The Boy Scouts on the Trail

As they rode along they saw a cloud of dust before

ng the road," said Frank. "C

us, Frank. They're

t how do we know? They

hought of that

Hardy and his supplies. But we can't help

hey belonged. They were either English or German; that was all that could be certain. And that could be deduced from their khaki uniforms. Ther

roudly. "We could see their red and blue uniforms

impatiently. "Nowadays armies don't try to act as if they were on dress

uniform in which its famous v

t that doesn't matter now. Ah, they're English! I can see that now. We needn't tell them to

g their horses on. Each man carried a carbine, ready to dismount at any

o be enough, though there's no telling how ma

rtillery-four guns, going along almos

hey run into a brigade of Uhlans, the guns ought to do the trick. I

d Henri, as they wheeled their bicycles

ank. "Captain Hardy would keep them at it. Listen! The Uhlans must o

g still more loudly; then, a few minutes later, the heavier soun

we did before, too. I think it's a safe guess that the Germans are

h they were riding just around a little turn in the road. And as they took that turn, their feet off the pedals, they almost fell o

hey were in the midst of the German infantry. There was just a chance that they had not been seen and they took it, and fled to the hedge again,

ave, if you like! Where on earth did they come from

Henri, wide-eyed with astonishment. "Look, Frank, the

must have come through Arras. Jove, though, they took a terrible risk, Harry! Because, no matter how many of them there are, they can't eve

uns exactly. That's what they try to do, you know. They decide just where a masked battery is, and then our fellows can drop their shells right among their g

railroad, or, rather, they didn't cut it. I bet they ran thos

ld they

of our men, haven't they? Well, couldn't they use their uniforms so that it would look as

e German column strung out along the road. It seemed to cover at least two or three

oo. No camp kitchens-nothing. Only what the men themselves are carrying. They're making a forced march to get to some particul

s slipping through that field over there. They must know this country as we

other village now," said Frank. "Tell me, are tho

hat's the oldest part of the old park of the Chateau d'Avriere. I

ve turned a real trick. If the French or the English knew that the Germans were in any such force as this so far south

we were beaten again in that battl

se, they may know all about them at headquarters, but it doesn't look so. We had better wait here until we make fairly sure of what they're going to do and until there isn't any more danger

time to pass, but at last the road below was free of them, and th

moving on," said Frank. "It's risky, but I think we ought to take t

here's a risk, why shouldn't

e to get through to headquarters with what we've found out already. And the reason I'd

you to take the risk. I ought t

hink," said Frank, "I'm

How are you go

to skirt

bout half a mile beyond the crossroads the road rises again, and you'll find a windmill. If you climb to the top

Frank was going alone, to help him with his greater knowledge of the countryside. Some b

unted his own, and coasted down the hill. His object was to seem entirely indifferent, should some

therwise they'd have been pretty sure to leave an outpost of some sort here because this road looks like just the

o one to oppose his entry. And, when he reached the top, he found that there was an excellent view of the coun

ecided. They had made for those woods to obtain shelter, and they relied upon the fact that the allies did not know of their presence. It was a daring move; it might well have been successful, save for the accident of the two boys who had observed it. Indeed, even n

as he descended from the windmill and mounted his wheel, preparing to start back to join Henri. "They may be anyw

ench comrade was lighting the lamp of his

rested if we ride without a li

ow as little about where the Germans are as we do, I'm not going to

owing dusk, close together,

can they know so well what to do? You would think that they

ey have officers with every regiment who know where ditches are that they can use as trenches, and who have studied the land so that they recognize places they have never seen, just from the maps that they have studied until th

ied out

cried. "They have been planning, all

st as much about the country in Alsace and Lorraine, and all through the Rhine Province, as the Germans could of this section. It wasn't so in the last war. Then French officers were

ill make for

until we find out that the st

s eerie work. But neither of them was afraid. They were fired by a purpose to serve the cause in which they had enli

a dark spot in the road, ap

ried, in a g

close enough, they saw that he was a Ger