y good to me. They have said I can go anywhere I like to
study the insects, provided I do nothing that would betray any army
secrets. And I have been very careful."

That is he was careful not to disobey his instructions, but that he
was anything but careful of himself the boys learned later. They heard
stories of how he went up to the very front lines of the fighting, so
he might be nearer the big guns, and he took with him cages of
insects, noting the effect of the concussions of the great cannons on
their nervous systems.

Professor Snodgrass would have laughed had you called him a brave man,
but he dared as much for his beloved science as others did for their
country's honor. And, moreover, only the age limit kept the professor
out of the army.

The journey to the prison camp where Nick Schmouder was held took
place the next day, and was accomplished without incident worthy of
note.

But if Professor Snodgrass hoped to obtain any more information from
the former janitor than the boys had about the two missing girls, he
was disappointed. For Nick Schmouder could only repeat what he had
already told. He was glad to see Professor Snodgrass, and it was quite
pathetic to hear the man tell his story about having always fired his
gun into the ground to avoid hurting any of those he called his
friends.

"I didn't believe there were any good Germans in Germany any more,"
said Jerry, "but I guess Nick is pretty near one."

So they listened to his stories, and Professor Snodgrass made notes
about the girls. He said he would try to get into communication with
them through the parents of the former janitor, though the latter did
not know, himself, whether his father and mother were still alive.

"Is it not terrible--awful--this war?" he cried. "I wish all my
countrymen were prisoners, and then they could no longer fight, and we
would have peace."

"Well, if it keeps on we'll soon have most of the Kaiser's army in a
cage like this," declared Ned. "Don't worry--we're going to make a
good clean-up of it."

"I hope you do," said Schmouder, and many of his fellow prisoners
agreed with him.

At present all the professor could do was to depend on some message
getting to the missing girls. As they were not prisoners of war it was
thought that perhaps some missive might reach them, though all
ordinary communication between Americans and Germany was held up.

The girls, though of Swedish parentage, were citizens of the Unit