The Boy Allies in Great Peril Part 40

"Now you stay right here till I come back," he said.

He hastened away to join his friends, who were still talking to Uncle John's guard.

He joined in the conversation for a moment and then announced that they might as well turn in. They told the guard good night and walked back to where Chester had left Uncle John. The latter greeted them with silent joy; he realized that to make a sound might betray them, and he was tired of standing there by himself.

Colonel Anderson motioned to the others to follow and led the way forward.

Swiftly and silently the four shadowy forms made their way along in the shelter of the innumerable tents; and finally they pa.s.sed beyond the farthest row and into the open. Rapidly they covered the ground toward the outposts, and nearing them, slowed down.

Then they walked forward, talking quietly among themselves, as though they were just out for an evening stroll. And then--

"Halt!" came a hoa.r.s.e command.

The four obeyed. A soldier confronted them with levelled rifle.

"Who goes there?" he continued.

"Friends," was the reply.

The man peered at them closely, and still keeping them covered, raised his voice for his superior. The latter came on a dead run.

He eyed the four in the darkness and then motioned the soldier to stand back.

"It's all right," he told him.

The soldier saluted and walked away. The officer spoke to Hal.

"You are out rather late," he said.

"Right," returned the lad, "but we thought we would take a short stroll before turning in. We had no idea we had wandered so far from camp."

"Oh, it's all right," was the reply. "Who is that with you?" peering at Uncle John in the darkness.

"Just a friend we have made," said Chester, a slight tremor in his voice, for he had hoped that Uncle John's presence would be overlooked.

"I don't seem to know him," said the officer, still peering intently at Uncle John. And then suddenly he exclaimed: "The prisoner!"

He raised his voice in a cry for help; and at the same moment Hal's revolver b.u.t.t crashed down upon his head!

CHAPTER XXV.

A WILD DASH.

But the damage had been done; and in response to the single wild cry, footsteps came hurrying toward them. Every sleepy outpost within hearing was wide awake now; and the alarm was carried both ways down the long battle line.

"Run!" cried Hal.

The four took to their heels and dashed ahead--in the direction that eventually would carry them into the heart of the Italian lines, were they fortunate enough to escape the bullets that in a moment would be sent whizzing after them.

"If we only had horses," thought Chester as he dashed over the ground.

The same thought struck the others, but they did not pause to give voice to it.

Fifty yards, a hundred yards they covered in the darkness before the first shot came whining after them; but this was wide, thanks to the blackness of the night. But now came a volley, from the Austrian troops behind. They could not see the running figures, but the volley was scattered and the four heard the sound of the singing bullets as they pa.s.sed over their heads.

"Down!" cried Colonel Anderson, even as a second volley rang out, and they dropped just in time; for this second volley was aimed low, and would have riddled the four fugitives. A third volley pa.s.sed over their prostrate forms, and then, as another did not come immediately, Colonel Anderson gave the command: "Up and on again."

This command was obeyed to the letter and again the four fugitives dashed over the ground without a word. Two, three, four hundred yards they dashed at top speed and then paused for a much needed breath and to take stock of the situation.

"Anybody hit?" asked Hal anxiously.

"No," came the reply from the other three.

"Good. Now the question is what is best to do. Undoubtedly the Austrians will send a force of cavalry out looking for our bodies, and when they fail to find them, they will spread out and give chase. That way they are bound to overtake us sooner or later. Shall we bear off to the left, with a hope of losing them, or shall we go straight ahead as fast as we can and trust to luck?"

"I think I can answer that," said Hal, suddenly. "As we came out I remember pa.s.sing an old shack of some kind, a short distance off our left. I vote we make for that, and if we can reach it, we will attempt to hold it until daylight, when we can expect some a.s.sistance from the Italians. They will come to our aid when they see us besieged by the Austrians."

"A good plan," declared Colonel Anderson. "Do you think you can lead the way to the shack you speak of?"

"I can come pretty close to it," declared Hal. "My sense of direction is still with me, I believe. Come on."

Bearing slightly off to the right, he broke into a run and the others followed close behind him. For perhaps another five hundred yards, he ran forward at fair speed and then paused.

"It should be about here some place," he said. "Spread out and we'll have a look for it."

This plan was followed and a hunt for the shack began in the darkness.

After perhaps five minutes, Chester's voice rang out.

"I've found it. This way."

The others made their way in the direction of his voice and a few moments later all stood before the shack.

"Is it open?" asked Chester.

Hal tried the doork.n.o.b. It was locked. Also it was barred on the outside.

He put the muzzle of his revolver to the lock and would have fired had not Colonel Anderson stayed his hand.

"Hold on there," he commanded. "We don't want to open it that way if we can help it. Look around. Maybe there is a window."

At the back of the shack they found one, but it was well out of reach.

"Give me a hand up, Hal," said Chester.

Hal obeyed and Chester climbed to his shoulders. His head came level with the window. Chester pushed against it and it swung inward.