The Boy Allies at Verdun Part 22

Quickly he ran to the door and peered out. Far in the rear he could see the French retreating, pursued by the foe. Chester uttered an exclamation of dismay and called to his men. He explained the situation to them. All were dumbfounded.

At that moment Chester espied an object a short distance from the farmhouse. There was no living form near. With a sudden cry of hope, Chester dashed from the house.

"Come on, men!" he called over his shoulder.

CHAPTER XVI

CHESTER'S GALLANT FEAT

The object upon which Chester's eyes had fallen and which was the cause of the sudden activity on the lad's part was nothing less than the rapid-fire gun the Germans so recently had brought up to bombard the farmhouse and cut off the retreat of its French defenders. Its crew had been killed, picked off by the accurate shooting of the French before they abandoned the house, and the gun had not been remanned. Apparently the Germans had overlooked the small field piece in their haste to give chase to the retreating French.

The horses were standing a short distance away, unhurt, as Chester could see. The lad dashed toward the gun at top speed, his five men following him as fast as they could run.

There was a light of antic.i.p.ation on Chester's face as he reached the gun and examined it carefully.

"Plenty of ammunition," he said with a grin, as his men came up to him.

The others grinned also.

"What are you going to do with it, sir?" asked one.

Chester waved his arm in the direction of the retreating French and pursuing Germans.

"Give those fellows a little surprise party when they turn back," he said.

The men caught the idea and were immediately filled with enthusiasm.

"We'd better get away from here before we're discovered, though," said Chester. "Catch those horses, some of you."

This was an easy matter, for the horses stood still as two of the French soldiers approached them.

"Hook 'em up," cried Chester.

This, too, was the work of a moment.

"I'll do the driving," said Chester. "You fellows climb aboard."

The others needed no urging and a moment later this strange battery moved toward the French lines at a gallop.

The Germans in pursuit of the French were still in plain view and Chester intended to keep close behind. He reasoned that the distance was too great for the Germans to make out the uniforms of the men on the gun and he intended to turn off the roadway at the first sign that the Germans were ready to give up the chase.

Along the road ran a fringe of trees, spa.r.s.e in some places and thicker in others. It was Chester's plan to wheel the gun in among the trees at the proper moment and open on the foe when they came back.

And the plan was to be put in execution sooner than the lad had hoped for.

Chester saw the Germans slow down. Then they turned and came toward him.

The lad could not make out at once the cause of their sudden decision to retreat, but it came to him a moment later with the sound of heavy rifle firing. Apparently, French infantry had advanced to the support of the cavalry and the Germans were not strong enough in numbers to contest effectively.

Immediately, Chester swung the horses to the right in among the trees, which, fortunately, happened to be dense at this particular point.

"Guess we'll give 'em a little surprise," said Chester, with a grin.

Dismounting, he motioned the men to unhitch the horses, which was done.

Then the gun was whirled into position where it commanded the roadway.

"We're ready for them," said Chester, quietly.

The Germans drew on apace. Suddenly a thought struck Chester.

"Great Scott!" he exclaimed. "I can't shoot them down in cold blood, I'll have to give them a chance. Here!" he motioned to one of his men and the latter approached. "Take this gun," the lad commanded. "I'm going to give these fellows a chance to surrender. If they refuse I'll duck back here and you let them have it. I'll keep out of range, but don't turn this gun until I get back. Understand?"

The man signified that he did.

Chester walked some distance back to where the road curved a bit. He was out of the direct line of fire, but still in such position to make his demand for the surrender of the Germans without allowing them to pa.s.s the sweep of the rapid-firer.

With the Germans still some distance down the road, Chester stepped directly into the highway and raised a hand.

The leading Germans pulled up and an officer demanded:

"What's the matter?"

"Surrender!" exclaimed Chester, "or you shall all be killed."

The German officer gave a great laugh.

"Hear the boy talk," he exclaimed. "He asks us to surrender when we have just chased all the French back to their own lines."

There was a roar of laughter from the troop.

"Surrender!" called Chester again.

Again there was a laugh and the German officer called:

"Throw up your hands, boy, or you shall be shot!"

"Well," said Chester, "I've done all I can. I've warned you. Your blood be upon your own heads."

With a sudden leap he disappeared among the trees. With a fierce cry, the German officer made after him, firing as he did so.

At the same moment there was a crash as of a thousand rifles.

Germans fell from their saddles like chaff before a storm. Horses reared, screamed, stampeded and fell down dead, crus.h.i.+ng their riders beneath them.

By this time Chester had returned to his men and took charge of the rapid-fire gun himself. He turned it this way and that, sweeping the roadway clear, where the foe was in range.

And from far behind the German line at this moment broke out the crack of rifles. The French infantry had advanced in pursuit of the Germans, a squadron of cavalry showing the way.