Motor Boat Boys Down the Danube Part 5

Still, it was good to find the officer nodding his head as he gleaned something of the contents. At least he could see it was genuine, and that counted for a good deal.

"I am quite satisfied now that you are just what you claim to be--tourists, who have no connection with our enemies, or those who in a short time we must look on as such. You are wondering, no doubt, why I went so far as to pry into the contents of your letter from home, and I believe an explanation is due. To tell the truth, we rested under the belief that you were four desperate young Serbian youths, who were said to be on their way up the Danube bound for Vienna, with the mad intention of trying to a.s.sa.s.sinate our good kaiser, Francis Joseph, just as the Austrian heir apparent to the throne was killed not long ago."

Buster could not keep from giving a little gasp at hearing this. Really never before, so far as he knew, had he been taken for a desperado. He did not know whether to be ashamed or flattered. It would be something with which to thrill those boy comrades at home, if ever they were lucky enough to get safely back again.

"That would be a serious charge against us, I am sure," said Jack; "but it pleases us to know that you are now convinced we are not what you thought. Seeing four strangers in a boat, and all young at that, of course made you suspicious."

"The fact that you were headed down-stream puzzled us considerably,"

continued the officer, apparently willing to explain things in order to prove that he and his comrades were only doing their duty; "but we figured that something may have caused a change in plans, perhaps the breaking out of war, and that the four desperate Serbians were on the way back to their native land."

"After all, we should not be sorry for what has happened," diplomatic Jack went on to say, "since it has given us the pleasure of meeting three such excellent gentlemen. I hope, though, there need be no necessity for causing us to alter our plans, since our hearts are set on finis.h.i.+ng the voyage, and we will never have the opportunity for visiting your great country again."

Every one of them held his breath while waiting for the officer to make a reply to this question. He looked around at the half circle of anxious faces and smiled indulgently. No doubt just then he put himself in their place and tried to realize how much it might mean to be simply let alone.

"I do not mean to demand that you turn back," he finally told Jack, "for that would really be exceeding my authority; but I would feel that I had not done my full duty if I did not warn you of the perils you will likely encounter below here. By the time you reach the Serbian border it is more than likely there will be desperate fighting going on between Hungarians and Serbians, for they are ready to-day to fly at one another's throat. You will find yourselves in great danger before you can pa.s.s the Iron Gate and enter Rumania."

Jack only smiled rea.s.suringly at him.

"Thank you many times, sir, for taking enough interest in us to give that kind warning," he remarked warmly; "but we have pa.s.sed through some pretty lively adventures in the past and always managed to come out safely. We will try and be careful how we act when the time comes; and once past the Serbian border along the Danube we need fear little else."

"Well, I admire your boldness, while at the same time I fear you may be making a mistake. We will wish you a pleasant trip, and that you reach your goal in safety. What are your plans after arriving at the sea, may I ask?"

"We have arranged to send the boat back to the owner at our expense,"

explained Jack. "Then we will find some way of getting to Constantinople, where we hope to remain a short time, looking around. From there we go to Italy, and then back to London to sail for home about October fifteenth."

"Ah! what wonderful things may happen in those ten weeks!" remarked the officer, as though he might be trying to lift the veil that hid the future. "History will be in the making, I fear, and all Europe be torn up with the war clouds. But better so than the armed peace that has existed so long. A storm is necessary once in so often to clear the atmosphere which has become murky."

He thrust out his hand to Jack, who gladly seized it.

"May the best of luck follow you all the way, is the wish of myself and my comrades here," the tall officer told them as in turn he pressed each boy's hand, in which genial undertaking he was followed by the other pair, who, although taking no part in all the talking, had been earnest listeners.

Then the speed boat backed away, made a sweeping turn, and was soon heading up the Danube again. The boys waved their hats to the three gaily dressed Hungarian soldiers seated in the other craft, and were in turn saluted by the trio.

After that Jack again started the engine, and they began moving with the current at a lively rate.

"Well, that was a new experience, now!" exclaimed Josh; "and we are mighty lucky to have escaped being taken back to Budapest and shut up in a dungeon."

"Yes, it was easy, after all," grumbled George; "but who'd think Hungarian officers would know English so well?"

"And just to think of our being taken for a lot of desperate Serbian youths sworn to get the aged and benevolent Emperor Francis Joseph! Ugh!

it'll give me a s.h.i.+ver every time I think of it. I never dreamed before that I looked like a fellow who would take his life in his hand to do such a terrible thing."

