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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Two Daring Young Patriots, by W. P.  Shervill
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Two Daring Young Patriots
+       or, Outwitting the Huns
+
+Author: W. P.  Shervill
+
+Release Date: September 17, 2008 [EBook #26645]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TWO DARING YOUNG PATRIOTS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Chris Curnow, Lindy Walsh, Mary Meehan and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                         TWO DARING YOUNG PATRIOTS
+
+                          Or, Outwitting the Huns
+
+                             BY W. P. SHERVILL
+
+                        Author of "Edgar the Ready"
+
+                        _Illustrated by Arch. Webb_
+
+
+BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED
+LONDON GLASGOW AND BOMBAY
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: LIKE A WHIRLWIND THEY FLUNG THEMSELVES UPON THE HATED
+FOE]
+
+
+
+
+Contents
+
+
+       I. Trouble in the Crew
+
+      II. The Races
+
+     III. Max Durend at Home
+
+      IV. The Cataclysm
+
+       V. The Fall of Liége
+
+      VI. A New Standpoint
+
+     VII. A Few Words with M. Schenk
+
+    VIII. Treachery!
+
+      IX. The Opening of the Struggle
+
+       X. Getting Ready for Bigger Things
+
+      XI. The Attack on the Power-house
+
+     XII. The Attack on the Munition-shops and its Sequel
+
+    XIII. The German Counter-stroke
+
+     XIV. Schenk at Work Again
+
+      XV. The Dash
+
+     XVI. In the Ardennes
+
+    XVII. Cutting the Line
+
+   XVIII. Reprisals
+
+     XIX. A Further Blow
+
+      XX. Across the Frontier
+
+     XXI. The Great Coup
+
+
+
+
+Illustrations
+
+
+Like a whirlwind they flung themselves upon the hated foe
+
+Both lads began to hurl the great stones upon the German soldiery
+
+A cloth was clapped over the soldier's nose and mouth
+
+"It's all right; we're friends"
+
+The two watchers gave a loud full-throated British cheer
+
+
+
+
+TWO DARING YOUNG PATRIOTS
+
+Or, Outwitting the Huns
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+Trouble in the Crew
+
+
+"Here come Benson's!"
+
+The speaker leaned over the edge of the tow-path and watched an
+eight-oared boat swing swiftly round a bend in the river a hundred yards
+away and come racing up to the landing-stage.
+
+"Eee--sy all--l!" came in a sing-song from the coxswain, perched, for
+better sight, half upon the rear canvas, and eight oars instantly
+feathered the water as their boat slanted swiftly in towards the shore.
+
+"Hold her, Seven."
+
+With almost provoking sloth, after the smartly executed movements
+already described, Number Seven dug his oar deeply into the water,
+making up somewhat for his tardiness by the fierceness of the movement.
+The nose of the boat turned outwards almost with a jerk, and the craft
+slid in close to and parallel with the landing-stage.
+
+"Seven's got the sulks again, Jones," commented the watcher on shore, a
+middle schoolboy named Walters, as he eyed the proceedings critically.
+"His time's bad. It's just as well they get to work to-morrow."
+
+"Yes," assented his companion. "But, you know, it beats me why they
+didn't put Montgomery at stroke instead of seven. He's a far better oar
+than Durend--the best in the school--and it would have upset nobody."
+
+"His style may be better," admitted Walters a little reluctantly, "but
+he hasn't got that tremendous shove off the stretcher that makes the
+other so useful a man to follow. Besides, he has too much temper to be
+able to nurse and humour the lame ducks and bring them on as Durend has
+done."
+
+"Maybe--his temper certainly doesn't look sweet at the moment," replied
+Jones, gazing with a grim sort of amusement at Montgomery as the latter
+released his oar from the rowlock and stepped out of the boat, his
+handsome clean-cut face sadly marred by an undeniably ugly scowl.
+
+"Durend's work isn't showy, but I hear that Benson thinks a lot of it,"
+Walters went on. "It's a pity Monty takes it so badly, for the crew has
+come along immensely and with ordinary luck ought to make a cert of it."
+
+"Riggers!" the stroke of the crew sang out, and the crew leaned out from
+the landing-stage and grasped the boat. "Lift!" and the boat was lifted
+clear of the water and up the slope to the boat-house hard by.
+
+From bow to stern the faces of the crew were smiling and cheerful,
+albeit streaming with perspiration, as they passed through the admiring
+knot of their school-fellows assembled to watch them in. All, that is,
+save Seven, aforesaid, and Stroke, who looked downcast, and whose lips
+were set firmly as though he found his task no very pleasant one, but
+had nevertheless made up his mind to see it through.
+
+In the dressing-room Montgomery vented his ill-humour somewhat
+pettishly, flinging his scarf and sweater anyhow into his locker and his
+dirty rowing boots violently after them. "I don't care a fig whether we
+win or lose," he growled. "I'm sick of being hectored by a coach who
+never was an oar, and a stroke who knows about as much about rowing as
+my grandmother."
+
+"Shut up, Monty!" replied another member of the crew good-naturedly.
+"Another week and it will be all over, and we shall be at the Head of
+the River for the first time--what?"
+
+The thought of Benson's first victory in its history seemed, if
+anything, to incense Montgomery still more, for he glared angrily at
+Durend's set face and went on: "It's always _my_ time or _my_ swing
+that's wrong, too, when everyone used to say that I was the best oar in
+the school. Bah! it's to cover up his own faults that he's always
+blaming me. For two pins I'd resign, Durend; and I will, too, if you're
+not a deal more careful."
+
+"You needn't," replied Durend shortly, but with a significance that was
+not lost upon those present.
+
+"What d'ye mean?" demanded Montgomery.
+
+"You're no longer in the crew."
+
+"What! _You_ turn me out? I'll take that from Benson, and from no one
+else, my boy!"
+
+"Mr. Benson has left it to me, and I say you're no longer in the crew,"
+replied Durend coldly, and with no hint of triumph in his voice. He
+knew, in fact, that his action was probably the death-knell of all the
+hopes of his crew.
+
+Montgomery's face blazed with passion, and he sprang violently upon
+Durend and struck fiercely at him. The two boys nearest grasped him and
+dragged him back, though not before he had left his mark in an
+angry-looking blotch upon the left cheek of his former chief. Through it
+all Durend said no word. He merely defended himself, looking, indeed, as
+though only half his mind were present, his interest in the matter being
+far out-weighed by concern for the threatened destruction of his beloved
+crew, the object of his deepest thoughts and hopes for a period of six
+crowded weeks.
+
+The incident closed, for, Montgomery's first anger over, he saw the
+foolishness of making so much of losing a seat he had all along affected
+to despise. The crew dispersed, and soon the affair was the talk of the
+whole school. Benson's--the favourites--crippled by the loss of their
+Seven on the very eve of the race! Stroke and Seven at blows! Stroke
+licked, and no doubt spoiled for the race! The news, soon distorted out
+of all recognition, provided Hawkesley with matter for gossip such as it
+had not enjoyed for many a long day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+The Races
+
+
+"Well, Stroke?" asked the Benson's cox, as the two slowly made their way
+from the boat-house towards the school. "What's to do now? I'm afraid
+we're done for. Mind," he went on in another tone, "I'm not blaming you.
+Any other fellow with a spark of spirit in him would have jibbed. But
+have you counted the cost?"
+
+"Yes, Dale, I've counted the cost, and know what I'm going to do."
+
+"So?"
+
+"Three must come down to Seven and Franklin must come into the boat at
+Three. If only we had a week of practice before us I should not fear for
+the result, but to-morrow----"
+
+Stroke's voice died away as he dug his hands deeply into his trousers
+pockets and walked moodily on. Suddenly he turned to his companion:
+"After all," he said, "we may stand a chance. If not on the first day or
+two of the races, then on the last. Rout out Franklin for me, Dale, and
+tell him what's afoot, and that we row at seven this evening with him at
+Three. Then tell the others. There'll be no hard work, only a paddle to
+help Franklin find the swing. One thing--he's fit enough."
+
+"Yes, and I must say we have you to thank for that, old boy. Those runs
+before breakfast that used to make Monty so savage have done us a good
+turn by keeping Franklin fit, not to mention the occasional tubbing we
+have given him."
+
+"Aye, he's not bad; and if the rest of the crew buck up well we may yet
+do things. Now good-bye, Dale, until seven o'clock! See that every man
+is ready stripped sharp to time for me, for I must now see Benson, and
+tell him all my plans."
+
+The further news that Benson's were going out again with their spare man
+at Three, coming upon the sensational story of the quarrel between
+Stroke and Seven, spread like wildfire through the school. Every boy who
+was at all interested in the Eights--and who was not?--made a note of
+the matter, and promised himself that he would be there and see the fun
+for himself.
+
+When seven o'clock arrived, therefore, the tow-path in front of Benson's
+boat-house was thronged with boys; some there in a spirit of foreboding,
+to see how their own crew shaped after its heavy misfortune, some to
+rejoice at the evidence they expected to see of the impending
+discomfiture of a redoubtable foe, some to jeer generally, and others--a
+few, but the more noisy--in out-and-out hostility to the crew which had
+turned out from among its number their favourite, Montgomery. So great
+was the crowd that the crew had almost to push its way through the
+press, at close quarters with a medley of cheers and groans that did not
+do the nerves of some of them much good.
+
+The outing was a short one. Mr. Benson, who had coached the crew himself
+so far as his time permitted, did not put in an appearance, and Durend
+had the field to himself. All he did was to set an easy stroke, and to
+leave Dale, as cox, to keep a sharp watch upon the time and swing of
+Three and Seven. The change naturally upset the rhythm of the crew a
+little, but not so much as was generally expected. In fact, on the
+return to the boat-house, cheers predominated, as though others besides
+themselves had been agreeably surprised.
+
+The Eights week at Hawkesley always stood out prominently from the rest
+of the year as a kind of landmark. It marked the highest point of the
+constant struggle between the several Houses into which the school was
+divided, and all energies were therefore concentrated upon it for weeks
+in advance. As may have been surmised, the Eights races were not direct
+contests, with heats, semi-finals, and finals, but bumping races, for
+the little River Suir would hardly permit of anything else. For a short
+stretch or two, perhaps, a couple of boats might have raced abreast, but
+it would not have been possible to have found a reasonably full course
+for a race to be decided in that way. Consequently the boats were
+anchored to the shore four boat-lengths behind one another, and by the
+rules of the game they were required to give chase to one another, and
+to touch or bump the boat in front to score a win.
+
+A win meant that the victors and vanquished changed places, and the
+whole essence of the contest was that the stronger crews gradually
+fought their way forward into the van of the line of boats. There were
+six Houses to the school, and the same number of crews competed, for the
+honour of their respective Houses. Six days were allotted to the task,
+and it was no wonder that the crews had to see to it that they were in
+first-rate condition, for racing for six days out of seven was bound to
+try them hard.
+
+The legacy left the Benson crew by their comrades of the year before was
+the position No. 3 in the line. The position the year before that had
+been No. 5, so it was not surprising that the Bensonites had great hopes
+that this year would see them higher still. Cradock's was just in front
+of them, with Colson's at the Head. Both were strong crews, and so was
+Johnson's, just behind--too strong, indeed, for Durend to feel very
+comfortable with an unknown quantity at his back.
+
+The race was timed to start at eleven, and a minute or two before the
+hour all the crews had taken up their position, stripped and made ready.
+The crews were too far apart for signals by word of mouth or by pistol
+to be effective, so a gun was fired from the bank--one discharge "Get
+ready!" two "Off!" and three--after a lapse of ten minutes--as the
+"Finish".
+
+"Boom!" went the first gun, and men ceased trying their stretchers or
+signalling to their friends on shore. A few words of caution from the
+stroke, and then all was still in tense expectation. The mooring-ropes
+were slipped, and the boats left free to move slowly forward with the
+stream.
+
+"Boom!" Simultaneously forty-eight oars dipped and churned the water
+into foam. Like hounds suddenly unleashed, the six boats leapt forward
+and began their desperate chase upon the waters of the Suir.
+
+The strongest point of Benson's crew had been its lightning start, and
+Durend had always counted upon this giving him at least half a length's
+advantage at the outset. Striking the water at his usual rate, he
+hoped--almost against hope--that this advantage still remained to him.
+Less than half a dozen strokes, however, were sufficient to convince him
+that the hope was a vain one. The perfect swing of the boat was marred
+by a jar that became more pronounced with every stroke. He knew well
+enough what it was: it was the new half-trained man, Franklin, vainly
+trying to keep up the pace of a trained crew.
+
+It was a bitter disappointment, but Durend was not one to let such
+feelings cloud his judgment, and without a moment's hesitation he let
+his racing start fall away into a long, steady swing. Victory--for the
+moment, at any rate--must be left to others, while his crew were brought
+back once more to the swing and rhythm they had lost.
+
+For some time Durend kept his stroke long and steady, and the boat
+travelled evenly and well, though at no great pace. By that time
+Cradock's, in front, were almost lost to sight, but Johnson's, behind,
+were very much within view, and coming up fast. The situation seemed so
+critical that Dale at last could contain himself no longer. For some
+minutes he had been nervously glancing back at the nose of the boat
+creeping up behind, and wondering when he must forsake his straight
+course for the forlorn hope of an attempt to elude the bump by a pull at
+the rudder line.
+
+"Durend, they'll have us, if you don't draw away a little."
+
+Durend nodded. He had not been unmindful of the boat creeping up behind,
+but he had a problem, and no easy one, to settle. Should he press his
+crew to the utmost, or should he hold his hand for another time? It was
+a terribly difficult thing to decide for the best, with Johnson's
+creeping up and every fibre in him revolting against surrender and
+calling out for a desperate spurt right up to the end.
+
+Suddenly Durend quickened up. His men were waiting and longing for a
+spurt and caught it up at once. But again the swing was marred by
+Franklin's inability to support the terrific pace. After the first
+stroke or two the boat began to roll heavily, the form and time became
+ragged, and there was much splashing.
+
+One glance at Dale's agonized face and Durend again allowed his stroke
+to drop back into its former steady swing, and doggedly, with
+sternly-set face, plugged away as before, refusing to look again at the
+crew drawing inexorably up behind. Twice the boats overlapped, but both
+times Dale managed, by skilful steering, to avoid a bump. The third time
+no trick of steering could avoid the issue, and the nose of the Johnson
+boat grated triumphantly along the side of Benson's.
+
+At the touch, both crews ceased rowing. The race for them was ended for
+that day at least, and they could watch and see how the other crews had
+fared. But the other races were also over, for the third and last "Boom"
+rang out within a few seconds of the termination of their own.
+
+Defeat is always hard to bear, and the Benson crew were no exception to
+the rule. It was obvious to every one of them that they had not been
+allowed to have their full fling, and angry and discontented thoughts
+surged into the brains of the disappointed men as they leaned over their
+oars and tried not to hear the jubilant chatter of those insufferable
+Johnsonites. Why had Stroke set so wretchedly slow a stroke that defeat
+was certain? The members of the beaten crew were, for the most part,
+fresher far than the winning crew. Why had not Stroke given them the
+opportunity of rowing themselves right out instead of tamely
+surrendering thus?
+
+No answers to these discontented queries were forthcoming. Durend could
+have spoken, but would not. Dale might have spoken; for though he knew
+not the plans of his chief, his position at the rudder enabled him to
+conjecture a great deal. But he, too, was dumb. So it was that the
+Benson crew could answer the questions of their distressed friends only
+by referring them with disparaging shrugs of the shoulders to their
+worthy Stroke.
+
+Durend had never been a popular boy. He was respected for his steady
+persistence and his capacity for unlimited hard work, but popular he
+could not be said to be, even with his crew. He held himself rather
+aloof, and never really took them into his confidence. He seemed to
+think that if he did his best as Stroke, both in rowing and in
+generalship, he had done all that was necessary. His plans, his hopes,
+and his fears he kept strictly to himself. Why worry his men about them?
+he reasoned, and in the main, no doubt, he was right, though he carried
+it much too far. As a consequence the crew, with the possible exception
+of Dale, were left to conjecture his reasons for all that he did, and in
+most cases to put a wrong construction upon them.
+
+But, though they growled, they were too sportsmanlike and too loyal to
+their House to do more, and 11 a.m. next day saw them at their places
+every bit as eager as before. This time, without a doubt, they told one
+another, Durend would set them a faster stroke and give them a chance to
+show the stuff they were made of.
+
+Unhappily they were doomed to fresh disappointment. Twice, indeed,
+Durend quickened up his stroke, but almost immediately he felt the time
+and swing of the crew again becoming ragged. In his judgment it was
+useless to persist in hope of an improvement; so, with the decisiveness
+that was one of his chief characteristics, he promptly dropped his
+stroke back into his old rate of striking. His men fretted and fumed
+behind him, and one or two even went so far as to shout aloud for a
+spurt. A sharp reprimand was all they got for their trouble, and in high
+dudgeon they relapsed again into a savage silence. Fortunately, though
+they saw nothing of the crew ahead, they managed to keep a length of
+clear water between them and the weak Crawford crew travelling in their
+wake.
+
+No cheers heralded their return. The doings of Benson's attracted little
+attention now, for all interest had centred upon the desperate struggles
+between the three leading boats, Cradock's, Colson's, and Johnson's--for
+the first two had now changed places. It is almost as hard to be ignored
+as to be scoffed at, and it was a very sore crew indeed that put their
+craft upon its rack that day and filed upstairs to the dressing-room of
+Benson's boat-house.
+
+Self-contained and preoccupied though he was, Durend could not help
+noticing that his conduct of the races was being severely and adversely
+commented upon. But he only shrugged his shoulders, hurried on his
+clothes, and left the building perhaps a little more quickly than usual.
+Some strokes would have given explanations to their crews, but it never
+occurred to Durend to do so. Dale followed him from the room.
+
+"See here, Max," he said, as he overtook him, "I think you should know
+that our fellows are tremendously sick at the poor show we are making.
+They feel that your stroking of the crew is not giving them a fair
+chance."
+
+Durend stopped abruptly. "So long as I am stroke, Dale, I shall set the
+stroke I think proper. I am doing what I think is best for the crew, and
+shall follow it out until the last race is over--lost or won."
+
+"I know, I know, old man," replied Dale hastily. "But what is your game
+really? You must know you can't win races with a funereal stroke like
+that, so what's the good of trying it?"
+
+Durend opened his lips as though about to make an angry reply.
+Apparently he thought better of it, for he closed them again, and for
+some minutes walked on in silence. When he spoke it was in the quiet
+measured tones of one who has thought out his subject and has no doubts
+in his own mind of the wisdom of his conclusions.
+
+"After six weeks' hard work, Dale, we've managed to get the crew into
+pretty good form--everybody says so. Is it all to be lightly thrown
+away? Can we really expect Franklin to keep up the pace of the rest of
+us without rushing his slide, bucketing, or something of the sort? Can
+we now?"
+
+Dale, but half convinced, returned to the charge. "Well, I don't know.
+Something's got to be done. I heard three of the fellows just now
+whispering something about asking Benson to put Montgomery back in the
+boat."
+
+"Where?"
+
+Dale hesitated.
+
+"I see. At stroke. Well, I may be prejudiced, but I don't think it would
+answer, old man. Anyhow, we'll leave all that to Benson, and those three
+fellows too. Come, Dale, I'm sick of thinking about this, so let's try
+and talk about something a little more cheerful."
+
+Dale was a light-hearted, cheery fellow enough, and found no difficulty
+in turning the talk into other and more pleasant topics. The two, though
+so opposite in point of character and physique, were very good friends.
+Dale was a slim, lightly-built young fellow of eighteen, with a fair
+complexion and an open boyish face. He was a general favourite, and,
+though not athletically inclined, was always ready to assist in acting
+cox or kindred work. Max Durend was dark-complexioned, somewhat
+reserved, and of a more thoughtful disposition. He also was eighteen
+years of age, was of medium height but strongly built, and possessed a
+great capacity for hard work. As has already been explained, he was not
+popular, and that may have been partly due to his reserve, and partly to
+the fact that he was only half English, namely on his mother's side.
+
+The race on the following day was even less exhilarating than the last.
+Benson's still rowed at their provokingly slow stroke, simply retaining
+their position at No. 4, while Johnson's and Colson's, after a terrific
+struggle, changed places. Thus Cradock's remained at the Head with the
+Johnson and Colson crews second and third.
+
+It needed all Dale's persuasion and plentiful supply of hopeful
+suppositions (partly derived from his talk with Durend, but mostly made
+up out of his own head) to keep the Benson crew from breaking out into
+open revolt. Every day they had finished the race half fresh, and not
+one of them could see the use of parading up and down the course as
+though uncertain whether they were in the race or not.
+
+And through it all Mr. Benson just looked grimly on, indifferent,
+apparently, to all their woes, and said no word save a little--a very
+little--commendation, no doubt intended to keep them from entering the
+very last stages of despair. It seemed as though he had given the whole
+thing up as a bad job, and did not intend to interest himself further in
+the matter.
+
+Another day came just like the last, and listlessly the dispirited crew
+turned their oars on the feather and waited for the signal to start.
+Quite suddenly they woke up to the fact that Stroke was leaning back
+towards them and speaking.
+
+"Now, you fellows," he was saying in a quiet but tense voice, "I am
+going to give you a racing start at last. See to it, then, that you pick
+it up and keep it. Don't forget. Franklin, I rely upon you to do your
+utmost to keep up with us. Now, boys!"
+
+"Boom!"
+
+There was scarcely a soul about to see Benson's start; nearly everyone
+was watching the struggles going on ahead, where strong crews were
+striving in the last days to secure and hold a higher position for the
+Houses they had been called to represent. So it was that the Benson
+start passed unnoticed until it dawned upon Colson's, the crew ahead,
+that the Benson boat had drawn unaccountably nearer. And Benson's, too!
+It could only be a fluke, and with that conviction Colson's settled down
+grimly to the task of shaking them off.
+
+But somehow or other it did not seem at all easy to shake them off. In
+fact, to their dismay, the end of the great spurt saw the gap between
+the boats no wider. Suddenly, too, Benson's spurted in their turn, and
+the nose of their boat drew closer at a speed that wellnigh paralysed
+Colson's.
+
+Indeed, in the Benson boat, the pent-up energies of three days of
+enforced self-restraint were being let loose in a series of desperate
+spurts for the mastery. Even Durend could contain himself no longer, and
+Franklin, though he had not yet reached anything like the form of the
+rest of the crew, was yet able to do his part in the struggle with a
+fair measure of success. Within five minutes of the start Benson's had
+overlapped Colson's, and, almost immediately after, the bump came.
+
+We need not describe the joy and relief in the Benson crew at their
+unexpected victory--unexpected to all of them, for even Durend, though
+he had hoped and planned, had not anticipated it so soon. To the rest of
+the school the whole affair was so unexpected as to be stupefying. Only
+the most penetrating and experienced observers could give a reason for
+their sudden recovery, and the remainder explained away the sensational
+victory by a disparaging reference to the utter weakness of Colson's.
+Had not Colson's dropped in three days from Head of the River to No. 3,
+and was that not enough proof of weakness? they argued. Gradually the
+general view crystallized down to the opinion that Benson's had had
+their fling, and could hope to make no impression upon the two really
+strong crews now in front of them.
+
+Nevertheless, though this seemed the general opinion, the following
+morning found the whole school on the tow-path opposite the Benson boat.
+No one wanted to see the struggle between Cradock's and Johnson's, but
+everyone was anxious to see the start of the Benson crew, and to learn
+whether any fresh surprises were in store for them.
+
+There could be no doubt about the spirit of the crew. Hope and
+confidence seemed to exude from every pore, and it was clear that for
+them the week was only just beginning. At the report of the gun, Durend
+took his men away with a racing start that recalled those they had made
+before Montgomery left the crew. The form was well kept; even Franklin,
+who had improved rapidly with every day's work, keeping well in with the
+swing of the rest of the crew. Dropping the stroke a little soon after
+the start, Durend led them along with a strong, lively stroke that was
+soon seen to be gaining them ground slowly, foot by foot, upon their old
+foe, the Johnson crew. The latter were, however, in no mood to yield an
+inch if they could help it, and made spurt after spurt in the desperate
+endeavour to keep well away.
+
+For the first eight or nine minutes of the race, Durend did not allow
+himself to be flurried into any answering spurt. He knew that he was
+within reach, and to him that was, for the time, sufficient. His watch
+was strapped to the stretcher between his feet, and he was carefully
+measuring the time he could allow Johnson's before calling them to
+strict account.
+
+It wanted one minute to the time when the finishing gun would boom out
+before Durend quickened up. His men were waiting in confident
+expectation for that moment, and answered like one man. From the very
+feel of the stroke they had known what a reserve of power their stroke
+and comrades possessed, and they flung themselves into the spurt with
+all the energy of conscious strength. The boat leapt to the touch, and
+up and up, nearer and nearer, the nose of their craft crept to the boat
+ahead.
+
+A hoarse and frantic appeal from the stroke of the Johnson boat, and his
+men strove to answer and stave off that terrible spurt. But they had
+spurted too often already, and another and a greater was more than they
+could bear. Their time became ragged; some splashed and dragged, and the
+boat was a beaten one before the end came.
+
+It was a thrilling moment when the boats bumped, and the straggling
+crowds upon the tow-path shouted and yelled with delight and deepest
+appreciation. Rarely had there been such a race in the school's annals;
+never one in which the winning crew had thus fought its way up from
+previous failure and defeat.
+
+After witnessing that achievement, the opinion of the school veered
+completely round, and everyone confidently predicted that Benson's would
+win their way to the Head of the River on the following morning. It had
+now become as clear as noonday to all that the stroke of Benson's had
+been playing that most difficult of all games, the waiting game. He had
+held his crew inexorably in until the new man had had time to settle
+down into his place and catch the form and time of the rest of the crew.
+Clearly, too, the crew was rowing better every day, and no one believed
+that Cradock's would be able to keep them off in the full tide of their
+swing to victory.
+
+This time the opinion of the school was right, and the following day
+Benson's caught up and bumped Cradock's within three minutes of the
+start. They had settled down and become a great crew, confident in
+themselves and even more confident in the power and judgment of their
+Stroke.
+
+The ovation they received on the return to their boat-house they long
+remembered. The noisy and enthusiastic tumult was indeed something to
+remember and be proud of, but to Durend the few words of commendation of
+Mr. Benson counted for far more.
+
+"Well done, Durend!" he said simply. "I saw you knew your business, and
+that is why I did not interfere. But even I did not expect so splendid a
+success. Your men have done well indeed, but it is to you and your
+fixity of purpose our win is mainly due. I have never known an
+apparently more hopeless chase; and, to you others, I say that it shows
+that there is almost nothing that fixity of purpose will not achieve in
+the long run."
+
+Even more pleasurable were the words of Montgomery, touched with real
+contrition, as he grasped his old Stroke by the hand and begged his
+pardon for doubting his ability and power to stroke a crew to victory.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+Max Durend at Home
+
+
+It was only two days after the close of the races when the head master
+called Durend into his room. He held a slip of paper in his hand, and in
+rather a grave voice informed the lad that his father was seriously ill.
+His mother had cabled for his return, and he was to get ready to catch
+the 2.15 train for Harwich at once.
+
+Max obeyed. His preparations did not take long, and there was still a
+little time to spare before he needed to start; therefore he sought out
+Dale to say good-bye.
+
+"But you will come back, of course, Durend?" the erstwhile cox
+protested, rather struck by the earnestness of his friend's adieu.
+
+"I have a feeling that I shall not, Dale. I cannot help it, but I keep
+on acting almost unconsciously as though this were the last I shall see
+of Hawkesley."
+
+"Don't say that, Max. Why should you think your father is so ill as all
+that? The cablegram doesn't say so. No, I can't take that. You simply
+_must_ come back. There are lots of things we have promised to do
+together."
+
+"Can't help it, Dale. But there's one thing you must promise me before I
+go, and that is, that if I should not come back you will come over and
+see me. Spend a fortnight at our place at Liége in the summer--eh?"
+
+"You're coming back, old man," replied Dale with determination. "But all
+the same, I will give you the promise if you like. My uncle and
+aunt--all the relatives I have--would not mind, I know."
+
+"Thanks, old man--you shall have a good time."
+
+Presently Durend left, and in forty-eight hours he was back in his own
+home in Belgium on the outskirts of Liége. Prompt as he had been, he
+found he was too late, for his father had died at the time he was on the
+boat on the way to Antwerp.
+
+Though not altogether unexpected, the blow was a severe one to Max
+Durend. He had been very fond of his father, who had latterly treated
+him more as a chum than anything else, and had talked much to him of his
+plans for the time when he could assist him in his business. His mother
+was, of course, even more upset, and though Max and his sister, a girl
+of twelve, did their best to comfort her, she was quite prostrated for
+some days.
+
+It was now more than ever necessary that Max should enter his father's
+business, and, when old and experienced enough, endeavour to carry it
+on. From the nature of the business it was evident that this was no
+light task, and would require a great deal of training and an immense
+amount of hard work if it were to be done successfully. But the prospect
+of hard work did not appeal Max, and within a fortnight of his father's
+death he was busy learning the details of the vast business carried on
+under his name.
+
+Monsieur Durend had been the proprietor of very large iron and steel
+foundries and workshops in Liége. The business was an immense one, and,
+beside the manufacture of all kinds of machinery and railway material,
+worked for its own benefit several coal and iron mines, all of which
+were in the district or on the outskirts of the town. The business had
+been a very flourishing one, and had been largely under the personal
+direction of the proprietor, assisted by his manager, M. Otto Schenk, to
+whose ability and energy, M. Durend was always ready to acknowledge, it
+owed much of its success. The latter was now, of course, the mainstay of
+the business, and it was with every confidence in his ability that
+Madame Durend appointed him general manager with almost unlimited
+powers.
+
+M. Schenk was indeed a man to impress people at the outset with a sense
+of strength and of power to command. He was over six feet in height,
+broad, but with rather sloping shoulders, and very stoutly built. His
+head, large itself, almost seemed to merge in a greater neck, and both
+were held stiffly erect as he glowered at the world through cold and
+rather protruding eyes, much as a drill-instructor glares at his pupils.
+He was florid-complexioned, with short, closely-cropped grey hair and a
+short, stubby, dirty-white moustache. Of his grasp of the affairs of the
+firm and his business ability generally, people were not so immediately
+impressed as they were with his power to command, but they invariably
+learned to appreciate this side of his character in time.
+
+The matter of the direction of the affairs of the firm settled to
+everyone's satisfaction, the question as to what was to be done with Max
+came up for discussion.
+
+"I think it will be best, Max, if you go into M. Schenk's office and
+assist him there," said Madame Durend at last. "You will there pick up
+the threads of the business, and when you are two or three years older
+we can consider what we are going to do."
+
+"But, Mother," replied Max, "that was not the way Father learned his
+business. You have often proudly told me how he used to work as a simple
+mechanic, going from shop to shop and learning all he could of the
+practical side of the different processes. How he then bought a small
+business, extended it and extended it, until it grew to its present
+size. And the whole secret of his success was that he knew the work so
+thoroughly from top to bottom that he could depend upon his own
+knowledge, and needed not to be in the hands of men with more knowledge
+of detail but vastly less capacity than himself."
+
+"Yes, Max, that is true; but the business is now built up, and is so big
+that it does not seem necessary for you to go through all that. We have
+an able manager, and from him you can learn all that you will ever need
+to know of the work of directing the affairs of the firm."
+
+"I should then never know the work thoroughly. I should always be
+dependent upon those who had learned the practical side of the work,
+Mother. Let me spend a year or two in learning it from the bottom. I
+shall enjoy the work, and shall then feel far more confidence in
+myself."
+
+Max spoke earnestly, and his mother could see that he was longing to
+throw himself heart and soul into the work. It was, indeed, the spirit
+in which he had flung himself into the task of lifting Benson's to the
+Head of the River over again. Though she had a mother's dislike to the
+idea of her son's donning blouse and apron and working cheek by jowl
+with the workmen, she had also a clear perception that it would be a
+mistake to discourage such energy and thoroughness. She therefore
+resolved to consult M. Schenk on the morrow, and, if he saw no special
+objection, to allow Max to have his way.
+
+M. Schenk did see several objections, foremost among which was his view
+that for the master's son to work like a common workman would tend to
+lessen the present extremely strict discipline in the workshops. Max,
+however, scouted such an idea as an unfair reflection on the men, and
+continued to press his point of view most strenuously. In the end he
+managed to get his way, and within a week had started work at the firm's
+smelting furnaces.
+
+This story does not, however, deal with the experiences of Max Durend in
+learning the various activities of the great manufactory founded by his
+father. It will, therefore, suffice if we relate one incident that had,
+in the sequel, an important influence upon his career, an incident, too,
+that gives an insight into his character and that of the different
+classes of workmen that would, in the course of time, come under his
+control.
+
+Max was at the time working at a huge turret lathe in one of the
+turning-shops. Around him were other workmen similarly engaged. Across
+the room ran numerous great leather driving-bands, running at high speed
+and driving the great machines with which the place was filled.
+Apparently the material of one of the driving-bands was faulty, for it
+suddenly parted, slipped off the driving-wheels, and became entangled in
+one of the other bands. As this spun round the loose band caught in the
+machine close by, wrenched it from its foundation and turned it over on
+its side, pinning down to the floor the workman attending to it.
+
+The man gave a screech as he was borne down, a screech that was broken
+off short as the heavy machine fell partly upon his neck and chest,
+choking him with its fell weight. A straggling cry of alarm was raised
+by the other workmen who witnessed the tragic occurrence, and many
+pressed forward to his aid. But the great band which had done the
+mischief was being carried round and round by the driving-band in which
+it had become entangled, and was viciously flogging the air and floor
+all about the stricken man.
+
+Some of the men shouted for the engines to be stopped, others ran for
+something that could be interposed to take the rain of blows from the
+flying band. Max, however, saw that something more prompt than this was
+necessary. From the look on the man's face it was clear that if the
+pressure on his throat and chest were not immediately relaxed he would
+be choked to death.
+
+Crawling forward beneath the flogging band, and bowing his head to its
+pitiless flagellations, Max grasped the overturned machine and strove to
+lift it off the unfortunate man. The weight was altogether too great for
+him to lift unaided, but he found he could raise it a fraction of an
+inch and enable the man to gain a little breath.
+
+Holding it thus, Max grimly stood his ground with his head down, his
+teeth firmly set, and his back arched against the rhythmic rain of blows
+from the great band. Soon the clothes were flogged from off his back,
+and the band touched the bare skin. Almost fainting, he held on, for the
+eyes of the man below him were staring up at him with a look of dumb and
+frightened entreaty that roused in him all the strength of mind and
+fixity of purpose he possessed.
+
+The shouts for the engines to be stopped at last prevailed. The bands
+revolved more slowly, and then ceased altogether. Many willing hands
+were laid upon the overturned machine, and it was lifted off the
+prostrate man just as Max's strength gave out, and he sank limply to the
+floor in a deep swoon.
+
+Neither Max nor the workman was seriously injured. Both had had a severe
+shock, and Max, in addition, had wounds that, while not dangerous, were
+extremely painful. After six weeks at Ostend, however, he was himself
+again, and ready to continue his work in yet another branch of the
+firm's activities. This time he was to learn the miner's craft, and to
+see for himself all that appertained to the trade of hewing out coal and
+iron from the interior of the earth and lifting it to the surface.
+
+On the evening of his return to Liége from Ostend he was sitting in his
+study alone, reading up the subject that was to be unfolded in actual
+practice before his gaze on the morrow, when there came a knock at the
+door.
+
+"Come in," he yelled.
+
+The door opened, and the maid ushered in a middle-aged workman in his
+Sunday clothes, accompanied by a woman whom Max guessed to be his wife.
+The man he recognized at once as the workman he had succoured in the
+accident to the driving-band.
+
+"Monsieur Dubec--he would come in," explained the servant deprecatingly,
+as she withdrew and closed the door.
+
+The man looked furtively at Max, twisted his cap nervously in his hands,
+and stood gazing down at the floor in sheepish silence. His wife was
+less ill at ease, and, after nudging her spouse ineffectually once or
+twice, blurted out rapidly:
+
+"He has come, Monsieur, to thank you for saving his life, and to tell
+you that he will work for you and serve you so long as he lives. He is
+my man, and I say the same, Monsieur, though I do not work in the shops,
+and cannot help. But if ever ye should want aught done, Monsieur, send
+for Madame Dubec, and she will serve you with all her heart in any way
+you wish."
+
+The woman spoke in a trembling voice, and with a deep and earnest
+sincerity that showed how much she was moved. Her emotion, indeed,
+communicated itself to Max, and he felt as tongue-tied as the man Dubec
+himself. It had somehow not occurred to him that he would be thanked,
+and the whole thing took him by surprise. Still, he had to say
+something, and he struggled to find something that would put them at
+their ease.
+
+"I am sure you will, Madame Dubec, and I will remember your offer
+indeed. But make not too much of what I have done. I was near at hand,
+and came forward first, but many of your husband's comrades were as
+ready, though not quite so quick. It was the aid of one comrade given to
+another, and one day it may be my turn to receive and your husband's to
+give."
+
+The man shook his head vigorously in dissent, and in so doing seemed to
+find his tongue.
+
+"Nay, sir, 'tis much more than that. Some there are who would have
+helped; but the more part of my fellow-workmen would not lift a hand to
+help another in distress. As ye must have noticed, sir, there are two
+classes of men in your father's works. There are the Belgians born and
+bred, who loved your father and hated, and still hate, the tyrant Schenk
+and the German-speaking workmen who have joined in such numbers of late
+that we others fear a time will soon come for us to go. The Belgians are
+good comrades, and would have come to my aid had they the quickness to
+have known what to do. The others would have seen me die unmoved--I know
+it."
+
+"But they, too, are Belgians, are they not?"
+
+"Aye, sir, they are Belgians so far as the law can tell; but they speak
+not our tongue, and are not really of us."
+
+"They are good workmen, and M. Schenk thinks much of them."
+
+"True. But they do not hold with the rest of us, and we do not like
+them. Nor do we trust them, sir."
+
+The man spoke in an earnest, almost a warning, tone, and Max looked at
+him in some surprise. It seemed more than the mere jealousy of a Walloon
+at the presence of so many men, alien in tongue and race, in a business
+which had once been exclusively their own. Max had himself noticed the
+two classes of workmen, but had, if he thought about it at all, put it
+down as inevitable in a town so near the frontiers of three States.
+
+"Well, never mind them, Monsieur Dubec," he replied reassuringly. "They
+have not been with us long, and it may be they will be better comrades
+in a few years' time. And now good-bye! Think not too much of your
+accident, and it will be the better for you and me."
+
+"Good-bye, and may the bon Dieu bless you, sir!" replied both Monsieur
+and Madame Dubec in a fashion that told Max that he had gained two
+friends at least, and friends whose staunchness could be depended upon
+to the utmost.
+
+M. Schenk's view of the whole affair was blunt and to the point. "You
+are foolish," he said to Max, "to trouble yourself about these workmen.
+They are cattle, and it is always best to treat them as such. That has
+always been my way, and it has answered well. Consider them and humour
+them, and the next minute they want to strike for more. Bah! Keep them
+in their place; it is best so."
+
+"But," urged Max, quite distressed as he thought of Dubec, and recalled
+the accents of trembling sincerity of his spouse--"but surely many of
+them are better led than driven--the best of them, at any rate? I know
+little of business as yet, but something tells me that it is well for us
+to get the goodwill of our men."
+
+"It is not worth a straw," replied M. Schenk with conviction. "The
+goodwill, as you call it, of your managers, and perhaps even of your
+foremen, is of value, but the goodwill of your men--your rank and
+file--is of no account. So long as they obey, and obey promptly, you
+have all that is necessary to carry on even a great undertaking like
+this successfully."
+
+"Well," replied Max rather hotly, "all I can say is that when _I_ direct
+the affairs of the firm, I shall give the other thing a trial. I don't
+like the idea of treating men as cattle, and I cannot help thinking too
+many men have been discharged of late because they have shown a little
+spirit."
+
+M. Schenk looked at Max in a way that made the latter momentarily think
+he would like to strike him. Then the manager half turned away, as he
+replied in an almost contemptuous tone: "You will be older and wiser
+soon, and we shall then see whether any change will be made. Until then
+it is _I_ who direct the affairs of the firm, and it is _my_ policy
+which must prevail."
+
+Max felt uncommonly angry. He had been conscious for some time past that
+M. Schenk was acting as though he expected to rule the affairs of the
+firm for all time, and the thought galled him greatly. Was not he, Max,
+sweating and struggling through every workshop solely in order that he
+might fit himself to direct affairs? How was it, then, that this man, in
+his own mind, practically ignored him? Was it because he was so
+incompetent that the manager thought he never would be fit to take his
+place? Max certainly felt more angry than he had ever done before, and,
+unable to trust himself to speak, abruptly left the manager's presence
+and walked rapidly away.
+
+One good result the conversation had, and that was to redouble Max's
+ardour to learn, and learn thoroughly, every branch of the work in every
+part of the vast concern.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+The Cataclysm
+
+
+The second summer since Max Durend had left Hawkesley had come, and for
+the second time Max invited his friend Dale to come over to Liége and
+spend a few weeks with him. The previous summer they had spent most
+pleasantly on a walking-tour through the Ardennes, and they were now
+going to do the same thing along the Middle and Upper Rhine. Max had
+originally planned a tour in Holland, but M. Schenk recommended the
+Rhine valley as much more varied and picturesque, and Max had agreed
+readily enough to follow his recommendation.
+
+Behold them then setting out from Bonn railway station, knapsack on back
+and walking-stick in hand, full of spirits and go, for a four or five
+weeks' tramp, first through the Drachenfels and then on through the
+pretty Rhine-side villages, making a detour here and there to visit the
+more picturesque and broken country through which the Rhine made its
+way. They marched light, their only baggage besides their knapsacks
+being a large Gladstone shared between them. This they did not take with
+them, but used, merely to replenish their knapsacks occasionally with
+clean linen, by sending it along a week or so ahead of them to such
+towns as they expected to visit later on.
+
+Their days were full of happiness, peace, and contentment, and the last
+days of July, 1914, drew to a close all too rapidly for them. They knew
+next to nothing of the fearful storm brewing, until Dale happened,
+towards the end of the second week of their holidays, to take up and
+glance down the columns of a German newspaper lying on the table of the
+hotel at which they were about to dine. His knowledge of German was
+small, but was sufficient to enable him to grasp the purport of the
+thick headlines with which the journal was plentifully supplied.
+
+"Hullo, Max, look at this," he cried, pointing to the thick type.
+"German ultimatum to Russia. Immediate demobilization demanded." "That
+looks serious, eh?"
+
+"Phew! It does," cried Max, taking the paper and rapidly scanning the
+chief columns. "You may be sure that if Russia is in it France will be
+too. My hat! what a war it will be!"
+
+"Yes, and----By the way, this explains why those two Frenchmen we met at
+the hotel yesterday were in such a hurry to be off without waiting for
+breakfast. They had seen the news and were afraid that, if they didn't
+get back at once, they wouldn't get back at all."
+
+"That's it. There's one comfort, anyway, Dale, and that is, that neither
+of us is likely to be concerned. There seems no earthly reason why
+England or Belgium should come into this."
+
+"No, and a good job too. We have enough troubles of our own all over the
+world without butting in on the Continent."
+
+For the next few days Max and his friend were again more or less buried
+from the outer world. They had not, however, altogether forgotten the
+great events that were taking place, and on reaching Bingen went so far
+(for them) as to purchase a paper. Matters, they found, had grown far
+more serious. Germany was already at war with Russia and France, and had
+demanded of Belgium free passage for her troops to enter and attack
+France.
+
+Max was thunderstruck. He had never expected anything like this. That
+Belgium, peace-loving Belgium, with her neutrality guaranteed by
+practically all the great civilized Powers, should, in spite of it, be
+about to be forced into a great European war had seemed unthinkable. Yet
+so it was, and it seemed that war was inevitable, for Max did not
+believe Belgium would ever allow foreign troops to cross her territory
+to attack a country with which she was at peace. With Belgium, then, on
+the verge of war, it behoved him to look to his own safety; for it was
+obvious he was not safe where he was.
+
+"I think we had better make tracks for home, Dale," he said soberly. "I
+dare say I can pass with you as an Englishman, but it won't do to take
+risks. Our bag should be at the Central Post Office, so let us get it
+and take the first train back to Liége."
+
+"If there are any trains bound for the frontier that are not crammed
+with troops," responded Dale somewhat significantly.
+
+"Oh, shut up! Come along and let's see."
+
+They lost not a moment in getting their bag and having it conveyed to
+the railway station. Fully alive to the situation, they now kept their
+eyes well open and noticed things they would never have noticed before.
+For one thing, it struck them that the post office official who handed
+their bag over to them seemed decidedly over-curious, and remarked that
+he supposed they were going to the railway station. That was
+disconcerting enough, but when they arrived at the station, and were
+almost immediately accosted by a man whom they both remembered seeing
+inside the post office, they felt almost as though they were already
+under lock and key.
+
+Not that the man was unfriendly. He was quite the reverse. He seemed
+anxious to strike up an acquaintance, wished to know exactly where they
+were going, and gave them to understand that there was nothing he
+desired more than to be allowed the privilege of making a part of the
+journey with them.
+
+Max presently gave Dale a meaning glance. It was all very well for an
+Englishman like Dale, he felt, but for him, virtually a Belgian, the
+situation was wellnigh desperate.
+
+"I say, Dale," he said casually, "we must have some sandwiches to eat in
+the train. Stay here by the bag while I get some--or perhaps this
+gentleman wouldn't mind looking after it for a moment?"
+
+The young German hesitated a second, and then nodded. Max and his friend
+strolled coolly off, arm in arm, towards the refreshment buffet. Neither
+looked back, but their conversation was far from being as airy and
+unconcerned as their manner might have seemed to indicate.
+
+"We must leave the bag and get clear at once," cried Max emphatically.
+"The fellow has been set to watch us and see that we don't get out of
+the country. I think he must believe we are both English, and it
+therefore looks as though the Germans think England is on the point of
+coming in too. See, now, let us stroll quietly in at this door and slip
+out again at the end one. Then into the street and somewhere--no matter
+where--so long as it is out of the way of spying eyes."
+
+They did so with an unhurried celerity that might have deceived a
+smarter man than the supposed spy. Soon they were clear of the town and
+in the open country beyond, and it was not till then that they felt as
+though they could talk unrestrainedly together.
+
+"Now what shall we do, Max? Walk to the next station out from Bingen and
+see if we can get a train for home?" enquired Dale, not too hopefully.
+
+"No, old man; we must keep clear of railways and railway stations. Let
+us make tracks for the frontier as we are, and go all out."
+
+"It will be dark in another hour."
+
+"Never mind. We must foot it all night. We have no time to lose, and we
+must not throw away a single hour. In fact, it is hardly safe for us to
+be about in daylight anywhere. You look as English as they are made, and
+I'm not much better."
+
+"All right! I'm game for an all-night tramp. Come on."
+
+"We have about seven hours of darkness before us, and I reckon we ought
+to be able to do four miles an hour. That gives us about thirty miles.
+It's less than that to the frontier, and we ought to be able to manage
+it, even if we have to leave the road and cut straight across country.
+Come along; we'll keep to the road while we can, but if too risky we
+must go helter-skelter, plumb for the frontier."
+
+That night march neither of them is ever likely to forget. For an hour
+or so they tramped along the road unmolested. Then they began to find
+soldiers and policemen very much in evidence, and, fearing to be
+questioned, they left the road and took to the fields and open country.
+It was desperately rough going in many places, and instead of doing four
+miles an hour they could oftentimes do no more than two. But they stuck
+gamely to their task, and plodded steadily on all through the night,
+realizing more surely with every step they took that it was a plain case
+of now or never.
+
+For every time they neared a road they found it alive with soldiers, all
+marching steadily in one direction--towards the Belgian frontier. The
+still night air resounded with the tramp of innumerable feet, and now
+and again they could catch the distant rumble of heavy guns.
+
+When day broke they were still in Germany, but near the frontier, and in
+a sparsely peopled district. They were both nearly dead-beat, covered
+with mud from head to foot, and with their clothes torn half off their
+backs. It seemed a risky business to let themselves be seen anywhere in
+that condition, but finally Max chose a lonely farm-house, and, after
+cleaning himself up as much as possible, managed to make a purchase of a
+good supply of food. They then tramped on for another mile or two, ate a
+good meal, hid themselves in a dry ditch, and instantly dropped asleep.
+
+It was ten o'clock when they awoke, and after some discussion they
+decided to make the few miles between them and the border at once, and
+then to purchase cycles and press for home. This they did exactly as
+they planned, and, though often delayed and compelled to make wide
+detours to avoid bodies of German cavalry, they managed to reach Liége
+safely in the evening of the same day.
+
+The sights that met their gaze on the latter part of their journey made
+them doubly eager to get within the safety of the ring of forts
+surrounding Liége. Peasants were fleeing from the frontier villages, and
+their tales of what the Germans had done to their homes and dear ones
+made the blood of Max and his friend alternately freeze with horror and
+boil with rage. Their tales were a long catalogue of deeds of ruthless
+barbarity, cold-blooded cruelty, lust, and rapine. The smoke of burning
+houses seen in the distance gave emphasis to their tales of horror, and
+Max and Dale at last felt as though the world must be coming to an end.
+Indeed, the world of make-believe German civilization was coming to an
+end in a wild outburst of unrestrained cruelty and lust.
+
+But at Liége, they told one another, things would be different. There
+the invaders would come against something more than villages peopled
+with frightened peasants and trustful countryfolk, and would realize in
+their turn something of the terribleness of war.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+The Fall of Liége
+
+
+Arrived at his home, Max was astonished to find that his mother and
+sister had fled over the border to Maastricht, taking two of the
+servants with them. A letter had been left for him, however, and this he
+tore feverishly open. In a few words his mother explained why she, as an
+Englishwoman and one getting on in years, preferred to seek safety in
+Holland to remaining in a city which obviously would soon be the
+storm-centre of a terrible struggle. She then reminded Max that he had
+not yet reached a man's age, and could not be expected to take a man's
+part. Would he not leave the affairs of the firm to M. Schenk and join
+her in Holland? But his conscience must decide, she finally conceded,
+though it was clear how her own desires ran. But whether he left or
+stayed, she expected him to take no part in the fighting that was bound
+to come.
+
+Questioning the servants, Max found that his mother's flight had been
+arranged at the urgent solicitation of M. Schenk, and without more ado
+he left the house and hastened to the works to see the manager, and
+gather what further particulars he could. He did not doubt the wisdom of
+his mother's precipitate flight, for even now scouting parties of the
+Germans had appeared before the eastern forts, and no one could doubt
+that the city was on the point of being invested and besieged.
+
+M. Schenk was clearly surprised to see Max and his friend, and was at no
+pains to hide it.
+
+"A letter was left for you, Monsieur Max," he said in his ponderous way,
+"telling you that your mother wished you to join her instantly. Did they
+not hand it to you?"
+
+"Yes," replied Max, "I have received the letter, and I have come to
+learn something more about their flight. Have they taken money enough
+for what may be a long stay? And can we send them more before the city
+is invested?"
+
+"All that is seen to, Monsieur Max. I have had a large sum of money
+transferred to a bank in Maastricht for their use. They will be safe and
+well there, and I strongly advise you to join them. You will certainly
+not be safe here."
+
+"Why not? Why should I go if you can stay--if you _are_ staying?"
+
+"Because, sir, you are half an Englishman, and before the day is out
+England will have joined in this conflict. No Englishman will be safe
+here if the Germans enter, and I strongly urge you and your friend to
+escape before the city is surrounded. I will carry on the business, and
+do my best in the interests of the firm and your good mother."
+
+"Yes, yes, I know; but I am a Belgian as much as an Englishman, and I am
+not going to fly the country like that. If I cannot yet fight for her I
+can work for her, and I have made up my mind to stay, Monsieur Schenk."
+
+"As you will," replied M. Schenk, shrugging his shoulders in
+indifference, "but do not blame me if things do not go as you wish."
+
+"That's all right," replied Max quickly. "Now, as to the work of the
+firm. I have been thinking that we might use our great works to assist
+in the defence of the town. Soon the forts will be in action, and if the
+city is invested they can only replenish their stores from within the
+town itself. Why should we not begin to cast shells instead of rails,
+and see whether we cannot make rifles and machine-guns instead of
+machinery? There are many things we could do at once, and many others in
+a little while."
+
+"That is true, sir, and you will find that I have not been behindhand. I
+have already seen the commandant, and our casting-shops are almost ready
+to begin casting shells. I am not letting the grass grow under my feet,
+I can assure you, and in a week or two we shall be able to do great
+things in the defence of the town. Come down to the works with Monsieur
+Dale, and see the preparations we are making for turning out shells for
+big guns. You will see that the Durend workshops are going to be well to
+the fore here as elsewhere, and I prophesy that they will be so until
+the end of the war."
+
+As they made the tour of the works, Max was both astonished and
+delighted at the evidence he saw of the energy and ability displayed in
+turning over the vast manufacturing resources of the firm from peace to
+war. The rapidity with which the works had been transformed was indeed
+remarkable, and his opinion of M. Schenk's capacity, already great,
+became almost profound.
+
+"Now, Dale, what are you going to do?" demanded Max as the two friends
+parted company with the manager at the door of the last shop. "I think
+you had better get clear while you can. This place is my home and I must
+stand by it, but you are not concerned and ought to get out of it, if
+only for your people's sake."
+
+"My people! My uncle and aunt, you mean. _They_ won't bother their heads
+about me," replied Dale decidedly. "No, Max, I came over here to see the
+sights, and I am going to see 'em, come what may. If England is in it,
+well and good; it will then be my quarrel as much as yours, and we will
+work or fight against Germany together. Hurrah!"
+
+Max grasped his friend's hand. "I ought not to encourage you, Dale, but
+I can't help it, and I'm jolly glad. Let us go into this business
+together--it will seem like old times. D'ye remember the fight we put up
+for Benson's?"
+
+"Who could forget it?" cried Dale with enthusiasm.
+
+"And how it ended?"
+
+"Aye--and it was fixity of purpose that did it, so said Benson. Well,
+let us do something of the sort again. Hark! d'ye hear that?"
+
+"Rifle-shots. The fun has commenced. Come along, and we will see what we
+can of it before the day is out. To-morrow I am going to start work in
+the casting-shops, and I hope you will come and help me."
+
+"I will. Come along."
+
+The sound of rifle-shots was quickly succeeded by the distant boom of
+guns. Then the sound was swallowed up in the roar of the big guns of the
+forts, and it seemed as though a tremendous attack was in progress. The
+streets of the town instantly began to fill with excited people, until
+it appeared as though everyone had left his work to discuss the
+situation and listen to the noise of battle. Through the crowds pressed
+small bodies of soldiers dispatched as reinforcements to the ring of
+forts surrounding the town.
+
+Max and Dale followed one of these parties at a respectful distance, and
+climbed with them from the cup-like hollow in which Liége is situated to
+the hills beyond. The soldiers were bound for one of the forts on the
+eastward side, and, as they reached the higher ground, the two lads
+caught their first glimpse of the fighting. Darkness was coming on, and
+away in the distance they could see the intensely bright flashes of
+high-explosive shells bursting on or around the forts, as well as the
+flame of the fortress guns belching forth their replies. As it grew
+darker the duel grew more intense, and lasted without intermission
+throughout the night till three or four o'clock in the morning.
+
+By that time the forts were apparently thought to have been sufficiently
+damaged to permit of an assault, and the German infantry were flung
+against them in massed formation. Unfortunately for them, however, the
+guns had not been heavy enough to make any impression on the steel
+cupolas which sheltered the big guns of the forts, and, as the infantry
+pressed forward to the attack, they were literally swept away by a
+devastating shell-fire from the forts attacked and those flanking them.
+
+Again and again fresh masses were sent forward to the assault, only to
+meet with a similar fate. In the attack on one of the forts the
+infantry, favoured no doubt by the formation of the ground, were able to
+get so close that the guns could not be depressed sufficiently to reach
+them. They believed the fort as good as won, and with cheers of
+exultation pressed on to the final assault. But at the corners of the
+forts quick-firing guns were stationed, and these and the infantry
+lining the parapets mowed them down as surely as the big guns.
+
+In the wide spaces between the forts the Belgian field army had
+entrenched, and with rifle-fire and frequent bayonet attacks frustrated
+every attempt of the German infantry to break through.
+
+The infantry assaults lasted until eight o'clock in the morning, when
+the Germans withdrew, heavily shaken. They had hoped to rush the forts
+with heavy masses of infantry, supported only by light artillery, and
+they had failed. They now waited for the heavy guns, which were already
+on the road, to arrive, and very soon forts Fléron and Chaudfontaine
+were deluged with an accurate fire of enormous shells, so powerful as to
+overturn the massive cupolas and to pierce concrete walls twelve feet
+thick as though they were made of butter. Such shells as these they had
+never been built to withstand, and it was not long before they
+succumbed, thus opening a way for the invaders towards the town itself.
+
+Forts Evegnée and Barchon soon shared the same fate, and the Belgian
+field army, which had continued to maintain an heroic resistance, began
+to fall back on the town.
+
+Max and Dale had not been allowed to see much of these events. Before
+midnight they were accosted by a patrol and ordered to return to the
+safety of the town.
+
+Early the following day, before the fall of the forts and the retreat of
+the Belgian army, Max and Dale carried out their intention of presenting
+themselves at the casting-shops and lending a hand in the making of
+shells. To their satisfaction they found the work going forward with
+splendid energy and smoothness, and, with their own ardour kindled by
+the sights they had seen the previous night, they joined zealously in
+the work.
+
+Presently it came home to Max that there had been considerable changes
+in the personnel of the shop since he had last worked there. The men he
+looked out for--those with whom he had been on most friendly terms when
+he was there--were gone, and their places were taken by other and, for
+the most part, younger men, all quite strangers to the place so far as
+he could see.
+
+But, most strange of all, the language of the shop was German. The
+Walloon, or Flemish-speaking Belgians, were the men who had gone, and
+German-speaking workmen had taken their places.
+
+On making a few cautious enquiries, Max learned that the men who had
+gone had been transferred to shops which were still engaged in executing
+peace-time orders, rails, axles, wheels, and the like, and that the
+whole of the shell output was being handled by the newer German-speaking
+workmen.
+
+Max felt no particular resentment at this. He did not like it, but he
+knew the manager's preference for these men as workmen, and he could not
+deny that they were a hard-working, docile lot, nor that the work was
+well organized and being carried on with splendid spirit and energy.
+
+It seemed hard, however, that the Belgian-born men should not have a
+chance of directly working for their country's benefit, and, as soon as
+he could, Max took an opportunity of representing the matter to M.
+Schenk.
+
+"Why have you withdrawn all the older men from the shell-shops, Monsieur
+Schenk? They were good men, and have served the firm well. Upon my word,
+while working there and hearing naught but the German tongue, one might
+have fancied oneself in the enemy's country."
+
+"They are loyal Belgians, Monsieur Max," replied M. Schenk reassuringly.
+"They are as ready as Flemings or Walloons to work to the utmost,
+casting shells for our gallant army. That speaks sufficiently for their
+sentiments. I have filled the shop with them because they work well
+together, and there is no jealousy. We must do our best for Belgium in
+this crisis, and should be swayed by no consideration save that of
+finding the best men for each of our great tasks."
+
+"Well done, Monsieur Schenk!" cried Max impulsively. "I also will go
+where you think best. Where shall it be?"
+
+"Thank you!" replied the manager, smiling. "I think you are doing so
+well where you are that I cannot improve upon it. Remain at work in the
+casting-shop and aid me to increase the output of shells. It is my
+belief that we can turn out double the number with no increase of staff,
+and I shall leave no stone unturned to make my opinion good."
+
+Greatly heartened by this evidence of the manager's energy and
+patriotism, Max and his friend did stick to their work and fling
+themselves into it even more whole-heartedly than they had done before.
+
+On the morrow, the 7th August, however, events happened that entirely
+changed the aspect of affairs. Forts Fléron, Chaudfontaine, Evegnée, and
+Barchon had fallen, and early in the morning of that day German infantry
+entered Liége. The forts on the north, south, and west of the town still
+held out for a time, but the town from that moment remained in German
+hands. To the people, and especially the workers of Liége, this made a
+vital difference. The output of the numerous factories, in so far as it
+was useful to the German armies, was at any moment liable to be
+requisitioned by them; and it was as clear as noonday that all who
+toiled in the manufacture of such articles were assisting the enemy in
+their attack upon their own kith and kin, and strengthening the grip he
+had already laid upon their native land.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+A New Standpoint
+
+
+To Max and his chum these were days charged high with excitement. Their
+day's toil in the shops over, they raced away to the points where the
+most exciting events were to be seen. They were witnesses of most that
+went forward, and actually lent a hand in the rounding-up, from among
+the civil population of the city, of the band of armed Germans who
+attempted to assassinate the commandant of the fortress, General Leman.
+
+The entry of the Germans was to both of them a fearful blow. They knew
+little of military matters, and vaguely believed that the town and forts
+were strong enough to stand a regular siege. And yet on the third day
+after the attack the town had fallen! As they watched the young German
+troops marching into the town they could not help feeling deeply
+disappointed and discouraged.
+
+"I wish now that you had gone home, Dale," remarked Max in a gloomy
+voice as they slowly made their way towards the works. "Now that the
+place has fallen you can do no good here. And as you are not a native
+you may be taken for a spy and shot off-hand."
+
+"Shut up, Max! We've agreed to go through this business together, and
+there's an end of it. Liége is lost, but the war's still on, and it will
+be hard if we can't find some way of giving our side a shove forward."
+
+"Aye to that, Dale. Well, if you don't mind being here in a conquered
+town I'm jolly glad to have you. Now, I suppose we can still go on
+helping to cast shells--why no, Dale! We simply can't do any more of
+that work; it's absolutely useless."
+
+"Of course it is. You may be sure the Germans won't let shells be sent
+away from Liége except to Germany. Your works had better get on with the
+other work. Shells are out of the question."
+
+"I must see Schenk about this," replied Max thoughtfully. "It needs
+thinking out what work--if any at all--we can do without helping the
+Germans. It's an awkward business, but I have no doubt Schenk can see
+daylight through it."
+
+"I should think so, but--hallo! What's that?"
+
+Dale stopped suddenly, and stood gazing down a side street, the end of
+which they were just about to cross. A sudden burst of screams and
+shouts, quite startling in its intensity, assailed their ears, and made
+them look and look with a feeling of foreboding new to them. At the far
+end of the street they could see a group of men in the grey-green
+uniform surging to and fro before a house from which the screams seemed
+to issue.
+
+"The Germans--doing the same dirty work as they did at Visé!" gasped
+Max, turning away his head and clenching his fists in his pockets. "I
+hardly know how to keep from rushing down there, utterly useless though
+it is."
+
+"It is women they are ill-treating--how can we walk away?" cried Dale in
+acute distress. "Let us go down, and if we cannot fight, let us beg them
+to desist. Perhaps if we offered them money----?"
+
+"Useless," muttered Max, though he stopped and gazed down the road in
+irresolution. "And yet how _can_ we pass by, Dale?" he went on with a
+groan. "I know I shall always call myself a coward if I do nothing.
+Let's walk a little closer, and see if we can do anything."
+
+Dale eagerly agreed, and they walked quickly down the road towards the
+group of soldiers and their victims. As they drew nearer, and could see
+something of what was happening, their anger increased, until they were
+almost ready to throw themselves upon the soldiers and oppose their
+bayonets with their bare fists.
+
+The house before which the outrage was taking place seemed, for some
+reason, to have been singled out from the others which lined both sides
+of the street, possibly because the head of the house was well known as
+an opponent of the Germans or because of some act of hostility committed
+against the soldiers. At any rate, an elderly man, evidently dragged
+from the house, had been tied to the front railings, and was being
+subjected to treatment so cruel that it almost amounted to torture.
+
+The womenfolk of the house had apparently rushed out and endeavoured to
+intervene, but had been forcibly held back, and were at that moment
+being subjected to brutal indignities that angered Max and Dale even
+more than the cold-blooded cruelty to the man himself.
+
+The two had arrived within some forty yards of the scene, and were still
+pressing on as though drawn by a magnet, although neither knew what he
+was going to do, when one of the soldiers drew the attention of his
+fellows to the two young men advancing towards them. At the same time he
+picked up his rifle, took quick aim, and discharged it directly at them.
+
+The bullet whizzed between them, and, on the impulse, Max seized Dale by
+the arm and dragged him through the open doorway of the nearest house. A
+roar of laughter from the soldiers at their rapid exit followed them,
+and made the anger of one at least of them burn with a still fiercer
+resentment.
+
+"Right through and out at the back," cried Max in urgent tones, and the
+two passed through the house, which appeared to be deserted, and found
+themselves in an open space intersected only by low garden fences.
+
+Max laid his hand on his friend's arm. "I am going to move quietly along
+until I reach the back of the house where those curs are at work," he
+said in a hard, suppressed voice. "I must do something, but do not you
+come, Dale. There is no need for you----"
+
+"I am already in it, I tell you," almost shouted Dale as he impatiently
+shook him off. "It's as much my affair as yours. Come on."
+
+The two made their way rapidly but cautiously along until they reached
+the house they sought. The doors were open at the back, and the shouts
+and screams were almost as audible there as at the front.
+
+"We have no weapons; let us arm ourselves with these," cried Max,
+pointing to some blocks of ornamental quartz bordering a little fernery.
+Even in the midst of his excitement it struck Max how strangely the
+orderliness of the tiny, well-kept garden seemed to contrast with the
+deeds of violence being committed outside.
+
+Rapidly but quietly the two lads filled hands and pockets with the heavy
+missiles. Then they crept inside the house and up the stairs to the
+floor above. The house was quite empty, for all within had rushed or
+been dragged to the scene in front.
+
+The bedroom windows were wide open, and the instant they entered both
+lads began with one impulse to hurl with all their strength the great
+stones upon the German soldiery below. They were both wild with rage at
+what they had witnessed, and utterly reckless what fate might ultimately
+be theirs, so long as they could inflict some punishment upon the
+cowardly wrongdoers.
+
+[Illustration: BOTH LADS BEGAN TO HURL THE GREAT STONES UPON THE GERMAN
+SOLDIERY]
+
+The soldiers, completely taken aback by this sudden rain of missiles
+almost from the skies, immediately scattered to the opposite side of the
+road and took refuge in the gardens there. Not one of them had his rifle
+to hand, for their arms had been stacked against the wall of the house
+they were attacking, and even the man who had fired at Max and Dale had
+put down his rifle once more. Thus, for the moment, the soldiers were
+impotent, and Max shouted rapidly in the Walloon dialect to the women
+below to release the man tied to the railings and escape through the
+house.
+
+With a promptitude that was wholly admirable, one of the women drew a
+pair of scissors from her pocket and cut the cords that bound the man to
+the fence. With a cry of joy the poor fellow staggered to his feet. But,
+stiffened by his bonds or exhausted by the cruel treatment he had
+received, he could barely stand, and had to be half supported and half
+dragged by two of the women back into the house.
+
+"Tell them to be off, Dale," cried Max rapidly. "I will hold back these
+men for a minute. Take them right through into the street beyond and get
+them out of sight. I will follow in a moment."
+
+Dale obeyed, and under his guidance the whole party made their way
+rapidly through the house, into the gardens, and through the houses
+opposite into the road beyond. At the disappearance of their prey the
+soldiers set up a howl of rage, and made a concerted rush for their
+weapons. But Max redoubled his efforts, and, his supply of quartz
+exhausted, rained down upon them jugs, mirrors, pictures, and everything
+movable he could lay hands upon, holding them in check for a few
+precious moments. Then, after one final fling, he bolted from the room
+into the bedroom at the back and leapt out of the window. Landing in a
+flower-bed unhurt, he rushed without a pause at the low garden fence in
+front of him, cleared it at a bound, and dashed through the house
+opposite in the wake of Dale and the fugitive people.
+
+Meanwhile, out in the roadway, the soldiers had seized their weapons,
+and, hardly knowing what to expect, poured two or three volleys into the
+empty house. Then they cautiously reconnoitred, and by the time they had
+come to the conclusion that the house was indeed empty, the fugitives
+were completely beyond their reach. Characteristically enough, they
+vented their rage and disappointment on the inanimate objects within
+their reach. The crash of furniture soon rose above their shouts of
+fury, and in the end smoke rolled from the windows and poured upwards to
+the sky as a silent witness to the new spirit that had come to dominate
+the land.
+
+Max and Dale hurried the people they had rescued away from the scene of
+the outbreak, and would not allow them to slacken speed until they had
+put a mile of streets between them and their savage foes. It was then,
+Max judged, high time to find a haven of refuge of some sort, for, with
+one exception, the women were half crazed with fear and the man quite
+exhausted with ill-usage. Any German soldiers or spies who passed them
+could hardly fail to remark that they were fugitives, and they would
+soon find themselves in as bad a case as before. Questioning a woman who
+still retained a show of self-possession, Max learned that they had
+friends in another part of the town, and towards their house he promptly
+directed their retreat.
+
+Without further misadventure they reached the house they sought, and Max
+and Dale saw their charges safely inside the door. Then they hurried
+away, for it was obviously dangerous both for them and for the fugitives
+to be in one another's company a moment longer than necessary. Thanks
+were not thought of; the rescued were not ungrateful but were altogether
+too upset for expression, and the rescuers were only thankful to have
+been of use, without a thought of anything else.
+
+"By George, Max, how I did enjoy that!" cried Dale with enthusiasm, as
+they turned their steps once more towards the works. "I feel an inch
+taller, and can face the world as an honest man."
+
+"Aye, Jack, I feel like that too. How should we have felt had we let
+that business go on unchecked?"
+
+"And it has done a bit of good, too, I imagine. Those cowardly Germans
+will not forget that rain of quartz in a hurry, and may leave the poor
+folk alone another time."
+
+"I am not so sure. But the question is, what are we going to do now? We
+cannot go on casting shells which will be certain to be seized by the
+Germans. If we make railway material it will only be used to convey
+soldiers into the field against our men. No. I must see Schenk, and get
+him to close all branches of the works that might be of use to the
+enemy. That is the only thing to be done. Then I shall try to get
+through to join the Belgian army."
+
+"And I too, Max. I will join with you. We have started on this business
+together and we will finish it together."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+A Few Words with M. Schenk
+
+
+Arrived at the Durend works, Max went straight to M. Schenk's office.
+Two men, whom Max had not seen before, were coming out as he entered,
+but the manager was at that moment alone. He looked up as Max came in,
+and, when he saw who it was, smiled in a way that our hero did not
+altogether like. It seemed less a smile of welcome than of tolerant
+amusement, and instead of commencing diplomatically, as he had intended,
+Max burst out rather heatedly:
+
+"Monsieur Schenk, we must close the works. We cannot go on making shells
+now that the Germans are in occupation of Liége. It is not loyal to
+Belgium, and I am certain my mother would not wish us to do such a
+thing."
+
+The manager gazed at Max almost blankly for a moment, as though quite
+taken by surprise. Then he smiled again, almost pityingly, as he
+replied:
+
+"I do not think you understand the position, Monsieur Max. The Germans
+are now masters here, and what they order us that we must do. The German
+commander only an hour ago sent word that he would hold the heads of the
+firm responsible for any decrease in the output of the Durend works; so
+what can I do? Would it help Belgium if you and I were replaced by men
+from Krupp's? No; it were better that we--or at any rate I--remain, so
+that the firm's interests are not wholly forgotten."
+
+"But if we refuse to work, the workmen will do so too," cried Max
+earnestly. "If we continue at work, they may continue also. We have an
+example of patriotism to set, and set it we must."
+
+"Bah! If Krupp's run these works the workmen will have to work, make no
+mistake on that point. Now, Monsieur Max, pray leave me, for I must to
+work again. You may rest assured that I am looking after the interests
+of the firm. Think no more about such matters, but take heed to
+yourself, for your end will be swift indeed if the Germans think you
+actively hostile to their occupation of the town."
+
+"I care not," cried Max recklessly. "Let them take us both and let
+Krupp's take over the firm--at least our hands will be clean of
+treachery to our country. Once more, Monsieur Schenk, as my mother's
+representative, I appeal to you not to aid the enemy by running the
+works for their help and benefit."
+
+The manager snorted indignantly. "_I_ am responsible here, and I am
+going to exercise my own judgment," he cried sharply. "And now, leave
+me. You are too young to discuss these matters and you weary me."
+
+Turning round sharply on his heel, Max left the room. He had never been
+spoken to like that before, and it cut him to the heart. He wanted time
+to think out the situation and to make up his mind what action he should
+take. True, this man was manager and entrusted with great powers; but
+Max stood to some extent in the position of owner, and that he should be
+treated thus seemed an indignity in the highest degree. It was a relief
+to pour his woes into the ear of the faithful Dale, and together these
+two paced through the yard, conning over earnestly all the bearings of
+the situation. It was while they were thus engaged that a fleet of
+thirty or forty great military motor-lorries rattled by.
+
+"The beginning," cried Max bitterly, nodding towards them.
+
+"Yes, I fear so. I wonder what they are after?"
+
+"Let us follow and see. We may as well know the worst."
+
+The wagons came to a stand alongside one of the largest of the stacks of
+empty shells which now dotted the yard, and, with a promptitude that
+showed that everything had been arranged beforehand, the tarpaulins that
+covered the stacks were thrown aside and the shells passed one by one
+into the wagons.
+
+"Now that seems queer to me," remarked Dale, as he watched the men with
+a thoughtful face. "What can the Germans want with shells that will only
+fit the Belgian guns! Queer, I call it."
+
+"They may be going to use them in the captured guns," replied Max. "Let
+us look in again at the casting-shops and see if they have started on
+shells for German guns. 'Pon my word I have half a mind to appeal to the
+men to cease work, strange as it would be coming from the owner's son
+while the manager of the works made no sign. The place is running at top
+speed too--see, Dale?"
+
+It was evident that there was no relaxation here. The whole of the
+buildings and furnaces engaged in the castings were simply humming with
+energy, and when they entered the nearest door they were amazed. Double
+the number of men that were at work the day before were now engaged and
+were working with an intensity that seemed inexplicable to Max.
+
+As they entered, one of the foremen came up to them.
+
+"Keep a still tongue, Dale," muttered Max beneath his breath.
+
+"You are late, Monsieur," he said, addressing Max and gazing at him
+somewhat closely. "Are you going to work this morning?"
+
+"I think not," replied Max, shrugging his shoulders. "I see you are
+pretty well full up with men."
+
+"Yes, we have had a lot more hands placed at our disposal here. I
+estimate that we shall turn out at least three times as many shells as
+yesterday."
+
+"The new men are German-speaking, of course?"
+
+"Of course. This business will be profitable for the firm no doubt?" The
+man looked at Max as though not quite certain of the state of affairs.
+
+"Undoubtedly. Has Monsieur Schenk given any orders for a change in the
+calibre of the shells?"
+
+"No. We are still on the same gauge. But I suppose we shall be making
+all sizes soon. There is no help for it, of course; we must submit to
+the inevitable?"
+
+Max turned away. "This trebling of output does not seem like unwilling
+submission to the inevitable, Dale," he whispered savagely. "Come, let
+us get out of this--I'm choking here. The place reeks to me of
+treachery. If I had the strength of Samson I would bring the roof down
+and bury the whole villainous crew beneath the ruins."
+
+"There's certainly something dirty going on," agreed Dale. "But if we're
+not Samsons we have strength enough to put a spoke in their wheel, I
+fancy. Let us wait a bit and see."
+
+In savage silence the two lads left the casting-shops and walked
+mechanically on towards the buildings which had been engaged on
+peace-time work. Here all was quiet and almost deserted. Only a machine
+here and there was running, and at first they thought that the whole of
+the workmen had been diverted to the other shops. But at the farther end
+of the yard they presently noticed groups of men congregated together,
+much as they were wont to do in the dinner interval. But it was not the
+dinner interval now.
+
+"What's the matter here? This looks as though some part of Schenk's
+plans had gone awry. Are they dismissed, or are they refusing to work?"
+
+"Refusing to work, by the look of the armed guards yonder," replied Max,
+nodding towards a body of German soldiers, a dozen or more strong,
+posted at a corner of one of the buildings within easy reach of the
+entrance. "Let us have a talk with one or two of the men and find out
+what's afoot."
+
+"Aye, but don't let our German friends see us talking to them. They will
+think it a conspiracy."
+
+The two lads joined themselves to one of the groups, and began
+questioning them as to the reason for their presence there instead of in
+the workshops. But somehow the men seemed to view Max and Dale with
+coldness and suspicion, and either refused to reply or answered in
+sullen monosyllables. Max was about to turn away, in disappointed
+perplexity, when he noticed the man Dubec. In sudden relief he appealed
+to him to tell him what was happening.
+
+"It is because we will not work if the goods are to be seized by the
+Germans. We are true Belgians--not like those traitors who fill the
+shell-shops--and we cannot work against our country."
+
+"And you are right," cried Max warmly. "I am with you heart and soul."
+
+"Huh! But what our men cannot understand is why the firm does not close
+down. Why is it left to us poor workmen to show our patriotism? Why does
+not the firm take the lead? We would stand by them to the death if need
+be."
+
+"I believe you," cried Max, with difficulty gulping down the lump that
+rose in his throat. What a cur he felt--he, the owner in the sight of
+these men, helpless to influence in the slightest degree the affairs of
+the great works called by his name. "But, lads--to my shame I say it--I
+am helpless. I am but just come from demanding of Monsieur Schenk that
+the works should be closed. He will not hear of it, and it is he who has
+the power, not I. And behind him stand the Germans. I can do nothing,
+and I feel the shame of it more than I can say."
+
+Max's voice trembled with earnestness and sincerity, and the men clearly
+believed him. Their cold looks vanished, and the one or two near him
+seized him by the hands and wrung them vigorously.
+
+"That is good, Monsieur. We are glad to hear that you are for us. It
+makes our stand easier now that we know that the owners at least are on
+our side. As for that Schenk, we have always hated him as a tyrant, and
+now we doubly hate him as a traitor as well."
+
+"Aye," broke in another of the men, "he is the cause of the mischief.
+And we have sworn not to work so long as the Germans hold the town. If
+we were ready to strike and suffer long for wages, will we not do so for
+the good of our country?"
+
+The man gazed round at his comrades, who gave a half-cheer in answer to
+his appeal. The attention of the German guards was attracted by the
+sound, and the non-commissioned officer in charge instantly ordered his
+men to advance on the offending party.
+
+"Disperse!" cried Max and one or two more, and the group broke up, most
+of the men walking out of the yard into the open road. The regular tramp
+of heavy-booted feet and harsh commands that followed them were a
+further reminder, if one were needed, of the utter change that had come
+over the scene of their humble daily toil.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+Treachery!
+
+
+"What is to be our next move, Max?" enquired Dale presently, after they
+had walked almost mechanically nearly a mile from the Durend works
+upwards towards the hills on the western side of the town. Twice he had
+to repeat his question, for Max was too immersed in thoughts bitter and
+rebellious to pay much heed.
+
+"I care not where we go, Jack. For me everything seems to have come to
+an end."
+
+"I know, I know, Max, just how you feel; but do not give way to it.
+There is Belgium to live for; and you have what I have not--a mother.
+Let us go home and think things out."
+
+"I cannot rest at home, Dale--yet. Let us walk on for a while. We shall
+feel free on this side of the town. Thank God, the forts here are still
+holding out, and the Germans have not yet over-run the countryside.
+Presently we shall reach the Crofts, and we will sit in the cottage or
+the old summer-house while we talk it all over."
+
+On the western side of the town, at a distance of some six miles or so,
+Madame Durend owned a little old-fashioned cottage, picturesquely
+planted in a large garden and wood. It was a favourite resort of the
+family in summer-time, and Max and Dale had had their full share of its
+pleasures. For one thing, there was an asphalt tennis-court there which
+had claimed a large part of their spare time, not to mention that of
+Max's sister and her friends.
+
+Avoiding the road, in order to lessen their chance of encountering enemy
+patrols, Max and his friend travelled across fields and along bypaths
+towards the cottage. They had come to within half a mile or so of the
+place when they were startled beyond measure, and almost stunned, by a
+tremendous report like the explosion of an enormous gun. It was close at
+hand, too, and seemed to come from the general direction of the cottage.
+Almost immediately there was another similar report, followed by others
+at a greater distance. Max and Dale looked at one another significantly.
+
+"Attacking either Fort Loncin or Fort Hollogne," said Max resignedly. "I
+wonder we have got so far unnoticed."
+
+"Yes; but now we are here we may as well see the fun. Let us go to the
+Crofts, and climb the big oak as of yore. We shall see everything from
+there."
+
+"And be seen too, I'm thinking. Never mind; I feel reckless enough for
+anything this afternoon."
+
+"Well, reckless or no, we may as well move cautiously. Let us keep well
+under cover of this hedge. Whew! What a row there is!"
+
+As the two friends drew nearer to the cottage they became convinced that
+not only was the firing taking place quite near the Crofts, but that it
+was going on in the very garden itself. Closer and closer they crept,
+their curiosity keenly whetted by this unexpected discovery, until they
+reached a little clump of thick undergrowth which overlooked the garden.
+Here the greatest discovery of all awaited them.
+
+Two big 28-cm. guns were in position in the centre of the garden, and
+being loaded and fired without a moment's respite. The sight was
+fascinating--nay, awe-inspiring--enough, but to the two lads the thing
+that most caught and fixed their attention was the fact that both guns
+were planted full on their asphalted tennis-court. To Dale this was
+merely curious, but to Max it had a significance so terrible and
+nerve-shaking that it was all he could do to prevent himself crying out.
+
+"What's the matter, Max?" cried Dale in alarm, as he caught a glimpse of
+his friend's pale, drawn face and staring eyes.
+
+"Come away--quick! Let us get away and I will tell you," cried Max in a
+hoarse voice, and, followed by his friend, he sped swiftly from the
+scene towards a thick wood a short distance away. Once well within the
+shelter of its leafy screen, he stopped and faced Dale excitedly, his
+face aflame.
+
+"That scoundrel Schenk! He is at the bottom of it all. He is a paid
+traitor and spy of the German Government, and, fool that I was, I never
+saw it before!"
+
+"Why, what has happened to tell you this? A traitor I dare say he is,
+but why so suddenly sure?"
+
+"That tennis-court. Do you know that Schenk, when he heard we were
+thinking of one, pressed us to have an asphalt one for use in all
+weathers. He saw to it himself, and dug down six feet for the
+foundations. I asked him why he was doing that, and he said he had a lot
+of material, concrete or something, over from something else--I didn't
+take much notice what it was--and that it would make it all the better.
+It was all a ruse to lay down solid concrete gun-platforms ready to blow
+our forts to pieces. The utter scoundrel!"
+
+"Ah! And that was why he replaced the Walloon and Flemish workmen by
+naturalized Germans! I see. He wanted to have men he could be sure of
+and to have the works ready for running without a hitch directly the
+Germans entered. And the shells----"
+
+"Yes," almost shouted Max, grasping his friend roughly by the arm, "yes,
+their calibre will be that of German, not Belgian, guns! They never were
+for Belgian guns! That was why they were kept covered up so closely in
+the yard."
+
+"Phew! It was a risky game to play; but no doubt he expected the town to
+fall quickly--perhaps even more quickly than it did."
+
+"And there are other things," Max went on in a quieter tone. "Why was it
+Schenk persuaded us to go to Germany instead of to Holland for our
+holiday? Why--why? Simply because he wanted to get us out of the way.
+Then do you remember those men who were captured after trying to
+assassinate General Leman in the town? I thought I had seen two or three
+of them somewhere before. I remember now. They were some of the workmen
+of the shell-shops, and one was a foreman. The plot was hatched by
+Schenk, not a doubt of it."
+
+"Not a shadow of a doubt. The whole business is as plain as a pikestaff.
+But who would have dreamed of such devilish forethought? He must have
+been planning it for years!"
+
+"Yes, he has been my father's right-hand man for nine or ten years at
+least. He must have come for no other purpose--and my father never knew
+it! How glad I am my mother is out of it all, safe and sound."
+
+For some time the two friends discussed the great discovery in all its
+bearings. Matters stood out in a fresh perspective, and one of the first
+things to appear prominently was the peril in which both of them now
+stood. In peril from the Germans they had known they stood, but the
+peril from Schenk was new and far greater. At any moment he might come
+to the conclusion that their continued presence about the works or in
+the town was inconvenient, and denounce them as hostile to the
+occupation. In fact--and a bitter realization it was--they were only
+saved from this by the manager's contempt of them as adversaries and his
+calm assurance that they were really not worth considering one way or
+the other.
+
+"Well, Max," said Dale at last, "what line are we now going to take? It
+is time we made up our minds once and for all. We are clearly outclassed
+by this Schenk--he holds all the cards--and the best thing we can do is
+to make tracks to join the Belgian army before it is too late to get
+away."
+
+"Yes, Dale, that is the best thing--for you. Only _I_ cannot come with
+you. You go and join the British army. My place is here more than ever,
+and leave it I will not."
+
+"Come now, Max, don't be obstinate! There is nothing to be done here.
+You are absolutely helpless pitted against Schenk and his friends the
+Germans. You must recognize it. Come with me and we will see what we can
+do for the good cause elsewhere."
+
+Max shook his head decidedly. His face was very downcast, and it was
+clear to his friend that he felt most keenly the way in which his
+father's name and resources had been exploited by the enemies of their
+country; but his lips were firmly set, and in his eyes was the steady
+look Dale remembered so well during the dark days of the struggle for
+Benson's. Benson's! The recollection brought back again to Dale the
+words spoken by the master at the close of the races: "Fixity of
+purpose ... there is almost nothing that fixity of purpose will not
+accomplish."
+
+"No," Max said simply, after a moment's pause, "I am going to keep watch
+and ward over the Durend workshops. Cost what it may I am going, by all
+means in my power, to hinder the use of them for the enemy's purposes.
+What influence I have--little enough I fear--with the real Belgian
+workmen, I will exert to keep them from aiding Schenk. The works are
+mine--I speak for my mother--and I will not hesitate to destroy them if
+I find opportunity. There must be many ways in which I can make trouble,
+and I am going to strain every nerve to do so. Let Schenk look out; it
+is war to the knife!"
+
+"Hurrah!" cried Dale excitedly. Then he went on in a sober tone: "But it
+is risky work, Max. Schenk will very soon suspect us--he has agents and
+spies everywhere, you may be sure."
+
+"We must be as cunning as he is--more so. We must outdo him at his own
+game. We--I, I should say, for you must go back to England--I am going
+to disappear and emerge as a simple workman, with German sympathies of
+course. Then the fight will begin."
+
+"Yes, and I'm in it, Max," cried Dale joyously. "I wouldn't miss it for
+worlds. It sounds good enough for anything. To outwit the Germans is
+great, but to outwit Schenk is ten times better. Come along, let's get
+to work."
+
+"All right!" cried Max, smiling at his friend's enthusiasm. "We'll get
+back at once, and, as a start, go home and fetch away some of our
+things. It will have to be the last time we go there."
+
+Quickly, and yet with caution, the two lads retraced their steps to the
+town. They knew every foot of the country, and, though there were
+numerous patrolling parties of Germans between them and the town, they
+were able to pass them without difficulty. At the door of his house one
+of the servants met Max and handed him a note.
+
+"A young man brought it, Monsieur, an hour ago. He has come all the way
+from Maastricht with it. It is from Madame, your mother, and he said it
+was very important."
+
+Rapidly Max tore away the cover and opened the missive. His senses were
+perhaps preternaturally sharpened, for he felt a sense of foreboding.
+After many fond messages, and repeated injunctions that he would take
+care of himself and not offend the Germans, the note went on:
+
+"And now, Max, I want to tell you something that distresses me
+extremely, though I have hopes that it may be all a mistake. When I
+left, bringing only a few things and a purse with such money as I had by
+me at the moment, M. Schenk, on my explicit instructions, assured me
+that he would arrange at once for a large sum of money to be transferred
+to my account at the Maastricht Bank. I have been there repeatedly,
+asking about it, but none of the officials know anything of the matter.
+They say they have not been approached, and though they have enquired of
+other banks in the place they can learn no tidings. They have been very
+good to me, for, hearing who I was, they advanced me a small sum for my
+immediate use. Will you now please see M. Schenk and have this
+matter--which is so distressing--put right?"
+
+Max clenched the paper in his hand. The blood flooded up into his head
+with such force that he had to put his hand against the doorpost to
+steady himself.
+
+"What's the matter?" cried Dale, again in alarm at the look on his face.
+"Is it bad news?"
+
+"Aye--the worst--the blackest treachery," cried Max in a voice which
+trembled with the intensity of his emotion. "I must see Schenk--and
+wring from him the money he has stolen," and, turning impetuously on his
+heel, Max strode rapidly away from the house in the direction of the
+works.
+
+Dale darted after him and caught him up. "You must do nothing rash,
+Max," he cried earnestly. "Wait a while until you are calm; you are no
+match for Schenk like that. Let us walk slowly along while you tell me
+what has happened."
+
+Max thrust at him the crumpled letter. Then in a few broken words he
+told him, what was scarcely needed, that the manager had tricked his
+mother into leaving the country, and had then left her stranded without
+a penny to live upon. The baseness of it all came as a shock, even on
+the top of their knowledge of the man's deep treachery.
+
+"There's more behind it, I believe," said Dale, after a few minutes'
+cogitation in silence. "I think this may be a lever to get _you_ out of
+the country. He will think you will be compelled to go to your mother
+and work for her support."
+
+"He knows he can get me out of the way at any time by denouncing me to
+the Germans," replied Max in dissent. "No--that will not explain it. But
+as sure as I live I will wring the truth from him before another hour is
+gone."
+
+Dale gazed in some apprehension at his friend as he strode feverishly
+along towards the Durend works. He feared that he might, in his anger,
+do some rash act that would destroy all. But presently, to his relief,
+he saw that he was regaining control over his feelings, and, by the time
+they reached the works, he seemed his usual self again. The only
+evidence of his past emotion was to be found in his somewhat gloomy
+looks and in lips tightly compressed as though to hold in check feelings
+that struggled for an outlet.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+The Opening of the Struggle
+
+
+The manager was in his room, and stared in some alarm at Max and his
+friend as they strode unceremoniously in. Then he touched a bell and his
+secretary entered.
+
+"Remain at the door, Erbo. I shall want you in a moment," he said
+coolly.
+
+It was a declaration of distrust, if not war, and both sides knew it. It
+robbed Max's words of any circumlocution he might otherwise have used,
+and he went straight to the point.
+
+"You have not sent my mother the money that she instructed you to send,
+Monsieur Schenk. Why is that?"
+
+The manager cleared his throat. "The German commander has forbidden any
+moneys to be sent out of the country, Monsieur Max, and it is
+unfortunately now impossible for me to do so."
+
+"I have not heard of any such order. But why did you not do it before
+the Germans entered? You had ample time."
+
+"I gave instructions, but the tremendous pressure a day or two before
+the Germans entered--you know how I worked to cast shells for our armies
+and the garrisons of the forts--caused it to be overlooked. I regret
+this very much, but it is now too late to do anything."
+
+The manager looked squarely and unblushingly at Max as he boasted of the
+way in which he had aided the Belgian troops, and the latter was hard
+put to it to keep back the torrent of wrathful words that rose to his
+lips. But other and more pressing matters claimed attention just now,
+and, choking down his indignation, he replied temperately:
+
+"It is _not_ too late, Monsieur Schenk. Hand me the necessary moneys or
+securities and I will convey them to Maastricht. My mother must not be
+left destitute."
+
+The manager shook his head decidedly. "No, Monsieur Max, I cannot do
+that. You would be certain to be taken, and I should have to pay the
+greater share of the penalty. No, I cannot think of it; but there _is_ a
+way out of the difficulty which would indeed simplify matters in another
+direction. You are in great danger here and are doing no good. Go to
+Maastricht and support your good mother. I will obtain for you a
+passport through the Germans and a letter to a friend of mine who will
+see that you secure well-paid work. Yes, that is the best way out of the
+difficulty, Monsieur Max, and you and your mother will live to rejoice
+at having taken it."
+
+"If your friend can get me well-paid work, can he not advance money to
+my mother, Monsieur Schenk?"
+
+"No, he is in a position to get you a berth, but he has no great means.
+Come now, Monsieur Max, be guided by me and leave Liége without delay.
+The works are running splendidly, and I shall have a good account to
+give of my stewardship after the war."
+
+The man's cool effrontery and the tone of lofty regard for the interests
+of the owners of the Durend works almost stunned Max, and for a moment
+he could but stare at him in dumb astonishment. That his faithful
+stewardship of the Durend works now ran counter to the vital interests
+of the country seemed not to matter to him one straw. Ceasing to plead
+his mother's cause, Max asked with sudden directness:
+
+"How is it, Monsieur Schenk, that the shells we are casting for the
+Belgian guns will not fit them, but yet do fit the German guns?"
+
+It was a shot at a venture, but it went home. The manager was obviously
+taken aback, although he recovered himself almost instantly as he
+replied:
+
+"You have noticed that then? Yes, there was a misunderstanding about the
+size with the commandant. Apparently he was speaking about the calibre
+of the shells thrown against the forts, when I was under the impression
+he was discussing the calibre of the shells most urgently required for
+use. It was a ridiculous mistake, but not so strange when one considers
+the turmoil and confusion of those early days."
+
+At this Max could contain himself no longer. "Monsieur Schenk--Herr
+Schenk, I should say--you are a traitor to Belgium, and I denounce you
+here and now. You are a base schemer, and the biggest scoundrel in
+Liége, if not in Belgium. You have the upper hand at present, but I
+declare to you that I shall spare no pains in the distant future to
+bring you to justice and to see that you get your deserts. I know your
+plans--or some of them. The concrete tennis-court--the filling of the
+shops with German workmen, the plot against General Leman, and, greatest
+of all, the fearful shell treachery. Oh, the shame of it should tell,
+even upon a German!"
+
+It certainly seemed to tell a little upon M. Schenk. He gasped, flushed
+up, and opened his mouth, apparently to deny the accusations. Then he
+apparently thought better of it, for he controlled himself by an effort
+and replied coldly:
+
+"Very well, Monsieur Max; it is war between us, I see. And it will soon
+end--in your discomfiture!"
+
+"We shall see. Good day, Herr Schenk!"
+
+This mode of addressing him seemed to sting the manager more than
+anything else, for he burst out angrily:
+
+"Fool of a boy! Do you think to measure your puny strength with mine?
+Bah! I shall crush you before ever you can raise your hand against me.
+As for my name, Herr Schenk suits me well enough. I am a German, and I
+hate these decadent peoples we call Belgians. Let Germany rule--she is
+strong and virile, and before her the world must--and shall--bow down.
+You, whether you call yourself English or Belgian, shall know what it is
+to have your country crushed and beaten, and to have brains--German
+brains--to direct and rule you. Go--and see if I'm not right."
+
+"I am going--and going to do my best to prove you wrong," replied Max
+proudly as he strode quickly from the room. Dale followed him, venting
+his own indignation, as he turned away, by shaking his fist full in the
+manager's face.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"We must not dally here," cried Max as they left the building. "We had
+better make ourselves scarce at once. We have burnt our boats, and both
+Schenk and the Germans will be after us from now onwards."
+
+"And a good job too," replied Dale, who did not appear at all alarmed at
+the prospect. "The fight now begins."
+
+"Quick--round here," cried Max, turning a corner sharply. "Let us lose
+ourselves in these narrow streets for a while. We will then go to Madame
+Dubec's."
+
+"Madame Dubec's?"
+
+"Yes, we must not go home. Madame Dubec--the wife of the man whose life
+I saved, you remember--she will shelter us for a day or two while we
+look about us. We will get her or her husband to buy us rough clothes,
+so that we can pass as workmen. We must not go about like this any
+longer."
+
+"Aye, we must act the part of honest sons of toil. Always have a spanner
+sticking out of a pocket, and a hunk of bread and cheese tied up in a
+coloured handkerchief in our hands. Hurrah!"
+
+Madame Dubec gave them a quiet but sincere welcome, and for the
+remainder of the day and the following night they sheltered beneath her
+roof. She was anxious that they should stay permanently with her, when
+she learned that they were in danger, but neither Max nor Dale would
+hear of it. Should Schenk or the Germans learn that she had sheltered
+them it might go hard with her, and neither cared to contemplate such a
+thing. As soon, therefore, as they had been provided with workmen's
+clothes, they took a room in a poor quarter of the town well away from
+the Durend works and made active preparations for their campaign.
+Although Max had not dared to go to his home to fetch any of his
+belongings, he had managed to get a few of the more necessary things by
+sending one of Madame Dubec's daughters with a note to one of the
+domestics whom he knew he could trust.
+
+To Max, the great campaign he had in mind against Schenk and the Germans
+was momentarily eclipsed by the urgent need for doing something to
+relieve the distress of his mother and sister. He tried at first to
+think of friends, who, knowing the value of their property, might be
+disposed to advance a sufficient sum of money upon its security. It was
+in the midst of these reflections, and the angry thoughts of Schenk that
+naturally coloured them, that a wild and desperate idea occurred to him.
+He dismissed it at first as an absurdity, but the thought kept coming
+back again, until, weary of resisting it, he allowed his mind to dwell
+upon it at will. It was while heedlessly immersed in these rambling
+thoughts that a sudden recollection came which considerably altered the
+aspect of affairs. From a wild and desperate dream it changed into a
+project, difficult and perilous indeed, but one by no means hopeless of
+achievement. In the end it took such firm hold upon him that he thought
+it out seriously and at last unfolded it to Dale.
+
+That worthy welcomed it with such unbounded admiration and delight that
+the question as to whether it should or should not be attempted was
+settled out of hand, and the preparations for carrying it into effect
+promptly begun.
+
+The project was, briefly, to go and take by a _coup de main_ the moneys
+belonging to his mother that Schenk had wrongfully and treacherously
+refused to hand over. It seemed a most risky venture, but Max had a
+recollection that his father long ago had entrusted to his mother the
+duplicate key of his safe in case anything should at any time happen to
+him. It had never been used, and his mother, likely enough, had almost
+forgotten she possessed it. Nevertheless, Max believed it was still in
+her possession, and he resolved to settle the point by sending a
+messenger to fetch it. More important still, he believed that Schenk was
+quite unaware of its existence. If the key could be secured it would
+simplify matters immensely, and, as Max was naturally familiar with the
+building in which the manager's office was situated, the enterprise was
+one which seemed likely to succeed if resolutely attempted. The safe, he
+knew, ought to contain all the money and securities of the firm, unless,
+indeed, Schenk had already handed them over to the Germans. This did not
+seem likely, however, and Max would not allow so disappointing a thought
+to interfere with his calculations.
+
+Monsieur Dubec's eldest daughter was promptly dispatched to Madame
+Durend with a letter asking for the key. Max entered into no details,
+and his mother may possibly have supposed that M. Schenk's failure to
+send her the money he had promised was due to the loss of the original
+key. At any rate, to the delight both of Max and Dale, the key duly
+arrived the following day.
+
+Tools were needed, and these were of course easily obtained. Max, as we
+have seen, had been through most of the shops in the Durend concern, and
+knew how to use almost any tool as well as the best of the firm's
+mechanics. No difficulties, therefore, were to be anticipated on that
+score. In fact, the more the details of the scheme were discussed the
+more feasible it seemed and the more the spirits of the two plotters
+rose.
+
+The third night after the break with Schenk, Max and Dale set out from
+their lodging at midnight and made their way to the Durend workshops.
+Dale was carrying a good-sized bag, in which was a lantern and an
+assortment of tools and other articles, one or two of them of such a
+nature that to be stopped and the bag examined would have been fatal to
+their liberty of movement for many a long day. It was, therefore,
+necessary for them to move with caution, and Max accordingly went on a
+hundred yards ahead, ready to give the agreed signal--a stumble forward
+on the pavement--whenever it was advisable for Dale to disappear.
+
+The offices of the Durend Company were situated in a separate building
+just inside the main entrance gates. The latter were ordinarily guarded
+by a watchman, but since the Germans had entered Liége a guard of German
+soldiers had been established there, and the sentinel on his beat passed
+within view of the front and two sides of the offices. It was pretty
+obvious, therefore, that the rear of the building would have to be the
+part attacked.
+
+It was close on one o'clock when Max and Dale scaled the outer wall well
+away from the entrance, and moved cautiously up to the rear of the
+building which was their objective. They had had only one alarm so far,
+and this had been so easily disposed of that they had begun to feel
+quite elated.
+
+"This window gives access to the drawing-office, Dale, and ought to suit
+us well. Give me a lift on to the sill, and hand up the tools."
+
+In a surprisingly short space of time the window was forced open, and
+Max clambered into the room. A whispered word, and Dale handed up the
+bag and sprang quietly up after it.
+
+"Heat No. 1 pulled off at a paddle," commented Dale exultingly.
+
+"The door is open, as I expected," whispered Max, who was too intent
+upon the work in hand to heed his friend's playfulness. "Now I will
+light the lantern and we will go upstairs. The door of the manager's
+room is sure to be locked, but we shall make short work of that."
+
+As Max expected, the door was locked, but they had come provided with
+tools for all eventualities, and in ten minutes the whole of the bottom
+panels right up to the framework had been neatly sawn out in one piece.
+Through the aperture the two lads crept, drawing the bag through after
+them.
+
+"Heat No. 2 won by a dozen lengths," cried Dale joyously.
+
+The room was a fairly large one, and contained the manager's desk, a
+really handsome piece of furniture which had been Max's father's, two or
+three tables, bookcases, a screen, and a large and massive safe.
+
+Max lost no time. Setting Dale to keep watch and ward at the window
+which commanded a view of the entrance-gates, he placed the lantern on
+the desk, so that its light fell upon the safe, and then advanced upon
+it, key in hand. This was the crucial moment. Had Schenk appropriated
+the money and securities committed to his charge, or were they still
+there, awaiting the strange midnight visit from their rightful owner? It
+was, indeed, a strong indictment of the methods of the invaders that the
+legitimate owner should have to come by stealth at dead of night, while
+the unfaithful steward could do as he listed in the broad glare of day.
+
+Max's hand trembled, and the lock seemed to stick. Then the lever seemed
+to jamb, until he feared that, after all, something had happened that
+would balk him at the last moment. But it was only his momentary
+nervousness, and the door swung ponderously open at last.
+
+"Well, Max, how goes it?" enquired Dale excitedly, turning to watch his
+friend as he explored the open safe.
+
+"All's well, I think. It seems full enough."
+
+"Semi-final won by a clear length--eh?" cried Dale in great glee. "Seems
+a regular walk-over. If we want any real excitement we shall have to go
+and throw stones at the German guard."
+
+"We haven't done yet," replied Max more soberly, though his voice was
+confident enough. "Here, I'm not going to examine all these papers and
+documents now. I'm going to cram the whole lot into the bag and be off.
+We can see what our capture is when we get back to our room."
+
+"Right you are. By George, though, what's that?"
+
+Both stood stock-still and listened. The sound of voices and the tramp
+of feet upon the stairs was plainly audible.
+
+Max darted an angry look at Dale. In the excitement of the opening of
+the safe the latter had forgotten that he was on guard at the window,
+and no doubt this was the result. "You see, Dale?" he cried sharply.
+
+"I'm sorry, old man," replied Dale miserably.
+
+"No matter. Cram these things into the bag while I lock the safe. Mind,
+not a sound!"
+
+The safe locked, Max sprang noiselessly to the door, replaced the
+cut-out panels and secured them in position, against anything but a blow
+or strong pressure, by two or three sharp nails pressed in with his
+fingers. Flight was out of the question, but it might be possible to
+make good their escape later on if they could only hide themselves
+successfully for a little while. For a hiding-place Max had no need to
+look. He had played at hide-and-seek in that very room with his sister
+years ago, too often to forget that the best shelter was inside the well
+of his father's--now the manager's--desk.
+
+The panels replaced, Max knelt down and gently blew away the tell-tale
+sawdust. Then he turned and eagerly scanned the room. Dale had already
+packed the bag, and was looking vainly round for a hiding-place.
+
+"Under here--quick!" cried Max, indicating the desk, and in Dale
+scrambled, dragging the precious bag after him. There was only one thing
+left which needed to be disposed of, and that was the lantern. Max knew
+that if he blew it out and hid it under the desk the smell would
+inevitably betray them. Therefore he took it to the fire-place, blew it
+out close under the chimney, and instantly thrust it as far up as his
+arm would reach and lodged it there.
+
+The noise of voices and the tramp of feet had, during the few moments
+that these preparations had taken, been growing stronger, and the
+lantern had scarcely been disposed of before the approaching persons
+halted at the door. The rattle of keys, as someone--no doubt the
+manager--drew a bunch from his pocket, could now be distinguished, and
+as Max crawled in under the desk, and packed himself in on top of Dale,
+the key turned in the lock.
+
+Several men entered, talking together in the German tongue. One voice
+only Max and Dale recognized, and that, as they expected, belonged to
+the manager, Otto Schenk.
+
+"... take severe measures against any workman adopting a hostile
+attitude. Would this meet with approval in Highest quarters?"
+
+"Certainly. You may rest assured, Herr von Schenkendorf, that the
+Government of His Imperial Majesty has no intention of showing aught but
+the utmost sternness and rigour towards the whole Belgian population,
+whether workmen, property owners, or their families."
+
+"Thank you, General."
+
+"Serious consequences have ensued from the unexpected delay caused to
+our armies by the resistance of the Belgian army, and it is the Belgians
+who shall be made to pay for it. And to make them pay for it in a
+literal sense is, as you know, the reason of my presence here now."
