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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Moving Picture Boys on the War Front, by 
+Victor Appleton
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Moving Picture Boys on the War Front
+       Or, The Hunt for the Stolen Army Films
+
+Author: Victor Appleton
+
+Release Date: February 10, 2006 [EBook #17744]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOVING PICTURE BOYS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Cori Samuel and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE
+MOVING PICTURE BOYS
+ON THE WAR FRONT
+
+OR
+
+The Hunt for the Stolen Army Films
+
+BY
+VICTOR APPLETON
+
+AUTHOR OF "THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS," "THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS
+UNDER THE SEA," "TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR-CYCLE," "TOM SWIFT
+AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP," ETC.
+
+_ILLUSTRATED_
+
+NEW YORK
+
+GROSSET & DUNLAP
+PUBLISHERS
+
+
+
+
+
+Copyright, 1918, by GROSSET & DUNLAP
+
+_The Moving Picture Boys on the War Front_
+
+[Illustration: IT TOOK ALL THE NERVE OF THE THREE LADS TO STAND AT
+THEIR POSTS AND SEE MEN KILLED.]
+
+
+=CONTENTS=
+
+
+CHAPTER                         PAGE
+
+I     A CALL TO BATTLE             1
+
+II    THE ACCIDENT                11
+
+III   MONSIEUR SECOR              20
+
+IV    ALL ABOARD                  29
+
+V     ANXIOUS DAYS                39
+
+VI    A QUEER CONFERENCE          47
+
+VII   "PERISCOPE AHOY!"           56
+
+VIII  BEATEN OFF                  65
+
+IX    SUSPICIONS                  72
+
+X     THE FLASHLIGHT              80
+
+XI    THE DEPTH CHARGE            88
+
+XII   IN ENGLAND                  97
+
+XIII  UNDER SUSPICION            105
+
+XIV   IN CUSTODY                 114
+
+XV    THE FRONT AT LAST          121
+
+XVI   THE FIRING LINE            130
+
+XVII  BOWLED OVER                138
+
+XVIII TRENCH LIFE                145
+
+XIX   GASSED                     153
+
+XX    "GONE!"                    161
+
+XXI   ACROSS NO MAN'S LAND       170
+
+XXII  CAPTURED                   179
+
+XXIII THE AIRSHIP RAID           189
+
+XXIV  BURIED ALIVE               199
+
+XXV   THE END OF LABENSTEIN      206
+
+
+
+
+=THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS ON THE WAR FRONT=
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+A CALL TO BATTLE
+
+
+"Come on now, ready with those smoke bombs! Where's the Confederate
+army, anyhow? And you Unionists, don't look as though you were going to
+rob an apple orchard! Suffering snakes, you're going into battle and
+you're going to lick the boots off the Johnnie Rebs! Look the part! Look
+the part! Now, then, what about the cannon? Got plenty of powder in 'em
+so there'll be lots of smoke?"
+
+A stout man, with perspiration running down his face, one drop trickling
+from his nose, was hurrying up and down the field.
+
+On one side of him was a small army composed of what seemed to be Civil
+War Union soldiers. A little farther back was a motley array of
+Confederates. Farther off was an apple orchard, and close beside that
+stood a ramshackle farmhouse which was soon to be the center of a
+desperate moving-picture battle in the course of which the house would
+be the refuge of the Confederates.
+
+"The old man is sort of on his ear this morning, isn't he, Blake?" asked
+Joe Duncan of his chum and camera partner, Blake Stewart. "I haven't
+heard him rage like this since the time C. C. dodged the custard pie he
+was supposed to take broadside on."
+
+"Yes, he's a bit nervous, Joe; but----"
+
+"Nervous isn't the word for it, Blake. He's boiling over! What's it all
+about, anyhow? Is he mad because I was a bit late getting here with the
+extra reels of film?"
+
+"No, he didn't say a word about that. It's just that he can't get this
+battle scene to suit him. We've rehearsed it and rehearsed it again and
+again, but each time it seems to go worse. The extras don't seem to know
+how to fight."
+
+"That's queer, considering all the war preparations that have been going
+on here since we got in the game against Germany," observed Joe Duncan,
+as he made some adjustments to his camera, one of several which he and
+Blake would use in filming part of a big serial, a number of scenes of
+which were to center around the battle in the apple orchard. "With all
+the volunteering and drafting that's been going on, soldiers quartered
+all over and as thick as bees around the cities, you'd think these
+extra fellows would know something about the game, wouldn't you?"
+
+"You'd think so; but they seem to be afraid of the guns, even though
+they are loaded with blanks. Here comes Mr. Hadley again, and he's got
+fire in his eyes!"
+
+Mr. Hadley, producer of the Consolidated Film Company, approached Jacob
+Ringold, a theatrical manager who was in charge of the company taking
+the parts in "The Dividing Line," which was the name of the Civil War
+play.
+
+"Look here, Jake!" exclaimed Mr. Hadley, "is this supposed to be a
+desperate, bloody battle, or a game of tennis?"
+
+"Why, a battle scene, of course, Mr. Hadley!"
+
+"Well, I'm glad to know it! From the way most of your people just
+rehearsed it, I thought I might be in the wrong box, and looking at a
+college football game. But no, I wrong the college game! That would be
+more strenuous than this battle scene, at least as far as I've watched
+it. Can't you get a little more life into your people?"
+
+"I'll try, Mr. Hadley," answered the manager, as the producer walked
+over to the two boys who stood near their cameras waiting for the word
+to be given, when they would begin grinding out the long reels of
+celluloid film.
+
+"This is positively the worst production I've ever been in!" complained
+Mr. Hadley to Blake. "Did you ever see such a farce as when the
+Confederates were hidden in the orchard and the Unionists stormed over
+the stone wall? You'd think they were a lot of boys going after apples.
+Bah! It makes me weary!"
+
+"It isn't very realistic," admitted Blake.
+
+"Mr. Ringold's talking to them now like a Dutch uncle," observed Joe, as
+he idly swung the crank of his camera, the machine not being in gear.
+
+"Well, I hope it does some good," observed the producer. "If it isn't
+better pretty soon, I'll let all these extra men go and hire others
+myself. I want that battle scene to look halfway real, at least."
+
+"It'll be a failure, I know it will," observed a melancholy-looking man
+who strolled up at this juncture. "I saw a black cat as I came from my
+room this morning, and that's always a sign of bad luck."
+
+"Oh, leave it to you to find something wrong!" exploded Mr. Hadley.
+"Can't you look on the cheerful side once in a while, C. C.?" he asked,
+forgetting that he, himself, had been prophetic of failure but a few
+moments before.
+
+"Humph!" murmured C. C., otherwise Christopher Cutler Piper, a comedian
+by profession and a gloom-producer by choice, "you might have known
+those fellows couldn't act after you'd had one look at 'em," and he
+motioned to the mobs of extra men, part of whom formed the Confederate
+and the other half the Union armies. "There isn't a man among them who
+has ever played Macbeth."
+
+"If they had, and they let it affect them as it does you, I'd fire them
+on the spot!" laughed Mr. Hadley; and at this, his first sign of mirth
+that day, Blake, Joe and some of the others smiled.
+
+"I don't want actors for this," went on the producer. "I want just plain
+fighters--men who can imagine they have something to gain or lose, even
+if they are shooting only blank cartridges. Well, I see Jake has
+finished telling them where they get off. Now we'll try a rehearsal once
+more, and then I'm going to film it whether it's right or not. I've got
+other fish to fry, and I can't waste all my time on 'The Dividing Line.'
+By the way," he went on to Joe and Blake, "don't you two young gentlemen
+make any long-time engagements for the next week."
+
+"Why?" asked Blake.
+
+"Well, I may have a proposition to submit to you, if all goes well. I'll
+talk about it when I get this battle scene off my mind. Now, then, Jake,
+how about you?"
+
+"I think it will be all right, Mr. Hadley. I have talked to my extra
+actors, and they promise to put more verve and spirit into their work."
+
+"Verve and spirit!" cried the producer. "What I want is _action_!"
+
+"Well, that's the same thing," said the manager. "I've told them they
+must really get into the spirit of the fight. I think if you try them
+again----"
+
+"I will! Now, then, men--you who are acting as the Confederates--you
+take your places in and around the farmhouse. You're supposed to have
+taken refuge there after escaping from a party of Unionists. You fortify
+the place, post your sentries and are having a merry time of
+it--comparatively merry, that is, for you're eating after being without
+food for a long time.
+
+"The farmhouse is the property of a Union sympathizer, and you eat all
+the more heartily on that account. He has two daughters--they are Birdie
+Lee and Miss Shay," he added in an aside to the moving picture boys.
+"Two members of your company--yes, I'm speaking to you Confederates, so
+pay attention--two members of your company make love to the two
+daughters, much to their dislike. In the midst of the merry-making and
+the love scenes the Union soldiers are reported to be coming. You
+Johnnie Rebs get out and the fight begins.
+
+"And let me tell you if it isn't a better fight this time than any
+you've put up before, you can pack your duds and get back to New York.
+You've missed your vocation, take it from me, if you don't do better
+than you have! Now, then, Union soldiers, what I said to the enemy
+applies to you. Fight as though you meant it. Now, one more rehearsal
+and I'm going to start you on the real thing."
+
+Under the direction of the assistants of Mr. Ringold, while Mr. Hadley
+looked on critically, the Confederates took their positions in and about
+the old house. They rehearsed the merry-making scenes and Miss Lee and
+Miss Shay took the parts of the daughters of the Union sympathizer. The
+two girls, being actresses of some experience, did very well, and the
+extra people evidently improved, for Mr. Hadley nodded as if satisfied.
+
+"Now, then, Unionists, move up!" he called. "March along the road as if
+you didn't care whether you met Stonewall Jackson and his men or not.
+Get a reckless air about you! That's better. Now, then, some action!
+Lively, boys!"
+
+This part, too, went better; and after a little more rehearsal the
+producer called to Blake and Joe.
+
+"Go to it, boys! Get the best results you can from this mimic battle.
+Maybe you'll soon be where it's hotter than this!"
+
+"What does he mean?" asked Joe, as he picked up his camera and took his
+position where he could film the scenes at the farmhouse.
+
+"I don't know," answered Blake, who was to take pictures of the
+marching Unionists. "Maybe there are more stunts for us to do in
+Earthquake Land."
+
+"If there are I'm not going! I'd rather do undersea stuff than be around
+volcanoes."
+
+"So would I. But we'll talk about that later. Say, that looks better!"
+and he motioned to the so-styled Confederates, who did seem to be
+putting more life into their work.
+
+"Yes," agreed Joe. "I guess when it comes to shooting, and all that,
+there'll be action enough even for Mr. Hadley."
+
+A little later the mimic battle scene was in full swing. Hundreds of
+blank cartridges were fired, smoke bombs filled the air with their dense
+vapor, and in the distance bursting shells tore up the earth, far enough
+removed from the positions of the men to preclude any danger.
+
+The Unionists closed in around the farmhouse. Close-up scenes were made,
+showing Birdie Lee and Miss Shay fighting off their Confederate
+admirers.
+
+Then came the turn in the battle where the Southern force had to give
+way.
+
+"Burn the house, boys!" cried their officer; and this would be flashed
+on the screen later as a lead.
+
+The dwelling, which had been purchased with the right to burn it, was
+set afire, and then began a scene that satisfied even the exacting
+producer. Great clouds of smoke rolled out, most of it coming from
+specially prepared bombs, and amid them and the red fire, which
+simulated flames, could be seen the Union leader carrying out his
+sweetheart, Birdie Lee.
+
+Blake and Joe ground away at their cameras, faithfully recording the
+scenes for the thrill and delight of those who would afterward see them
+in comfortable theaters, all unaware of the hard work necessary to
+produce them.
+
+The Confederates made a last stand at the barn. They were fired upon by
+the Unionists and finally driven off down the road--such as were left of
+them--while the victorious Northern fighters put out the fire in the
+house and the scene ended in the reuniting of long-separated lovers.
+
+"Well, I'm glad that's over!" remarked Mr. Hadley, as he came up to
+Blake and Joe where they were taking their cameras apart in readiness
+for carrying them back to the studio. "It didn't go so badly, do you
+think?"
+
+"I think it'll be a fine picture!" declared Joe.
+
+"The last stand of the Confederates was particularly good," observed
+Blake.
+
+"Good!" cried the producer. "That's a fine line for a leader--'The Last
+Stand.' I must make a note of it before I forget it. And now you boys
+can go back to New York. Have the films developed the first thing and
+let me know how they have come out."
+
+"They'll probably be spoiled," put in the gloomy voice of C. C.
+
+Mr. Hadley looked around far something to throw at him, but having
+nothing but his note book, which was too valuable for that, contented
+himself with a sharp look at the gloomy comedian.
+
+"When will you want us again, Mr. Hadley?" asked Blake, as he and Joe
+made ready to go back in the automobile to New York, the "Southern"
+battle scene having taken place in a location outside of Fort Lee on the
+New Jersey bank of the Hudson River, where many large moving picture
+studios are located.
+
+"Oh, that's so! I did want to talk to you about something new I have in
+mind," said Mr. Hadley. "Blake--and you, too, Joe--are you game for some
+dangerous work?"
+
+"Do you mean such as we had in Earthquake Land?" asked Blake.
+
+"Or under the sea?" inquired his partner.
+
+"This is a call to battle," replied Mr. Hadley. "And it's real battle,
+too! None of this smoke-bomb stuff! Boys, are you game for some actual
+fighting?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE ACCIDENT
+
+
+Not at all to the discredit of the moving picture boys is it to be
+considered when it is recorded that, following this question on the part
+of Mr. Hadley, they looked sharply at one another.
+
+"A call to battle!" murmured Joe.
+
+"Actual fighting?" added his chum wonderingly.
+
+"Perhaps I'd better explain a bit," went on the film producer. "Most
+unexpectedly there has come to me an opportunity to get some exceptional
+pictures. I need resourceful, nervy operators to act as camera men, and
+it is only paying you two a deserved compliment when I say I at once
+thought of you."
+
+"Thank you," murmured Blake.
+
+"No thanks necessary," responded Mr. Hadley.
+
+"So now I am ready to put my offer into words. In brief, it is----"
+
+At that moment back of the farmhouse (which was partly in ruins, for
+the fire had been a real one) a loud explosion sounded. This was
+followed by shouts and yells.
+
+"Somebody's hurt!" cried Mr. Hadley, and he set off on a run toward the
+scene, followed by Blake and Joe.
+
+And while they are investigating what had happened, advantage will be
+taken of the opportunity to tell new readers something of the former
+books in this series, so they may feel better acquainted with the two
+young men who are to pose as "heroes," as it is conventionally termed,
+though, in truth, Joe and Blake would resent that word.
+
+"The Moving Picture Boys" is the title of the first volume of the
+series, and in that the readers were introduced to Blake Stewart and Joe
+Duncan while they were working on adjoining farms. A moving picture
+company came to the fields to make certain scenes and, eventually, the
+two young men made the acquaintance of the manager, Mr. Hadley.
+
+Blake and Joe were eager to get into the film business, and their wish
+was gratified. They went to New York, learned the ins and outs of the
+making of "shifting scenes," as the Scotchman called them, and they had
+many adventures. The boys became favorites with the picture players,
+among whom were the gloomy C. C., Miss Shay, Miss Lee, Harris Levinberg
+and Henry Robertson. Others were added from time to time, sometimes
+many extra men and women being engaged, in, for instance, scenes like
+these of "The Dividing Line."
+
+Following their adventures in New York, which were varied and strenuous,
+the moving picture boys went out West, taking scenes among the cowboys
+and Indians.
+
+Later they moved on, with the theatrical company, to the coast, where
+they filmed a realistic picture of a wreck. In the jungle was where we
+next met Blake and Joe, and they were in dire peril more than once,
+photographing wild animals, though the dangers there were surpassed when
+they went to Earthquake Land, as they called it. The details of their
+happenings there will be found in the fifth volume of the series.
+
+Perilous days on the Mississippi followed, when Blake and Joe took
+pictures of the flood, and later they were sent to Panama to make views
+of the digging of the big canal.
+
+Mr. Hadley was a producer who was always eager for new thrills and
+effects. And when he thought he had exhausted those to be secured on the
+earth, he took to the ocean. And in "The Moving Picture Boys Under the
+Sea," the book that immediately precedes the present volume, will be
+found set down what happened to Blake and Joe when, in a submarine, they
+took views beneath the surface.
+
+They had not long been home from their experiences with the perils of
+the deep when they were engaged to make views for "The Dividing Line,"
+with its battle pictures, more or less real.
+
+"What's the matter? What happened? Is any one hurt?" cried Mr. Hadley,
+as he ran toward the scene of the explosion, followed by Blake and Joe.
+They could see, by a large cloud of smoke, that something extraordinary
+had occurred. The figures of several men could be noted running about.
+
+"Is anybody hurt?" demanded the producer again, as he and the two boys
+reached the place. "I'll send the ambulance, if there is." For when a
+film battle takes place men are often wounded by accident, and it is
+necessary to maintain a real hospital on the scene.
+
+"I don't believe any one's hurt," remarked Mr. Robertson, who did
+juvenile leads.
+
+"Unless it might be C. C.," remarked Mr. Levinberg, who was usually cast
+as a villain. "And small loss if he was laid up for a week or so. We'd
+be more cheerful if he were."
+
+"Is C. C. hurt?" asked Joe.
+
+"No; but I guess he's pretty badly scared," answered Mr. Robertson.
+"After this I guess he'll have more respect for a smoke bomb."
+
+"Was that what exploded?" asked Mr. Hadley.
+
+"Yes," replied the "villain." He pointed to Mr. C. C. Piper walking
+along in the midst of a group of soldiers. "It happened this way: We
+were talking about the battle scene, and C. C. kept saying it would be a
+failure when projected because the smoke bombs were not timed right. He
+said they should explode closer to the firing line, and some of the men
+who handled them said they held them as long as they dared before
+throwing them.
+
+"Old C. C. sneered at this, and said he could hold a smoke bomb until
+the fuse was burned down out of sight, and then throw it and get better
+results. So they dared him to try it."
+
+"Well?" asked Mr. Hadley, as the actor paused.
+
+"Well, C. C. did it. He held the smoke bomb, all right, but he didn't
+throw it soon enough, and, as a result, it exploded almost in his face.
+Lucky it's only made of heavy paper and not very powerful powder, so he
+was only knocked down and scorched a little. But I guess he'll have more
+respect for smoke bombs after this."
+
+"Foolish fellow!" remarked Mr. Hadley. "He never will listen to reason.
+I hope he isn't badly hurt."
+
+"It's only his feelings, mostly," declared the juvenile actor.
+
+Mr. Piper, otherwise called C. C., came limping along toward the
+producer and the moving picture boys.
+
+"Mr. Hadley, you may have my resignation, effective at once!" cried the
+tragedian.
+
+"Oh, don't say that, Mr. Piper. You're not hurt----"
+
+"Well, it isn't any thanks to one of your men that I'm not. I offered to
+show them how to throw a smoke bomb, and they gave me one with an extra
+short fuse. It went off almost in my face. If my looks aren't ruined my
+nerves are, and----"
+
+"No danger of your _nerve_ being gone," murmured Blake, nudging his
+chum.
+
+"I should say not!"
+
+"Anyhow, I resign!" declared C.C. savagely.
+
+But, as he did this on the average of twice a week, it had become so now
+that no one paid any attention to him. Mr. Hadley, seeing that he was in
+no danger and hardly even painfully scorched, no longer worried about
+the gloomy comedian.
+
+"And now to get back to what we were talking about before that
+interruption came," said Mr. Hadley to the moving picture boys. "Do you
+think you'd like to tackle the job?"
+
+"What is it?" asked Blake.
+
+"Give us an idea," added his chum.
+
+"Well, it isn't going to be any easy work," went on the producer. "And I
+might as well tell you, first as last, that it will be positively
+dangerous on all sides."
+
+"Like anything we've done before?" Blake wanted to know.
+
+"Not exactly. Earthquake Land is as near like it as anything that occurs
+to me. In short, how would you like to go to Europe?"
+
+"To the war?" cried Joe.
+
+"Yes; but to take films, not prisoners!"
+
+"Great!" cried Blake. "That suits me, all right!"
+
+"The same here!" agreed Joe instantly. "Tell us more about it!"
+
+"I will in a few days," promised the producer. "I have several details
+to arrange. Meanwhile, I have a little commission for you along the same
+line, but it's right around here--or, rather, down in Wrightstown, New
+Jersey, at one of the army camps.
+
+"I can tell you this much: If you go to Europe, it will be as special
+agents of Uncle Sam, making films for the use of the army. You will be
+commissioned, if my plans work out, though you will be non-combatants.
+The war department wants reliable films, and they asked me to get some
+for them. I at once thought of you two as the best camera men I could
+pick out. I also have a contract for getting some films here of army
+encampment scenes, and you can do these while I'm waiting to perfect my
+other arrangements, if you like."
+
+"Down at Wrightstown, is it?" cried Joe. "Well, I guess we can take
+that in. How about it, Blake?"
+
+"Sure we can. That is, if you're through with us on this serial."
+
+"Yes. The most important scenes of that are made now, and some of my
+other camera men will do for what is left. So if you want to go to the
+Jersey camp I'll get your papers ready."
+
+"We'll go," decided Blake.
+
+Two days later, during which they wondered at and discussed the
+possibilities of making films on the battle fronts of Europe, the two
+youths were in Wrightstown.
+
+One incident occurred while they were at work there that had a
+considerable bearing on what afterward happened to them. This was after
+Joe and Blake had finished making a fine set of films, showing the
+drilling of Uncle Sam's new soldiers, the views to be used to encourage
+enlistments about the country.
+
+"These are some of the best views we've taken yet in this particular
+line," observed Joe to Blake, as they sent the boxed reels to New York
+by one of their helpers to be developed.
+
+"Yes, I think so myself. Of course, they're peaceful, compared to what
+we may take in France, but----"
+
+He was interrupted by the unexpected return of Charles Anderson,
+nicknamed "Macaroni," their chief helper, who hurriedly entered the
+tent assigned to the two boys.
+
+"What's the trouble, Mac?" asked Joe, that being the shortened form of
+the nickname. "You look worried."
+
+"And so would you, Joe, if you'd had an accident like mine!"
+
+"An accident?" cried Blake, in some alarm.
+
+"Yes! At least, he _said_ it was an accident!"
+
+"Who said so?"
+
+"That Frenchman!"
+
+"What accident was it?"
+
+"Why, he ran into me with his auto, and the army films are all
+spoiled--light-struck!"
+
+"Whew!" whistled Blake, and Joe despairingly banged his fist against his
+camera.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+MONSIEUR SECOR
+
+
+Macaroni sank down on a chair. Blake said, afterward, their young
+assistant gave a very fair imitation, as far as regarded the look on his
+face, of C.C. Piper.
+
+"Ruined! Just plumb ruined!" murmured Charles Anderson.
+
+"But what happened? Tell us about it!" begged Joe. "You say some one ran
+into you?"
+
+"Yes. I was in the small auto taking the films you gave me to the
+station, and I had just about time to catch the express when I saw this
+fellow turning out of one of the side streets of the camp."
+
+"What fellow?" asked Blake.
+
+"I don't know his name," answered Macaroni. "But he's a Frenchman sent
+here, I've heard, to help instruct our men. He's some sort of officer."
+
+"And his machine ran into yours?" asked Blake.
+
+"Smack into me!" answered his helper. "Knocked the box of films out on
+the road, and one wheel went over it. Cracked the box clean open, and,
+of course, as the film wasn't developed, it's light-struck now, and
+you'll have to take all those marching scenes over again!"
+
+"That's bad!" murmured Joe. "Very bad!"
+
+"Did you say it was an _accident_?" asked Blake pointedly.
+
+"That's what _he_ said," replied Charlie. "He made all sorts of
+apologies, admitted it was all his fault, and all that. And it was,
+too!" burst out Macaroni. "I guess I know how to be careful of
+undeveloped films! Great hopping hippodromes, if I couldn't drive a car
+any better than that Frenchman, I'd get out of the army! How he has any
+license to buy gasolene, I can't imagine! This is how it was," and he
+went into further details of the occurrence.
+
+"I brought the films back, covering 'em with a black cloth as soon as I
+could," went on Charles; "but I guess it's too late."
+
+"Let's have a look," suggested Blake. "It may not be so bad as you
+think."
+
+But it was--every bit, and Joe and Blake found they would have to make
+the whole series over, requiring the marching of thousands of men and
+consequent delay in getting the completed films to the various
+recruiting centers.
+
+"Well, if it has to be done, it has to be," said Joe, with a philosophic
+sigh. "And making retakes may delay us in getting to Europe."
+
+"That's right!" agreed Blake. "But who is this fellow, anyhow, Charlie?
+And what made him so careless? An accident like this means a lot to us
+and to the Government."
+
+"I should say it did!" agreed Macaroni. "And it was the funniest
+accident I ever saw!"
+
+"How so?" asked Joe.
+
+"Well, a little while before you finished these films this same French
+officer was talking to me, asking if there were to be any duplicates of
+them, and questions like that."
+
+"And you told him?"
+
+"Yes. I didn't see any reason for keeping it secret. He isn't a German.
+If he had been I'd have kept quiet. But he's an accredited
+representative from the French Government, and is supposed to be quite a
+fighter. I thought he knew how to run an auto, but he backed and filled,
+came up on the wrong side of the road, and then plunged into me. Then he
+said his steering gear went back on him.
+
+"Mighty funny if it did, for it was all right just before and right
+after the accident. He was all kinds of ways sorry about it, offered to
+pay for the damage, and all that. I told him that wouldn't take the
+pictures over again."
+
+"And it won't," agreed Blake. "That's the worst of it! Did you say you
+had seen this Frenchman before, Mac?"
+
+"Yes; he's been around camp quite a while. You must have seen him too,
+you and Joe; but I guess you were so busy you didn't notice. He wears a
+light blue uniform, with a little gold braid on it, and he has one of
+those leather straps from his shoulder."
+
+"You mean a bandolier," suggested Joe.
+
+"Maybe that's it," admitted Macaroni. "Anyhow, he's a regular swell, and
+he goes around a lot with the other camp officers. They seem to think he
+knows a heap about war. But, believe me, he doesn't know much about
+running an auto--or else he knows too much."
+
+"Well, seeing that he's the guest of this camp, and probably of Uncle
+Sam, we can't make too much of a row," observed Blake. "I'll go and tell
+the commandant about the accident, and have him arrange for taking a new
+series of views. It's too bad, but it can't be helped."
+
+"It could have been helped if anybody with common sense had been running
+that auto, instead of a frog-eating, parlevooing Frenchman!" cried
+Macaroni, who was much excited over the affair.
+
+"That's no way to talk about one of our Allies," cautioned Joe.
+
+"Humph!" was all Charles answered, as he looked at the wrecked box of
+film. "I s'pose he'll claim it was partly my fault."
+
+"Well, we know it wasn't," returned Blake consolingly. "Come on, we'll
+get ready to do it over again; but, from the way Mr. Hadley wrote in his
+last letter, he'll be sorry about the delay."
+
+"Is he eager for you to get over on the other side?" asked the helper.
+
+"Yes. And I understand he asked if you wanted to go along as our
+assistant, Mac."
+
+"He did? First I wasn't going, but now I believe I will. I don't want to
+stay on the same side of the pond with that Frenchman! He may run into
+me again."
+
+"Don't be a C. C.," laughed Joe. "Cheer up!"
+
+"I would if I saw anything to laugh at," was the response. "But it sure
+is tough!"
+
+The moving picture boys felt also that the incident was unfortunate, but
+they were used to hard luck, and could accept it more easily than could
+their helper.
+
+The commanding officer at the camp was quite exercised over the matter
+of the spoiled films.
+
+"Well," he said to Blake when told about it, "I suppose it can't be
+helped. It may delay matters a bit, and we counted on the films as an
+aid in the recruiting. There have been a good many stories circulated,
+by German and other enemies of Uncle Sam, to the effect that the boys in
+camp are having a most miserable time.
+
+"Of course you know and I know that this isn't so. But we can't reach
+every one to tell them that. Nor can the newspapers, helpful as they
+have been, reach every one. That is why we decided on moving pictures.
+They have a wider appeal than anything else.
+
+"So we army men felt that if we could show pictures of life as it
+actually is in camp, it would not only help enlistments, but would make
+the fathers and mothers feel that their sons were going to a place that
+was good for them."
+
+"So they are; and our pictures will show it, too!" exclaimed Blake. "On
+account of the accident we'll be a bit delayed, and if that Frenchman
+runs his auto----"
+
+"Well, perhaps the less said about it the better," cautioned the
+officer. "He is our guest, you know, and if he was a bit awkward we must
+overlook it."
+
+"And yet, after all, I wonder, with Mac, if it was a pure accident,"
+mused Blake, as he walked off to join Joe and arrange for the retaking
+of the films that were spoiled. "I wonder if it was an accident," he
+repeated.
+
+In the days that followed the destruction of the army films and while
+the arrangements for taking new pictures were being made, Joe and Blake
+heard several times from Mr. Hadley. The producer said he was going to
+send Macaroni abroad with the two boys, if the wiry little helper would
+consent to go; and to this Charles assented.
+
+He would be very useful to Joe and Blake, they felt, knowing their ways
+as he did, and being able to work a camera almost as well as they
+themselves.
+
+"Did the boss tell you just what we were to do?" asked Blake of Joe one
+day, when they were perfecting the details for taking the new pictures.
+
+"No. But he said he would write us in plenty of time. All I know is that
+we're to go to Belgium, or Flanders, or somewhere on the Western front,
+and make films. What we are to get mostly are pictures of our own boys."
+
+"Most of them are in France."
+
+"Well, then we'll go to France. We're to get scenes of life in the camps
+there, as well as in the trenches. They're for official army records,
+some of them, I believe."
+
+"And I hope that crazy Frenchman doesn't follow us over and spoil any
+more films," added Charles, who was loading a camera.
+
+"Not much danger of that," was Joe's opinion.
+
+"Come, don't nurse a grudge," advised Blake.
+
+It was about a week after this that the two boys were ready to take the
+first of the camp pictures over again.
+
+"Better make 'em double, so there won't be another accident," advised
+Charles.
+
+"Oh, don't worry! We'll take care of them this time," said Blake.
+
+The long lines of khaki-clad soldiers marched and countermarched. They
+"hiked," went into camp, cooked, rushed into the trenches, had bayonet
+drill, and some went up in aeroplanes. All of this was faithfully
+recorded by the films.
+
+Blake and Joe were standing together, waiting for the army officer to
+plan some new movements, when a voice behind the two lads asked:
+
+"Pardon me! But are these the new official films?"
+
+Joe and Blake turned quickly before replying. They saw regarding them a
+slim young fellow with a tiny moustache. His face was browned, as if
+from exposure to sun and air, and he wore a well-fitting and attractive
+blue uniform with a leather belt about his waist and another over his
+shoulder.
+
+"Yes, these are the official films," answered Blake.
+
+"And are you the official artists?"
+
+"Camera men--just plain camera men," corrected Joe.
+
+"Ah, I am interested!" The man spoke with a slight, and not unpleasing,
+accent. "Can you tell me something about your work?" he asked. "I am
+very much interested. I would like to know----"
+
+At that moment Macaroni slid up to Blake with a roll of new film, and
+hoarsely whispered:
+
+"That's the guy that knocked into me and spilled the beans!"
+
+The Frenchman, for it was he, caught the words and smiled.
+
+"Pardon," he murmured. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Monsieur
+Secor, and I believe I did have the misfortune to spoil some films for
+you. A thousand pardons!" and Monsieur Secor, with a quick glance at the
+two boys, bowed low.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+ALL ABOARD
+
+
+Blake was about to make a sharp reply to the polite Frenchman, when he
+happened to remember what the commanding officer had said. That was that
+this man was, in reality, a guest of the nation. That he had come over
+instructed to give as much help as he could in getting the new soldiers
+in readiness to go "over the top."
+
+"And so I guess I'd better not say what I was going to," mused Blake.
+Then, to Monsieur Secor he replied:
+
+"I'm sorry, but we're not supposed to talk about our work without the
+permission of the commanding officer. You see----"
+
+"Ah, I comprehend!" exclaimed the Frenchman, with another bow--a bow
+altogether too elaborate, Joe thought. "That is as it should be! Always
+obey orders. I asked, casually, as I am much interested in this motion
+picture work, and I have observed some of it in my country. So it was
+your films that I had the misfortune to spoil? I greatly regret it. I
+suppose it made much extra work for you."
+
+"It did, Monsieur Secor," replied Joe rather shortly. "That is the work
+we are doing now."
+
+"And if you will excuse us," went on Blake, "we shall have to leave this
+place and go to the other side of the parade ground. I'm sorry we cannot
+tell you more of our work, but you will have to get an order from----"
+
+"Non! Non!" and the blue-uniformed officer broke into a torrent of rapid
+French. "It does not matter in the least," he began to translate. "I
+asked more out of idle curiosity than anything else. I will watch as
+much of your work as is permissible for me to see. Later I shall observe
+the finished films, I hope."
+
+"If you don't bust 'em again!" murmured Macaroni, when out of the
+officer's hearing. "I wouldn't trust you any too much," he added, as he
+and the two chums moved away to get views of the soldiers from a
+different angle.
+
+"What's wrong between you and Monsieur Secor?" asked Joe. "I mean, aside
+from his having run into you, which he claims was an accident?"
+
+"Well, maybe it was an accident, and maybe it wasn't," said Charles.
+
+"But that isn't all. I know you, Mac. What else do you mean?" demanded
+Blake, as Joe began to set up the camera in the new location.
+
+"Well, I don't want to make any accusations, especially against a French
+officer, for I know they're on our side. But I heard that Sim and
+Schloss are pretty sore because you fellows got this work."
+
+"Sim and Schloss!" repeated Blake. "That Jew firm which tried to cut
+under us in the contract for making views of animals in Bronx Park?"
+
+"That's the firm," answered Macaroni. "But they're even more German than
+they're Jews. But that's the firm I mean. One of their camera men was
+telling me the other day they thought they had this army work all to
+themselves, and they threw a fit when they heard that Hadley had it and
+had turned it over to you."
+
+"It goes to show that Duncan and Stewart are making a name for
+themselves in the moving picture world," said Blake, with a smile.
+
+"It goes to show that you've got to look out for yourselves," declared
+Charlie Anderson. "Those fellows will do you if they can, and I wouldn't
+be surprised to hear that this frog-eating chap was in with them, and
+maybe he spoiled your films on purpose, by running into me."
+
+"Nonsense!" cried Blake, speaking confidently, though at heart a little
+doubtful. "In the first place. Monsieur Secor wouldn't do anything to
+aid a German firm. That's positive! Again he would have no object in
+spoiling our films."
+
+"He would if he's in with Sim and Schloss," suggested Joe, taking sides
+with their helper. "If he could throw discredit on us, and make it
+appear that we were careless in doing our work, our rivals could go to
+the war department and, in effect, say: 'I told you so!' Then they could
+offer to relieve us of the contract."
+
+"Well, I suppose that's true," admitted Blake. "And we haven't any
+reason to like Sim and Schloss either. But I don't believe they could
+plot so far as to get a French officer to help them as against us.
+
+"No, Charlie," he went on, having half convinced himself by his
+reasoning, "I can't quite agree with you. I think it was an accident on
+the part of Monsieur Secor. By the way, what's his army title?"
+
+"He's a lieutenant, I believe," answered Joe. "Anyhow, he wears that
+insignia. He's mighty polite, that's sure."
+
+"Too polite," said Macaroni, with a grim smile. "If he hadn't waited for
+me to pass him the other day he might not have rammed me. Well, it's all
+in the day's work, I reckon. Here they come, boys! Shoot!"
+
+Blake and Joe began grinding away at the camera cranks, with their
+helper to assist them. Charles Anderson was more than a paid employee
+of the moving picture boys. He was a friend as well, and had been with
+the "firm" some time. He was devoted and faithful, and a good camera man
+himself, having helped film many large productions.
+
+In spite of what he had said, Blake Stewart was somewhat impressed by
+what Charles had told him. And for the next few days, during which he
+was busily engaged on retaking the films, he kept as close a watch as he
+could on Lieutenant Secor. However, the attitude and conduct of the
+Frenchman seemed to be above suspicion. He did not carry out his
+intention, if he really had it, of seeking permission from the
+commanding officer to observe more closely the work of Blake and Joe.
+And for a few days before the last of the new films had been taken the
+blue-uniformed officer was not seen around the camp.
+
+Blake and Joe were too busy to ask what had become of him. Then, too,
+other matters engaged their attention. For a letter came from Mr.
+Hadley, telling them and Charles to hold themselves in readiness to
+leave for England at any time.
+
+"It's all settled," wrote the producer. "I have signed the contracts to
+take moving picture films of our boys in the French trenches, and
+wherever else they go on the Western front. You will get detailed
+instructions, passes, and so on when you arrive on the other side."
+
+"When do we sail?" asked Joe, after Blake had read him this letter, and
+when they were preparing to go back to New York, having finished their
+army camp work.
+
+"The exact date isn't settled," answered his partner. "They keep it
+quiet until the last minute, you know, because some word might be
+flashed to Germany, and the submarines be on the watch for us."
+
+"That's so!" exclaimed Joe. "Say, wouldn't it be great if we could get
+one?"
+
+"One what?" asked Blake, who was reading over again certain parts of Mr.
+Hadley's letter.
+
+"A submarine. I mean film one as it sent a torpedo to blow us out of the
+water. Wouldn't it be great if we could get that?"
+
+"It would if the torpedo didn't get us first!" grimly replied Blake. "I
+guess I wouldn't try that if I were you."
+
+"I'm going to, if I get a chance," Joe declared. "It would make a great
+film, even a few feet of it. We could sell it to one of the motion
+weeklies for a big sum."
+
+"It's hardly worth the risk," said Blake, "and we're going to have
+plenty of risks on the other side, I guess."
+
+"Does Mr. Hadley say how we are to go?" asked Joe.
+
+"From New York to Halifax, of course, and from there over to England.
+They search the ship for contraband at Halifax, I believe, or put her
+through some official form.
+
+"From England we'll go to France and then be taken to the front. Just
+what will happen when we get on the other side nobody knows, I guess.
+We're to report at General Pershing's headquarters, and somebody there,
+who has this stunt in hand, will take charge of us. After that it's up
+to you and Charles and me, Joe."
+
+"Yes, I suppose it is. Well, we'll do our best!"
+
+"Sure thing!" assented Blake.
+
+"We will if some ninny of a frog-skinning Frenchman doesn't try to ram
+us with an airship!" growled Macaroni. He had never gotten over the
+accident.
+
+"I believe you are growing childish, Mac!" snapped Blake, in unusual
+ill-humor.
+
+The last of the army camp films had been made and sent in safety to the
+studios in New York, where the negatives would be developed, the
+positives, printed by electricity, cut and pasted to make an artistic
+piece of work, and then they would be ready for display throughout the
+United States, gaining recruits for Uncle Sam, it was hoped.
+
+Blake and Joe said good-bye to the friends they had made at the
+Wrightstown camp, and, with Macaroni, proceeded to Manhattan. There they
+were met by Mr. Hadley, who gave them their final instructions and
+helped them to get their outfits ready.
+
+"We'll take the regular cameras," said Blake, as he and Joe talked it
+over together, "and also the two small ones that we can strap on our
+backs."
+
+"Better take the midget, too," suggested Joe.
+
+"That's too small," objected the lanky helper. "It really is intended
+for aeroplane work."
+
+"Well, we may get some of that," went on Joe. "I'm game to go up if they
+want me to."
+
+"That's right!" chimed in Blake. "I didn't think about that. We may have
+to make views from up near the clouds. Well, we did it once, and we can
+do it again. Pack the midget, Charlie."
+
+So the small camera went into the outfit that was being made ready for
+the steamer. As Blake had said, he and his partner had, on one occasion,
+gone up in a military airship from Governor's Island, to make some views
+of the harbor. The experience had been a novel one, but the machine was
+so big, and they flew so low, that there was no discomfort or danger.
+
+"But if we have to go over the German lines, in one of those little
+machines that only hold two, well, I'll hold my breath--that's all!"
+declared Joe.
+
+Finally the last of the flank films and the cameras had been packed, the
+boys had been given their outfits, letters of introduction, passports,
+and whatever else it was thought they would need. They had bidden
+farewell to the members of the theatrical film company; and some of the
+young actresses did not try to conceal their moist eyes, for Blake and
+Joe were general favorites.
+
+"Well, do the best you can," said C. C. Piper to them, as he and some
+others accompanied the boys to the pier "somewhere in New York."
+
+"We will," promised Blake.
+
+"And if we don't meet again in this world," went on the tragic comedian,
+"I'll hope to meet you in another--if there is one."
+
+"Cheerful chap, you are!" said Blake. "Don't you think we'll come back?"
+
+Christopher Cutler Piper shook his head.
+
+"You'll probably be blown up if a shell doesn't get you," he said. "The
+mortality on the Western front is simply frightful, and the percentage
+is increasing every day."
+
+"Say, cut it out!" advised Charlie Anderson. "Taking moving pictures
+over there isn't any more dangerous than filming a fake battle here when
+some chump of an actor lets off a smoke bomb with a short fuse!"
+
+At this reference to the rather risky trick C. C. had once tried, there
+was a general laugh, and amid it came the cry:
+
+"All aboard! All ashore that's going ashore!"
+
+The warning bells rang, passengers gathered up the last of their
+belongings, friends and relatives said tearful or cheerful good-byes,
+and the French liner, which was to bear the moving picture boys to
+Halifax, and then to England, was slowly moved away from her berth by
+pushing, fussing, steaming tugs.
+
+"Well, we're off!" observed Blake.
+
+"That's so," agreed Joe. "And I'm glad we've started."
+
+"You aren't the only ones who have done that," said Macaroni. "Somebody
+else has started with you!"
+
+"Who?"
+
+For answer the lanky helper pointed across the deck. There, leaning up
+against a lifeboat, was Lieutenant Secor, smoking a cigarette and
+seemingly unconscious of the presence of the moving picture boys.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+ANXIOUS DAYS
+
+
+For a moment even Blake, cool as he usually was, seemed to lose his
+head. He started in the direction of the Frenchman, against whom their
+suspicions were directed, thinking to speak to him, when Joe sprang from
+his chair.
+
+"I'll show him!" exclaimed Blake's chum and partner, and this served to
+make Blake himself aware of the danger of acting too hastily. Quickly
+Blake put out his hand and held Joe back.
+
+"What's the matter?" came the sharp demand. "I want to go and ask that
+fellow what he means by following us!"
+
+"I wouldn't," advised Blake, and now he had control of his own feelings.
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"Because," answered Blake slowly, as he smiled at his chum, "he might,
+with perfect truth and considerable reason, say it was none of your
+business."
+
+"None of my business? None of our business that he follows us aboard
+this ship when we're going over to get official war films? Well, Blake
+Stewart, I did think you had some spunk, but----"
+
+"Easy now," cautioned Macaroni. "He's looking over here to see what the
+row's about. There! He's looking right at us."
+
+The Frenchman did, indeed, seem to observe for the first time the
+presence of the boys so close to him. He looked over, bowed and smiled,
+but did not leave his place near the rail. He appeared to be occupied in
+looking at the docks and the shipping of New York harbor, glancing now
+at the tall buildings of New York, and again over at the Jersey shore
+and the Statue of Liberty.
+
+"Come on back here--behind the deckhouse," advised Blake to his chum and
+Macaroni. "We can talk then and he can't see us."
+
+And when they were thus out of sight, and the vessel was gathering way
+under her own power, Joe burst out with:
+
+"Say, what does all this mean? Why didn't you let me go over and ask him
+what he meant by following us on board this vessel?"
+
+"I told you," answered Blake, "that he'd probably tell you it was none
+of your business."
+
+"Why isn't it?"
+
+"Because this is a public vessel--that is, public in as much as all
+properly accredited persons who desire may go to England on her.
+Lieutenant Secor must have his passport, or he wouldn't be here. And, as
+this is a public place, he has as much right here as we have.
+
+"And of course if you had asked him, Joe, especially with the show of
+indignation you're wearing now, he would have told you, and with perfect
+right, that he had as much business here as you have. He didn't follow
+us here; I think he was on board ahead of us. But if he did follow us,
+he did no more than some of these other passengers did, who came up the
+gangplank after us. This is a public boat."
+
+Joe looked at his chum a moment, and then a smile replaced the frown on
+his face.
+
+"Well, I guess you're right," he announced. "I forgot that anybody might
+come aboard as well as ourselves. But it does look queer--his coming
+here so soon after he spoiled our films; whether intentionally or not
+doesn't matter."
+
+"Well, I agree with you there--that it does look funny," said Blake
+Stewart. "But we mustn't let that fact get the better of our judgment.
+If there's anything wrong here, we've got to find it out, and we can't
+do it by going off half cocked."
+
+"Well, there's something wrong, all right," said Charlie Anderson,
+smiling at his apparently contradictory statement. "And we'll find out
+what it is, too! But I guess you're right, Blake. We've got to go slow.
+I'm going below to see if our stuff is safe."
+
+"Oh, I don't imagine anything can have happened to it--so soon," said
+Blake. "At the same time, we will be careful. Now we must remember that
+we may be altogether wrong in thinking this Frenchman is working against
+us in the interests of our rivals, Sim and Schloss. In fact, I don't
+believe that firm cares much about the contract we have, though they
+have tried to cut in under us on other matters. So we must meet
+Lieutenant Secor halfway if he makes any advances. It isn't fair to
+misjudge him."
+
+"I suppose so," agreed Joe. "Yet we must be on our guard against him.
+I'm not going to give him any information about what we are going across
+to do."
+
+"That's right," assented Blake. "Don't talk too much to
+anybody--especially strangers. We'll be decent to this chap, but he is
+no longer a guest of our nation, and we don't have to go out of our way
+to be polite. Just be decent, that's all--and on the watch."
+
+"I'm with you," said Joe, as Macaroni came back to say that all was well
+in their cabin where they had left most of their personal possessions.
+The cameras and the reels of unexposed film were in the hold with their
+heavy baggage, but they had kept with them a small camera and some film
+for use in emergencies.
+
+"For we might sight a submarine," Joe had said. "And if I get a chance,
+I'm going to film a torpedo."
+
+By this time the vessel was down in the Narrows, with the frowning forts
+on either side, and as they passed these harbor defenses Lieutenant
+Secor crossed the deck and nodded to the boys.
+
+"I did not know we were to be traveling companions," he said, with a
+smile.
+
+"Nor did we," added Blake. "You are going back to France, then?"
+
+The lieutenant shrugged his shoulders in characteristic fashion.
+
+"Who knows?" he asked. "I am in the service of my beloved country. I go
+where I am sent. I am under orders, Messieurs, and until I report in
+Paris I know not what duty I am to perform. But I am charmed to see you
+again, and rest assured I shall not repeat my lamentable blunder."
+
+"No, I'll take good care you don't run into me," muttered Macaroni.
+
+"And you, my friends of the movies--you camera men, as you call
+yourselves--you are going to France also?"
+
+"We don't know where we are going, any more than you do," said Blake.
+
+"Ah, then you are in the duty, too? You are under orders?"
+
+"In a way, yes," said Blake. "We are, if you will excuse me for saying
+so, on a sort of mission----"
+
+"Ah, I understand, monsieur! A thousand pardons. It is a secret mission,
+is it not? Tut! Tut! I must not ask! You, too, are soldiers in a way. I
+must not talk about it. Forget that I have asked you. I am as silent as
+the graveyard. What is that delightful slang you have--remember it no
+more? Ah, I have blundered! Forget it! Now I have it! I shall forget
+it!" and, with a gay laugh, he smiled at the boys, and then, nodding,
+strolled about the deck.
+
+"He's jolly enough, anyhow," remarked Joe.
+
+"Yes, and perhaps we have wronged him," said Blake. "The best way is not
+to talk too much to him. We might let something slip out without knowing
+it. Let him jabber as much as he likes. We'll just saw wood."
+
+"I suppose he'd call that some more of our delightful slang, and
+translate it 'render into small pieces portions of the forest trees for
+the morning fire,'" laughed Joe. "Well, Blake, I guess you're right.
+We've got to keep things under our hats!"
