CHAPTER XXVIIITHE PRISONERS FLEE
The mess truck had been driven into the court of the hotel, and the escaping prisoners soon relieved it of its burden of food, principally hard-baked or canned. This was distributed as equally as possible among them all, and then the departure from the town was begun.
They were only a short distance from a main highway over which the noises of heavy and rapid traffic could be heard constantly. So their chief caution was to avoid attracting attention to their unusual proceedings from the soldiers and truckmen moving along this route.
It was quickly decided by the leaders of the escaping prisoners that they had better make their departure by way of the path that led down the hill near the sandpit, as it was well shielded for a quarter of a mile or more with small trees and bushes from the top of the hill down into a sort of ravine through which ran a small stream of water. Moreover, all admitted without debate that it was far more important for them to find a good place of concealmentthan to travel any considerable distance toward the lines of battle before daylight.
Phil, Evans, Tim, and one or two others who had exhibited leadership qualifications walked ahead of the column of Americans and Frenchmen and held an almost incessant discussion of plans as they proceeded. The more important of their conclusions were passed back among their comrades in the rear to keep them informed and reassured that the leaders were conducting the escape intelligently. One line of suggestions offered by Phil and accepted by all with hopeful enthusiasm was as follows:
“We ought to work our way as close as we can to the rear line of the boches with safety, moving forward at night and hiding in the daytime, and wait for the time when the big drive of the Allies pushes the enemy back. After they have been pushed back beyond our hiding place, we can come out and rejoin our comrades and take a hand in the fight. I figure that it’ll be principally open fighting with lots of rifle and machine-gun action. The boches won’t be strongly intrenched, and if the Allies come back at ’em as strong as I believe they will, their heavy guns won’t have much to do; and if we find good hiding places, we ought tobe comparatively safe. There’ll be a lot o’ bombs dropped from the air, but our chances of keeping out of their way will be much better than our chances would be in the midst of a heavy bombardment from big guns.
“The enemy’s advance over these grounds has been very rapid and no doubt they have done little cleaning up after them. If we go along carefully, we ought to pick up enough guns and ammunition to arm every last one of us, and if we get in close quarters some time we’ll be able to give a good account of ourselves. There’s little danger of our meeting a very large body of the enemy miles behind their lines if we keep clear of their routes of communication.”
“What’s your idea of a good hiding place for us?” asked Tim.
“A deserted village like the one we’ve just left,” Phil replied. “Second-best place perhaps would be a group of farm houses.”
“How about food if the Allied drive holds off several weeks?” was Tim’s next question.
“That’s a matter we’ve got to look out for without delay. It’ll probably be hard picking, but if everybody keeps his eyes open. All the gardens and fields no doubt have been pretty thoroughly devastated, and yet there’s alwaysbound to be some pickin’s left here and there. We may find a few chickens, if we watch carefully, but we’ll have to knock ’em over with clubs—no shooting, you know.”
These suggestions rendered Phil more popular than ever among the escaping American and French prisoners, so that by the time all had discussed them fully he was tacitly voted leader of the fugitive expedition. From that time on all looked to him for advice whenever any problem of common interest came up for solution.
The route taken was considerably of a “cross-country” character. They avoided highways that appeared to have been much frequented, for fear lest at any moment they run into an enemy patrol or expedition of some sort that would demand an explanation of their wanderings. So across fields and meadows and lowlands overgrown with weeds and bushes they went, until finally Phil called a halt near a group of farmhouses and said:
“It must be almost daybreak. Here are two or three houses and barns that ought to conceal us very well until the sun goes down again. Let’s investigate, and if there’s nobody on the premises we’ll file in and take charge.”
Several scouts were sent ahead to ascertain, if possible, whether the buildings were deserted.In a short time they reported that they were unable to find evidence of anybody in possession, and the little army of prisoners-at-large behind the enemy lines filed in and took refuge for a day’s hiding.