y old John Bull had come
forward when Belgium was being violated? And now a couple of John Bull's
jack-tars had told him that it was for Germany to keep him and for him
to get away if he could.

He was on the point of telling them of his double reason for wanting to
escape; that he had to fight for two--himself and his brother. Then he
thought he wouldn't for fear they might not understand.

But he made up his mind that henceforth all his efforts and activities
should be of double strength--to make up. He would think twice as hard,
work twice as hard, fight twice as hard. Above all he would try twice as
hard as he otherwise would have done, to get out of this predicament and
get to the battlefront. He was glad of his scout training which he
thought might help him a great deal now. And he would put every quality
he had to the supreme test.

"Do you believe," he asked, after a considerable silence, "that a feller
can do more, kind of, if he's doing his own work and--I mean if he
thinks he's got to do two people's work--for a special reason?"

Freddie did not seem quite to "get" him, but Tennert answered readily,
"You jolly well can! Look at Kippers wot cime 'ome fer orspital
treatment arfter Verdoon. 'E lived in Chelsea. 'Is pal got sniped an'
Fritzie took 'is shoes. They're awrful short o' shoes. Kippers, 'e s'ys,
'I'll not l'y down me rifle till I plunk[4] a German and get 'is shoes.'
Two d'ys arfter 'e comes crawlin' back through No Man's Land and the
color sergeant arsks 'im did 'e carry out 'is resolootion. 'Yes,' s'ys
'e, 'but blimy, I 'ad to plunk seven Germans before I could get a pair
o' clods to fit me.' 'E was usin' 'is pal's strength too besides 'is
own. Any Tommy'll tell yer a lad wot's dyin' on the field can leave 'is
fightin' spunk to anyone 'e pleases."

Tom stared open-eyed. He found it easy to believe this superstition of
Tommy Atkins'. And he made up his mind anew that he would square matters
with Uncle Sam by doing the work of two.

* * * * *

In the afternoon this pleasant chatting was made impossible by the
numbers of military prisoners who were herded into the rough box car.
They had come far enough south to be abreast of Belgium now and there
must lately have been a successful German raid along the Flanders front,
for both British and Belgian soldiers were driven aboard by the score.
All of the British seemed exactly like Tennert and Freddie, cheerful