“I realized that I had acted like a boor.  We had gone some distance, but I had the train stopped and backed into the station.  You were not there.  I telephoned your ambassador.  You had been there and gone.  We were unable to find you.

“I prevailed upon your mother to continue her journey to Brussels.  I issued an order to all my generals to keep a lookout for you and give you safe-conduct into Belgium.  It seems, however, that none of them recognized you, or that you kept out of sight.

“I promised your mother I would get you out of the country in some way, and she was greatly relieved.  She knew I would do it.  That’s all there is to the story.  Now, I don’t know what you lads were doing when you were captured, and I don’t want to know.  If you are mixed up in this war in any way, I don’t want to know anything about it; but, if you are, take my advice and go home to America.  As I say, I don’t want to know what you have been doing since you left Berlin.  It might force me to change my attitude.  I promised your mother I would get you out of Germany, and I shall do it.”

Hal and Chester were greatly surprised by this recital, and both boys thanked the general as well as they could.

The general stepped to the entrance of his hut, and raised his hand.  An officer entered and came to a salute.

“I have given these two lads safe-conduct into the Belgian lines,” said the general.  “See that they get there in safety.”

“Yes, general,” said the officer.

The general turned to the two boys.

“You would better go now,” he said.

He extended his hand, and both boys grasped it heartily.

“Good luck to you,” he called, as they followed the officer from the hut; “my regards to your mother.”

And that was the last the boys saw of the commander-in-chief of all the armed hosts of Germany.

Straight through the great German camp the officer led the boys swiftly.  At the farthest outposts he halted, and signaled another officer.

“Lieutenant,” he commanded, “take a flag of truce and escort these boys to the Belgian lines.  They have been given safe-conduct by General Von Moltke.”

The officer saluted, and the boys followed him.  Under a flag of truce they traversed the distance between the Belgian lines.

Out of danger at last, the two lads hastened to the quarters of the commanding general, and reported.  The general was genuinely glad to see them.

“I had about given you up for lost,” he said.  “But you have arrived in the nick of time.  A concerted German advance is expected momentarily, and without the reply you have brought we would have been at a great disadvantage.”

Their mission successfully completed, the lads now hunted up Captain Derevaux.  They found the young captain in his quarters.  He jumped up as the two boys entered, ran hurriedly forward and greeted them effusively.