Greenmantle - John Buchan

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passage and the empty shop, and out into the snowy street. There was a closed carriage waiting which they motioned us to get into. It looked exactly like the Black Maria. Both of us sat still, like truant schoolboys, with our hands on our knees. I didn't know where I was going and I didn't care. We seemed to be rumbling up the hill, and then I caught the glare of lighted streets. 'This is the end of it, Peter,' I said. 'Ja, Cornelis,' he replied, and that was all our talk. By and by—hours later it seemed—we stopped. Someone opened the door and we got out, to find ourselves in a courtyard with a huge dark building around. The prison, I guessed, and I wondered if they would give us blankets, for it was perishing cold. We entered a door, and found ourselves in a big stone hall. It was quite warm, which made me more hopeful about our cells. A man in some kind of uniform pointed to the staircase, up which we plodded wearily. My mind was too blank to take clear impressions, or in any way to forecast the future. Another warder met us and took us down a passage till we halted at a door. He stood aside and motioned us to enter. I guessed that this was the governor's room, and we should be put through our first examination. My head was too stupid to think, and I made up my mind to keep perfectly mum. Yes, even if they tried thumbscrews. I had no kind of story, but I resolved not to give anything away. As I turned the handle I wondered idly what kind of sallow Turk or bulging-necked German we should find inside. It was a pleasant room, with a polished wood floor and a big fire burning on the hearth. Beside the fire a man lay on a couch, with a little table drawn up beside him. On that table was a small glass of milk and a number of Patience cards spread in rows. I stared blankly at the spectacle, till I saw a second figure. It was the man in the skin-cap, the leader of the dancing maniacs. Both Peter and I backed sharply at the sight and then stood stock still. For the dancer crossed the room in two strides and gripped both of my hands.
'Dick, old man,' he cried, 'I'm most awfully glad to see you again!' CHAPTER TWELVE Four Missionaries See Light in their Mission A spasm of incredulity, a vast relief, and that sharp joy which comes of reaction chased each other across my mind. I had come suddenly out of very black waters into an unbelievable calm. I dropped into the nearest chair and tried to grapple with something far beyond words. 'Sandy,' I said, as soon as I got my breath, 'you're an incarnate devil. You've given Peter and me the fright of our lives.' 'It was the only way, Dick. If I hadn't come mewing like a tom-cat at your heels yesterday, Rasta would have had you long before you got to your hotel. You two have given me a pretty anxious time, and it took some doing to get you safe here. However, that is all over now. Make yourselves at home, my children.' 'Over!' I cried incredulously, for my wits were still wool-gathering. 'What place is this?' 'You may call it my humble home'—it was Blenkiron's sleek voice that spoke. 'We've been preparing for you, Major, but it was only yesterday I heard of your friend.' I introduced Peter. 'Mr Pienaar,' said Blenkiron, 'pleased to meet you. Well, as I was observing, you're safe enough here, but you've cut it mighty fine. Officially, a Dutchman called Brandt was to be arrested this afternoon and handed over to the German authorities. When Germany begins to trouble about that Dutchman she will find difficulty in getting the body; but such are the languid ways of an Oriental despotism. Meantime the Dutchman will be no more. He will have ceased upon the midnight without pain, as your poet sings.'
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GREENMANTLE by
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Flying Corps.
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I had just finished breakfast and w
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He laughed. 'You do yourself an inj
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Sir Walter lay back in an arm-chair
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if a man has a special knowledge to
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years—mostly young officers of th
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and premeditated, and I didn't seem
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advantageous position to take a han
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provide food and service. I kept th
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'V. I,' I read. 'There you have me.
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'I should add that it's about as sa
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lack the larger vision. They can be
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CHAPTER THREE Peter Pienaar Our var
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summer. The hills of Portugal were
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Beyers would have hanged him if he
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the predikant used to preach about
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ar-keeper, with a lot of Shangaan w
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Peter grunted a deep approval. 'Tha
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I had expected a big barricade with
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men with heavy eyes. No wonder, poo
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factory look like a house, though y
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'Maybe he wasn't,' said the giant i
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'You need men, and the men are wait
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As I walked dizzily away the big ma
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convalescent room, where people wer
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I did as I was bid, he followed, an
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a portfolio, and flung me a few sen
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shiver. But how can we strike? They
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had only heard a gurgle of somethin
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in about a quart of water, when Stu
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abominating the English and burning
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The door opened and Stumm entered.
