"You know you are carrying a letter to him, Merritt, from your grandfather, who happens to be acquainted with him. And we count on getting a guide through his influence who will take us along the roads between here and Brussels."
"Even if a guide is not to be found, because nearly all the men are enlisted in the army," Merritt replied, "we"ve made up our minds not to hold back. Fellows who have had as much experience in running the gauntlet as the scouts of the Eagle Patrol can point to, needn"t worry about how they"re going to get along."
"Leave that to us," said Tubby, rather pompously; "and we"ll land on our feet all right, just as a cat does if you drop it out of the second-story window."
After considerable difficulty, the boys were admitted to an audience with the mayor or burgomaster of Antwerp in his official chambers.
Fortunately, he spoke English, so they expected to meet with little difficulty in acquainting him with the nature of their mission to Belgium at a time when nearly all other Americans were only too well pleased to get away from the land of strife and warfare.
The burgomaster looked surprised and even anxious when he heard that they desired an official paper from him, requesting all Belgians to a.s.sist them in their search for one Steven Meredith, who was believed to be located in a town not many miles to the west of the capital.
"I would do much for my old friend, Monsieur Charles Crawford, for whom I have long entertained a sincere affection," he told Merritt, after he had read the letter presented to him, and questioned the boys at length, "but it is a most serious undertaking you have in view. I question the wisdom of my encouraging such a dangerous trip."
Rob, seeing that the good burgomaster appeared to be hesitating, and as Tubby expressed it, "on the fence," started in to talk. Rob had a very persuasive way about him, as his chums knew from past experiences. They guessed how it would all turn out as soon as they saw how impressed the Belgian city official seemed to be with the arguments the boy brought forward.
Of course, in the end, the burgomaster yielded, and wrote them out the pa.s.sport they wanted so badly. This doc.u.ment would possibly permit them to go even beyond the lines where the Belgian army was intrenched, waiting to deal a blow at the enemy in case the Germans turned threateningly toward Antwerp.
"I do this much against my will," he told them, as he was shaking each one by the hand upon their leaving. "But my old friend has written me so much that is clever about the faculty you boys have shown in taking care of yourselves, that I am in hopes you may get through safely. But I shall be sad indeed if anything overtakes you through my giving way to sentiment. I wish I could influence you to remain here in safety, and send out some messenger in your stead to bring this man to Antwerp."
"We have made up our minds to accompany our friend, the grandson of the Charles Crawford you knew, sir," Rob told him, "and all we can promise is that we mean to be very careful. If the man you will send around to us as a guide does his duty faithfully, we hope to get along fairly well. And believe us, sir, we feel that you have advised and a.s.sisted us even more generously than Mr. Crawford expected of you. We thank you a thousand times. Good-bye."
That night pa.s.sed without anything unusual happening to disturb the three boys. Their hotel chanced to be situated in a quiet part of the seething city, so that they were not at all annoyed by patriotic outbursts. And boys as a rule have a happy faculty of losing their troubles in sleep.
With the coming of that next morning all of them were early astir. After breakfast they went in search of mounts, having secured some hints from the proprietor of the hotel.
Horses were certainly at a high premium just then in Flanders. Nearly every animal of any worth at all had been taken by the Belgian field forces for army use. If a few were by accident hidden, and escaped this search, they were apt to be discovered by the advancing Germans.
"It would be of no use, anyway, getting hold of respectable nags," Rob explained, when he saw even Tubby gape at sight of the poor looking animals they had offered to them at exorbitant prices, "because we"d never have the least chance to get anywhere on their backs. No matter how many pa.s.ses we had from burgomasters, or even King Albert himself, somebody would be sure to take them away from us."
"I suppose half a loaf _is_ better than no bread at all," complained Merritt with vivid recollections of the fine mounts he and his chums had sported on several occasions, notably when on the cattle ranch, and following Mexican war trails.
"But _such_ a loaf!" sighed Tubby, as he ran his hand over the bony back of the nearest quadruped, and wondered whether so weak looking a horse could long survive under his rather heavy weight.
"They may turn out a heap better than they look," Rob told them.
"Sometimes it"s the bony horses that can hold the pace in a grueling journey. But, after all, it"s a case of Hobson"s choice with us; either these nags, or walk."
"Whew! better close the bargain then, Merritt; that is, if you think you can afford the price," Tubby hastened to say, for as may be easily understood, he was not very much in love with protracted walks, not having been built for a sprinter.
So Merritt bought four horses, and paid cash down for them, receiving a regular bill of sale from the dealer, to show they were his property.
