"They've come, Rod, they've really got here!" he cried, in a paroxysm of delight.

Josh too was equally satisfied, though he should always deeply regret that it had not fallen to his lot to strike _one_ blow for the cause, and that all the honors had gone to Rod.

Rod, seeing that none of the Uhlans seemed disposed to renew the attack, managed to look out; and the others were speedily at his side.

The danger, in so far as it related to the inmates of the village houses, was past; but evidently it had only begun for the Uhlans. They had mounted their already tired horses in hot haste, that is, all those capable of doing so, and were trying to get out of the village, turning and firing back at the French with reckless abandon as they went galloping away.

Rod saw one man trying to help another mount a prancing horse. He had his arm about the wounded man and seemed to ignore his own danger in the desire to fetch his comrade safely away.

"That's the fellow you pinked the first time!" cried Josh, understandingly.

Rod had already guessed as much. He hoped deep down in his heart that the Uhlan would manage to regain his saddle and ride to safety, for the boy did not want to feel that through any act of his the raider might be finally brought down.

Half a minute later and the two were galloping off. Once the injured man sat in his saddle he seemed capable of taking care of himself, though unless his wound were attended to shortly he must become too weak from loss of blood to continue on his way, and would find it necessary to allow himself to be taken prisoner by the French in order to save his life.

All around the active zouaves were running madly, and shouting in their wild excitement. The Uhlans had not attempted to make any sort of a stand, for they realized they were vastly outnumbered, and that it was "safety first" with them.

From the crackling of guns that continued for some time Rod felt a.s.sured that all of the raiders who had so boldly entered the French village could not have gone out of it again. Some there must be caught in a trap, for it seemed that the first of the zouaves arriving had started to encircle the place, with the idea of cutting off the retreat of the pillagers when they took the alarm.

Josh first of all insisted in shaking hands with each of his chums, and then with the three valiant old men who had shown such grit. Rod, more practical, knew that there was other work to be done.

"Here, we must find buckets, and put out that fire before it gets too big a headway!" he told both of his companions, upon which they bestirred themselves; and some of the zouaves coming to their a.s.sistance, they presently had the flames completely smothered.

Things began to a.s.sume a settled appearance in the village as the sun sank low in the west, seen through the breaks in the clouds. There was wailing in a few of the houses over the destruction that had been wrought during the temporary occupation of the place by the enemy.

Luckily, however, no one of the inhabitants had been killed, or even seriously injured. Two buildings were burned, several dogs shot because they had dared bark at the invaders, a few slight wounds received; but on the whole every one felt that they had good reason for congratulating themselves on the fact that things were no worse. Other French villages did not fare so well when overrun by the invaders.

CHAPTER XIX.

THE ROAD OF VON KLUCK'S RETREAT.

After all the boys were not sorry for the experience. They had witnessed some sights that they would never forget. Rod too could plume himself on having done the right thing when he used his weapon twice with telling effect.

After the fire in the rear of the house had been effectually extinguished the good woman appeared before them to announce that supper was served; and she added her apologies because they might find some of the dishes not quite so warm as they liked, "For," as she navely put it, "we had too much heat in another quarter; and one never knows just how to manage when those terrible Uhlans are around."

Certainly none of the three boys found anything to complain of. They never remembered sitting down to a finer meal, when their appet.i.tes were on edge, as just then happened to be the case.

Hanky Panky ate until Josh solemnly warned him that he would surely founder unless he curbed that awful appet.i.te of his. It might have been noticed, however, that Josh was sitting there for some little time after his comrades had left the table, and still "sampling" the good things that tempted him.

It was settled that since the three motorcycles were already in the house they might as well remain there. Rod managed to fix the smashed door so that it would close again, though a carpenter's skill would be required to place it in its former excellent condition.

When they got through eating it was beginning to grow dusk. Josh remarked that he guessed he would saunter out to stretch his legs, and at the same time see the extent of damage inflicted by the brief occupation of the village by the raiders.

"They say those Uhlans can make a howling wilderness of a Paradise quicker than any men on the face of the earth, once they set out to do things," Josh explained as he picked up his hat, "and I'd like to find out if there's any truth in the yarn."

Rod told him to "mind his eye," and not wander away, since with the night coming on there could be no telling what danger might not hover over his head.

"For all we know some of those Germans may still be hanging about,"

added Hanky Panky, "and I'd really feel better if Rod loaned you his gun."

