Boy Allies in Great Peril; Or, With the Italian Army in the Alps

by Clair W. Hayes

  CHAPTER XXVIII.

  MR. STUBBS ONCE MORE.

  A hearty hand slapped Hal on the back, and he looked up from a moodyreverie into the face of Anthony Stubbs.

  "Well, well, what's the matter now?" demanded the little warcorrespondent.

  "Matter enough," replied Hal. "The Austrians have nabbed Chester."

  "You don't say!" exclaimed Stubbs. "I thought you fellows had finishedyour fighting days."

  "So we had," returned the lad; "but we took one little fling, and this isthe result."

  "And what are you going to do about it?"

  "That's what I have been trying to figure out."

  "Well, I guess they won't hurt Chester any," said Stubbs.

  "That's where you are wrong," declared Hal, getting to his feet. "They'lljust about stand him up and shoot him as a spy."

  Stubbs became more serious at once; for before he had not realized thatChester was in any immediate danger.

  "As serious as all that?" he questioned. "Tell me about it. What have youfellows been up to?"

  Rapidly Hal laid the facts before him.

  "H-m-m," muttered Stubbs, when the lad concluded. "Chester certainly hasgot himself into a mess. And Anderson is with him, eh? Well, we will haveto do something--and that at once."

  "Yes; but what?" demanded Hal anxiously.

  "Well, now, that's the question, but you'll have to give me time. I'llfind a way. A newspaper man always finds a way."

  Hal felt a little relieved. He couldn't see that there was the slightestchance to be of assistance to his chum, but the little warcorrespondent's words cheered him.

  "Yep, you'll have to give me a little time," said Stubbs. "Now you waithere until I come back, and if I don't come back with a first class planI hope to never write another story for the _Gazette_."

  He walked rapidly away, leaving Hal alone with his thoughts. Fifteenminutes later the little man returned.

  "All right," he said. "Let's go."

  "Go?" exclaimed Hal. "Go where?"

  "Why, go and get Chester and Anderson out of the hole. Are you ready?"

  "Oh, I'm ready enough," replied Hal, as he fell in step and hurried alongbeside Stubbs, "but tell me--"

  "Now hold on there," interrupted Stubbs. "I'll tell you, but I am a-goingto do it in my own way. Don't hurry me."

  Hal made no reply, and after a few moments the war correspondentcontinued:

  "Yep, we'll get 'em all right--that is, if the Austrians don't beat us toit. Sure we'll get 'em."

  He grew silent again, and although Hal could hardly restrain hisimpatience, he pressed his lips close together and said nothing. Stubbsgazed at him and smiled.

  "You'll do," he said. "Now that you have managed to get a tight rein onyour impatience I'll tell you. In the first place, we'll have to hurry;but first we'll turn in here a minute."

  He turned abruptly to the right, and a moment later led the way into hisown temporary quarters.

  "My diggings, as the British say," he declared with a wave of his hands."I'll have you fixed up in a minute."

  "Fixed up?" questioned Hal.

  "Sure. You didn't expect to go back to the Austrian side looking likethat, did you? They'd nab you in a minute."

  He rummaged among some things in a corner, and directly produced an extrasuit of clothes.

  "Climb into these," he ordered.

  Hal did as commanded and awaited further instructions.

  Stubbs opened a little box, which gave forth a peculiar smell and had aqueer blackish appearance. Stubbs dipped his fingers in the box, and thenpassed them over Hal's face.

  "Lucky I had a little experience in the art of stagecraft," he remarkedas he continued the operation.

  He stepped back and surveyed Hal critically.

  "There," he exclaimed. "Your own mother wouldn't know you. You look allof ten years older. Got your guns?"

  Hal picked them up from where he had thrown them when he hadchanged clothes.

  "All ready," he said quietly.

  "Wait till I fix myself up a little," said Stubbs. "You must remember Iwas within the Austrian lines not so long ago myself. They may be lookingfor me, too."

  He again delved into the little box, and Hal, as he watched, wassurprised at the change in the appearance of the man. He, too, seemed tohave aged greatly, and he bore slight resemblance to the old Stubbs.

  "All ready to move now," he said at last.

  He led the way from his quarters, and perhaps a hundred yards away,indicated a pair of horses.

  "Ours--for the journey," he said.

  A moment later both were in the saddle and were riding toward the front.

  "Now," said Stubbs, "I'll resume my little talk."

  "One minute," broke in Hal. "How do you figure we are going to beallowed the freedom of the Austrian camp? What'll they do with us whenwe get there?"

