Evening star., 1917-12-23

by halter fashioned out Of heel
rope, a plight in which the Chevaller
Bayard himself might have quaked.
For another, he had been plodolns
along at the side of one of the horses'
thinking bitterly Of the fair Leontine,
whose buxom waist he would never
squeeze again, when beam OF oaz-
zling light revealed crouchfng. nom
descript being which flung itsei1 up
ward in a pantherlike spring. ana
buried a bayonet to the socket in the
body of the nearest trooper. NO Won
der Jan was scared.
The soldiers had caught both horses
Dalroy. a cavalryman. had abandoned
the earlier remounts with twfnge OF
regret. He thought now there was no
reason why he and Irene should nor
ride, as the days tramp. not to spear
of the strain Of the past nour; masne
prove a drawback before morning.
Can you sit a horse astride! ne
asked her.
II prefer it," she said, promptly.
Bates offered no objection: as long as
cloaks came in useful. and Dairoy
buckled on a sword-belt. Jan an
nounced that he was good TOT anotner
twenty miles, provided he couId WIN
clear of those sales Alboches. He was
eager to relate his adventures. but Dal.
roy quieted him by the downright
statement that II his tongue waegeo
he might soon be either a prisoner
again or dead.
A night SO rife with hazard could
hardly close tamely. The rain cleared
off. and the stars came out ere tney
reached the ferry on the Schelde: ana
disauieting news that strong cav
airy picket, evidently on the alert.
held the right bank. But the thirteen
had made a speciality OF disposing OF
early days of the war. and particularly
in Flanders, Teuton nerves were no.
toriously jumpy. so the little band
crept forward resolutely. lodging from
bitches. until they could see the stars
reflected in the river. Dalroy ana
Irene had dismounted at the first It'd
ings of the enemy. turning a pair OF
contented horses into meadow. They
and Maertz. of course, had to keep well
behind the main body.
The troopers. veritable uhlans this
time. had posted neither sentry nor We
dette in the lane. Behind them. they
thought. lay Germany. In front. across
the river. the small army of Belgium
held the last strip Of Belgian territory,
which then ran In an irregular line
from Antwerp through Gand to Nieu-
port So the picket watched the black
smudge of the opposite bank and
talked of the kron-prinz's sta1warts
hacking their way into Paris, and new
er dreamed of being assailed from the
rear. until a number of sturdy demons
pretty bayonet work.
Fight there was none. Those uhlans
able to run ran for their lives. Ono
fellow. who happened to be mounted.
clapped spurs to his charger and would
have got away had not Dalroy deliv
cred a most satisfactory lunge with
the hussar saber.
No sooner had Bates collected and
tics were changed Five rounds rapid
ratified up the road and along the
banks.
II find that bit of noise always
the bayonet. SIR" he explained to Dali
roy. IT any of 'em think of stopping
they move on again when they hear
hefty row"
and. what was of vast importance to
the fugitives. the ferryboat. wondered.
no doubt. what was causing such a
commotion among the enemy. Luckily.
the officer in charge recognized a new
ring in the rifles. He could not iden-
tify it. but was certain 1t came from
neither a Belgian nor German
weapon.
Thus. in sense, he was prepared for
Jan Maertz's hall, and was even more
reassured by 1rene's clear voice urging
him to send the boat.
Two volunteers manner tho oars. IN
couple of minutes the unwieldy craft
bumped into q pontoon, and was soon
sweeter+ music. in the ears of a, little
company of Britons than the placid lap
of the current. followed by the sharp
challenge Of a sentry: "Qui va la?"
gian and an English lady" answered
Dalroy.
An officer hurried forward. He dared
not use a light. and: in the semi-ob-
self confronted by sinister looking
crew. He was cautious, and exceeding
" skepticai when told briefly the ex-
act truth. His demand that all arms
before he would agree to send them
under escort to the village of Aspen
was met by a blank refusal from Bates
and his myrmidons Dalroy toned
that thirteen soldiers. belonging to
eight different regiments Of the Brit
fsh army. ought not to be disarmed by
their gallant Belgian allies. after hav-
Ing fought all the way from Mons to
the Schelde.
Irene Joined in. but Jan Maertz's
rugged speech probably carried greater
conviction: After a prolonged argu-
ment. which the infuriated Germans
might easily have interrupted by close
range volleys. the dificulty was ad-
1usted by the unhxing Of bayonets and
the Singing Of rifles. A strong guard
took them to Aspen. where they arrived
shaled in the kitchen Of a comfortab Bile
inn. and interviewed by a colonel and
a major.
Oddly enough, Corp. Bates was the
first to gain credence by producing his
map, and describing the villages he
and his mates had passed through. the
woods in which they hid for days to-
gether, and the cures who had helped
them. Bates story was an epic in IT.
self His men crowded around, and
grfnned approvingly when he rounded
off each curt account of a SCRAP" by
saving. Then the yewlans did a bunk,
an we pushed on"
pened to glance at the circle Of cheer
full faces during a burst of nerriment
aroused by reference to Smithy's In
genuity in stealing a box of hand
grenades from an ammunition wagon
and destroying a generals motorcar by
liking an Internal machine in the gear
box. The mere cranking up of the
engine. 1t appeared. exploded the de-
tonator.
rs that what you were doing under
the car outside the barno" he inquired.
catching Smithy's eye.
fus. sir. I've on'y one left aht o.
six" said Smfthy, producing an omi-
nous looking object from a pocket
rs the detonator in position?'
"Yus. SIR
viii you kindly take 1t out. and lay
II gently on the tabie?
Smithy obeyed. with reassuring deft-
ness.
Dalroy was about to comment on the
phenomenal risk of carrying such a
destructive bomb so carelessly when he
happened to notice the roll collar of a
khaki tunic beneath Smithy's hlue