consternation.

"That's worse by long odds than the German bullets," exclaimed Frank.
"I guess we'll have to do the hands and knees stunt you were talking
about a little while ago."

"We must be pretty near to the English general's headquarters now
anyway, aren't we?" asked Bart.

Frank consulted his route by the aid of a flashlight that he carried
with him.

"About two miles," he announced. "Put on some speed now, Bart. We'll
run most of the way and jog-trot the rest."

They let no grass grow under their feet, and fifteen minutes later they
had reached the general's headquarters and were ushered into his
presence. He seemed to be greatly agitated and was talking with great
emphasis to a group of officers who surrounded him.

He took the papers that the boys had brought and read them over
hurriedly.

"Very good," he announced briefly. "There is no answer. Were your
orders to go back to your regiment to-night?"

"No, sir," replied Frank.

"In that case my orderly will find quarters for you," replied the
general, and he gave directions to an officer who took them in charge
and saw them safely bestowed for the night.

"That was some wild ride?" grinned Frank, as they were getting ready
for sleep.

"It sure was," laughed Bart, "especially that part where the German
bullets were zipping all around us. Wait till we tell Billy about it.
He'll be green with envy."

"Well, we carried out our orders anyway," said Frank. "I'm glad that
we'll be able to tell the captain so tomorrow morning."

But they did not report to their captain the next morning, nor for
several following mornings, for when they woke they found that a
condition had developed that was full of peril to the Allied cause.

The German plan had been to strike at the junction point of the Allied
armies. If they could separate them there would be a chance to turn
upon one of them and crush it with overwhelming forces and then at
their leisure destroy the other.

In this they had come very near succeeding. A threatening gap had
developed between two of the most important armies that were holding
that portion of the front. The armies had lost touch with each other
and the gap had gradually widened until at one place the armies were
eight miles apart.

The only helpful thing about the situation was that the Germans
themselves did not know of the gap until it was too late to take
advantage of it. The very speed with which they had pushed f