+
+"True, General," replied the manager as he switched on the light; "but
+if I am to develop these works to the utmost, and to support our armies
+with ample supplies of guns and shells, I must be able to pay my
+workmen."
+
+"The gold and securities handed over will be replaced by notes of our
+Imperial Reichsbank or by Belgian paper money, which I have good reason
+to believe we shall shortly commence to manufacture. You will thus be as
+well off as before, and the Government will have securities which it can
+sell in neutral countries."
+
+"Oh, I am not objecting, General! The plan is excellent, and should
+yield much profit to our country. As for these Belgians, they have
+brought it on themselves by their foolish obstinacy. Ha, ha! A large
+part of the securities I am about to hand to you, General, were, by the
+explicit instructions of the widow of Monsieur Durend, to have been sent
+into Holland for her use. I thought I could find a better use for them
+than that, however, and they will doubtless be made to render important
+service to the Imperial Government. Only two days ago, too, that young
+English cub, Monsieur Durend's son, attacked me in this room and
+demanded money for his mother's use. I told him to go and work for her,
+and sent him about his business."
+
+There was a rumble of laughter, and the desk creaked as one of the
+officers--there seemed two men beside M. Schenk--sat down on the side of
+it.
+
+"And what sum will it be, Herr von Schenkendorf? It must be a large one.
+My Government will expect much from so large and prosperous a business."
+
+"I can give you 1,500,000 marks in money and securities," replied the
+manager as he drew his keys from his pocket and approached the safe. "If
+you wish I will hand the sum to your aide-de-camp now."
+
+"I do wish it, Herr von Schenkendorf," replied the officer decisively.
+
+Max and Dale held their breaths in suspense as they heard the key turn
+in the lock and the door of the safe swing heavily open. There was a
+sharp exclamation, followed by a dull sound as though the manager had
+flung himself down on his hands and knees, the better to peer into the
+inside.
+
+"Mein Gott!" he cried in a strangled voice. "Gone--all gone!"
+
+"No tricks, sir!" cried the general in a rasping voice, getting up
+suddenly from the desk on which he had been sitting. "I will not be
+trifled with."
+
+The manager made no reply, but Max could hear him breathing heavily and
+fancied he caught a groan.
+
+"What is the matter, von Schenkendorf? Have you been robbed?" demanded
+the officer.
+
+"Yes, General," replied the manager after a pause in which he vainly
+endeavoured to find his voice. "Mein Gott--yes--robbed! How--I know not.
+Last evening I left all----"
+
+"Bah! You _are_ trifling with me!" cried the officer in a stern voice.
+"This is altogether too opportune to be the result of accident. I come
+to you demanding a contribution to His Imperial Majesty's exchequer and
+you tell me you have just been robbed. I begin to have grave doubts of
+your faithfulness to our cause."
+
+"General," cried Schenk in a voice which positively trembled with
+vexation, "General, I assure you that it is a pure coincidence. Never
+before has the firm been robbed, and how or why it should happen now I
+do not know. But it shall be fully investigated and I will leave no
+stone unturned to recover possession of the valuables--be assured of
+that."
+
+"So! Well, well, you have had a good reputation with our Government in
+the past and I will let matters rest for the moment," replied the
+officer in a voice which contained more than a suspicion of a threat.
+"By the way," he went on suddenly, his voice again taking on a rasping
+tone, "I am no doubt right in assuming that those siege-gun plans which
+I handed to you yesterday are in safe custody?"
+
+"I will look after them, General, have no fear," responded Schenk in a
+voice which made Max, who knew its usually firm tones so well, grasp the
+bag on which he leaned with a sudden new affection. "I fully realize
+their vast importance to our common cause."
+
+Apparently the officer also noticed something amiss. "Show me the
+plans," he replied curtly.
+
+There was a few moments' suspense. Max could hardly suppress his impulse
+to laugh aloud, for, although he could not see, he could picture without
+the least difficulty the manager's utter misery and discomfiture.
+
+"I have them not. They were with the valuables locked in the safe,"
+replied Schenk in a stammering voice. "But, General, they shall be
+recovered. I have agents everywhere, and no efforts shall be spared to
+recover them."
+
+The officer strode the length of the room and back. Then he sat heavily
+down again on the side of the manager's desk, cleared his throat, and
+responded slowly and impressively:
+
+"This matter, Von Schenkendorf, is now beyond my powers. I must report
+the matter to my Government. Till then you must not move from Liége
+without my permission."
+
+The manager made no reply.
+
+"This room," the officer went on, "must be kept locked until it has been
+thoroughly investigated by officers whom _I_ shall send. But you may
+make such enquiries through your own agents as you think fit. If you
+succeed, it will, of course, influence matters considerably to your
+advantage."
+
+"General," replied the manager humbly, "General, I will do so. But let
+me beg you not to let this one mischance, which might have happened to
+anyone, wipe out the recollection of my many great services to the
+State."
+
+"All shall be considered," replied the officer coldly as he strode
+towards the door. It was obsequiously opened for him, and the three men
+passed out, the manager locking the door behind them.
+
+"Give me the key," demanded the officer. It was handed over, and the
+party moved with heavy tread along the passage and down the stairs.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+Getting Ready for Bigger Things
+
+
+"Now for it, Dale; it's now or never," cried Max in a voice of
+suppressed eagerness, as he emerged from under the desk the moment the
+party of Germans moved away along the passage. "If we do not get clear
+at once I rather think we never shall."
+
+"Yes, we are what you might call 'right on the post' and rowing neck and
+neck. 'Twill be a near thing whoever wins," replied Dale, again breaking
+out into rowing jargon, as he was apt to do whenever excited.
+
+"The prize is bigger than you imagine," responded Max, dragging out the
+bag and glancing quickly about the room. "Could you follow what was said
+well enough to understand why they rounded on Schenk, or Schenkendorf,
+as his name seems to be?"
+
+"No, old man, my German isn't nearly equal to the job, especially when
+I'm submerged in trunks and desks."
+
+"Well, among the papers we've stuffed into this bag are the plans of
+some special siege-guns the Germans seem to set no small store on.
+Schenk was just going to wire in making them, by the look of it. We've
+upset the whole business, and if he isn't under arrest he's very near
+it. But come along; we must get out of this."
+
+The bottom panels of the door were quickly removed and Max and Dale
+crawled through, carrying the now doubly precious bag with them. The
+manager and the two officers had by this time reached the front entrance
+of the building but appeared to have halted there and to be talking
+earnestly together. Hastily removing their boots, Max and Dale crept
+quietly down the stairs to the door of the drawing-office. They paused
+and listened before opening it, and heard the party at the entrance
+descend the steps, still talking together, and the scrunch of the gravel
+under their feet as they strode away. Then, almost immediately, they
+heard a harsh command and the rapid tramp of feet as the guard turned
+out at the entrance to the works.
+
+Max whipped open the door of the drawing-office and they entered and
+closed it behind them. The window through which they had come an hour or
+two before gaped before them, and they eagerly moved to it and peered
+out. All seemed clear for the moment, but they could hear men in motion
+somewhere, and in the passage they had just left they were startled to
+hear the voice of the manager talking in a peremptory tone to someone,
+one of the guard they imagined, and the tramp of their feet as they
+passed the door and began ascending the stairs.
+
+"Quick; jump out," whispered Max, and he assisted his friend to drop as
+noiselessly as possible to the ground. Then he handed down the bag and
+lowered himself down after it. In silence and in great trepidation they
+sped towards the outer walls at the point at which they had entered.
+Without mishap they helped one another up and over, and fled at the top
+of their speed towards their lodging. At any moment they feared a
+general alarm might be sounded, and the truest caution seemed to be to
+throw caution momentarily to the winds.
+
+They reached the door of their lodging in safety, and as they entered
+Dale whispered triumphantly to his friend: "We've won the final too. By
+George we have!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Day was just beginning to break as the two friends left the town on the
+northward side and made their way across country towards the Dutch
+frontier. They carefully avoided the roads, and their progress was slow;
+but it was sure, and as soon as they were well away from the
+neighbourhood of the town they regained the roads and made more rapid
+progress. Before the day was out they reached Maastricht, and Max found
+his mother and sister safe and sound, though indeed in great distress.
+
+The relief of Madame Durend at the return of her son from beleaguered
+Liége was intense. The stories told by the numerous refugees from the
+towns and villages of Belgium were so terrible that she could not be
+other than most anxious for his safety. Now he had arrived, and had
+brought, she soon learned, sufficient funds to enable them all to live
+in comfort and security for a long time.
+
+But it was not until Max and his friend unfolded their story that she
+fully realized in what peril they had been, and at what cost they had
+been able to bring the much-needed assistance. Their story was indeed
+amazing. Schenk a traitor, and Schenk outwitted! Priceless German plans
+captured, and funds that the enemy had hoped to secure removed from
+beyond their grasp! Madame Durend could not but be proud of her son's
+exploits, but it was a pride with many a tremble at the frightful
+dangers run.
+
+A fuller examination of their captures revealed to Max and Dale how
+valuable their prize had been, and sent them both hotfoot to the house
+of the nearest British consul, into whose care they confided the
+precious plans, with instructions that they wished them handed over to
+the British War Office without delay.
+
+A statement briefly describing who the captors were, and how the _coup_
+had been brought about, was drawn up and signed, and, in high glee at
+the shrewd blow struck against Schenk and his Germans, they returned
+once more to the lodging of Madame and Mademoiselle Durend.
+
+A few days spent there in safety, and almost in idleness, were, however,
+sufficient to make Max and Dale, and especially the former, restless and
+dissatisfied with their inactivity. The onward march of the Germans,
+their terrible unscrupulousness and rapacity, and the tales of the
+terrific fighting with the English and French vanguards reached their
+ears and made them long to be doing something, however small, to aid the
+great cause. Max, in addition, had a constant sense of irritation at the
+thought that his father's great works were running night and day in the
+interests of the Germans and to the vast injury of his own countrymen.
+He could not get away from the feeling that he had a responsibility
+towards the Durend works--a responsibility which he seemed in honour
+bound to discharge. This feeling grew and grew until it became so
+intolerable that he was impelled to announce to his mother that he must,
+without delay, return to his post in the stricken city.
+
+"But surely you have done enough, Max?" cried Madame Durend, almost in
+consternation. "You are not yet of man's age, and ought not to think of
+taking upon yourself such fearful tasks. It is no fault of yours that
+our property is being used by the Germans. Many other factories and
+workshops besides ours have been seized, and who can fairly put the
+blame upon the owners?"
+
+"I know, Mother," replied Max in a quiet voice, and with a far-away look
+in his eyes. "I know it is no fault of ours. But our workmen--the
+faithful and real Belgian workmen--are there bearing alone in silence
+the pain and misery of seeing the great business they helped to create
+worked to the destruction of their own liberties. They feel nothing so
+much as the thought that their masters have deserted them, and left them
+to fight the battle for their land and liberties alone. I must go back
+and join them, if only to let them know we are with them, hand and foot,
+heart and soul. I feel, Mother, that so long as one workman still holds
+out against tyranny and oppression, the owners of the Durend workshops
+must be by his side to give him both countenance and aid."
+
+Max's voice grew stronger, and thrilled with a deeper and deeper
+earnestness, as he went on. It was clear to each of his hearers that the
+guardianship of his father's works had become the one great object and
+aim of his existence. With such a burning, passionate desire in his
+heart, it was almost impossible that he could be persuaded to abandon
+his project if he were not to be rendered miserable for life, and Madame
+Durend realized almost at once that she dare not attempt it. But the
+thought of the desperate character of the undertaking made her mother's
+heart sink with dread.
+
+"I dare not say you nay, Max, my son," she said tremulously, after a
+long pause, "for I should feel that I was setting my own wishes against
+what is, perhaps, your duty to your country, and still more your duty to
+your dear father's name. Go, then--only do not--do not run unnecessary
+risks. Be as cautious as you can--and come back to me often."
+
+"We will be as cautious as we honourably can, will we not, Dale?" cried
+Max, appealing to his friend. "It is stratagem that we shall use in
+making our war--not force. We have thought it all out together, and hope
+to give a good account of ourselves without giving the Germans a chance
+to pay us back with usury."
+
+"Yes," replied Dale cheerfully, "we are not going to give the enemy a
+chance. Why, you have no idea how cautious and full of dodges Max is. He
+just bristles with 'em, and I think we shall give Schenk and his friends
+a warm time."
+
+Madame Durend sighed deeply. "It seems terrible to me to think of two
+such boys returning to that dreadful place to do battle unaided with
+those men. How I pray that you may come safely back!"
+
+"No fear of that," cried Dale confidently, and Max gazed into his
+mother's face and nodded reassuringly.
+
+The next day they left the hospitable streets of Maastricht and arrived
+safely in Liége, still in their disguises as Walloon workmen. A visit to
+a clever hairdresser before they left had completed their disguise.
+Their fresh complexions were hidden beneath a stain that darkened the
+skin to the tints of the swarthiest Walloons of the Liége district.
+
+Max, as he was by far the better known and ran the greater risk of
+detection, had, in addition, his brown hair dyed a much darker hue and
+his eyebrows thickened and made to meet in the centre. A few lines
+skilfully drawn here and there about his face gave him the appearance of
+a much older man than Dale, and enabled them to pose as brothers aged
+about twenty-eight and twenty respectively. Their hair was allowed to
+run wild and mat about their brows and ears; hands and wrists were left,
+much to their discomfort, to get as grubby as possible, and in the end
+they were ready to meet the gaze of all as Belgian workmen of the most
+out-and-out kind.
+
+The necessity for the constant renewal of their various disguises was
+not overlooked, and the hairdresser was prevailed upon to part with a
+supply of his dyes and to tell them exactly how and when to apply them.
+
+Max of course could maintain the part of workman to perfection, even if
+questioned at length, but Dale was under the necessity of answering only
+in monosyllables, as his knowledge of the language was at present not
+very great. With Max at his elbow, however, this was not a serious
+drawback, and neither anticipated any difficulty on that score.
+
+Max was now a broad-shouldered, well-built young fellow of twenty. He
+was not much above medium height, but his rowing and running at
+Hawkesley and his hard work in the various shops of the Durend concern
+had given him a muscular development that most of the real workmen might
+have envied. His responsibilities as stroke at college, and, later, as
+the future head of the firm, had given him a self-reliant attitude of
+mind that was reflected in his bearing, and enabled him to maintain with
+unconscious ease his sudden increase in years over his more
+youthful-looking comrade.
+
+Dale was still slim and boyish-looking. He was wiry enough, however, and
+was, as we have seen, extremely cool and courageous in any tight corner.
+He was quick, too, and the pair made an ideal couple to hunt together.
+Had Schenk known that they were bending all their energies to the task
+of hindering his use of the Durend workshops for the benefit of the
+Germans he would probably have bestowed more than a passing thought upon
+them. And had he had an inkling that they were at the bottom of the
+shrewd blow already dealt him within the sacred precincts of his office
+he would, no doubt, have spent a sleepless night or two.
+
+The few days that had elapsed since Max and Dale left Liége had already
+witnessed yet another development in the rapid conversion of the Durend
+workshops into a first-class manufactory of war material for the German
+army. A large building on the outskirts of the town had been taken over
+and converted into a filling-shop, and the shells manufactured within
+the works were conveyed thither on a miniature railway, and there filled
+with high-explosive drawn from a factory situated about a mile and a
+half away, well outside the limits of the town. This new shop was being
+staffed with men drawn partly from Germany and partly from former
+workmen of the less determined sort, who were gradually returning to
+work under stress of hunger.
+
+On Max and Dale applying for work they were promptly drafted to this
+shop. Fortunately for them, perhaps, the foreman who was now engaging
+fresh workmen was a man sent from Germany, a bullying, overbearing,
+Prussian foreman who was expected to bring the methods of the Prussian
+drill-sergeant to bear upon the poor half-starved wretches applying for
+work, and to reduce them to a proper state of submission. Max had no
+difficulty in satisfying the man, especially as he made no demur to
+working in the night shift. Few workmen cared for the night shift, and
+the foreman was therefore the more ready to clinch the bargain. Soon Max
+and Dale were being shown the way to fill the shells and finish them
+off, ready to be sent on their mission of destruction.
+
+"Things couldn't have happened better, Dale," remarked Max at the first
+opportunity.
+
+"Why, Max? We are safe inside; is that what you mean?"
+
+"Not exactly. What I mean is our being sent to the filling-shops. It's
+no end of a piece of luck."
+
+"Ah, I see! You are thinking of wrecking the place, eh?"
+
+"Possibly, later on. But what I mean is that for our plans we need
+explosives, and plenty of them. Well, here they are, ready to hand, and
+all we have to do for a start is to get what we want away unseen."
+
+"Aye; accumulate a store of our own ready for the day we want them?"
+
+"Yes; the best place to attack we can settle later. In fact we may have
+to seize our opportunities as they come along."
+
+"The best places to choose are these filling-shops, old man. Heaps of
+explosives about, and, although they watch everyone pretty closely, we
+ought to get a chance before long. If this place were blown sky-high it
+would damage a lot of the other shops, and probably get Schenk the sack.
+He seems to have got over that other affair all right."
+
+"Yes, but I can't bring myself to blow up this great place with all the
+workmen in it, Germans or renegade Belgians though they are. I want to
+cripple the works, not kill the work-people."
+
+"Don't see much in your scruples, Max. If we don't kill them they are
+left to go on sending shells out to kill our men."
+
+"True, old man, but all the same I should like, if I can, to do the
+business without causing any loss of life among the workmen. There is
+the power-house now. If we could wreck that we should bring the whole of
+the works to an absolute standstill."
+
+"Phew! Yes. Well, and why shouldn't we?"
+
+"I've been thinking, and I believe we ought to be able to do it. Of
+course you know there is a soldier always posted at each entrance?"
+
+"We must dispose of him--that's all."
+
+"Or else we must get jobs as stokers. But enough of this--see that man
+coming along there eyeing the benches?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"I believe he's a spy. He is really looking more at the men than at the
+benches. We must be very careful, or one of those fellows will get in
+our way."
+
+"It will be the worse for him," muttered Dale under his breath, as he
+went on with his work with redoubled energy.
+
+"And for us too," replied Max, lifting a heavy shell with an ease that
+many of the regular workmen, practised though they were, could not have
+excelled.
+
+The man stopped when he reached the bench on which Max and Dale were
+working. "Where are you from?" he enquired sharply, in very indifferent
+Walloon.
+
+"Yonder," replied Max, nodding towards the poorer quarter of the town.
+"Back of Rue Gheude."
+
+"You're a Belgian, eh?"
+
+"Yes," admitted Max with an appearance of reluctance.
+
+"Why do you come here to work? Many of your countrymen refuse to work."
+
+"One must live," replied Max sullenly. Then he went on in an angry tone:
+"We have been deserted and left to starve. Why shouldn't we work? They
+should protect us, these French and English, if they want us to remain
+on their side. Are we to let our little ones perish for their sakes?"
+
+"You are right, my friend," replied the man approvingly. "These English
+and Frenchmen care naught so long as their country is safe. Why should
+Belgians fight their battles for them? No, no, my friend."
+
+Max nodded and turned back to his work. The man watched him for a minute
+or two and then continued on his way along the shop, scarcely glancing
+at Dale, who was to all appearances too engrossed in his work to pay
+much attention to what was going on about him.
+
+"End of round No. 1," whispered Max to his friend. "We've got the better
+of Mr. Ferret so far, but I fear we shall have trouble in getting many
+live shells away from under the noses of him and his tribe."
+
+"We shall do it," replied Dale confidently. "We may get the job of
+loading them up on the lorries presently and find an opportunity. If the
+worst comes to the worst we must carry medium-sized ones away one by one
+in our folded coats."
+
+"H'm!" grunted Max. "We must find a safer way than that I fancy. I doubt
+if our ferret friends would let us do much of that sort of thing."
+
+Dale shrugged his shoulders in contempt of the whole of the spy crew,
+and the conversation dropped.
+
+For some two weeks Max and Dale worked in the filling-shops, observing
+the routine and making careful note of every circumstance that seemed to
+offer a chance of making off with supplies of finished shells. They soon
+found that they had reason to congratulate themselves upon having joined
+the night shift. Max had accepted the foreman's offer of the night shift
+for two reasons: first, because he thought that their disguises were
+less likely to be penetrated in artificial light, and, secondly, because
+they might reasonably expect to be quite safe during their journeys to
+and fro in the dark. But he found that an even greater advantage to
+their projects lay in the fact that the shop was only half manned at
+night, the work, and especially the supervision, were less efficient,
+and the yards, while well lighted, contained plenty of deep shadows
+suited to shelter those on dubious errands.
+
+As soon as he could, Max got into touch with his friend Dubec and the
+workmen who had remained faithful to their country's cause. He had
+brought ample funds with him from the moneys recovered from the firm,
+and hoped to relieve any who might be in acute distress. He soon found
+plenty of outlet for his funds, for the men who refused to work in the
+shops were drawing terribly near the edge of starvation.
+
+As Max had expected, the knowledge that their employers were standing by
+them, and were ready to aid them at every opportunity, greatly heartened
+the men, and a small but loyal band steadily refused to work, and fought
+a gallant battle with starvation in the cause of their country's
+freedom. Between Max and these men an unbreakable, unforgettable bond of
+union was gradually forged; and several times, to their unbounded
+delight, he was able to use them in furthering his projects. He found
+them particularly useful in obtaining information and in keeping watch
+over the movements of M. Schenk and his numerous spies. Patriotism,
+resentment at their sufferings, and hatred of Schenk, all combined to
+render them zealous auxiliaries, and lightened, in some measure at
+least, the heavy task fate seemed to have cast upon Max's own shoulders.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+The Attack on the Power-house
+
+
+Some three weeks after Max and Dale had so unobtrusively re-entered the
+Durend works, their plans were laid and their preparations complete.
+Eight large shells had been carried off one by one and secreted in a
+hole in the bank of the Meuse, at a spot where it was well shaded by
+thick bushes. The power-house had been carefully reconnoitred, and the
+times and habits of the men and of the sentries carefully noted. The
+bulk of the great engines which provided the power required to run the
+various workshops were underground, and all the approaches to the
+building were commanded by two sentries stationed at opposite corners.
+
+The success of their enterprise was dependent upon one of these sentries
+being put out of action for some minutes. This was no easy matter, but
+by dint of much discussion and careful observation they reached the
+conclusion that it could be done; and, better still, done so that no
+alarm need be given.
+
+A Sunday night was fixed for the attempt, because Max and Dale had never
+worked on Sundays, and their absence would not therefore be likely to
+arouse any subsequent suspicion that they had had anything to do with
+the matter. Moreover, all departments of the works were run on reduced
+staffs, and the staff of the power-house was reduced proportionately.
+The loss of life which both Max and Dale feared might ensue from the
+realization of their plans was thus brought to a minimum.
+
+Shortly after midnight, Max, Dale, and Dubec made their way silently to
+the little cache of shells in the river bank, and began transporting
+them to a point as near the power-house as they could expect to get
+without attracting notice. There was a bright moon, but there were also
+clouds, and they patiently bided their time, and moved only when the
+moon was obscured. It was one o'clock before the whole of the shells had
+been transported within easy reach of the power-house.
+
+The sentries were changed at two o'clock, and Max and Dale waited only
+until this had been completed. Then they drew near, and took a long look
+at the sentry upon the least-exposed corner of the building. He was a
+young fellow, and while not looking particularly alert, yet seemed fully
+alive to his duties and determined to carry them out. As has already
+been explained, he was posted at a corner of the building, and could
+command a view of two sides. One of these sides was flooded with the
+light of the moon, but the other was in shadow, except at intervals
+where it was cut by the light from the windows of the power-house, which
+were here on a level with the ground.
+
+After a whispered word or two, Dale left Max and worked his way round
+until he was near the side of the building which was in shadow. Watching
+his chance, he slipped into the shadow at a moment when the sentry was
+gazing the other way. Max now retreated some distance, and then began
+boldly advancing towards the building, his feet crunching heavily into
+the gravel and giving the sentry every warning of his approach. The
+sentry watched him with lazy indifference, but, as he drew near, lifted
+rifle and bayonet and challenged.
+
+"Who comes there?"
+
+"A workman with message to the engineer," responded Max in a casual
+voice, slackening his pace and coming to a stop a few paces away.
+
+"Pass," replied the sentry indifferently, letting the butt of his rifle
+drop again to the ground. Max slouched on again, directing his steps so
+that he would pass just in front of the young soldier.
+
+The sentry idly watched the supposed workman, who slouched along gazing
+at the ground in front of him in the most stolid fashion. Just as he was
+on the point of passing the sentry, however, he shot out a hand, seized
+the man's rifle, and tore it from his grasp.
+
+Simultaneously a hand appeared from behind, and a cloth was clapped over
+the soldier's nose and mouth and held firmly in position, while another
+hand and arm grasped him round the middle.
+
+[Illustration: A CLOTH WAS CLAPPED OVER THE SOLDIER'S NOSE AND MOUTH]
+
+Noiselessly grounding the captured rifle, Max in his turn sprang upon
+the sentry and wound both his arms about him, crushing his arms to his
+side and preparing to subdue his wildest struggles. Almost immediately,
+however, the man's muscles relaxed, as the chloroform, with which the
+cloth had been sprinkled, took effect, and Max and Dale lowered him to
+the ground.
+
+"Now, Dale, off with his tunic and helmet and put them on," cried Max
+rapidly. "Then take his rifle and stand on guard. All is well, and I
+believe we shall win through without a hitch."
+
+Dale did as he was bidden. The soldier's tunic and helmet were removed,
+and his body was dragged into the shadow close to the wall of the
+building. Then Max walked quickly back to the spot where the shells had
+been deposited. Here Dubec crouched in readiness.
+
+"Bring them along," whispered Max. "The sentry is disposed of, and we
+ought to meet with no interruption."
+
+"'Twas splendidly done," replied Dubec with enthusiasm. "The man seemed
+to be overcome as though by magic, and I heard scarce a sound."
+
+In three trips the shells were transported to the power-house and laid
+along the wall. Then Max went to one of the windows and looked in.
+
+The power-house was largely underground, and the windows, which ran
+around all sides on a level with the ground at intervals of about six
+feet, were high above the great boilers. In fact, as Max gazed down he
+had a bird's-eye view of the interior, and could see workmen flitting to
+and fro, stoking the great furnaces in blissful ignorance of the fact
+that a bolt which might destroy them with their engines was on the point
+of being shot.
+
+Drawing back his head, Max drew a bomb of his own manufacture from his
+pocket and lit the fuse. Then he leaned through the window, and, shading
+his mouth with his hands so that his words might carry downwards and be
+heard above the roar of the engines, cried in quick, urgent, warning
+tones:
+
+"Fly for your lives--the engine-house is being blown up! Fly! fly! fly!"
+
+The workmen looked up, startled, and into their midst Max flung his
+bomb. The men scattered to right and left, and a second or two later it
+burst with a splutter, sending out a great puff of white, pungent smoke.
+It was quite harmless, but the men did not know that, and a great cry of
+alarm went up and a terrific stampede began towards the nearest exit.
+
+"Now, Dubec," cried Max energetically, "light the fuses and fling them
+in. It matters little where they fall so long as we cover a wide area."
+
+In a few seconds the shells had been flung down into the power-house,
+right in among the boilers and machinery. Then the two men took to their
+heels and fled, followed by Dale, who had already divested himself of
+his borrowed plumes and donned his own.
+
+The success of their enterprise was complete. Hardly had they got clear
+of the building before a series of heavy explosions occurred in the
+interior of the power-house, followed by the upward burst of great
+clouds of smoke and steam. Instantly all the lights in the whole of the
+Durend workshops and the great lights in the yard went out, and the roar
+of machinery slackened and gradually ceased. The entire works were at a
+standstill, and the whirr of lathes and clink of hammers were succeeded
+by shouts of alarm from the thousands of workmen as they poured
+excitedly out into the open air.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The alarm and excitement were not decreased when, almost immediately,
+there was a great outburst of flame in one of the large workshops
+devoted to the building of the bodies of railway carriages and trucks,
+and the chassis of motorcars. With extraordinary rapidity the flames
+leapt up from floor to floor, until the great yards in the vicinity, a
+moment before plunged in blackness by the destruction of the
+electric-light plant, were again as light as day.
+
+"See that, Max?" whispered Dale in an awestruck voice as the flames
+leaped up. "Surely our raid on the power-house cannot have done that?"
+
+"I expect that something was upset in the mad rush for the doors. The
+place is full of inflammables, and they will never get the fire out--you
+see."
+
+The scene was of absorbing interest, and Max and Dale and the faithful
+Dubec mingled with the crowds of excited workmen and thoroughly enjoyed
+themselves. Alarm-bells were sounding and bugle-calls ringing in all
+directions, and in a few minutes two or three engines dashed into the
+yard and began a hopeless fight against the raging fire. Max and his
+friends continued to gaze on at the exciting scene until the former was
+recalled to himself by the heavy tramp of what seemed to be detachments
+of soldiers outside the walls of the yard.
+
+"Listen, Dale, I can hear a lot of troops marching outside. I don't
+think their presence bodes any good, and I think we had better be off.
+The Germans will be most awfully savage, and will be firing on the mob,
+or something of the sort."
+
+"Shouldn't wonder, old man. Well, we've done enough for one night, so
+let us join this crowd and leave by the main entrance."
+
+A number of workmen, who were probably of the same mind as Max and did
+not like the look of things, were moving towards the gates, and to these
+our three friends joined themselves. On reaching the gates, however, the
+whole party came to a standstill. The gates were closed, and a dozen
+soldiers with fixed bayonets stood on guard in front of them.
+
+"We made a mistake, Dale, in not getting away at once," whispered Max.
+"We shall have trouble now, you may be sure."
+
+As he spoke, the gates were opened and a motorcar drove through. It
+contained the manager, M. Schenk, and two officers, and came to a stand
+on the outskirts of the crowd collected at the gates. The manager
+immediately stood up in the car and addressed the crowd in such stern
+and peremptory tones that it would have seemed fitter, Max thought, had
+the words been uttered by one of the officers at his side.
+
+"Listen, men. A dastardly outrage has just been committed in these
+works, and I am determined to bring the guilty ones to justice. I shall
+allow no one to leave until he has been thoroughly examined, however
+long it may take. Stand aside, therefore, and await your call quietly,
+or I shall have recourse to sterner measures."
+
+The car moved on, and the workmen addressed stopped obediently where
+they were and began discussing the affair in low, excited tones.
+
+"This sort of thing won't suit us, Dale," whispered Max, as he edged out
+of the crowd and began moving away from the gates. "Examinations are not
+a strong point with us at present."
+
+"No, we require to study a little more--in strict seclusion," replied
+Dale in the same spirit, as they got away from the crowd into the
+blackness between a long workshop at a distance from the burning
+building and the outer walls.
+
+"Where now, Master," asked Dubec, looking at Max enquiringly as the
+three came to an involuntary halt.
+
+"Over the walls and away, I think. We have done enough for one night,
+and I fancy Schenk will think so too--eh, Dale?"
+
+"Aye, and say so, if ever he gets the chance," replied the latter.
+
+The party moved to the walls at the darkest point they could find and
+prepared to clamber over. The wall was here nearly ten feet high, and it
+was necessary for Dubec to plant himself against it and allow Max,
+assisted by Dale, to climb on his back. He could then help Dale up also
+before clambering on to the top. The rest would be easy enough. But a
+rude awakening was in store for them, for Max had no sooner put his head
+above the wall than he was greeted by a rifle-shot from the road below,
+and a bullet whizzed close overhead.
+
+"Down, Max, down!" cried Dale, clutching at his friend in sudden
+consternation.
+
+"I'm all right, old man," replied Max, who, needless to say, had lost no
+time in bobbing down below the level of the wall. "But we can't get over
+here," he added as he lowered himself gently to the ground. Dale
+followed suit, and the three men stood at the foot of the wall and
+anxiously debated their next move.
+
+"It is pretty clear," Max summed up, "that the Germans have put a cordon
+of soldiers all about the works, and clearer still"--a little ruefully
+this--"that their orders are to shoot first and make enquiries
+afterwards."
+
+"We must chance it and try to get over somewhere," responded Dale.
+
+"No--too risky. The moment we top the wall we show up plainly against
+the light of the fire behind us. We should be noticed at once. We must
+try another plan."
+
+"What's that?"
+
+"The river."
+
+"Ah--swim across?"
+
+"Yes--or, better still, float down until we get beyond the roads about
+the works."
+
+"But what about Dubec? Can he swim?"
+
+"I don't suppose so. Can you, Monsieur Dubec?"
+
+The answer was a decided negative, and Max went on: "But it doesn't
+matter. Dubec doesn't need to leave in the unorthodox way that Schenk
+has forced upon us. He is a _bona fide_ workman, and has been working in
+the shops for the last three days. He is safe enough."
+
+It was so arranged, and soon the party had gained the shelter of the
+bushes at the spot where their stock of shells had been hidden. Max and
+Dale then waded waist-deep into the Meuse, and, with a whispered
+farewell to M. Dubec, allowed themselves to float down with the stream.
+For some yards out the edge of the river was in deep shadow from the
+bank, and beyond a gentle movement of the hands to keep them within its
+shelter, the two lads let themselves drift at will. The water was warm
+and they felt no discomfort, and in half an hour they were beyond what
+they considered the danger zone. Clambering out of the river, they wrung
+as much of the water as possible out of their clothes and made rapid
+tracks for their lodging.
+
+As was to be expected, the destruction of the power-house and the
+burning of one of the largest workshops at the Durend works created a
+great sensation among both the Germans and the Liégeois. The former
+looked upon it, rightly enough, as a determined attempt to interfere
+with their exploitation of the manufacturing resources of the city for
+the benefit of the invading armies; the latter, as a patriotic and
+successful demonstration of the hatred of the Belgians for their
+temporary masters and of their determination to hinder them by every
+means in their power. It gave the spirit of the people a fillip, and,
+despite the redoubled severity of the Germans, the Liégeois went about
+their businesses with a prouder air, as if conscious that, though
+temporarily overcome, they were very far from being beaten.
+
+On attending for work on the following evening, at the usual hour, Max
+and Dale were curtly informed that they would not be required for
+another week at least. They had expected this, of course, and were only
+disappointed that the holiday was likely to be so short. They had hoped
+that the works would be out of action for at least three weeks. But the
+manager had set to work with his usual energy. Engines were being
+requisitioned from other factories in the town, not engaged in the
+manufacture of war supplies, and repairs to those less seriously damaged
+were going on with shifts of fresh workmen night and day.
+
+It was nearly a fortnight, however, before the works were again in full
+swing, or would have been in full swing had not other events occurred to
+hinder the complete resumption of business. That fortnight Max
+considered as a specially favourable opportunity for paying further
+attention to M. Schenk and his many activities. It meant that the
+various workshops were empty, save for two or three watchmen, and that
+groups of workmen were necessarily hanging about the premises, idly
+watching the proceedings and waiting for the time when they could
+recommence work. The first meant opportunities that would not occur when
+the workshops were in full swing, and the second that the prowling of
+Max and his friends would be the less likely to attract notice.
+
+One of the first things that caught the attention of Max and Dale was
+the rapid accumulation of great stocks of coal outside the yard, owing
+to the enforced idleness of the power-house. The Durend mines were, of
+course, unaffected by the stoppage of the workshops, and coal was sent
+up to the surface with the same regularity as before. In fact, the rate
+of production was accelerated, as numbers of the workmen thrown out of
+employment by the closing of the workshops applied for work at the
+collieries. Thus the stores of coal grew and grew, from stacks of the
+moderate dimensions (for the Durend Company) of 2000 or 3000 tons, to
+great piles of 10,000 and finally 24,000 tons. Then came a rumour that,
+as soon as trucks were available, the accumulation was to be transported
+into Germany and, worse still, to Krupp's.
+
+This was enough to set Max and Dale discussing the matter with anxious
+care. To the former it was as intolerable that the Durend mines should
+produce coal for Krupp's as it was that the Durend workshops should cast
+shells for the German guns. And yet it was no easy matter to devise
+means of dealing with a great mass of coal. Obviously, it could not be
+carried off, and to blow it up was hardly practicable. However, after
+much discussion, it was decided that an attempt should be made to burn
+it. It certainly did not seem a very hopeful scheme, seeing the number
+of fire-engines that were close at hand in the city and the unlimited
+supply of water in the River Meuse. But to Max and Dale anything seemed
+better than to do nothing in such a matter, and they determined to make
+the attempt.
+
+For materials all they needed was a good supply of firewood, a gallon or
+two of benzine, and some fuses.
+
+The coal stacks were situated on a piece of waste land outside, but
+adjoining, the walled-in enclosure of the Durend works. They were
+accessible on all sides, but a watchman was always on guard to see that
+none of the coal was stolen. This man patrolled round and round the
+stacks, keeping a look-out for suspicious characters, especially, of
+course, any bearing sacks or baskets which might be used to contain
+coal.
+
+It was in the middle of the night that Max and Dale, accompanied by the
+faithful Dubec, appeared on the scene. The last was carrying a bulky
+sack filled with firewood, Max bore a two-gallon tin of benzine, and
+Dale a dummy sack which appeared to be full, but which, as a matter of
+fact, contained only a light framework of wood designed to fill it out.
+
+Dale's part of the performance began first. Waiting until the watchman
+had passed, he flitted across the road to the coal stack. Then he gave
+the stack a kick which sent a number of loose pieces of coal rattling to
+the ground. The watchman stopped instantly, and without more ado Dale
+turned and bolted down the road in full view.
+
+As was expected, the watchman immediately gave chase, and in a couple of
+minutes both men had disappeared from the scene.
+
+Max and Dubec now emerged, and lost no time in getting to work. They
+crossed the road to the end of the stack where, in the morning, work
+would be resumed. There they made four caches of wood close against the
+stack, covered them over with loose coal, and deluged the pile with
+benzine. From these caches fuses were laid upward to the top of the
+stack, and the whole covered over with more coal.
+
+Long before the watchman had crawled back, grumbling and exhausted from
+his long chase after a thief who carried a great bag of coal with an
+ease that seemed extraordinary, the two other conspirators had
+disappeared from the scene. An hour later they rejoined Dale and spent
+half an hour in laughing over his recital of the way in which he had led
+the man farther and farther afield by pretending to be always on the
+point of dropping from fatigue.
+
+The next day Dubec spent in watching the stacking of further supplies of
+coal. The caches of firewood, he reported, had not been noticed, and by
+the end of the day another 1200 tons of coal had been dumped against the
+stack, completely enclosing them. For one day more Max held his hand,
+while he worked at another scheme that was slowly maturing. Then,
+immediately after nightfall, he crept to the stack, and, watching his
+opportunity, clambered carefully to the top and lit the three fuses.
+
+The smell presently told him that the fires had caught, and he crept
+away, satisfied that on the morrow there would be something of a hubbub,
+even if no very considerable damage resulted.
+
+It was with the idea of watching developments that Max and Dale applied
+for work at the depots next day. They hoped to witness amusing and
+exhilarating scenes, and to get as near to the spot as possible they
+gladly offered to shovel coal. Their offer was accepted and they were
+soon at work transporting coal and shovelling it on to the stacks.
+
+They soon experienced a sense of disappointment. Instead of finding the
+stacks enveloped in smoke, and all work suspended for the day, as they
+expected, they discovered that work was going on as usual and nothing
+seemed amiss.
+
+"Seems to have been a frost, Max," grumbled Dale discontentedly. "All
+our trouble and brain-fag gone for nothing."
+
+"I thought so at first, Dale, but I'm not so sure now. See that light
+haze yonder? It may be the fires have caught all right but are burning
+out for lack of draught. Let's hope they've done a bit of damage
+anyhow!"
+
+"H'm!" grunted Dale in a tone of discouragement.
+
+"Besides," Max went on, "this is only a small affair. The next real
+attack will come in a day or two, and I hope there will be no failure
+there."
+
+"No," replied Dale, brightening up, "if that comes off we shall have
+done something worth doing. Schenk will be ready to tear his hair, and
+we shall have to look out for ourselves."
+
+"Well, so we will. We shall deserve a rest, and we will retire into
+obscurity for a season and recuperate. Another ramble in the Ardennes
+would suit us well."
+
+"Especially with a little shooting thrown in--Uhlans, I mean," replied
+Dale facetiously.
+
+"There will be plenty of scouting, if not shooting, if all the tales we
+hear of those gentlemen be true."
+
+"Aye--but see, Max, how that smoky haze is getting thicker! The pile
+must be alight all right after all."
+
+The light fleecy smoke which hovered over the great stack certainly
+seemed denser than it was, and a slight smell of burning was in the air.
+The other workmen had also noticed it, and hazarded conjectures as to
+whence it came, but none of them got very near the mark. All day the
+smoke increased, until, by the time the men ceased work, it lay like a
+thick fog all about the neighbourhood.
+
+Max and Dale returned to their lodging in high glee, and their joy was
+not diminished when they noticed that the wind was beginning to freshen
+up.
+
+"This ought to finish the business, Dale," remarked Max. "With a high
+wind all night, if the fire doesn't get into its stride it never will."
+
+Soon after daybreak the shrill notes of a bugle in several quarters of
+the town and the ringing of fire-bells told our heroes that something
+unusual was afoot. They guessed, or rather hoped, that it might be on
+their account, and dressed and sallied out as quickly as they could.
+Sure enough, an enormous pall of smoke, that a volcano in full eruption
+need not have disowned, lay in the air in the direction of the Durend
+coal-yards. Fire engines were hurrying to the scene from all parts of
+the town, and the hoped-for hubbub seemed to have arrived.
+
+"This is worth a little trouble," remarked Dale with intense relish as
+they drew near the burning stack and saw hundreds of soldiers and
+firemen hovering actively about the spot.
+
+"Yes, but we may as well take a little more trouble and do the thing in
+style," responded Max coolly. "Let us follow these hoses to the river
+bank and see whether there is anything doing."
+
+They did so, and, finding that the hoses entered the water at a point
+where a patch or two of short scrubby bushes gave cover against chance
+watchers, they passed on and struck the bank again a hundred yards
+farther on. Then they disappeared from view, and, crawling along under
+cover of the bushes, they reached the hoses, and with a dozen rapid
+slashes of their clasp-knives effectually put them out of action.
+
+An extraordinary hubbub ensued. Soldiers and firemen rushed about in all
+directions, chasing away every unfortunate civilian who had had the
+temerity to approach the scene of the fire. In the confusion Max and
+Dale had no difficulty in escaping, and retired to the hills, there to
+gloat over the further efforts made to fight the fire, which seemed only
+to grow fiercer as hundreds of gallons of water were pumped upon it. It
+was two days before the fire was completely subdued, and the net result
+from a material point of view was that at least 10,000 tons of coal had
+been destroyed and the project of transporting coal to Krupp's
+effectually quashed. From the point of view of _moral_, the Germans were
+the laughing-stock of the town; they were deeply enraged and the
+townsfolk proportionately delighted.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+The Attack on the Munition-shops And Its Sequel
+
+
+To Max Durend the successful raid on the coal-yards was only the prelude
+to the main performance. His mind was bent wholly towards one great
+object, and that was to prevent, by every means in his power, the
+exploitation of his father's great works by the enemies of his country.
+The coal-yard incident, as he termed it, was satisfactory so far as it
+went, but gave his mind no real relief such as had resulted from the
+recovery of part of the firm's monetary resources and the destruction of
+the power-house. The next affair, which, as has been hinted, was already
+well in hand, was more important and was an attempt to damage, if not
+destroy, some of the great machines installed for the production of
+rifles and machine-guns.
+
+The largest workshop in the yard was devoted to this and a few other of
+the more delicate kinds of work, and it seemed to Max that the greatest
+amount of injury might be inflicted upon the Germans by an attempt on
+this shop. The works were still at a standstill, though it was fairly
+evident that they would not be so for much longer. The attempt ought,
+therefore, to be made within the few following days.
+
+The plan was simplicity itself. It merely provided for Max and Dale to
+enter the workshop during the night and to work as much mischief among
+the machines as they could, consistently with the need for silence and
+the avoidance or silencing of the watchmen. For some days they had kept
+the place under close observation, and noted the hours and habits of the
+watchmen and the sentinels at either end of the building until they knew
+them as well as the men themselves.
+
+Dubec they would not bring with them. He was eager to come, but the work
+required alertness and lightness of hand and foot rather than strength,
+and for this he would have been of no use. Besides, the two lads, keen
+as they were on their self-imposed tasks, were not unmindful of the fact
+that he had a wife and children to mourn him should the venture come to
+grief.
+
+All, however, seemed to go well. Max and Dale succeeded in effecting an
+entrance into the ground floor of the workshop after they had seen the
+watchman, by the glint of his lamp, make his midnight round. The two
+soldiers--one at each end of the building--saw nothing and heard
+nothing, of that they were assured. Without delay, therefore, for in a
+little over an hour the watchman would be back from his rounds upon the
+upper floors, they proceeded to put out of action the more valuable and
+more complicated machines in the building. It was necessary, of course,
+that they should be almost silent; so their mode of procedure was to
+muffle up in an old blanket the most delicate and fragile parts of the
+machines before smashing them with a heavy hammer well swathed in
+flannel wrappings.
+
+The machines dealt with first were those farthest from the route that
+would be taken by the watchman on his next round. Consequently, when he
+came, he passed along swinging his lantern in utter ignorance that
+anything was amiss, or that two men lay in ambush close at hand, ready
+to spring upon him should he suspect anything wrong and pause to
+investigate. As soon as he had passed out of ear-shot the two
+recommenced their work with redoubled energy, and some two and a half
+hours were thus consumed in work that utterly spoiled a large proportion
+of the valuable machines which filled the great workshop.
+
+Skilful, vigilant, and almost silent as they had been, they were yet
+after all caught napping. How or by whom they never knew, until, some
+time after, Dubec told them of a tale that was going the round among the
+workmen to the effect that one of Schenk's hired ferrets had all the
+time been hidden on the upper floor. Strange to say, he had been there
+not so much to deal with disaffected workmen--the sentinels were
+expected to do that--as to spy upon the watchmen themselves. The story
+seemed to fit in well with what Max knew of Schenk's character, and he
+accepted it as in all probability true. At any rate, neither Max nor
+Dale dreamed that aught was amiss until the latter heard the sound of
+marching outside, and that upon an unusual scale. He slid quickly to the
+nearest window and peeped out.
+
+"We're done, Max!" he cried soberly. "Scores of soldiers, and they look
+to be forming a cordon right round the building."
+
+"Are you sure?" Max cried incredulously, hurrying to a window on the
+opposite side of the block. One glance was enough to show that a strong
+cordon of soldiers was being drawn--nay, to all appearances was already
+drawn--all round the workshop. The soldiers faced inwards, and stood
+with bayonets fixed, as though prepared for an attempt at escape from
+some body of men caught within their armed circle.
+
+"We've been seen, Jack, old man!" cried Max, coming back to the side of
+his friend. "It's all up, I fear. They've made up their minds they've
+got us, and do not intend to let us slip. I'm so sorry, old man, you
+should have been mixed up in this. It's really not your quarrel, but
+mine."
+
+There was a new note in Max's voice, one his friend had never heard
+before, and it was with something suspiciously like a break in his own
+that Dale replied as he seized and wrung his hand: "Don't say another
+word, Max. It's my affair too, and I won't have you blame yourself on my
+account. We've simply fought for our country, and have now got to die
+for it--that's all."
+
+For a moment or two the friends stood silent, grasping one another's
+hands. That moment they were indeed friends, and each would cheerfully
+have given up his own life to save the other. Then the ruling thought
+which still swayed Max's mind asserted itself once more.
+
+"It seems so, Dale. Well, then, let us die to some good purpose. Here we
+have under our hands the most valuable of the workshops filched from us.
+It is only partly out of action. Let us complete the good work, and we
+shall at least have deserved well of our country."
+
+"Aye; but how so?"
+
+"Let us burn it down."
+
+"With us in it?"
+
+"Aye, if need be. But if we will we can always sally out and exchange
+that fate for the bayonet's point."
+
+Dale gazed at his friend in undisguised admiration. "You are a terror,
+Max," he said slowly. "These old works are your very life-blood, and I
+believe you would go through fire and water to keep the Germans out of
+'em."
+
+"So I would," replied Max with conviction, as he coolly reached down a
+great can of lubricating-oil and poured it over the floor and upon a
+pile of wooden cases close by. "Well, if you are game--and I know you
+are--let us scatter all the oil and stuff we can find about the place
+and set fire to it. They'll never get it out."
+
+"Right you are, Stroke. It's the final, and we must make a win of it.
+What would Hawkesley's think if they could see us--or Benson's?"
+
+"Dale," cried Max, with sudden and deeper earnestness, "d'ye know, I
+believe this is what we were really training for during all those
+gruelling races. It was not for nothing we slogged away there day after
+day, learning to conquer disappointment and defeat. No; it was to know
+how to serve our country here."
+
+"I believe you--and we will."
+
+"Hark! I think I can hear soldiers on the floor below. Look out! I am
+going to set a light to this pile of cases. Get ready to run. I fancy it
+will spread like wildfire."
+
+A match was applied, and flames leapt up and spread with a rapidity that
+would have terrified anyone less absorbed or less determined than our
+two heroes. The flames flew along the floor and benches, and Max and
+Dale retreated down the room, overturning all the cans of oil and grease
+they could find, and making it an easy matter for the fire to catch and
+hold. The smoke, driven along in front of the flames, quickly became so
+intolerable that they had to fly for relief to the staircase at the
+farther end of the building.
+
+Outside the workshop the burst of flame was the signal for a loud yell
+of execration, mingled with cries of warning to the soldiers who had
+entered the building in search of the hostile workmen reported there.
+The soldiers trooped noisily out and joined the cordon still drawn about
+the burning building. Messengers were dispatched to the fire-stations,
+and in a few minutes a couple of engines arrived and set to work to
+fight the flames. But though they were expeditious in arriving, the
+firemen were not equally expeditious in getting their hoses effectually
+trained upon the building. For one thing, the river had been largely
+relied upon to furnish a water-supply, and no hydrants were close at
+hand. Consequently the hoses had to be carried a great distance, and as
+the yards were still in darkness, save for the lurid light shed by the
+burning building, the hoses were badly exposed to the attentions of any
+hostile workman who happened to be near the scene.
+
+Dubec "happened" to be there, with two or three other men animated by
+out-and-out hostility to the Germans, and waged fierce war upon the
+hoses at every point at which they lay in shadow. By the time the
+officer commanding the troops had awakened to the situation, the hoses
+had been completely ruined, and the fighting of the flames delayed until
+fresh ones could be brought to the spot.
+
+In the meantime Max and Dale had ceased their efforts to extend the
+fire, and had retreated to one of the stone staircases situated at each
+end of the building. There was, in fact, little more to be done, for the
+fire had got firm hold, and it seemed certain that the whole building
+was doomed. The end by the staircase was almost free from smoke, and Max
+and Dale lingered there while awaiting the moment when they should be
+compelled to choose between death by burning or by the bayonets of the
+German soldiers. They fell somewhat quiet during those moments, and when
+they talked it was of the good old glorious times they had spent
+together. Presently Max's ear caught the sound of someone ascending the
+stairs.
+
+"Someone--a fireman, I suppose--is coming up the stairs, Dale."
+
+"What shall we do with him? Give him his quietus? I still have my
+hammer."
+
+"No--get in the corner here and watch what he's after. It won't help us
+to hurt him."
+
+The man moved on up the stairs until he passed by the spot where Max and
+Dale were in ambush. He was a fireman, and his object seemed to be to
+find out at close quarters the extent and power of the fire. As the man
+passed him, Max had a sudden idea.
+
+"We must attack him after all, Dale," he whispered. "Come--help me so
+that no alarm is raised. I will tell you why in a moment."
+
+Sheltered by the fitful light and occasional gusts of rolling smoke, it
+was an easy matter to creep upon the fireman unawares and to bring him
+to the ground stunned and helpless. That accomplished, Max immediately
+proceeded to remove the man's tunic and helmet. Dale then understood--it
+was to be the ruse of the sham sentry outside the power-house over
+again.
+
+"Now put them on, Dale," cried Max rapidly. "You can then go boldly down
+and out to the cordon of soldiers. They will let you through without
+question."
+
+"Not I," replied Dale sturdily. "I'm not going to leave you like that.
+What will become of you, I should like to know?"
+
+"I shall be all right. When the next fireman comes along I shall do the
+same. Now, go ahead, and don't delay."
+
+"No," replied Dale decidedly. "I'll not do it, Max. We will wait for the
+next fireman together if _you_ will not don the suit."
+
+"Dale--you will do as you are told!" cried Max, roused to sudden anger
+by his friend's unexpected obstinacy. "I am Stroke of this crew--not
+you."
+
+"I know you are, but you are asking too much when you want me to leave
+the boat. Besides, I should never get through. I can't muster up nearly
+enough German. You put them on, old man--it's no use staying here when
+you might escape."
+
+"You shall suffer for this, Dale, upon my word you shall," cried Max
+angrily, as he savagely thrust himself into the tunic, buckled on the
+belt and axe, and donned the great helmet. "But if you think I am going
+without you you are badly mistaken. Come downstairs, near the entrance,
+and I will tell you what I propose."
+
+The two lads descended the stairs, bearing the unconscious fireman
+between them--for they could not bring themselves to leave him there to
+burn--until they reached the entrance to the building. There they
+deposited him just inside the door, in such a position that the first
+man entering would be sure to stumble over him.
+
+Outside several engines were now in full swing pumping water into the
+first floor, which was burning furiously from end to end. The fire had
+spread to the upper floors, and the ground floor had begun to catch in
+several places. The whole workshop, indeed, seemed doomed to complete
+destruction, for the fire had obtained such firm hold that the engines
+seemed to make little impression upon it. From the shouts of the Germans
+it was clear that they were greatly enraged, and it was perfectly
+certain that the shrift of the authors of the fire, if they were caught,
+would be an exceedingly short one.
+
+"Halt here for a moment, Dale, while I tell you what I propose. It is a
+desperate venture, but if you are still going to be obstinate it is all
+I can think of, and we might just as well try it as throw our lives
+away."
+
+"I'm absolutely obdurate, Max. I'm not going to be saved at your
+expense, so go ahead with your venture."
+
+"Well--it's this. I am going to sally out, wearing the fireman's uniform
+and carrying you in my arms. You are to feign unconsciousness. The idea
+is that you have been badly hurt, and I am carrying you out of reach of
+the fire. I have some hope that in my fireman's garb and with my
+blackened face they will let me pass."
+
+"All right--it sounds good enough, Max. At any rate, we shall keep
+together--whether we sink or swim."
+
+"Come along, then," replied Max briskly, stooping down and lifting Dale
+in his arms. "Let your head fall back and look as lifeless as you can.
+It's now or never--absolutely."
+
+The cordon of soldiers with fixed bayonets, outside, suddenly saw the
+fireman--apparently the man who had entered the building a few minutes
+before--reappear, bearing in his arms the limp figure of a man rescued
+from the flames. The fireman strode straight out towards them, and as he
+reached them the men opened to right and left and let him pass through.
+A non-commissioned officer followed him.
+
+"What have you there, fireman?" he asked, as he endeavoured to catch a
+glimpse of the blackened face that hung so limply down. "Is the man
+dead?"
+
+"No--he still lives," replied Max, moving on without checking his pace.
+Other people were coming up, and his one thought was to get beyond the
+circle of light cast by the great fire before taking action.
+
+"Set the man down here while I give him a drain from my flask. You must
+not take him away until my officer has seen him."
+
+"One moment--here is a bank against which I can lean him," replied Max,
+still moving steadily away. He could see the non-commissioned officer
+was getting impatient, if not suspicious, and whispered to Dale: "I am
+going to set you down. Directly your feet touch ground, bolt for the
+river. I will follow and be there as soon as you; but don't wait for me.
+_Now!_"
+
+As he spoke, Max slowly lowered Dale to the ground. The soldier was
+close by, but none else was within some yards. They were beyond the
+circle of bright light cast by the fire, and a few yards would take them
+into darkness, which was pitchy to anyone coming from the vicinity of
+the fire. The chance of escape was good, and Max, the time for resolute
+action at hand, felt his heart bound with fresh hope and energy.
+
+The moment Dale's feet were on the ground Max gave him a push in the
+direction of the river and off he flew. Almost simultaneously Max seized
+his helmet and dashed it in the face of the soldier, who had raised a
+shout of alarm and was on the point of chasing Dale. The sudden blow
+disconcerted the man, and he hung in the wind for a moment. The supposed
+injured man might be an enemy, but it was certain this aggressive
+fireman was one, and, as Max darted off, the soldier turned, lifted his
+rifle, and aimed a shot at him.
+
+Max had little fear of the man's rifle. It was too dark, and he was
+moving too rapidly and erratically, for anyone to take good aim. The
+bullet passed wide of the mark, and the soldier, realizing his mistake
+in not pursuing at once, instead of wasting precious moments in firing,
+put his rifle at the trail and rushed madly after, shouting to his
+comrades and all who might be within hearing that a spy was on the point
+of escaping.
+
+Max knew the ground and the soldier did not, so Max had no difficulty in
+increasing his lead. He could see Dale a dozen yards ahead, and by the
+time he reached the bank had caught him up.
+
+"In at once, and dive down-stream, Dale!" he cried, and without a
+moment's pause they both tumbled in, anyhow, and struck out with all
+their strength down-stream.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+The German Counter-stroke
+
+
+The fury of the German military governor and his staff at the
+destruction of the largest workshop in the Durend concern could hardly
+have been greater had the town under their charge successfully revolted.
+For the fifth time at least the Durend works--which the Germans had
+looked upon as peculiarly their own--had been the scene of successful
+blows against their authority. These exploits were too extensive and too
+public to be hidden, and the Walloon workmen of Liége--never a docile
+race--had been progressively encouraged to commit similar acts
+elsewhere, or to resist passively the pressure of their German
+taskmasters.
+
+In the view of the German governor it was imperative that a blow, and a
+stunning one, should be struck at this tendency among the Liége workmen.
+Had the authors of this latest outrage been captured, an example would
+have been easy. Unfortunately, they had again escaped, and in a manner
+so impudent and daring that the exasperation of the Germans was greatly
+intensified. Rewards had been offered before and had proved fruitless.
+On this occasion the governor resolved to sweep aside what he termed
+trifles, and to use firmly and pitilessly a weapon of terror already in
+his hands.
+
+The Durend yards had been entirely closed the moment intelligence had
+reached M. Schenk that suspicious persons had broken into one of the
+idle workshops. After the fire all workmen found within the yard had
+been closely examined, and those definitely known to have Belgian
+sympathies placed under arrest. These men numbered thirty-nine, and it
+was by using them as hostages that the German governor intended to
+strike terror into the hearts of the Walloons. They were hurried before
+a military court, briefly examined, and found guilty of conspiring
+against the German military occupation. Sentence of death followed as a
+matter of course.
+
+Max and Dale had reached their lodging without any particular
+difficulty, after again taking refuge in the waters of the Meuse. They
+were tired out with their all-night exploit, and, removing their wet
+garments, tumbled heavily into bed. It was thus late in the afternoon
+before they heard from the landlord of their house the news that the
+German governor intended to execute all the Belgian workmen caught
+within the precincts of the Durend yards. Even then they could hardly
+bring themselves to believe it.
+
+"It's too rascally even for the Germans, Max," declared Dale at last.
+"It's probably only a threat to force one of them to give away his
+fellows."
+
+"Maybe, Dale, but I know enough of the Germans to believe that if they
+don't succeed they will not hesitate to carry out the sentence."
+
+"The cold-blooded murderers!" cried Dale hotly.
+
+"Yes," replied Max in a strained voice, as he began to pace slowly up
+and down the length of their room. "Yes, they are; but shall not we have
+really had a hand in their deaths?"
+
+"Not one jot," cried Dale emphatically. "No particle of blame can be
+laid at our door if they are foully done to death."
+
+"Had we not so harassed the Germans, these men would not be under
+sentence of death," Max went on, half to himself. "It seems hard that
+they must die for our success."
+
+"Bah! They die for Belgium and to proclaim to the world that the Germans
+must be crushed," cried Dale contemptuously. "No, Max, we have nothing
+to reproach ourselves with in this business."
+
+"No, but still----" Then, rousing himself with an effort, Max went on:
+"But we need not worry ourselves yet. Will you go into the streets and
+find out anything else you can? I am going to find Dubec, and we will
+then see if aught can be done."
+
+The two parted, and in a few minutes Max was at the door of Dubec's
+house. Here a rude shock awaited him, for Madame Dubec, white-faced but
+tearless, told him, with a quietude and directness that somehow seemed
+to make the news more terrible still, that her husband was one of those
+lying under sentence of death.
+
+The shock was a great one, although, in his heart, Max had half expected
+it. He knew Dubec had been in the yard, and what more likely than that
+he had been detained? Too upset to do more than mumble a few words of
+sorrow, Max turned on his heel and hurried from the house.
+
+Taking the road to the open hills, Max strode on and on, his mind filled
+with serious and oftentimes conflicting thoughts. He had no doubts as to
+the fate of the thirty-nine men if the Germans were unable to lay their
+hands upon the real authors of the destruction of the workshop. They
+would surely die, and with them Dubec, towards whom Max felt specially
+drawn by his constant loyal aid and the memory of the day when he had
+answered his mute appeal for succour.
+
+And to Max the responsibility seemed his. These men had no part nor lot
+in it. Why should they die? It did not help matters much to blame the
+Germans--the worst might always be expected of them--for that would not
+give back to Madame Dubec the husband for whom it seemed to Max she had
+unconsciously appealed.
+
+Supposing he gave himself up in order that they might go free? Ah, what
+a triumph for Schenk! How he would rejoice! True, he did not know that
+Max was at the bottom of all the shrewd blows dealt him of late, but he
+probably had more than a suspicion of it. At any rate he was known to
+have traced much of the money and valuables, recovered from his room, to
+the bank at Maastricht which Madame Durend patronized. Knowing, then,
+the authorship of that most daring exploit, it would have been strange
+if he had not looked to the same quarter for an explanation of the
+similar blows dealt him so soon after.
+
+Yes, it would be a great triumph for Schenk, and the end of that
+resolute opposition to the use of the Durend workshops for the benefit
+of the German army that had taken such a grip upon our hero's mind. That
+task he had made peculiarly his own. All the fixity of purpose he
+possessed, and it was not a little, was concentrated upon keeping his
+father's--his--works from aiding the projects of a brutal and
+unscrupulous enemy.
+
+To give it all up would not only be a victory for Schenk but a bitter
+pill to himself--the uprooting of something that had taken deep root in
+the inmost recesses of his mind.
+
+The struggle was a long one, but it came to an end at last, and Max
+returned to the town, scribbled a short note to Dale, which he left at
+their lodging, and then walked directly to the governor's house.
+
+At the door the sentry's bayonet barred his entry, but the officer of
+the guard, on being informed that a man had applied to see the governor
+on urgent business, came out and spoke to him. A few words were
+sufficient, and Max was brought inside under a guard of two men while
+the officer sought the governor with the welcome news that the man who
+had destroyed the Durend workshops had given himself up. The governor
+directed that he should be searched to ensure that he was not in
+possession of firearms and then admitted to his presence.
+
+The German governor of Liége was quite a typical Prussian officer,
+stiffly erect, with bullet-head covered with short bristling grey hair,
+well-twisted moustache, and fierce aggressive manner. He was the man who
+had called upon Schenk on the never-to-be-forgotten occasion when Max
+and Dale had been his uninvited guests underneath his office desk. To
+say the least of it, he was not a man who was afraid of being too
+severe.
+
+"You are then this rascal who has burned the Durend machine-gun shop?"
+he cried in a rasping voice as soon as Max had been led before him.
+
+"Yes," replied Max, "but I am no rascal. The shop is mine, and I have
+burned it."
+
+"Yours, impudent?" cried the governor angrily, raising a cane which lay
+upon his desk as though about to slash his prisoner about the face.
+"Yours? And who are you?"
+
+"I am Max Durend, the son of the owner of the workshops, and I would
+sooner see the place burned from end to end than of use to the Germans."
+
+"Ah, that is good!" replied the governor in a voice of satisfaction,
+dropping his hand and turning towards the officer who had ushered Max
+into the room. "It will have a salutary effect if we execute the son of
+Herr Durend. It will aid our cause tremendously."
+
+"Yes, General."
+
+"I have given myself up that the innocent men you have seized upon may
+be released," Max interposed. "They know nothing of it. I am solely
+responsible."
+
+"Ja, so. I have now no quarrel with them," replied the governor
+indifferently. "They are pawns. Now I have the real miscreant I need
+them not."
+
+"I am no miscreant. They are miscreants who would slaughter thirty-nine
+innocent men because the right one had slipped through their fingers."
+
+The governor glared at Max with eyes that goggled with rage. He was
+clearly unaccustomed to such plain speaking. "I remember that Herr von
+Schenkendorf once told me that Monsieur Durend had married an
+Englishwoman. You are half a mad English dog, and your manners proclaim
+it."
+
+"It is true," replied Max steadily.
+
+"Ja, you and your countrymen are half barbarian. You know naught of
+Kultur."
+
+"Thank God!" cried Max with an emphasis that caused the governor to
+spring to his feet, seize the cane anew, and slash the prisoner heavily
+across the cheek. Max flinched--he could not help it--but he moved
+neither hand nor foot.
+
+This outburst seemed to calm the Prussian, for he dropped back into his
+chair and in a judicial manner, though with a very vindictive and
+unjudicial scowl upon his face, he passed judgment.
+
+"The prisoner has pleaded guilty. You will take him to-morrow morning to
+Monsieur Durend's works, and at midday you will shoot him there."
+
+"In public, sir?" enquired the officer.
+
+"Yes, as an example to all his late workmen. A placard announcing the
+impending execution will be posted outside."
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+Max was led away. Indignation at the brutality of the Prussian was
+strong within him, and he held his head erect, and answered look for
+look the hostile glances of those about him. The hot blood still coursed
+through his veins, and the sacrifice he had made did not loom over large
+in his imagination.
+
+It was not until he had been conducted to a gloomy, ill-lit room in the
+basement of the building, and there left in solitude to think and think
+upon his impending fate, that things grew different, and his fortitude
+partially left him. The end seemed so merciless and hard, and, leaning
+heavily against the wall, he fell a prey to unhappy reflections. At
+times he went farther than this, and shed a few furtive tears at this
+end to all his hopes and secret boyish ambitions.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Shortly after Max had been led away to his cell, the thirty-nine workmen
+were released. No reason was vouchsafed for this sudden change of front,
+but the curt notice already affixed to the gates of the governor's
+palace soon supplied it. Max Durend had been taken, and found guilty of
+the deed for which they had been seized, and he was to pay the penalty.
+
+M. Dubec was one of the men released, and at the news he hurried home.
+Naturally his wife was overjoyed at seeing him, but he was too
+preoccupied by doubt and concern at the fate of his master's son to stay
+with her more than a few minutes. From his home he hurried to the
+lodging of Max and Dale, and at the door met the latter coming slowly
+out. One glance at his face was enough to tell even M. Dubec that he
+knew of his friend's terrible position.
+
+"You have seen the notice, sir?" he asked.
+
+"No, I have seen no notice," replied Dale heavily. "I do not want to
+know of any notice, thank you, Dubec."
+
+"But you know of Monsieur Max----?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Then you must have heard from him or seen him taken. I first knew by
+the notice on the gates of the palace."
+
+Dale threw off a little of his lethargy. "What was this notice?" he
+said.
+
+"That he is to be shot at noon to-morrow in the Durend yard."
+
+"Ah! And I shall join him there!" cried Dale in so wild a voice that
+Dubec looked at him in wonderment. Then Dale told him what had happened.
+That Max had not been captured by the Germans, but had voluntarily
+surrendered himself to save the imprisoned workmen. The note which Max
+had left, and which had told him all, was read aloud to the wondering
+man, who, somewhat slow-witted as he was, managed to grasp the one
+awe-inspiring fact that his master's son had offered up his own life to
+save his and his comrades' lives.
+
+The note which Dale read to him was as follows:--
+
+     "DEAR JACK,
+
+     "I can't stand it. I cannot bear that those thirty-nine men should
+     die for my affairs. I know that their blood would not lie at my
+     door, but at the door of their unscrupulous judges; yet I cannot
+     feel that this removes from me all responsibility. No; and I must
+     yield myself up in their place. Do not grieve for me, old man.
+     Return to England, and, if you will, take a more direct part in the
+     war. Leave the Durend affairs alone; they must, for the war, die
+     with me.
+
+     "Good-bye, old man, good-bye! Remember me to all at Hawkesley. Tell
+     them I lost upon a foul, and not in fair fighting.
+
+     "Ever your old comrade,
+
+     "MAX."
+
+Dale's voice shook as he read the letter. He was obviously much upset,
+and, seeing it, Dubec, in his uncouth but good-hearted way, persuaded
+him to return with him to his home for a little while. There Madame
+Dubec was called to their aid, and as soon as Dale had recovered himself
+a little the situation was anxiously discussed. In his desperation Dale
+was for interrupting the execution and compelling the Germans to execute
+him by the side of his friend. Such an idea as that was quite foreign to
+Madame and Monsieur Dubec, and they refused to entertain it. As the
+former said, if Monsieur Dale was determined to die, it would be better
+to do so in trying to liberate his friend rather than in attempting to
+share his fate.
+
+The reasonableness of this struck even Dale, distraught as he was, and
+the three settled down to discuss the possibility of rescue, of
+reprieve, or whatever seemed likely to put off the evil hour, if only
+for a day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+Schenk at Work Again
+
+
+Max did not long allow himself to give way to weak and bitter
+reflections. As soon as he properly realized how much he had fallen
+below himself, he exerted himself to throw off all weakening thoughts
+and to take a better and higher view of his unfortunate position. He was
+about to die for his friends and for his country. Well, had he not
+oftentimes thought that it would be a grand and good thing so to do? Was
+he now going to go back on those cherished ideals, and regret the heavy
+blows he had inflicted upon a brutal enemy and the succour he had given
+to his friends?
+
+Indignant with himself, Max braced himself to a more wholesome frame of
+mind, and tried to prepare himself for the last scene of the drama of
+the Durend workshops--a drama in which he had been one of the principal
+actors since the war began. He would, he told himself, do his best to
+finish worthily the last and greatest task destiny had set him.
+
+His self-uplifting efforts had met with a considerable measure of
+success, and he had almost completely regained his usual quiet, steady
+frame of mind, when his thoughts were interrupted by the sudden
+challenge of the sentry outside. The challenge was apparently answered
+satisfactorily, for the door was almost immediately unbolted, and a man
+entered. It was with very mixed feelings that Max recognized the
+manager, M. Schenk.
+
+"You do not seem pleased to see me, Monsieur Max," observed the manager,
+smiling in an ingratiating manner that to Max was more objectionable at
+that moment than open triumph.
+
+"Have I reason to?" queried Max shortly.
+
+"I think so. But that depends as much upon you as upon me. You are aware
+that you die to-morrow?"
+
+The almost casual manner in which the manager spoke struck Max as being
+doubly horrible. He seemed to think nothing at all of the execution of a
+fellow-creature, and one who had been closely associated with him for a
+good many years.
+
+"I am aware of it," replied Max as quietly as he could.
+
+"Well, it seems a pity. Such a young fellow, and one so energetic and
+keen in his business, and with a brilliant future before him," said the
+manager in a smooth, velvety voice that Max had known him use to
+influential business men when he was specially anxious to gain his
+point. "I have, in fact, Monsieur Max, been talking your unfortunate
+case over with the governor. I have told him that, serious as this
+offence of yours undoubtedly is, you are really the tool of others. He
+is, of course, much incensed against you for the destruction of so
+important a workshop, but is ready to be merciful--upon conditions."
+
+"Ah! and what conditions?"
+
+"Not hard ones," replied M. Schenk, obviously pleased by the eagerness
+with which Max spoke. "You stole some plans of mine a month or so
+ago----? Yes? I thought it must be you, and I am ready to go to some
+lengths to get them back."
+
+"They have left my hands, Monsieur Schenk."
+
+"Where are they?"
+
+"In the hands of the English Government."
+
+"You rascal!" shouted M. Schenk furiously, his smooth, easy manner
+utterly giving way. "You--you--but, after all, I thought as much; and
+they were really of no great value," he ended lamely, recovering himself
+with an obvious effort.
+
+"I thought they were," replied Max coldly.
+
+"No; but what I want to know is about the other papers. Did you hand
+over _all_ you took to the English Government?"
+
+Max thought a moment. Should he give Schenk the information he so
+evidently desired? So far as he knew, the papers had no particular
+value, though he had not really examined them with any care; but they
+might have. Still, they were safe enough, he thought, for he had seen
+them handed over into the possession of the bank.
+
+"No--only the plans. The others seemed only business papers, and I had
+them put away in safety against the time when the Durend works should
+again be mine."
+
+"It hardly looks as though they ever will be, does it, Monsieur Max? But
+I am going to make you an offer. Among those papers are letters that
+passed between the Imperial Government and myself in the days before the
+war. They are valueless, really, but I do not wish them to get into
+enemy hands, as they will damage me in the eyes of my Imperial master.
+You see, I am frank with you. Get me, then, all those papers and you
+shall go free--free, that is, on condition you join with me in running
+the Durend works to its fullest capacity during the war. I will not ask
+you to work on war material--you shall manage the shops manufacturing
+railway material and farming machinery. I need you and your influence
+with these obstinate Belgian workmen, and am ready to pay a heavy price
+to get you."
+
+"A heavy price?" muttered Max. His head was beginning to whirl, and he
+caught confusedly at the last words.
+
+"Ja. Think you it has cost me nothing to beg your life from the
+governor? He is madly enraged with you, I can tell you. These, then, are
+the terms: those papers and your active assistance, or your life."
+
+Max sat slowly down in the chair and put his face between his hands.
+Life was sweet, and he could not disguise from himself that he was ready
+to do the utmost he honourably could to save his life. But here, it
+seemed clear, dishonour was too surely involved. To give up the papers,
+if they were really private, might not be so hard, but to join Schenk in
+running the works, even on non-war material, was a thing he shrank from
+instinctively. Would the workmen understand the distinction? Would they
+not conclude he had turned traitor, and some revile him, and
+others--worse still--follow his dubious example?
+
+Max was not very long in doubt. After all, he reasoned finally, anything
+proposed by Schenk must needs be bad, however plausible his tale. The
+only really safe line to take with a man of that kind was to have naught
+to do with him in anything.
+
+"No, Monsieur Schenk, I cannot accept your offer," said Max in a steady
+voice, getting up rather suddenly from his chair and facing the manager
+resolutely.
+
+"What? You----But why not, Monsieur Max?" he cried eagerly. "It is all
+nothing. But there, if you do not like to join with me in running the
+works I will not press that point. Get me the papers. Write for them to
+your mother, and as soon as they come you are free."
+
+"No," replied Max at once. "No, Monsieur Schenk, I am going to have
+nothing to do with all this. I have fought and worked hard for Belgium
+since the outbreak of war, and I am not going to do aught to betray her
+now."
+
+"Then die to-morrow--I shall at least have done with you!" cried M.
+Schenk, with a bitter hate that told Max how much his blows had shaken
+him. "Your temerity in stealing my papers and in burning the machine-gun
+shop will be amply avenged."
+
+"Have you then forgotten the power-house and the coal-yard?" asked Max
+with a secret satisfaction that made him forget, for the moment, even
+his approaching fate.
+
+"Those too--were those your handiwork?" gasped the manager. "You
+villain--you nearly destroyed my power and reputation with them. 'Tis
+well you die. My only risk of further disaster will perish with you."
+
+"Maybe. But I have the consolation of knowing that your treachery is
+known to many, and that when the war is over, and the Germans are driven
+out of Belgium, you will go with them."
+
+"Bah! Belgium is German territory for all time. I tell you, Max Durend,
+that, were it not so, I would see to it that before our armies left not
+one stone of the Durend factories remained upon another. Take this with
+you to the grave: in memory of what you have done, the trouble and worry
+you have caused me, these works shall never more pass to your family. If
+Germany win, they will remain mine. If the impossible happen, and we
+lose, then I will blow the whole up to the sky and leave to your family
+naught but the smoking ruins."
+
+The vindictive earnestness with which the manager spoke left no doubt
+upon Max's mind that he meant every word he said. The Durend works,
+then, were as good as lost to his mother and sister, and it was with
+additional thankfulness that he recollected that the large sum of money
+and valuables he had managed to rescue from Schenk's clutches would be
+ample, and more than ample, for their needs.
+
+"You will not be able to remove the memory of duty done for our
+country," replied Max quietly. "And it may be that if Germany lose--as
+all in Belgium believe she will do--she may have to build up all that
+she has destroyed. It may be that there are great factories across the
+border in which _you_ have an interest, and it may chance that they will
+be called upon to replace the machines and buildings you destroy here."
+
+Too enraged to speak, the manager made a gesture expressive of his
+complete rejection of such an idea, and turned abruptly away. Max also
+turned his back, and, in a silence expressive of bitter hate on the one
+hand and chilling contempt on the other, the two parted.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The discussion of the possibilities of rescuing Max by Dale, Dubec, and
+the latter's wife, soon took a certain shape. There was no chance of
+rescuing him while imprisoned in the governor's palace; that was clear
+at once, as they knew nothing of the whereabouts of his cell, and there
+was too little time to find out. There remained the opportunities
+presented while he was being conveyed from the palace to the gates of
+the Durend works, and during the execution within the yard. The latter
+seemed hopeless. The yards were bounded by high walls, or by the river,
+which was by this time well guarded, and the whole place was full of
+workmen, the majority of whom were well disposed towards German rule.
+
+It was during the march from the governor's palace to the gates that the
+only hope seemed to offer, and upon this they concentrated their
+attention. The whole thing looked desperate in the extreme, but Dale was
+in such a state that either he must do something desperate or recklessly
+place himself by his friend's side. Eventually, mainly through the
+quick-wittedness of Madame Dubec, a plan that seemed to offer a chance
+presently began to take shape. This plan was to create so strong a
+diversion at some point of the route that Max might be enabled to make a
+dart away to safety, and to aid his further progress once the first part
+of the plan had been achieved. A diversion--strong, sudden, and
+terrifying--was what was needed, and to furnish this their united brains
+planned and planned until there emerged an idea that satisfied them all.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+The Dash
+
+
+A curt command, and Max sprang to his feet. The last lap in the final of
+his life's race had been begun, and it was now for him to score a
+glorious win. For a win it was, even with his life sacrificed at the end
+of the race. Max well understood this, and it was with a proud, though
+steady, thoughtful air that he followed the non-commissioned officer who
+summoned him from his cell.
+
+Through a fine marble hall, that had so short a time before echoed with
+the footsteps of Belgians, and was now thronged with Prussian officers
+and their servants, Max was led. Out at the wide portico and into the
+open square, full in view of a large crowd assembled to do silent honour
+to a patriot; but only for a moment, for a sharp word of command rang
+out and a score of men closed round him, and with short military steps
+marched him rapidly through the crowd.
+
+Max was dressed exactly as he was when he gave himself up. He had had no
+opportunity to wash or to make himself presentable for that last hour;
+unkempt, bareheaded, but erect and outwardly serene, he strode along,
+conscious that he was not only an example from the German point of view,
+but an example, and a greater one, to the Belgians. He tried to tell
+himself that the unscrupulousness of the Germans should not have the
+effect they desired, that his execution should be a rallying-point for
+all true hearts in Liége and a turning-point so far as their little
+locality was concerned.
+
+But though Max was outwardly calm and serene, inwardly he was deeply
+anguished. It was not a small thing to him to lay down, so to speak, his
+tools and to leave to others the continuance of the good work. His
+mother and sister, too--he could not think of them without many and
+bitter pangs. However, he strove hard to hold at bay such thoughts and
+to go down strongly to the parting of the ways.
+
+With monotonous tramp his escort marched unmoved along. Max marched in
+the middle, unbound like a prisoner of war rather than the miscreant he
+had been called. Once away from the governor's palace the people were
+sparse--ones and twos and a few groups here and there--until the gates
+of the Durend works came in sight.
+
+Here there was a larger crowd. There always was a small crowd about the
+gates, for the number of Belgians who still refused to work was
+considerable, and these men passed much of their time outside, gloomily
+scanning the many evidences of abounding work, and discussing in low
+tones the progress of the war.
+
+It wanted only twenty minutes to noon, and at that hour Max knew he
+would take his last look upon the things of this world. It was hard, he
+could not help thinking, but----
+
+"_Get ready!_"
+
+Those words, spoken in English, sounded in his ears. They seemed uttered
+in the sing-song tones he knew so well, in which the starter of a rowing
+contest prepared to send off the crews waiting in eager readiness before
+him. Max looked curiously about him. He knew he must be dreaming, and
+yet he had not been conscious at that moment of dreaming of the old days
+at Hawkesley. How far away they seemed--and how jolly--he would never
+know such glorious times again. A fresh wave of new regrets passed
+through his mind. It was----
+
+"_Are you ready?_"
+
+This time Max looked more sharply about him. He was not dreaming, he was
+sure now. The words had certainly been uttered, and again in the
+sing-song of the Hawkesley starter. No one but Dale could have uttered
+them, and Dale it must be. Where was he?
+
+A man carrying a big packing-case was at the side of the road on his
+right a dozen yards or so ahead. The packing-case hid his face, but his
+gait seemed somewhat familiar even while moving under his burden. He was
+slanting towards the prisoner's escort, the foremost of whom had now
+reached the outer edge of the big crowd assembled outside the gates.
+
+What did the words mean? What but that he was to act as though the
+greatest contest of his life was before him--aye, one with his very life
+for the prize! The zest for life, the deep-rooted objection to give up
+his task half done, the old sporting instinct to battle to the very
+finish, all combined to brace Max's nerve to a point at which nothing
+was impossible. Ready?--aye, he was ready and more than ready--all he
+waited for was the signal he knew was close at hand.
+
+Suddenly something dark flew through the air. Ere it touched the ground
+another and another followed. Three tremendous explosions took place at
+the very feet of the men of his escort in front of him. The officer and
+four of the men fell to the ground, and escort and crowd surged back and
+away in all directions.
+
+"_Go!_"
+
+Like a shot from a gun, Max dived into the crowd on his right. Not a man
+of his escort put out a hand to stop him. The surprise was complete, and
+in an instant Max was in the midst of the crowd of men already on the
+move, flying in terror from the scene of the fearful explosions which
+had killed five of the soldiers and injured others as well as some of
+the nearest of the crowd. Four more explosions followed hard on his
+heels, just behind him, and he guessed they had occurred in the middle
+of the rearmost of his escort.
+
+The crowd scattered in all directions. Max followed those who fled
+towards the open country, and in a few minutes he was on the outskirts
+of the town. Hardly turning to right or left, he sped on at top speed.
+It was his own safety he had now to look to, his own race to win, and he
+put out all the energy he possessed.
+
+Out of the town and up the heights into the open country he ran, and it
+was not until he was practically beyond pursuit that he slackened and
+looked about him. Only one solitary figure was in sight, a quarter of a
+mile behind, and he was clearly not a soldier. In fact, as Max slowed
+down and looked back, the man waved a hand. It was Dale, and with a
+feeling of tremendous joy and gratitude Max dashed back to meet him.
+
+"By George, Max--you are no end of a sprinter!" Dale gasped as they met.
+"I had no idea--you were such a hot man on the track."
+
+"Ah! Wait until you are under sentence of death and see what speed you
+can work up to. I am glad--I can't tell you how glad--to get away from
+there. And you are a brick, Dale, a real brick."
+
+"Nonsense, old man, the boot is on the other leg altogether. I am still
+fathoms deep in your debt."
+
+"Come out of the road into the wood here where we shall be safer. What
+about Dubec--he was in it, of course?"
+
+"Yes; and _he_ has been a brick, if you like. It was he that got us the
+hand-grenades--Schenk has just started making them--and he was one of
+those who pitched them into the middle of the Germans. Ha! Ha! Schenk
+will know that they were his own grenades when he hears about it. I
+guess it will not improve his temper."
+
+"Is Dubec following?"
+
+"No, he is safe at home, I expect, by now. He will be all right. They
+have nothing against him, and he is not going to the Durend yard again.
+He is going to apply for work at the mines instead."
+
+"Good! then we can be off?"
+
+"Aye--though we haven't fixed up where we are to go. We were too busy
+over the rescue to think about anything else."
+
+"Well, we ought to give Liége a rest. Let us go for another trip into
+the Ardennes until this affair has blown over and we can return to the
+attack once more. We have earned a rest, and I for one feel I need it."
+
+"Hear! hear! I've got my wind again, so let us make tracks before the
+Germans send out patrols to hunt about the countryside. It would be too
+bad to be captured after hoodwinking them so thoroughly."
+
+"Not to mention killing and wounding an officer and several men."
+
+Chatting gaily together, but nevertheless keeping a sharp look-out, the
+two friends strode along out into the open lands southward of the town,
+and then on towards the wide stretch of broken highlands known as the
+Ardennes. They had no clear idea of what they would do when they got
+there, the one thought in their minds being to find some quiet rural
+spot where they could remain in safety and quietude for a little while.
+
+It was certainly as well for them to do so, for the daring and
+successful rescue of the prisoner under sentence of death stirred the
+city of Liége to its very depths. To the people it was an example of
+courage and self-sacrifice joined to determined and skilful leadership;
+to the Germans it was most exasperating evidence of their inability to
+crush this people notwithstanding their many and varied methods of
+repression. The affair was hushed up by the governor so far as he was
+able to do so, but it eventually became known that it had been the cause
+of a violent altercation between him and the manager of the Durend
+works, Herr von Schenkendorf, who was said to have made a strong
+complaint to the Imperial Government at the bungling of the military.
+
+Be that as it may, it was certain that no stone was left unturned to
+recapture the prisoner and to find out who were the workmen
+participating in the rescue. Nothing was ever discovered, but the
+manager of the Durend works from that time forward refused to employ any
+Walloon workmen anywhere save in the Durend colleries, where they were
+supposed to be incapable of doing any serious damage.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+In the Ardennes
+
+
+After two days' steady tramping Max and Dale arrived at La Roche, a
+little town on the Ourthe, well in the broken country of the Ardennes.
+They had had no such easy and uneventful journey as they anticipated.
+The whole country was in a very unsettled state, the people ready to be
+startled and alarmed by every rumour--and they were not few--and viewing
+strangers with the utmost suspicion as probably German spies on the
+look-out for more victims.
+
+Half the population of the villages passed on the way had gone. Houses
+stood unoccupied, with doors wide open, although the furniture of those
+who had so lately tenanted them was still within. The whole countryside
+bore evidences of a great panic, and some places the more sinister signs
+of rough and brutal treatment. Many houses had been burned down and
+others had been plundered in a most barbarous manner, property that
+could not be carried off having been wantonly destroyed. The fields and
+farmlands seemed deserted, as though no one dared to work at a harvest
+that was likely to be reaped by the enemies of their country.
+
+The authors of all this mischief were said to be the Uhlans. It appeared
+that these formidable horsemen, after the fall of Liége, had spread in
+small parties all over the Ardennes and had carried terror and
+destruction wherever they went. Their principal motive was, no doubt, to
+gather information of the enemy's whereabouts, but, while doing so, they
+seemed to throw themselves heart and soul into another task--that of
+making their name known and dreaded throughout the length and breadth of
+Belgium.
+
+La Roche had so far suffered little. Parties of Uhlans had passed
+through from time to time, but they had usually been in a hurry, and had
+had no time to do more than seize supplies for themselves and their
+horses. This was the kind of place Max and Dale were looking for, and,
+finding no troops there at the moment, and none expected, they sought
+out (avoiding the hotels) a café in the most out-of-the-way spot they
+could find, and settled down for a long stay.
+
+At least they hoped it might be a long stay. They had had so busy a time
+of late that neither felt any inclination to go out of his way to meet
+trouble. If only the enemy would leave them alone, they were prepared to
+welcome a long period of peace and tranquillity.
+
+But somehow peace and tranquillity seemed to have turned their backs
+upon Max and Dale. Only the second night after their arrival they were
+awakened in the middle of the night by the clatter of horses' hoofs upon
+the cobbled pavements, loud shouting, and the insistent hammering of
+doors.
+
+"Ask the proprietor what's the row, Max," growled Dale sleepily, as he
+heard Max get up and look out of the little window of their bedroom.
+
+Max did so, and learned that a strong body of Uhlans had just ridden in
+and demanded shelter and supplies.
+
+"Are we in any danger?" he asked.
+
+"I do not think so," the innkeeper replied. "But you must not leave the
+town, for they have posted men to intercept all who try to go."
+
+"And what is that for?" cried Max, more perturbed by this than if he had
+been told that a house-to-house search for suspected persons was already
+being made.
+
+"Why, you must know that the Uhlans are rounding up escaped English and
+French soldiers. Everyone knows that. They have been doing so for weeks
+past."
+
+"Ah! Of course. And they will not let anyone leave the town to give the
+soldiers information of their coming?"
+
+"No, Monsieur. They are making a special effort this time. They have
+caught one or two, but the rest seem to grow in numbers, and are getting
+more audacious owing to hunger. I have heard that they stopped and
+plundered two army wagons full of provisions only a week ago. It is this
+that has made the commandant at Marche determined to kill them all this
+time."
+
+"Well, I think we will dress, in case they come here and want to search
+the house."
+
+"You must not hide here, Monsieur, if that is what you want," replied
+the innkeeper quickly. "I could not have that, for if they found anyone
+in hiding they would burn the house down."
+
+"What for?" asked Max in some astonishment.
+
+"I know not, but they have done so. No doubt it is to make us all afraid
+of harbouring fugitives. But you are a Belgian, Monsieur? You speak like
+a Walloon."
+
+"Aye; but I do not want to have aught to do with Uhlans if I can help
+it. They so often make mistakes, and then it is too late to explain. I
+think we will leave your house, Monsieur, and then you will run no
+risks."
+
+Max called Dale, and they put together their very slender belongings and
+sallied out into the night. The innkeeper was certainly pleased to see
+them go, and gave them as much help in the shape of information as it
+was in his power to bestow. He told them, with a warning to them to be
+careful to avoid the locality, the general position of the fugitive
+soldiers and the villages in which cavalry patrols had lately taken up
+their positions.
+
+"It seems to me, Dale," remarked Max, as they left the inn and crept
+along in the shadow of the houses towards the little bridge which
+spanned the Ourthe, "that in leaving Liége we have jumped out of the
+frying-pan into the fire. There we could hide in the lower quarters of
+the town and pass as Walloon workmen easily enough, but here we are
+strangers, and strangers are always objects of suspicion."
+
+"Yes; we did not bargain for all this chasing around by German cavalry.
+However, it will be good fun while it lasts, old man."
+
+"Yes, but how long will it last? Here's the bridge. We can't cross it in
+this moonlight; we should be sure to be seen and challenged. We must get
+into the river and cross in the shadow of the bridge."
+
+"What's the game, Max? Why cross at all? Why not cut straight away into
+the open country?"
+
+"Wrong direction. The innkeeper was so careful that we should get away
+from the district on which the Uhlans were closing in that he told me
+exactly where it was. And that's where we are going, of course. We can't
+let these Germans make a grand sweep of English and French fugitive
+soldiers without at least giving them warning, can we, old man?"
+
+"You beggar!" cried Dale, with a note of admiration in his voice. "No,
+of course not. Won't it be jolly if we find some English soldiers, and
+manage to pilot them away to a safe place?"
+
+"Not bad. Now here we are; climb over this wall, and lower yourself into
+the bed of the river. Then creep along in the shadow of the wall until
+you reach the shadow of the bridge. Then we can cross, and shall stand a
+good chance of getting away. Most of the Germans are quartered on this
+side of the town."
+
+Max and Dale were by this time experts in eluding observation, and had
+no great difficulty in getting out of the town without raising an alarm.
+Once well away, they strode at a good pace straight across country
+towards the wooded region south-west of the town, where the fugitives
+were popularly supposed to be. They knew that by their action they would
+be placing themselves inside the zone about to be swept by converging
+bodies of Uhlans, and that all persons found there, who could not give a
+good account of themselves, would almost certainly be shot or speared
+out of hand. But they took no heed of that, for the thought that some
+members of the gallant little English army which had, they knew, from
+the gossip of the countryside, fought so splendidly against overwhelming
+odds might be caught unsuspecting, and probably killed, made them ready
+to face even greater risks than that. Besides, they had, in their many
+successful encounters with the Germans in Liége, gained a self-reliance
+and confidence in themselves that made them look upon the affair as one
+by no means certain to go against them.
+
+An hour or two after daybreak Max and Dale had reached the woods in
+which the fugitives were said to be, and were slowly traversing them,
+keeping a sharp look-out on all sides. The trouble, they now realized,
+was how to get in touch with them. It was highly probable that they
+would keep out of sight, and avoid contact with everybody they were not
+forced to have dealings with in the way of purchasing or begging food.
+Fortunately the difficulty was solved very suddenly and unexpectedly.
+
+"'Alt!" came a hoarse command just as they were about to enter a
+somewhat thick belt of timber well supplied with undergrowth.
+Simultaneously a rifle protruded from the bushes right in front of them,
+and a wild, famished-looking face followed it.
+
+Max and Dale stopped dead.
+
+"What d'ye want poking about 'ere?" the man demanded in Cockney English
+in a surly tone. "I don't understand your lingo, but say something, or
+I'll let go."
+
+The man had a fierce and reckless look, and fingered his rifle as though
+ready enough to keep his word. Hastily Max replied:
+
+"It's all right; we're friends. Put down your gun, there's a good
+fellow."
+
+[Illustration: "IT'S ALL RIGHT; WE'RE FRIENDS"]
+
+"Huh! Friends--eh? Fust I've seen for many a long day. 'Ere, boys,
+'ere's a Johnny wot speaks English says he's a friend--in this
+outlandish place."
+
+In response to this summons, five other men pushed through the
+undergrowth and confronted Max and Dale. Four of them were English
+soldiers and one was a Scot--that much could be seen at a glance,
+although their uniforms were in such a state of muddiness and rags that
+little of the original colour or cut remained. Nine other soldiers, who
+were equally clearly Frenchmen, joined them, attracted by the sense that
+something was going on, although they did not understand the language.
+These fifteen men apparently formed the whole of the band, so far as Max
+could see, and seemed on very good terms with one another. All the men
+wore side-arms, although only five or six rifles were to be seen among
+the lot.
+
+A man wearing corporal's stripes pressed forward, shoved the Cockney
+soldier aside, and planted himself straight in front of Max with his
+hands on his hips.
+
+"Who are you?" he demanded at once. "And what do you here?"
+
+"We are two Englishmen--at least I'm half English--and we have come to
+warn you that the Uhlans are after you."
+
+"That's nothing new, lad. The Uhlans have been after us these three
+weeks past, but they haven't caught us yet."
+
+"Aye, but it's a special beat this time," replied Max, and Dale
+emphasized his words. "They've brought in a lot more men, and are
+determined to make an end of you. There is a tale going about that you
+have looted two wagons full of stores, and it is that, they say, that
+has so upset the Germans."
+
+There was a burst of laughter from the English soldiers at the mention
+of the wagons, and the Frenchmen joined in as soon as one of the others
+demonstrated by signs eked out by one or two words what the laughter was
+about.
+
+"I dare say," remarked the Corporal, grinning. "I dare say it did upset
+them a bit. We got enough food to last us a week, four German rifles,
+two hundred rounds of ammunition, and had the best bonfire since Guy
+Fawkes Day. And I fancy we shall upset them worse than that before we've
+done, lad, if only we can get hold of some more food. We're starving,
+and that's the long and short of it."
+
+His comrades murmured assent, and certainly they all, including the
+Frenchmen, looked wolfish enough. Max and Dale had a little food with
+them, and this they promptly brought out and handed round. It provided
+about two mouthfuls for each of the band, but was accepted and disposed
+of with eager alacrity.
+
+"Can't you purchase food from the peasants?" asked Max in some surprise.
+
+"We did while our money lasted, though it was risky enough. Now we have
+to beg it of the people, and what with that and the fear they are in
+from the Germans if they give us any help, we fare badly. If you can get
+us a good square meal apiece we shall be more grateful to you than we
+are for warning us against the Uhlans. We don't fear them half as much
+as we do starvation."
+
+"We have money and will get you food, but not here. You must get ready
+for a forced march of a dozen miles across the railway between Reçogne
+and Bastogne. The Uhlans are assembling all round the loop made by the
+railway and the Ourthe."
+
+The corporal--his name was Shaw--consulted with his comrades for a
+moment or two, and then replied:
+
+"All right, lad. You seem straight enough, and we will make tracks as
+you suggest. If you speak French, tell these Frenchies here what's
+afoot, and ask them if they're game for another spree. We are not going
+to cross a railway without leaving a memento or two of our visit, I can
+tell you."
+
+Max in a few words explained the situation to the Frenchmen. Though they
+hailed from all parts of France, he had no difficulty in making himself
+understood, and they eagerly fell in with the plan already agreed upon
+by their English comrades. This accomplished, Max and Dale put
+themselves at the head of the band, more in virtue of their knowledge of
+the language of the country than of their powers as guides, and in
+single file and very cautiously they set out.
+
+Max was agreeably surprised at the way the men moved, taking advantage
+of every bit of cover afforded by the trees and undergrowth, and, when
+in the open, of every fold in the ground. They had clearly made good use
+of the weeks they had spent in eluding pursuit, and had become in their
+way very fair backwoodsmen. This accomplishment was worth any amount of
+fighting power at that moment, and increased threefold their chances of
+escape from the armed circle closing in upon them.
+
+During the march, Max and Dale, at every opportunity, increased their
+knowledge of the men with whom they had now practically thrown in their
+lot. The British soldiers had been stragglers from the army which had
+been pushed up to Mons, and had subsequently retreated before the
+overwhelming odds hurled against it at the express command of the German
+Emperor. The object had been annihilation rather than defeat, in order,
+no doubt, to fill the people of Britain with discouragement and make
+them reluctant to venture another force on the Continent. Everyone knows
+how the Emperor's legions failed in their intention, and at what a heavy
+cost, and there is no need to dilate upon it here. Corporal Shaw had
+been wounded and left behind during the retreat. He had managed to drag
+himself to the house of a Belgian peasant woman, who had nursed him
+quickly back to health. Then he had said farewell and made for the
+Belgian coast at Ostend. He had been constantly headed off, and at last
+found himself in the Ardennes with several comrades picked up here and
+there on the way.
+
+Their stories were much like his. Some had been wounded, and others had
+dropped behind in the retreat totally exhausted, or so sore of foot that
+they were unable to move another step. The Frenchmen had been picked up
+for the most part in one body. They had been engaged in a running fight
+with some German infantry, and the British soldiers, drawn irresistibly
+to the spot by the sound of firing, had joined in the little battle with
+good effect, enabling their French comrades to get away with only the
+loss of two of their number. These had fallen wounded, and it was
+asserted in the most positive manner that the German soldiers had been
+seen to smash them to death with the butt-ends of their rifles the
+moment they came upon them. Such an episode as this did not improve the
+feelings of either the British or French soldiers towards their German
+foes, and went far to explain to Max and Dale the keenness and zest of
+the men for yet other encounters, notwithstanding that their foes now
+had all the points of the play so strongly in their favour.
+
+In their turn Max and Dale told the story of their fight against the
+Germans; how they had waged an industrial, but equally open, war upon
+them, and had inflicted damage that had had a high moral as well as
+material effect. The story was not without its effect even upon men who
+understood most the warfare of bullet and bayonet, and Max and his
+friend were viewed with an increased respect as men of action as well as
+interpreters and guides.
+
+One thing struck Max forcibly in the little band of which he had to all
+intents and purposes now become a member, and that was the fine spirit
+of discipline and camaraderie among them. Corporal Shaw was the only
+non-commissioned officer present, and the French soldiers accepted his
+lead as unhesitatingly as their British comrades. All food obtained was
+rationed out equally, and turns were taken with the carrying of the
+half-dozen rifles.
+
+In spite of the careful and rapid way in which the retreat from the
+dangerous neighbourhood of the former haunts of the band was carried
+out, it seemed that they were not to escape unscathed. In crossing a
+road, little more than a track, about four miles from the railway, they
+must have been seen by a German soldier, himself unseen, on the
+look-out, for they heard a loud shout of warning, and almost immediately
+after the tramping of horses' hoofs as though a body of cavalrymen were
+hastily mounting.
+
+"Guns to the rear!" ordered Corporal Shaw curtly, and the six men
+carrying rifles, three British and three French, dropped to the rear of
+the little party and spread out in open order on either side of the line
+of retreat.
+
+"If they're cavalry hadn't we better retreat through the most broken
+country we can find?" enquired Max suggestively.
+
+Corporal Shaw nodded and led the way in the direction indicated. The
+noise of the pursuing cavalry drew nearer, and the Corporal turned
+suddenly to Max: "Do you lead the retreat, lad. You know where we're
+bound better than I do. Keep only just in front of the men with the
+guns--we're going to give them a fight for their money."
+
+The retreat was being made along a narrow track through rough and broken
+country overgrown with short, thick undergrowth. Looking back, Max saw
+that the six men with guns had disappeared, and the only men in sight
+were the bunch he was himself leading, and three or four a few yards in
+his rear. But the six men were not far off, and now and again he caught
+a glimpse of one or other of them in the woods on either side of the
+line of retreat of the main body.
+
+Suddenly the Uhlans crashed through the thickets and came into sight
+only a hundred yards away. There were about a score of them, and they
+caught sight of the fugitives at the same moment as the latter caught
+sight of them. They gave a fierce yell of delight, and, at a harsh
+order, put spurs to their horses, grasped their lances, and rode
+helter-skelter over the bushes towards the straggling body of unarmed
+men in front of them. The nearest men, conspicuous among whom was the
+Scot in full war paint, quickened their pace to catch up to Max and the
+party in front.
+
+"They love to spear a Scot," remarked Shaw in an undertone to Max,
+coolly indicating the main decoy and the wild eagerness with which the
+Uhlans charged down upon their unarmed foe.
+
+Sixty yards, fifty yards, then forty, and still the enemy closed down
+upon their quarry. Then Shaw raised his voice and shouted:
+
+"Now, boys, give it them!"
+
+Although he had been expecting it, the answering blaze of fire from the
+bushes on both flanks of the charging horsemen took even Max somewhat by
+surprise. Three horses fell in a bunch, and two turned tail and dashed
+back riderless the way they had come. Again, in a second or two, a
+scattering discharge came from the bushes; more men fell, and the
+remainder, their nerves obviously shaken by the unexpected attack,
+turned their horses' heads and rode madly away.
+
+Five men, apparently dead, were left behind, among them the young
+officer in command, and three more lay wounded.
+
+"Get their rifles and ammunition," ordered Corporal Shaw, and the
+unarmed men darted back and secured rifles and ammunition with an
+eagerness which showed how irksome they felt their inability to join in
+any fight that might be going. Seven rifles, six lances, and a revolver
+were secured, but all the lances except two were thrown away almost
+immediately as useless. The two retained were broken off half-way down
+the hafts, and their captors, two of the French soldiers, grinning with
+delight, sloped arms with them and fell in with their comrades fully
+satisfied with their share of the spoils.
+
+"Not a bad business that," remarked Shaw coolly. "We have nearly enough
+rifles now, and ammunition for a regular battle. And it can come as soon
+as it likes. I'm fair sick of dodging these Germans."
+
+"'Ear, 'ear!" chimed in the Londoner, whose name was Peck. "Give me a
+bit of cover, a packet of cigarettes, and a hundred rounds, and I'll die
+happy--eh, Corp?"
+
+"Shut up, Peck, and get a move on," growled Shaw testily. "Did you find
+any grub?" he added. "I saw you going through their haversacks."
+
+"Aye, enough to give us all a snack at our next 'alt," replied Peck,
+giving a knowing wink and pointing to his own bulging haversack and
+those of two pleased-looking Frenchmen close at his heels. "And no need,
+I presoom, to mention a matter of a few cigarettes the orfizer had to
+dispose of--cheap?" And he displayed the end of a large packet of
+cigarettes which he had been careful to take charge of himself.
+
+"Forward--single file," commanded Shaw, and the band resumed its
+interrupted march towards the Bastogne railway.
+
+"What d'ye think of 'em, Dale?" asked Max presently, indicating with a
+gesture the rest of the miscellaneous band of which they themselves now
+formed a part.
+
+"A game lot; we shall see some fun presently," replied Dale in tones of
+deepest satisfaction. "They're just about ready for anything, from a
+Uhlan patrol to an army corps."
+
+"Ye--es," replied Max with much less assurance. "We shall certainly see
+things. What I'm afraid of is that it won't last long. We came to the
+Ardennes for a rest--not to commit suicide, you remember."
+
+"I don't feel as though I want any more rest, Max," replied Dale, still
+eyeing his new comrades with delighted satisfaction. "Be a sport and
+join in the fun, there's a good fellow."
+
+"I'm ready enough to join in," replied Max, smiling. "What I don't
+approve of is the reckless way they go about things. This fight with the
+Uhlans will bring all the rest of them buzzing about our ears, and then
+it will be one last struggle and all over."
+
+Dale shrugged his shoulders. "What could we have done?" he said. "The
+Uhlans caught us up, and we had to fight."
+
+"We could have dispersed, and rejoined one another later at a rendezvous
+agreed upon. But never mind, we're in with them for the moment, only I
+can't forget that we have still some work left to us at Liége, and work
+more important than livening up the Uhlans in the Ardennes." Dale made
+no reply. Possibly he thought it useless to argue with Max on the
+subject of Liége, and for some time they marched along in silence.
