He, too, dropped his gun and his right fist shot forth. The German staggered back with a grunt; but Chester's blow had not reached a vital spot and the guard leaped forward again.

This time Chester timed his blow a little more carefully.

"Smack!"

The lad's fist landed flush on the guard's jaw. The man rolled over like a log.

Chester looked around quickly.

"Now to get out of this," he muttered.

He picked up his rifle and turned to move away. But even as he would have started the sound of hurrying footsteps halted him; and he began to pace up and down in front of the tent.

Two figures dashed toward him; behind them came the sound of shots.

"h.e.l.lo!" said Chester to himself. "More trouble in camp. Wonder what's up now?"

The answer was to come sooner than he could have expected. As the two figures came closer, other figures appeared in the distance. There came the sound of revolver shots.

"This way!" cried a voice.

Chester raised his rifle, ready to take a hand in the proceedings himself should the occasion demand.

"This thing is getting rather complicated," he told himself.

The two approaching figures came closer rapidly. Chester gave an exclamation of pure astonishment.

CHAPTER XXVI

RUNNING THE GAUNTLET

When Hal and Stubbs took to their heels after the former had relieved the German officer of his papers, they had run some distance before coming across anyone in the darkness. Then they came upon another figure so suddenly that it almost resulted in their capture.

Hal, in the lead, had been just about to slacken his pace, when, rounding a corner suddenly, he had crashed into a form in the night. The two went down in a heap; and Stubbs, turning a moment later, had stumbled over the pair of struggling forms before he could check himself. In a moment he found himself mixed up in the struggling ma.s.s.

A fist struck Stubbs squarely upon the nose.

"Hey! Quit that," said Stubbs, and struck out with his right.

This blow came almost ending the fight right there and in a manner not at all advantageous to Stubbs and Hal. In the darkness the little war correspondent had been unable to distinguish friend from foe and his fist caught Hal just above the right eye.

Now Anthony Stubbs had considerable power in his right arm and for a moment Hal was dazed by the blow. Before he could clear his head, his opponent had struck him a heavy blow on the other side of the neck and leaped to his feet.

At that instant Stubbs realized what he had done and a sickening sensation struck him in the pit of the stomach; but the little man determined to give the best that was in him to undo his work.

With an angry bellow he charged his German opponent. The latter stepped back a pace and sought to draw his revolver, but Stubbs was too quick for him. Almost at the moment that Stubbs crashed into his foe he lowered his head, as would a steer, and his head caught the German in the region of the belt.

Came a gasp from the German as he doubled up and collapsed. He rolled over upon the ground several times in a vain attempt to gain his breath; then lay still.

The victory was with Stubbs!

Hal had now regained consciousness and sat up just in time to see the effect of Stubbs' charge.

"Good work, Stubbs!" the lad cried. "Now lend me a hand and we'll get away from here!"

Stubbs did as requested and a moment later Hal was on his feet. The lad felt the b.u.mp over his eye tenderly.

"Stubbs," he said, "it was rather dark and we were so mixed up on the ground that I couldn't see, but I would be willing to wager a whole lot that it wasn't a German who gave me this crack over the eye. Now was it?"

"Well," said Stubbs, "I--I--"

"Just as I thought," declared Hal. "So you tried to do me up as well as the German, eh?"

"It was an accident," declared Stubbs. "You know I wouldn't have done it on purpose, Hal."

"It came very near being a costly accident, Stubbs. Suppose the German had laid you out? Then what? We would have been nabbed, sure."

"I'll be more careful next time," said Stubbs, apologetically.

"You won't have to be," said Hal. "Next time I'm going to get in the first blow. Then we'll see how you like it. But come. We must be moving away from here. See. The German is regaining consciousness. I don't want to kill him, and we mustn't be here when he comes to. Come now."

Hal led the way rapidly along the row of tents.

"Looks as though we should be safe enough now," the lad said, after they had walked for perhaps fifteen minutes.

The lad produced his watch, and by the soft light of the moon, took note of the time.

"By Jove! half past one o'clock," he said. "We shall have to hurry back or Chester will be worried."

"Let's hope Chester will be there when we arrive," said Stubbs.

"Oh, he'll be there, all right. Come on."

"Say," said Stubbs as they walked along, "what I want to know is how you knew the German officer you knocked down had any valuable papers?"

"That's easy," was Hal's response. "Before entering the tent where your little game was in progress, I overheard one of the officers without mention the fact that an aide of General Ludwig's was in the tent and that he carried important papers. The rest was very simple."

"I see," said Stubbs. "Now what--look there, Hal."

The little man broke off suddenly and pointed directly ahead. Advancing toward them were perhaps a dozen German soldiers, with an officer at their head.

"We'll have to get out of the way," said Hal, quietly. "We haven't time to answer questions now."

He turned between the rows of tents and hurried on, with Stubbs close behind him. And from the German officer came the command to halt.