"How far have you come?" asked Rollo.
"Goodness only knows. Aching"s the name of the show."
"Aching?" repeated Kenneth in perplexity.
"Yes, Aching," replied the man vehemently. "A fitting name, too.
A-a-c-h-e-n, it"s spelt, so there!"
The lads understood. He had spelt the German name for the town of Aix-la-Chapelle. His progress, then, had been very slow--sixteen hours to cover about twelve miles.
"That"s Aubel," whispered Kenneth, pointing to a group of houses showing up against the sky. "We must cross the line here."
A hurried consultation followed, in which it was decided that Kenneth should take the lead, the others following at twenty paces interval.
As they approached the line of telegraph posts Kenneth made his way ahead and dropped on his hands and knees. In this position he covered the hundred yards that separated him from the railway. He listened.
There was no mistaking the sound he heard. The noise of heavily-nailed boots treading slowly upon the frosty permanent-way was drawing nearer.
The lad crawled back to his chum, and both threw themselves flat upon the ground. The Northumberland man did likewise.
Presently two greatcoated figures came into view; German soldiers with rifles on their shoulders. The pale light glinted on the fixed bayonets. When opposite the spot where the fugitives were hiding, the guards stopped, grounded their weapons, and swung their arms. In spite of their heavy coats they were chilled to the bone.
The Germans showed no haste in proceeding on their patrol. To the shivering Englishmen it seemed as if they were deliberately prolonging their stay.
In spite of his frantic efforts the Northumberland Fusilier gave vent to a half-smothered cough. Almost simultaneously the Germans recovered their arms and fired in the direction of the hiding trio.
Suppressing an insane desire to break away and run for dear life, the three lay still. If the patrol had heard any suspicious sound they did not act further upon it, for after a few more minutes they sloped arms and tramped stolidly in the direction of Aubel.
Once again Kenneth crawled towards the railway. The way was now clear.
Without being challenged he crossed the rails, and dropped down the embankment beyond. Here he was speedily joined by his companions.
A little later, to their consternation, clouds began to gather. It was no longer possible to follow a course by the stars. It became darker, and prominent objects could not be distinguished. All around there were untilled fields, as like each other as peas in a pod.
Half an hour"s wandering convinced the fugitives that they were hopelessly out of their bearings, for the wind had fallen utterly, and even that means of keeping a rough course failed them.
"Ten to one we"re walking in a big circle," declared Rollo. "The best thing we can do is to slow down till dawn."
"Another seven hours," objected the Fusilier. "We"ll be dead with cold by that time. Let"s step out and trust to luck."
"There"s a barn or something, right ahead," announced Kenneth after they had traversed two fields. "I vote we make for that and take shelter."
The building was a detached one. Closer investigation showed that it was deserted. The door had been wrenched from its hinges and lay about five yards from the wall. In one angle of the brickwork was a gaping hole. The walls had been loopholed for rifle-fire, but the thatched roof was practically intact.
"Steady!" cautioned the British corporal. "There might be somebody inside."
He led the way, shuffling noiselessly with his feet and holding his arm in a position of defence. Having completed a tour of the interior, he announced that it was safe to enter.
The floor was dry, but dest.i.tute of hay or straw. Taking off his peasant"s cloak the corporal spread it upon the ground, and on it the three huddled together for mutual warmth. Already Kenneth and Rollo were weak with hunger, cold, and fatigue. Their companion"s chief regret was that he had no tobacco. Hunger, although severe, was with him a secondary consideration.
In this position they remained in a semi-dazed condition until the Northumberland man announced that dawn was breaking.
With difficulty regaining their feet, the two lads moved their cramped limbs till they were conscious of the sense of touch. Then out into the bitterly cold air they went.
"That"s our course," said the corporal. "This time of year the sun rises in the north-east, so this is about north."
"Then it"s exactly the opposite direction to which we were going last night," remarked Rollo. "You can tell that by the position of the barn."
"Yes, we must have been circling," agreed Kenneth. "We may yet be miles from the frontier."
On and on they trudged, guided by the gleam of light that was gradually growing in intensity. Detached farm-houses were now visible, affording landmarks which, although serviceable, had to be avoided.
"I"d do a burglaring job without a moment"s hesitation," declared the corporal, "only it"s too jolly risky. Liberty isn"t worth chucking away for the sake of a chunk of bread; at least, I don"t think so. Yet dozens of Germans have given themselves up to our chaps because they felt a bit hungry."
His companions agreed, but half-heartedly. Hunger, the ally of despair, was pressing them hard. They missed the plain but substantial meals that their captors had provided them with at Verviers.
Suddenly, from behind them, came a hoa.r.s.e shout.
Turning, the three fugitives saw, to their consternation, that about a dozen German soldiers were following them and were now about four hundred yards behind.
"Cut for it!" exclaimed the corporal.
They broke into a steady run. The action was a relief after hours of slow trudging and sleepless, comfortless rest. Their pursuers also increased their pace, shouting for them to stop.
"We"re holding our own," exclaimed Kenneth after a while.
"Can"t keep it up, though," panted the corporal, who, to give himself greater freedom, had discarded his cloak. "But why don"t the beggars fire?"
It seemed remarkable that their pursuers made no attempt to use their rifles. Some had already given up the chase, but others held on, streaming out into an irregular procession.
Ahead was a broad ditch. Kenneth, who was leading, braced himself to plunge through the coating of ice, but instead his feet slipped and he rolled sideways to the farthermost bank. His companions crossed more easily, for owing to the severe frost the water was covered with two inches of ice.
Rollo and the corporal a.s.sisted Everest to his feet. He was unhurt, but wellnigh breathless. During this episode the leading Germans were within fifty yards of them; but unaccountably they slackened their pace, stopping at the edge of the frozen ditch and shouting frantically at the fugitives.
"That"s done it!" exclaimed the Fusilier.
In extended order a number of soldiers, some mounted, emerged from the shelter of a row of trees on the opposite side of the field, and stood waiting to receive the exhausted Englishmen. Escape was impossible.
There was no cover either to the right or the left. Behind them were their pursuers; in front the troops, including cavalry.
"We"ve had a run for our money," remarked the corporal, as he raised his arms above his head in token of surrender. His companions noticed that, in spite of his dejection, the man never blamed them for suggesting a course that ended in recapture.
The Germans behind them still made no further attempt to advance. They stood in a row at the edge of the ditch, bawling unintelligibly.
"Hurrah!" suddenly shouted Kenneth.
His companions looked at him in amazement.
"We"re all right," he continued. "We"ve crossed the frontier. These fellows are Dutch soldiers."