CHAPTER XXVIIFOOD FOR PROHIBITION
Such an argument as this could hardly be controverted and Evans had his way. This mischievous Marine of vengeful imagination opened another cask of wine, which stood ready to be tapped, and “treated” those who had less than their capacity to the “amount they had cheated themselves out of.”
The boches who had “stood” guard outside were all carried or conducted in and given the “third degree test.” At this Evans proved himself a master. If there was any “wake” in them, he discovered it. He behaved like a sailor on a lark in a nest of cornered and cowed pirates, and most of the other fellows caught the spirit and took a hand in the sport. By the time the job was finished most of the cask just tapped had been poured down the throats of six or eight rousable “soaks” and they rolled over actually “running over at the brim.”
“Now come on, fellows,” said Evans enthusiastically. “We’ve done our deed well. We’re off now for home, after a little more fighting, and the Chautauqua platform. ButI want the testimony of every one of you that not one of us drunk a drop. Am I right?”
“Right,” was the chorused response.
There was no need of further delay. The boys had taken possession of twenty Mauser rifles, a dozen pistols, and a good supply of cartridges for all these weapons. If they had felt it would be of any advantage to them to do so, they would have stripped the drunken guards of their uniforms and passed them around among themselves. But these, it was decided, were hardly likely to be of service to them, inasmuch as they could not pass for Prussian soldiers unless they separated from the other Americans and French who were unable to obtain uniforms. Phil was the first one to advance this idea, at the same time doffing the suit that he had stripped from the guard with whom he fought a deadly combat and expressing the opinion that the entire body of escaping prisoners ought to “stick together for common protection.”
“We have guns and pistols now for more than thirty of us, and a good supply of ammunition,” he said. “It wouldn’t be fair for those of us who are armed to leave those who are unarmed.”
“You wouldn’t have us fight the whole Germanarmy in the rear, would you?” one of the Marines inquired.
“We sha’n’t have to,” Phil replied. “In the first place, they’ll never suspect that so many of us are armed. The main command of the German forces will have a hard time getting a clear statement of our escape from these drunken guards. They’re not going to admit that they were drunk and they’ll dodge as long as possible every question that will tend to show they were under the influence of liquor. Meanwhile we’ll keep away from the main traveled highways over which the enemy truck lines run between the armies and the supply stations. Evidently they haven’t been able to repair the French railroads as fast as they advanced. In a few days they probably will have them in running order and that will make conditions better for us, for the better rail service they have, the less they’ll have to use the highways, and the freer the roads’ll be for us. To tell you the truth, everything is remarkably in our favor, and all we have to do is keep out of sight in the daytime and—and—work out our own salvation at night.”
“And forage for something to eat,” Tim added, slapping his middle significantly.
“Oh, yes, that reminds me,” Phil said quickly. “While one of us goes and invitesour comrades in yonder prison to join us, the rest of us will load ourselves with provender from the truck where Tim cooked stew for us yesterday.”
“That’s just what I was goin’ to suggest,” the bullet-headed corporal put in.
“All right,” Sergeant Speed continued, in a well satisfied tone of voice. “You go ahead and engineer that business and I’ll bring out the other prisoners.”