Rob crawled over the ledge. He could not see how to make that friendly
limb again, but then there was no need of going to all that trouble. He
had dropped in safety before, and felt able to do the same again; so
down he came like a plummet.

CHAPTER XI.

MYSTERIOUS SIGNALS IN THE NIGHT.

Of course once Rob found himself away from that pungent smoke his sight
was gradually restored to him, though for quite a while his eyeballs
smarted more or less from the experience.

"What will we do now?" asked Tubby, who was very happy in the knowledge
that he had been allowed to have at least a hand, two of them, he
affirmed, in the saving of the little one.

"I did have an idea of staying here all night," returned Rob. "But,
since the inn has been destroyed, or will be utterly before the fire
dies down, of course that's out of the question."

"You remember we asked questions of the tavern-keeper," Merritt
remarked. "He told us there was another village about three miles
farther on along the road. We might make out to go there, and see if
they will put us up. If not, it's a haystack for ours, provided there
are any haystacks around."

"H'm! three miles or more, on that animated saw-buck, eh? I like that.
It just invigorates me, of course," they heard Tubby telling himself,
but his voice was anything but cheerful.

"Here comes the mother and the baby; she wants to thank you, Rob,"
Merritt told the patrol leader.

"Let's hurry and get out of this, then!" urged Rob, who, above all
things, seemed to dislike being made a hero of when he felt that he had
not done anything worth mentioning after all.

"No, you don't!" exclaimed Tubby, laying violent hands on his chum.
"It's only fair that you give the poor woman a chance to tell you how
grateful she is. As it stands to reason she speaks only Flemish, none of
us can make head or tail out of what she says, unless she mentions that
one word I know, which isn't likely."

But the woman could talk French, and she made it very evident to Rob
that her mother heart was full of gratitude to him for what he had done.
To the intense amusement of Tubby, she even kissed Rob again and again,
on either cheek, after the manner of the Belgians.

"Bully! That's the ticket! Give him another for his mother! I like to
see anyone appreciate a _real_ hero. And here's the innkeeper; mebbe
he'll want to add a few little caresses, too, Rob. Now, don't grieve his
heart by refusing. They all d