The Boy Allies in the Trenches | Page 8

Germans."
"Well," said Hal, with a faint smile, "it seems that the enemy did wrong to believe they had any of us safely."
"It does, indeed," the captain smiled back; "but come, tell me how you escaped. I have asked Chester, but he has been so worried about you that he has failed to do so."
"We haven't time now," replied Hal. "We are on a reconnaissance, and must proceed immediately."
"It will be unnecessary," replied Anderson dryly. "I have just come from that way and am in a position to tell you, or General French, either, for that matter, all you desire to know."
"Are you sure?" asked Hal.
"Positive," replied the captain briefly.
"In that event," said Hal, "we may as well return, for we shall be wasting time and possibly sacrificing men, to linger here longer."
He turned to his men. "Mount!" he ordered.
The troop sprang to the saddle. Ordering them to face about, the lad commanded:
"Forward!"
The troop set off at a quick trot, Captain Anderson on a spare horse riding between Hal and Chester at their head.
"Now," said the captain, "you can tell me about yourselves as we ride along."
The two lads did so, and when he learned that the lads had seen active service in the eastern theater of war, the captain was greatly surprised.
"And still I shouldn't be surprised at anything you do or may do," he said. "You see I know you well."
"Come now, captain," said Chester, "tell us something of your own experiences."
"Well," said Anderson, "I have had about as strenuous a time as you can imagine, and I have been at the threshold of death more than once."
"Let's hear about it!" exclaimed Hal.
"You remember, of course," began the captain, "how we were captured, and how badly I was wounded? You remember, also, that we were separated in the German camp?"
The lads signified that they did, and the captain continued:
"All right, then. It seems that my wounds were more serious than was at first supposed. A fever set in, and my German physician told me that I was a dead man. I laughed at him. I told him I had too much work to do to die yet awhile. He wanted to know what that work was and I told him it was killing Germans. This made him angry, and--"
"I don't wonder," said Hal dryly.
"It's a wonder he didn't administer a dose of poison right then," said Chester.
"Yes," continued the captain, "it made him mad, and he informed me that I might as well die, because if I didn't I would be shot anyhow."
"Shot!" ejaculated Chester. "What for?"
"That's what I asked him. He replied that I had been declared a spy, and that I was to be put to death as soon as I was well enough to face a firing squad. He said they didn't want to do it while I was so ill."
"Very considerate of them," commented Hal.
"Just what I told the surgeon. Well, naturally, with this sentence hanging over my head I didn't get well any quicker than I had to. Every day I could feel myself getting better, but I pretended to get worse. I contracted all the ailments you ever heard of, and I was a sore puzzle to the surgeon. He had several others look me over, but they couldn't agree on what was the matter with me, although they did agree I was a very sick man and had only a few days to linger on this earth. Yet all this time, mind you, I was shamming and getting better every day."
"You must be a pretty good actor," said Chester.
"Well, I'm not so bad," replied Captain Anderson modestly. "But to continue. I finally became afflicted with St. Vitus' dance, and later with a queer ailment that wouldn't allow me to keep still. I'd hop out of bed and wander about, with the surgeons or nurses on my heels, and then I'd fall down in a fit. This continued for several days, and finally they became tired of following me about, figuring, I suppose, that a man in my condition couldn't go very far, anyhow."
"This was what I had been waiting for, but I didn't put the plan I had decided upon into execution at once. I waited for a good chance. At last, it came. The surgeon was a young chap and smooth shaven, which was lucky for me. Also he was about my build, and there was some slight resemblance between us. This day he was with me alone. Not a soul was present save us two. As he turned his back to look into his medicine case, I struck him heavily in the back of the neck.
"He toppled over without a sound. Quickly I exchanged clothes with him and put his body in my bed, after which I picked up his