“See that rope?” demanded Porky, pointing his flash directly at the
man who had spoken English. “You tell those other fellows to tie you
up quick, and tell them to make a good job of it!”
“I surrender,” said the man Fritz. “Please don’t tie me up, sir!”
“You hear!” said Porky grimly. He called back over his shoulder.
“Forward ten paces, Sergeant!”
“Yes, sir,” said Beany, and Porky almost giggled as he heard his
brother scuffling violently around trying to sound like a squad. But
he dared not look away from the men below, who were hastily tying up
the man called Fritz. They did a good job, eager to make good with
the unseen and most unexpected captors. If the officer above with
the boyish voice wanted Fritz tied up, tied up he would be so he
could not move. When they finished, the bulky form looked like a
mummy.
“Is that a door in the side?” Porky demanded of Fritz.
“Yes, sir,” said Fritz.
Porky waited a little. The worst was coming now.
“Tell those men to open that door, and step outside, and if they
value their lives, to keep their hands up.”
Fritz spoke rapidly in German. What he said was, “These are
Americans, you fools! The officer says to step outside, and keep
your hands up. You had better do it, if you want to live. They would
rather shoot than eat. I know them! Obey, no matter what they tell
you.”
When he had finished, one of the men, lowering one hand and keeping
the other well up in the air, pressed a long lever and a narrow door
opened, dislodging a little shower of stones and earth as it moved
outward.
“Vorwarts zwei!” cried Porky, making a wild stab at German.
It was understood however. Fear makes men quick, and the two walked
briskly out and stood side by side. One of them had stepped through
a loop of the rope, and it came trailing after him.
“Tie those men’s hands and tie them together, Sergeant,” said Porky.
He watched, cold with a fright he would never have felt for himself,
while Beany, keeping as much out of the light as possible, tied the
men, and sawed off the end of the rope.
“Close the door!” demanded Porky.
Beany did so.
“Don’t leave me here, sir,” cried the man below suddenly. “If the
Germans find that we have allowed this spot to be discovered, they
will shoot me. If the enemy comes I shall be shot. I will come
quietly. I am glad to surrender.”
“That’s all right,” growled Porky. “You are safe for a while. I am
leaving a guard here. We want a few English-speaking prisoners, so
you are quite safe for a while.”
“One of those men outside speaks English also,” cried Fritz.
“All right,” said Porky. “I advise you to keep still. Sergeant,
detail a guard for this place with orders to shoot him at the first
outcry.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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