ed sent a brief report of
what had happened, describing the escape of General von Hindenburg. And
then, as he was about to end the message, Ivan stood beside him. His
eyes were shining and he seemed greatly excited.

"Tell them that von Hindenburg has only a masking force here with very
few first line troops," he said. "Most of the Germans are far to the
south. Their plan is to join the Austrians in an advance from Cracow.
Here they hope to hold the lakes with a few troops. They expect our army
to advance. They will give up Johannisberg and Ortelsburg. They will
make no stand at all until we come to Allenstein. The whole movement
here is a trick. They hope to lead us on here and then drive a great
wedge into the heart of Poland, until they can strike at Warsaw."

Fred made no comment. He sent the message, then asked his own questions.

"You know of the raid last night?"

"I heard something of it--and that the old fox Hindenburg escaped. Tell
me the rest."

"I'll be off," he said, when they had done. "Half a mile away I have a
cache. There is a motorcycle and the uniform of a German soldier--a man
of the cycle corps. I shall follow General Suvaroff."

"Can you catch them?" asked Boris, doubtfully. "They ride fast."

"Not so fast," said Ivan. "There may be fighting to do as well as
running, and for fighting you need horses that are not too tired. It
would be foolish to save an hour or two by hard riding and lose
everything at the end for lack of the power to break through. And a
motorcycle can do better than the fastest horse."

"But how did you get one?" asked Fred. "And the German uniform?"

Ivan smiled significantly.

"I met a man of about my size," he said. "I was walking. And I was
tired. I took his cycle and his uniform away from him."

There was something about his tone and the look in his eyes that made
Fred refrain from asking any more questions. He admired Ivan greatly,
but he was a little afraid of him, too. In him he could see what lay
behind the general belief that Russia was still a barbarous, partially
civilized state, the underlying truth of the old saying: "Scratch a
Russian, and you will find a Tartar beneath." He was glad that Ivan was
on his side, and was bound to him, moreover, by his loyalty to the name
of Suvaroff.

"Listen, now," said Ivan. "Here it is very dangerous. Stay as long as
you can, but never let yourselves be caught in the house by any Germans.
Do not let the villagers see