.

On the road itself he would soon be caught; south of it the search was
beginning; and the ditch itself was no place to hide, for he saw a
lantern moving up it. Peter dropped into it all the same and made a
plan. The side below the road was a little undercut and very steep.
He resolved to plaster himself against it, for he would be hidden from
the road, and a searcher in the ditch would not be likely to explore
the unbroken sides. It was always a maxim of Peter's that the best
hiding-place was the worst, the least obvious to the minds of those who
were looking for you.

He waited until the lights both in the road and the ditch came nearer,
and then he gripped the edge with his left hand, where some stones gave
him purchase, dug the toes of his boots into the wet soil and stuck
like a limpet. It needed some strength to keep the position for long,
but the muscles of his arms and legs were like whipcord.

The searcher in the ditch soon got tired, for the place was very wet,
and joined his comrades on the road. They came along, running,
flashing the lanterns into the trench, and exploring all the immediate
countryside.

Then rose a noise of wheels and horses from the opposite direction.
Michael and the delayed wagons were approaching. They dashed up at a
great pace, driven wildly, and for one horrid second Peter thought they
were going to spill into the ditch at the very spot where he was
concealed. The wheels passed so close to the edge that they almost
grazed his fingers. Somebody shouted an order and they pulled up a
yard or two nearer the bridge. The others came up and there was a
consultation.

Michael swore he had passed no one on the road.

'That fool Hannus has seen a ghost,' said the officer testily. 'It's
too cold for this child's play.'

Hannus, almost in tears, repeated his tale. 'The man spoke to me in
good German,' he cried.

'Ghost or no ghost he is safe enough up the road,' said the officer.
'Kind God, that was a big one!' He stopped and stared at a shell-burst,
for the bombardment from the east was growing fiercer.

They stood discussing the fire for a minute and presently moved off.
Peter gave them two minutes' law and then clambered back to the highway
and set off along it at a run. The noise of the shelling and the wind,
together with the thick darkness, made it safe to hurry.

He left the road at the first chance and took to the broken country.
The ground was now rising toward