eese he and Freddy had so wisely
saved from that huge breakfast, and had stuffed inside their shirts
before crawling out the window. Yes, food and water would go fine, but
later. He was too dead tired now to so much as move a muscle. In a dull
sort of way he was conscious of Freddy flopping down beside him, and
then a moment later he felt himself slip away into blissful peace.

A soothing warmth on his back eventually woke him up. He started to move
but the sudden aches and pains in his body brought a stifled groan to
his lips. He stayed where he was for a moment with his face buried in
his crossed over arms, soaking up the soothing warmth on his back. Then
he rolled over on his back and stared up through the bush branches at
the sky. It was another perfect spring day and the sun was well up on
high. That realization finally filtered into his tired brain and brought
him sitting bolt upright.

"Gee, it must be close to noon!" he heard his own voice whisper. "And
we've still got a heck of a ways to go. But where, and in what
direction, I wonder?"

He turned and put out his hand to shake Freddy sleeping close beside
him. But when he saw the pale drawn face of his friend he let his hand
drop back into his lap. He just didn't have the heart to wake up Freddy.
The English youth was positively dead to the world, and one look at the
completely exhausted expression on Freddy's face told Dave the youth
wouldn't be fit to travel even if he were awakened. True, it might be
very dangerous for them to remain where they are. German soldiers might
stumble about them at 'most any moment. Just the same a strange sense of
responsibility took possession of Dave. He was the older of the two, and
the stronger. By more or less mutual consent he had become the leader.
As the leader he should use his head. And it would _not_ be using his
head to wake up Freddy and force the poor kid to continue on.

"No, it's best to stick here, at least until dark," he argued with
himself. "We're pretty well hidden under these bushes. And ... and,
gosh, I just haven't the heart to wake him up!"

His decision made, he put his hand inside his shirt and pulled out the
very much crushed half loaf of bread and the hunk of cheese. He ate a
little of each and then made himself put the rest back inside his shirt.
It helped his stomach a little, but it only served to aggravate his
thirst. He'd rather have a glass of water right now than be standing in
the middle o