respond to his touch.

"Great Scott!" he cried. "That one bullet must have put us out of
commission. We'll have to go down, or be shot to pieces up here."

Gently the little craft glided toward the earth; and now the boys could
make out the objects below.

On all sides, stretching out as far as the eye could see, was a mighty
mass of moving men.

"Germans?" asked Chester anxiously.

"We'll soon see," replied Hal briefly.

It was apparent now that those below, realizing that the aircraft was
falling, would not fire at it again. With upturned eyes thousands of men
watched the flight of the little plane, as it soared down among them.

Hal looked closely at the men, as the machine drew near the ground, and
then exclaimed:

"No, they are not Germans; Russians, that's what they are."

Chester raised a feeble cheer.

"Hurrah!" he shouted.

Marquis, aroused by the sound of the lad's voices, arose and stretched.
Even he seemed pleased.

And now the aeroplane bumped the ground, and the lads stepped out to see
a long line of rifle barrels confronting them.

The lads threw up their hands instantly, but Marquis's back bristled and
he growled threateningly.

"Keep quiet!" Chester commanded, and the dog grew still. An officer
approached the lads.

"What do you here?" he demanded, in some language the lads could not
understand.

The lads shook their heads, and the officer tried again, this time in
German.

"What do you here?" he demanded.

As briefly as possible, Hal, acting as spokesman, explained. The
officer's incredulous gaze grew more so as the lad went on with his
story. When the lad had finished, he said simply:

"I don't believe you!"

Hal was angry in a second. He took a step toward the officer.

"What do you mean by that?" he demanded.

The officer stood his ground.

"Just what I say," he replied. "I don't believe you. The tale you tell
is impossible."

Chester stepped into the breach. He took Hal by the arm.

"Of course such a tale is hard to believe," he said. "But, nevertheless,
it is true. We carry an important message for the Grand Duke."

"Well," said the officer, "I don't think you will see him. He is too
busy to give up his time to listen to such a tale as yours."

But at this moment a second officer, apparently the other's superior,
approached. To him, upon request, Hal repeated his story. This officer
also looked incredulous, but the result was different.

"You tell a very stran