The first streak of dawn appeared in the sky, and still the boys rode on swiftly.  But at length Hal slowed down and Chester followed suit.

“I’m tired out,” said Hal, as he jumped from his bicycle.

“And so am I,” replied Chester, as he, too, jumped to the ground to stretch his legs.

Suddenly from the distance in which they had come came a faint “chug-chug.”

Chester pricked up his ears.

“What’s that?” he demanded anxiously.

For a brief moment Hal paused to listen.  The sound became louder.  Hal sprang toward his bicycle.

“Come on!” he cried, and leaped into the saddle.  “Motorcycles!  We are pursued!”

Chester was hardly a second behind him, and the two lads were again riding madly along the road.  Fortunately there were many curves in the highway, and this fact prevented their pursuers from sighting them from any great distance.

Hal suddenly brought his bicycle to an abrupt stop and jumped to the ground.  Although not knowing what plan Hal had in his mind, Chester immediately did likewise.

The spot where they had alighted was in the midst of a clump of trees, and quickly the lads drew their bicycles in among them, hiding them from sight of the road.  Then Hal turned, and, with Chester close behind him, dashed back in the direction from which they had come, taking care to keep well within the shelter of the trees.

And now Chester made out the object of his friend’s wild dash.  It was a farmhouse, setting well back from the road.  Chester had not detected it as they sped by, but Hal’s keen eyes had singled it out as a possible refuge.

“We’ll have to take a chance of the occupants being friendly,” Hal told his friend, as they ran toward the house.  “If they will allow us to hide here until night, we may be able to get back to our lines safely.”

The boys ran around the house, and Hal rapped sharply upon the rear door.  A moment later and a kindly-faced woman appeared in the doorway.  She started back at the appearance of the two lads.

“Are the English coming?” she demanded, after a quick glance at the lads’ uniforms, and then she clasped her hands and exclaimed:  “At last!  At last!”

“No, madam,” Hal undeceived her, “the English are not coming—­yet.  We are trying to make our way back to our lines, but a German motorcycle squad is after us.  We have come here to see if you will hide us until nightfall.”

The woman was silent for one moment.  Then she stepped aside and motioned them into the house.

“Come,” she said quietly.  “The Germans will not learn you are here through me.”

The lads stepped inside the door, and not a moment too soon.  For at that very instant a band of a dozen Germans flashed by on the road, their motorcycles kicking up a cloud of dust.

CHAPTER XII.

A traitor appears.