didn't see the grin that tugged down the corners
of Dawson's mouth.

"Well, there is one exception," Dave said. "I could give you his name
with one hand tied behind my back."

"And so could I!" Freddy said without so much as glancing up from his
cup of coffee. "His name is Dawson! Thought you were being very smart,
little man, didn't you, what?"

"Okay, pass the cream!" Dave ordered. "I know when I'm licked. I--Hey!
You hear that?"

"Hear what?" young Farmer asked, and looked up quickly.

"I thought I heard a shout and a couple of shots from outside," Dave
told him. "You didn't hear anything at all, Freddy?"

"Not a blessed thing, except your confounded voice," Freddy told him.

That was all the English youth did say, because at that instant they
both clearly heard wild shouting and the savage yammer of machine-gun
fire. For about half a second they sat perfectly still. Then as one they
leaped to their feet, whirled, and raced out the door of Major Parker's
quarters. Outside, it was dark, and the sudden change blinded them both.
But only for a moment, and at the end of that moment they saw two or
three moving lights over at the southwest corner of the base, and
several figures running across the field toward those moving lights.
Impulsively, Dawson reached for his holstered service automatic and
broke into a run.

"Let's go, kid," he called back over his shoulder.

The last was unnecessary, because young Farmer was in motion, too, and
right there at his elbow. Together they ran across the field and reached
the small group gathered about three figures holding powerful
flashlights. The beams were being played on something on the ground, and
as Dawson took a look he gasped and instantly pushed his way forward. On
the ground, and just being helped up by a guard corporal, was Major
Parker. The officer, in spite of his leathery tan, looked very pale. And
there was a trickle of blood running down from a cut on his forehead
just over the left eye.

"Take it easy, sir; I'll get the ambulance," the guard corporal was
saying as Dawson reached the injured man. "And we'll get the guy that
did it, too."

"Don't bother about that, Corp," a voice said. "I saw him running after
the major fired, and me and little Betsy, here, knocked him out. He's
over there and not talking to anybody. He'll never talk again, not that
bird!"

Dawson had raised his head at the sound of the voice, and saw a
square-jawed American soldier no