ance, for, though he
kicked the horseshoes away, and so evidently understood what had caused
his mishap, and knew that it could not have been accidental, he wasted
no time in looking for whoever had caused it.

Instead he went to work with a will, ripping off the deflated tires and
attaching others. He worked fast and furiously, and with the skill of
one accustomed to the task.

"What are we to do now? Rush him?" whispered Arthur. "We can do it
while he is bending over like that, and the two of us ought to be able
to hold him down, too."

"We can't take any chances," Paul whispered back grimly. He showed
Arthur a horseshoe that he had retained. "He's a German officer and an
enemy, and we have a right to do anything we can to damage the enemy.
I'm going to hit him with this. If I do it right, he won't be able to
move for some time."

Arthur shuddered a little. The idea of actually attacking a man from
behind in such a way was unpleasant. But he realized that Paul, who
had a reputation for gentleness, could like the idea as little as he
did himself, and also that it was vitally necessary to secure
possession of the car, though even yet Paul's whole plan had not come
to him.

"All right!" he said. "Come on, then!"

"No; wait until he has finished! We might as well let him do the work,
and have the car ready.

"But he will do the tires on this side first! He will be on the other
side of the car afterward."

"No, he won't. He's got to come back to side when all the tires are on
because the jack is on this side. Don't you see?"

"Oh, yes. I didn't think."

They waited breathlessly while the German worked. There was something
oddly familiar about him, but his long, flowing overcoat prevented them
from seeing him very well. He wore a uniform cap, fortunately, instead
of a helmet, which would have given him a much better chance since it
would have been very difficult for Paul to do what he planned with a
helmet in the way.

Bad as the accident had been, the German worked so fast that in a very
few minutes he had all the tires on, and was pumping them up as fast as
possible. Then, when that was done, he came back, as Paul had seen
that he must, and stooped over to remove the jack that had lifted the
wheels from the ground. And that was the moment in which Paul struck.

"Stay behind!" he whispered, to Arthur. "I may need your help if
anything goes wrong."

Then with one leap he reached the Germ