“Well, well, what’s the matter now?” demanded the little war correspondent.

“Matter enough,” replied Hal.  “The Austrians have nabbed Chester.”

“You don’t say!” exclaimed Stubbs.  “I thought you fellows had finished your fighting days.”

“So we had,” returned the lad; “but we took one little fling, and this is the result.”

“And what are you going to do about it?”

“That’s what I have been trying to figure out.”

“Well, I guess they won’t hurt Chester any,” said Stubbs.

“That’s where you are wrong,” declared Hal, getting to his feet.  “They’ll just about stand him up and shoot him as a spy.”

Stubbs became more serious at once; for before he had not realized that Chester was in any immediate danger.

“As serious as all that?” he questioned.  “Tell me about it.  What have you fellows been up to?”

Rapidly Hal laid the facts before him.

“H-m-m,” muttered Stubbs, when the lad concluded.  “Chester certainly has got himself into a mess.  And Anderson is with him, eh?  Well, we will have to do something—­and that at once.”

“Yes; but what?” demanded Hal anxiously.

“Well, now, that’s the question, but you’ll have to give me time.  I’ll find a way.  A newspaper man always finds a way.”

Hal felt a little relieved.  He couldn’t see that there was the slightest chance to be of assistance to his chum, but the little war correspondent’s words cheered him.

“Yep, you’ll have to give me a little time,” said Stubbs.  “Now you wait here until I come back, and if I don’t come back with a first class plan I hope to never write another story for the Gazette.”

He walked rapidly away, leaving Hal alone with his thoughts.  Fifteen minutes later the little man returned.

“All right,” he said.  “Let’s go.”

“Go?” exclaimed Hal.  “Go where?”

“Why, go and get Chester and Anderson out of the hole.  Are you ready?”

“Oh, I’m ready enough,” replied Hal, as he fell in step and hurried along beside Stubbs, “but tell me—­”

“Now hold on there,” interrupted Stubbs.  “I’ll tell you, but I am a-going to do it in my own way.  Don’t hurry me.”

Hal made no reply, and after a few moments the war correspondent continued: 

“Yep, we’ll get ’em all right—­that is, if the Austrians don’t beat us to it.  Sure we’ll get ’em.”

He grew silent again, and although Hal could hardly restrain his impatience, he pressed his lips close together and said nothing.  Stubbs gazed at him and smiled.

“You’ll do,” he said.  “Now that you have managed to get a tight rein on your impatience I’ll tell you.  In the first place, we’ll have to hurry; but first we’ll turn in here a minute.”

He turned abruptly to the right, and a moment later led the way into his own temporary quarters.

“My diggings, as the British say,” he declared with a wave of his hands.  “I’ll have you fixed up in a minute.”