on--that strange man who had seemed so cold and
reserved, and who had made so light of what he had done in saving the
lives of the Khaki Boys.

"I wonder if we'll ever see him again," mused Franz, as they marched
away from the burning mill.

"Somehow I have a feeling that we will," said Jimmy. And afterward he
was to recall those words under strange circumstances.

And so they began what was destined to be a most perilous journey to
get back to their own lines.

CHAPTER XIV

THE SENTRY

"Now, boys," said Sergeant Jimmy, when they had dipped down into a
hollow among the many hills in the big valley, "we've got to have some
plan of action, and some system to this. We've got to have a leader,
too. Military rule must prevail, even among friends."

"You act as leader!" suggested Bob Dalton.

"That's right!" chimed in all the others.

"We'll make you captain, for the time being," added Roger.

"Thank you for the honor," said Jimmy with a smile. "I'll wait, I
guess, until my promotion comes regularly. But if you really want me
to take the lead and--"

"Of course we want you!" exclaimed Franz, while Iggy added:

"Besser as we should have him for to leader us dan a Germans."

"Well, I'm glad you think that much of me!" laughed Jimmy. "Now then,
if I'm to lead I'll have to give orders. And do you all agree to obey
them--at least if they don't seem against your better judgment?"

"We'll obey 'em anyhow," said Roger, and the others nodded assent.

"All right," went on Jimmy. "The first thing to do is to calculate how
long our rations will last. There's enough for one day if we each took
about all we wanted. Or there's enough for two days, or more, if we
stint ourselves."

"Then we'll go on a diet!" declared Bob. "There's no telling how long
we may be in getting back to our lines, and while we might be able to
find something to eat along the way, it won't do to take chances."

"I thought you'd look at it that way," said Jimmy. "As for water, it
rains so infernally often in this country that I imagine we shan't
be thirsty. But we'll always carry the canteen full. Now, then, I'll
appoint Roger as Secretary of the Interior--that is, I'll make him the
cook and give him charge of the rations," and Jimmy handed the canvas
bag of food over to his chum.

"There isn't anything to cook," said Roger, as he looked in the bag.
"It's all emergency ration stuff."

"So much the easier for you," declared Jimmy. "Now t