Right, left, front and rear of where Stubbs and Chester stood the troops began to move. In front they could make out the heavy guns being dragged forward, officers dashing about and gesticulating excitedly, but order reigning in the midst of apparent confusion.
From the rear now dashed a squadron of cavalry, a handsome appearing body of men. A second squadron came into sight and disappeared ahead, to be followed a moment later by a third. Other squadrons passed in rapid succession.
Chester and Stubbs kept their positions.
Half an hour passed and still the mounted horsemen swept by. Then came the infantry. Column upon column came swinging along at a dog trot, their officers urging them on. They moved silently and swiftly, apparently all ready for the terrible business in hand.
"A handsome body of men," said Stubbs. "I have never seen better."
"And the size of them," exclaimed Chester. "Must all be over six feet."
It did seem so. Great, big, husky-looking fellows they were, strong as gorillas—heavily bearded, most of them, and warmly and snugly dressed.
"They'll make these Austrians move around some, with an even break," declared Chester.
And still the troops passed, seemingly without end.
"Must be an attack in some force," said Chester.
"Or reinforcements to check an enemy's advance," declared Stubbs.
"Well," said Chester, "if there is going to be a battle, we ought to try and see something of it."
"They'll arrest us if we go fooling around here," declared Stubbs.
Chester thought quickly.
"I'll tell you," he said at length, "you saw the orderly stationed outside our tent?"
Stubbs nodded.
"We'll go back and get him. Also we'll take Hal and Colonel Anderson.They wouldn't want to miss this."
"Don't forget my old friend Nikol," said Stubbs. "Remember he is something of a fighter, too. He'll want to have a look."
They made their way back to the tent quickly and aroused the others. The orderly placed at their disposal, once their wants were made known, volunteered to conduct them to the front.
"I'll get an automobile," he said, and departed.
Five minutes later he was back with a big car and all climbed aboard. A moment later they were being driven rapidly toward the extreme front. There, just behind the first line troops, Hal and Chester made out that the movement was in reality a defensive one. Apparently the men rushed forward so early in the morning were reinforcements.
The troops had entrenched themselves hurriedly and were preparing to resist an attack, which, the orderly informed his charges, was expected momentarily. It appeared that the Austrians had made some slight gains the day before and the Montenegrin general staff had reason to believe the offensive would be continued to-day. Accordingly, steps had been taken to resist the invader.
As the orderly explained the situation, the battle would probably be fought along a twenty-five-mile front; and he announced that at this particular moment the party was somewhere between the center and the left wing of the Montenegrin army.
"Well, we can't see much from here," said Chester.
He gazed across the hills. Then he pointed to his right, toward a not far distant elevation, somewhat higher than the others nearby, and also somewhat closer to the Montenegrin center.
"Now, if we were up there," he said, "we might be able to see something."
The orderly seemed nonplussed.
"It is from that eminence that the king and the general staff will witness the struggle," he said, "I do not know—"
"Oh, that will be all right," said Stubbs. "The king is a good friend of ours. Why, only last night he said that if we desired anything all we had to do was to call on him. Now, taking the king at his word, what we would desire most is to be allowed to witness the battle from that eminence."
The Montenegrin officer hesitated; but only for a moment. Then he said:
"If those were the king's words, he no doubt will forgive me for leading you thither."
"Most certainly he will," declared Stubbs; "in fact, he will thank you for bringing us to him."
The officer, without further words, proceeded as desired, and ten minutes later, having left the big army automobile, they climbed the eminence and took their positions not far from where the king and the general staff stood viewing the Austrian lines through their glasses.
Even as they settled themselves as comfortably as possible, the first big gun of the enemy boomed. Other big guns from the Montenegrin lines took up the action and soon the artillery engagement became general. The air was filled with terrible din and it was next to impossible to make oneself heard above the roar of battle.
Hidden batteries in the Montenegrin lines were making their fire felt. Shielded from the enemy in front, they were also, in most cases, made invisible to the Austrian air craft that continually hovered overhead, sheltered as they were in dense clumps of trees and bushes.
From the Montenegrin lines now went a small fleet of aeroplanes, seeking out the hiding places of the enemy artillery and signaling back the range to the Montenegrin gunners.
For an hour the duel of big guns continued without other action of any kind. Now and then the spectators were able to make out the effect of an enemy shell as it struck within the Montenegrin line, but they were unable to determine the result of the Montenegrin fire.
Came the sound of a bugle from the rear.
"Something up!" shouted Chester at the top of his voice.
Hal nodded but said nothing. He did not feel equal to making himself heard above the terrible roar of battle.
From the Austrian line suddenly issued a squadron of cavalry, closely followed by many other squadrons. It became apparent to the spectators that the enemy had determined to silence the Montenegrin guns, or a portion of them, at any rate, by a charge.
On they came in the very face of a hail of lead that cut great gaps in their ranks, mowing men and riders down like chaff before a storm. But as fast as the ranks were thinned, they filled up again as the Austrians continued their charge, while from their rear the great Austrian guns continued to hurl their messengers of death over their heads into the ranks of the Montenegrins beyond.
Straight for a little woods in the center of the long battle line theAustrian cavalry dashed, their intention apparently being to seektemporary shelter there before charging some other part of theMontenegrin line.
Now they were almost to the trees and it seemed that they must find shelter there. This would mean that it would be a hard task for the Montenegrins to dislodge them. They were less than a hundred yards away when there came a fresh, terrible rumble and roar.
A Montenegrin masked battery had opened with its rapid-firers. Men dropped in great heaps, but the others came on.
The Austrian officer in command, realizing that he was in a trap, took the one chance left him. With what men he had, cut off from his infantry support as he was, he must either capture that masked battery, die or surrender. The only support he had now was from his own artillery, and a moment later that, too, became silent, for the masked Montenegrin battery could not be shelled without imminent risk of shooting down Austrian as well as Montenegrin.
