is friend thought.

Then, as if unable to control his impulse, he moved slightly as though
to start in the direction which he and Roscoe had been following. It was
only a slight movement, made in obedience to an overwhelming desire, and
as if he would incline his captors' thoughts in that direction. Roscoe,
who held his burden jointly with Tom, felt this impatient impulse
communicated to him and he took it as a confession from Tom that he had
made the fatal error of mistaking their way before. And he moved a
trifle, too, in the direction where he knew the German lines had been
established, muttering scornfully at Tom, "You know where you're headed
for now, all right. It's what I said right along."

"I admit I know," said Tom dully.

No doubt it was the compass which was the main agent in deciding the
officer as to their route, but he and his men moved, even as Tom did, as
if to make an end of needless parleying.

As they tramped along, following the edge of the wood, a tiny light
appeared ahead of them, far in the distance, like a volunteer beacon,
and Roscoe, turning, a trifle puzzled, tried to discover the other
light, which had now diminished to a mere speck. Now and again the
officer paused and glanced at that trifling prize of war, Tom's little
glassless, tin-encased compass. But Tom Slade of Temple Camp, Scout of
the Circle and the Five Points, winner of the Acorn and the Indianhead,
looked up from time to time at the quiet, trustful stars.

So they made their way along, following a fairly straight course, and
verging away from the wood's edge, heading toward the distant light. Two
of the Germans went ahead with fixed bayonets, scouring the underbrush,
and the others escorted Tom and Roscoe, who carried all of the burden.

The officer strode midway between the advance guard and the escorting
party, pausing now and again as if to make sure of his ground and
occasionally consulting the compass. Once he looked up at the sky and
then Tom fairly trembled. He might have saved himself this worry,
however, for Herr Officer recognized no friends nor allies in that
peaceful, gold-studded heaven.

"It was an unlucky day for me I ran into you over here," Roscoe
muttered, yielding to his very worst mood.

Tom said nothing.

"We won't even have the satisfaction of dying in action now."

No answer.

"After almost a year of watching my step I come to this just because I
took _your_ word. Believe _me_, I deserve to ha