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die？〃
〃About twenty！〃 groaned the American； 〃And； besides being
dead； I am severely wounded。 Every time he fired； I fell on
my face； and each time I hit a rock！〃
A scarecrow of a figure appeared suddenly in the rays of the
head…lights。 It was Herbert； scratched； bleeding； dripping
with water； and clad simply in a shirt and trousers。 He
dragged out his kit bag and fell into his golf clothes。
〃Anybody who wants a perfectly good German uniform；〃 he
cried； 〃can have mine。 I left it in the first row of
breakers。 It didn't fit me； anyway。〃
The other two uniforms were hidden in the seat of the car。
The rifles and helmets； to lend color to the invasion； were
dropped in the open road； and five minutes later three
gentlemen in inconspicuous Harris tweeds； and with golf clubs
protruding from every part of their car； turned into the
shore road to Cromer。 What they saw brought swift terror to
their guilty souls and the car to an abrupt halt。 Before them
was a regiment of regulars advancing in column of fours； at
the 〃 double。〃 An officer sprang to the front of the car and
seated himself beside Ford。
〃I'll have to commandeer this；〃 he said。 〃Run back to
Cromer。 Don't crush my men； but go like the devil！〃
〃We heard firing here；〃 explained the officer 〃 at the Coast
Guard station。 The Guard drove them back to the sea。 He
counted over a dozen。 They made pretty poor practice； for he
isn't wounded； but his gravel walk looks as though some one
had drawn a harrow over it。 I wonder；〃 exclaimed the officer
suddenly； 〃if you are the three gentlemen who first gave the
alarm to Colonel Raglan and then went on to warn the other
coast towns。 Because； if you are； he wants your names。〃
Ford considered rapidly。 If he gave false names and that fact
were discovered； they would be suspected and investigated；
and the worst might happen。 So he replied that his friends
and himself probably were the men to whom the officer
referred。 He explained they had been returning from Cromer；
where they had gone to play golf； when they had been held up
by the Germans。
〃You were lucky to escape；〃 said the officer 〃And in keeping
on to give warning you were taking chances。 If I may say so；
we think you behaved extremely well。〃
Ford could not answer。 His guilty conscience shamed him into
silence。 With his siren shrieking and his horn tooting； he
was forcing the car through lanes of armed men。 They packed
each side of the road。 They were banked behind the hedges。
Their camp…fires blazed from every hill…top。
〃Your regiment seems to have turned out to a man！〃 exclaimed
Ford admiringly。
〃MY regiment！〃 snorted the officer。 〃You've passed through
five regiments already； and there are as many more in the
dark places。 They're everywhere！〃 he cried jubilantly。
〃And I thought they were only where you see the camp…fires；〃
exclaimed Ford。
〃That's what the Germans think；〃 said the officer。 〃It's
working like a clock；〃 he cried happily。 〃There hasn't been a
hitch。 As soon as they got your warning to Colonel Raglan；
they came down to the coast like a wave； on foot； by trains；
by motors； and at nine o'clock the Government took over all
the railroads。 The county regiments； regulars； yeomanry；
territorials； have been spread along this shore for thirty
miles。 Down in London the Guards started to Dover and
Brighton two hours ago。 The Automobile Club in the first hour
collected two hundred cars and turned them over to the Guards
in Bird Cage Walk。 Cody and Grahame…White and eight of his
air men left Hendon an hour ago to reconnoitre the south
coast。 Admiral Beatty has started with the Channel Squadron
to head off the German convoy in the North Sea； and the
torpedo destroyers have been sent to lie outside of
Heligoland。 We'll get that back by daylight。 And on land
every one of the three services is under arms。 On this coast
alone before sunrise we'll have one hundred thousand men； and
from Colchester the brigade division of artillery； from
Ipswich the R。 H。 A。's with siege…guns； field…guns； quick…
firing…guns； all kinds of guns spread out over every foot of
ground from here to Hunstanton。 They thought they'd give us a
surprise party。 They will never give us another surprise
party！〃
On the top of the hill at Overstrand； the headwaiter of the
East Cliff Hotel and the bearded German stood in the garden
back of the house with the forbidding walls。 From the road in
front came unceasingly the tramp and shuffle of thousands of
marching feet； the rumble of heavy cannon； the clanking of
