l hidden, and before he climbed down the ladder
he piled bundle after bundle upon them, as if preferring that they
should be smothered rather than discovered by the dreaded Boches.

That was a tiring day, a hungry, thirsty day, but the boys lay as
still as mice. From where they lay they could see a sufficient
number of Germans passing and repassing along the road and across
the bridge to hourly remind them of the necessity of keeping close
cover.

At night, before nine o'clock, they climbed down from their hiding-place,
went to the edge of the river, undressed, and waded out neck-deep.
Dicky stepped on a stone that rolled over and in righting himself
splashed about once or twice. In a moment a deep voice could be
heard from the opposite bank, growling out, _"Was ist das?"_ The
boys kept perfectly still, and heard the German call out for someone
to come. Quietly each of the boys ducked his head and gently waded
back under water to the shelter of their own bank. There they sat,
very cold and miserable, for some time. Then the moon came out and
lit up the country-side bright as day.

"It's off for to-night," whispered Bob. "We must go back and have
another try to-morrow night. That was bad luck. The Boche could
hardly have been a sentry. I think he was just there by chance.
What rotten luck!" So back they went, wet and cold, to their nest
at the top of the stack, in anything but a hopeful frame of mind.

They fell into a sound sleep before long, and were awakened quite
early next morning by the weight of someone ascending the ladder.
"A Boche this time!" whispered Dicky as he regained consciousness.
"That light little man never could make such a commotion."

The perspiration broke out on Bob's forehead.

An age seemed to pass before the head of the intruder came into
view. What was their surprise and relief to see the round smiling
face of a Belgian woman of considerable size and weight! Redbeard
had told her of his unwelcome guests and she had come to offer such
succor and assistance as might lie in her power.

She was the widow of a Belgian officer, killed in the first fighting
of the war. She asked if the boys were hungry, and when Bob admitted
that they had been on very short rations indeed for some time she
reached down and drew up a little basket containing a bottle of red
wine and a plate of beans.

The Germans had taken most of the food in the district, and beans
were her only diet save on t