The Boy Volunteers with the French AirmenWard, Kenneth
History
The Boy Volunteers with the French Airmen
Ward, Kenneth
Airmen -- France -- Juvenile fiction; War stories; World War, 1914-1918 -- Aerial operations -- Juvenile fiction
With two of the receptacles in his hands he crouched as low as possible,
and made his way along the track, but before reaching the structure he
left the track, and approached the shed from the south side. He was gone
for more than fifteen minutes, and when he returned with the receptacles
filled he immediately seized the other, returning with it also filled in
a few minutes.
"Now, take these to the cross road, and out of sight. I will be there in
fifteen minutes," and saying this he quietly left them.
The boys and Felix carried the cans to the designated place with the
greatest care, for the fluid was precious to them. No sooner had they
hidden the receptacles when something like a flash of lightning
illuminated everything about them, and this was followed by an
explosion.
Felix gasped as he gazed in the direction of the sheds, for he divined
the cause. The boys, too, were startled.
"I wonder if the lieutenant did that?" asked Ralph.
"I have no doubt of it," replied Felix.
"Do you really think he did it? I wonder if he is hurt?" said Alfred,
his voice in a tremor.
They waited for more than a half hour. What if the lieutenant had been
caught in the catastrophe? They could see the soldiers at the station
rushing hither and thither, and the people were going toward the station
from all directions.
"Mighty good thing we hid in this place," said Felix.
Felix and the boys were now in consternation, and as they had about
decided to go up to their former place of concealment, the headlight of
a train approached from the south. It slowed down a little as it neared
the station.
"The switch!" was Ralph's exclamation. As he said that the train reached
the switch, and turned to the track leading to the fiercely burning
shed. Half of the train ran through a sea of fire before it could be
checked. It was a terrifying sight, and Ralph shook with fear at the
sight. Fortunately, it was a freight train, or the toll of death would
have been awful.
"This begins to look bad for us. I am afraid the lieutenant has been
captured. This place is getting to be too dangerous, and we must leave
at once," said Felix, as he seized one of the cans.
"I will go down and see what the trouble is," said Alfred, but Felix
shook his head. Nevertheless, although Ralph also remonstrated, and
insisted on accompanying him, Alfred had his way. One would be safer
than two, he thought, and without further words he crawled along the
fence, avoiding contact with those who were in the near vicinity.
A few minutes after Alfred left, the lieutenant returned, and was
shocked to learn of Alfred's journey.
"Take these cans up to the house, and I will go back and try to find
him," he told them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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