+Presently the band arrived within about half a mile of the railway line,
+and Max and Corporal Shaw went on ahead to reconnoitre.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+Cutting the Line
+
+
+The line was well guarded. A company of infantry was allotted to every
+four or five miles of line, and furnished the sentries who were posted
+every hundred yards or so. These men were within easy reach of one
+another, sometimes stationed on the line itself and at other times at
+the top of any adjacent knoll or rising ground. The nucleus of the
+company, the men resting from their turn of sentry-go, was stationed at
+a point of vantage within easy touch of the whole of the line under its
+care. An alarm at any point would not only attract the sentries from
+both sides to the spot, but would also quickly bring the remainder of
+the company hurrying to the scene.
+
+Corporal Shaw's dispositions were soon made. His men were brought within
+reach of the railway at a point where it ran through country well wooded
+on either side. A sentry was then marked down as the point of contact,
+and six men, three on either side, were detached to act as flank guards.
+These were posted within easy reach of the sentries, next on either
+side, with instructions to shoot them down should they make any move to
+interfere, and to hinder, by all means in their power, the approach of
+further reinforcements.
+
+The unfortunate sentry marked down as the point of contact would not
+require much attention. He would obviously be helpless against ten men.
+
+A whistle apprised the flank guards that the attack was about to begin.
+Then the main body emerged from cover and half a dozen rifles were
+levelled at the sentry in front of them. For a moment the man was too
+astonished to move; then he gave a shout of alarm and fled down the line
+towards the sentinel on the right.
+
+Two rifles cracked almost simultaneously and the man fell in his tracks
+and lay motionless.
+
+"Get his rifle, someone, and then come and lend a hand here," cried
+Corporal Shaw, springing out on to the line and getting to work with an
+entrenching tool upon the permanent way. Other men followed his example,
+the gravel was rapidly scraped away from the sleepers, and several long
+iron bars, taken from some derelict agricultural machine passed on the
+way, inserted beneath the rails. But the united efforts of several men
+made no impression upon the well-bolted rails and the attempt was
+promptly abandoned.
+
+The bolts and nuts which held the rails together were attacked instead,
+and, although no spanners were available, the men managed, by dint of
+much persuasion from the iron bars and their bayonets, to get the nuts
+to turn. Two rails were in time entirely removed and carried across the
+line and laid endwise in a ditch, where they promptly sank out of sight
+in the muddy ooze.
+
+In the meantime the flank guards had not been idle. The shout of the
+sentry first attacked had given the alarm to his comrades on either
+side, and one had started immediately to his aid. The other remained
+where he was, but levelled his rifle at Shaw and his men as they sprang
+on to the line. Both were promptly shot down and their rifles and
+cartridges as promptly secured.
+
+By this time the alarm was fairly general. Several shots had been fired,
+and the line guards up and down the track had come to the conclusion
+that a serious attack on the line was in progress. Instead of rushing in
+ones and twos to the point of attack, they now waited until some
+half-dozen men had collected before advancing. Even these bodies were
+easily disposed of by the flank guards posted by Shaw. They were well
+concealed, and, as the Germans came up, opened a heavy fire upon them at
+close range. Most of the latter dropped at once, and the survivors fled,
+only too glad to get away in safety with their lives.
+
+Max and Dale had assisted in the removal of the rails and their deposit
+in the muddy ditch. This accomplished, Max, who viewed the whole affair
+with some misgiving, stood aside and took no part in the further attacks
+already in progress on the rails.
+
+"You look glum, Max," remarked Dale in a rallying tone, as he
+straightened his back. He himself looked far from glum. His face was
+flushed, his eyes sparkled, and he bore himself as though at the height
+of enjoyment. "Don't you like raiding the railway?"
+
+"Not this way," replied Max with decision. "What's the good of it? It
+won't take half an hour to repair, and, coming after that other affair,
+will mean half the cavalry in the Ardennes stirring on our tracks."
+
+"Who cares?" retorted Dale recklessly. "I----What's the matter?"
+
+"Hark! A train I think. Let's get to the top of this bit of rising
+ground and see what happens. The driver can't come steaming through with
+all that firing going on yonder."
+
+The two friends climbed upon the little hill and up into the lower
+branches of a large tree. The view thus obtained was a wide one, and
+showed them much. In the distance a train was approaching. It was
+slowing up as they watched, and presently came to a standstill.
+Instantly crowds of soldiers poured out from both sides and formed up on
+the permanent way. Apparently in response to an order, the troops split
+into two bodies, one passing to the north side of the line and one to
+the south, both almost immediately disappearing from view in the woods.
+
+Max and Dale next turned their gaze towards the flank guards. Here
+desultory fighting was going on with numbers of the sentries attracted
+to the spot. But beyond them, and in the direction of the head-quarters
+of the company guarding that section of the line, a strong body of men
+was on the march; and, in yet another direction, Max and Dale could see
+the lances of cavalry occasionally coming into view as their line of
+advance led them past bunches of low bush or gaps in the trees.
+
+"Time we were off, Max," remarked Dale in a much sobered voice. "You see
+what those troops from the train are after?"
+
+"Yes, they want to strike across our rear, whichever side of the railway
+we go, before the other bodies begin to attack us in front. Had we not
+chanced to climb up here, that last fight of ours would have been very
+near indeed. As it is, I shouldn't wonder if we have a job to get
+Corporal Shaw and his fire-eaters away in time."
+
+"We shall. They all reckon they're getting a bit of their own back, and
+they'll be in no hurry to move."
+
+As quickly as possible, Max and Dale dropped from the tree and ran back
+to the railway, where Shaw and the bulk of his men were still working
+like bees, tearing up rails and transporting them to the swampy stream.
+The gist of what they had seen was soon told to Corporal Shaw, and that
+worthy, while not inclined to take too much notice of "a few Germans",
+now that all his men were fully armed, was duly impressed with the
+necessity of moving from the neighbourhood without loss of time. He
+promptly called in the flank guards, and curtly told the whole of the
+band that it was time to march.
+
+"Now, lad," he said, addressing Max, "you seem to know your way about.
+Lead on out of this fix, and we will live to fight again another day.
+Forward!"
+
+Max and Dale strode quickly away, straight into the woods, and in single
+file the band followed them. The men were in high glee at the success of
+their enterprise, and seemed neither to know nor care about their
+critical situation. Max, however, felt very anxious, and presently
+managed to get Corporal Shaw so far to agree with him as to order
+complete silence and every care, as they threaded their way through the
+thickest-wooded country to be found in the quarter not yet reached by
+the soldiers from the train.
+
+For over three miles the band moved in silence, at top speed, away from
+the scene of their daring exploit. Max judged that by that time they
+were outside the sweep of the encircling bodies of Germans, and could
+take a breather for a few minutes. The work on the railway had been hard
+and exhausting, and the men had for some time been too ill-nourished to
+be able to sustain long-continued exertion. At the order to halt and
+rest the men flung themselves on the ground, and for five minutes lay
+prone upon the grass. Then they went on again.
+
+"D'ye see that smoke yonder, lad?" remarked Corporal Shaw, soon after
+they had restarted, pointing to a thick column of smoke rising above the
+trees a couple of miles in their rear. "Is it a signal, or what?"
+
+"No--it's not that," replied Max, after a long look at the smoke, which
+was rising more thickly at every moment. "There is a little village just
+there, and I can guess what has happened. The Germans have fired the
+nearest village in revenge for the attack upon the line. I have often
+heard of it being done. It is one of their methods of terrorizing the
+people, so that they dare do nothing themselves and try to prevent
+others doing any thing in the vicinity of their villages. I had
+forgotten it until this moment."
+
+"What a black shame!" cried Corporal Shaw with fierce indignation. "What
+had those poor folk to do with it? The Germans knew that well
+enough--the cowards!"
+
+The other men in the band soon knew what had happened, and their rage
+and indignation were extreme. Some wanted to vent their rage by
+returning to the scene of the burning village and attacking those
+responsible for the outrage. It was as much as Max and Shaw could do to
+keep them from turning back and flinging away their lives in a desperate
+endeavour to exact reparation for the foul deed.
+
+The retreat of the band was continued, but the rage and indignation of
+all concerned was not lessened when, later in the day, after a long
+halt, they were overtaken by two families fleeing from the burning
+village. It needed no question to tell them what they were. There were
+old men and women, heavy-eyed and outwardly uncomplaining, trudging
+beside creaking bullock-carts loaded with all the little bits of
+property they had been able to save from their burning homes. There were
+white-faced, frightened children, too, tucked in the corners of the
+carts or perched upon the piled-up goods, and their faces seemed to
+express mute wonder that such things could be.
+
+It was indeed a sight to make any beholder furious with indignation, but
+on the unwitting causes of the trouble it acted with fourfold force. An
+instant reprisal was demanded by all the band, and Corporal Shaw, as
+angry as any of them, promised that they should have it, and that
+without any more loss of time than he could avoid.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+Reprisals
+
+
+Dale was at one with the soldiers in desire for reprisals, but Max was
+dead against the whole idea. It was not that he was less indignant at
+the cruel wrong just inflicted upon innocent peasants, but he feared
+that any more such acts would react upon the country people in precisely
+the same manner. A reprisal which brought fresh trouble upon yet another
+set of innocent folk would, he felt, be worse than useless, and he spoke
+his mind freely to Corporal Shaw on the subject.
+
+"You've done no good," he ended, "by attacking the line and tearing up a
+few rails. Your methods were too wild to bring about any real damage.
+All you have done is to make it additionally hard for me to get you
+safely out of the country."
+
+"Humph!" grunted the Corporal rather sourly. "I know you've done some
+neat little things in Liége, but could you manage a better affair out
+here? I give you leave to try. As for getting us out, I don't see much
+prospect of that coming off, my lad."
+
+"I'll get you out if you'll drop all these wild-cat exploits," replied
+Max firmly. "Is it a bargain?"
+
+The Corporal consulted with his men for a few minutes. "No," he said,
+shaking his head emphatically, "the men refuse to sneak out of the
+country before they have what they call redressed the wrong done those
+poor villagers. They want one more good cut at the Germans to make that
+good, and then they are ready to make tracks for home, if you think you
+can get us there."
+
+"Will you let me plan the reprisal attack as well as arrange to get you
+out?" asked Max quickly.
+
+The Corporal opened his eyes a little.
+
+"So _you_ do think you can do better? Well, I don't mind; you shall plan
+the reprisal and then get us out of the mess. Done!"
+
+"Done!" replied Max firmly, and it was thus settled that he should, from
+that time forward, practically take command of the little band, subject
+only to the stipulation that the escape should not be arranged until the
+Germans had been made to pay, and pay handsomely, for their recent
+exhibition of brutality.
+
+As soon as that was decided, Max changed the direction of the retreat to
+due east, and in that direction they continued all day. When night fell,
+the men looked about them for a comfortable spot to sleep, but Max would
+not allow them to stop, and, with frequent halts for rest, they
+continued on their way all through the night. There was some grumbling,
+but it was soon silenced; and, when all was said and done, the men
+recognized that Max managed to feed them fairly well. This part of the
+business he saw to himself. At nearly every farm-house he passed he
+managed to purchase some food. None of the soldiers were allowed to come
+within sight of the people, and, with this precaution, and his knowledge
+of the language, he hoped that no suspicions of the destination of the
+food would be aroused.
+
+During the following day the band hid themselves in a copse and slept.
+It was nearly dark when Max aroused them and told them they must go on.
+
+"We've been travelling a good many miles, lad," remarked Shaw
+carelessly. "Where are we now?"
+
+"In Germany," replied Max.
+
+"Germany!" cried the Corporal, his carelessness vanishing. "Why--what
+d'ye mean? D'ye think we want to find a good safe prison?"
+
+"No. Your men insist on one more attack on the Germans, as a reprisal
+for the burning of the village. Well, we cannot do anything in Belgium,
+for it would only mean another village burned. If we make the attack in
+Germany it will be different. They can hardly burn down their own
+villages."
+
+Corporal Shaw held out his hand. "Well done, lad!" he cried heartily,
+and the other men within ear-shot echoed his words. "That's a stroke of
+genius, and we are with you to a man. What are you going to
+attack--nothing less than Metz, of course?"
+
+Max smiled and shook his head. "Something a little less ambitious will
+have to do, I think. After another night march we shall be on the spot,
+and can get to work."
+
+"What are you going to do, lad?"
+
+Max hesitated a moment. Should he keep the men ignorant of the nature of
+the enterprise until the hour for it had struck? It was hardly worth
+while--in forty-eight hours or so it would be all over.
+
+"To block the main line between Aix and Liége," he answered simply.
+
+"Phew! I think you mentioned wild-cat exploits the other day. What sort
+of cat exploit is this?"
+
+"It must be carefully planned beforehand."
+
+"Humph! Trains filled with troops passing every five minutes; the lines
+thick with guards. It'll want careful planning--and a trifle more. In
+fact, it'll need the devil's own luck. What say you, boys?"
+
+"No matter, Corp," cried Peck testily. "Give the lad his head. We ain't
+particular, so long as it's a fust-class scrap."
+
+"It'll be all that," grunted Shaw.
+
+"Did we expect to git out of this show alive?" retorted Peck. "What's
+the odds? Let the lad 'ave his way--he's grubbed us well anyhow."
+
+The other men murmured an assent, and it was clear that most of the band
+were quite ready to follow Max in an attempt, however desperate, on the
+Germans' main line of communication. The Frenchmen were quite ready to
+agree to anything that would lead to another encounter with the enemy in
+company with their British comrades, and so Max was left in possession
+of the field and charged with full responsibility for the tremendous
+task before them.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Two days later the whole of the band arrived safely within a mile or so
+of the great main line which runs between Aix-la-Chapelle and Liége, and
+then on through Namur to Paris. A stoppage to their communications on
+this line would disconcert the Germans in a way that hardly anything
+else could do, and Max, from the knowledge he had gained, while at
+Liége, of the great trains loaded with troops and munitions that
+constantly passed through at all hours of the day and night, was very
+well aware of it. Next to his darling scheme for the frustration of the
+Germans' plans as regards the Durend works, the breaking of the great
+railway through the town had seemed the most serious blow that could be
+aimed at the Germans by a few men working independently of the great
+military forces of the Allies. It was a difficult matter, but not
+impossible. That was enough.
+
+Max and Dale, accompanied by Shaw, reconnoitred the railway after hiding
+their men well away out of sight. The first point reached Max did not
+consider suitable, and it was not until they had approached the line at
+several different places that he found a spot that satisfied him. This
+spot was one where the line passed along a fairly deep cutting, the
+sides of which were thickly overgrown with bushes with here and there a
+young tree. It was a spot at which it would be easy to approach the line
+unseen. And yet this was not Max's chief reason for selecting it. His
+design had been to find a spot where the line at night-time would have
+dark patches of shadow cast upon it here and there.
+
+Dale and Corporal Shaw now returned to the spot where the band had been
+left in hiding, while Max set out for Aix-la-Chapelle alone. He still
+wore the workman's clothes in which he had masqueraded for so long, and,
+with his excellent knowledge of the German tongue, he had little to fear
+so long as he took care not to blunder into a military patrol. Without
+misadventure he reached Aix, and purchased a dozen spanners similar to
+those used by plate-layers, except that the handles were short and
+lacked the great leverage necessary for their work. This difficulty
+would, however, be easily got over by cutting stout rods from the woods
+and lashing them to the short spanners. The tools thus obtained would,
+he knew, be fully suited to the end in view.
+
+The reconnoitring of the railway had disclosed the fact that the guards
+were stationed only about eighty yards apart. Also that they were
+changed every four hours, at four o'clock, eight o'clock, midnight, and
+noon.
+
+An hour before midnight Max led the band towards the line at the point
+fixed upon. He had already, at some pains, explained exactly what he
+desired each man to do, and from their intelligent eagerness felt pretty
+well assured that they would not fail from want of zeal or knowledge of
+the part they had to play. To the Frenchmen he, of course, explained
+matters in their own tongue, and found them equally as ready as their
+Island brethren.
+
+The moon, what there was of it, was fairly low in the heavens, and the
+long shadows Max counted upon so largely in his plans were much in
+evidence. Silence was another factor of importance, and the feet of all
+the men were swathed in long strips of cloth--their puttees in the case
+of the British soldiers, and strips from their clothing in the case of
+the Frenchmen.
+
+The band was divided into three groups, and the orders were that on
+arriving at the edge of the cutting all were to remain motionless in
+hiding until the guards were changed at midnight. Then three men from
+each band were to creep up close to one of the three sentries marked
+down for attack, and wait for an opportunity to seize and kill or
+capture him without raising an alarm.
+
+The latter point Max insisted upon as of the utmost importance. The
+groups of three might spend two hours, even three hours, he told them,
+so long as they performed their task without making a noise that would
+attract the attention of the sentries on either side. The darkness of
+the line, from the shadows of the trees and bushes and the deepness of
+the cutting itself, Max felt he could rely upon to prevent the other
+sentries from seeing if aught were amiss. The important thing,
+therefore, was that they should perform their task without noise.
+
+Promptly at midnight the sentries were changed. The momentary bustle
+was, as arranged carefully beforehand by Max, taken advantage of by the
+groups of three to creep close up to their objectives. Then things
+settled down again in quietude. All was peaceful and silent between the
+thunder of the trains, and time was allowed the sentries to grow
+accustomed to their surroundings and to develop any individual habits of
+carelessness that might be theirs. At first the men marched to and fro
+rather frequently. Later, they contented themselves with leaning on
+their rifles and making themselves as comfortable as such a position
+would allow. There had been no attacks on any part of the line in
+Germany so far as had become known, and there was no reason in the world
+why these line guards should expect one now.
+
+One of the sentries presently came to a halt in the shadow cast by a
+tree. He was thus out of sight of his comrades on either side, and the
+three men in deadly attendance upon him were satisfied that their chance
+had come. Noiselessly emerging from the shadows, they stole upon him
+from behind. One seized him by the throat in a grip of iron, stifling
+all utterance, another pinioned his arms to his sides, while the third
+caught the rifle which fell from his startled hand. Between the three
+the struggles of the unfortunate sentry were quickly mastered. He was
+securely pinioned, gagged, and dragged out of harm's way into the
+shelter of the bushes.
+
+The capture of one made the capture of the two others comparatively
+easy. It was only necessary to await a moment when the farther sentinel
+was facing away from the next man marked down for attack, before
+springing upon him. One after the other the three guards were
+successfully placed out of action, and the stern work of reprisal was at
+hand.
+
+As a precautionary measure, two men, wearing the tunics and helmets of
+the captured Germans, were stationed as sentries one at each end of the
+break, to satisfy their German neighbours in case they should miss the
+sight of the comrades who had gone.
+
+Then rapidly Max selected two pairs of rails, one pair on the up-line
+and one on the down-line, and the dozen great spanners were quickly at
+work. Certain of the nuts of the rails and of some of the chairs were
+carefully loosened a little, and everything was made ready to shift one
+end of each rail as soon as the signal should be given. Then the men
+withdrew once more to the obscurity of the bushes.
+
+Having satisfied himself that everything was in readiness, Max settled
+himself to watch the trains as they passed, and to seize upon the
+essential moment. Trains were now running less frequently than at every
+hour in the twenty-four, and in the comparative silence he could tell
+when a train was approaching while it was yet some miles away. It was
+his intention to await the almost simultaneous approach of two trains
+from opposite directions, and in steady patience he waited.
+
+His men did not know the full extent of his plans and were impatient to
+see the result of their--to them--successful labours. They could not
+understand this halt, and grumbled under their breath at the strange
+hesitancy of their young leader. But everything had gone so well under
+his guidance that none of them dared to express his discontent aloud,
+and Max was left to put the finishing touch upon his plans in peace.
+
+Suddenly his ear caught the sounds he had been awaiting.
+
+"Forward!" he commanded in an undertone in two languages.
+
+The men sprang quickly on to the lines and wrestled with the nuts and
+bolts with all their might. In a very short space of time the rails were
+loose at one end and the chairs removed. Then Max gave the word for all
+four rails to be levered inwards, towards the centre of the track, until
+the loose ends were a foot out of line with the other rails.
+
+The chairs were then roughly refixed at the extreme ends of the
+sleepers, and the bent rails bolted as firmly as possible in their new
+positions. While this was being done the four rails next the gaps were
+unbolted and entirely removed. When all was done there was a break 40
+feet long in each track, and the pair of rails on the side from which
+the trains were approaching had been bent inwards, and now pointed
+towards the corresponding pair on the other track, thus:--
+
+[Illustration]
+
+For the first time the men now understood the whole significance of the
+work they were doing. They had known enough of their young leader's
+plans to expect much, but now they expected a great deal more and moved
+off the track full of suppressed excitement and jubilation. Like a
+pistol-shot it had come to them that the brutal destruction of the poor
+village beyond Bastogne was about to be very amply revenged indeed.
+
+The rumble of the two trains approaching from opposite directions was
+now drawing very close, and the men hung about in the bushes, a few
+yards up the side of the cutting, watching eagerly for any sign that the
+drivers had seen the short breaks in the line and were bringing their
+trains to a standstill. But there was no sign of this. The trains
+approached at a steady speed, and the drivers, if on the look-out,
+noticed nothing amiss in the patches of deeper shadow in the half
+darkness of the gloomy cutting.
+
+The two trains reached the fatal spot almost at the same moment. Both
+followed the direction of the tampered rails and left the track with a
+bumping grind that made those who heard it shudder. Then they collided
+with a crash that could be heard for miles. The engines reared up almost
+on end--as though in a desperate attempt to leap over one another--and
+rolled over on their sides. Behind them the great wagons still drove on
+and piled themselves up on high in a welter of hideous confusion.
+
+The noise, the confusion, the sense of dire destruction, were almost
+paralysing; but, almost without being conscious of it, Max found himself
+eagerly scanning the wrecked wagons to see what they contained. The
+"bag" was one sufficient to satisfy the most ardent patriot. The trucks,
+or some of them, of the train bound outwards to Liége clearly contained
+the guns of several heavy batteries. Those of the inward train were
+filled with machinery and other stores filched from the great Belgian
+workshops and being transferred to Germany to set up fresh works there.
+A few of the trucks of the inward train appeared to contain shells, and
+these Max marked down as the point for the final attack.
+
+The noise of the collision, of course, brought all the men guarding the
+line, within hearing, hurrying to the scene. None of them, or of the
+survivors of those on the trains, had any thought that the catastrophe
+was anything but an accident, and no attempt was made to search for
+possible enemies. Most of the German soldiers, indeed, flung down their
+weapons and busied themselves in the task of extricating men and horses
+from the piles of overturned wagons.
+
+Thus when again, at Max's signal, the band of British and French
+soldiers left their hiding-places they were able, in the darkness, to
+mingle with the Germans and go about their final work almost
+unchallenged. In only two instances were German officers or
+non-commissioned officers inconveniently inquisitive, and those
+difficulties were solved by an instant attack with the bayonet. Even
+these conflicts were insufficient to attract special attention amid the
+general turmoil. Any who noticed the actions might readily enough have
+concluded that they were the result of a quarrel or of some demented
+victim of the accident attacking an imaginary foe.
+
+The work which still kept Max and his auxiliaries on the dangerous scene
+of their successful exploit was that of bringing down great bundles of
+straw and dead wood, prepared some time beforehand, from the top of the
+railway cutting where they had been hidden in readiness. The wagons,
+which Max had ascertained to be indeed full of shells, were what they
+were after, and against these the bundles were piled. Almost unmolested
+the exulting men made all ready for the final blow which should set the
+seal upon their terrible reprisal.
+
+And yet, when it came to the point, Max hesitated to give the order to
+fire the pyre. There might yet be some unfortunate men pinned alive
+beneath the wreckage, and he was unwilling to add to their miseries the
+dreadful fate of being burned alive. For ten, fifteen, and almost twenty
+minutes he waited, until he could feel satisfied that none were likely
+still to remain alive beneath the pile. His own men indeed, well knowing
+what was coming, had busied themselves in dragging out their fallen foes
+from the certain fate which would otherwise have befallen them,
+forgetting their desire for reprisals in their pity for wounded and
+helpless men.
+
+At last the moment arrived. Max gave the word, the straw was fired, and
+the band beat a hasty retreat to the shelter of the bushes on the north
+side of the cutting.
+
+A loud cry of warning and alarm arose from the German soldiers as the
+flames shot up into the air, illuminating the track for many yards
+around. A harsh command rang out, and a number of men dashed forward to
+beat or stamp out the flare.
+
+"Those men must be kept away, Corporal," cried Max quickly. "We must not
+leave until the fire has got firm hold."
+
+"Bayonets, men," cried Corporal Shaw sharply. "Get ready to charge
+home."
+
+"No, no, Corporal," cried Max, seizing him by the arm; "no bayonet
+fighting this round. Keep them away by rifle-fire from the bushes. They
+know nothing of us now; let them remain as ignorant as possible."
+
+"Right. Ten rounds, rapid, boys! Ready! present! fire!"
+
+The Germans had barely reached the fire and begun to pull away the
+burning faggots, when a sudden and withering hail of bullets swept down
+upon them. Half of them fell at once, and the remainder recoiled in
+confusion and doubt. Fire seemed to spit from the darkness all about
+them, and none knew for the moment whether they were in the presence of
+a foe, or whether a detachment of their own men, but just arrived, had
+taken them for enemy wreckers. Long before the officer in command could
+rally his men, push out scouts to ascertain the cause of the rifle-fire,
+and set the main body to resume their task, the fire had caught such
+firm hold that it was obvious to all that at any moment the shells might
+explode.
+
+A general stampede away from the vicinity of the burning wagons ensued,
+and at a respectful distance the discomfited Germans gazed at the fire
+or occupied themselves in firing in the direction apparently taken by
+their unseen foes.
+
+Suddenly, with an ear-splitting roar, the shells exploded. The
+concussion was tremendous, and huge showers of shells, broken bits of
+wagons, gravel, and flaming wood fell heavily in all directions. Many of
+those looking on were killed outright by the avalanche of falling
+material, and the remainder fled in mad panic from the deadly scene.
+
+Max had already withdrawn his men beyond the edge of the cutting and
+marched them a couple of hundred yards farther down the line. The
+explosion caused them no casualties beyond a few minor cuts and bruises,
+and, with one last look at the track beneath them, they turned their
+backs upon the place and marched silently away towards the Dutch
+frontier.
+
+The work of reprisal for a foul deed was done. Where the explosion had
+taken place an enormous crater had been torn in the permanent way.
+Beyond that the line was blocked by great piles of tangled wreckage
+which must have weighed hundreds of tons--Krupp guns and gun mountings,
+twisted almost out of all recognition, masses of machinery ruined beyond
+redemption, and engines, wagons, rails, and sleepers piled high in
+inextricable confusion. Many hours, if not days, of unremitting toil
+would be needed before the line could be reopened for traffic. Thus the
+main lines of communication of the Germans were severed and a heavy blow
+struck for the cause of the Allies.
+
+On the trunk of a tree, at the top of the cutting close by, a notice was
+fixed: "In reprisal for the burning of an innocent village above
+Bastogne."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+A Further Blow
+
+
+The point at which the line to Aix had been broken was not far from the
+Dutch frontier, and for an hour or so Max and the band he led made good
+progress. Then their difficulties began. The alarm had clearly been
+given, and a serious alarm it seemed to be. Bodies of troops, and
+especially cavalry, were on the march in all directions, and it became a
+matter of the utmost difficulty to avoid contact with them. Finally,
+Max, as the day dawned, led his men right away into a wide expanse of
+farm-land, and took them towards a solitary farm-house.
+
+"What's the game now, laddie?" asked Corporal Shaw, as Max led them
+boldly towards the farm-house, much to the surprise of the farmer and
+his family, who came out to see what this strange visit of a body of
+armed men might mean. "Doesn't this give us away to the enemy?"
+
+"We must have rest and food, Corporal," replied Max seriously. "If we
+surround the farm and keep prisoners all who are there, and detain all
+who call, we shall be safe if no parties of German soldiers happen to
+light upon us. If we can get through the day, I think we shall get
+safely across the frontier. We are only seven miles away, and a few
+hours of darkness will see us there."
+
+"Good! You know your business, lad, I can see," replied Shaw briskly,
+and he gave a quick order to his men to spread out at the double and
+surround the farm. Max interpreted the order to the French soldiers, who
+promptly followed suit. In a moment or two the farm had been surrounded,
+and the men began to close in upon it.
+
+The surprise and curiosity of the German farmer and his family quickly
+turned to fear as the object of the move became apparent. They could now
+see, too, the faces and equipment of the men converging upon them, and
+knew that, whatever they might be, they were certainly not soldiers of
+the Fatherland.
+
+"You're a prisoner, mein Herr," cried Corporal Shaw cheerfully, as he
+strode up to the burly farmer and slapped him familiarly on the
+shoulder. "Be good, or it will be the worse for you."
+
+Max interpreted his words, and added the information that neither he nor
+any of his household were to stir outside the house, or even to look out
+of the windows. They were to consider themselves close prisoners, and on
+their good behaviour their own treatment would absolutely depend. The
+farmer, as soon as he could recover from his astonishment, passed the
+order on to his family and domestics with a peremptoriness no doubt
+considerably enhanced by his own lively fears. The Germans filed into
+the farm-house, followed by all the band except two. These were set on
+the watch on the roofs of two barns a little distance away on opposite
+sides of the building.
+
+Max then called upon the farmer to provide a meal for them all,
+promising him in return fair payment. Soon the whole band, in high good
+humour, were deep in enjoyment of the best meal they had had since the
+retreat from Mons and Charleroi began.
+
+During the day there were occasional alarms as bodies of German soldiers
+were observed scouring the country in the distance, but none approached
+the farm-house. Several labourers, evidently missing the presence of the
+farmer, called, and these were promptly made prisoners. At nightfall
+everything was made ready for the last march.
+
+The women were sent to their rooms and locked securely in. Then the men,
+seven in number, were marshalled in line and informed that any attempt
+to give warning to German troops or the authorities would result in
+instant death. The order to march was given, and, in single file, Max
+and the farmer leading, with the remainder of the prisoners in the
+centre, the band moved across country towards the Dutch frontier.
+
+With the aid of the farmer, Max led the band to a point opposite
+Maastricht, where the frontier ran through a little wood. He hoped that
+here there would be no difficulty in getting unmolested through the
+barbed-wire fences everywhere erected along the frontier by the Germans.
+A road ran across the frontier close by the wood and a post had been
+established there by the enemy, but Max believed that, favoured by night
+and the darkness of the wood, there would be no difficulty in eluding
+observation.
+
+They entered the wood unobserved, and Max halted the band and went
+forward with Dale and one of the English soldiers to silence the sentry
+and cut the wire. The sentry was an oldish man, of the Landwehr, and
+entirely unsuspicious. He was seized by the throat from behind, his
+rifle snatched from his hand, and his arms and legs securely pinioned.
+Then his throat was released and his mouth securely gagged. It was all
+over in ten minutes, and, leaving the soldier and Dale at work upon the
+wire, Max went back to bring along the rest of the men.
+
+To his consternation he found them on the move, the last files
+disappearing from the wood in the direction of the German frontier post,
+two men only being left behind in charge of the prisoners. Running after
+them, Max caught up the rearmost men, and was told that they were about
+to attack the Germans and root them out. Much hurt and angered at this
+sudden reckless move, Max ran forward to the front of the column and
+accosted Corporal Shaw.
+
+"What is this, Corporal?" he cried. "It was to be my business to get you
+over the frontier. I don't agree with your attacking the Germans here."
+
+"That's all right, sir," replied Shaw, still pressing on. "We know what
+we're about. We've reconnoitred the place, and can clear out the whole
+lot without turning a hair. Come along, lad, and lend a hand."
+
+"No, Shaw, I'm not going to have this. I've breached the wire a few
+yards away yonder and put the sentry out of action. All we have to do is
+to walk through and we are safe. This mad attack right on the frontier
+will----"
+
+"No, no; our fellows will be disappointed if they don't get one more
+fling at the Germans!" cried Shaw, pressing on as though anxious to get
+away from Max's protests. "It'll all be over in----"
+
+At this moment the German sentry in front of the building which housed
+the frontier guard caught sight of dark shadows approaching. He
+challenged, and almost simultaneously brought his rifle up to his
+shoulder.
+
+There was a flash and a report, and one of the men just behind Max gave
+a gasp and staggered. He recovered himself, however, and with the rest
+of the band charged madly down upon the sentry and the guard, who were
+now rapidly tumbling out of the entrance of the building, rifle in hand.
+
+The fight that ensued was to Max the most desperate he had ever seen.
+The French and British soldiers, after all their discomforts and
+privations and the terrible sights they had witnessed, were burning with
+the desire to get to close quarters with the Germans and to try
+conclusions with them. Like a whirlwind they flung themselves upon the
+hated foe, and, scarcely firing a shot, stabbed and bayoneted with wild
+and desperate energy.
+
+The Germans who had poured outside the building were cut down in a
+remarkably short space of time, and, without a pause, the men dashed
+into the passage and up the stairs, every man striving to be the first
+to close with the enemy. Against such reckless valour as this the German
+Landwehr, although they outnumbered their assailants at least two to
+one, could do nothing, and it could not have been more than eight
+minutes from the first onrush before the last German had been cut down.
+
+"Set a light to it, boys," commanded Shaw, highly excited with the
+success of the combat. "Let's have a blaze to light our way across the
+frontier, and to tell the Germans we bid them farewell."
+
+"Now, boys, three good cheers for the Allies and down with the Germans!"
+
+The huzzas were heartily given as the fire promptly kindled within
+blazed up. Round the burning house the soldiers danced, flinging into
+the fire the arms and equipment of their foes. Across the frontier, only
+a few yards away, the soldiers of the Dutch guard had turned out, and
+they watched the strange scene with an interest that to one at least of
+the band of British and French was far from pleasing.
+
+"Fall in!" commanded Shaw, and the men obeyed. "Form fours--right! Now,
+boys, we've seen our last of Germany for a time, and are going to march
+into Holland. Soon we shall be back in the armies of the Allies, ready
+to take part in another march through Germany. Now, then, by the right,
+quick----"
+
+"One moment, Shaw," cried Max quickly. "You are making a big mistake if
+you think you can march thus into Holland and also be free to join the
+armies of the Allies."
+
+"Why so?" cried Corporal Shaw impatiently. "Why can't we? Who's to stop
+us?"
+
+"The Dutch soldiers will stop you quick enough," replied Max. "Do you
+think they will treat us as they do escaped prisoners or fugitives after
+a battle at their very frontier?"
+
+"Well, what will they treat us as?" cried Shaw sharply.
+
+"As belligerents, of course. We shall be disarmed and interned, and our
+fighting days will be over."
+
+"Yes, Shaw," interposed Peck. "The lad's right, and we have played the
+fool in lashing out at the Germans right agin the frontier. You're too
+headstrong, Shaw. The lad was running this show. Why didn't you leave
+him alone?"
+
+"Pooh! If we drop our tools, and march across, the Dutchmen will let us
+go," replied the discomfited Shaw apologetically. "Let's try it on
+anyway."
+
+"Nay, nay, Shaw," cried the Scot in a deep voice. "Ye've spoiled this
+business, and ye'd better let be. The lad has the best heid, and let him
+have his way over it. Come, lad, what say ye--what's oor next move?"
+
+It was certainly time for a move of some sort. On both flanks of the
+party desultory firing had commenced. The sentries posted along the
+frontier had doubtless been attracted by the sound of the fighting at
+their head-quarters and were straggling inwards, exchanging dropping
+shots with the men on the outskirts of the band. As their numbers
+increased, a regular battle would ensue, finally compelling the band to
+surrender, or to cross the frontier and be interned.
+
+Max had no mind to be interned, whatever Shaw felt on the subject. His
+great task of guarding the Durend workshops was still waiting for him to
+complete, and were he put out of action it was certain that no one else
+would carry it on. Shaw had made a great mistake, but it was possibly
+not irretrievable. At any rate, Max believed it could be set right by
+prompt and resolute action.
+
+"Come, then," he said firmly. "If you still wish to fight again for your
+country, follow me, and I will do my best to keep you from losing the
+chance. You must be silent and watchful and make the best speed
+possible. Exert yourselves to the utmost for three or four hours, and
+then I hope we may be safe again. Come--fall in in single file, with the
+prisoners in the centre, and follow me. Exchange no shots unless I give
+the word. If you are attacked, use the bayonet, and the bayonet only."
+
+There was a murmur of general assent and a quick bustle as the men fell
+in. Several were slightly wounded, but only two sufficiently so to need
+any assistance. Two men took their stand by each of these, and as Max
+led the way inland from the frontier, through the open country, these
+assisted them to keep up with the others.
+
+Max kept the German farmer close by his side. The man knew the country
+well, and Max gave him to understand that his comrades would be very
+glad indeed of an excuse to strafe him. The man certainly had no reason
+to disbelieve him. The wild, fierce looks of the men, the assured way in
+which they marched through an enemy's country, and the pitched battle,
+ending in the burning of a German post, just fought were enough to
+convince him that he had to deal with men who were nothing if not
+determined. At any rate, Max had no trouble with him, and found him a
+ready and reliable guide all through the night.
+
+For nearly two hours the band moved obliquely inland. Then Max turned
+and aimed once more at the frontier at a point at least ten miles away
+from the place where the previous attempt had been made.
+
+The German patrols were fewer here, and with only one mishap they
+reached the frontier. This mishap took place while the party was
+crossing a high road. Scouts had reported all clear, and all had crossed
+except the men at the rear, who were helping the wounded along. These
+were in the middle of the road, when a motorcar, moving at high speed,
+turned a corner a short distance away and ran rapidly down upon them.
+
+The powerful headlights of the motor of course revealed the little group
+of men in the roadway. Brakes were applied, and the machine came to a
+standstill a yard or two away.
+
+"Who are you? What do you here?" came in the deep peremptory tones of a
+man who was evidently a German officer.
+
+For the moment the party in the road, half-blinded by the powerful
+lights, stopped stupidly where they were. None of them understood what
+was said, and none made a move either to fly or to resist capture.
+
+Max, the instant he saw the headlights approaching, ran back to the
+roadway and was just in time to hear the officer's demand. It was too
+late for flight--too late for anything but attack--and, calling to the
+men nearest him, he sprang towards the car.
+
+Two revolvers flashed in the darkness. One of the bullets cut through
+the side of his jacket and grazed his side. The other missed altogether.
+In another moment he was alongside the car and using the rifle and
+bayonet he carried with hearty goodwill.
+
+The car contained four German officers and a soldier chauffeur. For a
+fraction of a second Max attacked them single-handed. Then other men
+sprang to his assistance, and from both sides of the car the Germans
+were assaulted with an energy they doubtless had never experienced
+before. It was quickly over. All the men were bayoneted, and left for
+dead, and, without waiting to do more than dash out the headlights and
+overturn the car in a ditch, Max again led the band forward to the
+frontier.
+
+Day was breaking as the band neared the frontier, at a point where it
+was crossed by a railway. In a little copse at the side of the track Max
+halted his men and allowed them a short rest while he went with Shaw to
+reconnoitre and determine the best means of making the actual crossing.
+They found, of course, the line well guarded, and with a strong post at
+the frontier to watch the gap necessarily left in the great barbed-wire
+fence. The post consisted of about thirty men of the Landwehr, and the
+band of British and French fugitives could have rushed and destroyed it
+with the greatest ease. But, should they do this, Max feared that they
+could not cross into Holland and retain their freedom. They would, he
+felt sure, be treated as soldiers and be interned for the duration of
+the war. None of them had any desire for that; all wished to be free to
+strike again at the foe.
+
+From the frontier back to a busy little station, two miles inland, Max
+and Shaw continued their search. Then they returned to the place where
+they had left the rest of the band in hiding.
+
+"Well, Max, what do you think of it?" asked Dale. "D'ye think we can get
+through anywhere about here without too much of a rumpus?"
+
+"I hope so. I've thought of something that seems to promise."
+
+"What is it, old man?"
+
+"Take forcible possession of yon station in the middle of the night and
+collar the first train that arrives _en route_ to the frontier. We ought
+then to be able to run her successfully through the Dutch frontier
+guards."
+
+"Phew!" cried Dale in amazement.
+
+Shaw gave a prolonged chuckle of intense delight. "Train-snatching--eh?"
+he cried at last. "That'll suit the boys, I give you my word."
+
+"It's not so easy as it sounds," responded Max soberly. "It needs
+careful planning, for it must be done like clockwork if we are not to
+make a mess of it."
+
+"Well, we can do that, I suppose?" replied Shaw confidently. "You found
+the clockwork all right in that raid on the railway? You plan it out and
+you'll find we shan't fail you."
+
+"No, I don't think you will, Shaw. Well, it must be done about an hour
+after nightfall, so we must lose no time. This is how I think it ought
+to be done," and Max unfolded the plan as it had so far framed itself in
+his mind.
+
+For an hour or two the three discussed the affair earnestly together.
+Then they broached the scheme to their waiting comrades. As they
+anticipated, it met with rapturous approval, and it was in a fever of
+impatience--for the hour of their deliverance or their defeat was close
+at hand--that the whole of the band awaited the closing in of night.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+Across the Frontier
+
+
+A train steamed slowly into Storbach station. The stationmaster and a
+host of officials crossed the platform and prepared to search and
+interrogate the passengers with that thoroughness and also with that
+lack of courtesy and consideration which seem peculiarly Prussian.
+
+The engine-driver and his fireman, momentarily released from toil,
+crossed to the near side of their engine, leaned over the rail, and
+prepared to enjoy the proceedings. The platform was well lighted, but
+beyond was a wall of darkness into which the eye could not penetrate
+more than a yard or two. Suddenly, out of this obscurity, three men
+appeared. Swiftly they crossed the platform, and, without a moment's
+hesitation, sprang upon the engine.
+
+"See this?" growled one of them--it was Peck--levelling his bayonet at
+the engine-driver who had shrunk back into the cab. "You do? Well, then,
+keep quiet or you'll feel it--sharp. We're desp'rit men, we are, and
+that's all about it."
+
+The engine-driver understood well enough, and the fireman, who had been
+similarly cornered by another of the trio, seemed to understand equally
+well that the first doubtful movement on his part would be his last.
+Full possession having thus been obtained, the three new-comers gave an
+eye to what was happening on the platform.
+
+Events there were sufficiently exciting. From all sides armed men of a
+particularly wild-looking variety had suddenly invaded the platform. One
+group had promptly seized the telegraph office and seen to it that no
+messages appealing for help should be sent along the wires in either
+direction. In fact they went a step further, and put the instrument out
+of action so thoroughly that all risk from this source was at an end for
+a long time to come.
+
+The main body as promptly attacked the guard of soldiers in charge of
+the station and overwhelmed them utterly at the first onrush. German
+Landsturm and Landwehr troops were as children in the hands of these
+veteran British and French soldiers, and complete victory was won at the
+cost of two men slightly wounded only. Then came the turn of the
+astonished officials, railway porters, and the few passengers waiting to
+enter the train. These surrendered with commendable promptitude, and,
+dumbfounded with amazement, were shepherded into one of the
+waiting-rooms and locked securely in.
+
+The passengers on the train were ordered out on to the platform, ushered
+into another waiting-room, and there similarly secured. All was now
+ready, and Max gave the signal for the men who had been stationed
+outside, guarding all exits, to close in and for the whole of the band
+to entrain.
+
+Running forward to the engine, Max sprang up and gave the signal to
+start.
+
+"Full speed ahead, Peck. Let her go."
+
+That worthy, by the aid of very expressive pantomime, assisted by a
+sentence or two in German from Max, quickly induced the engine-driver
+and fireman to perform their offices, and the train moved out from the
+platform to the tune of suppressed cheers from its delighted occupants.
+The two miles to the frontier were covered in a few minutes, and with a
+cheer, no longer suppressed but full of heart-felt gladness, the
+fugitives saw the last outpost of their enemies flash by. They were now
+in a friendly country and had only to play their cards with care and
+moderation to find themselves once more on the way to their native
+lands.
+
+Presently Max ordered the train to be brought to a standstill. They were
+now well into Holland and there were no line guards, and, at that hour,
+none to mark their doings. All rifles and bayonets were handed out and
+dropped into a muddy ditch. Then the journey was resumed until they
+reached a siding into which the train could be run.
+
+The driver and firemen were gagged, bound hand and foot, and left in
+charge of their empty train while their captors marched on foot across
+country _en route_ for Rotterdam. They were stopped and questioned many
+times, but on each occasion they were eventually allowed to proceed.
+
+At the great Dutch port Max and Dale took leave of their soldier
+friends. Max, now that he had brought the band to safety, wished to seek
+out his mother and sister, and Dale, of course, must go with him.
+
+On the deck of a ship bound for England the two friends said good-bye to
+Shaw and his stanch command, and when they trod the gangway back to the
+shore of Holland the cheer that went up brought all the Dutchmen and
+German spies about the dock hurrying to the scene. Huzza after huzza
+rent the air, and, when the ship drew away out into the stream on its
+way to the ocean, the strains of the Marseillaise and Rule Britannia
+could be heard high above the throb of engines and the clank and rattle
+of the busy port.
+
+"Fine fellows, those," remarked Dale with more than a suggestion of
+regret in his voice.
+
+"None better," replied Max emphatically. "And how well the men of the
+two races worked together. I think it must be an earnest of the way
+France and Britain will work together in the great alliance."
+
+"Aye. And what part are _we_ going to play, old man?" asked Dale
+eagerly. "'Pon my word I feel all on fire to get to work and strike a
+few good blows for England."
+
+"So we will, but we have earned a rest, so let us go to Maastricht and
+stay quietly with my mother and sister for a little while. Then we will
+go to England and offer ourselves for service in any capacity in which
+we can be of most use. Then 'hard all' right up the course."
+
+"Hurrah! I'm with you. Forward all! Paddle!"
+
+"But I should like a job that will give me a chance to give an eye
+occasionally to the Durend works," presently remarked Max meditatively.
+
+"There you go again," groaned Dale. "Those works of yours are the bane
+of my life. There's no getting away from them for a moment."
+
+"They're my special job, and Schenk is my special enemy," replied Max in
+the steady resolute tone Dale knew so well. "There is no one who can
+take my place there in thwarting the enemy's plans, and while I live I
+can never forget it."
+
+"I don't believe you can," agreed Dale comically, "so it's no use my
+trying. I suppose that will be the end of your fine talk about our
+offering our services to the British authorities?"
+
+"Not at all, old man. What about the Secret Service? With our knowledge
+of Belgium and its languages I should think they might find us
+employment that will be every whit as useful to the Allies as fighting
+in the ranks. And it will give me a chance, occasionally, to see what
+Schenk is up to, and, perhaps, to try another fall with him."
+
+"Well, _that_ doesn't sound so bad. Anyway it is good enough to think
+about a little more before we make up our minds. Now for Maastricht and
+that rest we've been chasing ever since we left Liége for the Ardennes.
+At last there seems a chance of our getting it."
+
+At Maastricht Max had a joyful reception. His mother had never lost hope
+of his safe return, but the suspense had been trying, and the news from
+Liége had not been of a kind to reassure her. However, here he was back
+again, safe and sound, and in that fact all fears and anxieties were
+forgotten. Dale shared in the welcome, and for a week or two the friends
+stayed happily at home. Then the leaven began to work again, and one day
+Dale found Max going carefully through the miscellaneous lot of papers
+which he had taken from his father's safe along with the money and
+securities on which his mother had since been living.
+
+"Business, eh?" he enquired jocularly.
+
+"Something of the sort," admitted Max. "Looking through those old papers
+we raided out of Schenk's clutches. Some of them are his and not my
+father's, and I can see why he was so anxious to get them back again.
+Why, here is correspondence--between the rascal and someone who, I
+expect, is an agent of the German Government--dating back years before
+the war, in which Schenk is instructed to prepare the Durend works for
+the eventuality of a German occupation of Liége. It's all here, even to
+the laying down of concrete gun-platforms, one of which the impudent
+beggar disguised as our tennis-court."
+
+"Good! Anything else?"
+
+"Nothing quite so good as that. Plans of the Durend mines and works and
+such-like. They may be useful some day."
+
+"When we get rid of Schenk, eh? That will be some time yet, so you need
+not bother your head about plans of the works. In fact, to put it
+mildly--I don't want to hurt your feelings--I expect the place will be
+so altered when you get it back that you won't recognize it, and those
+plans will be of mighty little use to you or anyone else."
+
+"Yes," replied Max thoughtfully. "You're referring to Schenk's threat
+that, if ever the Germans had to leave Liége, he would smash up the
+works so thoroughly that not one brick would be left upon another?"
+
+"Aye."
+
+"He's just the man to do it."
+
+"He is that. And the less reason for you to bother about the place. It's
+no use worrying; it can't be helped."
+
+"I'm not so sure. Anyway I'm going to do what I can to save the place.
+As for these papers of Schenk's, I'm going to hand them over to the
+British consul. They'll be useful, I don't doubt, as one more proof of
+Germany's deep-laid plans for war."
+
+Max did as he proposed, and the papers were accepted with alacrity and
+forwarded to the British Foreign Office. At the same time Max made
+application on his own and Dale's behalf for employment in Belgium as
+members of the British Secret Service. After a week or two's delay,
+during which time enquiries no doubt were being made into their
+credentials, an official arrived with the necessary documents, and after
+a long conversation, detailing exactly what was required of them, Max
+and Dale were accepted and enrolled.
+
+A few days later they had said good-bye to their home in quiet
+Maastricht and were away across the frontier, in the great whirlpool of
+the war once more.
+
+They resumed the disguises of Walloon workmen, which had already served
+them in such good stead, and applied for work in Liége and all the big
+towns of Belgium. For two years and more they worked steadily, in
+different workshops up and down the country, gathering news and
+transmitting it faithfully to the agents of the British Government. They
+were cool and reliable observers, and their information was found to be
+so uniformly accurate that it was relied upon more and more as the
+months went by.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+The Great Coup
+
+
+At the commencement of their work in the Secret Service, Max and Dale
+visited Liége, and, while collecting information there, thought out and
+put into operation a far-reaching plan that they hoped might checkmate
+Schenk's schemes for the destruction of the Durend works when the
+Germans should be forced to evacuate the city. It was a plan formulated
+after they had again got into touch with M. Dubec and the small band of
+men who still loyally refused to work in the interests of the invaders.
+M. Dubec had imparted to them the information--not unexpected--that
+Schenk had placed mines under all the workshops, and put everything in
+readiness for blowing them into the air whenever he should wish to do
+so.
+
+"I have it from one of the men who actually helped to dig and fill them,
+Monsieur. He was not allowed to help in the wiring, and he believes this
+was done secretly at night, by Germans whom Schenk knew he could trust."
+
+"So you know that the shops are mined, but do not know where the wires
+run?"
+
+"That is true, Monsieur."
+
+"Could you not find out?"
+
+"I do not think so, Monsieur. Since that last affair of ours there have
+been too many sentries in the yards, especially at night. It would be
+impossible to dig anywhere."
+
+"We ought to do something, Dubec."
+
+"Yes, Monsieur?"
+
+"But the job is to know what," Dale struck in. "We can't tunnel
+underground, I suppose, and get at them that way, so we must find out by
+spying where the wires are run to--eh, Max?"
+
+"Tunnel?" ejaculated Max. "That's an idea, Dale. Those old mines we were
+tracing in the plans the other day! Why not?"
+
+"Why not what?" asked Dale a little testily.
+
+"Why, you know we noticed that one of them ran right up to the outskirts
+of the city? Well, why shouldn't we continue it secretly, until we get
+beneath the yards, and then burrow upwards to the workshops? Then we can
+remove the mine-charges from below, and sit still and hold tight until
+the great day arrives."
+
+"Hurrah!" cried Dale enthusiastically. "The very thing. Phew! what a
+coup it will be!"
+
+"We shall, of course, have to get Dubec here and one or two others to
+arrange it for us. They must go to work in the Durend mines, and take it
+in turns to spend a night down there. Each man, as his turn comes, must
+go into the old workings, and continue the gallery fixed upon in the
+direction of the Durend works. Narrow seams of coal, not worth working,
+did run in that direction according to the plans, and they will have no
+difficulty in getting rid of the coal of course. The rock they hew out
+must be taken away and dumped in remote, abandoned workings, where it is
+not likely to be found or understood."
+
+"'Pon my word, it sounds like the real thing," cried Dale with fresh
+enthusiasm. "But it'll take a long time I should think, so we must make
+a start at once. What do you think, Dubec?"
+
+"Yes, Monsieur, it will take much time. But we will work hard, knowing
+that we are working for our country. It will make our hearts light again
+to feel that we are once more of use, and some who might give way will
+keep on and on, refusing to bend the knee to the German tyrants and to
+work their will."
+
+"Yes, it may well do that," said Max thoughtfully. "And if any object
+that they will be helping the Germans by sending coal up to the surface,
+tell them that I say that the other work they are doing far outweighs
+that. If we can secure the Durend works intact, ready to make shells and
+guns for the Allies when the Germans are driven out, we shall have
+struck a strong blow--aye, one of the strongest--for our side."
+
+"I will tell them, Monsieur, though I do not think it will be
+necessary."
+
+"Any money and tools that will be required I will supply. And I will
+occasionally come down into the mine and correct the direction in which
+you are driving the gallery. We must be exact, or all our work will be
+wasted."
+
+After a few days' more planning, and another consultation with Dubec,
+the details of the scheme were settled to everyone's satisfaction, and
+the work commenced. The direction of affairs on the spot was left to
+Dubec, and to him was also left the responsibility of deciding to what
+men the secret should be imparted. Then Max and Dale left the district
+and went on with their own special work, satisfied that the last and
+final stratagem for defeating Schenk was in good hands, and likely, in
+the course of time, to be brought to a successful issue.
+
+It is not here that we can describe the many adventures that befell Max
+and Dale while in the British Secret Service. They were numerous and
+exciting enough, but this tale deals primarily with the fortunes of the
+great Durend workshops and their influence in the war. A long, tedious
+period of trench fighting now began on the Western Front. There were no
+big territorial changes, although there were many attacks on a grand
+scale at Ypres, at Verdun, on the Somme, and in the plain of Flanders.
+But this period, tedious though it was, came to an end at last in the
+great German retreat. Then came for Max and Dale the crucial period of
+all their long and patient scheming to outwit their own special enemy,
+Otto von Schenkendorf, the manager of the Durend works.
+
+When the great retreat began, Max and Dale were at Liége, on the spot.
+At the gates of the works they watched the serried ranks of workmen and
+workwomen as they trudged out in response to the manager's orders that
+the works must be closed and that all workers of German nationality or
+sympathies must retire across the frontier. The anger and consternation
+in their faces were a treat to see, after the long years of their
+arrogance towards men and women of Belgian nationality. The war was
+virtually over--so said their faces--and many of them were doubtless
+dreading lest infamies, similar to those wreaked on the helpless
+Belgians, might be perpetrated in _their_ towns and villages.
+
+As the crowd thinned, Max and Dale caught sight of the manager,
+accompanied by a German officer, seated in a great grey motor just
+inside the gates, apparently waiting for the last workman to file out
+and away. The guard of soldiers was still there, standing stiffly to
+attention, and it seemed to Max that there was an air of tension about
+them all, as though something was about to happen. He could well guess
+what. Suddenly, in the distance, there came the sound of dropping
+rifle-shots.
+
+"They've cut it pretty fine, if those shots mean the advance guard of
+the Allies," remarked Max in a voice tense with excitement. "The works
+are clear of the workmen; now for the last great act. Then the curtain!"
+
+Herr Schenk--as we shall continue to call him--stood up in his car and
+shouted to the officer of the guard:
+
+"You have your instructions, Lieutenant. Act upon them now without
+delay."
+
+The officer saluted, turned about with military precision, and strode
+into the guard-room.
+
+Herr Schenk resumed his seat, nodded to the chauffeur, and the car moved
+slowly through the gates into the road. Max thought he was about to
+leave the works for good and all, but the car stopped at the side of the
+road a hundred yards or so from the gates, and all in her stood up and
+gazed back in the direction of the works. In the distance, but nearer
+now, could be heard a brisk fusillade of rifle-shots, with now and again
+the brief chatter of a machine-gun.
+
+"Strong cavalry patrols approaching," commented Max. "They are driving
+in scattered bodies of stragglers or outposts, I should say. Look now at
+Schenk! He is waiting for the works to go up sky-high."
+
+The moments passed, and nothing happened. A minute, two minutes, three
+minutes. Still there was no change, and the tense attitude of the men
+waiting in the car relaxed, and they began talking together in low
+tones. Suddenly the figure of the officer of the guard appeared at the
+gates, gesticulating excitedly.
+
+Schenk gave a quick order to the chauffeur. The car was turned and moved
+quickly back to the gates, and there stopped. The officer of the guard
+ran to it, leaned over the side, and explained volubly. Max and Dale,
+from where they stood, could hear nothing of what was said, but they
+knew, almost as well as if they had heard, that the officer was
+explaining that he had tried to fire the mines, but somehow without
+success.
+
+With a gesture of rage or impatience Schenk sprang out of the car, and,
+followed by both officers, ran quickly to the guard-room and disappeared
+from view.
+
+The dropping shots had approached quite near, and Max believed that the
+skirmishers could not be more than half a mile away, and were advancing
+with a speed that indicated that they consisted either of cavalry or
+armed motors.
+
+"I'd give something to see their faces now--wouldn't you, Max?" queried
+Dale, who could hardly contain himself in his delight.
+
+Max was busy scribbling on a sheet of paper torn from his notebook, and
+did not for a moment reply. When he had finished, he folded it up
+carefully and addressed it on the outside. "Let us walk past the gates,
+Dale, as though just passing. I am going to administer the _coup de
+grâce_ to our friend Schenk."
+
+They crossed the road and slouched along past the gates. As they passed
+the great grey motorcar, Max lightly dropped the note he was carrying on
+to the seat which Schenk had just been occupying. The chauffeur was
+looking eagerly in the direction of the guard-room, and did not observe
+the act or the missive. They slouched on until they turned a corner, and
+then Max cried eagerly:
+
+"Now back again and in that garden among the bushes. We shall see it
+all, and see Schenk's face when he reads my note."
+
+"What did you say, old man?"
+
+"Let us get out of sight there, and I will tell you."
+
+In a few moments the two friends were snugly ensconced in a clump of
+bushes in a garden very near the entrance to the works. The grey car was
+still occupied only by the chauffeur, but they could tell, by his
+listening attitude and the expectant looks of the guards, that an
+altercation of some sort was going on inside the guard-room.
+
+"This is what I said, old man," Max went on in a voice which betrayed
+his excitement:--
+
+     "TO HERR VON SCHENKENDORF, _alias_ OTTO SCHENK,
+
+     "I observe that you have at last accepted your dismissal from your
+     post as manager of the Durend works. You are going--hated and
+     despised--back to the land which gave you birth. And at last, in
+     this moment, you must know yourself defeated by those at whom you
+     scoffed as boys. The works you swore to destroy still stand intact,
+     and will, in a short time, be throwing all their weight and power
+     into the cause of the Allies. Adieu.
+
+    "MAX DUREND,
+    "JACK DALE."
+
+"Good, old man! That'll make the beggar sit up if anything will. Hark!
+cavalry. Ours or theirs, I wonder?"
+
+In a measure they were answered by a sudden move of the soldiers
+guarding the gates. The lieutenant had shouted an order, and they fell
+into marching order and strode swiftly away in the direction of the
+frontier. The officer remained where he was, and was almost immediately
+joined by Herr Schenk and the other officer. All three walked quickly to
+the motor and got in.
+
+The manager, as he did so, picked up a letter lying on his seat and
+glanced at the writing. He gave a start that was visible even to the
+watchers at the other side of the road, then plucked it open with
+nervous, jerky movements. He glanced quickly through it and sprang
+uncontrollably to his feet, his face aflame with passion.
+
+The officer at his side shouted to him in alarm and endeavoured to pull
+him back into his seat.
+
+Suddenly there was a loud clatter of horses' hoofs at the end of the
+street, and a body of Belgian cavalry debouched into view. The chauffeur
+of the grey car instantly started and turned his machine, and it moved
+away with ever-increasing speed, Schenk still standing and gesticulating
+wildly, with Max's letter clenched in his right hand, and the officer
+endeavouring ineffectually to drag him back into his seat. As the car
+passed the two watchers, they could not repress their exultation, but
+jumped to their feet and gave a loud, full-throated British cheer.
+
+[Illustration: THE TWO WATCHERS GAVE A LOUD, FULL-THROATED BRITISH
+CHEER]
+
+The officer whose hands were free drew his revolver and fired viciously
+at them. The shots went wide, and in a moment or two the car had turned
+a corner and vanished out of sight.
+
+A squadron of Belgian cavalry clattered by, and Max shouted to the
+officer in command that a car containing German officers had just driven
+off and that a detachment of infantry was only a matter of a few minutes
+ahead. The officer nodded and pressed on, while Max and Dale cheered the
+men as they rode eagerly by.
+
+"I think we have seen the last we shall see of Schenk, Dale," Max
+remarked as they crossed the road and entered the Durend yards.
+
+"Yes, and I don't suppose you, or anyone else in Belgium, will be
+sorry."
+
+"No; least of all our Walloon workmen. They hated him to a man for his
+overbearing, tyrannical ways. We are all well rid of him."
+
+The works seemed strangely deserted. The doors of the workshops stood
+wide open, but inside all was still. The great lathes were just as they
+had been left, some with shells half turned, indicating the haste with
+which the attendants had obeyed the call to go. Other hands would
+doubtless finish the turning, and the shells would be fired at the
+Germans and not against the armies of the Allies.
+
+"I suppose Schenk will have taken all the firm's cash?" suggested Dale
+presently.
+
+"Yes, of course. But that will be more than covered by the additions he
+has made to the buildings and plant since the Germans came. I should
+think the concern is worth twice as much as when he took it in hand for
+the Fatherland."
+
+"That's great! No wonder he nearly went out of his mind when he found he
+must leave it all intact and in first-rate working order for you to
+enter into. If he lives until he is as old as Methuselah he will never
+forget it."
+
+"I don't think his German friends will let him forget it. They will find
+it hard to forgive a bungle that leaves a first-class munition factory
+absolutely undamaged in the hands of their enemies. I don't envy Schenk
+his job of persuading them that he couldn't help it."
+
+"Not after the other explanations he has had to make on our
+account--those siege-gun drawings, the wrecking of the power-house,
+workshops, etcetera."
+
+"No, he is a back number now, and he will be lucky if it is no worse."
+
+(Long afterwards they learned that the exasperation of the Germans at
+Herr Schenk's failure to destroy his workshops before the evacuation,
+was so great that he was tried by court-martial, and, notwithstanding
+his considerable influence, promptly shot.)
+
+A burst of cheering from the town in the direction of the market-place
+drew the attention of the two young fellows away from the works to the
+events that were taking place in the town. They left the works, closing
+the great gates after them, and joined the townspeople in their great
+welcome to the soldiers of Belgium and the Allies as they passed through
+in triumph in pursuit of their enemies. It was all very exhilarating,
+and even the discovery that Max's house had been burned to the ground
+was insufficient to damp their patriotic ardour, for they had expected
+no less. It had not been possible to arrange to save this, and, as Max
+said, so long as the works were saved it mattered little about the
+house. Another could soon be found, or built for that matter. But the
+works--to get those into full swing in quick time was the equivalent of
+a victory for the Allies.
+
+And in almost full swing they were in a couple of days. All that day and
+the next the loyal workmen dribbled back--some from the town, some from
+remote villages, and many from across the Dutch border. With hearty
+goodwill they threw themselves into their work, and soon the roar of the
+lathes and engines announced that the Durend works were themselves once
+more.
+
+The tale of how Max Durend had fought the long battle of the works, of
+how vigilantly he had watched over them, and of how, at last, he had won
+the greatest fight of all in saving them from destruction, passed from
+mouth to mouth among the workmen. If anything had been needed to cement
+the strong bond between them and their employer, this would have
+supplied it. But their relations were already of the best, and this
+great story served but to set a seal upon it and to render the link
+between the two unbreakable.
+
+And from strength to strength the great workshops went on. Ever in the
+van of progress--for Max had learned his work from the bottom upwards
+and was ever ready to learn more--secure in the possession of skilled
+workmen filled with zeal and goodwill, well-directed, and trusted far
+and wide, the Durend works expanded until they were twice the size of
+any similar concern in Belgium.
+
+Jack Dale stuck to Max to the end. He followed his friend's example and
+went through all the shops, learning the work thoroughly, and later on
+became the manager of an important branch of the firm. Eventually he
+married Max's sister, and drew closer yet the ties which held him to his
+friend.
+
+Max became, in the fulness of time, something of a figure in Belgium,
+and did much to aid its recovery from the ravages of the enemy. He never
+forgot his English blood, and was a foremost supporter of all movements
+which might draw the two countries closer to one another in friendship
+and esteem.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Two Daring Young Patriots, by W. P.  Shervill
+
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+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Two Daring Young Patriots, by W. P.  Shervill
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Two Daring Young Patriots
+       or, Outwitting the Huns
+
+Author: W. P.  Shervill
+
+Release Date: September 17, 2008 [EBook #26645]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TWO DARING YOUNG PATRIOTS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Chris Curnow, Lindy Walsh, Mary Meehan and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+<div class="figright">
+<a href="images/icover.jpg"><img src="images/icover.jpg" alt=""/></a>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="figleft">
+<a href="images/ispine.jpg"><img src="images/ispine.jpg" alt=""/></a>
+</div>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+<h1>TWO DARING YOUNG PATRIOTS</h1>
+
+<h3>Or, Outwitting the Huns</h3>
+
+<h2>BY W. P. SHERVILL</h2>
+
+<h4>Author of "Edgar the Ready"</h4>
+
+<h3><i>Illustrated by Arch. Webb</i></h3>
+
+
+<h4>BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED<br />
+LONDON GLASGOW AND BOMBAY</h4>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+<a name="illus1" id="illus1"></a>
+<img src="images/illus1.jpg" alt=""/>
+</div>
+
+<h3>LIKE A WHIRLWIND THEY FLUNG THEMSELVES UPON THE HATED FOE</h3>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<h2>Contents</h2>
+
+<!-- Autogenerated TOC. Modify or delete as required. -->
+<p>
+<a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I. <span class="smcap">Trouble in the Crew</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II. <span class="smcap">The Races</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III. <span class="smcap">Max Durend at Home</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV. <span class="smcap">The Cataclysm</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V. <span class="smcap">The Fall of Li&eacute;ge</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI. <span class="smcap">A New Standpoint</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII. <span class="smcap">A Few Words with M. Schenk</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII. <span class="smcap">Treachery!</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX. <span class="smcap">The Opening of the Struggle</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X. <span class="smcap">Getting Ready for Bigger Things</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI. <span class="smcap">The Attack on the Power-house</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII. <span class="smcap">The Attack on the Munition-shops and its Sequel</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII. <span class="smcap">The German Counter-stroke</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV. <span class="smcap">Schenk at Work Again</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV. <span class="smcap">The Dash</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI. <span class="smcap">In the Ardennes</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII. <span class="smcap">Cutting the Line</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII. <span class="smcap">Reprisals</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX. <span class="smcap">A Further Blow</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX. <span class="smcap">Across the Frontier</span></a><br />
+<a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI. <span class="smcap">The Great Coup</span></a><br />
+</p>
+<!-- End Autogenerated TOC. -->
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>Illustrations</h2>
+
+
+<p><a href="#illus1"><span class="smcap">Like a whirlwind they flung themselves upon the hated foe</span></a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#illus2"><span class="smcap">Both lads began to hurl the great stones upon the German soldiery</span></a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#illus3"><span class="smcap">A cloth was clapped over the soldier's nose and mouth</span></a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#illus4"><span class="smcap">"It's all right; we're friends"</span></a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#illus5"><span class="smcap">The two watchers gave a loud full-throated British cheer</span></a></p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>TWO DARING YOUNG PATRIOTS</h2>
+
+<h3>Or, Outwitting the Huns</h3>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I</h2>
+
+<h3>Trouble in the Crew</h3>
+
+
+<p>"Here come Benson's!"</p>
+
+<p>The speaker leaned over the edge of the tow-path and watched an
+eight-oared boat swing swiftly round a bend in the river a hundred yards
+away and come racing up to the landing-stage.</p>
+
+<p>"Eee&mdash;sy all&mdash;l!" came in a sing-song from the coxswain, perched, for
+better sight, half upon the rear canvas, and eight oars instantly
+feathered the water as their boat slanted swiftly in towards the shore.</p>
+
+<p>"Hold her, Seven."</p>
+
+<p>With almost provoking sloth, after the smartly executed movements
+already described, Number Seven dug his oar deeply into the water,
+making up somewhat for his tardiness by the fierceness of the movement.
+The nose of the boat turned outwards almost with a jerk, and the craft
+slid in close to and parallel with the landing-stage.</p>
+
+<p>"Seven's got the sulks again, Jones," commented the watcher on shore, a
+middle schoolboy named Walters, as he eyed the proceedings critically.
+"His time's bad. It's just as well they get to work to-morrow."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," assented his companion. "But, you know, it beats me why they
+didn't put Montgomery at stroke instead of seven. He's a far better oar
+than Durend&mdash;the best in the school&mdash;and it would have upset nobody."</p>
+
+<p>"His style may be better," admitted Walters a little reluctantly, "but
+he hasn't got that tremendous shove off the stretcher that makes the
+other so useful a man to follow. Besides, he has too much temper to be
+able to nurse and humour the lame ducks and bring them on as Durend has
+done."</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe&mdash;his temper certainly doesn't look sweet at the moment," replied
+Jones, gazing with a grim sort of amusement at Montgomery as the latter
+released his oar from the rowlock and stepped out of the boat, his
+handsome clean-cut face sadly marred by an undeniably ugly scowl.</p>
+
+<p>"Durend's work isn't showy, but I hear that Benson thinks a lot of it,"
+Walters went on. "It's a pity Monty takes it so badly, for the crew has
+come along immensely and with ordinary luck ought to make a cert of it."</p>
+
+<p>"Riggers!" the stroke of the crew sang out, and the crew leaned out from
+the landing-stage and grasped the boat. "Lift!" and the boat was lifted
+clear of the water and up the slope to the boat-house hard by.</p>
+
+<p>From bow to stern the faces of the crew were smiling and cheerful,
+albeit streaming with perspiration, as they passed through the admiring
+knot of their school-fellows assembled to watch them in. All, that is,
+save Seven, aforesaid, and Stroke, who looked downcast, and whose lips
+were set firmly as though he found his task no very pleasant one, but
+had nevertheless made up his mind to see it through.</p>
+
+<p>In the dressing-room Montgomery vented his ill-humour somewhat
+pettishly, flinging his scarf and sweater anyhow into his locker and his
+dirty rowing boots violently after them. "I don't care a fig whether we
+win or lose," he growled. "I'm sick of being hectored by a coach who
+never was an oar, and a stroke who knows about as much about rowing as
+my grandmother."</p>
+
+<p>"Shut up, Monty!" replied another member of the crew good-naturedly.
+"Another week and it will be all over, and we shall be at the Head of
+the River for the first time&mdash;what?"</p>
+
+<p>The thought of Benson's first victory in its history seemed, if
+anything, to incense Montgomery still more, for he glared angrily at
+Durend's set face and went on: "It's always <i>my</i> time or <i>my</i> swing
+that's wrong, too, when everyone used to say that I was the best oar in
+the school. Bah! it's to cover up his own faults that he's always
+blaming me. For two pins I'd resign, Durend; and I will, too, if you're
+not a deal more careful."</p>
+
+<p>"You needn't," replied Durend shortly, but with a significance that was
+not lost upon those present.</p>
+
+<p>"What d'ye mean?" demanded Montgomery.</p>
+
+<p>"You're no longer in the crew."</p>
+
+<p>"What! <i>You</i> turn me out? I'll take that from Benson, and from no one
+else, my boy!"</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Benson has left it to me, and I say you're no longer in the crew,"
+replied Durend coldly, and with no hint of triumph in his voice. He
+knew, in fact, that his action was probably the death-knell of all the
+hopes of his crew.</p>
+
+<p>Montgomery's face blazed with passion, and he sprang violently upon
+Durend and struck fiercely at him. The two boys nearest grasped him and
+dragged him back, though not before he had left his mark in an
+angry-looking blotch upon the left cheek of his former chief. Through it
+all Durend said no word. He merely defended himself, looking, indeed, as
+though only half his mind were present, his interest in the matter being
+far out-weighed by concern for the threatened destruction of his beloved
+crew, the object of his deepest thoughts and hopes for a period of six
+crowded weeks.</p>
+
+<p>The incident closed, for, Montgomery's first anger over, he saw the
+foolishness of making so much of losing a seat he had all along affected
+to despise. The crew dispersed, and soon the affair was the talk of the
+whole school. Benson's&mdash;the favourites&mdash;crippled by the loss of their
+Seven on the very eve of the race! Stroke and Seven at blows! Stroke
+licked, and no doubt spoiled for the race! The news, soon distorted out
+of all recognition, provided Hawkesley with matter for gossip such as it
+had not enjoyed for many a long day.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II</h2>
+
+<h3>The Races</h3>
+
+
+<p>"Well, Stroke?" asked the Benson's cox, as the two slowly made their way
+from the boat-house towards the school. "What's to do now? I'm afraid
+we're done for. Mind," he went on in another tone, "I'm not blaming you.
+Any other fellow with a spark of spirit in him would have jibbed. But
+have you counted the cost?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Dale, I've counted the cost, and know what I'm going to do."</p>
+
+<p>"So?"</p>
+
+<p>"Three must come down to Seven and Franklin must come into the boat at
+Three. If only we had a week of practice before us I should not fear for
+the result, but to-morrow&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Stroke's voice died away as he dug his hands deeply into his trousers
+pockets and walked moodily on. Suddenly he turned to his companion:
+"After all," he said, "we may stand a chance. If not on the first day or
+two of the races, then on the last. Rout out Franklin for me, Dale, and
+tell him what's afoot, and that we row at seven this evening with him at
+Three. Then tell the others. There'll be no hard work, only a paddle to
+help Franklin find the swing. One thing&mdash;he's fit enough."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and I must say we have you to thank for that, old boy. Those runs
+before breakfast that used to make Monty so savage have done us a good
+turn by keeping Franklin fit, not to mention the occasional tubbing we
+have given him."</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, he's not bad; and if the rest of the crew buck up well we may yet
+do things. Now good-bye, Dale, until seven o'clock! See that every man
+is ready stripped sharp to time for me, for I must now see Benson, and
+tell him all my plans."</p>
+
+<p>The further news that Benson's were going out again with their spare man
+at Three, coming upon the sensational story of the quarrel between
+Stroke and Seven, spread like wildfire through the school. Every boy who
+was at all interested in the Eights&mdash;and who was not?&mdash;made a note of
+the matter, and promised himself that he would be there and see the fun
+for himself.</p>
+
+<p>When seven o'clock arrived, therefore, the tow-path in front of Benson's
+boat-house was thronged with boys; some there in a spirit of foreboding,
+to see how their own crew shaped after its heavy misfortune, some to
+rejoice at the evidence they expected to see of the impending
+discomfiture of a redoubtable foe, some to jeer generally, and others&mdash;a
+few, but the more noisy&mdash;in out-and-out hostility to the crew which had
+turned out from among its number their favourite, Montgomery. So great
+was the crowd that the crew had almost to push its way through the
+press, at close quarters with a medley of cheers and groans that did not
+do the nerves of some of them much good.</p>
+
+<p>The outing was a short one. Mr. Benson, who had coached the crew himself
+so far as his time permitted, did not put in an appearance, and Durend
+had the field to himself. All he did was to set an easy stroke, and to
+leave Dale, as cox, to keep a sharp watch upon the time and swing of
+Three and Seven. The change naturally upset the rhythm of the crew a
+little, but not so much as was generally expected. In fact, on the
+return to the boat-house, cheers predominated, as though others besides
+themselves had been agreeably surprised.</p>
+
+<p>The Eights week at Hawkesley always stood out prominently from the rest
+of the year as a kind of landmark. It marked the highest point of the
+constant struggle between the several Houses into which the school was
+divided, and all energies were therefore concentrated upon it for weeks
+in advance. As may have been surmised, the Eights races were not direct
+contests, with heats, semi-finals, and finals, but bumping races, for
+the little River Suir would hardly permit of anything else. For a short
+stretch or two, perhaps, a couple of boats might have raced abreast, but
+it would not have been possible to have found a reasonably full course
+for a race to be decided in that way. Consequently the boats were
+anchored to the shore four boat-lengths behind one another, and by the
+rules of the game they were required to give chase to one another, and
+to touch or bump the boat in front to score a win.</p>
+
+<p>A win meant that the victors and vanquished changed places, and the
+whole essence of the contest was that the stronger crews gradually
+fought their way forward into the van of the line of boats. There were
+six Houses to the school, and the same number of crews competed, for the
+honour of their respective Houses. Six days were allotted to the task,
+and it was no wonder that the crews had to see to it that they were in
+first-rate condition, for racing for six days out of seven was bound to
+try them hard.</p>
+
+<p>The legacy left the Benson crew by their comrades of the year before was
+the position No. 3 in the line. The position the year before that had
+been No. 5, so it was not surprising that the Bensonites had great hopes
+that this year would see them higher still. Cradock's was just in front
+of them, with Colson's at the Head. Both were strong crews, and so was
+Johnson's, just behind&mdash;too strong, indeed, for Durend to feel very
+comfortable with an unknown quantity at his back.</p>
+
+<p>The race was timed to start at eleven, and a minute or two before the
+hour all the crews had taken up their position, stripped and made ready.
+The crews were too far apart for signals by word of mouth or by pistol
+to be effective, so a gun was fired from the bank&mdash;one discharge "Get
+ready!" two "Off!" and three&mdash;after a lapse of ten minutes&mdash;as the
+"Finish".</p>
+
+<p>"Boom!" went the first gun, and men ceased trying their stretchers or
+signalling to their friends on shore. A few words of caution from the
+stroke, and then all was still in tense expectation. The mooring-ropes
+were slipped, and the boats left free to move slowly forward with the
+stream.</p>
+
+<p>"Boom!" Simultaneously forty-eight oars dipped and churned the water
+into foam. Like hounds suddenly unleashed, the six boats leapt forward
+and began their desperate chase upon the waters of the Suir.</p>
+
+<p>The strongest point of Benson's crew had been its lightning start, and
+Durend had always counted upon this giving him at least half a length's
+advantage at the outset. Striking the water at his usual rate, he
+hoped&mdash;almost against hope&mdash;that this advantage still remained to him.
+Less than half a dozen strokes, however, were sufficient to convince him
+that the hope was a vain one. The perfect swing of the boat was marred
+by a jar that became more pronounced with every stroke. He knew well
+enough what it was: it was the new half-trained man, Franklin, vainly
+trying to keep up the pace of a trained crew.</p>
+
+<p>It was a bitter disappointment, but Durend was not one to let such
+feelings cloud his judgment, and without a moment's hesitation he let
+his racing start fall away into a long, steady swing. Victory&mdash;for the
+moment, at any rate&mdash;must be left to others, while his crew were brought
+back once more to the swing and rhythm they had lost.</p>
+
+<p>For some time Durend kept his stroke long and steady, and the boat
+travelled evenly and well, though at no great pace. By that time
+Cradock's, in front, were almost lost to sight, but Johnson's, behind,
+were very much within view, and coming up fast. The situation seemed so
+critical that Dale at last could contain himself no longer. For some
+minutes he had been nervously glancing back at the nose of the boat
+creeping up behind, and wondering when he must forsake his straight
+course for the forlorn hope of an attempt to elude the bump by a pull at
+the rudder line.</p>
+
+<p>"Durend, they'll have us, if you don't draw away a little."</p>
+
+<p>Durend nodded. He had not been unmindful of the boat creeping up behind,
+but he had a problem, and no easy one, to settle. Should he press his
+crew to the utmost, or should he hold his hand for another time? It was
+a terribly difficult thing to decide for the best, with Johnson's
+creeping up and every fibre in him revolting against surrender and
+calling out for a desperate spurt right up to the end.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly Durend quickened up. His men were waiting and longing for a
+spurt and caught it up at once. But again the swing was marred by
+Franklin's inability to support the terrific pace. After the first
+stroke or two the boat began to roll heavily, the form and time became
+ragged, and there was much splashing.</p>
+
+<p>One glance at Dale's agonized face and Durend again allowed his stroke
+to drop back into its former steady swing, and doggedly, with
+sternly-set face, plugged away as before, refusing to look again at the
+crew drawing inexorably up behind. Twice the boats overlapped, but both
+times Dale managed, by skilful steering, to avoid a bump. The third time
+no trick of steering could avoid the issue, and the nose of the Johnson
+boat grated triumphantly along the side of Benson's.</p>
+
+<p>At the touch, both crews ceased rowing. The race for them was ended for
+that day at least, and they could watch and see how the other crews had
+fared. But the other races were also over, for the third and last "Boom"
+rang out within a few seconds of the termination of their own.</p>
+
+<p>Defeat is always hard to bear, and the Benson crew were no exception to
+the rule. It was obvious to every one of them that they had not been
+allowed to have their full fling, and angry and discontented thoughts
+surged into the brains of the disappointed men as they leaned over their
+oars and tried not to hear the jubilant chatter of those insufferable
+Johnsonites. Why had Stroke set so wretchedly slow a stroke that defeat
+was certain? The members of the beaten crew were, for the most part,
+fresher far than the winning crew. Why had not Stroke given them the
+opportunity of rowing themselves right out instead of tamely
+surrendering thus?</p>
+
+<p>No answers to these discontented queries were forthcoming. Durend could
+have spoken, but would not. Dale might have spoken; for though he knew
+not the plans of his chief, his position at the rudder enabled him to
+conjecture a great deal. But he, too, was dumb. So it was that the
+Benson crew could answer the questions of their distressed friends only
+by referring them with disparaging shrugs of the shoulders to their
+worthy Stroke.</p>
+
+<p>Durend had never been a popular boy. He was respected for his steady
+persistence and his capacity for unlimited hard work, but popular he
+could not be said to be, even with his crew. He held himself rather
+aloof, and never really took them into his confidence. He seemed to
+think that if he did his best as Stroke, both in rowing and in
+generalship, he had done all that was necessary. His plans, his hopes,
+and his fears he kept strictly to himself. Why worry his men about them?
+he reasoned, and in the main, no doubt, he was right, though he carried
+it much too far. As a consequence the crew, with the possible exception
+of Dale, were left to conjecture his reasons for all that he did, and in
+most cases to put a wrong construction upon them.</p>
+
+<p>But, though they growled, they were too sportsmanlike and too loyal to
+their House to do more, and 11 a.m. next day saw them at their places
+every bit as eager as before. This time, without a doubt, they told one
+another, Durend would set them a faster stroke and give them a chance to
+show the stuff they were made of.</p>
+
+<p>Unhappily they were doomed to fresh disappointment. Twice, indeed,
+Durend quickened up his stroke, but almost immediately he felt the time
+and swing of the crew again becoming ragged. In his judgment it was
+useless to persist in hope of an improvement; so, with the decisiveness
+that was one of his chief characteristics, he promptly dropped his
+stroke back into his old rate of striking. His men fretted and fumed
+behind him, and one or two even went so far as to shout aloud for a
+spurt. A sharp reprimand was all they got for their trouble, and in high
+dudgeon they relapsed again into a savage silence. Fortunately, though
+they saw nothing of the crew ahead, they managed to keep a length of
+clear water between them and the weak Crawford crew travelling in their
+wake.</p>
+
+<p>No cheers heralded their return. The doings of Benson's attracted little
+attention now, for all interest had centred upon the desperate struggles
+between the three leading boats, Cradock's, Colson's, and Johnson's&mdash;for
+the first two had now changed places. It is almost as hard to be ignored
+as to be scoffed at, and it was a very sore crew indeed that put their
+craft upon its rack that day and filed upstairs to the dressing-room of
+Benson's boat-house.</p>
+
+<p>Self-contained and preoccupied though he was, Durend could not help
+noticing that his conduct of the races was being severely and adversely
+commented upon. But he only shrugged his shoulders, hurried on his
+clothes, and left the building perhaps a little more quickly than usual.
+Some strokes would have given explanations to their crews, but it never
+occurred to Durend to do so. Dale followed him from the room.</p>
+
+<p>"See here, Max," he said, as he overtook him, "I think you should know
+that our fellows are tremendously sick at the poor show we are making.
+They feel that your stroking of the crew is not giving them a fair
+chance."</p>
+
+<p>Durend stopped abruptly. "So long as I am stroke, Dale, I shall set the
+stroke I think proper. I am doing what I think is best for the crew, and
+shall follow it out until the last race is over&mdash;lost or won."</p>
+
+<p>"I know, I know, old man," replied Dale hastily. "But what is your game
+really? You must know you can't win races with a funereal stroke like
+that, so what's the good of trying it?"</p>
+
+<p>Durend opened his lips as though about to make an angry reply.
+Apparently he thought better of it, for he closed them again, and for
+some minutes walked on in silence. When he spoke it was in the quiet
+measured tones of one who has thought out his subject and has no doubts
+in his own mind of the wisdom of his conclusions.</p>
+
+<p>"After six weeks' hard work, Dale, we've managed to get the crew into
+pretty good form&mdash;everybody says so. Is it all to be lightly thrown
+away? Can we really expect Franklin to keep up the pace of the rest of
+us without rushing his slide, bucketing, or something of the sort? Can
+we now?"</p>
+
+<p>Dale, but half convinced, returned to the charge. "Well, I don't know.
+Something's got to be done. I heard three of the fellows just now
+whispering something about asking Benson to put Montgomery back in the
+boat."</p>
+
+<p>"Where?"</p>
+
+<p>Dale hesitated.</p>
+
+<p>"I see. At stroke. Well, I may be prejudiced, but I don't think it would
+answer, old man. Anyhow, we'll leave all that to Benson, and those three
+fellows too. Come, Dale, I'm sick of thinking about this, so let's try
+and talk about something a little more cheerful."</p>
+
+<p>Dale was a light-hearted, cheery fellow enough, and found no difficulty
+in turning the talk into other and more pleasant topics. The two, though
+so opposite in point of character and physique, were very good friends.
+Dale was a slim, lightly-built young fellow of eighteen, with a fair
+complexion and an open boyish face. He was a general favourite, and,
+though not athletically inclined, was always ready to assist in acting
+cox or kindred work. Max Durend was dark-complexioned, somewhat
+reserved, and of a more thoughtful disposition. He also was eighteen
+years of age, was of medium height but strongly built, and possessed a
+great capacity for hard work. As has already been explained, he was not
+popular, and that may have been partly due to his reserve, and partly to
+the fact that he was only half English, namely on his mother's side.</p>
+
+<p>The race on the following day was even less exhilarating than the last.
+Benson's still rowed at their provokingly slow stroke, simply retaining
+their position at No. 4, while Johnson's and Colson's, after a terrific
+struggle, changed places. Thus Cradock's remained at the Head with the
+Johnson and Colson crews second and third.</p>
+
+<p>It needed all Dale's persuasion and plentiful supply of hopeful
+suppositions (partly derived from his talk with Durend, but mostly made
+up out of his own head) to keep the Benson crew from breaking out into
+open revolt. Every day they had finished the race half fresh, and not
+one of them could see the use of parading up and down the course as
+though uncertain whether they were in the race or not.</p>
+
+<p>And through it all Mr. Benson just looked grimly on, indifferent,
+apparently, to all their woes, and said no word save a little&mdash;a very
+little&mdash;commendation, no doubt intended to keep them from entering the
+very last stages of despair. It seemed as though he had given the whole
+thing up as a bad job, and did not intend to interest himself further in
+the matter.</p>
+
+<p>Another day came just like the last, and listlessly the dispirited crew
+turned their oars on the feather and waited for the signal to start.
+Quite suddenly they woke up to the fact that Stroke was leaning back
+towards them and speaking.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, you fellows," he was saying in a quiet but tense voice, "I am
+going to give you a racing start at last. See to it, then, that you pick
+it up and keep it. Don't forget. Franklin, I rely upon you to do your
+utmost to keep up with us. Now, boys!"</p>
+
+<p>"Boom!"</p>
+
+<p>There was scarcely a soul about to see Benson's start; nearly everyone
+was watching the struggles going on ahead, where strong crews were
+striving in the last days to secure and hold a higher position for the
+Houses they had been called to represent. So it was that the Benson
+start passed unnoticed until it dawned upon Colson's, the crew ahead,
+that the Benson boat had drawn unaccountably nearer. And Benson's, too!
+It could only be a fluke, and with that conviction Colson's settled down
+grimly to the task of shaking them off.</p>
+
+<p>But somehow or other it did not seem at all easy to shake them off. In
+fact, to their dismay, the end of the great spurt saw the gap between
+the boats no wider. Suddenly, too, Benson's spurted in their turn, and
+the nose of their boat drew closer at a speed that wellnigh paralysed
+Colson's.</p>
+
+<p>Indeed, in the Benson boat, the pent-up energies of three days of
+enforced self-restraint were being let loose in a series of desperate
+spurts for the mastery. Even Durend could contain himself no longer, and
+Franklin, though he had not yet reached anything like the form of the
+rest of the crew, was yet able to do his part in the struggle with a
+fair measure of success. Within five minutes of the start Benson's had
+overlapped Colson's, and, almost immediately after, the bump came.</p>
+
+<p>We need not describe the joy and relief in the Benson crew at their
+unexpected victory&mdash;unexpected to all of them, for even Durend, though
+he had hoped and planned, had not anticipated it so soon. To the rest of
+the school the whole affair was so unexpected as to be stupefying. Only
+the most penetrating and experienced observers could give a reason for
+their sudden recovery, and the remainder explained away the sensational
+victory by a disparaging reference to the utter weakness of Colson's.
+Had not Colson's dropped in three days from Head of the River to No. 3,
+and was that not enough proof of weakness? they argued. Gradually the
+general view crystallized down to the opinion that Benson's had had
+their fling, and could hope to make no impression upon the two really
+strong crews now in front of them.</p>
+
+<p>Nevertheless, though this seemed the general opinion, the following
+morning found the whole school on the tow-path opposite the Benson boat.
+No one wanted to see the struggle between Cradock's and Johnson's, but
+everyone was anxious to see the start of the Benson crew, and to learn
+whether any fresh surprises were in store for them.</p>
+
+<p>There could be no doubt about the spirit of the crew. Hope and
+confidence seemed to exude from every pore, and it was clear that for
+them the week was only just beginning. At the report of the gun, Durend
+took his men away with a racing start that recalled those they had made
+before Montgomery left the crew. The form was well kept; even Franklin,
+who had improved rapidly with every day's work, keeping well in with the
+swing of the rest of the crew. Dropping the stroke a little soon after
+the start, Durend led them along with a strong, lively stroke that was
+soon seen to be gaining them ground slowly, foot by foot, upon their old
+foe, the Johnson crew. The latter were, however, in no mood to yield an
+inch if they could help it, and made spurt after spurt in the desperate
+endeavour to keep well away.</p>
+
+<p>For the first eight or nine minutes of the race, Durend did not allow
+himself to be flurried into any answering spurt. He knew that he was
+within reach, and to him that was, for the time, sufficient. His watch
+was strapped to the stretcher between his feet, and he was carefully
+measuring the time he could allow Johnson's before calling them to
+strict account.</p>
+
+<p>It wanted one minute to the time when the finishing gun would boom out
+before Durend quickened up. His men were waiting in confident
+expectation for that moment, and answered like one man. From the very
+feel of the stroke they had known what a reserve of power their stroke
+and comrades possessed, and they flung themselves into the spurt with
+all the energy of conscious strength. The boat leapt to the touch, and
+up and up, nearer and nearer, the nose of their craft crept to the boat
+ahead.</p>
+
+<p>A hoarse and frantic appeal from the stroke of the Johnson boat, and his
+men strove to answer and stave off that terrible spurt. But they had
+spurted too often already, and another and a greater was more than they
+could bear. Their time became ragged; some splashed and dragged, and the
+boat was a beaten one before the end came.</p>
+
+<p>It was a thrilling moment when the boats bumped, and the straggling
+crowds upon the tow-path shouted and yelled with delight and deepest
+appreciation. Rarely had there been such a race in the school's annals;
+never one in which the winning crew had thus fought its way up from
+previous failure and defeat.</p>
+
+<p>After witnessing that achievement, the opinion of the school veered
+completely round, and everyone confidently predicted that Benson's would
+win their way to the Head of the River on the following morning. It had
+now become as clear as noonday to all that the stroke of Benson's had
+been playing that most difficult of all games, the waiting game. He had
+held his crew inexorably in until the new man had had time to settle
+down into his place and catch the form and time of the rest of the crew.
+Clearly, too, the crew was rowing better every day, and no one believed
+that Cradock's would be able to keep them off in the full tide of their
+swing to victory.</p>
+
+<p>This time the opinion of the school was right, and the following day
+Benson's caught up and bumped Cradock's within three minutes of the
+start. They had settled down and become a great crew, confident in
+themselves and even more confident in the power and judgment of their
+Stroke.</p>
+
+<p>The ovation they received on the return to their boat-house they long
+remembered. The noisy and enthusiastic tumult was indeed something to
+remember and be proud of, but to Durend the few words of commendation of
+Mr. Benson counted for far more.</p>
+
+<p>"Well done, Durend!" he said simply. "I saw you knew your business, and
+that is why I did not interfere. But even I did not expect so splendid a
+success. Your men have done well indeed, but it is to you and your
+fixity of purpose our win is mainly due. I have never known an
+apparently more hopeless chase; and, to you others, I say that it shows
+that there is almost nothing that fixity of purpose will not achieve in
+the long run."</p>
+
+<p>Even more pleasurable were the words of Montgomery, touched with real
+contrition, as he grasped his old Stroke by the hand and begged his
+pardon for doubting his ability and power to stroke a crew to victory.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III</h2>
+
+<h3>Max Durend at Home</h3>
+
+
+<p>It was only two days after the close of the races when the head master
+called Durend into his room. He held a slip of paper in his hand, and in
+rather a grave voice informed the lad that his father was seriously ill.
+His mother had cabled for his return, and he was to get ready to catch
+the 2.15 train for Harwich at once.</p>
+
+<p>Max obeyed. His preparations did not take long, and there was still a
+little time to spare before he needed to start; therefore he sought out
+Dale to say good-bye.</p>
+
+<p>"But you will come back, of course, Durend?" the erstwhile cox
+protested, rather struck by the earnestness of his friend's adieu.</p>
+
+<p>"I have a feeling that I shall not, Dale. I cannot help it, but I keep
+on acting almost unconsciously as though this were the last I shall see
+of Hawkesley."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't say that, Max. Why should you think your father is so ill as all
+that? The cablegram doesn't say so. No, I can't take that. You simply
+<i>must</i> come back. There are lots of things we have promised to do
+together."</p>
+
+<p>"Can't help it, Dale. But there's one thing you must promise me before I
+go, and that is, that if I should not come back you will come over and
+see me. Spend a fortnight at our place at Li&eacute;ge in the summer&mdash;eh?"</p>
+
+<p>"You're coming back, old man," replied Dale with determination. "But all
+the same, I will give you the promise if you like. My uncle and
+aunt&mdash;all the relatives I have&mdash;would not mind, I know."</p>
+
+<p>"Thanks, old man&mdash;you shall have a good time."</p>
+
+<p>Presently Durend left, and in forty-eight hours he was back in his own
+home in Belgium on the outskirts of Li&eacute;ge. Prompt as he had been, he
+found he was too late, for his father had died at the time he was on the
+boat on the way to Antwerp.</p>
+
+<p>Though not altogether unexpected, the blow was a severe one to Max
+Durend. He had been very fond of his father, who had latterly treated
+him more as a chum than anything else, and had talked much to him of his
+plans for the time when he could assist him in his business. His mother
+was, of course, even more upset, and though Max and his sister, a girl
+of twelve, did their best to comfort her, she was quite prostrated for
+some days.</p>
+
+<p>It was now more than ever necessary that Max should enter his father's
+business, and, when old and experienced enough, endeavour to carry it
+on. From the nature of the business it was evident that this was no
+light task, and would require a great deal of training and an immense
+amount of hard work if it were to be done successfully. But the prospect
+of hard work did not appeal Max, and within a fortnight of his father's
+death he was busy learning the details of the vast business carried on
+under his name.</p>
+
+<p>Monsieur Durend had been the proprietor of very large iron and steel
+foundries and workshops in Li&eacute;ge. The business was an immense one, and,
+beside the manufacture of all kinds of machinery and railway material,
+worked for its own benefit several coal and iron mines, all of which
+were in the district or on the outskirts of the town. The business had
+been a very flourishing one, and had been largely under the personal
+direction of the proprietor, assisted by his manager, M. Otto Schenk, to
+whose ability and energy, M. Durend was always ready to acknowledge, it
+owed much of its success. The latter was now, of course, the mainstay of
+the business, and it was with every confidence in his ability that
+Madame Durend appointed him general manager with almost unlimited
+powers.</p>
+
+<p>M. Schenk was indeed a man to impress people at the outset with a sense
+of strength and of power to command. He was over six feet in height,
+broad, but with rather sloping shoulders, and very stoutly built. His
+head, large itself, almost seemed to merge in a greater neck, and both
+were held stiffly erect as he glowered at the world through cold and
+rather protruding eyes, much as a drill-instructor glares at his pupils.
+He was florid-complexioned, with short, closely-cropped grey hair and a
+short, stubby, dirty-white moustache. Of his grasp of the affairs of the
+firm and his business ability generally, people were not so immediately
+impressed as they were with his power to command, but they invariably
+learned to appreciate this side of his character in time.</p>
+
+<p>The matter of the direction of the affairs of the firm settled to
+everyone's satisfaction, the question as to what was to be done with Max
+came up for discussion.</p>
+
+<p>"I think it will be best, Max, if you go into M. Schenk's office and
+assist him there," said Madame Durend at last. "You will there pick up
+the threads of the business, and when you are two or three years older
+we can consider what we are going to do."</p>
+
+<p>"But, Mother," replied Max, "that was not the way Father learned his
+business. You have often proudly told me how he used to work as a simple
+mechanic, going from shop to shop and learning all he could of the
+practical side of the different processes. How he then bought a small
+business, extended it and extended it, until it grew to its present
+size. And the whole secret of his success was that he knew the work so
+thoroughly from top to bottom that he could depend upon his own
+knowledge, and needed not to be in the hands of men with more knowledge
+of detail but vastly less capacity than himself."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Max, that is true; but the business is now built up, and is so big
+that it does not seem necessary for you to go through all that. We have
+an able manager, and from him you can learn all that you will ever need
+to know of the work of directing the affairs of the firm."</p>
+
+<p>"I should then never know the work thoroughly. I should always be
+dependent upon those who had learned the practical side of the work,
+Mother. Let me spend a year or two in learning it from the bottom. I
+shall enjoy the work, and shall then feel far more confidence in
+myself."</p>
+
+<p>Max spoke earnestly, and his mother could see that he was longing to
+throw himself heart and soul into the work. It was, indeed, the spirit
+in which he had flung himself into the task of lifting Benson's to the
+Head of the River over again. Though she had a mother's dislike to the
+idea of her son's donning blouse and apron and working cheek by jowl
+with the workmen, she had also a clear perception that it would be a
+mistake to discourage such energy and thoroughness. She therefore
+resolved to consult M. Schenk on the morrow, and, if he saw no special
+objection, to allow Max to have his way.</p>
+
+<p>M. Schenk did see several objections, foremost among which was his view
+that for the master's son to work like a common workman would tend to
+lessen the present extremely strict discipline in the workshops. Max,
+however, scouted such an idea as an unfair reflection on the men, and
+continued to press his point of view most strenuously. In the end he
+managed to get his way, and within a week had started work at the firm's
+smelting furnaces.</p>
+
+<p>This story does not, however, deal with the experiences of Max Durend in
+learning the various activities of the great manufactory founded by his
+father. It will, therefore, suffice if we relate one incident that had,
+in the sequel, an important influence upon his career, an incident, too,
+that gives an insight into his character and that of the different
+classes of workmen that would, in the course of time, come under his
+control.</p>
+
+<p>Max was at the time working at a huge turret lathe in one of the
+turning-shops. Around him were other workmen similarly engaged. Across
+the room ran numerous great leather driving-bands, running at high speed
+and driving the great machines with which the place was filled.
+Apparently the material of one of the driving-bands was faulty, for it
+suddenly parted, slipped off the driving-wheels, and became entangled in
+one of the other bands. As this spun round the loose band caught in the
+machine close by, wrenched it from its foundation and turned it over on
+its side, pinning down to the floor the workman attending to it.</p>
+
+<p>The man gave a screech as he was borne down, a screech that was broken
+off short as the heavy machine fell partly upon his neck and chest,
+choking him with its fell weight. A straggling cry of alarm was raised
+by the other workmen who witnessed the tragic occurrence, and many
+pressed forward to his aid. But the great band which had done the
+mischief was being carried round and round by the driving-band in which
+it had become entangled, and was viciously flogging the air and floor
+all about the stricken man.</p>
+
+<p>Some of the men shouted for the engines to be stopped, others ran for
+something that could be interposed to take the rain of blows from the
+flying band. Max, however, saw that something more prompt than this was
+necessary. From the look on the man's face it was clear that if the
+pressure on his throat and chest were not immediately relaxed he would
+be choked to death.</p>
+
+<p>Crawling forward beneath the flogging band, and bowing his head to its
+pitiless flagellations, Max grasped the overturned machine and strove to
+lift it off the unfortunate man. The weight was altogether too great for
+him to lift unaided, but he found he could raise it a fraction of an
+inch and enable the man to gain a little breath.</p>
+
+<p>Holding it thus, Max grimly stood his ground with his head down, his
+teeth firmly set, and his back arched against the rhythmic rain of blows
+from the great band. Soon the clothes were flogged from off his back,
+and the band touched the bare skin. Almost fainting, he held on, for the
+eyes of the man below him were staring up at him with a look of dumb and
+frightened entreaty that roused in him all the strength of mind and
+fixity of purpose he possessed.</p>
+
+<p>The shouts for the engines to be stopped at last prevailed. The bands
+revolved more slowly, and then ceased altogether. Many willing hands
+were laid upon the overturned machine, and it was lifted off the
+prostrate man just as Max's strength gave out, and he sank limply to the
+floor in a deep swoon.</p>
+
+<p>Neither Max nor the workman was seriously injured. Both had had a severe
+shock, and Max, in addition, had wounds that, while not dangerous, were
+extremely painful. After six weeks at Ostend, however, he was himself
+again, and ready to continue his work in yet another branch of the
+firm's activities. This time he was to learn the miner's craft, and to
+see for himself all that appertained to the trade of hewing out coal and
+iron from the interior of the earth and lifting it to the surface.</p>
+
+<p>On the evening of his return to Li&eacute;ge from Ostend he was sitting in his
+study alone, reading up the subject that was to be unfolded in actual
+practice before his gaze on the morrow, when there came a knock at the
+door.</p>
+
+<p>"Come in," he yelled.</p>
+
+<p>The door opened, and the maid ushered in a middle-aged workman in his
+Sunday clothes, accompanied by a woman whom Max guessed to be his wife.
+The man he recognized at once as the workman he had succoured in the
+accident to the driving-band.</p>
+
+<p>"Monsieur Dubec&mdash;he would come in," explained the servant deprecatingly,
+as she withdrew and closed the door.</p>
+
+<p>The man looked furtively at Max, twisted his cap nervously in his hands,
+and stood gazing down at the floor in sheepish silence. His wife was
+less ill at ease, and, after nudging her spouse ineffectually once or
+twice, blurted out rapidly:</p>
+
+<p>"He has come, Monsieur, to thank you for saving his life, and to tell
+you that he will work for you and serve you so long as he lives. He is
+my man, and I say the same, Monsieur, though I do not work in the shops,
+and cannot help. But if ever ye should want aught done, Monsieur, send
+for Madame Dubec, and she will serve you with all her heart in any way
+you wish."</p>
+
+<p>The woman spoke in a trembling voice, and with a deep and earnest
+sincerity that showed how much she was moved. Her emotion, indeed,
+communicated itself to Max, and he felt as tongue-tied as the man Dubec
+himself. It had somehow not occurred to him that he would be thanked,
+and the whole thing took him by surprise. Still, he had to say
+something, and he struggled to find something that would put them at
+their ease.</p>
+
+<p>"I am sure you will, Madame Dubec, and I will remember your offer
+indeed. But make not too much of what I have done. I was near at hand,
+and came forward first, but many of your husband's comrades were as
+ready, though not quite so quick. It was the aid of one comrade given to
+another, and one day it may be my turn to receive and your husband's to
+give."</p>
+
+<p>The man shook his head vigorously in dissent, and in so doing seemed to
+find his tongue.</p>
+
+<p>"Nay, sir, 'tis much more than that. Some there are who would have
+helped; but the more part of my fellow-workmen would not lift a hand to
+help another in distress. As ye must have noticed, sir, there are two
+classes of men in your father's works. There are the Belgians born and
+bred, who loved your father and hated, and still hate, the tyrant Schenk
+and the German-speaking workmen who have joined in such numbers of late
+that we others fear a time will soon come for us to go. The Belgians are
+good comrades, and would have come to my aid had they the quickness to
+have known what to do. The others would have seen me die unmoved&mdash;I know
+it."</p>
+
+<p>"But they, too, are Belgians, are they not?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, sir, they are Belgians so far as the law can tell; but they speak
+not our tongue, and are not really of us."</p>
+
+<p>"They are good workmen, and M. Schenk thinks much of them."</p>
+
+<p>"True. But they do not hold with the rest of us, and we do not like
+them. Nor do we trust them, sir."</p>
+
+<p>The man spoke in an earnest, almost a warning, tone, and Max looked at
+him in some surprise. It seemed more than the mere jealousy of a Walloon
+at the presence of so many men, alien in tongue and race, in a business
+which had once been exclusively their own. Max had himself noticed the
+two classes of workmen, but had, if he thought about it at all, put it
+down as inevitable in a town so near the frontiers of three States.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, never mind them, Monsieur Dubec," he replied reassuringly. "They
+have not been with us long, and it may be they will be better comrades
+in a few years' time. And now good-bye! Think not too much of your
+accident, and it will be the better for you and me."</p>
+
+<p>"Good-bye, and may the bon Dieu bless you, sir!" replied both Monsieur
+and Madame Dubec in a fashion that told Max that he had gained two
+friends at least, and friends whose staunchness could be depended upon
+to the utmost.</p>
+
+<p>M. Schenk's view of the whole affair was blunt and to the point. "You
+are foolish," he said to Max, "to trouble yourself about these workmen.
