ere a good road through the forest?"

"Fairly so, they said."

"That's a pretty tough job, isn't it?" exclaimed Leon. "Still I
suppose they'd rather do that than leave their home."

Jacques still toiled earnestly at his task. The sun was fading in the
west and the shadows of the forest trees began to lengthen. It would
be dark presently.

"How soon can we start?" asked Leon anxiously.

"I don't know," replied Jacques. "In about ten minutes, I hope."

"Well we've been lucky so far not to have been discovered," exclaimed
Earl. "I hope our luck keeps up."

"We've been discovered all right," said Leon. "Don't worry about that;
they haven't reached here yet, that's all."

"And we certainly hope they won't," muttered Jacques fervently.

With anxious eyes the two brothers scanned the forest edges all around
the clearing. The barn still blazed brightly, though now but one wall
remained standing; one by one the others had collapsed.

Five minutes more and they would be safe. Jacques was putting the
finishing touches on his work and was almost ready to start. He was an
excellent and speedy workman but the time spent seemed dreadfully long
to his two companions. They stood first on one foot and then on the
other. Would he never finish?

"All ready," cried Jacques at last.

"Can we get in?" demanded Earl eagerly.

"Certainly. Jump aboard and I'll join you in a second, just as soon as
I get this wire out of our way."

The two brothers needed no second invitation and made haste to do as
Jacques had directed them. Earl was just about to climb into his seat
with Leon close behind him when there was a rifle shot and a bullet,
whistling through the air, passed close above their heads.

CHAPTER XXIII

IN THE DARK

"Look out!" shouted Jacques. "Here come the Germans!"

"Jump in!" cried Leon. "We can get away before they reach us."

"No chance," said Jacques positively. "Get out of there as fast as you
can."

More bullets followed the first, until the air seemed alive with them.
A small detachment of German cavalry now appeared from the shelter of
the forest and began to gallop swiftly across the field. As they
approached they shouted and fired their revolvers rapidly.

"They think we'll surrender," exclaimed Leon. "We'll fool them."

He and Earl quickly scrambled out from the monoplane and in company
with Jacques rushed around behind it. All three of the boys held drawn
revolvers in thei