CHAPTER V THE STRUGGLE THROUGH THE COUNTRY

It was fully¹ nine o'clock before they left Mr. Revigne's place, for such was his name. He was one of the prosperous small farmers of that section, and he and his sons knew every foot of the country for miles. Henri was a bright, intelligent fellow, and his brother, who had joined the Captain's band, was a reservist.

They went across fields, keeping the stream in sight, and they had not gone far before the boys learned to repose² the greatest confidence in their new companion. After passing two well-travelled roads, they approached a third, which Henri informed them was the main road to Rivage east of their location.

"It wouldn't be much of a trick for those fellows to cut across from Martin River, so we must be very careful now," said Henri.

There was but a single field to cross, and Henri advised the boys to keep out of sight while he went forward to examine the road. In a few moments he returned with the information that the road was clear, and both boys bounded forward and made a run for the fences. As ill luck would have55 it a troop appeared on the highway to their right, before they reached the fence. Henri stopped.

"Wait," he said. "Line up by the side of me, so you will be hidden beside me; then let us all walk together to the fence."

In that manner they reached the moss-grown stone barrier, so well known in many parts of the country.

"drop down now, and keep out of sight," said Henri.

So saying he mounted the fence and crossed over. The horsemen beyond were now hurrying down the road. He mounted the fence on the other side, and awaited their approach. An officer in front halted and inquired, in German, if Henri had seen any people on the road.

Henri shook his head slowly, to indicate that he did not understand them. The question was repeated in French, and he responded that no one had gone by since he came on the road. The troopers proceeded without further questions, and when they were well out of sight the boys arose, crossed over, and made up for lost time in the effort to cross the adjacent field.

"A friend of my father's lives in that house," said Henri, pointing ahead. "We might stop there and learn if there is any news."

The owner of the house was greatly surprised at the appearance of Henri and the boys. He was told their story, and he smiled at them proudly. "And where are you going now?" he asked.

"Father asked me to take the boys over to Borlon's.56 They want to go to Clavier, as they are on the way to Antwerp," said Henri.

"Then I have bad news for you; the Germans are well above the road leading to Rivage. You must avoid Borlon, and you cannot go to Clavier, as they are trying to cut the road between Clavier and Huy," said the man.

"Then what would you advise us to do?" asked Alfred.

"Go to the north of Borlon, and make straight for the road that runs from Huy to Liège," was the reply.

"Then we shall have to leave you," said Ralph, sorrowfully.

"No, no; I will stay with you all day, and leave you to-morrow some time," said Henri.

"Now, my boy, go straight across to Ladeau's place and get something to eat there; you know where that is," said the man, addressing Henri.

"Indeed, I do; and he will tell us the best way from that place," said Henri.

Notwithstanding the gravity of their journey, the trip of the three boys was fascinating. Henri steered³ a course directly to the east, but it was tiring work, as constant vigilance was necessary. Night set in too soon for them, but the moon lighted the way for an hour before they reached Ladeau's place.

There they learned some bad news. Information had reached Mr. Ladeau that Capt. Moreau and his companions had been captured, or, at least, there was a fight with a superior force.

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"We heard they were captured," said Ralph.

"That is quite possible," remarked Mr. Ladeau, sadly. "Just before you came we learned that the Germans had taken possession of the road to the north, and it is likely that a visit may be expected from them at any moment."

"Then we must go at once," said Alfred, "and if you will direct us which way to travel we will go on without Henri, as it would be wrong to take him further from home."

Henri protested, but the boys both agreed that it would be the proper course for him to return, and Mr. Ladeau concurred⁴ in their view of it. The parting was a hurried one, and they at once struck across the fields, taking good care to keep one particularly bright star directly in front of them.

Thus, for two hours, they met with no incident until they approached a road, when they heard voices speaking in German. Silently approaching the fence they waited until the sound died away, then rushed across the road and entered an orchard⁵ with tempting⁶ fruit all about them.

"Well, it is about the only thing you can do," said a voice in French.

This was, assuredly, a relief to the boys, as they saw two men descend⁷ from a tree.

"What were you doing in the tree?" asked Alfred.

"We heard you long before you came up to the tree," said the tall one, "and we supposed you might be the Germans, until we came near enough so we could distinguish your language."

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"Hereafter," remarked Ralph, "we shall be more careful." The boys related their experiences, and the fact that they had been captives, and the troubles they went through since their release.

"While it might be possible for you boys to travel during the daytime, it would not be so for us, and it is equally dangerous, in view of the orders sent out in the printed notices, for all of us to travel at night. We must, however, get away from this section as soon as possible, so we might as well go on."

All villages were avoided and they passed by the farmhouses⁸ as though they suspected a pestilence⁹. It was a trying, weary night as they were frequently compelled to wait while one scouted¹⁰ ahead. In the early morning their tall companion announced that they were nearing the town of Esneux.

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 repose   

v.(使)休息；n.安息

参考例句：

• Don't disturb her repose.不要打扰她休息。
• Her mouth seemed always to be smiling,even in repose.她的嘴角似乎总是挂着微笑，即使在睡眠时也是这样。

3 steered   

v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导

参考例句：

• He steered the boat into the harbour. 他把船开进港。
• The freighter steered out of Santiago Bay that evening. 那天晚上货轮驶出了圣地亚哥湾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 concurred   

同意（concur的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。
• So many things concurred to give rise to the problem. 许多事情同时发生而导致了这一问题。

5 orchard   

n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场

参考例句：

• My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。
• Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。

6 tempting   

a.诱人的, 吸引人的

参考例句：

• It is tempting to idealize the past. 人都爱把过去的日子说得那么美好。
• It was a tempting offer. 这是个诱人的提议。

7 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

8 farmhouses   

n.农舍，农场的主要住房( farmhouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Then perhaps she is staying at one of cottages or farmhouses? 那么也许她现在住在某个农舍或哪个农场的房子里吧？ 来自辞典例句
• The countryside was sprinkled with farmhouses. 乡间到处可见农家的房舍。 来自辞典例句

9 pestilence   

n.瘟疫

参考例句：

• They were crazed by the famine and pestilence of that bitter winter.他们因那年严冬的饥饿与瘟疫而折磨得发狂。
• A pestilence was raging in that area. 瘟疫正在那一地区流行。

10 scouted   

寻找，侦察( scout的过去式和过去分词 )； 物色（优秀运动员、演员、音乐家等）

参考例句：

• They scouted around for a shop that was open late. 他们四处寻找，看看还有没有夜间营业的商店。
• They scouted around for a beauty parlour. 他们四处寻找美容院。