+They are cattle, and it is always best to treat them as such. That has
+always been my way, and it has answered well. Consider them and humour
+them, and the next minute they want to strike for more. Bah! Keep them
+in their place; it is best so."</p>
+
+<p>"But," urged Max, quite distressed as he thought of Dubec, and recalled
+the accents of trembling sincerity of his spouse&mdash;"but surely many of
+them are better led than driven&mdash;the best of them, at any rate? I know
+little of business as yet, but something tells me that it is well for us
+to get the goodwill of our men."</p>
+
+<p>"It is not worth a straw," replied M. Schenk with conviction. "The
+goodwill, as you call it, of your managers, and perhaps even of your
+foremen, is of value, but the goodwill of your men&mdash;your rank and
+file&mdash;is of no account. So long as they obey, and obey promptly, you
+have all that is necessary to carry on even a great undertaking like
+this successfully."</p>
+
+<p>"Well," replied Max rather hotly, "all I can say is that when <i>I</i> direct
+the affairs of the firm, I shall give the other thing a trial. I don't
+like the idea of treating men as cattle, and I cannot help thinking too
+many men have been discharged of late because they have shown a little
+spirit."</p>
+
+<p>M. Schenk looked at Max in a way that made the latter momentarily think
+he would like to strike him. Then the manager half turned away, as he
+replied in an almost contemptuous tone: "You will be older and wiser
+soon, and we shall then see whether any change will be made. Until then
+it is <i>I</i> who direct the affairs of the firm, and it is <i>my</i> policy
+which must prevail."</p>
+
+<p>Max felt uncommonly angry. He had been conscious for some time past that
+M. Schenk was acting as though he expected to rule the affairs of the
+firm for all time, and the thought galled him greatly. Was not he, Max,
+sweating and struggling through every workshop solely in order that he
+might fit himself to direct affairs? How was it, then, that this man, in
+his own mind, practically ignored him? Was it because he was so
+incompetent that the manager thought he never would be fit to take his
+place? Max certainly felt more angry than he had ever done before, and,
+unable to trust himself to speak, abruptly left the manager's presence
+and walked rapidly away.</p>
+
+<p>One good result the conversation had, and that was to redouble Max's
+ardour to learn, and learn thoroughly, every branch of the work in every
+part of the vast concern.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV</h2>
+
+<h3>The Cataclysm</h3>
+
+
+<p>The second summer since Max Durend had left Hawkesley had come, and for
+the second time Max invited his friend Dale to come over to Li&eacute;ge and
+spend a few weeks with him. The previous summer they had spent most
+pleasantly on a walking-tour through the Ardennes, and they were now
+going to do the same thing along the Middle and Upper Rhine. Max had
+originally planned a tour in Holland, but M. Schenk recommended the
+Rhine valley as much more varied and picturesque, and Max had agreed
+readily enough to follow his recommendation.</p>
+
+<p>Behold them then setting out from Bonn railway station, knapsack on back
+and walking-stick in hand, full of spirits and go, for a four or five
+weeks' tramp, first through the Drachenfels and then on through the
+pretty Rhine-side villages, making a detour here and there to visit the
+more picturesque and broken country through which the Rhine made its
+way. They marched light, their only baggage besides their knapsacks
+being a large Gladstone shared between them. This they did not take with
+them, but used, merely to replenish their knapsacks occasionally with
+clean linen, by sending it along a week or so ahead of them to such
+towns as they expected to visit later on.</p>
+
+<p>Their days were full of happiness, peace, and contentment, and the last
+days of July, 1914, drew to a close all too rapidly for them. They knew
+next to nothing of the fearful storm brewing, until Dale happened,
+towards the end of the second week of their holidays, to take up and
+glance down the columns of a German newspaper lying on the table of the
+hotel at which they were about to dine. His knowledge of German was
+small, but was sufficient to enable him to grasp the purport of the
+thick headlines with which the journal was plentifully supplied.</p>
+
+<p>"Hullo, Max, look at this," he cried, pointing to the thick type.
+"German ultimatum to Russia. Immediate demobilization demanded." "That
+looks serious, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>"Phew! It does," cried Max, taking the paper and rapidly scanning the
+chief columns. "You may be sure that if Russia is in it France will be
+too. My hat! what a war it will be!"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and&mdash;&mdash;By the way, this explains why those two Frenchmen we met at
+the hotel yesterday were in such a hurry to be off without waiting for
+breakfast. They had seen the news and were afraid that, if they didn't
+get back at once, they wouldn't get back at all."</p>
+
+<p>"That's it. There's one comfort, anyway, Dale, and that is, that neither
+of us is likely to be concerned. There seems no earthly reason why
+England or Belgium should come into this."</p>
+
+<p>"No, and a good job too. We have enough troubles of our own all over the
+world without butting in on the Continent."</p>
+
+<p>For the next few days Max and his friend were again more or less buried
+from the outer world. They had not, however, altogether forgotten the
+great events that were taking place, and on reaching Bingen went so far
+(for them) as to purchase a paper. Matters, they found, had grown far
+more serious. Germany was already at war with Russia and France, and had
+demanded of Belgium free passage for her troops to enter and attack
+France.</p>
+
+<p>Max was thunderstruck. He had never expected anything like this. That
+Belgium, peace-loving Belgium, with her neutrality guaranteed by
+practically all the great civilized Powers, should, in spite of it, be
+about to be forced into a great European war had seemed unthinkable. Yet
+so it was, and it seemed that war was inevitable, for Max did not
+believe Belgium would ever allow foreign troops to cross her territory
+to attack a country with which she was at peace. With Belgium, then, on
+the verge of war, it behoved him to look to his own safety; for it was
+obvious he was not safe where he was.</p>
+
+<p>"I think we had better make tracks for home, Dale," he said soberly. "I
+dare say I can pass with you as an Englishman, but it won't do to take
+risks. Our bag should be at the Central Post Office, so let us get it
+and take the first train back to Li&eacute;ge."</p>
+
+<p>"If there are any trains bound for the frontier that are not crammed
+with troops," responded Dale somewhat significantly.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, shut up! Come along and let's see."</p>
+
+<p>They lost not a moment in getting their bag and having it conveyed to
+the railway station. Fully alive to the situation, they now kept their
+eyes well open and noticed things they would never have noticed before.
+For one thing, it struck them that the post office official who handed
+their bag over to them seemed decidedly over-curious, and remarked that
+he supposed they were going to the railway station. That was
+disconcerting enough, but when they arrived at the station, and were
+almost immediately accosted by a man whom they both remembered seeing
+inside the post office, they felt almost as though they were already
+under lock and key.</p>
+
+<p>Not that the man was unfriendly. He was quite the reverse. He seemed
+anxious to strike up an acquaintance, wished to know exactly where they
+were going, and gave them to understand that there was nothing he
+desired more than to be allowed the privilege of making a part of the
+journey with them.</p>
+
+<p>Max presently gave Dale a meaning glance. It was all very well for an
+Englishman like Dale, he felt, but for him, virtually a Belgian, the
+situation was wellnigh desperate.</p>
+
+<p>"I say, Dale," he said casually, "we must have some sandwiches to eat in
+the train. Stay here by the bag while I get some&mdash;or perhaps this
+gentleman wouldn't mind looking after it for a moment?"</p>
+
+<p>The young German hesitated a second, and then nodded. Max and his friend
+strolled coolly off, arm in arm, towards the refreshment buffet. Neither
+looked back, but their conversation was far from being as airy and
+unconcerned as their manner might have seemed to indicate.</p>
+
+<p>"We must leave the bag and get clear at once," cried Max emphatically.
+"The fellow has been set to watch us and see that we don't get out of
+the country. I think he must believe we are both English, and it
+therefore looks as though the Germans think England is on the point of
+coming in too. See, now, let us stroll quietly in at this door and slip
+out again at the end one. Then into the street and somewhere&mdash;no matter
+where&mdash;so long as it is out of the way of spying eyes."</p>
+
+<p>They did so with an unhurried celerity that might have deceived a
+smarter man than the supposed spy. Soon they were clear of the town and
+in the open country beyond, and it was not till then that they felt as
+though they could talk unrestrainedly together.</p>
+
+<p>"Now what shall we do, Max? Walk to the next station out from Bingen and
+see if we can get a train for home?" enquired Dale, not too hopefully.</p>
+
+<p>"No, old man; we must keep clear of railways and railway stations. Let
+us make tracks for the frontier as we are, and go all out."</p>
+
+<p>"It will be dark in another hour."</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind. We must foot it all night. We have no time to lose, and we
+must not throw away a single hour. In fact, it is hardly safe for us to
+be about in daylight anywhere. You look as English as they are made, and
+I'm not much better."</p>
+
+<p>"All right! I'm game for an all-night tramp. Come on."</p>
+
+<p>"We have about seven hours of darkness before us, and I reckon we ought
+to be able to do four miles an hour. That gives us about thirty miles.
+It's less than that to the frontier, and we ought to be able to manage
+it, even if we have to leave the road and cut straight across country.
+Come along; we'll keep to the road while we can, but if too risky we
+must go helter-skelter, plumb for the frontier."</p>
+
+<p>That night march neither of them is ever likely to forget. For an hour
+or so they tramped along the road unmolested. Then they began to find
+soldiers and policemen very much in evidence, and, fearing to be
+questioned, they left the road and took to the fields and open country.
+It was desperately rough going in many places, and instead of doing four
+miles an hour they could oftentimes do no more than two. But they stuck
+gamely to their task, and plodded steadily on all through the night,
+realizing more surely with every step they took that it was a plain case
+of now or never.</p>
+
+<p>For every time they neared a road they found it alive with soldiers, all
+marching steadily in one direction&mdash;towards the Belgian frontier. The
+still night air resounded with the tramp of innumerable feet, and now
+and again they could catch the distant rumble of heavy guns.</p>
+
+<p>When day broke they were still in Germany, but near the frontier, and in
+a sparsely peopled district. They were both nearly dead-beat, covered
+with mud from head to foot, and with their clothes torn half off their
+backs. It seemed a risky business to let themselves be seen anywhere in
+that condition, but finally Max chose a lonely farm-house, and, after
+cleaning himself up as much as possible, managed to make a purchase of a
+good supply of food. They then tramped on for another mile or two, ate a
+good meal, hid themselves in a dry ditch, and instantly dropped asleep.</p>
+
+<p>It was ten o'clock when they awoke, and after some discussion they
+decided to make the few miles between them and the border at once, and
+then to purchase cycles and press for home. This they did exactly as
+they planned, and, though often delayed and compelled to make wide
+detours to avoid bodies of German cavalry, they managed to reach Li&eacute;ge
+safely in the evening of the same day.</p>
+
+<p>The sights that met their gaze on the latter part of their journey made
+them doubly eager to get within the safety of the ring of forts
+surrounding Li&eacute;ge. Peasants were fleeing from the frontier villages, and
+their tales of what the Germans had done to their homes and dear ones
+made the blood of Max and his friend alternately freeze with horror and
+boil with rage. Their tales were a long catalogue of deeds of ruthless
+barbarity, cold-blooded cruelty, lust, and rapine. The smoke of burning
+houses seen in the distance gave emphasis to their tales of horror, and
+Max and Dale at last felt as though the world must be coming to an end.
+Indeed, the world of make-believe German civilization was coming to an
+end in a wild outburst of unrestrained cruelty and lust.</p>
+
+<p>But at Li&eacute;ge, they told one another, things would be different. There
+the invaders would come against something more than villages peopled
+with frightened peasants and trustful countryfolk, and would realize in
+their turn something of the terribleness of war.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V</h2>
+
+<h3>The Fall of Li&eacute;ge</h3>
+
+
+<p>Arrived at his home, Max was astonished to find that his mother and
+sister had fled over the border to Maastricht, taking two of the
+servants with them. A letter had been left for him, however, and this he
+tore feverishly open. In a few words his mother explained why she, as an
+Englishwoman and one getting on in years, preferred to seek safety in
+Holland to remaining in a city which obviously would soon be the
+storm-centre of a terrible struggle. She then reminded Max that he had
+not yet reached a man's age, and could not be expected to take a man's
+part. Would he not leave the affairs of the firm to M. Schenk and join
+her in Holland? But his conscience must decide, she finally conceded,
+though it was clear how her own desires ran. But whether he left or
+stayed, she expected him to take no part in the fighting that was bound
+to come.</p>
+
+<p>Questioning the servants, Max found that his mother's flight had been
+arranged at the urgent solicitation of M. Schenk, and without more ado
+he left the house and hastened to the works to see the manager, and
+gather what further particulars he could. He did not doubt the wisdom of
+his mother's precipitate flight, for even now scouting parties of the
+Germans had appeared before the eastern forts, and no one could doubt
+that the city was on the point of being invested and besieged.</p>
+
+<p>M. Schenk was clearly surprised to see Max and his friend, and was at no
+pains to hide it.</p>
+
+<p>"A letter was left for you, Monsieur Max," he said in his ponderous way,
+"telling you that your mother wished you to join her instantly. Did they
+not hand it to you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," replied Max, "I have received the letter, and I have come to
+learn something more about their flight. Have they taken money enough
+for what may be a long stay? And can we send them more before the city
+is invested?"</p>
+
+<p>"All that is seen to, Monsieur Max. I have had a large sum of money
+transferred to a bank in Maastricht for their use. They will be safe and
+well there, and I strongly advise you to join them. You will certainly
+not be safe here."</p>
+
+<p>"Why not? Why should I go if you can stay&mdash;if you <i>are</i> staying?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because, sir, you are half an Englishman, and before the day is out
+England will have joined in this conflict. No Englishman will be safe
+here if the Germans enter, and I strongly urge you and your friend to
+escape before the city is surrounded. I will carry on the business, and
+do my best in the interests of the firm and your good mother."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, yes, I know; but I am a Belgian as much as an Englishman, and I am
+not going to fly the country like that. If I cannot yet fight for her I
+can work for her, and I have made up my mind to stay, Monsieur Schenk."</p>
+
+<p>"As you will," replied M. Schenk, shrugging his shoulders in
+indifference, "but do not blame me if things do not go as you wish."</p>
+
+<p>"That's all right," replied Max quickly. "Now, as to the work of the
+firm. I have been thinking that we might use our great works to assist
+in the defence of the town. Soon the forts will be in action, and if the
+city is invested they can only replenish their stores from within the
+town itself. Why should we not begin to cast shells instead of rails,
+and see whether we cannot make rifles and machine-guns instead of
+machinery? There are many things we could do at once, and many others in
+a little while."</p>
+
+<p>"That is true, sir, and you will find that I have not been behindhand. I
+have already seen the commandant, and our casting-shops are almost ready
+to begin casting shells. I am not letting the grass grow under my feet,
+I can assure you, and in a week or two we shall be able to do great
+things in the defence of the town. Come down to the works with Monsieur
+Dale, and see the preparations we are making for turning out shells for
+big guns. You will see that the Durend workshops are going to be well to
+the fore here as elsewhere, and I prophesy that they will be so until
+the end of the war."</p>
+
+<p>As they made the tour of the works, Max was both astonished and
+delighted at the evidence he saw of the energy and ability displayed in
+turning over the vast manufacturing resources of the firm from peace to
+war. The rapidity with which the works had been transformed was indeed
+remarkable, and his opinion of M. Schenk's capacity, already great,
+became almost profound.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Dale, what are you going to do?" demanded Max as the two friends
+parted company with the manager at the door of the last shop. "I think
+you had better get clear while you can. This place is my home and I must
+stand by it, but you are not concerned and ought to get out of it, if
+only for your people's sake."</p>
+
+<p>"My people! My uncle and aunt, you mean. <i>They</i> won't bother their heads
+about me," replied Dale decidedly. "No, Max, I came over here to see the
+sights, and I am going to see 'em, come what may. If England is in it,
+well and good; it will then be my quarrel as much as yours, and we will
+work or fight against Germany together. Hurrah!"</p>
+
+<p>Max grasped his friend's hand. "I ought not to encourage you, Dale, but
+I can't help it, and I'm jolly glad. Let us go into this business
+together&mdash;it will seem like old times. D'ye remember the fight we put up
+for Benson's?"</p>
+
+<p>"Who could forget it?" cried Dale with enthusiasm.</p>
+
+<p>"And how it ended?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aye&mdash;and it was fixity of purpose that did it, so said Benson. Well,
+let us do something of the sort again. Hark! d'ye hear that?"</p>
+
+<p>"Rifle-shots. The fun has commenced. Come along, and we will see what we
+can of it before the day is out. To-morrow I am going to start work in
+the casting-shops, and I hope you will come and help me."</p>
+
+<p>"I will. Come along."</p>
+
+<p>The sound of rifle-shots was quickly succeeded by the distant boom of
+guns. Then the sound was swallowed up in the roar of the big guns of the
+forts, and it seemed as though a tremendous attack was in progress. The
+streets of the town instantly began to fill with excited people, until
+it appeared as though everyone had left his work to discuss the
+situation and listen to the noise of battle. Through the crowds pressed
+small bodies of soldiers dispatched as reinforcements to the ring of
+forts surrounding the town.</p>
+
+<p>Max and Dale followed one of these parties at a respectful distance, and
+climbed with them from the cup-like hollow in which Li&eacute;ge is situated to
+the hills beyond. The soldiers were bound for one of the forts on the
+eastward side, and, as they reached the higher ground, the two lads
+caught their first glimpse of the fighting. Darkness was coming on, and
+away in the distance they could see the intensely bright flashes of
+high-explosive shells bursting on or around the forts, as well as the
+flame of the fortress guns belching forth their replies. As it grew
+darker the duel grew more intense, and lasted without intermission
+throughout the night till three or four o'clock in the morning.</p>
+
+<p>By that time the forts were apparently thought to have been sufficiently
+damaged to permit of an assault, and the German infantry were flung
+against them in massed formation. Unfortunately for them, however, the
+guns had not been heavy enough to make any impression on the steel
+cupolas which sheltered the big guns of the forts, and, as the infantry
+pressed forward to the attack, they were literally swept away by a
+devastating shell-fire from the forts attacked and those flanking them.</p>
+
+<p>Again and again fresh masses were sent forward to the assault, only to
+meet with a similar fate. In the attack on one of the forts the
+infantry, favoured no doubt by the formation of the ground, were able to
+get so close that the guns could not be depressed sufficiently to reach
+them. They believed the fort as good as won, and with cheers of
+exultation pressed on to the final assault. But at the corners of the
+forts quick-firing guns were stationed, and these and the infantry
+lining the parapets mowed them down as surely as the big guns.</p>
+
+<p>In the wide spaces between the forts the Belgian field army had
+entrenched, and with rifle-fire and frequent bayonet attacks frustrated
+every attempt of the German infantry to break through.</p>
+
+<p>The infantry assaults lasted until eight o'clock in the morning, when
+the Germans withdrew, heavily shaken. They had hoped to rush the forts
+with heavy masses of infantry, supported only by light artillery, and
+they had failed. They now waited for the heavy guns, which were already
+on the road, to arrive, and very soon forts Fl&eacute;ron and Chaudfontaine
+were deluged with an accurate fire of enormous shells, so powerful as to
+overturn the massive cupolas and to pierce concrete walls twelve feet
+thick as though they were made of butter. Such shells as these they had
+never been built to withstand, and it was not long before they
+succumbed, thus opening a way for the invaders towards the town itself.</p>
+
+<p>Forts Evegn&eacute;e and Barchon soon shared the same fate, and the Belgian
+field army, which had continued to maintain an heroic resistance, began
+to fall back on the town.</p>
+
+<p>Max and Dale had not been allowed to see much of these events. Before
+midnight they were accosted by a patrol and ordered to return to the
+safety of the town.</p>
+
+<p>Early the following day, before the fall of the forts and the retreat of
+the Belgian army, Max and Dale carried out their intention of presenting
+themselves at the casting-shops and lending a hand in the making of
+shells. To their satisfaction they found the work going forward with
+splendid energy and smoothness, and, with their own ardour kindled by
+the sights they had seen the previous night, they joined zealously in
+the work.</p>
+
+<p>Presently it came home to Max that there had been considerable changes
+in the personnel of the shop since he had last worked there. The men he
+looked out for&mdash;those with whom he had been on most friendly terms when
+he was there&mdash;were gone, and their places were taken by other and, for
+the most part, younger men, all quite strangers to the place so far as
+he could see.</p>
+
+<p>But, most strange of all, the language of the shop was German. The
+Walloon, or Flemish-speaking Belgians, were the men who had gone, and
+German-speaking workmen had taken their places.</p>
+
+<p>On making a few cautious enquiries, Max learned that the men who had
+gone had been transferred to shops which were still engaged in executing
+peace-time orders, rails, axles, wheels, and the like, and that the
+whole of the shell output was being handled by the newer German-speaking
+workmen.</p>
+
+<p>Max felt no particular resentment at this. He did not like it, but he
+knew the manager's preference for these men as workmen, and he could not
+deny that they were a hard-working, docile lot, nor that the work was
+well organized and being carried on with splendid spirit and energy.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed hard, however, that the Belgian-born men should not have a
+chance of directly working for their country's benefit, and, as soon as
+he could, Max took an opportunity of representing the matter to M.
+Schenk.</p>
+
+<p>"Why have you withdrawn all the older men from the shell-shops, Monsieur
+Schenk? They were good men, and have served the firm well. Upon my word,
+while working there and hearing naught but the German tongue, one might
+have fancied oneself in the enemy's country."</p>
+
+<p>"They are loyal Belgians, Monsieur Max," replied M. Schenk reassuringly.
+"They are as ready as Flemings or Walloons to work to the utmost,
+casting shells for our gallant army. That speaks sufficiently for their
+sentiments. I have filled the shop with them because they work well
+together, and there is no jealousy. We must do our best for Belgium in
+this crisis, and should be swayed by no consideration save that of
+finding the best men for each of our great tasks."</p>
+
+<p>"Well done, Monsieur Schenk!" cried Max impulsively. "I also will go
+where you think best. Where shall it be?"</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you!" replied the manager, smiling. "I think you are doing so
+well where you are that I cannot improve upon it. Remain at work in the
+casting-shop and aid me to increase the output of shells. It is my
+belief that we can turn out double the number with no increase of staff,
+and I shall leave no stone unturned to make my opinion good."</p>
+
+<p>Greatly heartened by this evidence of the manager's energy and
+patriotism, Max and his friend did stick to their work and fling
+themselves into it even more whole-heartedly than they had done before.</p>
+
+<p>On the morrow, the 7th August, however, events happened that entirely
+changed the aspect of affairs. Forts Fl&eacute;ron, Chaudfontaine, Evegn&eacute;e, and
+Barchon had fallen, and early in the morning of that day German infantry
+entered Li&eacute;ge. The forts on the north, south, and west of the town still
+held out for a time, but the town from that moment remained in German
+hands. To the people, and especially the workers of Li&eacute;ge, this made a
+vital difference. The output of the numerous factories, in so far as it
+was useful to the German armies, was at any moment liable to be
+requisitioned by them; and it was as clear as noonday that all who
+toiled in the manufacture of such articles were assisting the enemy in
+their attack upon their own kith and kin, and strengthening the grip he
+had already laid upon their native land.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI</h2>
+
+<h3>A New Standpoint</h3>
+
+
+<p>To Max and his chum these were days charged high with excitement. Their
+day's toil in the shops over, they raced away to the points where the
+most exciting events were to be seen. They were witnesses of most that
+went forward, and actually lent a hand in the rounding-up, from among
+the civil population of the city, of the band of armed Germans who
+attempted to assassinate the commandant of the fortress, General Leman.</p>
+
+<p>The entry of the Germans was to both of them a fearful blow. They knew
+little of military matters, and vaguely believed that the town and forts
+were strong enough to stand a regular siege. And yet on the third day
+after the attack the town had fallen! As they watched the young German
+troops marching into the town they could not help feeling deeply
+disappointed and discouraged.</p>
+
+<p>"I wish now that you had gone home, Dale," remarked Max in a gloomy
+voice as they slowly made their way towards the works. "Now that the
+place has fallen you can do no good here. And as you are not a native
+you may be taken for a spy and shot off-hand."</p>
+
+<p>"Shut up, Max! We've agreed to go through this business together, and
+there's an end of it. Li&eacute;ge is lost, but the war's still on, and it will
+be hard if we can't find some way of giving our side a shove forward."</p>
+
+<p>"Aye to that, Dale. Well, if you don't mind being here in a conquered
+town I'm jolly glad to have you. Now, I suppose we can still go on
+helping to cast shells&mdash;why no, Dale! We simply can't do any more of
+that work; it's absolutely useless."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course it is. You may be sure the Germans won't let shells be sent
+away from Li&eacute;ge except to Germany. Your works had better get on with the
+other work. Shells are out of the question."</p>
+
+<p>"I must see Schenk about this," replied Max thoughtfully. "It needs
+thinking out what work&mdash;if any at all&mdash;we can do without helping the
+Germans. It's an awkward business, but I have no doubt Schenk can see
+daylight through it."</p>
+
+<p>"I should think so, but&mdash;hallo! What's that?"</p>
+
+<p>Dale stopped suddenly, and stood gazing down a side street, the end of
+which they were just about to cross. A sudden burst of screams and
+shouts, quite startling in its intensity, assailed their ears, and made
+them look and look with a feeling of foreboding new to them. At the far
+end of the street they could see a group of men in the grey-green
+uniform surging to and fro before a house from which the screams seemed
+to issue.</p>
+
+<p>"The Germans&mdash;doing the same dirty work as they did at Vis&eacute;!" gasped
+Max, turning away his head and clenching his fists in his pockets. "I
+hardly know how to keep from rushing down there, utterly useless though
+it is."</p>
+
+<p>"It is women they are ill-treating&mdash;how can we walk away?" cried Dale in
+acute distress. "Let us go down, and if we cannot fight, let us beg them
+to desist. Perhaps if we offered them money&mdash;&mdash;?"</p>
+
+<p>"Useless," muttered Max, though he stopped and gazed down the road in
+irresolution. "And yet how <i>can</i> we pass by, Dale?" he went on with a
+groan. "I know I shall always call myself a coward if I do nothing.
+Let's walk a little closer, and see if we can do anything."</p>
+
+<p>Dale eagerly agreed, and they walked quickly down the road towards the
+group of soldiers and their victims. As they drew nearer, and could see
+something of what was happening, their anger increased, until they were
+almost ready to throw themselves upon the soldiers and oppose their
+bayonets with their bare fists.</p>
+
+<p>The house before which the outrage was taking place seemed, for some
+reason, to have been singled out from the others which lined both sides
+of the street, possibly because the head of the house was well known as
+an opponent of the Germans or because of some act of hostility committed
+against the soldiers. At any rate, an elderly man, evidently dragged
+from the house, had been tied to the front railings, and was being
+subjected to treatment so cruel that it almost amounted to torture.</p>
+
+<p>The womenfolk of the house had apparently rushed out and endeavoured to
+intervene, but had been forcibly held back, and were at that moment
+being subjected to brutal indignities that angered Max and Dale even
+more than the cold-blooded cruelty to the man himself.</p>
+
+<p>The two had arrived within some forty yards of the scene, and were still
+pressing on as though drawn by a magnet, although neither knew what he
+was going to do, when one of the soldiers drew the attention of his
+fellows to the two young men advancing towards them. At the same time he
+picked up his rifle, took quick aim, and discharged it directly at them.</p>
+
+<p>The bullet whizzed between them, and, on the impulse, Max seized Dale by
+the arm and dragged him through the open doorway of the nearest house. A
+roar of laughter from the soldiers at their rapid exit followed them,
+and made the anger of one at least of them burn with a still fiercer
+resentment.</p>
+
+<p>"Right through and out at the back," cried Max in urgent tones, and the
+two passed through the house, which appeared to be deserted, and found
+themselves in an open space intersected only by low garden fences.</p>
+
+<p>Max laid his hand on his friend's arm. "I am going to move quietly along
+until I reach the back of the house where those curs are at work," he
+said in a hard, suppressed voice. "I must do something, but do not you
+come, Dale. There is no need for you&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I am already in it, I tell you," almost shouted Dale as he impatiently
+shook him off. "It's as much my affair as yours. Come on."</p>
+
+<p>The two made their way rapidly but cautiously along until they reached
+the house they sought. The doors were open at the back, and the shouts
+and screams were almost as audible there as at the front.</p>
+
+<p>"We have no weapons; let us arm ourselves with these," cried Max,
+pointing to some blocks of ornamental quartz bordering a little fernery.
+Even in the midst of his excitement it struck Max how strangely the
+orderliness of the tiny, well-kept garden seemed to contrast with the
+deeds of violence being committed outside.</p>
+
+<p>Rapidly but quietly the two lads filled hands and pockets with the heavy
+missiles. Then they crept inside the house and up the stairs to the
+floor above. The house was quite empty, for all within had rushed or
+been dragged to the scene in front.</p>
+
+<p>The bedroom windows were wide open, and the instant they entered both
+lads began with one impulse to hurl with all their strength the great
+stones upon the German soldiery below. They were both wild with rage at
+what they had witnessed, and utterly reckless what fate might ultimately
+be theirs, so long as they could inflict some punishment upon the
+cowardly wrongdoers.</p>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+<a name="illus2" id="illus2"></a>
+<img src="images/illus2.jpg" alt=""/>
+</div>
+
+<h3>BOTH LADS BEGAN TO HURL THE GREAT STONES UPON THE GERMAN SOLDIERY</h3>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>The soldiers, completely taken aback by this sudden rain of missiles
+almost from the skies, immediately scattered to the opposite side of the
+road and took refuge in the gardens there. Not one of them had his rifle
+to hand, for their arms had been stacked against the wall of the house
+they were attacking, and even the man who had fired at Max and Dale had
+put down his rifle once more. Thus, for the moment, the soldiers were
+impotent, and Max shouted rapidly in the Walloon dialect to the women
+below to release the man tied to the railings and escape through the
+house.</p>
+
+<p>With a promptitude that was wholly admirable, one of the women drew a
+pair of scissors from her pocket and cut the cords that bound the man to
+the fence. With a cry of joy the poor fellow staggered to his feet. But,
+stiffened by his bonds or exhausted by the cruel treatment he had
+received, he could barely stand, and had to be half supported and half
+dragged by two of the women back into the house.</p>
+
+<p>"Tell them to be off, Dale," cried Max rapidly. "I will hold back these
+men for a minute. Take them right through into the street beyond and get
+them out of sight. I will follow in a moment."</p>
+
+<p>Dale obeyed, and under his guidance the whole party made their way
+rapidly through the house, into the gardens, and through the houses
+opposite into the road beyond. At the disappearance of their prey the
+soldiers set up a howl of rage, and made a concerted rush for their
+weapons. But Max redoubled his efforts, and, his supply of quartz
+exhausted, rained down upon them jugs, mirrors, pictures, and everything
+movable he could lay hands upon, holding them in check for a few
+precious moments. Then, after one final fling, he bolted from the room
+into the bedroom at the back and leapt out of the window. Landing in a
+flower-bed unhurt, he rushed without a pause at the low garden fence in
+front of him, cleared it at a bound, and dashed through the house
+opposite in the wake of Dale and the fugitive people.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, out in the roadway, the soldiers had seized their weapons,
+and, hardly knowing what to expect, poured two or three volleys into the
+empty house. Then they cautiously reconnoitred, and by the time they had
+come to the conclusion that the house was indeed empty, the fugitives
+were completely beyond their reach. Characteristically enough, they
+vented their rage and disappointment on the inanimate objects within
+their reach. The crash of furniture soon rose above their shouts of
+fury, and in the end smoke rolled from the windows and poured upwards to
+the sky as a silent witness to the new spirit that had come to dominate
+the land.</p>
+
+<p>Max and Dale hurried the people they had rescued away from the scene of
+the outbreak, and would not allow them to slacken speed until they had
+put a mile of streets between them and their savage foes. It was then,
+Max judged, high time to find a haven of refuge of some sort, for, with
+one exception, the women were half crazed with fear and the man quite
+exhausted with ill-usage. Any German soldiers or spies who passed them
+could hardly fail to remark that they were fugitives, and they would
+soon find themselves in as bad a case as before. Questioning a woman who
+still retained a show of self-possession, Max learned that they had
+friends in another part of the town, and towards their house he promptly
+directed their retreat.</p>
+
+<p>Without further misadventure they reached the house they sought, and Max
+and Dale saw their charges safely inside the door. Then they hurried
+away, for it was obviously dangerous both for them and for the fugitives
+to be in one another's company a moment longer than necessary. Thanks
+were not thought of; the rescued were not ungrateful but were altogether
+too upset for expression, and the rescuers were only thankful to have
+been of use, without a thought of anything else.</p>
+
+<p>"By George, Max, how I did enjoy that!" cried Dale with enthusiasm, as
+they turned their steps once more towards the works. "I feel an inch
+taller, and can face the world as an honest man."</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, Jack, I feel like that too. How should we have felt had we let
+that business go on unchecked?"</p>
+
+<p>"And it has done a bit of good, too, I imagine. Those cowardly Germans
+will not forget that rain of quartz in a hurry, and may leave the poor
+folk alone another time."</p>
+
+<p>"I am not so sure. But the question is, what are we going to do now? We
+cannot go on casting shells which will be certain to be seized by the
+Germans. If we make railway material it will only be used to convey
+soldiers into the field against our men. No. I must see Schenk, and get
+him to close all branches of the works that might be of use to the
+enemy. That is the only thing to be done. Then I shall try to get
+through to join the Belgian army."</p>
+
+<p>"And I too, Max. I will join with you. We have started on this business
+together and we will finish it together."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII</h2>
+
+<h3>A Few Words with M. Schenk</h3>
+
+
+<p>Arrived at the Durend works, Max went straight to M. Schenk's office.
+Two men, whom Max had not seen before, were coming out as he entered,
+but the manager was at that moment alone. He looked up as Max came in,
+and, when he saw who it was, smiled in a way that our hero did not
+altogether like. It seemed less a smile of welcome than of tolerant
+amusement, and instead of commencing diplomatically, as he had intended,
+Max burst out rather heatedly:</p>
+
+<p>"Monsieur Schenk, we must close the works. We cannot go on making shells
+now that the Germans are in occupation of Li&eacute;ge. It is not loyal to
+Belgium, and I am certain my mother would not wish us to do such a
+thing."</p>
+
+<p>The manager gazed at Max almost blankly for a moment, as though quite
+taken by surprise. Then he smiled again, almost pityingly, as he
+replied:</p>
+
+<p>"I do not think you understand the position, Monsieur Max. The Germans
+are now masters here, and what they order us that we must do. The German
+commander only an hour ago sent word that he would hold the heads of the
+firm responsible for any decrease in the output of the Durend works; so
+what can I do? Would it help Belgium if you and I were replaced by men
+from Krupp's? No; it were better that we&mdash;or at any rate I&mdash;remain, so
+that the firm's interests are not wholly forgotten."</p>
+
+<p>"But if we refuse to work, the workmen will do so too," cried Max
+earnestly. "If we continue at work, they may continue also. We have an
+example of patriotism to set, and set it we must."</p>
+
+<p>"Bah! If Krupp's run these works the workmen will have to work, make no
+mistake on that point. Now, Monsieur Max, pray leave me, for I must to
+work again. You may rest assured that I am looking after the interests
+of the firm. Think no more about such matters, but take heed to
+yourself, for your end will be swift indeed if the Germans think you
+actively hostile to their occupation of the town."</p>
+
+<p>"I care not," cried Max recklessly. "Let them take us both and let
+Krupp's take over the firm&mdash;at least our hands will be clean of
+treachery to our country. Once more, Monsieur Schenk, as my mother's
+representative, I appeal to you not to aid the enemy by running the
+works for their help and benefit."</p>
+
+<p>The manager snorted indignantly. "<i>I</i> am responsible here, and I am
+going to exercise my own judgment," he cried sharply. "And now, leave
+me. You are too young to discuss these matters and you weary me."</p>
+
+<p>Turning round sharply on his heel, Max left the room. He had never been
+spoken to like that before, and it cut him to the heart. He wanted time
+to think out the situation and to make up his mind what action he should
+take. True, this man was manager and entrusted with great powers; but
+Max stood to some extent in the position of owner, and that he should be
+treated thus seemed an indignity in the highest degree. It was a relief
+to pour his woes into the ear of the faithful Dale, and together these
+two paced through the yard, conning over earnestly all the bearings of
+the situation. It was while they were thus engaged that a fleet of
+thirty or forty great military motor-lorries rattled by.</p>
+
+<p>"The beginning," cried Max bitterly, nodding towards them.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I fear so. I wonder what they are after?"</p>
+
+<p>"Let us follow and see. We may as well know the worst."</p>
+
+<p>The wagons came to a stand alongside one of the largest of the stacks of
+empty shells which now dotted the yard, and, with a promptitude that
+showed that everything had been arranged beforehand, the tarpaulins that
+covered the stacks were thrown aside and the shells passed one by one
+into the wagons.</p>
+
+<p>"Now that seems queer to me," remarked Dale, as he watched the men with
+a thoughtful face. "What can the Germans want with shells that will only
+fit the Belgian guns! Queer, I call it."</p>
+
+<p>"They may be going to use them in the captured guns," replied Max. "Let
+us look in again at the casting-shops and see if they have started on
+shells for German guns. 'Pon my word I have half a mind to appeal to the
+men to cease work, strange as it would be coming from the owner's son
+while the manager of the works made no sign. The place is running at top
+speed too&mdash;see, Dale?"</p>
+
+<p>It was evident that there was no relaxation here. The whole of the
+buildings and furnaces engaged in the castings were simply humming with
+energy, and when they entered the nearest door they were amazed. Double
+the number of men that were at work the day before were now engaged and
+were working with an intensity that seemed inexplicable to Max.</p>
+
+<p>As they entered, one of the foremen came up to them.</p>
+
+<p>"Keep a still tongue, Dale," muttered Max beneath his breath.</p>
+
+<p>"You are late, Monsieur," he said, addressing Max and gazing at him
+somewhat closely. "Are you going to work this morning?"</p>
+
+<p>"I think not," replied Max, shrugging his shoulders. "I see you are
+pretty well full up with men."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, we have had a lot more hands placed at our disposal here. I
+estimate that we shall turn out at least three times as many shells as
+yesterday."</p>
+
+<p>"The new men are German-speaking, of course?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course. This business will be profitable for the firm no doubt?" The
+man looked at Max as though not quite certain of the state of affairs.</p>
+
+<p>"Undoubtedly. Has Monsieur Schenk given any orders for a change in the
+calibre of the shells?"</p>
+
+<p>"No. We are still on the same gauge. But I suppose we shall be making
+all sizes soon. There is no help for it, of course; we must submit to
+the inevitable?"</p>
+
+<p>Max turned away. "This trebling of output does not seem like unwilling
+submission to the inevitable, Dale," he whispered savagely. "Come, let
+us get out of this&mdash;I'm choking here. The place reeks to me of
+treachery. If I had the strength of Samson I would bring the roof down
+and bury the whole villainous crew beneath the ruins."</p>
+
+<p>"There's certainly something dirty going on," agreed Dale. "But if we're
+not Samsons we have strength enough to put a spoke in their wheel, I
+fancy. Let us wait a bit and see."</p>
+
+<p>In savage silence the two lads left the casting-shops and walked
+mechanically on towards the buildings which had been engaged on
+peace-time work. Here all was quiet and almost deserted. Only a machine
+here and there was running, and at first they thought that the whole of
+the workmen had been diverted to the other shops. But at the farther end
+of the yard they presently noticed groups of men congregated together,
+much as they were wont to do in the dinner interval. But it was not the
+dinner interval now.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the matter here? This looks as though some part of Schenk's
+plans had gone awry. Are they dismissed, or are they refusing to work?"</p>
+
+<p>"Refusing to work, by the look of the armed guards yonder," replied Max,
+nodding towards a body of German soldiers, a dozen or more strong,
+posted at a corner of one of the buildings within easy reach of the
+entrance. "Let us have a talk with one or two of the men and find out
+what's afoot."</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, but don't let our German friends see us talking to them. They will
+think it a conspiracy."</p>
+
+<p>The two lads joined themselves to one of the groups, and began
+questioning them as to the reason for their presence there instead of in
+the workshops. But somehow the men seemed to view Max and Dale with
+coldness and suspicion, and either refused to reply or answered in
+sullen monosyllables. Max was about to turn away, in disappointed
+perplexity, when he noticed the man Dubec. In sudden relief he appealed
+to him to tell him what was happening.</p>
+
+<p>"It is because we will not work if the goods are to be seized by the
+Germans. We are true Belgians&mdash;not like those traitors who fill the
+shell-shops&mdash;and we cannot work against our country."</p>
+
+<p>"And you are right," cried Max warmly. "I am with you heart and soul."</p>
+
+<p>"Huh! But what our men cannot understand is why the firm does not close
+down. Why is it left to us poor workmen to show our patriotism? Why does
+not the firm take the lead? We would stand by them to the death if need
+be."</p>
+
+<p>"I believe you," cried Max, with difficulty gulping down the lump that
+rose in his throat. What a cur he felt&mdash;he, the owner in the sight of
+these men, helpless to influence in the slightest degree the affairs of
+the great works called by his name. "But, lads&mdash;to my shame I say it&mdash;I
+am helpless. I am but just come from demanding of Monsieur Schenk that
+the works should be closed. He will not hear of it, and it is he who has
+the power, not I. And behind him stand the Germans. I can do nothing,
+and I feel the shame of it more than I can say."</p>
+
+<p>Max's voice trembled with earnestness and sincerity, and the men clearly
+believed him. Their cold looks vanished, and the one or two near him
+seized him by the hands and wrung them vigorously.</p>
+
+<p>"That is good, Monsieur. We are glad to hear that you are for us. It
+makes our stand easier now that we know that the owners at least are on
+our side. As for that Schenk, we have always hated him as a tyrant, and
+now we doubly hate him as a traitor as well."</p>
+
+<p>"Aye," broke in another of the men, "he is the cause of the mischief.
+And we have sworn not to work so long as the Germans hold the town. If
+we were ready to strike and suffer long for wages, will we not do so for
+the good of our country?"</p>
+
+<p>The man gazed round at his comrades, who gave a half-cheer in answer to
+his appeal. The attention of the German guards was attracted by the
+sound, and the non-commissioned officer in charge instantly ordered his
+men to advance on the offending party.</p>
+
+<p>"Disperse!" cried Max and one or two more, and the group broke up, most
+of the men walking out of the yard into the open road. The regular tramp
+of heavy-booted feet and harsh commands that followed them were a
+further reminder, if one were needed, of the utter change that had come
+over the scene of their humble daily toil.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII</h2>
+
+<h3>Treachery!</h3>
+
+
+<p>"What is to be our next move, Max?" enquired Dale presently, after they
+had walked almost mechanically nearly a mile from the Durend works
+upwards towards the hills on the western side of the town. Twice he had
+to repeat his question, for Max was too immersed in thoughts bitter and
+rebellious to pay much heed.</p>
+
+<p>"I care not where we go, Jack. For me everything seems to have come to
+an end."</p>
+
+<p>"I know, I know, Max, just how you feel; but do not give way to it.
+There is Belgium to live for; and you have what I have not&mdash;a mother.
+Let us go home and think things out."</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot rest at home, Dale&mdash;yet. Let us walk on for a while. We shall
+feel free on this side of the town. Thank God, the forts here are still
+holding out, and the Germans have not yet over-run the countryside.
+Presently we shall reach the Crofts, and we will sit in the cottage or
+the old summer-house while we talk it all over."</p>
+
+<p>On the western side of the town, at a distance of some six miles or so,
+Madame Durend owned a little old-fashioned cottage, picturesquely
+planted in a large garden and wood. It was a favourite resort of the
+family in summer-time, and Max and Dale had had their full share of its
+pleasures. For one thing, there was an asphalt tennis-court there which
+had claimed a large part of their spare time, not to mention that of
+Max's sister and her friends.</p>
+
+<p>Avoiding the road, in order to lessen their chance of encountering enemy
+patrols, Max and his friend travelled across fields and along bypaths
+towards the cottage. They had come to within half a mile or so of the
+place when they were startled beyond measure, and almost stunned, by a
+tremendous report like the explosion of an enormous gun. It was close at
+hand, too, and seemed to come from the general direction of the cottage.
+Almost immediately there was another similar report, followed by others
+at a greater distance. Max and Dale looked at one another significantly.</p>
+
+<p>"Attacking either Fort Loncin or Fort Hollogne," said Max resignedly. "I
+wonder we have got so far unnoticed."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; but now we are here we may as well see the fun. Let us go to the
+Crofts, and climb the big oak as of yore. We shall see everything from
+there."</p>
+
+<p>"And be seen too, I'm thinking. Never mind; I feel reckless enough for
+anything this afternoon."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, reckless or no, we may as well move cautiously. Let us keep well
+under cover of this hedge. Whew! What a row there is!"</p>
+
+<p>As the two friends drew nearer to the cottage they became convinced that
+not only was the firing taking place quite near the Crofts, but that it
+was going on in the very garden itself. Closer and closer they crept,
+their curiosity keenly whetted by this unexpected discovery, until they
+reached a little clump of thick undergrowth which overlooked the garden.
+Here the greatest discovery of all awaited them.</p>
+
+<p>Two big 28-cm. guns were in position in the centre of the garden, and
+being loaded and fired without a moment's respite. The sight was
+fascinating&mdash;nay, awe-inspiring&mdash;enough, but to the two lads the thing
+that most caught and fixed their attention was the fact that both guns
+were planted full on their asphalted tennis-court. To Dale this was
+merely curious, but to Max it had a significance so terrible and
+nerve-shaking that it was all he could do to prevent himself crying out.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the matter, Max?" cried Dale in alarm, as he caught a glimpse of
+his friend's pale, drawn face and staring eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Come away&mdash;quick! Let us get away and I will tell you," cried Max in a
+hoarse voice, and, followed by his friend, he sped swiftly from the
+scene towards a thick wood a short distance away. Once well within the
+shelter of its leafy screen, he stopped and faced Dale excitedly, his
+face aflame.</p>
+
+<p>"That scoundrel Schenk! He is at the bottom of it all. He is a paid
+traitor and spy of the German Government, and, fool that I was, I never
+saw it before!"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, what has happened to tell you this? A traitor I dare say he is,
+but why so suddenly sure?"</p>
+
+<p>"That tennis-court. Do you know that Schenk, when he heard we were
+thinking of one, pressed us to have an asphalt one for use in all
+weathers. He saw to it himself, and dug down six feet for the
+foundations. I asked him why he was doing that, and he said he had a lot
+of material, concrete or something, over from something else&mdash;I didn't
+take much notice what it was&mdash;and that it would make it all the better.
+It was all a ruse to lay down solid concrete gun-platforms ready to blow
+our forts to pieces. The utter scoundrel!"</p>
+
+<p>"Ah! And that was why he replaced the Walloon and Flemish workmen by
+naturalized Germans! I see. He wanted to have men he could be sure of
+and to have the works ready for running without a hitch directly the
+Germans entered. And the shells&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," almost shouted Max, grasping his friend roughly by the arm, "yes,
+their calibre will be that of German, not Belgian, guns! They never were
+for Belgian guns! That was why they were kept covered up so closely in
+the yard."</p>
+
+<p>"Phew! It was a risky game to play; but no doubt he expected the town to
+fall quickly&mdash;perhaps even more quickly than it did."</p>
+
+<p>"And there are other things," Max went on in a quieter tone. "Why was it
+Schenk persuaded us to go to Germany instead of to Holland for our
+holiday? Why&mdash;why? Simply because he wanted to get us out of the way.
+Then do you remember those men who were captured after trying to
+assassinate General Leman in the town? I thought I had seen two or three
+of them somewhere before. I remember now. They were some of the workmen
+of the shell-shops, and one was a foreman. The plot was hatched by
+Schenk, not a doubt of it."</p>
+
+<p>"Not a shadow of a doubt. The whole business is as plain as a pikestaff.
+But who would have dreamed of such devilish forethought? He must have
+been planning it for years!"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, he has been my father's right-hand man for nine or ten years at
+least. He must have come for no other purpose&mdash;and my father never knew
+it! How glad I am my mother is out of it all, safe and sound."</p>
+
+<p>For some time the two friends discussed the great discovery in all its
+bearings. Matters stood out in a fresh perspective, and one of the first
+things to appear prominently was the peril in which both of them now
+stood. In peril from the Germans they had known they stood, but the
+peril from Schenk was new and far greater. At any moment he might come
+to the conclusion that their continued presence about the works or in
+the town was inconvenient, and denounce them as hostile to the
+occupation. In fact&mdash;and a bitter realization it was&mdash;they were only
+saved from this by the manager's contempt of them as adversaries and his
+calm assurance that they were really not worth considering one way or
+the other.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Max," said Dale at last, "what line are we now going to take? It
+is time we made up our minds once and for all. We are clearly outclassed
+by this Schenk&mdash;he holds all the cards&mdash;and the best thing we can do is
+to make tracks to join the Belgian army before it is too late to get
+away."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Dale, that is the best thing&mdash;for you. Only <i>I</i> cannot come with
+you. You go and join the British army. My place is here more than ever,
+and leave it I will not."</p>
+
+<p>"Come now, Max, don't be obstinate! There is nothing to be done here.
+You are absolutely helpless pitted against Schenk and his friends the
+Germans. You must recognize it. Come with me and we will see what we can
+do for the good cause elsewhere."</p>
+
+<p>Max shook his head decidedly. His face was very downcast, and it was
+clear to his friend that he felt most keenly the way in which his
+father's name and resources had been exploited by the enemies of their
+country; but his lips were firmly set, and in his eyes was the steady
+look Dale remembered so well during the dark days of the struggle for
+Benson's. Benson's! The recollection brought back again to Dale the
+words spoken by the master at the close of the races: "Fixity of
+purpose ... there is almost nothing that fixity of purpose will not
+accomplish."</p>
+
+<p>"No," Max said simply, after a moment's pause, "I am going to keep watch
+and ward over the Durend workshops. Cost what it may I am going, by all
+means in my power, to hinder the use of them for the enemy's purposes.
+What influence I have&mdash;little enough I fear&mdash;with the real Belgian
+workmen, I will exert to keep them from aiding Schenk. The works are
+mine&mdash;I speak for my mother&mdash;and I will not hesitate to destroy them if
+I find opportunity. There must be many ways in which I can make trouble,
+and I am going to strain every nerve to do so. Let Schenk look out; it
+is war to the knife!"</p>
+
+<p>"Hurrah!" cried Dale excitedly. Then he went on in a sober tone: "But it
+is risky work, Max. Schenk will very soon suspect us&mdash;he has agents and
+spies everywhere, you may be sure."</p>
+
+<p>"We must be as cunning as he is&mdash;more so. We must outdo him at his own
+game. We&mdash;I, I should say, for you must go back to England&mdash;I am going
+to disappear and emerge as a simple workman, with German sympathies of
+course. Then the fight will begin."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and I'm in it, Max," cried Dale joyously. "I wouldn't miss it for
+worlds. It sounds good enough for anything. To outwit the Germans is
+great, but to outwit Schenk is ten times better. Come along, let's get
+to work."</p>
+
+<p>"All right!" cried Max, smiling at his friend's enthusiasm. "We'll get
+back at once, and, as a start, go home and fetch away some of our
+things. It will have to be the last time we go there."</p>
+
+<p>Quickly, and yet with caution, the two lads retraced their steps to the
+town. They knew every foot of the country, and, though there were
+numerous patrolling parties of Germans between them and the town, they
+were able to pass them without difficulty. At the door of his house one
+of the servants met Max and handed him a note.</p>
+
+<p>"A young man brought it, Monsieur, an hour ago. He has come all the way
+from Maastricht with it. It is from Madame, your mother, and he said it
+was very important."</p>
+
+<p>Rapidly Max tore away the cover and opened the missive. His senses were
+perhaps preternaturally sharpened, for he felt a sense of foreboding.
+After many fond messages, and repeated injunctions that he would take
+care of himself and not offend the Germans, the note went on:</p>
+
+<p>"And now, Max, I want to tell you something that distresses me
+extremely, though I have hopes that it may be all a mistake. When I
+left, bringing only a few things and a purse with such money as I had by
+me at the moment, M. Schenk, on my explicit instructions, assured me
+that he would arrange at once for a large sum of money to be transferred
+to my account at the Maastricht Bank. I have been there repeatedly,
+asking about it, but none of the officials know anything of the matter.
+They say they have not been approached, and though they have enquired of
+other banks in the place they can learn no tidings. They have been very
+good to me, for, hearing who I was, they advanced me a small sum for my
+immediate use. Will you now please see M. Schenk and have this
+matter&mdash;which is so distressing&mdash;put right?"</p>
+
+<p>Max clenched the paper in his hand. The blood flooded up into his head
+with such force that he had to put his hand against the doorpost to
+steady himself.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the matter?" cried Dale, again in alarm at the look on his face.
+"Is it bad news?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aye&mdash;the worst&mdash;the blackest treachery," cried Max in a voice which
+trembled with the intensity of his emotion. "I must see Schenk&mdash;and
+wring from him the money he has stolen," and, turning impetuously on his
+heel, Max strode rapidly away from the house in the direction of the
+works.</p>
+
+<p>Dale darted after him and caught him up. "You must do nothing rash,
+Max," he cried earnestly. "Wait a while until you are calm; you are no
+match for Schenk like that. Let us walk slowly along while you tell me
+what has happened."</p>
+
+<p>Max thrust at him the crumpled letter. Then in a few broken words he
+told him, what was scarcely needed, that the manager had tricked his
+mother into leaving the country, and had then left her stranded without
+a penny to live upon. The baseness of it all came as a shock, even on
+the top of their knowledge of the man's deep treachery.</p>
+
+<p>"There's more behind it, I believe," said Dale, after a few minutes'
+cogitation in silence. "I think this may be a lever to get <i>you</i> out of
+the country. He will think you will be compelled to go to your mother
+and work for her support."</p>
+
+<p>"He knows he can get me out of the way at any time by denouncing me to
+the Germans," replied Max in dissent. "No&mdash;that will not explain it. But
+as sure as I live I will wring the truth from him before another hour is
+gone."</p>
+
+<p>Dale gazed in some apprehension at his friend as he strode feverishly
+along towards the Durend works. He feared that he might, in his anger,
+do some rash act that would destroy all. But presently, to his relief,
+he saw that he was regaining control over his feelings, and, by the time
+they reached the works, he seemed his usual self again. The only
+evidence of his past emotion was to be found in his somewhat gloomy
+looks and in lips tightly compressed as though to hold in check feelings
+that struggled for an outlet.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX</h2>
+
+<h3>The Opening of the Struggle</h3>
+
+
+<p>The manager was in his room, and stared in some alarm at Max and his
+friend as they strode unceremoniously in. Then he touched a bell and his
+secretary entered.</p>
+
+<p>"Remain at the door, Erbo. I shall want you in a moment," he said
+coolly.</p>
+
+<p>It was a declaration of distrust, if not war, and both sides knew it. It
+robbed Max's words of any circumlocution he might otherwise have used,
+and he went straight to the point.</p>
+
+<p>"You have not sent my mother the money that she instructed you to send,
+Monsieur Schenk. Why is that?"</p>
+
+<p>The manager cleared his throat. "The German commander has forbidden any
+moneys to be sent out of the country, Monsieur Max, and it is
+unfortunately now impossible for me to do so."</p>
+
+<p>"I have not heard of any such order. But why did you not do it before
+the Germans entered? You had ample time."</p>
+
+<p>"I gave instructions, but the tremendous pressure a day or two before
+the Germans entered&mdash;you know how I worked to cast shells for our armies
+and the garrisons of the forts&mdash;caused it to be overlooked. I regret
+this very much, but it is now too late to do anything."</p>
+
+<p>The manager looked squarely and unblushingly at Max as he boasted of the
+way in which he had aided the Belgian troops, and the latter was hard
+put to it to keep back the torrent of wrathful words that rose to his
+lips. But other and more pressing matters claimed attention just now,
+and, choking down his indignation, he replied temperately:</p>
+
+<p>"It is <i>not</i> too late, Monsieur Schenk. Hand me the necessary moneys or
+securities and I will convey them to Maastricht. My mother must not be
+left destitute."</p>
+
+<p>The manager shook his head decidedly. "No, Monsieur Max, I cannot do
+that. You would be certain to be taken, and I should have to pay the
+greater share of the penalty. No, I cannot think of it; but there <i>is</i> a
+way out of the difficulty which would indeed simplify matters in another
+direction. You are in great danger here and are doing no good. Go to
+Maastricht and support your good mother. I will obtain for you a
+passport through the Germans and a letter to a friend of mine who will
+see that you secure well-paid work. Yes, that is the best way out of the
+difficulty, Monsieur Max, and you and your mother will live to rejoice
+at having taken it."</p>
+
+<p>"If your friend can get me well-paid work, can he not advance money to
+my mother, Monsieur Schenk?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, he is in a position to get you a berth, but he has no great means.
+Come now, Monsieur Max, be guided by me and leave Li&eacute;ge without delay.
+The works are running splendidly, and I shall have a good account to
+give of my stewardship after the war."</p>
+
+<p>The man's cool effrontery and the tone of lofty regard for the interests
+of the owners of the Durend works almost stunned Max, and for a moment
+he could but stare at him in dumb astonishment. That his faithful
+stewardship of the Durend works now ran counter to the vital interests
+of the country seemed not to matter to him one straw. Ceasing to plead
+his mother's cause, Max asked with sudden directness:</p>
+
+<p>"How is it, Monsieur Schenk, that the shells we are casting for the
+Belgian guns will not fit them, but yet do fit the German guns?"</p>
+
+<p>It was a shot at a venture, but it went home. The manager was obviously
+taken aback, although he recovered himself almost instantly as he
+replied:</p>
+
+<p>"You have noticed that then? Yes, there was a misunderstanding about the
+size with the commandant. Apparently he was speaking about the calibre
+of the shells thrown against the forts, when I was under the impression
+he was discussing the calibre of the shells most urgently required for
+use. It was a ridiculous mistake, but not so strange when one considers
+the turmoil and confusion of those early days."</p>
+
+<p>At this Max could contain himself no longer. "Monsieur Schenk&mdash;Herr
+Schenk, I should say&mdash;you are a traitor to Belgium, and I denounce you
+here and now. You are a base schemer, and the biggest scoundrel in
+Li&eacute;ge, if not in Belgium. You have the upper hand at present, but I
+declare to you that I shall spare no pains in the distant future to
+bring you to justice and to see that you get your deserts. I know your
+plans&mdash;or some of them. The concrete tennis-court&mdash;the filling of the
+shops with German workmen, the plot against General Leman, and, greatest
+of all, the fearful shell treachery. Oh, the shame of it should tell,
+even upon a German!"</p>
+
+<p>It certainly seemed to tell a little upon M. Schenk. He gasped, flushed
+up, and opened his mouth, apparently to deny the accusations. Then he
+apparently thought better of it, for he controlled himself by an effort
+and replied coldly:</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, Monsieur Max; it is war between us, I see. And it will soon
+end&mdash;in your discomfiture!"</p>
+
+<p>"We shall see. Good day, Herr Schenk!"</p>
+
+<p>This mode of addressing him seemed to sting the manager more than
+anything else, for he burst out angrily:</p>
+
+<p>"Fool of a boy! Do you think to measure your puny strength with mine?
+Bah! I shall crush you before ever you can raise your hand against me.
+As for my name, Herr Schenk suits me well enough. I am a German, and I
+hate these decadent peoples we call Belgians. Let Germany rule&mdash;she is
+strong and virile, and before her the world must&mdash;and shall&mdash;bow down.
+You, whether you call yourself English or Belgian, shall know what it is
+to have your country crushed and beaten, and to have brains&mdash;German
+brains&mdash;to direct and rule you. Go&mdash;and see if I'm not right."</p>
+
+<p>"I am going&mdash;and going to do my best to prove you wrong," replied Max
+proudly as he strode quickly from the room. Dale followed him, venting
+his own indignation, as he turned away, by shaking his fist full in the
+manager's face.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>"We must not dally here," cried Max as they left the building. "We had
+better make ourselves scarce at once. We have burnt our boats, and both
+Schenk and the Germans will be after us from now onwards."</p>
+
+<p>"And a good job too," replied Dale, who did not appear at all alarmed at
+the prospect. "The fight now begins."</p>
+
+<p>"Quick&mdash;round here," cried Max, turning a corner sharply. "Let us lose
+ourselves in these narrow streets for a while. We will then go to Madame
+Dubec's."</p>
+
+<p>"Madame Dubec's?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, we must not go home. Madame Dubec&mdash;the wife of the man whose life
+I saved, you remember&mdash;she will shelter us for a day or two while we
+look about us. We will get her or her husband to buy us rough clothes,
+so that we can pass as workmen. We must not go about like this any
+longer."</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, we must act the part of honest sons of toil. Always have a spanner
+sticking out of a pocket, and a hunk of bread and cheese tied up in a
+coloured handkerchief in our hands. Hurrah!"</p>
+
+<p>Madame Dubec gave them a quiet but sincere welcome, and for the
+remainder of the day and the following night they sheltered beneath her
+roof. She was anxious that they should stay permanently with her, when
+she learned that they were in danger, but neither Max nor Dale would
+hear of it. Should Schenk or the Germans learn that she had sheltered
+them it might go hard with her, and neither cared to contemplate such a
+thing. As soon, therefore, as they had been provided with workmen's
+clothes, they took a room in a poor quarter of the town well away from
+the Durend works and made active preparations for their campaign.
+Although Max had not dared to go to his home to fetch any of his
+belongings, he had managed to get a few of the more necessary things by
+sending one of Madame Dubec's daughters with a note to one of the
+domestics whom he knew he could trust.</p>
+
+<p>To Max, the great campaign he had in mind against Schenk and the Germans
+was momentarily eclipsed by the urgent need for doing something to
+relieve the distress of his mother and sister. He tried at first to
+think of friends, who, knowing the value of their property, might be
+disposed to advance a sufficient sum of money upon its security. It was
+in the midst of these reflections, and the angry thoughts of Schenk that
+naturally coloured them, that a wild and desperate idea occurred to him.
+He dismissed it at first as an absurdity, but the thought kept coming
+back again, until, weary of resisting it, he allowed his mind to dwell
+upon it at will. It was while heedlessly immersed in these rambling
+thoughts that a sudden recollection came which considerably altered the
+aspect of affairs. From a wild and desperate dream it changed into a
+project, difficult and perilous indeed, but one by no means hopeless of
+achievement. In the end it took such firm hold upon him that he thought
+it out seriously and at last unfolded it to Dale.</p>
+
+<p>That worthy welcomed it with such unbounded admiration and delight that
+the question as to whether it should or should not be attempted was
+settled out of hand, and the preparations for carrying it into effect
+promptly begun.</p>
+
+<p>The project was, briefly, to go and take by a <i>coup de main</i> the moneys
+belonging to his mother that Schenk had wrongfully and treacherously
+refused to hand over. It seemed a most risky venture, but Max had a
+recollection that his father long ago had entrusted to his mother the
+duplicate key of his safe in case anything should at any time happen to
+him. It had never been used, and his mother, likely enough, had almost
+forgotten she possessed it. Nevertheless, Max believed it was still in
+her possession, and he resolved to settle the point by sending a
+messenger to fetch it. More important still, he believed that Schenk was
+quite unaware of its existence. If the key could be secured it would
+simplify matters immensely, and, as Max was naturally familiar with the
+building in which the manager's office was situated, the enterprise was
+one which seemed likely to succeed if resolutely attempted. The safe, he
+knew, ought to contain all the money and securities of the firm, unless,
+indeed, Schenk had already handed them over to the Germans. This did not
+seem likely, however, and Max would not allow so disappointing a thought
+to interfere with his calculations.</p>
+
+<p>Monsieur Dubec's eldest daughter was promptly dispatched to Madame
+Durend with a letter asking for the key. Max entered into no details,
+and his mother may possibly have supposed that M. Schenk's failure to
+send her the money he had promised was due to the loss of the original
+key. At any rate, to the delight both of Max and Dale, the key duly
+arrived the following day.</p>
+
+<p>Tools were needed, and these were of course easily obtained. Max, as we
+have seen, had been through most of the shops in the Durend concern, and
+knew how to use almost any tool as well as the best of the firm's
+mechanics. No difficulties, therefore, were to be anticipated on that
+score. In fact, the more the details of the scheme were discussed the
+more feasible it seemed and the more the spirits of the two plotters
+rose.</p>
+
+<p>The third night after the break with Schenk, Max and Dale set out from
+their lodging at midnight and made their way to the Durend workshops.
+Dale was carrying a good-sized bag, in which was a lantern and an
+assortment of tools and other articles, one or two of them of such a
+nature that to be stopped and the bag examined would have been fatal to
+their liberty of movement for many a long day. It was, therefore,
+necessary for them to move with caution, and Max accordingly went on a
+hundred yards ahead, ready to give the agreed signal&mdash;a stumble forward
+on the pavement&mdash;whenever it was advisable for Dale to disappear.</p>
+
+<p>The offices of the Durend Company were situated in a separate building
+just inside the main entrance gates. The latter were ordinarily guarded
+by a watchman, but since the Germans had entered Li&eacute;ge a guard of German
+soldiers had been established there, and the sentinel on his beat passed
+within view of the front and two sides of the offices. It was pretty
+obvious, therefore, that the rear of the building would have to be the
+part attacked.</p>
+
+<p>It was close on one o'clock when Max and Dale scaled the outer wall well
+away from the entrance, and moved cautiously up to the rear of the
+building which was their objective. They had had only one alarm so far,
+and this had been so easily disposed of that they had begun to feel
+quite elated.</p>
+
+<p>"This window gives access to the drawing-office, Dale, and ought to suit
+us well. Give me a lift on to the sill, and hand up the tools."</p>
+
+<p>In a surprisingly short space of time the window was forced open, and
+Max clambered into the room. A whispered word, and Dale handed up the
+bag and sprang quietly up after it.</p>
+
+<p>"Heat No. 1 pulled off at a paddle," commented Dale exultingly.</p>
+
+<p>"The door is open, as I expected," whispered Max, who was too intent
+upon the work in hand to heed his friend's playfulness. "Now I will
+light the lantern and we will go upstairs. The door of the manager's
+room is sure to be locked, but we shall make short work of that."</p>
+
+<p>As Max expected, the door was locked, but they had come provided with
+tools for all eventualities, and in ten minutes the whole of the bottom
+panels right up to the framework had been neatly sawn out in one piece.
+Through the aperture the two lads crept, drawing the bag through after
+them.</p>
+
+<p>"Heat No. 2 won by a dozen lengths," cried Dale joyously.</p>
+
+<p>The room was a fairly large one, and contained the manager's desk, a
+really handsome piece of furniture which had been Max's father's, two or
+three tables, bookcases, a screen, and a large and massive safe.</p>
+
+<p>Max lost no time. Setting Dale to keep watch and ward at the window
+which commanded a view of the entrance-gates, he placed the lantern on
+the desk, so that its light fell upon the safe, and then advanced upon
+it, key in hand. This was the crucial moment. Had Schenk appropriated
+the money and securities committed to his charge, or were they still
+there, awaiting the strange midnight visit from their rightful owner? It
+was, indeed, a strong indictment of the methods of the invaders that the
+legitimate owner should have to come by stealth at dead of night, while
+the unfaithful steward could do as he listed in the broad glare of day.</p>
+
+<p>Max's hand trembled, and the lock seemed to stick. Then the lever seemed
+to jamb, until he feared that, after all, something had happened that
+would balk him at the last moment. But it was only his momentary
+nervousness, and the door swung ponderously open at last.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Max, how goes it?" enquired Dale excitedly, turning to watch his
+friend as he explored the open safe.</p>
+
+<p>"All's well, I think. It seems full enough."</p>
+
+<p>"Semi-final won by a clear length&mdash;eh?" cried Dale in great glee. "Seems
+a regular walk-over. If we want any real excitement we shall have to go
+and throw stones at the German guard."</p>
+
+<p>"We haven't done yet," replied Max more soberly, though his voice was
+confident enough. "Here, I'm not going to examine all these papers and
+documents now. I'm going to cram the whole lot into the bag and be off.
+We can see what our capture is when we get back to our room."</p>
+
+<p>"Right you are. By George, though, what's that?"</p>
+
+<p>Both stood stock-still and listened. The sound of voices and the tramp
+of feet upon the stairs was plainly audible.</p>
+
+<p>Max darted an angry look at Dale. In the excitement of the opening of
+the safe the latter had forgotten that he was on guard at the window,
+and no doubt this was the result. "You see, Dale?" he cried sharply.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm sorry, old man," replied Dale miserably.</p>
+
+<p>"No matter. Cram these things into the bag while I lock the safe. Mind,
+not a sound!"</p>
+
+<p>The safe locked, Max sprang noiselessly to the door, replaced the
+cut-out panels and secured them in position, against anything but a blow
+or strong pressure, by two or three sharp nails pressed in with his
+fingers. Flight was out of the question, but it might be possible to
+make good their escape later on if they could only hide themselves
+successfully for a little while. For a hiding-place Max had no need to
+look. He had played at hide-and-seek in that very room with his sister
+years ago, too often to forget that the best shelter was inside the well
+of his father's&mdash;now the manager's&mdash;desk.</p>
+
+<p>The panels replaced, Max knelt down and gently blew away the tell-tale
+sawdust. Then he turned and eagerly scanned the room. Dale had already
+packed the bag, and was looking vainly round for a hiding-place.</p>
+
+<p>"Under here&mdash;quick!" cried Max, indicating the desk, and in Dale
+scrambled, dragging the precious bag after him. There was only one thing
+left which needed to be disposed of, and that was the lantern. Max knew
+that if he blew it out and hid it under the desk the smell would
+inevitably betray them. Therefore he took it to the fire-place, blew it
+out close under the chimney, and instantly thrust it as far up as his
+arm would reach and lodged it there.</p>
+
+<p>The noise of voices and the tramp of feet had, during the few moments
+that these preparations had taken, been growing stronger, and the
+lantern had scarcely been disposed of before the approaching persons
+halted at the door. The rattle of keys, as someone&mdash;no doubt the
+manager&mdash;drew a bunch from his pocket, could now be distinguished, and
+as Max crawled in under the desk, and packed himself in on top of Dale,
+the key turned in the lock.</p>
+
+<p>Several men entered, talking together in the German tongue. One voice
+only Max and Dale recognized, and that, as they expected, belonged to
+the manager, Otto Schenk.</p>
+
+<p>"... take severe measures against any workman adopting a hostile
+attitude. Would this meet with approval in Highest quarters?"</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly. You may rest assured, Herr von Schenkendorf, that the
+Government of His Imperial Majesty has no intention of showing aught but
+the utmost sternness and rigour towards the whole Belgian population,
+whether workmen, property owners, or their families."</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you, General."</p>
+
+<p>"Serious consequences have ensued from the unexpected delay caused to
+our armies by the resistance of the Belgian army, and it is the Belgians
+who shall be made to pay for it. And to make them pay for it in a
+literal sense is, as you know, the reason of my presence here now."</p>
+
+<p>"True, General," replied the manager as he switched on the light; "but
+if I am to develop these works to the utmost, and to support our armies
+with ample supplies of guns and shells, I must be able to pay my
+workmen."</p>
+
+<p>"The gold and securities handed over will be replaced by notes of our
+Imperial Reichsbank or by Belgian paper money, which I have good reason
+to believe we shall shortly commence to manufacture. You will thus be as
+well off as before, and the Government will have securities which it can
+sell in neutral countries."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I am not objecting, General! The plan is excellent, and should
+yield much profit to our country. As for these Belgians, they have
+brought it on themselves by their foolish obstinacy. Ha, ha! A large
+part of the securities I am about to hand to you, General, were, by the
+explicit instructions of the widow of Monsieur Durend, to have been sent
+into Holland for her use. I thought I could find a better use for them
+than that, however, and they will doubtless be made to render important
+service to the Imperial Government. Only two days ago, too, that young
+English cub, Monsieur Durend's son, attacked me in this room and
+demanded money for his mother's use. I told him to go and work for her,
+and sent him about his business."</p>
+
+<p>There was a rumble of laughter, and the desk creaked as one of the
+officers&mdash;there seemed two men beside M. Schenk&mdash;sat down on the side of
+it.</p>
+
+<p>"And what sum will it be, Herr von Schenkendorf? It must be a large one.
+My Government will expect much from so large and prosperous a business."</p>
+
+<p>"I can give you 1,500,000 marks in money and securities," replied the
+manager as he drew his keys from his pocket and approached the safe. "If
+you wish I will hand the sum to your aide-de-camp now."</p>
+
+<p>"I do wish it, Herr von Schenkendorf," replied the officer decisively.</p>
+
+<p>Max and Dale held their breaths in suspense as they heard the key turn
+in the lock and the door of the safe swing heavily open. There was a
+sharp exclamation, followed by a dull sound as though the manager had
+flung himself down on his hands and knees, the better to peer into the
+inside.</p>
+
+<p>"Mein Gott!" he cried in a strangled voice. "Gone&mdash;all gone!"</p>
+
+<p>"No tricks, sir!" cried the general in a rasping voice, getting up
+suddenly from the desk on which he had been sitting. "I will not be
+trifled with."</p>
+
+<p>The manager made no reply, but Max could hear him breathing heavily and
+fancied he caught a groan.</p>
+
+<p>"What is the matter, von Schenkendorf? Have you been robbed?" demanded
+the officer.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, General," replied the manager after a pause in which he vainly
+endeavoured to find his voice. "Mein Gott&mdash;yes&mdash;robbed! How&mdash;I know not.
+Last evening I left all&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Bah! You <i>are</i> trifling with me!" cried the officer in a stern voice.
+"This is altogether too opportune to be the result of accident. I come
+to you demanding a contribution to His Imperial Majesty's exchequer and
+you tell me you have just been robbed. I begin to have grave doubts of
+your faithfulness to our cause."</p>
+
+<p>"General," cried Schenk in a voice which positively trembled with
+vexation, "General, I assure you that it is a pure coincidence. Never
+before has the firm been robbed, and how or why it should happen now I
+do not know. But it shall be fully investigated and I will leave no
+stone unturned to recover possession of the valuables&mdash;be assured of
+that."</p>
+
+<p>"So! Well, well, you have had a good reputation with our Government in
+the past and I will let matters rest for the moment," replied the
+officer in a voice which contained more than a suspicion of a threat.
+"By the way," he went on suddenly, his voice again taking on a rasping
+tone, "I am no doubt right in assuming that those siege-gun plans which
+I handed to you yesterday are in safe custody?"</p>
+
+<p>"I will look after them, General, have no fear," responded Schenk in a
+voice which made Max, who knew its usually firm tones so well, grasp the
+bag on which he leaned with a sudden new affection. "I fully realize
+their vast importance to our common cause."</p>
+
+<p>Apparently the officer also noticed something amiss. "Show me the
+plans," he replied curtly.</p>
+
+<p>There was a few moments' suspense. Max could hardly suppress his impulse
+to laugh aloud, for, although he could not see, he could picture without
+the least difficulty the manager's utter misery and discomfiture.</p>
+
+<p>"I have them not. They were with the valuables locked in the safe,"
+replied Schenk in a stammering voice. "But, General, they shall be
+recovered. I have agents everywhere, and no efforts shall be spared to
+recover them."</p>
+
+<p>The officer strode the length of the room and back. Then he sat heavily
+down again on the side of the manager's desk, cleared his throat, and
+responded slowly and impressively:</p>
+
+<p>"This matter, Von Schenkendorf, is now beyond my powers. I must report
+the matter to my Government. Till then you must not move from Li&eacute;ge
+without my permission."</p>
+
+<p>The manager made no reply.</p>
+
+<p>"This room," the officer went on, "must be kept locked until it has been
+thoroughly investigated by officers whom <i>I</i> shall send. But you may
+make such enquiries through your own agents as you think fit. If you
+succeed, it will, of course, influence matters considerably to your
+advantage."</p>
+
+<p>"General," replied the manager humbly, "General, I will do so. But let
+me beg you not to let this one mischance, which might have happened to
+anyone, wipe out the recollection of my many great services to the
+State."</p>
+
+<p>"All shall be considered," replied the officer coldly as he strode
+towards the door. It was obsequiously opened for him, and the three men
+passed out, the manager locking the door behind them.</p>
+
+<p>"Give me the key," demanded the officer. It was handed over, and the
+party moved with heavy tread along the passage and down the stairs.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X</h2>
+
+<h3>Getting Ready for Bigger Things</h3>
+
+
+<p>"Now for it, Dale; it's now or never," cried Max in a voice of
+suppressed eagerness, as he emerged from under the desk the moment the
+party of Germans moved away along the passage. "If we do not get clear
+at once I rather think we never shall."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, we are what you might call 'right on the post' and rowing neck and
+neck. 'Twill be a near thing whoever wins," replied Dale, again breaking
+out into rowing jargon, as he was apt to do whenever excited.</p>
+
+<p>"The prize is bigger than you imagine," responded Max, dragging out the
+bag and glancing quickly about the room. "Could you follow what was said
+well enough to understand why they rounded on Schenk, or Schenkendorf,
+as his name seems to be?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, old man, my German isn't nearly equal to the job, especially when
+I'm submerged in trunks and desks."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, among the papers we've stuffed into this bag are the plans of
+some special siege-guns the Germans seem to set no small store on.
+Schenk was just going to wire in making them, by the look of it. We've
+upset the whole business, and if he isn't under arrest he's very near
+it. But come along; we must get out of this."</p>
+
+<p>The bottom panels of the door were quickly removed and Max and Dale
+crawled through, carrying the now doubly precious bag with them. The
+manager and the two officers had by this time reached the front entrance
+of the building but appeared to have halted there and to be talking
+earnestly together. Hastily removing their boots, Max and Dale crept
+quietly down the stairs to the door of the drawing-office. They paused
+and listened before opening it, and heard the party at the entrance
+descend the steps, still talking together, and the scrunch of the gravel
+under their feet as they strode away. Then, almost immediately, they
+heard a harsh command and the rapid tramp of feet as the guard turned
+out at the entrance to the works.</p>
+
+<p>Max whipped open the door of the drawing-office and they entered and
+closed it behind them. The window through which they had come an hour or
+two before gaped before them, and they eagerly moved to it and peered
+out. All seemed clear for the moment, but they could hear men in motion
+somewhere, and in the passage they had just left they were startled to
+hear the voice of the manager talking in a peremptory tone to someone,
+one of the guard they imagined, and the tramp of their feet as they
+passed the door and began ascending the stairs.</p>
+
+<p>"Quick; jump out," whispered Max, and he assisted his friend to drop as
+noiselessly as possible to the ground. Then he handed down the bag and
+lowered himself down after it. In silence and in great trepidation they
+sped towards the outer walls at the point at which they had entered.
+Without mishap they helped one another up and over, and fled at the top
+of their speed towards their lodging. At any moment they feared a
+general alarm might be sounded, and the truest caution seemed to be to
+throw caution momentarily to the winds.</p>
+
+<p>They reached the door of their lodging in safety, and as they entered
+Dale whispered triumphantly to his friend: "We've won the final too. By
+George we have!"</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Day was just beginning to break as the two friends left the town on the
+northward side and made their way across country towards the Dutch
+frontier. They carefully avoided the roads, and their progress was slow;
+but it was sure, and as soon as they were well away from the
+neighbourhood of the town they regained the roads and made more rapid
+progress. Before the day was out they reached Maastricht, and Max found
+his mother and sister safe and sound, though indeed in great distress.</p>
+
+<p>The relief of Madame Durend at the return of her son from beleaguered
+Li&eacute;ge was intense. The stories told by the numerous refugees from the
+towns and villages of Belgium were so terrible that she could not be
+other than most anxious for his safety. Now he had arrived, and had
+brought, she soon learned, sufficient funds to enable them all to live
+in comfort and security for a long time.</p>
+
+<p>But it was not until Max and his friend unfolded their story that she
+fully realized in what peril they had been, and at what cost they had
+been able to bring the much-needed assistance. Their story was indeed
+amazing. Schenk a traitor, and Schenk outwitted! Priceless German plans
+captured, and funds that the enemy had hoped to secure removed from
+beyond their grasp! Madame Durend could not but be proud of her son's
+exploits, but it was a pride with many a tremble at the frightful
+dangers run.</p>
+
+<p>A fuller examination of their captures revealed to Max and Dale how
+valuable their prize had been, and sent them both hotfoot to the house
+of the nearest British consul, into whose care they confided the
+precious plans, with instructions that they wished them handed over to
+the British War Office without delay.</p>
+
+<p>A statement briefly describing who the captors were, and how the <i>coup</i>
+had been brought about, was drawn up and signed, and, in high glee at
+the shrewd blow struck against Schenk and his Germans, they returned
+once more to the lodging of Madame and Mademoiselle Durend.</p>
+
+<p>A few days spent there in safety, and almost in idleness, were, however,
+sufficient to make Max and Dale, and especially the former, restless and
+dissatisfied with their inactivity. The onward march of the Germans,
+their terrible unscrupulousness and rapacity, and the tales of the
+terrific fighting with the English and French vanguards reached their
+ears and made them long to be doing something, however small, to aid the
+great cause. Max, in addition, had a constant sense of irritation at the
+thought that his father's great works were running night and day in the
+interests of the Germans and to the vast injury of his own countrymen.
+He could not get away from the feeling that he had a responsibility
+towards the Durend works&mdash;a responsibility which he seemed in honour
+bound to discharge. This feeling grew and grew until it became so
+intolerable that he was impelled to announce to his mother that he must,
+without delay, return to his post in the stricken city.</p>
+
+<p>"But surely you have done enough, Max?" cried Madame Durend, almost in
+consternation. "You are not yet of man's age, and ought not to think of
+taking upon yourself such fearful tasks. It is no fault of yours that
+our property is being used by the Germans. Many other factories and
+workshops besides ours have been seized, and who can fairly put the
+blame upon the owners?"</p>
+
+<p>"I know, Mother," replied Max in a quiet voice, and with a far-away look
+in his eyes. "I know it is no fault of ours. But our workmen&mdash;the
+faithful and real Belgian workmen&mdash;are there bearing alone in silence
+the pain and misery of seeing the great business they helped to create
+worked to the destruction of their own liberties. They feel nothing so
+much as the thought that their masters have deserted them, and left them
+to fight the battle for their land and liberties alone. I must go back
+and join them, if only to let them know we are with them, hand and foot,
+heart and soul. I feel, Mother, that so long as one workman still holds
+out against tyranny and oppression, the owners of the Durend workshops
+must be by his side to give him both countenance and aid."</p>
+
+<p>Max's voice grew stronger, and thrilled with a deeper and deeper
+earnestness, as he went on. It was clear to each of his hearers that the
+guardianship of his father's works had become the one great object and
+aim of his existence. With such a burning, passionate desire in his
+heart, it was almost impossible that he could be persuaded to abandon
+his project if he were not to be rendered miserable for life, and Madame
+Durend realized almost at once that she dare not attempt it. But the
+thought of the desperate character of the undertaking made her mother's
+heart sink with dread.</p>
+
+<p>"I dare not say you nay, Max, my son," she said tremulously, after a
+long pause, "for I should feel that I was setting my own wishes against
+what is, perhaps, your duty to your country, and still more your duty to
+your dear father's name. Go, then&mdash;only do not&mdash;do not run unnecessary
+risks. Be as cautious as you can&mdash;and come back to me often."</p>
+
+<p>"We will be as cautious as we honourably can, will we not, Dale?" cried
+Max, appealing to his friend. "It is stratagem that we shall use in
+making our war&mdash;not force. We have thought it all out together, and hope
+to give a good account of ourselves without giving the Germans a chance
+to pay us back with usury."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," replied Dale cheerfully, "we are not going to give the enemy a
+chance. Why, you have no idea how cautious and full of dodges Max is. He
+just bristles with 'em, and I think we shall give Schenk and his friends
+a warm time."</p>
+
+<p>Madame Durend sighed deeply. "It seems terrible to me to think of two
+such boys returning to that dreadful place to do battle unaided with
+those men. How I pray that you may come safely back!"</p>
+
+<p>"No fear of that," cried Dale confidently, and Max gazed into his
+mother's face and nodded reassuringly.</p>
+
+<p>The next day they left the hospitable streets of Maastricht and arrived
+safely in Li&eacute;ge, still in their disguises as Walloon workmen. A visit to
+a clever hairdresser before they left had completed their disguise.
+Their fresh complexions were hidden beneath a stain that darkened the
+skin to the tints of the swarthiest Walloons of the Li&eacute;ge district.</p>
+
+<p>Max, as he was by far the better known and ran the greater risk of
+detection, had, in addition, his brown hair dyed a much darker hue and
+his eyebrows thickened and made to meet in the centre. A few lines
+skilfully drawn here and there about his face gave him the appearance of
+a much older man than Dale, and enabled them to pose as brothers aged
+about twenty-eight and twenty respectively. Their hair was allowed to
+run wild and mat about their brows and ears; hands and wrists were left,
+much to their discomfort, to get as grubby as possible, and in the end
+they were ready to meet the gaze of all as Belgian workmen of the most
+out-and-out kind.</p>
+
+<p>The necessity for the constant renewal of their various disguises was
+not overlooked, and the hairdresser was prevailed upon to part with a
+supply of his dyes and to tell them exactly how and when to apply them.</p>
+
+<p>Max of course could maintain the part of workman to perfection, even if
+questioned at length, but Dale was under the necessity of answering only
+in monosyllables, as his knowledge of the language was at present not
+very great. With Max at his elbow, however, this was not a serious
+drawback, and neither anticipated any difficulty on that score.</p>
+
+<p>Max was now a broad-shouldered, well-built young fellow of twenty. He
+was not much above medium height, but his rowing and running at
+Hawkesley and his hard work in the various shops of the Durend concern
+had given him a muscular development that most of the real workmen might
+have envied. His responsibilities as stroke at college, and, later, as
+the future head of the firm, had given him a self-reliant attitude of
+mind that was reflected in his bearing, and enabled him to maintain with
+unconscious ease his sudden increase in years over his more
+youthful-looking comrade.</p>
+
+<p>Dale was still slim and boyish-looking. He was wiry enough, however, and
+was, as we have seen, extremely cool and courageous in any tight corner.
+He was quick, too, and the pair made an ideal couple to hunt together.
+Had Schenk known that they were bending all their energies to the task
+of hindering his use of the Durend workshops for the benefit of the
+Germans he would probably have bestowed more than a passing thought upon
+them. And had he had an inkling that they were at the bottom of the
+shrewd blow already dealt him within the sacred precincts of his office
+he would, no doubt, have spent a sleepless night or two.</p>
+
+<p>The few days that had elapsed since Max and Dale left Li&eacute;ge had already
+witnessed yet another development in the rapid conversion of the Durend
+workshops into a first-class manufactory of war material for the German
+army. A large building on the outskirts of the town had been taken over
+and converted into a filling-shop, and the shells manufactured within
+the works were conveyed thither on a miniature railway, and there filled
+with high-explosive drawn from a factory situated about a mile and a
+half away, well outside the limits of the town. This new shop was being
+staffed with men drawn partly from Germany and partly from former
+workmen of the less determined sort, who were gradually returning to
+work under stress of hunger.</p>
+
+<p>On Max and Dale applying for work they were promptly drafted to this
+shop. Fortunately for them, perhaps, the foreman who was now engaging
+fresh workmen was a man sent from Germany, a bullying, overbearing,
+Prussian foreman who was expected to bring the methods of the Prussian
+drill-sergeant to bear upon the poor half-starved wretches applying for
+work, and to reduce them to a proper state of submission. Max had no
+difficulty in satisfying the man, especially as he made no demur to
+working in the night shift. Few workmen cared for the night shift, and
+the foreman was therefore the more ready to clinch the bargain. Soon Max
+and Dale were being shown the way to fill the shells and finish them
+off, ready to be sent on their mission of destruction.</p>
+
+<p>"Things couldn't have happened better, Dale," remarked Max at the first
+opportunity.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Max? We are safe inside; is that what you mean?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not exactly. What I mean is our being sent to the filling-shops. It's
+no end of a piece of luck."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, I see! You are thinking of wrecking the place, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>"Possibly, later on. But what I mean is that for our plans we need
+explosives, and plenty of them. Well, here they are, ready to hand, and
+all we have to do for a start is to get what we want away unseen."</p>
+
+<p>"Aye; accumulate a store of our own ready for the day we want them?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; the best place to attack we can settle later. In fact we may have
+to seize our opportunities as they come along."</p>
+
+<p>"The best places to choose are these filling-shops, old man. Heaps of
+explosives about, and, although they watch everyone pretty closely, we
+ought to get a chance before long. If this place were blown sky-high it
+would damage a lot of the other shops, and probably get Schenk the sack.
+He seems to have got over that other affair all right."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, but I can't bring myself to blow up this great place with all the
+workmen in it, Germans or renegade Belgians though they are. I want to
+cripple the works, not kill the work-people."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't see much in your scruples, Max. If we don't kill them they are
+left to go on sending shells out to kill our men."</p>
+
+<p>"True, old man, but all the same I should like, if I can, to do the
+business without causing any loss of life among the workmen. There is
+the power-house now. If we could wreck that we should bring the whole of
+the works to an absolute standstill."</p>
+
+<p>"Phew! Yes. Well, and why shouldn't we?"</p>
+
+<p>"I've been thinking, and I believe we ought to be able to do it. Of
+course you know there is a soldier always posted at each entrance?"</p>
+
+<p>"We must dispose of him&mdash;that's all."</p>
+
+<p>"Or else we must get jobs as stokers. But enough of this&mdash;see that man
+coming along there eyeing the benches?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+
+<p>"I believe he's a spy. He is really looking more at the men than at the
+benches. We must be very careful, or one of those fellows will get in
+our way."</p>
+
+<p>"It will be the worse for him," muttered Dale under his breath, as he
+went on with his work with redoubled energy.</p>
+
+<p>"And for us too," replied Max, lifting a heavy shell with an ease that
+many of the regular workmen, practised though they were, could not have
+excelled.</p>
+
+<p>The man stopped when he reached the bench on which Max and Dale were
+working. "Where are you from?" he enquired sharply, in very indifferent
+Walloon.</p>
+
+<p>"Yonder," replied Max, nodding towards the poorer quarter of the town.
+"Back of Rue Gheude."</p>
+
+<p>"You're a Belgian, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," admitted Max with an appearance of reluctance.</p>
+
+<p>"Why do you come here to work? Many of your countrymen refuse to work."</p>
+
+<p>"One must live," replied Max sullenly. Then he went on in an angry tone:
+"We have been deserted and left to starve. Why shouldn't we work? They
+should protect us, these French and English, if they want us to remain
+on their side. Are we to let our little ones perish for their sakes?"</p>
+
+<p>"You are right, my friend," replied the man approvingly. "These English
+and Frenchmen care naught so long as their country is safe. Why should
+Belgians fight their battles for them? No, no, my friend."</p>
+
+<p>Max nodded and turned back to his work. The man watched him for a minute
+or two and then continued on his way along the shop, scarcely glancing
+at Dale, who was to all appearances too engrossed in his work to pay
+much attention to what was going on about him.</p>
+
+<p>"End of round No. 1," whispered Max to his friend. "We've got the better
+of Mr. Ferret so far, but I fear we shall have trouble in getting many
+live shells away from under the noses of him and his tribe."</p>
+
+<p>"We shall do it," replied Dale confidently. "We may get the job of
+loading them up on the lorries presently and find an opportunity. If the
+worst comes to the worst we must carry medium-sized ones away one by one
+in our folded coats."</p>
+
+<p>"H'm!" grunted Max. "We must find a safer way than that I fancy. I doubt
+if our ferret friends would let us do much of that sort of thing."</p>
+
+<p>Dale shrugged his shoulders in contempt of the whole of the spy crew,
+and the conversation dropped.</p>
+
+<p>For some two weeks Max and Dale worked in the filling-shops, observing
+the routine and making careful note of every circumstance that seemed to
+offer a chance of making off with supplies of finished shells. They soon
+found that they had reason to congratulate themselves upon having joined
+the night shift. Max had accepted the foreman's offer of the night shift
+for two reasons: first, because he thought that their disguises were
+less likely to be penetrated in artificial light, and, secondly, because
+they might reasonably expect to be quite safe during their journeys to
+and fro in the dark. But he found that an even greater advantage to
+their projects lay in the fact that the shop was only half manned at
+night, the work, and especially the supervision, were less efficient,
+and the yards, while well lighted, contained plenty of deep shadows
+suited to shelter those on dubious errands.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as he could, Max got into touch with his friend Dubec and the
+workmen who had remained faithful to their country's cause. He had
+brought ample funds with him from the moneys recovered from the firm,
+and hoped to relieve any who might be in acute distress. He soon found
+plenty of outlet for his funds, for the men who refused to work in the
+shops were drawing terribly near the edge of starvation.</p>
+
+<p>As Max had expected, the knowledge that their employers were standing by
+them, and were ready to aid them at every opportunity, greatly heartened
+the men, and a small but loyal band steadily refused to work, and fought
+a gallant battle with starvation in the cause of their country's
+freedom. Between Max and these men an unbreakable, unforgettable bond of
+union was gradually forged; and several times, to their unbounded
+delight, he was able to use them in furthering his projects. He found
+them particularly useful in obtaining information and in keeping watch
+over the movements of M. Schenk and his numerous spies. Patriotism,
+resentment at their sufferings, and hatred of Schenk, all combined to
+render them zealous auxiliaries, and lightened, in some measure at
+least, the heavy task fate seemed to have cast upon Max's own shoulders.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI</h2>
+
+<h3>The Attack on the Power-house</h3>
+
+
+<p>Some three weeks after Max and Dale had so unobtrusively re-entered the
+Durend works, their plans were laid and their preparations complete.
+Eight large shells had been carried off one by one and secreted in a
+hole in the bank of the Meuse, at a spot where it was well shaded by
+thick bushes. The power-house had been carefully reconnoitred, and the
+times and habits of the men and of the sentries carefully noted. The
+bulk of the great engines which provided the power required to run the
+various workshops were underground, and all the approaches to the
+building were commanded by two sentries stationed at opposite corners.</p>
+
+<p>The success of their enterprise was dependent upon one of these sentries
+being put out of action for some minutes. This was no easy matter, but
+by dint of much discussion and careful observation they reached the
+conclusion that it could be done; and, better still, done so that no
+alarm need be given.</p>
+
+<p>A Sunday night was fixed for the attempt, because Max and Dale had never
+worked on Sundays, and their absence would not therefore be likely to
+arouse any subsequent suspicion that they had had anything to do with
+the matter. Moreover, all departments of the works were run on reduced
+staffs, and the staff of the power-house was reduced proportionately.
+The loss of life which both Max and Dale feared might ensue from the
+realization of their plans was thus brought to a minimum.</p>
+
+<p>Shortly after midnight, Max, Dale, and Dubec made their way silently to
+the little cache of shells in the river bank, and began transporting
+them to a point as near the power-house as they could expect to get
+without attracting notice. There was a bright moon, but there were also
+clouds, and they patiently bided their time, and moved only when the
+moon was obscured. It was one o'clock before the whole of the shells had
+been transported within easy reach of the power-house.</p>
+
+<p>The sentries were changed at two o'clock, and Max and Dale waited only
+until this had been completed. Then they drew near, and took a long look
+at the sentry upon the least-exposed corner of the building. He was a
+young fellow, and while not looking particularly alert, yet seemed fully
+alive to his duties and determined to carry them out. As has already
+been explained, he was posted at a corner of the building, and could
+command a view of two sides. One of these sides was flooded with the
+light of the moon, but the other was in shadow, except at intervals
+where it was cut by the light from the windows of the power-house, which
+were here on a level with the ground.</p>
+
+<p>After a whispered word or two, Dale left Max and worked his way round
+until he was near the side of the building which was in shadow. Watching
+his chance, he slipped into the shadow at a moment when the sentry was
+gazing the other way. Max now retreated some distance, and then began
+boldly advancing towards the building, his feet crunching heavily into
+the gravel and giving the sentry every warning of his approach. The
+sentry watched him with lazy indifference, but, as he drew near, lifted
+rifle and bayonet and challenged.</p>
+
+<p>"Who comes there?"</p>
+
+<p>"A workman with message to the engineer," responded Max in a casual
+voice, slackening his pace and coming to a stop a few paces away.</p>
+
+<p>"Pass," replied the sentry indifferently, letting the butt of his rifle
+drop again to the ground. Max slouched on again, directing his steps so
+that he would pass just in front of the young soldier.</p>
+
+<p>The sentry idly watched the supposed workman, who slouched along gazing
+at the ground in front of him in the most stolid fashion. Just as he was
+on the point of passing the sentry, however, he shot out a hand, seized
+the man's rifle, and tore it from his grasp.</p>
+
+<p>Simultaneously a hand appeared from behind, and a cloth was clapped over
+the soldier's nose and mouth and held firmly in position, while another
+hand and arm grasped him round the middle.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+<a name="illus3" id="illus3"></a>
+<img src="images/illus3.jpg" alt=""/>
+</div>
+
+<h3>A CLOTH WAS CLAPPED OVER THE SOLDIER'S NOSE AND MOUTH</h3>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>Noiselessly grounding the captured rifle, Max in his turn sprang upon
+the sentry and wound both his arms about him, crushing his arms to his
+side and preparing to subdue his wildest struggles. Almost immediately,
+however, the man's muscles relaxed, as the chloroform, with which the
+cloth had been sprinkled, took effect, and Max and Dale lowered him to
+the ground.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Dale, off with his tunic and helmet and put them on," cried Max
+rapidly. "Then take his rifle and stand on guard. All is well, and I
+believe we shall win through without a hitch."</p>
+
+<p>Dale did as he was bidden. The soldier's tunic and helmet were removed,
+and his body was dragged into the shadow close to the wall of the
+building. Then Max walked quickly back to the spot where the shells had
+been deposited. Here Dubec crouched in readiness.</p>
+
+<p>"Bring them along," whispered Max. "The sentry is disposed of, and we
+ought to meet with no interruption."</p>
+
+<p>"'Twas splendidly done," replied Dubec with enthusiasm. "The man seemed
+to be overcome as though by magic, and I heard scarce a sound."</p>
+
+<p>In three trips the shells were transported to the power-house and laid
+along the wall. Then Max went to one of the windows and looked in.</p>
+
+<p>The power-house was largely underground, and the windows, which ran
+around all sides on a level with the ground at intervals of about six
+feet, were high above the great boilers. In fact, as Max gazed down he
+had a bird's-eye view of the interior, and could see workmen flitting to
+and fro, stoking the great furnaces in blissful ignorance of the fact
+that a bolt which might destroy them with their engines was on the point
+of being shot.</p>
+
+<p>Drawing back his head, Max drew a bomb of his own manufacture from his
+pocket and lit the fuse. Then he leaned through the window, and, shading
+his mouth with his hands so that his words might carry downwards and be
+heard above the roar of the engines, cried in quick, urgent, warning
+tones:</p>
+
+<p>"Fly for your lives&mdash;the engine-house is being blown up! Fly! fly! fly!"</p>
+
+<p>The workmen looked up, startled, and into their midst Max flung his
+bomb. The men scattered to right and left, and a second or two later it
+burst with a splutter, sending out a great puff of white, pungent smoke.
+It was quite harmless, but the men did not know that, and a great cry of
+alarm went up and a terrific stampede began towards the nearest exit.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Dubec," cried Max energetically, "light the fuses and fling them
+in. It matters little where they fall so long as we cover a wide area."</p>
+
+<p>In a few seconds the shells had been flung down into the power-house,
+right in among the boilers and machinery. Then the two men took to their
+heels and fled, followed by Dale, who had already divested himself of
+his borrowed plumes and donned his own.</p>
+
+<p>The success of their enterprise was complete. Hardly had they got clear
+of the building before a series of heavy explosions occurred in the
+interior of the power-house, followed by the upward burst of great
+clouds of smoke and steam. Instantly all the lights in the whole of the
+Durend workshops and the great lights in the yard went out, and the roar
+of machinery slackened and gradually ceased. The entire works were at a
+standstill, and the whirr of lathes and clink of hammers were succeeded
+by shouts of alarm from the thousands of workmen as they poured
+excitedly out into the open air.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The alarm and excitement were not decreased when, almost immediately,
+there was a great outburst of flame in one of the large workshops
+devoted to the building of the bodies of railway carriages and trucks,
+and the chassis of motorcars. With extraordinary rapidity the flames
+leapt up from floor to floor, until the great yards in the vicinity, a
+moment before plunged in blackness by the destruction of the
+electric-light plant, were again as light as day.</p>
+
+<p>"See that, Max?" whispered Dale in an awestruck voice as the flames
+leaped up. "Surely our raid on the power-house cannot have done that?"</p>
+
+<p>"I expect that something was upset in the mad rush for the doors. The
+place is full of inflammables, and they will never get the fire out&mdash;you
+see."</p>
+
+<p>The scene was of absorbing interest, and Max and Dale and the faithful
+Dubec mingled with the crowds of excited workmen and thoroughly enjoyed
+themselves. Alarm-bells were sounding and bugle-calls ringing in all
+directions, and in a few minutes two or three engines dashed into the
+yard and began a hopeless fight against the raging fire. Max and his
+friends continued to gaze on at the exciting scene until the former was
+recalled to himself by the heavy tramp of what seemed to be detachments
+of soldiers outside the walls of the yard.</p>
+
+<p>"Listen, Dale, I can hear a lot of troops marching outside. I don't
+think their presence bodes any good, and I think we had better be off.
+The Germans will be most awfully savage, and will be firing on the mob,
+or something of the sort."</p>
+
+<p>"Shouldn't wonder, old man. Well, we've done enough for one night, so
+let us join this crowd and leave by the main entrance."</p>
+
+<p>A number of workmen, who were probably of the same mind as Max and did
+not like the look of things, were moving towards the gates, and to these
+our three friends joined themselves. On reaching the gates, however, the
+whole party came to a standstill. The gates were closed, and a dozen
+soldiers with fixed bayonets stood on guard in front of them.</p>
+
+<p>"We made a mistake, Dale, in not getting away at once," whispered Max.
+"We shall have trouble now, you may be sure."</p>
+
+<p>As he spoke, the gates were opened and a motorcar drove through. It
+contained the manager, M. Schenk, and two officers, and came to a stand
+on the outskirts of the crowd collected at the gates. The manager
+immediately stood up in the car and addressed the crowd in such stern
+and peremptory tones that it would have seemed fitter, Max thought, had
+the words been uttered by one of the officers at his side.</p>
+
+<p>"Listen, men. A dastardly outrage has just been committed in these
+works, and I am determined to bring the guilty ones to justice. I shall
+allow no one to leave until he has been thoroughly examined, however
+long it may take. Stand aside, therefore, and await your call quietly,
+or I shall have recourse to sterner measures."</p>
+
+<p>The car moved on, and the workmen addressed stopped obediently where
+they were and began discussing the affair in low, excited tones.</p>
+
+<p>"This sort of thing won't suit us, Dale," whispered Max, as he edged out
+of the crowd and began moving away from the gates. "Examinations are not
+a strong point with us at present."</p>
+
+<p>"No, we require to study a little more&mdash;in strict seclusion," replied
+Dale in the same spirit, as they got away from the crowd into the
+blackness between a long workshop at a distance from the burning
+building and the outer walls.</p>
+
+<p>"Where now, Master," asked Dubec, looking at Max enquiringly as the
+three came to an involuntary halt.</p>
+
+<p>"Over the walls and away, I think. We have done enough for one night,
+and I fancy Schenk will think so too&mdash;eh, Dale?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, and say so, if ever he gets the chance," replied the latter.</p>
+
+<p>The party moved to the walls at the darkest point they could find and
+prepared to clamber over. The wall was here nearly ten feet high, and it
+was necessary for Dubec to plant himself against it and allow Max,
+assisted by Dale, to climb on his back. He could then help Dale up also
+before clambering on to the top. The rest would be easy enough. But a
+rude awakening was in store for them, for Max had no sooner put his head
+above the wall than he was greeted by a rifle-shot from the road below,
+and a bullet whizzed close overhead.</p>
+
+<p>"Down, Max, down!" cried Dale, clutching at his friend in sudden
+consternation.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm all right, old man," replied Max, who, needless to say, had lost no
+time in bobbing down below the level of the wall. "But we can't get over
+here," he added as he lowered himself gently to the ground. Dale
+followed suit, and the three men stood at the foot of the wall and
+anxiously debated their next move.</p>
+
+<p>"It is pretty clear," Max summed up, "that the Germans have put a cordon
+of soldiers all about the works, and clearer still"&mdash;a little ruefully
+this&mdash;"that their orders are to shoot first and make enquiries
+afterwards."</p>
+
+<p>"We must chance it and try to get over somewhere," responded Dale.</p>
+
+<p>"No&mdash;too risky. The moment we top the wall we show up plainly against
+the light of the fire behind us. We should be noticed at once. We must
+try another plan."</p>
+
+<p>"What's that?"</p>
+
+<p>"The river."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah&mdash;swim across?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes&mdash;or, better still, float down until we get beyond the roads about
+the works."</p>
+
+<p>"But what about Dubec? Can he swim?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't suppose so. Can you, Monsieur Dubec?"</p>
+
+<p>The answer was a decided negative, and Max went on: "But it doesn't
+matter. Dubec doesn't need to leave in the unorthodox way that Schenk
+has forced upon us. He is a <i>bona fide</i> workman, and has been working in
+the shops for the last three days. He is safe enough."</p>
+
+<p>It was so arranged, and soon the party had gained the shelter of the
+bushes at the spot where their stock of shells had been hidden. Max and
+Dale then waded waist-deep into the Meuse, and, with a whispered
+farewell to M. Dubec, allowed themselves to float down with the stream.
