Boy Allies in the Trenches; Or, Midst Shot and Shell Along the Aisne

by Clair W. Hayes

  CHAPTER XXIX.

  THE DEATH OF DUVAL.

  "What's going on here?" cried Hal angrily, as he twisted sharply on theupraised arm.

  The man who held the wrench writhed in pain beneath the lad's strongfingers and he dropped the wrench and turned on Hal angrily.

  "What business is it of yours?" he demanded.

  "I've made it my business," said Hal. "He is a friend of mine."

  Unmindful of the threatening gestures of the others, he stooped andgently lifted Chester's head. The latter was not badly hurt, and he wassoon upon his feet.

  "Where did he go?" he cried excitedly.

  "Where did who go?" asked Hal.

  "Duval--the man I was chasing. He attempted to assassinate thePresident."

  A cry of surprise went up from those surrounding the two lads, and theypressed forward with eager questions. No longer were they enemies of thetwo lads. Word that an attempt had been made on the life of the Presidentcaused them to forget other troubles.

  "He went that way," said one of them, pointing.

  "After him," cried another, and the crowd dashed forward. Others ofthe mob that had given chase arrived by this time and also continuedthe chase.

  "There is no use running after him," said Hal, as Chester also would havecontinued the pursuit.

  "But we must get him!"

  "I have an idea that I shall be able to find him," said Hal quietly.

  "You know where he is?"

  "I think I know where he will seek refuge."

  Quickly he related his experiences to Chester.

  "Come on, then," cried the latter eagerly. "Let's get away before he getsback, finds his friend dead and leaves the house."

  The lads hurried forward and, by going directly toward the house, arrivedthere before the first of the crowd came into view.

  Even as Hal had expected, Duval, believing that he had eluded hispursuers, made a detour and entered his home from a side entrance. Froman upper window, a few moments later, he saw the first of the crowd. Theyhad no idea he was in the house and went dashing by. He did not see theforms of the two lads across the street.

  "I guess I'm safe enough for a while," he said to himself.

  He made his way toward the bedroom, where he surmised his lieutenantwould be sleeping. He entered the room, took a single look andstaggered back.

  His eyes had fallen upon the inert body of his aide.

  Quickly he bent over him and felt his pulse.

  "Dead!" he exclaimed.

  He stood silent, struck by a sudden thought. Quickly he descended thesteps into the cellar and approached the room where Hal had been left todie. The door was open and water trickled from within.

  Duval uttered no word but, turning quickly, dashed up the steps. Oncemore he looked from the window, and the first figures upon which his eyesrested were Hal and Chester.

  The boys, in the meantime, had halted the mad crowd and briefly explainedthat the object of their search was in the house. They were engaged inthis occupation when Duval peered from the window the second time.

  The Apache chief smiled grimly to himself. He produced his automatic andaimed at the two lads. His finger tightened on the trigger.

  "Crack!"

  Hal's cap seemed to leap from his head, and instinctively all of thecrowd ducked. Then, with a terrible roar, they charged straight atthe house.

  But Duval, standing in an upper window, emptied one automatic into thehowling mob and then another.

  The crowd drew back.

  While all this was going on, Hal had led Chester to the window leadinginto the basement, and silently the lads lowered themselves through it.Then, as the mob raged without, they made their way up the steps, throughthe hall, and up a second flight.

  There, at the head of the stairs, they paused. Before them were tworooms, and they were not certain in which the Apache chief hadtaken refuge.

  "You take the one on the right, Chester," whispered Hal.

  Chester nodded and they advanced, Chester toward the door on the rightand Hal toward the one on the left. They opened the doors upon thesame instant.

  But Duval had heard sounds in the hall, and his quick wit had detectedthe ruse. Therefore, when the lads flung open the doors, there was no oneto be seen in either room. They turned and stared at each other blankly,and as they did so a bullet whistled between them.

  Duval, stepping from behind the door where he had been concealed, hadopened fire on them.

  "Down!" cried Chester, and dropped to the floor.

  Hal followed suit.

  Both raised their weapons, but Duval was not in sight, so they did notfire. Slowly they got to their feet again, and dashed into the room wherethey now knew the Apache chief to be.

  Hal went first. As he cleared the doorway, he was met by Duval himself,who, with the butt of his revolver, dealt the lad a heavy blow on thehead. Hal fell like a log.

  But Chester had been right at Hal's heels and before Duval could raisehis weapon to fire, or bring it down on the lad's head, Chester hadclinched with him.

