le to the westward. From this point of
vantage the lads could clearly see the camp within the range of their
field glasses. Jack nearly danced with joy as he looked.

"Hurrah!" he shouted. "I can see a group about one of the tents that
looks all flattened out. I'll bet that Jimmie landed on top of the
tent and broke it down. They're standing in the middle of the group
there, and seem to be surrounded by officers."

"Then the rest is easy," commented Ned, giving a touch of the levers
that carried the Eagle away on a straight flight to the westward.

"Easy?" queried Harry. "What do you mean--easy?"

"Why, they'll be taking train right away for the western front, unless
we're badly mistaken," answered Ned. "All we have to do is to leave
them alone for a few days until they arrive at the front, and there we
can help Jimmie and Dave to escape."

"You figure that by that time the Germans will have forgotten us?"

"Either that or they'll have other things to think of."

"Then let's beat it out of this neighborhood," suggested Harry.

"Wait a minute," urged Jack. "What do you suppose they'll do to the
boys if we leave them there? Won't they try to take out their spite on
the lads and go to extreme measures?"

"I hardly think so," argued Ned, tilting the planes to bring the Eagle
a trifle closer to the earth. "In the first place, I think the
officers will want to keep the two lads for the amusement of the
soldiers. It will give them something to think about for a few days."

"Yes, the two boys will amuse the soldiers, all right!" declared Jack.
"But what will happen to the two boys meanwhile?"

"That's what I'm coming to," went on Ned. "I figure that they will not
be willing to see harm come to the lads through the Germans directly,
because it would make trouble between the German nation and ours and
that of Dave. They may make the lads go into the front lines when they
get to the front, and if they should get hit by a bullet from one of
their own countrymen the situation would be different."

"I see," reflected Harry. "Then in that case the Germans could claim
they were not directly responsible. They might claim that the boys got
enthusiastic and enlisted voluntarily. If they got shot it was no
fault of the dear, kind Germans!" he finished sarcastically.

"Well, that's about the way of it, I guess," answered Ned. "Anyhow,"
he added, "I'm not a bit afraid for the boys' safety until Verdun is
reache