+For some yards out the edge of the river was in deep shadow from the
+bank, and beyond a gentle movement of the hands to keep them within its
+shelter, the two lads let themselves drift at will. The water was warm
+and they felt no discomfort, and in half an hour they were beyond what
+they considered the danger zone. Clambering out of the river, they wrung
+as much of the water as possible out of their clothes and made rapid
+tracks for their lodging.</p>
+
+<p>As was to be expected, the destruction of the power-house and the
+burning of one of the largest workshops at the Durend works created a
+great sensation among both the Germans and the Li&eacute;geois. The former
+looked upon it, rightly enough, as a determined attempt to interfere
+with their exploitation of the manufacturing resources of the city for
+the benefit of the invading armies; the latter, as a patriotic and
+successful demonstration of the hatred of the Belgians for their
+temporary masters and of their determination to hinder them by every
+means in their power. It gave the spirit of the people a fillip, and,
+despite the redoubled severity of the Germans, the Li&eacute;geois went about
+their businesses with a prouder air, as if conscious that, though
+temporarily overcome, they were very far from being beaten.</p>
+
+<p>On attending for work on the following evening, at the usual hour, Max
+and Dale were curtly informed that they would not be required for
+another week at least. They had expected this, of course, and were only
+disappointed that the holiday was likely to be so short. They had hoped
+that the works would be out of action for at least three weeks. But the
+manager had set to work with his usual energy. Engines were being
+requisitioned from other factories in the town, not engaged in the
+manufacture of war supplies, and repairs to those less seriously damaged
+were going on with shifts of fresh workmen night and day.</p>
+
+<p>It was nearly a fortnight, however, before the works were again in full
+swing, or would have been in full swing had not other events occurred to
+hinder the complete resumption of business. That fortnight Max
+considered as a specially favourable opportunity for paying further
+attention to M. Schenk and his many activities. It meant that the
+various workshops were empty, save for two or three watchmen, and that
+groups of workmen were necessarily hanging about the premises, idly
+watching the proceedings and waiting for the time when they could
+recommence work. The first meant opportunities that would not occur when
+the workshops were in full swing, and the second that the prowling of
+Max and his friends would be the less likely to attract notice.</p>
+
+<p>One of the first things that caught the attention of Max and Dale was
+the rapid accumulation of great stocks of coal outside the yard, owing
+to the enforced idleness of the power-house. The Durend mines were, of
+course, unaffected by the stoppage of the workshops, and coal was sent
+up to the surface with the same regularity as before. In fact, the rate
+of production was accelerated, as numbers of the workmen thrown out of
+employment by the closing of the workshops applied for work at the
+collieries. Thus the stores of coal grew and grew, from stacks of the
+moderate dimensions (for the Durend Company) of 2000 or 3000 tons, to
+great piles of 10,000 and finally 24,000 tons. Then came a rumour that,
+as soon as trucks were available, the accumulation was to be transported
+into Germany and, worse still, to Krupp's.</p>
+
+<p>This was enough to set Max and Dale discussing the matter with anxious
+care. To the former it was as intolerable that the Durend mines should
+produce coal for Krupp's as it was that the Durend workshops should cast
+shells for the German guns. And yet it was no easy matter to devise
+means of dealing with a great mass of coal. Obviously, it could not be
+carried off, and to blow it up was hardly practicable. However, after
+much discussion, it was decided that an attempt should be made to burn
+it. It certainly did not seem a very hopeful scheme, seeing the number
+of fire-engines that were close at hand in the city and the unlimited
+supply of water in the River Meuse. But to Max and Dale anything seemed
+better than to do nothing in such a matter, and they determined to make
+the attempt.</p>
+
+<p>For materials all they needed was a good supply of firewood, a gallon or
+two of benzine, and some fuses.</p>
+
+<p>The coal stacks were situated on a piece of waste land outside, but
+adjoining, the walled-in enclosure of the Durend works. They were
+accessible on all sides, but a watchman was always on guard to see that
+none of the coal was stolen. This man patrolled round and round the
+stacks, keeping a look-out for suspicious characters, especially, of
+course, any bearing sacks or baskets which might be used to contain
+coal.</p>
+
+<p>It was in the middle of the night that Max and Dale, accompanied by the
+faithful Dubec, appeared on the scene. The last was carrying a bulky
+sack filled with firewood, Max bore a two-gallon tin of benzine, and
+Dale a dummy sack which appeared to be full, but which, as a matter of
+fact, contained only a light framework of wood designed to fill it out.</p>
+
+<p>Dale's part of the performance began first. Waiting until the watchman
+had passed, he flitted across the road to the coal stack. Then he gave
+the stack a kick which sent a number of loose pieces of coal rattling to
+the ground. The watchman stopped instantly, and without more ado Dale
+turned and bolted down the road in full view.</p>
+
+<p>As was expected, the watchman immediately gave chase, and in a couple of
+minutes both men had disappeared from the scene.</p>
+
+<p>Max and Dubec now emerged, and lost no time in getting to work. They
+crossed the road to the end of the stack where, in the morning, work
+would be resumed. There they made four caches of wood close against the
+stack, covered them over with loose coal, and deluged the pile with
+benzine. From these caches fuses were laid upward to the top of the
+stack, and the whole covered over with more coal.</p>
+
+<p>Long before the watchman had crawled back, grumbling and exhausted from
+his long chase after a thief who carried a great bag of coal with an
+ease that seemed extraordinary, the two other conspirators had
+disappeared from the scene. An hour later they rejoined Dale and spent
+half an hour in laughing over his recital of the way in which he had led
+the man farther and farther afield by pretending to be always on the
+point of dropping from fatigue.</p>
+
+<p>The next day Dubec spent in watching the stacking of further supplies of
+coal. The caches of firewood, he reported, had not been noticed, and by
+the end of the day another 1200 tons of coal had been dumped against the
+stack, completely enclosing them. For one day more Max held his hand,
+while he worked at another scheme that was slowly maturing. Then,
+immediately after nightfall, he crept to the stack, and, watching his
+opportunity, clambered carefully to the top and lit the three fuses.</p>
+
+<p>The smell presently told him that the fires had caught, and he crept
+away, satisfied that on the morrow there would be something of a hubbub,
+even if no very considerable damage resulted.</p>
+
+<p>It was with the idea of watching developments that Max and Dale applied
+for work at the depots next day. They hoped to witness amusing and
+exhilarating scenes, and to get as near to the spot as possible they
+gladly offered to shovel coal. Their offer was accepted and they were
+soon at work transporting coal and shovelling it on to the stacks.</p>
+
+<p>They soon experienced a sense of disappointment. Instead of finding the
+stacks enveloped in smoke, and all work suspended for the day, as they
+expected, they discovered that work was going on as usual and nothing
+seemed amiss.</p>
+
+<p>"Seems to have been a frost, Max," grumbled Dale discontentedly. "All
+our trouble and brain-fag gone for nothing."</p>
+
+<p>"I thought so at first, Dale, but I'm not so sure now. See that light
+haze yonder? It may be the fires have caught all right but are burning
+out for lack of draught. Let's hope they've done a bit of damage
+anyhow!"</p>
+
+<p>"H'm!" grunted Dale in a tone of discouragement.</p>
+
+<p>"Besides," Max went on, "this is only a small affair. The next real
+attack will come in a day or two, and I hope there will be no failure
+there."</p>
+
+<p>"No," replied Dale, brightening up, "if that comes off we shall have
+done something worth doing. Schenk will be ready to tear his hair, and
+we shall have to look out for ourselves."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, so we will. We shall deserve a rest, and we will retire into
+obscurity for a season and recuperate. Another ramble in the Ardennes
+would suit us well."</p>
+
+<p>"Especially with a little shooting thrown in&mdash;Uhlans, I mean," replied
+Dale facetiously.</p>
+
+<p>"There will be plenty of scouting, if not shooting, if all the tales we
+hear of those gentlemen be true."</p>
+
+<p>"Aye&mdash;but see, Max, how that smoky haze is getting thicker! The pile
+must be alight all right after all."</p>
+
+<p>The light fleecy smoke which hovered over the great stack certainly
+seemed denser than it was, and a slight smell of burning was in the air.
+The other workmen had also noticed it, and hazarded conjectures as to
+whence it came, but none of them got very near the mark. All day the
+smoke increased, until, by the time the men ceased work, it lay like a
+thick fog all about the neighbourhood.</p>
+
+<p>Max and Dale returned to their lodging in high glee, and their joy was
+not diminished when they noticed that the wind was beginning to freshen
+up.</p>
+
+<p>"This ought to finish the business, Dale," remarked Max. "With a high
+wind all night, if the fire doesn't get into its stride it never will."</p>
+
+<p>Soon after daybreak the shrill notes of a bugle in several quarters of
+the town and the ringing of fire-bells told our heroes that something
+unusual was afoot. They guessed, or rather hoped, that it might be on
+their account, and dressed and sallied out as quickly as they could.
+Sure enough, an enormous pall of smoke, that a volcano in full eruption
+need not have disowned, lay in the air in the direction of the Durend
+coal-yards. Fire engines were hurrying to the scene from all parts of
+the town, and the hoped-for hubbub seemed to have arrived.</p>
+
+<p>"This is worth a little trouble," remarked Dale with intense relish as
+they drew near the burning stack and saw hundreds of soldiers and
+firemen hovering actively about the spot.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, but we may as well take a little more trouble and do the thing in
+style," responded Max coolly. "Let us follow these hoses to the river
+bank and see whether there is anything doing."</p>
+
+<p>They did so, and, finding that the hoses entered the water at a point
+where a patch or two of short scrubby bushes gave cover against chance
+watchers, they passed on and struck the bank again a hundred yards
+farther on. Then they disappeared from view, and, crawling along under
+cover of the bushes, they reached the hoses, and with a dozen rapid
+slashes of their clasp-knives effectually put them out of action.</p>
+
+<p>An extraordinary hubbub ensued. Soldiers and firemen rushed about in all
+directions, chasing away every unfortunate civilian who had had the
+temerity to approach the scene of the fire. In the confusion Max and
+Dale had no difficulty in escaping, and retired to the hills, there to
+gloat over the further efforts made to fight the fire, which seemed only
+to grow fiercer as hundreds of gallons of water were pumped upon it. It
+was two days before the fire was completely subdued, and the net result
+from a material point of view was that at least 10,000 tons of coal had
+been destroyed and the project of transporting coal to Krupp's
+effectually quashed. From the point of view of <i>moral</i>, the Germans were
+the laughing-stock of the town; they were deeply enraged and the
+townsfolk proportionately delighted.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII</h2>
+
+<h3>The Attack on the Munition-shops And Its Sequel</h3>
+
+
+<p>To Max Durend the successful raid on the coal-yards was only the prelude
+to the main performance. His mind was bent wholly towards one great
+object, and that was to prevent, by every means in his power, the
+exploitation of his father's great works by the enemies of his country.
+The coal-yard incident, as he termed it, was satisfactory so far as it
+went, but gave his mind no real relief such as had resulted from the
+recovery of part of the firm's monetary resources and the destruction of
+the power-house. The next affair, which, as has been hinted, was already
+well in hand, was more important and was an attempt to damage, if not
+destroy, some of the great machines installed for the production of
+rifles and machine-guns.</p>
+
+<p>The largest workshop in the yard was devoted to this and a few other of
+the more delicate kinds of work, and it seemed to Max that the greatest
+amount of injury might be inflicted upon the Germans by an attempt on
+this shop. The works were still at a standstill, though it was fairly
+evident that they would not be so for much longer. The attempt ought,
+therefore, to be made within the few following days.</p>
+
+<p>The plan was simplicity itself. It merely provided for Max and Dale to
+enter the workshop during the night and to work as much mischief among
+the machines as they could, consistently with the need for silence and
+the avoidance or silencing of the watchmen. For some days they had kept
+the place under close observation, and noted the hours and habits of the
+watchmen and the sentinels at either end of the building until they knew
+them as well as the men themselves.</p>
+
+<p>Dubec they would not bring with them. He was eager to come, but the work
+required alertness and lightness of hand and foot rather than strength,
+and for this he would have been of no use. Besides, the two lads, keen
+as they were on their self-imposed tasks, were not unmindful of the fact
+that he had a wife and children to mourn him should the venture come to
+grief.</p>
+
+<p>All, however, seemed to go well. Max and Dale succeeded in effecting an
+entrance into the ground floor of the workshop after they had seen the
+watchman, by the glint of his lamp, make his midnight round. The two
+soldiers&mdash;one at each end of the building&mdash;saw nothing and heard
+nothing, of that they were assured. Without delay, therefore, for in a
+little over an hour the watchman would be back from his rounds upon the
+upper floors, they proceeded to put out of action the more valuable and
+more complicated machines in the building. It was necessary, of course,
+that they should be almost silent; so their mode of procedure was to
+muffle up in an old blanket the most delicate and fragile parts of the
+machines before smashing them with a heavy hammer well swathed in
+flannel wrappings.</p>
+
+<p>The machines dealt with first were those farthest from the route that
+would be taken by the watchman on his next round. Consequently, when he
+came, he passed along swinging his lantern in utter ignorance that
+anything was amiss, or that two men lay in ambush close at hand, ready
+to spring upon him should he suspect anything wrong and pause to
+investigate. As soon as he had passed out of ear-shot the two
+recommenced their work with redoubled energy, and some two and a half
+hours were thus consumed in work that utterly spoiled a large proportion
+of the valuable machines which filled the great workshop.</p>
+
+<p>Skilful, vigilant, and almost silent as they had been, they were yet
+after all caught napping. How or by whom they never knew, until, some
+time after, Dubec told them of a tale that was going the round among the
+workmen to the effect that one of Schenk's hired ferrets had all the
+time been hidden on the upper floor. Strange to say, he had been there
+not so much to deal with disaffected workmen&mdash;the sentinels were
+expected to do that&mdash;as to spy upon the watchmen themselves. The story
+seemed to fit in well with what Max knew of Schenk's character, and he
+accepted it as in all probability true. At any rate, neither Max nor
+Dale dreamed that aught was amiss until the latter heard the sound of
+marching outside, and that upon an unusual scale. He slid quickly to the
+nearest window and peeped out.</p>
+
+<p>"We're done, Max!" he cried soberly. "Scores of soldiers, and they look
+to be forming a cordon right round the building."</p>
+
+<p>"Are you sure?" Max cried incredulously, hurrying to a window on the
+opposite side of the block. One glance was enough to show that a strong
+cordon of soldiers was being drawn&mdash;nay, to all appearances was already
+drawn&mdash;all round the workshop. The soldiers faced inwards, and stood
+with bayonets fixed, as though prepared for an attempt at escape from
+some body of men caught within their armed circle.</p>
+
+<p>"We've been seen, Jack, old man!" cried Max, coming back to the side of
+his friend. "It's all up, I fear. They've made up their minds they've
+got us, and do not intend to let us slip. I'm so sorry, old man, you
+should have been mixed up in this. It's really not your quarrel, but
+mine."</p>
+
+<p>There was a new note in Max's voice, one his friend had never heard
+before, and it was with something suspiciously like a break in his own
+that Dale replied as he seized and wrung his hand: "Don't say another
+word, Max. It's my affair too, and I won't have you blame yourself on my
+account. We've simply fought for our country, and have now got to die
+for it&mdash;that's all."</p>
+
+<p>For a moment or two the friends stood silent, grasping one another's
+hands. That moment they were indeed friends, and each would cheerfully
+have given up his own life to save the other. Then the ruling thought
+which still swayed Max's mind asserted itself once more.</p>
+
+<p>"It seems so, Dale. Well, then, let us die to some good purpose. Here we
+have under our hands the most valuable of the workshops filched from us.
+It is only partly out of action. Let us complete the good work, and we
+shall at least have deserved well of our country."</p>
+
+<p>"Aye; but how so?"</p>
+
+<p>"Let us burn it down."</p>
+
+<p>"With us in it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, if need be. But if we will we can always sally out and exchange
+that fate for the bayonet's point."</p>
+
+<p>Dale gazed at his friend in undisguised admiration. "You are a terror,
+Max," he said slowly. "These old works are your very life-blood, and I
+believe you would go through fire and water to keep the Germans out of
+'em."</p>
+
+<p>"So I would," replied Max with conviction, as he coolly reached down a
+great can of lubricating-oil and poured it over the floor and upon a
+pile of wooden cases close by. "Well, if you are game&mdash;and I know you
+are&mdash;let us scatter all the oil and stuff we can find about the place
+and set fire to it. They'll never get it out."</p>
+
+<p>"Right you are, Stroke. It's the final, and we must make a win of it.
+What would Hawkesley's think if they could see us&mdash;or Benson's?"</p>
+
+<p>"Dale," cried Max, with sudden and deeper earnestness, "d'ye know, I
+believe this is what we were really training for during all those
+gruelling races. It was not for nothing we slogged away there day after
+day, learning to conquer disappointment and defeat. No; it was to know
+how to serve our country here."</p>
+
+<p>"I believe you&mdash;and we will."</p>
+
+<p>"Hark! I think I can hear soldiers on the floor below. Look out! I am
+going to set a light to this pile of cases. Get ready to run. I fancy it
+will spread like wildfire."</p>
+
+<p>A match was applied, and flames leapt up and spread with a rapidity that
+would have terrified anyone less absorbed or less determined than our
+two heroes. The flames flew along the floor and benches, and Max and
+Dale retreated down the room, overturning all the cans of oil and grease
+they could find, and making it an easy matter for the fire to catch and
+hold. The smoke, driven along in front of the flames, quickly became so
+intolerable that they had to fly for relief to the staircase at the
+farther end of the building.</p>
+
+<p>Outside the workshop the burst of flame was the signal for a loud yell
+of execration, mingled with cries of warning to the soldiers who had
+entered the building in search of the hostile workmen reported there.
+The soldiers trooped noisily out and joined the cordon still drawn about
+the burning building. Messengers were dispatched to the fire-stations,
+and in a few minutes a couple of engines arrived and set to work to
+fight the flames. But though they were expeditious in arriving, the
+firemen were not equally expeditious in getting their hoses effectually
+trained upon the building. For one thing, the river had been largely
+relied upon to furnish a water-supply, and no hydrants were close at
+hand. Consequently the hoses had to be carried a great distance, and as
+the yards were still in darkness, save for the lurid light shed by the
+burning building, the hoses were badly exposed to the attentions of any
+hostile workman who happened to be near the scene.</p>
+
+<p>Dubec "happened" to be there, with two or three other men animated by
+out-and-out hostility to the Germans, and waged fierce war upon the
+hoses at every point at which they lay in shadow. By the time the
+officer commanding the troops had awakened to the situation, the hoses
+had been completely ruined, and the fighting of the flames delayed until
+fresh ones could be brought to the spot.</p>
+
+<p>In the meantime Max and Dale had ceased their efforts to extend the
+fire, and had retreated to one of the stone staircases situated at each
+end of the building. There was, in fact, little more to be done, for the
+fire had got firm hold, and it seemed certain that the whole building
+was doomed. The end by the staircase was almost free from smoke, and Max
+and Dale lingered there while awaiting the moment when they should be
+compelled to choose between death by burning or by the bayonets of the
+German soldiers. They fell somewhat quiet during those moments, and when
+they talked it was of the good old glorious times they had spent
+together. Presently Max's ear caught the sound of someone ascending the
+stairs.</p>
+
+<p>"Someone&mdash;a fireman, I suppose&mdash;is coming up the stairs, Dale."</p>
+
+<p>"What shall we do with him? Give him his quietus? I still have my
+hammer."</p>
+
+<p>"No&mdash;get in the corner here and watch what he's after. It won't help us
+to hurt him."</p>
+
+<p>The man moved on up the stairs until he passed by the spot where Max and
+Dale were in ambush. He was a fireman, and his object seemed to be to
+find out at close quarters the extent and power of the fire. As the man
+passed him, Max had a sudden idea.</p>
+
+<p>"We must attack him after all, Dale," he whispered. "Come&mdash;help me so
+that no alarm is raised. I will tell you why in a moment."</p>
+
+<p>Sheltered by the fitful light and occasional gusts of rolling smoke, it
+was an easy matter to creep upon the fireman unawares and to bring him
+to the ground stunned and helpless. That accomplished, Max immediately
+proceeded to remove the man's tunic and helmet. Dale then understood&mdash;it
+was to be the ruse of the sham sentry outside the power-house over
+again.</p>
+
+<p>"Now put them on, Dale," cried Max rapidly. "You can then go boldly down
+and out to the cordon of soldiers. They will let you through without
+question."</p>
+
+<p>"Not I," replied Dale sturdily. "I'm not going to leave you like that.
+What will become of you, I should like to know?"</p>
+
+<p>"I shall be all right. When the next fireman comes along I shall do the
+same. Now, go ahead, and don't delay."</p>
+
+<p>"No," replied Dale decidedly. "I'll not do it, Max. We will wait for the
+next fireman together if <i>you</i> will not don the suit."</p>
+
+<p>"Dale&mdash;you will do as you are told!" cried Max, roused to sudden anger
+by his friend's unexpected obstinacy. "I am Stroke of this crew&mdash;not
+you."</p>
+
+<p>"I know you are, but you are asking too much when you want me to leave
+the boat. Besides, I should never get through. I can't muster up nearly
+enough German. You put them on, old man&mdash;it's no use staying here when
+you might escape."</p>
+
+<p>"You shall suffer for this, Dale, upon my word you shall," cried Max
+angrily, as he savagely thrust himself into the tunic, buckled on the
+belt and axe, and donned the great helmet. "But if you think I am going
+without you you are badly mistaken. Come downstairs, near the entrance,
+and I will tell you what I propose."</p>
+
+<p>The two lads descended the stairs, bearing the unconscious fireman
+between them&mdash;for they could not bring themselves to leave him there to
+burn&mdash;until they reached the entrance to the building. There they
+deposited him just inside the door, in such a position that the first
+man entering would be sure to stumble over him.</p>
+
+<p>Outside several engines were now in full swing pumping water into the
+first floor, which was burning furiously from end to end. The fire had
+spread to the upper floors, and the ground floor had begun to catch in
+several places. The whole workshop, indeed, seemed doomed to complete
+destruction, for the fire had obtained such firm hold that the engines
+seemed to make little impression upon it. From the shouts of the Germans
+it was clear that they were greatly enraged, and it was perfectly
+certain that the shrift of the authors of the fire, if they were caught,
+would be an exceedingly short one.</p>
+
+<p>"Halt here for a moment, Dale, while I tell you what I propose. It is a
+desperate venture, but if you are still going to be obstinate it is all
+I can think of, and we might just as well try it as throw our lives
+away."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm absolutely obdurate, Max. I'm not going to be saved at your
+expense, so go ahead with your venture."</p>
+
+<p>"Well&mdash;it's this. I am going to sally out, wearing the fireman's uniform
+and carrying you in my arms. You are to feign unconsciousness. The idea
+is that you have been badly hurt, and I am carrying you out of reach of
+the fire. I have some hope that in my fireman's garb and with my
+blackened face they will let me pass."</p>
+
+<p>"All right&mdash;it sounds good enough, Max. At any rate, we shall keep
+together&mdash;whether we sink or swim."</p>
+
+<p>"Come along, then," replied Max briskly, stooping down and lifting Dale
+in his arms. "Let your head fall back and look as lifeless as you can.
+It's now or never&mdash;absolutely."</p>
+
+<p>The cordon of soldiers with fixed bayonets, outside, suddenly saw the
+fireman&mdash;apparently the man who had entered the building a few minutes
+before&mdash;reappear, bearing in his arms the limp figure of a man rescued
+from the flames. The fireman strode straight out towards them, and as he
+reached them the men opened to right and left and let him pass through.
+A non-commissioned officer followed him.</p>
+
+<p>"What have you there, fireman?" he asked, as he endeavoured to catch a
+glimpse of the blackened face that hung so limply down. "Is the man
+dead?"</p>
+
+<p>"No&mdash;he still lives," replied Max, moving on without checking his pace.
+Other people were coming up, and his one thought was to get beyond the
+circle of light cast by the great fire before taking action.</p>
+
+<p>"Set the man down here while I give him a drain from my flask. You must
+not take him away until my officer has seen him."</p>
+
+<p>"One moment&mdash;here is a bank against which I can lean him," replied Max,
+still moving steadily away. He could see the non-commissioned officer
+was getting impatient, if not suspicious, and whispered to Dale: "I am
+going to set you down. Directly your feet touch ground, bolt for the
+river. I will follow and be there as soon as you; but don't wait for me.
+<i>Now!</i>"</p>
+
+<p>As he spoke, Max slowly lowered Dale to the ground. The soldier was
+close by, but none else was within some yards. They were beyond the
+circle of bright light cast by the fire, and a few yards would take them
+into darkness, which was pitchy to anyone coming from the vicinity of
+the fire. The chance of escape was good, and Max, the time for resolute
+action at hand, felt his heart bound with fresh hope and energy.</p>
+
+<p>The moment Dale's feet were on the ground Max gave him a push in the
+direction of the river and off he flew. Almost simultaneously Max seized
+his helmet and dashed it in the face of the soldier, who had raised a
+shout of alarm and was on the point of chasing Dale. The sudden blow
+disconcerted the man, and he hung in the wind for a moment. The supposed
+injured man might be an enemy, but it was certain this aggressive
+fireman was one, and, as Max darted off, the soldier turned, lifted his
+rifle, and aimed a shot at him.</p>
+
+<p>Max had little fear of the man's rifle. It was too dark, and he was
+moving too rapidly and erratically, for anyone to take good aim. The
+bullet passed wide of the mark, and the soldier, realizing his mistake
+in not pursuing at once, instead of wasting precious moments in firing,
+put his rifle at the trail and rushed madly after, shouting to his
+comrades and all who might be within hearing that a spy was on the point
+of escaping.</p>
+
+<p>Max knew the ground and the soldier did not, so Max had no difficulty in
+increasing his lead. He could see Dale a dozen yards ahead, and by the
+time he reached the bank had caught him up.</p>
+
+<p>"In at once, and dive down-stream, Dale!" he cried, and without a
+moment's pause they both tumbled in, anyhow, and struck out with all
+their strength down-stream.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII</h2>
+
+<h3>The German Counter-stroke</h3>
+
+
+<p>The fury of the German military governor and his staff at the
+destruction of the largest workshop in the Durend concern could hardly
+have been greater had the town under their charge successfully revolted.
+For the fifth time at least the Durend works&mdash;which the Germans had
+looked upon as peculiarly their own&mdash;had been the scene of successful
+blows against their authority. These exploits were too extensive and too
+public to be hidden, and the Walloon workmen of Li&eacute;ge&mdash;never a docile
+race&mdash;had been progressively encouraged to commit similar acts
+elsewhere, or to resist passively the pressure of their German
+taskmasters.</p>
+
+<p>In the view of the German governor it was imperative that a blow, and a
+stunning one, should be struck at this tendency among the Li&eacute;ge workmen.
+Had the authors of this latest outrage been captured, an example would
+have been easy. Unfortunately, they had again escaped, and in a manner
+so impudent and daring that the exasperation of the Germans was greatly
+intensified. Rewards had been offered before and had proved fruitless.
+On this occasion the governor resolved to sweep aside what he termed
+trifles, and to use firmly and pitilessly a weapon of terror already in
+his hands.</p>
+
+<p>The Durend yards had been entirely closed the moment intelligence had
+reached M. Schenk that suspicious persons had broken into one of the
+idle workshops. After the fire all workmen found within the yard had
+been closely examined, and those definitely known to have Belgian
+sympathies placed under arrest. These men numbered thirty-nine, and it
+was by using them as hostages that the German governor intended to
+strike terror into the hearts of the Walloons. They were hurried before
+a military court, briefly examined, and found guilty of conspiring
+against the German military occupation. Sentence of death followed as a
+matter of course.</p>
+
+<p>Max and Dale had reached their lodging without any particular
+difficulty, after again taking refuge in the waters of the Meuse. They
+were tired out with their all-night exploit, and, removing their wet
+garments, tumbled heavily into bed. It was thus late in the afternoon
+before they heard from the landlord of their house the news that the
+German governor intended to execute all the Belgian workmen caught
+within the precincts of the Durend yards. Even then they could hardly
+bring themselves to believe it.</p>
+
+<p>"It's too rascally even for the Germans, Max," declared Dale at last.
+"It's probably only a threat to force one of them to give away his
+fellows."</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe, Dale, but I know enough of the Germans to believe that if they
+don't succeed they will not hesitate to carry out the sentence."</p>
+
+<p>"The cold-blooded murderers!" cried Dale hotly.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," replied Max in a strained voice, as he began to pace slowly up
+and down the length of their room. "Yes, they are; but shall not we have
+really had a hand in their deaths?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not one jot," cried Dale emphatically. "No particle of blame can be
+laid at our door if they are foully done to death."</p>
+
+<p>"Had we not so harassed the Germans, these men would not be under
+sentence of death," Max went on, half to himself. "It seems hard that
+they must die for our success."</p>
+
+<p>"Bah! They die for Belgium and to proclaim to the world that the Germans
+must be crushed," cried Dale contemptuously. "No, Max, we have nothing
+to reproach ourselves with in this business."</p>
+
+<p>"No, but still&mdash;&mdash;" Then, rousing himself with an effort, Max went on:
+"But we need not worry ourselves yet. Will you go into the streets and
+find out anything else you can? I am going to find Dubec, and we will
+then see if aught can be done."</p>
+
+<p>The two parted, and in a few minutes Max was at the door of Dubec's
+house. Here a rude shock awaited him, for Madame Dubec, white-faced but
+tearless, told him, with a quietude and directness that somehow seemed
+to make the news more terrible still, that her husband was one of those
+lying under sentence of death.</p>
+
+<p>The shock was a great one, although, in his heart, Max had half expected
+it. He knew Dubec had been in the yard, and what more likely than that
+he had been detained? Too upset to do more than mumble a few words of
+sorrow, Max turned on his heel and hurried from the house.</p>
+
+<p>Taking the road to the open hills, Max strode on and on, his mind filled
+with serious and oftentimes conflicting thoughts. He had no doubts as to
+the fate of the thirty-nine men if the Germans were unable to lay their
+hands upon the real authors of the destruction of the workshop. They
+would surely die, and with them Dubec, towards whom Max felt specially
+drawn by his constant loyal aid and the memory of the day when he had
+answered his mute appeal for succour.</p>
+
+<p>And to Max the responsibility seemed his. These men had no part nor lot
+in it. Why should they die? It did not help matters much to blame the
+Germans&mdash;the worst might always be expected of them&mdash;for that would not
+give back to Madame Dubec the husband for whom it seemed to Max she had
+unconsciously appealed.</p>
+
+<p>Supposing he gave himself up in order that they might go free? Ah, what
+a triumph for Schenk! How he would rejoice! True, he did not know that
+Max was at the bottom of all the shrewd blows dealt him of late, but he
+probably had more than a suspicion of it. At any rate he was known to
+have traced much of the money and valuables, recovered from his room, to
+the bank at Maastricht which Madame Durend patronized. Knowing, then,
+the authorship of that most daring exploit, it would have been strange
+if he had not looked to the same quarter for an explanation of the
+similar blows dealt him so soon after.</p>
+
+<p>Yes, it would be a great triumph for Schenk, and the end of that
+resolute opposition to the use of the Durend workshops for the benefit
+of the German army that had taken such a grip upon our hero's mind. That
+task he had made peculiarly his own. All the fixity of purpose he
+possessed, and it was not a little, was concentrated upon keeping his
+father's&mdash;his&mdash;works from aiding the projects of a brutal and
+unscrupulous enemy.</p>
+
+<p>To give it all up would not only be a victory for Schenk but a bitter
+pill to himself&mdash;the uprooting of something that had taken deep root in
+the inmost recesses of his mind.</p>
+
+<p>The struggle was a long one, but it came to an end at last, and Max
+returned to the town, scribbled a short note to Dale, which he left at
+their lodging, and then walked directly to the governor's house.</p>
+
+<p>At the door the sentry's bayonet barred his entry, but the officer of
+the guard, on being informed that a man had applied to see the governor
+on urgent business, came out and spoke to him. A few words were
+sufficient, and Max was brought inside under a guard of two men while
+the officer sought the governor with the welcome news that the man who
+had destroyed the Durend workshops had given himself up. The governor
+directed that he should be searched to ensure that he was not in
+possession of firearms and then admitted to his presence.</p>
+
+<p>The German governor of Li&eacute;ge was quite a typical Prussian officer,
+stiffly erect, with bullet-head covered with short bristling grey hair,
+well-twisted moustache, and fierce aggressive manner. He was the man who
+had called upon Schenk on the never-to-be-forgotten occasion when Max
+and Dale had been his uninvited guests underneath his office desk. To
+say the least of it, he was not a man who was afraid of being too
+severe.</p>
+
+<p>"You are then this rascal who has burned the Durend machine-gun shop?"
+he cried in a rasping voice as soon as Max had been led before him.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," replied Max, "but I am no rascal. The shop is mine, and I have
+burned it."</p>
+
+<p>"Yours, impudent?" cried the governor angrily, raising a cane which lay
+upon his desk as though about to slash his prisoner about the face.
+"Yours? And who are you?"</p>
+
+<p>"I am Max Durend, the son of the owner of the workshops, and I would
+sooner see the place burned from end to end than of use to the Germans."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, that is good!" replied the governor in a voice of satisfaction,
+dropping his hand and turning towards the officer who had ushered Max
+into the room. "It will have a salutary effect if we execute the son of
+Herr Durend. It will aid our cause tremendously."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, General."</p>
+
+<p>"I have given myself up that the innocent men you have seized upon may
+be released," Max interposed. "They know nothing of it. I am solely
+responsible."</p>
+
+<p>"Ja, so. I have now no quarrel with them," replied the governor
+indifferently. "They are pawns. Now I have the real miscreant I need
+them not."</p>
+
+<p>"I am no miscreant. They are miscreants who would slaughter thirty-nine
+innocent men because the right one had slipped through their fingers."</p>
+
+<p>The governor glared at Max with eyes that goggled with rage. He was
+clearly unaccustomed to such plain speaking. "I remember that Herr von
+Schenkendorf once told me that Monsieur Durend had married an
+Englishwoman. You are half a mad English dog, and your manners proclaim
+it."</p>
+
+<p>"It is true," replied Max steadily.</p>
+
+<p>"Ja, you and your countrymen are half barbarian. You know naught of
+Kultur."</p>
+
+<p>"Thank God!" cried Max with an emphasis that caused the governor to
+spring to his feet, seize the cane anew, and slash the prisoner heavily
+across the cheek. Max flinched&mdash;he could not help it&mdash;but he moved
+neither hand nor foot.</p>
+
+<p>This outburst seemed to calm the Prussian, for he dropped back into his
+chair and in a judicial manner, though with a very vindictive and
+unjudicial scowl upon his face, he passed judgment.</p>
+
+<p>"The prisoner has pleaded guilty. You will take him to-morrow morning to
+Monsieur Durend's works, and at midday you will shoot him there."</p>
+
+<p>"In public, sir?" enquired the officer.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, as an example to all his late workmen. A placard announcing the
+impending execution will be posted outside."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir."</p>
+
+<p>Max was led away. Indignation at the brutality of the Prussian was
+strong within him, and he held his head erect, and answered look for
+look the hostile glances of those about him. The hot blood still coursed
+through his veins, and the sacrifice he had made did not loom over large
+in his imagination.</p>
+
+<p>It was not until he had been conducted to a gloomy, ill-lit room in the
+basement of the building, and there left in solitude to think and think
+upon his impending fate, that things grew different, and his fortitude
+partially left him. The end seemed so merciless and hard, and, leaning
+heavily against the wall, he fell a prey to unhappy reflections. At
+times he went farther than this, and shed a few furtive tears at this
+end to all his hopes and secret boyish ambitions.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Shortly after Max had been led away to his cell, the thirty-nine workmen
+were released. No reason was vouchsafed for this sudden change of front,
+but the curt notice already affixed to the gates of the governor's
+palace soon supplied it. Max Durend had been taken, and found guilty of
+the deed for which they had been seized, and he was to pay the penalty.</p>
+
+<p>M. Dubec was one of the men released, and at the news he hurried home.
+Naturally his wife was overjoyed at seeing him, but he was too
+preoccupied by doubt and concern at the fate of his master's son to stay
+with her more than a few minutes. From his home he hurried to the
+lodging of Max and Dale, and at the door met the latter coming slowly
+out. One glance at his face was enough to tell even M. Dubec that he
+knew of his friend's terrible position.</p>
+
+<p>"You have seen the notice, sir?" he asked.</p>
+
+<p>"No, I have seen no notice," replied Dale heavily. "I do not want to
+know of any notice, thank you, Dubec."</p>
+
+<p>"But you know of Monsieur Max&mdash;&mdash;?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you must have heard from him or seen him taken. I first knew by
+the notice on the gates of the palace."</p>
+
+<p>Dale threw off a little of his lethargy. "What was this notice?" he
+said.</p>
+
+<p>"That he is to be shot at noon to-morrow in the Durend yard."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah! And I shall join him there!" cried Dale in so wild a voice that
+Dubec looked at him in wonderment. Then Dale told him what had happened.
+That Max had not been captured by the Germans, but had voluntarily
+surrendered himself to save the imprisoned workmen. The note which Max
+had left, and which had told him all, was read aloud to the wondering
+man, who, somewhat slow-witted as he was, managed to grasp the one
+awe-inspiring fact that his master's son had offered up his own life to
+save his and his comrades' lives.</p>
+
+<p>The note which Dale read to him was as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"<span class="smcap">Dear Jack</span>,</p>
+
+<p>"I can't stand it. I cannot bear that those thirty-nine men should
+die for my affairs. I know that their blood would not lie at my
+door, but at the door of their unscrupulous judges; yet I cannot
+feel that this removes from me all responsibility. No; and I must
+yield myself up in their place. Do not grieve for me, old man.
+Return to England, and, if you will, take a more direct part in the
+war. Leave the Durend affairs alone; they must, for the war, die
+with me.</p>
+
+<p>"Good-bye, old man, good-bye! Remember me to all at Hawkesley. Tell
+them I lost upon a foul, and not in fair fighting.</p>
+
+<p>"Ever your old comrade,</p>
+
+<p>"<span class="smcap">Max</span>."</p></div>
+
+<p>Dale's voice shook as he read the letter. He was obviously much upset,
+and, seeing it, Dubec, in his uncouth but good-hearted way, persuaded
+him to return with him to his home for a little while. There Madame
+Dubec was called to their aid, and as soon as Dale had recovered himself
+a little the situation was anxiously discussed. In his desperation Dale
+was for interrupting the execution and compelling the Germans to execute
+him by the side of his friend. Such an idea as that was quite foreign to
+Madame and Monsieur Dubec, and they refused to entertain it. As the
+former said, if Monsieur Dale was determined to die, it would be better
+to do so in trying to liberate his friend rather than in attempting to
+share his fate.</p>
+
+<p>The reasonableness of this struck even Dale, distraught as he was, and
+the three settled down to discuss the possibility of rescue, of
+reprieve, or whatever seemed likely to put off the evil hour, if only
+for a day.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV</h2>
+
+<h3>Schenk at Work Again</h3>
+
+
+<p>Max did not long allow himself to give way to weak and bitter
+reflections. As soon as he properly realized how much he had fallen
+below himself, he exerted himself to throw off all weakening thoughts
+and to take a better and higher view of his unfortunate position. He was
+about to die for his friends and for his country. Well, had he not
+oftentimes thought that it would be a grand and good thing so to do? Was
+he now going to go back on those cherished ideals, and regret the heavy
+blows he had inflicted upon a brutal enemy and the succour he had given
+to his friends?</p>
+
+<p>Indignant with himself, Max braced himself to a more wholesome frame of
+mind, and tried to prepare himself for the last scene of the drama of
+the Durend workshops&mdash;a drama in which he had been one of the principal
+actors since the war began. He would, he told himself, do his best to
+finish worthily the last and greatest task destiny had set him.</p>
+
+<p>His self-uplifting efforts had met with a considerable measure of
+success, and he had almost completely regained his usual quiet, steady
+frame of mind, when his thoughts were interrupted by the sudden
+challenge of the sentry outside. The challenge was apparently answered
+satisfactorily, for the door was almost immediately unbolted, and a man
+entered. It was with very mixed feelings that Max recognized the
+manager, M. Schenk.</p>
+
+<p>"You do not seem pleased to see me, Monsieur Max," observed the manager,
+smiling in an ingratiating manner that to Max was more objectionable at
+that moment than open triumph.</p>
+
+<p>"Have I reason to?" queried Max shortly.</p>
+
+<p>"I think so. But that depends as much upon you as upon me. You are aware
+that you die to-morrow?"</p>
+
+<p>The almost casual manner in which the manager spoke struck Max as being
+doubly horrible. He seemed to think nothing at all of the execution of a
+fellow-creature, and one who had been closely associated with him for a
+good many years.</p>
+
+<p>"I am aware of it," replied Max as quietly as he could.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, it seems a pity. Such a young fellow, and one so energetic and
+keen in his business, and with a brilliant future before him," said the
+manager in a smooth, velvety voice that Max had known him use to
+influential business men when he was specially anxious to gain his
+point. "I have, in fact, Monsieur Max, been talking your unfortunate
+case over with the governor. I have told him that, serious as this
+offence of yours undoubtedly is, you are really the tool of others. He
+is, of course, much incensed against you for the destruction of so
+important a workshop, but is ready to be merciful&mdash;upon conditions."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah! and what conditions?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not hard ones," replied M. Schenk, obviously pleased by the eagerness
+with which Max spoke. "You stole some plans of mine a month or so
+ago&mdash;&mdash;? Yes? I thought it must be you, and I am ready to go to some
+lengths to get them back."</p>
+
+<p>"They have left my hands, Monsieur Schenk."</p>
+
+<p>"Where are they?"</p>
+
+<p>"In the hands of the English Government."</p>
+
+<p>"You rascal!" shouted M. Schenk furiously, his smooth, easy manner
+utterly giving way. "You&mdash;you&mdash;but, after all, I thought as much; and
+they were really of no great value," he ended lamely, recovering himself
+with an obvious effort.</p>
+
+<p>"I thought they were," replied Max coldly.</p>
+
+<p>"No; but what I want to know is about the other papers. Did you hand
+over <i>all</i> you took to the English Government?"</p>
+
+<p>Max thought a moment. Should he give Schenk the information he so
+evidently desired? So far as he knew, the papers had no particular
+value, though he had not really examined them with any care; but they
+might have. Still, they were safe enough, he thought, for he had seen
+them handed over into the possession of the bank.</p>
+
+<p>"No&mdash;only the plans. The others seemed only business papers, and I had
+them put away in safety against the time when the Durend works should
+again be mine."</p>
+
+<p>"It hardly looks as though they ever will be, does it, Monsieur Max? But
+I am going to make you an offer. Among those papers are letters that
+passed between the Imperial Government and myself in the days before the
+war. They are valueless, really, but I do not wish them to get into
+enemy hands, as they will damage me in the eyes of my Imperial master.
+You see, I am frank with you. Get me, then, all those papers and you
+shall go free&mdash;free, that is, on condition you join with me in running
+the Durend works to its fullest capacity during the war. I will not ask
+you to work on war material&mdash;you shall manage the shops manufacturing
+railway material and farming machinery. I need you and your influence
+with these obstinate Belgian workmen, and am ready to pay a heavy price
+to get you."</p>
+
+<p>"A heavy price?" muttered Max. His head was beginning to whirl, and he
+caught confusedly at the last words.</p>
+
+<p>"Ja. Think you it has cost me nothing to beg your life from the
+governor? He is madly enraged with you, I can tell you. These, then, are
+the terms: those papers and your active assistance, or your life."</p>
+
+<p>Max sat slowly down in the chair and put his face between his hands.
+Life was sweet, and he could not disguise from himself that he was ready
+to do the utmost he honourably could to save his life. But here, it
+seemed clear, dishonour was too surely involved. To give up the papers,
+if they were really private, might not be so hard, but to join Schenk in
+running the works, even on non-war material, was a thing he shrank from
+instinctively. Would the workmen understand the distinction? Would they
+not conclude he had turned traitor, and some revile him, and
+others&mdash;worse still&mdash;follow his dubious example?</p>
+
+<p>Max was not very long in doubt. After all, he reasoned finally, anything
+proposed by Schenk must needs be bad, however plausible his tale. The
+only really safe line to take with a man of that kind was to have naught
+to do with him in anything.</p>
+
+<p>"No, Monsieur Schenk, I cannot accept your offer," said Max in a steady
+voice, getting up rather suddenly from his chair and facing the manager
+resolutely.</p>
+
+<p>"What? You&mdash;&mdash;But why not, Monsieur Max?" he cried eagerly. "It is all
+nothing. But there, if you do not like to join with me in running the
+works I will not press that point. Get me the papers. Write for them to
+your mother, and as soon as they come you are free."</p>
+
+<p>"No," replied Max at once. "No, Monsieur Schenk, I am going to have
+nothing to do with all this. I have fought and worked hard for Belgium
+since the outbreak of war, and I am not going to do aught to betray her
+now."</p>
+
+<p>"Then die to-morrow&mdash;I shall at least have done with you!" cried M.
+Schenk, with a bitter hate that told Max how much his blows had shaken
+him. "Your temerity in stealing my papers and in burning the machine-gun
+shop will be amply avenged."</p>
+
+<p>"Have you then forgotten the power-house and the coal-yard?" asked Max
+with a secret satisfaction that made him forget, for the moment, even
+his approaching fate.</p>
+
+<p>"Those too&mdash;were those your handiwork?" gasped the manager. "You
+villain&mdash;you nearly destroyed my power and reputation with them. 'Tis
+well you die. My only risk of further disaster will perish with you."</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe. But I have the consolation of knowing that your treachery is
+known to many, and that when the war is over, and the Germans are driven
+out of Belgium, you will go with them."</p>
+
+<p>"Bah! Belgium is German territory for all time. I tell you, Max Durend,
+that, were it not so, I would see to it that before our armies left not
+one stone of the Durend factories remained upon another. Take this with
+you to the grave: in memory of what you have done, the trouble and worry
+you have caused me, these works shall never more pass to your family. If
+Germany win, they will remain mine. If the impossible happen, and we
+lose, then I will blow the whole up to the sky and leave to your family
+naught but the smoking ruins."</p>
+
+<p>The vindictive earnestness with which the manager spoke left no doubt
+upon Max's mind that he meant every word he said. The Durend works,
+then, were as good as lost to his mother and sister, and it was with
+additional thankfulness that he recollected that the large sum of money
+and valuables he had managed to rescue from Schenk's clutches would be
+ample, and more than ample, for their needs.</p>
+
+<p>"You will not be able to remove the memory of duty done for our
+country," replied Max quietly. "And it may be that if Germany lose&mdash;as
+all in Belgium believe she will do&mdash;she may have to build up all that
+she has destroyed. It may be that there are great factories across the
+border in which <i>you</i> have an interest, and it may chance that they will
+be called upon to replace the machines and buildings you destroy here."</p>
+
+<p>Too enraged to speak, the manager made a gesture expressive of his
+complete rejection of such an idea, and turned abruptly away. Max also
+turned his back, and, in a silence expressive of bitter hate on the one
+hand and chilling contempt on the other, the two parted.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The discussion of the possibilities of rescuing Max by Dale, Dubec, and
+the latter's wife, soon took a certain shape. There was no chance of
+rescuing him while imprisoned in the governor's palace; that was clear
+at once, as they knew nothing of the whereabouts of his cell, and there
+was too little time to find out. There remained the opportunities
+presented while he was being conveyed from the palace to the gates of
+the Durend works, and during the execution within the yard. The latter
+seemed hopeless. The yards were bounded by high walls, or by the river,
+which was by this time well guarded, and the whole place was full of
+workmen, the majority of whom were well disposed towards German rule.</p>
+
+<p>It was during the march from the governor's palace to the gates that the
+only hope seemed to offer, and upon this they concentrated their
+attention. The whole thing looked desperate in the extreme, but Dale was
+in such a state that either he must do something desperate or recklessly
+place himself by his friend's side. Eventually, mainly through the
+quick-wittedness of Madame Dubec, a plan that seemed to offer a chance
+presently began to take shape. This plan was to create so strong a
+diversion at some point of the route that Max might be enabled to make a
+dart away to safety, and to aid his further progress once the first part
+of the plan had been achieved. A diversion&mdash;strong, sudden, and
+terrifying&mdash;was what was needed, and to furnish this their united brains
+planned and planned until there emerged an idea that satisfied them all.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV</h2>
+
+<h3>The Dash</h3>
+
+
+<p>A curt command, and Max sprang to his feet. The last lap in the final of
+his life's race had been begun, and it was now for him to score a
+glorious win. For a win it was, even with his life sacrificed at the end
+of the race. Max well understood this, and it was with a proud, though
+steady, thoughtful air that he followed the non-commissioned officer who
+summoned him from his cell.</p>
+
+<p>Through a fine marble hall, that had so short a time before echoed with
+the footsteps of Belgians, and was now thronged with Prussian officers
+and their servants, Max was led. Out at the wide portico and into the
+open square, full in view of a large crowd assembled to do silent honour
+to a patriot; but only for a moment, for a sharp word of command rang
+out and a score of men closed round him, and with short military steps
+marched him rapidly through the crowd.</p>
+
+<p>Max was dressed exactly as he was when he gave himself up. He had had no
+opportunity to wash or to make himself presentable for that last hour;
+unkempt, bareheaded, but erect and outwardly serene, he strode along,
+conscious that he was not only an example from the German point of view,
+but an example, and a greater one, to the Belgians. He tried to tell
+himself that the unscrupulousness of the Germans should not have the
+effect they desired, that his execution should be a rallying-point for
+all true hearts in Li&eacute;ge and a turning-point so far as their little
+locality was concerned.</p>
+
+<p>But though Max was outwardly calm and serene, inwardly he was deeply
+anguished. It was not a small thing to him to lay down, so to speak, his
+tools and to leave to others the continuance of the good work. His
+mother and sister, too&mdash;he could not think of them without many and
+bitter pangs. However, he strove hard to hold at bay such thoughts and
+to go down strongly to the parting of the ways.</p>
+
+<p>With monotonous tramp his escort marched unmoved along. Max marched in
+the middle, unbound like a prisoner of war rather than the miscreant he
+had been called. Once away from the governor's palace the people were
+sparse&mdash;ones and twos and a few groups here and there&mdash;until the gates
+of the Durend works came in sight.</p>
+
+<p>Here there was a larger crowd. There always was a small crowd about the
+gates, for the number of Belgians who still refused to work was
+considerable, and these men passed much of their time outside, gloomily
+scanning the many evidences of abounding work, and discussing in low
+tones the progress of the war.</p>
+
+<p>It wanted only twenty minutes to noon, and at that hour Max knew he
+would take his last look upon the things of this world. It was hard, he
+could not help thinking, but&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Get ready!</i>"</p>
+
+<p>Those words, spoken in English, sounded in his ears. They seemed uttered
+in the sing-song tones he knew so well, in which the starter of a rowing
+contest prepared to send off the crews waiting in eager readiness before
+him. Max looked curiously about him. He knew he must be dreaming, and
+yet he had not been conscious at that moment of dreaming of the old days
+at Hawkesley. How far away they seemed&mdash;and how jolly&mdash;he would never
+know such glorious times again. A fresh wave of new regrets passed
+through his mind. It was&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Are you ready?</i>"</p>
+
+<p>This time Max looked more sharply about him. He was not dreaming, he was
+sure now. The words had certainly been uttered, and again in the
+sing-song of the Hawkesley starter. No one but Dale could have uttered
+them, and Dale it must be. Where was he?</p>
+
+<p>A man carrying a big packing-case was at the side of the road on his
+right a dozen yards or so ahead. The packing-case hid his face, but his
+gait seemed somewhat familiar even while moving under his burden. He was
+slanting towards the prisoner's escort, the foremost of whom had now
+reached the outer edge of the big crowd assembled outside the gates.</p>
+
+<p>What did the words mean? What but that he was to act as though the
+greatest contest of his life was before him&mdash;aye, one with his very life
+for the prize! The zest for life, the deep-rooted objection to give up
+his task half done, the old sporting instinct to battle to the very
+finish, all combined to brace Max's nerve to a point at which nothing
+was impossible. Ready?&mdash;aye, he was ready and more than ready&mdash;all he
+waited for was the signal he knew was close at hand.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly something dark flew through the air. Ere it touched the ground
+another and another followed. Three tremendous explosions took place at
+the very feet of the men of his escort in front of him. The officer and
+four of the men fell to the ground, and escort and crowd surged back and
+away in all directions.</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Go!</i>"</p>
+
+<p>Like a shot from a gun, Max dived into the crowd on his right. Not a man
+of his escort put out a hand to stop him. The surprise was complete, and
+in an instant Max was in the midst of the crowd of men already on the
+move, flying in terror from the scene of the fearful explosions which
+had killed five of the soldiers and injured others as well as some of
+the nearest of the crowd. Four more explosions followed hard on his
+heels, just behind him, and he guessed they had occurred in the middle
+of the rearmost of his escort.</p>
+
+<p>The crowd scattered in all directions. Max followed those who fled
+towards the open country, and in a few minutes he was on the outskirts
+of the town. Hardly turning to right or left, he sped on at top speed.
+It was his own safety he had now to look to, his own race to win, and he
+put out all the energy he possessed.</p>
+
+<p>Out of the town and up the heights into the open country he ran, and it
+was not until he was practically beyond pursuit that he slackened and
+looked about him. Only one solitary figure was in sight, a quarter of a
+mile behind, and he was clearly not a soldier. In fact, as Max slowed
+down and looked back, the man waved a hand. It was Dale, and with a
+feeling of tremendous joy and gratitude Max dashed back to meet him.</p>
+
+<p>"By George, Max&mdash;you are no end of a sprinter!" Dale gasped as they met.
+"I had no idea&mdash;you were such a hot man on the track."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah! Wait until you are under sentence of death and see what speed you
+can work up to. I am glad&mdash;I can't tell you how glad&mdash;to get away from
+there. And you are a brick, Dale, a real brick."</p>
+
+<p>"Nonsense, old man, the boot is on the other leg altogether. I am still
+fathoms deep in your debt."</p>
+
+<p>"Come out of the road into the wood here where we shall be safer. What
+about Dubec&mdash;he was in it, of course?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; and <i>he</i> has been a brick, if you like. It was he that got us the
+hand-grenades&mdash;Schenk has just started making them&mdash;and he was one of
+those who pitched them into the middle of the Germans. Ha! Ha! Schenk
+will know that they were his own grenades when he hears about it. I
+guess it will not improve his temper."</p>
+
+<p>"Is Dubec following?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, he is safe at home, I expect, by now. He will be all right. They
+have nothing against him, and he is not going to the Durend yard again.
+He is going to apply for work at the mines instead."</p>
+
+<p>"Good! then we can be off?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aye&mdash;though we haven't fixed up where we are to go. We were too busy
+over the rescue to think about anything else."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we ought to give Li&eacute;ge a rest. Let us go for another trip into
+the Ardennes until this affair has blown over and we can return to the
+attack once more. We have earned a rest, and I for one feel I need it."</p>
+
+<p>"Hear! hear! I've got my wind again, so let us make tracks before the
+Germans send out patrols to hunt about the countryside. It would be too
+bad to be captured after hoodwinking them so thoroughly."</p>
+
+<p>"Not to mention killing and wounding an officer and several men."</p>
+
+<p>Chatting gaily together, but nevertheless keeping a sharp look-out, the
+two friends strode along out into the open lands southward of the town,
+and then on towards the wide stretch of broken highlands known as the
+Ardennes. They had no clear idea of what they would do when they got
+there, the one thought in their minds being to find some quiet rural
+spot where they could remain in safety and quietude for a little while.</p>
+
+<p>It was certainly as well for them to do so, for the daring and
+successful rescue of the prisoner under sentence of death stirred the
+city of Li&eacute;ge to its very depths. To the people it was an example of
+courage and self-sacrifice joined to determined and skilful leadership;
+to the Germans it was most exasperating evidence of their inability to
+crush this people notwithstanding their many and varied methods of
+repression. The affair was hushed up by the governor so far as he was
+able to do so, but it eventually became known that it had been the cause
+of a violent altercation between him and the manager of the Durend
+works, Herr von Schenkendorf, who was said to have made a strong
+complaint to the Imperial Government at the bungling of the military.</p>
+
+<p>Be that as it may, it was certain that no stone was left unturned to
+recapture the prisoner and to find out who were the workmen
+participating in the rescue. Nothing was ever discovered, but the
+manager of the Durend works from that time forward refused to employ any
+Walloon workmen anywhere save in the Durend colleries, where they were
+supposed to be incapable of doing any serious damage.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI</h2>
+
+<h3>In the Ardennes</h3>
+
+
+<p>After two days' steady tramping Max and Dale arrived at La Roche, a
+little town on the Ourthe, well in the broken country of the Ardennes.
+They had had no such easy and uneventful journey as they anticipated.
+The whole country was in a very unsettled state, the people ready to be
+startled and alarmed by every rumour&mdash;and they were not few&mdash;and viewing
+strangers with the utmost suspicion as probably German spies on the
+look-out for more victims.</p>
+
+<p>Half the population of the villages passed on the way had gone. Houses
+stood unoccupied, with doors wide open, although the furniture of those
+who had so lately tenanted them was still within. The whole countryside
+bore evidences of a great panic, and some places the more sinister signs
+of rough and brutal treatment. Many houses had been burned down and
+others had been plundered in a most barbarous manner, property that
+could not be carried off having been wantonly destroyed. The fields and
+farmlands seemed deserted, as though no one dared to work at a harvest
+that was likely to be reaped by the enemies of their country.</p>
+
+<p>The authors of all this mischief were said to be the Uhlans. It appeared
+that these formidable horsemen, after the fall of Li&eacute;ge, had spread in
+small parties all over the Ardennes and had carried terror and
+destruction wherever they went. Their principal motive was, no doubt, to
+gather information of the enemy's whereabouts, but, while doing so, they
+seemed to throw themselves heart and soul into another task&mdash;that of
+making their name known and dreaded throughout the length and breadth of
+Belgium.</p>
+
+<p>La Roche had so far suffered little. Parties of Uhlans had passed
+through from time to time, but they had usually been in a hurry, and had
+had no time to do more than seize supplies for themselves and their
+horses. This was the kind of place Max and Dale were looking for, and,
+finding no troops there at the moment, and none expected, they sought
+out (avoiding the hotels) a caf&eacute; in the most out-of-the-way spot they
+could find, and settled down for a long stay.</p>
+
+<p>At least they hoped it might be a long stay. They had had so busy a time
+of late that neither felt any inclination to go out of his way to meet
+trouble. If only the enemy would leave them alone, they were prepared to
+welcome a long period of peace and tranquillity.</p>
+
+<p>But somehow peace and tranquillity seemed to have turned their backs
+upon Max and Dale. Only the second night after their arrival they were
+awakened in the middle of the night by the clatter of horses' hoofs upon
+the cobbled pavements, loud shouting, and the insistent hammering of
+doors.</p>
+
+<p>"Ask the proprietor what's the row, Max," growled Dale sleepily, as he
+heard Max get up and look out of the little window of their bedroom.</p>
+
+<p>Max did so, and learned that a strong body of Uhlans had just ridden in
+and demanded shelter and supplies.</p>
+
+<p>"Are we in any danger?" he asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not think so," the innkeeper replied. "But you must not leave the
+town, for they have posted men to intercept all who try to go."</p>
+
+<p>"And what is that for?" cried Max, more perturbed by this than if he had
+been told that a house-to-house search for suspected persons was already
+being made.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, you must know that the Uhlans are rounding up escaped English and
+French soldiers. Everyone knows that. They have been doing so for weeks
+past."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah! Of course. And they will not let anyone leave the town to give the
+soldiers information of their coming?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, Monsieur. They are making a special effort this time. They have
+caught one or two, but the rest seem to grow in numbers, and are getting
+more audacious owing to hunger. I have heard that they stopped and
+plundered two army wagons full of provisions only a week ago. It is this
+that has made the commandant at Marche determined to kill them all this
+time."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I think we will dress, in case they come here and want to search
+the house."</p>
+
+<p>"You must not hide here, Monsieur, if that is what you want," replied
+the innkeeper quickly. "I could not have that, for if they found anyone
+in hiding they would burn the house down."</p>
+
+<p>"What for?" asked Max in some astonishment.</p>
+
+<p>"I know not, but they have done so. No doubt it is to make us all afraid
+of harbouring fugitives. But you are a Belgian, Monsieur? You speak like
+a Walloon."</p>
+
+<p>"Aye; but I do not want to have aught to do with Uhlans if I can help
+it. They so often make mistakes, and then it is too late to explain. I
+think we will leave your house, Monsieur, and then you will run no
+risks."</p>
+
+<p>Max called Dale, and they put together their very slender belongings and
+sallied out into the night. The innkeeper was certainly pleased to see
+them go, and gave them as much help in the shape of information as it
+was in his power to bestow. He told them, with a warning to them to be
+careful to avoid the locality, the general position of the fugitive
+soldiers and the villages in which cavalry patrols had lately taken up
+their positions.</p>
+
+<p>"It seems to me, Dale," remarked Max, as they left the inn and crept
+along in the shadow of the houses towards the little bridge which
+spanned the Ourthe, "that in leaving Li&eacute;ge we have jumped out of the
+frying-pan into the fire. There we could hide in the lower quarters of
+the town and pass as Walloon workmen easily enough, but here we are
+strangers, and strangers are always objects of suspicion."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; we did not bargain for all this chasing around by German cavalry.
+However, it will be good fun while it lasts, old man."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, but how long will it last? Here's the bridge. We can't cross it in
+this moonlight; we should be sure to be seen and challenged. We must get
+into the river and cross in the shadow of the bridge."</p>
+
+<p>"What's the game, Max? Why cross at all? Why not cut straight away into
+the open country?"</p>
+
+<p>"Wrong direction. The innkeeper was so careful that we should get away
+from the district on which the Uhlans were closing in that he told me
+exactly where it was. And that's where we are going, of course. We can't
+let these Germans make a grand sweep of English and French fugitive
+soldiers without at least giving them warning, can we, old man?"</p>
+
+<p>"You beggar!" cried Dale, with a note of admiration in his voice. "No,
+of course not. Won't it be jolly if we find some English soldiers, and
+manage to pilot them away to a safe place?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not bad. Now here we are; climb over this wall, and lower yourself into
+the bed of the river. Then creep along in the shadow of the wall until
+you reach the shadow of the bridge. Then we can cross, and shall stand a
+good chance of getting away. Most of the Germans are quartered on this
+side of the town."</p>
+
+<p>Max and Dale were by this time experts in eluding observation, and had
+no great difficulty in getting out of the town without raising an alarm.
+Once well away, they strode at a good pace straight across country
+towards the wooded region south-west of the town, where the fugitives
+were popularly supposed to be. They knew that by their action they would
+be placing themselves inside the zone about to be swept by converging
+bodies of Uhlans, and that all persons found there, who could not give a
+good account of themselves, would almost certainly be shot or speared
+out of hand. But they took no heed of that, for the thought that some
+members of the gallant little English army which had, they knew, from
+the gossip of the countryside, fought so splendidly against overwhelming
+odds might be caught unsuspecting, and probably killed, made them ready
+to face even greater risks than that. Besides, they had, in their many
+successful encounters with the Germans in Li&eacute;ge, gained a self-reliance
+and confidence in themselves that made them look upon the affair as one
+by no means certain to go against them.</p>
+
+<p>An hour or two after daybreak Max and Dale had reached the woods in
+which the fugitives were said to be, and were slowly traversing them,
+keeping a sharp look-out on all sides. The trouble, they now realized,
+was how to get in touch with them. It was highly probable that they
+would keep out of sight, and avoid contact with everybody they were not
+forced to have dealings with in the way of purchasing or begging food.
+Fortunately the difficulty was solved very suddenly and unexpectedly.</p>
+
+<p>"'Alt!" came a hoarse command just as they were about to enter a
+somewhat thick belt of timber well supplied with undergrowth.
+Simultaneously a rifle protruded from the bushes right in front of them,
+and a wild, famished-looking face followed it.</p>
+
+<p>Max and Dale stopped dead.</p>
+
+<p>"What d'ye want poking about 'ere?" the man demanded in Cockney English
+in a surly tone. "I don't understand your lingo, but say something, or
+I'll let go."</p>
+
+<p>The man had a fierce and reckless look, and fingered his rifle as though
+ready enough to keep his word. Hastily Max replied:</p>
+
+<p>"It's all right; we're friends. Put down your gun, there's a good
+fellow."</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+<a name="illus4" id="illus4"></a>
+<img src="images/illus4.jpg" alt=""/>
+</div>
+
+<h3>"IT'S ALL RIGHT; WE'RE FRIENDS"</h3>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>"Huh! Friends&mdash;eh? Fust I've seen for many a long day. 'Ere, boys,
+'ere's a Johnny wot speaks English says he's a friend&mdash;in this
+outlandish place."</p>
+
+<p>In response to this summons, five other men pushed through the
+undergrowth and confronted Max and Dale. Four of them were English
+soldiers and one was a Scot&mdash;that much could be seen at a glance,
+although their uniforms were in such a state of muddiness and rags that
+little of the original colour or cut remained. Nine other soldiers, who
+were equally clearly Frenchmen, joined them, attracted by the sense that
+something was going on, although they did not understand the language.
+These fifteen men apparently formed the whole of the band, so far as Max
+could see, and seemed on very good terms with one another. All the men
+wore side-arms, although only five or six rifles were to be seen among
+the lot.</p>
+
+<p>A man wearing corporal's stripes pressed forward, shoved the Cockney
+soldier aside, and planted himself straight in front of Max with his
+hands on his hips.</p>
+
+<p>"Who are you?" he demanded at once. "And what do you here?"</p>
+
+<p>"We are two Englishmen&mdash;at least I'm half English&mdash;and we have come to
+warn you that the Uhlans are after you."</p>
+
+<p>"That's nothing new, lad. The Uhlans have been after us these three
+weeks past, but they haven't caught us yet."</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, but it's a special beat this time," replied Max, and Dale
+emphasized his words. "They've brought in a lot more men, and are
+determined to make an end of you. There is a tale going about that you
+have looted two wagons full of stores, and it is that, they say, that
+has so upset the Germans."</p>
+
+<p>There was a burst of laughter from the English soldiers at the mention
+of the wagons, and the Frenchmen joined in as soon as one of the others
+demonstrated by signs eked out by one or two words what the laughter was
+about.</p>
+
+<p>"I dare say," remarked the Corporal, grinning. "I dare say it did upset
+them a bit. We got enough food to last us a week, four German rifles,
+two hundred rounds of ammunition, and had the best bonfire since Guy
+Fawkes Day. And I fancy we shall upset them worse than that before we've
+done, lad, if only we can get hold of some more food. We're starving,
+and that's the long and short of it."</p>
+
+<p>His comrades murmured assent, and certainly they all, including the
+Frenchmen, looked wolfish enough. Max and Dale had a little food with
+them, and this they promptly brought out and handed round. It provided
+about two mouthfuls for each of the band, but was accepted and disposed
+of with eager alacrity.</p>
+
+<p>"Can't you purchase food from the peasants?" asked Max in some surprise.</p>
+
+<p>"We did while our money lasted, though it was risky enough. Now we have
+to beg it of the people, and what with that and the fear they are in
+from the Germans if they give us any help, we fare badly. If you can get
+us a good square meal apiece we shall be more grateful to you than we
+are for warning us against the Uhlans. We don't fear them half as much
+as we do starvation."</p>
+
+<p>"We have money and will get you food, but not here. You must get ready
+for a forced march of a dozen miles across the railway between Re&ccedil;ogne
+and Bastogne. The Uhlans are assembling all round the loop made by the
+railway and the Ourthe."</p>
+
+<p>The corporal&mdash;his name was Shaw&mdash;consulted with his comrades for a
+moment or two, and then replied:</p>
+
+<p>"All right, lad. You seem straight enough, and we will make tracks as
+you suggest. If you speak French, tell these Frenchies here what's
+afoot, and ask them if they're game for another spree. We are not going
+to cross a railway without leaving a memento or two of our visit, I can
+tell you."</p>
+
+<p>Max in a few words explained the situation to the Frenchmen. Though they
+hailed from all parts of France, he had no difficulty in making himself
+understood, and they eagerly fell in with the plan already agreed upon
+by their English comrades. This accomplished, Max and Dale put
+themselves at the head of the band, more in virtue of their knowledge of
+the language of the country than of their powers as guides, and in
+single file and very cautiously they set out.</p>
+
+<p>Max was agreeably surprised at the way the men moved, taking advantage
+of every bit of cover afforded by the trees and undergrowth, and, when
+in the open, of every fold in the ground. They had clearly made good use
+of the weeks they had spent in eluding pursuit, and had become in their
+way very fair backwoodsmen. This accomplishment was worth any amount of
+fighting power at that moment, and increased threefold their chances of
+escape from the armed circle closing in upon them.</p>
+
+<p>During the march, Max and Dale, at every opportunity, increased their
+knowledge of the men with whom they had now practically thrown in their
+lot. The British soldiers had been stragglers from the army which had
+been pushed up to Mons, and had subsequently retreated before the
+overwhelming odds hurled against it at the express command of the German
+Emperor. The object had been annihilation rather than defeat, in order,
+no doubt, to fill the people of Britain with discouragement and make
+them reluctant to venture another force on the Continent. Everyone knows
+how the Emperor's legions failed in their intention, and at what a heavy
+cost, and there is no need to dilate upon it here. Corporal Shaw had
+been wounded and left behind during the retreat. He had managed to drag
+himself to the house of a Belgian peasant woman, who had nursed him
+quickly back to health. Then he had said farewell and made for the
+Belgian coast at Ostend. He had been constantly headed off, and at last
+found himself in the Ardennes with several comrades picked up here and
+there on the way.</p>
+
+<p>Their stories were much like his. Some had been wounded, and others had
+dropped behind in the retreat totally exhausted, or so sore of foot that
+they were unable to move another step. The Frenchmen had been picked up
+for the most part in one body. They had been engaged in a running fight
+with some German infantry, and the British soldiers, drawn irresistibly
+to the spot by the sound of firing, had joined in the little battle with
+good effect, enabling their French comrades to get away with only the
+loss of two of their number. These had fallen wounded, and it was
+asserted in the most positive manner that the German soldiers had been
+seen to smash them to death with the butt-ends of their rifles the
+moment they came upon them. Such an episode as this did not improve the
+feelings of either the British or French soldiers towards their German
+foes, and went far to explain to Max and Dale the keenness and zest of
+the men for yet other encounters, notwithstanding that their foes now
+had all the points of the play so strongly in their favour.</p>
+
+<p>In their turn Max and Dale told the story of their fight against the
+Germans; how they had waged an industrial, but equally open, war upon
+them, and had inflicted damage that had had a high moral as well as
+material effect. The story was not without its effect even upon men who
+understood most the warfare of bullet and bayonet, and Max and his
+friend were viewed with an increased respect as men of action as well as
+interpreters and guides.</p>
+
+<p>One thing struck Max forcibly in the little band of which he had to all
+intents and purposes now become a member, and that was the fine spirit
+of discipline and camaraderie among them. Corporal Shaw was the only
+non-commissioned officer present, and the French soldiers accepted his
+lead as unhesitatingly as their British comrades. All food obtained was
+rationed out equally, and turns were taken with the carrying of the
+half-dozen rifles.</p>
+
+<p>In spite of the careful and rapid way in which the retreat from the
+dangerous neighbourhood of the former haunts of the band was carried
+out, it seemed that they were not to escape unscathed. In crossing a
+road, little more than a track, about four miles from the railway, they
+must have been seen by a German soldier, himself unseen, on the
+look-out, for they heard a loud shout of warning, and almost immediately
+after the tramping of horses' hoofs as though a body of cavalrymen were
+hastily mounting.</p>
+
+<p>"Guns to the rear!" ordered Corporal Shaw curtly, and the six men
+carrying rifles, three British and three French, dropped to the rear of
+the little party and spread out in open order on either side of the line
+of retreat.</p>
+
+<p>"If they're cavalry hadn't we better retreat through the most broken
+country we can find?" enquired Max suggestively.</p>
+
+<p>Corporal Shaw nodded and led the way in the direction indicated. The
+noise of the pursuing cavalry drew nearer, and the Corporal turned
+suddenly to Max: "Do you lead the retreat, lad. You know where we're
+bound better than I do. Keep only just in front of the men with the
+guns&mdash;we're going to give them a fight for their money."</p>
+
+<p>The retreat was being made along a narrow track through rough and broken
+country overgrown with short, thick undergrowth. Looking back, Max saw
+that the six men with guns had disappeared, and the only men in sight
+were the bunch he was himself leading, and three or four a few yards in
+his rear. But the six men were not far off, and now and again he caught
+a glimpse of one or other of them in the woods on either side of the
+line of retreat of the main body.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly the Uhlans crashed through the thickets and came into sight
+only a hundred yards away. There were about a score of them, and they
+caught sight of the fugitives at the same moment as the latter caught
+sight of them. They gave a fierce yell of delight, and, at a harsh
+order, put spurs to their horses, grasped their lances, and rode
+helter-skelter over the bushes towards the straggling body of unarmed
+men in front of them. The nearest men, conspicuous among whom was the
+Scot in full war paint, quickened their pace to catch up to Max and the
+party in front.</p>
+
+<p>"They love to spear a Scot," remarked Shaw in an undertone to Max,
+coolly indicating the main decoy and the wild eagerness with which the
+Uhlans charged down upon their unarmed foe.</p>
+
+<p>Sixty yards, fifty yards, then forty, and still the enemy closed down
+upon their quarry. Then Shaw raised his voice and shouted:</p>
+
+<p>"Now, boys, give it them!"</p>
+
+<p>Although he had been expecting it, the answering blaze of fire from the
+bushes on both flanks of the charging horsemen took even Max somewhat by
+surprise. Three horses fell in a bunch, and two turned tail and dashed
+back riderless the way they had come. Again, in a second or two, a
+scattering discharge came from the bushes; more men fell, and the
+remainder, their nerves obviously shaken by the unexpected attack,
+turned their horses' heads and rode madly away.</p>
+
+<p>Five men, apparently dead, were left behind, among them the young
+officer in command, and three more lay wounded.</p>
+
+<p>"Get their rifles and ammunition," ordered Corporal Shaw, and the
+unarmed men darted back and secured rifles and ammunition with an
+eagerness which showed how irksome they felt their inability to join in
+any fight that might be going. Seven rifles, six lances, and a revolver
+were secured, but all the lances except two were thrown away almost
+immediately as useless. The two retained were broken off half-way down
+the hafts, and their captors, two of the French soldiers, grinning with
+delight, sloped arms with them and fell in with their comrades fully
+satisfied with their share of the spoils.</p>
+
+<p>"Not a bad business that," remarked Shaw coolly. "We have nearly enough
+rifles now, and ammunition for a regular battle. And it can come as soon
+as it likes. I'm fair sick of dodging these Germans."</p>
+
+<p>"'Ear, 'ear!" chimed in the Londoner, whose name was Peck. "Give me a
+bit of cover, a packet of cigarettes, and a hundred rounds, and I'll die
+happy&mdash;eh, Corp?"</p>
+
+<p>"Shut up, Peck, and get a move on," growled Shaw testily. "Did you find
+any grub?" he added. "I saw you going through their haversacks."</p>
+
+<p>"Aye, enough to give us all a snack at our next 'alt," replied Peck,
+giving a knowing wink and pointing to his own bulging haversack and
+those of two pleased-looking Frenchmen close at his heels. "And no need,
+I presoom, to mention a matter of a few cigarettes the orfizer had to
+dispose of&mdash;cheap?" And he displayed the end of a large packet of
+cigarettes which he had been careful to take charge of himself.</p>
+
+<p>"Forward&mdash;single file," commanded Shaw, and the band resumed its
+interrupted march towards the Bastogne railway.</p>
+
+<p>"What d'ye think of 'em, Dale?" asked Max presently, indicating with a
+gesture the rest of the miscellaneous band of which they themselves now
+formed a part.</p>
+
+<p>"A game lot; we shall see some fun presently," replied Dale in tones of
+deepest satisfaction. "They're just about ready for anything, from a
+Uhlan patrol to an army corps."</p>
+
+<p>"Ye&mdash;es," replied Max with much less assurance. "We shall certainly see
+things. What I'm afraid of is that it won't last long. We came to the
+Ardennes for a rest&mdash;not to commit suicide, you remember."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't feel as though I want any more rest, Max," replied Dale, still
+eyeing his new comrades with delighted satisfaction. "Be a sport and
+join in the fun, there's a good fellow."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm ready enough to join in," replied Max, smiling. "What I don't
+approve of is the reckless way they go about things. This fight with the
+Uhlans will bring all the rest of them buzzing about our ears, and then
+it will be one last struggle and all over."</p>
+
+<p>Dale shrugged his shoulders. "What could we have done?" he said. "The
+Uhlans caught us up, and we had to fight."</p>
+
+<p>"We could have dispersed, and rejoined one another later at a rendezvous
+agreed upon. But never mind, we're in with them for the moment, only I
+can't forget that we have still some work left to us at Li&eacute;ge, and work
+more important than livening up the Uhlans in the Ardennes." Dale made
+no reply. Possibly he thought it useless to argue with Max on the
+subject of Li&eacute;ge, and for some time they marched along in silence.
+Presently the band arrived within about half a mile of the railway line,
+and Max and Corporal Shaw went on ahead to reconnoitre.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII</h2>
+
+<h3>Cutting the Line</h3>
+
+
+<p>The line was well guarded. A company of infantry was allotted to every
+four or five miles of line, and furnished the sentries who were posted
+every hundred yards or so. These men were within easy reach of one
+another, sometimes stationed on the line itself and at other times at
+the top of any adjacent knoll or rising ground. The nucleus of the
+company, the men resting from their turn of sentry-go, was stationed at
+a point of vantage within easy touch of the whole of the line under its
+care. An alarm at any point would not only attract the sentries from
+both sides to the spot, but would also quickly bring the remainder of
+the company hurrying to the scene.</p>
+
+<p>Corporal Shaw's dispositions were soon made. His men were brought within
+reach of the railway at a point where it ran through country well wooded
+on either side. A sentry was then marked down as the point of contact,
+and six men, three on either side, were detached to act as flank guards.
+These were posted within easy reach of the sentries, next on either
+side, with instructions to shoot them down should they make any move to
+interfere, and to hinder, by all means in their power, the approach of
+further reinforcements.</p>
+
+<p>The unfortunate sentry marked down as the point of contact would not
+require much attention. He would obviously be helpless against ten men.</p>
+
+<p>A whistle apprised the flank guards that the attack was about to begin.
+Then the main body emerged from cover and half a dozen rifles were
+levelled at the sentry in front of them. For a moment the man was too
+astonished to move; then he gave a shout of alarm and fled down the line
+towards the sentinel on the right.</p>
+
+<p>Two rifles cracked almost simultaneously and the man fell in his tracks
+and lay motionless.</p>
+
+<p>"Get his rifle, someone, and then come and lend a hand here," cried
+Corporal Shaw, springing out on to the line and getting to work with an
+entrenching tool upon the permanent way. Other men followed his example,
+the gravel was rapidly scraped away from the sleepers, and several long
+iron bars, taken from some derelict agricultural machine passed on the
+way, inserted beneath the rails. But the united efforts of several men
+made no impression upon the well-bolted rails and the attempt was
+promptly abandoned.</p>
+
+<p>The bolts and nuts which held the rails together were attacked instead,
+and, although no spanners were available, the men managed, by dint of
+much persuasion from the iron bars and their bayonets, to get the nuts
+to turn. Two rails were in time entirely removed and carried across the
+line and laid endwise in a ditch, where they promptly sank out of sight
+in the muddy ooze.</p>
+
+<p>In the meantime the flank guards had not been idle. The shout of the
+sentry first attacked had given the alarm to his comrades on either
+side, and one had started immediately to his aid. The other remained
+where he was, but levelled his rifle at Shaw and his men as they sprang
+on to the line. Both were promptly shot down and their rifles and
+cartridges as promptly secured.</p>
+
+<p>By this time the alarm was fairly general. Several shots had been fired,
+and the line guards up and down the track had come to the conclusion
+that a serious attack on the line was in progress. Instead of rushing in
+ones and twos to the point of attack, they now waited until some
+half-dozen men had collected before advancing. Even these bodies were
+easily disposed of by the flank guards posted by Shaw. They were well
+concealed, and, as the Germans came up, opened a heavy fire upon them at
+close range. Most of the latter dropped at once, and the survivors fled,
+only too glad to get away in safety with their lives.</p>
+
+<p>Max and Dale had assisted in the removal of the rails and their deposit
+in the muddy ditch. This accomplished, Max, who viewed the whole affair
+with some misgiving, stood aside and took no part in the further attacks
+already in progress on the rails.</p>
+
+<p>"You look glum, Max," remarked Dale in a rallying tone, as he
+straightened his back. He himself looked far from glum. His face was
+flushed, his eyes sparkled, and he bore himself as though at the height
+of enjoyment. "Don't you like raiding the railway?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not this way," replied Max with decision. "What's the good of it? It
+won't take half an hour to repair, and, coming after that other affair,
+will mean half the cavalry in the Ardennes stirring on our tracks."</p>
+
+<p>"Who cares?" retorted Dale recklessly. "I&mdash;&mdash;What's the matter?"</p>
+
+<p>"Hark! A train I think. Let's get to the top of this bit of rising
+ground and see what happens. The driver can't come steaming through with
+all that firing going on yonder."</p>
+
+<p>The two friends climbed upon the little hill and up into the lower
+branches of a large tree. The view thus obtained was a wide one, and
+showed them much. In the distance a train was approaching. It was
+slowing up as they watched, and presently came to a standstill.
+Instantly crowds of soldiers poured out from both sides and formed up on
+the permanent way. Apparently in response to an order, the troops split
+into two bodies, one passing to the north side of the line and one to
+the south, both almost immediately disappearing from view in the woods.</p>
+
+<p>Max and Dale next turned their gaze towards the flank guards. Here
+desultory fighting was going on with numbers of the sentries attracted
+to the spot. But beyond them, and in the direction of the head-quarters
+of the company guarding that section of the line, a strong body of men
+was on the march; and, in yet another direction, Max and Dale could see
+the lances of cavalry occasionally coming into view as their line of
+advance led them past bunches of low bush or gaps in the trees.</p>
+
+<p>"Time we were off, Max," remarked Dale in a much sobered voice. "You see
+what those troops from the train are after?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, they want to strike across our rear, whichever side of the railway
+we go, before the other bodies begin to attack us in front. Had we not
+chanced to climb up here, that last fight of ours would have been very
+near indeed. As it is, I shouldn't wonder if we have a job to get
+Corporal Shaw and his fire-eaters away in time."</p>
+
+<p>"We shall. They all reckon they're getting a bit of their own back, and
+they'll be in no hurry to move."</p>
+
+<p>As quickly as possible, Max and Dale dropped from the tree and ran back
+to the railway, where Shaw and the bulk of his men were still working
+like bees, tearing up rails and transporting them to the swampy stream.
+The gist of what they had seen was soon told to Corporal Shaw, and that
+worthy, while not inclined to take too much notice of "a few Germans",
+now that all his men were fully armed, was duly impressed with the
+necessity of moving from the neighbourhood without loss of time. He
+promptly called in the flank guards, and curtly told the whole of the
+band that it was time to march.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, lad," he said, addressing Max, "you seem to know your way about.
+Lead on out of this fix, and we will live to fight again another day.
+Forward!"</p>
+
+<p>Max and Dale strode quickly away, straight into the woods, and in single
+file the band followed them. The men were in high glee at the success of
+their enterprise, and seemed neither to know nor care about their
+critical situation. Max, however, felt very anxious, and presently
+managed to get Corporal Shaw so far to agree with him as to order
+complete silence and every care, as they threaded their way through the
+thickest-wooded country to be found in the quarter not yet reached by
+the soldiers from the train.</p>
+
+<p>For over three miles the band moved in silence, at top speed, away from
+the scene of their daring exploit. Max judged that by that time they
+were outside the sweep of the encircling bodies of Germans, and could
+take a breather for a few minutes. The work on the railway had been hard
+and exhausting, and the men had for some time been too ill-nourished to
+be able to sustain long-continued exertion. At the order to halt and
+rest the men flung themselves on the ground, and for five minutes lay
+prone upon the grass. Then they went on again.</p>
+
+<p>"D'ye see that smoke yonder, lad?" remarked Corporal Shaw, soon after
+they had restarted, pointing to a thick column of smoke rising above the
+trees a couple of miles in their rear. "Is it a signal, or what?"</p>
+
+<p>"No&mdash;it's not that," replied Max, after a long look at the smoke, which
+was rising more thickly at every moment. "There is a little village just
+there, and I can guess what has happened. The Germans have fired the
+nearest village in revenge for the attack upon the line. I have often
+heard of it being done. It is one of their methods of terrorizing the
+people, so that they dare do nothing themselves and try to prevent
+others doing any thing in the vicinity of their villages. I had
+forgotten it until this moment."</p>
+
+<p>"What a black shame!" cried Corporal Shaw with fierce indignation. "What
+had those poor folk to do with it? The Germans knew that well
+enough&mdash;the cowards!"</p>
+
+<p>The other men in the band soon knew what had happened, and their rage
+and indignation were extreme. Some wanted to vent their rage by
+returning to the scene of the burning village and attacking those
+responsible for the outrage. It was as much as Max and Shaw could do to
+keep them from turning back and flinging away their lives in a desperate
+endeavour to exact reparation for the foul deed.</p>
+
+<p>The retreat of the band was continued, but the rage and indignation of
+all concerned was not lessened when, later in the day, after a long
+halt, they were overtaken by two families fleeing from the burning
+village. It needed no question to tell them what they were. There were
+old men and women, heavy-eyed and outwardly uncomplaining, trudging
+beside creaking bullock-carts loaded with all the little bits of
+property they had been able to save from their burning homes. There were
+white-faced, frightened children, too, tucked in the corners of the
+carts or perched upon the piled-up goods, and their faces seemed to
+express mute wonder that such things could be.</p>
+
+<p>It was indeed a sight to make any beholder furious with indignation, but
+on the unwitting causes of the trouble it acted with fourfold force. An
+instant reprisal was demanded by all the band, and Corporal Shaw, as
+angry as any of them, promised that they should have it, and that
+without any more loss of time than he could avoid.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII</h2>
+
+<h3>Reprisals</h3>
+
+
+<p>Dale was at one with the soldiers in desire for reprisals, but Max was
+dead against the whole idea. It was not that he was less indignant at
+the cruel wrong just inflicted upon innocent peasants, but he feared
+that any more such acts would react upon the country people in precisely
+the same manner. A reprisal which brought fresh trouble upon yet another
+set of innocent folk would, he felt, be worse than useless, and he spoke
+his mind freely to Corporal Shaw on the subject.</p>
+
+<p>"You've done no good," he ended, "by attacking the line and tearing up a
+few rails. Your methods were too wild to bring about any real damage.
+All you have done is to make it additionally hard for me to get you
+safely out of the country."</p>
+
+<p>"Humph!" grunted the Corporal rather sourly. "I know you've done some
+neat little things in Li&eacute;ge, but could you manage a better affair out
+here? I give you leave to try. As for getting us out, I don't see much
+prospect of that coming off, my lad."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll get you out if you'll drop all these wild-cat exploits," replied
+Max firmly. "Is it a bargain?"</p>
+
+<p>The Corporal consulted with his men for a few minutes. "No," he said,
+shaking his head emphatically, "the men refuse to sneak out of the
+country before they have what they call redressed the wrong done those
+poor villagers. They want one more good cut at the Germans to make that
+good, and then they are ready to make tracks for home, if you think you
+can get us there."</p>
+
+<p>"Will you let me plan the reprisal attack as well as arrange to get you
+out?" asked Max quickly.</p>
+
+<p>The Corporal opened his eyes a little.</p>
+
+<p>"So <i>you</i> do think you can do better? Well, I don't mind; you shall plan
+the reprisal and then get us out of the mess. Done!"</p>
+
+<p>"Done!" replied Max firmly, and it was thus settled that he should, from
+that time forward, practically take command of the little band, subject
+only to the stipulation that the escape should not be arranged until the
+Germans had been made to pay, and pay handsomely, for their recent
+exhibition of brutality.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as that was decided, Max changed the direction of the retreat to
+due east, and in that direction they continued all day. When night fell,
+the men looked about them for a comfortable spot to sleep, but Max would
+not allow them to stop, and, with frequent halts for rest, they
+continued on their way all through the night. There was some grumbling,
+but it was soon silenced; and, when all was said and done, the men
+recognized that Max managed to feed them fairly well. This part of the
+business he saw to himself. At nearly every farm-house he passed he
+managed to purchase some food. None of the soldiers were allowed to come
+within sight of the people, and, with this precaution, and his knowledge
+of the language, he hoped that no suspicions of the destination of the
+food would be aroused.</p>
+
+<p>During the following day the band hid themselves in a copse and slept.
+It was nearly dark when Max aroused them and told them they must go on.</p>
+
+<p>"We've been travelling a good many miles, lad," remarked Shaw
+carelessly. "Where are we now?"</p>
+
+<p>"In Germany," replied Max.</p>
+
+<p>"Germany!" cried the Corporal, his carelessness vanishing. "Why&mdash;what
+d'ye mean? D'ye think we want to find a good safe prison?"</p>
+
+<p>"No. Your men insist on one more attack on the Germans, as a reprisal
+for the burning of the village. Well, we cannot do anything in Belgium,
+for it would only mean another village burned. If we make the attack in
+Germany it will be different. They can hardly burn down their own
+villages."</p>
+
+<p>Corporal Shaw held out his hand. "Well done, lad!" he cried heartily,
+and the other men within ear-shot echoed his words. "That's a stroke of
+genius, and we are with you to a man. What are you going to
+attack&mdash;nothing less than Metz, of course?"</p>
+
+<p>Max smiled and shook his head. "Something a little less ambitious will
+have to do, I think. After another night march we shall be on the spot,
+and can get to work."</p>
+
+<p>"What are you going to do, lad?"</p>
+
+<p>Max hesitated a moment. Should he keep the men ignorant of the nature of
+the enterprise until the hour for it had struck? It was hardly worth
+while&mdash;in forty-eight hours or so it would be all over.</p>
+
+<p>"To block the main line between Aix and Li&eacute;ge," he answered simply.</p>
+
+<p>"Phew! I think you mentioned wild-cat exploits the other day. What sort
+of cat exploit is this?"</p>
+
+<p>"It must be carefully planned beforehand."</p>
+
+<p>"Humph! Trains filled with troops passing every five minutes; the lines
+thick with guards. It'll want careful planning&mdash;and a trifle more. In
+fact, it'll need the devil's own luck. What say you, boys?"</p>
+
+<p>"No matter, Corp," cried Peck testily. "Give the lad his head. We ain't
+particular, so long as it's a fust-class scrap."</p>
+
+<p>"It'll be all that," grunted Shaw.</p>
+
+<p>"Did we expect to git out of this show alive?" retorted Peck. "What's
+the odds? Let the lad 'ave his way&mdash;he's grubbed us well anyhow."</p>
+
+<p>The other men murmured an assent, and it was clear that most of the band
+were quite ready to follow Max in an attempt, however desperate, on the
+Germans' main line of communication. The Frenchmen were quite ready to
+agree to anything that would lead to another encounter with the enemy in
+company with their British comrades, and so Max was left in possession
+of the field and charged with full responsibility for the tremendous
+task before them.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Two days later the whole of the band arrived safely within a mile or so
+of the great main line which runs between Aix-la-Chapelle and Li&eacute;ge, and
+then on through Namur to Paris. A stoppage to their communications on
+this line would disconcert the Germans in a way that hardly anything
+else could do, and Max, from the knowledge he had gained, while at
+Li&eacute;ge, of the great trains loaded with troops and munitions that
+constantly passed through at all hours of the day and night, was very
+well aware of it. Next to his darling scheme for the frustration of the
+Germans' plans as regards the Durend works, the breaking of the great
+railway through the town had seemed the most serious blow that could be
+aimed at the Germans by a few men working independently of the great
+military forces of the Allies. It was a difficult matter, but not
+impossible. That was enough.</p>
+
+<p>Max and Dale, accompanied by Shaw, reconnoitred the railway after hiding
+their men well away out of sight. The first point reached Max did not
+consider suitable, and it was not until they had approached the line at
+several different places that he found a spot that satisfied him. This
+spot was one where the line passed along a fairly deep cutting, the
+sides of which were thickly overgrown with bushes with here and there a
+young tree. It was a spot at which it would be easy to approach the line
+unseen. And yet this was not Max's chief reason for selecting it. His
+design had been to find a spot where the line at night-time would have
+dark patches of shadow cast upon it here and there.</p>
+
+<p>Dale and Corporal Shaw now returned to the spot where the band had been
+left in hiding, while Max set out for Aix-la-Chapelle alone. He still
+wore the workman's clothes in which he had masqueraded for so long, and,
+with his excellent knowledge of the German tongue, he had little to fear
+so long as he took care not to blunder into a military patrol. Without
+misadventure he reached Aix, and purchased a dozen spanners similar to
+those used by plate-layers, except that the handles were short and
+lacked the great leverage necessary for their work. This difficulty
+would, however, be easily got over by cutting stout rods from the woods
+and lashing them to the short spanners. The tools thus obtained would,
+he knew, be fully suited to the end in view.</p>
+
+<p>The reconnoitring of the railway had disclosed the fact that the guards
+were stationed only about eighty yards apart. Also that they were
+changed every four hours, at four o'clock, eight o'clock, midnight, and
+noon.</p>
+
+<p>An hour before midnight Max led the band towards the line at the point
+fixed upon. He had already, at some pains, explained exactly what he
+desired each man to do, and from their intelligent eagerness felt pretty
+well assured that they would not fail from want of zeal or knowledge of
+the part they had to play. To the Frenchmen he, of course, explained
+matters in their own tongue, and found them equally as ready as their
+Island brethren.</p>
+
+<p>The moon, what there was of it, was fairly low in the heavens, and the
+long shadows Max counted upon so largely in his plans were much in
+evidence. Silence was another factor of importance, and the feet of all
+the men were swathed in long strips of cloth&mdash;their puttees in the case
+of the British soldiers, and strips from their clothing in the case of
+the Frenchmen.</p>
+
+<p>The band was divided into three groups, and the orders were that on
+arriving at the edge of the cutting all were to remain motionless in
+hiding until the guards were changed at midnight. Then three men from
+each band were to creep up close to one of the three sentries marked
+down for attack, and wait for an opportunity to seize and kill or
+capture him without raising an alarm.</p>
+
+<p>The latter point Max insisted upon as of the utmost importance. The
+groups of three might spend two hours, even three hours, he told them,
+so long as they performed their task without making a noise that would
+attract the attention of the sentries on either side. The darkness of
+the line, from the shadows of the trees and bushes and the deepness of
+the cutting itself, Max felt he could rely upon to prevent the other
+sentries from seeing if aught were amiss. The important thing,
+therefore, was that they should perform their task without noise.</p>
+
+<p>Promptly at midnight the sentries were changed. The momentary bustle
+was, as arranged carefully beforehand by Max, taken advantage of by the
+groups of three to creep close up to their objectives. Then things
+settled down again in quietude. All was peaceful and silent between the
+thunder of the trains, and time was allowed the sentries to grow
+accustomed to their surroundings and to develop any individual habits of
+carelessness that might be theirs. At first the men marched to and fro
+rather frequently. Later, they contented themselves with leaning on
+their rifles and making themselves as comfortable as such a position
+would allow. There had been no attacks on any part of the line in
+Germany so far as had become known, and there was no reason in the world
+why these line guards should expect one now.</p>
+
+<p>One of the sentries presently came to a halt in the shadow cast by a
+tree. He was thus out of sight of his comrades on either side, and the
+three men in deadly attendance upon him were satisfied that their chance
+had come. Noiselessly emerging from the shadows, they stole upon him
+from behind. One seized him by the throat in a grip of iron, stifling
+all utterance, another pinioned his arms to his sides, while the third
+caught the rifle which fell from his startled hand. Between the three
+the struggles of the unfortunate sentry were quickly mastered. He was
+securely pinioned, gagged, and dragged out of harm's way into the
+shelter of the bushes.</p>
+
+<p>The capture of one made the capture of the two others comparatively
+easy. It was only necessary to await a moment when the farther sentinel
+was facing away from the next man marked down for attack, before
+springing upon him. One after the other the three guards were
+successfully placed out of action, and the stern work of reprisal was at
+hand.</p>
+
+<p>As a precautionary measure, two men, wearing the tunics and helmets of
+the captured Germans, were stationed as sentries one at each end of the
+break, to satisfy their German neighbours in case they should miss the
+sight of the comrades who had gone.</p>
+
+<p>Then rapidly Max selected two pairs of rails, one pair on the up-line
+and one on the down-line, and the dozen great spanners were quickly at
+work. Certain of the nuts of the rails and of some of the chairs were
+carefully loosened a little, and everything was made ready to shift one
+end of each rail as soon as the signal should be given. Then the men
+withdrew once more to the obscurity of the bushes.</p>
+
+<p>Having satisfied himself that everything was in readiness, Max settled
+himself to watch the trains as they passed, and to seize upon the
+essential moment. Trains were now running less frequently than at every
+hour in the twenty-four, and in the comparative silence he could tell
+when a train was approaching while it was yet some miles away. It was
+his intention to await the almost simultaneous approach of two trains
+from opposite directions, and in steady patience he waited.</p>
+
+<p>His men did not know the full extent of his plans and were impatient to
+see the result of their&mdash;to them&mdash;successful labours. They could not
+understand this halt, and grumbled under their breath at the strange
+hesitancy of their young leader. But everything had gone so well under
+his guidance that none of them dared to express his discontent aloud,
+and Max was left to put the finishing touch upon his plans in peace.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly his ear caught the sounds he had been awaiting.</p>
+
+<p>"Forward!" he commanded in an undertone in two languages.</p>
+
+<p>The men sprang quickly on to the lines and wrestled with the nuts and
+bolts with all their might. In a very short space of time the rails were
+loose at one end and the chairs removed. Then Max gave the word for all
+four rails to be levered inwards, towards the centre of the track, until
+the loose ends were a foot out of line with the other rails.</p>
+
+<p>The chairs were then roughly refixed at the extreme ends of the
+sleepers, and the bent rails bolted as firmly as possible in their new
+positions. While this was being done the four rails next the gaps were
+unbolted and entirely removed. When all was done there was a break 40
+feet long in each track, and the pair of rails on the side from which
+the trains were approaching had been bent inwards, and now pointed
+towards the corresponding pair on the other track, thus:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+<a name="graphic" id="graphic"></a>
+<img src="images/graphic.jpg" alt=""/>
+</div>
+
+<p>For the first time the men now understood the whole significance of the
+work they were doing. They had known enough of their young leader's
+plans to expect much, but now they expected a great deal more and moved
+off the track full of suppressed excitement and jubilation. Like a
+pistol-shot it had come to them that the brutal destruction of the poor
+village beyond Bastogne was about to be very amply revenged indeed.</p>
+
+<p>The rumble of the two trains approaching from opposite directions was
+now drawing very close, and the men hung about in the bushes, a few
+yards up the side of the cutting, watching eagerly for any sign that the
+drivers had seen the short breaks in the line and were bringing their
+trains to a standstill. But there was no sign of this. The trains
+approached at a steady speed, and the drivers, if on the look-out,
+noticed nothing amiss in the patches of deeper shadow in the half
+darkness of the gloomy cutting.</p>
+
+<p>The two trains reached the fatal spot almost at the same moment. Both
+followed the direction of the tampered rails and left the track with a
+bumping grind that made those who heard it shudder. Then they collided
+with a crash that could be heard for miles. The engines reared up almost
+on end&mdash;as though in a desperate attempt to leap over one another&mdash;and
+rolled over on their sides. Behind them the great wagons still drove on
+and piled themselves up on high in a welter of hideous confusion.</p>
+
+<p>The noise, the confusion, the sense of dire destruction, were almost
+paralysing; but, almost without being conscious of it, Max found himself
+eagerly scanning the wrecked wagons to see what they contained. The
+"bag" was one sufficient to satisfy the most ardent patriot. The trucks,
+or some of them, of the train bound outwards to Li&eacute;ge clearly contained
+the guns of several heavy batteries. Those of the inward train were
+filled with machinery and other stores filched from the great Belgian
+workshops and being transferred to Germany to set up fresh works there.
+A few of the trucks of the inward train appeared to contain shells, and
+these Max marked down as the point for the final attack.</p>
+
+<p>The noise of the collision, of course, brought all the men guarding the
+line, within hearing, hurrying to the scene. None of them, or of the
+survivors of those on the trains, had any thought that the catastrophe
+was anything but an accident, and no attempt was made to search for
+possible enemies. Most of the German soldiers, indeed, flung down their
+weapons and busied themselves in the task of extricating men and horses
+from the piles of overturned wagons.</p>
+
+<p>Thus when again, at Max's signal, the band of British and French
+soldiers left their hiding-places they were able, in the darkness, to
+mingle with the Germans and go about their final work almost
+unchallenged. In only two instances were German officers or
+non-commissioned officers inconveniently inquisitive, and those
+difficulties were solved by an instant attack with the bayonet. Even
+these conflicts were insufficient to attract special attention amid the
+general turmoil. Any who noticed the actions might readily enough have
+concluded that they were the result of a quarrel or of some demented
+victim of the accident attacking an imaginary foe.</p>
+
+<p>The work which still kept Max and his auxiliaries on the dangerous scene
+of their successful exploit was that of bringing down great bundles of
+straw and dead wood, prepared some time beforehand, from the top of the
+railway cutting where they had been hidden in readiness. The wagons,
+which Max had ascertained to be indeed full of shells, were what they
+were after, and against these the bundles were piled. Almost unmolested
+the exulting men made all ready for the final blow which should set the
+seal upon their terrible reprisal.</p>
+
+<p>And yet, when it came to the point, Max hesitated to give the order to
+fire the pyre. There might yet be some unfortunate men pinned alive
+beneath the wreckage, and he was unwilling to add to their miseries the
+dreadful fate of being burned alive. For ten, fifteen, and almost twenty
+minutes he waited, until he could feel satisfied that none were likely
+still to remain alive beneath the pile. His own men indeed, well knowing
+what was coming, had busied themselves in dragging out their fallen foes
+from the certain fate which would otherwise have befallen them,
+forgetting their desire for reprisals in their pity for wounded and
+helpless men.</p>
+
+<p>At last the moment arrived. Max gave the word, the straw was fired, and
+the band beat a hasty retreat to the shelter of the bushes on the north
+side of the cutting.</p>
+
+<p>A loud cry of warning and alarm arose from the German soldiers as the
+flames shot up into the air, illuminating the track for many yards
+around. A harsh command rang out, and a number of men dashed forward to
+beat or stamp out the flare.</p>
+
+<p>"Those men must be kept away, Corporal," cried Max quickly. "We must not
+leave until the fire has got firm hold."</p>
+
+<p>"Bayonets, men," cried Corporal Shaw sharply. "Get ready to charge
+home."</p>
+
+<p>"No, no, Corporal," cried Max, seizing him by the arm; "no bayonet
+fighting this round. Keep them away by rifle-fire from the bushes. They
+know nothing of us now; let them remain as ignorant as possible."</p>
+
+<p>"Right. Ten rounds, rapid, boys! Ready! present! fire!"</p>
+
+<p>The Germans had barely reached the fire and begun to pull away the
+burning faggots, when a sudden and withering hail of bullets swept down
+upon them. Half of them fell at once, and the remainder recoiled in
+confusion and doubt. Fire seemed to spit from the darkness all about
+them, and none knew for the moment whether they were in the presence of
+a foe, or whether a detachment of their own men, but just arrived, had
+taken them for enemy wreckers. Long before the officer in command could
+rally his men, push out scouts to ascertain the cause of the rifle-fire,
+and set the main body to resume their task, the fire had caught such
+firm hold that it was obvious to all that at any moment the shells might
+explode.</p>
+
+<p>A general stampede away from the vicinity of the burning wagons ensued,
+and at a respectful distance the discomfited Germans gazed at the fire
+or occupied themselves in firing in the direction apparently taken by
+their unseen foes.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly, with an ear-splitting roar, the shells exploded. The
+concussion was tremendous, and huge showers of shells, broken bits of
+wagons, gravel, and flaming wood fell heavily in all directions. Many of
+those looking on were killed outright by the avalanche of falling
+material, and the remainder fled in mad panic from the deadly scene.</p>
+
+<p>Max had already withdrawn his men beyond the edge of the cutting and
+marched them a couple of hundred yards farther down the line. The
+explosion caused them no casualties beyond a few minor cuts and bruises,
+and, with one last look at the track beneath them, they turned their
+backs upon the place and marched silently away towards the Dutch
+frontier.</p>
+
+<p>The work of reprisal for a foul deed was done. Where the explosion had
+taken place an enormous crater had been torn in the permanent way.
