“They are having a skirmish now,” said the General, listening, “and a thunder storm is coming beside.” He was lost in thought. “Fritz, make good!” he said. “I release you. You are but one man, no loss to us, but you have told me a story of what amounts to kidnapping. I would like to know if this is true. Just one thing. Prove it to me by bringing twenty men back; but while you are there _set the word free that the Americans have arrived_. Two millions, remember, perhaps three.” He smiled. “And do not attempt to go or come until nightfall. I will remain here until midnight to-night. You are under guard until dark. You may go.” He rapped sharply on the table, the guards entered and removed the prisoner. The General began to smoke. “What do you think, boys? Will he come back?” “Yes, sir,” said both boys together. “Why?” asked the General. “Why, he was telling the truth!” said Porky. “They don’t look like that other times,” said Beany. “He was straight, all right.” “He will have to prove it,” said the General grimly. “Men who leave a job without warning, no matter what the needs of the situation, do not fill me with confidence.” “I guess he is sorry now, anyway,” said tender-hearted Beany. “We will hope so,” said the General. “Porky, you may typewrite these letters for me, and you, Beany, may check up these lists. If you can do this properly, it will release a man for other duty.” For two hours the two boys were too busy to know what went on in the tent. When the task was done the General dismissed them with strict orders that they were not to go more than thirty feet in any direction from his tent. When the Germans had occupied that side of the valley, they had also used the hill as a temporary headquarters. Porky and Beany, like a pair of very restless and inquisitive hounds, went over the ground inch by inch. They could not help feeling that something good must be waiting for them within their screen of trees. The fighting miles away went on all day, and the time dragged for the boys until about three in the afternoon. And then Porky found it--a tiny piece of wire sticking out of the ground under a root of the big tree under which they were sitting, feeling like a couple of prisoners themselves. They had never been on such close bounds before, and they didn’t like it. Porky started to pull the wire, when Beany fell on him with a yell. “A bomb!” he cried, flinging Porky on his back. “My word! You have scared me to death anyhow,” said Porky. Together they dug around the wire and followed it down and down until they almost gave up. At last, however, they had their reward, a square black tin box which they carried carefully to the General’s tent.