Page 69 - A Hero of Liége

CHAPTER VII

-- A HORNET'S NEST

"I am not at all happy about this," said Pariset, after a brief silence.

"We haven't learnt very much, certainly," said Kenneth.

"I don't mean that. We have learnt enough if that is your man. But I see no
means of preventing the destruction of the bridge."

"We might fly to Charleroi and send a squadron of lancers back. There are
only five men to deal with, apparently."

"That's not the difficulty. The point is that at the first sign of molestation
they would fire the mine. You may depend upon it that they are picked

men, with resolution enough to do their job, even at the cost of their lives.
It would not be much use to capture them after the mischief was already

done."

"The mine is to be fired on receipt of a marconigram."

"You didn't tell me that. It may happen at any minute, then. They must have

wireless rigged up in the mill-house. We might have cut a wire, but with
wireless we are helpless."

"Unless we could get into the mill," Kenneth suggested.

"Ah, if we could! But there's no chance of it. The fellow is on the qui vive:
I don't like the way he looked after us."

"Wouldn't the old miller, as the landlord, have a right to go in?"

"I daresay, but the old man couldn't do anything. Even if he knew anything
about wireless or mines, he would only get flustered; he certainly would
quite fail to do any damage."