“We are going out to the woods every day,” said one group of boys.  “We will take our luncheon and will fish in the brook, and find good places to set snares in the fall.”

“We are going to the woods, too,” said another group, “and will gather flowers to press for our herbariums.”

But our three friends could overmatch all the pleasures mentioned by their schoolmates, for they had the promise from their parents that they should go to the city of Frankfort on the Main river to visit an aunt of Fritz.  Every day their schoolmates heard from some one of the three, or perhaps from all, of the pleasures expected from their first journey, and their visit to a city to remain a whole week.  This again aroused the jeers of the enemy which they bore bravely, knowing that it was only envy; so went on serenely with their preparations for the visit.

Their homes were but a short distance apart, therefore out of school as well as in they were much together and all their talk was upon the visit to Frankfort, and of the things they would take, their plans subject to change from day to day.

The father of Fritz took a Frankfort paper which the boy read carefully, and reported the dangers of a great city to his comrades.  From these readings the three considered the city highly dangerous and they resolved to go well prepared for any attack that might be made upon them, either upon the journey or during their sojourn in the great city, which its own paper denounced as wicked.

One morning he announced to his companions that he was well fixed to go, for he had now a weapon which could be depended upon, and showed them an old hunting-knife thick with rust, which he had concealed under his jacket, and which was to be placed in the armory until time to start upon the journey; and the ever watchful enemy saw that something very important was going on among the Grecian heroes.

In truth there was something very important, for they were arranging to go upon their journey wearing their helmets with waving plumes, and with their shields and spears, and Franz and Paul were to have weapons to place with that of Fritz in the armory.  But who can describe their surprise and dismay when that evening they went to put the hunting-knife in its proper place, they found the armory plundered, and everything gone!  The enemy had come in an unguarded moment and carried everything away.  But where?  That was the question, for they had not the least doubt as to who did it, for the tracks of boys’ boots were in the moist ground, and Fritz was quite sure that he knew whose they were, whereupon Franz laughed, although as much grieved as were the others over the loss of their belongings.

“Yes, laugh as much as you please!” cried Fritz excitedly, “but when Mr. Colbert’s house was robbed he tracked the thief by a piece of buttered bread which he had dropped in his flight.  A piece bitten out of it showed that the thief had lost a front tooth, and he had the man whom he suspected arrested.  When he came to trial they made him bite into a piece of buttered bread, and it was exactly like the piece that Mr. Gilbert had found.”