  With his two arms beneath those of the Apache chief, Chester brought themup, and, reaching over his shoulder, clasped hands under Duval's chin.

  But Duval was a powerful man, and broke this hold with ease, even as thelad exerted his utmost strength in an attempt to strangle his opponent.

  Chester staggered back, but rushed into another clinch as Duval raisedhis revolver. Ducking, Chester drove his fist to his opponent's chin,even as the latter pressed the trigger. The bullet whistled harmlesslyover his head.

  With a quick, upward stroke of his left arm, Chester sent his enemy'srevolver spinning through the air. Deprived of this weapon, Duval soughtto bring his greater strength to bear and overpower the lad.

  Chester realized that in strength he was no match for Duval, andknew that what he lacked in this respect he must make up in agilityand cunning.

  Therefore, he slipped from his opponent's grasp, and, sidestepping,struck Duval a stinging blow just above the right ear. Duval staggeredback, then came forward with a cry of rage.

  The Apache chief realized the need of haste, for he could alreadydistinguish the sound of heavy footsteps in the hall below. He hoped, byfreeing himself from Chester, who had now grappled with him again, thathe could gain a moment's advantage, jump into the next room, dash throughthe hall and descend by the rear before the crowd came upon him.

  Accordingly, he exerted himself to his utmost, and Chester gave ground.Then the lad stepped suddenly backward, and Duval staggered headlong.Before he could recover his balance, Chester, getting a good start,hurled himself forward as he had been wont to do on the footballfield--but not in a tackle--and Duval, unable to entirely recoverhimself, found himself being pushed rapidly across the room.

  In vain did he strike out at the lad with his one free arm. His blowsfell short. Chester, with lowered head, continued to push, and Duval wasunable to check this impetus.

  Straight back and back the Apache chief was forced. Then his legs cameinto contact with something that caused him to cry out in despair. Thissomething was the edge of the low window, and Duval realized in aninstant that he was on the threshold of death.

  But his cry came too late, and it is doubtful if Chester, thoroughlyaroused as he was, would have released his victim anyhow. There was asound of cracking glass, as Duval's head was forced against thewindow pane, and Chester, hearing it, released his hold and steppedback quickly.

  And the lad stepped back none too soon. Another foot forward, and he,too, would have gone hurtling through the window to the street.

  There was a screeching cry as Duval crashed head foremost through thewindow and went tumbling to the street below. He struck head first uponthe hard sidewalk, crushing his skull; while a shower of glass crashedtinkling about him.

  Immediately the crowd below surged about him, striking with weapons ofall kinds at his defenseless body. Some even jumped and trampled upon it.

  At this moment, from around a
corner came a troop of cavalry, attractedby the news that the would-be assassin of the President had beencornered--for news of this kind travels swiftly--and now they rushed tothe body of Duval, as eager to protect him as a moment ago they wouldhave been to slay him.

  The crowd, with growls and shouted threats, drew off.

  Upstairs Chester bent over the prostrate form of Hal and gently raisedhis chum's head to his knee. Slowly the lad opened his eyes.

  "How do you feel, old man?" asked Chester.

  Hal passed his hand over his head.

  "Somewhat dizzy," he replied, "but where is Duval?"

  "Dead, I guess," said Chester, "I tumbled him out the window onhis head."

  "Good! Am I hurt much?"

  "No; the blow didn't even break the skin, but it has raised a prettysizable bump on your head."

  "All right, then. Help me up."

  Chester lent a supporting arm, and Hal scrambled to his feet, where heswayed dizzily for a few seconds. Then the dizziness passed, and hewalked toward the door with Chester.

  Just as they were about to leave the room they stepped back to allow anewcomer to enter. The newcomer was General Gallieni, and he advancedwith outstretched hands.

  "You lads have proved your worth," he said, seizing each warmly by thehand. "And now, if you will lead us to the den of the Apacheconspirators, your work will be finished."

  "All right, General, follow us," said Chester.

  He led the way downstairs.

  CHAPTER XXX.

  THE END OF THE TRAIL.

  Hal, still somewhat dizzy, followed close upon the heels of his friend,and behind him came General Gallieni. In the street, at a command fromthe general, the lads halted, and the military governor dispatched anaide to summon a squad of cavalry.

  "We might as well do this right," he remarked to the lads.

  Ten minutes later the squad appeared, and the general, mounting his ownhorse, which had been standing by, placed himself at their head. Then hemotioned the lads to climb up before two of the soldiers and point outthe way to the den.

  This the lads did, and soon the squad was trotting briskly alongthe streets.

