CHAPTER XVI
BETWEEN THE GRINDSTONES
For a moment Fred was stunned by the force of his fall. But it was onlyfor a moment, since, by something that was very like a miracle, he wasunhurt. He got up and looked around, a little dazed, for Boris. In amoment he saw him lying very still, his white face lighted up by theflames from the burning car. He ran over and he was vastly relieved tosee that his cousin was conscious.
"My leg is broken, I think," said Boris, speaking quickly. "Fred, youmust run for it alone. You will be able to get to the Russian lines. Buthurry! They are coming, I'm sure! They must have heard the crash!"
"Do you think I'm going to leave you here?" asked Fred, indignantly."We'll sink or swim together, Boris!"
"Why should two of us suffer when one can escape?" asked Boris."Besides, you've got to go, Fred, for my sake as well as for your own.They'll treat me well enough. But if they catch us here wearing Germanuniform coats--well, you know what that would mean!"
Fred was startled. He had not thought of that.
"Take my coat and helmet and get away as fast as you can," urged Boris."Then I can say that I have been in the car. They'd know that, ofcourse, but I could make them believe that I was in it against my will,and that the two men in uniform they saw had escaped. If they catch you,they'll send you back to headquarters and you'll be recognized there atonce. Then they'd do to me whatever they did to you, just because I wascaught in your company. No, it's the only chance for either of us, Fred,and you've got to take it quickly."
The idea of abandoning a friend, and much more one who had come to meanso much to him as did Boris, seemed terrible to Fred. And yet it wasimpossible for him to refute Boris's argument. His cousin was right.And now he could hear the voices of approaching men. Naturally, if theGermans on the culvert thought that a car containing two German officershad been wrecked, they would come to the rescue. There was no time to belost.
"I suppose you're right, Boris," he said, with a groan. "But it's thehardest thing I've ever had to do! But it is so. It would make it worsefor you if I stayed. That's the only reason I'll go, though! You believethat, don't you?"
"Of course I do!" said Boris. "Haven't you proved what sort you are,when you risked your life to try to help me to get away at theparsonage? Go! Hurry! Get this coat and helmet off me!"
So Fred set to work. He had to move Boris to get the coat off, and theRussian groaned with the pain of his broken leg. Fred dared not wait,now that he had made up his mind to fly, even to see the extent of theinjury, much less to apply first aid. Had there been time, he might havemade Boris comfortable, for, like all well trained Boy Scouts, heunderstood the elementary principles of bandaging and had made more thanone temporary setting in splints for broken bones. But he knew that theGermans would be there in a minute or two, and he had no reason tosuppose that they would lack common humanity. They would care for Boris.Probably they had a surgeon back at the culvert, or fairly near at hand,at any rate.
"Get off the road," said Boris, gritting his teeth. "My head isswimming, and I'm afraid I'm going to faint or do some such foolishthing! But don't stay in the road. They're sure to go along, looking foryou."
Fred had reasoned that out for himself. And now, when he had rolled upBoris's coat and helmet into a bundle, he leaped a narrow ditch andplunged into a thick mass of bushes. He did not know the country here,and had no notion of what sort of cover he might find. But luck was withhim though for a moment he thought he had stumbled into a disastrouspredicament. The ground gave way beneath him suddenly and he felthimself falling. He relaxed instinctively, and came down on hands andknees on a mass of leaves and twigs. He had fallen into a sort ofshallow pit, but deep enough to shelter him. It seemed to him to be likea deadfall, such as he knew trappers sometimes make. The place was idealfor such a use, but now no steel-jawed trap yawned for him. And it wasonly a moment before he realized that this was just the hiding-place forhim--and one, moreover, for which he himself might have searched invain.
"They'll never look for me as near the wreck as this," he said tohimself. "They'll spread out probably, but I think I'll be safe here. Assafe as anywhere, and it will give me a chance to find out what'shappening, too."
The side of the pit nearest the road was almost open, though it wasscreened by bushes and foliage. Fred, however, was able to peer out andto see the dancing flames, giving a weird and ghostly appearance to thescene in the road. The Germans were very close now and he had just timeto poke up some branches to hide the opening through which he hadfallen. Then he lay down, his eyes glued to a sort of natural peepholethat gave him a view of the road.
"It's like a grandstand seat!" he said. "But I hope no one wants to seemy ticket because I'm afraid the usher would make me change my seat!"
But then Fred had to give his whole attention to what was going on inthe road. The Germans came running up, a young officer in the lead.There were a half dozen of them. At first, as they looked about near theburning car, they saw no one. But then one of the soldiers saw Boris andraised a shout. The officer went over, leaned down and then started backwith a cry of surprise.
