CHAPTER XXI.
THE HANGING BRIDGE.
"Do we have to get out at this terribly early hour?" asked Tubby, as he dug his knuckles into his eyes, still heavy with sleep.
"Yes," said Rob. "I"ve taken a look at the stars, and it must be half-past two, or near it. You know I"ve made it a practice to be able to tell the hour of night in that way, and can hit it every time. Come, get a move on you, Tubby, unless you"d prefer staying here in the hay and waiting till we come back."
"Well, you don"t shake me that way if I know it," muttered Tubby, hastening to crawl out of his snug nest.
The night air was rather chilly, when once they found themselves outside. All of them were glad to b.u.t.ton up their coats.
Looking in the direction where the myriad of fires had been burning earlier in the night and seeming like innumerable giant fireflies which they were accustomed to seeing summer evenings at home, they found that most of them had died out.
"I expected that would happen," said Rob, when Merritt called his attention to the altered conditions in the camp of the Germans, "and it"s lucky I made my plans without depending on seeing those fires again. I"ve got other landmarks to go by."
"I expected you"d have," said Merritt, filled with the utmost confidence in the leader of the Eagle Patrol, which faith was founded on a long list of past performances worth remembering.
As there was nothing to hinder them, they made an immediate start. Tubby was observed to cast a last longing look back toward the humble village inn. No doubt he was deploring the necessity that compelled them to leave such hospitable quarters without waiting for breakfast-time to come along.
It was not exactly dark, once their eyes became accustomed to conditions. The stars shone brilliantly in the clear heavens overhead, and in open country it is possible to steer one"s way fairly well by starlight.
For some time the boys went on. Tubby, of course, often stumbled, for it would not have been Tubby otherwise; but, as he had not so far actually spread himself face downward on the road, he thought he was doing very well.
Merritt could see how Rob had laid out their course, by the a.s.sistance of the friendly innkeeper, who had been told of their desire to reach the little place called Sempst. He had really drawn Rob a rude but correct chart of the roads covering the territory between, and informed him as to what his best plan of campaign would be.
A number of times they had slight scares. Once a dog ran out from a yard and commenced barking wildly at them, even threatening to nip Tubby in the leg. It was only natural for the threatened one to shout angrily and kick desperately at the offending canine. By great good luck he managed to land the toe of his shoe against the vicious animal"s nose, as a loud howl announced.
"There, that serves you right, for bothering me, you silly thing!"
grumbled Tubby.
The others knew he must be very proud of that shot, and would often refer to it when complaints were made afterward to the effect that he was "slow." Any one who could manage to get his foot in contact with a snapping dog must not be reckoned out of the running.
Just what they would do should they finally reach the small town where Steven Meredith was supposed to be in charge of a large German manufacturing plant, they had not as yet determined. It was Rob"s plan to secure possession of that field-gla.s.s case by hook or crook, for, if it proved impossible to obtain by fair means, then he meant to try strategy.
For this purpose he had even bought an empty case while in Antwerp which had been carried through all their adventures. It was a new one, for, in making up his plans, Rob may have had in mind the old Arabian story of the magical lamp, and how the cunning schemer managed to get possession of it by going around and offering housewives to exchange new lamps for old ones.
He meant to exchange with Steven, and give him a brand new case for his worn one, should the opportunity arise for such a transfer.
"And once we get our hands on that bit of paper," he had told the others, "we"ll shake the dust of this country off our shoes in the biggest hurry ever."
It must have been fully an hour after they left the stable of the village inn when Rob imparted some information to his chums that caused Tubby, at least, more or less apprehension.
"It"s about time we were coming to it now," Rob started to say.
"What, already?" remarked Tubby, evidently delighted, for, of course, he foolishly thought it must be the little town they were heading for that Rob meant.
The other quickly undeceived him.
"Oh! we"re a long, long way off from Sempst yet, Tubby," he said. "I was referring to a bridge the inn-keeper told me about, that"s all."
