Boy Allies in the Balkan Campaign; Or, the Struggle to Save a Nation Page 5

  CHAPTER V.

  A SHOT FROM AMBUSH.

  Up, up and still up the road that Colonel Edwards, Hal and Stubbs hadselected continued, winding first to the right and then to the leftuntil all three had practically lost all sense of direction. Halmentioned this.

  "Don't know just where we are," he said.

  "No," agreed Colonel Edwards. "However, it doesn't make much difference.We'll be around here for several days. Chances are the sun will come outbefore we get ready to leave and then we can get our bearings."

  "Maybe there won't be any sun," said Stubbs.

  "There you go again," said Hal. "Of course there'll be a sun. What's theuse of hunting trouble?"

  "I'm not hunting trouble," Stubbs disclaimed. "I just said maybe therewon't be any sun."

  Hal threw up both hands in a gesture of dismay.

  "You're beyond hope," he declared.

  After what seemed like hours of climbing, though in reality it was notmore than two at the most, the three reached what apparently was the topof the mountain, and the road stretched out level ahead of them, heavilyshaded on both sides with trees.

  "Nice place for a fellow to hide and shoot a man," said Stubbs almostcheerfully.

  Hal just looked at the little man but said nothing. Edwards grinned.

  "Real cheerful little fellow, aren't you?" he said dryly.

  Stubbs grinned back at him.

  "I just said--" he began.

  "We heard you," interrupted Hal.

  The three trudged along silently for a few moments. Then, coming to aplace where the trees crowded the road even closer and the branches hunglow across their path, Stubbs again broke the silence.

  "An assassin--" he began.

  The interruption this time came from another source.

  The little man's hat suddenly leaped from his head. There was the lowwhine of a bullet and a rifle cracked from the woods on the left.

  Stubbs threw himself to the ground almost before his hat settled near himand he gave a loud cry.

  "Help!"

  Startled though they were by the unexpectedness of the attack, ColonelEdwards and Hal acted promptly. A revolver flashed in the hand of eachand both fired into the woods toward the point from which the shot hadcome. Then they leaped for shelter among the trees that lined the road onthe right. Stubbs, for the moment forgotten, still lay in the road andseemed to be attempting to bury his head in the dirt.

  Hal, now sheltered by trees, perceived the little man's plight.

  "Can't leave him there," he called to Edwards. "Cover me if you can."

  Edwards nodded and held his revolver ready.

  Hal dashed quickly from his shelter, grasped Stubbs by the right arm,jerked him violently to his feet and turned his face toward the woods onthe right.

  Stubbs seemed too frightened to realize in what direction lay safety, andbreaking from Hal's hold, whirled about and dashed across the road,almost directly toward the spot from whence had come the shot a fewmoments before.

  Hal gave a cry of dismay and dashed after him. But even as he wouldhave given chase, there came a second rifle shot from the trees andHal felt the breeze as a bullet sped by his ear. At the same momentEdwards yelled:

  "Come back!"

  Hal wasted no time in thought. He obeyed Edwards' command and dashed backto shelter with all speed.

  "Whew!" he muttered. "That was pretty close."

  "Rather," agreed Edwards dryly. "Where did the little man get to?"

  "Oh, he's over there with our unseen enemy some place. He got away fromme."

  "I saw him," said Edwards grimly. "He's likely to have a warm time on theother side of the road."

  Hal grinned in spite of himself, as he replied:

  "He is that. I suppose we should do something to help him, but I am frankto say I don't know just what."

  "We'll have to figure some way to get rid of that fellow," said Edwards."He's dangerous. Apparently there is only one."

  "Tell you what," said Hal, "you stick here. I'll sneak through the treeshere for a quarter of a mile, cross the road and double back. If I can goquietly enough perhaps I can catch him off his guard."

  Edwards considered this plan.

  "Might be done," he said finally. "I don't think of anything else. Offwith you then."

  Hal walked still deeper into the woods and then turned to his left.Keeping himself well screened from the road he made his way carefully andsilently along. At last, when he felt sure that he could no longer beseen by their unexpected foe, he approached the road again.

  The lad poked his head out cautiously and, after a quick glance back tomake sure there was no one in sight, crossed the road at a bound, almostexpecting as he did so to hear a bullet whiz near.

  No bullet came.

  Once safe on the other side, the lad turned again to his left and doubledback. He went more cautiously now, making sure of each footstep that hemight not warn the unseen foe of his approach.

