or yourself! The Austrians have the whole grain growing section. The
Servian army will starve to death if the Austrians don't force it to
fight and wipe it out."

"I see. It does look bad when you look at it that way, sir," said Dick
rather slowly.

"And there's no other way of looking at it. Pushkin has shot his bolt.
He won a fine victory at Schabatz, but he's up against the Austrians in
overwhelming numbers now. He's been running away mighty well, too, but
he can't keep that up forever. He'll have to fight when they get him
cornered, just as the French did in 1870 at Sedan. And that will be the
end of organized Servian resistance."

"I hope not, but it does look like it, sir. I'd like to see him turn the
tables, though."

Stepan listened with a good deal of interest to Dick's report of his
conversation with the consul.

"That's the outside view--yes," said Stepan. "It's the Austrian view,
too! What did he say about you, Dick?"

"Oh, he said I'd better stay here for a time. Mr. Denniston had spoken
to him about me, he said, and they agreed that I had better wait here in
Belgrade until things were more settled. Mr. Denniston told him that
there was still a formal charge against me in Semlin, but that he was
trying to get it withdrawn. After that he will arrange for me to get
home, he says. He is very kind."

"Yes. But you don't want to go home until you have settled matters with
Hallo, do you?"

"No, I don't. But I suppose there's very little chance of my being able
to do that now. And I guess I ought to get back and start in doing
whatever I can, instead of spending any more time trying to run after a
will-o'-the-wisp like the money Hallo stole from us."

"We shall see," said Stepan, with a twinkle in his eye. "But in the
meantime you are still ready to stand by us if there is anything to be
done, aren't you, Dick?"

"You bet I am! As long as I can't get home, I want to be doing something
if I can."

"Well, I think there'll be something to do, all right, before very long.
And here's something you want to remember. There are other ways of
getting back to America from here than through Buda-Pesth and Vienna.
The railway from Nish to Salonica is open, and there are steamers from
Salonica to Athens, and from Athens to New York."

"Yes, but the railway from here to Nish isn't open, Steve. And I haven't
the money to go that way, anyhow."

"Perhaps that will be arranged. Wait and see," said Stepan,
mysterio