ng and shouting at the top of his
voice. He turned his head slightly and took a quick side glance at
Freddy. The English youth's chin was firm, and there was the same
defiant look in his eyes. However, the droop of his shoulders spoke
plainly of the bitter thoughts that were sweeping through his mind.
Impulsively Dave let go a hand from the wheel for a second and slapped
Freddy on the knee.

"Don't let it get you down, Freddy," he said. "They'll trim the
stuffing out of Hitler before it's over."

"Of course," Freddy said in a heavy voice. "I wasn't thinking of that.
If we could only have reached General Caldwell sooner."

"Gosh, we did our best!" Dave exploded. "And, besides, the General told
us it helped plenty. Gee, I hope he just wasn't kidding us. I don't
think so, though. A man like General Caldwell doesn't kid, I bet. Well,
here's the road. Wonder where it'll take us."

They had reached the turn off. So had some Stukas a couple of hours
before and they had marked it well with a cluster of bomb craters. Dave
had to detour through a field to make the turn but he managed to get
back onto the road. To his vast relief he found it hardly touched by
bombs and he was able to speed up the ambulance. The good road helped
his spirits, too. It boosted them up considerably and a lot of his
fatigue fell away from him. The same was true with Freddy. The English
youth continued to stare fixedly through the windshield at the glow of
the headlights on the road, but his body seemed to straighten up, and
there was a less depressed air about him.

However, it was as though it all had been planned by the fates
controlling the war and the immediate destinies of these two brave
gallant youths. It was as though it was planned for them to be lifted
up in spirit, and in strength, so that they might have something left
with which to face the next misfortune of the conflict to befall them.

The first indication that there was more trouble ahead came as they
roared around a bend in the road, and then the road straightened out
like an arrow.

"My gosh, look!" Dave cried and pointed. "Like an earthquake had hit it
or something!"

Both sides of the road, as far as they could see in the glow of the
headlights, were strewn with heaped up piles of war equipment wreckage.
Guns from machine gun size to heavy howitzers lay scattered about.
Ammunition wagons were over on their sides, their contents spilled on
the ground like sand from a box. S