+
+"And watch our cameras and films," added Charlie. "No more
+accidental-purpose collisions for mine!"
+
+In the novelty and excitement of getting fairly under way the moving
+picture boys forgot, for the time being, the presence of one who might
+be not only an enemy of theirs but of their country also. It was not the
+first time Blake and Joe had undertaken a long voyage, but this was
+under auspices different from any other.
+
+The United States was at war with a powerful and unscrupulous nation.
+There were daily attacks on merchantmen, as well as on war vessels, by
+the deadly submarine, and there was no telling, once they reached the
+danger zone, what their own fate might be.
+
+So even the start of the voyage was different from one that might have
+been taken under more favorable skies. Soon after they had passed into
+the lower bay word was passed that the passengers would be assigned to
+"watches," or squads, for lifeboat drill, in anticipation of reaching
+the dangerous submarine zone.
+
+And then followed anxious days, not that there was any particular danger
+as yet from hostile craft, but every one anticipated there would be,
+and there was a grim earnestness about the lifeboat drills.
+
+"I have been through it all before--when I came over," said Lieutenant
+Secor to the boys; "but it has not lost its terrible charm. It is a part
+of this great war!"
+
+And as the ship plowed her way on toward her destination the anxious
+days became more anxious, and there were strained looks on the faces of
+all.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+A QUEER CONFERENCE
+
+
+Halifax was safely reached, nothing more exciting having occurred
+between that port and New York than a severe thunder storm, and, after
+the usual inspection by the English authorities, the ship bearing the
+moving picture boys was once more on her way.
+
+The lifeboat drills were rigorously kept up, and now, as the real voyage
+had begun, with each day bringing nearer the dreaded submarine peril,
+orders were given in regard to the display of lights after dark. The
+passengers were ordered to be in readiness, to keep life preservers at
+hand, and were told that as soon as the actual danger zone was reached
+it would be advisable for all to keep their clothing on at night as well
+as during the day.
+
+"But the destroyers will convoy us, won't they?" asked Charlie Anderson.
+
+"Oh, yes! They'll be on hand to greet us when the time comes," answered
+Blake. "Uncle Sam's as well as King George's. But, for all that, a
+submarine may slip in between them and send a torpedo to welcome us."
+
+"Then's when I'm going to get busy with the small camera," declared Joe.
+
+"A heap of good it'll do you to get some pictures of it, if the ship is
+blown up," remarked his chum.
+
+"Oh, well, I'm going to take a chance. Every ship that's torpedoed
+doesn't sink, and we may be one of the lucky ones. And if I should
+happen to get some views of a destroyer sinking a submarine--why, I'd
+have something that any camera man in the world would be proud of!"
+
+"That's right!" agreed Blake. "But don't take any chances."
+
+Joe promised to heed this advice, and he was really enthusiastic about
+his chance of getting a view of an oncoming torpedo. That he might get
+views of a warship or a destroyer sinking one of the Hun undersea boats
+was what he dreamed about night and day.
+
+It was the day before they were actually to enter the danger zone--the
+zone marked off in her arrogance by Germany--that something occurred
+which made even cautious Blake think that perhaps they were justified in
+their suspicions of the Frenchman.
+
+The usual lifeboat drills had been held, and the passengers were
+standing about in small groups, talking of what was best to be done in
+case the torpedo or submarine alarm should be given, when Macaroni, who
+had been down in the cabin, came up and crossed the deck to where Blake
+and Joe were talking to two young ladies, to whom they had been
+introduced by the captain.
+
+By one of the many signs in use among moving picture camera men, which
+take the place of words when they are busy at the films, Macaroni gave
+the two chums to understand he wanted to speak to them privately and at
+once. The two partners remained a little longer in conversation, and
+then, making their excuses, followed their helper to a secluded spot.
+
+"What's up?" demanded Joe. "Have you made some views of a torpedo?"
+
+"Or seen a periscope?" asked Blake.
+
+"Neither one," Charlie answered. "But if you want to see something that
+will open your eyes come below."
+
+His manner was so earnest and strange, and he seemed so moved by what he
+had evidently seen, that Blake and Joe, asking no further questions,
+followed him.
+
+"What is it?" Joe demanded, as they were about to enter their cabin, one
+occupied by the three of them.
+
+"Look there!" whispered the helper, as he pointed to a mirror on their
+wall.
+
+Blake and Joe saw something which made them open their eyes. It was the
+reflection of a strange conference taking place in the stateroom across
+the passageway from them, a conference of which a view was possible
+because of open transoms in both staterooms and mirrors so arranged that
+what took place in the one across the corridor was visible to the boys,
+yet they remained hidden themselves.
+
+Blake and Joe saw two men with heads close together over a small table
+in the center of the opposite stateroom. The tilted mirror transferred
+the view into their own looking-glass. The men appeared to be examining
+a map, or, at any rate, some paper, and their manner was secretive,
+alone though they were.
+
+But it was not so much the manner of the men as it was the identity of
+one that aroused the curiosity and fear of the moving picture
+boys--curiosity as to what might be the subject of the queer conference,
+and fear as to the result of it.
+
+For one of the men was Lieutenant Secor, the Frenchman, and the other
+was a passenger who, though claiming to be a wealthy Hebrew with
+American citizenship, was, so the boys believed, thoroughly German. He
+was down on the passenger list as Levi Labenstein, and he did bear some
+resemblance to a Jew, but his talk had the unmistakable German accent.
+
+Not that there are not German Jews, but their tongue has not the knack
+of the pure, guttural German of Prussia. And this man's voice had none
+of the nasal, throaty tones of Yiddish.
+
+"Whew!" whistled Joe, as he and Blake looked into the tell-tale mirror.
+"That looks bad!"
+
+"Hush!" cautioned Blake. "The transoms are open and he may hear you."
+
+But a look into the reflecting glasses showed that the two men--the
+Frenchman and the German--had not looked up from their eager poring over
+the map, or whatever paper was between them.
+
+"How long have they been this way?" asked Blake, in a whisper, of
+Charlie.
+
+"I don't know," Macaroni answered. "I happened to see them when I came
+down to get something, and after I'd watched them a while I went to tell
+you."
+
+"I'm glad you did," went on Blake; "though I don't know what it
+means--if it means anything."
+
+"It means something, all right," declared Joe, and he, like the others,
+was careful to keep his voice low-pitched. "It means treason, if I'm any
+judge!"
+
+"Treason?" repeated Blake.
+
+"Yes; wouldn't you call it that if you saw one of our army officers
+having a secret talk with a German enemy?"
+
+"I suppose so," assented Blake. "And yet Lieutenant Secor isn't one of
+our officers."
+
+"No, but he's been in our camps, and he's been a guest of Uncle Sam.
+He's been in a position to spy out some of the army secrets, and now we
+see him talking to this German."
+
+"But this man may _not_ be a subject of the Kaiser," said Blake.
+
+"Sure he is!" declared Charlie. "He's no more a real Jew than I am! He's
+a Teuton! Germany has no love for the Jews, and they don't have any use
+for the Huns. Take my word for it, fellows, there's something wrong
+going on here."
+
+"It may be," admitted Blake; "but does it concern us?"
+
+"Of course it does!" declared Joe. "This Frenchman may be betraying some
+of Uncle Sam's secrets to the enemy--not only our enemy, but the enemy
+of his own country."
+
+"Yes, I suppose there are traitorous Frenchmen," said Blake slowly, "but
+they are mighty few."
+
+"But this means something!" declared Macaroni.
+
+And Blake, slow as he was sometimes in forming an opinion, could not but
+agree with him.
+
+In silence the boys watched the two men at their queer conference. The
+tilted mirrors--one in each stateroom--gave a perfect view of what went
+on between the Frenchman and the German, as the boys preferred to think
+Labenstein, but the watchers themselves were not observed. This they
+could make sure of, for several times one or the other of the men across
+the corridor looked up, and full into the mirror on their own wall, but
+they gave no indication of observing anything out of the ordinary.
+
+The mirrors were fastened in a tilted position to prevent them from
+swinging as the ship rolled, and as they did not sway there was an
+unchanged view to be had.
+
+"I wonder what they're saying," observed Blake.
+
+They could only guess, however, for though the men talked rapidly and
+eagerly, as evidenced by their gestures, what they said was not audible.
+Though both transoms were open, no sound came from the room opposite
+where the boys were gathered. The men spoke too low for that.
+
+"I guess they know it's dangerous to be found out," said Joe.
+
+"But we ought to find out what it's about!" declared Macaroni.
+
+"Yes, I think we ought," assented Blake. "This Frenchman has been in our
+country, going about from camp to camp according to his own story, and
+he must have picked up a lot of information."
+
+"And he knows about our pictures, too!"
+
+"Well, I don't imagine what we have taken, so far, will be of any great
+value to Germany, assuming that Lieutenant Secor is a spy and has told
+about them," Blake said.
+
+"We've got to find out something about this, though, haven't we?" asked
+Joe.
+
+"I think we ought to try," agreed his chum. "Perhaps we should tell
+Captain Merceau. He's a Frenchman, and will know how to deal with
+Secor."
+
+"Good idea!" exclaimed Joe. "If we could only get him down here to see
+what we've seen, it would clinch matters. I wonder----"
+
+But Joe ceased talking at a motion from Blake, who silently pointed at
+the mirror. In that way they saw the reflection of the men in the other
+cabin. They arose from their seats at the table, and the map or whatever
+papers they had been looking at, were put away quietly in the
+Frenchman's pocket.
+
+He and the German, as the boys decided to call Labenstein, spoke in
+whispers once more, and then shook hands, as if to seal some pact.
+
+Then, as the boys watched, Lieutenant Secor opened the door of the
+stateroom, which had been locked. He stepped out into the corridor, and
+was now lost to view.
+
+The next moment, to the surprise of Blake and his two friends, there
+came a knock on their own door, and a voice asked:
+
+"Are you within, young gentlemen of the cameras? I am Lieutenant Secor!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+"PERISCOPE AHOY!"
+
+
+Sudden and unexpected was the knocking, and it found the boys unready to
+answer it. They had no idea that the conspirators--either or both of
+them--would come directly from their conference to the room where a
+watch had been kept on them.
+
+"Do you think he saw us?" asked Joe, in a whisper.
+
+"S'posing he did?" demanded Charlie. "We have the goods on him, all
+right."
+
+Blake held up a hand to enjoin silence, though the remarks of his
+friends had been made in the lowest of tones.
+
+The knock was given again, and the voice of the Frenchman asked:
+
+"Are you within, my friends of the camera? I wish to speak with you!"
+
+"One moment!" called Blake, in a tone he tried to make pleasant. Then
+he motioned to Joe and Charlie to seem to be busy over the midget
+camera, which was kept ready for instant use. At the same moment Blake
+threw a black focusing cloth over the mirror, for he thought the
+Frenchman might notice that it was in a position to reflect whatever
+took place in the opposite room.
+
+"Act natural--as if you were getting ready to make some pictures," Blake
+whispered in Joe's ear, and then opened the door.
+
+"Pardon me for disturbing you," began Lieutenant Secor, "but I have just
+come down from on deck. They are having a special lifeboat drill, and I
+thought perhaps you might like to get some views of it. Also, I have a
+favor to ask of you."
+
+"Come in," said Blake, as he opened the door wider. At the same time he
+noticed that the door of the stateroom across the corridor was shut.
+
+"Just came down from deck, did he?" mused Joe, as he took note of the
+Frenchman's false statement. "Well, he must have run up and run down
+again in jig fashion to be able to do that. I wonder what he wants to
+ask us?"
+
+Joe and Charlie pretended to be adjusting the small camera, and Blake
+smiled a welcome he did not feel. Black suspicion was in his heart
+against the Frenchman. An open enemy Blake could understand, but not a
+spy or a traitor.
+
+"I thought perhaps you might like to get some of the views from on
+deck," went on Lieutenant Secor, smiling his white-toothed smile. "They
+are even lowering boats into the water--a realistic drill!"
+
+Blake looked at Joe as much as to ask if it would be advisable to get
+some views. At the same time Blake made a sign which Joe interpreted to
+mean:
+
+"Go up on deck and see what's going on--you and Charlie. I'll take care
+of him down here."
+
+"Come on!" Joe remarked to their helper, as he gathered up the small
+camera. "We'll take this in."
+
+"I thought you might like it," said the Frenchman. "That's why I hurried
+down to tell you."
+
+"Now I wonder," thought Blake to himself, as Joe made ready to leave,
+"why he thinks it worth his while to tell that untruth? What is his
+game?"
+
+At the same time an uneasy thought came to Joe.
+
+"If we go up and leave Blake alone with this fellow, may not something
+happen? Perhaps he'll attack Blake!"
+
+But that thought no sooner came than it was dismissed, for, Joe
+reasoned, what harm could happen to his chum, who was well able to take
+care of himself? True, the Frenchman might be armed, but so was Blake.
+Then, too, there could be no object in attacking Blake. He had little of
+value on his person, and the films and cameras were not in the
+stateroom. And there were no films of any value as yet, either.
+
+"Guess I'm doing too much imagining," said Joe to himself. "This fellow
+may be a plotter and a spy in German pay--and I haven't any doubt but
+what he is--but I reckon Blake can look after himself. Anyhow, he wants
+me to leave Secor to him, and I'll do it. But not too long!"
+
+So Joe and Charlie, taking the small camera with them, went up on deck.
+There they did find an unusual lifeboat drill going on. The danger zone
+was now so close that Captain Merceau and his officers of the ship were
+taking no chances. They wanted to be prepared for the worst, and so they
+had the men passengers practise getting into the boats, which were
+lowered into the water and rowed a short distance away from the ship.
+
+The women and children, of whom there were a few on board, watched from
+the decks, taking note of how to get into the boats, and how best to act
+once they were in their places.
+
+"Going to film this?" asked Charlie of Joe.
+
+"No, I think not," was the answer. "It's interesting, but there have
+been lots of drills like it. If it were the real thing, now, I'd shoot;
+but I'm going to save the film on the chance of getting a sub or a
+torpedo. This is a sort of bluff on the part of you and me, anyhow.
+Blake wanted to get us out of the cabin while he tackled Secor, I
+reckon. What _his_ game is I don't know."
+
+"I can come pretty near to guessing," said Macaroni, as he stretched his
+lank legs, which had, in part, earned him the nickname. "That fake
+lieutenant is planning some game with the German spy, that's his game."
+
+"Maybe," admitted Joe. "But I don't see how we figure in it."
+
+"Perhaps we will after we've gotten some reels of valuable film,"
+suggested Charlie. "Don't crow until you've ground out the last bit of
+footage."
+
+"No, that's right. Look, that boat's going to spill if I'm any judge!"
+
+Excited shouts and a confusion of orders drew the attention of the boys
+and many others to a lifeboat where, amidships on the port side, it was
+being lowered away as part of the drill. There were a number of sailors
+in it--part of the crew--and, as Joe and Charlie watched, one of the
+falls became jammed with the result that the stern of the boat was
+suddenly lowered while the bow was held in place.
+
+As might have been expected, the sudden tilting of the boat at an acute
+angle threw the occupants all into one end. There were yells and shouts,
+and then came splashes, as one after another fell into the ocean.
+
+Women and children screamed and men hoarsely called to one another. For
+a moment it looked as though the safety drill would result in a tragedy,
+and then shrill laughter from the men who had fallen into the water, as
+well as cries of merriment from those who still clung to the boat,
+showed that, if not intended as a joke, the happening had been turned
+into one.
+
+The sailors were all good swimmers, the day was sunny and the water
+warm, and in a short time another boat had been rowed to the scene of
+the upset, and those who went overboard were picked up, still laughing.
+
+"I might have taken that if I had known they were going to pull a stunt
+like that," said Joe, a bit regretfully. "However, I guess we'll get all
+the excitement we want when we get to the war front."
+
+"I believe you!" exclaimed Charlie. "There's our German spy," he added,
+pointing to the dark-complexioned and bearded man who had been seen,
+through the mirrors' reflections, talking to the Frenchman. He had
+evidently hurried up on deck to ascertain the cause of the confusion,
+for he was without collar or tie.
+
+The boat was righted, the wet sailors went laughing below to change into
+dry garments, and the passengers resumed their usual occupations which,
+in the main, consisted of nervously watching the heaving waves for a
+sight of a periscope, or a wake of bubbles that might tell of an
+on-speeding torpedo.
+
+Mr. Labenstein, to credit him with the name on the passenger list, gave
+a look around, and, seeing that there was no danger, at once went below
+again.
+
+"Wonder how Blake's making out?" asked Charlie of Joe, as they walked
+the deck. "Do you think we'd better go down?"
+
+"Not until we get some word from him. Hello! Here he is now!" and Joe
+pointed to their friend coming toward them.
+
+"Well?" asked Joe significantly.
+
+"Nothing much," answered Blake. "He was as nice and affable as he always
+is. Just talked about the war in general terms. Said the Allies and
+Uncle Sam were sure to win."
+
+"Did he want anything?" asked Charlie. "He said he was going to ask a
+favor, you know."
+
+"Well, he hinted for information as to what we were going to do on the
+other side, but I didn't give him any satisfaction. Then he wanted to
+know whether we would consider an offer from the French Government."
+
+"What'd you say to that?"
+
+"I didn't give him a direct answer. Said I'd think about it. I thought
+it best to string him along. No telling what may be behind it all."
+
+"You're right," agreed Joe. "Lieutenant Secor will bear watching. Did
+he have any idea we were observing him?"
+
+"I think not. If he did, he didn't let on. But I thought sure, when he
+came across the corridor and knocked, that he'd discovered us."
+
+"So did I, and I was all ready to bluff him out. But we'll have to be on
+the watch, and especially on the other side."
+
+"What do you mean?" asked Blake.
+
+"Well, I have an idea he's after our films, the same as he was before,
+either to spoil them or get them for some purpose of his own. Just now
+we aren't taking any, and he hasn't any desire, I suppose, to get
+possession of the unexposed reels. But when we begin to make pictures of
+our boys in the trenches, and perhaps of some engagements, we'll have to
+see that the reels are well guarded."
+
+"We will," agreed Blake. "What was going on up here? We heard a racket,
+and Labenstein rushed up half dressed."
+
+"Lifeboat spilled--no harm done," explained Charlie. "Well, I might as
+well take this camera below if we're not going to use it."
+
+"Come on, Blake," urged Joe. "They're going to have gun drill. Let's
+watch."
+
+The vessel carried four quick-firing guns for use against submarines,
+one each in the bow and stern, and one on either beam. The gunners were
+from Uncle Sam's navy and were expert marksmen, as had been evidenced
+in practice.
+
+"Are we in the danger zone yet?" asked one of the two young women whose
+acquaintance Blake and Joe had made through the courtesy of Captain
+Merceau.
+
+"Oh, yes," Blake answered. "We have been for some time."
+
+"But I thought when we got there we would be protected by warships or
+torpedo-boat destroyers," said Miss Hanson.
+
+"We're supposed to be," replied Joe. "I've been looking for a sight of
+one. They may be along any minute. Look, there comes a messenger from
+the wireless room. He's going to the bridge where the captain is. Maybe
+that's word from a destroyer now."
+
+Interestedly they watched the messenger make his way to the bridge with
+a slip of paper in his hand. And then, before he could reach it, there
+came a hail from the lookout in the crow's nest high above the deck.
+
+He called in French, but Joe and Blake knew what he said. It was:
+
+"Periscope ahoy! Two points off on the port bow! Periscope ahoy!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+BEATEN OFF
+
+
+Decks that, a moment, before, had exhibited scenes of quietness, though
+there was a nervous tenseness on all sides, at once assumed feverish
+activity. Officers on duty, hearing the cry of the lookout, called to
+him to repeat his message, which he did, with the added information that
+the submarine, as evidenced by the appearance of the periscope cutting
+the water, was approaching nearer, and with great swiftness.
+
+"Here she comes, Blake!" cried Joe, as the two boys stood together at
+the spot from which they had been watching the wireless messenger a
+moment before. "Here she comes! Now for a chance at a picture!"
+
+"You're not going below, are you?" cried Blake.
+
+"Why not?" asked Joe, pausing on his way to the companionway.
+
+"Why, we may be blown up at any moment! We may be hit by a torpedo! I
+don't see why they haven't loosed one at us before this, as their
+periscope is in sight. You shouldn't go below now! Stay on deck, where
+you'll have a chance to get in the boat you're assigned to!"
+
+"I've got to go below to get the small camera," answered Joe. "I ought
+to have kept it on deck. I'm going to, after this, to have it ready."
+
+"But, Joe, the torpedo may be on its way now--under water!"
+
+"That's just what I want to get a picture of! I guess if we're going to
+be blown up, being below deck or on deck doesn't make much difference. I
+want to get that picture!"
+
+And, seeing that his chum was very much in earnest, Blake, not to let
+Joe do it alone, went below with him to get the camera. But on the way
+they met Charlie coming up with it.
+
+"She's all loaded, boys, ready for action!" cried the lanky Macaroni. "I
+started down for it as soon as I heard the lookout yell! I didn't know
+what he was jabbering about, seeing I don't understand much French, but
+I guessed it was a submarine. Am I right?"
+
+"Yes!" shouted Joe. "Good work, Mac! Now for a picture!"
+
+And while Joe and his two friends were thus making ready, in the face of
+imminent disaster, to get pictures of the torpedo that might be on its
+way to sink the ship, many other matters were being undertaken.
+
+Passengers were being called to take the places previously assigned to
+them in the lifeboats. Captain Merceau and his officers, after a hasty
+consultation, were gathered on the bridge, looking for the first sight
+of the submarine, or, what was more vital, for the ripples that would
+disclose the presence of the torpedo.
+
+But perhaps the most eager of all, and certainly among the most active,
+were the members of the gun crews. On both sides of the vessel, and at
+bow and stern, the call to quarters had been answered promptly, and with
+strained but eager eyes the young men, under their lieutenants, were
+watching for the first fair sight of something at which to loose the
+missiles of the quick-firing guns.
+
+"Give it to her, lads! Give it to her! All you can pump in!" yelled the
+commander of the squad on the port side, for it was off that bow that
+the lookout had sighted the periscope.
+
+And while the hurried preparations went on for getting the passengers
+into the lifeboats, at the falls of which the members of the crew stood
+ready to lower away, there came from the port gun a rattle and barking
+of fire.
+
+The periscope had disappeared for a moment after the lookout had sighted
+it, but a slight disturbance in the water, a ripple that was different
+from the line of foam caused by the breaking waves, showed where it had
+been.
+
+And by the time Joe and Blake, with the help of Charlie, had set up
+their small camera, the tell-tale indicator of an undersea boat was
+again in view, coming straight for the steamer.
+
+"There she is!" cried Blake.
+
+"I see her!" answered Joe, as he focussed the lens of the machine on the
+object "I'll get her as soon as she breaks!"
+
+The mewing picture boys, as well as Charlie, had forgotten all about the
+need of taking their places at the stations assigned to them, to be in
+readiness to get into a boat. They were sharply reminded of this by one
+of the junior officers.
+
+"Take your places! Take your places!" he cried.
+
+"Not yet!" answered Joe. "We want to get a shot at her first!"
+
+"But, young gentlemen, you must not shoot with that. It will be
+ineffectual! Let the gunners do their work, I beg of you. Take your
+places at the boats!"
+
+"That's all right!" exclaimed Blake "We're only going to shoot some
+moving pictures."
+
+"Ah, what brave rashness!" murmured the French officer, as he hurried
+away.
+
+Blake and Joe, with Charlie to steady the machine, for the steamer was
+now zigzagging at high speed in an effort to escape the expected
+torpedo, were taking pictures of the approach of the submarine. The
+underwater craft was still coming on, her periscope in the midst of a
+hail of fire from the steamer's guns. For, now that the vessel was
+making turns, it was possible for two gun crews, alternately, to fire at
+the German boat.
+
+"There goes the periscope!" yelled Charlie, as a burst of shots,
+concentrated on the brass tube, seemed to dispose of it.
+
+But he had spoken too soon. The submarine had merely drawn the periscope
+within herself, it being of the telescope variety, and the next moment,
+with a movement of the water as if some monster leviathan were breaking
+from the ocean depths, the steel-plated and rivet-studded back of the
+submarine rose, glistening in the sun and in full view of those on deck,
+not two hundred yards away.
+
+"There she blows!" cried Charlie, as an old salt might announce the
+presence of a whale. "There she blows! Film her, boys!"
+
+And Blake and Joe were doing just that.
+
+Meanwhile even wilder excitement, if possible, prevailed on deck. There
+was a rush for the boats that nearly overwhelmed the crews stationed to
+lower them from the sides, and the officers had all they could do to
+preserve order.
+
+"The torpedo! The torpedo at the stern!" cried the lookout, who,
+notwithstanding his position of almost certain death should the ship be
+struck, had not deserted his elevated post. "They have loosed a torpedo
+at the stern!"
+
+Blake and Joe, who were well aft, looked for a moment away from the
+submarine, and saw a line of bubbles approaching the stern and a ripple
+that indicated the presence of that dread engine of war--an air-driven
+torpedo.
+
+And as if the ship herself knew what doom awaited her should the torpedo
+so much as touch her, she increased her speed, and to such good purpose
+that the mass of gun-cotton, contained in the steel cylinder that had
+been launched from the submarine, passed under the stern. But only a few
+feet from the rudder did it pass. By such a little margin was the ship
+saved.
+
+And then, having a broader mark at which to aim, the gunners sent a
+perfect hail of lead and shells at the underwater boat, and with such
+effect that some hits were made. Whether or not they were vital ones it
+was impossible to learn, for there was a sudden motion to the submarine,
+which had been quietly resting on the surface for a moment, and then she
+slipped beneath the waves again.
+
+"Driven off!" cried Blake, as he and Joe got the final pictures of this
+drama--a drama that had come so near being a tragedy. "They've beaten
+her off!"
+
+"But we're not safe yet!" cried Charlie. "She may shoot another torpedo
+at us from under water--she can do that, all right! Look out, boys!"
+
+There was need of this, yet it was impossible to do more toward saving
+one's life than to take to the boats. And even that, under the inhuman
+and ruthless system of the Huns, was no guarantee that one would be
+saved. Lifeboats had, more than once, been shelled by Germans.
+
+The appearance of the submarine had added to the panic caused by the
+sight of the periscope, and there was a rush for the boats that took all
+the power and authority of the officers to manage it.
+
+There was a period of anxious waiting, but either the submarine had no
+other torpedoes, or, if she did fire any, they went wide, or, again, the
+gunfire from the vessel may have disabled her entirely. She did not
+again show herself above the surface. Even the periscope was not
+observed.
+
+Having nothing to picture, Blake and Joe turned away from the camera for
+a moment. Some of the lifeboats had already been filled with their loads
+when Charlie, pointing to something afar off, cried:
+
+"Here comes another boat!"
+
+On the horizon a dense cloud of black smoke showed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+SUSPICIONS
+
+
+For a moment there was more terror and excitement aboard the _Jeanne_,
+if it were possible, after it became certain that another craft, the
+nature of which none knew, was headed toward the French steamer. Then an
+officer gifted with sound common-sense, cried out in English, so that
+the majority could understand:
+
+"It is a destroyer! It is a destroyer belonging to the Stars and Stripes
+coming to our rescue. Three cheers!"
+
+Nobody gave the three cheers, but it heartened every one to hear them
+called for, and the real meaning of the smoke was borne to all.
+
+"Of course it can't be a submarine!" exclaimed Blake. "They don't send
+out any smoke, and there aren't any other German boats at sea. It's a
+destroyer!"
+
+"One of ours, do you think?" asked Charlie.
+
+"Perhaps. Uncle Sam has a lot of 'em over here to act as convoys.
+Probably this is our escort coming up a little late to the ball," said
+Joe.
+
+"But we did very well by ourselves," observed Blake. "It was a narrow
+squeak, though."
+
+And indeed it was a narrow escape. The _Jeanne_ had, unaided, driven off
+the undersea boat, and perhaps had damaged her by the rain of shot and
+shell poured at her steel sides. They could not feel sure of this,
+though, for the approach of the destroyer was probably known to the
+submarine, for they have underwater telephones which tell them, by means
+of the throbbing of the screws and propellers in the water, just about
+how far away another ship is, and what speed she is making, as well as
+the direction from which she is coming.
+
+Whether the submarine had expended her last torpedo, or whether having
+missed what she intended for a vital shot she deemed there was not time
+to launch another and had sunk out of sight, or whether she were
+disabled, were questions perhaps never to be answered.
+
+At any rate, the approach of the destroyer, which came on with amazing
+speed, served to make the _Jeanne_ comparatively safe. The lifeboats
+were emptied of their passengers, and once more there was a feeling of
+comparative safety as the passengers again thronged the decks.
+
+On came the destroyer. She proved to be one of Uncle Sam's boats, and
+the joy with which she was greeted was vociferous and perhaps a little
+hysterical. She had learned by wireless of the appearance of the French
+craft in the danger zone, and had come to fulfill her mission. She had
+been delayed by a slight accident, or she would have been on hand when
+the submarine first approached.
+
+The wireless message that had come just as the German craft appeared had
+been from the destroyer, to bid those aboard the _Jeanne_ have no fear,
+for help was on the way. And soon after the grim and swift craft from
+the United States had begun to slide along beside the _Jeanne_ two more
+destroyers, one of them British, made their appearance, coming up with
+the speed of ocean greyhounds.
+
+There was great rejoicing among the passengers, and much credit was
+given the lookout for his promptness in reporting a sight of the
+submarine. Formal thanks were extended to the gun crews for their
+efficient work, without which the undersea boat might have accomplished
+her purpose. Nor were the boiler room and engineer forces forgotten, for
+it was because of the sudden burst of speed on the part of the _Jeanne_
+that she escaped that one torpedo at least.
+
+"Now we'll be all right," Charlie said, as he helped his friends make a
+few pictures of the approach and the convoying of the destroyers to add
+to the views they had of the submarine and her defeat--temporary defeat
+it might prove, but, none the less, a defeat.
+
+"Well, hardly all right," remarked Blake, as the camera was dismounted.
+"We're still in the danger zone, and the Huns won't let slip any chance
+to do us harm. But I guess we have more of a chance for our white alley
+than we had before."
+
+Though the French ship was now protected by the three convoying vessels,
+the crews of which kept a sharp watch on all sides for the presence of
+more submarines, there was still plenty of danger, and this was felt by
+all.
+
+At any moment a submarine, approaching below the surface with only her
+periscope showing--and this made a mark exceedingly hard to see and
+hit--might launch a torpedo, not only at the merchant-man but at one of
+the destroyers.
+
+"It's like sleeping over a case of dynamite," observed Joe, as he and
+his chums went below. "I'd rather be on the war front. You can at least
+see and hear shells coming."
+
+"That's right," agreed Blake. "Well, if nothing happens, we'll soon be
+there now."
+
+"_If_ is a big word these days," observed Charlie.
+
+"Now that we're comparatively safe for the moment, I want to ask you
+fellows something," said Blake, after a pause.
+
+"Ask ahead," returned Joe. "If you want to know whether I was scared,
+I'll say I was, but I was too busy getting pictures to notice it. If it
+is something else----"
+
+"It is," interrupted Blake, and his manner was grave. "Come below and
+I'll tell you. I don't want any one else to hear."
+
+Wondering somewhat at their friend's manner, Joe and Charlie went to
+their stateroom, and there Blake closed the door and took the dark cloth
+down from the mirror. A look into it showed that the transom of the room
+opposite--the cabin of Levi Labenstein--had been closed.
+
+"So we can't tell whether he's in there or not," said Blake.
+
+"Did you want to talk about him?" asked Joe.
+
+"Yes, him and the lieutenant. Did you fellows happen to notice what they
+were doing when the submarine was attacking us?"
+
+"Not especially," answered Joe. "I did see Lieutenant Secor looking at
+us as we worked the camera, but I didn't pay much attention to him."
+
+"It wasn't him so much as it was the German," went on Blake.
+
+"In what way?"
+
+"Did you see where he was standing when the submarine came out of the
+water?"
+
+Neither Joe nor Charlie had done so, or, if they had, they did not
+recall the matter when Blake questioned them. So that young man resumed:
+
+"Well, I'll tell you what I saw: Labenstein was leaning over the rail on
+the side where the submarine showed, and he was holding a big white
+cloth over the side."
+
+"A big white cloth?" cried Joe.
+
+"That's what it was," went on Blake. "It looked to me like a signal."
+
+"Do you mean a signal of surrender?" asked Charlie. "A white flag? He
+wouldn't have any right to display that, anyhow. It would have to come
+from Captain Merceau."
+
+"Maybe he meant that he'd surrender personally," suggested Joe, "and
+didn't want his fellow-murderers to hurt him."
+
+"I don't know what his object was," went on Blake, "but I saw him take
+from his pocket a big white cloth and hold it over the side. It could
+easily have been seen from the submarine, and must have been, for he
+displayed it just before the underwater boat came up."
+
+"A white cloth," mused Joe. "From his pocket. Was it his handkerchief,
+Blake?"
+
+"He wouldn't have one as large as that, even if he suffered from hay
+fever. I think it was a signal."
+
+"A signal for what?" Charlie again asked.
+
+"To tell the submarine some piece of news, of course--perhaps the port
+of sailing, something of the nature of our cargo, or perhaps to tell
+just where to send the torpedo. I understand we are carrying some
+munitions, and it may be that this German spy directed the commander of
+the submarine where to aim the torpedo so as to explode them."
+
+"But he'd be signaling for his own death warrant!" cried Joe.
+
+"Not necessarily," answered Blake. "He may have had some understanding
+with the submarine that he was to be saved first. Perhaps he was going
+to jump overboard before the torpedo was fired and was to be picked up.
+Anyhow, I saw him draping a white cloth over the side, and I'm sure it
+was a signal."
+
+"Well, I guess you're right," said Joe. "The next question is, what's to
+be done? This fellow is a spy and a traitor, and we ought to expose
+him."
+
+"Yes," agreed Blake. "But we'd better have a little more evidence than
+just my word. You fellows didn't see what I saw, that's plain, and
+perhaps no one else did. So it would only make a big fuss and not result
+in anything if I told the captain."
+
+"Then what are you going to do?" asked Charlie.
+
+"Just keep watch," Blake answered.
+
+"What about Lieutenant Secor?" asked Joe.
+
+"Well, I didn't see him do anything," admitted Blake. "Though I have my
+suspicions of him also. He and Labenstein weren't talking so earnestly
+together for nothing. We'll watch that Frenchman, too."
+
+"And if he tries any more games in spoiling films I'll have my say!"
+threatened Macaroni.
+
+The boys talked the situation over at some length as they put away the
+films they had taken of the submarine attack, and agreed that "watchful
+waiting" was the best policy to adopt. As Blake had said, little could
+be gained by denouncing Labenstein with only the word of one witness to
+rely on.
+
+"If all three of us catch him at his traitorous work, then we'll
+denounce him," suggested Blake.
+
+"Yes, and the Frenchman, too!" added Charlie, in a louder voice, so that
+Blake raised a cautioning hand.
+
+At that moment came a knock on their door, and a voice said:
+
+"I am Mr. Labenstein!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+THE FLASHLIGHT
+
+
+Almost like conspirators themselves, the boys looked at one another as
+the voice and knock sounded together. Blake was the first to recover
+himself.
+
+"Come in!" he called, in as welcoming a tone as he could muster under
+the circumstances. Then as the knob of the door was ineffectually tried,
+he added:
+
+"Oh, I forgot it was locked! Wait a moment!"
+
+A moment later he had swung the door open, and the man who, the boys
+believed, was a German spy confronted them, smiling.
+
+"You are locked in as if you feared another submarine," he said. "It is
+not the best way to do. You should be on deck!"
+
+"But not on deck as you were, with a flag to signal to the Huns,"
+thought Joe; and he wished he dared make the accusation.
+
+Blake motioned to the caller to seat himself on a stool.
+
+"I came to see if I might borrow something," began the caller. "I find
+that mine is out of order for some reason," and he held out a small, but
+powerful, electric flash lamp, of the sort sold for the use of soldiers.
+"Have you, by any chance, one that you could spare me?" asked Mr.
+Labenstein.
+
+"I do not want it, if it is the only one you have, but they are a great
+convenience in one's berth, for the lights must be kept turned off, now
+that we are in the danger zone made by those terrible Germans. Ah, how I
+hate them!" and his anger seemed very real and earnest.
+
+"Did you say you wanted to borrow a pocket electric flash lamp?" asked
+Blake, wishing to make the caller repeat his request. As he asked this
+question Blake looked at his chums, as though to ask them to take
+particular note of the reply.
+
+"I should like to, yes, if you have one to spare. There are three of
+you, and, I presume, like most travelers, you each have one. I am alone
+in a single stateroom, and I may have need of a light. I will return it
+to you at the end of the voyage, or buy it of you at a good price. You
+see, I have a little Jew in me. I will make a bargain with you. And I
+will pay you well, something a Jew proverbially does not like to do. But
+I realize the value of what I want, and that the market is not well
+supplied, so you may take advantage of my situation. My battery is
+either worn out or the light is broken. It will not flash."
+
+He shoved down the little sliding catch, but there was no glow in the
+tiny tungsten bulb.
+
+"You have me at your mercy if you wish to sell me a lamp," he went on,
+with a smile and a shrug of his shoulders, not unlike that of Lieutenant
+Secor.
+
+"Hasn't your friend a spare light?" asked Joe quickly.
+
+"My friend?" repeated the German, as though surprised. "You mean----?"
+
+"I mean Lieutenant Secor."
+
+"Oh, him!" and again came the deprecatory shrug of the shoulders. "He is
+an acquaintance, not a friend. Besides, he has but one lamp, and he
+needs that. So, also, will you need yours. But as there are three of you
+together, I thought perhaps----"
+
+"We each have a light," said Blake, interrupting the rather rapid talk
+of Labenstein. "In fact, I have two, and I'll let you take one."
+
+"That is very kind of you. Ah, it is like mine!"
+
+The visitor was watching Blake eagerly as he brought forth one of the
+flat, three-cell nickel-plated holders of tiny batteries, with the
+white-backed and tungsten-filamented incandescent light set in a
+depressed socket.
+
+"Yes, this is the best type," Blake said. "You may have this."
+
+"And the price?" asked Labenstein, as his hand quickly went into his
+pocket.
+
+"Is nothing," answered Blake. "It is a gift."
+
+"Ah, but, my dear sir, that is too much! I could not think of taking it
+without pay!" insisted Mr. Labenstein, as he flashed on the light and
+then slipped the switch back in place again. "I protest that I must pay
+you."
+
+"Please don't insist on paying," begged Blake, "for I shall only have to
+refuse to take any money. Please consider the light a gift. I have a
+spare one."
+
+"You are very kind, I'm sure," said the other, bowing with some
+exaggeration, it seemed to the boys. "I appreciate it, I assure you, and
+I shall look for a chance to repay the favor."
+
+"That's all right," said Blake, and he tried to make his voice sound
+hearty. "You are welcome to the light."
+
+"A thousand thanks," murmured Mr. Labenstein, as he bowed himself out.
+
+And then, when the door had closed on him and they had taken the
+precaution of closing their transom, Joe burst out in a cautious whisper
+with:
+
+"What in the world did you let him take it for, Blake Stewart? Don't you
+see what his game is?"
+
+"Yes," was Blake's quiet answer; "I think I do."
+
+"Well, then----"
+
+"What is his game?" asked Charlie.
+
+"I presume he wants to use the flash lamp to give a signal at night to
+some German submarine," said Blake quietly--very quietly, under the
+circumstances, it might seem.
+
+"And you let him take a light for that?" cried Joe.
+
+"Wait a bit!" advised Blake, and he smiled at his chum. "Do you know
+anything about these flashlights, Joe?"
+
+"A little--yes. I know a powerful one, like that you gave Labenstein,
+can be seen a long way on a dark night."
+
+"Well, then maybe you know something else about them, or you may have
+forgotten it. Like the proverb which says 'blessings brighten as they
+vanish,' so the light of these lamps sometimes glows very strong just
+before the battery goes on the blink and douses the glim."
+
+Joe looked at his chum for a moment, uncomprehendingly, and then a smile
+came over his face.
+
+"Do you mean you gave him a light with a battery in it that was almost
+played out?" he asked.
+
+"Exactly," answered Blake, with another smile. "This is a light I have
+had for some time. I noticed, only last night, that it was brighter
+than usual. Just as a fountain pen--at least, the old-fashioned
+kind--used to flow more freely when there were only a few drops of ink
+left, so this battery seems to be strongest just before it gives out
+altogether.
+
+"I suspected this was going to happen, but I tested the battery with a
+galvanometer to-day and I found out it has about ten flashes left. After
+that the light will be dead."
+
+"Is that why you gave it to him?" asked Charlie.
+
+"The very reason. As soon as he asked for a light it occurred to me that
+he wanted to use it--or might use it--to give a signal at night to some
+watching submarine commander waiting for a chance to torpedo us. I
+thought if I let him do it with this failing light he might do the Huns
+more damage than he could us."
+
+"How?" asked Joe.
+
+"By not being able to give the proper signals. He'll need to flash a
+light for some little time to make sure to attract the attention of the
+submarine, won't he?"
+
+"Probably," agreed Joe.
+
+"Well, then, if, while he's in the midst of signaling, his light goes
+out, the submarine won't know what to make of it, and will come up
+closer to find out what's wrong. Then our own guns, or those of the
+destroyers, can bang away and catch the Germans napping."
+
+"Say, that's great!" cried Charlie, as soon as he understood the plan
+Blake had so quickly evolved.
+
+"If it works," conceded Joe. "But how are we going to know when that
+German spy signals the submarine and fails to convey his full meaning,
+Blake?"
+
+"We'll have to watch him, of course. Catch him in the act, as it were.
+The defective lamp will help."
+
+"So it will!" exclaimed Joe. "Blake, I take back all I thought of you. I
+imagined you were making a mistake to let that lamp go out of your
+possession; but now I see your game. It's a good one! But we've got to
+be on the watch for this spy!"
+
+"Oh, yes," agreed his chum. "And not only him but the Frenchman as well.
+I didn't believe it possible that Secor could be in with this German,
+but perhaps he is, and maybe he'll betray his own countrymen. Either one
+may give the signal, but if they do we'll be ready for them. No more
+moving pictures for us, boys, until we get to the war front. We've got
+to be on this other job!"
+
+"But hadn't we better tell Captain Merceau?" asked Charlie.
+
+"Yes, I think so," assented Blake. "We'll tell him what we think, and
+what we have done."
+
+But they did not get a chance that day, for there was a submarine scare
+toward evening--a lookout thinking he saw a periscope--and the
+consequent confusion made it impossible to have a talk with the
+commander. The boys did not want to report to any subordinate officer,
+and so concluded to wait until the next day.
+
+"But we'll keep watch to-night on our friend across the corridor," Blake
+said. "And on Lieutenant Secor as well. His stateroom is next to
+Labenstein's, and we can tell when either of them goes out after
+dark--that is, if we keep watch."
+
+"And we'll keep it, all right!" declared Joe "Now that we know something
+about what to look out for, we'll do it!"
+
+And so, as evening came on and the lights of the ship were darkened and
+as she sped along in company with her convoy, the three boys prepared to
+divide the night into watches, that they might be on guard against what
+they regarded as an attempt at black treachery.
+
+For somewhere under or on that waste of waters they believed a deadly
+submarine was lurking, awaiting the favorable moment to send a torpedo
+at the ship.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+THE DEPTH CHARGE
+
+
+Charlie Anderson, who had taken the earliest watch, roused Blake at the
+appointed time, and reported:
+
+"All quiet so far."
+
+"Then you haven't seen anything of our friends across the hall?"
+
+"Not a thing. Just as we arranged, I've had my eye at the hole, but
+their doors have both been closed. Maybe you'll have better luck."
+
+"I don't think it will be good luck at all to see one of them sneak out
+to flash a signal to a waiting submarine, or one that may be following
+us all the while, waiting for a chance to strike. But I will call it
+exceedingly good luck if we can stop it," said Blake.
+
+"Go to it, old top!" exclaimed Macaroni, dropping into what he thought
+the latest English slang. "I'm going to turn in."
+
+The lanky helper of the moving picture boys had spent the hours of his
+watch with his eye close to a small hole that had been bored in the door
+of the boys' stateroom. The hole gave a view of the staterooms of
+Lieutenant Secor and Mr. Labenstein, which adjoined. And, as Charles had
+said, he had not observed either man leave his apartment.
+
+If what the boys had only guessed at were true--that one or both of the
+men contemplated giving a signal to the enemy by means of the
+flashlight--the time for it had not yet come.
+
+"Well, I'll try my hand," Blake said. "You turn in, Mac, and if I need
+any help I'll call you. If I don't see anything up to about one o'clock
+I'll let Joe do his trick. Good-night and pleasant dreams."
+
+Charlie did not answer. He was already in his bunk and asleep, for he
+was tired, and the last half hour of his watch he had kept himself awake
+with difficulty.
+
+Then Blake began his turn of duty. He took a position at the door where
+he could look out through the hole into the dimly lighted corridor. He
+had a view of the doors of the staterooms of the two men who were under
+suspicion, and as soon as either or both of them came out he intended to
+follow and see what was done.
+
+For an hour nothing happened, and Blake was beginning to feel a bit
+sleepy, in spite of the fact that he had rested during the early part
+of the evening, when he was startled by a slight sound. It was like the
+creaking of a rusty hinge, and at first he thought it but one of the
+many sounds always more or less audible on a moving ship.
+
+Then, as he tuned his ears more acutely, he knew that it was the
+squeaking of a hinge he had heard, and he felt sure it meant the opening
+of a door near by.
+
+Through the hole he looked at the door behind which was Levi Labenstein,
+whether sleeping or preparing for some act which would put the ship in
+peril and endanger the lives of all the passengers, could only be
+guessed.
+
+Then, as Blake watched, he saw the door open and the German come out.
+Labenstein looked around with furtive glances, and they rested for some
+little time on the door behind which Blake was watching. Then, as if
+satisfied that all was quiet, the man stole silently along, the
+corridor.
+
+"Something doing," thought Blake. "Something doing, all right. He has
+something in his hand--probably my flashlight. Much good may it do him!"
+
+As Labenstein passed the stateroom where Lieutenant Secor was quartered,
+that door opened softly, but not until the German was beyond it. And
+then Blake saw the Frenchman peer out as though to make sure his
+fellow-conspirator was fairly on his way. After that the lieutenant
+himself emerged and softly followed the German.
+
+"Both of 'em at it," mused Blake. "I'd better rouse Joe and let him keep
+track of one, in case they should separate."
+
+A touch on Joe Duncan's shoulder served to arouse him, though he was in
+a deep sleep. He sat up, demanding:
+
+"What is it? Are we torpedoed?"
+
+"No, but we may be," was Blake's low answer. "Keep quiet and follow me.
+Secor and Labenstein have both gone up on deck, I think. We'd better
+follow."
+
+"Shall we tell Charlie?" asked Joe, as he slid from his berth. Neither
+he nor his chums had taken off their clothes.
+
+"Yes, I guess we'd better get him up," Blake answered. "If you and I
+have to watch these two fellows, we may need some one to send for help
+in case anything happens. Come on, Macaroni," he added, leaning over
+their helper and whispering in his ear. "Wake up!"
+
+Charles was up in an instant, a bit confused at first, as one often is
+when emerging from a heavy sleep, but he had his faculties with him
+almost at once, and was ready for action.
+
+"What is it?" he asked, in a whisper.
+
+In like low tones Blake told him, and then the three boys, after making
+sure by a cautious observation that neither of the suspected men was in
+sight, went out into the corridor and to the deck.
+
+It was quite dark, for all unnecessary lights were dimmed, but there was
+a new moon, and the stars were bright, so that objects were fairly
+clear. On either side could be dimly observed the black shapes of the
+convoying destroyers.
+
+"Where are they?" asked Joe, in a whisper. "The traitors!"
+
+"I don't know--we'll have to look," was Blake's answer. They looked
+along the deck, but saw no one, and were about to turn to the other end
+of the craft when a figure stepped out from the shadow of a boat and
+sharply challenged them.
+
+"Who are you--what do you want?" was asked.
+
+It was one of the ship's crew assigned to night-watch. Blake knew him
+slightly, having, at the man's request one day, showed him something of
+the workings of a moving picture camera.
+
+"We came up looking for two gentlemen who have the staterooms opposite
+ours," Blake answered, resolving to "take a chance" in the matter.