"That is no German officer!" he exclaimed. He bent over again and Fredwinced as he saw him shaking Boris by the shoulder. He wondered if Boriswas shamming, or if he had really fainted. Then it was plain that therewas no pretence. The officer, gently enough, raised Boris's head, andtaking a flask from his pocket, forced a little of the spirits itcontained into Boris's mouth. Fred saw his cousin stiffen; he was comingto his senses. Then the officer let him down, but made a sort of pillowfor him with a cushion that had been thrown out of the automobile whenit was overturned.
"Feel better? Good!" he said. "Now tell me what happened! Where are thetwo officers who were in the car? Were they hurt?"
"I--do not know," said Boris.
Fred had to strain his ears to catch what Boris said. Boris was weak andexhausted, and Fred was glad that the German officer seemed kindly anddisposed to be humane.
"You do not know? How is that? You were in the car with them, weren'tyou?"
"I was in the car, but I do not know what happened after the accident. Iwas thrown out--and I did not know anything until you roused me justnow."
"But what were you doing in the car, then? Who were those officers?Where were they going?"
"I do not know. I know only that I was walking along the road, becauseall the people had been sent away from their homes, when the carstopped, and a man told me to get in and sit low, so that I should notbe seen. Then we drove very fast and after a while there was a crash,and I was thrown out."
"Can you walk?"
The German's tone had changed somewhat. It was anxious now, and puzzled.
"I--don't know," said Boris. "There is a pain in my leg--here, rightabove the ankle. Ouch!"
Fred saw the German officer slip his hand down over the spot to whichBoris pointed, and his touch dragged the exclamation of pain from Boris.
"You can't walk, that's certain!" said the German. "You've got pluck,boy! There's a nasty break there. You need a surgeon! Well, I'll have todo what I can for you until we can find one. Can you stand a little morepain? Niehoff, give me your emergency kit. You have the splints? So! Ishall see what I can do."
He was busy for a moment. Then with a sergeant, evidently his second incommand, he withdrew to be out of Boris's hearing. But as it chanced,his movement brought him to a point where it was easier than ever forFred to hear everything he said.
"There is something deuced queer about this business!" said the officer."I think this boy is telling the truth, but we saw two officers in thefront seat of that car. That much was certain. They were not ground intopowder in the accident, you know. If they had been killed, there wouldbe something left of them. They got out all right--that's evident. Andthey made themselves scarce. They must have known we would come, and ifthey have gone so quickly, it is because they did not want us to seethem at close quarters."
"Spies, you think?" asked the sergeant.<
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"Evidently! But how they got here I'd hate to guess! They came from aquarter where we are in complete control. Yet they stole one of ourcars, and a couple of uniform coats and helmets, at least!"
"We can look further for them," said the sergeant.
"Yes--and one might look a long time in a haystack before one found aneedle! However, let the men spread out along the road and see what theycan find. Give the order!"
Fred sighed with relief. He had been right in his decision to stay wherehe was, as he understood fully when he saw the soldiers go off down theroad, looking for some trace of the passing of the two imaginaryofficers. Meanwhile the officer went back to Boris.
"We'll take this lad back with us," he said to the sergeant. "He needsattention, and I prefer to give someone in higher authority a chance totalk to him. This is a very mysterious affair, all around. It is toomuch for my brain!"
"And for mine, too!" grumbled the sergeant. "If I had my way, we wouldhave orders to shoot all suspicious characters first and find outwhether they deserved it or not afterward. I thought we should stop thatautomobile when we saw it coming."
"And I did not," said the officer, sharply.
The sergeant said nothing more.
Soon the men returned from their fruitless search. Then a litter wasimprovised and Boris was placed upon it and taken away. Fred had beenvery fearful for it had seemed more than likely to him that a sentrywould be left to watch the wreck. If that had been done, it would havecomplicated his position, because he could scarcely have hoped to getout of his shelter without making some noise. But this was a precautionthat apparently did not suggest itself to the Germans.
And so, as soon as they were well out of hearing, Fred scrambled out,leaving his dangerous coats and helmets behind, and began trudgingboldly along the road. He did not know the character of the woodedsection through which the road now ran, and it seemed to him that hewould be safer in the road than if he tried to walk under cover.
Fred was very tired. And, now that the excitement was fading, he wasbeginning to realize that he had not escaped entirely scatheless fromthe wreck of the car. Every bone and muscle in his body was sore andaching, and he wondered how many black and blue spots he would find whenhe got a chance to look for them.
By Ivan's reckoning, he had something like two miles to go to reach theRussian outposts. He was now in a sort of No Man's Land that lay betweenthe two armies. And, indeed, before long, he saw fires twinklingahead--the fires of the Russians. That was as he came to the crossroadof which Boris had spoken. It seemed that his troubles must be nearlyover. And just then he heard a clatter of hoofs and saw, riding up thecrossroad toward him, a troop of German Uhlans. He began running. Butthey had seen him and gave chase. He dared not stop. On he ran, hopingthat the Russians were nearer than their fires.
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