CHAPTER XXI
A HALF-WAY STOP
Time pa.s.sed, and the motorboat continued to swing along with the current hour after hour. Jack did not attempt to make great speed. There was no necessity, and such a move would be doubly dangerous, on account of possible snags, and also discovery from the sh.o.r.e.
In spite of their resolve to stay awake, Buster and Josh and George seemed to be enjoying a pretty healthy nap. The wounded stranger also lay very quiet. Jack hoped he was not in too great pain.
It was a long, dreary spell of duty for the boy at the wheel. When finally George did manage to awaken and, sitting up, asked Jack if he meant to let him take a turn, he was considerably astonished to hear the other say:
"I hardly think it would be worth while for me to lie down just now, George, because, you see, the night is nearly gone, and any minute we may have to be turning in to the sh.o.r.e to look for a cove where we can stay during the day."
Both of them watched closely for an opening. If the Danube was anything like the rivers they were accustomed to in their home land an occasional little bayou was likely to occur, an indentation in the sh.o.r.e line where possibly some creek emptied its waters into the greater stream.
If only they could find some such a friendly harbor it was Jack"s idea to push the motorboat in and remain secreted during the entire day. He had an idea that the region they were now pa.s.sing through was rather wild and not settled very thickly, which fact was apt to please them considerably.
Josh happened to wake up about this time and wanted to know what was going on. When he was told that morning was not far distant he could hardly believe it until Jack asked him to notice where the moon had gotten far over in the west, for it was possible to locate the heavenly luminary behind the clouds.
"All right, then," he remarked, after George had informed him what they were bent on doing, "there"s your little crook in the sh.o.r.e just ahead of us."
"You"ve certainly got the eyes of a cat, Josh," George told him; "because it is what we"re looking for, as sure as anything."
Jack was already making use of the setting-pole to urge the motorboat toward the sh.o.r.e. As the current proved very mild close in, he did not have much difficulty in doing this.
They managed to enter the cove, for such it proved to be. As far as they could see in the wretched light it was surrounded by thickets and lush gra.s.s.
"Just the sort of place we wanted to run across," remarked George; "and the celebrated Stormways luck still holds good, it seems."
They soon had the boat fast to the bank. It was then that Buster sat up and commenced yawning at a terrific rate.
"Here, what"s going on out there?" he asked cautiously. "Have we got fast on a sandbar? Do you want any help pushing off?"
When he crawled out from the cabin he stared around him as though he could not understand it.
"What! gone ash.o.r.e so soon, after all, Jack?" he remarked reproachfully.
"So soon?" echoed Josh. "Why, do you know it"s nearly morning, boy? All of us just slept like logs and let Jack do the work. I feel like kicking myself, that"s what."
"Let me do it for you then, Josh?" asked Buster. "It"ll help wake me up good and plenty, you know."
"Thank you, but I"m capable of doing my own kicking most of the time.
But Jack, now that we"ve landed, you get in under the shelter and make yourself comfortable right away. We"ll wake you up later on when we"ve got breakfast ready."
"That"s right, sure we will," added Buster vehemently, though he looked disappointed because Josh placed such little confidence in him.
"Of course, I needn"t ask you fellows to look out for our pa.s.senger,"
remarked Jack. "He seemed to sleep a part of the time, though I heard him groaning once or twice, poor chap. Be sure to cook enough breakfast for an extra boarder when you"re about it, Buster."
With that Jack consented to lie down. He was asleep before five minutes went by, being fairly well exhausted. When they aroused him two hours later it was long since full day. The clouds, too, were breaking overhead, promising fair weather, a fact that pleased them all very much.
Breakfast was ready, and the odors gave promise of an appetizing meal.
Jack discovered that George had looked again at the arm of the injured Austrian, though not removing the bandage, as everything seemed to be getting along nicely. The man appeared to be rather cheerful. He could say a few words of English, and managed to understand that they were American boys to whom he found himself indebted perhaps for his very life, certainly for the many comforts he was now enjoying.
