“Don’t you worry about me.  I’ll get away, all right—­a newspaper man can go any place, any way and any time.”

“Except in times of war.”

“Well, perhaps so,” admitted Stubbs.  “However, I have my pass.  I’ll get away, all right, but not until I have found some news for the Gazette.”

“But you are not paid to get killed,” said Hal.

“No,” was the reply, “but I am paid to get news.  Now, I’ll go out under the tent first, and if the coast is clear, I’ll whistle twice, like this.”  He whistled softly.

The boys signified that they understood.  Stubbs held out his hands, and both lads grasped them.

“Good-by, and good luck,” said Stubbs quietly.

He crossed the tent quickly, dropped down, and wormed his way out slowly and silently.

CHAPTER XIV.

Through the night.

Hal and Chester listened intently.

One minute passed, then two, then three, and then a low whistle broke the stillness.  Once, twice, it came.

The boys sprang into action.

“You go first, Hal,” whispered Chester.

Hal nodded, and, dropping to his knees, crawled beneath the tent.  In a few seconds, he was on the outside, where Chester joined him a moment later.

They looked around for Stubbs, but he was not there.  The little war correspondent, his work done, had sought safety in flight.  He realized that, should anything go wrong and the three be recaptured together, it would go hard with all of them.

The lads could hear the footsteps of the guard, as he paced to and fro in front of the tent they had just left.  While to the rear and on both sides, farther away, they could also hear the tramp of other sentries, as they made their rounds.

A sentry came into view to the rear, but passed on without seeing them.  Immediately the lads made their way whence he had come, and soon had put considerable distance between them and their late prison.  Here, sure that they were far enough from their recent quarters not to cast suspicion upon themselves should they be seen, they walked boldly forward.

The huge German camp was asleep, for the hour was after nine and the soldiers always turned in early except when they were on night duty or a night attack by the French was anticipated; but they slept on their arms.

“Which way?” asked Chester of Hal, in a low voice.

“I don’t believe we had better try for the river,” was the reply.  “We had better strike straight west.”

“Suits me,” declared Chester, and the boys set off through the sleeping German camp at a fast walk.

Row after row of tents they passed through, walking along the improvised streets until they were well beyond the main camp.  Here they were still in the midst of the enemy, but the tents were more scattered.  Suddenly they slackened their speed.