Chapter XXIII: In the Nick of Time

Hal, at the right of the barrier, confined his attention to that side of the road, leaving Chester to deal with the enemy rushing forward on the left. Three times the weapon of each lad spoke, and at each shot an Austrian fell to the ground. Firing coolly and deliberately at such close quarters, a miss was absolutely impossible.

But the lads did not have time to fire again. The enemy was at the barrier; but, instead of hurling themselves over it, as both lads had expected they would, they dropped to the ground on the opposite side of the big rocks, and there they remained.

It was indeed a peculiar situation--the enemies less than six feet apart, separated only by a few rocks. Still the Austrians, in spite of their losses, outnumbered the lads three to one.

Now the rocks of the barrier began to move inward toward the lads.

"Great Scott!" cried Chester. "They are trying to push these rocks over on us. If they tumble this barrier over, we can't hope to account for all six of them."

The lads braced themselves against the rocks; but the strength of the two was not as great as the strength of the six. Such a contest could have but one ending. The boys realized this as well as did their foes.

"Well," said Hal calmly, "it looks as though they had us. All ready for a last stand, Chester?"

"All ready," replied Chester calmly.

"When I say jump," instructed Hal, "leap backward!"

Chester nodded in understanding of this plan.

"Now!" cried Hal. "Jump!"

Both lads leaped quickly backward, and as they did so, the barrier--freed of their supporting shoulders--tumbled inward, while the six Austrians sprawled on the ground. For a moment the lads had the advantage and they made the best of it.

Hal's revolver spoke and one Austrian straightened out in the act of rising. Chester accounted for another, and then both lads sprang in close upon the foe, thus precluding the use of the foe's firearms.

Hal, grappling with two of the enemy, was giving a good account of himself; but Chester, weak from the loss of blood, was unable to hold his own. A blow from the butt of one of the Austrian's revolvers and he went to the ground.

At that moment, from their rear, came the sound of rapidly galloping hoofs. Around the bend some distance away dashed a troop of Cossacks, Alexis himself at their head. The giant Cossack took in the situation with one comprehensive glance and put spurs to his horse. The two Austrians who had attacked Chester saw the advancing Cossacks, and, turning, took to their heels.

The two with whom Hal struggled, however, were too busily occupied to notice the approach of reenforcements and sorely, each trying to bring his revolver to bear.

Alexis now jumped from his horse and dashed forward toward the three. He stretched forth two mighty hands and plucked the Austrians off the lad. Raising each high in the air, he stretched wide his arms, and then brought them together with great force. There was a crunch as the heads of the two met with terrific force. Then they hung limp in the giant's hands. He hurled them from him with a disdainful gesture, and, snatching his revolver from its holster, dropped to his knee and fired two shots in quick succession at the two remaining enemy, who were fleeing down the road.

His aim was true, and as the last of the Austrians bit the dust, Alexis turned to where Chester lay and picked him up gently in his arms. From his canteen he poured water over the lad's face and soon came signs of returning consciousness. Then he laid him gently on the ground and turned to Hal.

He gazed first at the lad, then at the dead bodies of the enemy and then back to Hal.

"Hm-m-m," he said gruffly. "Quite a fight. But where would you have been if Alexis had not arrived so opportunely?"

"Dead, I guess," replied Hal quietly. "We owe you our lives, but there is no need to tell you that we are grateful."

"Not a bit," said Alexis. "Thanks from one brave man to another are never necessary; but did you see how easily I disposed of those four Austrians?"

"It was very pretty," replied Hal.

"Wasn't it?" cried the giant gleefully. "Still, it was a trifle. I remember the time that I----"

Hal walked over to Chester's side and bent down and so did not hear the story of Alexis' might. The giant looked sorrowfully after him for a moment, muttered to himself and then he walked after him.

Chester now sat up and looked about. His eyes rested on the dead bodies.

"Looks like Alexis had been here," he muttered, for he had not yet seen the giant.

Alexis heard him and his face glowed with pleasure.

"He is here," he said, stepping forward.

Chester's face lighted up.

"By Jove!" he exclaimed. "It is good to see you. We have wished several times in the last hour that you were with us. We needed you badly. However, you arrived just in time."

Alexis blushed like a schoolboy, for he was not used to hearing others praise his prowess.

"Yes, I did arrive in the nick of time," he said awkwardly. "But come, we must get away from here."

"Have you learned the strength of the enemy in the mountains?" asked Hal a few minutes later, as they rode along down the pass.

"I learned enough to make sure that, without infantry and artillery support, the cavalry will probably be annihilated," replied Alexis briefly. "By a dash, we might be able to reach the plains of Hungary, but without support we should end our days there. I shall counsel retreat."

"But I thought you would never counsel retreat?" said Hal, smiling.

"For myself, never!" replied the giant. "But there are more lives than mine depending upon this. Therefore I say retreat."

Alexis was as good as his word. Upon their return to the main column, Alexis was called into consultation with the commanding officer. He recounted what he had learned, and urged that the retreat be begun at once.

"There are half a million men in these hills," he informed his commander, "and they are trying to draw us on. We will be allowed to go so far, and then they will close in on us. One hundred or two hundred thousand, I don't mind. We could whip them with ease; but half a million are too many for sixty thousand. If we had not outdistanced our infantry and artillery, we might do it, but without them, no."

"Still," said the commanding officer, "I have set my heart on striking one more blow at the enemy. Would you counsel against it?"

"I am always in favor of striking one more blow at the enemy," replied Alexis. "I suppose I should counsel against it, but I will not."

"Good!" exclaimed his commander. "One decisive blow to the enemy in the hills, and then we shall fall back into Galicia. Now, where are the Austrians massed?"

"It will be extremely hazardous," said Alexis slowly, "but I guess it can be done. Fifteen miles straight along this mountain pass you come to a small plateau. I advanced that far myself. Encamped there are in the neighborhood of one hundred thousand of the enemy. By a quick and silent dash and a night attack, we may be able to deal them a crushing blow; but even so, we must fall back immediately. Even then we shall be greatly harassed by the foe."

"Well," said the commander, "we shall make the attack, come what may afterward."

Alexis saluted his commander and returned to where he had left the two lads, where he repeated his interview. Then he turned to Chester.

"It is too bad," he said, "that you will be unable to take part in the battle."

"But I shall take part in it," exclaimed the lad. "You don't think I am going to sit idle while there is fighting going on, do you?"

"I am afraid you cannot help yourself," replied Hal. "You will go with the advance, of course; but you will be kept well in the rear."

In vain did Chester protest. His commanding officer overruled all of his complaints, and at last the lad was forced to make his way to the rear of the Russian army. All that day the army rested, and it was not until the following afternoon that the signal was given for the advance, for the Russian commander had so timed his movement that he would come upon the enemy after nightfall.

It was indeed an imposing sight, these 60,000 men, able to march scarcely six abreast through the narrow mountain pass, moving hurriedly through the midst of the wild Carpathians. For miles they stretched out, but they advanced rapidly, and long before night the advance guard was within sight of the Austrian position.

This was made known to the Russian commander by his scouts; and still out of sight, the Cossacks halted.

The pass was considerably wider here, and the men spread out somewhat. Outposts were thrown out to guard against a counter surprise attack, and the men allowed to lie down and rest.

The battle formation was preserved, however, and the men fell to sleep upon their arms, each and every one ready to spring up and dash forward at a moment's notice.

And still the Austrians were unaware of their approach.