CHAPTER XXVIII.
A DASH FOR FREEDOM.
Despite the fact that he was sadly lacking in a knowledge of courtetiquette, Jack acquitted himself creditably in breakfasting withroyalty. He recounted his adventures preceding the time he joined theBritish navy and gave the king an account of his early life. He spoke ofFrank several times, and finally the king was moved to ask:
"And your friend--this American youth--is he as great a fighter as youare?"
"Well, Frank is a fighter," was Jack's reply. "I don't know as I come inthat class," modestly, "but Frank is a mighty good friend to have aroundin time of need."
"No better than you, I'll warrant," the king made answer, as he arosefrom the table. "But come, I have many affairs to attend to, which isthe reason I came here from Copenhagen yesterday, so I shall have toturn you over to someone for safekeeping. It would not do to have youget away; and besides, I have promised myself more of your company."
Jack followed the king back into the room where the general still sat athis desk, and was turned over to the latter by the king with thisparting injunction:
"See that he has everything he wants, and see also that he is wellguarded until I have decided what final disposition to make of him."
"And the other prisoner?" questioned the general.
"Well, I haven't much sympathy for the other," said the king, "but he,too, must be treated well."
The general bowed his head in assent, and the king left the room.
"I hardly know what to do with you," mused the general, tapping on hisdesk with a lead pencil.
He was silent for some moments, meditating. Finally he struck a bell anda moment later an orderly entered the room and came to a salute.
"Summon Lieutenant Erickson," commanded the general.
A few minutes later a young, pleasant-looking Danish officer entered theroom.
The general introduced the two young men to each other, and then said tothe lieutenant:
"Lieutenant, I turn Mr. Templeton over to you. You will treat him as aguest rather than as a prisoner. But you will be responsible for him.See that he does not escape." To Jack he added: "You see, we are tryingto make it as pleasant as possible for you. I hope that you will notmake it necessary for us to use more forcible means to induce you toaccept our hospitality."
Jack bowed, but made no reply. He did not intend to commit himself oneway or the other, but he had made up his mind to make a dash for libertyif the slightest chance offered. He had another thought in his headalso: He did not intend to go back to the _Sylph_ without the object ofhis chase--the traitor Hardy.
With Lieutenant Erickson, Jack wandered about the streets of the cityall morning viewing the sights of interest. It was after 12 o'clock whenthey stopped into a little restaurant to get something to eat. Severalother officers were in the cafe when the two entered, and LieutenantErickson introduced the lad to all of them.
Finally, when all the Danish officers were in the midst of a discussionof the great European war, the chance for which Jack had beenimpatiently waiting came. And the boy was not slow to take advantage ofit.
The table at which the party was seated was near the door. The heads ofall the officers were now close together, and so engrossed were they intheir discussion that they paid no heed to Jack, as he quietly rose fromthe table and slipped toward the door.
But, just as Jack put his foot over the threshold, Lieutenant Ericksonnoticed his absence and sprang to his feet with a shout. The othersfollowed his example and made a concerted rush for the door, throughwhich Jack was at that moment disappearing.
Dashing out the door the lad ran madly down the street, and turned thefirst corner just before the officers emerged from the restaurant. For amoment they stood in the doorway puzzled, not knowing in which way thefugitive had fled.
But for a moment only. They hailed a passing pedestrian, and from himlearned which way the lad had gone. All immediately dashed away inpursuit.
Now Jack was considerable of a sprinter, so when the officers roundedthe corner the lad was nowhere in sight. For perhaps fifteen minutesJack ran as fast as his legs could carry him, turning corner aftercorner, until at last he was forced to slow down to regain his breath.However, he now felt that he had given his pursuers the slip, so hecontinued to walk along more slowly.
But the lad's utter ignorance of the city landed him in more trouble,for, in winding about through the various streets, as he had, hesuddenly came right back to the starting point. Here, owing to theconfusion occasioned by his dash for liberty, a crowd had gathered, therestaurant proprietor among them.
The latter recognized Jack the minute he came into sight, and yelled ina loud voice:
"There he is! There he is!"
Jack immediately took to his heels again, with the crowd in full chase.And, as he rounded the next comer, he came upon the party of officers,who, unable to find him, were returning to the starting point to take upthe search anew.
Jack now was caught between two fires, so to speak. For a moment hehalted, as his pursuers bore down on him from two directions with shoutsand yells. But his inaction lasted only a moment. His roving eyes fellupon a little alleyway across the street, and into this he dashed atfull speed, his pursuers hot on his trail.
Out of the alleyway and down the next street the lad ran, those behindbeing left farther in the rear at almost every stride. Then, espyinganother narrow alleyway, and thinking to give his pursuers the slipentirely, the lad dashed into it.
Had he made his way into this narrow alleyway unseen, it is likely hewould have eluded his pursuers for good and all; but he didn't. One manrounded the corner just in time to see the lad turn, and he made afterhim with a shout.
Jack still had quite a lead, however, and was not disheartened; but, ashe rounded a little curve in his retreat, his heart almost stoppedbeating, and he came to a sudden pause. For the passageway was a blindone. The lad had run up against a solid wall.
And, at the same minute the lad stopped in his flight, the first pursuercame into view again. As Jack was just about to turn and give himselfup--for he knew he could not hope to fight off his pursuers--a windowsuddenly opened above his head, and a woman's head was poked out.
Jack glanced up. With outstretched hands he could easily grasp thewindow sill. He considered a fraction of a second, then reached up,grasped the sill, and pulled himself up into the open window.
The woman, startled at the sudden apparition, drew back, and attemptedto close the window; but Jack threw one leg over the sill. The windowcame down on it with great force; but it did not close.
The woman grabbed the lad by the foot and attempted to force him out,but he was not to be thrust into the hands of his pursuers thus easily,and after several attempts the woman desisted and ran screaming throughthe house.
Immediately Jack pushed up the window and dropped lightly into the room.The window he closed and locked almost with a single move in the veryfaces of his trailers. Then he turned and dashed across the room, makingfor the front door.
But by the time he reached it he found this means of exit barred, forsome of the pursuers, the moment they had seen him spring into thewindow, had rushed around to the front entrance.
Realizing that there was no hope of escape in that direction, the ladturned and dashed up the stairs to the second floor. There, in a backroom, as his gaze roved about, he beheld a trap door in the ceiling.Pulling a chair to the middle of the room, he mounted it, laid his handsagainst the trap door and pushed.
The door fell off on the outside, and a moment later Jack was on theroof. The trap door he put back in its place, and sat on it a moment toregain his breath.
As he sat there looking around for some means of escape there came afierce thumping on the door upon which he sat. Jack smiled to himselfslightly.
"They can only come up one at a time," he muttered. "I guess I can takecare of them."
He arose. There came another resounding sm
ash, and the trap door flewoff, splintered by a fierce blow.
Jack dropped to his knees beside the opening.
The Boy Allies on the North Sea Patrol Page 28