The Belgians to the Front | Page 5

engineers, one of the strongest fortified towns
in Europe.
These forts were not immediately in the town; they were about five
miles, on an average, from the old citadel, long since disused as a place
for actual fighting. The connections between the various forts, intended,

as both boys knew, for the greater facility of their defence by means of
troops fighting more or less independently, were carefully traced on
another map, in which the contour of the land and the natural shelter
were shown. And on this map, at certain spots, there were strange
marks--well beyond the perimeter of the forts themselves, that is,
outside the line that might be drawn around Liege and passing through
each of the forts.
"Look at those crosses," said Paul. "What do you suppose they mean,
Arthur?"
"I don't know," said Arthur, frowning. "But we can find out, you
know."
"You mean by going to one or two of these places? They're some
distance off."
"But we ought to find out--don't you think so?"
"Yes, you're right, of course. We can find them easily enough."
"Yes. All we've got to do is to take the map along with us. Then when
we get near we can make sure by looking at it."
"We could do that, but I think we won't, Arthur. Suppose we ran into
the man it belongs to again? We might not get away from him another
time, and I think it would be just as well to leave these maps here. We
can hide them, and then write a note and leave it where it will be found
in the morning, telling them where we hid the maps."
"What's the use of hiding them if we tell some one where they are,
Paul?"
"Can't you see? Suppose something happens to us, so that we can't get
back? We'd want the maps to be found and taken to the commander of
the forts, wouldn't we?"
"Of course. I didn't think of that, that's all. But if we come back we can

get the note back before anyone sees it. Is that what you mean, Paul?"
"Yes. Now study that map very carefully. I think we can remember
where the cross marks are, all right."
"I can remember this one," said Arthur. "It's exactly on the spot where
that new house was built last summer, near the Ourthe. Don't you
remember? We stopped and got some milk there, and we wondered
how a farmer could build such a solid looking house when he didn't
seem to have much money or much of anything else. A stupid fellow,
he was. He scarcely knew enough to give us the milk we wanted."
"Yes, I remember now," said Paul, looking at the map again. He was
thinking hard, trying to fathom the connection between what they both
remembered of that house and the strange, significant cross on the map.
There was a connection; the cross did have some significance. Of so
much he was sure. But for the life of him that was all he could guess. It
was a perplexing problem.
"Come on," he said, at last, impatiently. "I may be very stupid, but I
don't understand. The only way we'll find out will be by going there."
"All right," agreed Arthur, grinning. "I'm wiser than you for once, Paul.
I haven't even tried to find out. I know I can't guess, so I'm not wasting
time trying to. I think we'll be lucky if we find out when we do get
there."
"So do I, come to think of it," said Paul. Somehow he felt better; before
he had been inclined to blame himself for being stupid. "After all, you
know, Arthur, even if they didn't expect anyone like us to get hold of
these maps and sketches, that doesn't mean that they would make
everything on them so plain that you could guess it at first sight. That
sort of mark is awfully easy to understand when you have the key, but
it's as bad as a cipher if you haven't."
It was quite dark, of course, when they finally set out. Though it was
Saturday night few people were about, and the locality was a lonely one.
Then, too, all of those who could had gone into the town. It was there

that news of what was going on in the great world outside would first
be had; it was there that the country people could count upon getting
the first hint of the intelligence that was to have so frightful a meaning
for them.
The course the two scouts took carried them along the bank of the
placid Ourthe, flowing peacefully, calmly along toward its confluence
with the more important stream of the Meuse at Liege. Behind them
one strange thing proved that