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Read Ebook: The Airship Boys in the Great War; or The Rescue of Bob Russell by Cass De Lysle F Kennedy H O Harry Otis Illustrator
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Ebook has 864 lines and 47379 words, and 18 pages
I WHAT THE NEWSPAPER TOLD 9
V BUCK STEWART--AND A WARNING 46
VI ESCAPING FROM DEADLY SHADOWS 54
X AN ADVENTURE IN THE ARDENNES 86
XX A FIGHT WITH WILD COSSACKS IN POLAND 157
XXX THE MOST TERRIBLE ACCIDENT OF ALL 236
The Airship Boys in the Great War
"Great Guns!" exclaimed Alan Hope, bending down over the newspaper which he had spread out upon the table in front of him.
Ned Napier, who was deep in a pile of blue prints on his desk, glanced over at his chum.
"Who! How's that? Where is it?" cried Ned, swinging around in his swivel chair so as to face the other boy. Seeing that Alan was still staring as if bewildered at the paper, he arose and hurried over to the table. Leaning down over Alan's shoulder, he at first could only see flaring headlines of three and four-inch black-faced type.
As Ned's eye roved down the outspread sheet, however, it finally was caught by a smaller sub-head, sandwiched in between reports on the latest scandal on the Subway Investigation and alleged atrocities in Belgium. He gave a gasp of mingled astonishment and consternation as he read the following:
"AMERICAN WAR CORRESPONDENT IN PRISON
"Will Be Tried as a Spy!
"Associated Press Syndicate, Muhlbruck, via Brussels, November 13, .--Robert Russell, said to be an American newspaper man, has been arrested here and put under guard, pending trial as a spy by Gen. Haberkampf, commanding the division of the West Battalion. The Germans are taking every precaution to safeguard the secrecy of their maneuvers, and this arrest is said to be only one of their determined efforts to discourage the presence of alien war correspondents. Russell is in grave danger of being shot unless he can satisfactorily explain certain papers found upon his person at the time of his arrest."
The Airship Boys and their adventures have been written up in newspapers and books and Bob Russell was no small factor in the success of his friends.
Bob Russell! As tried and true a comrade as ever a boy had--always cheerful, full of expedients, and "game" to the core. They could hardly realize that it was he who was now threatened by such frightful death, without a single friend near to aid him.
"Poor Bob!" exclaimed Alan, and was not at all ashamed of the unaccustomed lump that crowded further speech from his throat. "Poor Bob!" he repeated.
Ned had dropped his face into his hands and with closed eyes mentally pictured the crowded, ill-smelling prison where Bob sat unshaven and forlorn, surrounded by other wounded and miserable beings who felt no sympathy for him nor even spoke his language--who only shrank with wide, scared eyes from the suspicious glare of the armed Germans on guard. Maybe Bob was thinking of him too just then, wondering what the Airship Boys were doing, picturing them skimming luxuriously out over the sun-kissed ocean in careless forgetfulness of him, their devoted comrade of past days.
Alan interrupted Ned's mournful imaginings again.
"Just think," he cried, "of all the terrible barbarities which the newspapers say that the Germans have inflicted upon their captives. Think, they may perpetrate some similar awful atrocity upon poor old Bob!"
Ned shook his head impatiently.
"No, I don't believe they would do anything like that," said he. "Two-thirds of these torture and massacre stories we read about are hysterical exaggerations, prompted either by their enemies or newspaper writers with a lively imagination. The Germans are a kindly, civilized people, just as the English or French, and certainly more so than the Russians. If they shoot Bob it will be because they honestly believe him to be a spy."
"But they mustn't shoot him! It must be stopped some way!"
"Yes, but how? If all of the influence that Uncle Sam can exert won't protect him, what can?"
"I admit that we can get there soon enough," answered Ned, "but what about the third man whom we'll need to help us manage the airship?"
Alan's intense enthusiasm began to communicate itself to the slower-thinking, more practical Ned, but he was not ready to act without mature consideration of all the difficulties involved which might make a failure of their attempt.
"I don't want you to think me lukewarm about doing anything in our power to save Bob," said he, "but we've got to look carefully at all sides of this thing. Don't you realize that the United States government wouldn't sanction any high-handed breaking of neutrality laws that might drag it into the war, just because an American citizen was held captive?"
"Hip, hip, hurrah!" shouted Alan, and grabbing Ned's out-stretched hands they did a truly boyish war-dance around the sober, stately offices of the Universal Transportation Company, of which they were the heads.
"The Airship Boys! Send them right in," said he to the young woman who had announced them from the outer office. Then the great newspaper man turned with an apologetic smile to the gentleman who still stood, hat in hand, beside his desk, as he had been about to leave just before the boys' cards were brought in.
"Please excuse me, Mr. Geisthorn, for seeming to hurry you away in this manner, but I believe our little interview was about terminated anyway."
"Yes, it is so," replied the other, speaking with a strong German accent. "It is not for me yet to take too much of your precious time. As I have before said, I am myself a journalist, and know the value of even a minute's time."
"My excuses again, mein herr, but what was it that you called these gentlemen? The Aeroplane Children? What is that?"
"You are not what you call making funnies of me?" queried the astounded visitor, blinking at the editor fixedly through narrowed eyelids, as if to read his inmost thought. "All this that you tell me is true then?"
"Sir!" said the managing editor with a touch of temper.
"Pardon, mein herr; I do not mean to offend, but--"
"Mr. Napier and Mr. Hope," announced the private secretary from the doorway.
Ned and Alan appeared, hat in hand, and were cordially greeted by their newspaper friend. As they entered the room, the earlier visitor brushed past them on his way out, staring almost rudely in each boy's face as he passed.
"Well," said Alan, when the door clicked shut behind the man, "I hope whoever that is will know us the next time he sees us."
The managing editor laughed as he waved his guests to seats and offered them cigars, which both boys refused with thanks.
"Oh, he was a German then," said Ned, exchanging a significant glance with Alan.
"That's just what we're here to see you about, sir," Ned remarked. "We read in this morning's papers how Bob has been imprisoned as a spy and is liable to be shot at any minute. President Wilson naturally doesn't want to embroil the United States unnecessarily in the war, and Bob may be backed up against a wall with the firing squad aiming at him before this 'watchful waiting' policy evolves any means of interceding in his behalf. Something must be done to help him right away."
The lines of care around the great journalist's mouth deepened with melancholy as he nodded.
"But, hang it all--" broke in Alan, only to be silenced by the calmer, more practical Ned. Pulling his chair closer to the editor's desk and lowering his voice, he explained:
"Alan and I feel that for Bob's sake we can't afford to take chances on any such vague promises as have been given you. We propose to rescue him ourselves and without a moment's unnecessary delay."
"But how can--"
"Sh! In this case we must be careful that we aren't overheard. There might be some German sympathizer about who would send word of our plans, or, on the other hand, even the federal government agents would interfere if they got wind of our scheme."
"You are right," answered the managing editor.
He pressed the electric button on the side of his desk, summoning the young lady secretary from the outer office.
"Miss Bloomfield, is there anyone out there waiting to see me?"
"No, sir."
"Good! Kindly contrive to knock the big dictionary off your desk the moment anyone comes in, so that I may be warned of any visitors without their knowing it. That is all." She closed the door.
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