re a file of your soldiers and blindfolding our eyes while they
perform their melancholy duty?"

The officer for answer threw his arms around Rod and gave him a
demonstration of excitable French admiration by kissing him on both
cheeks.

"If I had a son," he said fervently, "which, alas! Heaven has not
allowed me to retain in this world, I should be proud indeed were he
built in your image, my brave young American. And when you go back to
your splendid country tell them, will you not, wherever you go, that
France sees her duty by the world, and will not flinch, no matter what
the cost. When this war is over there will never be a despotic military
power again. The victory on the Marne has settled all that, though it
may take years for Germany to recognize the fiat."

The three boys parted from the worthy colonel with mutual expressions of
esteem. They would often recall his fine martial appearance, with his
strong face and its white imperial, trimmed after the style of the later
Napoleon.

Even Hanky Panky could laugh now, once they were on the road again.

"That agent of the Government saw he had put his foot in it, after you
flashed the King Albert message before them," he remarked as they rode
slowly along as near to forming a bunch as was safe for motorcyclists.

"Yes, and I reckon he felt pretty cheap when he had to own up about
making a mistake," added Josh. "You don't believe for a single minute,
do you, Rod, that he really saw anybody trying to send signals to the
enemy? It was all a set-up game, wasn't it?"

"No question about it," he was told by the other, Rod being in the van,
as usual, "but it was another experience for us, you know. And besides,
I managed to pick up a little information that helps out."

"Do you mean with regard to the regiment we're on the track of?"
questioned Hanky Panky eagerly, for to tell the honest truth he was
hoping that the end of the trail was near at hand, when they could
follow their other chums across the sea to their far-distant homes.

"Yes," said Rod over his shoulder, "it's ahead of us, and we ought to
reach it some time to-day; but the chances are we'll find it neck deep
in action, because it forms a part of that army thrown forward to do the
worrying of the German rearguard to-day. Let us hope if one man in that
regiment survives the battle it may be Andre."

CHAPTER XXI.

THE HAUNTED WELL.

The boys did not attempt to do much of this sort of talking