On came the Austrians in a desperate and spectacular charge. Of the number that had sallied forth from the Austrian trench, less than half remained when they came to the edge of the little woods. These few hurled themselves forward with the utmost bravery and abandon, and for a moment it seemed that they might reach the guns, which Hal and Chester, from the eminence, could see.
But at that moment four squadrons of Montenegrin cavalry, fresh and eager for the fray, were hurled forward. They dashed out with a yell, and the two forces met just beyond the fringe of trees.
There was a terrific shock as they came together and in a moment all was confusion. Men cursed, slashed, stabbed and discharged revolvers at each other, while the horses of the opposing forces fought as well as their riders.
The Montenegrin battery had now become silent, for to have fired would have been to endanger the life of friend as well as foe. The horsemen struggled desperately, hand-to-hand.
But the force of the Austrian charge had been spent. The few who remained fought bravely, but they were no match for the fresher and more powerful Montenegrin horsemen, among the best fighters in the whole world.
Slowly the Austrians were forced back. Then they gave ground faster and faster, until finally those who were left turned their horses and fled back toward their own lines. For perhaps a hundred yards the Montenegrins pursued, then, at the call of a bugle, they halted and turned back.
A moment later the rapid-firers broke loose again, cutting great holes in the ranks of the fleeing Austrians. The latter retreated even faster than they had charged, but by the time they reached the shelter of their own lines their number had been thinned by fully three-fourths.
All the way across the field dead and wounded strewed the ground. The successful Montenegrins paused for a moment and cheered wildly; then they took stock of their own dead and wounded, for they had not escaped scot-free. The hand-to-hand struggle, though brief, had been severe while it lasted, and the Austrians fought hard and well. The Montenegrin losses, though comparatively light, had been severe.
While the cavalry action was being fought, the artillery fire had slackened perceptibly; but now the cavalry of each side—what was left of it—had returned to its own lines.
The big guns took up the duel anew with even greater vigor than before.
Hal, Chester and Colonel Anderson had watched the battle with the eyes of veterans; Stubbs had taken in the scene with the eye of a newspaper man in the search of news. Nikol, the dwarf, had gazed at the struggling knot of horsemen in undisguised amazement.
As the Austrians, defeated, had withdrawn, each had drawn a deep breath.
"A terrible spectacle, when you stop to think of it," said Hal slowly.
"Terrible, indeed," agreed Colonel Anderson quietly; "and yet it must go on and on until the power of the Teuton allies has been crushed out forever."
"Which it will be," said Chester quietly.
All turned their eyes to the battlefield once more.
Even from where they stood they could discern a sudden activity in the Austrian lines. The action of the big field pieces became more vigorous than before. Hal, Chester and Colonel Anderson guessed the answer immediately, as, probably, did the officers of King Nicholas' forces.
The next Austrian move was to be a grand assault under cover of artillery fire. The problem to be solved was where it would be delivered—in the center, on the right, or on the left flank.
For a brief instant Hal turned his eyes from the battlefield to the place where King Nicholas and his staff stood. Officers were arriving and departing in haste, carrying orders to the various commanders.
The fire of the Montenegrin guns also became more violent; but it was evident that the Montenegrin staff had decided to take no action until they were confident of just where the Austrians would strike.
The noise of the cannonading was tremendous. It was like the continual roar of the loudest peal of thunder. The very ground trembled from the vibrations of the big guns.
From the Austrian trenches now poured thousands of men at the double—poured in dense masses toward the Montenegrin center, the while the Austrian artillery shelled the Montenegrin center with greater energy than at any time since the battle began.
Apparently the enemy had determined upon the Montenegrin center as the objective of its grand assault.
In the open field, a small plateau, the Austrians reformed coolly, in spite of the death-dealing fire from the Montenegrin lines. The field was packed closely with the enemy, now less than half a mile away.
At this distance the fire of the Montenegrin artillery was terribly effective, but the Austrian line did not waver.
Steadily forward it came; and now the Montenegrins moved to meet the attack. Apparently satisfied that there was no question that the center was to be the main objective of the enemy, the Montenegrin staff ordered the bulk of the Balkan army massed there to beat back the foe.
Regiments and brigades were hurriedly drawn from the two flanks to reinforce the center. The left wing was weakened badly.
A quarter of a mile from the first Montenegrin trench the Austrians charged fiercely. All eyes were turned to that section of the field. The shock was but a few moments away.
At that moment—almost the moment of impact—a second line of men issued from the Austrian, trenches, this time on the Montenegrin left wing. These, too, supported by artillery and strong bodies of cavalry, came forward in a charge.
It seemed the Austrian commander had outgeneraled the Montenegrins, for it did not seem possible that the Montenegrin left flank could be reinforced in time to successfully withstand the shock of the Austrian attack, and there could be no doubt now that the left flank was where the main attack would be delivered.
The assault upon the center had been a feint—nothing more. The main bodies of Austrians were to be hurled against the Montenegrin left, in an effort to turn it before reinforcements could be hurried from the right flank to support the threatened center and left.
But King Nicholas, taking matters in his own hands, acted quickly. In spite of the protests of his officers, he ordered the reinforcements so recently massed in his center back to strengthen his left; then ordered that the center hold firm at all hazards and against all numbers.
He hurried reinforcements from his right to support his center, and having taken these precautions, he was ready to give battle.
The Austrian attacking force and the Montenegrin center had come in contact long before the king had made his other moves, but there was no doubt in Nicholas' mind that his sturdy mountaineers could hold their trenches against larger numbers of the enemy.
One, two, three times the Austrians charged the trenches in the Montenegrin center. Three times they were driven back with terrible losses. The Montenegrins, in the shelter of their trenches, fought stubbornly and tenaciously. Once the first line of Austrians succeeded in obtaining a foothold in the first trench and hand-to-hand fighting ensued.
At this style of fighting the Austrians were no match for the sturdyBalkan warriors, and they were soon forced out again.