+Beyond that the line was blocked by great piles of tangled wreckage
+which must have weighed hundreds of tons&mdash;Krupp guns and gun mountings,
+twisted almost out of all recognition, masses of machinery ruined beyond
+redemption, and engines, wagons, rails, and sleepers piled high in
+inextricable confusion. Many hours, if not days, of unremitting toil
+would be needed before the line could be reopened for traffic. Thus the
+main lines of communication of the Germans were severed and a heavy blow
+struck for the cause of the Allies.</p>
+
+<p>On the trunk of a tree, at the top of the cutting close by, a notice was
+fixed: "In reprisal for the burning of an innocent village above
+Bastogne."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX</h2>
+
+<h3>A Further Blow</h3>
+
+
+<p>The point at which the line to Aix had been broken was not far from the
+Dutch frontier, and for an hour or so Max and the band he led made good
+progress. Then their difficulties began. The alarm had clearly been
+given, and a serious alarm it seemed to be. Bodies of troops, and
+especially cavalry, were on the march in all directions, and it became a
+matter of the utmost difficulty to avoid contact with them. Finally,
+Max, as the day dawned, led his men right away into a wide expanse of
+farm-land, and took them towards a solitary farm-house.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the game now, laddie?" asked Corporal Shaw, as Max led them
+boldly towards the farm-house, much to the surprise of the farmer and
+his family, who came out to see what this strange visit of a body of
+armed men might mean. "Doesn't this give us away to the enemy?"</p>
+
+<p>"We must have rest and food, Corporal," replied Max seriously. "If we
+surround the farm and keep prisoners all who are there, and detain all
+who call, we shall be safe if no parties of German soldiers happen to
+light upon us. If we can get through the day, I think we shall get
+safely across the frontier. We are only seven miles away, and a few
+hours of darkness will see us there."</p>
+
+<p>"Good! You know your business, lad, I can see," replied Shaw briskly,
+and he gave a quick order to his men to spread out at the double and
+surround the farm. Max interpreted the order to the French soldiers, who
+promptly followed suit. In a moment or two the farm had been surrounded,
+and the men began to close in upon it.</p>
+
+<p>The surprise and curiosity of the German farmer and his family quickly
+turned to fear as the object of the move became apparent. They could now
+see, too, the faces and equipment of the men converging upon them, and
+knew that, whatever they might be, they were certainly not soldiers of
+the Fatherland.</p>
+
+<p>"You're a prisoner, mein Herr," cried Corporal Shaw cheerfully, as he
+strode up to the burly farmer and slapped him familiarly on the
+shoulder. "Be good, or it will be the worse for you."</p>
+
+<p>Max interpreted his words, and added the information that neither he nor
+any of his household were to stir outside the house, or even to look out
+of the windows. They were to consider themselves close prisoners, and on
+their good behaviour their own treatment would absolutely depend. The
+farmer, as soon as he could recover from his astonishment, passed the
+order on to his family and domestics with a peremptoriness no doubt
+considerably enhanced by his own lively fears. The Germans filed into
+the farm-house, followed by all the band except two. These were set on
+the watch on the roofs of two barns a little distance away on opposite
+sides of the building.</p>
+
+<p>Max then called upon the farmer to provide a meal for them all,
+promising him in return fair payment. Soon the whole band, in high good
+humour, were deep in enjoyment of the best meal they had had since the
+retreat from Mons and Charleroi began.</p>
+
+<p>During the day there were occasional alarms as bodies of German soldiers
+were observed scouring the country in the distance, but none approached
+the farm-house. Several labourers, evidently missing the presence of the
+farmer, called, and these were promptly made prisoners. At nightfall
+everything was made ready for the last march.</p>
+
+<p>The women were sent to their rooms and locked securely in. Then the men,
+seven in number, were marshalled in line and informed that any attempt
+to give warning to German troops or the authorities would result in
+instant death. The order to march was given, and, in single file, Max
+and the farmer leading, with the remainder of the prisoners in the
+centre, the band moved across country towards the Dutch frontier.</p>
+
+<p>With the aid of the farmer, Max led the band to a point opposite
+Maastricht, where the frontier ran through a little wood. He hoped that
+here there would be no difficulty in getting unmolested through the
+barbed-wire fences everywhere erected along the frontier by the Germans.
+A road ran across the frontier close by the wood and a post had been
+established there by the enemy, but Max believed that, favoured by night
+and the darkness of the wood, there would be no difficulty in eluding
+observation.</p>
+
+<p>They entered the wood unobserved, and Max halted the band and went
+forward with Dale and one of the English soldiers to silence the sentry
+and cut the wire. The sentry was an oldish man, of the Landwehr, and
+entirely unsuspicious. He was seized by the throat from behind, his
+rifle snatched from his hand, and his arms and legs securely pinioned.
+Then his throat was released and his mouth securely gagged. It was all
+over in ten minutes, and, leaving the soldier and Dale at work upon the
+wire, Max went back to bring along the rest of the men.</p>
+
+<p>To his consternation he found them on the move, the last files
+disappearing from the wood in the direction of the German frontier post,
+two men only being left behind in charge of the prisoners. Running after
+them, Max caught up the rearmost men, and was told that they were about
+to attack the Germans and root them out. Much hurt and angered at this
+sudden reckless move, Max ran forward to the front of the column and
+accosted Corporal Shaw.</p>
+
+<p>"What is this, Corporal?" he cried. "It was to be my business to get you
+over the frontier. I don't agree with your attacking the Germans here."</p>
+
+<p>"That's all right, sir," replied Shaw, still pressing on. "We know what
+we're about. We've reconnoitred the place, and can clear out the whole
+lot without turning a hair. Come along, lad, and lend a hand."</p>
+
+<p>"No, Shaw, I'm not going to have this. I've breached the wire a few
+yards away yonder and put the sentry out of action. All we have to do is
+to walk through and we are safe. This mad attack right on the frontier
+will&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"No, no; our fellows will be disappointed if they don't get one more
+fling at the Germans!" cried Shaw, pressing on as though anxious to get
+away from Max's protests. "It'll all be over in&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>At this moment the German sentry in front of the building which housed
+the frontier guard caught sight of dark shadows approaching. He
+challenged, and almost simultaneously brought his rifle up to his
+shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>There was a flash and a report, and one of the men just behind Max gave
+a gasp and staggered. He recovered himself, however, and with the rest
+of the band charged madly down upon the sentry and the guard, who were
+now rapidly tumbling out of the entrance of the building, rifle in hand.</p>
+
+<p>The fight that ensued was to Max the most desperate he had ever seen.
+The French and British soldiers, after all their discomforts and
+privations and the terrible sights they had witnessed, were burning with
+the desire to get to close quarters with the Germans and to try
+conclusions with them. Like a whirlwind they flung themselves upon the
+hated foe, and, scarcely firing a shot, stabbed and bayoneted with wild
+and desperate energy.</p>
+
+<p>The Germans who had poured outside the building were cut down in a
+remarkably short space of time, and, without a pause, the men dashed
+into the passage and up the stairs, every man striving to be the first
+to close with the enemy. Against such reckless valour as this the German
+Landwehr, although they outnumbered their assailants at least two to
+one, could do nothing, and it could not have been more than eight
+minutes from the first onrush before the last German had been cut down.</p>
+
+<p>"Set a light to it, boys," commanded Shaw, highly excited with the
+success of the combat. "Let's have a blaze to light our way across the
+frontier, and to tell the Germans we bid them farewell."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, boys, three good cheers for the Allies and down with the Germans!"</p>
+
+<p>The huzzas were heartily given as the fire promptly kindled within
+blazed up. Round the burning house the soldiers danced, flinging into
+the fire the arms and equipment of their foes. Across the frontier, only
+a few yards away, the soldiers of the Dutch guard had turned out, and
+they watched the strange scene with an interest that to one at least of
+the band of British and French was far from pleasing.</p>
+
+<p>"Fall in!" commanded Shaw, and the men obeyed. "Form fours&mdash;right! Now,
+boys, we've seen our last of Germany for a time, and are going to march
+into Holland. Soon we shall be back in the armies of the Allies, ready
+to take part in another march through Germany. Now, then, by the right,
+quick&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"One moment, Shaw," cried Max quickly. "You are making a big mistake if
+you think you can march thus into Holland and also be free to join the
+armies of the Allies."</p>
+
+<p>"Why so?" cried Corporal Shaw impatiently. "Why can't we? Who's to stop
+us?"</p>
+
+<p>"The Dutch soldiers will stop you quick enough," replied Max. "Do you
+think they will treat us as they do escaped prisoners or fugitives after
+a battle at their very frontier?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, what will they treat us as?" cried Shaw sharply.</p>
+
+<p>"As belligerents, of course. We shall be disarmed and interned, and our
+fighting days will be over."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Shaw," interposed Peck. "The lad's right, and we have played the
+fool in lashing out at the Germans right agin the frontier. You're too
+headstrong, Shaw. The lad was running this show. Why didn't you leave
+him alone?"</p>
+
+<p>"Pooh! If we drop our tools, and march across, the Dutchmen will let us
+go," replied the discomfited Shaw apologetically. "Let's try it on
+anyway."</p>
+
+<p>"Nay, nay, Shaw," cried the Scot in a deep voice. "Ye've spoiled this
+business, and ye'd better let be. The lad has the best heid, and let him
+have his way over it. Come, lad, what say ye&mdash;what's oor next move?"</p>
+
+<p>It was certainly time for a move of some sort. On both flanks of the
+party desultory firing had commenced. The sentries posted along the
+frontier had doubtless been attracted by the sound of the fighting at
+their head-quarters and were straggling inwards, exchanging dropping
+shots with the men on the outskirts of the band. As their numbers
+increased, a regular battle would ensue, finally compelling the band to
+surrender, or to cross the frontier and be interned.</p>
+
+<p>Max had no mind to be interned, whatever Shaw felt on the subject. His
+great task of guarding the Durend workshops was still waiting for him to
+complete, and were he put out of action it was certain that no one else
+would carry it on. Shaw had made a great mistake, but it was possibly
+not irretrievable. At any rate, Max believed it could be set right by
+prompt and resolute action.</p>
+
+<p>"Come, then," he said firmly. "If you still wish to fight again for your
+country, follow me, and I will do my best to keep you from losing the
+chance. You must be silent and watchful and make the best speed
+possible. Exert yourselves to the utmost for three or four hours, and
+then I hope we may be safe again. Come&mdash;fall in in single file, with the
+prisoners in the centre, and follow me. Exchange no shots unless I give
+the word. If you are attacked, use the bayonet, and the bayonet only."</p>
+
+<p>There was a murmur of general assent and a quick bustle as the men fell
+in. Several were slightly wounded, but only two sufficiently so to need
+any assistance. Two men took their stand by each of these, and as Max
+led the way inland from the frontier, through the open country, these
+assisted them to keep up with the others.</p>
+
+<p>Max kept the German farmer close by his side. The man knew the country
+well, and Max gave him to understand that his comrades would be very
+glad indeed of an excuse to strafe him. The man certainly had no reason
+to disbelieve him. The wild, fierce looks of the men, the assured way in
+which they marched through an enemy's country, and the pitched battle,
+ending in the burning of a German post, just fought were enough to
+convince him that he had to deal with men who were nothing if not
+determined. At any rate, Max had no trouble with him, and found him a
+ready and reliable guide all through the night.</p>
+
+<p>For nearly two hours the band moved obliquely inland. Then Max turned
+and aimed once more at the frontier at a point at least ten miles away
+from the place where the previous attempt had been made.</p>
+
+<p>The German patrols were fewer here, and with only one mishap they
+reached the frontier. This mishap took place while the party was
+crossing a high road. Scouts had reported all clear, and all had crossed
+except the men at the rear, who were helping the wounded along. These
+were in the middle of the road, when a motorcar, moving at high speed,
+turned a corner a short distance away and ran rapidly down upon them.</p>
+
+<p>The powerful headlights of the motor of course revealed the little group
+of men in the roadway. Brakes were applied, and the machine came to a
+standstill a yard or two away.</p>
+
+<p>"Who are you? What do you here?" came in the deep peremptory tones of a
+man who was evidently a German officer.</p>
+
+<p>For the moment the party in the road, half-blinded by the powerful
+lights, stopped stupidly where they were. None of them understood what
+was said, and none made a move either to fly or to resist capture.</p>
+
+<p>Max, the instant he saw the headlights approaching, ran back to the
+roadway and was just in time to hear the officer's demand. It was too
+late for flight&mdash;too late for anything but attack&mdash;and, calling to the
+men nearest him, he sprang towards the car.</p>
+
+<p>Two revolvers flashed in the darkness. One of the bullets cut through
+the side of his jacket and grazed his side. The other missed altogether.
+In another moment he was alongside the car and using the rifle and
+bayonet he carried with hearty goodwill.</p>
+
+<p>The car contained four German officers and a soldier chauffeur. For a
+fraction of a second Max attacked them single-handed. Then other men
+sprang to his assistance, and from both sides of the car the Germans
+were assaulted with an energy they doubtless had never experienced
+before. It was quickly over. All the men were bayoneted, and left for
+dead, and, without waiting to do more than dash out the headlights and
+overturn the car in a ditch, Max again led the band forward to the
+frontier.</p>
+
+<p>Day was breaking as the band neared the frontier, at a point where it
+was crossed by a railway. In a little copse at the side of the track Max
+halted his men and allowed them a short rest while he went with Shaw to
+reconnoitre and determine the best means of making the actual crossing.
+They found, of course, the line well guarded, and with a strong post at
+the frontier to watch the gap necessarily left in the great barbed-wire
+fence. The post consisted of about thirty men of the Landwehr, and the
+band of British and French fugitives could have rushed and destroyed it
+with the greatest ease. But, should they do this, Max feared that they
+could not cross into Holland and retain their freedom. They would, he
+felt sure, be treated as soldiers and be interned for the duration of
+the war. None of them had any desire for that; all wished to be free to
+strike again at the foe.</p>
+
+<p>From the frontier back to a busy little station, two miles inland, Max
+and Shaw continued their search. Then they returned to the place where
+they had left the rest of the band in hiding.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Max, what do you think of it?" asked Dale. "D'ye think we can get
+through anywhere about here without too much of a rumpus?"</p>
+
+<p>"I hope so. I've thought of something that seems to promise."</p>
+
+<p>"What is it, old man?"</p>
+
+<p>"Take forcible possession of yon station in the middle of the night and
+collar the first train that arrives <i>en route</i> to the frontier. We ought
+then to be able to run her successfully through the Dutch frontier
+guards."</p>
+
+<p>"Phew!" cried Dale in amazement.</p>
+
+<p>Shaw gave a prolonged chuckle of intense delight. "Train-snatching&mdash;eh?"
+he cried at last. "That'll suit the boys, I give you my word."</p>
+
+<p>"It's not so easy as it sounds," responded Max soberly. "It needs
+careful planning, for it must be done like clockwork if we are not to
+make a mess of it."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we can do that, I suppose?" replied Shaw confidently. "You found
+the clockwork all right in that raid on the railway? You plan it out and
+you'll find we shan't fail you."</p>
+
+<p>"No, I don't think you will, Shaw. Well, it must be done about an hour
+after nightfall, so we must lose no time. This is how I think it ought
+to be done," and Max unfolded the plan as it had so far framed itself in
+his mind.</p>
+
+<p>For an hour or two the three discussed the affair earnestly together.
+Then they broached the scheme to their waiting comrades. As they
+anticipated, it met with rapturous approval, and it was in a fever of
+impatience&mdash;for the hour of their deliverance or their defeat was close
+at hand&mdash;that the whole of the band awaited the closing in of night.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a>CHAPTER XX</h2>
+
+<h3>Across the Frontier</h3>
+
+
+<p>A train steamed slowly into Storbach station. The stationmaster and a
+host of officials crossed the platform and prepared to search and
+interrogate the passengers with that thoroughness and also with that
+lack of courtesy and consideration which seem peculiarly Prussian.</p>
+
+<p>The engine-driver and his fireman, momentarily released from toil,
+crossed to the near side of their engine, leaned over the rail, and
+prepared to enjoy the proceedings. The platform was well lighted, but
+beyond was a wall of darkness into which the eye could not penetrate
+more than a yard or two. Suddenly, out of this obscurity, three men
+appeared. Swiftly they crossed the platform, and, without a moment's
+hesitation, sprang upon the engine.</p>
+
+<p>"See this?" growled one of them&mdash;it was Peck&mdash;levelling his bayonet at
+the engine-driver who had shrunk back into the cab. "You do? Well, then,
+keep quiet or you'll feel it&mdash;sharp. We're desp'rit men, we are, and
+that's all about it."</p>
+
+<p>The engine-driver understood well enough, and the fireman, who had been
+similarly cornered by another of the trio, seemed to understand equally
+well that the first doubtful movement on his part would be his last.
+Full possession having thus been obtained, the three new-comers gave an
+eye to what was happening on the platform.</p>
+
+<p>Events there were sufficiently exciting. From all sides armed men of a
+particularly wild-looking variety had suddenly invaded the platform. One
+group had promptly seized the telegraph office and seen to it that no
+messages appealing for help should be sent along the wires in either
+direction. In fact they went a step further, and put the instrument out
+of action so thoroughly that all risk from this source was at an end for
+a long time to come.</p>
+
+<p>The main body as promptly attacked the guard of soldiers in charge of
+the station and overwhelmed them utterly at the first onrush. German
+Landsturm and Landwehr troops were as children in the hands of these
+veteran British and French soldiers, and complete victory was won at the
+cost of two men slightly wounded only. Then came the turn of the
+astonished officials, railway porters, and the few passengers waiting to
+enter the train. These surrendered with commendable promptitude, and,
+dumbfounded with amazement, were shepherded into one of the
+waiting-rooms and locked securely in.</p>
+
+<p>The passengers on the train were ordered out on to the platform, ushered
+into another waiting-room, and there similarly secured. All was now
+ready, and Max gave the signal for the men who had been stationed
+outside, guarding all exits, to close in and for the whole of the band
+to entrain.</p>
+
+<p>Running forward to the engine, Max sprang up and gave the signal to
+start.</p>
+
+<p>"Full speed ahead, Peck. Let her go."</p>
+
+<p>That worthy, by the aid of very expressive pantomime, assisted by a
+sentence or two in German from Max, quickly induced the engine-driver
+and fireman to perform their offices, and the train moved out from the
+platform to the tune of suppressed cheers from its delighted occupants.
+The two miles to the frontier were covered in a few minutes, and with a
+cheer, no longer suppressed but full of heart-felt gladness, the
+fugitives saw the last outpost of their enemies flash by. They were now
+in a friendly country and had only to play their cards with care and
+moderation to find themselves once more on the way to their native
+lands.</p>
+
+<p>Presently Max ordered the train to be brought to a standstill. They were
+now well into Holland and there were no line guards, and, at that hour,
+none to mark their doings. All rifles and bayonets were handed out and
+dropped into a muddy ditch. Then the journey was resumed until they
+reached a siding into which the train could be run.</p>
+
+<p>The driver and firemen were gagged, bound hand and foot, and left in
+charge of their empty train while their captors marched on foot across
+country <i>en route</i> for Rotterdam. They were stopped and questioned many
+times, but on each occasion they were eventually allowed to proceed.</p>
+
+<p>At the great Dutch port Max and Dale took leave of their soldier
+friends. Max, now that he had brought the band to safety, wished to seek
+out his mother and sister, and Dale, of course, must go with him.</p>
+
+<p>On the deck of a ship bound for England the two friends said good-bye to
+Shaw and his stanch command, and when they trod the gangway back to the
+shore of Holland the cheer that went up brought all the Dutchmen and
+German spies about the dock hurrying to the scene. Huzza after huzza
+rent the air, and, when the ship drew away out into the stream on its
+way to the ocean, the strains of the Marseillaise and Rule Britannia
+could be heard high above the throb of engines and the clank and rattle
+of the busy port.</p>
+
+<p>"Fine fellows, those," remarked Dale with more than a suggestion of
+regret in his voice.</p>
+
+<p>"None better," replied Max emphatically. "And how well the men of the
+two races worked together. I think it must be an earnest of the way
+France and Britain will work together in the great alliance."</p>
+
+<p>"Aye. And what part are <i>we</i> going to play, old man?" asked Dale
+eagerly. "'Pon my word I feel all on fire to get to work and strike a
+few good blows for England."</p>
+
+<p>"So we will, but we have earned a rest, so let us go to Maastricht and
+stay quietly with my mother and sister for a little while. Then we will
+go to England and offer ourselves for service in any capacity in which
+we can be of most use. Then 'hard all' right up the course."</p>
+
+<p>"Hurrah! I'm with you. Forward all! Paddle!"</p>
+
+<p>"But I should like a job that will give me a chance to give an eye
+occasionally to the Durend works," presently remarked Max meditatively.</p>
+
+<p>"There you go again," groaned Dale. "Those works of yours are the bane
+of my life. There's no getting away from them for a moment."</p>
+
+<p>"They're my special job, and Schenk is my special enemy," replied Max in
+the steady resolute tone Dale knew so well. "There is no one who can
+take my place there in thwarting the enemy's plans, and while I live I
+can never forget it."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't believe you can," agreed Dale comically, "so it's no use my
+trying. I suppose that will be the end of your fine talk about our
+offering our services to the British authorities?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not at all, old man. What about the Secret Service? With our knowledge
+of Belgium and its languages I should think they might find us
+employment that will be every whit as useful to the Allies as fighting
+in the ranks. And it will give me a chance, occasionally, to see what
+Schenk is up to, and, perhaps, to try another fall with him."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, <i>that</i> doesn't sound so bad. Anyway it is good enough to think
+about a little more before we make up our minds. Now for Maastricht and
+that rest we've been chasing ever since we left Li&eacute;ge for the Ardennes.
+At last there seems a chance of our getting it."</p>
+
+<p>At Maastricht Max had a joyful reception. His mother had never lost hope
+of his safe return, but the suspense had been trying, and the news from
+Li&eacute;ge had not been of a kind to reassure her. However, here he was back
+again, safe and sound, and in that fact all fears and anxieties were
+forgotten. Dale shared in the welcome, and for a week or two the friends
+stayed happily at home. Then the leaven began to work again, and one day
+Dale found Max going carefully through the miscellaneous lot of papers
+which he had taken from his father's safe along with the money and
+securities on which his mother had since been living.</p>
+
+<p>"Business, eh?" he enquired jocularly.</p>
+
+<p>"Something of the sort," admitted Max. "Looking through those old papers
+we raided out of Schenk's clutches. Some of them are his and not my
+father's, and I can see why he was so anxious to get them back again.
+Why, here is correspondence&mdash;between the rascal and someone who, I
+expect, is an agent of the German Government&mdash;dating back years before
+the war, in which Schenk is instructed to prepare the Durend works for
+the eventuality of a German occupation of Li&eacute;ge. It's all here, even to
+the laying down of concrete gun-platforms, one of which the impudent
+beggar disguised as our tennis-court."</p>
+
+<p>"Good! Anything else?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing quite so good as that. Plans of the Durend mines and works and
+such-like. They may be useful some day."</p>
+
+<p>"When we get rid of Schenk, eh? That will be some time yet, so you need
+not bother your head about plans of the works. In fact, to put it
+mildly&mdash;I don't want to hurt your feelings&mdash;I expect the place will be
+so altered when you get it back that you won't recognize it, and those
+plans will be of mighty little use to you or anyone else."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," replied Max thoughtfully. "You're referring to Schenk's threat
+that, if ever the Germans had to leave Li&eacute;ge, he would smash up the
+works so thoroughly that not one brick would be left upon another?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aye."</p>
+
+<p>"He's just the man to do it."</p>
+
+<p>"He is that. And the less reason for you to bother about the place. It's
+no use worrying; it can't be helped."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm not so sure. Anyway I'm going to do what I can to save the place.
+As for these papers of Schenk's, I'm going to hand them over to the
+British consul. They'll be useful, I don't doubt, as one more proof of
+Germany's deep-laid plans for war."</p>
+
+<p>Max did as he proposed, and the papers were accepted with alacrity and
+forwarded to the British Foreign Office. At the same time Max made
+application on his own and Dale's behalf for employment in Belgium as
+members of the British Secret Service. After a week or two's delay,
+during which time enquiries no doubt were being made into their
+credentials, an official arrived with the necessary documents, and after
+a long conversation, detailing exactly what was required of them, Max
+and Dale were accepted and enrolled.</p>
+
+<p>A few days later they had said good-bye to their home in quiet
+Maastricht and were away across the frontier, in the great whirlpool of
+the war once more.</p>
+
+<p>They resumed the disguises of Walloon workmen, which had already served
+them in such good stead, and applied for work in Li&eacute;ge and all the big
+towns of Belgium. For two years and more they worked steadily, in
+different workshops up and down the country, gathering news and
+transmitting it faithfully to the agents of the British Government. They
+were cool and reliable observers, and their information was found to be
+so uniformly accurate that it was relied upon more and more as the
+months went by.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI"></a>CHAPTER XXI</h2>
+
+<h3>The Great Coup</h3>
+
+
+<p>At the commencement of their work in the Secret Service, Max and Dale
+visited Li&eacute;ge, and, while collecting information there, thought out and
+put into operation a far-reaching plan that they hoped might checkmate
+Schenk's schemes for the destruction of the Durend works when the
+Germans should be forced to evacuate the city. It was a plan formulated
+after they had again got into touch with M. Dubec and the small band of
+men who still loyally refused to work in the interests of the invaders.
+M. Dubec had imparted to them the information&mdash;not unexpected&mdash;that
+Schenk had placed mines under all the workshops, and put everything in
+readiness for blowing them into the air whenever he should wish to do
+so.</p>
+
+<p>"I have it from one of the men who actually helped to dig and fill them,
+Monsieur. He was not allowed to help in the wiring, and he believes this
+was done secretly at night, by Germans whom Schenk knew he could trust."</p>
+
+<p>"So you know that the shops are mined, but do not know where the wires
+run?"</p>
+
+<p>"That is true, Monsieur."</p>
+
+<p>"Could you not find out?"</p>
+
+<p>"I do not think so, Monsieur. Since that last affair of ours there have
+been too many sentries in the yards, especially at night. It would be
+impossible to dig anywhere."</p>
+
+<p>"We ought to do something, Dubec."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Monsieur?"</p>
+
+<p>"But the job is to know what," Dale struck in. "We can't tunnel
+underground, I suppose, and get at them that way, so we must find out by
+spying where the wires are run to&mdash;eh, Max?"</p>
+
+<p>"Tunnel?" ejaculated Max. "That's an idea, Dale. Those old mines we were
+tracing in the plans the other day! Why not?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why not what?" asked Dale a little testily.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, you know we noticed that one of them ran right up to the outskirts
+of the city? Well, why shouldn't we continue it secretly, until we get
+beneath the yards, and then burrow upwards to the workshops? Then we can
+remove the mine-charges from below, and sit still and hold tight until
+the great day arrives."</p>
+
+<p>"Hurrah!" cried Dale enthusiastically. "The very thing. Phew! what a
+coup it will be!"</p>
+
+<p>"We shall, of course, have to get Dubec here and one or two others to
+arrange it for us. They must go to work in the Durend mines, and take it
+in turns to spend a night down there. Each man, as his turn comes, must
+go into the old workings, and continue the gallery fixed upon in the
+direction of the Durend works. Narrow seams of coal, not worth working,
+did run in that direction according to the plans, and they will have no
+difficulty in getting rid of the coal of course. The rock they hew out
+must be taken away and dumped in remote, abandoned workings, where it is
+not likely to be found or understood."</p>
+
+<p>"'Pon my word, it sounds like the real thing," cried Dale with fresh
+enthusiasm. "But it'll take a long time I should think, so we must make
+a start at once. What do you think, Dubec?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Monsieur, it will take much time. But we will work hard, knowing
+that we are working for our country. It will make our hearts light again
+to feel that we are once more of use, and some who might give way will
+keep on and on, refusing to bend the knee to the German tyrants and to
+work their will."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, it may well do that," said Max thoughtfully. "And if any object
+that they will be helping the Germans by sending coal up to the surface,
+tell them that I say that the other work they are doing far outweighs
+that. If we can secure the Durend works intact, ready to make shells and
+guns for the Allies when the Germans are driven out, we shall have
+struck a strong blow&mdash;aye, one of the strongest&mdash;for our side."</p>
+
+<p>"I will tell them, Monsieur, though I do not think it will be
+necessary."</p>
+
+<p>"Any money and tools that will be required I will supply. And I will
+occasionally come down into the mine and correct the direction in which
+you are driving the gallery. We must be exact, or all our work will be
+wasted."</p>
+
+<p>After a few days' more planning, and another consultation with Dubec,
+the details of the scheme were settled to everyone's satisfaction, and
+the work commenced. The direction of affairs on the spot was left to
+Dubec, and to him was also left the responsibility of deciding to what
+men the secret should be imparted. Then Max and Dale left the district
+and went on with their own special work, satisfied that the last and
+final stratagem for defeating Schenk was in good hands, and likely, in
+the course of time, to be brought to a successful issue.</p>
+
+<p>It is not here that we can describe the many adventures that befell Max
+and Dale while in the British Secret Service. They were numerous and
+exciting enough, but this tale deals primarily with the fortunes of the
+great Durend workshops and their influence in the war. A long, tedious
+period of trench fighting now began on the Western Front. There were no
+big territorial changes, although there were many attacks on a grand
+scale at Ypres, at Verdun, on the Somme, and in the plain of Flanders.
+But this period, tedious though it was, came to an end at last in the
+great German retreat. Then came for Max and Dale the crucial period of
+all their long and patient scheming to outwit their own special enemy,
+Otto von Schenkendorf, the manager of the Durend works.</p>
+
+<p>When the great retreat began, Max and Dale were at Li&eacute;ge, on the spot.
+At the gates of the works they watched the serried ranks of workmen and
+workwomen as they trudged out in response to the manager's orders that
+the works must be closed and that all workers of German nationality or
+sympathies must retire across the frontier. The anger and consternation
+in their faces were a treat to see, after the long years of their
+arrogance towards men and women of Belgian nationality. The war was
+virtually over&mdash;so said their faces&mdash;and many of them were doubtless
+dreading lest infamies, similar to those wreaked on the helpless
+Belgians, might be perpetrated in <i>their</i> towns and villages.</p>
+
+<p>As the crowd thinned, Max and Dale caught sight of the manager,
+accompanied by a German officer, seated in a great grey motor just
+inside the gates, apparently waiting for the last workman to file out
+and away. The guard of soldiers was still there, standing stiffly to
+attention, and it seemed to Max that there was an air of tension about
+them all, as though something was about to happen. He could well guess
+what. Suddenly, in the distance, there came the sound of dropping
+rifle-shots.</p>
+
+<p>"They've cut it pretty fine, if those shots mean the advance guard of
+the Allies," remarked Max in a voice tense with excitement. "The works
+are clear of the workmen; now for the last great act. Then the curtain!"</p>
+
+<p>Herr Schenk&mdash;as we shall continue to call him&mdash;stood up in his car and
+shouted to the officer of the guard:</p>
+
+<p>"You have your instructions, Lieutenant. Act upon them now without
+delay."</p>
+
+<p>The officer saluted, turned about with military precision, and strode
+into the guard-room.</p>
+
+<p>Herr Schenk resumed his seat, nodded to the chauffeur, and the car moved
+slowly through the gates into the road. Max thought he was about to
+leave the works for good and all, but the car stopped at the side of the
+road a hundred yards or so from the gates, and all in her stood up and
+gazed back in the direction of the works. In the distance, but nearer
+now, could be heard a brisk fusillade of rifle-shots, with now and again
+the brief chatter of a machine-gun.</p>
+
+<p>"Strong cavalry patrols approaching," commented Max. "They are driving
+in scattered bodies of stragglers or outposts, I should say. Look now at
+Schenk! He is waiting for the works to go up sky-high."</p>
+
+<p>The moments passed, and nothing happened. A minute, two minutes, three
+minutes. Still there was no change, and the tense attitude of the men
+waiting in the car relaxed, and they began talking together in low
+tones. Suddenly the figure of the officer of the guard appeared at the
+gates, gesticulating excitedly.</p>
+
+<p>Schenk gave a quick order to the chauffeur. The car was turned and moved
+quickly back to the gates, and there stopped. The officer of the guard
+ran to it, leaned over the side, and explained volubly. Max and Dale,
+from where they stood, could hear nothing of what was said, but they
+knew, almost as well as if they had heard, that the officer was
+explaining that he had tried to fire the mines, but somehow without
+success.</p>
+
+<p>With a gesture of rage or impatience Schenk sprang out of the car, and,
+followed by both officers, ran quickly to the guard-room and disappeared
+from view.</p>
+
+<p>The dropping shots had approached quite near, and Max believed that the
+skirmishers could not be more than half a mile away, and were advancing
+with a speed that indicated that they consisted either of cavalry or
+armed motors.</p>
+
+<p>"I'd give something to see their faces now&mdash;wouldn't you, Max?" queried
+Dale, who could hardly contain himself in his delight.</p>
+
+<p>Max was busy scribbling on a sheet of paper torn from his notebook, and
+did not for a moment reply. When he had finished, he folded it up
+carefully and addressed it on the outside. "Let us walk past the gates,
+Dale, as though just passing. I am going to administer the <i>coup de
+gr&acirc;ce</i> to our friend Schenk."</p>
+
+<p>They crossed the road and slouched along past the gates. As they passed
+the great grey motorcar, Max lightly dropped the note he was carrying on
+to the seat which Schenk had just been occupying. The chauffeur was
+looking eagerly in the direction of the guard-room, and did not observe
+the act or the missive. They slouched on until they turned a corner, and
+then Max cried eagerly:</p>
+
+<p>"Now back again and in that garden among the bushes. We shall see it
+all, and see Schenk's face when he reads my note."</p>
+
+<p>"What did you say, old man?"</p>
+
+<p>"Let us get out of sight there, and I will tell you."</p>
+
+<p>In a few moments the two friends were snugly ensconced in a clump of
+bushes in a garden very near the entrance to the works. The grey car was
+still occupied only by the chauffeur, but they could tell, by his
+listening attitude and the expectant looks of the guards, that an
+altercation of some sort was going on inside the guard-room.</p>
+
+<p>"This is what I said, old man," Max went on in a voice which betrayed
+his excitement:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"<span class="smcap">To Herr von Schenkendorf</span>, <i>alias</i> <span class="smcap">Otto Schenk</span>,</p>
+
+<p>"I observe that you have at last accepted your dismissal from your
+post as manager of the Durend works. You are going&mdash;hated and
+despised&mdash;back to the land which gave you birth. And at last, in
+this moment, you must know yourself defeated by those at whom you
+scoffed as boys. The works you swore to destroy still stand intact,
+and will, in a short time, be throwing all their weight and power
+into the cause of the Allies. Adieu.</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"<span class="smcap">Max Durend</span>,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">"<span class="smcap">Jack Dale</span>."<br /></span>
+</div></div></div>
+
+<p>"Good, old man! That'll make the beggar sit up if anything will. Hark!
+cavalry. Ours or theirs, I wonder?"</p>
+
+<p>In a measure they were answered by a sudden move of the soldiers
+guarding the gates. The lieutenant had shouted an order, and they fell
+into marching order and strode swiftly away in the direction of the
+frontier. The officer remained where he was, and was almost immediately
+joined by Herr Schenk and the other officer. All three walked quickly to
+the motor and got in.</p>
+
+<p>The manager, as he did so, picked up a letter lying on his seat and
+glanced at the writing. He gave a start that was visible even to the
+watchers at the other side of the road, then plucked it open with
+nervous, jerky movements. He glanced quickly through it and sprang
+uncontrollably to his feet, his face aflame with passion.</p>
+
+<p>The officer at his side shouted to him in alarm and endeavoured to pull
+him back into his seat.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly there was a loud clatter of horses' hoofs at the end of the
+street, and a body of Belgian cavalry debouched into view. The chauffeur
+of the grey car instantly started and turned his machine, and it moved
+away with ever-increasing speed, Schenk still standing and gesticulating
+wildly, with Max's letter clenched in his right hand, and the officer
+endeavouring ineffectually to drag him back into his seat. As the car
+passed the two watchers, they could not repress their exultation, but
+jumped to their feet and gave a loud, full-throated British cheer.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+<a name="illus5" id="illus5"></a>
+<img src="images/illus5.jpg" alt=""/>
+</div>
+
+<h3>THE TWO WATCHERS GAVE A LOUD, FULL-THROATED BRITISH CHEER</h3>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>The officer whose hands were free drew his revolver and fired viciously
+at them. The shots went wide, and in a moment or two the car had turned
+a corner and vanished out of sight.</p>
+
+<p>A squadron of Belgian cavalry clattered by, and Max shouted to the
+officer in command that a car containing German officers had just driven
+off and that a detachment of infantry was only a matter of a few minutes
+ahead. The officer nodded and pressed on, while Max and Dale cheered the
+men as they rode eagerly by.</p>
+
+<p>"I think we have seen the last we shall see of Schenk, Dale," Max
+remarked as they crossed the road and entered the Durend yards.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and I don't suppose you, or anyone else in Belgium, will be
+sorry."</p>
+
+<p>"No; least of all our Walloon workmen. They hated him to a man for his
+overbearing, tyrannical ways. We are all well rid of him."</p>
+
+<p>The works seemed strangely deserted. The doors of the workshops stood
+wide open, but inside all was still. The great lathes were just as they
+had been left, some with shells half turned, indicating the haste with
+which the attendants had obeyed the call to go. Other hands would
+doubtless finish the turning, and the shells would be fired at the
+Germans and not against the armies of the Allies.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose Schenk will have taken all the firm's cash?" suggested Dale
+presently.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, of course. But that will be more than covered by the additions he
+has made to the buildings and plant since the Germans came. I should
+think the concern is worth twice as much as when he took it in hand for
+the Fatherland."</p>
+
+<p>"That's great! No wonder he nearly went out of his mind when he found he
+must leave it all intact and in first-rate working order for you to
+enter into. If he lives until he is as old as Methuselah he will never
+forget it."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't think his German friends will let him forget it. They will find
+it hard to forgive a bungle that leaves a first-class munition factory
+absolutely undamaged in the hands of their enemies. I don't envy Schenk
+his job of persuading them that he couldn't help it."</p>
+
+<p>"Not after the other explanations he has had to make on our
+account&mdash;those siege-gun drawings, the wrecking of the power-house,
+workshops, etcetera."</p>
+
+<p>"No, he is a back number now, and he will be lucky if it is no worse."</p>
+
+<p>(Long afterwards they learned that the exasperation of the Germans at
+Herr Schenk's failure to destroy his workshops before the evacuation,
+was so great that he was tried by court-martial, and, notwithstanding
+his considerable influence, promptly shot.)</p>
+
+<p>A burst of cheering from the town in the direction of the market-place
+drew the attention of the two young fellows away from the works to the
+events that were taking place in the town. They left the works, closing
+the great gates after them, and joined the townspeople in their great
+welcome to the soldiers of Belgium and the Allies as they passed through
+in triumph in pursuit of their enemies. It was all very exhilarating,
+and even the discovery that Max's house had been burned to the ground
+was insufficient to damp their patriotic ardour, for they had expected
+no less. It had not been possible to arrange to save this, and, as Max
+said, so long as the works were saved it mattered little about the
+house. Another could soon be found, or built for that matter. But the
+works&mdash;to get those into full swing in quick time was the equivalent of
+a victory for the Allies.</p>
+
+<p>And in almost full swing they were in a couple of days. All that day and
+the next the loyal workmen dribbled back&mdash;some from the town, some from
+remote villages, and many from across the Dutch border. With hearty
+goodwill they threw themselves into their work, and soon the roar of the
+lathes and engines announced that the Durend works were themselves once
+more.</p>
+
+<p>The tale of how Max Durend had fought the long battle of the works, of
+how vigilantly he had watched over them, and of how, at last, he had won
+the greatest fight of all in saving them from destruction, passed from
+mouth to mouth among the workmen. If anything had been needed to cement
+the strong bond between them and their employer, this would have
+supplied it. But their relations were already of the best, and this
+great story served but to set a seal upon it and to render the link
+between the two unbreakable.</p>
+
+<p>And from strength to strength the great workshops went on. Ever in the
+van of progress&mdash;for Max had learned his work from the bottom upwards
+and was ever ready to learn more&mdash;secure in the possession of skilled
+workmen filled with zeal and goodwill, well-directed, and trusted far
+and wide, the Durend works expanded until they were twice the size of
+any similar concern in Belgium.</p>
+
+<p>Jack Dale stuck to Max to the end. He followed his friend's example and
+went through all the shops, learning the work thoroughly, and later on
+became the manager of an important branch of the firm. Eventually he
+married Max's sister, and drew closer yet the ties which held him to his
+friend.</p>
+
+<p>Max became, in the fulness of time, something of a figure in Belgium,
+and did much to aid its recovery from the ravages of the enemy. He never
+forgot his English blood, and was a foremost supporter of all movements
+which might draw the two countries closer to one another in friendship
+and esteem.</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Two Daring Young Patriots, by W. P.  Shervill
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Two Daring Young Patriots, by W. P.  Shervill
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Two Daring Young Patriots
+       or, Outwitting the Huns
+
+Author: W. P.  Shervill
+
+Release Date: September 17, 2008 [EBook #26645]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TWO DARING YOUNG PATRIOTS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Chris Curnow, Lindy Walsh, Mary Meehan and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                         TWO DARING YOUNG PATRIOTS
+
+                          Or, Outwitting the Huns
+
+                             BY W. P. SHERVILL
+
+                        Author of "Edgar the Ready"
+
+                        _Illustrated by Arch. Webb_
+
+
+BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED
+LONDON GLASGOW AND BOMBAY
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: LIKE A WHIRLWIND THEY FLUNG THEMSELVES UPON THE HATED
+FOE]
+
+
+
+
+Contents
+
+
+       I. Trouble in the Crew
+
+      II. The Races
+
+     III. Max Durend at Home
+
+      IV. The Cataclysm
+
+       V. The Fall of Liege
+
+      VI. A New Standpoint
+
+     VII. A Few Words with M. Schenk
+
+    VIII. Treachery!
+
+      IX. The Opening of the Struggle
+
+       X. Getting Ready for Bigger Things
+
+      XI. The Attack on the Power-house
+
+     XII. The Attack on the Munition-shops and its Sequel
+
+    XIII. The German Counter-stroke
+
+     XIV. Schenk at Work Again
+
+      XV. The Dash
+
+     XVI. In the Ardennes
+
+    XVII. Cutting the Line
+
+   XVIII. Reprisals
+
+     XIX. A Further Blow
+
+      XX. Across the Frontier
+
+     XXI. The Great Coup
+
+
+
+
+Illustrations
+
+
+Like a whirlwind they flung themselves upon the hated foe
+
+Both lads began to hurl the great stones upon the German soldiery
+
+A cloth was clapped over the soldier's nose and mouth
+
+"It's all right; we're friends"
+
+The two watchers gave a loud full-throated British cheer
+
+
+
+
+TWO DARING YOUNG PATRIOTS
+
+Or, Outwitting the Huns
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+Trouble in the Crew
+
+
+"Here come Benson's!"
+
+The speaker leaned over the edge of the tow-path and watched an
+eight-oared boat swing swiftly round a bend in the river a hundred yards
+away and come racing up to the landing-stage.
+
+"Eee--sy all--l!" came in a sing-song from the coxswain, perched, for
+better sight, half upon the rear canvas, and eight oars instantly
+feathered the water as their boat slanted swiftly in towards the shore.
+
+"Hold her, Seven."
+
+With almost provoking sloth, after the smartly executed movements
+already described, Number Seven dug his oar deeply into the water,
+making up somewhat for his tardiness by the fierceness of the movement.
+The nose of the boat turned outwards almost with a jerk, and the craft
+slid in close to and parallel with the landing-stage.
+
+"Seven's got the sulks again, Jones," commented the watcher on shore, a
+middle schoolboy named Walters, as he eyed the proceedings critically.
+"His time's bad. It's just as well they get to work to-morrow."
+
+"Yes," assented his companion. "But, you know, it beats me why they
+didn't put Montgomery at stroke instead of seven. He's a far better oar
+than Durend--the best in the school--and it would have upset nobody."
+
+"His style may be better," admitted Walters a little reluctantly, "but
+he hasn't got that tremendous shove off the stretcher that makes the
+other so useful a man to follow. Besides, he has too much temper to be
+able to nurse and humour the lame ducks and bring them on as Durend has
+done."
+
+"Maybe--his temper certainly doesn't look sweet at the moment," replied
+Jones, gazing with a grim sort of amusement at Montgomery as the latter
+released his oar from the rowlock and stepped out of the boat, his
+handsome clean-cut face sadly marred by an undeniably ugly scowl.
+
+"Durend's work isn't showy, but I hear that Benson thinks a lot of it,"
+Walters went on. "It's a pity Monty takes it so badly, for the crew has
+come along immensely and with ordinary luck ought to make a cert of it."
+
+"Riggers!" the stroke of the crew sang out, and the crew leaned out from
+the landing-stage and grasped the boat. "Lift!" and the boat was lifted
+clear of the water and up the slope to the boat-house hard by.
+
+From bow to stern the faces of the crew were smiling and cheerful,
+albeit streaming with perspiration, as they passed through the admiring
+knot of their school-fellows assembled to watch them in. All, that is,
+save Seven, aforesaid, and Stroke, who looked downcast, and whose lips
+were set firmly as though he found his task no very pleasant one, but
+had nevertheless made up his mind to see it through.
+
+In the dressing-room Montgomery vented his ill-humour somewhat
+pettishly, flinging his scarf and sweater anyhow into his locker and his
+dirty rowing boots violently after them. "I don't care a fig whether we
+win or lose," he growled. "I'm sick of being hectored by a coach who
+never was an oar, and a stroke who knows about as much about rowing as
+my grandmother."
+
+"Shut up, Monty!" replied another member of the crew good-naturedly.
+"Another week and it will be all over, and we shall be at the Head of
+the River for the first time--what?"
+
+The thought of Benson's first victory in its history seemed, if
+anything, to incense Montgomery still more, for he glared angrily at
+Durend's set face and went on: "It's always _my_ time or _my_ swing
+that's wrong, too, when everyone used to say that I was the best oar in
+the school. Bah! it's to cover up his own faults that he's always
+blaming me. For two pins I'd resign, Durend; and I will, too, if you're
+not a deal more careful."
+
+"You needn't," replied Durend shortly, but with a significance that was
+not lost upon those present.
+
+"What d'ye mean?" demanded Montgomery.
+
+"You're no longer in the crew."
+
+"What! _You_ turn me out? I'll take that from Benson, and from no one
+else, my boy!"
+
+"Mr. Benson has left it to me, and I say you're no longer in the crew,"
+replied Durend coldly, and with no hint of triumph in his voice. He
+knew, in fact, that his action was probably the death-knell of all the
+hopes of his crew.
+
+Montgomery's face blazed with passion, and he sprang violently upon
+Durend and struck fiercely at him. The two boys nearest grasped him and
+dragged him back, though not before he had left his mark in an
+angry-looking blotch upon the left cheek of his former chief. Through it
+all Durend said no word. He merely defended himself, looking, indeed, as
+though only half his mind were present, his interest in the matter being
+far out-weighed by concern for the threatened destruction of his beloved
+crew, the object of his deepest thoughts and hopes for a period of six
+crowded weeks.
+
+The incident closed, for, Montgomery's first anger over, he saw the
+foolishness of making so much of losing a seat he had all along affected
+to despise. The crew dispersed, and soon the affair was the talk of the
+whole school. Benson's--the favourites--crippled by the loss of their
+Seven on the very eve of the race! Stroke and Seven at blows! Stroke
+licked, and no doubt spoiled for the race! The news, soon distorted out
+of all recognition, provided Hawkesley with matter for gossip such as it
+had not enjoyed for many a long day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+The Races
+
+
+"Well, Stroke?" asked the Benson's cox, as the two slowly made their way
+from the boat-house towards the school. "What's to do now? I'm afraid
+we're done for. Mind," he went on in another tone, "I'm not blaming you.
+Any other fellow with a spark of spirit in him would have jibbed. But
+have you counted the cost?"
+
+"Yes, Dale, I've counted the cost, and know what I'm going to do."
+
+"So?"
+
+"Three must come down to Seven and Franklin must come into the boat at
+Three. If only we had a week of practice before us I should not fear for
+the result, but to-morrow----"
+
+Stroke's voice died away as he dug his hands deeply into his trousers
+pockets and walked moodily on. Suddenly he turned to his companion:
+"After all," he said, "we may stand a chance. If not on the first day or
+two of the races, then on the last. Rout out Franklin for me, Dale, and
+tell him what's afoot, and that we row at seven this evening with him at
+Three. Then tell the others. There'll be no hard work, only a paddle to
+help Franklin find the swing. One thing--he's fit enough."
+
+"Yes, and I must say we have you to thank for that, old boy. Those runs
+before breakfast that used to make Monty so savage have done us a good
+turn by keeping Franklin fit, not to mention the occasional tubbing we
+have given him."
+
+"Aye, he's not bad; and if the rest of the crew buck up well we may yet
+do things. Now good-bye, Dale, until seven o'clock! See that every man
+is ready stripped sharp to time for me, for I must now see Benson, and
+tell him all my plans."
+
+The further news that Benson's were going out again with their spare man
+at Three, coming upon the sensational story of the quarrel between
+Stroke and Seven, spread like wildfire through the school. Every boy who
+was at all interested in the Eights--and who was not?--made a note of
+the matter, and promised himself that he would be there and see the fun
+for himself.
+
+When seven o'clock arrived, therefore, the tow-path in front of Benson's
+boat-house was thronged with boys; some there in a spirit of foreboding,
+to see how their own crew shaped after its heavy misfortune, some to
+rejoice at the evidence they expected to see of the impending
+discomfiture of a redoubtable foe, some to jeer generally, and others--a
+few, but the more noisy--in out-and-out hostility to the crew which had
+turned out from among its number their favourite, Montgomery. So great
+was the crowd that the crew had almost to push its way through the
+press, at close quarters with a medley of cheers and groans that did not
+do the nerves of some of them much good.
+
+The outing was a short one. Mr. Benson, who had coached the crew himself
+so far as his time permitted, did not put in an appearance, and Durend
+had the field to himself. All he did was to set an easy stroke, and to
+leave Dale, as cox, to keep a sharp watch upon the time and swing of
+Three and Seven. The change naturally upset the rhythm of the crew a
+little, but not so much as was generally expected. In fact, on the
+return to the boat-house, cheers predominated, as though others besides
+themselves had been agreeably surprised.
+
+The Eights week at Hawkesley always stood out prominently from the rest
+of the year as a kind of landmark. It marked the highest point of the
+constant struggle between the several Houses into which the school was
+divided, and all energies were therefore concentrated upon it for weeks
+in advance. As may have been surmised, the Eights races were not direct
+contests, with heats, semi-finals, and finals, but bumping races, for
+the little River Suir would hardly permit of anything else. For a short
+stretch or two, perhaps, a couple of boats might have raced abreast, but
+it would not have been possible to have found a reasonably full course
+for a race to be decided in that way. Consequently the boats were
+anchored to the shore four boat-lengths behind one another, and by the
+rules of the game they were required to give chase to one another, and
+to touch or bump the boat in front to score a win.
+
+A win meant that the victors and vanquished changed places, and the
+whole essence of the contest was that the stronger crews gradually
+fought their way forward into the van of the line of boats. There were
+six Houses to the school, and the same number of crews competed, for the
+honour of their respective Houses. Six days were allotted to the task,
+and it was no wonder that the crews had to see to it that they were in
+first-rate condition, for racing for six days out of seven was bound to
+try them hard.
+
+The legacy left the Benson crew by their comrades of the year before was
+the position No. 3 in the line. The position the year before that had
+been No. 5, so it was not surprising that the Bensonites had great hopes
+that this year would see them higher still. Cradock's was just in front
+of them, with Colson's at the Head. Both were strong crews, and so was
+Johnson's, just behind--too strong, indeed, for Durend to feel very
+comfortable with an unknown quantity at his back.
+
+The race was timed to start at eleven, and a minute or two before the
+hour all the crews had taken up their position, stripped and made ready.
+The crews were too far apart for signals by word of mouth or by pistol
+to be effective, so a gun was fired from the bank--one discharge "Get
+ready!" two "Off!" and three--after a lapse of ten minutes--as the
+"Finish".
+
+"Boom!" went the first gun, and men ceased trying their stretchers or
+signalling to their friends on shore. A few words of caution from the
+stroke, and then all was still in tense expectation. The mooring-ropes
+were slipped, and the boats left free to move slowly forward with the
+stream.
+
+"Boom!" Simultaneously forty-eight oars dipped and churned the water
+into foam. Like hounds suddenly unleashed, the six boats leapt forward
+and began their desperate chase upon the waters of the Suir.
+
+The strongest point of Benson's crew had been its lightning start, and
+Durend had always counted upon this giving him at least half a length's
+advantage at the outset. Striking the water at his usual rate, he
+hoped--almost against hope--that this advantage still remained to him.
+Less than half a dozen strokes, however, were sufficient to convince him
+that the hope was a vain one. The perfect swing of the boat was marred
+by a jar that became more pronounced with every stroke. He knew well
+enough what it was: it was the new half-trained man, Franklin, vainly
+trying to keep up the pace of a trained crew.
+
+It was a bitter disappointment, but Durend was not one to let such
+feelings cloud his judgment, and without a moment's hesitation he let
+his racing start fall away into a long, steady swing. Victory--for the
+moment, at any rate--must be left to others, while his crew were brought
+back once more to the swing and rhythm they had lost.
+
+For some time Durend kept his stroke long and steady, and the boat
+travelled evenly and well, though at no great pace. By that time
+Cradock's, in front, were almost lost to sight, but Johnson's, behind,
+were very much within view, and coming up fast. The situation seemed so
+critical that Dale at last could contain himself no longer. For some
+minutes he had been nervously glancing back at the nose of the boat
+creeping up behind, and wondering when he must forsake his straight
+course for the forlorn hope of an attempt to elude the bump by a pull at
+the rudder line.
+
+"Durend, they'll have us, if you don't draw away a little."
+
+Durend nodded. He had not been unmindful of the boat creeping up behind,
+but he had a problem, and no easy one, to settle. Should he press his
+crew to the utmost, or should he hold his hand for another time? It was
+a terribly difficult thing to decide for the best, with Johnson's
+creeping up and every fibre in him revolting against surrender and
+calling out for a desperate spurt right up to the end.
+
+Suddenly Durend quickened up. His men were waiting and longing for a
+spurt and caught it up at once. But again the swing was marred by
+Franklin's inability to support the terrific pace. After the first
+stroke or two the boat began to roll heavily, the form and time became
+ragged, and there was much splashing.
+
+One glance at Dale's agonized face and Durend again allowed his stroke
+to drop back into its former steady swing, and doggedly, with
+sternly-set face, plugged away as before, refusing to look again at the
+crew drawing inexorably up behind. Twice the boats overlapped, but both
+times Dale managed, by skilful steering, to avoid a bump. The third time
+no trick of steering could avoid the issue, and the nose of the Johnson
+boat grated triumphantly along the side of Benson's.
+
+At the touch, both crews ceased rowing. The race for them was ended for
+that day at least, and they could watch and see how the other crews had
+fared. But the other races were also over, for the third and last "Boom"
+rang out within a few seconds of the termination of their own.
+
+Defeat is always hard to bear, and the Benson crew were no exception to
+the rule. It was obvious to every one of them that they had not been
+allowed to have their full fling, and angry and discontented thoughts
+surged into the brains of the disappointed men as they leaned over their
+oars and tried not to hear the jubilant chatter of those insufferable
+Johnsonites. Why had Stroke set so wretchedly slow a stroke that defeat
+was certain? The members of the beaten crew were, for the most part,
+fresher far than the winning crew. Why had not Stroke given them the
+opportunity of rowing themselves right out instead of tamely
+surrendering thus?
+
+No answers to these discontented queries were forthcoming. Durend could
+have spoken, but would not. Dale might have spoken; for though he knew
+not the plans of his chief, his position at the rudder enabled him to
+conjecture a great deal. But he, too, was dumb. So it was that the
+Benson crew could answer the questions of their distressed friends only
+by referring them with disparaging shrugs of the shoulders to their
+worthy Stroke.
+
+Durend had never been a popular boy. He was respected for his steady
+persistence and his capacity for unlimited hard work, but popular he
+could not be said to be, even with his crew. He held himself rather
+aloof, and never really took them into his confidence. He seemed to
+think that if he did his best as Stroke, both in rowing and in
+generalship, he had done all that was necessary. His plans, his hopes,
+and his fears he kept strictly to himself. Why worry his men about them?
+he reasoned, and in the main, no doubt, he was right, though he carried
+it much too far. As a consequence the crew, with the possible exception
+of Dale, were left to conjecture his reasons for all that he did, and in
+most cases to put a wrong construction upon them.
+
+But, though they growled, they were too sportsmanlike and too loyal to
+their House to do more, and 11 a.m. next day saw them at their places
+every bit as eager as before. This time, without a doubt, they told one
+another, Durend would set them a faster stroke and give them a chance to
+show the stuff they were made of.
+
+Unhappily they were doomed to fresh disappointment. Twice, indeed,
+Durend quickened up his stroke, but almost immediately he felt the time
+and swing of the crew again becoming ragged. In his judgment it was
+useless to persist in hope of an improvement; so, with the decisiveness
+that was one of his chief characteristics, he promptly dropped his
+stroke back into his old rate of striking. His men fretted and fumed
+behind him, and one or two even went so far as to shout aloud for a
+spurt. A sharp reprimand was all they got for their trouble, and in high
+dudgeon they relapsed again into a savage silence. Fortunately, though
+they saw nothing of the crew ahead, they managed to keep a length of
+clear water between them and the weak Crawford crew travelling in their
+wake.
+
+No cheers heralded their return. The doings of Benson's attracted little
+attention now, for all interest had centred upon the desperate struggles
+between the three leading boats, Cradock's, Colson's, and Johnson's--for
+the first two had now changed places. It is almost as hard to be ignored
+as to be scoffed at, and it was a very sore crew indeed that put their
+craft upon its rack that day and filed upstairs to the dressing-room of
+Benson's boat-house.
+
+Self-contained and preoccupied though he was, Durend could not help
+noticing that his conduct of the races was being severely and adversely
+commented upon. But he only shrugged his shoulders, hurried on his
+clothes, and left the building perhaps a little more quickly than usual.
+Some strokes would have given explanations to their crews, but it never
+occurred to Durend to do so. Dale followed him from the room.
+
+"See here, Max," he said, as he overtook him, "I think you should know
+that our fellows are tremendously sick at the poor show we are making.
+They feel that your stroking of the crew is not giving them a fair
+chance."
+
+Durend stopped abruptly. "So long as I am stroke, Dale, I shall set the
+stroke I think proper. I am doing what I think is best for the crew, and
+shall follow it out until the last race is over--lost or won."
+
+"I know, I know, old man," replied Dale hastily. "But what is your game
+really? You must know you can't win races with a funereal stroke like
+that, so what's the good of trying it?"
+
+Durend opened his lips as though about to make an angry reply.
+Apparently he thought better of it, for he closed them again, and for
+some minutes walked on in silence. When he spoke it was in the quiet
+measured tones of one who has thought out his subject and has no doubts
+in his own mind of the wisdom of his conclusions.
+
+"After six weeks' hard work, Dale, we've managed to get the crew into
+pretty good form--everybody says so. Is it all to be lightly thrown
+away? Can we really expect Franklin to keep up the pace of the rest of
+us without rushing his slide, bucketing, or something of the sort? Can
+we now?"
+
+Dale, but half convinced, returned to the charge. "Well, I don't know.
+Something's got to be done. I heard three of the fellows just now
+whispering something about asking Benson to put Montgomery back in the
+boat."
+
+"Where?"
+
+Dale hesitated.
+
+"I see. At stroke. Well, I may be prejudiced, but I don't think it would
+answer, old man. Anyhow, we'll leave all that to Benson, and those three
+fellows too. Come, Dale, I'm sick of thinking about this, so let's try
+and talk about something a little more cheerful."
+
+Dale was a light-hearted, cheery fellow enough, and found no difficulty
+in turning the talk into other and more pleasant topics. The two, though
+so opposite in point of character and physique, were very good friends.
+Dale was a slim, lightly-built young fellow of eighteen, with a fair
+complexion and an open boyish face. He was a general favourite, and,
+though not athletically inclined, was always ready to assist in acting
+cox or kindred work. Max Durend was dark-complexioned, somewhat
+reserved, and of a more thoughtful disposition. He also was eighteen
+years of age, was of medium height but strongly built, and possessed a
+great capacity for hard work. As has already been explained, he was not
+popular, and that may have been partly due to his reserve, and partly to
+the fact that he was only half English, namely on his mother's side.
+
+The race on the following day was even less exhilarating than the last.
+Benson's still rowed at their provokingly slow stroke, simply retaining
+their position at No. 4, while Johnson's and Colson's, after a terrific
+struggle, changed places. Thus Cradock's remained at the Head with the
+Johnson and Colson crews second and third.
+
+It needed all Dale's persuasion and plentiful supply of hopeful
+suppositions (partly derived from his talk with Durend, but mostly made
+up out of his own head) to keep the Benson crew from breaking out into
+open revolt. Every day they had finished the race half fresh, and not
+one of them could see the use of parading up and down the course as
+though uncertain whether they were in the race or not.
+
+And through it all Mr. Benson just looked grimly on, indifferent,
+apparently, to all their woes, and said no word save a little--a very
+little--commendation, no doubt intended to keep them from entering the
+very last stages of despair. It seemed as though he had given the whole
+thing up as a bad job, and did not intend to interest himself further in
+the matter.
+
+Another day came just like the last, and listlessly the dispirited crew
+turned their oars on the feather and waited for the signal to start.
+Quite suddenly they woke up to the fact that Stroke was leaning back
+towards them and speaking.
+
+"Now, you fellows," he was saying in a quiet but tense voice, "I am
+going to give you a racing start at last. See to it, then, that you pick
+it up and keep it. Don't forget. Franklin, I rely upon you to do your
+utmost to keep up with us. Now, boys!"
+
+"Boom!"
+
+There was scarcely a soul about to see Benson's start; nearly everyone
+was watching the struggles going on ahead, where strong crews were
+striving in the last days to secure and hold a higher position for the
+Houses they had been called to represent. So it was that the Benson
+start passed unnoticed until it dawned upon Colson's, the crew ahead,
+that the Benson boat had drawn unaccountably nearer. And Benson's, too!
+It could only be a fluke, and with that conviction Colson's settled down
+grimly to the task of shaking them off.
+
+But somehow or other it did not seem at all easy to shake them off. In
+fact, to their dismay, the end of the great spurt saw the gap between
+the boats no wider. Suddenly, too, Benson's spurted in their turn, and
+the nose of their boat drew closer at a speed that wellnigh paralysed
+Colson's.
+
+Indeed, in the Benson boat, the pent-up energies of three days of
+enforced self-restraint were being let loose in a series of desperate
+spurts for the mastery. Even Durend could contain himself no longer, and
+Franklin, though he had not yet reached anything like the form of the
+rest of the crew, was yet able to do his part in the struggle with a
+fair measure of success. Within five minutes of the start Benson's had
+overlapped Colson's, and, almost immediately after, the bump came.
+
+We need not describe the joy and relief in the Benson crew at their
+unexpected victory--unexpected to all of them, for even Durend, though
+he had hoped and planned, had not anticipated it so soon. To the rest of
+the school the whole affair was so unexpected as to be stupefying. Only
+the most penetrating and experienced observers could give a reason for
+their sudden recovery, and the remainder explained away the sensational
+victory by a disparaging reference to the utter weakness of Colson's.
+Had not Colson's dropped in three days from Head of the River to No. 3,
+and was that not enough proof of weakness? they argued. Gradually the
+general view crystallized down to the opinion that Benson's had had
+their fling, and could hope to make no impression upon the two really
+strong crews now in front of them.
+
+Nevertheless, though this seemed the general opinion, the following
+morning found the whole school on the tow-path opposite the Benson boat.
+No one wanted to see the struggle between Cradock's and Johnson's, but
+everyone was anxious to see the start of the Benson crew, and to learn
+whether any fresh surprises were in store for them.
+
+There could be no doubt about the spirit of the crew. Hope and
+confidence seemed to exude from every pore, and it was clear that for
+them the week was only just beginning. At the report of the gun, Durend
+took his men away with a racing start that recalled those they had made
+before Montgomery left the crew. The form was well kept; even Franklin,
+who had improved rapidly with every day's work, keeping well in with the
+swing of the rest of the crew. Dropping the stroke a little soon after
+the start, Durend led them along with a strong, lively stroke that was
+soon seen to be gaining them ground slowly, foot by foot, upon their old
+foe, the Johnson crew. The latter were, however, in no mood to yield an
+inch if they could help it, and made spurt after spurt in the desperate
+endeavour to keep well away.
+
+For the first eight or nine minutes of the race, Durend did not allow
+himself to be flurried into any answering spurt. He knew that he was
+within reach, and to him that was, for the time, sufficient. His watch
+was strapped to the stretcher between his feet, and he was carefully
+measuring the time he could allow Johnson's before calling them to
+strict account.
+
+It wanted one minute to the time when the finishing gun would boom out
+before Durend quickened up. His men were waiting in confident
+expectation for that moment, and answered like one man. From the very
+feel of the stroke they had known what a reserve of power their stroke
+and comrades possessed, and they flung themselves into the spurt with
+all the energy of conscious strength. The boat leapt to the touch, and
+up and up, nearer and nearer, the nose of their craft crept to the boat
+ahead.
+
+A hoarse and frantic appeal from the stroke of the Johnson boat, and his
+men strove to answer and stave off that terrible spurt. But they had
+spurted too often already, and another and a greater was more than they
+could bear. Their time became ragged; some splashed and dragged, and the
+boat was a beaten one before the end came.
+
+It was a thrilling moment when the boats bumped, and the straggling
+crowds upon the tow-path shouted and yelled with delight and deepest
+appreciation. Rarely had there been such a race in the school's annals;
+never one in which the winning crew had thus fought its way up from
+previous failure and defeat.
+
+After witnessing that achievement, the opinion of the school veered
+completely round, and everyone confidently predicted that Benson's would
+win their way to the Head of the River on the following morning. It had
+now become as clear as noonday to all that the stroke of Benson's had
+been playing that most difficult of all games, the waiting game. He had
+held his crew inexorably in until the new man had had time to settle
+down into his place and catch the form and time of the rest of the crew.
+Clearly, too, the crew was rowing better every day, and no one believed
+that Cradock's would be able to keep them off in the full tide of their
+swing to victory.
+
+This time the opinion of the school was right, and the following day
+Benson's caught up and bumped Cradock's within three minutes of the
+start. They had settled down and become a great crew, confident in
+themselves and even more confident in the power and judgment of their
+Stroke.
+
+The ovation they received on the return to their boat-house they long
+remembered. The noisy and enthusiastic tumult was indeed something to
+remember and be proud of, but to Durend the few words of commendation of
+Mr. Benson counted for far more.
+
+"Well done, Durend!" he said simply. "I saw you knew your business, and
+that is why I did not interfere. But even I did not expect so splendid a
+success. Your men have done well indeed, but it is to you and your
+fixity of purpose our win is mainly due. I have never known an
+apparently more hopeless chase; and, to you others, I say that it shows
+that there is almost nothing that fixity of purpose will not achieve in
+the long run."
+
+Even more pleasurable were the words of Montgomery, touched with real
+contrition, as he grasped his old Stroke by the hand and begged his
+pardon for doubting his ability and power to stroke a crew to victory.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+Max Durend at Home
+
+
+It was only two days after the close of the races when the head master
+called Durend into his room. He held a slip of paper in his hand, and in
+rather a grave voice informed the lad that his father was seriously ill.
+His mother had cabled for his return, and he was to get ready to catch
+the 2.15 train for Harwich at once.
+
+Max obeyed. His preparations did not take long, and there was still a
+little time to spare before he needed to start; therefore he sought out
+Dale to say good-bye.
+
+"But you will come back, of course, Durend?" the erstwhile cox
+protested, rather struck by the earnestness of his friend's adieu.
+
+"I have a feeling that I shall not, Dale. I cannot help it, but I keep
+on acting almost unconsciously as though this were the last I shall see
+of Hawkesley."
+
+"Don't say that, Max. Why should you think your father is so ill as all
+that? The cablegram doesn't say so. No, I can't take that. You simply
+_must_ come back. There are lots of things we have promised to do
+together."
+
+"Can't help it, Dale. But there's one thing you must promise me before I
+go, and that is, that if I should not come back you will come over and
+see me. Spend a fortnight at our place at Liege in the summer--eh?"
+
+"You're coming back, old man," replied Dale with determination. "But all
+the same, I will give you the promise if you like. My uncle and
+aunt--all the relatives I have--would not mind, I know."
+
+"Thanks, old man--you shall have a good time."
+
+Presently Durend left, and in forty-eight hours he was back in his own
+home in Belgium on the outskirts of Liege. Prompt as he had been, he
+found he was too late, for his father had died at the time he was on the
+boat on the way to Antwerp.
+
+Though not altogether unexpected, the blow was a severe one to Max
+Durend. He had been very fond of his father, who had latterly treated
+him more as a chum than anything else, and had talked much to him of his
+plans for the time when he could assist him in his business. His mother
+was, of course, even more upset, and though Max and his sister, a girl
+of twelve, did their best to comfort her, she was quite prostrated for
+some days.
+
+It was now more than ever necessary that Max should enter his father's
+business, and, when old and experienced enough, endeavour to carry it
+on. From the nature of the business it was evident that this was no
+light task, and would require a great deal of training and an immense
+amount of hard work if it were to be done successfully. But the prospect
+of hard work did not appeal Max, and within a fortnight of his father's
+death he was busy learning the details of the vast business carried on
+under his name.
+
+Monsieur Durend had been the proprietor of very large iron and steel
+foundries and workshops in Liege. The business was an immense one, and,
+beside the manufacture of all kinds of machinery and railway material,
+worked for its own benefit several coal and iron mines, all of which
+were in the district or on the outskirts of the town. The business had
+been a very flourishing one, and had been largely under the personal
+direction of the proprietor, assisted by his manager, M. Otto Schenk, to
+whose ability and energy, M. Durend was always ready to acknowledge, it
+owed much of its success. The latter was now, of course, the mainstay of
+the business, and it was with every confidence in his ability that
+Madame Durend appointed him general manager with almost unlimited
+powers.
+
+M. Schenk was indeed a man to impress people at the outset with a sense
+of strength and of power to command. He was over six feet in height,
+broad, but with rather sloping shoulders, and very stoutly built. His
+head, large itself, almost seemed to merge in a greater neck, and both
+were held stiffly erect as he glowered at the world through cold and
+rather protruding eyes, much as a drill-instructor glares at his pupils.
+He was florid-complexioned, with short, closely-cropped grey hair and a
+short, stubby, dirty-white moustache. Of his grasp of the affairs of the
+firm and his business ability generally, people were not so immediately
+impressed as they were with his power to command, but they invariably
+learned to appreciate this side of his character in time.
+
+The matter of the direction of the affairs of the firm settled to
+everyone's satisfaction, the question as to what was to be done with Max
+came up for discussion.
+
+"I think it will be best, Max, if you go into M. Schenk's office and
+assist him there," said Madame Durend at last. "You will there pick up
+the threads of the business, and when you are two or three years older
+we can consider what we are going to do."
+
+"But, Mother," replied Max, "that was not the way Father learned his
+business. You have often proudly told me how he used to work as a simple
+mechanic, going from shop to shop and learning all he could of the
+practical side of the different processes. How he then bought a small
+business, extended it and extended it, until it grew to its present
+size. And the whole secret of his success was that he knew the work so
+thoroughly from top to bottom that he could depend upon his own
+knowledge, and needed not to be in the hands of men with more knowledge
+of detail but vastly less capacity than himself."
+
+"Yes, Max, that is true; but the business is now built up, and is so big
+that it does not seem necessary for you to go through all that. We have
+an able manager, and from him you can learn all that you will ever need
+to know of the work of directing the affairs of the firm."
+
+"I should then never know the work thoroughly. I should always be
+dependent upon those who had learned the practical side of the work,
+Mother. Let me spend a year or two in learning it from the bottom. I
+shall enjoy the work, and shall then feel far more confidence in
+myself."
+
+Max spoke earnestly, and his mother could see that he was longing to
+throw himself heart and soul into the work. It was, indeed, the spirit
+in which he had flung himself into the task of lifting Benson's to the
+Head of the River over again. Though she had a mother's dislike to the
+idea of her son's donning blouse and apron and working cheek by jowl
+with the workmen, she had also a clear perception that it would be a
+mistake to discourage such energy and thoroughness. She therefore
+resolved to consult M. Schenk on the morrow, and, if he saw no special
+objection, to allow Max to have his way.
+
+M. Schenk did see several objections, foremost among which was his view
+that for the master's son to work like a common workman would tend to
+lessen the present extremely strict discipline in the workshops. Max,
+however, scouted such an idea as an unfair reflection on the men, and
+continued to press his point of view most strenuously. In the end he
+managed to get his way, and within a week had started work at the firm's
+smelting furnaces.
+
+This story does not, however, deal with the experiences of Max Durend in
+learning the various activities of the great manufactory founded by his
+father. It will, therefore, suffice if we relate one incident that had,
+in the sequel, an important influence upon his career, an incident, too,
+that gives an insight into his character and that of the different
+classes of workmen that would, in the course of time, come under his
+control.
+
+Max was at the time working at a huge turret lathe in one of the
+turning-shops. Around him were other workmen similarly engaged. Across
+the room ran numerous great leather driving-bands, running at high speed
+and driving the great machines with which the place was filled.
+Apparently the material of one of the driving-bands was faulty, for it
+suddenly parted, slipped off the driving-wheels, and became entangled in
+one of the other bands. As this spun round the loose band caught in the
+machine close by, wrenched it from its foundation and turned it over on
+its side, pinning down to the floor the workman attending to it.
+
+The man gave a screech as he was borne down, a screech that was broken
+off short as the heavy machine fell partly upon his neck and chest,
+choking him with its fell weight. A straggling cry of alarm was raised
+by the other workmen who witnessed the tragic occurrence, and many
+pressed forward to his aid. But the great band which had done the
+mischief was being carried round and round by the driving-band in which
+it had become entangled, and was viciously flogging the air and floor
+all about the stricken man.
+
+Some of the men shouted for the engines to be stopped, others ran for
+something that could be interposed to take the rain of blows from the
+flying band. Max, however, saw that something more prompt than this was
+necessary. From the look on the man's face it was clear that if the
+pressure on his throat and chest were not immediately relaxed he would
+be choked to death.
+
+Crawling forward beneath the flogging band, and bowing his head to its
+pitiless flagellations, Max grasped the overturned machine and strove to
+lift it off the unfortunate man. The weight was altogether too great for
+him to lift unaided, but he found he could raise it a fraction of an
+inch and enable the man to gain a little breath.
+
+Holding it thus, Max grimly stood his ground with his head down, his
+teeth firmly set, and his back arched against the rhythmic rain of blows
+from the great band. Soon the clothes were flogged from off his back,
+and the band touched the bare skin. Almost fainting, he held on, for the
+eyes of the man below him were staring up at him with a look of dumb and
+frightened entreaty that roused in him all the strength of mind and
+fixity of purpose he possessed.
+
+The shouts for the engines to be stopped at last prevailed. The bands
+revolved more slowly, and then ceased altogether. Many willing hands
+were laid upon the overturned machine, and it was lifted off the
+prostrate man just as Max's strength gave out, and he sank limply to the
+floor in a deep swoon.
+
+Neither Max nor the workman was seriously injured. Both had had a severe
+shock, and Max, in addition, had wounds that, while not dangerous, were
+extremely painful. After six weeks at Ostend, however, he was himself
+again, and ready to continue his work in yet another branch of the
+firm's activities. This time he was to learn the miner's craft, and to
+see for himself all that appertained to the trade of hewing out coal and
+iron from the interior of the earth and lifting it to the surface.
+
+On the evening of his return to Liege from Ostend he was sitting in his
+study alone, reading up the subject that was to be unfolded in actual
+practice before his gaze on the morrow, when there came a knock at the
+door.
+
+"Come in," he yelled.
+
+The door opened, and the maid ushered in a middle-aged workman in his
+Sunday clothes, accompanied by a woman whom Max guessed to be his wife.
+The man he recognized at once as the workman he had succoured in the
+accident to the driving-band.
+
+"Monsieur Dubec--he would come in," explained the servant deprecatingly,
+as she withdrew and closed the door.
+
+The man looked furtively at Max, twisted his cap nervously in his hands,
+and stood gazing down at the floor in sheepish silence. His wife was
+less ill at ease, and, after nudging her spouse ineffectually once or
+twice, blurted out rapidly:
+
+"He has come, Monsieur, to thank you for saving his life, and to tell
+you that he will work for you and serve you so long as he lives. He is
+my man, and I say the same, Monsieur, though I do not work in the shops,
+and cannot help. But if ever ye should want aught done, Monsieur, send
+for Madame Dubec, and she will serve you with all her heart in any way
+you wish."
+
+The woman spoke in a trembling voice, and with a deep and earnest
+sincerity that showed how much she was moved. Her emotion, indeed,
+communicated itself to Max, and he felt as tongue-tied as the man Dubec
+himself. It had somehow not occurred to him that he would be thanked,
+and the whole thing took him by surprise. Still, he had to say
+something, and he struggled to find something that would put them at
+their ease.
+
+"I am sure you will, Madame Dubec, and I will remember your offer
+indeed. But make not too much of what I have done. I was near at hand,
+and came forward first, but many of your husband's comrades were as
+ready, though not quite so quick. It was the aid of one comrade given to
+another, and one day it may be my turn to receive and your husband's to
+give."
+
+The man shook his head vigorously in dissent, and in so doing seemed to
+find his tongue.
+
+"Nay, sir, 'tis much more than that. Some there are who would have
+helped; but the more part of my fellow-workmen would not lift a hand to
+help another in distress. As ye must have noticed, sir, there are two
+classes of men in your father's works. There are the Belgians born and
+bred, who loved your father and hated, and still hate, the tyrant Schenk
+and the German-speaking workmen who have joined in such numbers of late
+that we others fear a time will soon come for us to go. The Belgians are
+good comrades, and would have come to my aid had they the quickness to
+have known what to do. The others would have seen me die unmoved--I know
+it."
+
+"But they, too, are Belgians, are they not?"
+
+"Aye, sir, they are Belgians so far as the law can tell; but they speak
+not our tongue, and are not really of us."
+
+"They are good workmen, and M. Schenk thinks much of them."
+
+"True. But they do not hold with the rest of us, and we do not like
+them. Nor do we trust them, sir."
+
+The man spoke in an earnest, almost a warning, tone, and Max looked at
+him in some surprise. It seemed more than the mere jealousy of a Walloon
+at the presence of so many men, alien in tongue and race, in a business
+which had once been exclusively their own. Max had himself noticed the
+two classes of workmen, but had, if he thought about it at all, put it
+down as inevitable in a town so near the frontiers of three States.
+
+"Well, never mind them, Monsieur Dubec," he replied reassuringly. "They
+have not been with us long, and it may be they will be better comrades
+in a few years' time. And now good-bye! Think not too much of your
+accident, and it will be the better for you and me."
+
+"Good-bye, and may the bon Dieu bless you, sir!" replied both Monsieur
+and Madame Dubec in a fashion that told Max that he had gained two
+friends at least, and friends whose staunchness could be depended upon
+to the utmost.
+
+M. Schenk's view of the whole affair was blunt and to the point. "You
+are foolish," he said to Max, "to trouble yourself about these workmen.
+They are cattle, and it is always best to treat them as such. That has
+always been my way, and it has answered well. Consider them and humour
+them, and the next minute they want to strike for more. Bah! Keep them
+in their place; it is best so."
+
+"But," urged Max, quite distressed as he thought of Dubec, and recalled
+the accents of trembling sincerity of his spouse--"but surely many of
+them are better led than driven--the best of them, at any rate? I know
+little of business as yet, but something tells me that it is well for us
+to get the goodwill of our men."
+
+"It is not worth a straw," replied M. Schenk with conviction. "The
+goodwill, as you call it, of your managers, and perhaps even of your
+foremen, is of value, but the goodwill of your men--your rank and
+file--is of no account. So long as they obey, and obey promptly, you
+have all that is necessary to carry on even a great undertaking like
+this successfully."
+
+"Well," replied Max rather hotly, "all I can say is that when _I_ direct
+the affairs of the firm, I shall give the other thing a trial. I don't
+like the idea of treating men as cattle, and I cannot help thinking too
+many men have been discharged of late because they have shown a little
+spirit."
+
+M. Schenk looked at Max in a way that made the latter momentarily think
+he would like to strike him. Then the manager half turned away, as he
+replied in an almost contemptuous tone: "You will be older and wiser
+soon, and we shall then see whether any change will be made. Until then
+it is _I_ who direct the affairs of the firm, and it is _my_ policy
+which must prevail."
+
+Max felt uncommonly angry. He had been conscious for some time past that
+M. Schenk was acting as though he expected to rule the affairs of the
+firm for all time, and the thought galled him greatly. Was not he, Max,
+sweating and struggling through every workshop solely in order that he
+might fit himself to direct affairs? How was it, then, that this man, in
+his own mind, practically ignored him? Was it because he was so
+incompetent that the manager thought he never would be fit to take his
+place? Max certainly felt more angry than he had ever done before, and,
+unable to trust himself to speak, abruptly left the manager's presence
+and walked rapidly away.
+
+One good result the conversation had, and that was to redouble Max's
+ardour to learn, and learn thoroughly, every branch of the work in every
+part of the vast concern.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+The Cataclysm
+
+
+The second summer since Max Durend had left Hawkesley had come, and for
+the second time Max invited his friend Dale to come over to Liege and
+spend a few weeks with him. The previous summer they had spent most
+pleasantly on a walking-tour through the Ardennes, and they were now
+going to do the same thing along the Middle and Upper Rhine. Max had
+originally planned a tour in Holland, but M. Schenk recommended the
+Rhine valley as much more varied and picturesque, and Max had agreed
+readily enough to follow his recommendation.
+
+Behold them then setting out from Bonn railway station, knapsack on back
+and walking-stick in hand, full of spirits and go, for a four or five
+weeks' tramp, first through the Drachenfels and then on through the
+pretty Rhine-side villages, making a detour here and there to visit the
+more picturesque and broken country through which the Rhine made its
+way. They marched light, their only baggage besides their knapsacks
+being a large Gladstone shared between them. This they did not take with
+them, but used, merely to replenish their knapsacks occasionally with
+clean linen, by sending it along a week or so ahead of them to such
+towns as they expected to visit later on.
+
+Their days were full of happiness, peace, and contentment, and the last
+days of July, 1914, drew to a close all too rapidly for them. They knew
+next to nothing of the fearful storm brewing, until Dale happened,
+towards the end of the second week of their holidays, to take up and
+glance down the columns of a German newspaper lying on the table of the
+hotel at which they were about to dine. His knowledge of German was
+small, but was sufficient to enable him to grasp the purport of the
+thick headlines with which the journal was plentifully supplied.
+
+"Hullo, Max, look at this," he cried, pointing to the thick type.
+"German ultimatum to Russia. Immediate demobilization demanded." "That
+looks serious, eh?"
+
+"Phew! It does," cried Max, taking the paper and rapidly scanning the
+chief columns. "You may be sure that if Russia is in it France will be
+too. My hat! what a war it will be!"
+
+"Yes, and----By the way, this explains why those two Frenchmen we met at
+the hotel yesterday were in such a hurry to be off without waiting for
+breakfast. They had seen the news and were afraid that, if they didn't
+get back at once, they wouldn't get back at all."
+
+"That's it. There's one comfort, anyway, Dale, and that is, that neither
+of us is likely to be concerned. There seems no earthly reason why
+England or Belgium should come into this."
+
+"No, and a good job too. We have enough troubles of our own all over the
+world without butting in on the Continent."
+
+For the next few days Max and his friend were again more or less buried
+from the outer world. They had not, however, altogether forgotten the
+great events that were taking place, and on reaching Bingen went so far
+(for them) as to purchase a paper. Matters, they found, had grown far
+more serious. Germany was already at war with Russia and France, and had
+demanded of Belgium free passage for her troops to enter and attack
+France.
+
+Max was thunderstruck. He had never expected anything like this. That
+Belgium, peace-loving Belgium, with her neutrality guaranteed by
+practically all the great civilized Powers, should, in spite of it, be
+about to be forced into a great European war had seemed unthinkable. Yet
+so it was, and it seemed that war was inevitable, for Max did not
+believe Belgium would ever allow foreign troops to cross her territory
+to attack a country with which she was at peace. With Belgium, then, on
+the verge of war, it behoved him to look to his own safety; for it was
+obvious he was not safe where he was.
+
+"I think we had better make tracks for home, Dale," he said soberly. "I
+dare say I can pass with you as an Englishman, but it won't do to take
+risks. Our bag should be at the Central Post Office, so let us get it
+and take the first train back to Liege."
+
+"If there are any trains bound for the frontier that are not crammed
+with troops," responded Dale somewhat significantly.
+
+"Oh, shut up! Come along and let's see."
+
+They lost not a moment in getting their bag and having it conveyed to
+the railway station. Fully alive to the situation, they now kept their
+eyes well open and noticed things they would never have noticed before.
+For one thing, it struck them that the post office official who handed
+their bag over to them seemed decidedly over-curious, and remarked that
+he supposed they were going to the railway station. That was
+disconcerting enough, but when they arrived at the station, and were
+almost immediately accosted by a man whom they both remembered seeing
+inside the post office, they felt almost as though they were already
+under lock and key.
+
+Not that the man was unfriendly. He was quite the reverse. He seemed
+anxious to strike up an acquaintance, wished to know exactly where they
+were going, and gave them to understand that there was nothing he
+desired more than to be allowed the privilege of making a part of the
+journey with them.
+
+Max presently gave Dale a meaning glance. It was all very well for an
+Englishman like Dale, he felt, but for him, virtually a Belgian, the
+situation was wellnigh desperate.
+
+"I say, Dale," he said casually, "we must have some sandwiches to eat in
+the train. Stay here by the bag while I get some--or perhaps this
+gentleman wouldn't mind looking after it for a moment?"
+
+The young German hesitated a second, and then nodded. Max and his friend
+strolled coolly off, arm in arm, towards the refreshment buffet. Neither
+looked back, but their conversation was far from being as airy and
+unconcerned as their manner might have seemed to indicate.
+
+"We must leave the bag and get clear at once," cried Max emphatically.
+"The fellow has been set to watch us and see that we don't get out of
+the country. I think he must believe we are both English, and it
+therefore looks as though the Germans think England is on the point of
+coming in too. See, now, let us stroll quietly in at this door and slip
+out again at the end one. Then into the street and somewhere--no matter
+where--so long as it is out of the way of spying eyes."
+
+They did so with an unhurried celerity that might have deceived a
+smarter man than the supposed spy. Soon they were clear of the town and
+in the open country beyond, and it was not till then that they felt as
+though they could talk unrestrainedly together.
+
+"Now what shall we do, Max? Walk to the next station out from Bingen and
+see if we can get a train for home?" enquired Dale, not too hopefully.
+
+"No, old man; we must keep clear of railways and railway stations. Let
+us make tracks for the frontier as we are, and go all out."
+
+"It will be dark in another hour."
+
+"Never mind. We must foot it all night. We have no time to lose, and we
+must not throw away a single hour. In fact, it is hardly safe for us to
+be about in daylight anywhere. You look as English as they are made, and
+I'm not much better."
+
+"All right! I'm game for an all-night tramp. Come on."
+
+"We have about seven hours of darkness before us, and I reckon we ought
+to be able to do four miles an hour. That gives us about thirty miles.
+It's less than that to the frontier, and we ought to be able to manage
+it, even if we have to leave the road and cut straight across country.
+Come along; we'll keep to the road while we can, but if too risky we
+must go helter-skelter, plumb for the frontier."
+
+That night march neither of them is ever likely to forget. For an hour
+or so they tramped along the road unmolested. Then they began to find
+soldiers and policemen very much in evidence, and, fearing to be
+questioned, they left the road and took to the fields and open country.
+It was desperately rough going in many places, and instead of doing four
+miles an hour they could oftentimes do no more than two. But they stuck
+gamely to their task, and plodded steadily on all through the night,
+realizing more surely with every step they took that it was a plain case
+of now or never.
+
+For every time they neared a road they found it alive with soldiers, all
+marching steadily in one direction--towards the Belgian frontier. The
+still night air resounded with the tramp of innumerable feet, and now
+and again they could catch the distant rumble of heavy guns.
+
+When day broke they were still in Germany, but near the frontier, and in
+a sparsely peopled district. They were both nearly dead-beat, covered
+with mud from head to foot, and with their clothes torn half off their
+backs. It seemed a risky business to let themselves be seen anywhere in
+that condition, but finally Max chose a lonely farm-house, and, after
+cleaning himself up as much as possible, managed to make a purchase of a
+good supply of food. They then tramped on for another mile or two, ate a
+good meal, hid themselves in a dry ditch, and instantly dropped asleep.
+
+It was ten o'clock when they awoke, and after some discussion they
+decided to make the few miles between them and the border at once, and
+then to purchase cycles and press for home. This they did exactly as
+they planned, and, though often delayed and compelled to make wide
+detours to avoid bodies of German cavalry, they managed to reach Liege
+safely in the evening of the same day.
+
+The sights that met their gaze on the latter part of their journey made
+them doubly eager to get within the safety of the ring of forts
+surrounding Liege. Peasants were fleeing from the frontier villages, and
+their tales of what the Germans had done to their homes and dear ones
+made the blood of Max and his friend alternately freeze with horror and
+boil with rage. Their tales were a long catalogue of deeds of ruthless
+barbarity, cold-blooded cruelty, lust, and rapine. The smoke of burning
+houses seen in the distance gave emphasis to their tales of horror, and
+Max and Dale at last felt as though the world must be coming to an end.
+Indeed, the world of make-believe German civilization was coming to an
+end in a wild outburst of unrestrained cruelty and lust.
+
+But at Liege, they told one another, things would be different. There
+the invaders would come against something more than villages peopled
+with frightened peasants and trustful countryfolk, and would realize in
+their turn something of the terribleness of war.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+The Fall of Liege
+
+
+Arrived at his home, Max was astonished to find that his mother and
+sister had fled over the border to Maastricht, taking two of the
+servants with them. A letter had been left for him, however, and this he
+tore feverishly open. In a few words his mother explained why she, as an
+Englishwoman and one getting on in years, preferred to seek safety in
+Holland to remaining in a city which obviously would soon be the
+storm-centre of a terrible struggle. She then reminded Max that he had
+not yet reached a man's age, and could not be expected to take a man's
+part. Would he not leave the affairs of the firm to M. Schenk and join
+her in Holland? But his conscience must decide, she finally conceded,
+though it was clear how her own desires ran. But whether he left or
+stayed, she expected him to take no part in the fighting that was bound
+to come.
+
+Questioning the servants, Max found that his mother's flight had been
+arranged at the urgent solicitation of M. Schenk, and without more ado
+he left the house and hastened to the works to see the manager, and
+gather what further particulars he could. He did not doubt the wisdom of
+his mother's precipitate flight, for even now scouting parties of the
+Germans had appeared before the eastern forts, and no one could doubt
+that the city was on the point of being invested and besieged.
+
+M. Schenk was clearly surprised to see Max and his friend, and was at no
+pains to hide it.
+
+"A letter was left for you, Monsieur Max," he said in his ponderous way,
+"telling you that your mother wished you to join her instantly. Did they
+not hand it to you?"
+
+"Yes," replied Max, "I have received the letter, and I have come to
+learn something more about their flight. Have they taken money enough
+for what may be a long stay? And can we send them more before the city
+is invested?"
+
+"All that is seen to, Monsieur Max. I have had a large sum of money
+transferred to a bank in Maastricht for their use. They will be safe and
+well there, and I strongly advise you to join them. You will certainly
+not be safe here."
+
+"Why not? Why should I go if you can stay--if you _are_ staying?"
+
+"Because, sir, you are half an Englishman, and before the day is out
+England will have joined in this conflict. No Englishman will be safe
+here if the Germans enter, and I strongly urge you and your friend to
+escape before the city is surrounded. I will carry on the business, and
+do my best in the interests of the firm and your good mother."
+
+"Yes, yes, I know; but I am a Belgian as much as an Englishman, and I am
+not going to fly the country like that. If I cannot yet fight for her I
+can work for her, and I have made up my mind to stay, Monsieur Schenk."
+
+"As you will," replied M. Schenk, shrugging his shoulders in
+indifference, "but do not blame me if things do not go as you wish."
+
+"That's all right," replied Max quickly. "Now, as to the work of the
+firm. I have been thinking that we might use our great works to assist
+in the defence of the town. Soon the forts will be in action, and if the
+city is invested they can only replenish their stores from within the
+town itself. Why should we not begin to cast shells instead of rails,
+and see whether we cannot make rifles and machine-guns instead of
+machinery? There are many things we could do at once, and many others in
+a little while."
+
+"That is true, sir, and you will find that I have not been behindhand. I
+have already seen the commandant, and our casting-shops are almost ready
+to begin casting shells. I am not letting the grass grow under my feet,
+I can assure you, and in a week or two we shall be able to do great
+things in the defence of the town. Come down to the works with Monsieur
+Dale, and see the preparations we are making for turning out shells for
+big guns. You will see that the Durend workshops are going to be well to
+the fore here as elsewhere, and I prophesy that they will be so until
+the end of the war."
+
+As they made the tour of the works, Max was both astonished and
+delighted at the evidence he saw of the energy and ability displayed in
+turning over the vast manufacturing resources of the firm from peace to
+war. The rapidity with which the works had been transformed was indeed
+remarkable, and his opinion of M. Schenk's capacity, already great,
+became almost profound.
+
+"Now, Dale, what are you going to do?" demanded Max as the two friends
+parted company with the manager at the door of the last shop. "I think
+you had better get clear while you can. This place is my home and I must
+stand by it, but you are not concerned and ought to get out of it, if
+only for your people's sake."
+
+"My people! My uncle and aunt, you mean. _They_ won't bother their heads
+about me," replied Dale decidedly. "No, Max, I came over here to see the
+sights, and I am going to see 'em, come what may. If England is in it,
+well and good; it will then be my quarrel as much as yours, and we will
+work or fight against Germany together. Hurrah!"
+
+Max grasped his friend's hand. "I ought not to encourage you, Dale, but
+I can't help it, and I'm jolly glad. Let us go into this business
+together--it will seem like old times. D'ye remember the fight we put up
+for Benson's?"
+
+"Who could forget it?" cried Dale with enthusiasm.
+
+"And how it ended?"
+
+"Aye--and it was fixity of purpose that did it, so said Benson. Well,
+let us do something of the sort again. Hark! d'ye hear that?"
+
+"Rifle-shots. The fun has commenced. Come along, and we will see what we
+can of it before the day is out. To-morrow I am going to start work in
+the casting-shops, and I hope you will come and help me."
+
+"I will. Come along."
+
+The sound of rifle-shots was quickly succeeded by the distant boom of
+guns. Then the sound was swallowed up in the roar of the big guns of the
+forts, and it seemed as though a tremendous attack was in progress. The
+streets of the town instantly began to fill with excited people, until
+it appeared as though everyone had left his work to discuss the
+situation and listen to the noise of battle. Through the crowds pressed
+small bodies of soldiers dispatched as reinforcements to the ring of
+forts surrounding the town.
+
+Max and Dale followed one of these parties at a respectful distance, and
+climbed with them from the cup-like hollow in which Liege is situated to
+the hills beyond. The soldiers were bound for one of the forts on the
+eastward side, and, as they reached the higher ground, the two lads
+caught their first glimpse of the fighting. Darkness was coming on, and
+away in the distance they could see the intensely bright flashes of
+high-explosive shells bursting on or around the forts, as well as the
+flame of the fortress guns belching forth their replies. As it grew
+darker the duel grew more intense, and lasted without intermission
+throughout the night till three or four o'clock in the morning.
+
+By that time the forts were apparently thought to have been sufficiently
+damaged to permit of an assault, and the German infantry were flung
+against them in massed formation. Unfortunately for them, however, the
+guns had not been heavy enough to make any impression on the steel
+cupolas which sheltered the big guns of the forts, and, as the infantry
+pressed forward to the attack, they were literally swept away by a
+devastating shell-fire from the forts attacked and those flanking them.
+
+Again and again fresh masses were sent forward to the assault, only to
+meet with a similar fate. In the attack on one of the forts the
+infantry, favoured no doubt by the formation of the ground, were able to
+get so close that the guns could not be depressed sufficiently to reach
+them. They believed the fort as good as won, and with cheers of
+exultation pressed on to the final assault. But at the corners of the
+forts quick-firing guns were stationed, and these and the infantry
+lining the parapets mowed them down as surely as the big guns.
+
+In the wide spaces between the forts the Belgian field army had
+entrenched, and with rifle-fire and frequent bayonet attacks frustrated
+every attempt of the German infantry to break through.
+
+The infantry assaults lasted until eight o'clock in the morning, when
+the Germans withdrew, heavily shaken. They had hoped to rush the forts
+with heavy masses of infantry, supported only by light artillery, and
+they had failed. They now waited for the heavy guns, which were already
+on the road, to arrive, and very soon forts Fleron and Chaudfontaine
+were deluged with an accurate fire of enormous shells, so powerful as to
+overturn the massive cupolas and to pierce concrete walls twelve feet
+thick as though they were made of butter. Such shells as these they had
+never been built to withstand, and it was not long before they
+succumbed, thus opening a way for the invaders towards the town itself.
+
+Forts Evegnee and Barchon soon shared the same fate, and the Belgian
+field army, which had continued to maintain an heroic resistance, began
+to fall back on the town.
+
+Max and Dale had not been allowed to see much of these events. Before
+midnight they were accosted by a patrol and ordered to return to the
+safety of the town.
+
+Early the following day, before the fall of the forts and the retreat of
+the Belgian army, Max and Dale carried out their intention of presenting
+themselves at the casting-shops and lending a hand in the making of
+shells. To their satisfaction they found the work going forward with
+splendid energy and smoothness, and, with their own ardour kindled by
+the sights they had seen the previous night, they joined zealously in
+the work.
+
+Presently it came home to Max that there had been considerable changes
+in the personnel of the shop since he had last worked there. The men he
+looked out for--those with whom he had been on most friendly terms when
+he was there--were gone, and their places were taken by other and, for
+the most part, younger men, all quite strangers to the place so far as
+he could see.
+
+But, most strange of all, the language of the shop was German. The
+Walloon, or Flemish-speaking Belgians, were the men who had gone, and
+German-speaking workmen had taken their places.
+
+On making a few cautious enquiries, Max learned that the men who had
+gone had been transferred to shops which were still engaged in executing
+peace-time orders, rails, axles, wheels, and the like, and that the
+whole of the shell output was being handled by the newer German-speaking
+workmen.
+
+Max felt no particular resentment at this. He did not like it, but he
+knew the manager's preference for these men as workmen, and he could not
+deny that they were a hard-working, docile lot, nor that the work was
+well organized and being carried on with splendid spirit and energy.
+
+It seemed hard, however, that the Belgian-born men should not have a
+chance of directly working for their country's benefit, and, as soon as
+he could, Max took an opportunity of representing the matter to M.
+Schenk.
+
+"Why have you withdrawn all the older men from the shell-shops, Monsieur
+Schenk? They were good men, and have served the firm well. Upon my word,
+while working there and hearing naught but the German tongue, one might
+have fancied oneself in the enemy's country."
+
+"They are loyal Belgians, Monsieur Max," replied M. Schenk reassuringly.
+"They are as ready as Flemings or Walloons to work to the utmost,
+casting shells for our gallant army. That speaks sufficiently for their
+sentiments. I have filled the shop with them because they work well
+together, and there is no jealousy. We must do our best for Belgium in
+this crisis, and should be swayed by no consideration save that of
+finding the best men for each of our great tasks."
+
+"Well done, Monsieur Schenk!" cried Max impulsively. "I also will go
+where you think best. Where shall it be?"
+
+"Thank you!" replied the manager, smiling. "I think you are doing so
+well where you are that I cannot improve upon it. Remain at work in the
+casting-shop and aid me to increase the output of shells. It is my
+belief that we can turn out double the number with no increase of staff,
+and I shall leave no stone unturned to make my opinion good."
+
+Greatly heartened by this evidence of the manager's energy and
+patriotism, Max and his friend did stick to their work and fling
+themselves into it even more whole-heartedly than they had done before.
+
+On the morrow, the 7th August, however, events happened that entirely
+changed the aspect of affairs. Forts Fleron, Chaudfontaine, Evegnee, and
+Barchon had fallen, and early in the morning of that day German infantry
+entered Liege. The forts on the north, south, and west of the town still
+held out for a time, but the town from that moment remained in German
+hands. To the people, and especially the workers of Liege, this made a
+vital difference. The output of the numerous factories, in so far as it
+was useful to the German armies, was at any moment liable to be
+requisitioned by them; and it was as clear as noonday that all who
+toiled in the manufacture of such articles were assisting the enemy in
+their attack upon their own kith and kin, and strengthening the grip he
+had already laid upon their native land.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+A New Standpoint
+
+
+To Max and his chum these were days charged high with excitement. Their
+day's toil in the shops over, they raced away to the points where the
+most exciting events were to be seen. They were witnesses of most that
+went forward, and actually lent a hand in the rounding-up, from among
+the civil population of the city, of the band of armed Germans who
+attempted to assassinate the commandant of the fortress, General Leman.
+
+The entry of the Germans was to both of them a fearful blow. They knew
+little of military matters, and vaguely believed that the town and forts
+were strong enough to stand a regular siege. And yet on the third day
+after the attack the town had fallen! As they watched the young German
+troops marching into the town they could not help feeling deeply
+disappointed and discouraged.
+
+"I wish now that you had gone home, Dale," remarked Max in a gloomy
+voice as they slowly made their way towards the works. "Now that the
+place has fallen you can do no good here. And as you are not a native
+you may be taken for a spy and shot off-hand."
+
+"Shut up, Max! We've agreed to go through this business together, and
+there's an end of it. Liege is lost, but the war's still on, and it will
+be hard if we can't find some way of giving our side a shove forward."
+
+"Aye to that, Dale. Well, if you don't mind being here in a conquered
+town I'm jolly glad to have you. Now, I suppose we can still go on
+helping to cast shells--why no, Dale! We simply can't do any more of
+that work; it's absolutely useless."
+
+"Of course it is. You may be sure the Germans won't let shells be sent
+away from Liege except to Germany. Your works had better get on with the
+other work. Shells are out of the question."
+
+"I must see Schenk about this," replied Max thoughtfully. "It needs
+thinking out what work--if any at all--we can do without helping the
+Germans. It's an awkward business, but I have no doubt Schenk can see
+daylight through it."
+
+"I should think so, but--hallo! What's that?"
+
+Dale stopped suddenly, and stood gazing down a side street, the end of
+which they were just about to cross. A sudden burst of screams and
+shouts, quite startling in its intensity, assailed their ears, and made
+them look and look with a feeling of foreboding new to them. At the far
+end of the street they could see a group of men in the grey-green
+uniform surging to and fro before a house from which the screams seemed
+to issue.
+
+"The Germans--doing the same dirty work as they did at Vise!" gasped
+Max, turning away his head and clenching his fists in his pockets. "I
+hardly know how to keep from rushing down there, utterly useless though
+it is."
+
+"It is women they are ill-treating--how can we walk away?" cried Dale in
+acute distress. "Let us go down, and if we cannot fight, let us beg them
+to desist. Perhaps if we offered them money----?"
+
+"Useless," muttered Max, though he stopped and gazed down the road in
+irresolution. "And yet how _can_ we pass by, Dale?" he went on with a
+groan. "I know I shall always call myself a coward if I do nothing.
+Let's walk a little closer, and see if we can do anything."
+
+Dale eagerly agreed, and they walked quickly down the road towards the
+group of soldiers and their victims. As they drew nearer, and could see
+something of what was happening, their anger increased, until they were
+almost ready to throw themselves upon the soldiers and oppose their
+bayonets with their bare fists.
+
+The house before which the outrage was taking place seemed, for some
+reason, to have been singled out from the others which lined both sides
+of the street, possibly because the head of the house was well known as
+an opponent of the Germans or because of some act of hostility committed
+against the soldiers. At any rate, an elderly man, evidently dragged
+from the house, had been tied to the front railings, and was being
+subjected to treatment so cruel that it almost amounted to torture.
+
+The womenfolk of the house had apparently rushed out and endeavoured to
+intervene, but had been forcibly held back, and were at that moment
+being subjected to brutal indignities that angered Max and Dale even
+more than the cold-blooded cruelty to the man himself.
+
+The two had arrived within some forty yards of the scene, and were still
+pressing on as though drawn by a magnet, although neither knew what he
+was going to do, when one of the soldiers drew the attention of his
+fellows to the two young men advancing towards them. At the same time he
+picked up his rifle, took quick aim, and discharged it directly at them.
+
+The bullet whizzed between them, and, on the impulse, Max seized Dale by
+the arm and dragged him through the open doorway of the nearest house. A
+roar of laughter from the soldiers at their rapid exit followed them,
+and made the anger of one at least of them burn with a still fiercer
+resentment.
