"To the ground, men! Down quick!"
He suited the action to the word, as did Chester, Captain Anderson and all of the troop. They did not fall a moment too soon, for there now came from the bushes a scattering and withering volley that would have done terrible execution among the little troop of British, but for the fact that they were beneath the line of fire.
"Up and into the bushes!" cried Hal.
A moment and the British were screened from the fire of the enemy on the opposite side of the road, while from their shelter they poured a fire in the direction of rifle flashes across the highway.
Peering from behind the small tree where he had taken shelter, Chester saw a prostrate form in the middle of the road. He thought he recognized it but was not sure. He turned and called to Hal:
"Is Stubbs with you?"
"No," was the reply. "Where is he?"
"I"ll have him in a minute," was Chester"s brief response.
Throwing himself to the ground, he crawled from behind his shelter and wormed his way along the ground toward the prostrate form in the road, the figure of Stubbs.
The war correspondent lay as though dead, making no move. The lad, keeping as close to the ground as possible, so as to avoid the German bullets flying overhead, drew closer; and, while the lad did not know it, three other forms also were approaching closely in spite of the hail of lead.
But these latter were making their way through the tree-tops, jumping lightly from bough to bough. Silent as shadows they were, but their eyes glared a fiery red and their tails switched angrily.
They were cats.
Half-starved as they were, they had trailed the troop. They had been in the war zone long enough for their feline intelligence to tell them that where men rode there was likely to be food. More than one dead man, left dead upon the field, had fallen a victim to their claws and teeth.
So now, as Chester crept toward the inert form of the war correspondent, the cats, not perceiving this new enemy--so intent were they upon the body of Stubbs--also approached quietly. Two of the animals were now directly above the body of Stubbs, and stood switching their tails on the limb of a large tree that overhung the roadway. The third was close behind.
Snarling, with bared claws and outstretched legs, the first cat leaped.
In a moment the others followed.
Stubbs had been lying upon his face, and all three of the hungry animals lighted squarely upon his back. Instantly the war correspondent lost all resemblance to a dead man, and the man and cats became a panting, struggling, rolling heap.
As Stubbs cried out in alarm, Chester--still some distance away--raised his head and quickly realized the struggle that was taking place.
Throwing caution to the winds, he sprang to his feet and with a shout charged the feline foes.
The war correspondent was fighting off his biting, clawing a.s.sailants as best he could; but the very fact that the cats clung to his back was a point in their favor. One buried its sharp teeth in the back of Stubbs"s neck and the war correspondent raised a howl of anguish.
As if by magic now the firing from the Germans" side of the road ceased.
Hal was unaware of the reason for this, but, suspecting a ruse, he ordered his men to cease firing also until he could determine the cause of the enemy"s unexpected silence.
On the German side of the road dark faces peered from between the trees and hoa.r.s.e guttural exclamations issued from these faces as they watched Stubbs struggle with the cats. While the Germans would not go to Stubbs"
a.s.sistance, nevertheless they would not shoot him down as he struggled with his four-footed enemies.
The British also advanced to their side of the road and watched the struggle.
Thus, by mutual consent, a truce had been declared.
It was at this moment that Chester came to Stubbs" rescue; but before he could take a hand in the fray the figure of a large German, with leveled revolver, accosted the lad.
"Back," he exclaimed in a deep voice. "Let the little man fight it out.
This is rare sport. We will declare a truce until the struggle is over.
Do you agree?"
Chester considered quickly. He knew that the German officer would be as good as his word, and he knew also that Stubbs, if given time, would dispose of his three enemies.
"I agree," he said, and made his way back to Hal, where he told him of the strange request and his answer.
As the little war correspondent still struggled with his feline a.s.sailants the Germans, from their side of the woods, gradually came out from among the trees to get a closer view of the struggle.
Unconsciously also the British left their shelter and crowded about to get a better view.
With his right hand Stubbs succeeded in grasping the cat that had bitten him by the back of the neck, and in spite of the animal"s frantic clawing and scratching he raised it in the air and brought its head against the ground violently. The cat lay still.
But while Stubbs was thus engaged with one of the enemy, the other two were busy. Stubbs had now jumped to his feet, and one of the animals had succeeded in crawling to his shoulder, where it was making desperate efforts to reach the war correspondent"s eyes with its claws. Stubbs protected his eyes with one upraised arm, and groped blindly for the cat.
At last he grasped it securely by the neck and raised it aloft; the other now was biting so fiercely at the back of his neck that he did not take time to dash the first one to the ground, but still holding it aloft with his left hand sought to pluck the other away with his right.
He was unsuccessful in this, for he could not obtain a good hold on the last cat. With a cry of rage he suddenly dashed the cat he held aloft to the ground, and then threw himself to the ground backward, pinioning the cat beneath him.
The cat screamed angrily, and succeeded in squirming from beneath Stubbs; but instead of running away it launched itself directly at Stubbs" face.
Stubbs threw up his arm just in time and caught the animal by the neck.
Then he walked over to a tree, the Germans allowing him to pa.s.s, and dashed the animal"s head against the trunk.
The fight was over. The truce was ended.
Quickly the British and German soldiers returned to their shelter on opposite sides of the road. Five minutes pa.s.sed. Then a British soldier who had exposed himself tumbled over, struck by a stray German bullet.
The battle in the dark was on again.
CHAPTER VII.
THE FIGHT IN THE WOODS.
Chester had drawn Stubbs to shelter behind a large tree, and now, bending over the little war correspondent, sought to stop the flow of blood from his wounds. Stubbs was not seriously injured, although he had been badly scratched and bitten in the back of the neck.
"You are a fine bunch, you are!" exploded Stubbs when Chester announced that he had dressed the wounds as well as he could. "Wanted to see those cats chew me up, didn"t you?"
"You are a brave man, Mr. Stubbs," replied Chester. "You have accomplished a feat you may well be proud of the rest of your life. It isn"t every man who has the chance of distinguishing himself by slaying three wild cats single handed."
"Were they wild cats?" asked Stubbs in surprise.
"Well, they were cats and they certainly were wild," replied Chester.
"Yes, sir, you are a brave man."
"I know that," said Stubbs, "but just the same you fellows should have pitched in and helped me out."