Meanwhile the Austrian main attack had come in contact with the Montenegrin left wing. Outnumbered two to one, sometimes more, the defenders fought gallantly. But the Austrians, by the very weight of numbers, swooped down upon the defenders of the first line trenches in spite of the heavy Montenegrin artillery fire.
The Montenegrins were forced to fall back to their second line; but they contested every inch of ground and by the time they had been forced out, reinforcements began to arrive. The second line of trenches held in spite of all attempts of the enemy to force them.
Reinforcements continued to arrive.
The Austrian artillery had now slackened its fire perceptibly, for there was danger of mowing down its own men.
King Nicholas decided upon a bold stroke. Secure in the fact that the Austrian guns could not be used at the moment, and having every confidence in his stalwart troops, in spite of the fact that they were heavily outnumbered, King Nicholas ordered a charge.
A cheer went up along the Montenegrin line.
With bayonets fixed and every nerve tense, the Montenegrins poured suddenly from their trenches. They charged like wild men.
The advantage of the surprise was theirs—the advantage of their impetuous devotion to the cause they served; and the force of their charge was irresistible. It carried all before it.
In vain the Austrian officers tried to rally their men. The sight of these determined, grim-faced men pouring from their trenches bewildered the Austrian troops. They gave ground, slowly at first, then more swiftly; and five minutes later they were in full retreat, with the Montenegrins in close pursuit.
Once the Austrian commander succeeded in reforming his men for a stand; but the Montenegrins rushed on as though they could have carried the Rock of Gibraltar itself, and again the Austrians broke and fled.
The Montenegrins pursued them for probably a quarter of a mile, cutting them down and bayoneting them as they ran. Then the bugle sounded a recall and the Montenegrins drew off.
It was then, too, that the great Austrian guns opened on them again, doing fearful havoc. The Montenegrins suffered greater losses on their return to their trenches than they had during the entire engagement up to that time.
In the center, the battle was still raging; but now that he had been victorious on his left, King Nicholas immediately hurled his weary men to the support of his center. Also he drew upon his already weakened right wing; for the advantage was his and he was determined to make the most of it.
The Austrians fell back in the center.
Now the Montenegrins opened with their heavy artillery, which was rushed forward to shell the retreating foe. Again King Nicholas ordered a charge along his entire front.
With the present morale among the enemy, King Nicholas decided it was time to push his advantage further. He had determined to drive the foe from its own trenches.
The Montenegrins advanced confidently all along the line, pursuing the Austrians closely in the center. Cavalry and infantry, under the protection of the giant batteries, were hurled forward and dashed upon the Austrians with ferocity.
Rapidly they covered the open distance to the first Austrian trenches and leaped into them without thought of death. The Austrians, brought to bay at last, fought desperately, but the Montenegrins, once having gained the whip hand, were not to be denied.
The fighting in the Austrian trenches continued for what seemed an eternity; but finally the Austrians broke and fled.
The Montenegrins, flushed with victory, advanced again, and under cover of their artillery, stormed the enemy's second line trenches. These, too, were won after a desperate struggle and heavy losses on both sides, and with these the Montenegrins, worn and spent, rested content.
The troops were for pushing on after the Austrians, but King Nicholas called a halt.
"My brave men!" he exclaimed, with tears in his eyes. "They have done a day's work to-day that will live in memory for generations to come. It is a brilliant victory."
The duel of heavy guns continued, but the infantry fighting was over for the day. The Montenegrins, in their newly won trenches, fell to preparing them to resist the attack that they knew would come sooner or later, while the Austrians were taking account of their losses and making ready for a new assault.
Stubbs laid a hand on Chester's arm.
"Didn't I tell you they looked like real fighters?" he exclaimed.
"Certainly, I have never seen better," returned the lad.
Stubbs turned to Nikol.
"Well, Nikol," said he, "what do you think of these fellows as fighters?"
Nikol eyed him in silence for several moments. But at last he spoke.
"Mr. Stubbs," he said quietly, "they are better fighters than you or I."
"Come," said Colonel Anderson, "the battle is over. There will be no more fighting to-day. Let us move."
Slowly all made their way back toward their quarters, talking over the battle as they went.
It was late in the afternoon. The battle had raged all day, and now for the first time the friends felt the need of food. Instead of taking camp fare, to which they were invited by the Montenegrin officer who accompanied them, they decided to go to a little village not far from the camp, where the officer informed them they could get a substantial meal at a certain, little restaurant.
Thither they made their way and to their satisfaction found the information correct. Then, their appetites satisfied, they left the restaurant and started back to the camp.
It was now after dark and as they walked slowly, discussing events of the day, they came upon a knot of men engaged in some sort of an argument.
"My curiosity always gets the better of me," said Chester. "Let's have a look," and he led the way toward the gesticulating group.
It was plain, as they drew nearer, that the argument was heated. Loud voices broke the stillness of the night, and one of them, a deep bass, had a familiar ring. One look at the faces in the crowd and they recognized its owner.
It was none other than Ivan, whom they had last seen when he made his dash for liberty in the mountains.
Ivan was in the very center of the crowd, and as Hal, Chester and the others came close, in the glare of a dim light he could be seen gesticulating violently.
"I tell you," he shouted, "I have no money."
"But you showed two bags of gold in the restaurant," said one of the men pressing in on him.
"Well, what if I did?" demanded Ivan. "That gold is not mine. It belongs to your king and I am taking it to him."
"A likely story," said one man in the crowd with a sneer. "You stole it some place. We want a share."
"Oh, you do?" said Ivan, and he broke into a loud laugh. "Well, you won't get it. First, however, I want to tell you again, that I did not steal the money and that it is not mine."
"Then why," said another of the crowd, "why did you dip into one of the bags to pay for a drink at the restaurant?"
"Why?" echoed Ivan in a loud voice. "I'll tell you. Because I was dry."