"Oh, come! there's no necessity of Josh going out at all if he has to load himself down with deadly weapons like that," laughed Rod.

Josh had his little outing, and returned in good time. He acted as though he did not regret his determination, and Hanky Panky, knowing from the signs that the other must have seen something worth while, immediately set to work "pumping" him, being filled with curiosity.

"You ran across something while you were out, Josh, and I'd thank you to open up and tell us about it," he went on to say. "Did the French chaps with the baggy red trousers and the big yell manage to bring down any of the German raiders when they used up so much powder and ball?"

"I believe they did, for one woman who could talk some English managed to tell me the zouaves took three prisoners back with them, and in addition one fellow who would have to be buried, she said, because he was dead."

Hanky Panky would have shivered at one time on hearing such gruesome news, but after witnessing the terrible sights accompanying the battle along the bank of the Marne he somehow seemed to think little of it.

"Was that _all_ you saw or heard, Josh?" he continued, bent on making the other confess to the limit.

Josh grinned, showing that he had purposely acted so as to excite the suspicion of this curious comrade. Having attained his end, he consented to explain further.

"Well, no, not quite all, Hanky," he remarked calmly; "I'm most sure I saw a man skulking around who showed a whole lot of concern when I approached, and even hurried away. He wasn't an old man either, and let me tell you, Rod, he hid his face from me in the bargain. Now, what do you think of that?"

"Was it Jules, do you reckon?" asked Hanky Panky, as quick as a flash; for somehow he could not imagine any other person wishing to avoid meeting one of them.

"I got the notion in my head," admitted Josh, "that it must be either him or else some party hitched up with Jules. He acted in a way that made me sure of that."

"Huh!" Hanky Panky went on to say, with one of his odd chuckles, "I'm only surprised, Josh, you didn't step right up to the fellow and ask him if he answered to the name of Jules Baggott; also if he happened to know a woman called Jeanne D'Aubrey. That'd be just like your way, Josh."

The other grinned affably as though he considered this one of the highest compliments his chum could pay him.

"Oh, well, to tell you the truth, though I'm almost ashamed to admit it," he remarked, "I did want to chase after him and say that very same thing; but, hang the luck, he was too slippery for me. Besides, you see, it was getting dark; anyhow he managed to leave me in the lurch. But it was one of that bunch, believe me."

"Still after that paper, it seems, Rod," said Hanky Panky with a frown; "mebbe we'll have a visitor again to-night, just like happened in that inn over at Calais."

"If we do you can make up your mind he'll have all his trouble for his pains," the other told him; "besides, we'll take precautions this time, and no sneak-thief can get into the room when I'm on my guard without our knowing it."

The boys sat around for some little time afterwards. Rod entered into a conversation with the woman of the house, for while he could tell her many things concerning the state of affairs at the front, at the same time there was always a possibility of his picking up a little information that might come in handy later on.

In good time they were shown to a room, where they proceeded to make themselves comfortable. Rod, with some cord which he produced, set a clever little trap. By this simple method of protection he fixed matters so that should any one try to enter by way of the open windows they would arouse the sleepers by pulling down three chairs which had been piled up, and made fast to the cord.

Whatever the plan of the plotter may have been, evidently entering the room of the three American boys did not form a part of it, because the night pa.s.sed without any further alarm.

"Guess he knew we had that gun we took from his man who played the part of Oscar William Tell," observed Hanky Panky in the morning, when awakened by the rising sun they lay there and talked matters over.

"Well," remarked Josh with a yawn, "by this time Jules is beginning to understand that we don't mean to handle him with gloves if he runs afoul of us. While he may keep on trying as hard as ever to get that paper in his hands, it'll be through some sneaky way, and not in a stand-up fight. Schemers like him seldom do feel like facing the men they aim to beat. I'm keeping an eye out for Jules; and say, if ever I do get a chance to give him my compliments you listen to what he says about it; that's all."

The morning opened peacefully, though in the distance they could already begin to hear the guns take up the same steady rhythm that would grow louder and more insistent as the day grew older, until the fierce rush of battle again held sway, and a million of Frenchmen hurled themselves against an equal number of Germans in the endeavor to push them back still further in their retreat from before Paris.

The boys started out soon afterwards. Rod believed he knew about where the regiment could be found to which Jeanne's husband, Andre, belonged.

If fortune favored them, and they discovered the French reservist still in the land of the living, doubtless it could soon be arranged as they planned.