CHAPTER XXIX.
JACK TRIES A RUSE.
A head was poked cautiously through the opening, and a second later auniformed arm appeared. Jack leaned forward, put his hand on the man'shead, and gave a violent push. The head disappeared on the inside; therewas the sound of a heavy fall below, followed by a sound of greatconfusion and muttered imprecations.
"Wonder what they'll try next?" muttered Jack to himself.
He had not long to wait. A second time a head was poked cautiouslythrough the opening, and a second time Jack's hand shot forth and therewas the sound of a heavy fall below. A third time this was tried, but,when the third man had been hurled back, no fourth head appeared in theopening.
"Well," mused Jack, "I guess they have had enough of that. Suppose theyhave something else up their sleeves now. I shall have to be watchful."
At that moment the lad heard a footstep behind him, and turned quickly,just in time to grapple with a man who sprang upon him. While Jack hadbeen busy watching the trap door, a ladder had been placed against theside of the house, and the pursuers were climbing up.
With a quick wrench Jack hurled the man from him, dashed toward theladder and arrived just in time to deal the man who was just about toset foot upon the roof a heavy blow. A quick glance showed him severalmore forms swarming up the ladder.
With a quick kick he swept the ladder aside, hurling all upon it to theground with stunning force; then turned again just in time to meet theassault of the one man already on the roof.
This assailant struck out vigorously, but, in spite of Jack's youth, theman was no match for him when it came to close quarters. Jack picked theman up in his arms bodily and ran to the trap door just as another headappeared in the opening.
Standing over the opening Jack lifted up his human burden and let himdrop. He struck squarely upon the head of the other, and both went tothe floor below with a loud thud. Jack glanced quickly around, to see ifthere were any other ladders being placed against the side of the house.
He could see none, so he mounted guard over the trap door. But notanother form appeared through this opening either. Jack stood there forseveral moments, but no further attempts were made to reach him. Makingsure that there was no one below, the lad walked quickly around theroof.
One man stood guard on each side of the house and a big crowd was packedin front.
"Something up," Jack muttered to himself. "They evidently are convincedthey cannot reach me this way and are going to try something else. Iguess it's up to me to get out of here very suddenly. But how?"
That was the question, and the boy gave it some reflection. Then, as hemade another tour of the roof, a plan came to him. It was a desperatechance, but he could think of no other way of escape.
Making sure that the crowd was all in front, the boy ran quickly to theback of the house. There was a guard directly below him, but, as luckwould have it, the man at that very moment was engaged in the task oflighting a pipe.
Jack acted without a pause. Swiftly and silently he lowered himself fromthe roof, hanging by his hands directly over the guard's head. Then,giving himself a little swing outward, he dropped.
It was a long drop, but the lad had gauged the distance correctly, andthe force of the fall was broken by the man below, upon whose shouldersthe lad dropped like a human thunderbolt.
The man went to the ground without so much as a groan, Jack on top ofhim. Although somewhat shaken up by his fall, Jack did not lose hispresence of mind for a single moment, and his hand clutched the guard'sthroat, throttling any outcry.
Now Jack's further resourcefulness became apparent. Glancing quicklyabout to make sure that no one was in sight--the walls of the houseobstructing the view of those on the sides and in front--the lad liftedthe guard bodily in his arms and carried him to a little shed in therear.
Quickly he stripped the officer--for such his victim proved to be--ofhis uniform, and hastily donned it himself. Hurriedly he bound andgagged his captive, and then walked from the shed and took the guard'splace in the rear of the house.
And he arrived there not a moment too soon, for at that instant a bandof soldiers appeared, bearing many ladders. These they leaned againstthe side of the house in different places, and one man mounted each,cautiously, for fear of being hurled back by the fugitive they believedto be on the roof.
Jack walked round to the front of the house, and, keeping his headlowered, mingled with the crowd. At that moment there came a shout fromthe roof:
"He's not here!"
Then there came another cry:
"The trap door! He must have gone back through the trap door!"
"No," came another voice, "he has not come down this way."
"About time for me to make myself scarce," Jack told himself.
He sauntered slowly away and was soon out of sight of the house.
It was now well along in the afternoon. Jack looked at his watch. It wasalmost 4 o'clock.
"If I can find the hospital," he told himself, "I may manage to workthis thing out yet. I've got to take a chance, and that's all there isabout it. The worst of it is that I cannot afford to ask for directions.A Danish officer surely should know where the hospital is located. Well,here goes."
He continued slowly down the street, keeping a sharp lookout foranything that looked like it might be a hospital. He walked with loweredhead, for, while his uniform gave him a certain amount of safety, hewished to run no unnecessary risk of detection.
For almost an hour he strolled about the town, and at last his effortswere rewarded. He stopped before a large and imposing building.
"This looks like a hospital to me," he said. "It is hardly likely theyhave more than one in a town of this size, and Hardy probably was takenhere. Guess I better look around a bit, however, before I go in, though.I might spot another one some place. It's too bad I can't read Danish.It might be easier if I could."
Jack walked on, and a few blocks farther down, the street passed a bodyof Danish cavalry moving at a rapid trot in the direction from which hehad come. Jack smiled grimly to himself.
"Going to help search for the fugitive, I guess. Well, I hope they don'tfind him, or the guard, either, for it might make it a little awkwardfor me."
He gazed after the cavalry as it disappeared around a corner.
"A likely looking crowd," he said in some admiration. "I'll bet theycould give a good account of themselves when it came to a fight. Hope Idon't have to line up against any of them."
He turned and retraced his steps toward the building in which he feltsure he would find Hardy. He mounted the long flight of stone steps witha firm tread and entered the door. A quick glance showed him that he hadnot been mistaken. The place was a hospital and no mistake.
"Now to find out where my friend Hardy is," the lad muttered.
He walked slowly about the halls, looking for the office. His search wasat length rewarded. Glancing in an open door, he saw several clerks atwork, and at one end of the room, separated from the others by arailing, an important-looking man, unmistakably a physician.
"The superintendent, I suppose, or whatever he is called in thiscountry," muttered Jack. "I guess I had better talk in German. Englishwouldn't do at all. But, suppose they won't let me have Hardy without awritten order? Oh, well, I'll have to take a chance on that. Here wego."
Jack drew a deep breath, straightened himself up, and with a firm stepentered the room.
The Boy Allies on the North Sea Patrol Page 29