"But if the gold is not yours?"
For a moment Ivan appeared somewhat flustered. But he made answer after a moment.
"I am entitled to the price of a glass of wine for carrying this gold for the king. That's why."
"It's my belief you filled up on wine before you got the gold," said another voice in the crowd.
"You may have any belief you choose," shouted Ivan angrily. "But now stand aside. I am going on my way."
"Not until you give us a share of your spoils," said a voice close to him.
"Ho!" said Ivan. "You think so. Ho! Ho!"
He took a step forward and his merriment subsided.
"Stand aside there!" he commanded sternly.
For a moment it appeared that the crowd would give before him, but a man in the back of the crowd cried:
"What! will you run from one man, a drunken man at that?"
Another, closer to the giant, reached out a hand and sought to clutch the bag of gold Ivan held in his left hand.
With a sudden movement and a loud cry, Ivan stretched forth a hand and seized the man by the throat. Then he lifted him high in the air and hurled him through space. The man struck the ground with a loud cry of pain.
At the same instant a second man struck at Ivan with a club.
With a cry of anger, Ivan reached forth and seized the club; then, whirling it about his head, brought it down on the man's skull. The man toppled over like a log.
Now Ivan began to laugh in glee.
"Ho! Ho!" he cried. "Come on and take the gold," and he brandished it aloft in his left hand. "What! Are you afraid of one man? Ho! Ho!"
The crowd gave back as Ivan moved forward.
A man from behind sprang forward and stabbed the giant between the shoulders with a thin knife.
Ivan whirled about with a terrible cry. Then, raising his recently acquired club, he dashed in among the crowd and laid about him right and left. Men went down on all sides and in a moment the others turned and fled.
One, from a distance, drew a revolver and fired. Whether the bullet came close to the giant, Hal could not tell, but he drew his own revolver, and springing forward, cried:
"That's enough of this! The next man to make a move I'll put a bullet through."
Chester, Nikol and Colonel Anderson ranged themselves by Hal's side and also produced their automatics. Seeing nothing else to do, Stubbs also joined them and flourished a revolver.
The crowd gave back.
Ivan turned upon the newcomers in surprise. Then he cried in a great voice:
"Well! Well! and where did you come from? I had made sure you had deserted me."
"No, we haven't deserted you," said Hal. "We simply missed you, that's all."
"Well, it's all right, anyhow," said Ivan. "Now come to the restaurant with me and I shall buy wine for all of us."
"Thanks, Ivan, but we don't drink wine," said Hal quietly. "If you will come with us to our quarters we will talk matters over."
"Not I, not until I have had wine," declared Ivan.
"But you have had enough wine," declared Chester.
"And how do you know I have had enough wine?" demanded Ivan, turning upon the lad.
"The way you talk makes it plain enough," replied Chester quietly. "Come,Ivan, let's get away from here."
"Well," said Ivan hesitatingly, "maybe you are right." Turning he caught sight of Nikol.
"Why, there is my old friend Nikol," he shouted. "Nikol, you will join me in a bottle of wine?"
"I shall be pleased," said Nikol, with a smile.
"Good. Come with me." He turned and made as though to move away, when suddenly his eyes lighted upon Stubbs.
"Ho! Ho!" he laughed. "And my friend Stubbs here shall accompany us."
"Thanks; some other time," said Stubbs nervously.
For answer Ivan leaned down, picked the little man up in his arms and walked away with him in spite of Stubbs' cries and struggles.
Nikol went along and for once he did not offer to take Stubbs' part.
"Great Scott! Hal, we can't stand for this," said Chester. "What shall we do?"
"Go along, I should say," said Colonel Anderson.
"But we don't drink wine," protested Hal.
"There is no reason you should. If you can get Ivan seated and talk to him he will be all right in a few minutes. Besides, he is likely to get into more trouble this way."
"I guess you're right," said Hal. "Come on, Chester."
The three followed Nikol, Ivan and the latter's struggling burden in the person of Stubbs.
They entered the restaurant right behind the others and took seats at the same table. Ivan greeted them with a smile.
"Glad to see you came along," he said. He turned to Stubbs. "What will you have?"
"Thanks, I don't drink," said Stubbs fearfully.
"Now, Mr. Stubbs!" said Ivan with a comical grin.
Hal now decided the affair had gone far enough.
"Listen to me, Ivan," he said quietly. "Stubbs doesn't want any wine and neither do the rest of us. You have had enough."
"And what have you to do with it?" demanded Ivan loudly.
"Just this," said Hal, and produced a revolver. "Before I'll stand for any more of this nonsense, I'll put a hole through you. Understand?"
Ivan looked at the lad, apparently bewildered, for some moments. Then he said with a laugh:
"Don't you ever shoot at me with that gun. Not ever!"
He rose to his feet and faced Hal threateningly. The lad was nonplussed. He had no idea that his bluff wouldn't work. He knew of course that he could never shoot the Cossack.
It was Chester who saved the day.
"Ivan," he said quietly. "That's not your money."
"What—what's that?" said Ivan, turning to him suddenly.
"I said that's not your money. Surely you are not a thief?"
"A thief?" cried Ivan. "Who says I am a thief?"
"I do, if you touch the money in the bag you hold there," saidChester quietly.
For a moment it seemed that the big Cossack would spring upon Chester; but the lad stood his ground, and suddenly Ivan sank down in a chair.
"No, I'm not a thief," he mumbled. "I'm not going to be a thief."
He threw the bag of gold down heavily on the table and looked thoughtfully into space.
Chester approached him and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"There," he said calmly, "I knew you wouldn't. This, you know, is the king's money. You wouldn't touch that?"
"No," said Ivan, then added hastily: "but I have touched it. I bought wine with it; and it wasn't my money."
His remorse was so apparent that Chester was forced to smile.
"Why, that's all right," he said. "You are going to pay him back. Now come with us."
Again Ivan was silent for several moments.