+"Lieutenant Secor and Mr. Labenstein," he added. "Have you seen them?"
+
+"Yes; they came up to get a bit of air, they said," answered the sailor.
+"I saw them a little while ago. You will find them up near the bow. Do
+not show a light, whatever you do, and light no matches. If you wish to
+smoke you must go below."
+
+"Thanks, we don't smoke," Joe answered, with a low laugh. "But we'll be
+careful about lights."
+
+"All right," answered the sailor. "We have to look out for submarines,
+you know," he added. "This is the worst part of the danger zone."
+
+The boys moved forward like silent shadows, peering here and there for a
+sight of the two figures who had come up a little while before them,
+with evil intentions in their hearts they had no doubt. Even now there
+might be flashing across the dark sea, from some hidden vantage point on
+the ship, a light signal that would mean the launching of the deadly
+torpedo.
+
+"There's no doubt, now, but the Frenchman is a traitor," whispered Joe
+to Blake. "I have been positive about that German being a spy ever since
+I've seen him, but I did have some doubts regarding Secor. I haven't any
+now."
+
+"It does look bad," admitted Blake.
+
+"I wish I'd smashed him with my auto, instead of waiting for him to
+smash me," remarked Charlie. "He's a snake, that's what he is!"
+
+"Hush!" cautioned Blake. "They may be around here--any place--and hear
+you. I wish we could see them."
+
+They moved along silently, looking on every side for a sight of the two
+conspirators, but there were so many shadows, and so many places where
+the men might lurk, that it was difficult to place them. The sailor,
+evidently, had had no suspicions, thinking that Blake and his chums had
+merely come up to be with the two men.
+
+"What are you going to do when you do see them?" asked Joe of his chum.
+
+"I don't know," was the whispered answer. "First, we've got to see them,
+then we can tell what to do. But where in the world are they?"
+
+Somewhat at a loss what to do, the boys paused in the shadow of a
+deckhouse. They were about to emerge from its dim protection when
+Charlie plucked at Blake's sleeve.
+
+"Well?" asked the moving picture boy, in a low voice. "What is it?"
+
+"Look right straight into the bow, as far as you can see," directed
+Macaroni. "Notice those two moving shadows?"
+
+"Yes," answered Blake.
+
+"I think that's our men," went on Charlie.
+
+"Yes, there they are," added Joe.
+
+It was evident, after a moment's glance, that the two men who had so
+silently stolen from their rooms were together in the bow of the
+steamer, or as far up in the bow as they could get. The deck was open
+at this point, and, leaning over the side, it would be easy to flash a
+signal on either beam. The lookout on the bridge was probably too much
+occupied in sweeping the sea ahead and to either side of the ship to
+direct his attention to the vessel itself.
+
+"Come on," whispered Blake to the other two. "We want to hear what they
+are saying if we can, and see what they're doing."
+
+Silently the boys stole forward until they could make out the dim
+figures more clearly. There was no doubt that they were those of Secor
+and Labenstein. And then, as the boys paused, fearing to get so close as
+to court discovery, they saw a little light flash.
+
+Three times up and down on the port side of the bows went a little flash
+of light, and then it suddenly went out.
+
+"My electric light," whispered Blake in Joe's ear.
+
+"But I thought you said it would burn out!"
+
+"I hope it has. I think----"
+
+From one of the figures in the bow came a guttural exclamation:
+
+"The infernal light has gone out!"
+
+"So?" came from the other.
+
+"Yes. It must be broken. Let me have yours, Herr Lieutenant. I have not
+given the signal in completeness, and----"
+
+"I left my light in the stateroom. I'll go and----"
+
+But the lieutenant never finished that sentence. Across the dark and
+silent ocean came a dull report--an explosion that seemed to make the
+_Jeanne_ tremble. And then the sky and the water was lighted by the
+flashing beams of powerful lights.
+
+"What was that?" gasped Joe, while from the crouching figures in the bow
+came exclamations of dismay. "Are we torpedoed?"
+
+"I fancy not," answered Blake. "Sounded more like one of the destroyers
+made a hit herself. I think they set off a depth charge against a
+submarine. We'll soon know! Look at the lights now!"
+
+The sea was agleam with brilliant radiance.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+IN ENGLAND
+
+
+From the bridge came commands to the lookouts stationed in various parts
+of the French steamer. Orders flashed to the engine room, and the vessel
+lost way and floated under her momentum. As yet she was shrouded in
+darkness, the only lights glowing being those actually required to
+enable persons to see their way about. Below, of course, as long as the
+incandescents were shaded, they could be turned on, and many passengers,
+awakened by the concussion and the following sounds, illuminated their
+staterooms.
+
+The lights that gleamed across the billows came from the convoying
+destroyers, and signals flashed from one to the other, though the
+meaning of them the moving picture boys could only guess at.
+
+Immediately following the explosion, which seemed to come from the side
+of the _Jeanne_ where Labenstein had flashed his signal, the German and
+the Frenchman had subsided into silence. Each one had given voice to an
+exclamation in his own tongue and then had hurried away.
+
+And so occupied were Blake and his chums with what had gone on out there
+on the ocean--trying to guess what had happened--that they did not
+notice the departure of the two men.
+
+"What's that you said it was?" asked Joe of his partner. "I mean the
+explosion."
+
+"I think it was a depth charge," answered Blake. "One of the destroyers
+must have sighted a submarine and let go a bomb, with a heavy charge of
+explosive, which didn't go off until after it got to a certain depth
+below the surface. That's the new way of dealing with submarines, you
+know."
+
+"I only hope they got this one, with a depth charge or any other way,"
+remarked Charles Anderson. "Look, we're lighting up! I guess the danger
+must be over."
+
+Lights were flashing on the deck of the _Jeanne_, and signals came from
+the destroyers. It was evident that messages were being sent to and fro.
+
+And then, as passengers crowded up from their staterooms, some in a
+state of panic fearing a torpedo had been launched at the ship, another
+muffled explosion was heard, and in the glare of the searchlights from
+one of the convoying ships a column of water could be seen spurting up
+between the French steamer and the war vessel.
+
+"That's caused by a depth charge," Blake announced. "They must be making
+sure of the submarine."
+
+"If they haven't, we're a good target for her now," said Joe, as he
+noted the lights agleam on their steamer. "They're taking an awful
+chance, it seems to me."
+
+"I guess the captain knows what he's doing," stated Blake. "He must have
+been signaled from the destroyers. We'll try to find out."
+
+An officer went about among the passengers, calming them and telling
+them there was no danger now.
+
+"But what happened?" asked Blake, and he and his chums waited eagerly
+for an answer.
+
+"It was a submarine," was the officer's reply. "She came to attack us,
+trying to slip around or between our convoying ships. But one of the
+lookouts sighted her and depth charges were fired. The submarine came
+up, disabled, it seemed, but to make sure another charge was exploded
+beneath the surface. And that was the end of the Hun!" he cried.
+
+"Good!" exclaimed Blake, and his chums also rejoiced. There was
+rejoicing, too, among the other passengers, for they had escaped death
+by almost as narrow a margin as before. Only the sharp lookout kept had
+saved them--that and the depth charge.
+
+"But how does that depth charge work?" asked Charlie Anderson, when the
+chums were back in their cabin again, discussing what they had better do
+in reference to telling the captain of the conduct of Labenstein and
+Secor.
+
+"It works on the principle that water is incompressible in any and all
+directions," answered Blake. "That is, pressure exerted on a body of
+water is transmitted in all directions by the water. Thus, if you push
+suddenly on top of a column of water the water rises.
+
+"And if you set off an explosive below the surface of water the force
+goes up, down sidewise and in all directions. In fact, if you explode
+gun-cotton near a vessel below the surface it does more damage than if
+set off nearer to her but on the surface. The water transmits the power.
+
+"A depth charge is a bomb timed to go off at a certain depth. If it
+explodes anywhere near a submarine, it blows in her plates and she is
+done for. That's what happened this time, I imagine."
+
+And that is exactly what had happened, as nearly as could be told by the
+observers on the destroyer. The submarine had risen, only to sink
+disabled with all on board. A few pieces of wreckage and a quantity of
+oil floated to the surface but that was all.
+
+Once more the _Jeanne_ resumed her way in the midst of the protecting
+convoys, the value of which had been amply demonstrated. And when all
+was once more quiet on board, Blake and his chums resumed their talk
+about what was best to do regarding what they had observed just before
+the setting off of the depth charge.
+
+"I think we ought to tell the captain," said Charlie.
+
+"So do I," added Joe.
+
+"And I agree with the majority," said Blake. "Captain Merceau shall be
+informed."
+
+The commander was greatly astonished when told what the boys had seen.
+He questioned them at length, and made sure there could have been no
+mistake.
+
+"And they gave a signal," mused the captain. "It hardly seems possible!"
+
+"It was Labenstein who actually flashed the light," said Blake. "Do you
+know anything about him, Captain Merceau?"
+
+"Nothing more than that his papers, passport, and so on are in proper
+shape. He is a citizen of your own country, and appeared to be all
+right, or he would not have been permitted to take passage with us. I am
+astounded!"
+
+"What about the Frenchman?" asked Joe.
+
+"Him I know," declared the captain. "Not well, but enough to say that I
+would have ventured everything on his honor. It does not seem possible
+that he can be a traitor!"
+
+"And yet we saw him with the German while Labenstein was signaling the
+submarine," added Blake.
+
+"Yes, I suppose it must be so. I am sorry! It is a blot on the fair name
+of France that one of her sons should so act! But we must be careful. It
+is not absolute proof, yet. They could claim that they were only on deck
+to smoke, or something like that. To insure punishment, we must have
+absolute proof. I thank you young gentlemen. From now on these two shall
+be under strict surveillance, and when we reach England I shall inform
+the authorities. You have done your duty. I will now be responsible for
+these men."
+
+"That relieves us," said Blake. "We shan't stay in England long
+ourselves, so if you want our testimony you'd better arrange to have it
+taken soon after we land."
+
+"I shall; and thank you! This is terrible!"
+
+The boys realized that, as the captain had said, adequate proof would be
+required to cause the arrest and conviction of the two plotters. While
+it was morally certain that they had tried to bring about the successful
+attack on the French steamer, a court would want undisputed evidence to
+pronounce sentence, whether of death or imprisonment.
+
+"I guess we'll have to leave it with the captain," decided Blake. "We
+can tell of his borrowing the light, and that we saw him flash it. Of
+course he can say we saw only his lighted cigarette, or something like
+that, and where would we be?"
+
+"But there was the signal with the white cloth," added Joe.
+
+"Yes, we could tell that, too; but it isn't positive."
+
+"And there was Secor's running into me and spoiling our other films,"
+said Charlie.
+
+"That, too, would hardly be enough," went on Blake. "What the
+authorities will have to do will be to search the baggage of these
+fellows, and see if there is anything incriminating among their papers.
+We can't do that, so we'll have to wait."
+
+And wait they did. In spite of what Captain Merceau had said, the boys
+did not relax their vigilance, but though, to their minds, the two men
+acted suspiciously, there was nothing definite that could be fastened on
+them.
+
+Watchful guard was maintained night and day against an attack by
+submarines, and though there were several alarms, they turned out to be
+false. And in due season, the vessel arrived at "an English port," as
+the papers stated.
+
+"Let's go and see if Captain Merceau wants us to give any evidence
+against those fellows," suggested Joe; and this seemed a good plan to
+follow.
+
+"Ah, yes, my American friends!" the commander murmured, as the boys were
+shown into his cabin. "What can I do for you?"
+
+"We thought we'd see if you wanted us in relation to the arrest of Secor
+and Labenstein," answered Blake.
+
+"Ah, yes! The two men who signaled the submarine. I have had them under
+surveillance ever since you made your most startling disclosures. I sent
+a wireless to the war authorities here to come and place them under
+arrest as soon as the vessel docked. I have no doubt they are in custody
+now. I'll send and see."
+
+He dispatched a messenger who, when he returned, held a rapid
+conversation with the captain in French. It was evident that something
+unusual had taken place.
+
+The captain grew more excited, and finally, turning to the boys, said in
+English, which he spoke fluently:
+
+"I regret to tell you there has been a mistake."
+
+"A mistake!" cried Blake.
+
+"Yes. Owing to some error, those men were released before the war
+authorities could apprehend them. They have gone ashore!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+UNDER SUSPICION
+
+
+Blake, Joe and Charles looked at one another. Then they glanced at
+Captain Merceau. For one wild moment Blake had it in mind to suspect the
+commander; but a look at his face, which showed plainly how deeply
+chagrined he was at the failure to keep the two under surveillance, told
+the young moving picture operator that there was no ground for his
+thought.
+
+"They got away!" repeated Joe, as though he could hardly believe it.
+
+"Yes, I regret to say that is what my officer reports to me. It is too
+bad; but I will at once send out word, and they may be traced and
+apprehended. I'll at once send word to the authorities." This he did by
+the same messenger who had brought the intelligence that the Frenchman
+and the German had secretly left.
+
+When this had been done, and the boys had got themselves ready to go
+ashore and report, Captain Merceau told them how it had happened. He
+had given orders, following the report made by Blake and his chums, that
+Secor and Labenstein should be kept under careful watch. And this was to
+be done without allowing them to become aware of it.
+
+"However, I very much doubt if this was the case," the captain frankly
+admitted. "They are such scoundrels themselves that they would naturally
+suspect others of suspecting them. So they must have become aware of our
+plans, and then they made arrangements to elude the guard I set over
+them."
+
+"How did they do that?" asked Blake.
+
+"By a trick. One of them pretended to be ill and asked that the surgeon
+be summoned. This was the German. And when the guard hurried away on
+what he supposed was an errand of mercy, the two rascals slipped away.
+They were soon lost in the crowd. But we shall have them back, have no
+fear, young gentlemen."
+
+But, all the same, Blake and his chums had grave doubts as to the
+ability of the authorities to capture the two men. Not that they had any
+fears for themselves, for, as Joe said, they had nothing to apprehend
+personally from the men.
+
+"Unless they are after the new films we take," suggested Charles.
+
+"Why should they want them?" asked Blake. "I mean, our films are not
+likely to give away any vital secrets," he went on.
+
+"Well, I don't know," answered the lanky helper, "but I have a sort of
+hunch that they'll do all they can and everything they can to spoil our
+work for Uncle Sam on this side of the water, as they did before."
+
+"Secor spoiled the films before," urged Blake. "He didn't know
+Labenstein then, as far as we know."
+
+"Well, he knows him now," said Charles. "I'm going to be on the watch."
+
+"I guess the authorities will be as anxious to catch those fellows as we
+are to have them," resumed Blake. "Putting a ship in danger of an attack
+from a submarine, as was undoubtedly done when Labenstein waved my
+flashlight, isn't a matter to be lightly passed over."
+
+And the authorities took the same view. Soon after Captain Merceau had
+sent his report of the occurrence to London to the officials of the
+English war office, the boys were summoned before one of the officers
+directing the Secret Service and were closely questioned. They were
+asked to tell all they knew of the man calling himself Lieutenant Secor
+and the one who was on the passenger list as Levi Labenstein. This they
+did, relating everything from Charlie's accident with the Frenchman to
+the destruction of the submarine by the depth charge just after
+Labenstein had flashed his signal, assuming that this was what he had
+done.
+
+"Very well, young gentlemen, I am exceedingly obliged to you," said the
+English officer. "The matter will be taken care of promptly and these
+men may be arrested. In that case, we shall want your evidence, so
+perhaps you had better let me know a little more about yourselves. I
+presume you have passports and the regulation papers?" and he smiled;
+but, as Blake said afterward, it was not exactly a trusting smile.
+
+"He looked as if he'd like to catch us napping," Blake said.
+
+However, the papers of the moving picture boys were in proper shape. But
+they were carefully examined, and during the process, when Joe,
+addressing Charles Anderson, spoke to him as "Macaroni," the officer
+looked up quickly.
+
+"I thought his name was Charles," he remarked, as he referred to the
+papers.
+
+"Certainly. But we call him 'Macaroni' sometimes because he looks like
+it--especially his legs," Joe explained.
+
+"His legs macaroni?" questioned the English officer, regarding the three
+chums over the tops of his glasses. "Do you mean--er--that his legs are
+so easily broken--as macaroni is broken?"
+
+"No, not that. It's because they're so thin," Joe added.
+
+Still the officer did not seem to comprehend.
+
+"It's a joke," added Blake.
+
+Then the Englishman's face lit up.
+
+"Oh, a joke!" he exclaimed. "Why didn't you say so at first? Now I
+comprehend. A joke! Oh, that's different! His legs are like macaroni, so
+you call him spaghetti! I see! Very good! Very good!" and he laughed in
+a ponderous way.
+
+"At the same time," he went on, "I think I shall make a note of it. I
+will just jot it down on the margin of his papers, that he is called
+'Macaroni' as a joke. Some other officer might not see the point," he
+added. "I'm quite fond of a joke myself! This is a very good one. I
+shall make a note of it." And this he proceeded to do in due form.
+
+"Well, if that isn't the limit!" murmured Joe, when the officer, having
+returned their papers to them, sent them to another department to get
+the necessary passes by which they could claim their baggage and make
+application to go to the front.
+
+"It's a good thing this officer had a sense of humor," remarked Blake,
+half sarcastically, "or we might have had to send back for a special
+passport for one stick of macaroni."
+
+If Blake and his chums had an idea they would at once be permitted to
+depart for "somewhere in France" and begin the work of taking moving
+pictures of Uncle Sam's boys in training and in the trenches, they were
+very soon disillusioned. It was one thing to land in England during war
+times, but it was another matter to get out, especially when they were
+not English subjects.
+
+It is true that Mr. Hadley had made arrangements for the films to be
+made, and they were to be taken for and under the auspices of the United
+States War Department.
+
+But England has many institutions, and those connected with war are
+bound up in much red tape, in which they are not unlike our own, in some
+respects.
+
+The applications of Blake and his chums to depart for the United States
+base in France were duly received and attached to the application
+already made by Mr. Hadley and approved by the American commanding
+officer.
+
+"And what happens next?" asked Blake, when they had filled out a number
+of forms in the English War Office. "I mean, where do we go from here?"
+
+"Ah, that's one of your songs, isn't it?" asked an English officer, one
+who looked as though he could understand a joke better than could the
+one to whom macaroni so appealed.
+
+"Yes, it's a song, but we don't want to stay here too long singing it,"
+laughed Joe.
+
+"Well, I'll do my best for you," promised the officer, who was a young
+man. He had been twice wounded at the front and was only awaiting a
+chance to go back, he said. "I'll do my best, but it will take a little
+time. We'll have to send the papers to France and wait for their
+return."
+
+"And what are we to do in the meanwhile?" asked Blake.
+
+"I fancy you'll just have to stay here and--what is it you say--split
+kindling?"
+
+"'Saw wood,' I guess you mean," said Joe. "Well, if we have to, we have
+to. But please rush it along, will you?"
+
+"I'll do my best," promised the young officer. "Meanwhile, you had
+better let me have your address--I mean the name of the hotel where you
+will be staying--and I'll send you word as soon as I get it myself. I
+had better tell you, though, that you will not be allowed to take any
+pictures--moving or other kind--until you have received permission."
+
+"We'll obey that ruling," Blake promised. He had hoped to get some views
+of ruins caused by a Zeppelin. However, there was no hope of that.
+
+On the recommendation of the young officer they took rooms in London at
+a hotel in a vicinity to enable them to visit the War Department
+easily. And then, having spent some time in these formalities and being
+again assured that they would be notified when they were wanted, either
+to be given permission to go to France or to testify against the two
+suspects, the moving picture boys went to their hotel.
+
+It was not the first time they had been in a foreign country, though
+never before had they visited London, and they were much interested in
+everything they saw, especially everything which pertained to the war.
+And evidences of the war were on every side: injured and uninjured
+soldiers; poster appeals for enlistments, for the saving of food or
+money to win the war; and many other signs and mute testimonies of the
+great conflict.
+
+The boys found their hotel a modest but satisfactory one, and soon got
+in the way of living there, planning to stay at least a week. They
+learned that their food would be limited in accordance with war
+regulations, but they had expected this.
+
+There was something else, though, which they did not expect, and which
+at first struck them as being decidedly unpleasant. It was the second
+day of their stay in London that, as they were coming back to their
+hotel from a visit to a moving picture show, Joe remarked:
+
+"Say, fellows, do you notice that man in a gray suit and a black slouch
+hat across the street?"
+
+"I see him," admitted Blake.
+
+"Have you seen him before?" Joe asked.
+
+"Yes, I have," said Blake. "He was in the movies with us, and I saw him
+when we left the hotel."
+
+"So did I," went on Joe. "And doesn't it strike you as being peculiar?"
+
+"In what way?" asked Charles.
+
+"I mean he seems to be following us."
+
+"What in the world for?" asked the assistant.
+
+"Well," went on Joe slowly, "I rather think we're under suspicion.
+That's the way it strikes me!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+IN CUSTODY
+
+
+Blake and Charlie nodded their heads as Joe gave voice to his suspicion.
+Then, as they looked across once again at the man in the slouch hat, he
+seemed aware of their glances and slunk down an alley.
+
+"But I think he has his eye on us, all the same," observed Blake, as the
+boys went into their hotel.
+
+"What are we going to do about it?" inquired Charlie. "Shall we put up a
+kick or a fight?"
+
+"Neither one," decided Blake, after a moment's thought.
+
+"Why not?" inquired Macaroni, with rather a belligerent air, as befitted
+one in the midst of war's alarms. "Why not go and ask this fellow what
+he means by spying on us?"
+
+"In the first place, if we could confront him, which I very much doubt,"
+answered Blake, "he would probably deny that he was even so much as
+looking at us, except casually. Those fellows from Scotland Yard, or
+whatever the English now call their Secret Service, are as keen as they
+make 'em. We wouldn't get any satisfaction by kicking."
+
+"Then let's fight!" suggested Charlie. "We can protest to the officer
+who told us to wait here for our permits to go to the front. We can say
+we're United States citizens and we object to being spied on. Let's do
+it!"
+
+"Yes, we could do that," said Blake slowly. "But perhaps we are being
+kept under surveillance by the orders of that same officer."
+
+"What in the world for?"
+
+"Well, because the authorities may want to find out more about us."
+
+"But didn't we have our passports all right? And weren't our papers in
+proper shape?" asked Charlie indignantly.
+
+"As far as we ourselves are concerned, yes," said Blake. "But you must
+remember that passports have been forged before, by Germans, and----"
+
+"I hope they don't take _us_ for Germans!" burst out Charlie.
+
+"Well, we don't look like 'em, that's a fact," said Blake, with a smile.
+"But you must remember that the English have been stung a number of
+times, and they aren't taking any more chances."
+
+"Just what do you think this fellow's game is?" asked Charlie.
+
+"Well," answered Blake slowly, and as if considering all sides of the
+matter. "I think he has been detailed by the English Foreign Office, or
+Secret Service, or whoever has the matter in charge, to keep an eye on
+us and see if we are really what we claim to be. That's all. I don't see
+any particular harm in it; and if we objected, kicked, or made a row, it
+would look as if we might be guilty. So I say let it go and let that
+chap do all the spying he likes."
+
+"Well, I guess you're right," assented Joe.
+
+"Same here," came from their helper.
+
+"Anyhow, we might as well make the best of it," resumed Blake. "If we
+had a fight with this chap and made him skedaddle, it would only mean
+another would be put on our trail. Just take it easy, and in due time, I
+think, we'll be given our papers and allowed to go to the front."
+
+"It can't come any too soon for me," declared Joe.
+
+So for the next few days the boys made it a point to take no notice of
+the very obvious fact that they were under surveillance. It was not
+always the same man who followed them or who was seen standing outside
+the hotel when they went out and returned. In fact, they were sure
+three different individuals had them in charge, so to speak.
+
+The boys were used to active work with their cameras and liked to be in
+action, but they waited with as good grace as possible. In fact, there
+was nothing else to do. Their moving picture apparatus was sealed and
+kept in the Foreign Office, and would not be delivered to them until
+their permits came to go to the front. So, liking it or not, the boys
+had to submit.
+
+They called several times on the young officer who had treated them so
+kindly, to ask whether there were any developments in their case; but
+each time they were told, regretfully enough, it seemed, that there was
+none.
+
+"But other permits have been longer than yours in coming," said the
+officer, with a smile. "You must have a little patience. We are not
+quite as rapid as you Americans."
+
+"But we want to get to the war front!" exclaimed Joe. "We want to make
+some pictures, and if we have to wait----"
+
+"Possess your souls with patience," advised the officer. "The war is
+going to last a long, long time, longer than any of us have any idea of,
+I am afraid. You will see plenty of fighting, more's the pity. Don't
+fret about that."
+
+But the boys did fret; and as the days passed they called at the permit
+office not once but twice, and, on one occasion, three times in
+twenty-four hours. The official was always courteous to them, but had
+the same answer:
+
+"No news yet!"
+
+And then, when they had spent two weeks in London--two weeks that were
+weary ones in spite of the many things to see and hear--the boys were
+rather surprised on the occasion of their daily visit to the permit
+office to be told by a subordinate:
+
+"Just a moment, if you please. Captain Bedell wishes to speak to you."
+
+The captain was the official who had their affair in charge, and who had
+been so courteous to them.
+
+"He wants us to wait!" exclaimed Joe, with marked enthusiasm. For the
+last few days the captain had merely sent out word that there was no
+news.
+
+"Maybe he has the papers!" cried Macaroni.
+
+"I'm sure I hope so," murmured Blake.
+
+The boys waited in the outer office with manifest impatience until the
+clerk came to summon them into the presence of Captain Bedell, saying:
+
+"This way, if you please."
+
+"Sounds almost like a dentist inviting you into his chair," murmured Joe
+to Blake.
+
+"Not as bad as that, I hope. It looks encouraging to be told to wait and
+come in."
+
+They were ushered into the presence of Captain Bedell, who greeted them,
+not with a smile, as he had always done before, but with a grave face.
+
+Instantly each of the boys, as he admitted afterward, thought something
+was wrong.
+
+"There's something out of the way with our passports," was Joe's idea.
+
+"Been a big battle and the British have lost," guessed Macaroni.
+
+Blake's surmise was:
+
+"There's a hitch and we can't go to the front."
+
+As it happened, all three were wrong, for a moment later, after he had
+asked them to be seated, Captain Bedell touched a bell on his desk. An
+orderly answered and he was told:
+
+"These are the young gentlemen."
+
+"Does that mean we are to get our permits?" asked Joe eagerly.
+
+"I am sorry to say it does not," was the grave answer. "I am also sorry
+to inform you that you are in custody."
+
+"In custody!" cried the three at once. And Blake a moment later added:
+
+"On what grounds?"
+
+"That I am not at liberty to tell you, exactly," the officer replied.
+"You are arrested under the Defense of the Realm Act, and the charges
+will be made known to you in due course of time."
+
+"Arrested!" cried Joe. "Are we really arrested?"
+
+"Not as civil but as military prisoners," went on Captain Bedell. "There
+is quite a difference, I assure you. I am sorry, but I have to do my
+duty. Orderly, take the prisoners away. You may send for counsel, of
+course," he added.
+
+"We don't know a soul here, except some moving picture people to whom we
+have letters of introduction," Blake said despondently.
+
+"Well, communicate with some of them," advised the captain. "They will
+be able to recommend a solicitor. Not that it will do you much good, for
+you will have to remain in custody for some time, anyhow."
+
+"Are we suspected of being spies?" asked Joe, determined to hazard that
+question.
+
+Captain Bedell smiled for the first time since the boys had entered his
+office. It was a rather grim contortion of the face, but it could be
+construed into a smile.
+
+"I am not at liberty to tell you," he said. "Orderly, take the prisoners
+away, and give them the best of care, commensurate, of course, with
+safe-keeping."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE FRONT AT LAST
+
+
+Well, wouldn't this get your----"
+
+"Billiard table!" finished Joe for his chum Blake, who seemed at a loss
+for a word.
+
+"Why billiard table?" asked Blake.
+
+"Because they've sort of put the English on us!" And Joe laughed at his
+joke--if it could be called that.
+
+"Huh!" grunted Blake, "I'm glad you feel so about it. But this is
+fierce! That's what I call it--fierce!"
+
+"Worse than that!" murmured Charlie. "And the worst of it is they won't
+give us a hint what it's all about."
+
+"There _is_ a good deal of mystery about it," chimed in Joe.
+
+"All but about the fact that we're in a jail, or the next thing to it,"
+added Blake, with a look about the place where he and his chums had been
+taken from the office of Captain Bedell.
+
+They were actually in custody, and while there were no bars to the doors
+of their prison, which were of plain, but heavy, English oak, there were
+bars to the windows. Aside from that, they might be in some rather
+ordinary hotel suite, for there were three connecting rooms and what
+passed for a bath, though this seemed to have been added after the place
+was built.
+
+As a matter of fact, the three boys were held virtually as captives, in
+a part of the building given over to the secret service work of the war.
+They had been escorted to the place by the orderly, who had instructions
+to treat his prisoners with consideration, and he had done that.
+
+"This is one of our--er--best--apartments," he said, with an air of
+hesitation, as though he had been about to call it a cell but had
+thought better of it. "I hope you will be comfortable here."
+
+"We might be if we knew what was going to happen to us and what it's all
+about," returned Blake, with a grim smile.
+
+"That is information I could not give you, were I at liberty to do so,
+sir," answered the orderly. "Your solicitor will act for you, I have no
+doubt."
+
+Following the advice of Captain Bedell, the boys had communicated with
+some of their moving picture friends in London, with the result that a
+solicitor, or lawyer, as he would be called in the United States,
+promised to act for the boys. He was soon to call to see them, and,
+meanwhile, they were waiting in their "apartment."
+
+"I wonder how it all happened?" mused Joe, as he looked from one of the
+barred windows at the not very cheerful prospect of roofs and chimneys.
+
+"And what is the charge?" asked Charlie. "We can't even find that out."
+
+"It practically amounts to being charged with being spies," said Blake.
+"That is what I gather from the way we are being treated. We are held as
+spies!"
+
+"And Uncle Sam is fighting for the Allies!" cried Joe.
+
+"Oh, well, it's all a mistake, of course, and we can explain it as soon
+as we get a chance and have the United States consul give us a
+certificate of good character," went on Blake. "That's what we've got to
+have our lawyer do when he comes--talk with the United States consul."
+
+"Well, I wish he'd hurry and come," remarked Joe. "It is no fun being
+detained here. I want to get to the front and see some action. Our
+cameras will get rusty if we don't use them."
+
+"That's right," agreed Macaroni.
+
+It was not until the next day, however, that a solicitor came,
+explaining that he had been delayed after getting the message from the
+boys. The lawyer, as Blake and his friends called him, proved to be a
+genial gentleman who sympathized with the boys.
+
+He had been in New York, knew something about moving pictures, and, best
+of all, understood the desire of the American youths to be free and to
+get into action.
+
+"The first thing to be done," said Mr. Dorp, the solicitor, "is to find
+out the nature of the charge against you, and who made it. Then we will
+be in a position to act. I'll see Captain Bedell at once."
+
+This he did, with the result that the boys were taken before the
+officer, who smiled at them, said he was sorry for what had happened,
+but that he had no choice in the matter.
+
+"As for the nature of the charge against you, it is this," he said. "It
+was reported to us that you came here to get pictures of British
+defenses to be sold to Germany, and that your desire to go to the front,
+to get views of and for the American army, was only a subterfuge to
+cover your real purpose."
+
+"Who made that charge?" asked Blake.
+
+"It came in a letter to the War Department," was the answer, "and from
+some one who signed himself Henry Littlefield of New York City. He is in
+London, and he would appear when wanted, he said."
+
+"May I see that letter?" asked the lawyer, and when it was shown to him
+he passed it over to the boys, asking if they knew the writer or
+recognized the handwriting.
+
+And at this point the case of the prosecution, so to speak, fell
+through. For Blake, with a cry of surprise, drew forth from his pocket
+another letter, saying:
+
+"Compare the writing of that with the letter denouncing us! Are they not
+both in the same hand?"
+
+"They seem to be," admitted Captain Bedell, after an inspection.
+
+"From whom is your letter?" asked Mr. Dorp.
+
+"From Levi Labenstein, the man who summoned the submarine to sink the
+_Jeanne_," answered Blake. "This letter dropped from his pocket when he
+came to me to borrow the flashlight. I intended to give it back to him,
+as it is one he wrote to some friend and evidently forgot to mail. It
+contains nothing of importance, as far as I can see, though it may be in
+cipher. But this letter, signed with his name, is in the same hand as
+the one signed 'Henry Littlefield,' denouncing us."
+
+"Then you think it all a plot?" asked Captain Bedell.
+
+"Of course!" cried Joe. "Why didn't you say before, Blake, that you had
+a letter from this fellow?"
+
+"I didn't attach any importance to it until I saw the letter accusing
+us. Now the whole thing is clear. He wants us detained here for some
+reason, and took this means of bringing it about."
+
+"If that is the case, you will soon be cleared," said Captain Bedell.
+
+And the boys soon were. There was no doubt but that the two letters were
+in the same hand. And when it was explained what part the suspected
+German had played aboard the steamer and cables from America to the
+United States consul had vouched for the boys, they were set free with
+apologies.
+
+And what pleased them still more was Captain Bedell's announcement:
+
+"I also have the pleasure to inform you that the permits allowing you to
+go to the front have been received. They came yesterday, but, of course,
+under the circumstances I could not tell you."
+
+"Then may we get on the firing line?" asked Blake.
+
+"As soon as you please. We will do all we can to speed you on your way.
+It is all we can do to repay for the trouble you have had."
+
+"These are war times, and one can't be too particular," responded Joe.
+"We don't mind, now that we can get a real start."
+
+"I'd like to get at that fake Jew and the Frenchman who spoiled the
+films!" murmured Charles.
+
+"Charlie can forgive everything but those spoiled films," remarked
+Blake, with a chuckle.
+
+"We will try to apprehend the two men," promised Captain Bedell, "but I
+am afraid it is too late. It may seem strange to you that we held you on
+the mere evidence of a letter from a man we did not know. But you must
+remember that the nerves of every one are more or less upset over what
+has happened. The poison of Germany's spy system had permeated all of
+us, and nothing is normal. A man often suspects his best friend, so
+though it may have seemed unusual to you to be arrested, or detained, as
+we call it, still when all is considered it was not so strange.
+
+"However, you are at liberty to go now, and we will do all we can to
+help you. I have instructions to set you on your way to the front as
+soon as you care to go, and every facility will be given you to take all
+the pictures of your own troops you wish. I regret exceedingly what has
+happened."
+
+"Oh, let it go!" said Blake cheerfully. "You treated us decently, and,
+as you say, these are war times."
+
+"Which is my only excuse," said the captain, with a smile. "Now I am
+going to see if we can not apprehend that German and his French
+fellow-conspirator."
+
+But, as may be guessed, "Henry Littlefield" was not to be found, nor
+Lieutenant Secor, nor Levi Labenstein.
+
+"Labenstein probably wrote that letter accusing us and mailed it just to
+make trouble because we suspected him and Secor," said Blake.
+
+"Well, it's lucky you had that note from him, or you'd never have been
+able to convince the authorities here that he was a faker," remarked
+Joe. "I guess he didn't count on that."
+
+"Probably not," agreed Blake. "And now, boys, let's get busy!"
+
+There was much to do after their release. They went back to their hotel
+and began getting their baggage in shape for the trip to France. Their
+cameras and reels were released from the custody of the war officials,
+and with a glad smile Macaroni began overhauling them to see that they
+had not been damaged on the trip.
+
+"Right as ever!" he remarked, after a test. "Now they can begin the
+_parlez vous Française?_ business as soon as they please."
+
+Two days later the boys embarked for the passage across the Channel, and
+though it was a desperately rough one, they were, by this time, seasoned
+travelers and did not mind it.
+
+The journey through France up to the front was anything but pleasant.
+The train was slow and the cars uncomfortable, but the boys made the
+best of it, and finally one afternoon, as the queer little engine and
+cars rolled slowly up to what served for a station, there came to their
+ears dull boomings.
+
+"Thunder?" asked Joe, for the day was hot and sultry.
+
+"Guns at the front," remarked a French officer, who had been detailed to
+be their guide the last part of the journey.
+
+"At the front at last! Hurrah!" cried Joe.
+
+"Perhaps you will not feel like cheering when you have been here a week
+or two," said the French officer.
+
+"Sure we will!" declared Charlie. "We can do something now besides look
+at London chimney pots. We can get action!"
+
+As the boys looked about on the beautiful little French village where
+they were to be quartered for some time, it was hard to realize that, a
+few miles away, men were engaged in deadly strife, that guns were
+booming, killing and maiming, and that soon they might be looking on the
+tangled barbed-wire defense of No Man's Land.
+
+But the dull booming, now and then rising to a higher note, told them
+the grim truth.
+
+They were at the war front at last!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+THE FIRING LINE
+
+
+"Hello! Where are you fellows from?"
+
+It was rather a sharp challenge, yet not unfriendly, that greeted Blake,
+Joe and Charlie, as they were walking from the house where they had been
+billeted, through the quaint street of the still more quaint French
+village. "Where are you from?"
+
+"New York," answered Blake, as he turned to observe a tall,
+good-natured-looking United States infantryman regarding him and his two
+chums.
+
+"New York, eh? I thought so! I'm from that burg myself, when I'm at
+home. Shake, boys! You're a sight for sore eyes. Not that I've got 'em,
+but some of the fellows have--and worse. From New York! That's mighty
+good! Shake again!"
+
+And they did shake hands all around once more.
+
+"My name's Drew--Sam Drew," announced the private. "I'm one of the
+doughboys that came over first with Pershing. Are you newspaper
+fellows?"
+
+"No. Moving picture," answered Blake.
+
+"You don't say so! That's great! Shake again. When are you going to give
+a show?"
+
+"Oh, we're not that kind," explained Joe. "We're here to take army
+films."
+
+"Oh, shucks!" cried Private Drew. "I thought we were to see something
+new. The boys here are just aching for something new. There's a picture
+show here, but the machine's busted and nobody can fix it. We had a few
+reels run off, but that's all. Say, we're 'most dead from what these
+French fellows call _ong we_, though o-n-g-w-e ain't the way you spell
+it. If we could go to one show----"
+
+"You say there's a projector here?" interrupted Joe eagerly.
+
+"Well, I don't know what you call it, but there's a machine here that
+showed some pictures until it went on the blink."
+
+"Maybe I can fix it," went on Joe, still eagerly. "Let's have a look at
+it. But where do you get current from? This town hasn't electric
+lights."
+
+"No, but we've got a gasolene engine and a dynamo. The officers'
+quarters and some of the practice trenches are lighted by electricity.
+Oh, we have some parts of civilization here, even if we are near the
+trenches!"
+
+"If you've got current and that projection machine isn't too badly
+broken, maybe I can fix her up," said Joe. "Let's have a look at it."
+
+"Oh, I'll lead you to it, all right, Buddy!" cried Private Drew. "We'll
+just eat up some pictures if we can get 'em! Come along! This way for
+the main show!" and he laughed like a boy.
+
+Among the outfits sent with the troops quartered in this particular
+sector was a moving picture machine and many reels of film. But, as Sam
+Drew had said, the machine was broken.
+
+After Blake and his chums had reported to the officer to whom they had
+letters of introduction and had been formally given their official
+designation as takers of army war films, they went to the old barn which
+had been turned into a moving picture theater.
+
+There was a white cloth screen and a little gallery, made in what had
+been the hay mow, for the projector machine. Joe Duncan, as the expert
+mechanician of the trio, at once examined this, and said it could soon
+be put in readiness for service.
+
+"Whoop!" yelled Private Drew, who seemed to have constituted himself the
+particular guide and friend of the moving picture boys. "Whoop! that's
+as good as getting a letter from home! Go to it, Buddy!"
+
+And that first night of the boys' stay at that particular part of France
+was the occasion of a moving picture show. All who could crowded into
+the barn, and the reels were run over and over again as different
+relays of officers and men attended. For the officers were as eager as
+the privates, and the moving picture boys were welcomed with open arms.
+
+"You sure did make a hit!" laughed Private Drew. "Yes, a sure-fire hit!
+Now let Fritz bang away. We should worry!"
+
+But all was not moving pictures for Blake, Joe and their assistant, nor
+for the soldier boys, either. There was hard and grim work to do in
+order to be prepared for the harder and grimmer work to come. The United
+States troops were going through a period of intensive trench training
+to be ready to take their share of the fighting with the French and
+British forces.
+
+The village where Blake and his chums were quartered was a few miles
+from the front, but so few that day and night, save when there was a
+lull, the booming of guns could be heard.
+
+"There hasn't been much real fighting, of late," Private Drew informed
+the boys the day after their arrival. "It's mostly artillery stuff, and
+our boys are in that. Now and then a party of us goes over the top or on
+night listening-patrol. Fritz does the same, but, as yet, we haven't had
+what you could call a good fight. And we're just aching for it, too."
+
+"That's what we want to get pictures of," said Blake. "Real fighting at
+the front trenches!"
+
+"Oh, you'll get it," prophesied the private. "There's a rumor that we'll
+have some hot stuff soon. Some of our aircraft that have been strafing
+Fritz report that there's something doing back of the lines. Shouldn't
+wonder but they'll try to rush us some morning. That is, if we don't go
+over the top at 'em first."
+
+"I hope we'll be there!" murmured Joe. "And I hope we get a good light
+so we can film the fighting."
+
+"They'll be almost light enough from the star-shells, bombs and big
+guns," said Private Drew. "Say, you ought to see the illumination some
+nights when the Boches start to get busy! Coney Island is nothing to it,
+Buddy!"
+
+Before the moving picture boys could get into real action on the front
+line trenches, there were certain formalities to go through, and they
+had to undergo a bit of training.
+
+Captain Black, to whom they were responsible and to whom they had to
+report each day, wanted first some films of life in the small village
+where the troops were quartered when not in the trenches. This was to
+show the "boys at home" what sort of life was in prospect for them.
+
+Aside from the danger ever present in war in any form, life in the
+quaint little town was pleasant. The boys in khaki were comfortably
+housed, they had the best of army food, and their pleasures were not
+few. With the advent of Blake and his chums and the putting in operation
+of the moving picture show, enthusiasm ran high, and nothing was too
+good for the new arrivals.
+
+But they had their work to do, for they were official photographers and
+were entrusted with certain duties. Back of the firing line, of course,
+there was no danger, unless from air raids. But after the first week,
+during which they took a number of reels of drilling and recreation
+scenes, there came a period of preparation.
+
+Blake, Joe and Charlie were given gas masks and shown how to use them.
+They were also each provided with an automatic pistol and were given
+uniforms. For they had to be on the firing line and on such occasions
+were not really of the non-combatant class, though they were not
+supposed to take part in the fighting unless it should be to protect
+themselves.
+
+At the suggestion of Captain Black the boys had made sheet-iron cases
+for their cameras and reels of film.
+
+"Of course, if a shell comes your way that case won't be much
+protection," said the United States officer. "But shrapnel won't go
+through it."
+
+Steel helmets were also given the boys to wear when they went on duty in
+the firing trenches, and they were told under no circumstances to leave
+them off.
+
+"For even if there isn't any shooting from across No Man's Land,"
+explained Captain Black, "a hostile aircraft may drop a bomb that will
+scatter a lot of steel bullets around. So wear your helmets and keep the
+cases on your cameras."
+
+It was a week after this, during which time there had been several false
+alarms of a big German attack, that one evening as they were about to
+turn in after having given a moving picture show an orderly came up to
+Blake.
+
+"You and your two friends will report to Captain Black at four o'clock
+to-morrow morning," said the orderly.
+
+"Why that hour?" asked Joe curiously.
+
+"We're going over the top," was the answer. "You may get some pictures
+then."
+
+Charles Anderson hastily consulted a small book he took from his pocket.
+
+"What you doing?" asked Blake.
+
+"Looking to see what time the sun rises. I want to see if there'll be
+light enough to make pictures. Yes," he went on, as he found what he
+wanted in the miniature almanac, "we ought to be able to get some
+shots."
+
+The gray wreaths of a fog that had settled down in the night were being
+dispelled by the advance heralds of dawn in the shape of a few faint
+streaks of light when Blake and his chums, wearing their steel helmets
+and with the steel-protected cameras, started from the farmhouse where
+they were quartered to report to Captain Black.
+
+"All ready, boys?" the captain called. "We're going over the top at
+five-seven--just as soon as the artillery puts down a barrage to clear
+the way for us. You're to get what pictures you can. I'll leave that
+part to you. But don't get ahead of the barrage fire--that is, if you
+want to come back," he added significantly.
+
+"All right," answered Blake, in a low voice.
+
+He and his chums took their places in one of the communicating trenches,
+waiting for the American and the French soldiers in the front ones to
+spring up and go "over the top."
+
+Every minute seemed an hour, and there were frequent consultations of
+wrist watches. Suddenly, at five o'clock exactly, there was a roar that
+sounded like a hundred bursts of thunder. The artillery had opened the
+engagement, and the moving picture boys, at last on the firing line,
+grasped their cameras and reels of film as the soldiers grasped their
+guns and waited for the word to go.
+
+The earth beneath them seemed to rock with the concussion of the big
+guns.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+BOWLED OVER
+
+
+Not a man of the American and French forces that were to attack the
+Germans had yet left the protecting trench. The object of the artillery
+fire, which always preceded an attack unless it was a surprise one with
+tanks, was to blow away the barbed-wire entanglements, and, if possible,
+dispose of some of the enemy guns as well as the fighting men.
+
+The barrage was really a "curtain of fire" moving ahead of the attacking
+troops to protect them. This curtain actually advanced, for the guns
+belching out the rain of steel and lead were slowly elevated, and with
+the elevation a longer range was obtained.
+
+Waiting in a trench slightly behind the troops that were soon to go into
+action, Blake Stewart and his chums talked, taking no care to keep down
+their voices. Indeed, they had to yell to be heard.
+
+"Well, we're here at last," said Blake.
+
+"Yes; and it looks as if there'd be plenty of action," added Joe.
+
+"If it only gets lighter and the smoke doesn't hang down so," added
+Charlie. "We won't get very good films if it doesn't get lighter. It's
+fierce now."
+
+"Well, if the fighting lasts long enough the sun will soon be higher and
+the light better," responded Blake. "And it sounds as if this was going
+to be a big fight."
+
+By this time the German guns seemed to have awakened, and were replying
+to the fire from the American and French artillery. The shells flew
+screaming over the heads of those in the trenches, and instinctively
+Blake and his companions ducked.
+
+Then they realized how futile this was. As a matter of fact, the shells
+were passing high over them and exploding even back of the line of
+cannon. For the Germans did not yet have the range, some of the Allies'
+guns having been moved up during the night.
+
+Suddenly, though how the signal was given the moving picture boys did
+not learn until afterward, there was activity in the trenches before
+them. With yells that sounded only faintly above the roar of the big
+guns, the American and French soldiers went "over the top," and rushed
+toward the German trenches.
+
+"Come on!" cried Blake. "This is our chance!"
+
+"It isn't light enough!" complained Charlie, as he ran along the
+communicating trench with the other two lads to the front line ditch.
+"We can't get good pictures now."
+
+"It's getting lighter!" cried Blake. "Come on!"
+
+He and Joe were to work the cameras, with Charles Anderson to stand by
+with spare reels of film, and to lend a helping hand if need be.
+
+Along the narrow trench they rushed, carrying their machines which, it
+was hoped, would catch on the sensitive celluloid the scenes, or some of
+them, that were taking place in front. Mad scenes they were, too--scenes
+of bursting shells, of geysers of rock and earth being tossed high by
+some explosion, of men rushing forward to take part in the deadly
+combat.
+
+As Blake had said, the scene was lighting up now. The sun rose above the
+mists and above the smoke of the guns, for though some smokeless powder
+was used, there was enough of the other variety to produce great clouds
+of vapor.
+
+Behind the line of rushing soldiers, who were all firing their rifles
+rapidly, rushed the moving picture boys. They were looking for a spot on
+which to set their machines to get good views of the engagement.
+
+"This'll do!" yelled Blake, as they came to a little hill, caused by
+the upheaval of dirt in some previous shell explosion. "We can stand
+here!"
+
+"All right!" agreed Joe. "I'll go a little to one side so we won't
+duplicate."
