nspiring--enough, but to the two lads the thing
that most caught and fixed their attention was the fact that both guns
were planted full on their asphalted tennis-court. To Dale this was
merely curious, but to Max it had a significance so terrible and
nerve-shaking that it was all he could do to prevent himself crying out.

"What's the matter, Max?" cried Dale in alarm, as he caught a glimpse of
his friend's pale, drawn face and staring eyes.

"Come away--quick! Let us get away and I will tell you," cried Max in a
hoarse voice, and, followed by his friend, he sped swiftly from the
scene towards a thick wood a short distance away. Once well within the
shelter of its leafy screen, he stopped and faced Dale excitedly, his
face aflame.

"That scoundrel Schenk! He is at the bottom of it all. He is a paid
traitor and spy of the German Government, and, fool that I was, I never
saw it before!"

"Why, what has happened to tell you this? A traitor I dare say he is,
but why so suddenly sure?"

"That tennis-court. Do you know that Schenk, when he heard we were
thinking of one, pressed us to have an asphalt one for use in all
weathers. He saw to it himself, and dug down six feet for the
foundations. I asked him why he was doing that, and he said he had a lot
of material, concrete or something, over from something else--I didn't
take much notice what it was--and that it would make it all the better.
It was all a ruse to lay down solid concrete gun-platforms ready to blow
our forts to pieces. The utter scoundrel!"

"Ah! And that was why he replaced the Walloon and Flemish workmen by
naturalized Germans! I see. He wanted to have men he could be sure of
and to have the works ready for running without a hitch directly the
Germans entered. And the shells----"

"Yes," almost shouted Max, grasping his friend roughly by the arm, "yes,
their calibre will be that of German, not Belgian, guns! They never were
for Belgian guns! That was why they were kept covered up so closely in
the yard."

"Phew! It was a risky game to play; but no doubt he expected the town to
fall quickly--perhaps even more quickly than it did."

"And there are other things," Max went on in a quieter tone. "Why was it
Schenk persuaded us to go to Germany instead of to Holland for our
holiday? Why--why? Simply because he wanted to get us out of the way.
Then do you remember those men who were captured after trying to
assassinate General Leman in the town? I thought