The Belgians to the Front | Page 6

came. Of one thing they were sure. All Belgium would rise to repel the invader, no matter what the pretext for the invasion might be.
"Here we are," said Arthur, suddenly. "That's the house, Paul."
"It looks quite dark, Arthur. But let's go along toward it. Not by the road--we'll cut through this field here."
This they proceeded to do. But suddenly, as they neared the house, the ground seemed to give way beneath Paul. He suppressed a cry, and the next moment he was vigorously turning back the treacherous ground with his foot. Arthur turned on his light. And there, beneath the soft loam, they saw a plate of shining steel.
CHAPTER III
THE HOUSE OF MYSTERY
Utterly bewildered, they stared down at the steel.
"Put out your light!" said Paul, suddenly. His voice was tense. "Keep still a moment! See if you can hear anyone moving around near us."
They were absolutely still for a full minute, but there were only the familiar sounds of the night.
"All right," said Paul. "Now you watch and listen while I dig down here and see what this is about."
"Why can't I dig, too?"
"Because it's better for you to watch. Besides, I want to dig so that I can put the earth back in a hurry, and fix this place so that it won't look as if it had been disturbed."
Then he fell to, working silently and quickly, like a mole, digging with his hands until his nails were torn and his fingers were raw and bleeding. But Paul did not mind that. He had already made a guess, and a shrewd one, as to the meaning of this strange discovery that they had made. It was not long before he found that the steel plate extended for only a short distance. Around this, and spreading beneath it, was a bed of cement. As soon as he had satisfied himself of that, using Arthur's flashlight, Paul stopped digging, and began carefully to replace the earth. Then, calling on Arthur to help him, he trampled down the earth.
"There!" he said. "I don't believe anyone would know we had been here, unless they were suspicious already."
"But what is it?" asked Arthur. "Paul, tell me!"
"I'm going to, Arthur. Don't worry. But come away from here. We don't want to be caught around here--and, besides, there's still a good deal for us to do."
Swiftly they made their way to the road, away from the cottage and the field where they had made their discovery.
"Now!" said Arthur, after a little distance had been covered, stopping short. "I won't go a step further until you tell me what that place is meant for!"
"It's meant for a big gun--that's what it's meant for!" said Paul, vehemently. "Can't you see? A siege gun can't be fired from a carriage, or even from ordinary ground. The recoil would bury it in the earth if they tried that. There's got to be a regular emplacement for it--a firm base of concrete and steel, so that it will withstand the shock of firing!"
"You mean they'd mount a gun here?"
"I mean just that! It takes days, almost weeks, to do that. They have to pour the concrete and let it stand until it's set. But here they've got everything ready! They can bring up their guns, place them, and begin firing, all in less than twenty-four hours! They must have been preparing for this for months--perhaps for years!"
"The cowards! We've never done anything to them!"
"No, they're not cowards," said Paul, thoughtfully. "I suppose they think they're right, and that as long as that is so, they are justified in using any means at all to win. But I think we can put a spoke in their wheel, just the same."
"I don't see how, Paul. There aren't enough soldiers in Liege to watch every spot where there's a cross marked on these maps."
"No, but that's not the only way, Arthur."
"It's the only way to stop them from bringing up their siege gun, isn't it? I know what the plan is in case of an attack. It is for the forts to hold off the Germans until there's time for the French army to come up and relieve them. And they're not supposed to be able to stand the fire of heavy guns. The plan was made for use against an army that wouldn't have time to bring up its siege artillery."
"Yes, that's true enough. But, just the same, I think we can help. I'm so sure of it that I'm going to take these plans into Liege to-night and try to get them to General Leman."
"I'm with you, Paul! Are we to go now?"
"Not quite yet. I'm interested in this house, too. I want to find out whatever we can about it before we go in. Don't you see what our finding that