tially wrecked apartment in the hope of discovering
something that would be of use to them in their endeavor to help Jimmie
escape. An object in one corner caught his attention.

As Ned stepped forward to examine the object he had seen, he was
startled to hear a cry from Jack, who had been looking from a window.

"Look!" cried the boy, pointing toward the street. "They're actually
making Jimmie take an oath of enlistment!"

Quickly joining Jack, Ned and Harry saw Jimmie standing in the street,
surrounded by German soldiers wearing the uniforms of Uhlans. Directly
behind the lad stood one of the soldiers with the muzzle of a gun
pressed against Jimmie's back. Before him an officer stood, apparently
administering some form of oath. The three boys could see Jimmie's
lips move in response to the prompting of the officer.

Directly the ceremony was ended and the soldiers turned as if preparing
to mount their horses, standing near.

"There's a bunch coming back to this house!" declared Jack.

"Wonder what they want?" mused Harry in a puzzled manner.

"I think they have decided they want three more recruits!"

"Good night!" was the lad's startled ejaculation. "Let's go!"

"Come over here," directed Ned, springing toward a corner of the room.
"I think I've found something that will help us out."

CHAPTER II

A FRIEND APPEARS

Harry and Jack hastened to cross the room strewn with wreckage left by
the exploding shell. Ned was already kneeling in the corner.

"What is it, Ned?" cried Jack excitedly. "Have you got a gun?"

"No, not a gun," replied Ned in suppressed excitement, "but it may
prove more useful than a gun at this time."

"Oh, I see what it is!" was Harry's exclamation. "Hurrah! We may be
able to beat them out after all. Hurry!"

"Huh!" scornfully put in Jack. "Nothing but a trap door into the
cellar! I wouldn't give much for that!"

Ned, without replying to either lad, was busily scraping away the
refuse from the corner. Almost concealed by the litter, he had seen a
huge ring in the floor and, naturally concluding that it was fitted
into a trap door, had begun an investigation for the purpose of
discovering if the door led to a passage that might afford a means of
escape for the lads. The proximity of the approaching soldiers made
their need of some haven of refuge an imperative one.

Presently Ned discovered the outlines of the trap door, which he had
correctly surmised to be i