cketed those nuts and his
tools and hid the set of tools from the second aeroplane in the fork of
a tree. "Right O," he said, as he jumped down after the last of these
precautions. The Prince and his companion reappeared as he returned to
the machine by the water's edge. The Prince surveyed his progress for
a time, and then went towards the Parting of the Waters and stood with
folded arms gazing upstream in profound thought. The bird-faced officer
came up to Bert, heavy with a sentence in English.

"Go," he said with a helping gesture, "und eat."

When Bert got to the refreshment shed, he found all the food had
vanished except one measured ration of corned beef and three biscuits.

He regarded this with open eyes and mouth.

The kitten appeared from under the vendor's seat with an ingratiating
purr. "Of course!" said Bert. "Why! where's your milk?"

He accumulated wrath for a moment or so, then seized the plate in one
hand, and the biscuits in another, and went in search of the Prince,
breathing vile words anent "grub" and his intimate interior. He
approached without saluting.

"'Ere!" he said fiercely. "Whad the devil's this?"

An entirely unsatisfactory altercation followed. Bert expounded the
Bun Hill theory of the relations of grub to efficiency in English,
the bird-faced man replied with points about nations and discipline
in German. The Prince, having made an estimate of Bert's quality and
physique, suddenly hectored. He gripped Bert by the shoulder and shook
him, making his pockets rattle, shouted something to him, and flung him
struggling back. He hit him as though he was a German private. Bert went
back, white and scared, but resolved by all his Cockney standards upon
one thing. He was bound in honour to "go for" the Prince. "Gaw!" he
gasped, buttoning his jacket.

"Now," cried the Prince, "Vil you go?" and then catching the heroic
gleam in Bert's eye, drew his sword.

The bird-faced officer intervened, saying something in German and
pointing skyward.

Far away in the southwest appeared a Japanese airship coming fast toward
them. Their conflict ended at that. The Prince was first to grasp the
situation and lead the retreat. All three scuttled like rabbits for the
trees, and ran to and for cover until they found a hollow in which
the grass grew rank. There they all squatted within six yards of one
another. They sat in this place for a long time, up to their necks in
the grass and watching through the