second, and chase after me down the road. But I was lucky, and
nothing like that happened."

Hanky Panky looked his deep admiration. He often wished Nature had made
him as smart as Josh, with that underlying streak of Yankee blood in his
veins. Hanky was willing to try to accomplish anything that came his
way; but being a bit clumsy in his actions there was always a chance
that he would bungle his job, and fail to attain the expected results.

He slapped the late actor in the stirring little drama heartily on the
back.

"Good boy, Josh!" he went on to say; "you're all wool, and a yard wide.
Why, even Rod here couldn't have done a whit better. There, see, the men
are starting this way as if they meant to make us get a move on."

"Oh! we're willing to oblige Jules," laughed Rod; "especially since
we've accomplished all we meant to do, and their car is placed out of
commission. Good-bye, Jules; if we meet again before we've played this
game out it will be where the cannon are roaring, and the battle is on!
Until that time, then, adieu!"

Immediately the trio started along the road leading to Ostend. Rod had
figured some time back that they would soon be across the border, and
traversing French soil. The last glimpse they had of the baffled plotter
he was standing in the road and still staring hard after the vanishing
Motorcycle Boys.

CHAPTER V.

ON THE ROAD TO CALAIS.

"What's this I see ahead there, boys? Looks like there might be some
other motorcycle fellows around these regions, though I guess they've
left their mounts behind."

It was Hanky Panky who said this. They had halted at a wayside spring to
refresh themselves, for the road was proving pretty dusty.

At noon the three boys had swung through Ostend on the Belgian coast.
The famous watering place did not look just the same as on other
summers, when tens of thousands visited it for the sport to be enjoyed
in the sea. True, it was swarming with people, but in the main soldiers
walked the sands, and there was a decidedly martial air to the place
generally given up to gaiety.

The boys had, of course, been stopped quite frequently. With war in the
land this was only to be expected. Still the papers they carried always
won the day, and they were allowed to proceed. This could hardly be
wondered at when one of those little documents was written wholly by
King Albert himself, and contained an express desire that the bearer and
his friends should