ies.

I shall not relate what followed. Suffice it to say that the reason
for the night of misery inflicted on the boys, and the failure to give
them breakfast, was soon evident. It was to break their spirits,
and cause them to answer and give information as to their own forces
opposed to the Huns.

Every device of refined and barbarous cruelty was practiced as well
as every trick of cunning. But the three remained steadfast, and
even laughed in the faces of their captors. But not a jot of vital
information did they give, though they boasted in exaggerated terms of
the strength of the commands to which they were attached, and told of
countless armies on the way over to wipe the Huns from the face of the
earth.

At last the German officer, in a burst of rage, ordered the three
prisoners taken away, and this was done with great roughness. This
coupled with their terrible night and the mental and physical torture
inflicted at the inquisition, made the young soldiers sick at heart
and body. Once more they were thrust into their horrible prison, and
not until nearly noon was any food given them.

Then it was only some greasy, slimy water, probably intended for soup,
together with some chunks of mouldy bread.

"But we've got to eat it, boys!" said Jimmy. "We've got to keep up our
strength."

"What's the good of it!" sighed Bob, with a half cry of anguish.

"So we can escape, of course!" said Jimmy with more fierceness and
energy than he really felt. "Think I'm going to stay in this hole?"

"How are you going to get out?" Roger wanted to know.

"I'll show you!" went on Jimmy, and by his strength of character, and
by his forced spirits he bolstered up the courage of his companions.
They managed to choke down the food, vile as it was, and seemed to
feel a little better for it.

Their miseries of the next few days I will not detail. In fact, the
boys themselves could not remember all of them, horrible as they
were. Again and again they were questioned, but always they remained
steadfast, and gave no information that could be of any value to the
Huns.

Then they were taken from their horrible prison and removed to a camp,
some distance in the rear, where there were a number of other Allied
captives, in as miserable a condition as that to which the three Khaki
Boys were now reduced.

"Well, we've got a better chance now," said Jimmy, with an assumption
of cheerfulness, when they were thrust into the barbed wire encl