"Shucks! open your eyes, and look around you, my friend. Would it stand to reason that a bunch of hungry soldiers, raiding through an enemy"s country, could pa.s.s by, and allow all this fat of the land to exist?
Ducks, and chickens, and pigs, and calves would have gone to make up a German feast this night. And like as not the dogs would have been shot in cold blood because being French they had dared to bark at the uniforms of the Kaiser"s men."
"Guess you"re right there, Josh," admitted Hanky Panky, easily convinced when the evidence was there before his very eyes.
"Here are the good people of the house come to see what"s broken loose to give their live stock such a scare," observed Rod just then.
A woman with a tottering, silver-haired old man just behind her, appeared around the corner of the low building. Possibly they had been alarmed by hearing the splutter of the coming motorcycle brigade"s machines, and hesitated about showing themselves. But when Rod advanced toward them, making a courteous salute, and they saw what a frank boyish face he had, somehow they lost all fear.
Arrangements were soon made that a.s.sured the lads some sort of entertainment. That they were not the terrible Germans was enough for the good woman of the farm house. In her mind the whole world was divided into two cla.s.ses just then: enemies and friends; and all who did not have German blood in their veins she looked upon as naturally favoring the Allies.
The old man became quite solicitous concerning the safety of the splendid motorcycles. He even led the boys to where they might store them for the night. This receptacle turned out to be a sort of dry cave dug into the side of a mound. It was evidently a frost-proof receptacle for the potatoes and other vegetables raised for winter use, and had a good stout door, secured with a hasp.
"There doesn"t seem to be any sign of a lock here, boys," announced Josh, after they had carefully deposited their machines inside and closed the door.
"Well," replied Rod, "these people around here are so honest themselves that they never dream of anybody ever stealing a single thing. Chances are you"ll not find a lock or even a chain or a bar in all the house."
"Sounds all very nice," grumbled the suspicious Josh, "but I"d sleep better, I"m thinking, if I knew the machines were under lock and key."
"We could manage to make you a shake-down here in the potato bin if so be you felt disposed that way," suggested Hanky Panky blandly; but somehow the idea did not appear to appeal strongly to the other, for he snickered.
"If the rest can stand it I oughtn"t to worry," he grunted, and thus dismissed the subject apparently from his mind.
Later on they sat down to a pretty fine supper, which the good woman prepared for them. The hungry boys were ready to declare that while they had sampled all sorts of cookery since landing on European soil, from English and German to Flemish, they really believed that the French excelled all others when it came to getting up tasteful dishes out of next to nothing.
"No wonder they save so much money, and could pay off that billion dollars the Germans exacted after the war of Seventy-one," said Josh confidentially.
"They always say that a French family can live comfortably on what an American family would waste," added Hanky Panky; "and for one I believe it."
Rod, of course, started in to do the talking, but it was soon discovered that the woman could speak pretty fair English. Great was the surprise of Josh and Hanky Panky when she told them she had lived in the French Quarter of New York as long as three years, some time back, before she was married.
She proudly confessed that her two boys, as well as her husband, were in the ranks of the republic"s patriotic army; and that even though she might never again see them, it would be a sacrifice for the land she loved with all her heart and soul; so that if the hated Germans were only beaten, and France saved to posterity, she could reconcile herself even to the loss of all she possessed in the wide world.
They sat up chatting until a reasonably late hour. Then, as the boys were more or less tired after an exhausting day"s ride they asked to be shown the apartment where they were to pa.s.s the night.
It proved to be a room in a wing that had been recently added to the old farmhouse, with evidences of not yet being suitably furnished. Still, all they wanted was a place to throw themselves down and rest. The night was warm, it being still summer, and little if any covers would be needed.
Here then they prepared to sleep. Each of them removed their outer garments, as they had already done with regard to their leggings and shoes.
Josh poked his head out of a convenient open window to take an observation. He grunted as if pleased to know that from that point it was possible to see the mound of earth in which the potato cellar had been located.
A wide double bed occupied one corner of the room. The good woman of the house had also fetched in a cot, which would serve admirably for the odd traveler.
"It looks good to me," remarked Hanky Panky, after testing the big bed, and finding that it felt reasonably soft. "I reckon, Rod, we"ll let Josh take the cot, because you know he"s such a kicker when he dreams that n.o.body likes to stand for it."
