" muttered the lad and listened intently.

"What's the matter?" demanded Colonel Anderson, in a low voice.

"Thought I heard voices," replied Chester. "Listen."

Both became silent; and directly they caught the sound of a low voice off
to the right. Then there came a second and a third voice.

"Don't see what they can be doing here, whoever they are," declared
Chester in a whisper. "We'll see if we can get a look at them."

He led the way softly in the direction from which the voices had come.
The voices became louder; and directly, parting two large bushes, Chester
made out the forms of three figures not ten yards away.

He turned quickly to Colonel Anderson and laid a finger to his lips. The
colonel approached cautiously.

From the spot where the two stood it was possible to see the three men in
front of them without danger of being seen themselves, for they were
screened from sight by the large bushes. One of the men was attired in
what Chester took to be a Serbian uniform, but the others were in
civilian attire.

"We'll do a little eavesdropping," whispered Chester.

Colonel Anderson nodded and they became silent.

"So you say that everything is ready for Bulgaria's entrance into the
war?" spoke the man with the uniform.

"Yes," replied one of the others, a man of perhaps forty years of age,
with a long flowing beard.

"And she will strike when?"

"The moment Belgrade has fallen before the Germans," replied the third
man, who, the watchers saw now, was little more than a boy, smooth of
face and bright of eye.

"And they will strike where?"

"At the Anglo-French force being rushed from Saloniki to the aid of the
Serbians."

"Why wasn't I kept posted on all this? How was I expected to do my part
here, being left in ignorance of diplomatic affairs?"

"I don't know anything about that. All I know is that we were
ordered here to learn what success you have had in undermining the
Serbian officials. Also to get your views upon which way the
Serbians will retreat."

"Well, I can tell you that in a few words. I have had very little success
with the Serbians. They are loyal to their cause and seem determined to
fight to the last ditch. But I did get close enough to one man--a member
of the general staff--to learn that in the event of reverses to Serbian
arms, the Serbian army will retreat into Greece."

"So? I had deemed it most likely they would fall back and join the
Montenegrins."

"Such is not th