"This looks like the real thing," exclaimed Bob excitedly. "I wonder if they plan to take these in order. At any rate we fooled them once on the railroad bridge." "Yes," said Hugh, "and we want to fool them on the others if we can." "They've got father's factory listed," exclaimed Bob. "I was afraid they would; the Germans don't like him. He's too good an American." "Some one must have dropped that paper by mistake," said Hugh. "They never would have left anything like that lying around." "Suppose they discover they've left it and come back after it." Both boys looked nervously out of the window, but all they saw was the little clearing and the quiet trees, swaying gently under the light breeze. "Isn't it signed?" asked Hugh. "No." "Look on the back; there may be something there." Bob turned over the sheet of paper. "No writing," he said. "There's a picture here though." "What is it?" "I can't see very well. It looks like some sort of a bug." "It looks like an alligator," said Hugh, taking the paper from Bob and examining it closely. "Let me see," exclaimed Bob. "That's what it is," he announced a moment later. "What do you suppose is the idea of that?" "I'm sure I don't know. Probably some man was just trying to amuse himself by drawing pictures, and happened to draw an alligator." "Maybe it's a picture of Percy," laughed Bob. "Say," exclaimed Hugh suddenly, "it's strange, though. Heinie's alligator was probably stolen by the man that returned the car, and whoever returned the car was probably out here at this meeting. What's the connection?" "I don't believe there is any," said Bob. "You're too suspicious, Hugh." "Won't you admit that it's queer?" "Of course I will, but I think it also proves that Heinie couldn't have been the one who returned our car last night. That is, if you think the man who stole the alligator was the one who brought back the car. Heinrich wouldn't cry about the loss of his pet if he was the one who took it, would he?" "It's too deep for one to understand," sighed Hugh with a shake of his head. "At any rate one thing is sure and that is that some plots are being hatched around here and--" Before he could finish there was a loud crash behind them, the only door leading out of the room was slammed shut, and a key turned in the lock. CHAPTER XII TRAPPED Bob and Hugh stared at each other in astonishment. They had been tricked and were now prisoners. A moment later they recovered somewhat from their surprise and with one accord sprang for the door. Bob seized the knob and shook it violently. To no purpose, however. "Get a chair, Hugh," he cried. "We'll smash the door in." "How do we know what's waiting for us in the hall?" "I don't care. We've got to get out of here." There was a deafening report of a gun fired in the narrow hall. The panel of the door close to Bob's head was splintered, and a bullet shot across the room, shivering the one remaining pane of glass left in the window.