Stubbs made no reply.

“If I thought that, I would tell General Petain,” declared Chester.

“It must be a great thing to have such imaginations,” said Stubbs with something like a sigh.  “Some of these days, if you like, I’ll get you both jobs on the Gazette.”

“Now look here, Stubbs,” said Hal.  “Laying all joking aside, are you going to tell us about this thing or not?”

“What thing?” demanded Stubbs.

“By George!” ejaculated Hal in exasperation.  “You’re the limit, Stubbs.”

“Sure I am,” was the little man’s smiling response.  “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be in this tent with you.”

“Stubbs,” said Chester, a sudden idea striking him, “have we done something you don’t like?”

“You have,” was Stubbs’ reply.

“By Jove!” said Hal.  “We’re sorry for that, Stubbs.  We apologize.  Will you tell us what we’ve done?”

Stubbs looked at the lad with a peculiar smile on his face.  He was silent several moments before replying: 

“You don’t know, eh?”

“Of course not.”

Stubbs shrugged his shoulders and started out of the tent.

“Say!” Chester called after him, “are you going to tell us or not?”

“Not!” said Stubbs briefly, and was gone.

“Now what do you think of that?” demanded Chester of his chum.

“There’s something wrong with him,” was Hal’s reply.  “I haven’t any idea what it can be.”

“Suppose it is because we were poking fun at him the other night?”

“I don’t know.  I don’t believe he would take a thing like that to heart.  However, you can’t tell.”

“Anyhow,” said Chester, “we’re not likely to find out what it’s all about until he gets good and ready to tell us.”

“You’re right, there,” returned Hal.  “He can be as mum as an oyster when he wants to.  Well, old boy, I’ll leave you alone now and go out and look around a bit.  Maybe I can stumble on this conspiracy Stubbs talks about.”

“You mean the one he won’t talk about,” said Chester with a smile.  “All right.  Go ahead.  I’ll take a little snooze.”

He rolled over on his side as Hal left the tent.

How long Chester slept he did not know, but it was dark in the tent when he opened his eyes.

“Wonder what can be keeping Hal?” he muttered to himself.

He had hardly had spoken the words when a form came through the entrance to the tent.  Chester was about to speak, for he thought at first that it was Hal, but something seemed to tell him to remain silent.  The lad, therefore, said nothing.

At second glance Chester realized that the figure that had entered the tent was not Hal.  Neither was it Stubbs.

“Great Scott!” muttered the lad to himself.  “Wonder who he is and what he wants here?  He hasn’t seen me though.  Guess I’ll wait and see what happens.”

The lad stretched out a hand carefully and drew toward him a camp stool upon which he had laid his clothes before going to bed.  Without a sound he secured one of his revolvers and straightened to a sitting posture.