+
+The barrage fire had lifted, biting deeper into the ranks and trenches
+of the Germans. But they, on their part, had found the range more
+accurately, and were pouring an answering bombardment into the artillery
+stations of the French and Americans.
+
+And then, as the sun came out clear, the boys had a wonderful view of
+what was going on. Before them the French and Uncle Sam's boys were
+fighting with the Germans, who had been driven from their trenches. On
+all sides were rifles belching fire and sending out the leaden
+messengers of death.
+
+And there, in the midst of the fighting but off to one side and out of
+the line of direct fire, stood Blake, Joe and Charlie, the two former
+turning the handles of the cameras and taking pictures even as they had
+stood in the midst of the volcanoes and earthquakes, or in the perils of
+the deep, making views.
+
+The fighting became a mad riot of sound--the sound of big guns and
+little--the sound of bursting shells from either side--the yells of the
+men--the shouting of the officers and the shrill cries of the wounded.
+
+It took all the nerve of the three lads to stand at their posts and see
+men killed and maimed before their eyes, but they were under orders, and
+did not waver. For these scenes, terrible and horrible though they were,
+were to serve the good purpose of stimulating those at home, in safety
+across the sea, to a realization of the perils of war and the menace of
+the Huns.
+
+The fighting was now at its fiercest. The Germans had an accurate idea
+of the location of the American and French cannon by this time, and the
+artillery duel was taking place, while between that double line of fire
+the infantry were at body-grips.
+
+Hand grenades were being tossed to and fro. Men were emptying the
+magazines of their rifles or small arms fairly into the faces of each
+other.
+
+When a soldier's ammunition gave out, or his gun choked from the hot
+fire, he swung the rifle as a club or used the bayonet. And then came
+dreadful scenes--scenes that the moving picture boys did not like to
+think about afterward. But war is a grim and terrible affair, and they
+were in the very thick of it.
+
+Suddenly, as Blake and Joe were grinding away at their cameras, now and
+then shifting them to get a different view, something that made shrill
+whistling sounds, passed over their heads.
+
+"What's that?" asked Charlie, who stood ready with a reel of spare film
+for Blake's machine.
+
+"Bullets, I reckon," answered Joe. "They seem to be coming our way,
+too."
+
+"Maybe we'd better get out of here," suggested Blake. "We've got a lot
+of views, and----"
+
+"Don't run yet, Buddies!" called a voice, and along came Private Drew.
+"You'll never hear the bullet that hits you. And they're firing high,
+the Fritzes are! Don't run yet. How're you making it?"
+
+"All right so far, but it's--fierce!" cried Blake, as he stopped for a
+moment to let a smoke cloud blow away.
+
+"Yes, it's a hot little party, all right," replied the soldier, with a
+grin. "I haven't had all my share yet. Had to go back with an order. Hi,
+here comes one!" and instinctively he dodged, as did the others, though
+a moment later it was borne to them that it was of little use to dodge
+on the battlefield.
+
+Something flew screaming and whining over their heads, and fell a short
+distance away.
+
+"It's a shell!" cried Joe, as he saw it half bury itself in the earth.
+"Look out!"
+
+Private Drew gave one look at the place where the German missile had
+fallen, not ten feet away, and then, with a shrug of his shoulders, he
+cried:
+
+"It's only a dud!"
+
+"What's that?" asked Joe.
+
+"Shell that didn't explode," answered the soldier. "The Fritzes have
+fired a lot of them lately. Guess their ammunition must be going back on
+them. It's only a dud!"
+
+He was about to pass on, and the moving picture boys were going to
+resume their making of films, when another scream and whine like the
+first came, but seemingly nearer.
+
+Instinctively all four looked up, and saw something flashing over their
+heads. They could feel the wind of the shell, for that is what it was,
+and then the chance shot from the German gun fell about fifty feet
+behind the group.
+
+The next instant there was a tremendous explosion, and Blake and the
+others felt themselves being tossed about and knocked down as by a
+mighty wind.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+TRENCH LIFE
+
+
+Blake was the first to scramble to his feet, rolling out from beneath a
+pile of dirt and stones that had been tossed on him as the shell heaved
+up a miniature geyser and covered him with the débris. Then, after a
+shake, such as a dog gives himself when he emerges from the water, and
+finding himself, as far as he could tell, uninjured, he looked to his
+companions.
+
+Private Drew was staggering about, holding his right hand to his head,
+and on his face was a look of grim pain. But it passed in an instant as
+he cried to Blake:
+
+"Hurt Buddy?"
+
+"I don't seem to be," was the answer, given during a lull in the
+bombardment and firing. "But I'm afraid----"
+
+He did not finish the sentence, but looked apprehensively at his
+prostrate chums. Both Joe and Charlie lay motionless, half covered with
+dirt. One camera had been upset and the tripod was broken. The other,
+which Blake had been operating, seemed intact.
+
+"Maybe they're only knocked out. That happens lots of times," said Drew.
+"We'll have a look."
+
+"But you're hurt yourself!" exclaimed Blake, looking at a bloody hand
+the soldier removed from his head.
+
+"Only a scratch, Buddy! A piece of the shell grazed me. First I thought
+it had taken me for fair, but it's only a scratch. If I don't get any
+worse than that I'm lucky. Now to have a look at your bunkies."
+
+Charles Anderson seemed to need little looking after, for he arose to
+his feet, appearing somewhat dazed, but not hurt, as far as was
+evidenced.
+
+"What happened?" he asked.
+
+"Just a little bit of a compliment from our friend Fritz," answered
+Drew. "That was a real shell--no dud--but it exploded far enough away
+from us not to do an awful lot of damage. That is, unless your other
+bunkie is worse hurt."
+
+"I'm afraid he is," observed Blake, for Joe had not yet moved, and dirt
+covered him thickly.
+
+The center of the fighting seemed to have passed beyond the group of
+moving picture boys by this time. Blake, Charlie and Drew turned to
+where Joe lay and began scraping the dirt from him.
+
+He stirred uneasily while they were doing this, and murmured:
+
+"It's all right. Put in another reel."
+
+"Touched on the head," said the soldier. "We'd better get him back of
+the lines where he can see a doctor. Your machine got a touch of it,
+too."
+
+Anderson hurried over to the overturned camera. A quick examination
+showed him that it had suffered no more damage than the broken support.
+
+"It's all right," he announced. "Not even light-struck, I guess. I'll
+take this and the boxes of film," and he shouldered his burden.
+
+"Well, I'll take your bunkie--guess I can manage to carry him better
+than you, for we've had practice in that--and you can shoulder the other
+picture machine," said Drew, as he moved over to Joe. "We won't wait for
+the stretcher-men. They won't be along for some time if this keeps up.
+Come on now."
+
+"But can you manage, hurt as you are?" asked Blake.
+
+"Oh, sure! Mine's only a scratch. Wait, I'll give myself a little first
+aid and then I'll be all right."
+
+With the help of Blake the soldier disinfected his wound with a liquid
+he took from his field kit, and then, having bound a bandage around his
+head, he picked up the still unconscious Joe and started back with him
+to the rear trenches.
+
+They had to make a détour to avoid some of the German fire, which was
+still hot in sections, but finally managed to get to a place of
+comparative safety. Here they were met by a party of ambulance men, and
+Joe was placed on a stretcher and taken to a first dressing station.
+
+Meanwhile, Anderson put the cameras with their valuable reels of film in
+a bomb-proof structure.
+
+"Is he badly hurt?" asked Blake anxiously of the surgeon.
+
+"I hope not. In fact, I think not," was the reassuring answer of the
+American army surgeon. "He has been shocked, and there is a bad bruise
+on one side, where he seems to have been struck by a stone thrown by the
+exploding shell. But a few days' rest will bring him around all right.
+Pretty close call, was it?"
+
+"Oh, it might have been worse," answered Drew, whose wound had also been
+attended to. "It was just a chance shot."
+
+"Well, I don't know that it makes an awful lot of difference whether
+it's a chance shot or one that is aimed at you, as long as it hits,"
+said the surgeon. "However, you are luckily out of it. How does it seem,
+to be under fire?" he asked Blake.
+
+"Well, I can't say I fancy it as a steady diet, and yet it wasn't quite
+as bad as I expected. And we got the pictures all right."
+
+"That's good!" the surgeon said. "Well, your friend will be all right.
+He's coming around nicely now," for Joe was coming out of the stupor
+caused by the blow on the head from a clod of earth.
+
+At first he was a bit confused--"groggy," Private Drew called it--but he
+soon came around, and though he could not walk because of the injury to
+his side, he was soon made comparatively comfortable and taken to a
+hospital just behind the lines.
+
+As this was near the house where Charlie and Blake were quartered, they
+could easily visit their chum each day, which they did for the week that
+he was kept in bed.
+
+As Charles had surmised, the films in the cameras were not damaged, and
+were removed to be sent back for development. The broken tripod was
+repaired sufficiently to be usable again, and then the boys began to
+prepare for their next experience.
+
+The engagement in which Joe had been hurt was a comparatively small one,
+but it netted a slight advance for the French and American troops, and
+enabled a little straightening of their trench line to be made, a number
+of German dug-outs having been demolished and their machine guns
+captured. This, for a time at least, removed a serious annoyance to
+those who had to occupy the front line trenches.
+
+Though Joe improved rapidly in the hospital, for some time his side was
+very sore. He had to turn his camera over to Charlie, and it was
+fortunate the lanky helper had been brought along, for the work would
+have proved too much for Blake alone.
+
+Following that memorable, because it was the first, going "over the
+top," there was a period of comparative quiet. Of course there was
+sniping day and night, and not a few casualties from this form of
+warfare, but it was to be expected and "all in the day's work," as
+Private Drew called it.
+
+Blake, Joe and Charlie were complimented by Captain Black for their
+bravery in going so close to the front line in getting the pictures;
+then he added:
+
+"You can have it a little easier for a while. What we want now are some
+scenes of trench life as it exists before an engagement. So get ready
+for that."
+
+This Blake and Charlie did, while Joe sat in the sun and tried to learn
+French from a little boy, the son of the couple in whose house the
+moving picture boys were quartered.
+
+Though the American and French soldiers, with here and there a Canadian
+or English regiment, lived so near the deadly front line, there were
+periods, some lengthy, of quiet and even amusement. Of course, the
+deaths lay heavy on all the soldiers when they allowed themselves to
+think of their comrades who had perished. And more than one gazed with
+wet eyes at the simple wooden crosses marking the graves "somewhere in
+France."
+
+But officers and men alike knew how fatal to spirit it was to dwell on
+the sad side of war. So, as much as possible, there was in evidence a
+sense of lightness and a feeling that all was for the best--that it must
+be for the best.
+
+Now and then there were night raids, and occasionally parties of German
+prisoners were brought in. Blake and Charlie made moving pictures of
+these as they were taken back to the cages. Most of the Germans seemed
+glad to be captured, which meant that they were now definitely out of
+the terrible scenes of the war. They would be held in safety until after
+the conflict, and they seemed to know this, for they laughed and joked
+as they were filmed. They appeared to like it, and shouted various words
+of joking import in their guttural voices to the boys.
+
+A week after coming out of the hospital Joe was able to take up light
+work, and did his share of making pictures of trench life. He had a big
+bruise on one side, a discolored patch that had an unpleasant look, but
+which soon ceased to give much pain except after a period of exertion.
+
+"Well, you're a veteran now--been wounded," said Blake to his chum.
+
+"Yes, I suppose you can call it that. I don't care for any more,
+though."
+
+The plan in operation at this particular section of the front where the
+moving picture boys were quartered and on duty was for the soldiers to
+spend five or six days in the trenches, taking turns of duty near No
+Man's Land, and then going back to rest in the dug-outs. After that they
+would have a day or so of real rest back of the lines, out of reach of
+the big guns.
+
+And there the real fun of soldiering, if fun it can be called amid the
+grim business of war, was to be had. The officers and men vied with one
+another in trying to forget the terrible scenes through which they had
+gone, and little entertainments were gotten up, the moving picture boys
+doing their share.
+
+Thus they obtained views of trench life both grave and gay, though it
+must be admitted that the more serious predominated. There were many
+wounded, many killed, and, occasionally, one of the parties going out on
+patrol or listening-duty at night would never come back, or, at most,
+one or two wounded men would come in to tell of a terrific struggle with
+a party of Huns.
+
+Sometimes, though, the tale would be the other way around, and the
+Americans would come in with a number of captives who showed the effects
+of severe fighting.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+GASSED
+
+
+"Well, there's one thing about it," remarked Joe to Blake one day, as
+they sat in the shade beside the French cottage waiting for orders.
+"This isn't as nervous work as traveling on a ship, waiting for a
+submarine."
+
+It was three weeks after the first and only engagement they had taken
+part in, and, meanwhile, they had filmed many more peaceful scenes of
+army life on the front.
+
+"Especially when you know there's a traitor in the cabin across the hall
+that may signal any minute for you to be blown up," Blake responded to
+his friend's remark. "You're right there, Joe. But how's the side?"
+
+"Coming on all right. Hurts hardly at all now. I wonder what became of
+those two fellows?"
+
+"Which two?"
+
+"Secor and Labenstein."
+
+"Oh, I thought you meant those two German officers who tried to hire us
+to send some word back to their folks about them."
+
+This had been the case: In a batch of prisoners brought in after a raid
+which was most successful on the part of the Americans, two captured
+German officers of high rank who spoke English well had offered Blake
+and Joe a large sum if they would send word of their fate and where they
+were held prisoners to an address in Berlin.
+
+But the boys would do nothing of the sort, and reported the matter to
+Captain Black. The result was that the officers were searched and some
+valuable papers, containing some future plans of the enemy, were
+discovered. The officers were sent to England under a strong guard, as
+it was felt they were particularly dangerous.
+
+"I suppose Secor and Labenstein are somewhere, plotting to do their
+worst," went on Blake. "Having gone as far as they did, they wouldn't
+give up easily, I imagine. I can understand Labenstein's acting as he
+did, but that Secor, a Frenchman, if he really is one, should plot to
+injure his own country--that gets me!"
+
+"Same here! I wonder if we'll ever see him again--either of them, for
+that matter."
+
+"I hope not I don't like--snakes!" exclaimed Blake.
+
+"Yes, that's what they are--snakes in the grass," agreed Joe. "But I
+wonder what our next assignment will be."
+
+"It's hard to say. Here comes an orderly now. Maybe he has some
+instructions."
+
+This proved to be the case, the messenger bearing a note from Captain
+Black, requesting the moving picture boys to get some scenes around the
+camp when the soldiers were served with their daily rations.
+
+Some German propaganda was being circulated in the United States,
+Captain Black explained, to the effect that the soldiers in France were
+being underfed and were most unhappy. It was said that large losses had
+taken place in their ranks through starvation.
+
+"We want to nail that lie to the mast!" said the captain; "and I can't
+imagine a better way than by making some films showing the boys at their
+meals."
+
+"And they are some meals, too!" exclaimed Blake, as he and his chum made
+ready for the task set them. "If every soldier in this war had as good
+grub as our boys, they'd want to keep on fighting."
+
+Though Blake and Joe were resting at that particular time, it must not
+be assumed that they did much of that sort of thing. Of course they were
+not always on duty. Moreover, unlike the soldiers, they could do nothing
+after dark, during which period many raids were made on both sides. The
+moving picture business of taking films depended on daylight for its
+success. But when they were not filming peaceful scenes in and about the
+trenches the boys were getting views of tanks, of men drilling, of their
+games and sports, and now they were to get some pictures of the meals.
+
+As Blake and Joe had remarked, they had neither heard nor seen anything
+of Secor or Labenstein since they came from England. The men might have
+been arrested, but this was hardly likely.
+
+"Even if they were we wouldn't hear of it," said Blake. "But I hope, if
+they are under arrest, they'll hold them until we can tell what we know
+of them."
+
+"Same here," agreed Joe. "But I guess we'll never see them again."
+
+Before long, however, his words were recalled to him in a strange manner
+and under grim circumstances.
+
+"Well, Buddy, coming to get yours?" called Private Drew, as Blake and
+Joe, their cameras over their shoulders, walked toward the cook wagons
+from which came fragrant odors.
+
+"Haven't heard any invitations yet," returned Blake, grinning.
+
+"Come in with us!"
+
+"Over this way!"
+
+"Here you are for the big feed!"
+
+The cries came from a number of different groups of Uncle Sam's soldiers
+who were fighting in France. For Blake, Joe and Charlie were generally
+liked, and though they were not supposed to mess with the soldiers, they
+did so frequently, and had many a good meal in consequence.
+
+"We're going to get records of your appetites to show the folks back
+home," observed Blake, as he and Joe set up the machines. "There's a
+report that you're gradually wasting away from lack of pie and cake."
+
+"Watch me waste!" cried a vigorous specimen of American manhood. "Just
+watch me waste!" And he held aloft a big plate heaped high with good and
+substantial food, while, laughing, Blake and Joe made ready to get the
+views.
+
+There was much fun and merriment, even though a few miles away there was
+war in its grimmest aspect But if one thought of that all the while, as
+Captain Black said, none would have the nerve and mental poise to face
+the guns and finally overcome the Huns.
+
+Following the taking of the scenes around the mess hall, others were
+made showing the boys in khaki at bayonet practice, at the throwing of
+hand grenades, and other forms of war exercises.
+
+"I guess these will do for peaceful scenes," said Captain Black, when
+Joe and Blake reported to him what they had accomplished. "And now do
+you feel equal to a little more strenuous work?"
+
+"Yes, sir. In what way?" returned Blake.
+
+"On the firing line again. I know you'll keep it to yourselves, but we
+are going to have a big engagement in a day or so. We are all primed for
+it and it will be on a big scale. The Government wants some films of it,
+if you can get them, films not so much to be shown in public as to be
+official records of the War Department. Do you boys feel equal to the
+task?"
+
+"That's what we're here for!" exclaimed Blake.
+
+"How about you, Duncan?" asked the captain of Joe. "Is your side all
+right?"
+
+"Oh, yes! I'd never know I'd been hurt. I'm game, all right!"
+
+"Well, it will be in a day or so. None of us knows exactly when, as
+those higher up don't let us into all of their secrets. Too many leaks,
+you know. We want to surprise Fritz if we can."
+
+This gave the moving picture boys something further to think about and
+to plan for, and when they had taken the reels of exposed film, showing
+the dinner scenes, from their cameras, they made the machines ready for
+more strenuous work.
+
+"I think I'll put an extra covering of thin sheet steel on the film
+boxes," said Charlie, talking the matter over with his two chums. "A
+stray bit of shrapnel might go through them now and make a whole reel
+light-struck."
+
+"I suppose it would be a good idea," agreed Blake. "Go to it, Mac, and
+we'll be ready when you are."
+
+Four days of anxious waiting followed, with the men keyed up to concert
+pitch, so to speak, and eager for the word to come that would send them
+out of the trenches and against the ranks of the Germans.
+
+But for a long time no word came from the higher command to prepare for
+the assault, though many knew it was pending. Perhaps the Germans knew
+it, too, and that was what caused the delay. None could say.
+
+Blake, Joe and Charlie were in readiness. They had their cameras
+adjusted, had plenty of fresh film, and but awaited the word that would
+send them from their comparatively comfortable house with the French
+family into the deadly trenches.
+
+Finally the word came. Once more in the gray dawn the boys took their
+places with their cameras in the communicating trench, while ahead of
+them crouched the soldiers eager to be unleashed at the Germans.
+
+And then they went through it all over again. There was the curtain of
+fire, the artillery opening up along a five-mile front with a din the
+boys had never heard equalled.
+
+Waiting for the light to improve a little, the boys set up their cameras
+in a little grove of trees where they would be somewhat protected and
+began to make the pictures.
+
+The battle was one of the worst of the war. There were many killed and
+wounded, and through it all--through the storm of firing--the moving
+picture boys took reel after reel of film.
+
+"Some fight!" cried Blake, as a screaming shell burst over their heads,
+some scattering fragments falling uncomfortably close to them.
+
+"I should say yes!" agreed Joe. "But look, here comes Drew on the run. I
+wonder what's happened."
+
+They saw their friend the private rushing toward them, and waving his
+hands. He was shouting, but what he said they could not hear.
+
+And then, so suddenly that it was like a burst of fire, Blake, Joe and
+Charles experienced a strange feeling! Some powerful odor overpowered
+them! Gasping and choking, they fell to the ground, dimly hearing Drew
+shouting:
+
+"Gassed! Gassed! Put on your masks!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+"GONE!"
+
+
+Rolling down upon the American and French battlelines, coming out of the
+German trenches, where it had been generated as soon as it was noted
+that the wind was right, drifted a cloud of greenish yellow, choking
+chlorine gas.
+
+Chlorine gas is made by the action of sulphuric acid and manganese
+dioxide on common salt. It has a peculiar corrosive effect on the nose,
+throat and lungs, and is most deadly in its effect. It is a heavy gas,
+and instead of rising, as does hydrogen, one of the lightest of gases,
+it falls to the ground, thus making it dangerously effective for the
+Huns. They can depend on the wind to blow it to the enemy's trenches and
+fill them as would a stream of water.
+
+Knowing as he did the deadly nature of the gas from his own experience
+and that of his comrades, some of whom had been killed by it, Private
+Drew lost no time in sounding his warning to the moving picture boys.
+He had taken part in the raid on the Germans, had seen and engaged in
+some hard fighting, and had been sent to the rear with an order from his
+officer. And it was as he started that he saw, from one section of the
+Hun lines, the deadly gas rolling out.
+
+He knew from the direction and strength of the wind just where it would
+reach to, and, seeing the moving picture boys in its path, he called to
+them.
+
+"Put on your masks! Put on your masks!" cried the soldier. At the same
+time, as he ran, he loosed his from where it hung at his belt and began
+to don it.
+
+The gas masks used in the trenches are simple affairs. They consist of a
+cloth helmet which is saturated with a chemical that neutralizes the
+action of the chlorine. There are two celluloid eye holes and a rubber
+tube, which is taken into the mouth and through which the air breathed
+is expelled. All air breathed, mixed as it is with the deadly chlorine,
+passes through the chemical-saturated cloth of the helmet and is thus
+rendered harmless. But it is a great strain on those who wear the masks,
+for nothing like the right kind of breathing can be done. In fact, a
+diver at the bottom of the sea has better and more pure air to breathe
+than a soldier in the open wearing a gas mask.
+
+It was the first experience of Blake and his chums with the German gas,
+though they had heard much about it, and it needed but the first whiff
+to make them realize their danger.
+
+Even as Private Drew called to them, and as they saw him running toward
+them and trying to adjust his own mask, they were overcome. As though
+shot, they fell to the ground, their eyes smarting and burning, their
+throats and nostrils seeming to be pinched in giant fingers, and their
+hearts laboring.
+
+One moment they had been operating their cameras. The next they were
+bowled over.
+
+"Put on your----" began Blake; and then he could say no more. He tried
+not to breathe as he fumbled at his belt to loosen his mask. He buried
+his nose deep in the cool earth, but such is the nature of this gas that
+it seeks the lowest level. There is no getting away from it save by
+going up.
+
+In a smoke-filled room a fireman may find a stratum of cool, and
+comparatively fresh, air at the bottom near the floor. This is because
+cold air is heavier than the hot and smoke-filled atmosphere. But this
+does not hold with the German gas.
+
+And so, before Blake could slip over his head the chemical-impregnated
+cloth, he lost consciousness. In another moment his two companions were
+also unconscious. Private Drew, struggling against the terrible
+pressure on his lungs, managed to get his helmet over his head, and then
+he gave his attention to his friends.
+
+He knew that to save their lives he must get their helmets on; for a few
+breaths of the gas will not kill. But they will disable a person for
+some time, and a little longer breathing of it means a horrible death.
+
+And so, working at top speed, the soldier, now himself protected from
+the fumes, though he had breathed more of them than he liked, labored to
+save his friends.
+
+Suddenly a new terror developed, for, wearing their own helmets which
+made them look like horrible monsters out of a nightmare, the Germans
+charged against the French and Americans, whom they hoped to find
+disabled by the gas.
+
+"Here they come with blood in their eyes if I could only see it!" mused
+Private Drew, as he finished fastening the helmet on Charles Anderson,
+having already thus protected Joe and Blake. All three boys were now
+unconscious, and what the outcome would be the soldier could only guess.
+
+"But there won't be any guesswork if I leave 'em here for the Huns," he
+reasoned. "I've got to help 'em back--but how?"
+
+The Germans, in a counter-offensive, were striving to regain some of the
+lost ground, and, for the moment, were driving before them the French
+and American forces. Back rushed the advance lines to their supporting
+columns, and Drew, seeing some of his own messmates, signaled to them,
+for he could not talk with the helmet on.
+
+Fortunately his chums of the trenches understood, and while some of them
+caught up the unconscious boys and started with them to the rear, others
+saved the moving picture machines.
+
+And then, just as it seemed that the Germans would overtake them and
+dispose of the whole party, there came a rush of helmet-protected
+Americans who speedily dispersed those making the counter-attack,
+pursuing them back to the very trenches which they had left not long
+before.
+
+The fight went on in that gas-infested territory, a grim fight,
+desperate and bloody, but in which the Allies were at last successful,
+though Blake and his two chums saw nothing of it.
+
+"They're in a bad way," the surgeon said, when he examined them soon
+after Drew and his friends brought them in. "I don't know whether we can
+save them."
+
+But prompt action, coupled with American ingenuity and the knowledge
+that had been gained from the experience of French and British surgeons
+in treating cases of gas poisoning, eventually brought the moving
+picture boys back to the life they had so nearly left.
+
+It was several days, though, before they were out of danger, and by that
+time the French and Americans had consolidated the gains it cost them so
+much to make, so that the place where the three boys had been overcome
+was now well within the Allied lines.
+
+"Well, what happened to us?" asked Joe, when he and his chums were able
+to leave the hospital.
+
+"You were gassed," explained Private Drew, who had had a slight attack
+himself. "Didn't you hear me yelling at you to put on your helmets?"
+
+"Yes, and we started to do it," said Blake. "But that stuff works like
+lightning."
+
+"Glad you found that out, anyhow," grimly observed the soldier. "The
+next time you hear the warning, 'Gas!' don't stop to think, just grab
+your helmet. And don't wait longer than to feel a funny tickling in your
+nose, as if you wanted to sneeze but couldn't. Most likely that'll be
+gas, too. Cover your head when you feel that."
+
+"Thanks!" murmured Blake, for he and his chums understood that the
+soldier and his mates had saved their lives.
+
+Now that the moving picture boys were out of danger and could take some
+stock of themselves and their surroundings, their first thoughts,
+naturally, were of their apparatus.
+
+"Did they get our machines?" asked Joe.
+
+"No; we saved the cameras for you," answered Drew.
+
+"What about the boxes of exposed film--the ones the War Office is so
+anxious to get?" asked Blake.
+
+"I didn't see anything of them," said the soldier. "We were too anxious
+to get you out of the gas and save the cameras to think of anything
+else. I didn't see any boxes of films, but I'll ask some of the boys who
+helped me."
+
+Blake and his chums waited for this information anxiously, and when it
+came it was a disappointment, for no one knew anything of the valuable
+reels.
+
+"Though they may be there yet," said Drew. "There was some fierce
+fighting around that shell crater where we carried you from, but it's
+within our lines now, and maybe the boxes are there yet. Better go and
+take a look."
+
+This Blake, Joe and Charlie lost no time in doing. After a little
+search, for the character of the ground had so changed by reason of the
+shell fire they hardly knew it, the boys located the place where they
+had so nearly succumbed. They found the spot where their cameras had
+been set up, for they were marked by little piles of stones to steady
+the tripods. But there were no boxes of films.
+
+"Gone!" exclaimed Blake disconsolately, as he looked about. "And we'll
+perhaps never get another chance to make such pictures again!"
+
+"It surely is tough luck!" exclaimed Joe.
+
+They saw a sentry on guard, for this place was far enough from the lines
+of both forces to obviate the use of trenches.
+
+"What are you looking for, Buddies?" asked the soldier, who knew the
+moving picture boys.
+
+"Some valuable army films," explained Blake, giving the details.
+"They're very rare, and we'll probably never get any others like them."
+
+"Did you leave them here?"
+
+"Right around here," answered Joe. "I think just near this pile of
+rocks," and he indicated the spot he meant.
+
+"Say, now," exclaimed the American private, "I wouldn't be surprised but
+what those two fellows took 'em!"
+
+"What two fellows?" cried Blake.
+
+"Why, just as I was coming on duty here I saw two fellows, one dressed
+as a German soldier and the other in a blue uniform, walking around
+here. I thought they were up to no good, so I took a couple of shots at
+'em. I don't believe I hit either of 'em, but I came so near that I made
+'em jump. And then, just before they ran away, across No Man's Land, I
+saw them stoop down and pick up something that looked like boxes. I
+thought they might be something they had lost in the fight the other
+day, for the scrap went back and forth over this section. But now, come
+to think of it, they might have been boxes of your films."
+
+"I believe they were!" cried Blake.
+
+"What two fellows were they you saw?" asked Joe.
+
+The soldier explained, giving as many details as he could remember, and
+Charlie cried:
+
+"Lieutenant Secor for one--the chap in the blue. A French traitor!"
+
+"He did have a uniform something like the French," admitted the private.
+"The other was a Fritz, though."
+
+"Labenstein!" murmured Joe. "I wonder if it is possible that they are
+with the Hun army and have learned through spies that we are on this
+front. If they have, they would know at once that those were boxes of
+films, and that's why they stole them! Do you think it possible, Blake?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+ACROSS NO MAN'S LAND
+
+
+Blake Stewart did not answer at once. He appeared to be considering what
+the soldier had told him. And then Blake looked across No Man's
+Land--that debatable ground between the two hostile forces--as though to
+pierce what lay beyond, back of the trenches which were held by the
+Germans, though, at this point, the enemy was not in sight.
+
+"Could it, by any chance, have been Secor and Labenstein who got our
+films?" asked Joe.
+
+"Very possible," agreed Blake. "Labenstein, of course, would be with the
+German forces, and since Secor is a traitor he would be there also. Of
+course it may not have been those fellows, but some other two men who
+had learned through their spies that we were here taking pictures and
+wanted them for their own purposes."
+
+"The question is, can we get them back?" put in Charlie, scowling in
+the direction of the Germans.
+
+"That's only one of the questions," observed Blake. "The main one is,
+where are the films now, and where did those fellows go with them?"
+
+"Maybe I can help you out there," put in the soldier. "I saw those two
+fellows heading that way, down in that depression, and they certainly
+carried some sort of flat, square boxes under their arms."
+
+"What's down in there?" asked Joe eagerly.
+
+"Well, it _was_ a machine-gun station, and old Fritz certainly played
+hob on our boys with it," answered the sentry. "But we wiped that out
+the other day, though I guess the dugout is there yet, or whatever is
+left of what they used to house their barker in. The two fellows I saw
+were heading for that spot."
+
+"Is that between the lines?" asked Joe.
+
+"Just about, yes, though there aren't any of our trenches, or theirs
+either, near there now. What trenches there were have been knocked into
+smithereens. That's No Man's Land down there. It belongs to whoever can
+keep it, but just now nobody seems to want it. I'm here to report if
+there's any movement on the part of Fritz to take up his station there
+again."
+
+"As it is now, could we go down there?" asked Joe eagerly.
+
+"Well, if you wanted to take a chance, I s'pose you could," answered the
+sentry slowly. "I wouldn't stop you. You don't belong to the army,
+anyhow, and we've been instructed that you're sort of privileged
+characters. All the same, it might be a bit dangerous. But don't let me
+stop you."
+
+"Come on!" exclaimed Joe, starting down the slope that led across the
+bullet-scarred and shell-pitted ground.
+
+"Where are you going?" asked Charles Anderson.
+
+"Across No Man's Land," answered Joe grimly. "I'm going to see if we can
+get back those stolen army films. If they were ours, I wouldn't be so
+anxious about them. But they belong to Uncle Sam. He hired us to take
+them, and it was our fault they were lost."
+
+"Not exactly our fault," put in Blake. "We couldn't help being gassed."
+
+"No, but excuses in war don't go. We've got to get back those films!"
+
+"That's right!" exclaimed Charlie. "I'm with you!"
+
+"Oh, for the matter of fact, so am I," said Blake quickly. "I feel, as
+you do, Joe, that it's up to us to do all we can to get back those
+films. I'm only trying to think out the best plan for getting them."
+
+"Go right down there and make that traitor Secor, and that submarine
+Dutchman, give 'em back!" cried Charlie.
+
+"Yes, and perhaps make such a row that there'll be a general
+engagement," said Blake. "No; we've got to go at this a little
+differently from that. I'm in favor of getting the films away from those
+fellows, if they have them, but I think we'd better try to sneak up
+there first and see what the situation is. If we march down there in the
+open we'll probably be fired on--or gassed, and that's worse."
+
+"Now you've said it, Buddy!" exclaimed the sentry. "I've had both happen
+to me, and getting shot, say in a soft place, ain't half as bad as the
+gas. Whew! I don't want any more! So, if I was you, I'd wait until after
+dark to make a trip across No Man's Land. You'll stand a better chance
+then of coming back alive."
+
+"That's what I think," returned Blake, and though Joe and Charlie were
+eager for action, they admitted that their chum's plan was best.
+
+"We'll have to make some preparations," Blake went on; "though I don't
+know that we need say anything to Captain Black about what we are going
+to do."
+
+"He might stop us," said Charlie.
+
+"Oh, no, he wouldn't do that," Joe assured their assistant.
+
+"I'll tell you what to do," counseled the sentry: "I'm going to be on
+duty here until late this afternoon. I'll keep my eyes peeled for
+anything that may happen down there where that dugout used to be, and
+I'll let you know.
+
+"Meanwhile, you can be getting ready to take a little excursion there
+after dark. You'd better take your gas masks with you, and also your
+automatics, for you may run into a party of Fritzes out to get the night
+air."
+
+"That's what we'll do," decided Blake, and his chums agreed with him.
+And then they began to make their preparations for the perilous trip
+across No Man's Land that night.
+
+They were not asked to make any pictures that day, for which they were
+thankful, as they still felt some of the effects of the gas, though they
+were rapidly improving.
+
+Following the fight in which the boys so nearly lost their lives and in
+which there were severe losses on both sides, though with a net gain of
+territory in favor of the Allies, there was a period of comparative calm
+in the American ranks. The soldiers took advantage of this to rest and
+repair their damaged uniforms, arms and equipment. And it was on one of
+these days, when discipline was somewhat relaxed, that the moving
+picture boys made their preparations.
+
+As they were left pretty much to themselves when they were not called
+on to be making pictures, it was rather easy for them, without exciting
+any comment, to get ready. This consisted in seeing that their automatic
+pistols were in good working order. They also applied for new gas masks,
+with a fresh impregnation of chemicals. When they received these, and
+with a supply of lampblack, they were ready, waiting only for the fall
+of darkness.
+
+The lampblack was to be put on their hands and faces so that their
+whiteness would not be revealed in case the Germans played their
+searchlights on the ground the boys hoped to cover, or sent up star
+clusters to give light for raiding parties sent out to kill the French
+and American wounded, such being one of the pleasant ways in which Fritz
+makes war.
+
+Late in the afternoon they paid a visit to their friend the sentry,
+asking if he had seen anything of the two men that they suspected might
+have the films--Secor and Labenstein.
+
+"I wouldn't know 'em by those names even if I saw 'em," said the
+soldier, "and, as a matter of fact, I didn't see the same two chaps I
+saw before. But I have seen figures moving about down in that hollow,
+where we wiped out the machine gun squad, and I wouldn't be surprised
+but what there was something doing there."
+
+"I only hope our films are there," said Joe.
+
+"Don't build too much on it, Buddy," advised the sentry. "As I say, I
+saw some figures I took to be Germans down in that valley, but they may
+be getting ready for a raid on our lines, and may have nothing to do
+with your pictures."
+
+"Well, we'll take a chance," decided Blake.
+
+"That's what!" chimed in Joe.
+
+Being accredited representatives of a certain branch of the army, though
+non-combatants, the boys were allowed to pass through the sentry lines,
+except in certain restricted places. They were given the countersign
+each night in case they desired to leave their quarters and go about.
+
+But there was a risk in starting on this journey. As non-combatants, if
+they carried arms and went into the enemy's territory, they were not
+entitled to be considered prisoners of war. Of course they could fight
+for their lives, but not with the same status as could a uniformed
+soldier. As a matter of fact, they did not wear the regulation uniform,
+having dark suits better suited to this night excursion than the khaki.
+
+Waiting until it was dark enough for their purpose and taking with them
+electric flashlights to use in case they got into a hut or some such
+place where they could not see to search for their films, and having
+blackened their hands and faces and seen that their weapons were in
+order, they sallied forth from the home of the humble French couple,
+many good wishes going with them.
+
+It was a walk of three or four miles from the little village to the
+place where the sentry had said the dugout lay, and during the first
+part of the trip the boys talked to each other.
+
+"Do you suppose we'll really find the films there?" ventured Joe.
+
+"It's a slim chance, but one worth taking," said Blake. "Though I can't
+imagine what Secor and Labenstein, if those two fellows are really here,
+could want of them."
+
+"Maybe they just picked them up on the chance that they would give away
+some of the American army secrets," suggested Charlie. "And they would
+show our boys were drilling, fighting, and all that. Of course some of
+the things on the films were actually seen by the Germans, but others
+were not; and I fancy those would be of value to Fritz. That's why they
+took 'em."
+
+"They couldn't have known we were here taking views," remarked Joe.
+
+"Oh, yes they could!" declared Blake. "Germany's spy system is the best
+in the world, and lots that goes on in America is known in Germany
+before half of our own people hear about it. But we'll have to get there
+before we can find out what is in that dugout, if it's there yet."
+
+"Well, some part of it--maybe a hut or a brush heap--must be there, or
+the sentry wouldn't have seen men about it," observed Joe. "And now we'd
+better keep quiet. We're getting too close to talk much."
+
+A little later they passed a sentry--not their friend--gave the proper
+password, and then stood on the edge of No Man's Land.
+
+What would be their fate as they crossed it and ventured on the other
+side--the side held by the Germans?
+
+"Come on!" whispered Blake softly, and, crouching down to avoid as much
+as possible being detected in the starlight, the boys went cautiously
+into the debatable territory.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+CAPTURED
+
+
+Not without a rather creepy feeling did the three boys start on their
+mission, the outcome of which could only be guessed. They were taking
+great risks, and they knew it. But it was not the first time. They had
+gone into the jungle to get films of wild beasts at the water hole. They
+had ventured into Earthquake Land where the forces of nature, if not of
+mankind, were arrayed against them. And they had dared the perils of the
+deep in getting pictures under the sea.
+
+But these were as nothing compared to the mission on which they were now
+engaged, for, at any moment, there might go up from the German lines,
+not half a mile away, a string of lights that would reveal their
+presence to the ever-watchful snipers and sharp-shooters.
+
+And, more than that, the whole area might suddenly be swept by a hail of
+bullets from a battery of machine guns. Both sides had these deadly
+weapons in readiness, and it was well known that Fritz was exceedingly
+nervous and apt, at times, to let burst a salvo of fire without any real
+reason.
+
+The fluttering of some armless sleeve on the body of a dead man, the
+rattle of a loose strand of barbed wire, the movement of a sorely
+wounded soldier lying out in the open, might draw the German fire. And
+if the moving picture boys were caught in that they would be hard put to
+it to escape.
+
+"The only thing to do, when you see a flash of fire, is to drop to the
+ground and lie as still as you can," Blake had said to his chums before
+they started out. "Duck your heads down on your arms and don't move. The
+lampblack will kill any glare from the lights and they may not see us.
+So remember, don't move if you see anything like a light. It may be a
+glare from a discharged rifle, or it may be a rocket or star cluster.
+Just lie low, that's the way!"
+
+And so, as they crawled on, in crouching attitudes, over the desolate
+stretch that lay between them and the place they sought, they made no
+noise, and kept a sharp watch.
+
+Blake led the way, his hand ready on his pistol, and the other two boys
+followed his example. Their gas masks were ready at their belts, but
+these were mainly an added precaution, as it was not likely, unless a
+general attack was contemplated, that the Germans would produce the
+chlorine.
+
+Blake had gone a little way down the slope, Joe and Charlie following as
+closely as was safe, when the leader came to a halt. Watching his dim
+form, his chums did the same.
+
+"What is it?" whispered Joe, in the softest of voices.
+
+"A figure," answered Blake likewise. "I'm not sure whether it's a dead
+man or some one like us--trying to discover something. Do you see it?"
+
+Joe looked. He saw a huddled heap which might, some day, have been a
+man. Now it was but a--heap. As the boys strained their eyes through the
+darkness they became aware that it was the body of a man--a French
+soldier who had fallen in the engagement of a few days before, and who
+had not yet been buried. There were many such--too many on both sides
+for the health and comfort of the living.
+
+"Pass to one side," advised Joe. "We can't do him any good."
+
+"Poor fellow!" murmured Charlie. "Ouch!" he suddenly exclaimed, in
+louder tones than any they had heretofore used.
+
+"Quiet!" hissed Blake. "What's the matter?"
+
+"A big rat ran right over my legs," answered Macaroni.
+
+"Well, if he didn't bite you what are you yelling about?" demanded Joe.
+The trenches were full of rats--great, gray fellows--for there was much
+carrion food for them.
+
+Once more, making a little détour, Blake started forward, but hardly had
+he again taken up his progress when there came the sound of a slight
+explosion over toward the German lines, and almost instantly the dreary
+stretch of No Man's Land was brightly illuminated.
+
+"Down! Down!" hoarsely called Blake, and he and his chums dropped full
+length on the ground, never heeding puddles of water, the rats or the
+dead, for they became aware that more bodies were all about them.
+
+Up from the German lines went a series of rockets and star clusters.
+They made the battle ground between the two forces almost as bright as
+day, so that should any of the unfortunate wounded men be seen to move
+they might be killed.
+
+Perhaps some keen-eyed Hun, watching for just this chance, had detected
+a slight movement near the dead man beside whom Blake and his chums
+first stopped. And, knowing from a previous observation that the body
+was cold and stark, the sniper must have reasoned that the living had
+joined it.
+
+Or perhaps the incautious exclamation made by Charlie when he felt the
+big rat may have been carried to the ever-listening ears. However that
+was, the glaring lights were set off, and at once hundreds of rifles,
+aimed over the tops of the German trenches, began to send a hail of lead
+across No Man's Land.
+
+Fortunately the line of fire was either to one side of where the boys
+had fallen, or it was too high or too low. They did not stop to consider
+which it was, but were thankful that they felt none of the leaden
+missiles, though some sang uncomfortably close.
+
+For perhaps five minutes the glaring lights illuminated the
+blood-stained ground, and the firing was kept up at intervals. It was
+replied to from the American and French lines, but with what effect
+could only be guessed.
+
+And then, once more, darkness settled down, and the boys began to
+breathe more easily. They had had a narrow escape, and their journey was
+not half over, to say nothing of the return trip--if they lived to make
+it.
+
+"Come on!" Blake cautiously whispered again. "And bear off to the right.
+The fire wasn't so heavy from there. Maybe we can find a gap to get
+through."
+
+His companions followed him as he crawled along, actually crawling this
+time, for it was not safe to rise high enough to walk even in a stooping
+position. No one could tell when the glaring lights might be sent up
+again.
+
+But, for a time, Fritz seemed satisfied with the demonstration he had
+made. Perhaps he had killed some of the wounded, for not all of them had
+been brought in. Perhaps he had only further mutilated bodies that had
+long since ceased to be capable of movement.
+
+And so, over the dark and bloody ground, Blake and his chums made their
+way. In a little while they would be in comparative safety, for their
+friend the sentry had told them there were no regular trenches near the
+little hollow where once had stood a machine-gun emplacement and where
+the boys now hoped to find their precious war films.
+
+But their journey was not destined to be peaceful. Once more the flaring
+lights went up, and again came the heavy firing. Again the boys crouched
+to get below the storm of bullets, and again they escaped. But a groan
+and a cry of anguish, from somewhere on their left, told them some poor
+unfortunate had been put out of his misery.
+
+They waited a little while, and then again took up the perilous journey.
+Presently Blake, taking a cautious observation, announced that they were
+in comparative safety, and might walk upright.
+
+"Where's the hut--or whatever it is?" asked Joe.
+
+"Down in that little hollow, I take it," said Blake. "We can't see it
+until we round that little hill. Maybe we can't see it at all, for it
+may not be there," he added. "But we'd better go slow, for it may be
+there, and there may be some one in it."
+
+"Secor and Labenstein, perhaps," murmured Charlie.
+
+"Perhaps," agreed Blake. "If they are----"
+
+He did not finish, but his chums knew he meant there might be a
+desperate fight.
+
+A little later, having proceeded cautiously, the boys made the turn
+around the little hill that had hitherto hidden from view the hollow of
+which the American sentry had spoken, and then they saw in the light of
+the stars what seemed to be a tumbled-down hut. As a matter of fact, it
+had once been a concrete dugout, where a machine gun had been placed in
+order to fire at the French and American lines. But in the heavy
+fighting of the past few days this place had been captured by an
+American contingent. They had destroyed the gun and killed most of the
+crew, and the place had been blown up by a bomb. But the fierce waves of
+Germans had surged back over the place, driving out the Americans who,
+in turn, captured it again.
+
+Just now the place was supposed to be deserted, being of no strategic
+value, and in a location that made it dangerous for either side to hold
+it.
+
+"We'll take a look in there," said Blake, when they had drawn near and
+had discovered that the ruins of the concrete dugout had been covered
+with brush, to "camouflage" it from spying airmen.
+
+They approached cautiously, and, as they did so, they became aware of a
+faint light coming from the ruins. So faint was it that at first it
+seemed no more than the reflection of the stars, but a long look showed
+that it was a light from within, but carefully screened.
+
+"We've got to have a look in!" whispered Blake. "Maybe the films are
+there, and maybe not; but some person is."
+
+"Probably Germans," said Joe.
+
+"Very likely. But it may be that Frenchman. If we could only capture
+him!"
+
+"I'd like a chance at him!" exclaimed Charlie.
+
+"Hush!" cautioned Blake. The boys were now close to the hut, for that
+was all it was since the bombardment. They tried on three sides of the
+place to look in, but without success. Then, as they moved around to the
+side which faced the German lines, they saw a crack through which the
+light streamed in greater volume.
+
+"Take a look, Blake," advised Joe.
+
+His chum did so, and, with an exclamation of surprise and satisfaction,
+turned away from the slot, motioning to the others to look for
+themselves. And as Joe and Charlie looked they saw, seated on the ruins
+of a machine gun and other things that had been in the place, Secor and
+Labenstein. The two plotters had between them boxes which the boys had
+no difficulty in recognizing as their missing war films.
+
+Joe was about to utter an exclamation of delight when Blake softly put
+his hand over his chum's mouth.
+
+"Not a sound!" breathed Blake.
+
+For a moment the boys stood looking in at the plotters and wondering how
+they could capture them, or at least get back the stolen films.
+
+And then a door, or what had been a door, to the dugout swung open with
+a creak of its rusty hinges.
+
+"What's that?" cried Secor, in French, starting to his feet.
+
+"Only the wind," replied the German, in the tongue of his
+fellow-conspirator. "Only the wind."
+
+"Ah! I thought maybe it was----"
+
+"You thought perhaps it was the boys who own these films, but who will
+never see them again. I know not how valuable they may be--these
+films--but I was told to get them, and I have. Let the ones higher up
+decide on their value. But we must get our price for them--you and I. We
+must get a good price. We have run a great risk."
+
+"Yes, a great risk," murmured the Frenchman.
+
+Blake motioned to his chums to follow him into the dugout. They could
+see his gestures in the light of a lantern which formed the illumination
+of the ruins.
+
+Cautiously the three went inside, the noise they made being covered by
+the rattling of the wind which had sprung up.
+
+"We have them! We have them!" exulted Joe, in a whisper.
+
+They were silently considering how best to surprise and capture the two
+men, who were still unaware of the presence of the boys, when a sudden
+noise came from outside. Blake and his chums, as well as the two men,
+started.
+
+"That was not the wind!" exclaimed Secor.
+
+"No, my friend. It was not. I think there is some one here besides
+ourselves. We must look. I----"
+
+And then came a guttural command in German:
+
+"Surrender--all of you! You are surrounded and are prisoners!