"Only too glad of the chance to sleep alone," chuckled Josh, apparently in no wise feeling hurt by the insinuation.
So it was easily arranged, and in less than ten minutes afterward Rod, being the last one up, blew out the candle that had been given to them, and sought his place in the big bed.
If Josh chose to lie awake for any length of time turning over matters in his active mind at least he did not make any sound calculated to disturb his companions.
Time pa.s.sed on.
Rob was in the midst of a delightful dream of the far-away home across the sea when he felt some one gently shake him. As he instantly opened his eyes it all came back to him again in a flash, and he knew where he was; also that it must be Josh who was again trying to draw his attention.
"h.e.l.lo! what"s up, Josh?" asked Rod quietly and without a trace of excitement, whereas a good many boys, upon being so suddenly aroused from a sound sleep would have sat up, trembling with alarm, and demanding to know in quivering tones what had happened.
"Something"s going on outside here that we ought to look into,"
whispered Josh.
By this time Hanky Panky had been awakened, and heard the last words.
"Gee whiz! then the Germans have come after all!" he was heard to mutter, as he started to feel around for his shoes.
They hurried to the windows and looked out. Just how Josh had happened to awaken he did not take the trouble to inform the others; but they could see that something out of the common was occurring outside. A couple of lights that might be lanterns seemed to be moving this way and that, as though those who held the same were looking around the outhouses belonging to the farm.
"Get dressed, and in a hurry, too," said Rob, after he had watched these moving lights for a minute or so.
"Then you think they must be the Germans come after us, do you, Rob?"
asked Hanky Panky tremulously, as he started to dress as fast as he could in the semidarkness.
"I don"t know, but I mean to find out," he was told in low but incisive tones.
They made all the haste possible. Rob was ready some little time ahead of his comrades. This might be because he mastered his feelings better than either of the others, or else on account of having his possessions so carefully arranged before climbing into bed that he knew exactly where to lay a hand on each and every article in the dark.
Finally Josh, and then Hanky Panky announced that he was all ready to issue forth. Josh doubtless was figuring in his mind just how they might get the precious motorcycles out of the potato cellar un.o.bserved, and ride wildly away before the searching Germans suspected their presence.
Hanky Panky on his part would have been almost willing to abandon the wheels rather than risk chances of falling into the hands of the invaders; for he had an idea they might be treated as spies, and dealt with in a summary fashion. The thought of being stood up against a barn and riddled with cruel bullets was uppermost in the boy"s mind.
There was a door leading from the new wing of the farmhouse to the outer air. Rod softly opened this now, and led the way forth, the others trailing after him, confident that Rod would know what line of action was best under the exciting conditions by which they were confronted.
The first natural thing for them to do was to peer carefully around, in expectation of again locating the wandering lights. Then Josh uttered a low gasp, as his fingers plucked at Rod"s sleeve.
"Looky there, will you, Rod?" he whispered, intensely excited; "they"ve run across the potato bin, and are going to take a peep inside!"
"Oh! my stars! it"s all up with our poor wheels then!" Hanky Panky was heard to tell the others, though no one seemed to pay the slightest attention to him.
There was no doubt about the situation being grave. The lights had by this time vanished within the vegetable cellar that had been built underground for frost protection in the cold winters.
"Come; let"s creep forward and see what"s happening," suggested Rod boldly, as though after all he began to have slight hopes that it might not be quite as bad as they had been thinking.
As they advanced hurriedly they soon began to catch the sound of several voices. Evidently the searchers had been amazed to discover three such splendid motorcycles hidden away in a potato cellar on this farm; this was hardly what they had been looking for when using their lanterns so industriously.
"Too bad, too bad it had to happen!" whimpered the disconsolate Hanky Panky, for he had become so accustomed to spinning along on his reliable machine that the prospect of using "Shank"s mare" as a means of progressing did not appeal to him at all.
"Don"t worry!" Rod told him, "but listen again."
"What"s the use?" complained the other, "when I can"t understand a single word of what"s said, because it"s French they"re using."
"French!" echoed Josh, a little louder than prudence might have dictated, though in his new excitement he evidently did not consider that; "why, then after all it isn"t the Germans who"ve come snooping around looking for us."