"Great Scott!" he cried. "That one bullet must have put us out of commission. We'll have to go down, or be shot to pieces up here."

Gently the little craft glided toward the earth; and now the boys could make out the objects below.

On all sides, stretching out as far as the eye could see, was a mighty ma.s.s of moving men.

"Germans?" asked Chester anxiously.

"We'll soon see," replied Hal briefly.

It was apparent now that those below, realizing that the aircraft was falling, would not fire at it again. With upturned eyes thousands of men watched the flight of the little plane, as it soared down among them.

Hal looked closely at the men, as the machine drew near the ground, and then exclaimed:

"No, they are not Germans; Russians, that's what they are."

Chester raised a feeble cheer.

"Hurrah!" he shouted.

Marquis, aroused by the sound of the lad's voices, arose and stretched.

Even he seemed pleased.

And now the aeroplane b.u.mped the ground, and the lads stepped out to see a long line of rifle barrels confronting them.

The lads threw up their hands instantly, but Marquis's back bristled and he growled threateningly.

"Keep quiet!" Chester commanded, and the dog grew still. An officer approached the lads.

"What do you here?" he demanded, in some language the lads could not understand.

The lads shook their heads, and the officer tried again, this time in German.

"What do you here?" he demanded.

As briefly as possible, Hal, acting as spokesman, explained. The officer's incredulous gaze grew more so as the lad went on with his story. When the lad had finished, he said simply:

"I don't believe you!"

Hal was angry in a second. He took a step toward the officer.

"What do you mean by that?" he demanded.

The officer stood his ground.

"Just what I say," he replied. "I don't believe you. The tale you tell is impossible."

Chester stepped into the breach. He took Hal by the arm.

"Of course such a tale is hard to believe," he said. "But, nevertheless, it is true. We carry an important message for the Grand Duke."

"Well," said the officer, "I don't think you will see him. He is too busy to give up his time to listen to such a tale as yours."

But at this moment a second officer, apparently the other's superior, approached. To him, upon request, Hal repeated his story. This officer also looked incredulous, but the result was different.

"You tell a very strange story," he said, "but it is not for me to pa.s.s upon its veracity. You shall be given an audience with the Grand Duke; but, mark me well, if it is found that you have been lying--that you have nothing of importance, it will go hard with you."

"We have no fear of that, sir," said Chester briefly.

"All right, then. Follow me."

The lads did as ordered, Marquis trailing along after them. Through thousands of rapidly-moving men the lads followed the officer, and at last, after more than an hour's walk, came to a stop, upon command, in front of a large, bewhiskered man, of imposing military stature.

"This," said the officer who had conducted them, "is Grand Duke Nicholas."

The officer looked down on them.

"What is it?" he demanded gruffly.

The officer repeated the story the boys had told him. The Grand Duke grew greatly interested as the story progressed, and, when the message was mentioned, he interrupted.

"Enough," he said. "I have been expecting such a message." He turned to the two lads. "Do you bear it?" he asked.

Hal bowed in a.s.sent.

"Then give it to me!" he cried eagerly.

Chester reached in his pocket, and a moment more the Grand Duke eagerly clutched the paper the lad handed him--a paper they had gone through so much to deliver.

The Grand Duke read the message through twice, sitting on his horse without a move, his face a perfect blank. Then he thrust it into his pocket and turned once more to the two lads.

"You have done well," he said. "Captain, you will see that they are brought to my quarters to-night at eight o'clock. I desire to question them. In the meantime, see that they are fed and clothed properly, for it is very cold."

The officer saluted, and the Grand Duke rode away, closely followed by the members of his staff. At a sign from the officer in whose charge they had been left, the lads followed him.

Toward the rear of the army they continued their way, coming at last upon a row of tents. Into one of these the officer led the way, the lads and the dog following him.

Here the officer quickly set out food, and the boys fell to with a will, for it was a long time since a morsel had pa.s.sed their lips. Then, having satisfied their appet.i.tes, they informed the officer that they would like to rest.

The officer nodded, and showed them into another tent, where two bunks had been prepared. With a word of thanks, the boys climbed in, and the officer left them alone.

"Well," said Chester, "we have accomplished our mission successfully.

What are we going to do now?"

"I have been thinking," Hal replied, "of how life on this side of the war arena would go."

"You mean stay here and not return to France?" asked Chester.

"Exactly. I have read that the Russian Cossacks are terrible fighters. I would like to see some of them in action."