"That's right," he said at last. "I'm going to pay him back." He rose to his feet. "Come, I shall go with you," and they all passed out into the night.
Two days later and we find our friends once more in the air and sailing swiftly toward the rising sun.
"Seems to me we should be along about there some place," declared Hal, taking his eyes from the distance ahead for a brief moment.
"Unless you have not gauged your course accurately," replied Chester.
"I'm sure I have made no mistake," said Hal.
"Then we should be about there."
"About where, that's what I want to know," put in Anthony Stubbs, from his place in the rear of the large army plane, the same in which the four friends had made their escape from the Austrians not so many days before. "Where are we headed for, anyway?"
"That will be a little surprise for you, Mr. Stubbs," Chester returned.
"I'm getting too old to care much about surprises," declared Stubbs. "In the first place, I have no business in this machine, anyhow. I never was much good when my feet were not on the ground, and I feel pretty sick up here."
"Oh, you'll get used to that, Stubbs," spoke up Colonel Anderson.
"Don't you believe it. I've tried it before and I haven't become used to it yet. No, sir. In the first place, a man has got no business up here. If he were meant to fly, he'd have wings, like a bird. I claim it's tempting Providence to go floating about through space in one of these things."
"Well, you didn't seem to hesitate much when we asked you to come," commented Chester.
"Of course not. Think I want to be left alone in this benighted land, with a couple of million Austrians likely to swoop down on it at any minute? I guess not. The air may not be safe, but it can't be any worse than I would have been if I were left behind to await the arrival of the invader. But where are we going?"
"Belgrade," said Chester briefly.
Anthony Stubbs half started to his feet.
"Great Scott!" he exclaimed, and sank back again. "Out of the frying pan into the fire. Say!" and his voice rose a trifle, "What do we want to go to Belgrade for? What's the use of sticking our heads into a hornet's nest?"
"Look here, Mr. Stubbs," said Hal, again turning in his seat. "Don't you want to go to Belgrade with us? If you don't, I'll go down and let you off here."
He reduced the speed of the craft a trifle.
"No, no. Never mind," said Stubbs hurriedly. "I was just joking. Of course I want to go to Belgrade. They tell me that the Germans are just about to come in. But that won't make any difference, will it? No, indeed. Not to us. I suppose we are going to be there to welcome them. I'll bet they'll be glad to see us."
The others smiled, but they made no reply to this outburst. They had known Stubbs long enough now not to pay much attention to him at times. And this was one of those times.
Stubbs now turned a bit in his seat and spoke to another figure who was close to him.
"How do you like this kind of travel, Ivan?" he asked.
"I belong on the ground," was the brief response.
Ivan's face was a chalky white, but he was sitting tight and saying nothing except when it was absolutely necessary. Just behind him sat Nikol, and the latter seemed to be in a condition similar to Ivan. Nor did he make a sound.
Suddenly, as the aeroplane moved swiftly along, there came a loud explosion. The machine rocked crazily and Hal's prompt action at the wheel was all that saved the occupants from being pitched head-first into space. He righted the craft with an effort.
"What's the matter?" demanded Chester in no little alarm.
"It's all over now," mumbled Stubbs with a groan. "Pray, Ivan."
The big Cossack seemed to have no doubt that it was all over and while he clung to the side of the machine with both hands, he mumbled strange words in his native tongue. Apparently he was following Stubbs' injunction.
"I don't know," replied Hal, answering Chester's question. "Something seems to have gone wrong with the engine. Guess we had better go down."
He tilted the elevating levers and the plane descended gradually and swiftly.
Under Hal's firm hand it settled gently upon the ground and all immediately climbed out. Stubbs drew a great breath of relief.
"I never expected to reach here alive," he declared.
Ivan and Nikol also were plainly relieved. They said nothing, but the expression upon both their faces spoke plainer than words.
Hal bent over the engine. As he straightened up, Chester asked:
"Anything serious?"
"Believe I can fix it within an hour," replied Hal. "I'll have a try at it, anyhow."
"Need any assistance?" asked Colonel Anderson.
Hal shook his head.
"Nothing you can do, I guess," he replied.
"Then I am going to take a little prowl into these woods here," said the colonel, indicating a small clump of trees that stood perhaps a quarter of a mile to the east.
"I'll go along," said Chester. "I feel like stretching my legs a bit."
The two walked away together. Ivan and Nikol remained behind and watchedHal tinker with the engine.
Chester and the colonel prowled about among the trees for the better part of half an hour and then turned to make their way back to the machine. As they walked along, Chester suddenly caught Colonel Anderson by the arm, stopping him in his stride.
"Sh-h-h," muttered the lad and listened intently.
"What's the matter?" demanded Colonel Anderson, in a low voice.
"Thought I heard voices," replied Chester. "Listen."
Both became silent; and directly they caught the sound of a low voice off to the right. Then there came a second and a third voice.
"Don't see what they can be doing here, whoever they are," declaredChester in a whisper. "We'll see if we can get a look at them."
He led the way softly in the direction from which the voices had come. The voices became louder; and directly, parting two large bushes, Chester made out the forms of three figures not ten yards away.
He turned quickly to Colonel Anderson and laid a finger to his lips. The colonel approached cautiously.
From the spot where the two stood it was possible to see the three men in front of them without danger of being seen themselves, for they were screened from sight by the large bushes. One of the men was attired in what Chester took to be a Serbian uniform, but the others were in civilian attire.
"We'll do a little eavesdropping," whispered Chester.
Colonel Anderson nodded and they became silent.
"So you say that everything is ready for Bulgaria's entrance into the war?" spoke the man with the uniform.
"Yes," replied one of the others, a man of perhaps forty years of age, with a long flowing beard.
"And she will strike when?"
"The moment Belgrade has fallen before the Germans," replied the third man, who, the watchers saw now, was little more than a boy, smooth of face and bright of eye.
"And they will strike where?"