"What"s there about a bridge to worry us, I"d like to know?" muttered the fat scout suspiciously, feeling terribly depressed, because he had been so like a drowning man grasping at a straw.
"Unless it happens to be guarded by the Germans," suggested Merritt softly, "and then we"d have a d.i.c.kens of a time getting across."
"The trouble about this particular bridge isn"t so much that it"s apt to be guarded," Rob went on to inform them, "but the inn-keeper was afraid we"d find it gone!"
"Blown up, do you mean, Rob?" Tubby demanded.
"It"s been reported that way," he was informed. "Fact is, there doesn"t seem to be much doubt about it. From all accounts, the Belgians destroyed it, as they have done many other costly bridges, so as to impede the advance of the German heavy guns. It takes lots of time and trouble to rebuild a bridge and make it strong enough to let a monster siege gun rumble over."
"But, Rob, shall we have to swim across, or is there a sort of ford handy that we might use?" Merritt inquired.
"I certainly hope we don"t have to swim, anyway," Tubby declared, "for, if there"s one thing I hate to do, it"s to get soaking wet. It"s so uncomfortable afterward, and especially when you can"t change your clothes. But, of course, if it"s got to be done, we"ll all have to just grin and bear it."
"It may not be necessary in this case," added Rob, no doubt purposely delaying his information, because he liked to hear Tubby drumming up his courage in this way.
"Then mebbe you"ve gone and got some wings hidden away, which we can use to fly across?" suggested Tubby quickly, "or it might be an aeroplane is kept handy so"s to ferry folks over dry-shod."
"Neither of your guesses. .h.i.ts the mark, Tubby," he was informed. "The inn-keeper said one man told him that, while the bridge was wrecked, a few of the steel beams still hung in place, so that any one who was fairly spry might manage to make his way over from one side to the other. A number had done it, including the man who told him."
"If others can, we ought to be able to make it," Merritt said stoutly.
"Yes, I suppose that"s so," admitted Tubby ruefully, "but then you mustn"t forget that they had daylight to help out. That makes a heap of difference. I never did have the eyes of a cat so"s to see in the dark."
"It"s getting on toward the first peep of dawn," Rob told him; "and I expect there"ll be some light for us when we reach the bridge."
"We can wait till she comes along, then," Tubby continued, as though even that a.s.surance gave him more or less satisfaction.
From the formation of the country Rob judged they must soon arrive at the place of the bridge. He had already made the discovery that there was a stream on one side of them, which the road would have to cross before long.
"I think I see where it lies," Merritt announced a few minutes after they had stopped talking.
"Yes," admitted the leader, when he had followed the course of Merritt"s outstretched finger as well as was possible in the semi-darkness, "that must be the anchorage of the bridge. We"ll soon know what we"re going to be up against."
"Well, all I hope is we don"t have to swim, that"s what!" Tubby muttered.
Rob, as they continued to advance, kept a careful lookout. He wondered whether any sort of patrol could have been stationed at the ruined bridge by one or the other of the hostile armies. It might make considerable difference with them in their intended crossing; and would turn out very awkward if, when they were in the middle of the span, they discovered they were being made targets by some reckless marksmen on the further sh.o.r.e.
Presently they drew up alongside the spot. As Rob had hinted the night was really at an end, and in the east the first peep of coming dawn could be seen in the brightening sky.
"It"s a wreck, all right!" said Merritt, as they stood there, straining their eyes to try and follow the outlines of the torn steel girders that seemed to have been twisted into all manner of queer shapes by the force of the explosion.
"Gingersnaps and popguns!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Tubby helplessly, "and do you really expect to crawl over that swinging thing? I"ve read about some awful hanging bridges in the mountains of South America and Africa, but I bet you they couldn"t hold a candle alongside this mussed-up affair.
Whee! you"d have to blindfold me, I"m afraid, boys, if you expected me to creep out there on that dizzy girder."