They had not far to go, and were congratulating themselves upon the fact that the village seemed almost deserted, when a man stepped into the road from the deep shadow of a low building.

"Halt!" challenged the newcomer. "Who goes there?"

"A friend!" was Ned's instant answer.

"Advance for examination, friend!" came the next command.

The boys stepped forward wonderingly, not understanding the cause for the man's challenge nor who he might be.

"Germans again, I'll bet!" whispered Harry as they proceeded.

"What town is this?" inquired Ned as the three approached the spot where their challenger stood. "We are lost and would like help."

"Ah, then you have come to the right place," the other said in a pleasant tone. "We can surely help you to find yourself, and also can give you a little lift upon your journey. Which way do you go?"

"We want to get to the United States," Ned answered. "We have a little work to do over here first, and would like to know just where we are now. It will help us to get located correctly."

"Then I will make a bargain with you," went on the other in a smooth tone. "In exchange for information from us, we ask the same from you.

Are you willing to make an exchange?"

"Perhaps," Ned answered. "Maybe our information wouldn't help."

"We shall see. Now, first, you are at Bochnia, a little way to the east of Cracow. Vienna lies almost due southwest, and the city of Berlin is almost due northwest. You are nearly one hundred and fifty miles almost due west of Peremysl," he concluded.

"That's good!" declared Ned. "We thank you heartily."

"Food is scarce," went on the other. "Gasoline is also scarce, and so is information. You may have all you want of either if you will be fair enough to reciprocate my kindness."

"What can we do for you in exchange for all this kindness?"

"Tell me how many German troops are leaving Peremysl," said the man.

For a moment Ned was about to speak. Then he stopped.

"We can't tell you that!" he said in a low tone. "We're not spies!"

CHAPTER XIII

A GREAT SURPRISE

From the tone in which the remark was made Jimmie understood that the speaker was referring contemptuously to either himself or Dave.

He thought that he recognized the voice, but could not at once determine the ident.i.ty of the one who made the statement. Just at the moment there appeared to be a world of canvas and ropes wound about his head and body. He gasped for breath.

Struggling to free himself from the entangling ma.s.s of cloth that seemed to be smothering and weighing him down, the lad presently found an opening, through which he thrust his head. Blinking rapidly as he cleared his eyes from the dust that had arisen because of the sudden downfall of the tent, the lad gazed about in astonishment.

"Here, here; cut it out!" he cried as he felt a rough hand laid upon his ankle. "What do you think you are doing, anyway?"

"Aus!" a rough voice sounded in his ear.

For a moment Jimmie lay without making an effort to rise. He was trying to regain his sense of location that had been momentarily disturbed because of his fall and sudden change of scene.

The next instant the hand shifted from his ankle to his collar, and he was unceremoniously dragged forth from the enveloping folds of the tent cloth. Without an apology the one who had so effectively taken the boy from his position set him upon his feet.

"Hands off!" the lad cried with hot resentment at the treatment.

"Leave go of me or I'll start working on you! Who are you, anyway?"

"That will do, young man," spoke a well-known voice, and Jimmie recognized von Liebknecht. "Why do you enter my tent so rudely?"

"Is this your tent?" asked Jimmie, wrinkling his freckled nose and blinking at the officer as he sparred for time.

"It was!" came the reply in icy tones, for von Liebknecht was plainly angered. "Why do you enter unannounced?"

"Well, if you'd ever been on Wall street," Jimmie began, with a twinkle in his eye, "you'd understand me perfectly when I say that I took a little flier in aeroplanes. The stock went up rapidly, and I felt the bottom drop out of the market. When I landed, my surprise was, to say the least, quite 'in tents'!"

"You speak strangely," von Liebknecht replied. "What do you mean?"

"Sorry if I say things you can't understand," went on the boy, "but you will have to let me tell the story in my own way. Not to change the subject at all, but I'd like to ask after my partner."

"Your partner?" was von Liebknecht's surprised question.

"Yes, the lad who came with me. Did you see anything of him?"

"Oh, you mean the Boy Scout. He is somewhere about. He was not quite so fortunate as you. He is being cared for."

"Where?" was Jimmie's startled query. "Let me see him."

"All in good time. He is over there," replied von Liebknecht, pointing to a little group of officers and men not far away.

"Excuse me; I'll be back in a minute," stated Jimmie, darting in the direction indicated. "This is rotten luck!" he added as he approached the group. "I hope that kid isn't hurt badly."

Much to Jimmie's relief he saw the other boy rise to his feet as he approached. In another instant he was by the other's side.

"Are you hurt badly?" he inquired solicitously.

"Not hurt a bit!" declared Dave, drawing himself to his full height and stretching one arm after the other to prove his statement.

"But you're pretty thoroughly shaken up, though!" declared the red-headed lad. "You must have fallen harder than I did."

"Well, I'll admit that last statement," laughed Dave. "I guess the breath was jolly well knocked out of me, don't you know."

"Not quite Johnnie Bull enough to be English," mused Jimmie aloud, "but still too much Johnnie Bull to be strictly United States. Say, Scout, where are you from, and what is your name, and where are you going?" he went on, gazing earnestly at the stranger.

Dave laughed at Jimmie's broadside of questions and answered by introducing himself. He received in turn a statement of Jimmie's name and rank, together with the name of his patrol.