sting shells less than a
mile away, and occasional spurts of flame showed where the German guns
were replying to the sudden attack. In a moment Hannay was deserted by
the Germans. And before the villagers, led by Raymond, had collected
their scattered wits, Paul had seen the chance of escape.

"Come on!" he cried, to Arthur.

They ran as fast as they could after the Germans.

CHAPTER XVII

THE BATTLE

They had not gone more than a hundred yards when a wild outburst of
shouting behind them told them that their flight had been discovered.
At least there seemed to be no reason for the people in Hannay to raise
such a din. And the cries showed them, too, that they were being
pursued. But such a pursuit did not frighten them. They had taken to
the fields almost at once, deserting the road, and with such a start as
they had it was practically impossible for them to be overtaken,
especially by such stupid pursuers as Raymond and his men.

So, before they had gone any great distance toward the sounds of
firing, which had now increased to a point that showed that they were
in the neighborhood of something very like a pitched battle, a general
engagement, they slowed down to a walk and waited to see what would
happen. In the road the pursuit stormed past them, but that did not
last long. In a few minutes they heard the voices of the returning
villagers, who had evidently decided that to keep on was too likely to
bring them into the field of operations.

And so for the time at least, the two scouts were free and safe.

"Thank heaven that's over!" said Arthur. "Paul, I never was so
frightened in my life! It seems to me that we were really between the
devil and the deep blue sea back there!"

"We certainly were!" said Paul, with a laugh. "The Belgians thought we
sided with the Germans, and the Germans knew we didn't! I suppose it
was foolish to defy them like that, but I couldn't do anything else."

"I should hope not!" said Arthur. "And I don't think it was foolish at
all--and neither do you, really, Paul. Perhaps they will find out, if
a few more things like that happen, that it won't be so easy to conquer
Belgium as they think, even if we are only a little bit of a country!"

"What I'm wondering is what we'd better try to do next," said Paul,
thoughtfully. "That sounds like a real battle in front of us, Arthur.
The firing is getting heavier all the time, and on both sides, I think,
as if more and