+Surrender!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+THE AIRSHIP RAID
+
+
+Surprise on the part of Blake and his chums, as well as on the part of
+Secor and Labenstein, was so complete that it would be hard to say who
+felt the sensation most. The moving picture boys, after danger and
+difficulties, had found the stolen army films and those they believed
+had taken them. They were about to make a dash and get not only the
+precious boxes, but also, if possible, capture the two plotters, when,
+like a bolt from a clear sky, they were themselves called upon to
+surrender.
+
+"Come on!" yelled Charlie, as he understood the import of the summons to
+surrender. "We can make a fight for it!"
+
+"Don't try it!" advised Blake. By the light of lanterns carried by the
+raiding party of Germans he had seen that they were numerous and well
+armed. It would have been the height of folly to resist, especially as
+the boys were non-combatants and not entitled to the honors of war.
+
+"Hands up--and search them!" commanded the German officer of the raiding
+party, as he pointed to Blake and his two chums. He spoke in German and
+then lapsed into English, which he spoke very well, saying:
+
+"It will be best for you Americans to give in quietly. Hands up!" And
+the order was stern.
+
+The boys had no choice but to obey, and their weapons were quickly taken
+from them.
+
+"I will allow you to keep your gas masks for the present," the German
+captain said, "as you may need them, as we ourselves may, before we get
+back to our lines."
+
+"Then we are going back with you?" asked Joe.
+
+"Of a certainty--yes! Did you think I would leave you here to go back to
+your own? Indeed not! Now, then, ready--march--all of you!" and he
+nodded at Secor and Labenstein.
+
+Blake and his two friends noticed that no hostility seemed directed
+toward the two conspirators, who, however, appeared as much surprised at
+the advent of the raiding party as were the boys. It was evident,
+though, that some understanding existed between the German captain and
+Labenstein, for they talked in low voices while Secor stood a little
+apart. The gaze of the Frenchman rested on the boys in what Blake said
+later seemed a peculiar manner.
+
+"Well, up to your old spying tricks, I see!" exclaimed Joe, with a sneer
+he could not forego. "Have you summoned any submarines lately?"
+
+A strange look passed over the face of the Frenchman, but he did not
+reply. Labenstein, who had finished his talk with the German captain of
+the raiding squad, turned to the boys, and a tantalizing smile spread
+over his face as he said:
+
+"Ah, we meet again, I see!"
+
+"And you don't seem to have found much use for my flashlight," said
+Blake. "I hope it still works!"
+
+The German muttered an exclamation of anger, and turned aside to pick up
+the boxes of films. This was too much for Charles Anderson, who sprang
+forward, crying:
+
+"Say, those are ours, you Dutch thief! Let 'em alone! We came here to
+get 'em! Let 'em alone!"
+
+The German captain gave a sharp order, and Charlie was forcibly pulled
+back by one of the soldiers.
+
+"Say, but look here!" exclaimed the lanky assistant of the moving
+picture boys. "This isn't war. I mean we aren't fighting you
+Germans--though we might if we had the chance. We're just taking
+pictures, and these fellows have stolen our films," and he indicated
+Secor and Labenstein. The latter made some reply in German to the
+captain which the boys could not understand.
+
+"Give us back our films and let us go!" demanded Macaroni. "We only came
+to get them!"
+
+"Enough of this!" broke in the captain. "You are our prisoners, and you
+may be thankful you are alive," and he tapped his big automatic pistol
+significantly. "March!" he ordered.
+
+Labenstein and Secor picked up the boxes of exposed film containing the
+army views and went out of the hut followed by some of the soldiers.
+Then the moving picture boys were told to follow, a guard of Germans,
+with ready bayonets, closing up the rear. A little later the boys,
+prisoners in the midst of the raiding party, were out under the silent
+stars. For the time peace had settled over the battlefield, extending
+across the trenches on both sides.
+
+"I wonder what they are going to do with us," said Joe, in a low voice,
+to Blake.
+
+"Hard to tell," was the quiet answer. "They're marching us toward their
+lines, though."
+
+This was indeed true, the advance being toward a section of the field
+beyond the German trenches whence, not long before, had come the
+searchlights and the hail of shrapnel.
+
+"Well, things didn't exactly turn out the way we expected," said
+Charlie. "I guess we'll have to make a re-take in getting back our
+films," he added, with grim humor. "How do you figure it out, Blake?"
+
+The talk of the boys was not rebuked by their German captors, and indeed
+the captain seemed to be deep in some conversation with Secor and
+Labenstein.
+
+"I don't know how it happened," Blake answered, "unless they saw us go
+into that hut and crept up on us."
+
+"They crept up, all right," muttered Joe. "I never heard a sound until
+they called on us to surrender," he added.
+
+"Maybe Secor and Labenstein saw us and never let on, and then sent a
+signal telling the others to come and get us," suggested Charlie.
+
+"I hardly think that," replied Blake. "The Frenchman and his fellow
+German plotter seemed to be as much surprised as we were. You could see
+that."
+
+"I guess you're right," admitted Joe. "But what does it all mean,
+anyhow?"
+
+"Well, as nearly as I can figure it out," responded Blake, as he and his
+chums marched onward in the darkness, "Secor and Labenstein must have
+hidden the films in the hut after they stole them from the place where
+we went down under the gas attack. For some reason they did not at once
+turn them over to the German command."
+
+"Maybe they wanted to hold them out and get the best offer they could
+for our property," suggested Charlie.
+
+"Maybe," assented Blake. "Whatever their game was," and he spoke in a
+low tone which could not carry to the two plotters who were walking
+ahead with the German captain, "they went to the hut to get the films
+they had left there. And as luck would have it, we came on the scene at
+the same time."
+
+"I wish we'd been a little ahead of time," complained Macaroni. "Then we
+might have gotten back with our films."
+
+"No use crying over a broken milk bottle," remarked Joe.
+
+"That's right," Blake said. "Anyhow, there we were and there Secor and
+his German friend were when the others came and----"
+
+"Here we are now!" finished Joe grimly.
+
+And there, indeed, they were, prisoners, with what fate in store none of
+them could say.
+
+Suddenly from the darkness a sentinel challenged in German, and the
+captain of the little party answered, passing on with the prisoners.
+
+A little later they turned down into a sort of trench and went along
+this, the boys being so placed that each walked between two Germans,
+who carried their guns with bayonets fixed, as though they would use
+them on the slightest provocation. But Blake and his chums gave none.
+
+And then, making a sudden turn, the party came to what was evidently an
+outpost of importance. There were several large underground chambers,
+fitted up with some degree of comfort and a number of officers and
+soldiers about. Some were eating, some smoking, and others drinking, and
+still others sleeping. In one room could be seen a rough table, laden
+with maps and papers, and there were many electric lights, showing to
+what degree of perfection the German military system was carried out at
+this point. A portable dynamo and gasolene engine probably furnished the
+current.
+
+The captives were halted, and a brief talk in German took place between
+the captain and the officer to whom he reported. What was said Blake and
+his chums could not, of course, hear, nor could they have understood had
+they heard.
+
+A little later, however, they were ordered to march on, and then were
+shown into an underground room, none too clean and quite dark, and the
+door was banged shut on them. Just before this they had seen Secor and
+Labenstein go off in another direction, still carrying the boxes of
+films.
+
+The echoes of the retreating footsteps of the men who had thrust them
+into their prison soon died away, and the boys were left to themselves
+in a veritable cell that was unpleasantly dirty and dark.
+
+"Whew!" whistled Joe, after a moment of silence. "This time we certainly
+are up against it!"
+
+Suddenly a light flashed in the darkness.
+
+"What's that?" asked Joe sharply.
+
+"I want to see what sort of hotel accommodations they've given us," was
+Blake's grim answer, as he flashed his pocket light about. The Germans
+had not taken those from the boys, and they were soon inspecting their
+prison.
+
+It was merely a hole dug underground, earth, supported by timbers,
+forming the floor, ceiling and sides, while the entrance was made of a
+plank door, with cracks large enough to show that a passage ran
+outside--a passage along which men passed with a frequency which seemed
+to indicate that escape would be exceedingly difficult.
+
+"Well, we've just got to make the best of it," said Blake. "I'm going to
+get what rest I can."
+
+It could not be much at best, for there was no furniture in the cavelike
+cell. The boys curled up in corners--fortunately it was not cold--and
+thought over their situation. That it was very desperate they all
+admitted.
+
+That night was like a bad dream to them. At times they dozed off in
+light slumber, but, as far as they knew, their captors did not so much
+as look in on them. They did not know, of course, when morning came,
+but they judged that the sun had risen when, after several hours of
+waiting, a tin can of water and some food was thrust in to them.
+
+"And I'm hungry enough to eat even German sausage," announced Macaroni,
+as he inspected the food. It was coarse but satisfying, and the boys
+felt better when they had eaten it.
+
+Later came a squad of Germans, one of whom spoke enough English to order
+Blake and his chums to follow them. They were led out of the dungeon,
+along a covered underground passage, and then they suddenly emerged into
+daylight.
+
+"Well, it's a comfort to be able to see," remarked Joe, as he and his
+companions looked about.
+
+Without a word as to where they were to be taken, the boys were marched
+along, and, for a moment, they feared they were to be the victims of a
+firing party. But a turn in the course showed them just ahead a group of
+buildings about which could be seen some German officers.
+
+"Evidently we're going to be questioned by some one in authority,"
+suggested Blake. "Well, that looks more hopeful."
+
+They were at the very edge of an enclosure containing the official
+headquarters of that part of the German army, and the leader of their
+squad was about to reply to the challenge of the sentinel when a
+curious sound was borne to the ears of the boys. It was like a fast
+motor operating at some distance.
+
+"What's that?" asked Charlie.
+
+As if by a common impulse they all looked up, for the noise seemed to
+come from above, and they saw dotting the blue sky many small, black
+specks.
+
+"Aeroplanes!" cried Blake.
+
+The Germans had seen the objects in the air at the same time, but on
+them the sight produced quite a different effect from that made on the
+boys.
+
+In an instant all thought of guarding Blake and his chums seemed to have
+been forgotten. Their escort ran to one side. The sentries on duty
+before the official headquarters hastened away, and some of the
+elaborately gold-laced officers ran within the buildings.
+
+A moment later a number of soldiers could be observed some distance away
+manning a battery of guns, the muzzles of which pointed upward.
+
+"They're going to fire at the airships!" cried Joe.
+
+"And that means they are not German craft!" added Blake. "Boys, I guess
+the French and Americans are making an airship raid on Mr. Fritz this
+morning, and maybe it'll be a good thing for us. Let's hunt cover!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+BURIED ALIVE
+
+
+Even as Blake and his chums looked about for some place of refuge, the
+firing of the German anti-aircraft guns began. These weapons, designed
+especially for shooting straight up and sending shrapnel shells to a
+considerable height, were rapidly manned and fired by crews that seemed
+to be in readiness for just such danger.
+
+The raid of the French and American airships, quickly as the defensive
+preparations were made, seemed to take the Germans by surprise. That is
+the only way the boys could account for the fact that their guarding
+escort deserted them. For deserted they had been, some of the Germans
+running back in the direction whence Blake and the others had come,
+while a few, under orders from one of the German officers, helped to man
+the guns of which several score were now shooting at the aircraft high
+above the Hun position.
+
+Joe, Blake and Charlie paused a moment, before seeking some shelter, to
+watch the thrilling sight. On came the aeroplanes, like a flock of great
+birds, and they did not resemble anything else quite so much, high up as
+they were. They came on in regular formation, for the day of the lone
+attack by an aeroplane was passed, except under special circumstances.
+
+Straight for the German camp--if camp it could be called--came the
+flying squadron. As yet the airships were too high to be hit by the
+German guns, however great their range.
+
+But the airships came on. Their speed was not apparent at so great a
+height, but it must have been wonderful, for but a few minutes seemed to
+have elapsed from the time they were first sighted, far down on the
+horizon, until they were almost overhead.
+
+"And now's the time for us to get under cover!" said Blake. "When they
+begin to drop bombs, there'll be something doing around here."
+
+"Where'll we go?" asked Charlie.
+
+"Oh, there ought to be plenty of bomb-proofs and dug-outs in this camp.
+The Germans must have been air-raided before, or they wouldn't have the
+anti guns ready. The most likely place to find the best cyclone cellars
+will be near the officers' headquarters, I think. Trust those fellows to
+have a safe place ready."
+
+"Do you think they are making the raid to help us?" asked Joe.
+
+"Hardly," replied Blake. "They probably don't even know that we have
+been captured. No, I guess this has been in preparation on our side for
+some time, judging by the number of craft in it. I hope they wipe out
+this dump!"
+
+"But not until we get under cover!" said Joe. "Look! There goes one of
+our ships!"
+
+As he spoke a white cloud seemed to burst in the vicinity of one of the
+aircraft. The machine, which with the others had come lower down, was
+seen to dip and plunge. Then, after what seemed a dizzy fall, it
+straightened out again and kept up with the others.
+
+"Hit but not disabled," murmured Blake, as he and his chums paused in
+their race for shelter. "The Germans are getting the range, I guess."
+
+"Why don't we drop some bombs?" cried Joe, speaking as though he and his
+friends were personally engaged.
+
+"I guess they're waiting until they get in a favorable position,"
+returned Blake. "Look out! Here comes one!"
+
+Something black dropped from one of the airships. It fell in a long
+curve, landing in a spot which the boys could not see, and an instant
+later there was a terrific explosion.
+
+"That hit an ammunition dump, all right!" cried Charlie. "Duck,
+fellows!"
+
+"In here!" yelled Blake, for at that moment they came opposite what
+looked like the entrance to a tunnel. It was lighted by small electric
+lamps and appeared to extend some distance into the earth. No one could
+be seen in it or entering it as the boys made a dive for it.
+
+And it was well that Blake, Joe and their assistant found shelter when
+they did, for an instant later the whole area was under bombardment by
+the airships. The boys, racing through the tunnel, dug underground and
+timbered and braced as is a mine shaft, could not see what went on, but
+they could hear and imagine.
+
+By this time the American and French aeroplanes were directly over the
+German camp and were dropping tons of explosives. The bombs struck and
+burst, some of them setting off stores of ammunition and powerful powder
+designed for the big guns. And these explosions, combined with the
+firing of the weapons aimed to bring down the flying enemy, made a
+pandemonium which penetrated even to the tunnel along which the boys
+were fleeing.
+
+"That's some fight out there!" cried Joe.
+
+"If we could only film it!" added Charlie, his voice and that of his
+chum ringing hollow in the tunnel.
+
+"We'd stand about as much chance as we did when the volcano let loose in
+Earthquake Land," answered Blake. "Come on, fellows! This isn't over
+yet."
+
+"I only hope we don't run into a party of Huns who'll drive us out,"
+murmured Joe.
+
+But, so far, they had met no one, though ahead of them they could hear a
+sound as though others were running through the underground shaft
+seeking a place of safety.
+
+"Where are we going, anyhow?" asked Charlie at length.
+
+"Going until we stop," answered Joe.
+
+"And that'll be soon," added Blake, "for I see the last of the lights."
+
+The boys looked down the long passage, which was well made and was high
+enough to permit them to run upright. It was wide enough, also, for
+three to go abreast. As Blake had said, the string of incandescent
+lights, suspended overhead, came to an end a little farther on. They
+stopped under the third light from the last and looked about them.
+
+"Isn't this as good a place as any?" asked Joe. "If we go on any farther
+we may get into a hole we can't get out of. I say, let's stay here.
+We'll be safe from the airship bombs."
+
+"I don't know about that," said Blake. "If you'll notice, we have come
+along pretty much on the level. This tunnel wasn't dug in the side of a
+hill. It went into the ground slanting, and at such a gradual slope that
+the top can't be very far under the surface."
+
+"What does that mean?" asked Charlie.
+
+"It means that we haven't much dirt over our heads, and if a bomb were
+to drop directly above us we'd be in a bad way. I think we'd better keep
+on until we get to a deeper part of the cave, or whatever it is."
+
+"But we'll have to go on in the dark," objected Joe. "There are only
+three more lights, and----"
+
+Suddenly came a muffled explosion, and the lights went out, leaving the
+place in black gloom.
+
+"Now there aren't any lights," said Charlie, when the echo of the dull
+roar had passed away. The tunnel had been shaken, and there was a
+pattering sound all about the boys, as if little particles of earth had
+been dislodged, but no other damage appeared to have been done.
+
+"It _is_ dark!" said Blake. "But come on. Use your pocket lights. No,
+hold on. We'll use only one at a time. No telling how long we may need
+them."
+
+Bringing out his own light, he flashed it on and led the way. Above them
+a continuous roar could now be heard, and they guessed that the airships
+were attacking in force, directly over the German camp, and were being
+fired at from all sides.
+
+"One bomb must have splattered Fritz's electric plant," observed Joe, as
+he and his chums hurried on as best they could in the somewhat dim light
+of the little pocket lamp Blake carried.
+
+Hardly had he spoken when there came a tremendous explosion--one that
+staggered the boys and seemed to crumple up the tunnel as though it were
+made of paper.
+
+They had no time to cry out. They were thrown down and felt rocks and
+stones falling about them, while their ears were deafened by the roaring
+sound.
+
+Then came silence and darkness--a darkness that weighed heavily on them
+all, while Blake, who had been in the lead, tried to move his hand to
+flash on the electric light that had gone out or been broken. He could
+barely move, and as he felt dirt and rocks all about him there was borne
+to his senses the horrible message:
+
+"Buried alive!"
+
+After that thought mercifully came unconsciousness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+THE END OF LABENSTEIN
+
+
+How long they lay entombed in the German tunnel the moving picture boys
+did not know. They must have been unconscious for some time.
+
+Joe was the first to regain his senses. Telling about it later, he said
+he dreamed that he had been taking views in Earthquake Land and that,
+somehow or other, a volcano had fallen on his chest. He had difficulty
+in breathing, and no wonder, for as he came to his senses he found that
+a great rock and a pile of earth were across him.
+
+Slowly at first, fearing to move much because he might bring down more
+débris on himself, Joe felt about. He found that his arms and hands were
+comparatively free, though partly buried in earth.
+
+"I say!" he called, and his voice sounded strange in that dark and
+broken tunnel, "is any one here but me? Blake! Charlie! Are you alive?"
+
+No one answered, and then, feeling his strength coming back, Joe
+ventured to move. He found that he could manage to emerge from the pile
+of earth and stones that had fallen on him, fortunately none over his
+head. When he ventured to stand upright he tried to pierce the darkness
+and find out what had become of his chums.
+
+But he could see nothing until he thought of his pocket lamp and, taking
+it in his hand, flashed it about him. The light revealed to him the
+figures of Blake and Charlie, lying not far away and covered with débris
+as he had been.
+
+He set the little light on a rock, leaving the switch on, and by the
+intense but limited glow, he set to work to free his companions. Blake's
+head was bleeding from the cut of a sharp rock, but he, like Joe and
+Charlie, had fallen in such a way, or rather, the cave-in had taken
+place in such a manner, that their heads and faces were comparatively
+free from dirt, else they would have been smothered.
+
+Joe worked feverishly to free his chums and at length succeeded in
+freeing his assistant, who, of the two, was less covered by the débris.
+Charlie opened his eyes and looked about him, asking:
+
+"What happened? Where am I?"
+
+"Don't stop to ask questions now," directed Joe. "Help me with Blake.
+I'm afraid he's hurt!"
+
+The two together got their chum cleared of the débris finally, and then
+Joe, taking a flask of cold coffee from his pocket, gave his now
+half-unconscious chum some to drink. This served further to rouse Blake,
+and it was soon found, aside from a painful cut on the head, that he was
+uninjured except for bruises, such as they all had.
+
+"But what happened?" asked Charlie, as they sat down to rest on some
+rocks and took turns finishing Joe's limited supply of coffee.
+
+"The tunnel caved in on us after a big explosion of some kind," Joe
+said. "I guess we're going to have trouble getting out, too."
+
+"Let's have a look," suggested Blake. "We can't stay in here much longer
+or more of the roof and sides may cave in. Can we get out?"
+
+"I haven't looked," answered Joe. "I wanted to get the dirt off you
+fellows. I'm afraid we're caught, though."
+
+And they were. An examination, made with the pocket lights, showed them
+that the way back was blocked by a mass of rock and earth and that no
+progress ahead could be made for the same reason.
+
+"I guess we'll have to dig our way out," said Joe.
+
+"What with?" asked Charlie.
+
+"Some of the broken boards that held up the tunnel," was the answer, and
+Joe pointed to pieces of timber that had been splintered and shattered
+by the cave-in.
+
+"Yes, it's the only way out," agreed Blake, who, now that his cut had
+been bound up with bandages from the first-aid kits the boys carried,
+felt better. "We'll have to dig out." And after a short rest they began
+this work.
+
+A terrible fear was upon them, a fear greater than that caused by their
+capture by the Germans with the possibility of being shot as spies. It
+was the fear of a horrible death--buried alive.
+
+They dug as best they could for some time with the broken boards, their
+hands becoming cut and bruised by the rough edges. And yet, with all
+their efforts, they could not see that they had gained much.
+
+They were digging back along the way they had come in, for, as Blake
+said, they knew how long the tunnel was in that direction, but they did
+not know how far it extended the other way.
+
+"Is it of any use to continue?" asked Joe wearily, when they had been
+digging for what seemed several hours, though really it was not as long
+as that.
+
+"Of course we've got to continue!" declared Blake, half savagely. "We
+can't give up now--and die!"
+
+"We may die anyhow," said Joe.
+
+They were resting in the darkness after strenuous digging. In the dark
+because, to save the battery, they had switched off the electric light
+by which they had been working.
+
+Charlie turned to look back. They had been piling the earth behind them
+as they worked, but there was not much of it as yet. They had made but
+small impression on the débris that hemmed them in. And as Charlie
+looked he uttered a cry.
+
+"What is it?" asked Blake.
+
+"A light! Don't you see a light there?" Charlie demanded. "See! Back
+there through the chinks in the rock. See, a flickering light!"
+
+There was no doubt of it! There was a gleam of light, and it appeared to
+come from a point where some fallen rocks were loosely piled.
+
+Dropping their boards, which they had been using for shovels, the boys
+climbed as near as they could to the hole. In the dark as they were, the
+light showed plainly.
+
+"Can you see anything?" asked Charlie of Joe, who was nearest.
+
+"No, only some figures moving about. It seems like some sort of dugout
+beyond there, and it hasn't caved in. Maybe it's the end of the tunnel."
+
+"Did you say you can see somebody in there?" asked Blake.
+
+"Yes; figures moving about."
+
+"Call to them."
+
+"Maybe they're Germans!" exclaimed Charlie.
+
+"They probably are," Blake answered. "But we've got to be rescued from
+here and take our chance with them. It's better than being buried alive.
+Hello, there!" he shouted. "Help us get out!" and he began tearing at
+the stones with his hands.
+
+Seeing his object, his chums helped him. And then some one on the other
+side of the rocky barrier also began pulling down the stones, so that in
+a little while, the light becoming momentarily greater, the boys saw a
+way of escape open to them.
+
+But it was a strange way. For when the rocks had been pulled down
+sufficiently to enable them to crawl through, they emerged into a
+space--a small room, as it were--walled with solid logs. Logs also
+formed the roof. It was a room lighted by a lantern, and on a pile of
+bags in one corner lay a huddled figure of a man. Standing near him was
+another man--a man in a ragged blue uniform--and at the sight of his
+face Blake murmured:
+
+"Lieutenant Secor!"
+
+"At your service!" said the Frenchman, bowing slightly.
+
+"No!" bitterly cried Blake. "Not at _our_ service--you traitor!"
+
+The Frenchman seemed to wince, but at that moment a call from the
+huddled man in the corner attracted his attention. He bent over him,
+drew back the covering and revealed in the lantern's glow the face of
+Labenstein.
+
+The German raised himself on one elbow, and a wild look came over his
+face. His eyes gleamed brightly for a moment.
+
+"They--they here!" he murmured. "Well, perhaps it is better so."
+
+"How better? What does he mean?" asked Blake. "Does he think----"
+
+"Hush!" and the Frenchman spoke softly. "This is the end--of
+Labenstein!" And even as he spoke the man fell back dead.
+
+Lieutenant Secor seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, as though the death
+of the other had brought a great release to him.
+
+"Now I can speak," said the officer. "Now I can explain, and perhaps you
+will again regard me as a friend," he said softly.
+
+"Well," returned Blake, "you probably saved our lives by helping us get
+out of the tunnel. But as for being friends with----"
+
+"Please do not say it," begged the lieutenant. "I have had to play a
+part. It is over now. I can again take my place with my comrades and
+fight openly for France. For I have learned all his secrets and whence
+the spy-leaks came. Now my unpleasant mission is over!"
+
+"What--what do you mean?" asked Joe, beginning, as did his chums, to
+have an inkling of the truth. "Aren't you two working together against
+us and for Germany?"
+
+"Never I!" cried the Frenchman. "I am a member of the French Secret
+Service, and for months I have consorted with that dog!" and he pointed
+at the dead man. "I but played a part to gain his confidence and to
+learn from what sources Germany was getting her secret information about
+our soldiers and yours. Now I know. I will explain. But come, we must
+get out of here."
+
+"Can we get out?" asked Blake.
+
+"Surely, yes. The tunnel goes from here into the German trenches, and
+the other end was not damaged by the explosion."
+
+"But," exclaimed Joe, "the German trenches! We don't want to go there to
+be captured again."
+
+"Have no fear," said the Frenchman, with a smile. "I should, perhaps,
+have said what _were_ the German trenches. They are now held by some of
+your own troops--the brave Americans!"
+
+"They are?" cried Charlie.
+
+"That is true! You shall see!"
+
+"Hurrah!" cried the moving picture boys, and their fears and weariness
+seemed to depart from them in a moment.
+
+"The great airship raid was a success," went on the Frenchman. "Our
+troops and yours have made a big advance, and have captured many
+prisoners. They would have had Labenstein, but he is beyond prisons now.
+Let us go hence! Even dead I can not endure his company. I suffered much
+on his account."
+
+"Well, things are happening so fast I don't know which to begin to think
+of first," remarked Joe. "But, on general principles, I presume it's a
+good thing to get out of this tunnel. Come on, boys."
+
+"One moment," interposed the lieutenant. "Perhaps you will like to take
+these with you."
+
+He stooped and lifted a pile of trench bags, and the boys saw the boxes
+of moving picture films.
+
+"Ours?" cried Joe.
+
+"None else," answered the Frenchman. "I trust you will find them all
+right."
+
+"Not a seal broken!" reported Charlie, who had quickly examined the
+cases. "This is great!"
+
+Together, hardly able to believe their good luck, they made their way
+out of the log-protected room--once a German bomb-proof dugout. As they
+emerged into the trenches, carrying the films, the boys saw American
+soldiers.
+
+"The Stars and Stripes!" cried Charlie, as he noted the United States
+flag. "Now we're all right!"
+
+"Whew! We did make some advance!" added Blake, as they saw how the
+battle lines of the French and Americans had been extended since they
+had crawled into No Man's Land the night before.
+
+The boys learned later that the airship raid was the forerunner of a big
+offensive that had been carried out when they were held prisoners and in
+the tunnel. The Germans had been driven back with heavy loss, and one of
+their ammunition dumps, or storage places, had been blown up, which had
+caused the collapse of the tunnel.
+
+That the moving picture boys were welcomed by the soldiers, among whom
+they had many friends, goes without saying. And the recovery of the
+films was a matter for congratulation, for they were considered very
+valuable to the army.
+
+"Though it was Lieutenant Secor who really saved them for us," explained
+Blake, when the story of their adventure was being told.
+
+"And I am glad the time has come when Lieutenant Secor can appear in his
+true light," said Captain Black. "Even I suspected him, and he lost many
+friends who will come back to him, now that he risked all to serve his
+country in a rôle seldom honored--that of getting secret intelligence
+from the enemy."
+
+For that is what the French lieutenant had been doing. Even while he was
+in the United States, where the boys first met him, he had been playing
+that part.
+
+"But I assure you," he said to Blake and the others, "that the
+destruction of your films by my auto was an accident. When I found you
+believed it done purposely I let it go that way, as it helped me play my
+part the better. Also, I had to act in a manner to make you believe I
+was a friend of Labenstein. But that was all a part."
+
+And it had not been an easy part for the French officer to play. He had,
+in ways of his own, come to suspect Labenstein, who went under various
+names, sometimes that of Karl Kooder. This man, who held forged
+citizenship papers of the United States, was a German spy and had done
+much to aid the Kaiser. But he accepted Lieutenant Secor as a co-worker,
+on the latter's representation that he, too, was a friend of Germany, or
+rather, as the Frenchman made Labenstein think, was willing to become so
+for a sum of money. So the two seemingly worked together.
+
+"And it was thus you knew us," said the lieutenant to the boys.
+"Labenstein, to use one of his names, had orders to make all the trouble
+he could for you when you reached France, and to prevent your getting
+any pictures, if possible. Of course he could not do that, but he tried,
+even to the extent of writing a false note in London that caused your
+arrest. I had, seemingly, to help him, but all the while I was
+endeavoring to find out where the leak was on our side that enabled him
+to profit. And I found out. The leak will be stopped.
+
+"I even seemed to join Labenstein in signaling the submarine, though
+that night, had he really succeeded in calling her with your light, I
+would have killed him where he stood. However, the depth charge solved
+that question.
+
+"I had to escape from the ship with him to lull his suspicions against
+me. Then I went into the German ranks with him, being thought a
+deserter! That was hard for me, but I had my duty to perform.
+
+"The rest you know. It was by a mere chance that Labenstein, when I was
+with him, came upon your films after the gas attack. He thought to
+profit personally from selling them, which is why he did not turn them
+over at once to his superiors. Ever since then he has been trying to
+dispose of them to enrich himself. And I have been trying to find a way
+to get them back to you without betraying myself and my mission.
+
+"At last chance favored me. The big air attack came just after I had
+secured all the information I wanted. I was about to go back to my
+comrades and arrange for the capture of Labenstein if I could. He still
+had the films and was about to sell them to another German--a traitor
+like himself.
+
+"Then came the big explosion, and he was fatally hurt. We both took
+refuge in the tunnel, Labenstein carrying with him the films, and you
+came just as Labenstein died. Well, perhaps it is better so."
+
+"Yes," agreed Blake, "I think it is."
+
+"And we have the films back!" exulted Charlie.
+
+"But, best of all, we know Lieutenant Secor is straight!" cried Joe.
+"I'd hate to think anything else of him, after he saved our lives."
+
+"Yes," agreed Blake softly.
+
+"And now to get back on the job!" cried Joe, after a moment of silence.
+
+And so the moving picture boys again took up their perilous calling.
+They soon recovered from their slight injuries caused by the cave-in of
+the tunnel, and, finding their cameras where they had left them in the
+French house, resumed the turning of the cranks.
+
+They filmed many stirring scenes, and the records they made now form an
+important part of the archives of the War Office in Washington, the
+films so strangely lost and recovered being considered most valuable.
+
+Lieutenant Secor became one of the boys' firmest friends, and through
+his help they were enabled to obtain many rare views. And now, having
+seen them safely through some of their perils, we will take leave of
+them.
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+[Transcriber's note: Some of the adverts appeared at the start of
+the book and repeated at the end.  The duplicates have been removed,
+and the remaining series (Motion Picture Chums) have been added here.]
+
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS SERIES
+
+By VICTOR APPLETON
+
+12mo. BOUND IN CLOTH. ILLUSTRATED. UNIFORM STYLE OF BINDING.
+
+Moving pictures and photo plays are famous the world over, and in this
+line of books the reader is given a full description of how the films
+are made--the scenes of little dramas, indoors and out, trick pictures
+to satisfy the curious, soul-stirring pictures of city affairs, life in
+the Wild West, among the cowboys and Indians, thrilling rescues along
+the seacoast, the daring of picture hunters in the jungle among savage
+beasts, and the great risks run in picturing conditions in a land of
+earthquakes. The volumes teem with adventures and will be found
+interesting from first chapter to last.
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS
+Or Perils of a Great City Depicted.
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS IN THE WEST
+Or Taking Scenes Among the Cowboys and Indians.
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS ON THE COAST
+Or Showing the Perils of the Deep.
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS IN THE JUNGLE
+Or Stirring Times Among the Wild Animals.
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS IN EARTHQUAKE LAND
+Or Working Amid Many Perils.
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS AND THE FLOOD
+Or Perilous Days on the Mississippi.
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS AT PANAMA
+Or Stirring Adventures Along the Great Canal.
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS UNDER THE SEA
+Or The Treasure of the Lost Ship.
+
+
+THE MOTION PICTURE CHUMS SERIES
+
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS' FIRST VENTURE
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS AT SEASIDE PARK
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS ON BROADWAY
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS' OUTDOOR EXHIBITION
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS' NEW IDEA
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS AT THE FAIR
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS' WAR SPECTACLE
+
+
+THE TOM SWIFT SERIES
+
+By VICTOR APPLETON
+
+12mo. CLOTH. UNIFORM STYLE OF BINDING. COLORED WRAPPERS.
+
+These spirited tales convey in a realistic way the wonderful advances
+in land and sea locomotion. Stories like these are impressed
+upon the memory and their reading is productive only of good.
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR CYCLE
+  Or Fun and Adventure on the Road
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR BOAT
+  Or The Rivals of Lake Carlopa
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP
+  Or The Stirring Cruise of the Red Cloud
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT
+  Or Under the Ocean for Sunken Treasure
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT
+  Or The Speediest Car on the Road
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE
+  Or The Castaways of Earthquake Island
+
+TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS
+  Or The Secret of Phantom Mountain
+
+TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE
+  Or The Wreck of the Airship
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER
+  Or The Quickest Flight on Record
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE
+  Or Daring Adventures in Elephant Land
+
+TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD
+  Or Marvellous Adventures Underground
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER
+  Or Seeking the Platinum Treasure
+
+TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY
+  Or A Daring Escape by Airship
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA
+  Or The Perils of Moving Picture Taking
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT
+  Or On the Border for Uncle Sam
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON
+  Or The Longest Shots on Record
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE
+  Or The Picture that Saved a Fortune
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP
+  Or The Naval Terror of the Seas
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL
+  Or The Hidden City of the Andes
+
+
+=GROSSET & DUNLAP=, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Moving Picture Boys on the War
+Front, by Victor Appleton
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOVING PICTURE BOYS ***
+
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+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Moving Picture Boys on the War Front, by Victor Appleton.
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Moving Picture Boys on the War Front, by 
+Victor Appleton
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Moving Picture Boys on the War Front
+       Or, The Hunt for the Stolen Army Films
+
+Author: Victor Appleton
+
+Release Date: February 10, 2006 [EBook #17744]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOVING PICTURE BOYS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Cori Samuel and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 319px;">
+<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="319" height="500" alt="Front cover" title="Front cover" />
+</div>
+
+
+<h1>THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS ON THE WAR FRONT</h1>
+
+<h4>OR</h4>
+
+<h3>The Hunt for the Stolen Army Films</h3>
+
+<h2>BY VICTOR APPLETON</h2>
+
+<h4>AUTHOR OF &quot;THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS,&quot; &quot;THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS
+UNDER THE SEA,&quot; &quot;TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR-CYCLE,&quot; &quot;TOM SWIFT
+AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP,&quot; ETC.</h4>
+
+<h4><i>ILLUSTRATED</i></h4>
+
+<h4>NEW YORK</h4>
+
+<h4>GROSSET &amp; DUNLAP
+PUBLISHERS</h4>
+
+
+<h5>Copyright, 1918, by GROSSET &amp; DUNLAP</h5>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;">
+<a href="images/frontis.jpg"><img src="images/frontis-tb.jpg" width="300" height="464"
+alt="IT TOOK ALL THE NERVE OF THE THREE LADS TO STAND AT THEIR POSTS AND SEE MEN KILLED."
+title="IT TOOK ALL THE NERVE OF THE THREE LADS TO STAND AT THEIR POSTS AND SEE MEN KILLED." /></a>
+<span class="caption">IT TOOK ALL THE NERVE OF THE THREE LADS TO STAND AT THEIR POSTS AND SEE MEN KILLED.<br /></span>
+<br /></div>
+
+<h3>CONTENTS</h3>
+
+<table summary="Table of Contents" border="0">
+<tr><td class="small">CHAPTER</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td class="small">PAGE</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">I</a></td><td><span class="smcap">A Call to Battle</span></td><td align="right">1</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">II</a></td><td><span class="smcap">The Accident</span></td><td align="right">11</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">III</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Monsieur Secor</span></td><td align="right">20</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">IV</a></td><td><span class="smcap">All Aboard</span></td><td align="right">29</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">V</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Anxious Days</span></td><td align="right">39</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">VI</a></td><td><span class="smcap">A Queer Conference</span></td><td align="right">47</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">VII</a></td><td><span class="smcap">&quot;Periscope Ahoy!&quot;</span></td><td align="right">56</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">VIII</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Beaten Off</span></td><td align="right">65</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">IX</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Suspicions</span></td><td align="right">72</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">X</a></td><td><span class="smcap">The Flashlight</span></td><td align="right">80</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">XI</a></td><td><span class="smcap">The Depth Charge</span></td><td align="right">88</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">XII</a></td><td><span class="smcap">In England</span></td><td align="right">97</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">XIII</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Under Suspicion</span></td><td align="right">105</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">XIV</a></td><td><span class="smcap">In Custody</span></td><td align="right">114</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">XV</a></td><td><span class="smcap">The Front at Last</span></td><td align="right">121</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">XVI</a></td><td><span class="smcap">The Firing Line</span></td><td align="right">130</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">XVII</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Bowled Over</span></td><td align="right">138</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">XVIII</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Trench Life</span></td><td align="right">145</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">XIX</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Gassed</span></td><td align="right">153</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">XX</a></td><td><span class="smcap">&quot;Gone!&quot;</span></td><td align="right">161</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">XXI</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Across No Man's Land</span></td><td align="right">170</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">XXII</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Captured</span></td><td align="right">179</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">XXIII</a></td><td><span class="smcap">The Airship Raid</span></td><td align="right">189</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">XXIV</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Buried Alive</span></td><td align="right">199</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">XXV</a></td><td><span class="smcap">The End of Labenstein</span></td><td align="right">206</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I" />CHAPTER I</h2>
+
+<h3>A CALL TO BATTLE</h3>
+
+
+<p>&quot;Come on now, ready with those smoke bombs! Where's the Confederate
+army, anyhow? And you Unionists, don't look as though you were going to
+rob an apple orchard! Suffering snakes, you're going into battle and
+you're going to lick the boots off the Johnnie Rebs! Look the part! Look
+the part! Now, then, what about the cannon? Got plenty of powder in 'em
+so there'll be lots of smoke?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A stout man, with perspiration running down his face, one drop trickling
+from his nose, was hurrying up and down the field.</p>
+
+<p>On one side of him was a small army composed of what seemed to be Civil
+War Union soldiers. A little farther back was a motley array of
+Confederates. Farther off was an apple orchard, and close beside that
+stood a ramshackle farmhouse<a name="Page_2" id="Page_2"></a> which was soon to be the center of a
+desperate moving-picture battle in the course of which the house would
+be the refuge of the Confederates.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The old man is sort of on his ear this morning, isn't he, Blake?&quot; asked
+Joe Duncan of his chum and camera partner, Blake Stewart. &quot;I haven't
+heard him rage like this since the time C. C. dodged the custard pie he
+was supposed to take broadside on.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, he's a bit nervous, Joe; but&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Nervous isn't the word for it, Blake. He's boiling over! What's it all
+about, anyhow? Is he mad because I was a bit late getting here with the
+extra reels of film?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, he didn't say a word about that. It's just that he can't get this
+battle scene to suit him. We've rehearsed it and rehearsed it again and
+again, but each time it seems to go worse. The extras don't seem to know
+how to fight.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's queer, considering all the war preparations that have been going
+on here since we got in the game against Germany,&quot; observed Joe Duncan,
+as he made some adjustments to his camera, one of several which he and
+Blake would use in filming part of a big serial, a number of scenes of
+which were to center around the battle in the apple orchard. &quot;With all
+the volunteering and drafting that's been going on, soldiers quartered
+all over and as thick as bees around the cities, you'd think these
+extra<a name="Page_3" id="Page_3"></a> fellows would know something about the game, wouldn't you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You'd think so; but they seem to be afraid of the guns, even though
+they are loaded with blanks. Here comes Mr. Hadley again, and he's got
+fire in his eyes!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Hadley, producer of the Consolidated Film Company, approached Jacob
+Ringold, a theatrical manager who was in charge of the company taking
+the parts in &quot;The Dividing Line,&quot; which was the name of the Civil War
+play.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Look here, Jake!&quot; exclaimed Mr. Hadley, &quot;is this supposed to be a
+desperate, bloody battle, or a game of tennis?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, a battle scene, of course, Mr. Hadley!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I'm glad to know it! From the way most of your people just
+rehearsed it, I thought I might be in the wrong box, and looking at a
+college football game. But no, I wrong the college game! That would be
+more strenuous than this battle scene, at least as far as I've watched
+it. Can't you get a little more life into your people?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll try, Mr. Hadley,&quot; answered the manager, as the producer walked
+over to the two boys who stood near their cameras waiting for the word
+to be given, when they would begin grinding out the long reels of
+celluloid film.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This is positively the worst production I've ever <a name="Page_4" id="Page_4"></a>been in!&quot; complained
+Mr. Hadley to Blake. &quot;Did you ever see such a farce as when the
+Confederates were hidden in the orchard and the Unionists stormed over
+the stone wall? You'd think they were a lot of boys going after apples.
+Bah! It makes me weary!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It isn't very realistic,&quot; admitted Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mr. Ringold's talking to them now like a Dutch uncle,&quot; observed Joe, as
+he idly swung the crank of his camera, the machine not being in gear.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I hope it does some good,&quot; observed the producer. &quot;If it isn't
+better pretty soon, I'll let all these extra men go and hire others
+myself. I want that battle scene to look halfway real, at least.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It'll be a failure, I know it will,&quot; observed a melancholy-looking man
+who strolled up at this juncture. &quot;I saw a black cat as I came from my
+room this morning, and that's always a sign of bad luck.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, leave it to you to find something wrong!&quot; exploded Mr. Hadley.
+&quot;Can't you look on the cheerful side once in a while, C. C.?&quot; he asked,
+forgetting that he, himself, had been prophetic of failure but a few
+moments before.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Humph!&quot; murmured C. C., otherwise Christopher Cutler Piper, a comedian
+by profession and a gloom-producer by choice, &quot;you might have known
+those fellows couldn't act after you'd had one look <a name="Page_5" id="Page_5"></a>at 'em,&quot; and he
+motioned to the mobs of extra men, part of whom formed the Confederate
+and the other half the Union armies. &quot;There isn't a man among them who
+has ever played Macbeth.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If they had, and they let it affect them as it does you, I'd fire them
+on the spot!&quot; laughed Mr. Hadley; and at this, his first sign of mirth
+that day, Blake, Joe and some of the others smiled.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't want actors for this,&quot; went on the producer. &quot;I want just plain
+fighters&mdash;men who can imagine they have something to gain or lose, even
+if they are shooting only blank cartridges. Well, I see Jake has
+finished telling them where they get off. Now we'll try a rehearsal once
+more, and then I'm going to film it whether it's right or not. I've got
+other fish to fry, and I can't waste all my time on 'The Dividing Line.'
+By the way,&quot; he went on to Joe and Blake, &quot;don't you two young gentlemen
+make any long-time engagements for the next week.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I may have a proposition to submit to you, if all goes well. I'll
+talk about it when I get this battle scene off my mind. Now, then, Jake,
+how about you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think it will be all right, Mr. Hadley. I have talked to my extra
+actors, and they promise to put more verve and spirit into their work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_6" id="Page_6"></a>Verve and spirit!&quot; cried the producer. &quot;What I want is <i>action</i>!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, that's the same thing,&quot; said the manager. &quot;I've told them they
+must really get into the spirit of the fight. I think if you try them
+again&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I will! Now, then, men&mdash;you who are acting as the Confederates&mdash;you
+take your places in and around the farmhouse. You're supposed to have
+taken refuge there after escaping from a party of Unionists. You fortify
+the place, post your sentries and are having a merry time of
+it&mdash;comparatively merry, that is, for you're eating after being without
+food for a long time.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The farmhouse is the property of a Union sympathizer, and you eat all
+the more heartily on that account. He has two daughters&mdash;they are Birdie
+Lee and Miss Shay,&quot; he added in an aside to the moving picture boys.
+&quot;Two members of your company&mdash;yes, I'm speaking to you Confederates, so
+pay attention&mdash;two members of your company make love to the two
+daughters, much to their dislike. In the midst of the merry-making and
+the love scenes the Union soldiers are reported to be coming. You
+Johnnie Rebs get out and the fight begins.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And let me tell you if it isn't a better fight this time than any
+you've put up before, you can pack your duds and get back to New York.
+You've missed your vocation, take it from me, if you don't <a name="Page_7" id="Page_7"></a>do better
+than you have! Now, then, Union soldiers, what I said to the enemy
+applies to you. Fight as though you meant it. Now, one more rehearsal
+and I'm going to start you on the real thing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Under the direction of the assistants of Mr. Ringold, while Mr. Hadley
+looked on critically, the Confederates took their positions in and about
+the old house. They rehearsed the merry-making scenes and Miss Lee and
+Miss Shay took the parts of the daughters of the Union sympathizer. The
+two girls, being actresses of some experience, did very well, and the
+extra people evidently improved, for Mr. Hadley nodded as if satisfied.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, then, Unionists, move up!&quot; he called. &quot;March along the road as if
+you didn't care whether you met Stonewall Jackson and his men or not.
+Get a reckless air about you! That's better. Now, then, some action!
+Lively, boys!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This part, too, went better; and after a little more rehearsal the
+producer called to Blake and Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Go to it, boys! Get the best results you can from this mimic battle.
