The Brighton Boys in the Radio Service Part 25

"So! You want to serve notice that you desire to sleep? Very well, you shall do sentinel duty--and all night. And mind that you do not sleep!"

A pitiful look came over the boy's face, but without a word he saluted and departed to the circle of outer shadows to take up his long and tedious vigil.

Jerry felt genuinely sorry for him, but he sincerely hoped that the officer would not change his mind or relent. He knew the youth could not possibly stay awake the whole night through.

Half an hour later the other four Germans were conducting a spirited rivalry in snoring, and Slim, also, to all appearances, was fast asleep.

Not daring to move, Jerry kept his eyes constantly upon the young sentry. Frequently he yawned. Once or twice he stopped uncertainly before a stump and seemed about to sit down, then started on again around his monotonous beat. But his step was wavering, his eyes were heavy, and Jerry knew it was only a question of time--a comparatively short time--when nature would conquer, and the sentinel, too, would sleep.

Had he been able to bring himself to it, he could have shot the sentry and killed the others as they slept, before they could even have reached for their weapons. But he could not do that.

Better the other way, he told himself, even though it carried a greater risk.

And finally his own vigil was rewarded. The sentinel placed two or three more pieces of wood upon the fire, stood for a few moments within its genial warmth, looked dully at the others so soundly sleeping, and then crossed to the stump and sat down.

His rifle was on the ground beside him. His elbows rested upon his knees, and his chin in his hands. Presently his lids drooped and closed.

His head, and then his whole body, sagged forward. He wakened with a start and changed his place to another tree more within the shadows.

There he was able to lean back in a more comfortable position, and soon his heavy, even breathing a.s.sured Jerry that nature had, indeed, won.

Softly, without so much as a sound, he rose to his hands and knees. He tossed a pebble, which hit Slim upon the hand. The latter turned his head ever so slightly and gazed fixedly in Jerry's direction. Finally his decided wink indicated that he had made out the form of his friend.

Still upon all fours, and feeling every inch of the way, Jerry retraced his steps over the ledge. Quietly he slid down to the lower level and took a wide circle about the little camp, finally closing in near to where the sleeping sentry sat. Deftly and silently he pulled the latter's gun from where it lay beside him. This he carried over to near where the horses were corralled. Slim now was watching his every move, but awaited Jerry's signal before he stirred.

Jerry then returned, and, so gently that the sentry never made a movement, lifted his loaded revolver from its holster. With this he tiptoed to Slim, placed the weapon in his hand and with a gesture bade him rise.

They were now masters of the situation, but Jerry did not want to take any chances. Two of the Germans were lying in such a position that he could get their revolvers, also. They did not carry rifles. This he accomplished after having stationed Slim in the shadows at such a point of vantage that he could cover all of the Boches, should they awaken.

One of the additional guns he gave to Slim; the other he kept himself.

Thus doubly armed, they stepped over to the sleeping sentry, and while Slim pointed his two guns at the others, to prevent any hostilities upon their part, should they rouse, Jerry shook and awakened the bewildered sentry.

As he faced the two revolvers, and the changed situation suddenly dawned upon him, the young German's expression was pathetic. Apparently he was too stunned to speak a word. Jerry motioned him to take a position just behind the sleepers, which he did.

With Slim standing beside him, and their four revolvers pointed menacingly at the Germans, Jerry kicked the lieutenant upon the sole of his boot. The latter roused angrily and was about to give vent to his feelings when he looked into the barrels of the automatics. His exclamation was one of complete chagrin.

Slim stepped over and extracted his revolver, which he dropped into his own pocket. By the same process the other armed Boche was awakened, and in the same way he was disarmed. Then, with his foot, Jerry jabbed the remaining two back to consciousness.

"You are our prisoners," Jerry informed them, in their own language.

"One hostile move from any one of you and you will be shot."

Forming them into pairs, and purposely leaving the sentinel as the single one of the party and in the lead, Jerry ordered them to walk toward where the horses were tethered.

He made two of the men put saddles and bridles upon the animals, and then compelled them to mount as they were paired--the lieutenant and one of his men upon one of the horses, two others upon another, the sentry alone upon another, but carrying a good supply of rations--while Slim and he each had an animal to carry themselves, the wireless and other paraphernalia when they should pick that up.

Thus, with hardly a dozen words having been spoken, they came through the ravine and at forced speed struck out across the level ground toward the mountain from which Jerry and Slim had come that morning.

"You!" the lieutenant hissed between his teeth at the sentinel as they came side by side. "What were you doing when this second American arrived? Asleep, eh?"

"I came up behind him. He never had a chance, for I did not make a sound," Jerry interposed in German, before the young Boche could make even an involuntary admission.

As they approached the base of the mountain where they had parted from Lieutenant Mackinson, Joe, and Frank early that day, the moon reached its zenith, and its beams, reflected upon the white ground, made the night almost as light as day.

Two hours later they were upon the identical spot from which they had wirelessed headquarters in the morning. It was midnight now as two of the Germans, working under Jerry's orders while Slim kept a weather eye on the others, set up the pack-set.

Jerry worked the key half a dozen times and then got an almost immediate response. The first query after he had identified himself was:

"This is Joe; where are you?"

"Just got back to where we left you this morning," Jerry ticked off into the air. "Bringing in a German lieutenant and four of his men as prisoners. Should arrive by daylight, as we have horses."

"Great," was Joe's radio response. "Have letter from Brighton and fine news. Will make your report."

And the pack-set was put back in its compact case, and, paired off as before, the journey was resumed.

"Say," said Jerry, as they urged their horses down the side of the mountain leading to fairly level ground all the way into camp, "I'm hungry enough to eat dog meat, but I guess we can hold out now until we reach our lines."

"Yes, I suppose so," Slim answered. "But how'd you like to have some sausage, and some plum pudding, and----"

"Don't," pleaded Jerry. "The idea is too much. My stomach is accusing me of gross carelessness now."

"Wonder what's in that letter from Brighton, and who wrote it?" said Sum, glad to change the subject and forget his own hunger.

"Can't imagine, but my own curiosity has been as to whether the fine news Joe mentioned comes from there or refers to something at headquarters."

And so, sore, tired and hungry, but happy withal, they continued on. The moon waned and set, and tradition proved itself--it became darkest just before dawn.

"Wait!" said Jerry, just at this stage of the journey, and he jumped from his horse to recover something that he had seen the German lieutenant drop.

It proved to be a packet of papers, bearing the official German army seal.

"Ah-ha!" Jerry cried, riding up to the officer and thrusting the doc.u.ments out before him. "So you thought to get rid of them, eh? Well, we'll just take these along to headquarters, too. They may contain something of interest to our commanders. Yes?"

The lieutenant gave an ugly, menacing grunt, but refused to say a word.

Daylight came, and with it a clear view of the American lines. A quarter of an hour later they saw two hors.e.m.e.n coming toward them. Slim examined them carefully with his gla.s.ses.

"The lieutenant and Frank," he announced. "Guess Joe's still on duty."

And Joe was. He was just relaying to the commander of the American forces in France orders forwarded from London, and they were of the greatest import to the three boys from Brighton.

CHAPTER XX

THE GREAT NEWS

"Well, Sergeants, how are you?" Lieutenant Mackinson greeted them, as he and Frank came galloping up and swerved their horses around.