. But Netteke was
really offended. She made no effort to get it. She simply stayed where
she was. Father De Smet stuck his head over the side of the boat.

"What is the matter?" he shouted.

"Oh, dear!" said Jan to Marie. "I hoped he wouldn't notice that the
boat wasn't moving."

"Netteke has stopped. She won't go at all. I think she's run down!"
Marie called back.

"Try coaxing her," cried the skipper. "Give her something to eat. Hold
it in front of her nose."

"I have," answered Marie, "but she won't even look at it."

"Then it's no use," said Father De Smet mournfully. "She's balked and
that is all there is to it. We'll just have to wait until she is ready
to go again. When she has made up her mind she is as difficult to
persuade as a setting hen."

Mother De Smet's head appeared beside her husband's over the boat-rail.

"Oh, dear!" said she; "I hoped we should get to the other side of the
line before dark, but if Netteke's set, she's set, and we must just
make the best of it. It's lucky it's dinner-time. We'll eat, and maybe
by the time we are through she'll be willing to start." Father De Smet
tossed a bucket on to the grass.

"Give her a good drink," he said, "and come aboard yourselves."

Jan filled the bucket from the river and set it down before Netteke,
but she was in no mood for blandishments. She kept her ears back and
would not touch the water.

"All right, then, Crosspatch," said Jan. Leaving the pail in front of
her, he went back to the boat. The gangplank was put out, and he and
Marie went on board. They found dinner ready in the tiny cabin, and
because it was so small and stuffy, and there were too many of them,
anyway, to get into it comfortably, they each took a bowl of soup as
Mother De Smet handed it to them and sat down on the deck in front of
the cabin to eat it. It was not until the middle of the afternoon that
Netteke forgot her injuries, consented to eat and drink, and indicated
her willingness to move on toward Antwerp.

XI

THE ATTACK

Joseph and his father were both on the tow-path when at last Netteke
decided to move. As she set her ears forward and took the first step,
Father De Smet heaved a sigh of relief.

"Now, why couldn't you have done that long ago, you addlepated old
fool," he said mildly to Netteke. "You have made no end of trouble for
us, and gained nothing for yourself! Now I am afraid we shan't get
beyond the German lines before dark. We may even have to