CHAPTER V

SIGNS OF COMING TROUBLE

All day long the powerboat kept constantly moving down the reaches of the Danube River. Many were the interesting sights the boys looked upon from time to time. Nor did they see any particular signs of overhanging trouble. War may have been declared by Austria-Hungary upon Serbia and Russia, backing up the action of her ally, Germany, but the indications of it were not immediately apparent.

It was true that in several towns which they pa.s.sed on that morning's run they could see that groups were in the streets, and there seemed to be many men in uniform hurrying this way or that. Once they also saw a field battery of glistening guns disappearing up a steep road that led to the south.

"You can see what's in the wind, all right," Josh remarked, as they watched a group of uniformed hors.e.m.e.n galloping along the river road as though bound for some distant point of mobilization. "In a few days after the call to the colors, as they say, has gone out for many cla.s.ses of reserves, the whole country will be swarming with men in uniform."

"I only wish we could hold over and see what goes on," grumbled George.

"It's a chance in a lifetime to be a looker-on in a foreign country, with war breaking out; and I think it's a shame that we are going to miss it."

Jack took him to task for saying that.

"We ought to thank our lucky stars, on the other hand, George," was the way he put it, "that we have a chance to get out of Austria before every exit is closed. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of tourists have the time of their lives escaping, because, you see, every train will be taken over by the Government for carrying soldiers, guns, ammunition, horses, stores and such army necessities."

"Yes," added Buster, "that's what I say, Jack. For one I want to tell you I'm mighty thankful to be on board this old boat right now. I only hope they won't want to commandeer it for carrying soldiers down to the Serbian border."

"Oh, they wouldn't want to bother with such a mosquito craft as this, I should think," remarked Josh uneasily.

"Our little flag seems to attract a heap of attention," Buster continued, with a vein of pride in his voice, for that small edition of Old Glory was his private possession, it may be remembered.

"Where we landed at noon to see if we could buy some eggs and milk at that farm house," Josh observed, "those peasant girls were examining it.

I rather think they must have somebody over in our country, for when I said the word 'America' and pointed to the flag and then myself they laughed and nodded their heads."

"And don't forget to mention, please, George, that we got the eggs all right," suggested Buster; "likewise a b.u.mper mug of fresh milk apiece, and some b.u.t.ter that didn't have a bit of salt in it, which I think queer."

"Oh, so far as that goes," explained Jack, "there's lots of that made and sold over here. They call it sweet b.u.t.ter, and most people like it.

You'd get used to it in time."

"Four dozen eggs, and whoppers at that," Buster went on to say, gloatingly; "which I consider a splendid investment; and we didn't have to pay half what they'd cost us in the States either. I'm going to have a couple fried for my supper, and anybody else that likes them that way can get what they want by giving the tip now."

They continued to chatter in this manner as the afternoon wore away. It had been decided that while there was a full moon that night they had better not attempt navigating the river after the sun had set. None of them knew what they might run up against; and besides, since war had come, possibly there would be strict rules enforced prohibiting such a thing during the night. None of them felt like taking chances.

Buster, it seems, must have been thinking of some of his previous exploits in the times that were gone, for later on he was seen to be looking over some fis.h.i.+ng tackle he produced from his pack.

"Hey! what's in the wind now, Buster?" sang out Josh upon discovering what the fat chum was doing.

"Oh, nothing much," replied the other easily, "only it struck me that there might be some kind of eatable fish in this same blue Danube, and I'm looking over my lines. To-night, if I can find any fat grubs or worms, I might set a line and see what happens. You know I've had more or less success about grabbing big fish out of fresh and salt water."

That seemed to make the others laugh, as though certain humorous memories were refreshed. Buster joined them, for he was a jolly fellow and could even enjoy a joke when it was on himself.

"I mean to drop one of these lines over as we go along, so as to soak the snell of the hook, for if it's too dry it might break," Buster explained.

"Well, here's wis.h.i.+ng that you meet with good luck," said Josh, "because I'd enjoy a supper of fresh fish pretty good."

"Don't make up your mouth for it, then," warned George, "because you never can tell about such things. Fish are what some people would call notionate; they bite well one day and then given you the grand laugh the next one."

"About how far do you think we've come since leaving Budapest, Jack?"

Buster asked, not deigning to continue the discussion with George.

"I should think something like fifty to sixty miles," was the reply.