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Billy Whiskers in France

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<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XI THE CHUMS ON A CANAL BOAT</h2></div> <div> <ANTIMG class="drop-cap" src="images/i-p123.jpg" alt="" /></div> NO need to go for Billy or to tell him what has happened,” said a voice behind Button, “for I have heard it all.” Turning around, Button saw Billy standing under the window. “Billy!” the three exclaimed in one breath. “Where did you come from?” “The town where I was to meet you. I waited and waited and at last made up my mind that something must have happened to you, so I went back to the hospital, or at least I got nearly there last night when I saw ten or fifteen aeroplanes circling over the hospital. I made out that half were German planes and half American. The Germans evidently were trying to blow up the hospital by dropping bombs on it, and the Americans were trying to fight them off. As I looked, I heard a terrible explosion and by the light of the fire that followed I saw a big building go up in smoke and flames, and as I watched I saw distinctly two human figures outlined on the sky, flying up in the air with the débris. But when the smoke cleared away, I saw that the hospital still stood there and that it was the[124] big barn they had blown up. So the two figures I saw must have been those of the two spies who were going to try to bomb the hospital—those whose eyes you scratched out, Button. So you see they got their just deserts and were blown up themselves just as they had planned to blow up others. I was so thankful to see that it was the barn instead of the hospital that I ran straight on regardless of bombs dropping all around me. All I thought of was to see if Stubby was still in the hospital, and trying to save him, but before I reached there the American aeroplanes had driven off the Germans, and I saw three of their machines lying in wrecks on the ground, the work of the Americans. “I went on to the hospital, and ran straight to Stubby’s ward to see if he was there, well knowing that in the confusion nobody would molest me. I passed the cook on the stairs and he was so excited and scared he did not pay the slightest attention to me. When I reached your ward, Stubby, I found your bed empty so took it for granted that you had started to meet me and that I had missed you somewhere on the road. So I started back, stopping at every farm I passed to look the place over to see if I could hear or see anything of any of you. A rooster at the next farm told me he had seen two dogs and a black cat pass their place at sunrise five days ago. Then I knew that you were either prisoners somewhere or I had passed you on your way to meet me. Now tell me[125] how it happens that you two dogs are locked in and Button still running outside.” Between them they told Billy all that had happened since he left them, ending by relating how they were to be carried to headquarters early the next morning. “Well, I guess not! Not if my name is Billy Whiskers will you two stay prisoners another minute. I’ll just hook the glass out of this window and you two can crawl out and then we will make a merry chase for the next village.” <div class="figright"><ANTIMG src="images/i-p125.jpg" alt="" /></div> Billy did this, and as they passed the house, the soft-hearted Stubby said to the farmer and his wife, “I am sorry to make you lose your reward for my capture, as you have been very good to all of us. But even for you I can’t be a prisoner just so you can get some money by delivering me to headquarters. So au revoir, old friends!” [126]“Good-by,” meowed Button. “And may you have better luck the next time you try to catch a black cat! Had you only remembered that black cats are said to bring bad luck, you would not have wasted so much valuable time in trying to capture me.” “And many, many thanks for the good meals you gave us,” barked Duke. Then the four passed on into the darkness and were lost to the farmer forever. “I think the best thing we can do,” said Billy, “is to push on to Paris just as fast as we can, and that won’t be very rapidly, as we shall have to travel by night most of the time and lie hidden in the daytime, since there are so many looking for us who are sparing no expense in advertising and searching for us. We are like regular escaped prisoners with a price on our heads.” “The nearer we get to Paris,” said Duke, “the harder it will be to keep hidden, for the country is very thickly populated for miles and miles outside the city. But an idea just flashed across my mind that, if carried out, would get us inside Paris without much trouble.” “What is it?” asked Billy. “It is this: that we enter Paris by boat instead of on foot.” “And how can we do that?” inquired Stubby. “I’ll tell you. We will go to the banks of the river Seine, about five miles out of Paris, and try to get on one of the flat canal boats[127] that run right into the heart of the city, and we might be lucky enough to get on a boat that would pass right through Paris and continue on to the sea, where we could embark for America, as the river empties into the sea at a very large shipping port called the city of Havre. From this port there are big merchant ships sailing to all parts of the world, and we would get on one bound for America. If we could only accomplish this it would save us all that long, tiresome walk of about one hundred and twenty-five miles.” “Gee!” exclaimed Button. “Your plans sound good to me! Saving a hundred and twenty-five mile walk, dodging people, bad boys and troublesome dogs, is worth trying.” “I should think it did sound good!” said Billy, “and I feel quite sure we can carry it out, for Stubby, Button and I have had lots of experience sneaking on ocean-going vessels, steamers, and so on. We have stolen on board a vessel going from Japan to America, and on still another sailing from Boston for Constantinople, and another plying up and down the Mississippi River, with others too numerous to mention. So I guess we can manage to get aboard a slow going canal boat.” “Of course we can!” said Stubby. “I feel like thanking you for thinking of such a plan. It is such a good one for us all but more especially for me with my lame leg.” “About how far do you think we are from Paris now?” [128]“I should say fully twenty-five miles. But only about seven from the river if we take a straight line to the east until we come to it.” “Then me for the straight line to the river!” declared Billy. “Same here!” said Button. “And I follow wherever you lead,” avowed Stubby. The four made such good time that by daybreak they were in sight of the river, catching