osure.

"A better chance for what?" asked Bob.

"To escape," was the answer, "It's a common occurrence for prisoners
to get out of German prison camps, though I won't say that they all
get back to their friends. Anyhow, we'll try the first chance we get."

There was one advantage of being in the prison camp, and away from the
dungeon that was partly underground. The air and light were better,
and the food was somewhat improved, though it was far from being good,
satisfying, or even decent.

But the natural healthfulness of the boys kept them up, and they
soon recovered from the slight wounds and bruises caused by the fight
during which they were captured.

"Heard of any chance to escape?" asked Roger, when they had been in
the camp about two weeks.

"No, though there is talk of digging under the barbed wire and a lot
of the men going out," Jimmy answered. "You want to hold out and hide
all the food you can. Well need it if we do get away."

His advice was followed, and, though the prisoners did not get much
more than enough to keep them alive, the three boys managed to hide
some scraps of bread and a bit of what was called "sausage," though it
was made mostly from the meal of peas and beans.

As Jimmy had said, there was a plot, hatched among some of the English
prisoners, to break out of the prison camp. But before there was a
chance to put it into operation Fate stepped in and gave her aid--that
is, it was aid for some, and death for others.

Not far from the German prison camp was a German ammunition dump, and
one night there passed over it a raiding squadron, though whether of
French, American or English airmen could not be learned by our heroes.

At any rate several bombs were dropped and one, either more accurately
placed than the others, or falling more luckily, fell on the dump and
it went up in a terrible and fearful burst of powder and shell.

The concussion caused several of the prison camp buildings to
collapse, and a number of Russians were killed. The barbed and charged
wires about the camp were torn loose and then it was that Jimmy saw
his chance--a chance taken by many of the captives.

"Come on!" he shouted to Roger and Bob, as they awoke in the darkness
and confusion, hardly knowing what had happened. It seemed like the
end of the world.

Out rushed the three Brothers, catching up their few belongings and
the precious packets of food they had hoarded against just such a
chance as this,