"At the Anglo-French force being rushed from Saloniki to the aid of theSerbians."
"Why wasn't I kept posted on all this? How was I expected to do my part here, being left in ignorance of diplomatic affairs?"
"I don't know anything about that. All I know is that we wereordered here to learn what success you have had in undermining theSerbian officials. Also to get your views upon which way theSerbians will retreat."
"Well, I can tell you that in a few words. I have had very little success with the Serbians. They are loyal to their cause and seem determined to fight to the last ditch. But I did get close enough to one man—a member of the general staff—to learn that in the event of reverses to Serbian arms, the Serbian army will retreat into Greece."
"So? I had deemed it most likely they would fall back and join theMontenegrins."
"Such is not the plan of the general staff. Their reasons I cannot tell you; but at a guess I should say it is because they hope that, by a juncture with the Anglo-French forces, they may hope to show an effective front until Italy can throw an army to their support, or possibly until the long expected Russian offensive materializes."
"Then we shall have to bring some pressure to bear upon Greece," said the younger man. "We cannot permit that. Bulgaria must get in the game sooner and thus foil such a plan."
"Well, you probably know best," said the officer, "but remember one thing. To all intents and purposes, Bulgaria is still neutral. Announcement that she has decided to cast her lot with the Central Powers, if premature, undoubtedly would spoil many plans. Particularly, if it came to the ears of the Anglo-French commander at Saloniki."
"Exactly," replied the young man. "Our plans now are to permit the Allies to advance a considerable distance toward Belgrade, and then to have Bulgaria declare war at the psychological moment."
"A good plan, that," returned the officer. "But I must get back now. My absence will be noticed and I do not care to arouse suspicion."
The men moved off.
Chester and Colonel Anderson gazed at each other.
"Rather neat little play," said Colonel Anderson.
"Rather," repeated Chester dryly.
"And to think," continued Colonel Anderson, "how leniently Bulgaria has been treated by the Allies. Well, her day of reckoning will come."
"We'll have to get word of this to the Serbian commander in Belgrade," said Chester.
"So we will," said the colonel. "And also to the commander of theAnglo-French forces in Saloniki."
"Let's get back then and see if Hal has the machine fixed so she'll fly."
They retraced their footsteps; and even as they arrived, Hal arose from his position above the aeroplane.
"She'll go now all right," he said. "All aboard!"
Stubbs, Nikol and Ivan hesitated and Stubbs protested. Chester drew Hal aside for a moment and told him what he and the colonel had learned. Hal wasted no further time.
"In here with all of you," he commanded gruffly. "We're going right now."
The others hesitated no longer, and a few moments later the big machine was flying swiftly toward the Serbian capital.
It was two years after the outbreak of the great war that the Austro-German armies were hurled forward in a great and final effort to crush Serbia. Since the early days of the struggle, heavy battles had been fought upon the Austro-Serbian frontier, with success first to one side and then to the other.
Belgrade, the Serbian capital, had been bombarded time after time by the great Austrian guns and once the city had been occupied by the foe. Later, however, the Serbians had driven out the invader and reoccupied the capital. And now, the Austrian army, reinforced by a hundred thousand Germans, bringing the total number of troops to half a million, was again knocking at the gates of Belgrade; and the Serbians, realizing the utter hopelessness of their cause unless aid arrived from the Anglo-French troops at Saloniki, were preparing to flee.
This was the situation when the aeroplane bearing Hal, Chester and their friends descended just outside the city.
Hardly had they alighted when they were taken in charge by a squad of Serbian troops. Colonel Anderson, acting as spokesman for the party, explained their presence in a few well-chosen words and asked to be taken to the commanding officer. There was considerable red tape to go through before the friends finally were ushered into the presence of the Serbian commander, and that worthy immediately informed them he had but a few moments to give them.
Colonel Anderson, therefore, came to the point at once. He told him of the conversation he and Chester had overheard a short time before.
"And you say one of the men wore a Serbian uniform?" asked the general.
"Yes, sir."
"You don't know who he is—you didn't hear his name mentioned?"
"No, sir; but I would know him again if I saw him."
"Good. You shall have the chance. Now, how far from the city do you say this conversation took place?"
"Must have been all of ten miles, sir."
"Then the men have hardly returned to the city yet. And you say you did not hear the name of the member of the general staff, the first traitor, or spy mentioned as having divulged information?"
"No, sir."
"Very well. Now I will leave all of you here for an hour or so. I have some matters to attend to. When I come back we'll see if you can identify the man you speak of."
The general bowed to them and took his departure, leaving them alone in his quarters.
From without a heavy cannonading could be heard.
"I guess the last advance has begun," said Chester slowly.
"You probably are right," agreed Hal. "And I feel sorry for theseSerbians. If the British and French could only get here in time."
"Well, I don't see why they don't," declared Chester. "England has promised more than once since the war began that she would not permit Serbia to be crushed. Seems to me she should have taken some decisive action before now."
"You forget," said Colonel Anderson, "that England has her hands full in other parts of the great war theater—France, Belgium, the Dardanelles, Egypt, India and Africa."
"That's the trouble," said Hal. "England has too many irons in the fire.That's where the Germans and Austrians have the edge, as we say in theUnited States. Their armies are not scattered all over the world."
"That's true enough," replied Colonel Anderson, "and it is, without doubt, the reason the Central Powers have not been crushed long ago."
Ivan now took a hand in the conversation.
"These wonderful tales you told me of my brother Alexis," he began.
"Well, what of them?" asked Hal.
"Why," said Ivan. "When I came with you I thought I should see some fighting. All I have done is fly through the air, like a bird, and hear a thousand miles of talk. I want to see some fighting, like Alexis saw."
"You probably will see it soon enough," returned Chester quietly. "Even now you can hear the booming of the great guns without. The Austro-Germans are moving on Belgrade and it will only be hours before the Serbian retreat begins."
The conversation continued along various lines until the return of theSerbian commander, General Save.
