and
Russia mixed up in it? That's what Mr. Denniston, the American consul
here, seems to think."

"Yes, I'm afraid it will mean just that," said Dushan, gravely. "Russia
will help us if Austria attacks us. We know that already. Then Germany
must help Austria and France must help Russia, and England must help
them both. And there will be the great war--the war Austria threatened
us with when she took away Albania, that thousands of our Servians had
died to win for the fatherland! We gave way then, just as we gave way
when she enslaved millions of Serbs in Bosnia, so that there might be
peace in Europe. But this time Austria has gone too far, when she tries
to take away the independence our fathers bought from the Turks with
their blood! Servia cannot give way again. And Russia will not let her
be wiped out by Austria."

"Then I'll stay here," said Dick, cheerfully. "Because there isn't a
chance for me to get home. I haven't got money enough. I got here by
working my way, and in time of war there'd be no chance for me to do
that."

"There is something in that," said Stepan. But he seemed doubtful still.
"I don't want you to come in without knowing what there is to be
risked," he went on. "It is going to be dangerous, hard work. But I
really think that at the end there will be a chance for you to get what
you came for. I think that I can show you a way to beat Hallo and force
him to make restitution. Don't ask me why I think so, because I'm not
ready to tell you yet. And it might spoil everything if I told you too
soon."

"You've done so much for me now that there's no reason why you should do
more," said Dick. "And as for helping Servia, why shouldn't I? When my
own country was little and poor, and fighting for its life against
England, we got help from all sorts of people who believed in freedom
and hated tyranny. So I don't see any reason why an American scout
shouldn't do anything that's in his power for Servia."

They struck hands then.

"We must wait until dark," said Stepan. "Until it is really dark, full
night. Then it will be very easy to get over the river, unless things
have changed greatly since last night. I am glad you are going to stay,
Dick. We are in the right, and we are going to win. There's no other
way."

"I think so, too," said Dick. "Steve, there's just one thing. I know
that Austria has treated Servia badly, and that she should not have
annexed lands in which there were so many Serbs. But