With them went old saddles and bridles, good enough for the purpose of the three scouts, but not of a type calculated to incite anyone to steal the same.
All that remained to be looked after now was that promised guide. If the good burgomaster of Antwerp kept his promise, they expected to find a native waiting at the hotel when they got back after their foray into the limited horse market.
And sure enough they found a swarthy Belgian there who said he had been engaged by the mayor to serve them. Merritt quickly made terms, for the guide, besides being able to converse in French and Flemish, could speak some English, and readily comprehended all that was said in that tongue; especially when the subject of a money contract came under consideration.
"There"s nothing to detain us any longer, boys," remarked Merritt. "We have made up a little pack apiece which we"d like to take along. We travel light on this trip, you know; all but Tubby, and that"s something he always gets left on. The balance of our duffle the proprietor of the hotel has promised to keep safely until we show up to claim it again."
"Small loss if we never see any of it again," Rob admitted. "At the same time we hope to come back this way after we"ve run that person down, and either recover the paper your grandfather wants, or learn that it"s lost for good."
"That is," corrected Tubby, "we expect to see Antwerp again if the Germans don"t gobble us up."
"I"d like to see them try it," remarked Merritt, with a significant look at the ample proportions of the fat chum. "They"d have their work cut out, as sure as you live, Tubby."
"Now, don"t get personal again, Merritt," cautioned the other, holding up a warning forefinger, "but as there are heaps and heaps of queer things I"d like to poke into around this town, I certainly hope to visit it again."
Half an hour afterward, mounted on scrubby looking horses, which would have excited the derision of any respectable cowboy in the West, Rob and his two chums, accompanied by Anthony Wallenhout, the Belgian guide, pa.s.sed out of the city, heading toward the east.
Before they had gone a sixth of a mile they found themselves stopped by a patrol of soldiers, led by a young lieutenant, who, it happened, could speak English.
"It is no use, messieurs," he told them, with a pleasant smile, but a determined shake of the head, "you must face the other way and go back.
The enemy is in force in many places between Brussels and Antwerp, and severe fighting is going on wherever our brave army has thrown up entrenchments. Antwerp is the only safe place for any who speak English, these days."
CHAPTER IV.
THE DAY OF THE BOY SCOUT.
"Now, wouldn"t that jar you!" muttered Tubby, sprawled on the back of his horse very much after the manner of a great toad. "Here we hardly get started on our wonderful trip over the battlefields of Belgium before we"re held up, and told to fade away. Huh! talk to me about luck, we seem to have lost our grip."
"Show him what you"ve got, Merritt," suggested Rob, who did not give up quite so easily, because of a sudden snag in the stream.
"Oh! why, yes, how about that pa.s.sport the burgomaster wrote out for us himself? It ought to do the trick!" exclaimed Tubby, his sad look disappearing like a flash, and an expectant one appearing in its stead.
The officer scanned the paper which Merritt handed him.
"At a time like this the burgomaster himself is under military orders,"
he told the waiting boys, "and if it happened to be a matter of much importance I could not honor his request. It chances, however, that in this case there is nothing involved except your safety. And you seem to be willing to take the risk?"
"Yes, because we have a very important piece of business to carry out,"
Rob hastened to tell him, seeing which way the wind was blowing, and wishing to take advantage of the flood-tide. "It means a great deal to one of my friends if we can find a certain man. You will allow us to go on, then, I hope?"
The lieutenant shrugged his shoulders in real French style as he handed the burgomaster"s pa.s.sport back.
"Yes, if you are that rash, young messieurs," he said. "We, of the Belgian army, can admire pluck. You certainly have my best wishes."
"Oh! thank you, lieutenant!" gushed Tubby, who was relieved to know that the enterprise was not fated to be condemned at the start.
Perhaps the time might come ere long when the same Tubby would be secretly lamenting over the fact that it had been given a free swing.
But coming events do not always cast their shadows before; and just at that moment none of the venturesome scouts could so much as guess what awaited them in the disturbed country beyond.
They gave the obliging lieutenant a regular scout salute, which he returned in kind. The paper had informed him that Rob and his chums were members of the Boy Scout organization in America, so that the fact of their wearing khaki uniforms was easily understood.
"I hope we have as good luck in skipping past every obstacle we run up against," Merritt was saying, as they moved along the road leading from Antwerp in the direction of the Belgian capital.
"Oh! we mustn"t expect to be always as fortunate as that," said Rob. "I believe in hoping for the best, and preparing for the worst. It"s good policy all around."