  "True," said Stubbs. He reached in his pocket and produced two papers,one of which he passed to Hal. "This may help a little," he explained.

  Hal looked at the paper. He found it was made out in the name of JohnLawrence and that it purported to be an identification of John Lawrenceas an accredited correspondent of the New York _Gazette_.

  "I've got two or three more back there," said Stubbs, waving an arm inthe general direction of his quarters. "They have often come in handy."

  "I see," said Hal. "Then these papers are what you are figuring on togain us the freedom of the Austrian lines."

  "Freedom to a certain extent, yes," replied Stubbs. "Now for the otherpart of my plan. To be perfectly frank, you know just as much about it asI do. I have no plan beside getting in the Austrian lines. Events mustshape themselves after that."

  "But do you suppose these papers will satisfy the Austrian commander?"

  "They will after I have talked to him for five minutes."

  "I hope so," said Hal.

  They had now passed the Italian outposts, unmolested, and rode across theopen toward the Austrian lines. Some time later they were halted by anAustrian sentinel.

  "Take us to the general," commanded Stubbs.

  The sentinel eyed the little man aggressively, but, evidently beingimpressed with his manner, called a superior. To him Stubbs gave the samecommand, and he gave it in such a way that the officer, after a slighthesitation, turned on his heel and motioned Hal and Stubbs to follow him.

  Five minutes later they stood again in the presence of General Brentz.Stubbs produced his paper and Hal did likewise. The general scannedthem closely.

  "How do I know you are what you represent yourselves to be?" hedemanded gruffly.

  "For one reason, general," said Stubbs, "because we wouldn't be hereotherwise. Of course we don't expect the freedom of your lines, but wewould like to know a little about the Austrian troops--whether they canfight, how they stand up under fire--what kind of men they are. Thepeople of America want to know, and that's what we are here for."

  The general hesitated.

  "I've had some trouble with spies here lately," he said at length, "and Ihave become wary." He scrutinized them closely. "But you look honest.I'll take a chance on you. Besides, it would be well for the people ofAmerica to know something of the Austrians besides what they read from anenemy source."

  "Thank you, general," said Stubbs, "and you will provide us with papersso that we will not be molested?"

  "Yes, I'll do that."

  The general scribbled a few lines on two sheets of paper, which he passedto Stubbs. The latter gave one to Hal, and turned to go, Hal followinghim. At the entrance Stubbs turned quickly.

  "Oh, by the way, general, about these spies--are they Italians?"

  "No, they are British," was the reply.

  "And there is no doubt they are spies?"

  "None; they aided a prisoner to escape and were only captured after greattrouble. There were two more whom we did not get."

  "Oh! In that case, I suppose you will have to shoot them," Stubbs statedas a matter of fact.

  "
Exactly. They will be executed at sunrise to-morrow."

  "In the meantime they are likely to escape again," said Stubbs.

  "Not much," declared the general. He walked to the window, and pointed toa large tent a short distance away.

  "See that tent?" he questioned.

  Hal and Stubbs indicated that they did.

  "They are confined in there," said the general, "and they are heavilyguarded. I have stationed a guard of five armed men, with instructionsnever to leave them alone. I shall take no chances; and in the morningthey shall be shot. This is no place for spies."

  "I can see that, general," replied Stubbs. "Well, we are obliged to youfor your courtesy, and we shall make it clear to the American people thatthe Austrians are not as black as they have been painted."

  The general bowed courteously, and Hal and Stubbs left his quarters.

  "You see," said Stubbs when they were outside, "it wasn't such a hardmatter after all."

  "And to think," said Hal, "that, in view of his recent experiences, hewas so unwary as to betray where Chester and Colonel Anderson areconfined."

  "Which was lucky for us," declared Stubbs. "It will save us a lot ofworry and search."

  "Now what?" demanded Hal.

  "Well," was the reply, "I should say that there is nothing that can bedone before dark. However, we might as well take a look at the prisontent from the outside. It is always well to know the lay of the land."

  Accordingly they turned their footsteps in that direction, and walked bythe tent slowly. And from the inside they heard the sound of Chester'slaugh, as he talked to Colonel Anderson.

  "He's not worrying any, that boy," said Stubbs with a smile. "We'll getthem out safely."

  All the afternoon the two prowled about the camp; and at last darknessfell. It was time to get busy, for whatever was done must be accomplishedbefore the break of day, when a firing squad would snuff out the lives ofthe two prisoners.

  "Well, here we go," said Stubbs.

  He led the way slowly toward the prison tent.