; ammunition and stores brought up. For the Austrians, badly
beaten though they had been, were likely to come again.

So it had seemed best for Dick and his chum, with the escort of hardy
Servian cavalrymen General Dushan provided, to ride to the border.

"It'll take us longer, of course," said Stepan, "but not so much. The
railroad is torn to pieces, and even where trains are running, the
military service has the right of way."

"I'd just as soon ride, anyhow," said Dick. "It gives one a much better
chance to see the country."

So it was arranged, and they started from Belgrade before the sun was up
on a morning of mist and heavy clouds. Later the sun swept the mist and
clouds away, and they rode through a devastated, horrible country. The
ravages of war were visible on all sides.

"Ah, well!" said Stepan, with a sigh, as he looked out at the ruin of
what had been a smiling, happy land, "the ones who are coming after us
will live in peace! Those who have been driven from their homes and
have died have suffered for them. Servia will be able to live after this
war without feeling that Austria may move at any minute to crush her.
And that is worth some suffering!"

"Everything's so quiet here I don't see why we need an escort at all,
Stepan," said Dick. "We haven't seen anyone who'd harm a fly--if it was
a Servian fly."

"That's true so far," said Stepan, but a grim look came into his eyes.
"We shall come, though, to a country where we may meet more trouble. I
hope we shall not need the escort--but one can never tell. And I haven't
wanted to alarm you, Dick, but this Hallo has a reputation for not
giving things up easily. You have a great sum of what he may think is
his money, though he stole it from your family. He will not let you get
home with that if he finds a way to stop you."

"But how can he do that while he is a prisoner in Belgrade?" laughed
Dick.

"He is a prisoner--yes," said Stepan, somberly. "But there are many who
have worked for him who are not prisoners. Oh, I may be wrong, and I
shouldn't worry you without reason, Dick! But I don't want you to feel
too secure; I don't want you to think that all the danger is over. It
won't be until we are safely in Salonica."

They had to bid farewell to their escort at last. The troopers went with
them to a lonely spot, marked only by a border monument and two small
houses--quarters of the Servian and Bulgarian frontier guards. Here
there was peace but not f