+Maybe you'll soon be where it's hotter than this!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What does he mean?&quot; asked Joe, as he picked up his camera and took his
+position where he could film the scenes at the farmhouse.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know,&quot; answered Blake, who was to take <a name="Page_8" id="Page_8"></a>pictures of the
+marching Unionists. &quot;Maybe there are more stunts for us to do in
+Earthquake Land.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If there are I'm not going! I'd rather do undersea stuff than be around
+volcanoes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So would I. But we'll talk about that later. Say, that looks better!&quot;
+and he motioned to the so-styled Confederates, who did seem to be
+putting more life into their work.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; agreed Joe. &quot;I guess when it comes to shooting, and all that,
+there'll be action enough even for Mr. Hadley.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A little later the mimic battle scene was in full swing. Hundreds of
+blank cartridges were fired, smoke bombs filled the air with their dense
+vapor, and in the distance bursting shells tore up the earth, far enough
+removed from the positions of the men to preclude any danger.</p>
+
+<p>The Unionists closed in around the farmhouse. Close-up scenes were made,
+showing Birdie Lee and Miss Shay fighting off their Confederate
+admirers.</p>
+
+<p>Then came the turn in the battle where the Southern force had to give
+way.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Burn the house, boys!&quot; cried their officer; and this would be flashed
+on the screen later as a lead.</p>
+
+<p>The dwelling, which had been purchased with the right to burn it, was
+set afire, and then began a scene that satisfied even the exacting
+producer.<a name="Page_9" id="Page_9"></a> Great clouds of smoke rolled out, most of it coming from
+specially prepared bombs, and amid them and the red fire, which
+simulated flames, could be seen the Union leader carrying out his
+sweetheart, Birdie Lee.</p>
+
+<p>Blake and Joe ground away at their cameras, faithfully recording the
+scenes for the thrill and delight of those who would afterward see them
+in comfortable theaters, all unaware of the hard work necessary to
+produce them.</p>
+
+<p>The Confederates made a last stand at the barn. They were fired upon by
+the Unionists and finally driven off down the road&mdash;such as were left of
+them&mdash;while the victorious Northern fighters put out the fire in the
+house and the scene ended in the reuniting of long-separated lovers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I'm glad that's over!&quot; remarked Mr. Hadley, as he came up to
+Blake and Joe where they were taking their cameras apart in readiness
+for carrying them back to the studio. &quot;It didn't go so badly, do you
+think?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think it'll be a fine picture!&quot; declared Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The last stand of the Confederates was particularly good,&quot; observed
+Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good!&quot; cried the producer. &quot;That's a fine line for a leader&mdash;'The Last
+Stand.' I must make a note of it before I forget it. And now you boys
+can go back to New York. Have the films developed the <a name="Page_10" id="Page_10"></a>first thing and
+let me know how they have come out.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They'll probably be spoiled,&quot; put in the gloomy voice of C. C.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Hadley looked around far something to throw at him, but having
+nothing but his note book, which was too valuable for that, contented
+himself with a sharp look at the gloomy comedian.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When will you want us again, Mr. Hadley?&quot; asked Blake, as he and Joe
+made ready to go back in the automobile to New York, the &quot;Southern&quot;
+battle scene having taken place in a location outside of Fort Lee on the
+New Jersey bank of the Hudson River, where many large moving picture
+studios are located.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, that's so! I did want to talk to you about something new I have in
+mind,&quot; said Mr. Hadley. &quot;Blake&mdash;and you, too, Joe&mdash;are you game for some
+dangerous work?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you mean such as we had in Earthquake Land?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Or under the sea?&quot; inquired his partner.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This is a call to battle,&quot; replied Mr. Hadley. &quot;And it's real battle,
+too! None of this smoke-bomb stuff! Boys, are you game for some actual
+fighting?&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II" /><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11"></a>CHAPTER II</h2>
+
+<h3>THE ACCIDENT</h3>
+
+
+<p>Not at all to the discredit of the moving picture boys is it to be
+considered when it is recorded that, following this question on the part
+of Mr. Hadley, they looked sharply at one another.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A call to battle!&quot; murmured Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Actual fighting?&quot; added his chum wonderingly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Perhaps I'd better explain a bit,&quot; went on the film producer. &quot;Most
+unexpectedly there has come to me an opportunity to get some exceptional
+pictures. I need resourceful, nervy operators to act as camera men, and
+it is only paying you two a deserved compliment when I say I at once
+thought of you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Thank you,&quot; murmured Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No thanks necessary,&quot; responded Mr. Hadley.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So now I am ready to put my offer into words. In brief, it is&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>At that moment back of the farmhouse (which <a name="Page_12" id="Page_12"></a>was partly in ruins, for
+the fire had been a real one) a loud explosion sounded. This was
+followed by shouts and yells.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Somebody's hurt!&quot; cried Mr. Hadley, and he set off on a run toward the
+scene, followed by Blake and Joe.</p>
+
+<p>And while they are investigating what had happened, advantage will be
+taken of the opportunity to tell new readers something of the former
+books in this series, so they may feel better acquainted with the two
+young men who are to pose as &quot;heroes,&quot; as it is conventionally termed,
+though, in truth, Joe and Blake would resent that word.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Moving Picture Boys&quot; is the title of the first volume of the
+series, and in that the readers were introduced to Blake Stewart and Joe
+Duncan while they were working on adjoining farms. A moving picture
+company came to the fields to make certain scenes and, eventually, the
+two young men made the acquaintance of the manager, Mr. Hadley.</p>
+
+<p>Blake and Joe were eager to get into the film business, and their wish
+was gratified. They went to New York, learned the ins and outs of the
+making of &quot;shifting scenes,&quot; as the Scotchman called them, and they had
+many adventures. The boys became favorites with the picture players,
+among whom were the gloomy C. C., Miss Shay, Miss Lee, Harris Levinberg
+and Henry Robertson. Others <a name="Page_13" id="Page_13"></a>were added from time to time, sometimes
+many extra men and women being engaged, in, for instance, scenes like
+these of &quot;The Dividing Line.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Following their adventures in New York, which were varied and strenuous,
+the moving picture boys went out West, taking scenes among the cowboys
+and Indians.</p>
+
+<p>Later they moved on, with the theatrical company, to the coast, where
+they filmed a realistic picture of a wreck. In the jungle was where we
+next met Blake and Joe, and they were in dire peril more than once,
+photographing wild animals, though the dangers there were surpassed when
+they went to Earthquake Land, as they called it. The details of their
+happenings there will be found in the fifth volume of the series.</p>
+
+<p>Perilous days on the Mississippi followed, when Blake and Joe took
+pictures of the flood, and later they were sent to Panama to make views
+of the digging of the big canal.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Hadley was a producer who was always eager for new thrills and
+effects. And when he thought he had exhausted those to be secured on the
+earth, he took to the ocean. And in &quot;The Moving Picture Boys Under the
+Sea,&quot; the book that immediately precedes the present volume, will be
+found set down what happened to Blake and Joe when, in a submarine, they
+took views beneath the surface.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14"></a>They had not long been home from their experiences with the perils of
+the deep when they were engaged to make views for &quot;The Dividing Line,&quot;
+with its battle pictures, more or less real.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's the matter? What happened? Is any one hurt?&quot; cried Mr. Hadley,
+as he ran toward the scene of the explosion, followed by Blake and Joe.
+They could see, by a large cloud of smoke, that something extraordinary
+had occurred. The figures of several men could be noted running about.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is anybody hurt?&quot; demanded the producer again, as he and the two boys
+reached the place. &quot;I'll send the ambulance, if there is.&quot; For when a
+film battle takes place men are often wounded by accident, and it is
+necessary to maintain a real hospital on the scene.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't believe any one's hurt,&quot; remarked Mr. Robertson, who did
+juvenile leads.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Unless it might be C. C.,&quot; remarked Mr. Levinberg, who was usually cast
+as a villain. &quot;And small loss if he was laid up for a week or so. We'd
+be more cheerful if he were.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is C. C. hurt?&quot; asked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No; but I guess he's pretty badly scared,&quot; answered Mr. Robertson.
+&quot;After this I guess he'll have more respect for a smoke bomb.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Was that what exploded?&quot; asked Mr. Hadley.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; replied the &quot;villain.&quot; He pointed to Mr.<a name="Page_15" id="Page_15"></a> C. C. Piper walking
+along in the midst of a group of soldiers. &quot;It happened this way: We
+were talking about the battle scene, and C. C. kept saying it would be a
+failure when projected because the smoke bombs were not timed right. He
+said they should explode closer to the firing line, and some of the men
+who handled them said they held them as long as they dared before
+throwing them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Old C. C. sneered at this, and said he could hold a smoke bomb until
+the fuse was burned down out of sight, and then throw it and get better
+results. So they dared him to try it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well?&quot; asked Mr. Hadley, as the actor paused.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, C. C. did it. He held the smoke bomb, all right, but he didn't
+throw it soon enough, and, as a result, it exploded almost in his face.
+Lucky it's only made of heavy paper and not very powerful powder, so he
+was only knocked down and scorched a little. But I guess he'll have more
+respect for smoke bombs after this.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Foolish fellow!&quot; remarked Mr. Hadley. &quot;He never will listen to reason.
+I hope he isn't badly hurt.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's only his feelings, mostly,&quot; declared the juvenile actor.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Piper, otherwise called C. C., came limping along toward the
+producer and the moving picture boys.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_16" id="Page_16"></a>Mr. Hadley, you may have my resignation, effective at once!&quot; cried the
+tragedian.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, don't say that, Mr. Piper. You're not hurt&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, it isn't any thanks to one of your men that I'm not. I offered to
+show them how to throw a smoke bomb, and they gave me one with an extra
+short fuse. It went off almost in my face. If my looks aren't ruined my
+nerves are, and&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No danger of your <i>nerve</i> being gone,&quot; murmured Blake, nudging his
+chum.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I should say not!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Anyhow, I resign!&quot; declared C.C. savagely.</p>
+
+<p>But, as he did this on the average of twice a week, it had become so now
+that no one paid any attention to him. Mr. Hadley, seeing that he was in
+no danger and hardly even painfully scorched, no longer worried about
+the gloomy comedian.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And now to get back to what we were talking about before that
+interruption came,&quot; said Mr. Hadley to the moving picture boys. &quot;Do you
+think you'd like to tackle the job?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is it?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Give us an idea,&quot; added his chum.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, it isn't going to be any easy work,&quot; went on the producer. &quot;And I
+might as well tell you, first as last, that it will be positively
+dangerous on all sides.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_17" id="Page_17"></a>Like anything we've done before?&quot; Blake wanted to know.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not exactly. Earthquake Land is as near like it as anything that occurs
+to me. In short, how would you like to go to Europe?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;To the war?&quot; cried Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes; but to take films, not prisoners!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Great!&quot; cried Blake. &quot;That suits me, all right!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The same here!&quot; agreed Joe instantly. &quot;Tell us more about it!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I will in a few days,&quot; promised the producer. &quot;I have several details
+to arrange. Meanwhile, I have a little commission for you along the same
+line, but it's right around here&mdash;or, rather, down in Wrightstown, New
+Jersey, at one of the army camps.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I can tell you this much: If you go to Europe, it will be as special
+agents of Uncle Sam, making films for the use of the army. You will be
+commissioned, if my plans work out, though you will be non-combatants.
+The war department wants reliable films, and they asked me to get some
+for them. I at once thought of you two as the best camera men I could
+pick out. I also have a contract for getting some films here of army
+encampment scenes, and you can do these while I'm waiting to perfect my
+other arrangements, if you like.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Down at Wrightstown, is it?&quot; cried Joe. &quot;Well,<a name="Page_18" id="Page_18"></a> I guess we can take
+that in. How about it, Blake?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sure we can. That is, if you're through with us on this serial.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes. The most important scenes of that are made now, and some of my
+other camera men will do for what is left. So if you want to go to the
+Jersey camp I'll get your papers ready.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We'll go,&quot; decided Blake.</p>
+
+<p>Two days later, during which they wondered at and discussed the
+possibilities of making films on the battle fronts of Europe, the two
+youths were in Wrightstown.</p>
+
+<p>One incident occurred while they were at work there that had a
+considerable bearing on what afterward happened to them. This was after
+Joe and Blake had finished making a fine set of films, showing the
+drilling of Uncle Sam's new soldiers, the views to be used to encourage
+enlistments about the country.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;These are some of the best views we've taken yet in this particular
+line,&quot; observed Joe to Blake, as they sent the boxed reels to New York
+by one of their helpers to be developed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I think so myself. Of course, they're peaceful, compared to what
+we may take in France, but&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He was interrupted by the unexpected return of Charles Anderson,
+nicknamed &quot;Macaroni,&quot; their <a name="Page_19" id="Page_19"></a>chief helper, who hurriedly entered the
+tent assigned to the two boys.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's the trouble, Mac?&quot; asked Joe, that being the shortened form of
+the nickname. &quot;You look worried.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And so would you, Joe, if you'd had an accident like mine!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;An accident?&quot; cried Blake, in some alarm.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes! At least, he <i>said</i> it was an accident!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who said so?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That Frenchman!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What accident was it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, he ran into me with his auto, and the army films are all
+spoiled&mdash;light-struck!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Whew!&quot; whistled Blake, and Joe despairingly banged his fist against his
+camera.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III" /><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20"></a>CHAPTER III</h2>
+
+<h3>MONSIEUR SECOR</h3>
+
+
+<p>Macaroni sank down on a chair. Blake said, afterward, their young
+assistant gave a very fair imitation, as far as regarded the look on his
+face, of C.C. Piper.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ruined! Just plumb ruined!&quot; murmured Charles Anderson.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But what happened? Tell us about it!&quot; begged Joe. &quot;You say some one ran
+into you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes. I was in the small auto taking the films you gave me to the
+station, and I had just about time to catch the express when I saw this
+fellow turning out of one of the side streets of the camp.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What fellow?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know his name,&quot; answered Macaroni. &quot;But he's a Frenchman sent
+here, I've heard, to help instruct our men. He's some sort of officer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And his machine ran into yours?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Smack into me!&quot; answered his helper. &quot;Knocked <a name="Page_21" id="Page_21"></a>the box of films out on
+the road, and one wheel went over it. Cracked the box clean open, and,
+of course, as the film wasn't developed, it's light-struck now, and
+you'll have to take all those marching scenes over again!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's bad!&quot; murmured Joe. &quot;Very bad!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did you say it was an <i>accident</i>?&quot; asked Blake pointedly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's what <i>he</i> said,&quot; replied Charlie. &quot;He made all sorts of
+apologies, admitted it was all his fault, and all that. And it was,
+too!&quot; burst out Macaroni. &quot;I guess I know how to be careful of
+undeveloped films! Great hopping hippodromes, if I couldn't drive a car
+any better than that Frenchman, I'd get out of the army! How he has any
+license to buy gasolene, I can't imagine! This is how it was,&quot; and he
+went into further details of the occurrence.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I brought the films back, covering 'em with a black cloth as soon as I
+could,&quot; went on Charles; &quot;but I guess it's too late.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let's have a look,&quot; suggested Blake. &quot;It may not be so bad as you
+think.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But it was&mdash;every bit, and Joe and Blake found they would have to make
+the whole series over, requiring the marching of thousands of men and
+consequent delay in getting the completed films to the various
+recruiting centers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_22" id="Page_22"></a>Well, if it has to be done, it has to be,&quot; said Joe, with a philosophic
+sigh. &quot;And making retakes may delay us in getting to Europe.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's right!&quot; agreed Blake. &quot;But who is this fellow, anyhow, Charlie?
+And what made him so careless? An accident like this means a lot to us
+and to the Government.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I should say it did!&quot; agreed Macaroni. &quot;And it was the funniest
+accident I ever saw!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How so?&quot; asked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, a little while before you finished these films this same French
+officer was talking to me, asking if there were to be any duplicates of
+them, and questions like that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And you told him?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes. I didn't see any reason for keeping it secret. He isn't a German.
+If he had been I'd have kept quiet. But he's an accredited
+representative from the French Government, and is supposed to be quite a
+fighter. I thought he knew how to run an auto, but he backed and filled,
+came up on the wrong side of the road, and then plunged into me. Then he
+said his steering gear went back on him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mighty funny if it did, for it was all right just before and right
+after the accident. He was all kinds of ways sorry about it, offered to
+pay for the <a name="Page_23" id="Page_23"></a>damage, and all that. I told him that wouldn't take the
+pictures over again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And it won't,&quot; agreed Blake. &quot;That's the worst of it! Did you say you
+had seen this Frenchman before, Mac?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes; he's been around camp quite a while. You must have seen him too,
+you and Joe; but I guess you were so busy you didn't notice. He wears a
+light blue uniform, with a little gold braid on it, and he has one of
+those leather straps from his shoulder.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You mean a bandolier,&quot; suggested Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maybe that's it,&quot; admitted Macaroni. &quot;Anyhow, he's a regular swell, and
+he goes around a lot with the other camp officers. They seem to think he
+knows a heap about war. But, believe me, he doesn't know much about
+running an auto&mdash;or else he knows too much.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, seeing that he's the guest of this camp, and probably of Uncle
+Sam, we can't make too much of a row,&quot; observed Blake. &quot;I'll go and tell
+the commandant about the accident, and have him arrange for taking a new
+series of views. It's too bad, but it can't be helped.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It could have been helped if anybody with common sense had been running
+that auto, instead of a frog-eating, parlevooing Frenchman!&quot; cried
+Macaroni, who was much excited over the affair.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_24" id="Page_24"></a>That's no way to talk about one of our Allies,&quot; cautioned Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Humph!&quot; was all Charles answered, as he looked at the wrecked box of
+film. &quot;I s'pose he'll claim it was partly my fault.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, we know it wasn't,&quot; returned Blake consolingly. &quot;Come on, we'll
+get ready to do it over again; but, from the way Mr. Hadley wrote in his
+last letter, he'll be sorry about the delay.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is he eager for you to get over on the other side?&quot; asked the helper.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes. And I understand he asked if you wanted to go along as our
+assistant, Mac.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He did? First I wasn't going, but now I believe I will. I don't want to
+stay on the same side of the pond with that Frenchman! He may run into
+me again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't be a C. C.,&quot; laughed Joe. &quot;Cheer up!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I would if I saw anything to laugh at,&quot; was the response. &quot;But it sure
+is tough!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The moving picture boys felt also that the incident was unfortunate, but
+they were used to hard luck, and could accept it more easily than could
+their helper.</p>
+
+<p>The commanding officer at the camp was quite exercised over the matter
+of the spoiled films.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; he said to Blake when told about it, &quot;I suppose it can't be
+helped. It may delay matters a <a name="Page_25" id="Page_25"></a>bit, and we counted on the films as an
+aid in the recruiting. There have been a good many stories circulated,
+by German and other enemies of Uncle Sam, to the effect that the boys in
+camp are having a most miserable time.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of course you know and I know that this isn't so. But we can't reach
+every one to tell them that. Nor can the newspapers, helpful as they
+have been, reach every one. That is why we decided on moving pictures.
+They have a wider appeal than anything else.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So we army men felt that if we could show pictures of life as it
+actually is in camp, it would not only help enlistments, but would make
+the fathers and mothers feel that their sons were going to a place that
+was good for them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So they are; and our pictures will show it, too!&quot; exclaimed Blake. &quot;On
+account of the accident we'll be a bit delayed, and if that Frenchman
+runs his auto&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, perhaps the less said about it the better,&quot; cautioned the
+officer. &quot;He is our guest, you know, and if he was a bit awkward we must
+overlook it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And yet, after all, I wonder, with Mac, if it was a pure accident,&quot;
+mused Blake, as he walked off to join Joe and arrange for the retaking
+of the films that were spoiled. &quot;I wonder if it was an accident,&quot; he
+repeated.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26"></a>In the days that followed the destruction of the army films and while
+the arrangements for taking new pictures were being made, Joe and Blake
+heard several times from Mr. Hadley. The producer said he was going to
+send Macaroni abroad with the two boys, if the wiry little helper would
+consent to go; and to this Charles assented.</p>
+
+<p>He would be very useful to Joe and Blake, they felt, knowing their ways
+as he did, and being able to work a camera almost as well as they
+themselves.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did the boss tell you just what we were to do?&quot; asked Blake of Joe one
+day, when they were perfecting the details for taking the new pictures.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No. But he said he would write us in plenty of time. All I know is that
+we're to go to Belgium, or Flanders, or somewhere on the Western front,
+and make films. What we are to get mostly are pictures of our own boys.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Most of them are in France.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, then we'll go to France. We're to get scenes of life in the camps
+there, as well as in the trenches. They're for official army records,
+some of them, I believe.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And I hope that crazy Frenchman doesn't follow us over and spoil any
+more films,&quot; added Charles, who was loading a camera.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not much danger of that,&quot; was Joe's opinion.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come, don't nurse a grudge,&quot; advised Blake.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27"></a>It was about a week after this that the two boys were ready to take the
+first of the camp pictures over again.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Better make 'em double, so there won't be another accident,&quot; advised
+Charles.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, don't worry! We'll take care of them this time,&quot; said Blake.</p>
+
+<p>The long lines of khaki-clad soldiers marched and countermarched. They
+&quot;hiked,&quot; went into camp, cooked, rushed into the trenches, had bayonet
+drill, and some went up in aeroplanes. All of this was faithfully
+recorded by the films.</p>
+
+<p>Blake and Joe were standing together, waiting for the army officer to
+plan some new movements, when a voice behind the two lads asked:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pardon me! But are these the new official films?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Joe and Blake turned quickly before replying. They saw regarding them a
+slim young fellow with a tiny moustache. His face was browned, as if
+from exposure to sun and air, and he wore a well-fitting and attractive
+blue uniform with a leather belt about his waist and another over his
+shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, these are the official films,&quot; answered Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And are you the official artists?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Camera men&mdash;just plain camera men,&quot; corrected Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_28" id="Page_28"></a>Ah, I am interested!&quot; The man spoke with a slight, and not unpleasing,
+accent. &quot;Can you tell me something about your work?&quot; he asked. &quot;I am
+very much interested. I would like to know&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>At that moment Macaroni slid up to Blake with a roll of new film, and
+hoarsely whispered:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's the guy that knocked into me and spilled the beans!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Frenchman, for it was he, caught the words and smiled.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pardon,&quot; he murmured. &quot;Allow me to introduce myself. I am Monsieur
+Secor, and I believe I did have the misfortune to spoil some films for
+you. A thousand pardons!&quot; and Monsieur Secor, with a quick glance at the
+two boys, bowed low.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV" /><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29"></a>CHAPTER IV</h2>
+
+<h3>ALL ABOARD</h3>
+
+
+<p>Blake was about to make a sharp reply to the polite Frenchman, when he
+happened to remember what the commanding officer had said. That was that
+this man was, in reality, a guest of the nation. That he had come over
+instructed to give as much help as he could in getting the new soldiers
+in readiness to go &quot;over the top.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And so I guess I'd better not say what I was going to,&quot; mused Blake.
+Then, to Monsieur Secor he replied:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm sorry, but we're not supposed to talk about our work without the
+permission of the commanding officer. You see&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah, I comprehend!&quot; exclaimed the Frenchman, with another bow&mdash;a bow
+altogether too elaborate, Joe thought. &quot;That is as it should be! Always
+obey orders. I asked, casually, as I am much interested in this motion
+picture work, and I have observed some of it in my country. So it was
+your <a name="Page_30" id="Page_30"></a>films that I had the misfortune to spoil? I greatly regret it. I
+suppose it made much extra work for you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It did, Monsieur Secor,&quot; replied Joe rather shortly. &quot;That is the work
+we are doing now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And if you will excuse us,&quot; went on Blake, &quot;we shall have to leave this
+place and go to the other side of the parade ground. I'm sorry we cannot
+tell you more of our work, but you will have to get an order from&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Non! Non!&quot; and the blue-uniformed officer broke into a torrent of rapid
+French. &quot;It does not matter in the least,&quot; he began to translate. &quot;I
+asked more out of idle curiosity than anything else. I will watch as
+much of your work as is permissible for me to see. Later I shall observe
+the finished films, I hope.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you don't bust 'em again!&quot; murmured Macaroni, when out of the
+officer's hearing. &quot;I wouldn't trust you any too much,&quot; he added, as he
+and the two chums moved away to get views of the soldiers from a
+different angle.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's wrong between you and Monsieur Secor?&quot; asked Joe. &quot;I mean, aside
+from his having run into you, which he claims was an accident?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, maybe it was an accident, and maybe it wasn't,&quot; said Charles.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But that isn't all. I know you, Mac. What else <a name="Page_31" id="Page_31"></a>do you mean?&quot; demanded
+Blake, as Joe began to set up the camera in the new location.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I don't want to make any accusations, especially against a French
+officer, for I know they're on our side. But I heard that Sim and
+Schloss are pretty sore because you fellows got this work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sim and Schloss!&quot; repeated Blake. &quot;That Jew firm which tried to cut
+under us in the contract for making views of animals in Bronx Park?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's the firm,&quot; answered Macaroni. &quot;But they're even more German than
+they're Jews. But that's the firm I mean. One of their camera men was
+telling me the other day they thought they had this army work all to
+themselves, and they threw a fit when they heard that Hadley had it and
+had turned it over to you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It goes to show that Duncan and Stewart are making a name for
+themselves in the moving picture world,&quot; said Blake, with a smile.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It goes to show that you've got to look out for yourselves,&quot; declared
+Charlie Anderson. &quot;Those fellows will do you if they can, and I wouldn't
+be surprised to hear that this frog-eating chap was in with them, and
+maybe he spoiled your films on purpose, by running into me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Nonsense!&quot; cried Blake, speaking confidently, though at heart a little
+doubtful. &quot;In the first place. Monsieur Secor wouldn't do anything to
+aid a Ger<a name="Page_32" id="Page_32"></a>man firm. That's positive! Again he would have no object in
+spoiling our films.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He would if he's in with Sim and Schloss,&quot; suggested Joe, taking sides
+with their helper. &quot;If he could throw discredit on us, and make it
+appear that we were careless in doing our work, our rivals could go to
+the war department and, in effect, say: 'I told you so!' Then they could
+offer to relieve us of the contract.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I suppose that's true,&quot; admitted Blake. &quot;And we haven't any
+reason to like Sim and Schloss either. But I don't believe they could
+plot so far as to get a French officer to help them as against us.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, Charlie,&quot; he went on, having half convinced himself by his
+reasoning, &quot;I can't quite agree with you. I think it was an accident on
+the part of Monsieur Secor. By the way, what's his army title?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He's a lieutenant, I believe,&quot; answered Joe. &quot;Anyhow, he wears that
+insignia. He's mighty polite, that's sure.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Too polite,&quot; said Macaroni, with a grim smile. &quot;If he hadn't waited for
+me to pass him the other day he might not have rammed me. Well, it's all
+in the day's work, I reckon. Here they come, boys! Shoot!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Blake and Joe began grinding away at the camera cranks, with their
+helper to assist them. Charles<a name="Page_33" id="Page_33"></a> Anderson was more than a paid employee
+of the moving picture boys. He was a friend as well, and had been with
+the &quot;firm&quot; some time. He was devoted and faithful, and a good camera man
+himself, having helped film many large productions.</p>
+
+<p>In spite of what he had said, Blake Stewart was somewhat impressed by
+what Charles had told him. And for the next few days, during which he
+was busily engaged on retaking the films, he kept as close a watch as he
+could on Lieutenant Secor. However, the attitude and conduct of the
+Frenchman seemed to be above suspicion. He did not carry out his
+intention, if he really had it, of seeking permission from the
+commanding officer to observe more closely the work of Blake and Joe.
+And for a few days before the last of the new films had been taken the
+blue-uniformed officer was not seen around the camp.</p>
+
+<p>Blake and Joe were too busy to ask what had become of him. Then, too,
+other matters engaged their attention. For a letter came from Mr.
+Hadley, telling them and Charles to hold themselves in readiness to
+leave for England at any time.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's all settled,&quot; wrote the producer. &quot;I have signed the contracts to
+take moving picture films of our boys in the French trenches, and
+wherever else they go on the Western front. You will get de<a name="Page_34" id="Page_34"></a>tailed
+instructions, passes, and so on when you arrive on the other side.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When do we sail?&quot; asked Joe, after Blake had read him this letter, and
+when they were preparing to go back to New York, having finished their
+army camp work.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The exact date isn't settled,&quot; answered his partner. &quot;They keep it
+quiet until the last minute, you know, because some word might be
+flashed to Germany, and the submarines be on the watch for us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's so!&quot; exclaimed Joe. &quot;Say, wouldn't it be great if we could get
+one?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;One what?&quot; asked Blake, who was reading over again certain parts of Mr.
+Hadley's letter.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A submarine. I mean film one as it sent a torpedo to blow us out of the
+water. Wouldn't it be great if we could get that?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It would if the torpedo didn't get us first!&quot; grimly replied Blake. &quot;I
+guess I wouldn't try that if I were you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm going to, if I get a chance,&quot; Joe declared. &quot;It would make a great
+film, even a few feet of it. We could sell it to one of the motion
+weeklies for a big sum.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's hardly worth the risk,&quot; said Blake, &quot;and we're going to have
+plenty of risks on the other side, I guess.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_35" id="Page_35"></a>Does Mr. Hadley say how we are to go?&quot; asked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;From New York to Halifax, of course, and from there over to England.
+They search the ship for contraband at Halifax, I believe, or put her
+through some official form.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;From England we'll go to France and then be taken to the front. Just
+what will happen when we get on the other side nobody knows, I guess.
+We're to report at General Pershing's headquarters, and somebody there,
+who has this stunt in hand, will take charge of us. After that it's up
+to you and Charles and me, Joe.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I suppose it is. Well, we'll do our best!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sure thing!&quot; assented Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We will if some ninny of a frog-skinning Frenchman doesn't try to ram
+us with an airship!&quot; growled Macaroni. He had never gotten over the
+accident.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I believe you are growing childish, Mac!&quot; snapped Blake, in unusual
+ill-humor.</p>
+
+<p>The last of the army camp films had been made and sent in safety to the
+studios in New York, where the negatives would be developed, the
+positives, printed by electricity, cut and pasted to make an artistic
+piece of work, and then they would be ready for display throughout the
+United States, gaining recruits for Uncle Sam, it was hoped.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36"></a>Blake and Joe said good-bye to the friends they had made at the
+Wrightstown camp, and, with Macaroni, proceeded to Manhattan. There they
+were met by Mr. Hadley, who gave them their final instructions and
+helped them to get their outfits ready.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We'll take the regular cameras,&quot; said Blake, as he and Joe talked it
+over together, &quot;and also the two small ones that we can strap on our
+backs.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Better take the midget, too,&quot; suggested Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's too small,&quot; objected the lanky helper. &quot;It really is intended
+for aeroplane work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, we may get some of that,&quot; went on Joe. &quot;I'm game to go up if they
+want me to.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's right!&quot; chimed in Blake. &quot;I didn't think about that. We may have
+to make views from up near the clouds. Well, we did it once, and we can
+do it again. Pack the midget, Charlie.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So the small camera went into the outfit that was being made ready for
+the steamer. As Blake had said, he and his partner had, on one occasion,
+gone up in a military airship from Governor's Island, to make some views
+of the harbor. The experience had been a novel one, but the machine was
+so big, and they flew so low, that there was no discomfort or danger.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But if we have to go over the German lines, in one of those little
+machines that only hold two, <a name="Page_37" id="Page_37"></a>well, I'll hold my breath&mdash;that's all!&quot;
+declared Joe.</p>
+
+<p>Finally the last of the flank films and the cameras had been packed, the
+boys had been given their outfits, letters of introduction, passports,
+and whatever else it was thought they would need. They had bidden
+farewell to the members of the theatrical film company; and some of the
+young actresses did not try to conceal their moist eyes, for Blake and
+Joe were general favorites.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, do the best you can,&quot; said C. C. Piper to them, as he and some
+others accompanied the boys to the pier &quot;somewhere in New York.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We will,&quot; promised Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And if we don't meet again in this world,&quot; went on the tragic comedian,
+&quot;I'll hope to meet you in another&mdash;if there is one.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Cheerful chap, you are!&quot; said Blake. &quot;Don't you think we'll come back?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Christopher Cutler Piper shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You'll probably be blown up if a shell doesn't get you,&quot; he said. &quot;The
+mortality on the Western front is simply frightful, and the percentage
+is increasing every day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, cut it out!&quot; advised Charlie Anderson. &quot;Taking moving pictures
+over there isn't any more dangerous than filming a fake battle here when
+some chump of an actor lets off a smoke bomb with a short fuse!&quot;</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38"></a>At this reference to the rather risky trick C. C. had once tried, there
+was a general laugh, and amid it came the cry:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All aboard! All ashore that's going ashore!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The warning bells rang, passengers gathered up the last of their
+belongings, friends and relatives said tearful or cheerful good-byes,
+and the French liner, which was to bear the moving picture boys to
+Halifax, and then to England, was slowly moved away from her berth by
+pushing, fussing, steaming tugs.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, we're off!&quot; observed Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's so,&quot; agreed Joe. &quot;And I'm glad we've started.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You aren't the only ones who have done that,&quot; said Macaroni. &quot;Somebody
+else has started with you!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>For answer the lanky helper pointed across the deck. There, leaning up
+against a lifeboat, was Lieutenant Secor, smoking a cigarette and
+seemingly unconscious of the presence of the moving picture boys.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V" /><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39"></a>CHAPTER V</h2>
+
+<h3>ANXIOUS DAYS</h3>
+
+
+<p>For a moment even Blake, cool as he usually was, seemed to lose his
+head. He started in the direction of the Frenchman, against whom their
+suspicions were directed, thinking to speak to him, when Joe sprang from
+his chair.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll show him!&quot; exclaimed Blake's chum and partner, and this served to
+make Blake himself aware of the danger of acting too hastily. Quickly
+Blake put out his hand and held Joe back.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's the matter?&quot; came the sharp demand. &quot;I want to go and ask that
+fellow what he means by following us!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wouldn't,&quot; advised Blake, and now he had control of his own feelings.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why not?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because,&quot; answered Blake slowly, as he smiled at his chum, &quot;he might,
+with perfect truth and considerable reason, say it was none of your
+business.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_40" id="Page_40"></a>None of my business? None of our business that he follows us aboard
+this ship when we're going over to get official war films? Well, Blake
+Stewart, I did think you had some spunk, but&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Easy now,&quot; cautioned Macaroni. &quot;He's looking over here to see what the
+row's about. There! He's looking right at us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Frenchman did, indeed, seem to observe for the first time the
+presence of the boys so close to him. He looked over, bowed and smiled,
+but did not leave his place near the rail. He appeared to be occupied in
+looking at the docks and the shipping of New York harbor, glancing now
+at the tall buildings of New York, and again over at the Jersey shore
+and the Statue of Liberty.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come on back here&mdash;behind the deckhouse,&quot; advised Blake to his chum and
+Macaroni. &quot;We can talk then and he can't see us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And when they were thus out of sight, and the vessel was gathering way
+under her own power, Joe burst out with:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, what does all this mean? Why didn't you let me go over and ask him
+what he meant by following us on board this vessel?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I told you,&quot; answered Blake, &quot;that he'd probably tell you it was none
+of your business.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why isn't it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_41" id="Page_41"></a>Because this is a public vessel&mdash;that is, public in as much as all
+properly accredited persons who desire may go to England on her.
+Lieutenant Secor must have his passport, or he wouldn't be here. And, as
+this is a public place, he has as much right here as we have.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And of course if you had asked him, Joe, especially with the show of
+indignation you're wearing now, he would have told you, and with perfect
+right, that he had as much business here as you have. He didn't follow
+us here; I think he was on board ahead of us. But if he did follow us,
+he did no more than some of these other passengers did, who came up the
+gangplank after us. This is a public boat.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Joe looked at his chum a moment, and then a smile replaced the frown on
+his face.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I guess you're right,&quot; he announced. &quot;I forgot that anybody might
+come aboard as well as ourselves. But it does look queer&mdash;his coming
+here so soon after he spoiled our films; whether intentionally or not
+doesn't matter.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I agree with you there&mdash;that it does look funny,&quot; said Blake
+Stewart. &quot;But we mustn't let that fact get the better of our judgment.
+If there's anything wrong here, we've got to find it out, and we can't
+do it by going off half cocked.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, there's something wrong, all right,&quot; said<a name="Page_42" id="Page_42"></a> Charlie Anderson,
+smiling at his apparently contradictory statement. &quot;And we'll find out
+what it is, too! But I guess you're right, Blake. We've got to go slow.
+I'm going below to see if our stuff is safe.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, I don't imagine anything can have happened to it&mdash;so soon,&quot; said
+Blake. &quot;At the same time, we will be careful. Now we must remember that
+we may be altogether wrong in thinking this Frenchman is working against
+us in the interests of our rivals, Sim and Schloss. In fact, I don't
+believe that firm cares much about the contract we have, though they
+have tried to cut in under us on other matters. So we must meet
+Lieutenant Secor halfway if he makes any advances. It isn't fair to
+misjudge him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I suppose so,&quot; agreed Joe. &quot;Yet we must be on our guard against him.
+I'm not going to give him any information about what we are going across
+to do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's right,&quot; assented Blake. &quot;Don't talk too much to
+anybody&mdash;especially strangers. We'll be decent to this chap, but he is
+no longer a guest of our nation, and we don't have to go out of our way
+to be polite. Just be decent, that's all&mdash;and on the watch.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm with you,&quot; said Joe, as Macaroni came back to say that all was well
+in their cabin where they <a name="Page_43" id="Page_43"></a>had left most of their personal possessions.
+The cameras and the reels of unexposed film were in the hold with their
+heavy baggage, but they had kept with them a small camera and some film
+for use in emergencies.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;For we might sight a submarine,&quot; Joe had said. &quot;And if I get a chance,
+I'm going to film a torpedo.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>By this time the vessel was down in the Narrows, with the frowning forts
+on either side, and as they passed these harbor defenses Lieutenant
+Secor crossed the deck and nodded to the boys.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I did not know we were to be traveling companions,&quot; he said, with a
+smile.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Nor did we,&quot; added Blake. &quot;You are going back to France, then?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The lieutenant shrugged his shoulders in characteristic fashion.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who knows?&quot; he asked. &quot;I am in the service of my beloved country. I go
+where I am sent. I am under orders, Messieurs, and until I report in
+Paris I know not what duty I am to perform. But I am charmed to see you
+again, and rest assured I shall not repeat my lamentable blunder.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, I'll take good care you don't run into me,&quot; muttered Macaroni.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And you, my friends of the movies&mdash;you cam<a name="Page_44" id="Page_44"></a>era men, as you call
+yourselves&mdash;you are going to France also?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We don't know where we are going, any more than you do,&quot; said Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah, then you are in the duty, too? You are under orders?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In a way, yes,&quot; said Blake. &quot;We are, if you will excuse me for saying
+so, on a sort of mission&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah, I understand, monsieur! A thousand pardons. It is a secret mission,
+is it not? Tut! Tut! I must not ask! You, too, are soldiers in a way. I
+must not talk about it. Forget that I have asked you. I am as silent as
+the graveyard. What is that delightful slang you have&mdash;remember it no
+more? Ah, I have blundered! Forget it! Now I have it! I shall forget
+it!&quot; and, with a gay laugh, he smiled at the boys, and then, nodding,
+strolled about the deck.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He's jolly enough, anyhow,&quot; remarked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, and perhaps we have wronged him,&quot; said Blake. &quot;The best way is not
+to talk too much to him. We might let something slip out without knowing
+it. Let him jabber as much as he likes. We'll just saw wood.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I suppose he'd call that some more of our delightful slang, and
+translate it 'render into small pieces portions of the forest trees for
+the morning <a name="Page_45" id="Page_45"></a>fire,'&quot; laughed Joe. &quot;Well, Blake, I guess you're right.
+We've got to keep things under our hats!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And watch our cameras and films,&quot; added Charlie. &quot;No more
+accidental-purpose collisions for mine!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In the novelty and excitement of getting fairly under way the moving
+picture boys forgot, for the time being, the presence of one who might
+be not only an enemy of theirs but of their country also. It was not the
+first time Blake and Joe had undertaken a long voyage, but this was
+under auspices different from any other.</p>
+
+<p>The United States was at war with a powerful and unscrupulous nation.
+There were daily attacks on merchantmen, as well as on war vessels, by
+the deadly submarine, and there was no telling, once they reached the
+danger zone, what their own fate might be.</p>
+
+<p>So even the start of the voyage was different from one that might have
+been taken under more favorable skies. Soon after they had passed into
+the lower bay word was passed that the passengers would be assigned to
+&quot;watches,&quot; or squads, for lifeboat drill, in anticipation of reaching
+the dangerous submarine zone.</p>
+
+<p>And then followed anxious days, not that there was any particular danger
+as yet from hostile craft, <a name="Page_46" id="Page_46"></a>but every one anticipated there would be,
+and there was a grim earnestness about the lifeboat drills.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have been through it all before&mdash;when I came over,&quot; said Lieutenant
+Secor to the boys; &quot;but it has not lost its terrible charm. It is a part
+of this great war!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And as the ship plowed her way on toward her destination the anxious
+days became more anxious, and there were strained looks on the faces of
+all.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI" /><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47"></a>CHAPTER VI</h2>
+
+<h3>A QUEER CONFERENCE</h3>
+
+
+<p>Halifax was safely reached, nothing more exciting having occurred
+between that port and New York than a severe thunder storm, and, after
+the usual inspection by the English authorities, the ship bearing the
+moving picture boys was once more on her way.</p>
+
+<p>The lifeboat drills were rigorously kept up, and now, as the real voyage
+had begun, with each day bringing nearer the dreaded submarine peril,
+orders were given in regard to the display of lights after dark. The
+passengers were ordered to be in readiness, to keep life preservers at
+hand, and were told that as soon as the actual danger zone was reached
+it would be advisable for all to keep their clothing on at night as well
+as during the day.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But the destroyers will convoy us, won't they?&quot; asked Charlie Anderson.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, yes! They'll be on hand to greet us when the time comes,&quot; answered
+Blake. &quot;Uncle Sam's <a name="Page_48" id="Page_48"></a>as well as King George's. But, for all that, a
+submarine may slip in between them and send a torpedo to welcome us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then's when I'm going to get busy with the small camera,&quot; declared Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A heap of good it'll do you to get some pictures of it, if the ship is
+blown up,&quot; remarked his chum.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, well, I'm going to take a chance. Every ship that's torpedoed
+doesn't sink, and we may be one of the lucky ones. And if I should
+happen to get some views of a destroyer sinking a submarine&mdash;why, I'd
+have something that any camera man in the world would be proud of!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's right!&quot; agreed Blake. &quot;But don't take any chances.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Joe promised to heed this advice, and he was really enthusiastic about
+his chance of getting a view of an oncoming torpedo. That he might get
+views of a warship or a destroyer sinking one of the Hun undersea boats
+was what he dreamed about night and day.</p>
+
+<p>It was the day before they were actually to enter the danger zone&mdash;the
+zone marked off in her arrogance by Germany&mdash;that something occurred
+which made even cautious Blake think that perhaps they were justified in
+their suspicions of the Frenchman.</p>
+
+<p>The usual lifeboat drills had been held, and the <a name="Page_49" id="Page_49"></a>passengers were
+standing about in small groups, talking of what was best to be done in
+case the torpedo or submarine alarm should be given, when Macaroni, who
+had been down in the cabin, came up and crossed the deck to where Blake
+and Joe were talking to two young ladies, to whom they had been
+introduced by the captain.</p>
+
+<p>By one of the many signs in use among moving picture camera men, which
+take the place of words when they are busy at the films, Macaroni gave
+the two chums to understand he wanted to speak to them privately and at
+once. The two partners remained a little longer in conversation, and
+then, making their excuses, followed their helper to a secluded spot.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's up?&quot; demanded Joe. &quot;Have you made some views of a torpedo?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Or seen a periscope?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Neither one,&quot; Charlie answered. &quot;But if you want to see something that
+will open your eyes come below.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>His manner was so earnest and strange, and he seemed so moved by what he
+had evidently seen, that Blake and Joe, asking no further questions,
+followed him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is it?&quot; Joe demanded, as they were about to enter their cabin, one
+occupied by the three of them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_50" id="Page_50"></a>Look there!&quot; whispered the helper, as he pointed to a mirror on their
+wall.</p>
+
+<p>Blake and Joe saw something which made them open their eyes. It was the
+reflection of a strange conference taking place in the stateroom across
+the passageway from them, a conference of which a view was possible
+because of open transoms in both staterooms and mirrors so arranged that
+what took place in the one across the corridor was visible to the boys,
+yet they remained hidden themselves.</p>
+
+<p>Blake and Joe saw two men with heads close together over a small table
+in the center of the opposite stateroom. The tilted mirror transferred
+the view into their own looking-glass. The men appeared to be examining
+a map, or, at any rate, some paper, and their manner was secretive,
+alone though they were.</p>
+
+<p>But it was not so much the manner of the men as it was the identity of
+one that aroused the curiosity and fear of the moving picture
+boys&mdash;curiosity as to what might be the subject of the queer conference,
+and fear as to the result of it.</p>
+
+<p>For one of the men was Lieutenant Secor, the Frenchman, and the other
+was a passenger who, though claiming to be a wealthy Hebrew with
+American citizenship, was, so the boys believed, thoroughly German. He
+was down on the passenger list as Levi Labenstein, and he did bear some
+<a name="Page_51" id="Page_51"></a>resemblance to a Jew, but his talk had the unmistakable German accent.</p>
+
+<p>Not that there are not German Jews, but their tongue has not the knack
+of the pure, guttural German of Prussia. And this man's voice had none
+of the nasal, throaty tones of Yiddish.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Whew!&quot; whistled Joe, as he and Blake looked into the tell-tale mirror.
+&quot;That looks bad!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hush!&quot; cautioned Blake. &quot;The transoms are open and he may hear you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But a look into the reflecting glasses showed that the two men&mdash;the
+Frenchman and the German&mdash;had not looked up from their eager poring over
+the map, or whatever paper was between them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How long have they been this way?&quot; asked Blake, in a whisper, of
+Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know,&quot; Macaroni answered. &quot;I happened to see them when I came
+down to get something, and after I'd watched them a while I went to tell
+you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm glad you did,&quot; went on Blake; &quot;though I don't know what it
+means&mdash;if it means anything.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It means something, all right,&quot; declared Joe, and he, like the others,
+was careful to keep his voice low-pitched. &quot;It means treason, if I'm any
+judge!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Treason?&quot; repeated Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes; wouldn't you call it that if you saw one of <a name="Page_52" id="Page_52"></a>our army officers
+having a secret talk with a German enemy?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I suppose so,&quot; assented Blake. &quot;And yet Lieutenant Secor isn't one of
+our officers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, but he's been in our camps, and he's been a guest of Uncle Sam.
+He's been in a position to spy out some of the army secrets, and now we
+see him talking to this German.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But this man may <i>not</i> be a subject of the Kaiser,&quot; said Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sure he is!&quot; declared Charlie. &quot;He's no more a real Jew than I am! He's
+a Teuton! Germany has no love for the Jews, and they don't have any use
+for the Huns. Take my word for it, fellows, there's something wrong
+going on here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It may be,&quot; admitted Blake; &quot;but does it concern us?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of course it does!&quot; declared Joe. &quot;This Frenchman may be betraying some
+of Uncle Sam's secrets to the enemy&mdash;not only our enemy, but the enemy
+of his own country.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I suppose there are traitorous Frenchmen,&quot; said Blake slowly, &quot;but
+they are mighty few.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But this means something!&quot; declared Macaroni.</p>
+
+<p>And Blake, slow as he was sometimes in forming an opinion, could not but
+agree with him.</p>
+
+<p>In silence the boys watched the two men at their queer conference. The
+tilted mirrors&mdash;one in each <a name="Page_53" id="Page_53"></a>stateroom&mdash;gave a perfect view of what went
+on between the Frenchman and the German, as the boys preferred to think
+Labenstein, but the watchers themselves were not observed. This they
+could make sure of, for several times one or the other of the men across
+the corridor looked up, and full into the mirror on their own wall, but
+they gave no indication of observing anything out of the ordinary.</p>
+
+<p>The mirrors were fastened in a tilted position to prevent them from
+swinging as the ship rolled, and as they did not sway there was an
+unchanged view to be had.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wonder what they're saying,&quot; observed Blake.</p>
+
+<p>They could only guess, however, for though the men talked rapidly and
+eagerly, as evidenced by their gestures, what they said was not audible.