"If you will come with me," he said to Colonel Anderson, "I will see if you can identify the traitor. Which of your friends here was with you?"
Colonel Anderson nodded toward Chester.
"Then he shall come, too. The others may remain here until we return."
Hal, Ivan and Nikol were undeniably disappointed at this turn of affairs.Not so Stubbs.
"This comes nearer being what I call comfort than anything I have enjoyed since coming across to Europe," he said, settling himself in the commander's easy chair and drawing exhilarating puffs from his pipe. "I don't care how long we stay here."
"Mr. Stubbs," said Hal, "I am afraid you are lazy."
"Mr. Paine," said Stubbs, "I know I'm lazy."
Leaving the general's quarters, Colonel Anderson and Chester accompanied the Serbian commander toward the front.
"The enemy has begun his advance," General Save explained, as they walked along. "He is attacking in force all along the line. We are resisting as well as we may. That is why every available man has been sent forward. We will find the traitor there some place."
"And do you have any hope of holding back the enemy, sir?" Chester asked.
"None," returned the general quietly. "We will resist to the last, but even now preparations are being made for evacuating the capital. With the coming of darkness, the retreat will begin. We shall fall back to Nish, which, I trust, we shall be able to hold until Anglo-French assistance arrives."
"I hope so, sir," declared Chester.
"And as soon as you have picked out this traitor for me," said GeneralSave, "I will ask you to undertake a mission for me."
"We shall be glad to be of service, sir," replied Colonel Anderson. "And the nature of the mission?"
"Why," said the commander. "I have information to the effect that the Anglo-French troops are already on the way from Saloniki. They may not know of the real seriousness of our position. Communication has been hampered for the last few days. I will send word to them by you."
"Very well, sir," said Colonel Anderson. "We shall be glad to go."
"Now keep your eyes open," said General Save, as they came for the first time among the Serbian troops, the men farthest from the front, men being held in reserve.
Among the regiments the three passed slowly, scanning the face of every officer; and they came upon their man sooner than they could reasonably have hoped.
Chester suddenly touched General Save on the arm.
"Look! There he is!" the lad said in a low voice.
The general glanced in the direction indicated. Perhaps twenty yards to the left, engaged in conversation with an officer who wore colonel's stripes, and a man whom General Save immediately recognized as one of the general staff, stood the person the lads had seen in the woods a few hours earlier. "Are you sure that is he?" demanded the Serbian commander.
Chester nodded his head vigorously.
"Certain, sir," Colonel Anderson agreed.
"Very good. Then come with me."
The general approached the group of officers, who stood respectfully at attention when they perceived his approach.
"Captain Dellse!" said the General.
"Sir," replied the officer, stepping toward the Serbian commander.
The older officer looked squarely into the man's eyes for several moments without saying a word. The traitor tried his best to return the general's steady gaze and for a moment he succeeded. Then his eyes wavered slightly.
General Save extended his right hand.
"Your sword, sir!" he commanded.
The other staggered back and his face turned a ghastly white.
"Wha—what, sir?" he stammered.
"Your sword," repeated the general calmly, his hand still extended.
With a visible effort the other pulled himself together.
"I do not understand you, sir," he said, with a subdued air of insolence, glancing quickly about at the others who now surrounded him.
General Save lost all patience now. He took a step forward.
"Give me your sword, you traitor!" he commanded angrily. "You are under arrest. You shall be shot in ten minutes."
The face of the accused officer turned livid. There was no pretending to misunderstand now.
Quickly he glanced about him. Chester and Colonel Anderson, in their civilian clothes, stood each with a hand in his right coat pocket, and in the hand of each rested a little automatic.
An ever increasing group of Serbian officers also surrounded him. The man with whom the traitor had been engaged in conversation moved gradually toward the rear of the circle. General Save caught sight of him out of the corner of his eye.
"Colonel Breyold!" he commanded.
The other halted.
"Come here, sir," commanded the general.
Glancing furtively about him, the other obeyed. The Serbian commander turned to another of his officers.
"Relieve Colonel Breyold of his sword," he commanded.
Without waiting to see that his command was carried out, he stepped close to Dellse. The other gave way before him and with a sudden movement produced a revolver.
Before those nearby could interfere, he had raised the weapon and pulled the trigger. There was a sharp report, a flash of fire, and when the smoke had cleared away, Dellse and General Save were locked in each other's embrace, struggling furiously.
With loud cries other Serbian officers jumped forward and separated the combatants. Dellse's weapon was wrested from his grasp and in a moment he was powerless.
"Are you hurt, sir?" asked one of the officers anxiously of the general.
"No," was the reply.
With a gesture of his arm, he indicated the two traitors. "Take them out and shoot them immediately!" he ordered.
"No," said Hal, "I am afraid to take a chance with our old airplane. It hasn't been gone over thoroughly yet. If General Save is anxious for us to go at once, Chester, you and Colonel Anderson go on ahead. I'll look our machine over and follow you."
"Well, whatever you say," said Chester. "The general is anxious that we start at once and perhaps the way you suggest will do as well as another."
"I'm going with the first party," declared Ivan at this juncture. "I'm tired of sitting about doing nothing. I want to be on the move. If something doesn't happen pretty soon, I'm going back to the Albanian Mountains."
"I'll be glad to have you go with me," said Chester. "Hal, you can bringStubbs and Nikol with you."
Hal nodded.
"All right. Then you had better see the general about a craft of some kind."
Chester hastened away, but was back a few moments later with the announcement that General Save would have a plane ready for them within the hour.
Hal and Chester then examined a map of the country carefully and laid out a course. It was agreed that Hal should follow the same course, for, as Chester said, there was little likelihood of anything going wrong, but coming along the same route the second craft would always have a chance of rendering aid should it be needed. The lads agreed to meet at Saloniki the following day.
