across detachments of Uhlans, or bicycle squads of the
German advance. Then they dart down on them and do some terrible work;
before the enemy can recover to smash them, they are off like a flash,
and return to town with all sorts of trophies."

"They must have just been coming in," ventured Merritt. "I saw one of
the soldiers had a bandage around his head. Another was holding up two
helmets which must have been worn by Uhlans. And listen how the crowds
roar and cheer. They certainly do hate the Kaiser and his army in
Antwerp."

"Well, do you wonder?" Rob asked. "After some of their lovely towns have
been burnt down, and thousands of houses destroyed, simply because these
Belgians dared to stand up for their rights as a neutral nation!"

"Well, how about that drink of milk, fellows?" Tubby wanted to know.

"Suit yourself, Tubby," Rob told him. "If it tastes good to you, we
might join you in a glass."

"Huh! sort of 'trying it on the dog first,' eh?" Tubby retorted, and
then turning toward the owner of the dog team and the milk cart, he made
a gesture with his head, and held up three fingers.

Evidently the old woman must have understood what he meant, though she
looked a bit "peeved," as Tubby afterward expressed it, at being asked
to do a retail business. There were a number of measures dangling from
hooks around the top of the shining brass milk can, also several glass
"schooners." Taking one of the latter the old Belgian milk vender was in
the act of filling it from the contents of the can when something
astonishing happened.

Four soldiers who had been passing became excited, and pointed at the
group; then they laid violent hands on the owner of the milk cart!

CHAPTER III.

LEAVING FOR THE FRONT.

"What's this? What's this?" stammered Tubby, as the schooner of rich
milk fell with a crash to the pavement when the soldiers began
struggling with the woman vender, who was also the owner of the dog
team.

Of course a crowd collected immediately, as it always will in a city
when there is the first sign of something doing. Antwerp was fairly
seething with half suppressed excitement at that time, and anything of
this kind was like putting a match to the powder magazine.

"Well, I declare but she's a husky old woman, that's right!" Tubby was
heard to say after his astonishment had in a measure abated, and he
could catch his breath. "Why, it takes the whole four soldiers to subdue
her. Shame! to hit a