+
+"Right through and out at the back," cried Max in urgent tones, and the
+two passed through the house, which appeared to be deserted, and found
+themselves in an open space intersected only by low garden fences.
+
+Max laid his hand on his friend's arm. "I am going to move quietly along
+until I reach the back of the house where those curs are at work," he
+said in a hard, suppressed voice. "I must do something, but do not you
+come, Dale. There is no need for you----"
+
+"I am already in it, I tell you," almost shouted Dale as he impatiently
+shook him off. "It's as much my affair as yours. Come on."
+
+The two made their way rapidly but cautiously along until they reached
+the house they sought. The doors were open at the back, and the shouts
+and screams were almost as audible there as at the front.
+
+"We have no weapons; let us arm ourselves with these," cried Max,
+pointing to some blocks of ornamental quartz bordering a little fernery.
+Even in the midst of his excitement it struck Max how strangely the
+orderliness of the tiny, well-kept garden seemed to contrast with the
+deeds of violence being committed outside.
+
+Rapidly but quietly the two lads filled hands and pockets with the heavy
+missiles. Then they crept inside the house and up the stairs to the
+floor above. The house was quite empty, for all within had rushed or
+been dragged to the scene in front.
+
+The bedroom windows were wide open, and the instant they entered both
+lads began with one impulse to hurl with all their strength the great
+stones upon the German soldiery below. They were both wild with rage at
+what they had witnessed, and utterly reckless what fate might ultimately
+be theirs, so long as they could inflict some punishment upon the
+cowardly wrongdoers.
+
+[Illustration: BOTH LADS BEGAN TO HURL THE GREAT STONES UPON THE GERMAN
+SOLDIERY]
+
+The soldiers, completely taken aback by this sudden rain of missiles
+almost from the skies, immediately scattered to the opposite side of the
+road and took refuge in the gardens there. Not one of them had his rifle
+to hand, for their arms had been stacked against the wall of the house
+they were attacking, and even the man who had fired at Max and Dale had
+put down his rifle once more. Thus, for the moment, the soldiers were
+impotent, and Max shouted rapidly in the Walloon dialect to the women
+below to release the man tied to the railings and escape through the
+house.
+
+With a promptitude that was wholly admirable, one of the women drew a
+pair of scissors from her pocket and cut the cords that bound the man to
+the fence. With a cry of joy the poor fellow staggered to his feet. But,
+stiffened by his bonds or exhausted by the cruel treatment he had
+received, he could barely stand, and had to be half supported and half
+dragged by two of the women back into the house.
+
+"Tell them to be off, Dale," cried Max rapidly. "I will hold back these
+men for a minute. Take them right through into the street beyond and get
+them out of sight. I will follow in a moment."
+
+Dale obeyed, and under his guidance the whole party made their way
+rapidly through the house, into the gardens, and through the houses
+opposite into the road beyond. At the disappearance of their prey the
+soldiers set up a howl of rage, and made a concerted rush for their
+weapons. But Max redoubled his efforts, and, his supply of quartz
+exhausted, rained down upon them jugs, mirrors, pictures, and everything
+movable he could lay hands upon, holding them in check for a few
+precious moments. Then, after one final fling, he bolted from the room
+into the bedroom at the back and leapt out of the window. Landing in a
+flower-bed unhurt, he rushed without a pause at the low garden fence in
+front of him, cleared it at a bound, and dashed through the house
+opposite in the wake of Dale and the fugitive people.
+
+Meanwhile, out in the roadway, the soldiers had seized their weapons,
+and, hardly knowing what to expect, poured two or three volleys into the
+empty house. Then they cautiously reconnoitred, and by the time they had
+come to the conclusion that the house was indeed empty, the fugitives
+were completely beyond their reach. Characteristically enough, they
+vented their rage and disappointment on the inanimate objects within
+their reach. The crash of furniture soon rose above their shouts of
+fury, and in the end smoke rolled from the windows and poured upwards to
+the sky as a silent witness to the new spirit that had come to dominate
+the land.
+
+Max and Dale hurried the people they had rescued away from the scene of
+the outbreak, and would not allow them to slacken speed until they had
+put a mile of streets between them and their savage foes. It was then,
+Max judged, high time to find a haven of refuge of some sort, for, with
+one exception, the women were half crazed with fear and the man quite
+exhausted with ill-usage. Any German soldiers or spies who passed them
+could hardly fail to remark that they were fugitives, and they would
+soon find themselves in as bad a case as before. Questioning a woman who
+still retained a show of self-possession, Max learned that they had
+friends in another part of the town, and towards their house he promptly
+directed their retreat.
+
+Without further misadventure they reached the house they sought, and Max
+and Dale saw their charges safely inside the door. Then they hurried
+away, for it was obviously dangerous both for them and for the fugitives
+to be in one another's company a moment longer than necessary. Thanks
+were not thought of; the rescued were not ungrateful but were altogether
+too upset for expression, and the rescuers were only thankful to have
+been of use, without a thought of anything else.
+
+"By George, Max, how I did enjoy that!" cried Dale with enthusiasm, as
+they turned their steps once more towards the works. "I feel an inch
+taller, and can face the world as an honest man."
+
+"Aye, Jack, I feel like that too. How should we have felt had we let
+that business go on unchecked?"
+
+"And it has done a bit of good, too, I imagine. Those cowardly Germans
+will not forget that rain of quartz in a hurry, and may leave the poor
+folk alone another time."
+
+"I am not so sure. But the question is, what are we going to do now? We
+cannot go on casting shells which will be certain to be seized by the
+Germans. If we make railway material it will only be used to convey
+soldiers into the field against our men. No. I must see Schenk, and get
+him to close all branches of the works that might be of use to the
+enemy. That is the only thing to be done. Then I shall try to get
+through to join the Belgian army."
+
+"And I too, Max. I will join with you. We have started on this business
+together and we will finish it together."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+A Few Words with M. Schenk
+
+
+Arrived at the Durend works, Max went straight to M. Schenk's office.
+Two men, whom Max had not seen before, were coming out as he entered,
+but the manager was at that moment alone. He looked up as Max came in,
+and, when he saw who it was, smiled in a way that our hero did not
+altogether like. It seemed less a smile of welcome than of tolerant
+amusement, and instead of commencing diplomatically, as he had intended,
+Max burst out rather heatedly:
+
+"Monsieur Schenk, we must close the works. We cannot go on making shells
+now that the Germans are in occupation of Liege. It is not loyal to
+Belgium, and I am certain my mother would not wish us to do such a
+thing."
+
+The manager gazed at Max almost blankly for a moment, as though quite
+taken by surprise. Then he smiled again, almost pityingly, as he
+replied:
+
+"I do not think you understand the position, Monsieur Max. The Germans
+are now masters here, and what they order us that we must do. The German
+commander only an hour ago sent word that he would hold the heads of the
+firm responsible for any decrease in the output of the Durend works; so
+what can I do? Would it help Belgium if you and I were replaced by men
+from Krupp's? No; it were better that we--or at any rate I--remain, so
+that the firm's interests are not wholly forgotten."
+
+"But if we refuse to work, the workmen will do so too," cried Max
+earnestly. "If we continue at work, they may continue also. We have an
+example of patriotism to set, and set it we must."
+
+"Bah! If Krupp's run these works the workmen will have to work, make no
+mistake on that point. Now, Monsieur Max, pray leave me, for I must to
+work again. You may rest assured that I am looking after the interests
+of the firm. Think no more about such matters, but take heed to
+yourself, for your end will be swift indeed if the Germans think you
+actively hostile to their occupation of the town."
+
+"I care not," cried Max recklessly. "Let them take us both and let
+Krupp's take over the firm--at least our hands will be clean of
+treachery to our country. Once more, Monsieur Schenk, as my mother's
+representative, I appeal to you not to aid the enemy by running the
+works for their help and benefit."
+
+The manager snorted indignantly. "_I_ am responsible here, and I am
+going to exercise my own judgment," he cried sharply. "And now, leave
+me. You are too young to discuss these matters and you weary me."
+
+Turning round sharply on his heel, Max left the room. He had never been
+spoken to like that before, and it cut him to the heart. He wanted time
+to think out the situation and to make up his mind what action he should
+take. True, this man was manager and entrusted with great powers; but
+Max stood to some extent in the position of owner, and that he should be
+treated thus seemed an indignity in the highest degree. It was a relief
+to pour his woes into the ear of the faithful Dale, and together these
+two paced through the yard, conning over earnestly all the bearings of
+the situation. It was while they were thus engaged that a fleet of
+thirty or forty great military motor-lorries rattled by.
+
+"The beginning," cried Max bitterly, nodding towards them.
+
+"Yes, I fear so. I wonder what they are after?"
+
+"Let us follow and see. We may as well know the worst."
+
+The wagons came to a stand alongside one of the largest of the stacks of
+empty shells which now dotted the yard, and, with a promptitude that
+showed that everything had been arranged beforehand, the tarpaulins that
+covered the stacks were thrown aside and the shells passed one by one
+into the wagons.
+
+"Now that seems queer to me," remarked Dale, as he watched the men with
+a thoughtful face. "What can the Germans want with shells that will only
+fit the Belgian guns! Queer, I call it."
+
+"They may be going to use them in the captured guns," replied Max. "Let
+us look in again at the casting-shops and see if they have started on
+shells for German guns. 'Pon my word I have half a mind to appeal to the
+men to cease work, strange as it would be coming from the owner's son
+while the manager of the works made no sign. The place is running at top
+speed too--see, Dale?"
+
+It was evident that there was no relaxation here. The whole of the
+buildings and furnaces engaged in the castings were simply humming with
+energy, and when they entered the nearest door they were amazed. Double
+the number of men that were at work the day before were now engaged and
+were working with an intensity that seemed inexplicable to Max.
+
+As they entered, one of the foremen came up to them.
+
+"Keep a still tongue, Dale," muttered Max beneath his breath.
+
+"You are late, Monsieur," he said, addressing Max and gazing at him
+somewhat closely. "Are you going to work this morning?"
+
+"I think not," replied Max, shrugging his shoulders. "I see you are
+pretty well full up with men."
+
+"Yes, we have had a lot more hands placed at our disposal here. I
+estimate that we shall turn out at least three times as many shells as
+yesterday."
+
+"The new men are German-speaking, of course?"
+
+"Of course. This business will be profitable for the firm no doubt?" The
+man looked at Max as though not quite certain of the state of affairs.
+
+"Undoubtedly. Has Monsieur Schenk given any orders for a change in the
+calibre of the shells?"
+
+"No. We are still on the same gauge. But I suppose we shall be making
+all sizes soon. There is no help for it, of course; we must submit to
+the inevitable?"
+
+Max turned away. "This trebling of output does not seem like unwilling
+submission to the inevitable, Dale," he whispered savagely. "Come, let
+us get out of this--I'm choking here. The place reeks to me of
+treachery. If I had the strength of Samson I would bring the roof down
+and bury the whole villainous crew beneath the ruins."
+
+"There's certainly something dirty going on," agreed Dale. "But if we're
+not Samsons we have strength enough to put a spoke in their wheel, I
+fancy. Let us wait a bit and see."
+
+In savage silence the two lads left the casting-shops and walked
+mechanically on towards the buildings which had been engaged on
+peace-time work. Here all was quiet and almost deserted. Only a machine
+here and there was running, and at first they thought that the whole of
+the workmen had been diverted to the other shops. But at the farther end
+of the yard they presently noticed groups of men congregated together,
+much as they were wont to do in the dinner interval. But it was not the
+dinner interval now.
+
+"What's the matter here? This looks as though some part of Schenk's
+plans had gone awry. Are they dismissed, or are they refusing to work?"
+
+"Refusing to work, by the look of the armed guards yonder," replied Max,
+nodding towards a body of German soldiers, a dozen or more strong,
+posted at a corner of one of the buildings within easy reach of the
+entrance. "Let us have a talk with one or two of the men and find out
+what's afoot."
+
+"Aye, but don't let our German friends see us talking to them. They will
+think it a conspiracy."
+
+The two lads joined themselves to one of the groups, and began
+questioning them as to the reason for their presence there instead of in
+the workshops. But somehow the men seemed to view Max and Dale with
+coldness and suspicion, and either refused to reply or answered in
+sullen monosyllables. Max was about to turn away, in disappointed
+perplexity, when he noticed the man Dubec. In sudden relief he appealed
+to him to tell him what was happening.
+
+"It is because we will not work if the goods are to be seized by the
+Germans. We are true Belgians--not like those traitors who fill the
+shell-shops--and we cannot work against our country."
+
+"And you are right," cried Max warmly. "I am with you heart and soul."
+
+"Huh! But what our men cannot understand is why the firm does not close
+down. Why is it left to us poor workmen to show our patriotism? Why does
+not the firm take the lead? We would stand by them to the death if need
+be."
+
+"I believe you," cried Max, with difficulty gulping down the lump that
+rose in his throat. What a cur he felt--he, the owner in the sight of
+these men, helpless to influence in the slightest degree the affairs of
+the great works called by his name. "But, lads--to my shame I say it--I
+am helpless. I am but just come from demanding of Monsieur Schenk that
+the works should be closed. He will not hear of it, and it is he who has
+the power, not I. And behind him stand the Germans. I can do nothing,
+and I feel the shame of it more than I can say."
+
+Max's voice trembled with earnestness and sincerity, and the men clearly
+believed him. Their cold looks vanished, and the one or two near him
+seized him by the hands and wrung them vigorously.
+
+"That is good, Monsieur. We are glad to hear that you are for us. It
+makes our stand easier now that we know that the owners at least are on
+our side. As for that Schenk, we have always hated him as a tyrant, and
+now we doubly hate him as a traitor as well."
+
+"Aye," broke in another of the men, "he is the cause of the mischief.
+And we have sworn not to work so long as the Germans hold the town. If
+we were ready to strike and suffer long for wages, will we not do so for
+the good of our country?"
+
+The man gazed round at his comrades, who gave a half-cheer in answer to
+his appeal. The attention of the German guards was attracted by the
+sound, and the non-commissioned officer in charge instantly ordered his
+men to advance on the offending party.
+
+"Disperse!" cried Max and one or two more, and the group broke up, most
+of the men walking out of the yard into the open road. The regular tramp
+of heavy-booted feet and harsh commands that followed them were a
+further reminder, if one were needed, of the utter change that had come
+over the scene of their humble daily toil.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+Treachery!
+
+
+"What is to be our next move, Max?" enquired Dale presently, after they
+had walked almost mechanically nearly a mile from the Durend works
+upwards towards the hills on the western side of the town. Twice he had
+to repeat his question, for Max was too immersed in thoughts bitter and
+rebellious to pay much heed.
+
+"I care not where we go, Jack. For me everything seems to have come to
+an end."
+
+"I know, I know, Max, just how you feel; but do not give way to it.
+There is Belgium to live for; and you have what I have not--a mother.
+Let us go home and think things out."
+
+"I cannot rest at home, Dale--yet. Let us walk on for a while. We shall
+feel free on this side of the town. Thank God, the forts here are still
+holding out, and the Germans have not yet over-run the countryside.
+Presently we shall reach the Crofts, and we will sit in the cottage or
+the old summer-house while we talk it all over."
+
+On the western side of the town, at a distance of some six miles or so,
+Madame Durend owned a little old-fashioned cottage, picturesquely
+planted in a large garden and wood. It was a favourite resort of the
+family in summer-time, and Max and Dale had had their full share of its
+pleasures. For one thing, there was an asphalt tennis-court there which
+had claimed a large part of their spare time, not to mention that of
+Max's sister and her friends.
+
+Avoiding the road, in order to lessen their chance of encountering enemy
+patrols, Max and his friend travelled across fields and along bypaths
+towards the cottage. They had come to within half a mile or so of the
+place when they were startled beyond measure, and almost stunned, by a
+tremendous report like the explosion of an enormous gun. It was close at
+hand, too, and seemed to come from the general direction of the cottage.
+Almost immediately there was another similar report, followed by others
+at a greater distance. Max and Dale looked at one another significantly.
+
+"Attacking either Fort Loncin or Fort Hollogne," said Max resignedly. "I
+wonder we have got so far unnoticed."
+
+"Yes; but now we are here we may as well see the fun. Let us go to the
+Crofts, and climb the big oak as of yore. We shall see everything from
+there."
+
+"And be seen too, I'm thinking. Never mind; I feel reckless enough for
+anything this afternoon."
+
+"Well, reckless or no, we may as well move cautiously. Let us keep well
+under cover of this hedge. Whew! What a row there is!"
+
+As the two friends drew nearer to the cottage they became convinced that
+not only was the firing taking place quite near the Crofts, but that it
+was going on in the very garden itself. Closer and closer they crept,
+their curiosity keenly whetted by this unexpected discovery, until they
+reached a little clump of thick undergrowth which overlooked the garden.
+Here the greatest discovery of all awaited them.
+
+Two big 28-cm. guns were in position in the centre of the garden, and
+being loaded and fired without a moment's respite. The sight was
+fascinating--nay, awe-inspiring--enough, but to the two lads the thing
+that most caught and fixed their attention was the fact that both guns
+were planted full on their asphalted tennis-court. To Dale this was
+merely curious, but to Max it had a significance so terrible and
+nerve-shaking that it was all he could do to prevent himself crying out.
+
+"What's the matter, Max?" cried Dale in alarm, as he caught a glimpse of
+his friend's pale, drawn face and staring eyes.
+
+"Come away--quick! Let us get away and I will tell you," cried Max in a
+hoarse voice, and, followed by his friend, he sped swiftly from the
+scene towards a thick wood a short distance away. Once well within the
+shelter of its leafy screen, he stopped and faced Dale excitedly, his
+face aflame.
+
+"That scoundrel Schenk! He is at the bottom of it all. He is a paid
+traitor and spy of the German Government, and, fool that I was, I never
+saw it before!"
+
+"Why, what has happened to tell you this? A traitor I dare say he is,
+but why so suddenly sure?"
+
+"That tennis-court. Do you know that Schenk, when he heard we were
+thinking of one, pressed us to have an asphalt one for use in all
+weathers. He saw to it himself, and dug down six feet for the
+foundations. I asked him why he was doing that, and he said he had a lot
+of material, concrete or something, over from something else--I didn't
+take much notice what it was--and that it would make it all the better.
+It was all a ruse to lay down solid concrete gun-platforms ready to blow
+our forts to pieces. The utter scoundrel!"
+
+"Ah! And that was why he replaced the Walloon and Flemish workmen by
+naturalized Germans! I see. He wanted to have men he could be sure of
+and to have the works ready for running without a hitch directly the
+Germans entered. And the shells----"
+
+"Yes," almost shouted Max, grasping his friend roughly by the arm, "yes,
+their calibre will be that of German, not Belgian, guns! They never were
+for Belgian guns! That was why they were kept covered up so closely in
+the yard."
+
+"Phew! It was a risky game to play; but no doubt he expected the town to
+fall quickly--perhaps even more quickly than it did."
+
+"And there are other things," Max went on in a quieter tone. "Why was it
+Schenk persuaded us to go to Germany instead of to Holland for our
+holiday? Why--why? Simply because he wanted to get us out of the way.
+Then do you remember those men who were captured after trying to
+assassinate General Leman in the town? I thought I had seen two or three
+of them somewhere before. I remember now. They were some of the workmen
+of the shell-shops, and one was a foreman. The plot was hatched by
+Schenk, not a doubt of it."
+
+"Not a shadow of a doubt. The whole business is as plain as a pikestaff.
+But who would have dreamed of such devilish forethought? He must have
+been planning it for years!"
+
+"Yes, he has been my father's right-hand man for nine or ten years at
+least. He must have come for no other purpose--and my father never knew
+it! How glad I am my mother is out of it all, safe and sound."
+
+For some time the two friends discussed the great discovery in all its
+bearings. Matters stood out in a fresh perspective, and one of the first
+things to appear prominently was the peril in which both of them now
+stood. In peril from the Germans they had known they stood, but the
+peril from Schenk was new and far greater. At any moment he might come
+to the conclusion that their continued presence about the works or in
+the town was inconvenient, and denounce them as hostile to the
+occupation. In fact--and a bitter realization it was--they were only
+saved from this by the manager's contempt of them as adversaries and his
+calm assurance that they were really not worth considering one way or
+the other.
+
+"Well, Max," said Dale at last, "what line are we now going to take? It
+is time we made up our minds once and for all. We are clearly outclassed
+by this Schenk--he holds all the cards--and the best thing we can do is
+to make tracks to join the Belgian army before it is too late to get
+away."
+
+"Yes, Dale, that is the best thing--for you. Only _I_ cannot come with
+you. You go and join the British army. My place is here more than ever,
+and leave it I will not."
+
+"Come now, Max, don't be obstinate! There is nothing to be done here.
+You are absolutely helpless pitted against Schenk and his friends the
+Germans. You must recognize it. Come with me and we will see what we can
+do for the good cause elsewhere."
+
+Max shook his head decidedly. His face was very downcast, and it was
+clear to his friend that he felt most keenly the way in which his
+father's name and resources had been exploited by the enemies of their
+country; but his lips were firmly set, and in his eyes was the steady
+look Dale remembered so well during the dark days of the struggle for
+Benson's. Benson's! The recollection brought back again to Dale the
+words spoken by the master at the close of the races: "Fixity of
+purpose ... there is almost nothing that fixity of purpose will not
+accomplish."
+
+"No," Max said simply, after a moment's pause, "I am going to keep watch
+and ward over the Durend workshops. Cost what it may I am going, by all
+means in my power, to hinder the use of them for the enemy's purposes.
+What influence I have--little enough I fear--with the real Belgian
+workmen, I will exert to keep them from aiding Schenk. The works are
+mine--I speak for my mother--and I will not hesitate to destroy them if
+I find opportunity. There must be many ways in which I can make trouble,
+and I am going to strain every nerve to do so. Let Schenk look out; it
+is war to the knife!"
+
+"Hurrah!" cried Dale excitedly. Then he went on in a sober tone: "But it
+is risky work, Max. Schenk will very soon suspect us--he has agents and
+spies everywhere, you may be sure."
+
+"We must be as cunning as he is--more so. We must outdo him at his own
+game. We--I, I should say, for you must go back to England--I am going
+to disappear and emerge as a simple workman, with German sympathies of
+course. Then the fight will begin."
+
+"Yes, and I'm in it, Max," cried Dale joyously. "I wouldn't miss it for
+worlds. It sounds good enough for anything. To outwit the Germans is
+great, but to outwit Schenk is ten times better. Come along, let's get
+to work."
+
+"All right!" cried Max, smiling at his friend's enthusiasm. "We'll get
+back at once, and, as a start, go home and fetch away some of our
+things. It will have to be the last time we go there."
+
+Quickly, and yet with caution, the two lads retraced their steps to the
+town. They knew every foot of the country, and, though there were
+numerous patrolling parties of Germans between them and the town, they
+were able to pass them without difficulty. At the door of his house one
+of the servants met Max and handed him a note.
+
+"A young man brought it, Monsieur, an hour ago. He has come all the way
+from Maastricht with it. It is from Madame, your mother, and he said it
+was very important."
+
+Rapidly Max tore away the cover and opened the missive. His senses were
+perhaps preternaturally sharpened, for he felt a sense of foreboding.
+After many fond messages, and repeated injunctions that he would take
+care of himself and not offend the Germans, the note went on:
+
+"And now, Max, I want to tell you something that distresses me
+extremely, though I have hopes that it may be all a mistake. When I
+left, bringing only a few things and a purse with such money as I had by
+me at the moment, M. Schenk, on my explicit instructions, assured me
+that he would arrange at once for a large sum of money to be transferred
+to my account at the Maastricht Bank. I have been there repeatedly,
+asking about it, but none of the officials know anything of the matter.
+They say they have not been approached, and though they have enquired of
+other banks in the place they can learn no tidings. They have been very
+good to me, for, hearing who I was, they advanced me a small sum for my
+immediate use. Will you now please see M. Schenk and have this
+matter--which is so distressing--put right?"
+
+Max clenched the paper in his hand. The blood flooded up into his head
+with such force that he had to put his hand against the doorpost to
+steady himself.
+
+"What's the matter?" cried Dale, again in alarm at the look on his face.
+"Is it bad news?"
+
+"Aye--the worst--the blackest treachery," cried Max in a voice which
+trembled with the intensity of his emotion. "I must see Schenk--and
+wring from him the money he has stolen," and, turning impetuously on his
+heel, Max strode rapidly away from the house in the direction of the
+works.
+
+Dale darted after him and caught him up. "You must do nothing rash,
+Max," he cried earnestly. "Wait a while until you are calm; you are no
+match for Schenk like that. Let us walk slowly along while you tell me
+what has happened."
+
+Max thrust at him the crumpled letter. Then in a few broken words he
+told him, what was scarcely needed, that the manager had tricked his
+mother into leaving the country, and had then left her stranded without
+a penny to live upon. The baseness of it all came as a shock, even on
+the top of their knowledge of the man's deep treachery.
+
+"There's more behind it, I believe," said Dale, after a few minutes'
+cogitation in silence. "I think this may be a lever to get _you_ out of
+the country. He will think you will be compelled to go to your mother
+and work for her support."
+
+"He knows he can get me out of the way at any time by denouncing me to
+the Germans," replied Max in dissent. "No--that will not explain it. But
+as sure as I live I will wring the truth from him before another hour is
+gone."
+
+Dale gazed in some apprehension at his friend as he strode feverishly
+along towards the Durend works. He feared that he might, in his anger,
+do some rash act that would destroy all. But presently, to his relief,
+he saw that he was regaining control over his feelings, and, by the time
+they reached the works, he seemed his usual self again. The only
+evidence of his past emotion was to be found in his somewhat gloomy
+looks and in lips tightly compressed as though to hold in check feelings
+that struggled for an outlet.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+The Opening of the Struggle
+
+
+The manager was in his room, and stared in some alarm at Max and his
+friend as they strode unceremoniously in. Then he touched a bell and his
+secretary entered.
+
+"Remain at the door, Erbo. I shall want you in a moment," he said
+coolly.
+
+It was a declaration of distrust, if not war, and both sides knew it. It
+robbed Max's words of any circumlocution he might otherwise have used,
+and he went straight to the point.
+
+"You have not sent my mother the money that she instructed you to send,
+Monsieur Schenk. Why is that?"
+
+The manager cleared his throat. "The German commander has forbidden any
+moneys to be sent out of the country, Monsieur Max, and it is
+unfortunately now impossible for me to do so."
+
+"I have not heard of any such order. But why did you not do it before
+the Germans entered? You had ample time."
+
+"I gave instructions, but the tremendous pressure a day or two before
+the Germans entered--you know how I worked to cast shells for our armies
+and the garrisons of the forts--caused it to be overlooked. I regret
+this very much, but it is now too late to do anything."
+
+The manager looked squarely and unblushingly at Max as he boasted of the
+way in which he had aided the Belgian troops, and the latter was hard
+put to it to keep back the torrent of wrathful words that rose to his
+lips. But other and more pressing matters claimed attention just now,
+and, choking down his indignation, he replied temperately:
+
+"It is _not_ too late, Monsieur Schenk. Hand me the necessary moneys or
+securities and I will convey them to Maastricht. My mother must not be
+left destitute."
+
+The manager shook his head decidedly. "No, Monsieur Max, I cannot do
+that. You would be certain to be taken, and I should have to pay the
+greater share of the penalty. No, I cannot think of it; but there _is_ a
+way out of the difficulty which would indeed simplify matters in another
+direction. You are in great danger here and are doing no good. Go to
+Maastricht and support your good mother. I will obtain for you a
+passport through the Germans and a letter to a friend of mine who will
+see that you secure well-paid work. Yes, that is the best way out of the
+difficulty, Monsieur Max, and you and your mother will live to rejoice
+at having taken it."
+
+"If your friend can get me well-paid work, can he not advance money to
+my mother, Monsieur Schenk?"
+
+"No, he is in a position to get you a berth, but he has no great means.
+Come now, Monsieur Max, be guided by me and leave Liege without delay.
+The works are running splendidly, and I shall have a good account to
+give of my stewardship after the war."
+
+The man's cool effrontery and the tone of lofty regard for the interests
+of the owners of the Durend works almost stunned Max, and for a moment
+he could but stare at him in dumb astonishment. That his faithful
+stewardship of the Durend works now ran counter to the vital interests
+of the country seemed not to matter to him one straw. Ceasing to plead
+his mother's cause, Max asked with sudden directness:
+
+"How is it, Monsieur Schenk, that the shells we are casting for the
+Belgian guns will not fit them, but yet do fit the German guns?"
+
+It was a shot at a venture, but it went home. The manager was obviously
+taken aback, although he recovered himself almost instantly as he
+replied:
+
+"You have noticed that then? Yes, there was a misunderstanding about the
+size with the commandant. Apparently he was speaking about the calibre
+of the shells thrown against the forts, when I was under the impression
+he was discussing the calibre of the shells most urgently required for
+use. It was a ridiculous mistake, but not so strange when one considers
+the turmoil and confusion of those early days."
+
+At this Max could contain himself no longer. "Monsieur Schenk--Herr
+Schenk, I should say--you are a traitor to Belgium, and I denounce you
+here and now. You are a base schemer, and the biggest scoundrel in
+Liege, if not in Belgium. You have the upper hand at present, but I
+declare to you that I shall spare no pains in the distant future to
+bring you to justice and to see that you get your deserts. I know your
+plans--or some of them. The concrete tennis-court--the filling of the
+shops with German workmen, the plot against General Leman, and, greatest
+of all, the fearful shell treachery. Oh, the shame of it should tell,
+even upon a German!"
+
+It certainly seemed to tell a little upon M. Schenk. He gasped, flushed
+up, and opened his mouth, apparently to deny the accusations. Then he
+apparently thought better of it, for he controlled himself by an effort
+and replied coldly:
+
+"Very well, Monsieur Max; it is war between us, I see. And it will soon
+end--in your discomfiture!"
+
+"We shall see. Good day, Herr Schenk!"
+
+This mode of addressing him seemed to sting the manager more than
+anything else, for he burst out angrily:
+
+"Fool of a boy! Do you think to measure your puny strength with mine?
+Bah! I shall crush you before ever you can raise your hand against me.
+As for my name, Herr Schenk suits me well enough. I am a German, and I
+hate these decadent peoples we call Belgians. Let Germany rule--she is
+strong and virile, and before her the world must--and shall--bow down.
+You, whether you call yourself English or Belgian, shall know what it is
+to have your country crushed and beaten, and to have brains--German
+brains--to direct and rule you. Go--and see if I'm not right."
+
+"I am going--and going to do my best to prove you wrong," replied Max
+proudly as he strode quickly from the room. Dale followed him, venting
+his own indignation, as he turned away, by shaking his fist full in the
+manager's face.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"We must not dally here," cried Max as they left the building. "We had
+better make ourselves scarce at once. We have burnt our boats, and both
+Schenk and the Germans will be after us from now onwards."
+
+"And a good job too," replied Dale, who did not appear at all alarmed at
+the prospect. "The fight now begins."
+
+"Quick--round here," cried Max, turning a corner sharply. "Let us lose
+ourselves in these narrow streets for a while. We will then go to Madame
+Dubec's."
+
+"Madame Dubec's?"
+
+"Yes, we must not go home. Madame Dubec--the wife of the man whose life
+I saved, you remember--she will shelter us for a day or two while we
+look about us. We will get her or her husband to buy us rough clothes,
+so that we can pass as workmen. We must not go about like this any
+longer."
+
+"Aye, we must act the part of honest sons of toil. Always have a spanner
+sticking out of a pocket, and a hunk of bread and cheese tied up in a
+coloured handkerchief in our hands. Hurrah!"
+
+Madame Dubec gave them a quiet but sincere welcome, and for the
+remainder of the day and the following night they sheltered beneath her
+roof. She was anxious that they should stay permanently with her, when
+she learned that they were in danger, but neither Max nor Dale would
+hear of it. Should Schenk or the Germans learn that she had sheltered
+them it might go hard with her, and neither cared to contemplate such a
+thing. As soon, therefore, as they had been provided with workmen's
+clothes, they took a room in a poor quarter of the town well away from
+the Durend works and made active preparations for their campaign.
+Although Max had not dared to go to his home to fetch any of his
+belongings, he had managed to get a few of the more necessary things by
+sending one of Madame Dubec's daughters with a note to one of the
+domestics whom he knew he could trust.
+
+To Max, the great campaign he had in mind against Schenk and the Germans
+was momentarily eclipsed by the urgent need for doing something to
+relieve the distress of his mother and sister. He tried at first to
+think of friends, who, knowing the value of their property, might be
+disposed to advance a sufficient sum of money upon its security. It was
+in the midst of these reflections, and the angry thoughts of Schenk that
+naturally coloured them, that a wild and desperate idea occurred to him.
+He dismissed it at first as an absurdity, but the thought kept coming
+back again, until, weary of resisting it, he allowed his mind to dwell
+upon it at will. It was while heedlessly immersed in these rambling
+thoughts that a sudden recollection came which considerably altered the
+aspect of affairs. From a wild and desperate dream it changed into a
+project, difficult and perilous indeed, but one by no means hopeless of
+achievement. In the end it took such firm hold upon him that he thought
+it out seriously and at last unfolded it to Dale.
+
+That worthy welcomed it with such unbounded admiration and delight that
+the question as to whether it should or should not be attempted was
+settled out of hand, and the preparations for carrying it into effect
+promptly begun.
+
+The project was, briefly, to go and take by a _coup de main_ the moneys
+belonging to his mother that Schenk had wrongfully and treacherously
+refused to hand over. It seemed a most risky venture, but Max had a
+recollection that his father long ago had entrusted to his mother the
+duplicate key of his safe in case anything should at any time happen to
+him. It had never been used, and his mother, likely enough, had almost
+forgotten she possessed it. Nevertheless, Max believed it was still in
+her possession, and he resolved to settle the point by sending a
+messenger to fetch it. More important still, he believed that Schenk was
+quite unaware of its existence. If the key could be secured it would
+simplify matters immensely, and, as Max was naturally familiar with the
+building in which the manager's office was situated, the enterprise was
+one which seemed likely to succeed if resolutely attempted. The safe, he
+knew, ought to contain all the money and securities of the firm, unless,
+indeed, Schenk had already handed them over to the Germans. This did not
+seem likely, however, and Max would not allow so disappointing a thought
+to interfere with his calculations.
+
+Monsieur Dubec's eldest daughter was promptly dispatched to Madame
+Durend with a letter asking for the key. Max entered into no details,
+and his mother may possibly have supposed that M. Schenk's failure to
+send her the money he had promised was due to the loss of the original
+key. At any rate, to the delight both of Max and Dale, the key duly
+arrived the following day.
+
+Tools were needed, and these were of course easily obtained. Max, as we
+have seen, had been through most of the shops in the Durend concern, and
+knew how to use almost any tool as well as the best of the firm's
+mechanics. No difficulties, therefore, were to be anticipated on that
+score. In fact, the more the details of the scheme were discussed the
+more feasible it seemed and the more the spirits of the two plotters
+rose.
+
+The third night after the break with Schenk, Max and Dale set out from
+their lodging at midnight and made their way to the Durend workshops.
+Dale was carrying a good-sized bag, in which was a lantern and an
+assortment of tools and other articles, one or two of them of such a
+nature that to be stopped and the bag examined would have been fatal to
+their liberty of movement for many a long day. It was, therefore,
+necessary for them to move with caution, and Max accordingly went on a
+hundred yards ahead, ready to give the agreed signal--a stumble forward
+on the pavement--whenever it was advisable for Dale to disappear.
+
+The offices of the Durend Company were situated in a separate building
+just inside the main entrance gates. The latter were ordinarily guarded
+by a watchman, but since the Germans had entered Liege a guard of German
+soldiers had been established there, and the sentinel on his beat passed
+within view of the front and two sides of the offices. It was pretty
+obvious, therefore, that the rear of the building would have to be the
+part attacked.
+
+It was close on one o'clock when Max and Dale scaled the outer wall well
+away from the entrance, and moved cautiously up to the rear of the
+building which was their objective. They had had only one alarm so far,
+and this had been so easily disposed of that they had begun to feel
+quite elated.
+
+"This window gives access to the drawing-office, Dale, and ought to suit
+us well. Give me a lift on to the sill, and hand up the tools."
+
+In a surprisingly short space of time the window was forced open, and
+Max clambered into the room. A whispered word, and Dale handed up the
+bag and sprang quietly up after it.
+
+"Heat No. 1 pulled off at a paddle," commented Dale exultingly.
+
+"The door is open, as I expected," whispered Max, who was too intent
+upon the work in hand to heed his friend's playfulness. "Now I will
+light the lantern and we will go upstairs. The door of the manager's
+room is sure to be locked, but we shall make short work of that."
+
+As Max expected, the door was locked, but they had come provided with
+tools for all eventualities, and in ten minutes the whole of the bottom
+panels right up to the framework had been neatly sawn out in one piece.
+Through the aperture the two lads crept, drawing the bag through after
+them.
+
+"Heat No. 2 won by a dozen lengths," cried Dale joyously.
+
+The room was a fairly large one, and contained the manager's desk, a
+really handsome piece of furniture which had been Max's father's, two or
+three tables, bookcases, a screen, and a large and massive safe.
+
+Max lost no time. Setting Dale to keep watch and ward at the window
+which commanded a view of the entrance-gates, he placed the lantern on
+the desk, so that its light fell upon the safe, and then advanced upon
+it, key in hand. This was the crucial moment. Had Schenk appropriated
+the money and securities committed to his charge, or were they still
+there, awaiting the strange midnight visit from their rightful owner? It
+was, indeed, a strong indictment of the methods of the invaders that the
+legitimate owner should have to come by stealth at dead of night, while
+the unfaithful steward could do as he listed in the broad glare of day.
+
+Max's hand trembled, and the lock seemed to stick. Then the lever seemed
+to jamb, until he feared that, after all, something had happened that
+would balk him at the last moment. But it was only his momentary
+nervousness, and the door swung ponderously open at last.
+
+"Well, Max, how goes it?" enquired Dale excitedly, turning to watch his
+friend as he explored the open safe.
+
+"All's well, I think. It seems full enough."
+
+"Semi-final won by a clear length--eh?" cried Dale in great glee. "Seems
+a regular walk-over. If we want any real excitement we shall have to go
+and throw stones at the German guard."
+
+"We haven't done yet," replied Max more soberly, though his voice was
+confident enough. "Here, I'm not going to examine all these papers and
+documents now. I'm going to cram the whole lot into the bag and be off.
+We can see what our capture is when we get back to our room."
+
+"Right you are. By George, though, what's that?"
+
+Both stood stock-still and listened. The sound of voices and the tramp
+of feet upon the stairs was plainly audible.
+
+Max darted an angry look at Dale. In the excitement of the opening of
+the safe the latter had forgotten that he was on guard at the window,
+and no doubt this was the result. "You see, Dale?" he cried sharply.
+
+"I'm sorry, old man," replied Dale miserably.
+
+"No matter. Cram these things into the bag while I lock the safe. Mind,
+not a sound!"
+
+The safe locked, Max sprang noiselessly to the door, replaced the
+cut-out panels and secured them in position, against anything but a blow
+or strong pressure, by two or three sharp nails pressed in with his
+fingers. Flight was out of the question, but it might be possible to
+make good their escape later on if they could only hide themselves
+successfully for a little while. For a hiding-place Max had no need to
+look. He had played at hide-and-seek in that very room with his sister
+years ago, too often to forget that the best shelter was inside the well
+of his father's--now the manager's--desk.
+
+The panels replaced, Max knelt down and gently blew away the tell-tale
+sawdust. Then he turned and eagerly scanned the room. Dale had already
+packed the bag, and was looking vainly round for a hiding-place.
+
+"Under here--quick!" cried Max, indicating the desk, and in Dale
+scrambled, dragging the precious bag after him. There was only one thing
+left which needed to be disposed of, and that was the lantern. Max knew
+that if he blew it out and hid it under the desk the smell would
+inevitably betray them. Therefore he took it to the fire-place, blew it
+out close under the chimney, and instantly thrust it as far up as his
+arm would reach and lodged it there.
+
+The noise of voices and the tramp of feet had, during the few moments
+that these preparations had taken, been growing stronger, and the
+lantern had scarcely been disposed of before the approaching persons
+halted at the door. The rattle of keys, as someone--no doubt the
+manager--drew a bunch from his pocket, could now be distinguished, and
+as Max crawled in under the desk, and packed himself in on top of Dale,
+the key turned in the lock.
+
+Several men entered, talking together in the German tongue. One voice
+only Max and Dale recognized, and that, as they expected, belonged to
+the manager, Otto Schenk.
+
+"... take severe measures against any workman adopting a hostile
+attitude. Would this meet with approval in Highest quarters?"
+
+"Certainly. You may rest assured, Herr von Schenkendorf, that the
+Government of His Imperial Majesty has no intention of showing aught but
+the utmost sternness and rigour towards the whole Belgian population,
+whether workmen, property owners, or their families."
+
+"Thank you, General."
+
+"Serious consequences have ensued from the unexpected delay caused to
+our armies by the resistance of the Belgian army, and it is the Belgians
+who shall be made to pay for it. And to make them pay for it in a
+literal sense is, as you know, the reason of my presence here now."
+
+"True, General," replied the manager as he switched on the light; "but
+if I am to develop these works to the utmost, and to support our armies
+with ample supplies of guns and shells, I must be able to pay my
+workmen."
+
+"The gold and securities handed over will be replaced by notes of our
+Imperial Reichsbank or by Belgian paper money, which I have good reason
+to believe we shall shortly commence to manufacture. You will thus be as
+well off as before, and the Government will have securities which it can
+sell in neutral countries."
+
+"Oh, I am not objecting, General! The plan is excellent, and should
+yield much profit to our country. As for these Belgians, they have
+brought it on themselves by their foolish obstinacy. Ha, ha! A large
+part of the securities I am about to hand to you, General, were, by the
+explicit instructions of the widow of Monsieur Durend, to have been sent
+into Holland for her use. I thought I could find a better use for them
+than that, however, and they will doubtless be made to render important
+service to the Imperial Government. Only two days ago, too, that young
+English cub, Monsieur Durend's son, attacked me in this room and
+demanded money for his mother's use. I told him to go and work for her,
+and sent him about his business."
+
+There was a rumble of laughter, and the desk creaked as one of the
+officers--there seemed two men beside M. Schenk--sat down on the side of
+it.
+
+"And what sum will it be, Herr von Schenkendorf? It must be a large one.
+My Government will expect much from so large and prosperous a business."
+
+"I can give you 1,500,000 marks in money and securities," replied the
+manager as he drew his keys from his pocket and approached the safe. "If
+you wish I will hand the sum to your aide-de-camp now."
+
+"I do wish it, Herr von Schenkendorf," replied the officer decisively.
+
+Max and Dale held their breaths in suspense as they heard the key turn
+in the lock and the door of the safe swing heavily open. There was a
+sharp exclamation, followed by a dull sound as though the manager had
+flung himself down on his hands and knees, the better to peer into the
+inside.
+
+"Mein Gott!" he cried in a strangled voice. "Gone--all gone!"
+
+"No tricks, sir!" cried the general in a rasping voice, getting up
+suddenly from the desk on which he had been sitting. "I will not be
+trifled with."
+
+The manager made no reply, but Max could hear him breathing heavily and
+fancied he caught a groan.
+
+"What is the matter, von Schenkendorf? Have you been robbed?" demanded
+the officer.
+
+"Yes, General," replied the manager after a pause in which he vainly
+endeavoured to find his voice. "Mein Gott--yes--robbed! How--I know not.
+Last evening I left all----"
+
+"Bah! You _are_ trifling with me!" cried the officer in a stern voice.
+"This is altogether too opportune to be the result of accident. I come
+to you demanding a contribution to His Imperial Majesty's exchequer and
+you tell me you have just been robbed. I begin to have grave doubts of
+your faithfulness to our cause."
+
+"General," cried Schenk in a voice which positively trembled with
+vexation, "General, I assure you that it is a pure coincidence. Never
+before has the firm been robbed, and how or why it should happen now I
+do not know. But it shall be fully investigated and I will leave no
+stone unturned to recover possession of the valuables--be assured of
+that."
+
+"So! Well, well, you have had a good reputation with our Government in
+the past and I will let matters rest for the moment," replied the
+officer in a voice which contained more than a suspicion of a threat.
+"By the way," he went on suddenly, his voice again taking on a rasping
+tone, "I am no doubt right in assuming that those siege-gun plans which
+I handed to you yesterday are in safe custody?"
+
+"I will look after them, General, have no fear," responded Schenk in a
+voice which made Max, who knew its usually firm tones so well, grasp the
+bag on which he leaned with a sudden new affection. "I fully realize
+their vast importance to our common cause."
+
+Apparently the officer also noticed something amiss. "Show me the
+plans," he replied curtly.
+
+There was a few moments' suspense. Max could hardly suppress his impulse
+to laugh aloud, for, although he could not see, he could picture without
+the least difficulty the manager's utter misery and discomfiture.
+
+"I have them not. They were with the valuables locked in the safe,"
+replied Schenk in a stammering voice. "But, General, they shall be
+recovered. I have agents everywhere, and no efforts shall be spared to
+recover them."
+
+The officer strode the length of the room and back. Then he sat heavily
+down again on the side of the manager's desk, cleared his throat, and
+responded slowly and impressively:
+
+"This matter, Von Schenkendorf, is now beyond my powers. I must report
+the matter to my Government. Till then you must not move from Liege
+without my permission."
+
+The manager made no reply.
+
+"This room," the officer went on, "must be kept locked until it has been
+thoroughly investigated by officers whom _I_ shall send. But you may
+make such enquiries through your own agents as you think fit. If you
+succeed, it will, of course, influence matters considerably to your
+advantage."
+
+"General," replied the manager humbly, "General, I will do so. But let
+me beg you not to let this one mischance, which might have happened to
+anyone, wipe out the recollection of my many great services to the
+State."
+
+"All shall be considered," replied the officer coldly as he strode
+towards the door. It was obsequiously opened for him, and the three men
+passed out, the manager locking the door behind them.
+
+"Give me the key," demanded the officer. It was handed over, and the
+party moved with heavy tread along the passage and down the stairs.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+Getting Ready for Bigger Things
+
+
+"Now for it, Dale; it's now or never," cried Max in a voice of
+suppressed eagerness, as he emerged from under the desk the moment the
+party of Germans moved away along the passage. "If we do not get clear
+at once I rather think we never shall."
+
+"Yes, we are what you might call 'right on the post' and rowing neck and
+neck. 'Twill be a near thing whoever wins," replied Dale, again breaking
+out into rowing jargon, as he was apt to do whenever excited.
+
+"The prize is bigger than you imagine," responded Max, dragging out the
+bag and glancing quickly about the room. "Could you follow what was said
+well enough to understand why they rounded on Schenk, or Schenkendorf,
+as his name seems to be?"
+
+"No, old man, my German isn't nearly equal to the job, especially when
+I'm submerged in trunks and desks."
+
+"Well, among the papers we've stuffed into this bag are the plans of
+some special siege-guns the Germans seem to set no small store on.
+Schenk was just going to wire in making them, by the look of it. We've
+upset the whole business, and if he isn't under arrest he's very near
+it. But come along; we must get out of this."
+
+The bottom panels of the door were quickly removed and Max and Dale
+crawled through, carrying the now doubly precious bag with them. The
+manager and the two officers had by this time reached the front entrance
+of the building but appeared to have halted there and to be talking
+earnestly together. Hastily removing their boots, Max and Dale crept
+quietly down the stairs to the door of the drawing-office. They paused
+and listened before opening it, and heard the party at the entrance
+descend the steps, still talking together, and the scrunch of the gravel
+under their feet as they strode away. Then, almost immediately, they
+heard a harsh command and the rapid tramp of feet as the guard turned
+out at the entrance to the works.
+
+Max whipped open the door of the drawing-office and they entered and
+closed it behind them. The window through which they had come an hour or
+two before gaped before them, and they eagerly moved to it and peered
+out. All seemed clear for the moment, but they could hear men in motion
+somewhere, and in the passage they had just left they were startled to
+hear the voice of the manager talking in a peremptory tone to someone,
+one of the guard they imagined, and the tramp of their feet as they
+passed the door and began ascending the stairs.
+
+"Quick; jump out," whispered Max, and he assisted his friend to drop as
+noiselessly as possible to the ground. Then he handed down the bag and
+lowered himself down after it. In silence and in great trepidation they
+sped towards the outer walls at the point at which they had entered.
+Without mishap they helped one another up and over, and fled at the top
+of their speed towards their lodging. At any moment they feared a
+general alarm might be sounded, and the truest caution seemed to be to
+throw caution momentarily to the winds.
+
+They reached the door of their lodging in safety, and as they entered
+Dale whispered triumphantly to his friend: "We've won the final too. By
+George we have!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Day was just beginning to break as the two friends left the town on the
+northward side and made their way across country towards the Dutch
+frontier. They carefully avoided the roads, and their progress was slow;
+but it was sure, and as soon as they were well away from the
+neighbourhood of the town they regained the roads and made more rapid
+progress. Before the day was out they reached Maastricht, and Max found
+his mother and sister safe and sound, though indeed in great distress.
+
+The relief of Madame Durend at the return of her son from beleaguered
+Liege was intense. The stories told by the numerous refugees from the
+towns and villages of Belgium were so terrible that she could not be
+other than most anxious for his safety. Now he had arrived, and had
+brought, she soon learned, sufficient funds to enable them all to live
+in comfort and security for a long time.
+
+But it was not until Max and his friend unfolded their story that she
+fully realized in what peril they had been, and at what cost they had
+been able to bring the much-needed assistance. Their story was indeed
+amazing. Schenk a traitor, and Schenk outwitted! Priceless German plans
+captured, and funds that the enemy had hoped to secure removed from
+beyond their grasp! Madame Durend could not but be proud of her son's
+exploits, but it was a pride with many a tremble at the frightful
+dangers run.
+
+A fuller examination of their captures revealed to Max and Dale how
+valuable their prize had been, and sent them both hotfoot to the house
+of the nearest British consul, into whose care they confided the
+precious plans, with instructions that they wished them handed over to
+the British War Office without delay.
+
+A statement briefly describing who the captors were, and how the _coup_
+had been brought about, was drawn up and signed, and, in high glee at
+the shrewd blow struck against Schenk and his Germans, they returned
+once more to the lodging of Madame and Mademoiselle Durend.
+
+A few days spent there in safety, and almost in idleness, were, however,
+sufficient to make Max and Dale, and especially the former, restless and
+dissatisfied with their inactivity. The onward march of the Germans,
+their terrible unscrupulousness and rapacity, and the tales of the
+terrific fighting with the English and French vanguards reached their
+ears and made them long to be doing something, however small, to aid the
+great cause. Max, in addition, had a constant sense of irritation at the
+thought that his father's great works were running night and day in the
+interests of the Germans and to the vast injury of his own countrymen.
+He could not get away from the feeling that he had a responsibility
+towards the Durend works--a responsibility which he seemed in honour
+bound to discharge. This feeling grew and grew until it became so
+intolerable that he was impelled to announce to his mother that he must,
+without delay, return to his post in the stricken city.
+
+"But surely you have done enough, Max?" cried Madame Durend, almost in
+consternation. "You are not yet of man's age, and ought not to think of
+taking upon yourself such fearful tasks. It is no fault of yours that
+our property is being used by the Germans. Many other factories and
+workshops besides ours have been seized, and who can fairly put the
+blame upon the owners?"
+
+"I know, Mother," replied Max in a quiet voice, and with a far-away look
+in his eyes. "I know it is no fault of ours. But our workmen--the
+faithful and real Belgian workmen--are there bearing alone in silence
+the pain and misery of seeing the great business they helped to create
+worked to the destruction of their own liberties. They feel nothing so
+much as the thought that their masters have deserted them, and left them
+to fight the battle for their land and liberties alone. I must go back
+and join them, if only to let them know we are with them, hand and foot,
+heart and soul. I feel, Mother, that so long as one workman still holds
+out against tyranny and oppression, the owners of the Durend workshops
+must be by his side to give him both countenance and aid."
+
+Max's voice grew stronger, and thrilled with a deeper and deeper
+earnestness, as he went on. It was clear to each of his hearers that the
+guardianship of his father's works had become the one great object and
+aim of his existence. With such a burning, passionate desire in his
+heart, it was almost impossible that he could be persuaded to abandon
+his project if he were not to be rendered miserable for life, and Madame
+Durend realized almost at once that she dare not attempt it. But the
+thought of the desperate character of the undertaking made her mother's
+heart sink with dread.
+
+"I dare not say you nay, Max, my son," she said tremulously, after a
+long pause, "for I should feel that I was setting my own wishes against
+what is, perhaps, your duty to your country, and still more your duty to
+your dear father's name. Go, then--only do not--do not run unnecessary
+risks. Be as cautious as you can--and come back to me often."
+
+"We will be as cautious as we honourably can, will we not, Dale?" cried
+Max, appealing to his friend. "It is stratagem that we shall use in
+making our war--not force. We have thought it all out together, and hope
+to give a good account of ourselves without giving the Germans a chance
+to pay us back with usury."
+
+"Yes," replied Dale cheerfully, "we are not going to give the enemy a
+chance. Why, you have no idea how cautious and full of dodges Max is. He
+just bristles with 'em, and I think we shall give Schenk and his friends
+a warm time."
+
+Madame Durend sighed deeply. "It seems terrible to me to think of two
+such boys returning to that dreadful place to do battle unaided with
+those men. How I pray that you may come safely back!"
+
+"No fear of that," cried Dale confidently, and Max gazed into his
+mother's face and nodded reassuringly.
+
+The next day they left the hospitable streets of Maastricht and arrived
+safely in Liege, still in their disguises as Walloon workmen. A visit to
+a clever hairdresser before they left had completed their disguise.
+Their fresh complexions were hidden beneath a stain that darkened the
+skin to the tints of the swarthiest Walloons of the Liege district.
+
+Max, as he was by far the better known and ran the greater risk of
+detection, had, in addition, his brown hair dyed a much darker hue and
+his eyebrows thickened and made to meet in the centre. A few lines
+skilfully drawn here and there about his face gave him the appearance of
+a much older man than Dale, and enabled them to pose as brothers aged
+about twenty-eight and twenty respectively. Their hair was allowed to
+run wild and mat about their brows and ears; hands and wrists were left,
+much to their discomfort, to get as grubby as possible, and in the end
+they were ready to meet the gaze of all as Belgian workmen of the most
+out-and-out kind.
+
+The necessity for the constant renewal of their various disguises was
+not overlooked, and the hairdresser was prevailed upon to part with a
+supply of his dyes and to tell them exactly how and when to apply them.
+
+Max of course could maintain the part of workman to perfection, even if
+questioned at length, but Dale was under the necessity of answering only
+in monosyllables, as his knowledge of the language was at present not
+very great. With Max at his elbow, however, this was not a serious
+drawback, and neither anticipated any difficulty on that score.
+
+Max was now a broad-shouldered, well-built young fellow of twenty. He
+was not much above medium height, but his rowing and running at
+Hawkesley and his hard work in the various shops of the Durend concern
+had given him a muscular development that most of the real workmen might
+have envied. His responsibilities as stroke at college, and, later, as
+the future head of the firm, had given him a self-reliant attitude of
+mind that was reflected in his bearing, and enabled him to maintain with
+unconscious ease his sudden increase in years over his more
+youthful-looking comrade.
+
+Dale was still slim and boyish-looking. He was wiry enough, however, and
+was, as we have seen, extremely cool and courageous in any tight corner.
+He was quick, too, and the pair made an ideal couple to hunt together.
+Had Schenk known that they were bending all their energies to the task
+of hindering his use of the Durend workshops for the benefit of the
+Germans he would probably have bestowed more than a passing thought upon
+them. And had he had an inkling that they were at the bottom of the
+shrewd blow already dealt him within the sacred precincts of his office
+he would, no doubt, have spent a sleepless night or two.
+
+The few days that had elapsed since Max and Dale left Liege had already
+witnessed yet another development in the rapid conversion of the Durend
+workshops into a first-class manufactory of war material for the German
+army. A large building on the outskirts of the town had been taken over
+and converted into a filling-shop, and the shells manufactured within
+the works were conveyed thither on a miniature railway, and there filled
+with high-explosive drawn from a factory situated about a mile and a
+half away, well outside the limits of the town. This new shop was being
+staffed with men drawn partly from Germany and partly from former
+workmen of the less determined sort, who were gradually returning to
+work under stress of hunger.
+
+On Max and Dale applying for work they were promptly drafted to this
+shop. Fortunately for them, perhaps, the foreman who was now engaging
+fresh workmen was a man sent from Germany, a bullying, overbearing,
+Prussian foreman who was expected to bring the methods of the Prussian
+drill-sergeant to bear upon the poor half-starved wretches applying for
+work, and to reduce them to a proper state of submission. Max had no
+difficulty in satisfying the man, especially as he made no demur to
+working in the night shift. Few workmen cared for the night shift, and
+the foreman was therefore the more ready to clinch the bargain. Soon Max
+and Dale were being shown the way to fill the shells and finish them
+off, ready to be sent on their mission of destruction.
+
+"Things couldn't have happened better, Dale," remarked Max at the first
+opportunity.
+
+"Why, Max? We are safe inside; is that what you mean?"
+
+"Not exactly. What I mean is our being sent to the filling-shops. It's
+no end of a piece of luck."
+
+"Ah, I see! You are thinking of wrecking the place, eh?"
+
+"Possibly, later on. But what I mean is that for our plans we need
+explosives, and plenty of them. Well, here they are, ready to hand, and
+all we have to do for a start is to get what we want away unseen."
+
+"Aye; accumulate a store of our own ready for the day we want them?"
+
+"Yes; the best place to attack we can settle later. In fact we may have
+to seize our opportunities as they come along."
+
+"The best places to choose are these filling-shops, old man. Heaps of
+explosives about, and, although they watch everyone pretty closely, we
+ought to get a chance before long. If this place were blown sky-high it
+would damage a lot of the other shops, and probably get Schenk the sack.
+He seems to have got over that other affair all right."
+
+"Yes, but I can't bring myself to blow up this great place with all the
+workmen in it, Germans or renegade Belgians though they are. I want to
+cripple the works, not kill the work-people."
+
+"Don't see much in your scruples, Max. If we don't kill them they are
+left to go on sending shells out to kill our men."
+
+"True, old man, but all the same I should like, if I can, to do the
+business without causing any loss of life among the workmen. There is
+the power-house now. If we could wreck that we should bring the whole of
+the works to an absolute standstill."
+
+"Phew! Yes. Well, and why shouldn't we?"
+
+"I've been thinking, and I believe we ought to be able to do it. Of
+course you know there is a soldier always posted at each entrance?"
+
+"We must dispose of him--that's all."
+
+"Or else we must get jobs as stokers. But enough of this--see that man
+coming along there eyeing the benches?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"I believe he's a spy. He is really looking more at the men than at the
+benches. We must be very careful, or one of those fellows will get in
+our way."
+
+"It will be the worse for him," muttered Dale under his breath, as he
+went on with his work with redoubled energy.
+
+"And for us too," replied Max, lifting a heavy shell with an ease that
+many of the regular workmen, practised though they were, could not have
+excelled.
+
+The man stopped when he reached the bench on which Max and Dale were
+working. "Where are you from?" he enquired sharply, in very indifferent
+Walloon.
+
+"Yonder," replied Max, nodding towards the poorer quarter of the town.
+"Back of Rue Gheude."
+
+"You're a Belgian, eh?"
+
+"Yes," admitted Max with an appearance of reluctance.
+
+"Why do you come here to work? Many of your countrymen refuse to work."
+
+"One must live," replied Max sullenly. Then he went on in an angry tone:
+"We have been deserted and left to starve. Why shouldn't we work? They
+should protect us, these French and English, if they want us to remain
+on their side. Are we to let our little ones perish for their sakes?"
+
+"You are right, my friend," replied the man approvingly. "These English
+and Frenchmen care naught so long as their country is safe. Why should
+Belgians fight their battles for them? No, no, my friend."
+
+Max nodded and turned back to his work. The man watched him for a minute
+or two and then continued on his way along the shop, scarcely glancing
+at Dale, who was to all appearances too engrossed in his work to pay
+much attention to what was going on about him.
+
+"End of round No. 1," whispered Max to his friend. "We've got the better
+of Mr. Ferret so far, but I fear we shall have trouble in getting many
+live shells away from under the noses of him and his tribe."
+
+"We shall do it," replied Dale confidently. "We may get the job of
+loading them up on the lorries presently and find an opportunity. If the
+worst comes to the worst we must carry medium-sized ones away one by one
+in our folded coats."
+
+"H'm!" grunted Max. "We must find a safer way than that I fancy. I doubt
+if our ferret friends would let us do much of that sort of thing."
+
+Dale shrugged his shoulders in contempt of the whole of the spy crew,
+and the conversation dropped.
+
+For some two weeks Max and Dale worked in the filling-shops, observing
+the routine and making careful note of every circumstance that seemed to
+offer a chance of making off with supplies of finished shells. They soon
+found that they had reason to congratulate themselves upon having joined
+the night shift. Max had accepted the foreman's offer of the night shift
+for two reasons: first, because he thought that their disguises were
+less likely to be penetrated in artificial light, and, secondly, because
+they might reasonably expect to be quite safe during their journeys to
+and fro in the dark. But he found that an even greater advantage to
+their projects lay in the fact that the shop was only half manned at
+night, the work, and especially the supervision, were less efficient,
+and the yards, while well lighted, contained plenty of deep shadows
+suited to shelter those on dubious errands.
+
+As soon as he could, Max got into touch with his friend Dubec and the
+workmen who had remained faithful to their country's cause. He had
+brought ample funds with him from the moneys recovered from the firm,
+and hoped to relieve any who might be in acute distress. He soon found
+plenty of outlet for his funds, for the men who refused to work in the
+shops were drawing terribly near the edge of starvation.
+
+As Max had expected, the knowledge that their employers were standing by
+them, and were ready to aid them at every opportunity, greatly heartened
+the men, and a small but loyal band steadily refused to work, and fought
+a gallant battle with starvation in the cause of their country's
+freedom. Between Max and these men an unbreakable, unforgettable bond of
+union was gradually forged; and several times, to their unbounded
+delight, he was able to use them in furthering his projects. He found
+them particularly useful in obtaining information and in keeping watch
+over the movements of M. Schenk and his numerous spies. Patriotism,
+resentment at their sufferings, and hatred of Schenk, all combined to
+render them zealous auxiliaries, and lightened, in some measure at
+least, the heavy task fate seemed to have cast upon Max's own shoulders.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+The Attack on the Power-house
+
+
+Some three weeks after Max and Dale had so unobtrusively re-entered the
+Durend works, their plans were laid and their preparations complete.
+Eight large shells had been carried off one by one and secreted in a
+hole in the bank of the Meuse, at a spot where it was well shaded by
+thick bushes. The power-house had been carefully reconnoitred, and the
+times and habits of the men and of the sentries carefully noted. The
+bulk of the great engines which provided the power required to run the
+various workshops were underground, and all the approaches to the
+building were commanded by two sentries stationed at opposite corners.
+
+The success of their enterprise was dependent upon one of these sentries
+being put out of action for some minutes. This was no easy matter, but
+by dint of much discussion and careful observation they reached the
+conclusion that it could be done; and, better still, done so that no
+alarm need be given.
+
+A Sunday night was fixed for the attempt, because Max and Dale had never
+worked on Sundays, and their absence would not therefore be likely to
+arouse any subsequent suspicion that they had had anything to do with
+the matter. Moreover, all departments of the works were run on reduced
+staffs, and the staff of the power-house was reduced proportionately.
+The loss of life which both Max and Dale feared might ensue from the
+realization of their plans was thus brought to a minimum.
+
+Shortly after midnight, Max, Dale, and Dubec made their way silently to
+the little cache of shells in the river bank, and began transporting
+them to a point as near the power-house as they could expect to get
+without attracting notice. There was a bright moon, but there were also
+clouds, and they patiently bided their time, and moved only when the
+moon was obscured. It was one o'clock before the whole of the shells had
+been transported within easy reach of the power-house.
+
+The sentries were changed at two o'clock, and Max and Dale waited only
+until this had been completed. Then they drew near, and took a long look
+at the sentry upon the least-exposed corner of the building. He was a
+young fellow, and while not looking particularly alert, yet seemed fully
+alive to his duties and determined to carry them out. As has already
+been explained, he was posted at a corner of the building, and could
+command a view of two sides. One of these sides was flooded with the
+light of the moon, but the other was in shadow, except at intervals
+where it was cut by the light from the windows of the power-house, which
+were here on a level with the ground.
+
+After a whispered word or two, Dale left Max and worked his way round
+until he was near the side of the building which was in shadow. Watching
+his chance, he slipped into the shadow at a moment when the sentry was
+gazing the other way. Max now retreated some distance, and then began
+boldly advancing towards the building, his feet crunching heavily into
+the gravel and giving the sentry every warning of his approach. The
+sentry watched him with lazy indifference, but, as he drew near, lifted
+rifle and bayonet and challenged.
+
+"Who comes there?"
+
+"A workman with message to the engineer," responded Max in a casual
+voice, slackening his pace and coming to a stop a few paces away.
+
+"Pass," replied the sentry indifferently, letting the butt of his rifle
+drop again to the ground. Max slouched on again, directing his steps so
+that he would pass just in front of the young soldier.
+
+The sentry idly watched the supposed workman, who slouched along gazing
+at the ground in front of him in the most stolid fashion. Just as he was
+on the point of passing the sentry, however, he shot out a hand, seized
+the man's rifle, and tore it from his grasp.
+
+Simultaneously a hand appeared from behind, and a cloth was clapped over
+the soldier's nose and mouth and held firmly in position, while another
+hand and arm grasped him round the middle.
+
+[Illustration: A CLOTH WAS CLAPPED OVER THE SOLDIER'S NOSE AND MOUTH]
+
+Noiselessly grounding the captured rifle, Max in his turn sprang upon
+the sentry and wound both his arms about him, crushing his arms to his
+side and preparing to subdue his wildest struggles. Almost immediately,
+however, the man's muscles relaxed, as the chloroform, with which the
+cloth had been sprinkled, took effect, and Max and Dale lowered him to
+the ground.
+
+"Now, Dale, off with his tunic and helmet and put them on," cried Max
+rapidly. "Then take his rifle and stand on guard. All is well, and I
+believe we shall win through without a hitch."
+
+Dale did as he was bidden. The soldier's tunic and helmet were removed,
+and his body was dragged into the shadow close to the wall of the
+building. Then Max walked quickly back to the spot where the shells had
+been deposited. Here Dubec crouched in readiness.
+
+"Bring them along," whispered Max. "The sentry is disposed of, and we
+ought to meet with no interruption."
+
+"'Twas splendidly done," replied Dubec with enthusiasm. "The man seemed
+to be overcome as though by magic, and I heard scarce a sound."
+
+In three trips the shells were transported to the power-house and laid
+along the wall. Then Max went to one of the windows and looked in.
+
+The power-house was largely underground, and the windows, which ran
+around all sides on a level with the ground at intervals of about six
+feet, were high above the great boilers. In fact, as Max gazed down he
+had a bird's-eye view of the interior, and could see workmen flitting to
+and fro, stoking the great furnaces in blissful ignorance of the fact
+that a bolt which might destroy them with their engines was on the point
+of being shot.
+
+Drawing back his head, Max drew a bomb of his own manufacture from his
+pocket and lit the fuse. Then he leaned through the window, and, shading
+his mouth with his hands so that his words might carry downwards and be
+heard above the roar of the engines, cried in quick, urgent, warning
+tones:
+
+"Fly for your lives--the engine-house is being blown up! Fly! fly! fly!"
+
+The workmen looked up, startled, and into their midst Max flung his
+bomb. The men scattered to right and left, and a second or two later it
+burst with a splutter, sending out a great puff of white, pungent smoke.
+It was quite harmless, but the men did not know that, and a great cry of
+alarm went up and a terrific stampede began towards the nearest exit.
+
+"Now, Dubec," cried Max energetically, "light the fuses and fling them
+in. It matters little where they fall so long as we cover a wide area."
+
+In a few seconds the shells had been flung down into the power-house,
+right in among the boilers and machinery. Then the two men took to their
+heels and fled, followed by Dale, who had already divested himself of
+his borrowed plumes and donned his own.
+
+The success of their enterprise was complete. Hardly had they got clear
+of the building before a series of heavy explosions occurred in the
+interior of the power-house, followed by the upward burst of great
+clouds of smoke and steam. Instantly all the lights in the whole of the
+Durend workshops and the great lights in the yard went out, and the roar
+of machinery slackened and gradually ceased. The entire works were at a
+standstill, and the whirr of lathes and clink of hammers were succeeded
+by shouts of alarm from the thousands of workmen as they poured
+excitedly out into the open air.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The alarm and excitement were not decreased when, almost immediately,
+there was a great outburst of flame in one of the large workshops
+devoted to the building of the bodies of railway carriages and trucks,
+and the chassis of motorcars. With extraordinary rapidity the flames
+leapt up from floor to floor, until the great yards in the vicinity, a
+moment before plunged in blackness by the destruction of the
+electric-light plant, were again as light as day.
+
+"See that, Max?" whispered Dale in an awestruck voice as the flames
+leaped up. "Surely our raid on the power-house cannot have done that?"
+
+"I expect that something was upset in the mad rush for the doors. The
+place is full of inflammables, and they will never get the fire out--you
+see."
+
+The scene was of absorbing interest, and Max and Dale and the faithful
+Dubec mingled with the crowds of excited workmen and thoroughly enjoyed
+themselves. Alarm-bells were sounding and bugle-calls ringing in all
+directions, and in a few minutes two or three engines dashed into the
+yard and began a hopeless fight against the raging fire. Max and his
+friends continued to gaze on at the exciting scene until the former was
+recalled to himself by the heavy tramp of what seemed to be detachments
+of soldiers outside the walls of the yard.
+
+"Listen, Dale, I can hear a lot of troops marching outside. I don't
+think their presence bodes any good, and I think we had better be off.
+The Germans will be most awfully savage, and will be firing on the mob,
+or something of the sort."
+
+"Shouldn't wonder, old man. Well, we've done enough for one night, so
+let us join this crowd and leave by the main entrance."
+
+A number of workmen, who were probably of the same mind as Max and did
+not like the look of things, were moving towards the gates, and to these
+our three friends joined themselves. On reaching the gates, however, the
+whole party came to a standstill. The gates were closed, and a dozen
+soldiers with fixed bayonets stood on guard in front of them.
+
+"We made a mistake, Dale, in not getting away at once," whispered Max.
+"We shall have trouble now, you may be sure."
+
+As he spoke, the gates were opened and a motorcar drove through. It
+contained the manager, M. Schenk, and two officers, and came to a stand
+on the outskirts of the crowd collected at the gates. The manager
+immediately stood up in the car and addressed the crowd in such stern
+and peremptory tones that it would have seemed fitter, Max thought, had
+the words been uttered by one of the officers at his side.
+
+"Listen, men. A dastardly outrage has just been committed in these
+works, and I am determined to bring the guilty ones to justice. I shall
+allow no one to leave until he has been thoroughly examined, however
+long it may take. Stand aside, therefore, and await your call quietly,
+or I shall have recourse to sterner measures."
+
+The car moved on, and the workmen addressed stopped obediently where
+they were and began discussing the affair in low, excited tones.
+
+"This sort of thing won't suit us, Dale," whispered Max, as he edged out
+of the crowd and began moving away from the gates. "Examinations are not
+a strong point with us at present."
+
+"No, we require to study a little more--in strict seclusion," replied
+Dale in the same spirit, as they got away from the crowd into the
+blackness between a long workshop at a distance from the burning
+building and the outer walls.
+
+"Where now, Master," asked Dubec, looking at Max enquiringly as the
+three came to an involuntary halt.
+
+"Over the walls and away, I think. We have done enough for one night,
+and I fancy Schenk will think so too--eh, Dale?"
+
+"Aye, and say so, if ever he gets the chance," replied the latter.
+
+The party moved to the walls at the darkest point they could find and
+prepared to clamber over. The wall was here nearly ten feet high, and it
+was necessary for Dubec to plant himself against it and allow Max,
+assisted by Dale, to climb on his back. He could then help Dale up also
+before clambering on to the top. The rest would be easy enough. But a
+rude awakening was in store for them, for Max had no sooner put his head
+above the wall than he was greeted by a rifle-shot from the road below,
+and a bullet whizzed close overhead.
+
+"Down, Max, down!" cried Dale, clutching at his friend in sudden
+consternation.
+
+"I'm all right, old man," replied Max, who, needless to say, had lost no
+time in bobbing down below the level of the wall. "But we can't get over
+here," he added as he lowered himself gently to the ground. Dale
+followed suit, and the three men stood at the foot of the wall and
+anxiously debated their next move.
+
+"It is pretty clear," Max summed up, "that the Germans have put a cordon
+of soldiers all about the works, and clearer still"--a little ruefully
+this--"that their orders are to shoot first and make enquiries
+afterwards."
+
+"We must chance it and try to get over somewhere," responded Dale.
+
+"No--too risky. The moment we top the wall we show up plainly against
+the light of the fire behind us. We should be noticed at once. We must
+try another plan."
+
+"What's that?"
+
+"The river."
+
+"Ah--swim across?"
+
+"Yes--or, better still, float down until we get beyond the roads about
+the works."
+
+"But what about Dubec? Can he swim?"
+
+"I don't suppose so. Can you, Monsieur Dubec?"
+
+The answer was a decided negative, and Max went on: "But it doesn't
+matter. Dubec doesn't need to leave in the unorthodox way that Schenk
+has forced upon us. He is a _bona fide_ workman, and has been working in
+the shops for the last three days. He is safe enough."
+
+It was so arranged, and soon the party had gained the shelter of the
+bushes at the spot where their stock of shells had been hidden. Max and
+Dale then waded waist-deep into the Meuse, and, with a whispered
+farewell to M. Dubec, allowed themselves to float down with the stream.
+For some yards out the edge of the river was in deep shadow from the
+bank, and beyond a gentle movement of the hands to keep them within its
+shelter, the two lads let themselves drift at will. The water was warm
+and they felt no discomfort, and in half an hour they were beyond what
+they considered the danger zone. Clambering out of the river, they wrung
+as much of the water as possible out of their clothes and made rapid
+tracks for their lodging.
+
+As was to be expected, the destruction of the power-house and the
+burning of one of the largest workshops at the Durend works created a
+great sensation among both the Germans and the Liegeois. The former
+looked upon it, rightly enough, as a determined attempt to interfere
+with their exploitation of the manufacturing resources of the city for
+the benefit of the invading armies; the latter, as a patriotic and
+successful demonstration of the hatred of the Belgians for their
+temporary masters and of their determination to hinder them by every
+means in their power. It gave the spirit of the people a fillip, and,
+despite the redoubled severity of the Germans, the Liegeois went about
+their businesses with a prouder air, as if conscious that, though
+temporarily overcome, they were very far from being beaten.
+
+On attending for work on the following evening, at the usual hour, Max
+and Dale were curtly informed that they would not be required for
+another week at least. They had expected this, of course, and were only
+disappointed that the holiday was likely to be so short. They had hoped
+that the works would be out of action for at least three weeks. But the
+manager had set to work with his usual energy. Engines were being
+requisitioned from other factories in the town, not engaged in the
+manufacture of war supplies, and repairs to those less seriously damaged
+were going on with shifts of fresh workmen night and day.
+
+It was nearly a fortnight, however, before the works were again in full
+swing, or would have been in full swing had not other events occurred to
+hinder the complete resumption of business. That fortnight Max
+considered as a specially favourable opportunity for paying further
+attention to M. Schenk and his many activities. It meant that the
+various workshops were empty, save for two or three watchmen, and that
+groups of workmen were necessarily hanging about the premises, idly
+watching the proceedings and waiting for the time when they could
+recommence work. The first meant opportunities that would not occur when
+the workshops were in full swing, and the second that the prowling of
+Max and his friends would be the less likely to attract notice.
+
+One of the first things that caught the attention of Max and Dale was
+the rapid accumulation of great stocks of coal outside the yard, owing
+to the enforced idleness of the power-house. The Durend mines were, of
+course, unaffected by the stoppage of the workshops, and coal was sent
+up to the surface with the same regularity as before. In fact, the rate
+of production was accelerated, as numbers of the workmen thrown out of
+employment by the closing of the workshops applied for work at the
+collieries. Thus the stores of coal grew and grew, from stacks of the
+moderate dimensions (for the Durend Company) of 2000 or 3000 tons, to
+great piles of 10,000 and finally 24,000 tons. Then came a rumour that,
+as soon as trucks were available, the accumulation was to be transported
+into Germany and, worse still, to Krupp's.
+
+This was enough to set Max and Dale discussing the matter with anxious
+care. To the former it was as intolerable that the Durend mines should
+produce coal for Krupp's as it was that the Durend workshops should cast
+shells for the German guns. And yet it was no easy matter to devise
+means of dealing with a great mass of coal. Obviously, it could not be
+carried off, and to blow it up was hardly practicable. However, after
+much discussion, it was decided that an attempt should be made to burn
+it. It certainly did not seem a very hopeful scheme, seeing the number
+of fire-engines that were close at hand in the city and the unlimited
+supply of water in the River Meuse. But to Max and Dale anything seemed
+better than to do nothing in such a matter, and they determined to make
+the attempt.
+
+For materials all they needed was a good supply of firewood, a gallon or
+two of benzine, and some fuses.
+
+The coal stacks were situated on a piece of waste land outside, but
+adjoining, the walled-in enclosure of the Durend works. They were
+accessible on all sides, but a watchman was always on guard to see that
+none of the coal was stolen. This man patrolled round and round the
+stacks, keeping a look-out for suspicious characters, especially, of
+course, any bearing sacks or baskets which might be used to contain
+coal.
+
+It was in the middle of the night that Max and Dale, accompanied by the
+faithful Dubec, appeared on the scene. The last was carrying a bulky
+sack filled with firewood, Max bore a two-gallon tin of benzine, and
+Dale a dummy sack which appeared to be full, but which, as a matter of
+fact, contained only a light framework of wood designed to fill it out.
+
+Dale's part of the performance began first. Waiting until the watchman
+had passed, he flitted across the road to the coal stack. Then he gave
+the stack a kick which sent a number of loose pieces of coal rattling to
+the ground. The watchman stopped instantly, and without more ado Dale
+turned and bolted down the road in full view.
+
+As was expected, the watchman immediately gave chase, and in a couple of
+minutes both men had disappeared from the scene.
+
+Max and Dubec now emerged, and lost no time in getting to work. They
+crossed the road to the end of the stack where, in the morning, work
+would be resumed. There they made four caches of wood close against the
+stack, covered them over with loose coal, and deluged the pile with
+benzine. From these caches fuses were laid upward to the top of the
+stack, and the whole covered over with more coal.
+
+Long before the watchman had crawled back, grumbling and exhausted from
+his long chase after a thief who carried a great bag of coal with an
+ease that seemed extraordinary, the two other conspirators had
+disappeared from the scene. An hour later they rejoined Dale and spent
+half an hour in laughing over his recital of the way in which he had led
+the man farther and farther afield by pretending to be always on the
+point of dropping from fatigue.
+
+The next day Dubec spent in watching the stacking of further supplies of
+coal. The caches of firewood, he reported, had not been noticed, and by
+the end of the day another 1200 tons of coal had been dumped against the
+stack, completely enclosing them. For one day more Max held his hand,
+while he worked at another scheme that was slowly maturing. Then,
+immediately after nightfall, he crept to the stack, and, watching his
+opportunity, clambered carefully to the top and lit the three fuses.
+
+The smell presently told him that the fires had caught, and he crept
+away, satisfied that on the morrow there would be something of a hubbub,
+even if no very considerable damage resulted.
+
+It was with the idea of watching developments that Max and Dale applied
+for work at the depots next day. They hoped to witness amusing and
+exhilarating scenes, and to get as near to the spot as possible they
+gladly offered to shovel coal. Their offer was accepted and they were
+soon at work transporting coal and shovelling it on to the stacks.
+
+They soon experienced a sense of disappointment. Instead of finding the
+stacks enveloped in smoke, and all work suspended for the day, as they
+expected, they discovered that work was going on as usual and nothing
+seemed amiss.
+
+"Seems to have been a frost, Max," grumbled Dale discontentedly. "All
+our trouble and brain-fag gone for nothing."
+
+"I thought so at first, Dale, but I'm not so sure now. See that light
+haze yonder? It may be the fires have caught all right but are burning
+out for lack of draught. Let's hope they've done a bit of damage
+anyhow!"
+
+"H'm!" grunted Dale in a tone of discouragement.
+
+"Besides," Max went on, "this is only a small affair. The next real
+attack will come in a day or two, and I hope there will be no failure
+there."
+
+"No," replied Dale, brightening up, "if that comes off we shall have
+done something worth doing. Schenk will be ready to tear his hair, and
+we shall have to look out for ourselves."
+
+"Well, so we will. We shall deserve a rest, and we will retire into
+obscurity for a season and recuperate. Another ramble in the Ardennes
+would suit us well."
+
+"Especially with a little shooting thrown in--Uhlans, I mean," replied
+Dale facetiously.
+
+"There will be plenty of scouting, if not shooting, if all the tales we
+hear of those gentlemen be true."
+
+"Aye--but see, Max, how that smoky haze is getting thicker! The pile
+must be alight all right after all."
+
+The light fleecy smoke which hovered over the great stack certainly
+seemed denser than it was, and a slight smell of burning was in the air.
+The other workmen had also noticed it, and hazarded conjectures as to
+whence it came, but none of them got very near the mark. All day the
+smoke increased, until, by the time the men ceased work, it lay like a
+thick fog all about the neighbourhood.
+
+Max and Dale returned to their lodging in high glee, and their joy was
+not diminished when they noticed that the wind was beginning to freshen
+up.
+
+"This ought to finish the business, Dale," remarked Max. "With a high
+wind all night, if the fire doesn't get into its stride it never will."
+
+Soon after daybreak the shrill notes of a bugle in several quarters of
+the town and the ringing of fire-bells told our heroes that something
+unusual was afoot. They guessed, or rather hoped, that it might be on
+their account, and dressed and sallied out as quickly as they could.
+Sure enough, an enormous pall of smoke, that a volcano in full eruption
+need not have disowned, lay in the air in the direction of the Durend
+coal-yards. Fire engines were hurrying to the scene from all parts of
+the town, and the hoped-for hubbub seemed to have arrived.
+
+"This is worth a little trouble," remarked Dale with intense relish as
+they drew near the burning stack and saw hundreds of soldiers and
+firemen hovering actively about the spot.
+
+"Yes, but we may as well take a little more trouble and do the thing in
+style," responded Max coolly. "Let us follow these hoses to the river
+bank and see whether there is anything doing."
+
+They did so, and, finding that the hoses entered the water at a point
+where a patch or two of short scrubby bushes gave cover against chance
+watchers, they passed on and struck the bank again a hundred yards
+farther on. Then they disappeared from view, and, crawling along under
+cover of the bushes, they reached the hoses, and with a dozen rapid
+slashes of their clasp-knives effectually put them out of action.
+
+An extraordinary hubbub ensued. Soldiers and firemen rushed about in all
+directions, chasing away every unfortunate civilian who had had the
+temerity to approach the scene of the fire. In the confusion Max and
+Dale had no difficulty in escaping, and retired to the hills, there to
+gloat over the further efforts made to fight the fire, which seemed only
+to grow fiercer as hundreds of gallons of water were pumped upon it. It
+was two days before the fire was completely subdued, and the net result
+from a material point of view was that at least 10,000 tons of coal had
+been destroyed and the project of transporting coal to Krupp's
+effectually quashed. From the point of view of _moral_, the Germans were
+the laughing-stock of the town; they were deeply enraged and the
+townsfolk proportionately delighted.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+The Attack on the Munition-shops And Its Sequel
+
+
+To Max Durend the successful raid on the coal-yards was only the prelude
+to the main performance. His mind was bent wholly towards one great
+object, and that was to prevent, by every means in his power, the
+exploitation of his father's great works by the enemies of his country.
+The coal-yard incident, as he termed it, was satisfactory so far as it
+went, but gave his mind no real relief such as had resulted from the
+recovery of part of the firm's monetary resources and the destruction of
+the power-house. The next affair, which, as has been hinted, was already
+well in hand, was more important and was an attempt to damage, if not
+destroy, some of the great machines installed for the production of
+rifles and machine-guns.
+
+The largest workshop in the yard was devoted to this and a few other of
+the more delicate kinds of work, and it seemed to Max that the greatest
+amount of injury might be inflicted upon the Germans by an attempt on
+this shop. The works were still at a standstill, though it was fairly
+evident that they would not be so for much longer. The attempt ought,
+therefore, to be made within the few following days.
+
+The plan was simplicity itself. It merely provided for Max and Dale to
+enter the workshop during the night and to work as much mischief among
+the machines as they could, consistently with the need for silence and
+the avoidance or silencing of the watchmen. For some days they had kept
+the place under close observation, and noted the hours and habits of the
+watchmen and the sentinels at either end of the building until they knew
+them as well as the men themselves.
+
+Dubec they would not bring with them. He was eager to come, but the work
+required alertness and lightness of hand and foot rather than strength,
+and for this he would have been of no use. Besides, the two lads, keen
+as they were on their self-imposed tasks, were not unmindful of the fact
+that he had a wife and children to mourn him should the venture come to
+grief.
+
+All, however, seemed to go well. Max and Dale succeeded in effecting an
+entrance into the ground floor of the workshop after they had seen the
+watchman, by the glint of his lamp, make his midnight round. The two
+soldiers--one at each end of the building--saw nothing and heard
+nothing, of that they were assured. Without delay, therefore, for in a
+little over an hour the watchman would be back from his rounds upon the
+upper floors, they proceeded to put out of action the more valuable and
+more complicated machines in the building. It was necessary, of course,
+that they should be almost silent; so their mode of procedure was to
+muffle up in an old blanket the most delicate and fragile parts of the
+machines before smashing them with a heavy hammer well swathed in
+flannel wrappings.
+
+The machines dealt with first were those farthest from the route that
+would be taken by the watchman on his next round. Consequently, when he
+came, he passed along swinging his lantern in utter ignorance that
+anything was amiss, or that two men lay in ambush close at hand, ready
+to spring upon him should he suspect anything wrong and pause to
+investigate. As soon as he had passed out of ear-shot the two
+recommenced their work with redoubled energy, and some two and a half
+hours were thus consumed in work that utterly spoiled a large proportion
+of the valuable machines which filled the great workshop.
+
+Skilful, vigilant, and almost silent as they had been, they were yet
+after all caught napping. How or by whom they never knew, until, some
+time after, Dubec told them of a tale that was going the round among the
+workmen to the effect that one of Schenk's hired ferrets had all the
+time been hidden on the upper floor. Strange to say, he had been there
+not so much to deal with disaffected workmen--the sentinels were
+expected to do that--as to spy upon the watchmen themselves. The story
+seemed to fit in well with what Max knew of Schenk's character, and he
+accepted it as in all probability true. At any rate, neither Max nor
+Dale dreamed that aught was amiss until the latter heard the sound of
+marching outside, and that upon an unusual scale. He slid quickly to the
+nearest window and peeped out.
+
+"We're done, Max!" he cried soberly. "Scores of soldiers, and they look
+to be forming a cordon right round the building."
+
+"Are you sure?" Max cried incredulously, hurrying to a window on the
+opposite side of the block. One glance was enough to show that a strong
+cordon of soldiers was being drawn--nay, to all appearances was already
+drawn--all round the workshop. The soldiers faced inwards, and stood
+with bayonets fixed, as though prepared for an attempt at escape from
+some body of men caught within their armed circle.
+
+"We've been seen, Jack, old man!" cried Max, coming back to the side of
+his friend. "It's all up, I fear. They've made up their minds they've
+got us, and do not intend to let us slip. I'm so sorry, old man, you
+should have been mixed up in this. It's really not your quarrel, but
+mine."
+
+There was a new note in Max's voice, one his friend had never heard
+before, and it was with something suspiciously like a break in his own
+that Dale replied as he seized and wrung his hand: "Don't say another
+word, Max. It's my affair too, and I won't have you blame yourself on my
+account. We've simply fought for our country, and have now got to die
+for it--that's all."
+
+For a moment or two the friends stood silent, grasping one another's
+hands. That moment they were indeed friends, and each would cheerfully
+have given up his own life to save the other. Then the ruling thought
+which still swayed Max's mind asserted itself once more.
+
+"It seems so, Dale. Well, then, let us die to some good purpose. Here we
+have under our hands the most valuable of the workshops filched from us.
+It is only partly out of action. Let us complete the good work, and we
+shall at least have deserved well of our country."
+
+"Aye; but how so?"
+
+"Let us burn it down."
+
+"With us in it?"
+
+"Aye, if need be. But if we will we can always sally out and exchange
+that fate for the bayonet's point."
+
+Dale gazed at his friend in undisguised admiration. "You are a terror,
+Max," he said slowly. "These old works are your very life-blood, and I
+believe you would go through fire and water to keep the Germans out of
+'em."
+
+"So I would," replied Max with conviction, as he coolly reached down a
+great can of lubricating-oil and poured it over the floor and upon a
+pile of wooden cases close by. "Well, if you are game--and I know you
+are--let us scatter all the oil and stuff we can find about the place
+and set fire to it. They'll never get it out."
+
+"Right you are, Stroke. It's the final, and we must make a win of it.
+What would Hawkesley's think if they could see us--or Benson's?"
+
+"Dale," cried Max, with sudden and deeper earnestness, "d'ye know, I
+believe this is what we were really training for during all those
+gruelling races. It was not for nothing we slogged away there day after
+day, learning to conquer disappointment and defeat. No; it was to know
+how to serve our country here."
+
+"I believe you--and we will."
+
+"Hark! I think I can hear soldiers on the floor below. Look out! I am
+going to set a light to this pile of cases. Get ready to run. I fancy it
+will spread like wildfire."
+
+A match was applied, and flames leapt up and spread with a rapidity that
+would have terrified anyone less absorbed or less determined than our
+two heroes. The flames flew along the floor and benches, and Max and
+Dale retreated down the room, overturning all the cans of oil and grease
+they could find, and making it an easy matter for the fire to catch and
+hold. The smoke, driven along in front of the flames, quickly became so
+intolerable that they had to fly for relief to the staircase at the
+farther end of the building.
+
+Outside the workshop the burst of flame was the signal for a loud yell
+of execration, mingled with cries of warning to the soldiers who had
+entered the building in search of the hostile workmen reported there.
+The soldiers trooped noisily out and joined the cordon still drawn about
+the burning building. Messengers were dispatched to the fire-stations,
+and in a few minutes a couple of engines arrived and set to work to
+fight the flames. But though they were expeditious in arriving, the
+firemen were not equally expeditious in getting their hoses effectually
+trained upon the building. For one thing, the river had been largely
+relied upon to furnish a water-supply, and no hydrants were close at
+hand. Consequently the hoses had to be carried a great distance, and as
+the yards were still in darkness, save for the lurid light shed by the
+burning building, the hoses were badly exposed to the attentions of any
+hostile workman who happened to be near the scene.
+
+Dubec "happened" to be there, with two or three other men animated by
+out-and-out hostility to the Germans, and waged fierce war upon the
+hoses at every point at which they lay in shadow. By the time the
+officer commanding the troops had awakened to the situation, the hoses
+had been completely ruined, and the fighting of the flames delayed until
+fresh ones could be brought to the spot.
+
+In the meantime Max and Dale had ceased their efforts to extend the
+fire, and had retreated to one of the stone staircases situated at each
+end of the building. There was, in fact, little more to be done, for the
+fire had got firm hold, and it seemed certain that the whole building
+was doomed. The end by the staircase was almost free from smoke, and Max
+and Dale lingered there while awaiting the moment when they should be
+compelled to choose between death by burning or by the bayonets of the
+German soldiers. They fell somewhat quiet during those moments, and when
+they talked it was of the good old glorious times they had spent
+together. Presently Max's ear caught the sound of someone ascending the
+stairs.
+
+"Someone--a fireman, I suppose--is coming up the stairs, Dale."
+
+"What shall we do with him? Give him his quietus? I still have my
+hammer."
+
+"No--get in the corner here and watch what he's after. It won't help us
+to hurt him."
+
+The man moved on up the stairs until he passed by the spot where Max and
+Dale were in ambush. He was a fireman, and his object seemed to be to
+find out at close quarters the extent and power of the fire. As the man
+passed him, Max had a sudden idea.
+
+"We must attack him after all, Dale," he whispered. "Come--help me so
+that no alarm is raised. I will tell you why in a moment."
+
+Sheltered by the fitful light and occasional gusts of rolling smoke, it
+was an easy matter to creep upon the fireman unawares and to bring him
+to the ground stunned and helpless. That accomplished, Max immediately
+proceeded to remove the man's tunic and helmet. Dale then understood--it
+was to be the ruse of the sham sentry outside the power-house over
+again.
+
+"Now put them on, Dale," cried Max rapidly. "You can then go boldly down
+and out to the cordon of soldiers. They will let you through without
+question."
+
+"Not I," replied Dale sturdily. "I'm not going to leave you like that.
+What will become of you, I should like to know?"
+
+"I shall be all right. When the next fireman comes along I shall do the
+same. Now, go ahead, and don't delay."
+
+"No," replied Dale decidedly. "I'll not do it, Max. We will wait for the
+next fireman together if _you_ will not don the suit."
+
+"Dale--you will do as you are told!" cried Max, roused to sudden anger
+by his friend's unexpected obstinacy. "I am Stroke of this crew--not
+you."
+
+"I know you are, but you are asking too much when you want me to leave
+the boat. Besides, I should never get through. I can't muster up nearly
+enough German. You put them on, old man--it's no use staying here when
+you might escape."
+
+"You shall suffer for this, Dale, upon my word you shall," cried Max
+angrily, as he savagely thrust himself into the tunic, buckled on the
+belt and axe, and donned the great helmet. "But if you think I am going
+without you you are badly mistaken. Come downstairs, near the entrance,
+and I will tell you what I propose."
+
+The two lads descended the stairs, bearing the unconscious fireman
+between them--for they could not bring themselves to leave him there to
+burn--until they reached the entrance to the building. There they
+deposited him just inside the door, in such a position that the first
+man entering would be sure to stumble over him.
+
+Outside several engines were now in full swing pumping water into the
+first floor, which was burning furiously from end to end. The fire had
+spread to the upper floors, and the ground floor had begun to catch in
+several places. The whole workshop, indeed, seemed doomed to complete
+destruction, for the fire had obtained such firm hold that the engines
+seemed to make little impression upon it. From the shouts of the Germans
+it was clear that they were greatly enraged, and it was perfectly
+certain that the shrift of the authors of the fire, if they were caught,
+would be an exceedingly short one.
+
+"Halt here for a moment, Dale, while I tell you what I propose. It is a
+desperate venture, but if you are still going to be obstinate it is all
+I can think of, and we might just as well try it as throw our lives
+away."
+
+"I'm absolutely obdurate, Max. I'm not going to be saved at your
+expense, so go ahead with your venture."
+
+"Well--it's this. I am going to sally out, wearing the fireman's uniform
+and carrying you in my arms. You are to feign unconsciousness. The idea
+is that you have been badly hurt, and I am carrying you out of reach of
+the fire. I have some hope that in my fireman's garb and with my
+blackened face they will let me pass."
+
+"All right--it sounds good enough, Max. At any rate, we shall keep
+together--whether we sink or swim."
+
+"Come along, then," replied Max briskly, stooping down and lifting Dale
+in his arms. "Let your head fall back and look as lifeless as you can.
+It's now or never--absolutely."
+
+The cordon of soldiers with fixed bayonets, outside, suddenly saw the
+fireman--apparently the man who had entered the building a few minutes
+before--reappear, bearing in his arms the limp figure of a man rescued
+from the flames. The fireman strode straight out towards them, and as he
+reached them the men opened to right and left and let him pass through.
+A non-commissioned officer followed him.
+
+"What have you there, fireman?" he asked, as he endeavoured to catch a
+glimpse of the blackened face that hung so limply down. "Is the man
+dead?"
+
+"No--he still lives," replied Max, moving on without checking his pace.
+Other people were coming up, and his one thought was to get beyond the
+circle of light cast by the great fire before taking action.
+
+"Set the man down here while I give him a drain from my flask. You must
+not take him away until my officer has seen him."
+
+"One moment--here is a bank against which I can lean him," replied Max,
+still moving steadily away. He could see the non-commissioned officer
+was getting impatient, if not suspicious, and whispered to Dale: "I am
+going to set you down. Directly your feet touch ground, bolt for the
+river. I will follow and be there as soon as you; but don't wait for me.
+_Now!_"
+
+As he spoke, Max slowly lowered Dale to the ground. The soldier was
+close by, but none else was within some yards. They were beyond the
+circle of bright light cast by the fire, and a few yards would take them
+into darkness, which was pitchy to anyone coming from the vicinity of
+the fire. The chance of escape was good, and Max, the time for resolute
+action at hand, felt his heart bound with fresh hope and energy.
+
+The moment Dale's feet were on the ground Max gave him a push in the
+direction of the river and off he flew. Almost simultaneously Max seized
+his helmet and dashed it in the face of the soldier, who had raised a
+shout of alarm and was on the point of chasing Dale. The sudden blow
+disconcerted the man, and he hung in the wind for a moment. The supposed
+injured man might be an enemy, but it was certain this aggressive
+fireman was one, and, as Max darted off, the soldier turned, lifted his
+rifle, and aimed a shot at him.
+
+Max had little fear of the man's rifle. It was too dark, and he was
+moving too rapidly and erratically, for anyone to take good aim. The
+bullet passed wide of the mark, and the soldier, realizing his mistake
+in not pursuing at once, instead of wasting precious moments in firing,
+put his rifle at the trail and rushed madly after, shouting to his
+comrades and all who might be within hearing that a spy was on the point
+of escaping.
+
+Max knew the ground and the soldier did not, so Max had no difficulty in
+increasing his lead. He could see Dale a dozen yards ahead, and by the
+time he reached the bank had caught him up.
+
+"In at once, and dive down-stream, Dale!" he cried, and without a
+moment's pause they both tumbled in, anyhow, and struck out with all
+their strength down-stream.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+The German Counter-stroke
+
+
+The fury of the German military governor and his staff at the
+destruction of the largest workshop in the Durend concern could hardly
+have been greater had the town under their charge successfully revolted.
+For the fifth time at least the Durend works--which the Germans had
+looked upon as peculiarly their own--had been the scene of successful
+blows against their authority. These exploits were too extensive and too
+public to be hidden, and the Walloon workmen of Liege--never a docile
+race--had been progressively encouraged to commit similar acts
+elsewhere, or to resist passively the pressure of their German
+taskmasters.
+
+In the view of the German governor it was imperative that a blow, and a
+stunning one, should be struck at this tendency among the Liege workmen.
+Had the authors of this latest outrage been captured, an example would
+have been easy. Unfortunately, they had again escaped, and in a manner
+so impudent and daring that the exasperation of the Germans was greatly
+intensified. Rewards had been offered before and had proved fruitless.
+On this occasion the governor resolved to sweep aside what he termed
+trifles, and to use firmly and pitilessly a weapon of terror already in
+his hands.
+
+The Durend yards had been entirely closed the moment intelligence had
+reached M. Schenk that suspicious persons had broken into one of the
+idle workshops. After the fire all workmen found within the yard had
+been closely examined, and those definitely known to have Belgian
+sympathies placed under arrest. These men numbered thirty-nine, and it
+was by using them as hostages that the German governor intended to
+strike terror into the hearts of the Walloons. They were hurried before
+a military court, briefly examined, and found guilty of conspiring
+against the German military occupation. Sentence of death followed as a
+matter of course.
+
+Max and Dale had reached their lodging without any particular
+difficulty, after again taking refuge in the waters of the Meuse. They
+were tired out with their all-night exploit, and, removing their wet
+garments, tumbled heavily into bed. It was thus late in the afternoon
+before they heard from the landlord of their house the news that the
+German governor intended to execute all the Belgian workmen caught
+within the precincts of the Durend yards. Even then they could hardly
+bring themselves to believe it.
+
+"It's too rascally even for the Germans, Max," declared Dale at last.
+"It's probably only a threat to force one of them to give away his
+fellows."
+
+"Maybe, Dale, but I know enough of the Germans to believe that if they
+don't succeed they will not hesitate to carry out the sentence."
+
+"The cold-blooded murderers!" cried Dale hotly.
+
+"Yes," replied Max in a strained voice, as he began to pace slowly up
+and down the length of their room. "Yes, they are; but shall not we have
+really had a hand in their deaths?"
+
+"Not one jot," cried Dale emphatically. "No particle of blame can be
+laid at our door if they are foully done to death."
+
+"Had we not so harassed the Germans, these men would not be under
+sentence of death," Max went on, half to himself. "It seems hard that
+they must die for our success."
+
+"Bah! They die for Belgium and to proclaim to the world that the Germans
+must be crushed," cried Dale contemptuously. "No, Max, we have nothing
+to reproach ourselves with in this business."
+
+"No, but still----" Then, rousing himself with an effort, Max went on:
+"But we need not worry ourselves yet. Will you go into the streets and
+find out anything else you can? I am going to find Dubec, and we will
+then see if aught can be done."
+
+The two parted, and in a few minutes Max was at the door of Dubec's
+house. Here a rude shock awaited him, for Madame Dubec, white-faced but
+tearless, told him, with a quietude and directness that somehow seemed
+to make the news more terrible still, that her husband was one of those
+lying under sentence of death.
+
+The shock was a great one, although, in his heart, Max had half expected
+it. He knew Dubec had been in the yard, and what more likely than that
+he had been detained? Too upset to do more than mumble a few words of
+sorrow, Max turned on his heel and hurried from the house.
+
+Taking the road to the open hills, Max strode on and on, his mind filled
+with serious and oftentimes conflicting thoughts. He had no doubts as to
+the fate of the thirty-nine men if the Germans were unable to lay their
+hands upon the real authors of the destruction of the workshop. They
+would surely die, and with them Dubec, towards whom Max felt specially
+drawn by his constant loyal aid and the memory of the day when he had
+answered his mute appeal for succour.
+
+And to Max the responsibility seemed his. These men had no part nor lot
+in it. Why should they die? It did not help matters much to blame the
+Germans--the worst might always be expected of them--for that would not
+give back to Madame Dubec the husband for whom it seemed to Max she had
+unconsciously appealed.
+
+Supposing he gave himself up in order that they might go free? Ah, what
+a triumph for Schenk! How he would rejoice! True, he did not know that
+Max was at the bottom of all the shrewd blows dealt him of late, but he
+probably had more than a suspicion of it. At any rate he was known to
+have traced much of the money and valuables, recovered from his room, to
+the bank at Maastricht which Madame Durend patronized. Knowing, then,
+the authorship of that most daring exploit, it would have been strange
+if he had not looked to the same quarter for an explanation of the
+similar blows dealt him so soon after.
+
+Yes, it would be a great triumph for Schenk, and the end of that
+resolute opposition to the use of the Durend workshops for the benefit
+of the German army that had taken such a grip upon our hero's mind. That
+task he had made peculiarly his own. All the fixity of purpose he
+possessed, and it was not a little, was concentrated upon keeping his
+father's--his--works from aiding the projects of a brutal and
+unscrupulous enemy.
+
+To give it all up would not only be a victory for Schenk but a bitter
+pill to himself--the uprooting of something that had taken deep root in
+the inmost recesses of his mind.
+
+The struggle was a long one, but it came to an end at last, and Max
+returned to the town, scribbled a short note to Dale, which he left at
+their lodging, and then walked directly to the governor's house.
+
+At the door the sentry's bayonet barred his entry, but the officer of
+the guard, on being informed that a man had applied to see the governor
+on urgent business, came out and spoke to him. A few words were
+sufficient, and Max was brought inside under a guard of two men while
+the officer sought the governor with the welcome news that the man who
+had destroyed the Durend workshops had given himself up. The governor
+directed that he should be searched to ensure that he was not in
+possession of firearms and then admitted to his presence.
+
+The German governor of Liege was quite a typical Prussian officer,
+stiffly erect, with bullet-head covered with short bristling grey hair,
+well-twisted moustache, and fierce aggressive manner. He was the man who
+had called upon Schenk on the never-to-be-forgotten occasion when Max
+and Dale had been his uninvited guests underneath his office desk. To
+say the least of it, he was not a man who was afraid of being too
+severe.
+
+"You are then this rascal who has burned the Durend machine-gun shop?"
+he cried in a rasping voice as soon as Max had been led before him.
+
+"Yes," replied Max, "but I am no rascal. The shop is mine, and I have
+burned it."
+
+"Yours, impudent?" cried the governor angrily, raising a cane which lay
+upon his desk as though about to slash his prisoner about the face.
+"Yours? And who are you?"
+
+"I am Max Durend, the son of the owner of the workshops, and I would
+sooner see the place burned from end to end than of use to the Germans."
+
+"Ah, that is good!" replied the governor in a voice of satisfaction,
+dropping his hand and turning towards the officer who had ushered Max
+into the room. "It will have a salutary effect if we execute the son of
+Herr Durend. It will aid our cause tremendously."
+
+"Yes, General."
+
+"I have given myself up that the innocent men you have seized upon may
+be released," Max interposed. "They know nothing of it. I am solely
+responsible."
+
+"Ja, so. I have now no quarrel with them," replied the governor
+indifferently. "They are pawns. Now I have the real miscreant I need
+them not."
+
+"I am no miscreant. They are miscreants who would slaughter thirty-nine
+innocent men because the right one had slipped through their fingers."
