n for the future, for up
to now we've followed the road, as it were, of least resistance; we
took the direction which seemed best under pressing circumstances, and
did not head for any particular destination."

"Then what about Holland?" demanded Stuart; "the people are friendly
enough, and, if one only knew the truth, are precious frightened of the
Germans. Once across the frontier there we shall receive hospitality;
and, seeing that the Germans are hardly frightened of the Dutch, the
frontier will not be so very heavily guarded. But in the direction of
France and Belgium there's that trench-line we've heard so much about,
and where I'd give a lot to be fighting."

"Holland's the country we should make for undoubtedly," agreed Henri,
when they had discussed the matter a little further. "But in which
direction it lies, precisely, is rather difficult to determine; we
shall have to leave that to the future, and of course must find out the
way by asking questions. That means that we must discover disguises
first of all, and that is a thing that wants a lot of doing. As to
staying here, I feel quite sure that it's a wise procedure; and, thanks
to the food and the drink we brought along, we have rations enough, if
we husband them carefully, to last for quite four or five days longer."

It was not particularly exciting or exhilarating in that lofty room at
the top of the tower, and went little way towards meeting the wishes of
any one of the party, yet the plan met with the hearty approval of the
canny Stuart, and, since Henri himself had proposed it, met with the
ready assent of Jules. That they had food sufficient to last them for
several days was quite certain, while the question of drink was cleared
up already--for they had discovered a trap-door in the girdered ceiling
above them and an iron ladder outside the door of the room, which, when
put in position, gave access to it. Clambering up that, one very early
morning when a mist hung over the country, Henri had discovered a
narrow gallery surrounding the huge water-tank, and, lifting the
inspection-door over the latter, had found it full of water. It was
from this that they replenished their supplies at night, and so made
certain of the fact that, however long they remained as prisoners in
that place, thirst would not assail them.

At the end of the week, however, impatience to be moving on was
beginning to try them far more than their enforced idleness, and m