nt.

"Goodness, the rats don't seem to be much afraid of fire!" exclaimed
Jack, pointing toward a horde of rodents swarming about the place.

"What's that on them?" asked Harry wonderingly.

"I declare it's red!" exclaimed Ned. "It looks like blood!"

"Where'd they get blood from, I'd like to know!" protested Harry.

"There's only one answer to that just now, with all the dead and
wounded soldiers about," answered Ned, shaking his head. "It's awful!"

"Let's get out of here as quick as we can," urged Jack. "Come on."

With one accord the lads turned from the swarm of rats.

"Where are you going?" demanded a strange voice from the darkness.

"Who are you?" asked Ned, startled by the sudden question.

"Maybe I'm a friend," was the answer. "Yes, I guess I am."

CHAPTER III

OUT OF THE FLAMES

When the soldier who had been holding his rifle at Jimmie's back
lowered the weapon and the ceremony of administering the oath of
allegiance to the Kaiser had been completed, the red-headed Boy Scout
who had been masquerading under a Cossack uniform breathed a deep sigh
of relief that but faintly expressed his sentiments.

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Jimmie maintained a
mental reservation that little less than contradicted his words so
recently spoken. He felt that it would be only policy to obey the
orders of those in superior force, since he could see no advantage to
be gained by a flat refusal. His thoughts rapidly compassed the
situation, and he recognized the fact that the invading horde of
Germans were in no mood to consider dispassionately the matter of a boy
more or less who was found under the circumstances in which they had
discovered Jimmie.

Reluctantly, therefore, but because he thought it by far the better
plan, the lad had submitted to the course insisted upon.

During all the time that he had been repeating the words after the
officer the boy had been mentally conjecturing a means of escape
whereby he might rejoin his chums and be fairly sure of the escape of
the entire party from the hands of the army that had so recently
captured Peremysl and who were now engaged in bringing order out of the
apparent chaos that reigned.

Not until the searching party returned and reported to the Captain
their unsuccessful quest after his three comrades did Jimmie realize
that an effort was being made to apprehend them.

Then he began to believe that it was not the intention of the Ge