After they had partaken of breakfast and satisfied their keen appet.i.tes, the boys sat around and talked in low tones. Josh, while Buster was getting the meal, had gone ash.o.r.e and roamed around a little. He reported that so far as he could see the place was quite lonely.
"I discovered the house of a Serb peasant," he explained. "There are only an old man and woman home, as their boys have been called to the colors to fight. They seem to be well disposed and can speak some English. I told them who we were and what we were doing on the river. I also took pains to speak of the Serbian boy and girl we helped get through the lower part of Austria and landed near Belgrade. They say we are all of fifty miles away from the capital now."
"I figured we must have covered something like that last night," said Jack confidently; "and another similar turn would take us to where we would have no need of feeling worried. I was thinking that perhaps we might influence this couple to take our patient off our hands and keep him until he can get across the river again. A couple of dollars would be something worth while to them, you know."
"We"ll try it, anyhow," ventured Josh. "Another thing, fellows; I bargained with them to have a chicken killed and dressed for our dinner.
If we do have to hold over here, there"s no reason why we should go on half rations."
As the morning advanced they began to hear the far distant sound of heavy firing again. This, of course, held their attention more or less, for they had come to take a personal interest in the warfare between the would-be invaders and the gallant Serbs, who stood ready to defend their sh.o.r.e from attack.
Not feeling just like lying down again, Jack accompanied Josh over to the humble cabin home of the old peasants. They managed to talk with them, partly through the sign language, by means of which so much can be exchanged between two people neither of whom can speak the other"s tongue.
Jack found that the old people were not at all bitter toward Austrians as citizens, their resentment being only for those in high places, who they believed desired the ultimate annexation of all Serbia in order to link the Teutonic races with Turkey and the East, where Germany believed the star of destiny was drawing her, with the rich booty of India in her eye.
They readily agreed to care for the wounded engineer corps man until such time as he could get across the river again to his own country.
Later in the day the boys brought the Austrian to the cabin and saw him installed there. George had made a stout sling for his wounded arm, and on the whole the man felt that these young Americans had treated him splendidly.
So they had again "cleared the decks," as Josh put it. First the Serb brother and sister, and next the injured bridge-builder who had been swept away in that hurricane of fire when the concealed Serbs smashed the pontoon structure.
All they meant to wait for now was the coming of night. They could eat an early dinner, for Buster had that fowl all cut up and ready for the frying pan. With the coming of darkness after the gloaming they meant to start forth, take the middle of the river, and make as fast time as the conditions warranted.
All of them were glad to see the sun sinking toward the western hills.
During the afternoon there had been no vigorous firing in the distance, though once in a while they would catch a faint boom. It was just as though the contestants wanted each other to know they were still watchfully waiting.
No doubt the Austrians would have other plans to try and carry out.
Because the first pontoon bridge had been wrecked was no reason they would not exert themselves to effect a crossing. History tells us that in the end they did succeed in transporting an army to Serbia, and for some time pressed the men of the valiant old King Peter back along the valley of the Morava; but once among the hills and wilder country so suited to their style of fighting, the Serbs, with the old king at their head, struck heavy blows that brought consternation upon their enemies.
In the end the Austrians were compelled to begin a retreat that savored almost of a rout, so that for months afterwards not a single invader remained on Serbian territory.
Buster had supper ready on time, and it was a royal feast. He had gone ash.o.r.e to where the obliging Josh had built a splendid cooking fire, and here Buster had an opportunity to spread himself.
By the time supper had been finished and everything cleaned up it was beginning to actually grow dark. Jack was keeping track of the time, and also of the attendant conditions.
"We ought to leave here in ten minutes or so," he said. "The moon, being some past the full, isn"t to be looked for until about nine o"clock or later to-night. That"s going to give us an hour and more of darkness to make our first run. After that we"ll have to take Hobson"s choice."
"The moon is going to shine bright enough," observed Josh; "but as the river is getting pretty wide down here, and we can keep to the middle, it"s small chance of our being seen from ash.o.r.e. Besides, there are few soldiers around this part of the country, the old man said."
When the ten minutes mentioned by Jack had pa.s.sed the word was given, and once more the motorboat began descending the dark waters of the Danube.