Adventure, December 1914 — page 216: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

214 Dimitrieff in command of the reserve cav- alry—at the head of a squadron of the Royal Guard, thundered up alongside of us. ““T got a wild message from the Anhalt,” he called to us through the dust. ‘What does it mean?” ; ‘“‘It means what she said,’”’ returned Ma- soya grimly. “Gortcheff has been ap- pointed Military Governor and Dan and I are to be arrested.”’ “Not while I have anything to say,” returned Boris blithely. ‘It may mean my commission, but I’ll be hanged if I give you up to slaughter. What’s the plan?” Now I had not the slightest idea of a plan, and I turned appealingly to the girl beside me. She barely knitted her brows in thought before replying. “Are we still being followed?” she asked. Boris turned in his saddle and shouted an order that was repeated down the ranks of our escort. Presently an answer was returned. ‘Apparently not,” he said cheerfully. “That is so much to be thankful for,” commented Masoya. ‘I don’t think we shall need very much more from you, Boris —unless you feel that you can escort us a few miles farther. And do you suppose you could lose a couple of your best horses?”’ “Anything you say,”’ replied Boris, in his odd Robert College English that I have re- ferred to before—we spoke English so that none of the troopers might hear more than was good for him. “I am,as Dan would say, in your hands. You are—how do you say, Dan? Ah, yes, you are the doctor.”’ We were driving very slowly now, ’and most of our escort had dropped behind us. ‘What is the extent of Ferdinand’s ut- most sphere of influence around Sofia?’ demanded Masoya next. “In this direction?’’ answered Boris. “Oh, possibly twenty miles.” ‘Then, to begin with, we should like to have your escort for twenty miles,” said Masoya. “As soon as we are safe from Gortcheff’s pursuit we can abandon the car and take two of your horses. You and your men can go back to Sofia and say that you chased us without result, and that all you found was the car empty. Gortcheff will disbelieve you; but that will not do any good, and Ferdinand has too many troubles around him to make trouble for you. So everything will be all right.” Boris looked at her admiringly. Adventure “St. Demetrius, but you are wonderful!’’ he exclaimed. ‘And you? What shall you and Dan do with yourselves?” “Oh, we shall do well enough,” returned Masoya. ‘“‘With horses we can strike off into the frontier country where I have friends; and unless I am very far out of my reckoning, we shall be able to avoid all the armies and make for safety and western Europe.” “It will be risky,” said Boris doubtfully. “Do you two realize what you are doing in plunging alone into a country that is be- ing traversed by two hostile armies—for you will have both the Serbs and the Greeks between you and western Europe?”’ “You forget that I am an old hand on the frontier,” said Masoya. “I know it by heart; and what is better, I know the Gipsy folk. We shall succeed, never doubt.” WZ village just across the mountain barrier which surrounds the capital we halted. Ahead of us the thunder of the Greek and Servian cannon, drawing steadily nearer day by day, almost hour by hour, to the doomed city, sounded alarmingly close. But Masoya was not perturbed; and in face TWENTY miles from Sofia, at a of her calmness, I could not permit myself to seem uneasy, despite the glum face of Boris. We rested at this place overnight; and in the early morning after sunrise parted company with the last of our friends. There was a husky note in Boris’ big trooper’s voice when he said good-by, and he did not attempt to conceal his distaste at our venture. But he gave us the two best horses in his squadron, including his own; and he swore that if we were caught he would hew a way for us out of Bulgaria, if he had to trample over the Czar himself. He walked beside us for half a mile along the road we took, and then pressed both our hands. There was no need to tell him the way we felt toward each other. He knew. In fact, he said with a schoolboy’s chuckle, he had known all along. “Ever since Masoya lost her temper that afternoon at the station when she saw you flirting with the Anhalt,” he said slyly, “I saw this coming. I refuse to be surprised. Only I was afraid for a time that Masoya would succeed in making herself a figure of international importance and _ hopelessly miserable into the bargain. It’s a good job things have worked out as they have.” Gomiicovook C@