"Whatever she is, I think they're anch.o.r.ed in the stream, because I can't see any movement at all."

"But that looks like smoke coming from a stack of some sort," George observed, as he cupped both hands in order to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight, in this way securing better results.

"Strikes me it's a cheese box on a raft of some sort," Josh gave as a hazard.

"Why, Josh, that was the name the Confederates gave the Monitor in our civil war, you know," burst out Buster; "the single round turret was built on a low deck just a little above the water, and I suppose it did look like a cheese box, such as you can see in the grocery stores at home."

"Between you," said Jack just then, "you've guessed it."

"Do you mean it's really and truly a monitor?" demanded George skeptically.

"I've understood that Austria had a number of these river gunboats down here, and I think they all mount pretty big guns, as well as being armored," Jack went on to say.

"But what use would they be?" queried George.

"Well, you must know that this eternal Balkan question is forever bobbing up, and within a few years there have been two serious clashes south of Austria. The first was between Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece against Turkey. They knocked the Sultan's forces out and took a lot of territory away, which they divided. Then Bulgaria got a notion she could lick the other two and seize more territory; but the shoe was on the other foot, because she had to cry for quarter, and lost a good portion of land that had come to her from Turkey. Ever since there has been bad blood between them all, Rumania also."

"But how does Austria come in with their petty quarrels?" continued George.

"Do you remember the old fable of the lion and the bear fighting over the game they had taken until they were exhausted, and then the sly fox walking off with it? Well, Austria got hold of a monstrous slice of territory in something the same way--Bosnia and Herzegovina. And there's a big scheme afoot, I believe, for the Teuton allies to take Serbia and unite the German-speaking countries with Turkey."

"Oh, I remember reading that Germany had eyes for Persia and all that rich Eastern country," admitted Josh.

"Well, they are figuring on great things out that way," Jack continued.

"As for these river monitors, they are here to threaten little Serbia with. You see, it's unfortunate that the capital, Belgrade, lies just across from Austrian heights, and always in reach of hostile batteries."

"Shucks! that was foolish of the Serbians," said Josh disdainfully, after the manner of one who knew it all. "Long ago they should have moved their capital to Nisch, nearer the middle of the state. Then they could defend it a heap better."

As they approached closer to the singular craft anch.o.r.ed there near the sh.o.r.e of the river the boys eyed it curiously. They could see many men aboard, doubtless the crew. There was also an officer using a pair of binoculars, for they could catch the gleam of the sunlight on the gla.s.ses as he moved his hands.

Without the slightest warning, when they were almost opposite the anch.o.r.ed monitor, there came a puff of smoke and a reverberating boom.

The boys saw the water splash high in the air about twenty feet in front of their little boat, showing that it had not been blank shot after all.

Buster was at once in a panic. He really believed that in another moment they might be the target for one of those big guns that could be seen projecting from the movable turret aboard the monitor, and at that close range the result must be the total annihilation of boat and pa.s.sengers.

CHAPTER XII

NEARING THE SCENE OF WAR

"Pull up, Jack; that's a plain invitation to hold our horses!" shrilled Josh, being the first one to find his voice.

Jack already knew this. He shut off power and then started to reverse, for the impetus of the craft, not to mention the swift current, was carrying the boat forward at a good pace, and any sign of disobeying that naval summons might cost them dear.

"There, he's beckoning to us to run over alongside," said Josh. "Mebbe we'll be given a chance now to see what one of these same river monitors look like."

"Huh! like as not we'll be given a chance to see what a musty old dungeon under some Austrian fortress looks like!"

Of course, it was George who made this last gloomy prediction; but then the others were so accustomed to his ways that no one paid the least attention to him.

Jack was already heading the boat toward the anch.o.r.ed vessel. All of them had a very good chance to observe what a monitor looked like as they approached, and if they failed to accept their opportunity, that was their fault.

Coming up from below, they b.u.mped against the armored side of the bulky war vessel. Buster looked with something of awe at the gaping guns of large caliber that projected from the turret close by.

When Josh, coached by Jack, had tossed a rope to some of the waiting crew of the monitor, they prepared to go aboard. Jack might have limited the number to himself and perhaps Josh, but then he knew the others would always be sorry they had not been given the privilege of saying they had once been aboard a fighting warship while war was on; so he allowed both George and Buster to trip after.

It could be seen that the officer was plainly surprised when he saw them at close quarters. Instead of the local boys whom he might have expected to meet, he now realized that the tiny flag floating from the stern of the motorboat stood for something.

"Who are you, and where do you come from?" he asked in excellent English, doubtless realizing that it was useless to ply them with Magyar.

"We are American boys, sir, as you can see from our flag," Jack told him. "It is the only one we happen to have along with us."

He thought that the captain looked very much interested, and that his manner became immediately a shade more cordial, which proved that he knew considerable about the country across the ocean.

"But this is a strange place for four American boys to be taking a cruise, you must admit," he told Jack.

That gave the boy a chance to begin explanations. He went over the same ground as before and told how as members of a motorboat club they had planned to voyage down the Danube, and only learned of war breaking out when on the way.

When he mentioned the matter of pa.s.sports the officer indicated that he should like to see them, at which once more Jack called upon his chums to produce their papers.

"You will find them all correct, sir," he a.s.sured the other; "and besides, here are some letters from home which we received from our folks. They reached us in Budapest, you can see. I would like you to glance over them so that you may know we are just what we claim to be."

The officer seemed to be pretty well satisfied after he had examined the pa.s.sports. At the same time he looked at the boys in an amused fashion.

"Which one of you is George Rollins?" he asked, somewhat to the astonishment of that worthy, who did not know what might be in store for him, honors or captivity.

"That's my name, sir," he spoke up, and, to the further surprise of the boys, the Austrian commander thrust out his hand.

"I want to shake hands with you, George," he said.

"Y-yes, sir," replied the other, still groping in the dark, and fearing that he might be perilously near the edge of a precipice.

"You wonder why I single you out from your companions," continued the other, as George accepted his hand and received a cordial squeeze in return. "I'll have to explain, I suppose. Did you ever hear your mother speak of a cousin who had married an Austrian gentleman many years ago?"

Then George found his tongue.

"Oh, yes, I certainly have heard her speak of her cousin Lucy, and the name of the gentleman she married was--let me see, Stanislaus!"

As George burst out triumphantly with this declaration he found his hand once more shaken and squeezed, while the commander of the monitor beamed upon him.

"Well, I am Captain Stanislaus, and my mother was that same Cousin Lucy you have heard about. So you see, my boy, we are kin. I am very glad to meet you, even under such singular conditions."

George turned toward his companions. His face was one broad smile. He doubtless had a pretty good sense of his own importance just then.

"I want to introduce my three chums to you, Cousin Stanislaus," he went on to say with an air of importance. "The one you have been talking with is Jack Stormways, our leader; the stout one is Buster Longfellow, and the other is Josh Purdue, all of them the finest fellows under the sun, and my pards."