  Some distance from the rendezvous Hal called a halt, and jumped lightlyto the ground. Chester and General Gallieni also dismounted.

  "I believe it would be a good idea for my friend and I to go first," saidHal to the general. "We are still in our Apache togs. One of your men cancome with us, so as to be able to point out the way. Then he can returnand bring you. In the meantime we can see that the door is left open."

  General Gallieni assented to this plan, and Hal, Chester and one soldiermade their way forward.

  Hal recognized the little frame house at once, but just as he wasabout to enter a figure stole softly across the street and tookChester by the arm.

  It was Jean.

  "You won't be able to open the door in the passageway," he said ina low tone.

  "Great Scott!" exclaimed Chester. "How do you happen to be here?"

  "I expected that there would be a raid," was the reply, "and I came tohelp you. You had better let me take the lead."

  "All right," said Chester, and he explained the situation to Hal.

  Jean now took the lead, and they entered the house. Once more theytraversed the dark passageway, and Jean opened the door in the dark andled the way to the room beyond. Here Hal motioned for the soldier toreturn and bring the others--the door had been left open--and the trooperhurried away.

  Hal approached the room and knocked sharply on the door--three lighttaps, followed by one loud tap. There came to their ears the sound of ascraping chair, the door was unbarred and unbolted, and Georges peeredthrough. He recognized the three figures in the passageway, and threwwide the door.

  "Successful?" he asked eagerly as the three entered.

  "Yes," said Chester briefly.

  "_Bien_!"

  The others in the room, of whom there were perhaps fifty, also crowdedaround and patted Chester and Jean on the back, profuse in theircongratulations.

  The three sat down at the table, where Chester, in response to Georges'request, began an account of the supposed assassination.

  "I suppose the chief will soon be here," he broke off to say.

  "And then," said Georges, rubbing his hands, "we shall receive our gold.Did you see the chief in the crowd?"

  "Yes; he was there, all right," said Chester.

  Now came to Chester's ears the sound of stealthy footsteps in thepassageway beyond the door, which Georges had barred and boltedimmediately they had entered. The lad got nonchalantly to his feet andwalked slowly toward the door.

  Hal and Jean also had heard the sound of footsteps, and they now rangedthemselves on either side of Chester.

  Suddenly the revolvers of all three flashed out and covered the crowd ofApaches, as Chester's voice rang out sternly:

  "Throw up your hands, all of you!"

  Taken completely by surprise, the Apaches obeyed.

  Without lowering his weapons, Chester called to Jean:

  "Open the door!"

  Jean sprang to obey, and as he did so the Apaches, realizing that theywere trapped, sprang toward the two lads with cries of rage. Right in theface of the muzzles of the four automatics they came on.

  "Halt, or we fire!" cried Chester.

  Jean was struggling nervously with the door.

  The Apaches paid no heed to the lad's cry.

  "Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!"

  The automatics of both lads spoke four times in rapid succession, and asmany men fell to the floor. For a moment the Apaches fell back. In thismoment Jean swung wide the door, and, picking up his revolver, rushed tothe side of the two lads, while through the door streamed, one afteranother, the squad of French cavalrymen.

  Some of the Apaches now produced revolvers and fired wildly at theapproaching soldiers, and these, leveling their rifles, returned thefire.

  Immediately the den became a scene of tumult. Wounded men screamed andothers gave vent to their rage with fierce cries. Revolvers and riflesflashed on all sides.

  Hal and Chester, immediately the firing had begun, had dropped to theirknees, and so, as they still poured lead into the Apaches, the bullets ofthe latter went over their heads. Jean, however, was not so fortunate.

  Realizing that there must have been treachery some place, Georges hadnaturally come to the conclusion that Jean was responsible for it, andhad singled the little man out as his own particular mark. Paying no heedto the fighting that raged about him, he took careful aim and fired.

  Jean gave a single cry, threw up his hands and fell squarely between Haland Chester.

  But the fight could have but one outcome. Outnumbered two to one, theApaches were fighting a losing struggle. Half of their number lay dead onthe floor, and many others were nursing serious wounds. As suddenly as ithad begun, the fighting ceased, and the Apaches still on their feetraised their hands in the air.

  Immediately the soldiers advanced on them and made them prisoners. Eachwas bound securely and hustled out of the door.

  Chester and Hal were not wounded. The former now bent over the bodyof Jean, in whom he saw there was still a spark of life. He liftedthe little man's head gently, and, as he did so, Jean looked at himand spoke:

  "Well, they got me," he said quietly. "I thought they would."

