"Perhaps we can manage to make it if the Germans have not taken it away," suggested David. "I can't say for sure, but we can try."

"Let's be on our way, then," urged Harry, eager to start.

"Suppose we look about and look for something to eat," suggested Ned.

"I'm beginning to appreciate Jimmie's feelings."

"I hope you're not hungry already?" laughed Jack, "Why," he added, "you had something to eat no longer ago than--"

"Yes, no longer ago than the last time we ate," interrupted Harry.

"You may not believe it, but I'm getting so hungry I could eat anything."

"All right; call the waiter, then, and we'll all eat."

"Perhaps I can find something," volunteered David. "I know where the Russians kept most of their stores. They had a place over here at one side of this big s.p.a.ce filled with things to eat and shoot and so on.

They had a lot of stuff in there."

"Where do you suppose they have all gone?" asked Ned, glancing about.

"I rather imagine they have gotten away as fast as they could after the Germans began blowing down the tottering walls. Those fellows we saw back there in the tunnel were possibly trying to get away by that route," replied David. "I intended bringing you here when we left the cellar where the rats were. I thought the way was clear."

"How did you happen to be there?" asked Ned.

"I got tired of being a prisoner," answered David. "Naturally, when the chance offered, I just slipped into the pa.s.sage and started. I counted my steps to the end and found I must go the other way. When I had reached the cellar where you were I was exploring it when I heard the noise overhead. I just stayed in the dark until you made a light."

"Then you thought you'd help us out?" asked Harry.

"Yes," was the reply. "I felt that you needed a guide, and I had to do one good turn a day, you know. I thought that would be one."

"Sure, we know," Harry stated in a low voice. "I guess that was pretty nearly three good turns, wasn't it, Ned?"

"We'll count it as three, anyhow," responded Ned heartily.

"Now, you're hungry," interrupted David, rather loath to hear his own praises. "Come over this way and we'll see what we can find."

As David had predicted, the boys found a smaller room opening off the large one in which they were gathered. There was a miscellaneous collection of articles comprising food, ammunition, arms and many other things. They at once attacked the food supply.

Harry gleefully announced the discovery of a can of beef from Chicago, while Jack went into ecstacies over a can of beans.

Without the loss of a moment the boys fell to and soon satisfied their hunger. Directly Jack began searching amongst the goods.

"Where did they store their water?" he asked David.

"I don't know that," replied the boy. "What is in that barrel?"

"Nothing but gasoline, judging by the smell," replied Jack.

"Hurrah!" shouted Ned, springing to his feet. "Just the thing!"

"Not to drink!" objected Jack scornfully. "Not for me, anyway!"

"No, but fine for the Eagle if we can get it there and find the plane still in working order. Let's hope they haven't taken it away."

"Let's go see," suggested David. "We can take along some of this gasoline in some of these empty tins and cans."

"You're a brick!" announced Jack. "I'm beginning to like you!"

Scrambling over the wreckage and ruins of the building, the four boys, each bearing a vessel with gasoline, gained the street. They turned a corner and pa.s.sed along apparently unnoticed. In a short time they stood in the vacant s.p.a.ce where the Eagle had landed.

Before them the planes loomed large. Ned almost shouted for joy.

"There are soldiers on that hill over there!" announced Jack.

"One of them has gone crazy or something," said Harry, pointing.

"That's Boy Scout semaph.o.r.e signals!" declared David.

"Answer him, Ned," suggested Jack. "Maybe he means us."

"He's spelling 'Wolf' in American," stated Ned. "Here comes more."

"Right arm above head, left horizontal--that's 'J,'" said David.

"Right diagonally down, left across chest--that's 'I;' right diagonally down, left horizontal--that's 'M;' he repeats it; he repeats 'I;' right down in front, left up diagonally--that's 'E.'"

"That spells 'Jimmie!'" cried Harry in excitement.

CHAPTER VII

A SUSPECTED SPY

For a time Jimmie forgot the drudgery to which he had been sentenced as a result of his fight with Otto for possession of the tiny packet concealed in the Cossack uniform. Forgotten were the multiplicity of duties incident to his service as a member of the "kitchen police"--the work to which all offenders in the army were subjected, and which corresponded to the tasks of a garbage collector.

Apparently the lad was devoting himself wholly to the strenuous labor of calisthenics. There seemed to be no idea in his mind of making any certain motion a given number of times for the purpose of developing different muscles. Instead he merely placed his arms in various positions and held them there a moment before a.s.suming a different att.i.tude. Seldom did he repeat any motion.

We know, of course, that he had seen the boys as they emerged from the underground cavern that nearly proved their tomb. He had taken a chance on their being his comrades and had made signals to attract their attention. When he received an answering wave of the arm from Ned he delightedly began sending a message by means of the well-known semaph.o.r.e code. Although the lad possessed no flags or other means of carrying out fully the code as prescribed, he did the best he could with only his arms for signals. We know that Ned and his chums were able correctly to interpret the message Jimmie was sending.

"Great frozen hot boxes!" mused the boy half aloud. "They are down there among the ruins. I wonder how they got free of the searching party. Things have been coming pretty fast for me lately, and I declare I clean forgot the others. Wonder what they'll do."

He had not long to wait. Directly he saw Ned and the others consulting beside the aeroplane. The next moment Ned had stepped clear of the machine and began waving his arms after the same fashion adopted by Jimmie when he spelled out his own name.

"There he goes!" declared Jimmie to himself. "There he is making the letter 'C.' There comes 'A,' and next is 'N.' That is 'Can.' Now here comes 'U;' 'Can You.' Here is 'G,' 'E,' 'T.' 'Can You Get--.'

Now he says 'A,' 'W,' 'A,' 'Y.' That's 'Away.' Can I get away? Not very handy with all these Germans about. Guess I'll have to tell him something myself. Here goes."

Accordingly Jimmie began a reply in the same code. He briefly informed Ned that he understood the regiment was to go west, probably to Verdun, where Jimmie had heard that heavy fighting was taking place. He also stated that he was unable to escape in daylight, but that he would try to do so after nightfall.

In response to this wig-wagging Ned began to give directions for their co-operation in an attempt at escape by Jimmie, when suddenly he discerned a soldier creeping up behind his red-headed friend.