o
death. The German army enforced this rule strictly and invariably.
Neither age nor sex was a reason for sparing one who had violated it. A
woman spy, a boy of fifteen who fired at Germans, would alike be made to
face a firing squad.

No. If he and Henri were caught, and this officer, who had already shown
his venomous hate for them, was their accuser, they would never live to
see the German defeat for which they prayed. Frank hoped that Henri
would understand, that he would know that he had taken to flight because
it afforded the only chance of saving him.

Frank had reasoned quickly. He had been sure that the next move of the
German officer would have been to denounce him also. But while the
German officer had had a good look at Henri on the night of the Zeppelin
disaster, he had not seen Frank. Frank had been in the shadow when the
officer had tried to murder Henri; he had taken the German by surprise,
and stunned him. And so there was no way in which the German could know
him again, unless he saw him with Henri and so leaped to the conclusion
that he must also have been with him on the night of disaster.

By that process of reasoning Frank argued that he might remain free to
go about the town. The Germans had come to trust the Boy Scouts,
understanding that their honor was pledged when they gave their word,
even to an enemy. Some of the restrictions applying to the other
citizens of Amiens did not restrain them. They were allowed to be on the
streets after the hour of curfew, for one thing. And between the scouts
and a good many of the German privates and younger officers a relation
almost friendly had been established. Frank, for instance, was welcomed
at one Bavarian mess, which contained several soldiers who had studied
at English schools, and liked a chance to air their knowledge of the
English tongue. He hoped to gain some information in this way.

Nor was he wrong. His friends had heard of the arrest of Henri, who,
like Frank, was popular with them. And it turned out that they had
little use for the officer who had caused the arrest. He was known as a
tyrant who had more than once during the campaign shot down his own men
for slight breaches of discipline. Frank learned that he had been
degraded for the destruction of the Zeppelins, for which he had been
held responsible. His superiors had scouted his story of two boys who
had burned the dirigibles, and had assumed that he had been careless.

Therefore F