"Stop! Stop!" yelled Ned. "There may be folks in there, Tom! I just saw
a man run out!"

"All right!" Tom cried, though Ned could hardly hear him. "Tell me
when we get on the other side! We're going through now!"

"But," shouted Ned, "don't you understand? I saw a man come out of
there! Maybe there's more inside! Wait, Tom, and--"

But it was too late. The next instant there was a smashing, grinding,
splintering crash, a noise as of a thunder-clap, and Tank A fairly ate
her way through the old barn as a rat might eat his way into a soft
cheese, only infinitely more quickly.

On and on and through and through went the tank, knocking beams,
boards, rafters and timbers hither and thither. Minding not at all the
weight of great beams on her back, caring nothing for those that got in
the way of her steel belts, heeding not the wall of wood that reared
itself before her in a barrier of splinters and slivers, Tank A went on
and on until finally, with another grinding crash, as she smashed her
way through the farthermost wall, the great engine of war emerged on
the other side and came panting into the field, dragging with her a
part of the structure clinging to her steel sides.

"Well," cried Tom, with a laugh, as he signaled for the power to be
shut off, thereby making it possible for ordinary conversation to be
heard, "I guess we didn't do a thing to that barn!"

"Not much left of it, for a fact, Tom," agreed Ned, as he looked
through the after observation slots at the ruin in the rear. "But
didn't you hear what I was saying?"

"I heard you yelling something to me, but I was too anxious to go at it
as fast as I could. I didn't want to stop then. What was the trouble?"

"That's what I'm afraid of, Tom--there may be trouble. Just before you
tackled the barn for a knockdown, instead of a touchdown, as we might
say, I saw a man running out of it. I thought if there was one there,
perhaps there might be more. That's why I yelled to you."

"A man running from the old barn!" cried Tom. "Whew!" he whistled. "I
wish I had seen him. But, Ned, if one ran out of harm's way, any others
who might possibly be in there would do the same thing, wouldn't they?"

"I hope so," returned Ned doubtfully.

"Great Scott!" cried Tom, as the possibility was borne home to him. "If
anything has happened--"

He sprang for the door of the tower and threw over the catch, springing
out, followed by Ned. From the engine room of the armore