+
+The governor glared at Max with eyes that goggled with rage. He was
+clearly unaccustomed to such plain speaking. "I remember that Herr von
+Schenkendorf once told me that Monsieur Durend had married an
+Englishwoman. You are half a mad English dog, and your manners proclaim
+it."
+
+"It is true," replied Max steadily.
+
+"Ja, you and your countrymen are half barbarian. You know naught of
+Kultur."
+
+"Thank God!" cried Max with an emphasis that caused the governor to
+spring to his feet, seize the cane anew, and slash the prisoner heavily
+across the cheek. Max flinched--he could not help it--but he moved
+neither hand nor foot.
+
+This outburst seemed to calm the Prussian, for he dropped back into his
+chair and in a judicial manner, though with a very vindictive and
+unjudicial scowl upon his face, he passed judgment.
+
+"The prisoner has pleaded guilty. You will take him to-morrow morning to
+Monsieur Durend's works, and at midday you will shoot him there."
+
+"In public, sir?" enquired the officer.
+
+"Yes, as an example to all his late workmen. A placard announcing the
+impending execution will be posted outside."
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+Max was led away. Indignation at the brutality of the Prussian was
+strong within him, and he held his head erect, and answered look for
+look the hostile glances of those about him. The hot blood still coursed
+through his veins, and the sacrifice he had made did not loom over large
+in his imagination.
+
+It was not until he had been conducted to a gloomy, ill-lit room in the
+basement of the building, and there left in solitude to think and think
+upon his impending fate, that things grew different, and his fortitude
+partially left him. The end seemed so merciless and hard, and, leaning
+heavily against the wall, he fell a prey to unhappy reflections. At
+times he went farther than this, and shed a few furtive tears at this
+end to all his hopes and secret boyish ambitions.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Shortly after Max had been led away to his cell, the thirty-nine workmen
+were released. No reason was vouchsafed for this sudden change of front,
+but the curt notice already affixed to the gates of the governor's
+palace soon supplied it. Max Durend had been taken, and found guilty of
+the deed for which they had been seized, and he was to pay the penalty.
+
+M. Dubec was one of the men released, and at the news he hurried home.
+Naturally his wife was overjoyed at seeing him, but he was too
+preoccupied by doubt and concern at the fate of his master's son to stay
+with her more than a few minutes. From his home he hurried to the
+lodging of Max and Dale, and at the door met the latter coming slowly
+out. One glance at his face was enough to tell even M. Dubec that he
+knew of his friend's terrible position.
+
+"You have seen the notice, sir?" he asked.
+
+"No, I have seen no notice," replied Dale heavily. "I do not want to
+know of any notice, thank you, Dubec."
+
+"But you know of Monsieur Max----?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Then you must have heard from him or seen him taken. I first knew by
+the notice on the gates of the palace."
+
+Dale threw off a little of his lethargy. "What was this notice?" he
+said.
+
+"That he is to be shot at noon to-morrow in the Durend yard."
+
+"Ah! And I shall join him there!" cried Dale in so wild a voice that
+Dubec looked at him in wonderment. Then Dale told him what had happened.
+That Max had not been captured by the Germans, but had voluntarily
+surrendered himself to save the imprisoned workmen. The note which Max
+had left, and which had told him all, was read aloud to the wondering
+man, who, somewhat slow-witted as he was, managed to grasp the one
+awe-inspiring fact that his master's son had offered up his own life to
+save his and his comrades' lives.
+
+The note which Dale read to him was as follows:--
+
+     "DEAR JACK,
+
+     "I can't stand it. I cannot bear that those thirty-nine men should
+     die for my affairs. I know that their blood would not lie at my
+     door, but at the door of their unscrupulous judges; yet I cannot
+     feel that this removes from me all responsibility. No; and I must
+     yield myself up in their place. Do not grieve for me, old man.
+     Return to England, and, if you will, take a more direct part in the
+     war. Leave the Durend affairs alone; they must, for the war, die
+     with me.
+
+     "Good-bye, old man, good-bye! Remember me to all at Hawkesley. Tell
+     them I lost upon a foul, and not in fair fighting.
+
+     "Ever your old comrade,
+
+     "MAX."
+
+Dale's voice shook as he read the letter. He was obviously much upset,
+and, seeing it, Dubec, in his uncouth but good-hearted way, persuaded
+him to return with him to his home for a little while. There Madame
+Dubec was called to their aid, and as soon as Dale had recovered himself
+a little the situation was anxiously discussed. In his desperation Dale
+was for interrupting the execution and compelling the Germans to execute
+him by the side of his friend. Such an idea as that was quite foreign to
+Madame and Monsieur Dubec, and they refused to entertain it. As the
+former said, if Monsieur Dale was determined to die, it would be better
+to do so in trying to liberate his friend rather than in attempting to
+share his fate.
+
+The reasonableness of this struck even Dale, distraught as he was, and
+the three settled down to discuss the possibility of rescue, of
+reprieve, or whatever seemed likely to put off the evil hour, if only
+for a day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+Schenk at Work Again
+
+
+Max did not long allow himself to give way to weak and bitter
+reflections. As soon as he properly realized how much he had fallen
+below himself, he exerted himself to throw off all weakening thoughts
+and to take a better and higher view of his unfortunate position. He was
+about to die for his friends and for his country. Well, had he not
+oftentimes thought that it would be a grand and good thing so to do? Was
+he now going to go back on those cherished ideals, and regret the heavy
+blows he had inflicted upon a brutal enemy and the succour he had given
+to his friends?
+
+Indignant with himself, Max braced himself to a more wholesome frame of
+mind, and tried to prepare himself for the last scene of the drama of
+the Durend workshops--a drama in which he had been one of the principal
+actors since the war began. He would, he told himself, do his best to
+finish worthily the last and greatest task destiny had set him.
+
+His self-uplifting efforts had met with a considerable measure of
+success, and he had almost completely regained his usual quiet, steady
+frame of mind, when his thoughts were interrupted by the sudden
+challenge of the sentry outside. The challenge was apparently answered
+satisfactorily, for the door was almost immediately unbolted, and a man
+entered. It was with very mixed feelings that Max recognized the
+manager, M. Schenk.
+
+"You do not seem pleased to see me, Monsieur Max," observed the manager,
+smiling in an ingratiating manner that to Max was more objectionable at
+that moment than open triumph.
+
+"Have I reason to?" queried Max shortly.
+
+"I think so. But that depends as much upon you as upon me. You are aware
+that you die to-morrow?"
+
+The almost casual manner in which the manager spoke struck Max as being
+doubly horrible. He seemed to think nothing at all of the execution of a
+fellow-creature, and one who had been closely associated with him for a
+good many years.
+
+"I am aware of it," replied Max as quietly as he could.
+
+"Well, it seems a pity. Such a young fellow, and one so energetic and
+keen in his business, and with a brilliant future before him," said the
+manager in a smooth, velvety voice that Max had known him use to
+influential business men when he was specially anxious to gain his
+point. "I have, in fact, Monsieur Max, been talking your unfortunate
+case over with the governor. I have told him that, serious as this
+offence of yours undoubtedly is, you are really the tool of others. He
+is, of course, much incensed against you for the destruction of so
+important a workshop, but is ready to be merciful--upon conditions."
+
+"Ah! and what conditions?"
+
+"Not hard ones," replied M. Schenk, obviously pleased by the eagerness
+with which Max spoke. "You stole some plans of mine a month or so
+ago----? Yes? I thought it must be you, and I am ready to go to some
+lengths to get them back."
+
+"They have left my hands, Monsieur Schenk."
+
+"Where are they?"
+
+"In the hands of the English Government."
+
+"You rascal!" shouted M. Schenk furiously, his smooth, easy manner
+utterly giving way. "You--you--but, after all, I thought as much; and
+they were really of no great value," he ended lamely, recovering himself
+with an obvious effort.
+
+"I thought they were," replied Max coldly.
+
+"No; but what I want to know is about the other papers. Did you hand
+over _all_ you took to the English Government?"
+
+Max thought a moment. Should he give Schenk the information he so
+evidently desired? So far as he knew, the papers had no particular
+value, though he had not really examined them with any care; but they
+might have. Still, they were safe enough, he thought, for he had seen
+them handed over into the possession of the bank.
+
+"No--only the plans. The others seemed only business papers, and I had
+them put away in safety against the time when the Durend works should
+again be mine."
+
+"It hardly looks as though they ever will be, does it, Monsieur Max? But
+I am going to make you an offer. Among those papers are letters that
+passed between the Imperial Government and myself in the days before the
+war. They are valueless, really, but I do not wish them to get into
+enemy hands, as they will damage me in the eyes of my Imperial master.
+You see, I am frank with you. Get me, then, all those papers and you
+shall go free--free, that is, on condition you join with me in running
+the Durend works to its fullest capacity during the war. I will not ask
+you to work on war material--you shall manage the shops manufacturing
+railway material and farming machinery. I need you and your influence
+with these obstinate Belgian workmen, and am ready to pay a heavy price
+to get you."
+
+"A heavy price?" muttered Max. His head was beginning to whirl, and he
+caught confusedly at the last words.
+
+"Ja. Think you it has cost me nothing to beg your life from the
+governor? He is madly enraged with you, I can tell you. These, then, are
+the terms: those papers and your active assistance, or your life."
+
+Max sat slowly down in the chair and put his face between his hands.
+Life was sweet, and he could not disguise from himself that he was ready
+to do the utmost he honourably could to save his life. But here, it
+seemed clear, dishonour was too surely involved. To give up the papers,
+if they were really private, might not be so hard, but to join Schenk in
+running the works, even on non-war material, was a thing he shrank from
+instinctively. Would the workmen understand the distinction? Would they
+not conclude he had turned traitor, and some revile him, and
+others--worse still--follow his dubious example?
+
+Max was not very long in doubt. After all, he reasoned finally, anything
+proposed by Schenk must needs be bad, however plausible his tale. The
+only really safe line to take with a man of that kind was to have naught
+to do with him in anything.
+
+"No, Monsieur Schenk, I cannot accept your offer," said Max in a steady
+voice, getting up rather suddenly from his chair and facing the manager
+resolutely.
+
+"What? You----But why not, Monsieur Max?" he cried eagerly. "It is all
+nothing. But there, if you do not like to join with me in running the
+works I will not press that point. Get me the papers. Write for them to
+your mother, and as soon as they come you are free."
+
+"No," replied Max at once. "No, Monsieur Schenk, I am going to have
+nothing to do with all this. I have fought and worked hard for Belgium
+since the outbreak of war, and I am not going to do aught to betray her
+now."
+
+"Then die to-morrow--I shall at least have done with you!" cried M.
+Schenk, with a bitter hate that told Max how much his blows had shaken
+him. "Your temerity in stealing my papers and in burning the machine-gun
+shop will be amply avenged."
+
+"Have you then forgotten the power-house and the coal-yard?" asked Max
+with a secret satisfaction that made him forget, for the moment, even
+his approaching fate.
+
+"Those too--were those your handiwork?" gasped the manager. "You
+villain--you nearly destroyed my power and reputation with them. 'Tis
+well you die. My only risk of further disaster will perish with you."
+
+"Maybe. But I have the consolation of knowing that your treachery is
+known to many, and that when the war is over, and the Germans are driven
+out of Belgium, you will go with them."
+
+"Bah! Belgium is German territory for all time. I tell you, Max Durend,
+that, were it not so, I would see to it that before our armies left not
+one stone of the Durend factories remained upon another. Take this with
+you to the grave: in memory of what you have done, the trouble and worry
+you have caused me, these works shall never more pass to your family. If
+Germany win, they will remain mine. If the impossible happen, and we
+lose, then I will blow the whole up to the sky and leave to your family
+naught but the smoking ruins."
+
+The vindictive earnestness with which the manager spoke left no doubt
+upon Max's mind that he meant every word he said. The Durend works,
+then, were as good as lost to his mother and sister, and it was with
+additional thankfulness that he recollected that the large sum of money
+and valuables he had managed to rescue from Schenk's clutches would be
+ample, and more than ample, for their needs.
+
+"You will not be able to remove the memory of duty done for our
+country," replied Max quietly. "And it may be that if Germany lose--as
+all in Belgium believe she will do--she may have to build up all that
+she has destroyed. It may be that there are great factories across the
+border in which _you_ have an interest, and it may chance that they will
+be called upon to replace the machines and buildings you destroy here."
+
+Too enraged to speak, the manager made a gesture expressive of his
+complete rejection of such an idea, and turned abruptly away. Max also
+turned his back, and, in a silence expressive of bitter hate on the one
+hand and chilling contempt on the other, the two parted.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The discussion of the possibilities of rescuing Max by Dale, Dubec, and
+the latter's wife, soon took a certain shape. There was no chance of
+rescuing him while imprisoned in the governor's palace; that was clear
+at once, as they knew nothing of the whereabouts of his cell, and there
+was too little time to find out. There remained the opportunities
+presented while he was being conveyed from the palace to the gates of
+the Durend works, and during the execution within the yard. The latter
+seemed hopeless. The yards were bounded by high walls, or by the river,
+which was by this time well guarded, and the whole place was full of
+workmen, the majority of whom were well disposed towards German rule.
+
+It was during the march from the governor's palace to the gates that the
+only hope seemed to offer, and upon this they concentrated their
+attention. The whole thing looked desperate in the extreme, but Dale was
+in such a state that either he must do something desperate or recklessly
+place himself by his friend's side. Eventually, mainly through the
+quick-wittedness of Madame Dubec, a plan that seemed to offer a chance
+presently began to take shape. This plan was to create so strong a
+diversion at some point of the route that Max might be enabled to make a
+dart away to safety, and to aid his further progress once the first part
+of the plan had been achieved. A diversion--strong, sudden, and
+terrifying--was what was needed, and to furnish this their united brains
+planned and planned until there emerged an idea that satisfied them all.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+The Dash
+
+
+A curt command, and Max sprang to his feet. The last lap in the final of
+his life's race had been begun, and it was now for him to score a
+glorious win. For a win it was, even with his life sacrificed at the end
+of the race. Max well understood this, and it was with a proud, though
+steady, thoughtful air that he followed the non-commissioned officer who
+summoned him from his cell.
+
+Through a fine marble hall, that had so short a time before echoed with
+the footsteps of Belgians, and was now thronged with Prussian officers
+and their servants, Max was led. Out at the wide portico and into the
+open square, full in view of a large crowd assembled to do silent honour
+to a patriot; but only for a moment, for a sharp word of command rang
+out and a score of men closed round him, and with short military steps
+marched him rapidly through the crowd.
+
+Max was dressed exactly as he was when he gave himself up. He had had no
+opportunity to wash or to make himself presentable for that last hour;
+unkempt, bareheaded, but erect and outwardly serene, he strode along,
+conscious that he was not only an example from the German point of view,
+but an example, and a greater one, to the Belgians. He tried to tell
+himself that the unscrupulousness of the Germans should not have the
+effect they desired, that his execution should be a rallying-point for
+all true hearts in Liege and a turning-point so far as their little
+locality was concerned.
+
+But though Max was outwardly calm and serene, inwardly he was deeply
+anguished. It was not a small thing to him to lay down, so to speak, his
+tools and to leave to others the continuance of the good work. His
+mother and sister, too--he could not think of them without many and
+bitter pangs. However, he strove hard to hold at bay such thoughts and
+to go down strongly to the parting of the ways.
+
+With monotonous tramp his escort marched unmoved along. Max marched in
+the middle, unbound like a prisoner of war rather than the miscreant he
+had been called. Once away from the governor's palace the people were
+sparse--ones and twos and a few groups here and there--until the gates
+of the Durend works came in sight.
+
+Here there was a larger crowd. There always was a small crowd about the
+gates, for the number of Belgians who still refused to work was
+considerable, and these men passed much of their time outside, gloomily
+scanning the many evidences of abounding work, and discussing in low
+tones the progress of the war.
+
+It wanted only twenty minutes to noon, and at that hour Max knew he
+would take his last look upon the things of this world. It was hard, he
+could not help thinking, but----
+
+"_Get ready!_"
+
+Those words, spoken in English, sounded in his ears. They seemed uttered
+in the sing-song tones he knew so well, in which the starter of a rowing
+contest prepared to send off the crews waiting in eager readiness before
+him. Max looked curiously about him. He knew he must be dreaming, and
+yet he had not been conscious at that moment of dreaming of the old days
+at Hawkesley. How far away they seemed--and how jolly--he would never
+know such glorious times again. A fresh wave of new regrets passed
+through his mind. It was----
+
+"_Are you ready?_"
+
+This time Max looked more sharply about him. He was not dreaming, he was
+sure now. The words had certainly been uttered, and again in the
+sing-song of the Hawkesley starter. No one but Dale could have uttered
+them, and Dale it must be. Where was he?
+
+A man carrying a big packing-case was at the side of the road on his
+right a dozen yards or so ahead. The packing-case hid his face, but his
+gait seemed somewhat familiar even while moving under his burden. He was
+slanting towards the prisoner's escort, the foremost of whom had now
+reached the outer edge of the big crowd assembled outside the gates.
+
+What did the words mean? What but that he was to act as though the
+greatest contest of his life was before him--aye, one with his very life
+for the prize! The zest for life, the deep-rooted objection to give up
+his task half done, the old sporting instinct to battle to the very
+finish, all combined to brace Max's nerve to a point at which nothing
+was impossible. Ready?--aye, he was ready and more than ready--all he
+waited for was the signal he knew was close at hand.
+
+Suddenly something dark flew through the air. Ere it touched the ground
+another and another followed. Three tremendous explosions took place at
+the very feet of the men of his escort in front of him. The officer and
+four of the men fell to the ground, and escort and crowd surged back and
+away in all directions.
+
+"_Go!_"
+
+Like a shot from a gun, Max dived into the crowd on his right. Not a man
+of his escort put out a hand to stop him. The surprise was complete, and
+in an instant Max was in the midst of the crowd of men already on the
+move, flying in terror from the scene of the fearful explosions which
+had killed five of the soldiers and injured others as well as some of
+the nearest of the crowd. Four more explosions followed hard on his
+heels, just behind him, and he guessed they had occurred in the middle
+of the rearmost of his escort.
+
+The crowd scattered in all directions. Max followed those who fled
+towards the open country, and in a few minutes he was on the outskirts
+of the town. Hardly turning to right or left, he sped on at top speed.
+It was his own safety he had now to look to, his own race to win, and he
+put out all the energy he possessed.
+
+Out of the town and up the heights into the open country he ran, and it
+was not until he was practically beyond pursuit that he slackened and
+looked about him. Only one solitary figure was in sight, a quarter of a
+mile behind, and he was clearly not a soldier. In fact, as Max slowed
+down and looked back, the man waved a hand. It was Dale, and with a
+feeling of tremendous joy and gratitude Max dashed back to meet him.
+
+"By George, Max--you are no end of a sprinter!" Dale gasped as they met.
+"I had no idea--you were such a hot man on the track."
+
+"Ah! Wait until you are under sentence of death and see what speed you
+can work up to. I am glad--I can't tell you how glad--to get away from
+there. And you are a brick, Dale, a real brick."
+
+"Nonsense, old man, the boot is on the other leg altogether. I am still
+fathoms deep in your debt."
+
+"Come out of the road into the wood here where we shall be safer. What
+about Dubec--he was in it, of course?"
+
+"Yes; and _he_ has been a brick, if you like. It was he that got us the
+hand-grenades--Schenk has just started making them--and he was one of
+those who pitched them into the middle of the Germans. Ha! Ha! Schenk
+will know that they were his own grenades when he hears about it. I
+guess it will not improve his temper."
+
+"Is Dubec following?"
+
+"No, he is safe at home, I expect, by now. He will be all right. They
+have nothing against him, and he is not going to the Durend yard again.
+He is going to apply for work at the mines instead."
+
+"Good! then we can be off?"
+
+"Aye--though we haven't fixed up where we are to go. We were too busy
+over the rescue to think about anything else."
+
+"Well, we ought to give Liege a rest. Let us go for another trip into
+the Ardennes until this affair has blown over and we can return to the
+attack once more. We have earned a rest, and I for one feel I need it."
+
+"Hear! hear! I've got my wind again, so let us make tracks before the
+Germans send out patrols to hunt about the countryside. It would be too
+bad to be captured after hoodwinking them so thoroughly."
+
+"Not to mention killing and wounding an officer and several men."
+
+Chatting gaily together, but nevertheless keeping a sharp look-out, the
+two friends strode along out into the open lands southward of the town,
+and then on towards the wide stretch of broken highlands known as the
+Ardennes. They had no clear idea of what they would do when they got
+there, the one thought in their minds being to find some quiet rural
+spot where they could remain in safety and quietude for a little while.
+
+It was certainly as well for them to do so, for the daring and
+successful rescue of the prisoner under sentence of death stirred the
+city of Liege to its very depths. To the people it was an example of
+courage and self-sacrifice joined to determined and skilful leadership;
+to the Germans it was most exasperating evidence of their inability to
+crush this people notwithstanding their many and varied methods of
+repression. The affair was hushed up by the governor so far as he was
+able to do so, but it eventually became known that it had been the cause
+of a violent altercation between him and the manager of the Durend
+works, Herr von Schenkendorf, who was said to have made a strong
+complaint to the Imperial Government at the bungling of the military.
+
+Be that as it may, it was certain that no stone was left unturned to
+recapture the prisoner and to find out who were the workmen
+participating in the rescue. Nothing was ever discovered, but the
+manager of the Durend works from that time forward refused to employ any
+Walloon workmen anywhere save in the Durend colleries, where they were
+supposed to be incapable of doing any serious damage.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+In the Ardennes
+
+
+After two days' steady tramping Max and Dale arrived at La Roche, a
+little town on the Ourthe, well in the broken country of the Ardennes.
+They had had no such easy and uneventful journey as they anticipated.
+The whole country was in a very unsettled state, the people ready to be
+startled and alarmed by every rumour--and they were not few--and viewing
+strangers with the utmost suspicion as probably German spies on the
+look-out for more victims.
+
+Half the population of the villages passed on the way had gone. Houses
+stood unoccupied, with doors wide open, although the furniture of those
+who had so lately tenanted them was still within. The whole countryside
+bore evidences of a great panic, and some places the more sinister signs
+of rough and brutal treatment. Many houses had been burned down and
+others had been plundered in a most barbarous manner, property that
+could not be carried off having been wantonly destroyed. The fields and
+farmlands seemed deserted, as though no one dared to work at a harvest
+that was likely to be reaped by the enemies of their country.
+
+The authors of all this mischief were said to be the Uhlans. It appeared
+that these formidable horsemen, after the fall of Liege, had spread in
+small parties all over the Ardennes and had carried terror and
+destruction wherever they went. Their principal motive was, no doubt, to
+gather information of the enemy's whereabouts, but, while doing so, they
+seemed to throw themselves heart and soul into another task--that of
+making their name known and dreaded throughout the length and breadth of
+Belgium.
+
+La Roche had so far suffered little. Parties of Uhlans had passed
+through from time to time, but they had usually been in a hurry, and had
+had no time to do more than seize supplies for themselves and their
+horses. This was the kind of place Max and Dale were looking for, and,
+finding no troops there at the moment, and none expected, they sought
+out (avoiding the hotels) a cafe in the most out-of-the-way spot they
+could find, and settled down for a long stay.
+
+At least they hoped it might be a long stay. They had had so busy a time
+of late that neither felt any inclination to go out of his way to meet
+trouble. If only the enemy would leave them alone, they were prepared to
+welcome a long period of peace and tranquillity.
+
+But somehow peace and tranquillity seemed to have turned their backs
+upon Max and Dale. Only the second night after their arrival they were
+awakened in the middle of the night by the clatter of horses' hoofs upon
+the cobbled pavements, loud shouting, and the insistent hammering of
+doors.
+
+"Ask the proprietor what's the row, Max," growled Dale sleepily, as he
+heard Max get up and look out of the little window of their bedroom.
+
+Max did so, and learned that a strong body of Uhlans had just ridden in
+and demanded shelter and supplies.
+
+"Are we in any danger?" he asked.
+
+"I do not think so," the innkeeper replied. "But you must not leave the
+town, for they have posted men to intercept all who try to go."
+
+"And what is that for?" cried Max, more perturbed by this than if he had
+been told that a house-to-house search for suspected persons was already
+being made.
+
+"Why, you must know that the Uhlans are rounding up escaped English and
+French soldiers. Everyone knows that. They have been doing so for weeks
+past."
+
+"Ah! Of course. And they will not let anyone leave the town to give the
+soldiers information of their coming?"
+
+"No, Monsieur. They are making a special effort this time. They have
+caught one or two, but the rest seem to grow in numbers, and are getting
+more audacious owing to hunger. I have heard that they stopped and
+plundered two army wagons full of provisions only a week ago. It is this
+that has made the commandant at Marche determined to kill them all this
+time."
+
+"Well, I think we will dress, in case they come here and want to search
+the house."
+
+"You must not hide here, Monsieur, if that is what you want," replied
+the innkeeper quickly. "I could not have that, for if they found anyone
+in hiding they would burn the house down."
+
+"What for?" asked Max in some astonishment.
+
+"I know not, but they have done so. No doubt it is to make us all afraid
+of harbouring fugitives. But you are a Belgian, Monsieur? You speak like
+a Walloon."
+
+"Aye; but I do not want to have aught to do with Uhlans if I can help
+it. They so often make mistakes, and then it is too late to explain. I
+think we will leave your house, Monsieur, and then you will run no
+risks."
+
+Max called Dale, and they put together their very slender belongings and
+sallied out into the night. The innkeeper was certainly pleased to see
+them go, and gave them as much help in the shape of information as it
+was in his power to bestow. He told them, with a warning to them to be
+careful to avoid the locality, the general position of the fugitive
+soldiers and the villages in which cavalry patrols had lately taken up
+their positions.
+
+"It seems to me, Dale," remarked Max, as they left the inn and crept
+along in the shadow of the houses towards the little bridge which
+spanned the Ourthe, "that in leaving Liege we have jumped out of the
+frying-pan into the fire. There we could hide in the lower quarters of
+the town and pass as Walloon workmen easily enough, but here we are
+strangers, and strangers are always objects of suspicion."
+
+"Yes; we did not bargain for all this chasing around by German cavalry.
+However, it will be good fun while it lasts, old man."
+
+"Yes, but how long will it last? Here's the bridge. We can't cross it in
+this moonlight; we should be sure to be seen and challenged. We must get
+into the river and cross in the shadow of the bridge."
+
+"What's the game, Max? Why cross at all? Why not cut straight away into
+the open country?"
+
+"Wrong direction. The innkeeper was so careful that we should get away
+from the district on which the Uhlans were closing in that he told me
+exactly where it was. And that's where we are going, of course. We can't
+let these Germans make a grand sweep of English and French fugitive
+soldiers without at least giving them warning, can we, old man?"
+
+"You beggar!" cried Dale, with a note of admiration in his voice. "No,
+of course not. Won't it be jolly if we find some English soldiers, and
+manage to pilot them away to a safe place?"
+
+"Not bad. Now here we are; climb over this wall, and lower yourself into
+the bed of the river. Then creep along in the shadow of the wall until
+you reach the shadow of the bridge. Then we can cross, and shall stand a
+good chance of getting away. Most of the Germans are quartered on this
+side of the town."
+
+Max and Dale were by this time experts in eluding observation, and had
+no great difficulty in getting out of the town without raising an alarm.
+Once well away, they strode at a good pace straight across country
+towards the wooded region south-west of the town, where the fugitives
+were popularly supposed to be. They knew that by their action they would
+be placing themselves inside the zone about to be swept by converging
+bodies of Uhlans, and that all persons found there, who could not give a
+good account of themselves, would almost certainly be shot or speared
+out of hand. But they took no heed of that, for the thought that some
+members of the gallant little English army which had, they knew, from
+the gossip of the countryside, fought so splendidly against overwhelming
+odds might be caught unsuspecting, and probably killed, made them ready
+to face even greater risks than that. Besides, they had, in their many
+successful encounters with the Germans in Liege, gained a self-reliance
+and confidence in themselves that made them look upon the affair as one
+by no means certain to go against them.
+
+An hour or two after daybreak Max and Dale had reached the woods in
+which the fugitives were said to be, and were slowly traversing them,
+keeping a sharp look-out on all sides. The trouble, they now realized,
+was how to get in touch with them. It was highly probable that they
+would keep out of sight, and avoid contact with everybody they were not
+forced to have dealings with in the way of purchasing or begging food.
+Fortunately the difficulty was solved very suddenly and unexpectedly.
+
+"'Alt!" came a hoarse command just as they were about to enter a
+somewhat thick belt of timber well supplied with undergrowth.
+Simultaneously a rifle protruded from the bushes right in front of them,
+and a wild, famished-looking face followed it.
+
+Max and Dale stopped dead.
+
+"What d'ye want poking about 'ere?" the man demanded in Cockney English
+in a surly tone. "I don't understand your lingo, but say something, or
+I'll let go."
+
+The man had a fierce and reckless look, and fingered his rifle as though
+ready enough to keep his word. Hastily Max replied:
+
+"It's all right; we're friends. Put down your gun, there's a good
+fellow."
+
+[Illustration: "IT'S ALL RIGHT; WE'RE FRIENDS"]
+
+"Huh! Friends--eh? Fust I've seen for many a long day. 'Ere, boys,
+'ere's a Johnny wot speaks English says he's a friend--in this
+outlandish place."
+
+In response to this summons, five other men pushed through the
+undergrowth and confronted Max and Dale. Four of them were English
+soldiers and one was a Scot--that much could be seen at a glance,
+although their uniforms were in such a state of muddiness and rags that
+little of the original colour or cut remained. Nine other soldiers, who
+were equally clearly Frenchmen, joined them, attracted by the sense that
+something was going on, although they did not understand the language.
+These fifteen men apparently formed the whole of the band, so far as Max
+could see, and seemed on very good terms with one another. All the men
+wore side-arms, although only five or six rifles were to be seen among
+the lot.
+
+A man wearing corporal's stripes pressed forward, shoved the Cockney
+soldier aside, and planted himself straight in front of Max with his
+hands on his hips.
+
+"Who are you?" he demanded at once. "And what do you here?"
+
+"We are two Englishmen--at least I'm half English--and we have come to
+warn you that the Uhlans are after you."
+
+"That's nothing new, lad. The Uhlans have been after us these three
+weeks past, but they haven't caught us yet."
+
+"Aye, but it's a special beat this time," replied Max, and Dale
+emphasized his words. "They've brought in a lot more men, and are
+determined to make an end of you. There is a tale going about that you
+have looted two wagons full of stores, and it is that, they say, that
+has so upset the Germans."
+
+There was a burst of laughter from the English soldiers at the mention
+of the wagons, and the Frenchmen joined in as soon as one of the others
+demonstrated by signs eked out by one or two words what the laughter was
+about.
+
+"I dare say," remarked the Corporal, grinning. "I dare say it did upset
+them a bit. We got enough food to last us a week, four German rifles,
+two hundred rounds of ammunition, and had the best bonfire since Guy
+Fawkes Day. And I fancy we shall upset them worse than that before we've
+done, lad, if only we can get hold of some more food. We're starving,
+and that's the long and short of it."
+
+His comrades murmured assent, and certainly they all, including the
+Frenchmen, looked wolfish enough. Max and Dale had a little food with
+them, and this they promptly brought out and handed round. It provided
+about two mouthfuls for each of the band, but was accepted and disposed
+of with eager alacrity.
+
+"Can't you purchase food from the peasants?" asked Max in some surprise.
+
+"We did while our money lasted, though it was risky enough. Now we have
+to beg it of the people, and what with that and the fear they are in
+from the Germans if they give us any help, we fare badly. If you can get
+us a good square meal apiece we shall be more grateful to you than we
+are for warning us against the Uhlans. We don't fear them half as much
+as we do starvation."
+
+"We have money and will get you food, but not here. You must get ready
+for a forced march of a dozen miles across the railway between Recogne
+and Bastogne. The Uhlans are assembling all round the loop made by the
+railway and the Ourthe."
+
+The corporal--his name was Shaw--consulted with his comrades for a
+moment or two, and then replied:
+
+"All right, lad. You seem straight enough, and we will make tracks as
+you suggest. If you speak French, tell these Frenchies here what's
+afoot, and ask them if they're game for another spree. We are not going
+to cross a railway without leaving a memento or two of our visit, I can
+tell you."
+
+Max in a few words explained the situation to the Frenchmen. Though they
+hailed from all parts of France, he had no difficulty in making himself
+understood, and they eagerly fell in with the plan already agreed upon
+by their English comrades. This accomplished, Max and Dale put
+themselves at the head of the band, more in virtue of their knowledge of
+the language of the country than of their powers as guides, and in
+single file and very cautiously they set out.
+
+Max was agreeably surprised at the way the men moved, taking advantage
+of every bit of cover afforded by the trees and undergrowth, and, when
+in the open, of every fold in the ground. They had clearly made good use
+of the weeks they had spent in eluding pursuit, and had become in their
+way very fair backwoodsmen. This accomplishment was worth any amount of
+fighting power at that moment, and increased threefold their chances of
+escape from the armed circle closing in upon them.
+
+During the march, Max and Dale, at every opportunity, increased their
+knowledge of the men with whom they had now practically thrown in their
+lot. The British soldiers had been stragglers from the army which had
+been pushed up to Mons, and had subsequently retreated before the
+overwhelming odds hurled against it at the express command of the German
+Emperor. The object had been annihilation rather than defeat, in order,
+no doubt, to fill the people of Britain with discouragement and make
+them reluctant to venture another force on the Continent. Everyone knows
+how the Emperor's legions failed in their intention, and at what a heavy
+cost, and there is no need to dilate upon it here. Corporal Shaw had
+been wounded and left behind during the retreat. He had managed to drag
+himself to the house of a Belgian peasant woman, who had nursed him
+quickly back to health. Then he had said farewell and made for the
+Belgian coast at Ostend. He had been constantly headed off, and at last
+found himself in the Ardennes with several comrades picked up here and
+there on the way.
+
+Their stories were much like his. Some had been wounded, and others had
+dropped behind in the retreat totally exhausted, or so sore of foot that
+they were unable to move another step. The Frenchmen had been picked up
+for the most part in one body. They had been engaged in a running fight
+with some German infantry, and the British soldiers, drawn irresistibly
+to the spot by the sound of firing, had joined in the little battle with
+good effect, enabling their French comrades to get away with only the
+loss of two of their number. These had fallen wounded, and it was
+asserted in the most positive manner that the German soldiers had been
+seen to smash them to death with the butt-ends of their rifles the
+moment they came upon them. Such an episode as this did not improve the
+feelings of either the British or French soldiers towards their German
+foes, and went far to explain to Max and Dale the keenness and zest of
+the men for yet other encounters, notwithstanding that their foes now
+had all the points of the play so strongly in their favour.
+
+In their turn Max and Dale told the story of their fight against the
+Germans; how they had waged an industrial, but equally open, war upon
+them, and had inflicted damage that had had a high moral as well as
+material effect. The story was not without its effect even upon men who
+understood most the warfare of bullet and bayonet, and Max and his
+friend were viewed with an increased respect as men of action as well as
+interpreters and guides.
+
+One thing struck Max forcibly in the little band of which he had to all
+intents and purposes now become a member, and that was the fine spirit
+of discipline and camaraderie among them. Corporal Shaw was the only
+non-commissioned officer present, and the French soldiers accepted his
+lead as unhesitatingly as their British comrades. All food obtained was
+rationed out equally, and turns were taken with the carrying of the
+half-dozen rifles.
+
+In spite of the careful and rapid way in which the retreat from the
+dangerous neighbourhood of the former haunts of the band was carried
+out, it seemed that they were not to escape unscathed. In crossing a
+road, little more than a track, about four miles from the railway, they
+must have been seen by a German soldier, himself unseen, on the
+look-out, for they heard a loud shout of warning, and almost immediately
+after the tramping of horses' hoofs as though a body of cavalrymen were
+hastily mounting.
+
+"Guns to the rear!" ordered Corporal Shaw curtly, and the six men
+carrying rifles, three British and three French, dropped to the rear of
+the little party and spread out in open order on either side of the line
+of retreat.
+
+"If they're cavalry hadn't we better retreat through the most broken
+country we can find?" enquired Max suggestively.
+
+Corporal Shaw nodded and led the way in the direction indicated. The
+noise of the pursuing cavalry drew nearer, and the Corporal turned
+suddenly to Max: "Do you lead the retreat, lad. You know where we're
+bound better than I do. Keep only just in front of the men with the
+guns--we're going to give them a fight for their money."
+
+The retreat was being made along a narrow track through rough and broken
+country overgrown with short, thick undergrowth. Looking back, Max saw
+that the six men with guns had disappeared, and the only men in sight
+were the bunch he was himself leading, and three or four a few yards in
+his rear. But the six men were not far off, and now and again he caught
+a glimpse of one or other of them in the woods on either side of the
+line of retreat of the main body.
+
+Suddenly the Uhlans crashed through the thickets and came into sight
+only a hundred yards away. There were about a score of them, and they
+caught sight of the fugitives at the same moment as the latter caught
+sight of them. They gave a fierce yell of delight, and, at a harsh
+order, put spurs to their horses, grasped their lances, and rode
+helter-skelter over the bushes towards the straggling body of unarmed
+men in front of them. The nearest men, conspicuous among whom was the
+Scot in full war paint, quickened their pace to catch up to Max and the
+party in front.
+
+"They love to spear a Scot," remarked Shaw in an undertone to Max,
+coolly indicating the main decoy and the wild eagerness with which the
+Uhlans charged down upon their unarmed foe.
+
+Sixty yards, fifty yards, then forty, and still the enemy closed down
+upon their quarry. Then Shaw raised his voice and shouted:
+
+"Now, boys, give it them!"
+
+Although he had been expecting it, the answering blaze of fire from the
+bushes on both flanks of the charging horsemen took even Max somewhat by
+surprise. Three horses fell in a bunch, and two turned tail and dashed
+back riderless the way they had come. Again, in a second or two, a
+scattering discharge came from the bushes; more men fell, and the
+remainder, their nerves obviously shaken by the unexpected attack,
+turned their horses' heads and rode madly away.
+
+Five men, apparently dead, were left behind, among them the young
+officer in command, and three more lay wounded.
+
+"Get their rifles and ammunition," ordered Corporal Shaw, and the
+unarmed men darted back and secured rifles and ammunition with an
+eagerness which showed how irksome they felt their inability to join in
+any fight that might be going. Seven rifles, six lances, and a revolver
+were secured, but all the lances except two were thrown away almost
+immediately as useless. The two retained were broken off half-way down
+the hafts, and their captors, two of the French soldiers, grinning with
+delight, sloped arms with them and fell in with their comrades fully
+satisfied with their share of the spoils.
+
+"Not a bad business that," remarked Shaw coolly. "We have nearly enough
+rifles now, and ammunition for a regular battle. And it can come as soon
+as it likes. I'm fair sick of dodging these Germans."
+
+"'Ear, 'ear!" chimed in the Londoner, whose name was Peck. "Give me a
+bit of cover, a packet of cigarettes, and a hundred rounds, and I'll die
+happy--eh, Corp?"
+
+"Shut up, Peck, and get a move on," growled Shaw testily. "Did you find
+any grub?" he added. "I saw you going through their haversacks."
+
+"Aye, enough to give us all a snack at our next 'alt," replied Peck,
+giving a knowing wink and pointing to his own bulging haversack and
+those of two pleased-looking Frenchmen close at his heels. "And no need,
+I presoom, to mention a matter of a few cigarettes the orfizer had to
+dispose of--cheap?" And he displayed the end of a large packet of
+cigarettes which he had been careful to take charge of himself.
+
+"Forward--single file," commanded Shaw, and the band resumed its
+interrupted march towards the Bastogne railway.
+
+"What d'ye think of 'em, Dale?" asked Max presently, indicating with a
+gesture the rest of the miscellaneous band of which they themselves now
+formed a part.
+
+"A game lot; we shall see some fun presently," replied Dale in tones of
+deepest satisfaction. "They're just about ready for anything, from a
+Uhlan patrol to an army corps."
+
+"Ye--es," replied Max with much less assurance. "We shall certainly see
+things. What I'm afraid of is that it won't last long. We came to the
+Ardennes for a rest--not to commit suicide, you remember."
+
+"I don't feel as though I want any more rest, Max," replied Dale, still
+eyeing his new comrades with delighted satisfaction. "Be a sport and
+join in the fun, there's a good fellow."
+
+"I'm ready enough to join in," replied Max, smiling. "What I don't
+approve of is the reckless way they go about things. This fight with the
+Uhlans will bring all the rest of them buzzing about our ears, and then
+it will be one last struggle and all over."
+
+Dale shrugged his shoulders. "What could we have done?" he said. "The
+Uhlans caught us up, and we had to fight."
+
+"We could have dispersed, and rejoined one another later at a rendezvous
+agreed upon. But never mind, we're in with them for the moment, only I
+can't forget that we have still some work left to us at Liege, and work
+more important than livening up the Uhlans in the Ardennes." Dale made
+no reply. Possibly he thought it useless to argue with Max on the
+subject of Liege, and for some time they marched along in silence.
+Presently the band arrived within about half a mile of the railway line,
+and Max and Corporal Shaw went on ahead to reconnoitre.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+Cutting the Line
+
+
+The line was well guarded. A company of infantry was allotted to every
+four or five miles of line, and furnished the sentries who were posted
+every hundred yards or so. These men were within easy reach of one
+another, sometimes stationed on the line itself and at other times at
+the top of any adjacent knoll or rising ground. The nucleus of the
+company, the men resting from their turn of sentry-go, was stationed at
+a point of vantage within easy touch of the whole of the line under its
+care. An alarm at any point would not only attract the sentries from
+both sides to the spot, but would also quickly bring the remainder of
+the company hurrying to the scene.
+
+Corporal Shaw's dispositions were soon made. His men were brought within
+reach of the railway at a point where it ran through country well wooded
+on either side. A sentry was then marked down as the point of contact,
+and six men, three on either side, were detached to act as flank guards.
+These were posted within easy reach of the sentries, next on either
+side, with instructions to shoot them down should they make any move to
+interfere, and to hinder, by all means in their power, the approach of
+further reinforcements.
+
+The unfortunate sentry marked down as the point of contact would not
+require much attention. He would obviously be helpless against ten men.
+
+A whistle apprised the flank guards that the attack was about to begin.
+Then the main body emerged from cover and half a dozen rifles were
+levelled at the sentry in front of them. For a moment the man was too
+astonished to move; then he gave a shout of alarm and fled down the line
+towards the sentinel on the right.
+
+Two rifles cracked almost simultaneously and the man fell in his tracks
+and lay motionless.
+
+"Get his rifle, someone, and then come and lend a hand here," cried
+Corporal Shaw, springing out on to the line and getting to work with an
+entrenching tool upon the permanent way. Other men followed his example,
+the gravel was rapidly scraped away from the sleepers, and several long
+iron bars, taken from some derelict agricultural machine passed on the
+way, inserted beneath the rails. But the united efforts of several men
+made no impression upon the well-bolted rails and the attempt was
+promptly abandoned.
+
+The bolts and nuts which held the rails together were attacked instead,
+and, although no spanners were available, the men managed, by dint of
+much persuasion from the iron bars and their bayonets, to get the nuts
+to turn. Two rails were in time entirely removed and carried across the
+line and laid endwise in a ditch, where they promptly sank out of sight
+in the muddy ooze.
+
+In the meantime the flank guards had not been idle. The shout of the
+sentry first attacked had given the alarm to his comrades on either
+side, and one had started immediately to his aid. The other remained
+where he was, but levelled his rifle at Shaw and his men as they sprang
+on to the line. Both were promptly shot down and their rifles and
+cartridges as promptly secured.
+
+By this time the alarm was fairly general. Several shots had been fired,
+and the line guards up and down the track had come to the conclusion
+that a serious attack on the line was in progress. Instead of rushing in
+ones and twos to the point of attack, they now waited until some
+half-dozen men had collected before advancing. Even these bodies were
+easily disposed of by the flank guards posted by Shaw. They were well
+concealed, and, as the Germans came up, opened a heavy fire upon them at
+close range. Most of the latter dropped at once, and the survivors fled,
+only too glad to get away in safety with their lives.
+
+Max and Dale had assisted in the removal of the rails and their deposit
+in the muddy ditch. This accomplished, Max, who viewed the whole affair
+with some misgiving, stood aside and took no part in the further attacks
+already in progress on the rails.
+
+"You look glum, Max," remarked Dale in a rallying tone, as he
+straightened his back. He himself looked far from glum. His face was
+flushed, his eyes sparkled, and he bore himself as though at the height
+of enjoyment. "Don't you like raiding the railway?"
+
+"Not this way," replied Max with decision. "What's the good of it? It
+won't take half an hour to repair, and, coming after that other affair,
+will mean half the cavalry in the Ardennes stirring on our tracks."
+
+"Who cares?" retorted Dale recklessly. "I----What's the matter?"
+
+"Hark! A train I think. Let's get to the top of this bit of rising
+ground and see what happens. The driver can't come steaming through with
+all that firing going on yonder."
+
+The two friends climbed upon the little hill and up into the lower
+branches of a large tree. The view thus obtained was a wide one, and
+showed them much. In the distance a train was approaching. It was
+slowing up as they watched, and presently came to a standstill.
+Instantly crowds of soldiers poured out from both sides and formed up on
+the permanent way. Apparently in response to an order, the troops split
+into two bodies, one passing to the north side of the line and one to
+the south, both almost immediately disappearing from view in the woods.
+
+Max and Dale next turned their gaze towards the flank guards. Here
+desultory fighting was going on with numbers of the sentries attracted
+to the spot. But beyond them, and in the direction of the head-quarters
+of the company guarding that section of the line, a strong body of men
+was on the march; and, in yet another direction, Max and Dale could see
+the lances of cavalry occasionally coming into view as their line of
+advance led them past bunches of low bush or gaps in the trees.
+
+"Time we were off, Max," remarked Dale in a much sobered voice. "You see
+what those troops from the train are after?"
+
+"Yes, they want to strike across our rear, whichever side of the railway
+we go, before the other bodies begin to attack us in front. Had we not
+chanced to climb up here, that last fight of ours would have been very
+near indeed. As it is, I shouldn't wonder if we have a job to get
+Corporal Shaw and his fire-eaters away in time."
+
+"We shall. They all reckon they're getting a bit of their own back, and
+they'll be in no hurry to move."
+
+As quickly as possible, Max and Dale dropped from the tree and ran back
+to the railway, where Shaw and the bulk of his men were still working
+like bees, tearing up rails and transporting them to the swampy stream.
+The gist of what they had seen was soon told to Corporal Shaw, and that
+worthy, while not inclined to take too much notice of "a few Germans",
+now that all his men were fully armed, was duly impressed with the
+necessity of moving from the neighbourhood without loss of time. He
+promptly called in the flank guards, and curtly told the whole of the
+band that it was time to march.
+
+"Now, lad," he said, addressing Max, "you seem to know your way about.
+Lead on out of this fix, and we will live to fight again another day.
+Forward!"
+
+Max and Dale strode quickly away, straight into the woods, and in single
+file the band followed them. The men were in high glee at the success of
+their enterprise, and seemed neither to know nor care about their
+critical situation. Max, however, felt very anxious, and presently
+managed to get Corporal Shaw so far to agree with him as to order
+complete silence and every care, as they threaded their way through the
+thickest-wooded country to be found in the quarter not yet reached by
+the soldiers from the train.
+
+For over three miles the band moved in silence, at top speed, away from
+the scene of their daring exploit. Max judged that by that time they
+were outside the sweep of the encircling bodies of Germans, and could
+take a breather for a few minutes. The work on the railway had been hard
+and exhausting, and the men had for some time been too ill-nourished to
+be able to sustain long-continued exertion. At the order to halt and
+rest the men flung themselves on the ground, and for five minutes lay
+prone upon the grass. Then they went on again.
+
+"D'ye see that smoke yonder, lad?" remarked Corporal Shaw, soon after
+they had restarted, pointing to a thick column of smoke rising above the
+trees a couple of miles in their rear. "Is it a signal, or what?"
+
+"No--it's not that," replied Max, after a long look at the smoke, which
+was rising more thickly at every moment. "There is a little village just
+there, and I can guess what has happened. The Germans have fired the
+nearest village in revenge for the attack upon the line. I have often
+heard of it being done. It is one of their methods of terrorizing the
+people, so that they dare do nothing themselves and try to prevent
+others doing any thing in the vicinity of their villages. I had
+forgotten it until this moment."
+
+"What a black shame!" cried Corporal Shaw with fierce indignation. "What
+had those poor folk to do with it? The Germans knew that well
+enough--the cowards!"
+
+The other men in the band soon knew what had happened, and their rage
+and indignation were extreme. Some wanted to vent their rage by
+returning to the scene of the burning village and attacking those
+responsible for the outrage. It was as much as Max and Shaw could do to
+keep them from turning back and flinging away their lives in a desperate
+endeavour to exact reparation for the foul deed.
+
+The retreat of the band was continued, but the rage and indignation of
+all concerned was not lessened when, later in the day, after a long
+halt, they were overtaken by two families fleeing from the burning
+village. It needed no question to tell them what they were. There were
+old men and women, heavy-eyed and outwardly uncomplaining, trudging
+beside creaking bullock-carts loaded with all the little bits of
+property they had been able to save from their burning homes. There were
+white-faced, frightened children, too, tucked in the corners of the
+carts or perched upon the piled-up goods, and their faces seemed to
+express mute wonder that such things could be.
+
+It was indeed a sight to make any beholder furious with indignation, but
+on the unwitting causes of the trouble it acted with fourfold force. An
+instant reprisal was demanded by all the band, and Corporal Shaw, as
+angry as any of them, promised that they should have it, and that
+without any more loss of time than he could avoid.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+Reprisals
+
+
+Dale was at one with the soldiers in desire for reprisals, but Max was
+dead against the whole idea. It was not that he was less indignant at
+the cruel wrong just inflicted upon innocent peasants, but he feared
+that any more such acts would react upon the country people in precisely
+the same manner. A reprisal which brought fresh trouble upon yet another
+set of innocent folk would, he felt, be worse than useless, and he spoke
+his mind freely to Corporal Shaw on the subject.
+
+"You've done no good," he ended, "by attacking the line and tearing up a
+few rails. Your methods were too wild to bring about any real damage.
+All you have done is to make it additionally hard for me to get you
+safely out of the country."
+
+"Humph!" grunted the Corporal rather sourly. "I know you've done some
+neat little things in Liege, but could you manage a better affair out
+here? I give you leave to try. As for getting us out, I don't see much
+prospect of that coming off, my lad."
+
+"I'll get you out if you'll drop all these wild-cat exploits," replied
+Max firmly. "Is it a bargain?"
+
+The Corporal consulted with his men for a few minutes. "No," he said,
+shaking his head emphatically, "the men refuse to sneak out of the
+country before they have what they call redressed the wrong done those
+poor villagers. They want one more good cut at the Germans to make that
+good, and then they are ready to make tracks for home, if you think you
+can get us there."
+
+"Will you let me plan the reprisal attack as well as arrange to get you
+out?" asked Max quickly.
+
+The Corporal opened his eyes a little.
+
+"So _you_ do think you can do better? Well, I don't mind; you shall plan
+the reprisal and then get us out of the mess. Done!"
+
+"Done!" replied Max firmly, and it was thus settled that he should, from
+that time forward, practically take command of the little band, subject
+only to the stipulation that the escape should not be arranged until the
+Germans had been made to pay, and pay handsomely, for their recent
+exhibition of brutality.
+
+As soon as that was decided, Max changed the direction of the retreat to
+due east, and in that direction they continued all day. When night fell,
+the men looked about them for a comfortable spot to sleep, but Max would
+not allow them to stop, and, with frequent halts for rest, they
+continued on their way all through the night. There was some grumbling,
+but it was soon silenced; and, when all was said and done, the men
+recognized that Max managed to feed them fairly well. This part of the
+business he saw to himself. At nearly every farm-house he passed he
+managed to purchase some food. None of the soldiers were allowed to come
+within sight of the people, and, with this precaution, and his knowledge
+of the language, he hoped that no suspicions of the destination of the
+food would be aroused.
+
+During the following day the band hid themselves in a copse and slept.
+It was nearly dark when Max aroused them and told them they must go on.
+
+"We've been travelling a good many miles, lad," remarked Shaw
+carelessly. "Where are we now?"
+
+"In Germany," replied Max.
+
+"Germany!" cried the Corporal, his carelessness vanishing. "Why--what
+d'ye mean? D'ye think we want to find a good safe prison?"
+
+"No. Your men insist on one more attack on the Germans, as a reprisal
+for the burning of the village. Well, we cannot do anything in Belgium,
+for it would only mean another village burned. If we make the attack in
+Germany it will be different. They can hardly burn down their own
+villages."
+
+Corporal Shaw held out his hand. "Well done, lad!" he cried heartily,
+and the other men within ear-shot echoed his words. "That's a stroke of
+genius, and we are with you to a man. What are you going to
+attack--nothing less than Metz, of course?"
+
+Max smiled and shook his head. "Something a little less ambitious will
+have to do, I think. After another night march we shall be on the spot,
+and can get to work."
+
+"What are you going to do, lad?"
+
+Max hesitated a moment. Should he keep the men ignorant of the nature of
+the enterprise until the hour for it had struck? It was hardly worth
+while--in forty-eight hours or so it would be all over.
+
+"To block the main line between Aix and Liege," he answered simply.
+
+"Phew! I think you mentioned wild-cat exploits the other day. What sort
+of cat exploit is this?"
+
+"It must be carefully planned beforehand."
+
+"Humph! Trains filled with troops passing every five minutes; the lines
+thick with guards. It'll want careful planning--and a trifle more. In
+fact, it'll need the devil's own luck. What say you, boys?"
+
+"No matter, Corp," cried Peck testily. "Give the lad his head. We ain't
+particular, so long as it's a fust-class scrap."
+
+"It'll be all that," grunted Shaw.
+
+"Did we expect to git out of this show alive?" retorted Peck. "What's
+the odds? Let the lad 'ave his way--he's grubbed us well anyhow."
+
+The other men murmured an assent, and it was clear that most of the band
+were quite ready to follow Max in an attempt, however desperate, on the
+Germans' main line of communication. The Frenchmen were quite ready to
+agree to anything that would lead to another encounter with the enemy in
+company with their British comrades, and so Max was left in possession
+of the field and charged with full responsibility for the tremendous
+task before them.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Two days later the whole of the band arrived safely within a mile or so
+of the great main line which runs between Aix-la-Chapelle and Liege, and
+then on through Namur to Paris. A stoppage to their communications on
+this line would disconcert the Germans in a way that hardly anything
+else could do, and Max, from the knowledge he had gained, while at
+Liege, of the great trains loaded with troops and munitions that
+constantly passed through at all hours of the day and night, was very
+well aware of it. Next to his darling scheme for the frustration of the
+Germans' plans as regards the Durend works, the breaking of the great
+railway through the town had seemed the most serious blow that could be
+aimed at the Germans by a few men working independently of the great
+military forces of the Allies. It was a difficult matter, but not
+impossible. That was enough.
+
+Max and Dale, accompanied by Shaw, reconnoitred the railway after hiding
+their men well away out of sight. The first point reached Max did not
+consider suitable, and it was not until they had approached the line at
+several different places that he found a spot that satisfied him. This
+spot was one where the line passed along a fairly deep cutting, the
+sides of which were thickly overgrown with bushes with here and there a
+young tree. It was a spot at which it would be easy to approach the line
+unseen. And yet this was not Max's chief reason for selecting it. His
+design had been to find a spot where the line at night-time would have
+dark patches of shadow cast upon it here and there.
+
+Dale and Corporal Shaw now returned to the spot where the band had been
+left in hiding, while Max set out for Aix-la-Chapelle alone. He still
+wore the workman's clothes in which he had masqueraded for so long, and,
+with his excellent knowledge of the German tongue, he had little to fear
+so long as he took care not to blunder into a military patrol. Without
+misadventure he reached Aix, and purchased a dozen spanners similar to
+those used by plate-layers, except that the handles were short and
+lacked the great leverage necessary for their work. This difficulty
+would, however, be easily got over by cutting stout rods from the woods
+and lashing them to the short spanners. The tools thus obtained would,
+he knew, be fully suited to the end in view.
+
+The reconnoitring of the railway had disclosed the fact that the guards
+were stationed only about eighty yards apart. Also that they were
+changed every four hours, at four o'clock, eight o'clock, midnight, and
+noon.
+
+An hour before midnight Max led the band towards the line at the point
+fixed upon. He had already, at some pains, explained exactly what he
+desired each man to do, and from their intelligent eagerness felt pretty
+well assured that they would not fail from want of zeal or knowledge of
+the part they had to play. To the Frenchmen he, of course, explained
+matters in their own tongue, and found them equally as ready as their
+Island brethren.
+
+The moon, what there was of it, was fairly low in the heavens, and the
+long shadows Max counted upon so largely in his plans were much in
+evidence. Silence was another factor of importance, and the feet of all
+the men were swathed in long strips of cloth--their puttees in the case
+of the British soldiers, and strips from their clothing in the case of
+the Frenchmen.
+
+The band was divided into three groups, and the orders were that on
+arriving at the edge of the cutting all were to remain motionless in
+hiding until the guards were changed at midnight. Then three men from
+each band were to creep up close to one of the three sentries marked
+down for attack, and wait for an opportunity to seize and kill or
+capture him without raising an alarm.
+
+The latter point Max insisted upon as of the utmost importance. The
+groups of three might spend two hours, even three hours, he told them,
+so long as they performed their task without making a noise that would
+attract the attention of the sentries on either side. The darkness of
+the line, from the shadows of the trees and bushes and the deepness of
+the cutting itself, Max felt he could rely upon to prevent the other
+sentries from seeing if aught were amiss. The important thing,
+therefore, was that they should perform their task without noise.
+
+Promptly at midnight the sentries were changed. The momentary bustle
+was, as arranged carefully beforehand by Max, taken advantage of by the
+groups of three to creep close up to their objectives. Then things
+settled down again in quietude. All was peaceful and silent between the
+thunder of the trains, and time was allowed the sentries to grow
+accustomed to their surroundings and to develop any individual habits of
+carelessness that might be theirs. At first the men marched to and fro
+rather frequently. Later, they contented themselves with leaning on
+their rifles and making themselves as comfortable as such a position
+would allow. There had been no attacks on any part of the line in
+Germany so far as had become known, and there was no reason in the world
+why these line guards should expect one now.
+
+One of the sentries presently came to a halt in the shadow cast by a
+tree. He was thus out of sight of his comrades on either side, and the
+three men in deadly attendance upon him were satisfied that their chance
+had come. Noiselessly emerging from the shadows, they stole upon him
+from behind. One seized him by the throat in a grip of iron, stifling
+all utterance, another pinioned his arms to his sides, while the third
+caught the rifle which fell from his startled hand. Between the three
+the struggles of the unfortunate sentry were quickly mastered. He was
+securely pinioned, gagged, and dragged out of harm's way into the
+shelter of the bushes.
+
+The capture of one made the capture of the two others comparatively
+easy. It was only necessary to await a moment when the farther sentinel
+was facing away from the next man marked down for attack, before
+springing upon him. One after the other the three guards were
+successfully placed out of action, and the stern work of reprisal was at
+hand.
+
+As a precautionary measure, two men, wearing the tunics and helmets of
+the captured Germans, were stationed as sentries one at each end of the
+break, to satisfy their German neighbours in case they should miss the
+sight of the comrades who had gone.
+
+Then rapidly Max selected two pairs of rails, one pair on the up-line
+and one on the down-line, and the dozen great spanners were quickly at
+work. Certain of the nuts of the rails and of some of the chairs were
+carefully loosened a little, and everything was made ready to shift one
+end of each rail as soon as the signal should be given. Then the men
+withdrew once more to the obscurity of the bushes.
+
+Having satisfied himself that everything was in readiness, Max settled
+himself to watch the trains as they passed, and to seize upon the
+essential moment. Trains were now running less frequently than at every
+hour in the twenty-four, and in the comparative silence he could tell
+when a train was approaching while it was yet some miles away. It was
+his intention to await the almost simultaneous approach of two trains
+from opposite directions, and in steady patience he waited.
+
+His men did not know the full extent of his plans and were impatient to
+see the result of their--to them--successful labours. They could not
+understand this halt, and grumbled under their breath at the strange
+hesitancy of their young leader. But everything had gone so well under
+his guidance that none of them dared to express his discontent aloud,
+and Max was left to put the finishing touch upon his plans in peace.
+
+Suddenly his ear caught the sounds he had been awaiting.
+
+"Forward!" he commanded in an undertone in two languages.
+
+The men sprang quickly on to the lines and wrestled with the nuts and
+bolts with all their might. In a very short space of time the rails were
+loose at one end and the chairs removed. Then Max gave the word for all
+four rails to be levered inwards, towards the centre of the track, until
+the loose ends were a foot out of line with the other rails.
+
+The chairs were then roughly refixed at the extreme ends of the
+sleepers, and the bent rails bolted as firmly as possible in their new
+positions. While this was being done the four rails next the gaps were
+unbolted and entirely removed. When all was done there was a break 40
+feet long in each track, and the pair of rails on the side from which
+the trains were approaching had been bent inwards, and now pointed
+towards the corresponding pair on the other track, thus:--
+
+[Illustration]
+
+For the first time the men now understood the whole significance of the
+work they were doing. They had known enough of their young leader's
+plans to expect much, but now they expected a great deal more and moved
+off the track full of suppressed excitement and jubilation. Like a
+pistol-shot it had come to them that the brutal destruction of the poor
+village beyond Bastogne was about to be very amply revenged indeed.
+
+The rumble of the two trains approaching from opposite directions was
+now drawing very close, and the men hung about in the bushes, a few
+yards up the side of the cutting, watching eagerly for any sign that the
+drivers had seen the short breaks in the line and were bringing their
+trains to a standstill. But there was no sign of this. The trains
+approached at a steady speed, and the drivers, if on the look-out,
+noticed nothing amiss in the patches of deeper shadow in the half
+darkness of the gloomy cutting.
+
+The two trains reached the fatal spot almost at the same moment. Both
+followed the direction of the tampered rails and left the track with a
+bumping grind that made those who heard it shudder. Then they collided
+with a crash that could be heard for miles. The engines reared up almost
+on end--as though in a desperate attempt to leap over one another--and
+rolled over on their sides. Behind them the great wagons still drove on
+and piled themselves up on high in a welter of hideous confusion.
+
+The noise, the confusion, the sense of dire destruction, were almost
+paralysing; but, almost without being conscious of it, Max found himself
+eagerly scanning the wrecked wagons to see what they contained. The
+"bag" was one sufficient to satisfy the most ardent patriot. The trucks,
+or some of them, of the train bound outwards to Liege clearly contained
+the guns of several heavy batteries. Those of the inward train were
+filled with machinery and other stores filched from the great Belgian
+workshops and being transferred to Germany to set up fresh works there.
+A few of the trucks of the inward train appeared to contain shells, and
+these Max marked down as the point for the final attack.
+
+The noise of the collision, of course, brought all the men guarding the
+line, within hearing, hurrying to the scene. None of them, or of the
+survivors of those on the trains, had any thought that the catastrophe
+was anything but an accident, and no attempt was made to search for
+possible enemies. Most of the German soldiers, indeed, flung down their
+weapons and busied themselves in the task of extricating men and horses
+from the piles of overturned wagons.
+
+Thus when again, at Max's signal, the band of British and French
+soldiers left their hiding-places they were able, in the darkness, to
+mingle with the Germans and go about their final work almost
+unchallenged. In only two instances were German officers or
+non-commissioned officers inconveniently inquisitive, and those
+difficulties were solved by an instant attack with the bayonet. Even
+these conflicts were insufficient to attract special attention amid the
+general turmoil. Any who noticed the actions might readily enough have
+concluded that they were the result of a quarrel or of some demented
+victim of the accident attacking an imaginary foe.
+
+The work which still kept Max and his auxiliaries on the dangerous scene
+of their successful exploit was that of bringing down great bundles of
+straw and dead wood, prepared some time beforehand, from the top of the
+railway cutting where they had been hidden in readiness. The wagons,
+which Max had ascertained to be indeed full of shells, were what they
+were after, and against these the bundles were piled. Almost unmolested
+the exulting men made all ready for the final blow which should set the
+seal upon their terrible reprisal.
+
+And yet, when it came to the point, Max hesitated to give the order to
+fire the pyre. There might yet be some unfortunate men pinned alive
+beneath the wreckage, and he was unwilling to add to their miseries the
+dreadful fate of being burned alive. For ten, fifteen, and almost twenty
+minutes he waited, until he could feel satisfied that none were likely
+still to remain alive beneath the pile. His own men indeed, well knowing
+what was coming, had busied themselves in dragging out their fallen foes
+from the certain fate which would otherwise have befallen them,
+forgetting their desire for reprisals in their pity for wounded and
+helpless men.
+
+At last the moment arrived. Max gave the word, the straw was fired, and
+the band beat a hasty retreat to the shelter of the bushes on the north
+side of the cutting.
+
+A loud cry of warning and alarm arose from the German soldiers as the
+flames shot up into the air, illuminating the track for many yards
+around. A harsh command rang out, and a number of men dashed forward to
+beat or stamp out the flare.
+
+"Those men must be kept away, Corporal," cried Max quickly. "We must not
+leave until the fire has got firm hold."
+
+"Bayonets, men," cried Corporal Shaw sharply. "Get ready to charge
+home."
+
+"No, no, Corporal," cried Max, seizing him by the arm; "no bayonet
+fighting this round. Keep them away by rifle-fire from the bushes. They
+know nothing of us now; let them remain as ignorant as possible."
+
+"Right. Ten rounds, rapid, boys! Ready! present! fire!"
+
+The Germans had barely reached the fire and begun to pull away the
+burning faggots, when a sudden and withering hail of bullets swept down
+upon them. Half of them fell at once, and the remainder recoiled in
+confusion and doubt. Fire seemed to spit from the darkness all about
+them, and none knew for the moment whether they were in the presence of
+a foe, or whether a detachment of their own men, but just arrived, had
+taken them for enemy wreckers. Long before the officer in command could
+rally his men, push out scouts to ascertain the cause of the rifle-fire,
+and set the main body to resume their task, the fire had caught such
+firm hold that it was obvious to all that at any moment the shells might
+explode.
+
+A general stampede away from the vicinity of the burning wagons ensued,
+and at a respectful distance the discomfited Germans gazed at the fire
+or occupied themselves in firing in the direction apparently taken by
+their unseen foes.
+
+Suddenly, with an ear-splitting roar, the shells exploded. The
+concussion was tremendous, and huge showers of shells, broken bits of
+wagons, gravel, and flaming wood fell heavily in all directions. Many of
+those looking on were killed outright by the avalanche of falling
+material, and the remainder fled in mad panic from the deadly scene.
+
+Max had already withdrawn his men beyond the edge of the cutting and
+marched them a couple of hundred yards farther down the line. The
+explosion caused them no casualties beyond a few minor cuts and bruises,
+and, with one last look at the track beneath them, they turned their
+backs upon the place and marched silently away towards the Dutch
+frontier.
+
+The work of reprisal for a foul deed was done. Where the explosion had
+taken place an enormous crater had been torn in the permanent way.
+Beyond that the line was blocked by great piles of tangled wreckage
+which must have weighed hundreds of tons--Krupp guns and gun mountings,
+twisted almost out of all recognition, masses of machinery ruined beyond
+redemption, and engines, wagons, rails, and sleepers piled high in
+inextricable confusion. Many hours, if not days, of unremitting toil
+would be needed before the line could be reopened for traffic. Thus the
+main lines of communication of the Germans were severed and a heavy blow
+struck for the cause of the Allies.
+
+On the trunk of a tree, at the top of the cutting close by, a notice was
+fixed: "In reprisal for the burning of an innocent village above
+Bastogne."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+A Further Blow
+
+
+The point at which the line to Aix had been broken was not far from the
+Dutch frontier, and for an hour or so Max and the band he led made good
+progress. Then their difficulties began. The alarm had clearly been
+given, and a serious alarm it seemed to be. Bodies of troops, and
+especially cavalry, were on the march in all directions, and it became a
+matter of the utmost difficulty to avoid contact with them. Finally,
+Max, as the day dawned, led his men right away into a wide expanse of
+farm-land, and took them towards a solitary farm-house.
+
+"What's the game now, laddie?" asked Corporal Shaw, as Max led them
+boldly towards the farm-house, much to the surprise of the farmer and
+his family, who came out to see what this strange visit of a body of
+armed men might mean. "Doesn't this give us away to the enemy?"
+
+"We must have rest and food, Corporal," replied Max seriously. "If we
+surround the farm and keep prisoners all who are there, and detain all
+who call, we shall be safe if no parties of German soldiers happen to
+light upon us. If we can get through the day, I think we shall get
+safely across the frontier. We are only seven miles away, and a few
+hours of darkness will see us there."
+
+"Good! You know your business, lad, I can see," replied Shaw briskly,
+and he gave a quick order to his men to spread out at the double and
+surround the farm. Max interpreted the order to the French soldiers, who
+promptly followed suit. In a moment or two the farm had been surrounded,
+and the men began to close in upon it.
+
+The surprise and curiosity of the German farmer and his family quickly
+turned to fear as the object of the move became apparent. They could now
+see, too, the faces and equipment of the men converging upon them, and
+knew that, whatever they might be, they were certainly not soldiers of
+the Fatherland.
+
+"You're a prisoner, mein Herr," cried Corporal Shaw cheerfully, as he
+strode up to the burly farmer and slapped him familiarly on the
+shoulder. "Be good, or it will be the worse for you."
+
+Max interpreted his words, and added the information that neither he nor
+any of his household were to stir outside the house, or even to look out
+of the windows. They were to consider themselves close prisoners, and on
+their good behaviour their own treatment would absolutely depend. The
+farmer, as soon as he could recover from his astonishment, passed the
+order on to his family and domestics with a peremptoriness no doubt
+considerably enhanced by his own lively fears. The Germans filed into
+the farm-house, followed by all the band except two. These were set on
+the watch on the roofs of two barns a little distance away on opposite
+sides of the building.
+
+Max then called upon the farmer to provide a meal for them all,
+promising him in return fair payment. Soon the whole band, in high good
+humour, were deep in enjoyment of the best meal they had had since the
+retreat from Mons and Charleroi began.
+
+During the day there were occasional alarms as bodies of German soldiers
+were observed scouring the country in the distance, but none approached
+the farm-house. Several labourers, evidently missing the presence of the
+farmer, called, and these were promptly made prisoners. At nightfall
+everything was made ready for the last march.
+
+The women were sent to their rooms and locked securely in. Then the men,
+seven in number, were marshalled in line and informed that any attempt
+to give warning to German troops or the authorities would result in
+instant death. The order to march was given, and, in single file, Max
+and the farmer leading, with the remainder of the prisoners in the
+centre, the band moved across country towards the Dutch frontier.
+
+With the aid of the farmer, Max led the band to a point opposite
+Maastricht, where the frontier ran through a little wood. He hoped that
+here there would be no difficulty in getting unmolested through the
+barbed-wire fences everywhere erected along the frontier by the Germans.
+A road ran across the frontier close by the wood and a post had been
+established there by the enemy, but Max believed that, favoured by night
+and the darkness of the wood, there would be no difficulty in eluding
+observation.
+
+They entered the wood unobserved, and Max halted the band and went
+forward with Dale and one of the English soldiers to silence the sentry
+and cut the wire. The sentry was an oldish man, of the Landwehr, and
+entirely unsuspicious. He was seized by the throat from behind, his
+rifle snatched from his hand, and his arms and legs securely pinioned.
+Then his throat was released and his mouth securely gagged. It was all
+over in ten minutes, and, leaving the soldier and Dale at work upon the
+wire, Max went back to bring along the rest of the men.
+
+To his consternation he found them on the move, the last files
+disappearing from the wood in the direction of the German frontier post,
+two men only being left behind in charge of the prisoners. Running after
+them, Max caught up the rearmost men, and was told that they were about
+to attack the Germans and root them out. Much hurt and angered at this
+sudden reckless move, Max ran forward to the front of the column and
+accosted Corporal Shaw.
+
+"What is this, Corporal?" he cried. "It was to be my business to get you
+over the frontier. I don't agree with your attacking the Germans here."
+
+"That's all right, sir," replied Shaw, still pressing on. "We know what
+we're about. We've reconnoitred the place, and can clear out the whole
+lot without turning a hair. Come along, lad, and lend a hand."
+
+"No, Shaw, I'm not going to have this. I've breached the wire a few
+yards away yonder and put the sentry out of action. All we have to do is
+to walk through and we are safe. This mad attack right on the frontier
+will----"
+
+"No, no; our fellows will be disappointed if they don't get one more
+fling at the Germans!" cried Shaw, pressing on as though anxious to get
+away from Max's protests. "It'll all be over in----"
+
+At this moment the German sentry in front of the building which housed
+the frontier guard caught sight of dark shadows approaching. He
+challenged, and almost simultaneously brought his rifle up to his
+shoulder.
+
+There was a flash and a report, and one of the men just behind Max gave
+a gasp and staggered. He recovered himself, however, and with the rest
+of the band charged madly down upon the sentry and the guard, who were
+now rapidly tumbling out of the entrance of the building, rifle in hand.
+
+The fight that ensued was to Max the most desperate he had ever seen.
+The French and British soldiers, after all their discomforts and
+privations and the terrible sights they had witnessed, were burning with
+the desire to get to close quarters with the Germans and to try
+conclusions with them. Like a whirlwind they flung themselves upon the
+hated foe, and, scarcely firing a shot, stabbed and bayoneted with wild
+and desperate energy.
+
+The Germans who had poured outside the building were cut down in a
+remarkably short space of time, and, without a pause, the men dashed
+into the passage and up the stairs, every man striving to be the first
+to close with the enemy. Against such reckless valour as this the German
+Landwehr, although they outnumbered their assailants at least two to
+one, could do nothing, and it could not have been more than eight
+minutes from the first onrush before the last German had been cut down.
+
+"Set a light to it, boys," commanded Shaw, highly excited with the
+success of the combat. "Let's have a blaze to light our way across the
+frontier, and to tell the Germans we bid them farewell."
+
+"Now, boys, three good cheers for the Allies and down with the Germans!"
+
+The huzzas were heartily given as the fire promptly kindled within
+blazed up. Round the burning house the soldiers danced, flinging into
+the fire the arms and equipment of their foes. Across the frontier, only
+a few yards away, the soldiers of the Dutch guard had turned out, and
+they watched the strange scene with an interest that to one at least of
+the band of British and French was far from pleasing.
+
+"Fall in!" commanded Shaw, and the men obeyed. "Form fours--right! Now,
+boys, we've seen our last of Germany for a time, and are going to march
+into Holland. Soon we shall be back in the armies of the Allies, ready
+to take part in another march through Germany. Now, then, by the right,
+quick----"
+
+"One moment, Shaw," cried Max quickly. "You are making a big mistake if
+you think you can march thus into Holland and also be free to join the
+armies of the Allies."
+
+"Why so?" cried Corporal Shaw impatiently. "Why can't we? Who's to stop
+us?"
+
+"The Dutch soldiers will stop you quick enough," replied Max. "Do you
+think they will treat us as they do escaped prisoners or fugitives after
+a battle at their very frontier?"
+
+"Well, what will they treat us as?" cried Shaw sharply.
+
+"As belligerents, of course. We shall be disarmed and interned, and our
+fighting days will be over."
+
+"Yes, Shaw," interposed Peck. "The lad's right, and we have played the
+fool in lashing out at the Germans right agin the frontier. You're too
+headstrong, Shaw. The lad was running this show. Why didn't you leave
+him alone?"
+
+"Pooh! If we drop our tools, and march across, the Dutchmen will let us
+go," replied the discomfited Shaw apologetically. "Let's try it on
+anyway."
+
+"Nay, nay, Shaw," cried the Scot in a deep voice. "Ye've spoiled this
+business, and ye'd better let be. The lad has the best heid, and let him
+have his way over it. Come, lad, what say ye--what's oor next move?"
+
+It was certainly time for a move of some sort. On both flanks of the
+party desultory firing had commenced. The sentries posted along the
+frontier had doubtless been attracted by the sound of the fighting at
+their head-quarters and were straggling inwards, exchanging dropping
+shots with the men on the outskirts of the band. As their numbers
+increased, a regular battle would ensue, finally compelling the band to
+surrender, or to cross the frontier and be interned.
+
+Max had no mind to be interned, whatever Shaw felt on the subject. His
+great task of guarding the Durend workshops was still waiting for him to
+complete, and were he put out of action it was certain that no one else
+would carry it on. Shaw had made a great mistake, but it was possibly
+not irretrievable. At any rate, Max believed it could be set right by
+prompt and resolute action.
+
+"Come, then," he said firmly. "If you still wish to fight again for your
+country, follow me, and I will do my best to keep you from losing the
+chance. You must be silent and watchful and make the best speed
+possible. Exert yourselves to the utmost for three or four hours, and
+then I hope we may be safe again. Come--fall in in single file, with the
+prisoners in the centre, and follow me. Exchange no shots unless I give
+the word. If you are attacked, use the bayonet, and the bayonet only."
+
+There was a murmur of general assent and a quick bustle as the men fell
+in. Several were slightly wounded, but only two sufficiently so to need
+any assistance. Two men took their stand by each of these, and as Max
+led the way inland from the frontier, through the open country, these
+assisted them to keep up with the others.
+
+Max kept the German farmer close by his side. The man knew the country
+well, and Max gave him to understand that his comrades would be very
+glad indeed of an excuse to strafe him. The man certainly had no reason
+to disbelieve him. The wild, fierce looks of the men, the assured way in
+which they marched through an enemy's country, and the pitched battle,
+ending in the burning of a German post, just fought were enough to
+convince him that he had to deal with men who were nothing if not
+determined. At any rate, Max had no trouble with him, and found him a
+ready and reliable guide all through the night.
+
+For nearly two hours the band moved obliquely inland. Then Max turned
+and aimed once more at the frontier at a point at least ten miles away
+from the place where the previous attempt had been made.
+
+The German patrols were fewer here, and with only one mishap they
+reached the frontier. This mishap took place while the party was
+crossing a high road. Scouts had reported all clear, and all had crossed
+except the men at the rear, who were helping the wounded along. These
+were in the middle of the road, when a motorcar, moving at high speed,
+turned a corner a short distance away and ran rapidly down upon them.
+
+The powerful headlights of the motor of course revealed the little group
+of men in the roadway. Brakes were applied, and the machine came to a
+standstill a yard or two away.
+
+"Who are you? What do you here?" came in the deep peremptory tones of a
+man who was evidently a German officer.
+
+For the moment the party in the road, half-blinded by the powerful
+lights, stopped stupidly where they were. None of them understood what
+was said, and none made a move either to fly or to resist capture.
+
+Max, the instant he saw the headlights approaching, ran back to the
+roadway and was just in time to hear the officer's demand. It was too
+late for flight--too late for anything but attack--and, calling to the
+men nearest him, he sprang towards the car.
+
+Two revolvers flashed in the darkness. One of the bullets cut through
+the side of his jacket and grazed his side. The other missed altogether.
+In another moment he was alongside the car and using the rifle and
+bayonet he carried with hearty goodwill.
+
+The car contained four German officers and a soldier chauffeur. For a
+fraction of a second Max attacked them single-handed. Then other men
+sprang to his assistance, and from both sides of the car the Germans
+were assaulted with an energy they doubtless had never experienced
+before. It was quickly over. All the men were bayoneted, and left for
+dead, and, without waiting to do more than dash out the headlights and
+overturn the car in a ditch, Max again led the band forward to the
+frontier.
+
+Day was breaking as the band neared the frontier, at a point where it
+was crossed by a railway. In a little copse at the side of the track Max
+halted his men and allowed them a short rest while he went with Shaw to
+reconnoitre and determine the best means of making the actual crossing.
+They found, of course, the line well guarded, and with a strong post at
+the frontier to watch the gap necessarily left in the great barbed-wire
+fence. The post consisted of about thirty men of the Landwehr, and the
+band of British and French fugitives could have rushed and destroyed it
+with the greatest ease. But, should they do this, Max feared that they
+could not cross into Holland and retain their freedom. They would, he
+felt sure, be treated as soldiers and be interned for the duration of
+the war. None of them had any desire for that; all wished to be free to
+strike again at the foe.
+
+From the frontier back to a busy little station, two miles inland, Max
+and Shaw continued their search. Then they returned to the place where
+they had left the rest of the band in hiding.
+
+"Well, Max, what do you think of it?" asked Dale. "D'ye think we can get
+through anywhere about here without too much of a rumpus?"
+
+"I hope so. I've thought of something that seems to promise."
+
+"What is it, old man?"
+
+"Take forcible possession of yon station in the middle of the night and
+collar the first train that arrives _en route_ to the frontier. We ought
+then to be able to run her successfully through the Dutch frontier
+guards."
+
+"Phew!" cried Dale in amazement.
+
+Shaw gave a prolonged chuckle of intense delight. "Train-snatching--eh?"
+he cried at last. "That'll suit the boys, I give you my word."
+
+"It's not so easy as it sounds," responded Max soberly. "It needs
+careful planning, for it must be done like clockwork if we are not to
+make a mess of it."
+
+"Well, we can do that, I suppose?" replied Shaw confidently. "You found
+the clockwork all right in that raid on the railway? You plan it out and
+you'll find we shan't fail you."
+
+"No, I don't think you will, Shaw. Well, it must be done about an hour
+after nightfall, so we must lose no time. This is how I think it ought
+to be done," and Max unfolded the plan as it had so far framed itself in
+his mind.
+
+For an hour or two the three discussed the affair earnestly together.
+Then they broached the scheme to their waiting comrades. As they
+anticipated, it met with rapturous approval, and it was in a fever of
+impatience--for the hour of their deliverance or their defeat was close
+at hand--that the whole of the band awaited the closing in of night.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+Across the Frontier
+
+
+A train steamed slowly into Storbach station. The stationmaster and a
+host of officials crossed the platform and prepared to search and
+interrogate the passengers with that thoroughness and also with that
+lack of courtesy and consideration which seem peculiarly Prussian.
+
+The engine-driver and his fireman, momentarily released from toil,
+crossed to the near side of their engine, leaned over the rail, and
+prepared to enjoy the proceedings. The platform was well lighted, but
+beyond was a wall of darkness into which the eye could not penetrate
+more than a yard or two. Suddenly, out of this obscurity, three men
+appeared. Swiftly they crossed the platform, and, without a moment's
+hesitation, sprang upon the engine.
+
+"See this?" growled one of them--it was Peck--levelling his bayonet at
+the engine-driver who had shrunk back into the cab. "You do? Well, then,
+keep quiet or you'll feel it--sharp. We're desp'rit men, we are, and
+that's all about it."
+
+The engine-driver understood well enough, and the fireman, who had been
+similarly cornered by another of the trio, seemed to understand equally
+well that the first doubtful movement on his part would be his last.
+Full possession having thus been obtained, the three new-comers gave an
+eye to what was happening on the platform.
+
+Events there were sufficiently exciting. From all sides armed men of a
+particularly wild-looking variety had suddenly invaded the platform. One
+group had promptly seized the telegraph office and seen to it that no
+messages appealing for help should be sent along the wires in either
+direction. In fact they went a step further, and put the instrument out
+of action so thoroughly that all risk from this source was at an end for
+a long time to come.
+
+The main body as promptly attacked the guard of soldiers in charge of
+the station and overwhelmed them utterly at the first onrush. German
+Landsturm and Landwehr troops were as children in the hands of these
+veteran British and French soldiers, and complete victory was won at the
+cost of two men slightly wounded only. Then came the turn of the
+astonished officials, railway porters, and the few passengers waiting to
+enter the train. These surrendered with commendable promptitude, and,
+dumbfounded with amazement, were shepherded into one of the
+waiting-rooms and locked securely in.
+
+The passengers on the train were ordered out on to the platform, ushered
+into another waiting-room, and there similarly secured. All was now
+ready, and Max gave the signal for the men who had been stationed
+outside, guarding all exits, to close in and for the whole of the band
+to entrain.
+
+Running forward to the engine, Max sprang up and gave the signal to
+start.
+
+"Full speed ahead, Peck. Let her go."
+
+That worthy, by the aid of very expressive pantomime, assisted by a
+sentence or two in German from Max, quickly induced the engine-driver
+and fireman to perform their offices, and the train moved out from the
+platform to the tune of suppressed cheers from its delighted occupants.
+The two miles to the frontier were covered in a few minutes, and with a
+cheer, no longer suppressed but full of heart-felt gladness, the
+fugitives saw the last outpost of their enemies flash by. They were now
+in a friendly country and had only to play their cards with care and
+moderation to find themselves once more on the way to their native
+lands.
+
+Presently Max ordered the train to be brought to a standstill. They were
+now well into Holland and there were no line guards, and, at that hour,
+none to mark their doings. All rifles and bayonets were handed out and
+dropped into a muddy ditch. Then the journey was resumed until they
+reached a siding into which the train could be run.
+
+The driver and firemen were gagged, bound hand and foot, and left in
+charge of their empty train while their captors marched on foot across
+country _en route_ for Rotterdam. They were stopped and questioned many
+times, but on each occasion they were eventually allowed to proceed.
+
+At the great Dutch port Max and Dale took leave of their soldier
+friends. Max, now that he had brought the band to safety, wished to seek
+out his mother and sister, and Dale, of course, must go with him.
+
+On the deck of a ship bound for England the two friends said good-bye to
+Shaw and his stanch command, and when they trod the gangway back to the
+shore of Holland the cheer that went up brought all the Dutchmen and
+German spies about the dock hurrying to the scene. Huzza after huzza
+rent the air, and, when the ship drew away out into the stream on its
+way to the ocean, the strains of the Marseillaise and Rule Britannia
+could be heard high above the throb of engines and the clank and rattle
+of the busy port.
+
+"Fine fellows, those," remarked Dale with more than a suggestion of
+regret in his voice.
+
+"None better," replied Max emphatically. "And how well the men of the
+two races worked together. I think it must be an earnest of the way
+France and Britain will work together in the great alliance."
+
+"Aye. And what part are _we_ going to play, old man?" asked Dale
+eagerly. "'Pon my word I feel all on fire to get to work and strike a
+few good blows for England."
+
+"So we will, but we have earned a rest, so let us go to Maastricht and
+stay quietly with my mother and sister for a little while. Then we will
+go to England and offer ourselves for service in any capacity in which
+we can be of most use. Then 'hard all' right up the course."
+
+"Hurrah! I'm with you. Forward all! Paddle!"
+
+"But I should like a job that will give me a chance to give an eye
+occasionally to the Durend works," presently remarked Max meditatively.
+
+"There you go again," groaned Dale. "Those works of yours are the bane
+of my life. There's no getting away from them for a moment."
+
+"They're my special job, and Schenk is my special enemy," replied Max in
+the steady resolute tone Dale knew so well. "There is no one who can
+take my place there in thwarting the enemy's plans, and while I live I
+can never forget it."
+
+"I don't believe you can," agreed Dale comically, "so it's no use my
+trying. I suppose that will be the end of your fine talk about our
+offering our services to the British authorities?"
+
+"Not at all, old man. What about the Secret Service? With our knowledge
+of Belgium and its languages I should think they might find us
+employment that will be every whit as useful to the Allies as fighting
+in the ranks. And it will give me a chance, occasionally, to see what
+Schenk is up to, and, perhaps, to try another fall with him."
+
+"Well, _that_ doesn't sound so bad. Anyway it is good enough to think
+about a little more before we make up our minds. Now for Maastricht and
+that rest we've been chasing ever since we left Liege for the Ardennes.
+At last there seems a chance of our getting it."
+
+At Maastricht Max had a joyful reception. His mother had never lost hope
+of his safe return, but the suspense had been trying, and the news from
+Liege had not been of a kind to reassure her. However, here he was back
+again, safe and sound, and in that fact all fears and anxieties were
+forgotten. Dale shared in the welcome, and for a week or two the friends
+stayed happily at home. Then the leaven began to work again, and one day
+Dale found Max going carefully through the miscellaneous lot of papers
+which he had taken from his father's safe along with the money and
+securities on which his mother had since been living.
+
+"Business, eh?" he enquired jocularly.
+
+"Something of the sort," admitted Max. "Looking through those old papers
+we raided out of Schenk's clutches. Some of them are his and not my
+father's, and I can see why he was so anxious to get them back again.
+Why, here is correspondence--between the rascal and someone who, I
+expect, is an agent of the German Government--dating back years before
+the war, in which Schenk is instructed to prepare the Durend works for
+the eventuality of a German occupation of Liege. It's all here, even to
+the laying down of concrete gun-platforms, one of which the impudent
+beggar disguised as our tennis-court."
+
+"Good! Anything else?"
+
+"Nothing quite so good as that. Plans of the Durend mines and works and
+such-like. They may be useful some day."
+
+"When we get rid of Schenk, eh? That will be some time yet, so you need
+not bother your head about plans of the works. In fact, to put it
+mildly--I don't want to hurt your feelings--I expect the place will be
+so altered when you get it back that you won't recognize it, and those
+plans will be of mighty little use to you or anyone else."
+
+"Yes," replied Max thoughtfully. "You're referring to Schenk's threat
+that, if ever the Germans had to leave Liege, he would smash up the
+works so thoroughly that not one brick would be left upon another?"
+
+"Aye."
+
+"He's just the man to do it."
+
+"He is that. And the less reason for you to bother about the place. It's
+no use worrying; it can't be helped."
+
+"I'm not so sure. Anyway I'm going to do what I can to save the place.
+As for these papers of Schenk's, I'm going to hand them over to the
+British consul. They'll be useful, I don't doubt, as one more proof of
+Germany's deep-laid plans for war."
+
+Max did as he proposed, and the papers were accepted with alacrity and
+forwarded to the British Foreign Office. At the same time Max made
+application on his own and Dale's behalf for employment in Belgium as
+members of the British Secret Service. After a week or two's delay,
+during which time enquiries no doubt were being made into their
+credentials, an official arrived with the necessary documents, and after
+a long conversation, detailing exactly what was required of them, Max
+and Dale were accepted and enrolled.
+
+A few days later they had said good-bye to their home in quiet
+Maastricht and were away across the frontier, in the great whirlpool of
+the war once more.
+
+They resumed the disguises of Walloon workmen, which had already served
+them in such good stead, and applied for work in Liege and all the big
+towns of Belgium. For two years and more they worked steadily, in
+different workshops up and down the country, gathering news and
+transmitting it faithfully to the agents of the British Government. They
+were cool and reliable observers, and their information was found to be
+so uniformly accurate that it was relied upon more and more as the
+months went by.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+The Great Coup
+
+
+At the commencement of their work in the Secret Service, Max and Dale
+visited Liege, and, while collecting information there, thought out and
+put into operation a far-reaching plan that they hoped might checkmate
+Schenk's schemes for the destruction of the Durend works when the
+Germans should be forced to evacuate the city. It was a plan formulated
+after they had again got into touch with M. Dubec and the small band of
+men who still loyally refused to work in the interests of the invaders.
+M. Dubec had imparted to them the information--not unexpected--that
+Schenk had placed mines under all the workshops, and put everything in
+readiness for blowing them into the air whenever he should wish to do
+so.
+
+"I have it from one of the men who actually helped to dig and fill them,
+Monsieur. He was not allowed to help in the wiring, and he believes this
+was done secretly at night, by Germans whom Schenk knew he could trust."
+
+"So you know that the shops are mined, but do not know where the wires
+run?"
+
+"That is true, Monsieur."
+
+"Could you not find out?"
+
+"I do not think so, Monsieur. Since that last affair of ours there have
+been too many sentries in the yards, especially at night. It would be
+impossible to dig anywhere."
+
+"We ought to do something, Dubec."
+
+"Yes, Monsieur?"
+
+"But the job is to know what," Dale struck in. "We can't tunnel
+underground, I suppose, and get at them that way, so we must find out by
+spying where the wires are run to--eh, Max?"
+
+"Tunnel?" ejaculated Max. "That's an idea, Dale. Those old mines we were
+tracing in the plans the other day! Why not?"
+
+"Why not what?" asked Dale a little testily.
+
+"Why, you know we noticed that one of them ran right up to the outskirts
+of the city? Well, why shouldn't we continue it secretly, until we get
+beneath the yards, and then burrow upwards to the workshops? Then we can
+remove the mine-charges from below, and sit still and hold tight until
+the great day arrives."
+
+"Hurrah!" cried Dale enthusiastically. "The very thing. Phew! what a
+coup it will be!"
+
+"We shall, of course, have to get Dubec here and one or two others to
+arrange it for us. They must go to work in the Durend mines, and take it
+in turns to spend a night down there. Each man, as his turn comes, must
+go into the old workings, and continue the gallery fixed upon in the
+direction of the Durend works. Narrow seams of coal, not worth working,
+did run in that direction according to the plans, and they will have no
+difficulty in getting rid of the coal of course. The rock they hew out
+must be taken away and dumped in remote, abandoned workings, where it is
+not likely to be found or understood."
+
+"'Pon my word, it sounds like the real thing," cried Dale with fresh
+enthusiasm. "But it'll take a long time I should think, so we must make
+a start at once. What do you think, Dubec?"
+
+"Yes, Monsieur, it will take much time. But we will work hard, knowing
+that we are working for our country. It will make our hearts light again
+to feel that we are once more of use, and some who might give way will
+keep on and on, refusing to bend the knee to the German tyrants and to
+work their will."
+
+"Yes, it may well do that," said Max thoughtfully. "And if any object
+that they will be helping the Germans by sending coal up to the surface,
+tell them that I say that the other work they are doing far outweighs
+that. If we can secure the Durend works intact, ready to make shells and
+guns for the Allies when the Germans are driven out, we shall have
+struck a strong blow--aye, one of the strongest--for our side."
+
+"I will tell them, Monsieur, though I do not think it will be
+necessary."
+
+"Any money and tools that will be required I will supply. And I will
+occasionally come down into the mine and correct the direction in which
+you are driving the gallery. We must be exact, or all our work will be
+wasted."
+
+After a few days' more planning, and another consultation with Dubec,
+the details of the scheme were settled to everyone's satisfaction, and
+the work commenced. The direction of affairs on the spot was left to
+Dubec, and to him was also left the responsibility of deciding to what
+men the secret should be imparted. Then Max and Dale left the district
+and went on with their own special work, satisfied that the last and
+final stratagem for defeating Schenk was in good hands, and likely, in
+the course of time, to be brought to a successful issue.
+
+It is not here that we can describe the many adventures that befell Max
+and Dale while in the British Secret Service. They were numerous and
+exciting enough, but this tale deals primarily with the fortunes of the
+great Durend workshops and their influence in the war. A long, tedious
+period of trench fighting now began on the Western Front. There were no
+big territorial changes, although there were many attacks on a grand
+scale at Ypres, at Verdun, on the Somme, and in the plain of Flanders.
+But this period, tedious though it was, came to an end at last in the
+great German retreat. Then came for Max and Dale the crucial period of
+all their long and patient scheming to outwit their own special enemy,
+Otto von Schenkendorf, the manager of the Durend works.
+
+When the great retreat began, Max and Dale were at Liege, on the spot.
+At the gates of the works they watched the serried ranks of workmen and
+workwomen as they trudged out in response to the manager's orders that
+the works must be closed and that all workers of German nationality or
+sympathies must retire across the frontier. The anger and consternation
+in their faces were a treat to see, after the long years of their
+arrogance towards men and women of Belgian nationality. The war was
+virtually over--so said their faces--and many of them were doubtless
+dreading lest infamies, similar to those wreaked on the helpless
+Belgians, might be perpetrated in _their_ towns and villages.
+
+As the crowd thinned, Max and Dale caught sight of the manager,
+accompanied by a German officer, seated in a great grey motor just
+inside the gates, apparently waiting for the last workman to file out
+and away. The guard of soldiers was still there, standing stiffly to
+attention, and it seemed to Max that there was an air of tension about
+them all, as though something was about to happen. He could well guess
+what. Suddenly, in the distance, there came the sound of dropping
+rifle-shots.
+
+"They've cut it pretty fine, if those shots mean the advance guard of
+the Allies," remarked Max in a voice tense with excitement. "The works
+are clear of the workmen; now for the last great act. Then the curtain!"
+
+Herr Schenk--as we shall continue to call him--stood up in his car and
+shouted to the officer of the guard:
+
+"You have your instructions, Lieutenant. Act upon them now without
+delay."
+
+The officer saluted, turned about with military precision, and strode
+into the guard-room.
+
+Herr Schenk resumed his seat, nodded to the chauffeur, and the car moved
+slowly through the gates into the road. Max thought he was about to
+leave the works for good and all, but the car stopped at the side of the
+road a hundred yards or so from the gates, and all in her stood up and
+gazed back in the direction of the works. In the distance, but nearer
+now, could be heard a brisk fusillade of rifle-shots, with now and again
+the brief chatter of a machine-gun.
+
+"Strong cavalry patrols approaching," commented Max. "They are driving
+in scattered bodies of stragglers or outposts, I should say. Look now at
+Schenk! He is waiting for the works to go up sky-high."
+
+The moments passed, and nothing happened. A minute, two minutes, three
+minutes. Still there was no change, and the tense attitude of the men
+waiting in the car relaxed, and they began talking together in low
+tones. Suddenly the figure of the officer of the guard appeared at the
+gates, gesticulating excitedly.
+
+Schenk gave a quick order to the chauffeur. The car was turned and moved
+quickly back to the gates, and there stopped. The officer of the guard
+ran to it, leaned over the side, and explained volubly. Max and Dale,
+from where they stood, could hear nothing of what was said, but they
+knew, almost as well as if they had heard, that the officer was
+explaining that he had tried to fire the mines, but somehow without
+success.
+
+With a gesture of rage or impatience Schenk sprang out of the car, and,
+followed by both officers, ran quickly to the guard-room and disappeared
+from view.
+
+The dropping shots had approached quite near, and Max believed that the
+skirmishers could not be more than half a mile away, and were advancing
+with a speed that indicated that they consisted either of cavalry or
+armed motors.
+
+"I'd give something to see their faces now--wouldn't you, Max?" queried
+Dale, who could hardly contain himself in his delight.
+
+Max was busy scribbling on a sheet of paper torn from his notebook, and
+did not for a moment reply. When he had finished, he folded it up
+carefully and addressed it on the outside. "Let us walk past the gates,
+Dale, as though just passing. I am going to administer the _coup de
+grace_ to our friend Schenk."
+
+They crossed the road and slouched along past the gates. As they passed
+the great grey motorcar, Max lightly dropped the note he was carrying on
+to the seat which Schenk had just been occupying. The chauffeur was
+looking eagerly in the direction of the guard-room, and did not observe
+the act or the missive. They slouched on until they turned a corner, and
+then Max cried eagerly:
+
+"Now back again and in that garden among the bushes. We shall see it
+all, and see Schenk's face when he reads my note."
+
+"What did you say, old man?"
+
+"Let us get out of sight there, and I will tell you."
+
+In a few moments the two friends were snugly ensconced in a clump of
+bushes in a garden very near the entrance to the works. The grey car was
+still occupied only by the chauffeur, but they could tell, by his
+listening attitude and the expectant looks of the guards, that an
+altercation of some sort was going on inside the guard-room.
+
+"This is what I said, old man," Max went on in a voice which betrayed
+his excitement:--
+
+     "TO HERR VON SCHENKENDORF, _alias_ OTTO SCHENK,
+
+     "I observe that you have at last accepted your dismissal from your
+     post as manager of the Durend works. You are going--hated and
+     despised--back to the land which gave you birth. And at last, in
+     this moment, you must know yourself defeated by those at whom you
+     scoffed as boys. The works you swore to destroy still stand intact,
+     and will, in a short time, be throwing all their weight and power
+     into the cause of the Allies. Adieu.
+
+    "MAX DUREND,
+    "JACK DALE."
+
+"Good, old man! That'll make the beggar sit up if anything will. Hark!
+cavalry. Ours or theirs, I wonder?"
+
+In a measure they were answered by a sudden move of the soldiers
+guarding the gates. The lieutenant had shouted an order, and they fell
+into marching order and strode swiftly away in the direction of the
+frontier. The officer remained where he was, and was almost immediately
+joined by Herr Schenk and the other officer. All three walked quickly to
+the motor and got in.
+
+The manager, as he did so, picked up a letter lying on his seat and
+glanced at the writing. He gave a start that was visible even to the
+watchers at the other side of the road, then plucked it open with
+nervous, jerky movements. He glanced quickly through it and sprang
+uncontrollably to his feet, his face aflame with passion.
+
+The officer at his side shouted to him in alarm and endeavoured to pull
+him back into his seat.
+
+Suddenly there was a loud clatter of horses' hoofs at the end of the
+street, and a body of Belgian cavalry debouched into view. The chauffeur
+of the grey car instantly started and turned his machine, and it moved
+away with ever-increasing speed, Schenk still standing and gesticulating
+wildly, with Max's letter clenched in his right hand, and the officer
+endeavouring ineffectually to drag him back into his seat. As the car
+passed the two watchers, they could not repress their exultation, but
+jumped to their feet and gave a loud, full-throated British cheer.
+
+[Illustration: THE TWO WATCHERS GAVE A LOUD, FULL-THROATED BRITISH
+CHEER]
+
+The officer whose hands were free drew his revolver and fired viciously
+at them. The shots went wide, and in a moment or two the car had turned
+a corner and vanished out of sight.
+
+A squadron of Belgian cavalry clattered by, and Max shouted to the
+officer in command that a car containing German officers had just driven
+off and that a detachment of infantry was only a matter of a few minutes
+ahead. The officer nodded and pressed on, while Max and Dale cheered the
+men as they rode eagerly by.
+
+"I think we have seen the last we shall see of Schenk, Dale," Max
+remarked as they crossed the road and entered the Durend yards.
+
+"Yes, and I don't suppose you, or anyone else in Belgium, will be
+sorry."
+
+"No; least of all our Walloon workmen. They hated him to a man for his
+overbearing, tyrannical ways. We are all well rid of him."
+
+The works seemed strangely deserted. The doors of the workshops stood
+wide open, but inside all was still. The great lathes were just as they
+had been left, some with shells half turned, indicating the haste with
+which the attendants had obeyed the call to go. Other hands would
+doubtless finish the turning, and the shells would be fired at the
+Germans and not against the armies of the Allies.
+
+"I suppose Schenk will have taken all the firm's cash?" suggested Dale
+presently.
+
+"Yes, of course. But that will be more than covered by the additions he
+has made to the buildings and plant since the Germans came. I should
+think the concern is worth twice as much as when he took it in hand for
+the Fatherland."
+
+"That's great! No wonder he nearly went out of his mind when he found he
+must leave it all intact and in first-rate working order for you to
+enter into. If he lives until he is as old as Methuselah he will never
+forget it."
+
+"I don't think his German friends will let him forget it. They will find
+it hard to forgive a bungle that leaves a first-class munition factory
+absolutely undamaged in the hands of their enemies. I don't envy Schenk
+his job of persuading them that he couldn't help it."
+
+"Not after the other explanations he has had to make on our
+account--those siege-gun drawings, the wrecking of the power-house,
+workshops, etcetera."
+
+"No, he is a back number now, and he will be lucky if it is no worse."
+
+(Long afterwards they learned that the exasperation of the Germans at
+Herr Schenk's failure to destroy his workshops before the evacuation,
+was so great that he was tried by court-martial, and, notwithstanding
+his considerable influence, promptly shot.)
+
+A burst of cheering from the town in the direction of the market-place
+drew the attention of the two young fellows away from the works to the
+events that were taking place in the town. They left the works, closing
+the great gates after them, and joined the townspeople in their great
+welcome to the soldiers of Belgium and the Allies as they passed through
+in triumph in pursuit of their enemies. It was all very exhilarating,
+and even the discovery that Max's house had been burned to the ground
+was insufficient to damp their patriotic ardour, for they had expected
+no less. It had not been possible to arrange to save this, and, as Max
+said, so long as the works were saved it mattered little about the
+house. Another could soon be found, or built for that matter. But the
+works--to get those into full swing in quick time was the equivalent of
+a victory for the Allies.
+
+And in almost full swing they were in a couple of days. All that day and
+the next the loyal workmen dribbled back--some from the town, some from
+remote villages, and many from across the Dutch border. With hearty
+goodwill they threw themselves into their work, and soon the roar of the
+lathes and engines announced that the Durend works were themselves once
+more.
+
+The tale of how Max Durend had fought the long battle of the works, of
+how vigilantly he had watched over them, and of how, at last, he had won
+the greatest fight of all in saving them from destruction, passed from
+mouth to mouth among the workmen. If anything had been needed to cement
+the strong bond between them and their employer, this would have
+supplied it. But their relations were already of the best, and this
+great story served but to set a seal upon it and to render the link
+between the two unbreakable.
+
+And from strength to strength the great workshops went on. Ever in the
+van of progress--for Max had learned his work from the bottom upwards
+and was ever ready to learn more--secure in the possession of skilled
+workmen filled with zeal and goodwill, well-directed, and trusted far
+and wide, the Durend works expanded until they were twice the size of
+any similar concern in Belgium.
+
+Jack Dale stuck to Max to the end. He followed his friend's example and
+went through all the shops, learning the work thoroughly, and later on
+became the manager of an important branch of the firm. Eventually he
+married Max's sister, and drew closer yet the ties which held him to his
+friend.
+
+Max became, in the fulness of time, something of a figure in Belgium,
+and did much to aid its recovery from the ravages of the enemy. He never
+forgot his English blood, and was a foremost supporter of all movements
+which might draw the two countries closer to one another in friendship
+and esteem.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Two Daring Young Patriots, by W. P.  Shervill
+
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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #26645 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26645)