up the gangplank on to the boat. Marie
followed at top speed. Father De Smet faced the intruders.

"What do you want here?" he said.

"Some supper first," said the soldier gayly, helping himself to some
onions and passing the pan to his friends. "Then, perhaps, a few
supplies for our brave army. There is no hurry. After supper will do;
but first we'll drink a health to the Kaiser, and since you are host
here, you shall propose it!"

He pointed to the pail of milk which Father De Smet still held.

"Now," he shouted, "lift your stein and say, 'Hoch der Kaiser.'"

Father De Smet looked them in the face and said not a word. Meanwhile
Jan and Joseph, to Mother De Smet's great alarm, had not followed her,
on to the boat. Instead they had flown to Netteke, who was partly
hidden from the group by a bunch of young willows near the water's
edge, and with great speed and presence of mind had slipped her bridle
over her head and gently started her up the tow-path.

"Oh," murmured Joseph, "suppose she should balk!" But Netteke had done
her balking for the day, and, having been refreshed by her luncheon of
green grass, she was ready to move on. The river had now quite a
current, which helped them, and while the soldiers were still having
their joke with Father De Smet the boat moved quietly out of sight. As
she felt it move, Mother De Smet lifted her head over the boat's rail
behind which she and the children were hiding, and raised the end of
the gangplank so that it would make no noise by scraping along the
ground. She was beside herself with anxiety. If she screamed or said
anything to the boys, the attention of the soldiers would immediately
be directed toward them. Yet if they should by any miracle succeed in
getting away, there was her husband left alone to face seven enemies.
She wrung her hands.

"Maybe they will stop to eat the onions," she groaned to herself. She
held to the gangplank and murmured prayers to all the saints she knew,
while Jan and Joseph trotted briskly along the tow-path, and Netteke,
assisted by the current, made better speed than she had at any time
during the day.

Meanwhile his captors were busy with Father De Smet. "Come! Drink to
the Kaiser!" shouted the first soldier, "or we'll feed you to the
fishes! We want our supper, and you delay us." Still Father De Smet
said nothing. "We'll give you just until I count ten," said the
soldier, pointing his gun at him, "and if by that time you have not