“we’re on some good old fighting ground,” remarked henri, who was well versed in history relating to the country around chateau trouville. “the roman legions held forth here centuries ago.”
[87]
“they would not have ‘held forth’ any great while under that german fire the other day.”
billy was not far wrong on that proposition.
the boys were doing this talking while reddy was lighting the lanterns. these lanterns were bull’s-eyes, and could be turned dark in an instant.
there was no shelling of this spot that night, for there was not enough of the fort left to make a target, and the trenches were attracting all the fire.
the boys could proceed with their work with some degree of safety.
reddy painfully located the rocky point by falling over a big stone in the dark, the boys having decided to go it blind until they actually had to use the lights.
“you haven’t broken a leg, have you, reddy?” henri anxiously inquired.
“no, i guess not,” was reddy’s reply, “but i think i’ve kicked a toe loose, anyhow.”
the boys switched the masks off their lanterns and three slender bars of light danced among the stones.
“don’t see any cross.”
“be patient, billy,” urged henri, “we haven’t been here five minutes yet.”
for the next hour the boys circled around the place without finding a trace of the markings described in the map.
[88]
billy and henri sat down to rest, but reddy, who seemed never to tire, continued to explore on his own account. he walked over to the ruins of the fort, and began to measure, by taking long steps, on a line some distance from the point where the boys had been searching for the cross.
suddenly reddy stopped. billy and henri could see that the ball of light in his lantern had quit moving.
“wonder if he has found anything?” henri jumped at the prospect.
“nothing like going to see,” and billy with the words was off like a shot.
sure enough, reddy had struck a warm trail. all of the cross was not under his feet, but there was sufficient outline to show sections of the original design. some of the stones had shifted away, but there, beyond doubt, was that for which the boys were looking.
the lantern rays were all directed to the foot of the outline, that is, the end of the longest row of bowlders.
the directions had read: “stone slab at foot of cross.”
the boys bent to their knees and with faces close to the earth.
“there’s a corner of it!”
reddy was making all the discoveries.
billy and henri commenced clawing the dirt like[89] hungry chickens. reddy stood up and used his feet to better advantage. this combined effort was rewarded by a clear view of the slab.
it was there, and billy could not now deny it.
“remove stone and find iron ring in oak cover.”
but how were the boys to “remove” that stone? reddy had a lightning thought. all his thoughts came that way.
away he went, chasing the lantern ray ahead of him. in that heap of crumpled earth and stone, lately fort les paroches, there was surely something in the way of iron or steel out of which to make a stone lifter.
reddy was back in a few minutes dragging not only one but two steel bars which had been knocked like nine-pins from their fastenings.
“here’s levers for you,” he announced gleefully.
billy saw what he had, even if he did not understand what he said.
henri and billy with the bar-points punched holes at the side of the slab and got a purchase. then they pried with all their strength. at first the slab did not budge an inch.
reddy added his weight to one of the bars and the slab was loosened in its setting.
“now another heave!” panted billy.
“up she comes!” said henri.
the slab was lifted high enough to give a chance for shoulder pressure, and the rest was easy, for[90] when once out of its setting the stone had no great weight.
the lanterns revealed the fact that the workers had been rightly directed up to the minute.
the oak cover was there, and also the iron ring. through this ring the boys shoved the bars and pulled the cover away from the opening.
the stone steps were there; somewhat crumbly, but there. the directions were verified to the finish.
“don’t rush in there until you give the fresh air a chance to go first.”
reddy knew a lot of things that he had never learned from books.
but now it was henri who was getting impatient.
“it ought not to take long for the tunnel to clear, and, what’s more, we are going to get out of sight before daylight.”
daylight was rapidly approaching.