their chains； the voices of men trained to command raised in
sharp； confident orders。 The sky was illuminated by countless
fires。 Every window of every cottage and hotel blazed with
lights。 The night had been turned into day。 The eyes of the
two Germans were like the eyes of those who had passed
through an earthquake； of those who looked upon the burning
of San Francisco； upon the destruction of Messina。
〃We were betrayed； general；〃 whispered the head…waiter。
〃We were betrayed； baron；〃 replied the bearded one。
〃But you were in time to warn the flotilla。〃
With a sigh； the older man nodded。
〃The last message I received over the wireless；〃 he said；
〃before I destroyed it； read； 'Your message understood。 We
are returning。 Our movements will be explained as manoeuvres。
And；〃 added the general； 〃The English； having driven us back；
will be willing to officially accept that explanation。 As
manoeuvres； this night will go down into history。 Return to
the hotel；〃 he commanded； 〃And in two months you can rejoin
your regiment。〃
On the morning after the invasion the New York Republic
published a map of Great Britain that covered three columns
and a wood…cut of Ford that was spread over five。 Beneath it
was printed： 〃Lester Ford； our London correspondent； captured
by the Germans； he escapes and is the first to warn the
English people。〃
On the same morning； In an editorial in The Times of London；
appeared this paragraph：
〃The Germans were first seen by the Hon。 Arthur Herbert； the
eldest son of Lord Cinaris； Mr。 Patrick Headford Birrell
both of Balliol College； Oxford； and Mr。 Lester Ford； the
correspondent of the New York Republic。 These gentlemen
escaped from the landing party that tried to make them
prisoners； and at great risk proceeded in their motor…car
over roads infested by the Germans to all the coast towns of
Norfolk； warning the authorities。 Should the war office fail
to recognize their services； the people of Great Britain will
prove that they are not ungrateful。〃
A week later three young men sat at dinner on the terrace of
the Savoy。
〃Shall we； or shall we not；〃 asked Herbert； 〃tell my uncle
that we three； and we three alone； were the invaders？〃
〃That's hardly correct；〃 said Ford； 〃as we now know there
were two hundred thousand invaders。 We were the only three
who got ashore。〃
〃I vote we don't tell him；〃 said Birrell。 〃Let him think with
everybody else that the Germans blundered； that an advance
party landed too soon and gave the show away。 If we talk；〃 he
argued； 〃We'll get credit for a successful hoax。 If we keep
quiet； everybody will continue to think we saved England。 I'm
content to let it go at that。〃
Chapter 4。 BLOOD WILL TELL
David Greene was an employee of the Burdett Automatic Punch
Company。 The manufacturing plant of the company was at
Bridgeport； but in the New York offices there were working
samples of all the punches； from the little nickel…plated hand
punch with which conductors squeezed holes in railroad tickets；
to the big punch that could bite into an iron plate as easily as
into a piece of pie。 David's duty was to explain these different
punches； and accordingly when Burdett Senior or one of the sons
turned a customer over to David he spoke of him as a salesman。
But David called himself a 〃demonstrator。〃 For a short time he
even succeeded in persuading the other salesmen to speak of
themselves as demonstrators； but the shipping clerks and
bookkeepers laughed them out of it。 They could not laugh David
out of it。 This was so； partly because he had no sense of humor；
and partly because he had a great…great…grandfather。 Among the
salesmen on lower Broadway； to possess a great…great…grandfather
is unusual； even a great…grandfather is a rarity； and either is
considered superfluous。 But to David the possession of a
great…great…grandfather was a precious and open delight。 He had
possessed him only for a short time。 Undoubtedly he always had
existed； but it was not until David's sister Anne married a
doctor in Bordentown； New Jersey； and became socially ambitious；
that David emerged as a Son of Washington。
It was sister Anne； anxious to 〃get in〃 as a 〃Daughter〃 and wear
a distaff pin in her shirtwaist； who discovered the revolutionary
ancestor。 She unearthed him； or rather ran him to earth； in the
graveyard of the Presbyterian church at Bordentown。 He was no
less a person than General Hiram Greene； and he had fought with
Washington at Trenton and at Princeton。 Of this there was no
doubt。 That； later； on moving to New York； his descendants became
peace…loving salesmen did not affect his record。 To enter a
socie