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'There are thousands, sire,' I said
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veld ... Not but what,' he added, '
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German Crown.' I took the card and
Page 74 and 75: helpless. The man had a gorilla's r
Page 76 and 77: 'The village is five minutes off at
Page 78 and 79: my idiot had been absorbed into the
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Page 82 and 83: village. There were one or two peop
Page 84 and 85: Hampshire. The bouts had been short
Page 86 and 87: 'Gruss Gott,' I replied. I leaned a
Page 88 and 89: danced through my head in a crazy f
Page 90 and 91: your stocking-foot and use it only
Page 92 and 93: my passport inside Germany, to join
Page 94 and 95: shoulder. The others wore thick jer
Page 96 and 97: Stumm's cordon had got busy at last
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Page 100 and 101: Peter was in the middle of the conv
Page 102 and 103: others, for I was not a prisoner of
Page 104 and 105: elieved it. I was a poor Dutchman t
Page 106 and 107: I did not pay much attention to the
Page 108 and 109: him short. 'Come along to the comma
Page 110 and 111: The Turk swaggered up and addressed
Page 112 and 113: clearly not approving of this wet a
Page 114 and 115: here for their pleasure, and but la
Page 116 and 117: Then Peter fired over their heads.
Page 118 and 119: for any trouble with demoniacs. Up
Page 120 and 121: I had had the good fortune to colle
Page 122 and 123: have been. Sandy had said that the
Page 126 and 127: 'But I don't understand,' I stammer
Page 128 and 129: statesmen don't figure enough on. S
Page 130 and 131: understood a word of. "Maister Tamm
Page 132 and 133: 'I know,' I said; 'he is called Gre
Page 134 and 135: mine. Meantime, I've got to clear,
Page 136 and 137: sailor, Blenkiron flung him three o
Page 138 and 139: Petrograd and Mr Y. in London, or,
Page 140 and 141: He tore up the papers and enlarged
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Page 144 and 145: dwelling in my intestines. I'm like
Page 146 and 147: made me sick for the burning veld.
Page 148 and 149: top of them, and the three were off
Page 150 and 151: I told him in a hectic sentence, fo
Page 152 and 153: She led me through a long corridor
Page 154 and 155: Stumm and Rasta and the whole Germa
Page 156 and 157: passports. Say, do you come from En
Page 158 and 159: out to find my visitor in a brown s
Page 160 and 161: for the open country.' This confoun
Page 162 and 163: lacker one. Do you think that woman
Page 164 and 165: 'There was a time when the papers w
Page 166 and 167: I picked up the map and pocketed it
Page 168 and 169: different members of our gang. Pete
Page 170 and 171: swung along at a great pace with a
Page 172 and 173: It proved to be a wretched tumble-d
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About midday we descended on a wide
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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Trouble by The Wa
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glittering like jewels. The arches
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wretched horses. It is vitally impo
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was difficult driving. On both side
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With an effort Stumm recovered hims
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Sandy's somewhere outside, and he's
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I guessed he had gone to have a loo
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with the impetus right on our heads
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The Deve Boyun lines seemed to me m
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I had learned what I needed. We wer
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much that he broke open a wound in
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'Drugged,' he cried, with a weary l
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Sandy's figure seemed to shrink and
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'That's all right,' I cried. 'It is
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The outbuilding we were lodged in a
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On the road itself he would soon be
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the howitzers, and was thankful whe
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seemed to be a kind of cup between
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dislodge one ounce of snow. Still t
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'They may not understand it,' said
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and looked at his map, and then put
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von Einem was getting ready for her
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Beside him rode a tall figure swath
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We stared blankly for a second, til
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sides to prevent them getting us in
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It was a woman's voice, high, penet
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woman had singled me out above the
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Blenkiron's field-glasses and had a
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ange for his whizz-bangs. We've got
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'Feeling good?' I asked. 'Fine. I'm
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The choice fell on one of the Compa
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deaf to the sound. Stumm had seen u
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for the rear of the fugitives, but
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*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG E
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1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perfor
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Section 2. Information about the Mi
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