hope that questioning of the German lieutenant or some of his men might
tell them what they wanted to know.

The first precaution that the corporal had taken was to disarm and bind
his prisoners. Then the farmer and his son were released. They were
wild with rage at the treatment they had undergone and the wanton havoc
wrought in their home. If the choice had been left to them they would
have killed every prisoner on the spot.

At the corporal's command water was brought from the well and buckets
of it were dashed over the Germans. There was sputtering and yelling,
but the soldier boys enjoyed it hugely, and they worked with a hearty
good will.

It was a drastic remedy for sleepiness but it worked, and before long
the Germans, looking like so many drowned rats, had come out of their
stupor and began to realize their situation. The privates were
sheepish, but the lieutenant went almost crazy with anger when he
realized how he had been trapped. His eyes looked venom at the girl,
who laughed at him triumphantly. His rage was increased by his
consciousness of the pitiable figure he presented. His smart uniform
was dripping, his hair was matted over his face and even his ferocious
mustache had lost its Kaiser-like curl. Even one of his own men
ventured to snicker at him, and the look the officer turned on him was
not good to see.

The corporal began to question him, but the lieutenant looked at him in
disdain.

"A German officer does not answer the questions of a corporal," he
sneered.

"Just as you like," retorted Wilson coolly. "Perhaps you'd like to
have me leave you here with the owner of the house and his son. I
think they'd like nothing better than to have five minutes alone with
you. Perhaps even one minute would be enough."

The lieutenant took one glance at the glowering faces of the farmer and
his son and wilted instantly.

"I will answer your questions," he said, shortly.

CHAPTER XIII

A DEEPENING MYSTERY

"He came off his perch mighty quick," remarked Bart to Frank in a
whisper.

"I don't wonder," replied Frank. "He'd be a pretty poor insurance risk
if these people could get a whack at him."

The corporal asked a few formal questions as to the lieutenant's
regiment and division, which were answered sullenly though promptly.
But these had little interest just then, and their asking was really a
matter for headquarters. They were simply the prelude to other
questions in which