of the
men was preparing supper. In that instant Jerry tossed the message
straight at Slim's feet.

Slim gave a little start, recovered himself immediately, stooped over,
and, pretending to wash his hands in the snow, unwrapped and hastily
read the note, and then trampled it into the ground. When one of the
Germans turned suddenly, he was innocently drying his hands.

CHAPTER XIX

TURNING THE TABLES

To Jerry, lying there half frozen, stiff in every joint and scarcely
daring to move for fear of making some sound that might not only divulge
his presence and result in his own capture, but also prevent the escape
of Slim, it seemed that never did it take men so long to eat a meal.

And as they ate, his own appetite became ravenous. The cruelest
punishment of all was to lie there half starved and hear them vulgarly
smacking their lips over the warmed-up remains of a chicken undoubtedly
filched from a countryside barnyard.

But at last, after what seemed to Jerry to have been hours of feasting,
they did finish. With a derisive laugh the German lieutenant gathered
all the bones from every other tin plate and shoved them, with mock
courtesy, toward Slim.

The latter was biding his time, and, his courage increased by knowledge
that his friend was close by, refused to get angry. He merely waved the
plate aside.

Their stomachs filled, the Germans almost immediately began to think
about sleep. In truth, they all looked as though they had been up all of
the night before, as probably they had. One of them, a mere youth
certainly not yet out of his teens and the youngest in the party,
yawned. The lieutenant saw it, and in a fit of apparently unreasonable
anger said, in his native tongue:

"So! You want to serve notice that you desire to sleep? Very well, you
shall do sentinel duty--and all night. And mind that you do not sleep!"

A pitiful look came over the boy's face, but without a word he saluted
and departed to the circle of outer shadows to take up his long and
tedious vigil.

Jerry felt genuinely sorry for him, but he sincerely hoped that the
officer would not change his mind or relent. He knew the youth could not
possibly stay awake the whole night through.

Half an hour later the other four Germans were conducting a spirited
rivalry in snoring, and Slim, also, to all appearances, was fast asleep.

Not daring to move, Jerry kept his eyes constantly upon the young
sentry. Frequently he yawned. Once or