gns of
life could they see around it. They pulled up for the first time
and stood behind a rude shack nearby.

"Lot of good it will do us to run away from those two," growled Bob,
panting. "If they don't find us some other Boches will. It is only
prolonging the agony."

"I prefer the agony of being free to the agony of being a prisoner,
just the same," replied Dicky. "Those two soldiers may have a job
on that will not allow them to hang around here long. We have come
quite a distance, and they would be very lucky to find us now. I'll
bet they have gone on about their business. They will report the
fact that a plane came down, and whoever comes to find it will think
some other fellows have picked us up. This is too big a war for
anyone to worry much about two men. Besides, the very hopelessness
of our fix is in our favor."

"I don't mind looking for silver linings to the cloud," said Bob.
"But how you make that out I cannot see."

"Why, who would ever dream that we could get away? Who would even
imagine it possible? Will the Germans spend much time searching to
see if two Americans are hiding so far inside their lines? Of course
not. They will think it absolutely impossible that we could get any
distance without being picked up. Why should they waste their time
over us?"

"Well, is that cheering?"

"You bet it is!"

"Do you mean that there is a chance that we will not be picked up?"

"Of course I do. Cheer up! We are not caught yet. Sicker chaps
than we are have got well. True we can't get back to our front;
and true again the chances are thousands to one against our escaping
capture, but Holland is somewhere back of us and to the north---and
we have that one chance, in spite of all the odds."

"And what'll they do to us in Holland---intern us for the duration of
the war!" Bob was still pessimistic.

"Oh, you can't tell. If we can get away from the Boches we can
surely get away from the easy-going Dutchmen---and anyway, if we
must be interned I'd rather it happened in Holland than in Hun-land.
Let's play the game till time is called."

"You're right," said Bob. "I ought to be ashamed of myself for losing
heart. Let's forget that we came down in that plane, and think of
ourselves as pedestrians. I remember reading somewhere that if you
want to play a part you've got to imagine yourself living it. Let's
think we are Belgians."

"Good! And let's look like Belgians too---I guess to do