“Now,” he said, “I am going to give you a first class licking.  I didn’t take boxing lessons for nothing, and if you have anything to say when I get through I’ll be willing to listen.”

At that moment the Austrian rushed.  Chester side-stepped neatly, and his left fist crashed to the side of the Austrian’s jaw as the latter brushed past.  Before Robard could turn, Chester planted his right fist upon the back of the other’s neck, sending him staggering.

Then he waited for Robard to come at him again.

Turning, Robard advanced more cautiously this time.  Chester feinted with his right, and sent his left to Robard’s nose.  Blood flowed.  Chester danced about the big Austrian, raining blows upon him almost at will.

“Take that, and that, and that,” he said gleefully, skipping first this way and then that, skillfully evading the heavy blows launched wildly by Robard.

This continued for perhaps five minutes, and then Chester grew tired.

“Well, we’ll end it now,” he told the Austrian with a smile.  “Watch, here comes the finish.”

He stiffened a bit, took a backward step, then danced suddenly forward.  He feinted with dazzling rapidity once, twice, three times, and then, his opponent completely bewildered, planted his right fist squarely upon the point of Robard’s chin.  Robard staggered back, but a second terrific blow, delivered to the stomach, brought him forward again, and Chester straightened him up with another terrific drive to the point of the chin.

The lad stepped back and dropped his hands, watching the big Austrian with a smile on his face.

Clear across the room the man staggered and then crumpled up in a heap.

“That settles him,” said Chester.  “Now to get out of here.”

He turned toward the door, and stopped, a cry of dismay on his lips.

In the doorway stood three figures.  As Chester turned, one of them advanced toward him.

“You did a pretty job,” he said, eyeing the lad appreciatively, “and we are glad to have seen it.  But, we cannot let you escape.”

Chester groaned and sat down.

“There’re too many of them,” he said to himself.  “So near and yet so far.  If I hadn’t let my temper get the best of me I would have been safely out of here.  I’ll never waste another second on an Austrian.  This is what I get for not shooting him like a dog, and using my fists on him, like I would on a gentleman.  Never again.”

CHAPTER XIV.

The ambassador again.

While Hal, Chester and Uncle John were having their troubles with members of the Austrian diplomatic corps on Italian soil, the Italian army itself already had taken the field against the enemy.  War having been declared, the Italian general staff had wasted no time.

Along the Austrian frontier, at the head of the Adriatic, clear north to the Swiss border, the troops of King Emmanuel had intrenched themselves against a possible attack of the foe; big guns even now were roaring and raining the messengers of death upon the fortified positions of the Austrians in their front.