A moment more, and he was close enough to the mounted officer to touch
his horse. Suddenly the lad sprang forward and cried:
"General Givet! General Givet!"
The mounted officer pulled up his horse sharply. At the same moment the
officer in charge of the squad sprang forward and grasped Chester roughly
by the arm.
"Get back there!" he commanded sharply, but the boy paid no heed.
"General Givet!" he called again, and laughed happily aloud as the
general turned his horse and came squarely up to him.
"Why, by my soul!" exclaimed the Belgian commander after a sharp look at
the boy, "if it isn't young Crawford! What are you doing here?"
"They are going to shoot me as a spy, general," said Chester.
"What!" exclaimed the commander. "You a spy!"
He turned to the lieutenant in command of the squad.
"By whose order, sir?" he demanded.
"Captain Bassil's order, sir," was the reply.
"Captain Bassil, eh? Well, you will conduct your prisoner to my quarters.
Then you will inform Captain Bassil that I desire his presence
immediately."
The lieutenant saluted, and the general rode off.
Ten minutes later, in the general's quarters, Chester was face to face
with his accuser.
"Well, sir," said General Givet to Captain Bassil, "what was your reason
for ordering this lad shot? You will please explain yourself at once."
The captain shifted uneasily from one foot to another.
"I was sure he was a spy, sir," he made reply. "Why else should he be
spooking about your tent at such an hour in the morning? But if I have
made a mistake--"
"You have, sir," interrupted the general, "a very serious one--one that
will require a more satisfactory explanation than the one you have just
given.
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