  "You will be all right in a day or two, Jean," said Chester.

  "You can't fool me," was the reply. "I know when I am done for. But I amglad that, before my time came, you were able to put me on the rightpath. It is better to die thus."

  Chester did not reply. There was nothing he could say.

  Jean looked at him and smiled, then reached out his hand and claspedChester's.

  "It's all right," he said, pressing the lad's hand; "but let me give youa word of warning. Do not let any of these Apaches know your realidentity. Their arm is long and they never forgive. Good-by."

  He pressed the lad's hand, gave a single shudder and his grasp
relaxed.Chester rose to his feet and turned to Hal.

  "He is dead," he said quietly.

  Leaving the body of Jean to be disposed of with the others, the lads madetheir way outside, to where General Gallieni stood. The latter greetedthem with a smile.

  "Well, we have finished it up," he said cheerfully, "and thanks to youtwo lads. I can see now why General Joffre has such confidence in you."

  The lads flushed with pleasure at this compliment, but neither replied.They merely bowed.

  "Now," said General Gallieni, "you shall come with me."

  "Where to, sir?" asked Chester.

  "Never mind," was the laughing rejoinder. "Mount two of those horses andfollow me."

  Without further questions the lads obeyed, and, after half an hour'sride, found themselves before the Palace where so recently the attempt onthe life of the President of France had been foiled.

  General Gallieni dismounted and motioned the lads to follow him, whichthey did, going up the steps and entering the Palace itself. Here GeneralGallieni gave his name to an attendant. The latter disappeared, butreturned a few moments later and bowed.

  General Gallieni, closely followed by Hal and Chester, passed within thenext room. There a man in civilian attire, bearded and with flashing eye,advanced to meet them.

  "Allow me to present to you, sir," said General Gallieni, with aflourish, "Lieutenants Paine and Crawford, sir."

  Both lads bowed low, for the man who advanced toward them withoutstretched hand was Raymond Poincare, President of France.

  "I am greatly indebted to you boys," said the President, "for the aid youhave rendered me; but I am still more indebted for the service you haverendered France."

  He spoke at length to the two lads, and finally informed them thatthey might withdraw, as he had matters of importance to discuss withGeneral Gallieni.

  "Well," said Hal to Chester, when they were again on the outside, "whatshall we do now?"

  "I guess we might as well hunt up our mothers," was Chester's reply.

  Accordingly they turned and hurried in the direction of the hotel where,the evening before, they had outwitted Uncle John.

  Uncle John was standing just inside the entrance of the hotel. He glancedat the lads as they entered, but, as they were still in their Apachetogs, and were ragged and dirty, he did not recognize them. Chesterapproached him, and in a wheedling voice said:

  "Will you give a poor orphan lad a small piece of money, sir?"

  The hand of Uncle John, ever generous, immediately went into his pocket,and he placed a franc in the boy's hand.

  At that moment one of the hotel officials, perceiving the two dirty lads,and mistaking them for street urchins, approached.

  "Were these little beggars annoying you, sir?" he said to Uncle John."I'll have them kicked into the street."

  "Oh, let them alone," said Uncle John, but the official, mumbling that itwas against the rules of the hotel, summoned a porter and ordered him tothrow the lads out.

  "Are you going to let them kick us out, Uncle John?" asked Chester,in English.

  Uncle John turned quickly, and walked straight up to him. Stooping hegazed searchingly into his face and then turned to Hal. With anexclamation he waved aside the porter and grasped each lad by the arm.

  "You young rascals!" he said. "Don't you know you have worried yourmothers nearly to death. You'll come with me now."

  He led them to the elevator, and soon the two lads were once more intheir mothers' arms.

  "Well," said Uncle John, when the greetings were over, "I don't think youwill get away from us again. We'll sail for America at once."

  "I am afraid," said Chester slowly, "that we cannot go."

  "Cannot go? And why not, sir?"

  "Because," replied Chester, "I believe that Hal and I shall returnimmediately to the front, and rejoin General French and his heroicBritish troops."

  Both Mrs. Paine and Mrs. Crawford cried out in alarm, and Uncle Johnlooked at the two lads with disappointment when Hal said:

  "Chester is right."

  But Uncle John was nothing if not a diplomat.

  "We won't discuss it now," he said, with a wave of his hand. "To-morrowwe will talk the matter over."

  This suited all concerned.

  "And that decision having been reached," continued Uncle John, "let's allgo down to dinner!"

  THE END.