the red cross girl(红十字姑娘)-第23节
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
and with golf clubs protruding from every part of their car； turned into the
shore road to Cromer。 What they saw brought swift terror to their guilty
souls and the car to an abrupt halt。 Before them was a regiment of regulars
advancing in column of fours； at the 〃 double。〃 An officer sprang to the
front of the car and seated himself beside Ford。
〃I'll have to commandeer this；〃 he said。 〃Run back to Cromer。 Don't
crush my men； but go like the devil！〃
〃We heard firing here；〃 explained the officer 〃 at the Coast Guard
station。 The Guard drove them back to the sea。 He counted over a dozen。
They made pretty poor practice； for he isn't wounded； but his gravel walk
79
… Page 80…
THE RED CROSS GIRL
looks as though some one had drawn a harrow over it。 I wonder；〃
exclaimed the officer suddenly； 〃if you are the three gentlemen who first
gave the alarm to Colonel Raglan and then went on to warn the other coast
towns。 Because； if you are； he wants your names。〃
Ford considered rapidly。 If he gave false names and that fact were
discovered； they would be suspected and investigated； and the worst might
happen。 So he replied that his friends and himself probably were the men
to whom the officer referred。 He explained they had been returning from
Cromer； where they had gone to play golf； when they had been held up by
the Germans。
〃You were lucky to escape；〃 said the officer 〃And in keeping on to
give warning you were taking chances。 If I may say so； we think you
behaved extremely well。〃
Ford could not answer。 His guilty conscience shamed him into silence。
With his siren shrieking and his horn tooting； he was forcing the car
through lanes of armed men。 They packed each side of the road。 They
were banked behind the hedges。 Their camp…fires blazed from every hill…
top。
〃Your regiment seems to have turned out to a man！〃 exclaimed Ford
admiringly。
〃MY regiment！〃 snorted the officer。 〃You've passed through five
regiments already； and there are as many more in the dark places。 They're
everywhere！〃 he cried jubilantly。
〃And I thought they were only where you see the camp…fires；〃
exclaimed Ford。
〃That's what the Germans think；〃 said the officer。 〃It's working like a
clock；〃 he cried happily。 〃There hasn't been a hitch。 As soon as they got
your warning to Colonel Raglan； they came down to the coast like a wave；
on foot； by trains； by motors； and at nine o'clock the Government took
over all the railroads。 The county regiments； regulars； yeomanry；
territorials； have been spread along this shore for thirty miles。 Down in
London the Guards started to Dover and Brighton two hours ago。 The
Automobile Club in the first hour collected two hundred cars and turned
them over to the Guards in Bird Cage Walk。 Cody and Grahame…White
80
… Page 81…
THE RED CROSS GIRL
and eight of his air men left Hendon an hour ago to reconnoitre the south
coast。 Admiral Beatty has started with the Channel Squadron to head off
the German convoy in the North Sea； and the torpedo destroyers have
been sent to lie outside of Heligoland。 We'll get that back by daylight。 And
on land every one of the three services is under arms。 On this coast alone
before sunrise we'll have one hundred thousand men； and from Colchester
the brigade division of artillery； from Ipswich the R。 H。 A。's with siege…
guns； field…guns； quick… firing…guns； all kinds of guns spread out over
every foot of ground from here to Hunstanton。 They thought they'd give us
a surprise party。 They will never give us another surprise party！〃
On the top of the hill at Overstrand； the headwaiter of the East Cliff
Hotel and the bearded German stood in the garden back of the house with
the forbidding walls。 From the road in front came unceasingly the tramp
and shuffle of thousands of marching feet； the rumble of heavy cannon；
the clanking of their chains； the voices of men trained to command raised
in sharp； confident orders。 The sky was illuminated by countless fires。
Every window of every cottage and hotel blazed with lights。 The night had
been turned into day。 The eyes of the two Germans were like the eyes of
those who had passed through an earthquake； of those who looked upon
the burning of San Francisco； upon the destruction of Messina。
〃We were betrayed； general；〃 whispered the head…waiter。
〃We were betrayed； baron；〃 replied the bearded one。
〃But you were in time to warn the flotilla。〃
With a sigh； the older man nodded。
〃The last message I received over the wireless；〃 he said； 〃before I
destroyed it； read； 'Your message understood。 We are returning。 Our
movements will be explained as manoeuvres。 And；〃 added the general；
〃The English； having driven us back； will be willing to officially accept
that explanation。 As manoeuvres； this night will go down into history。
Return to the hotel；〃 he commanded； 〃And in two months you can rejoin
your regiment。〃
On the morning after the invasion the New York Republic published a
map of Great Britain that covered three columns and a wood…cut of Ford
that was spread over five。 Beneath it was printed： 〃Lester Ford； our
81
… Page 82…
THE RED CROSS GIRL
London correspondent； captured by the Germans； he escapes and is the
first to warn the English people。〃
On the same morning； In an editorial in The Times of London；
appeared this paragraph：
〃The Germans were first seen by the Hon。 Arthur Herbert； the eldest
son of Lord Cinaris； Mr。 Patrick Headford Birrell both of Balliol College；
Oxford； and Mr。 Lester Ford； the correspondent of the New York Republic。
These gentlemen escaped from the landing party that tried to make them
prisoners； and at great risk proceeded in their motor…car over roads
infested by the Germans to all the coast towns of Norfolk； warning the
authorities。 Should the war office fail to recognize their services； the
people of Great Britain will prove that they are not ungrateful。〃
A week later three young men sat at dinner on the terrace of the Savoy。
〃Shall we； or shall we not；〃 asked Herbert； 〃tell my uncle that we three；
and we three alone； were the invaders？〃
〃That's hardly correct；〃 said Ford； 〃as we now know there were two
hundred thousand invaders。 We were the only three who got ashore。〃
〃I vote we don't tell him；〃 said Birrell。 〃Let him think with everybody
else that the Germans blundered； that an advance party landed too soon
and gave the show away。 If we talk；〃 he argued； 〃We'll get credit for a
successful hoax。 If we keep quiet； everybody will continue to think we
saved England。 I'm content to let it go at that。〃
82
… Page 83…
THE RED CROSS GIRL
CHAPTER 4。 BLOOD WILL
TELL
David Greene was an employee of the Burdett Automatic Punch
Company。 The manufacturing plant of the company was at Bridgeport； but
in the New York offices there were working samples of all the punches；
from the little nickel…plated hand punch with which conductors squeezed
holes in railroad tickets； to the big punch that could bite into an iron plate
as easily as into a piece of pie。 David's duty was to explain these different
punches； and accordingly when Burdett Senior or one of the sons turned a
customer over to David he spoke of him as a salesman。 But David called
himself a 〃demonstrator。〃 For a short time he even succeeded in
persuading the other salesmen to speak of themselves as demonstrators；
but the shipping clerks and bookkeepers laughed them out of it。 They
could not laugh David out of it。 This was so； partly because he had no
sense of
