merica, envied by the rest of his patrol because he was
actually to go to far-off Russia by himself. And since then he had been
three times a prisoner, had been in danger of exile to Siberia, and just
now had escaped by mere seconds meeting a blast of bullets from a German
firing squad, a victim of a war that had not even been dreamed of when
he had sailed from America!

But there could be no real doubt of the truth as he followed Boris into
the house. In the dining-room where he had been sentenced to death, he
came upon Lieutenant Ernst, chatting amiably with half a dozen Russian
officers in their white coats. The German grinned at him.

"You're in luck, youngster," he said. "I'm not so sorry, really! They
didn't get what they came after, you see."

"No, worse luck!" said a Russian. "How did the old fox know we were
coming?"

Ernst only looked wise, and did not answer. Fred was surprised by the
way in which captive and captors mingled, seemingly on the most friendly
terms. But when he thought it over, it did not seem so strange. Ernst
and these Russians knew what a huge thing this war was. Each had his
part to play, and would play it as well as he could. But individuals,
after all, could not count for much, and the man who was prisoner to-day
might be on top to-morrow. Later bitterness and personal hatred might
come, but as yet, as Fred began to understand, these men hadn't come to
that. They were like players on rival football teams after a hotly
contested game. In the play each man would fight his hardest; after the
whistle blew, friendship ruled. The referee's whistle had blown when
Ernst was caught in a trap.

Boris pushed on into a smaller room. Here Fred saw a man he would have
known anywhere as Boris's father, and, for that matter, as some close
relative of his mother. Alexander Suvaroff, General of Division in the
Russian army, looked very much like Mikail, but there was a sharp
difference between them. This Suvaroff was as kindly in aspect as the
other was repellent and harsh. His eyes twinkled affectionately when he
saw Fred.

"Welcome, cousin," he said. "Even if our chief purpose failed, I am glad
we got here in time to save you. You heard that General von Hindenburg
got away?"

"I knew that before we were caught," said Fred, "but I didn't know you
had come for him."

"Of course they did!" said Boris. "Your wireless message told the staff
he was here, and my father led a cavalry raid behind the Ger