I had made up my mind. “Right. I’ll give you something. Here’s my passport,” and I handed him a one-hundred-mark bill from my pocket-book. The soldier looked at the bill, then at me. He poked his companion in the ribs with his elbow and showed it to him. “See what that fellow calls a passport? Is that all right?” “That’s all right,” said the other. “Boy, boy! You are some guys, you are! Say, are you only going for a night in Berlin, or are you not coming back?” “That is as it may be,” I told him. “Say, what barracks are you fellows from?” “You needn’t worry about that yet. You’ll hear all about that in the morning.” “Oh, all right! But you beat it now, quick!” and they turned to go. But I had an idea of making further use of them. “Say,” I called, “we want to get into Spandau. Is it likely that we shall be stopped? Are there many sentries about there? Which is the best road to take?” “Plenty. Walk straight on and then turn to your left across the railway.” They went away. When I looked about for the grip, which I had put down in order to get at my pocket-book, I found it gone. Kent had walked on. Tynsdale was still hovering close to me. “Where’s that portmanteau?” I asked him excitedly. “I put it down here.” “I don’t know,” he answered. “Didn’t see it at all. Where did you put it down?” For a few seconds we looked underneath the bushes without success. “A man who will take a bribe will steal,” was a not unnatural conclusion to come to. “Wait a minute,” I flung over my shoulder, and started in hot pursuit after the two soldiers. It was the larger of our two grips that was missing, containing the most important part of our equipment. “What the hell do you want now?” is the way they received me. Neither one of them was carrying anything. “Oh, nothing,” I replied airily. Being unable to catch them in the act I dared not take the risk of accusing them. “I thought I had lost something,” I said. The one who spoke muttered something threateningly. They were naturally very anxious to get rid of us now. “Come along,” I said to Tynsdale, resignedly, when I had rejoined him. “We’ve got to make the best of it.” A little farther down the road Kent was waiting for us in the shadow of a bush, with both grips. He had picked mine up when he started to walk ahead and had caused me a few bad moments. Here, we brushed ourselves with our hands and handkerchiefs. A short walk through wide, deserted streets, most of them flanked by factory buildings, proved pleasantly unexciting. It was still early in the evening, but the wide thoroughfare of Spandau, not far from the railway station, was deserted, except for a small group of people between two tall light-standards, who, like us, were waiting for a tram to Berlin. The arc-lights fizzed slightly now and again, and cast fleeting purple shadows over the island, which served as a platform for the tram-cars.