+Though both transoms were open, no sound came from the room opposite
+where the boys were gathered. The men spoke too low for that.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I guess they know it's dangerous to be found out,&quot; said Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But we ought to find out what it's about!&quot; declared Macaroni.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I think we ought,&quot; assented Blake. &quot;This Frenchman has been in our
+country, going about from camp to camp according to his own story, and
+he must have picked up a lot of information.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And he knows about our pictures, too!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_54" id="Page_54"></a>Well, I don't imagine what we have taken, so far, will be of any great
+value to Germany, assuming that Lieutenant Secor is a spy and has told
+about them,&quot; Blake said.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We've got to find out something about this, though, haven't we?&quot; asked
+Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think we ought to try,&quot; agreed his chum. &quot;Perhaps we should tell
+Captain Merceau. He's a Frenchman, and will know how to deal with
+Secor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good idea!&quot; exclaimed Joe. &quot;If we could only get him down here to see
+what we've seen, it would clinch matters. I wonder&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But Joe ceased talking at a motion from Blake, who silently pointed at
+the mirror. In that way they saw the reflection of the men in the other
+cabin. They arose from their seats at the table, and the map or whatever
+papers they had been looking at, were put away quietly in the
+Frenchman's pocket.</p>
+
+<p>He and the German, as the boys decided to call Labenstein, spoke in
+whispers once more, and then shook hands, as if to seal some pact.</p>
+
+<p>Then, as the boys watched, Lieutenant Secor opened the door of the
+stateroom, which had been locked. He stepped out into the corridor, and
+was now lost to view.</p>
+
+<p>The next moment, to the surprise of Blake and <a name="Page_55" id="Page_55"></a>his two friends, there
+came a knock on their own door, and a voice asked:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are you within, young gentlemen of the cameras? I am Lieutenant Secor!&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII" /><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56"></a>CHAPTER VII</h2>
+
+<h3>&quot;PERISCOPE AHOY!&quot;</h3>
+
+
+<p>Sudden and unexpected was the knocking, and it found the boys unready to
+answer it. They had no idea that the conspirators&mdash;either or both of
+them&mdash;would come directly from their conference to the room where a
+watch had been kept on them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you think he saw us?&quot; asked Joe, in a whisper.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;S'posing he did?&quot; demanded Charlie. &quot;We have the goods on him, all
+right.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Blake held up a hand to enjoin silence, though the remarks of his
+friends had been made in the lowest of tones.</p>
+
+<p>The knock was given again, and the voice of the Frenchman asked:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are you within, my friends of the camera? I wish to speak with you!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;One moment!&quot; called Blake, in a tone he tried <a name="Page_57" id="Page_57"></a>to make pleasant. Then
+he motioned to Joe and Charlie to seem to be busy over the midget
+camera, which was kept ready for instant use. At the same moment Blake
+threw a black focusing cloth over the mirror, for he thought the
+Frenchman might notice that it was in a position to reflect whatever
+took place in the opposite room.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Act natural&mdash;as if you were getting ready to make some pictures,&quot; Blake
+whispered in Joe's ear, and then opened the door.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pardon me for disturbing you,&quot; began Lieutenant Secor, &quot;but I have just
+come down from on deck. They are having a special lifeboat drill, and I
+thought perhaps you might like to get some views of it. Also, I have a
+favor to ask of you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come in,&quot; said Blake, as he opened the door wider. At the same time he
+noticed that the door of the stateroom across the corridor was shut.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Just came down from deck, did he?&quot; mused Joe, as he took note of the
+Frenchman's false statement. &quot;Well, he must have run up and run down
+again in jig fashion to be able to do that. I wonder what he wants to
+ask us?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Joe and Charlie pretended to be adjusting the small camera, and Blake
+smiled a welcome he did not feel. Black suspicion was in his heart
+against the Frenchman. An open enemy Blake could understand, but not a
+spy or a traitor.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_58" id="Page_58"></a>I thought perhaps you might like to get some of the views from on
+deck,&quot; went on Lieutenant Secor, smiling his white-toothed smile. &quot;They
+are even lowering boats into the water&mdash;a realistic drill!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Blake looked at Joe as much as to ask if it would be advisable to get
+some views. At the same time Blake made a sign which Joe interpreted to
+mean:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Go up on deck and see what's going on&mdash;you and Charlie. I'll take care
+of him down here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come on!&quot; Joe remarked to their helper, as he gathered up the small
+camera. &quot;We'll take this in.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I thought you might like it,&quot; said the Frenchman. &quot;That's why I hurried
+down to tell you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now I wonder,&quot; thought Blake to himself, as Joe made ready to leave,
+&quot;why he thinks it worth his while to tell that untruth? What is his
+game?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>At the same time an uneasy thought came to Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If we go up and leave Blake alone with this fellow, may not something
+happen? Perhaps he'll attack Blake!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But that thought no sooner came than it was dismissed, for, Joe
+reasoned, what harm could happen to his chum, who was well able to take
+care of himself? True, the Frenchman might be armed, but so was Blake.
+Then, too, there could be no object in attacking Blake. He had little of
+value on his person, and the films and cameras were not in <a name="Page_59" id="Page_59"></a>the
+stateroom. And there were no films of any value as yet, either.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Guess I'm doing too much imagining,&quot; said Joe to himself. &quot;This fellow
+may be a plotter and a spy in German pay&mdash;and I haven't any doubt but
+what he is&mdash;but I reckon Blake can look after himself. Anyhow, he wants
+me to leave Secor to him, and I'll do it. But not too long!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Joe and Charlie, taking the small camera with them, went up on deck.
+There they did find an unusual lifeboat drill going on. The danger zone
+was now so close that Captain Merceau and his officers of the ship were
+taking no chances. They wanted to be prepared for the worst, and so they
+had the men passengers practise getting into the boats, which were
+lowered into the water and rowed a short distance away from the ship.</p>
+
+<p>The women and children, of whom there were a few on board, watched from
+the decks, taking note of how to get into the boats, and how best to act
+once they were in their places.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Going to film this?&quot; asked Charlie of Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, I think not,&quot; was the answer. &quot;It's interesting, but there have
+been lots of drills like it. If it were the real thing, now, I'd shoot;
+but I'm going to save the film on the chance of getting a sub or a
+torpedo. This is a sort of bluff on the part of you and me, anyhow.
+Blake wanted to get us out of <a name="Page_60" id="Page_60"></a>the cabin while he tackled Secor, I
+reckon. What <i>his</i> game is I don't know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I can come pretty near to guessing,&quot; said Macaroni, as he stretched his
+lank legs, which had, in part, earned him the nickname. &quot;That fake
+lieutenant is planning some game with the German spy, that's his game.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maybe,&quot; admitted Joe. &quot;But I don't see how we figure in it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Perhaps we will after we've gotten some reels of valuable film,&quot;
+suggested Charlie. &quot;Don't crow until you've ground out the last bit of
+footage.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, that's right. Look, that boat's going to spill if I'm any judge!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Excited shouts and a confusion of orders drew the attention of the boys
+and many others to a lifeboat where, amidships on the port side, it was
+being lowered away as part of the drill. There were a number of sailors
+in it&mdash;part of the crew&mdash;and, as Joe and Charlie watched, one of the
+falls became jammed with the result that the stern of the boat was
+suddenly lowered while the bow was held in place.</p>
+
+<p>As might have been expected, the sudden tilting of the boat at an acute
+angle threw the occupants all into one end. There were yells and shouts,
+and then came splashes, as one after another fell into the ocean.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61"></a>Women and children screamed and men hoarsely called to one another. For
+a moment it looked as though the safety drill would result in a tragedy,
+and then shrill laughter from the men who had fallen into the water, as
+well as cries of merriment from those who still clung to the boat,
+showed that, if not intended as a joke, the happening had been turned
+into one.</p>
+
+<p>The sailors were all good swimmers, the day was sunny and the water
+warm, and in a short time another boat had been rowed to the scene of
+the upset, and those who went overboard were picked up, still laughing.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I might have taken that if I had known they were going to pull a stunt
+like that,&quot; said Joe, a bit regretfully. &quot;However, I guess we'll get all
+the excitement we want when we get to the war front.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I believe you!&quot; exclaimed Charlie. &quot;There's our German spy,&quot; he added,
+pointing to the dark-complexioned and bearded man who had been seen,
+through the mirrors' reflections, talking to the Frenchman. He had
+evidently hurried up on deck to ascertain the cause of the confusion,
+for he was without collar or tie.</p>
+
+<p>The boat was righted, the wet sailors went laughing below to change into
+dry garments, and the passengers resumed their usual occupations which,
+in the main, consisted of nervously watching the heav<a name="Page_62" id="Page_62"></a>ing waves for a
+sight of a periscope, or a wake of bubbles that might tell of an
+on-speeding torpedo.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Labenstein, to credit him with the name on the passenger list, gave
+a look around, and, seeing that there was no danger, at once went below
+again.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Wonder how Blake's making out?&quot; asked Charlie of Joe, as they walked
+the deck. &quot;Do you think we'd better go down?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not until we get some word from him. Hello! Here he is now!&quot; and Joe
+pointed to their friend coming toward them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well?&quot; asked Joe significantly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Nothing much,&quot; answered Blake. &quot;He was as nice and affable as he always
+is. Just talked about the war in general terms. Said the Allies and
+Uncle Sam were sure to win.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did he want anything?&quot; asked Charlie. &quot;He said he was going to ask a
+favor, you know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, he hinted for information as to what we were going to do on the
+other side, but I didn't give him any satisfaction. Then he wanted to
+know whether we would consider an offer from the French Government.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What'd you say to that?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I didn't give him a direct answer. Said I'd think about it. I thought
+it best to string him along. No telling what may be behind it all.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You're right,&quot; agreed Joe. &quot;Lieutenant Secor <a name="Page_63" id="Page_63"></a>will bear watching. Did
+he have any idea we were observing him?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think not. If he did, he didn't let on. But I thought sure, when he
+came across the corridor and knocked, that he'd discovered us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So did I, and I was all ready to bluff him out. But we'll have to be on
+the watch, and especially on the other side.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What do you mean?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I have an idea he's after our films, the same as he was before,
+either to spoil them or get them for some purpose of his own. Just now
+we aren't taking any, and he hasn't any desire, I suppose, to get
+possession of the unexposed reels. But when we begin to make pictures of
+our boys in the trenches, and perhaps of some engagements, we'll have to
+see that the reels are well guarded.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We will,&quot; agreed Blake. &quot;What was going on up here? We heard a racket,
+and Labenstein rushed up half dressed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Lifeboat spilled&mdash;no harm done,&quot; explained Charlie. &quot;Well, I might as
+well take this camera below if we're not going to use it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come on, Blake,&quot; urged Joe. &quot;They're going to have gun drill. Let's
+watch.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The vessel carried four quick-firing guns for use against submarines,
+one each in the bow and stern, and one on either beam. The gunners were
+from<a name="Page_64" id="Page_64"></a> Uncle Sam's navy and were expert marksmen, as had been evidenced
+in practice.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are we in the danger zone yet?&quot; asked one of the two young women whose
+acquaintance Blake and Joe had made through the courtesy of Captain
+Merceau.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, yes,&quot; Blake answered. &quot;We have been for some time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I thought when we got there we would be protected by warships or
+torpedo-boat destroyers,&quot; said Miss Hanson.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We're supposed to be,&quot; replied Joe. &quot;I've been looking for a sight of
+one. They may be along any minute. Look, there comes a messenger from
+the wireless room. He's going to the bridge where the captain is. Maybe
+that's word from a destroyer now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Interestedly they watched the messenger make his way to the bridge with
+a slip of paper in his hand. And then, before he could reach it, there
+came a hail from the lookout in the crow's nest high above the deck.</p>
+
+<p>He called in French, but Joe and Blake knew what he said. It was:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Periscope ahoy! Two points off on the port bow! Periscope ahoy!&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII" /><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65"></a>CHAPTER VIII</h2>
+
+<h3>BEATEN OFF</h3>
+
+
+<p>Decks that, a moment, before, had exhibited scenes of quietness, though
+there was a nervous tenseness on all sides, at once assumed feverish
+activity. Officers on duty, hearing the cry of the lookout, called to
+him to repeat his message, which he did, with the added information that
+the submarine, as evidenced by the appearance of the periscope cutting
+the water, was approaching nearer, and with great swiftness.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here she comes, Blake!&quot; cried Joe, as the two boys stood together at
+the spot from which they had been watching the wireless messenger a
+moment before. &quot;Here she comes! Now for a chance at a picture!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You're not going below, are you?&quot; cried Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why not?&quot; asked Joe, pausing on his way to the companionway.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, we may be blown up at any moment! We may be hit by a torpedo! I
+don't see why they <a name="Page_66" id="Page_66"></a>haven't loosed one at us before this, as their
+periscope is in sight. You shouldn't go below now! Stay on deck, where
+you'll have a chance to get in the boat you're assigned to!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I've got to go below to get the small camera,&quot; answered Joe. &quot;I ought
+to have kept it on deck. I'm going to, after this, to have it ready.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, Joe, the torpedo may be on its way now&mdash;under water!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's just what I want to get a picture of! I guess if we're going to
+be blown up, being below deck or on deck doesn't make much difference. I
+want to get that picture!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And, seeing that his chum was very much in earnest, Blake, not to let
+Joe do it alone, went below with him to get the camera. But on the way
+they met Charlie coming up with it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;She's all loaded, boys, ready for action!&quot; cried the lanky Macaroni. &quot;I
+started down for it as soon as I heard the lookout yell! I didn't know
+what he was jabbering about, seeing I don't understand much French, but
+I guessed it was a submarine. Am I right?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes!&quot; shouted Joe. &quot;Good work, Mac! Now for a picture!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And while Joe and his two friends were thus making ready, in the face of
+imminent disaster, to get pictures of the torpedo that might be on its
+way <a name="Page_67" id="Page_67"></a>to sink the ship, many other matters were being undertaken.</p>
+
+<p>Passengers were being called to take the places previously assigned to
+them in the lifeboats. Captain Merceau and his officers, after a hasty
+consultation, were gathered on the bridge, looking for the first sight
+of the submarine, or, what was more vital, for the ripples that would
+disclose the presence of the torpedo.</p>
+
+<p>But perhaps the most eager of all, and certainly among the most active,
+were the members of the gun crews. On both sides of the vessel, and at
+bow and stern, the call to quarters had been answered promptly, and with
+strained but eager eyes the young men, under their lieutenants, were
+watching for the first fair sight of something at which to loose the
+missiles of the quick-firing guns.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Give it to her, lads! Give it to her! All you can pump in!&quot; yelled the
+commander of the squad on the port side, for it was off that bow that
+the lookout had sighted the periscope.</p>
+
+<p>And while the hurried preparations went on for getting the passengers
+into the lifeboats, at the falls of which the members of the crew stood
+ready to lower away, there came from the port gun a rattle and barking
+of fire.</p>
+
+<p>The periscope had disappeared for a moment after the lookout had sighted
+it, but a slight dis<a name="Page_68" id="Page_68"></a>turbance in the water, a ripple that was different
+from the line of foam caused by the breaking waves, showed where it had
+been.</p>
+
+<p>And by the time Joe and Blake, with the help of Charlie, had set up
+their small camera, the tell-tale indicator of an undersea boat was
+again in view, coming straight for the steamer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There she is!&quot; cried Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I see her!&quot; answered Joe, as he focussed the lens of the machine on the
+object &quot;I'll get her as soon as she breaks!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The mewing picture boys, as well as Charlie, had forgotten all about the
+need of taking their places at the stations assigned to them, to be in
+readiness to get into a boat. They were sharply reminded of this by one
+of the junior officers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Take your places! Take your places!&quot; he cried.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not yet!&quot; answered Joe. &quot;We want to get a shot at her first!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, young gentlemen, you must not shoot with that. It will be
+ineffectual! Let the gunners do their work, I beg of you. Take your
+places at the boats!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's all right!&quot; exclaimed Blake &quot;We're only going to shoot some
+moving pictures.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah, what brave rashness!&quot; murmured the French officer, as he hurried
+away.</p>
+
+<p>Blake and Joe, with Charlie to steady the ma<a name="Page_69" id="Page_69"></a>chine, for the steamer was
+now zigzagging at high speed in an effort to escape the expected
+torpedo, were taking pictures of the approach of the submarine. The
+underwater craft was still coming on, her periscope in the midst of a
+hail of fire from the steamer's guns. For, now that the vessel was
+making turns, it was possible for two gun crews, alternately, to fire at
+the German boat.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There goes the periscope!&quot; yelled Charlie, as a burst of shots,
+concentrated on the brass tube, seemed to dispose of it.</p>
+
+<p>But he had spoken too soon. The submarine had merely drawn the periscope
+within herself, it being of the telescope variety, and the next moment,
+with a movement of the water as if some monster leviathan were breaking
+from the ocean depths, the steel-plated and rivet-studded back of the
+submarine rose, glistening in the sun and in full view of those on deck,
+not two hundred yards away.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There she blows!&quot; cried Charlie, as an old salt might announce the
+presence of a whale. &quot;There she blows! Film her, boys!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And Blake and Joe were doing just that.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile even wilder excitement, if possible, prevailed on deck. There
+was a rush for the boats that nearly overwhelmed the crews stationed to
+lower them from the sides, and the officers had all they could do to
+preserve order.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_70" id="Page_70"></a>The torpedo! The torpedo at the stern!&quot; cried the lookout, who,
+notwithstanding his position of almost certain death should the ship be
+struck, had not deserted his elevated post. &quot;They have loosed a torpedo
+at the stern!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Blake and Joe, who were well aft, looked for a moment away from the
+submarine, and saw a line of bubbles approaching the stern and a ripple
+that indicated the presence of that dread engine of war&mdash;an air-driven
+torpedo.</p>
+
+<p>And as if the ship herself knew what doom awaited her should the torpedo
+so much as touch her, she increased her speed, and to such good purpose
+that the mass of gun-cotton, contained in the steel cylinder that had
+been launched from the submarine, passed under the stern. But only a few
+feet from the rudder did it pass. By such a little margin was the ship
+saved.</p>
+
+<p>And then, having a broader mark at which to aim, the gunners sent a
+perfect hail of lead and shells at the underwater boat, and with such
+effect that some hits were made. Whether or not they were vital ones it
+was impossible to learn, for there was a sudden motion to the submarine,
+which had been quietly resting on the surface for a moment, and then she
+slipped beneath the waves again.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Driven off!&quot; cried Blake, as he and Joe got the final pictures of this
+drama&mdash;a drama that had <a name="Page_71" id="Page_71"></a>come so near being a tragedy. &quot;They've beaten
+her off!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But we're not safe yet!&quot; cried Charlie. &quot;She may shoot another torpedo
+at us from under water&mdash;she can do that, all right! Look out, boys!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There was need of this, yet it was impossible to do more toward saving
+one's life than to take to the boats. And even that, under the inhuman
+and ruthless system of the Huns, was no guarantee that one would be
+saved. Lifeboats had, more than once, been shelled by Germans.</p>
+
+<p>The appearance of the submarine had added to the panic caused by the
+sight of the periscope, and there was a rush for the boats that took all
+the power and authority of the officers to manage it.</p>
+
+<p>There was a period of anxious waiting, but either the submarine had no
+other torpedoes, or, if she did fire any, they went wide, or, again, the
+gunfire from the vessel may have disabled her entirely. She did not
+again show herself above the surface. Even the periscope was not
+observed.</p>
+
+<p>Having nothing to picture, Blake and Joe turned away from the camera for
+a moment. Some of the lifeboats had already been filled with their loads
+when Charlie, pointing to something afar off, cried:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here comes another boat!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>On the horizon a dense cloud of black smoke showed.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX" /><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72"></a>CHAPTER IX</h2>
+
+<h3>SUSPICIONS</h3>
+
+
+<p>For a moment there was more terror and excitement aboard the <i>Jeanne</i>,
+if it were possible, after it became certain that another craft, the
+nature of which none knew, was headed toward the French steamer. Then an
+officer gifted with sound common-sense, cried out in English, so that
+the majority could understand:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is a destroyer! It is a destroyer belonging to the Stars and Stripes
+coming to our rescue. Three cheers!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Nobody gave the three cheers, but it heartened every one to hear them
+called for, and the real meaning of the smoke was borne to all.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of course it can't be a submarine!&quot; exclaimed Blake. &quot;They don't send
+out any smoke, and there aren't any other German boats at sea. It's a
+destroyer!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;One of ours, do you think?&quot; asked Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_73" id="Page_73"></a>Perhaps. Uncle Sam has a lot of 'em over here to act as convoys.
+Probably this is our escort coming up a little late to the ball,&quot; said
+Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But we did very well by ourselves,&quot; observed Blake. &quot;It was a narrow
+squeak, though.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And indeed it was a narrow escape. The <i>Jeanne</i> had, unaided, driven off
+the undersea boat, and perhaps had damaged her by the rain of shot and
+shell poured at her steel sides. They could not feel sure of this,
+though, for the approach of the destroyer was probably known to the
+submarine, for they have underwater telephones which tell them, by means
+of the throbbing of the screws and propellers in the water, just about
+how far away another ship is, and what speed she is making, as well as
+the direction from which she is coming.</p>
+
+<p>Whether the submarine had expended her last torpedo, or whether having
+missed what she intended for a vital shot she deemed there was not time
+to launch another and had sunk out of sight, or whether she were
+disabled, were questions perhaps never to be answered.</p>
+
+<p>At any rate, the approach of the destroyer, which came on with amazing
+speed, served to make the <i>Jeanne</i> comparatively safe. The lifeboats
+were emptied of their passengers, and once more there was a feeling of
+comparative safety as the passengers again thronged the decks.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74"></a>On came the destroyer. She proved to be one of Uncle Sam's boats, and
+the joy with which she was greeted was vociferous and perhaps a little
+hysterical. She had learned by wireless of the appearance of the French
+craft in the danger zone, and had come to fulfill her mission. She had
+been delayed by a slight accident, or she would have been on hand when
+the submarine first approached.</p>
+
+<p>The wireless message that had come just as the German craft appeared had
+been from the destroyer, to bid those aboard the <i>Jeanne</i> have no fear,
+for help was on the way. And soon after the grim and swift craft from
+the United States had begun to slide along beside the <i>Jeanne</i> two more
+destroyers, one of them British, made their appearance, coming up with
+the speed of ocean greyhounds.</p>
+
+<p>There was great rejoicing among the passengers, and much credit was
+given the lookout for his promptness in reporting a sight of the
+submarine. Formal thanks were extended to the gun crews for their
+efficient work, without which the undersea boat might have accomplished
+her purpose. Nor were the boiler room and engineer forces forgotten, for
+it was because of the sudden burst of speed on the part of the <i>Jeanne</i>
+that she escaped that one torpedo at least.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now we'll be all right,&quot; Charlie said, as he <a name="Page_75" id="Page_75"></a>helped his friends make a
+few pictures of the approach and the convoying of the destroyers to add
+to the views they had of the submarine and her defeat&mdash;temporary defeat
+it might prove, but, none the less, a defeat.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, hardly all right,&quot; remarked Blake, as the camera was dismounted.
+&quot;We're still in the danger zone, and the Huns won't let slip any chance
+to do us harm. But I guess we have more of a chance for our white alley
+than we had before.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Though the French ship was now protected by the three convoying vessels,
+the crews of which kept a sharp watch on all sides for the presence of
+more submarines, there was still plenty of danger, and this was felt by
+all.</p>
+
+<p>At any moment a submarine, approaching below the surface with only her
+periscope showing&mdash;and this made a mark exceedingly hard to see and
+hit&mdash;might launch a torpedo, not only at the merchant-man but at one of
+the destroyers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's like sleeping over a case of dynamite,&quot; observed Joe, as he and
+his chums went below. &quot;I'd rather be on the war front. You can at least
+see and hear shells coming.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's right,&quot; agreed Blake. &quot;Well, if nothing happens, we'll soon be
+there now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>If</i> is a big word these days,&quot; observed Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now that we're comparatively safe for the mo<a name="Page_76" id="Page_76"></a>ment, I want to ask you
+fellows something,&quot; said Blake, after a pause.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ask ahead,&quot; returned Joe. &quot;If you want to know whether I was scared,
+I'll say I was, but I was too busy getting pictures to notice it. If it
+is something else&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is,&quot; interrupted Blake, and his manner was grave. &quot;Come below and
+I'll tell you. I don't want any one else to hear.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Wondering somewhat at their friend's manner, Joe and Charlie went to
+their stateroom, and there Blake closed the door and took the dark cloth
+down from the mirror. A look into it showed that the transom of the room
+opposite&mdash;the cabin of Levi Labenstein&mdash;had been closed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So we can't tell whether he's in there or not,&quot; said Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did you want to talk about him?&quot; asked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, him and the lieutenant. Did you fellows happen to notice what they
+were doing when the submarine was attacking us?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not especially,&quot; answered Joe. &quot;I did see Lieutenant Secor looking at
+us as we worked the camera, but I didn't pay much attention to him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It wasn't him so much as it was the German,&quot; went on Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In what way?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_77" id="Page_77"></a>Did you see where he was standing when the submarine came out of the
+water?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Neither Joe nor Charlie had done so, or, if they had, they did not
+recall the matter when Blake questioned them. So that young man resumed:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I'll tell you what I saw: Labenstein was leaning over the rail on
+the side where the submarine showed, and he was holding a big white
+cloth over the side.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A big white cloth?&quot; cried Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's what it was,&quot; went on Blake. &quot;It looked to me like a signal.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you mean a signal of surrender?&quot; asked Charlie. &quot;A white flag? He
+wouldn't have any right to display that, anyhow. It would have to come
+from Captain Merceau.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maybe he meant that he'd surrender personally,&quot; suggested Joe, &quot;and
+didn't want his fellow-murderers to hurt him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know what his object was,&quot; went on Blake, &quot;but I saw him take
+from his pocket a big white cloth and hold it over the side. It could
+easily have been seen from the submarine, and must have been, for he
+displayed it just before the underwater boat came up.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A white cloth,&quot; mused Joe. &quot;From his pocket. Was it his handkerchief,
+Blake?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He wouldn't have one as large as that, even if <a name="Page_78" id="Page_78"></a>he suffered from hay
+fever. I think it was a signal.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A signal for what?&quot; Charlie again asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;To tell the submarine some piece of news, of course&mdash;perhaps the port
+of sailing, something of the nature of our cargo, or perhaps to tell
+just where to send the torpedo. I understand we are carrying some
+munitions, and it may be that this German spy directed the commander of
+the submarine where to aim the torpedo so as to explode them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But he'd be signaling for his own death warrant!&quot; cried Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not necessarily,&quot; answered Blake. &quot;He may have had some understanding
+with the submarine that he was to be saved first. Perhaps he was going
+to jump overboard before the torpedo was fired and was to be picked up.
+Anyhow, I saw him draping a white cloth over the side, and I'm sure it
+was a signal.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I guess you're right,&quot; said Joe. &quot;The next question is, what's to
+be done? This fellow is a spy and a traitor, and we ought to expose
+him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; agreed Blake. &quot;But we'd better have a little more evidence than
+just my word. You fellows didn't see what I saw, that's plain, and
+perhaps no one else did. So it would only make a big fuss and not result
+in anything if I told the captain.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_79" id="Page_79"></a>Then what are you going to do?&quot; asked Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Just keep watch,&quot; Blake answered.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What about Lieutenant Secor?&quot; asked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I didn't see him do anything,&quot; admitted Blake. &quot;Though I have my
+suspicions of him also. He and Labenstein weren't talking so earnestly
+together for nothing. We'll watch that Frenchman, too.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And if he tries any more games in spoiling films I'll have my say!&quot;
+threatened Macaroni.</p>
+
+<p>The boys talked the situation over at some length as they put away the
+films they had taken of the submarine attack, and agreed that &quot;watchful
+waiting&quot; was the best policy to adopt. As Blake had said, little could
+be gained by denouncing Labenstein with only the word of one witness to
+rely on.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If all three of us catch him at his traitorous work, then we'll
+denounce him,&quot; suggested Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, and the Frenchman, too!&quot; added Charlie, in a louder voice, so that
+Blake raised a cautioning hand.</p>
+
+<p>At that moment came a knock on their door, and a voice said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am Mr. Labenstein!&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X" /><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80"></a>CHAPTER X</h2>
+
+<h3>THE FLASHLIGHT</h3>
+
+
+<p>Almost like conspirators themselves, the boys looked at one another as
+the voice and knock sounded together. Blake was the first to recover
+himself.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come in!&quot; he called, in as welcoming a tone as he could muster under
+the circumstances. Then as the knob of the door was ineffectually tried,
+he added:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, I forgot it was locked! Wait a moment!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A moment later he had swung the door open, and the man who, the boys
+believed, was a German spy confronted them, smiling.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You are locked in as if you feared another submarine,&quot; he said. &quot;It is
+not the best way to do. You should be on deck!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But not on deck as you were, with a flag to signal to the Huns,&quot;
+thought Joe; and he wished he dared make the accusation.</p>
+
+<p>Blake motioned to the caller to seat himself on a stool.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_81" id="Page_81"></a>I came to see if I might borrow something,&quot; began the caller. &quot;I find
+that mine is out of order for some reason,&quot; and he held out a small, but
+powerful, electric flash lamp, of the sort sold for the use of soldiers.
+&quot;Have you, by any chance, one that you could spare me?&quot; asked Mr.
+Labenstein.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I do not want it, if it is the only one you have, but they are a great
+convenience in one's berth, for the lights must be kept turned off, now
+that we are in the danger zone made by those terrible Germans. Ah, how I
+hate them!&quot; and his anger seemed very real and earnest.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did you say you wanted to borrow a pocket electric flash lamp?&quot; asked
+Blake, wishing to make the caller repeat his request. As he asked this
+question Blake looked at his chums, as though to ask them to take
+particular note of the reply.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I should like to, yes, if you have one to spare. There are three of
+you, and, I presume, like most travelers, you each have one. I am alone
+in a single stateroom, and I may have need of a light. I will return it
+to you at the end of the voyage, or buy it of you at a good price. You
+see, I have a little Jew in me. I will make a bargain with you. And I
+will pay you well, something a Jew proverbially does not like to do. But
+I realize the value of what I want, and that the market is not well
+supplied, so you may take advantage of my situation.<a name="Page_82" id="Page_82"></a> My battery is
+either worn out or the light is broken. It will not flash.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He shoved down the little sliding catch, but there was no glow in the
+tiny tungsten bulb.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You have me at your mercy if you wish to sell me a lamp,&quot; he went on,
+with a smile and a shrug of his shoulders, not unlike that of Lieutenant
+Secor.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hasn't your friend a spare light?&quot; asked Joe quickly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My friend?&quot; repeated the German, as though surprised. &quot;You mean&mdash;&mdash;?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I mean Lieutenant Secor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, him!&quot; and again came the deprecatory shrug of the shoulders. &quot;He is
+an acquaintance, not a friend. Besides, he has but one lamp, and he
+needs that. So, also, will you need yours. But as there are three of you
+together, I thought perhaps&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We each have a light,&quot; said Blake, interrupting the rather rapid talk
+of Labenstein. &quot;In fact, I have two, and I'll let you take one.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is very kind of you. Ah, it is like mine!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The visitor was watching Blake eagerly as he brought forth one of the
+flat, three-cell nickel-plated holders of tiny batteries, with the
+white-backed and tungsten-filamented incandescent light set in a
+depressed socket.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_83" id="Page_83"></a>Yes, this is the best type,&quot; Blake said. &quot;You may have this.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And the price?&quot; asked Labenstein, as his hand quickly went into his
+pocket.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is nothing,&quot; answered Blake. &quot;It is a gift.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah, but, my dear sir, that is too much! I could not think of taking it
+without pay!&quot; insisted Mr. Labenstein, as he flashed on the light and
+then slipped the switch back in place again. &quot;I protest that I must pay
+you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Please don't insist on paying,&quot; begged Blake, &quot;for I shall only have to
+refuse to take any money. Please consider the light a gift. I have a
+spare one.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You are very kind, I'm sure,&quot; said the other, bowing with some
+exaggeration, it seemed to the boys. &quot;I appreciate it, I assure you, and
+I shall look for a chance to repay the favor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's all right,&quot; said Blake, and he tried to make his voice sound
+hearty. &quot;You are welcome to the light.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A thousand thanks,&quot; murmured Mr. Labenstein, as he bowed himself out.</p>
+
+<p>And then, when the door had closed on him and they had taken the
+precaution of closing their transom, Joe burst out in a cautious whisper
+with:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What in the world did you let him take it for, Blake Stewart? Don't you
+see what his game is?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_84" id="Page_84"></a>Yes,&quot; was Blake's quiet answer; &quot;I think I do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, then&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is his game?&quot; asked Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I presume he wants to use the flash lamp to give a signal at night to
+some German submarine,&quot; said Blake quietly&mdash;very quietly, under the
+circumstances, it might seem.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And you let him take a light for that?&quot; cried Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Wait a bit!&quot; advised Blake, and he smiled at his chum. &quot;Do you know
+anything about these flashlights, Joe?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A little&mdash;yes. I know a powerful one, like that you gave Labenstein,
+can be seen a long way on a dark night.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, then maybe you know something else about them, or you may have
+forgotten it. Like the proverb which says 'blessings brighten as they
+vanish,' so the light of these lamps sometimes glows very strong just
+before the battery goes on the blink and douses the glim.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Joe looked at his chum for a moment, uncomprehendingly, and then a smile
+came over his face.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you mean you gave him a light with a battery in it that was almost
+played out?&quot; he asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Exactly,&quot; answered Blake, with another smile. &quot;This is a light I have
+had for some time. I no<a name="Page_85" id="Page_85"></a>ticed, only last night, that it was brighter
+than usual. Just as a fountain pen&mdash;at least, the old-fashioned
+kind&mdash;used to flow more freely when there were only a few drops of ink
+left, so this battery seems to be strongest just before it gives out
+altogether.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I suspected this was going to happen, but I tested the battery with a
+galvanometer to-day and I found out it has about ten flashes left. After
+that the light will be dead.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is that why you gave it to him?&quot; asked Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The very reason. As soon as he asked for a light it occurred to me that
+he wanted to use it&mdash;or might use it&mdash;to give a signal at night to some
+watching submarine commander waiting for a chance to torpedo us. I
+thought if I let him do it with this failing light he might do the Huns
+more damage than he could us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How?&quot; asked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By not being able to give the proper signals. He'll need to flash a
+light for some little time to make sure to attract the attention of the
+submarine, won't he?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Probably,&quot; agreed Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, then, if, while he's in the midst of signaling, his light goes
+out, the submarine won't know what to make of it, and will come up
+closer to find out what's wrong. Then our own guns, or those of <a name="Page_86" id="Page_86"></a>the
+destroyers, can bang away and catch the Germans napping.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, that's great!&quot; cried Charlie, as soon as he understood the plan
+Blake had so quickly evolved.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If it works,&quot; conceded Joe. &quot;But how are we going to know when that
+German spy signals the submarine and fails to convey his full meaning,
+Blake?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We'll have to watch him, of course. Catch him in the act, as it were.
+The defective lamp will help.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So it will!&quot; exclaimed Joe. &quot;Blake, I take back all I thought of you. I
+imagined you were making a mistake to let that lamp go out of your
+possession; but now I see your game. It's a good one! But we've got to
+be on the watch for this spy!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, yes,&quot; agreed his chum. &quot;And not only him but the Frenchman as well.
+I didn't believe it possible that Secor could be in with this German,
+but perhaps he is, and maybe he'll betray his own countrymen. Either one
+may give the signal, but if they do we'll be ready for them. No more
+moving pictures for us, boys, until we get to the war front. We've got
+to be on this other job!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But hadn't we better tell Captain Merceau?&quot; asked Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I think so,&quot; assented Blake. &quot;We'll tell him what we think, and
+what we have done.&quot;</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87"></a>But they did not get a chance that day, for there was a submarine scare
+toward evening&mdash;a lookout thinking he saw a periscope&mdash;and the
+consequent confusion made it impossible to have a talk with the
+commander. The boys did not want to report to any subordinate officer,
+and so concluded to wait until the next day.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But we'll keep watch to-night on our friend across the corridor,&quot; Blake
+said. &quot;And on Lieutenant Secor as well. His stateroom is next to
+Labenstein's, and we can tell when either of them goes out after
+dark&mdash;that is, if we keep watch.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And we'll keep it, all right!&quot; declared Joe &quot;Now that we know something
+about what to look out for, we'll do it!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And so, as evening came on and the lights of the ship were darkened and
+as she sped along in company with her convoy, the three boys prepared to
+divide the night into watches, that they might be on guard against what
+they regarded as an attempt at black treachery.</p>
+
+<p>For somewhere under or on that waste of waters they believed a deadly
+submarine was lurking, awaiting the favorable moment to send a torpedo
+at the ship.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI" /><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88"></a>CHAPTER XI</h2>
+
+<h3>THE DEPTH CHARGE</h3>
+
+
+<p>Charlie Anderson, who had taken the earliest watch, roused Blake at the
+appointed time, and reported:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All quiet so far.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then you haven't seen anything of our friends across the hall?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not a thing. Just as we arranged, I've had my eye at the hole, but
+their doors have both been closed. Maybe you'll have better luck.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't think it will be good luck at all to see one of them sneak out
+to flash a signal to a waiting submarine, or one that may be following
+us all the while, waiting for a chance to strike. But I will call it
+exceedingly good luck if we can stop it,&quot; said Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Go to it, old top!&quot; exclaimed Macaroni, dropping into what he thought
+the latest English slang. &quot;I'm going to turn in.&quot;</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89"></a>The lanky helper of the moving picture boys had spent the hours of his
+watch with his eye close to a small hole that had been bored in the door
+of the boys' stateroom. The hole gave a view of the staterooms of
+Lieutenant Secor and Mr. Labenstein, which adjoined. And, as Charles had
+said, he had not observed either man leave his apartment.</p>
+
+<p>If what the boys had only guessed at were true&mdash;that one or both of the
+men contemplated giving a signal to the enemy by means of the
+flashlight&mdash;the time for it had not yet come.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I'll try my hand,&quot; Blake said. &quot;You turn in, Mac, and if I need
+any help I'll call you. If I don't see anything up to about one o'clock
+I'll let Joe do his trick. Good-night and pleasant dreams.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Charlie did not answer. He was already in his bunk and asleep, for he
+was tired, and the last half hour of his watch he had kept himself awake
+with difficulty.</p>
+
+<p>Then Blake began his turn of duty. He took a position at the door where
+he could look out through the hole into the dimly lighted corridor. He
+had a view of the doors of the staterooms of the two men who were under
+suspicion, and as soon as either or both of them came out he intended to
+follow and see what was done.</p>
+
+<p>For an hour nothing happened, and Blake was beginning to feel a bit
+sleepy, in spite of the fact <a name="Page_90" id="Page_90"></a>that he had rested during the early part
+of the evening, when he was startled by a slight sound. It was like the
+creaking of a rusty hinge, and at first he thought it but one of the
+many sounds always more or less audible on a moving ship.</p>
+
+<p>Then, as he tuned his ears more acutely, he knew that it was the
+squeaking of a hinge he had heard, and he felt sure it meant the opening
+of a door near by.</p>
+
+<p>Through the hole he looked at the door behind which was Levi Labenstein,
+whether sleeping or preparing for some act which would put the ship in
+peril and endanger the lives of all the passengers, could only be
+guessed.</p>
+
+<p>Then, as Blake watched, he saw the door open and the German come out.
+Labenstein looked around with furtive glances, and they rested for some
+little time on the door behind which Blake was watching. Then, as if
+satisfied that all was quiet, the man stole silently along, the
+corridor.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Something doing,&quot; thought Blake. &quot;Something doing, all right. He has
+something in his hand&mdash;probably my flashlight. Much good may it do him!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As Labenstein passed the stateroom where Lieutenant Secor was quartered,
+that door opened softly, but not until the German was beyond it. And
+then Blake saw the Frenchman peer out as though <a name="Page_91" id="Page_91"></a>to make sure his
+fellow-conspirator was fairly on his way. After that the lieutenant
+himself emerged and softly followed the German.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Both of 'em at it,&quot; mused Blake. &quot;I'd better rouse Joe and let him keep
+track of one, in case they should separate.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A touch on Joe Duncan's shoulder served to arouse him, though he was in
+a deep sleep. He sat up, demanding:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is it? Are we torpedoed?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, but we may be,&quot; was Blake's low answer. &quot;Keep quiet and follow me.
+Secor and Labenstein have both gone up on deck, I think. We'd better
+follow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Shall we tell Charlie?&quot; asked Joe, as he slid from his berth. Neither
+he nor his chums had taken off their clothes.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I guess we'd better get him up,&quot; Blake answered. &quot;If you and I
+have to watch these two fellows, we may need some one to send for help
+in case anything happens. Come on, Macaroni,&quot; he added, leaning over
+their helper and whispering in his ear. &quot;Wake up!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Charles was up in an instant, a bit confused at first, as one often is
+when emerging from a heavy sleep, but he had his faculties with him
+almost at once, and was ready for action.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is it?&quot; he asked, in a whisper.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92"></a>In like low tones Blake told him, and then the three boys, after making
+sure by a cautious observation that neither of the suspected men was in
+sight, went out into the corridor and to the deck.</p>
+
+<p>It was quite dark, for all unnecessary lights were dimmed, but there was
+a new moon, and the stars were bright, so that objects were fairly
+clear. On either side could be dimly observed the black shapes of the
+convoying destroyers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where are they?&quot; asked Joe, in a whisper. &quot;The traitors!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know&mdash;we'll have to look,&quot; was Blake's answer. They looked
+along the deck, but saw no one, and were about to turn to the other end
+of the craft when a figure stepped out from the shadow of a boat and
+sharply challenged them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who are you&mdash;what do you want?&quot; was asked.</p>
+
+<p>It was one of the ship's crew assigned to night-watch. Blake knew him
+slightly, having, at the man's request one day, showed him something of
+the workings of a moving picture camera.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We came up looking for two gentlemen who have the staterooms opposite
+ours,&quot; Blake answered, resolving to &quot;take a chance&quot; in the matter.
+&quot;Lieutenant Secor and Mr. Labenstein,&quot; he added. &quot;Have you seen them?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes; they came up to get a bit of air, they said,&quot; answered the sailor.
+&quot;I saw them a little while ago.<a name="Page_93" id="Page_93"></a> You will find them up near the bow. Do
+not show a light, whatever you do, and light no matches. If you wish to
+smoke you must go below.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Thanks, we don't smoke,&quot; Joe answered, with a low laugh. &quot;But we'll be
+careful about lights.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All right,&quot; answered the sailor. &quot;We have to look out for submarines,
+you know,&quot; he added. &quot;This is the worst part of the danger zone.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boys moved forward like silent shadows, peering here and there for a
+sight of the two figures who had come up a little while before them,
+with evil intentions in their hearts they had no doubt. Even now there
+might be flashing across the dark sea, from some hidden vantage point on
+the ship, a light signal that would mean the launching of the deadly
+torpedo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There's no doubt, now, but the Frenchman is a traitor,&quot; whispered Joe
+to Blake. &quot;I have been positive about that German being a spy ever since
+I've seen him, but I did have some doubts regarding Secor. I haven't any
+now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It does look bad,&quot; admitted Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish I'd smashed him with my auto, instead of waiting for him to
+smash me,&quot; remarked Charlie. &quot;He's a snake, that's what he is!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hush!&quot; cautioned Blake. &quot;They may be around here&mdash;any place&mdash;and hear
+you. I wish we could see them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94"></a>They moved along silently, looking on every side for a sight of the two
+conspirators, but there were so many shadows, and so many places where
+the men might lurk, that it was difficult to place them. The sailor,
+evidently, had had no suspicions, thinking that Blake and his chums had
+merely come up to be with the two men.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What are you going to do when you do see them?&quot; asked Joe of his chum.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know,&quot; was the whispered answer. &quot;First, we've got to see them,
+then we can tell what to do. But where in the world are they?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Somewhat at a loss what to do, the boys paused in the shadow of a
+deckhouse. They were about to emerge from its dim protection when
+Charlie plucked at Blake's sleeve.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well?&quot; asked the moving picture boy, in a low voice. &quot;What is it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Look right straight into the bow, as far as you can see,&quot; directed
+Macaroni. &quot;Notice those two moving shadows?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; answered Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think that's our men,&quot; went on Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, there they are,&quot; added Joe.</p>
+
+<p>It was evident, after a moment's glance, that the two men who had so
+silently stolen from their rooms were together in the bow of the
+steamer, or as far up in the bow as they could get. The deck <a name="Page_95" id="Page_95"></a>was open
+at this point, and, leaning over the side, it would be easy to flash a
+signal on either beam. The lookout on the bridge was probably too much
+occupied in sweeping the sea ahead and to either side of the ship to
+direct his attention to the vessel itself.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come on,&quot; whispered Blake to the other two. &quot;We want to hear what they
+are saying if we can, and see what they're doing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Silently the boys stole forward until they could make out the dim
+figures more clearly. There was no doubt that they were those of Secor
+and Labenstein. And then, as the boys paused, fearing to get so close as
+to court discovery, they saw a little light flash.</p>
+
+<p>Three times up and down on the port side of the bows went a little flash
+of light, and then it suddenly went out.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My electric light,&quot; whispered Blake in Joe's ear.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I thought you said it would burn out!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I hope it has. I think&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>From one of the figures in the bow came a guttural exclamation:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The infernal light has gone out!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So?&quot; came from the other.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes. It must be broken. Let me have yours, Herr Lieutenant. I have not
+given the signal in completeness, and&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_96" id="Page_96"></a>I left my light in the stateroom. I'll go and&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But the lieutenant never finished that sentence. Across the dark and
+silent ocean came a dull report&mdash;an explosion that seemed to make the
+<i>Jeanne</i> tremble. And then the sky and the water was lighted by the
+flashing beams of powerful lights.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What was that?&quot; gasped Joe, while from the crouching figures in the bow
+came exclamations of dismay. &quot;Are we torpedoed?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I fancy not,&quot; answered Blake. &quot;Sounded more like one of the destroyers
+made a hit herself. I think they set off a depth charge against a
+submarine. We'll soon know! Look at the lights now!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The sea was agleam with brilliant radiance.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII" /><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97"></a>CHAPTER XII</h2>
+
+<h3>IN ENGLAND</h3>
+
+
+<p>From the bridge came commands to the lookouts stationed in various parts
+of the French steamer. Orders flashed to the engine room, and the vessel
+lost way and floated under her momentum. As yet she was shrouded in
+darkness, the only lights glowing being those actually required to
+enable persons to see their way about. Below, of course, as long as the
+incandescents were shaded, they could be turned on, and many passengers,
+awakened by the concussion and the following sounds, illuminated their
+staterooms.</p>
+
+<p>The lights that gleamed across the billows came from the convoying
+destroyers, and signals flashed from one to the other, though the
+meaning of them the moving picture boys could only guess at.</p>
+
+<p>Immediately following the explosion, which seemed to come from the side
+of the <i>Jeanne</i> where Labenstein had flashed his signal, the German and
+the Frenchman had subsided into silence. Each one <a name="Page_98" id="Page_98"></a>had given voice to an
+exclamation in his own tongue and then had hurried away.</p>
+
+<p>And so occupied were Blake and his chums with what had gone on out there
+on the ocean&mdash;trying to guess what had happened&mdash;that they did not
+notice the departure of the two men.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's that you said it was?&quot; asked Joe of his partner. &quot;I mean the
+explosion.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think it was a depth charge,&quot; answered Blake. &quot;One of the destroyers
+must have sighted a submarine and let go a bomb, with a heavy charge of
+explosive, which didn't go off until after it got to a certain depth
+below the surface. That's the new way of dealing with submarines, you
+know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I only hope they got this one, with a depth charge or any other way,&quot;
+remarked Charles Anderson. &quot;Look, we're lighting up! I guess the danger
+must be over.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Lights were flashing on the deck of the <i>Jeanne</i>, and signals came from
+the destroyers. It was evident that messages were being sent to and fro.</p>
+
+<p>And then, as passengers crowded up from their staterooms, some in a
+state of panic fearing a torpedo had been launched at the ship, another
+muffled explosion was heard, and in the glare of the searchlights from
+one of the convoying ships a column of water could be seen spurting up
+between the French steamer and the war vessel.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_99" id="Page_99"></a>That's caused by a depth charge,&quot; Blake announced. &quot;They must be making
+sure of the submarine.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If they haven't, we're a good target for her now,&quot; said Joe, as he
+noted the lights agleam on their steamer. &quot;They're taking an awful
+chance, it seems to me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I guess the captain knows what he's doing,&quot; stated Blake. &quot;He must have
+been signaled from the destroyers. We'll try to find out.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>An officer went about among the passengers, calming them and telling
+them there was no danger now.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But what happened?&quot; asked Blake, and he and his chums waited eagerly
+for an answer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It was a submarine,&quot; was the officer's reply. &quot;She came to attack us,
+trying to slip around or between our convoying ships. But one of the
+lookouts sighted her and depth charges were fired. The submarine came
+up, disabled, it seemed, but to make sure another charge was exploded
+beneath the surface. And that was the end of the Hun!&quot; he cried.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good!&quot; exclaimed Blake, and his chums also rejoiced. There was
+rejoicing, too, among the other passengers, for they had escaped death
+by almost as narrow a margin as before. Only the sharp lookout kept had
+saved them&mdash;that and the depth charge.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_100" id="Page_100"></a>But how does that depth charge work?&quot; asked Charlie Anderson, when the
+chums were back in their cabin again, discussing what they had better do
+in reference to telling the captain of the conduct of Labenstein and
+Secor.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It works on the principle that water is incompressible in any and all
+directions,&quot; answered Blake. &quot;That is, pressure exerted on a body of
+water is transmitted in all directions by the water. Thus, if you push
+suddenly on top of a column of water the water rises.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And if you set off an explosive below the surface of water the force
+goes up, down sidewise and in all directions. In fact, if you explode
+gun-cotton near a vessel below the surface it does more damage than if
+set off nearer to her but on the surface. The water transmits the power.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A depth charge is a bomb timed to go off at a certain depth. If it
+explodes anywhere near a submarine, it blows in her plates and she is
+done for. That's what happened this time, I imagine.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And that is exactly what had happened, as nearly as could be told by the
+observers on the destroyer. The submarine had risen, only to sink
+disabled with all on board. A few pieces of wreckage and a quantity of
+oil floated to the surface but that was all.</p>
+
+<p>Once more the <i>Jeanne</i> resumed her way in the <a name="Page_101" id="Page_101"></a>midst of the protecting
+convoys, the value of which had been amply demonstrated. And when all
+was once more quiet on board, Blake and his chums resumed their talk
+about what was best to do regarding what they had observed just before
+the setting off of the depth charge.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think we ought to tell the captain,&quot; said Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So do I,&quot; added Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And I agree with the majority,&quot; said Blake. &quot;Captain Merceau shall be
+informed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The commander was greatly astonished when told what the boys had seen.
