming, sure.” And then, eager to satisfy their wonder,Gill, just beyond, let out a joyous whoop. A moment later he camelimping, laboring, grinning, into the open again.
“Got three. Three shots. The big one. Would ’a’ chased him to Berlin.Here’s your gun, Lieutenant, and yours, fellow. I got mine, too.” Thento Don: “The feller that got away took yours, I reckon, buddy.”
“You got more than even for that kicking, then, Gill? asked Don.
“A little. They’re out there and to bury. Say you fellers, have you gotanything to eat and drink? My ol’ stomach would be thankful for meltedlead and horseshoe nails raw.” Herbert turned
to the corporal:
“That about states our case. We’ve had nothing to eat nor drink since Idon’t know when. You’ll get a history of our experiences later. We mustgo now and join the other fellows out yonder. Where is Captain Lowden?”
“Down the hill, now,” Peters replied. “The company is on this slope.But won’t the captain be glad to see you? Calls you his lost sheep;thought you were all dead or behind the enemy’s lines by this time.What I’m thinking you’ll want most to see is the chuck wagon.”
“We want everything that’s coming to us. If you are glad to see us,how do you think we feel about it? Now, we’ll be getting along. We oweyou barrels of gratitude, Corporal--all of you. Come on, Don and Gill!”
Rejoining the men with the docile Hun prisoners, the three quicklytold the story of their very short captivity; then all headed forthe valley. That Captain Lowden received them warmly is putting itmildly; his joy seemed unbounded. After getting a brief report fromLieutenant Whitcomb he gave immediate orders that the needs of the lostsquad be looked after in every way. In this poor Judson, Wilson, thehonored dead and the battered, though still defiant Gill were tenderlyconsidered.
Gratified at their reception and eager to recoup at once and to getback into the fight with his platoon, Herbert looked about for Don,wishing to share with him the present happiness.
But Don was missing. He had believed a report from him was hardlyneeded and so, thinking of Judson and Wilson in the shelter beneath thespruces, he had turned his steps that way. It would be fine for themalso to know that the Americans had come.
The Brighton Boys in the Argonne Forest Page 23