e main
road and went careening down lanes and along narrow trails hemmed in by
hedges. The car attracted little attention since it was an official
vehicle and clearly marked.

Just when he figured he was going to make it in spite of the dim
headlights and the fact that darkness had settled, he burst out of a
lane into a village. He recognized the place at once. He was just two
miles from his objective, but two military cars blocked the road ahead.
Stan was sure they were waiting for him. He did not drive on to find
out. Cutting the switch he slid out of the car and ducked over a hedge.

The car rolled on in the darkness while Stan sprinted along the hedge.
He passed through a back yard two jumps ahead of a shaggy dog and headed
up an alley. A few minutes later he was hurrying down the blacked-out
street.

Reaching a tavern Stan saw two bicycles shoved into a rack beside the
door. One of them was locked but the other was loose. Stan slipped it
out and headed up the street again. He was mounting the cycle when he
heard shouts down the street and men running. Dimmed car headlights
gleamed. The officers were on his trail again. Stan ducked into a narrow
path and pedaled away as hard as he could.

The officers chasing him drove along the road, which ran parallel to the
lane. They had a spotlight on one of the cars which they kept moving in
wide circles. Finally the light passed over Stan and the men began
shouting for him to halt. The light came back and held on him.

Stan sent the bike into a cross path and was out of the beam and headed
away from the road. He pedaled furiously. The men were out of the cars
and running after him. At the first left-hand turn Stan headed back in
the direction he wanted to go and kept pumping away.

The shouting behind him died down and he began to think he had evaded
his pursuers. Suddenly the lane broke out into the main road. Stan
headed down the road. He could see the looming bulk of a hangar against
the sky and knew that he was nearing headquarters. Suddenly he heard a
car behind him. Looking back he saw that one of the cars was close upon
him. He kept on pedaling but the car rapidly gained on him. It was very
close when he saw a gate ahead.

With five British officers on his heels, Stan ditched the bike and
sprinted for the gate. Under shaded lights he saw two Yank soldiers. He
reached them ten yards ahead of the Britishers, having outrun the
secret-service men. The guards barred