  In the woods there was the silence of death.

  Hal, moving slowly forward, now felt that he must have reached the pointfrom which the two shots had been fired and stopped and listenedintently. Once he thought he heard the sound of a snapping twig andbecame perfectly quiet, waiting for the sound to be repeated; but it didnot come again.

  "Guess I must have been mistaken," the lad told himself, as he movedforward again.

  Five minutes later Hal stopped suddenly in his tracks. He had heard asound close at hand and knew he was not mistaken this time. A twig hadsnapped perhaps twenty yards to his right and as far ahead.

  Hal grasped his automatic more firmly.

  "Hope I get the first shot," he muttered.

  Suddenly he caught sight of a form as it flitted from one tree toanother. Quickly the lad raised his revolver and fired.

  There was no outcry, and looking again, the lad saw no one.

  "Missed him," he muttered. "Well, I've betrayed myself! Now I'll have tobe more careful."

  He lay down upon the ground behind the tree where he had taken shelterand waited patiently. Ten minutes later he thought he saw an object movebehind a tree a scant fifteen yards away.

  Again the lad fired.

  This shot was followed by a startled cry as a figure leaped to its feetand started off through the woods at full speed.

  Hal sprang to his feet.

  "Halt!" he cried.

  The figure seemed to run faster than before.

  Hal paused and leveled his revolver in deliberate aim. His fingertightened on the trigger--then, suddenly he let his arm fall.

  "Stubbs!" he cried in amazement.

  The running figure was indeed the little war correspondent.

  "By Jove!" muttered Hal. "Another moment and I would have shot him." Heraised his voice in a shout: "Hey, Stubbs!"

  But the little man ran on, unheeding.

  "He'll run right smack into that other fellow if he doesn't watch out,"Hal told himself. "Well, I suppose I'll have to stop him."

  Still holding his revolver in his right hand, he also broke into a runand made after the fleeing Stubbs.

  Several times he called, but Stubbs paid no heed. Then Hal grew angry.

  "I'll get you if I have to chase you right back to the door of the _NewYork Gazette_" he muttered to himself.

  He gained at every stride and was rapidly overtaking the warcorrespondent, although Stubbs, with head lowered, looking neither to theright nor to the left, his arms working like pistons, ran blindly on.

  Suddenly Hal stopped almost in his tracks and his heart leaped intohis throat.

  From behind a tree directly in Stubbs' path, stepped a short squatfigure, with great long arms dangling at its side. A revolver wasclasped in the right hand and the weapon was slowly raised until itcovered Stubbs.

  Hal gave a loud cry of warning, raised his own revolver and fired. Buteven as his finger tightened on the trigger he knew he had missed. Stubbswas so close to the other figure that the lad had been afraid of hittinghim. Con
sequently the bullet went wild.

  But though it missed its mark, Hal's bullet undoubtedly saved Stubbs'life, for it attracted the attention of the enemy for a brief moment; andin that moment, Anthony Stubbs, still unaware of the danger thatconfronted him, dashed head first into his would-be slayer.

  So great was the force of the impact that both were hurled to the ground.With rare presence of mind, Stubbs, recovering his breath before hisunexpected opponent realized what had happened, reached out and procuredthe other's revolver and hurled it aside.

  Then he attempted to get to his feet, but at this point the other cameback to life and seized him by the legs.

  "Hey! Leggo my legs!" shouted Stubbs.

  The other held him tightly.

  "Let me up!" cried Stubbs again.

  Still the other clung fast, while Stubbs raised a cry for help.

  At this juncture Hal reached the combatants. He was about to lend a hand,when he saw that Stubbs' opponent was unarmed, and drew back.

  Stubbs did not see him, and apparently believing that he was to get nohelp, he turned to give battle. He kicked out with his left foot and thefoot came free. He followed suit with the right foot and felt it strikesomething soft. At the same moment there came a cry of pain from Stubbs'opponent and the grasp upon his other leg relaxed.

  Quickly the little man leaped to his feet and darted toward the spotwhere he had thrown the revolver. He snatched it up and leveled it at hisadversary.

  "Hands up there!" he called.

  There came a choking cry from the queer figure and the long arms wereraised high in the air.

  "Good for you, Stubbs!" cried Hal at this juncture.

  Stubbs gazed about sharply.

  "About time you were getting here," he said. "I had a terrible fight withthis fellow."