e chasing us after we had escaped from the
house where they had hidden the guns and the shells?"

"Yes!" Arthur saw the idea at once. "We haven't any glass--but if we
could find some sharp pointed stones?"

"Quick! Let's look!"

They were lucky. They found something better than stones--for in the
field right beside the road they discovered a veritable treasure, a
pile of horseshoes, rusty and worn, that had been piled up there
evidently by some farmer, against the time when he should decide to
carry them all to the blacksmith to be used again. In some nails still
projected; all of them, at any rate, had some sharp points. They
worked frantically, while the song of the motor of the approaching car
seemed to din "Hurry! Hurry!" into their ears. And then, just as the
gears of the car were shifted at the bottom of the hill, and it began
its laborious ascent, they were finished.

"Now!" cried Paul, springing back into the shadow of the hedge. "Now
we'll see whether our luck has changed! It has been against us ever
since we got to Huy. It is time, I think, that we had a little good
fortune! Perhaps it will do us no good, even if those nails and
horseshoes do puncture the tires. But we shall see!"

On came the car. The hill was one of those long, steady ascents that
is particularly trying to a fast motor car, high geared and meant to
make great speed on the level, and it came up slowly. But just before
the real crest of the hill was reached there was a lessening of the
grade, and the driver shot into his high speed to get a good start.
That was what Paul had hoped for; that, and something else that he had
not dared to voice as a hope, so faint was the chance that it would
come true.

Now, however, as he saw the car, he could scarcely repress a cry of
exultation.

"There's only one man!" he said to Arthur. "Now if those nails will
only do their part!"

The car shot forward, and in a moment there was a roar as a tire blew
out, and then another, and another. Three tires went, and a hissing of
freed air showed that the other was punctured!

CHAPTER XVIII

VICTORY!

There came a savage exclamation of rage from the solitary driver of the
car, as it swerved violently and dangerously before he could stop it.
Then, still muttering, he was out of the car and at the task of jacking
it up. Evidently he was in a fearful hurry and it was easy to guess
that his errand was one of the most pressing import