their first glimpse of it from the top of a high hill. And joy! they saw straight ahead of them a small town at whose dock lay a long white-and-green boat with a flat top. It was so early in the morning that no one was astir in the town when they reached it, so they were not molested as they ran through it straight for the boat. When they came close to the dock they proceeded more cautiously and hid behind boxes and barrels until they could find out what kind of people were on the boat. But no one appearing and the dock being deserted at this time of the morning, they decided to chance finding nice people on board, and crept on deck. This they did easily as the owner had neglected to pull in his gangplank before he went to bed. “It looks as if our good angel was with us and it was intended we were to make this trip in this way,” remarked Stubby. “Now we must all secrete ourselves and keep hid until the boat is loaded and pushed off shore. Then they will have to take us[129] with them until they reach the next stopping place, and if the worst comes to the worst we can jump overboard and swim, for it is not far to shore and the boat is not high above the water line.” Billy secreted himself behind a pile of bags filled with hops, while Stubby and Button climbed on top of them and hid themselves between two of the top bags, and Duke squeezed himself under them in a hole made by two of the bags which had not been packed closely. So by the time the sun was well up and the people began to arise, they were all stowed away as comfortably as could be. The first person on deck proved to be a big, comfortable looking fat man, followed by his grandson, a little fellow with curly, flaxen hair and big, blue eyes, whom it was easy to see the grandfather fairly worshiped. Then three men came up from below and began fussing around on deck. About this time the delicious odor of boiling coffee, fried potatoes and bacon was wafted up the hatchway. “Gee! The fumes from that cooking make me hungry as a bear!” said Button. “Me too!” agreed Stubby. “And it reminds me that none of us has had a bite to eat for hours. We were so busy getting away from our pursuers that we forgot to stop to look for something to eat,” said Duke. [130]“That may smell good to you fellows, but that white clover beside the dock, with the dew still on it, smells better to me. And when they go in to breakfast, if they still keep that gangplank out, I am going to come out of this hiding place, skip ashore and eat a mouthful or two before any of the people on board are through their meal and come up on deck again,” said Billy. “You are lucky that you can live on grass and green things,” replied Duke. “I wish I could.” “That is the only trouble dogs and cats have when traveling,” said Stubby; “this matter of food. One has to steal it, or eat it raw, and run the risk of being clubbed or stoned unless he falls in with some one who is kind to animals and doesn’t think it is too much trouble to feed and water them.” “Most people seem to forget that animals have to eat and drink the same as human beings. They know better, but they just do not think,” said Button. Billy did as he had planned and slipped off the boat and made a hearty breakfast of clover and took a good drink of water out of the river. Then he was fixed for the day if need be. “Mew! Mew! Mew!” “Hark! I hear a cat mewing!” whispered Button to Stubby who were close together upon the pile of hops. [131]“I see her,” said Stubby. “It is only a little kitten. Sh-sh-sh! Here comes a woman up from below with a plate of food for the kitten.” “Kitty! Kitty! Kitty!” called the woman, looking around for the cat and paying no attention to the mewing kitten at her feet. “Evidently she is looking for the mother of the kitten,” whispered Button. As they watched, they saw a big yellow cat jump out from a pile of rope up near the prow of the boat and walk lazily toward her. A black and white spotted cat also came running from the opposite side of the deck. “They seem to have a whole family on board,” remarked Stubby. When the woman saw them coming, she set down a heaping plate of food for them and said, “Well, lazybones,” addressing the yellow cat, “did you catch that big wharf rat I saw run on board last night? If you did not, you better hustle and get him if you want any more to eat from me. I am not going to feed you anything until that rat is killed. Do you hear me? Old Mouser has been doing all the work lately in catching the rats and mice, and it is time you did something, for we want no free lazy passengers on this boat. Baby,” addressing the kitten, “stop crying and mewing around my heels. If you are hungry, eat something on the plate. Oh, I forgot,[132] you are too young to care for meat and potatoes. Come with me and I will get you some milk to drink,” and she picked up the kitten and went below. The cats were evidently not very hungry, for they scarcely touched the food on the plate, but walked off and left it, the spotted cat going down the hatchway and the yellow cat back to the pile of rope up front. <div class="figcenter"><ANTIMG src="images/i-p132.jpg" alt="" /></div> “Now is our chance, Stubby,” whispered Button, “before any one comes up from breakfast!” The two of them climbed down from the hops and made a good meal of what the cats had left, as the woman had brought up a plate heaping full. “Tell you what, that tasted good!” said Button. “Indeed it did!” replied Stubby. “I did not know I was so hungry. But I was as thirsty as the very dickens. I hate to chance[133] going off the boat for a drink, but I’ve simply got to have water. I think I can chance it to run off and lap a few mouthsful before they come up and pull in the gangplank. I am going to try it anyway. Are you coming?” “No; cats drink very little water, and I do not feel the least bit thirsty now.” Stubby succeeded in getting his drink and was safely back on board before any one appeared. But he did not have a minute to spare as his short, stubby tail only just disappeared out of sight when all the men, including the Captain, came on deck. Then the Captain bawled out in his big voice for them to heave in the gangplank and cut loose. In less than fifteen minutes the old boat was out in the middle of the river, floating down toward Paris on the swift moving current. “Gee, it seems good to be in a safe place once more,” said Billy, “where one can sleep without keeping one eye open for fear of capture or of being blown sky high by a carelessly dropped German bomb. I am just going to sleep and sleep and sleep while on this trip and get good and rested.” “And I am going to do the same,” replied Duke. 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