"By Jove!" exclaimed Frank, "I never thought of that. I shouldn't wonder if you were more than half right, Bart." "It may be so," agreed Wilson meditatively. "They certainly were sore when that plot was knocked on the head. They had sworn that no foreign flag should ever float over the greatest fortress in all Germany." "They swore falsely then," cried Billy jubilantly, as he pointed to the Stars and Stripes floating in the breeze. Instinctively they took off their caps, as they gazed lovingly upon Old Glory. CHAPTER III CAUGHT IN A STORM "Take a good look at that flag, boys," said the corporal, with a smile, "for it may be some time before you see it again." "What do you mean?" asked Frank in surprise. Corporal Wilson smiled at the perplexed and somewhat rueful faces of the four Army Boys. "Just what I said," he replied to Frank's query. "You fellows are slated to go over the mountain with a bunch of others to round up some of the guns and supplies that the Heinies have promised to surrender. They're slow about it, and have been making all kinds of excuses to keep from bringing them in. The general's patience is just about exhausted, and he's going to get those guns or know the reason why." "Where is the place?" asked Frank. "I don't know exactly," answered Wilson. "From the lieutenant who told me to get the boys together for the job I only gathered that it's a good way off. He told me to pick out men that I could rely on, and I thought of you at once. There'll be about fifty of you altogether. You want to get ready to start in about two hours." He passed on to recruit the rest of the detachment, and the boys looked at each other. Frank was thoughtful, Bart indifferent, but Tom and Billy glum. "Hard luck," growled Tom. "You said a mouthful!" snorted Billy. "Look at those boobs," mocked Bart. "I'll bet a dollar to a doughnut that they were planning to go over to see Alice and Helen this afternoon." "'Gee whiz, I'm glad I'm free, No wedding bells for me." sang Frank. "Oh, come off!" retorted Tom. "You're simply jealous." "A perfectly good day gone to waste," grumbled the usually cheerful Billy. "Cheer up, you hunks of misery," gibed Bart. "The worst is yet to come." "I'm not specially keen for the trip myself," said Frank. "I'd thought to go over to Coblenz this afternoon and have another look at that place where they so nearly bumped us off last night. But I suppose now that will have to wait." "The alley will be there when we come back unless there's an earthquake in the meantime," remarked Bart. "I wish there would be," declared Tom wrathfully. "I'd like to see the whole place wiped off the map. That is," he corrected himself, "if I could get one person out of there before the blow up came."