It was nearly dark when the machine carrying Chester, Colonel Anderson and Ivan soared in the air and headed south over Macedonia—once the kingdom of Philip and Alexander the Great. Stubbs, Nikol and Hal watched their friends disappear in the distance with some misgiving, which was given expression by Stubbs.
"I hope they get there safely," he muttered, "but I have my doubts."
"See here, Mr. Stubbs," said Hal. "You've gone through a lot, but you are still here, aren't you?"
"I am," said Stubbs calmly, "but I wish I were some place else."
"Well, give me an hour or two to look over our machine and you will soon be some place else," said Hal.
"And the chances are I'd rather be some place than where I am likely to be if I keep monkeying around in the air," replied the little man.
Hal raised both hands in a gesture of hopelessness.
"There's no use talking to you," he said. "I'll leave you both here whileI overhaul the plane."
He took himself off.
Chester, Colonel Anderson and Ivan sailed swiftly through the air. Darkness fell, but it was a bright night and Chester, at the wheel, could see without difficulty. The passengers were quite comfortable in spite of the cold.
"Aren't you getting a bit too low?" asked Colonel Anderson after a couple of hours flying in the darkness.
"Thousand feet," said Chester after a glance at the indicator.
"Doesn't seem like it to me," said the colonel. "Think I can see the ground below."
"You shouldn't at this altitude," said Chester.
"I know it. Guess I was mistaken."
Half an hour later the colonel spoke again. "Have you come down any, Chester?"
"No; why?"
"I'm sure I can see the ground below," returned the colonel.
Chester glanced over the side of the plane.
"By Jove! So can I," he exclaimed. He glanced at the indicator again. It still read a trifle over a thousand feet. "Something wrong some place," he said to himself.
He tilted the elevating lever, but the plane did not answer by a sudden rush upward. Chester gave a long whistle.
"What's the matter?" demanded Colonel Anderson.
"I don't know," returned Chester. "We're going down gradually, I know that, but the indicator still reads a thousand feet and I can't move the plane any higher."
"And you don't know what is wrong?"
"Haven't the slightest idea. I'm no airship expert."
"Then you shouldn't try to run one," declared Ivan.
"Now don't get worried, Ivan," said Chester with a laugh. "We'll get down again all right."
"We'll probably get down," said Ivan, "but the thing that worries me is whether it will be all right or not. I want to die with my feet on the ground and not be dashed against the earth head first."
"I'm sure there is no danger," said Chester. "We're just sinking gently."
He cut off the engine and allowed the craft to volplane to earth more abruptly. It came to rest on the ground as lightly as a bird.
"Well, what will we do now?" demanded Ivan.
"You have as much idea as I have," returned Chester. "I can't fix this thing here in the darkness; in fact, I don't know whether I can fix it at all. We'll either have to walk or stay here until I can have a look at this craft in daylight—and maybe that won't do any good."
"I vote we walk," said Colonel Anderson. "There must be houses along here some place. Maybe we can commandeer three horses, or an automobile or something."
"Most likely what we'll commandeer will be trouble," grumbled Ivan.
"Now what are you kicking about?" demanded Chester. "You have been hunting trouble ever since I have known you. Maybe you'll be satisfied this time."
"Do you think so?" demanded Ivan eagerly.
"No, I don't," returned Chester. "If I did I'd sit right here. I don't want to run into any trouble now if I can help it. We've got business on hand, remember that. And we've got to hurry. Colonel Anderson, I guess your suggestion is a good one. We'll walk on a ways."
They set out without a word. Striking across what appeared in the darkness a large field, they eventually came to a road. They walked south along this.
Half an hour later, in the darkness, there loomed up a house ahead of them. A faint light glowed in the window.
"Told you there must be a house along here some place," saidColonel Anderson.
Chester produced his watch and succeeded in reading the face after some trouble.
"Lacks five minutes to midnight," he said. "Rather a late hour to be making a call."
"Necessity knows no law," responded Colonel Anderson. "We won't bother them much, if they can furnish us with some means of transportation."
"Hope they will be friendly," said Chester.
"No reason why they shouldn't be. I suppose we are still in Serbia."
"Well, I don't know whether we are or not. That's what worries me," said Chester.
"Why, where do you think we are?"
"I don't know. Might be Serbia, might be Greece, might be Bulgaria, or Turkey or any old place. If the elevating apparatus on our plane was out of whack, the steering apparatus may have been, too. Also I have mislaid my compass. I won't know north from south until morning."
"Hm-m-m," muttered the colonel. "Well, shall we try this house?"
"May as well, I guess," said Chester.
He led the way to the front door and rapped sharply with his knuckles.
There was a sound of some one stirring within, but no face appeared at the door in response to the lad's knock. He rapped sharply again. This time there was not a sound from within.
Chester walked a little ways from the house and glanced at the window through which a light had been visible a few moments before. It was perfectly dark now. Apparently the light had been extinguished the moment he had rapped on the door. All was dark within.
Chester moved toward the house again, thinking to rap on the door once more. As he did so, there came the sound of a shot and Chester felt something whistle by his ear.
"Wow!" he cried, and dashed toward the door where Colonel Anderson andIvan stood.
"Hit?" cried Colonel Anderson, as the lad dashed up.
"No," replied Chester. "But that bullet didn't miss me much. What'll we do now?"
"I don't really know. We don't know where we are. Why not spend the night here?"
"For one reason," said Chester grimly, "because they won't let us in."
"Oh, we can fix that. Break in the door."
"And get shot for our pains."
"No, I don't think so. My impression is that there is no more than a single occupant of the house. That's the reason he was frightened when we knocked. We'll just go in where it's warm and pay no further attention to him."
"Well, whatever you say," said Chester. "Stand back there, till I blow the lock off that door." He drew his revolver.
"Hold on," said Ivan. "I'll open it"
He stepped back a pace, then rushed forward. His huge shoulder came into contact with the hard wood and there was a crash as the door gave way beneath his weight.