"That wouldn't be very profitable," Ned argued. "If we should start anything like that we'd be in all kinds of trouble at once. Our best plan would, I think, be to cut and run for it to the westward. If they're after us and mean to catch us, they would try to follow. Even though this may be an army plane they are using, I believe the Eagle is capable of outrunning them."

"Then here goes for a fast ride," declared Jack, reaching for the handle controlling the mixing valve of the carburetor. "I'm going to slip in a little more air and shove the spark ahead a few notches."

"Hang onto your hat," laughed Harry. "If Jack gets the speed bug nicely working there won't be much left that isn't tied on!"

"Right you are," responded Jack as the Eagle seemed to fairly leap forward in answer to his touch. "Hang on tight!"

Jack's caution was needed, for the speed materially increased. Ned continued to keep watch with the aid of the binoculars, while Harry scanned the surrounding country in an effort to make out any features that would guide them.

Presently the others were delighted to hear a cry from Ned.

"We're leaving them behind at last, boys!" he managed to shout as he sheltered his head from the stinging blast of air singing through the rigging of the Eagle. "They're getting smaller in the gla.s.ses!"

"Slow down, Jack," advised Harry. "Let's watch them a bit and see what they're going to do. Maybe it's only a trick."

"No, it isn't a trick," said Ned as the Eagle's speed decreased. "That plane is going to land, I believe. I think I can see a light on the ground a little to the northward of their position."

"Suppose we swing round in a big circle and see if we can discover what they are going to do," suggested Jack, reaching for the rudder levers.

"If they're going to land and get a.s.sistance we ought to know it before it's too late. If they're giving up it'll be all right."

"Stand by to come about, then," agreed Ned. "It won't do any harm, and if we cut in the m.u.f.fler we should be able to ride above them without being discovered. The upper sky is very dark yet."

Accordingly Jack shifted the rudders and brought the Eagle sharply about, heading directly eastward again. As the plane proceeded to retrace the course so recently followed the lad brought the machine to a higher level and cut in the m.u.f.fler, entirely deadening the clamor of the motors. He had been running with the exhaust partly open in order to obtain every bit of the engine's efficiency in the flight.

When the boys had reached an alt.i.tude that seemed sufficient Jack again described a circle in the air that brought them almost directly over the position to which the pursuing plane had descended.

"Ha!" cried Ned, turning the gla.s.ses downward. "I can see a train standing at a station. The grounds are lighted by shaded electric lights, I believe, and there seem to be soldiers moving about beside the train. I saw a shower of sparks just then that looked as if they came from a switch engine. I'll bet that's a railroad terminal and the train is one moving troops westward from Peremysl to Verdun!"

"Hope you are right and that the train has got Jimmie and Dave on it,"

put in Jack eagerly. "Maybe we can get a chance to rescue them yet.

What do you say to trying?"

"The chances would be very poor just now, I'm thinking," replied Harry doubtfully. "With all those soldiers there we wouldn't have much of a chance, especially as we are not able to communicate with the boys, even granting that they are on that train."

"Better give up the idea, then," regretfully acknowledged Jack.

"Can you make out anything, Ned?" asked Harry, peering downward.

"Nothing in particular," replied the lad. "It seems to me that the aviator is trying to start the plane again. I can see it at the station under the lights. Can you hear the exhaust of his engine?"

"I thought I did just then," replied Harry. "Listen!"

All three boys strained their ears to catch any possible sounds from below while the Eagle on noiseless wings circled high above the station grounds. A confusion of minor sounds came faintly up.

Out of the murmur a crashing, rending noise was heard.

CHAPTER XIX

LESE MAJESTY

"But we're not spies!" snapped Jimmie truculently. "We wouldn't be spies for anything!"

"Silence!" commanded the officer in a voice denoting his displeasure at the interruption. "It will be best for you to keep silent."

"You may give your answer to the charges if you desire," said the Kaiser in a not unkindly tone. "But," he went on, "you will remember that if the report of Captain von Liebknecht is at all correct matters look rather unfavorable for you at present."

"I'll admit that latter part without argument," said Jimmie, much relieved that he was being given an opportunity to speak. "Things look rather odd, as you say, but it is only looks. The facts are that we are over in this country on a peaceful mission, and have refused to give information to either the Germans or the Russians. That rather squares the account, doesn't it?"

"In a measure, yes," admitted the Kaiser. "But your presence with the Russian troops does not incline us to look with much favor upon yourself or your comrades. Further," he continued, "the fact that your comrades have a high-powered aeroplane in our territory and have tried to rescue you from our regiment appears as if they do not care to be open and frank with us. Can you explain that?"

"I think I can," replied Jimmie gravely. "I can see now that our actions would appear rather mysterious to your officers, but you must also remember that they refused to take our word for anything. They simply went ahead and acted on the opinion they received from first sight. Our statements were not given any weight at all."

"Perhaps the officers were a trifle over-zealous, we will admit,"

continued the Kaiser, "but you have been well treated, have you not?"

"Fairly well," replied Jimmie. "I may say," he added, "that we have been very well treated considering all things. But I'd like to have that little package that was taken from me."

The Kaiser turned an inquiring glance toward von Liebknecht.

"It is this little package to which I referred briefly in my statement," explained von Liebknecht, producing the packet that had been rescued from the Cossack uniform by Jimmie when Otto had attempted to put the discarded clothes in the fire.

"And what do you say is in this packet?" inquired the Kaiser, addressing Jimmie, as he readied out a hand to take the parcel from von Liebknecht. "Is it your own property?"

"It was given to me by a man who was trying to make money selling munitions to the Russians," replied the lad. "He was a villain if ever there was one. He stole a lot of money in the United States and came over on a ship to Riga. He kidnapped me and had me enlisted in a Russian regiment of Cossacks, where he also found himself enlisted against his will. When an attack was made on a German troop train before the a.s.sault on Peremysl he was badly wounded."

"Ah, then you both were there?" asked the Kaiser interestedly.

"Yes," went on the boy. "When he found he was so badly wounded he gave me this packet and asked me to go back to New York, where he had put papers and other things in a safe deposit vault. He wanted me to try to straighten out some of his wrongdoings."

"Then this does not refer in any way to information that might be of value to our enemy?" questioned the Kaiser, looking keenly at the lad.

"Not in the least!" declared Jimmie, returning the other's gaze frankly and fearlessly. "You are a good enough judge of human nature to determine whether I'm telling you the truth or not."

"I rather think you are telling the truth so far as you know it," was the answer, accompanied by a smile in recognition of the tribute the lad had paid. "But," he added, "is it not possible that the man himself may have been telling things that were not so in the hope that the information would fall into the hands of the Russians?"

"I don't believe it," returned Jimmie, positively. "He knew he was going to die, and tried, I believe, to right the wrongs he had done."

"No doubt you are correct. At any rate, I'm inclined to take a chance and return the packet to you if you agree to keep it as directed and do your best to follow the man's wishes."

"I'll readily do that!" cried Jimmie, stretching his hand for the extended packet. "I'll promise that as I promised him."

"Thank you," smiled Kaiser, in one of his, rare moods of unbending from the dignity that marked his demeanor. "I am trusting you."

"Then I suppose that we will be permitted to depart for America as quickly as we can locate our comrades?" asked Jimmie, eagerly.

A shake of the head preceded the reply to this question.