+He questioned them at length, and made sure there could have been no
+mistake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And they gave a signal,&quot; mused the captain. &quot;It hardly seems possible!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It was Labenstein who actually flashed the light,&quot; said Blake. &quot;Do you
+know anything about him, Captain Merceau?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Nothing more than that his papers, passport, and so on are in proper
+shape. He is a citizen of your own country, and appeared to be all
+right, or he would not have been permitted to take passage with us. I am
+astounded!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What about the Frenchman?&quot; asked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Him I know,&quot; declared the captain. &quot;Not well, but enough to say that I
+would have ventured every<a name="Page_102" id="Page_102"></a>thing on his honor. It does not seem possible
+that he can be a traitor!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And yet we saw him with the German while Labenstein was signaling the
+submarine,&quot; added Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I suppose it must be so. I am sorry! It is a blot on the fair name
+of France that one of her sons should so act! But we must be careful. It
+is not absolute proof, yet. They could claim that they were only on deck
+to smoke, or something like that. To insure punishment, we must have
+absolute proof. I thank you young gentlemen. From now on these two shall
+be under strict surveillance, and when we reach England I shall inform
+the authorities. You have done your duty. I will now be responsible for
+these men.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That relieves us,&quot; said Blake. &quot;We shan't stay in England long
+ourselves, so if you want our testimony you'd better arrange to have it
+taken soon after we land.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I shall; and thank you! This is terrible!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boys realized that, as the captain had said, adequate proof would be
+required to cause the arrest and conviction of the two plotters. While
+it was morally certain that they had tried to bring about the successful
+attack on the French steamer, a court would want undisputed evidence to
+pronounce sentence, whether of death or imprisonment.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_103" id="Page_103"></a>I guess we'll have to leave it with the captain,&quot; decided Blake. &quot;We
+can tell of his borrowing the light, and that we saw him flash it. Of
+course he can say we saw only his lighted cigarette, or something like
+that, and where would we be?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But there was the signal with the white cloth,&quot; added Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, we could tell that, too; but it isn't positive.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And there was Secor's running into me and spoiling our other films,&quot;
+said Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That, too, would hardly be enough,&quot; went on Blake. &quot;What the
+authorities will have to do will be to search the baggage of these
+fellows, and see if there is anything incriminating among their papers.
+We can't do that, so we'll have to wait.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And wait they did. In spite of what Captain Merceau had said, the boys
+did not relax their vigilance, but though, to their minds, the two men
+acted suspiciously, there was nothing definite that could be fastened on
+them.</p>
+
+<p>Watchful guard was maintained night and day against an attack by
+submarines, and though there were several alarms, they turned out to be
+false. And in due season, the vessel arrived at &quot;an English port,&quot; as
+the papers stated.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let's go and see if Captain Merceau wants us to give any evidence
+against those fellows,&quot; sug<a name="Page_104" id="Page_104"></a>gested Joe; and this seemed a good plan to
+follow.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah, yes, my American friends!&quot; the commander murmured, as the boys were
+shown into his cabin. &quot;What can I do for you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We thought we'd see if you wanted us in relation to the arrest of Secor
+and Labenstein,&quot; answered Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah, yes! The two men who signaled the submarine. I have had them under
+surveillance ever since you made your most startling disclosures. I sent
+a wireless to the war authorities here to come and place them under
+arrest as soon as the vessel docked. I have no doubt they are in custody
+now. I'll send and see.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He dispatched a messenger who, when he returned, held a rapid
+conversation with the captain in French. It was evident that something
+unusual had taken place.</p>
+
+<p>The captain grew more excited, and finally, turning to the boys, said in
+English, which he spoke fluently:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I regret to tell you there has been a mistake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A mistake!&quot; cried Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes. Owing to some error, those men were released before the war
+authorities could apprehend them. They have gone ashore!&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII" /><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105"></a>CHAPTER XIII</h2>
+
+<h3>UNDER SUSPICION</h3>
+
+
+<p>Blake, Joe and Charles looked at one another. Then they glanced at
+Captain Merceau. For one wild moment Blake had it in mind to suspect the
+commander; but a look at his face, which showed plainly how deeply
+chagrined he was at the failure to keep the two under surveillance, told
+the young moving picture operator that there was no ground for his
+thought.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They got away!&quot; repeated Joe, as though he could hardly believe it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I regret to say that is what my officer reports to me. It is too
+bad; but I will at once send out word, and they may be traced and
+apprehended. I'll at once send word to the authorities.&quot; This he did by
+the same messenger who had brought the intelligence that the Frenchman
+and the German had secretly left.</p>
+
+<p>When this had been done, and the boys had got themselves ready to go
+ashore and report, Captain<a name="Page_106" id="Page_106"></a> Merceau told them how it had happened. He
+had given orders, following the report made by Blake and his chums, that
+Secor and Labenstein should be kept under careful watch. And this was to
+be done without allowing them to become aware of it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;However, I very much doubt if this was the case,&quot; the captain frankly
+admitted. &quot;They are such scoundrels themselves that they would naturally
+suspect others of suspecting them. So they must have become aware of our
+plans, and then they made arrangements to elude the guard I set over
+them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How did they do that?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By a trick. One of them pretended to be ill and asked that the surgeon
+be summoned. This was the German. And when the guard hurried away on
+what he supposed was an errand of mercy, the two rascals slipped away.
+They were soon lost in the crowd. But we shall have them back, have no
+fear, young gentlemen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But, all the same, Blake and his chums had grave doubts as to the
+ability of the authorities to capture the two men. Not that they had any
+fears for themselves, for, as Joe said, they had nothing to apprehend
+personally from the men.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Unless they are after the new films we take,&quot; suggested Charles.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why should they want them?&quot; asked Blake. &quot;I <a name="Page_107" id="Page_107"></a>mean, our films are not
+likely to give away any vital secrets,&quot; he went on.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I don't know,&quot; answered the lanky helper, &quot;but I have a sort of
+hunch that they'll do all they can and everything they can to spoil our
+work for Uncle Sam on this side of the water, as they did before.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Secor spoiled the films before,&quot; urged Blake. &quot;He didn't know
+Labenstein then, as far as we know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, he knows him now,&quot; said Charles. &quot;I'm going to be on the watch.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I guess the authorities will be as anxious to catch those fellows as we
+are to have them,&quot; resumed Blake. &quot;Putting a ship in danger of an attack
+from a submarine, as was undoubtedly done when Labenstein waved my
+flashlight, isn't a matter to be lightly passed over.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And the authorities took the same view. Soon after Captain Merceau had
+sent his report of the occurrence to London to the officials of the
+English war office, the boys were summoned before one of the officers
+directing the Secret Service and were closely questioned. They were
+asked to tell all they knew of the man calling himself Lieutenant Secor
+and the one who was on the passenger list as Levi Labenstein. This they
+did, relating everything from Charlie's accident with the Frenchman to
+the <a name="Page_108" id="Page_108"></a>destruction of the submarine by the depth charge just after
+Labenstein had flashed his signal, assuming that this was what he had
+done.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well, young gentlemen, I am exceedingly obliged to you,&quot; said the
+English officer. &quot;The matter will be taken care of promptly and these
+men may be arrested. In that case, we shall want your evidence, so
+perhaps you had better let me know a little more about yourselves. I
+presume you have passports and the regulation papers?&quot; and he smiled;
+but, as Blake said afterward, it was not exactly a trusting smile.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He looked as if he'd like to catch us napping,&quot; Blake said.</p>
+
+<p>However, the papers of the moving picture boys were in proper shape. But
+they were carefully examined, and during the process, when Joe,
+addressing Charles Anderson, spoke to him as &quot;Macaroni,&quot; the officer
+looked up quickly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I thought his name was Charles,&quot; he remarked, as he referred to the
+papers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Certainly. But we call him 'Macaroni' sometimes because he looks like
+it&mdash;especially his legs,&quot; Joe explained.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;His legs macaroni?&quot; questioned the English officer, regarding the three
+chums over the tops of his glasses. &quot;Do you mean&mdash;er&mdash;that his legs are
+so easily broken&mdash;as macaroni is broken?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_109" id="Page_109"></a>No, not that. It's because they're so thin,&quot; Joe added.</p>
+
+<p>Still the officer did not seem to comprehend.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's a joke,&quot; added Blake.</p>
+
+<p>Then the Englishman's face lit up.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, a joke!&quot; he exclaimed. &quot;Why didn't you say so at first? Now I
+comprehend. A joke! Oh, that's different! His legs are like macaroni, so
+you call him spaghetti! I see! Very good! Very good!&quot; and he laughed in
+a ponderous way.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;At the same time,&quot; he went on, &quot;I think I shall make a note of it. I
+will just jot it down on the margin of his papers, that he is called
+'Macaroni' as a joke. Some other officer might not see the point,&quot; he
+added. &quot;I'm quite fond of a joke myself! This is a very good one. I
+shall make a note of it.&quot; And this he proceeded to do in due form.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, if that isn't the limit!&quot; murmured Joe, when the officer, having
+returned their papers to them, sent them to another department to get
+the necessary passes by which they could claim their baggage and make
+application to go to the front.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's a good thing this officer had a sense of humor,&quot; remarked Blake,
+half sarcastically, &quot;or we might have had to send back for a special
+passport for one stick of macaroni.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>If Blake and his chums had an idea they would <a name="Page_110" id="Page_110"></a>at once be permitted to
+depart for &quot;somewhere in France&quot; and begin the work of taking moving
+pictures of Uncle Sam's boys in training and in the trenches, they were
+very soon disillusioned. It was one thing to land in England during war
+times, but it was another matter to get out, especially when they were
+not English subjects.</p>
+
+<p>It is true that Mr. Hadley had made arrangements for the films to be
+made, and they were to be taken for and under the auspices of the United
+States War Department.</p>
+
+<p>But England has many institutions, and those connected with war are
+bound up in much red tape, in which they are not unlike our own, in some
+respects.</p>
+
+<p>The applications of Blake and his chums to depart for the United States
+base in France were duly received and attached to the application
+already made by Mr. Hadley and approved by the American commanding
+officer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And what happens next?&quot; asked Blake, when they had filled out a number
+of forms in the English War Office. &quot;I mean, where do we go from here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah, that's one of your songs, isn't it?&quot; asked an English officer, one
+who looked as though he could understand a joke better than could the
+one to whom macaroni so appealed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_111" id="Page_111"></a>Yes, it's a song, but we don't want to stay here too long singing it,&quot;
+laughed Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I'll do my best for you,&quot; promised the officer, who was a young
+man. He had been twice wounded at the front and was only awaiting a
+chance to go back, he said. &quot;I'll do my best, but it will take a little
+time. We'll have to send the papers to France and wait for their
+return.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And what are we to do in the meanwhile?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I fancy you'll just have to stay here and&mdash;what is it you say&mdash;split
+kindling?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Saw wood,' I guess you mean,&quot; said Joe. &quot;Well, if we have to, we have
+to. But please rush it along, will you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll do my best,&quot; promised the young officer. &quot;Meanwhile, you had
+better let me have your address&mdash;I mean the name of the hotel where you
+will be staying&mdash;and I'll send you word as soon as I get it myself. I
+had better tell you, though, that you will not be allowed to take any
+pictures&mdash;moving or other kind&mdash;until you have received permission.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We'll obey that ruling,&quot; Blake promised. He had hoped to get some views
+of ruins caused by a Zeppelin. However, there was no hope of that.</p>
+
+<p>On the recommendation of the young officer they took rooms in London at
+a hotel in a vicinity to <a name="Page_112" id="Page_112"></a>enable them to visit the War Department
+easily. And then, having spent some time in these formalities and being
+again assured that they would be notified when they were wanted, either
+to be given permission to go to France or to testify against the two
+suspects, the moving picture boys went to their hotel.</p>
+
+<p>It was not the first time they had been in a foreign country, though
+never before had they visited London, and they were much interested in
+everything they saw, especially everything which pertained to the war.
+And evidences of the war were on every side: injured and uninjured
+soldiers; poster appeals for enlistments, for the saving of food or
+money to win the war; and many other signs and mute testimonies of the
+great conflict.</p>
+
+<p>The boys found their hotel a modest but satisfactory one, and soon got
+in the way of living there, planning to stay at least a week. They
+learned that their food would be limited in accordance with war
+regulations, but they had expected this.</p>
+
+<p>There was something else, though, which they did not expect, and which
+at first struck them as being decidedly unpleasant. It was the second
+day of their stay in London that, as they were coming back to their
+hotel from a visit to a moving picture show, Joe remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_113" id="Page_113"></a>Say, fellows, do you notice that man in a gray suit and a black slouch
+hat across the street?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I see him,&quot; admitted Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Have you seen him before?&quot; Joe asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I have,&quot; said Blake. &quot;He was in the movies with us, and I saw him
+when we left the hotel.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So did I,&quot; went on Joe. &quot;And doesn't it strike you as being peculiar?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In what way?&quot; asked Charles.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I mean he seems to be following us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What in the world for?&quot; asked the assistant.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; went on Joe slowly, &quot;I rather think we're under suspicion.
+That's the way it strikes me!&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV" /><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114"></a>CHAPTER XIV</h2>
+
+<h3>IN CUSTODY</h3>
+
+
+<p>Blake and Charlie nodded their heads as Joe gave voice to his suspicion.
+Then, as they looked across once again at the man in the slouch hat, he
+seemed aware of their glances and slunk down an alley.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I think he has his eye on us, all the same,&quot; observed Blake, as the
+boys went into their hotel.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What are we going to do about it?&quot; inquired Charlie. &quot;Shall we put up a
+kick or a fight?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Neither one,&quot; decided Blake, after a moment's thought.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why not?&quot; inquired Macaroni, with rather a belligerent air, as befitted
+one in the midst of war's alarms. &quot;Why not go and ask this fellow what
+he means by spying on us?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In the first place, if we could confront him, which I very much doubt,&quot;
+answered Blake, &quot;he would probably deny that he was even so much as
+<a name="Page_115" id="Page_115"></a>looking at us, except casually. Those fellows from Scotland Yard, or
+whatever the English now call their Secret Service, are as keen as they
+make 'em. We wouldn't get any satisfaction by kicking.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then let's fight!&quot; suggested Charlie. &quot;We can protest to the officer
+who told us to wait here for our permits to go to the front. We can say
+we're United States citizens and we object to being spied on. Let's do
+it!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, we could do that,&quot; said Blake slowly. &quot;But perhaps we are being
+kept under surveillance by the orders of that same officer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What in the world for?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, because the authorities may want to find out more about us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But didn't we have our passports all right? And weren't our papers in
+proper shape?&quot; asked Charlie indignantly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;As far as we ourselves are concerned, yes,&quot; said Blake. &quot;But you must
+remember that passports have been forged before, by Germans, and&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I hope they don't take <i>us</i> for Germans!&quot; burst out Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, we don't look like 'em, that's a fact,&quot; said Blake, with a smile.
+&quot;But you must remember that the English have been stung a number of
+times, and they aren't taking any more chances.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_116" id="Page_116"></a>Just what do you think this fellow's game is?&quot; asked Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; answered Blake slowly, and as if considering all sides of the
+matter. &quot;I think he has been detailed by the English Foreign Office, or
+Secret Service, or whoever has the matter in charge, to keep an eye on
+us and see if we are really what we claim to be. That's all. I don't see
+any particular harm in it; and if we objected, kicked, or made a row, it
+would look as if we might be guilty. So I say let it go and let that
+chap do all the spying he likes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I guess you're right,&quot; assented Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Same here,&quot; came from their helper.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Anyhow, we might as well make the best of it,&quot; resumed Blake. &quot;If we
+had a fight with this chap and made him skedaddle, it would only mean
+another would be put on our trail. Just take it easy, and in due time, I
+think, we'll be given our papers and allowed to go to the front.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It can't come any too soon for me,&quot; declared Joe.</p>
+
+<p>So for the next few days the boys made it a point to take no notice of
+the very obvious fact that they were under surveillance. It was not
+always the same man who followed them or who was seen standing outside
+the hotel when they went out and <a name="Page_117" id="Page_117"></a>returned. In fact, they were sure
+three different individuals had them in charge, so to speak.</p>
+
+<p>The boys were used to active work with their cameras and liked to be in
+action, but they waited with as good grace as possible. In fact, there
+was nothing else to do. Their moving picture apparatus was sealed and
+kept in the Foreign Office, and would not be delivered to them until
+their permits came to go to the front. So, liking it or not, the boys
+had to submit.</p>
+
+<p>They called several times on the young officer who had treated them so
+kindly, to ask whether there were any developments in their case; but
+each time they were told, regretfully enough, it seemed, that there was
+none.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But other permits have been longer than yours in coming,&quot; said the
+officer, with a smile. &quot;You must have a little patience. We are not
+quite as rapid as you Americans.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But we want to get to the war front!&quot; exclaimed Joe. &quot;We want to make
+some pictures, and if we have to wait&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Possess your souls with patience,&quot; advised the officer. &quot;The war is
+going to last a long, long time, longer than any of us have any idea of,
+I am afraid. You will see plenty of fighting, more's the pity. Don't
+fret about that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But the boys did fret; and as the days passed <a name="Page_118" id="Page_118"></a>they called at the permit
+office not once but twice, and, on one occasion, three times in
+twenty-four hours. The official was always courteous to them, but had
+the same answer:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No news yet!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And then, when they had spent two weeks in London&mdash;two weeks that were
+weary ones in spite of the many things to see and hear&mdash;the boys were
+rather surprised on the occasion of their daily visit to the permit
+office to be told by a subordinate:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Just a moment, if you please. Captain Bedell wishes to speak to you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The captain was the official who had their affair in charge, and who had
+been so courteous to them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He wants us to wait!&quot; exclaimed Joe, with marked enthusiasm. For the
+last few days the captain had merely sent out word that there was no
+news.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maybe he has the papers!&quot; cried Macaroni.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm sure I hope so,&quot; murmured Blake.</p>
+
+<p>The boys waited in the outer office with manifest impatience until the
+clerk came to summon them into the presence of Captain Bedell, saying:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This way, if you please.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sounds almost like a dentist inviting you into his chair,&quot; murmured Joe
+to Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not as bad as that, I hope. It looks encouraging to be told to wait and
+come in.&quot;</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119"></a>They were ushered into the presence of Captain Bedell, who greeted them,
+not with a smile, as he had always done before, but with a grave face.</p>
+
+<p>Instantly each of the boys, as he admitted afterward, thought something
+was wrong.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There's something out of the way with our passports,&quot; was Joe's idea.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Been a big battle and the British have lost,&quot; guessed Macaroni.</p>
+
+<p>Blake's surmise was:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There's a hitch and we can't go to the front.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As it happened, all three were wrong, for a moment later, after he had
+asked them to be seated, Captain Bedell touched a bell on his desk. An
+orderly answered and he was told:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;These are the young gentlemen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Does that mean we are to get our permits?&quot; asked Joe eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am sorry to say it does not,&quot; was the grave answer. &quot;I am also sorry
+to inform you that you are in custody.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In custody!&quot; cried the three at once. And Blake a moment later added:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;On what grounds?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That I am not at liberty to tell you, exactly,&quot; the officer replied.
+&quot;You are arrested under the Defense of the Realm Act, and the charges
+will be made known to you in due course of time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_120" id="Page_120"></a>Arrested!&quot; cried Joe. &quot;Are we really arrested?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not as civil but as military prisoners,&quot; went on Captain Bedell. &quot;There
+is quite a difference, I assure you. I am sorry, but I have to do my
+duty. Orderly, take the prisoners away. You may send for counsel, of
+course,&quot; he added.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We don't know a soul here, except some moving picture people to whom we
+have letters of introduction,&quot; Blake said despondently.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, communicate with some of them,&quot; advised the captain. &quot;They will
+be able to recommend a solicitor. Not that it will do you much good, for
+you will have to remain in custody for some time, anyhow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are we suspected of being spies?&quot; asked Joe, determined to hazard that
+question.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Bedell smiled for the first time since the boys had entered his
+office. It was a rather grim contortion of the face, but it could be
+construed into a smile.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am not at liberty to tell you,&quot; he said. &quot;Orderly, take the prisoners
+away, and give them the best of care, commensurate, of course, with
+safe-keeping.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV" /><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121"></a>CHAPTER XV</h2>
+
+<h3>THE FRONT AT LAST</h3>
+
+
+<p>Well, wouldn't this get your&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Billiard table!&quot; finished Joe for his chum Blake, who seemed at a loss
+for a word.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why billiard table?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because they've sort of put the English on us!&quot; And Joe laughed at his
+joke&mdash;if it could be called that.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Huh!&quot; grunted Blake, &quot;I'm glad you feel so about it. But this is
+fierce! That's what I call it&mdash;fierce!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Worse than that!&quot; murmured Charlie. &quot;And the worst of it is they won't
+give us a hint what it's all about.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There <i>is</i> a good deal of mystery about it,&quot; chimed in Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All but about the fact that we're in a jail, or the next thing to it,&quot;
+added Blake, with a look about the place where he and his chums had been
+taken from the office of Captain Bedell.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122"></a>They were actually in custody, and while there were no bars to the doors
+of their prison, which were of plain, but heavy, English oak, there were
+bars to the windows. Aside from that, they might be in some rather
+ordinary hotel suite, for there were three connecting rooms and what
+passed for a bath, though this seemed to have been added after the place
+was built.</p>
+
+<p>As a matter of fact, the three boys were held virtually as captives, in
+a part of the building given over to the secret service work of the war.
+They had been escorted to the place by the orderly, who had instructions
+to treat his prisoners with consideration, and he had done that.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This is one of our&mdash;er&mdash;best&mdash;apartments,&quot; he said, with an air of
+hesitation, as though he had been about to call it a cell but had
+thought better of it. &quot;I hope you will be comfortable here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We might be if we knew what was going to happen to us and what it's all
+about,&quot; returned Blake, with a grim smile.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is information I could not give you, were I at liberty to do so,
+sir,&quot; answered the orderly. &quot;Your solicitor will act for you, I have no
+doubt.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Following the advice of Captain Bedell, the boys had communicated with
+some of their moving picture friends in London, with the result that a
+solicitor, or lawyer, as he would be called in the<a name="Page_123" id="Page_123"></a> United States,
+promised to act for the boys. He was soon to call to see them, and,
+meanwhile, they were waiting in their &quot;apartment.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wonder how it all happened?&quot; mused Joe, as he looked from one of the
+barred windows at the not very cheerful prospect of roofs and chimneys.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And what is the charge?&quot; asked Charlie. &quot;We can't even find that out.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It practically amounts to being charged with being spies,&quot; said Blake.
+&quot;That is what I gather from the way we are being treated. We are held as
+spies!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And Uncle Sam is fighting for the Allies!&quot; cried Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, well, it's all a mistake, of course, and we can explain it as soon
+as we get a chance and have the United States consul give us a
+certificate of good character,&quot; went on Blake. &quot;That's what we've got to
+have our lawyer do when he comes&mdash;talk with the United States consul.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I wish he'd hurry and come,&quot; remarked Joe. &quot;It is no fun being
+detained here. I want to get to the front and see some action. Our
+cameras will get rusty if we don't use them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's right,&quot; agreed Macaroni.</p>
+
+<p>It was not until the next day, however, that a solicitor came,
+explaining that he had been delayed after getting the message from the
+boys. The law<a name="Page_124" id="Page_124"></a>yer, as Blake and his friends called him, proved to be a
+genial gentleman who sympathized with the boys.</p>
+
+<p>He had been in New York, knew something about moving pictures, and, best
+of all, understood the desire of the American youths to be free and to
+get into action.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The first thing to be done,&quot; said Mr. Dorp, the solicitor, &quot;is to find
+out the nature of the charge against you, and who made it. Then we will
+be in a position to act. I'll see Captain Bedell at once.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This he did, with the result that the boys were taken before the
+officer, who smiled at them, said he was sorry for what had happened,
+but that he had no choice in the matter.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;As for the nature of the charge against you, it is this,&quot; he said. &quot;It
+was reported to us that you came here to get pictures of British
+defenses to be sold to Germany, and that your desire to go to the front,
+to get views of and for the American army, was only a subterfuge to
+cover your real purpose.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who made that charge?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It came in a letter to the War Department,&quot; was the answer, &quot;and from
+some one who signed himself Henry Littlefield of New York City. He is in
+London, and he would appear when wanted, he said.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;May I see that letter?&quot; asked the lawyer, and <a name="Page_125" id="Page_125"></a>when it was shown to him
+he passed it over to the boys, asking if they knew the writer or
+recognized the handwriting.</p>
+
+<p>And at this point the case of the prosecution, so to speak, fell
+through. For Blake, with a cry of surprise, drew forth from his pocket
+another letter, saying:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Compare the writing of that with the letter denouncing us! Are they not
+both in the same hand?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They seem to be,&quot; admitted Captain Bedell, after an inspection.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;From whom is your letter?&quot; asked Mr. Dorp.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;From Levi Labenstein, the man who summoned the submarine to sink the
+<i>Jeanne</i>,&quot; answered Blake. &quot;This letter dropped from his pocket when he
+came to me to borrow the flashlight. I intended to give it back to him,
+as it is one he wrote to some friend and evidently forgot to mail. It
+contains nothing of importance, as far as I can see, though it may be in
+cipher. But this letter, signed with his name, is in the same hand as
+the one signed 'Henry Littlefield,' denouncing us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then you think it all a plot?&quot; asked Captain Bedell.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of course!&quot; cried Joe. &quot;Why didn't you say before, Blake, that you had
+a letter from this fellow?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I didn't attach any importance to it until I saw <a name="Page_126" id="Page_126"></a>the letter accusing
+us. Now the whole thing is clear. He wants us detained here for some
+reason, and took this means of bringing it about.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If that is the case, you will soon be cleared,&quot; said Captain Bedell.</p>
+
+<p>And the boys soon were. There was no doubt but that the two letters were
+in the same hand. And when it was explained what part the suspected
+German had played aboard the steamer and cables from America to the
+United States consul had vouched for the boys, they were set free with
+apologies.</p>
+
+<p>And what pleased them still more was Captain Bedell's announcement:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I also have the pleasure to inform you that the permits allowing you to
+go to the front have been received. They came yesterday, but, of course,
+under the circumstances I could not tell you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then may we get on the firing line?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;As soon as you please. We will do all we can to speed you on your way.
+It is all we can do to repay for the trouble you have had.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;These are war times, and one can't be too particular,&quot; responded Joe.
+&quot;We don't mind, now that we can get a real start.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'd like to get at that fake Jew and the Frenchman who spoiled the
+films!&quot; murmured Charles.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_127" id="Page_127"></a>Charlie can forgive everything but those spoiled films,&quot; remarked
+Blake, with a chuckle.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We will try to apprehend the two men,&quot; promised Captain Bedell, &quot;but I
+am afraid it is too late. It may seem strange to you that we held you on
+the mere evidence of a letter from a man we did not know. But you must
+remember that the nerves of every one are more or less upset over what
+has happened. The poison of Germany's spy system had permeated all of
+us, and nothing is normal. A man often suspects his best friend, so
+though it may have seemed unusual to you to be arrested, or detained, as
+we call it, still when all is considered it was not so strange.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;However, you are at liberty to go now, and we will do all we can to
+help you. I have instructions to set you on your way to the front as
+soon as you care to go, and every facility will be given you to take all
+the pictures of your own troops you wish. I regret exceedingly what has
+happened.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, let it go!&quot; said Blake cheerfully. &quot;You treated us decently, and,
+as you say, these are war times.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Which is my only excuse,&quot; said the captain, with a smile. &quot;Now I am
+going to see if we can not apprehend that German and his French
+fellow-conspirator.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But, as may be guessed, &quot;Henry Littlefield&quot; was <a name="Page_128" id="Page_128"></a>not to be found, nor
+Lieutenant Secor, nor Levi Labenstein.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Labenstein probably wrote that letter accusing us and mailed it just to
+make trouble because we suspected him and Secor,&quot; said Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, it's lucky you had that note from him, or you'd never have been
+able to convince the authorities here that he was a faker,&quot; remarked
+Joe. &quot;I guess he didn't count on that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Probably not,&quot; agreed Blake. &quot;And now, boys, let's get busy!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There was much to do after their release. They went back to their hotel
+and began getting their baggage in shape for the trip to France. Their
+cameras and reels were released from the custody of the war officials,
+and with a glad smile Macaroni began overhauling them to see that they
+had not been damaged on the trip.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Right as ever!&quot; he remarked, after a test. &quot;Now they can begin the
+<i>parlez vous Fran&ccedil;aise?</i> business as soon as they please.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Two days later the boys embarked for the passage across the Channel, and
+though it was a desperately rough one, they were, by this time, seasoned
+travelers and did not mind it.</p>
+
+<p>The journey through France up to the front was anything but pleasant.
+The train was slow and the cars uncomfortable, but the boys made the
+best <a name="Page_129" id="Page_129"></a>of it, and finally one afternoon, as the queer little engine and
+cars rolled slowly up to what served for a station, there came to their
+ears dull boomings.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Thunder?&quot; asked Joe, for the day was hot and sultry.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Guns at the front,&quot; remarked a French officer, who had been detailed to
+be their guide the last part of the journey.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;At the front at last! Hurrah!&quot; cried Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Perhaps you will not feel like cheering when you have been here a week
+or two,&quot; said the French officer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sure we will!&quot; declared Charlie. &quot;We can do something now besides look
+at London chimney pots. We can get action!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As the boys looked about on the beautiful little French village where
+they were to be quartered for some time, it was hard to realize that, a
+few miles away, men were engaged in deadly strife, that guns were
+booming, killing and maiming, and that soon they might be looking on the
+tangled barbed-wire defense of No Man's Land.</p>
+
+<p>But the dull booming, now and then rising to a higher note, told them
+the grim truth.</p>
+
+<p>They were at the war front at last!</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI" /><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130"></a>CHAPTER XVI</h2>
+
+<h3>THE FIRING LINE</h3>
+
+
+<p>&quot;Hello! Where are you fellows from?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It was rather a sharp challenge, yet not unfriendly, that greeted Blake,
+Joe and Charlie, as they were walking from the house where they had been
+billeted, through the quaint street of the still more quaint French
+village. &quot;Where are you from?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;New York,&quot; answered Blake, as he turned to observe a tall,
+good-natured-looking United States infantryman regarding him and his two
+chums.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;New York, eh? I thought so! I'm from that burg myself, when I'm at
+home. Shake, boys! You're a sight for sore eyes. Not that I've got 'em,
+but some of the fellows have&mdash;and worse. From New York! That's mighty
+good! Shake again!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And they did shake hands all around once more.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My name's Drew&mdash;Sam Drew,&quot; announced the private. &quot;I'm one of the
+doughboys that came over first with Pershing. Are you newspaper
+fellows?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No. Moving picture,&quot; answered Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_131" id="Page_131"></a>You don't say so! That's great! Shake again. When are you going to give
+a show?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, we're not that kind,&quot; explained Joe. &quot;We're here to take army
+films.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, shucks!&quot; cried Private Drew. &quot;I thought we were to see something
+new. The boys here are just aching for something new. There's a picture
+show here, but the machine's busted and nobody can fix it. We had a few
+reels run off, but that's all. Say, we're 'most dead from what these
+French fellows call <i>ong we</i>, though o-n-g-w-e ain't the way you spell
+it. If we could go to one show&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You say there's a projector here?&quot; interrupted Joe eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I don't know what you call it, but there's a machine here that
+showed some pictures until it went on the blink.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maybe I can fix it,&quot; went on Joe, still eagerly. &quot;Let's have a look at
+it. But where do you get current from? This town hasn't electric
+lights.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, but we've got a gasolene engine and a dynamo. The officers'
+quarters and some of the practice trenches are lighted by electricity.
+Oh, we have some parts of civilization here, even if we are near the
+trenches!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you've got current and that projection machine isn't too badly
+broken, maybe I can fix her up,&quot; said Joe. &quot;Let's have a look at it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_132" id="Page_132"></a>Oh, I'll lead you to it, all right, Buddy!&quot; cried Private Drew. &quot;We'll
+just eat up some pictures if we can get 'em! Come along! This way for
+the main show!&quot; and he laughed like a boy.</p>
+
+<p>Among the outfits sent with the troops quartered in this particular
+sector was a moving picture machine and many reels of film. But, as Sam
+Drew had said, the machine was broken.</p>
+
+<p>After Blake and his chums had reported to the officer to whom they had
+letters of introduction and had been formally given their official
+designation as takers of army war films, they went to the old barn which
+had been turned into a moving picture theater.</p>
+
+<p>There was a white cloth screen and a little gallery, made in what had
+been the hay mow, for the projector machine. Joe Duncan, as the expert
+mechanician of the trio, at once examined this, and said it could soon
+be put in readiness for service.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Whoop!&quot; yelled Private Drew, who seemed to have constituted himself the
+particular guide and friend of the moving picture boys. &quot;Whoop! that's
+as good as getting a letter from home! Go to it, Buddy!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And that first night of the boys' stay at that particular part of France
+was the occasion of a moving picture show. All who could crowded into
+the barn, and the reels were run over and over again as dif<a name="Page_133" id="Page_133"></a>ferent
+relays of officers and men attended. For the officers were as eager as
+the privates, and the moving picture boys were welcomed with open arms.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You sure did make a hit!&quot; laughed Private Drew. &quot;Yes, a sure-fire hit!
+Now let Fritz bang away. We should worry!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But all was not moving pictures for Blake, Joe and their assistant, nor
+for the soldier boys, either. There was hard and grim work to do in
+order to be prepared for the harder and grimmer work to come. The United
+States troops were going through a period of intensive trench training
+to be ready to take their share of the fighting with the French and
+British forces.</p>
+
+<p>The village where Blake and his chums were quartered was a few miles
+from the front, but so few that day and night, save when there was a
+lull, the booming of guns could be heard.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There hasn't been much real fighting, of late,&quot; Private Drew informed
+the boys the day after their arrival. &quot;It's mostly artillery stuff, and
+our boys are in that. Now and then a party of us goes over the top or on
+night listening-patrol. Fritz does the same, but, as yet, we haven't had
+what you could call a good fight. And we're just aching for it, too.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's what we want to get pictures of,&quot; said Blake. &quot;Real fighting at
+the front trenches!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_134" id="Page_134"></a>Oh, you'll get it,&quot; prophesied the private. &quot;There's a rumor that we'll
+have some hot stuff soon. Some of our aircraft that have been strafing
+Fritz report that there's something doing back of the lines. Shouldn't
+wonder but they'll try to rush us some morning. That is, if we don't go
+over the top at 'em first.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I hope we'll be there!&quot; murmured Joe. &quot;And I hope we get a good light
+so we can film the fighting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They'll be almost light enough from the star-shells, bombs and big
+guns,&quot; said Private Drew. &quot;Say, you ought to see the illumination some
+nights when the Boches start to get busy! Coney Island is nothing to it,
+Buddy!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Before the moving picture boys could get into real action on the front
+line trenches, there were certain formalities to go through, and they
+had to undergo a bit of training.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Black, to whom they were responsible and to whom they had to
+report each day, wanted first some films of life in the small village
+where the troops were quartered when not in the trenches. This was to
+show the &quot;boys at home&quot; what sort of life was in prospect for them.</p>
+
+<p>Aside from the danger ever present in war in any form, life in the
+quaint little town was pleasant. The boys in khaki were comfortably
+housed, <a name="Page_135" id="Page_135"></a>they had the best of army food, and their pleasures were not
+few. With the advent of Blake and his chums and the putting in operation
+of the moving picture show, enthusiasm ran high, and nothing was too
+good for the new arrivals.</p>
+
+<p>But they had their work to do, for they were official photographers and
+were entrusted with certain duties. Back of the firing line, of course,
+there was no danger, unless from air raids. But after the first week,
+during which they took a number of reels of drilling and recreation
+scenes, there came a period of preparation.</p>
+
+<p>Blake, Joe and Charlie were given gas masks and shown how to use them.
+They were also each provided with an automatic pistol and were given
+uniforms. For they had to be on the firing line and on such occasions
+were not really of the non-combatant class, though they were not
+supposed to take part in the fighting unless it should be to protect
+themselves.</p>
+
+<p>At the suggestion of Captain Black the boys had made sheet-iron cases
+for their cameras and reels of film.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of course, if a shell comes your way that case won't be much
+protection,&quot; said the United States officer. &quot;But shrapnel won't go
+through it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Steel helmets were also given the boys to wear when they went on duty in
+the firing trenches, and <a name="Page_136" id="Page_136"></a>they were told under no circumstances to leave
+them off.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;For even if there isn't any shooting from across No Man's Land,&quot;
+explained Captain Black, &quot;a hostile aircraft may drop a bomb that will
+scatter a lot of steel bullets around. So wear your helmets and keep the
+cases on your cameras.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It was a week after this, during which time there had been several false
+alarms of a big German attack, that one evening as they were about to
+turn in after having given a moving picture show an orderly came up to
+Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You and your two friends will report to Captain Black at four o'clock
+to-morrow morning,&quot; said the orderly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why that hour?&quot; asked Joe curiously.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We're going over the top,&quot; was the answer. &quot;You may get some pictures
+then.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Charles Anderson hastily consulted a small book he took from his pocket.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What you doing?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Looking to see what time the sun rises. I want to see if there'll be
+light enough to make pictures. Yes,&quot; he went on, as he found what he
+wanted in the miniature almanac, &quot;we ought to be able to get some
+shots.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The gray wreaths of a fog that had settled down in the night were being
+dispelled by the advance <a name="Page_137" id="Page_137"></a>heralds of dawn in the shape of a few faint
+streaks of light when Blake and his chums, wearing their steel helmets
+and with the steel-protected cameras, started from the farmhouse where
+they were quartered to report to Captain Black.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All ready, boys?&quot; the captain called. &quot;We're going over the top at
+five-seven&mdash;just as soon as the artillery puts down a barrage to clear
+the way for us. You're to get what pictures you can. I'll leave that
+part to you. But don't get ahead of the barrage fire&mdash;that is, if you
+want to come back,&quot; he added significantly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All right,&quot; answered Blake, in a low voice.</p>
+
+<p>He and his chums took their places in one of the communicating trenches,
+waiting for the American and the French soldiers in the front ones to
+spring up and go &quot;over the top.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Every minute seemed an hour, and there were frequent consultations of
+wrist watches. Suddenly, at five o'clock exactly, there was a roar that
+sounded like a hundred bursts of thunder. The artillery had opened the
+engagement, and the moving picture boys, at last on the firing line,
+grasped their cameras and reels of film as the soldiers grasped their
+guns and waited for the word to go.</p>
+
+<p>The earth beneath them seemed to rock with the concussion of the big
+guns.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII" /><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138"></a>CHAPTER XVII</h2>
+
+<h3>BOWLED OVER</h3>
+
+
+<p>Not a man of the American and French forces that were to attack the
+Germans had yet left the protecting trench. The object of the artillery
+fire, which always preceded an attack unless it was a surprise one with
+tanks, was to blow away the barbed-wire entanglements, and, if possible,
+dispose of some of the enemy guns as well as the fighting men.</p>
+
+<p>The barrage was really a &quot;curtain of fire&quot; moving ahead of the attacking
+troops to protect them. This curtain actually advanced, for the guns
+belching out the rain of steel and lead were slowly elevated, and with
+the elevation a longer range was obtained.</p>
+
+<p>Waiting in a trench slightly behind the troops that were soon to go into
+action, Blake Stewart and his chums talked, taking no care to keep down
+their voices. Indeed, they had to yell to be heard.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, we're here at last,&quot; said Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_139" id="Page_139"></a>Yes; and it looks as if there'd be plenty of action,&quot; added Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If it only gets lighter and the smoke doesn't hang down so,&quot; added
+Charlie. &quot;We won't get very good films if it doesn't get lighter. It's
+fierce now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, if the fighting lasts long enough the sun will soon be higher and
+the light better,&quot; responded Blake. &quot;And it sounds as if this was going
+to be a big fight.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>By this time the German guns seemed to have awakened, and were replying
+to the fire from the American and French artillery. The shells flew
+screaming over the heads of those in the trenches, and instinctively
+Blake and his companions ducked.</p>
+
+<p>Then they realized how futile this was. As a matter of fact, the shells
+were passing high over them and exploding even back of the line of
+cannon. For the Germans did not yet have the range, some of the Allies'
+guns having been moved up during the night.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly, though how the signal was given the moving picture boys did
+not learn until afterward, there was activity in the trenches before
+them. With yells that sounded only faintly above the roar of the big
+guns, the American and French soldiers went &quot;over the top,&quot; and rushed
+toward the German trenches.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_140" id="Page_140"></a>Come on!&quot; cried Blake. &quot;This is our chance!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It isn't light enough!&quot; complained Charlie, as he ran along the
+communicating trench with the other two lads to the front line ditch.
+&quot;We can't get good pictures now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's getting lighter!&quot; cried Blake. &quot;Come on!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He and Joe were to work the cameras, with Charles Anderson to stand by
+with spare reels of film, and to lend a helping hand if need be.</p>
+
+<p>Along the narrow trench they rushed, carrying their machines which, it
+was hoped, would catch on the sensitive celluloid the scenes, or some of
+them, that were taking place in front. Mad scenes they were, too&mdash;scenes
+of bursting shells, of geysers of rock and earth being tossed high by
+some explosion, of men rushing forward to take part in the deadly
+combat.</p>
+
+<p>As Blake had said, the scene was lighting up now. The sun rose above the
+mists and above the smoke of the guns, for though some smokeless powder
+was used, there was enough of the other variety to produce great clouds
+of vapor.</p>
+
+<p>Behind the line of rushing soldiers, who were all firing their rifles
+rapidly, rushed the moving picture boys. They were looking for a spot on
+which to set their machines to get good views of the engagement.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This'll do!&quot; yelled Blake, as they came to a <a name="Page_141" id="Page_141"></a>little hill, caused by
+the upheaval of dirt in some previous shell explosion. &quot;We can stand
+here!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All right!&quot; agreed Joe. &quot;I'll go a little to one side so we won't
+duplicate.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The barrage fire had lifted, biting deeper into the ranks and trenches
+of the Germans. But they, on their part, had found the range more
+accurately, and were pouring an answering bombardment into the artillery
+stations of the French and Americans.</p>
+
+<p>And then, as the sun came out clear, the boys had a wonderful view of
+what was going on. Before them the French and Uncle Sam's boys were
+fighting with the Germans, who had been driven from their trenches. On
+all sides were rifles belching fire and sending out the leaden
+messengers of death.</p>
+
+<p>And there, in the midst of the fighting but off to one side and out of
+the line of direct fire, stood Blake, Joe and Charlie, the two former
+turning the handles of the cameras and taking pictures even as they had
+stood in the midst of the volcanoes and earthquakes, or in the perils of
+the deep, making views.</p>
+
+<p>The fighting became a mad riot of sound&mdash;the sound of big guns and
+little&mdash;the sound of bursting shells from either side&mdash;the yells of the
+men&mdash;the shouting of the officers and the shrill cries of the wounded.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142"></a>It took all the nerve of the three lads to stand at their posts and see
+men killed and maimed before their eyes, but they were under orders, and
+did not waver. For these scenes, terrible and horrible though they were,
+were to serve the good purpose of stimulating those at home, in safety
+across the sea, to a realization of the perils of war and the menace of
+the Huns.</p>
+
+<p>The fighting was now at its fiercest. The Germans had an accurate idea
+of the location of the American and French cannon by this time, and the
+artillery duel was taking place, while between that double line of fire
+the infantry were at body-grips.</p>
+
+<p>Hand grenades were being tossed to and fro. Men were emptying the
+magazines of their rifles or small arms fairly into the faces of each
+other.</p>
+
+<p>When a soldier's ammunition gave out, or his gun choked from the hot
+fire, he swung the rifle as a club or used the bayonet. And then came
+dreadful scenes&mdash;scenes that the moving picture boys did not like to
+think about afterward. But war is a grim and terrible affair, and they
+were in the very thick of it.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly, as Blake and Joe were grinding away at their cameras, now and
+then shifting them to get a different view, something that made shrill
+whistling sounds, passed over their heads.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_143" id="Page_143"></a>What's that?&quot; asked Charlie, who stood ready with a reel of spare film
+for Blake's machine.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Bullets, I reckon,&quot; answered Joe. &quot;They seem to be coming our way,
+too.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maybe we'd better get out of here,&quot; suggested Blake. &quot;We've got a lot
+of views, and&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't run yet, Buddies!&quot; called a voice, and along came Private Drew.
+&quot;You'll never hear the bullet that hits you. And they're firing high,
+the Fritzes are! Don't run yet. How're you making it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All right so far, but it's&mdash;fierce!&quot; cried Blake, as he stopped for a
+moment to let a smoke cloud blow away.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, it's a hot little party, all right,&quot; replied the soldier, with a
+grin. &quot;I haven't had all my share yet. Had to go back with an order. Hi,
+here comes one!&quot; and instinctively he dodged, as did the others, though
+a moment later it was borne to them that it was of little use to dodge
+on the battlefield.</p>
+
+<p>Something flew screaming and whining over their heads, and fell a short
+distance away.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's a shell!&quot; cried Joe, as he saw it half bury itself in the earth.
+&quot;Look out!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Private Drew gave one look at the place where the German missile had
+fallen, not ten feet away, and then, with a shrug of his shoulders, he
+cried:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's only a dud!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_144" id="Page_144"></a>What's that?&quot; asked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Shell that didn't explode,&quot; answered the soldier. &quot;The Fritzes have
+fired a lot of them lately. Guess their ammunition must be going back on
+them. It's only a dud!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He was about to pass on, and the moving picture boys were going to
+resume their making of films, when another scream and whine like the
+first came, but seemingly nearer.</p>
+
+<p>Instinctively all four looked up, and saw something flashing over their
+heads. They could feel the wind of the shell, for that is what it was,
+and then the chance shot from the German gun fell about fifty feet
+behind the group.</p>
+
+<p>The next instant there was a tremendous explosion, and Blake and the
+others felt themselves being tossed about and knocked down as by a
+mighty wind.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII" /><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145"></a>CHAPTER XVIII</h2>
+
+<h3>TRENCH LIFE</h3>
+
+
+<p>Blake was the first to scramble to his feet, rolling out from beneath a
+pile of dirt and stones that had been tossed on him as the shell heaved
+up a miniature geyser and covered him with the d&eacute;bris. Then, after a
+shake, such as a dog gives himself when he emerges from the water, and
+finding himself, as far as he could tell, uninjured, he looked to his
+companions.</p>
+
+<p>Private Drew was staggering about, holding his right hand to his head,
+and on his face was a look of grim pain. But it passed in an instant as
+he cried to Blake:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hurt Buddy?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't seem to be,&quot; was the answer, given during a lull in the
+bombardment and firing. &quot;But I'm afraid&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He did not finish the sentence, but looked appre<a name="Page_146" id="Page_146"></a>hensively at his
+prostrate chums. Both Joe and Charlie lay motionless, half covered with
+dirt. One camera had been upset and the tripod was broken. The other,
+which Blake had been operating, seemed intact.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maybe they're only knocked out. That happens lots of times,&quot; said Drew.
+&quot;We'll have a look.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But you're hurt yourself!&quot; exclaimed Blake, looking at a bloody hand
+the soldier removed from his head.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Only a scratch, Buddy! A piece of the shell grazed me. First I thought
+it had taken me for fair, but it's only a scratch. If I don't get any
+worse than that I'm lucky. Now to have a look at your bunkies.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Charles Anderson seemed to need little looking after, for he arose to
+his feet, appearing somewhat dazed, but not hurt, as far as was
+evidenced.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What happened?&quot; he asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Just a little bit of a compliment from our friend Fritz,&quot; answered
+Drew. &quot;That was a real shell&mdash;no dud&mdash;but it exploded far enough away
+from us not to do an awful lot of damage. That is, unless your other
+bunkie is worse hurt.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm afraid he is,&quot; observed Blake, for Joe had not yet moved, and dirt
+covered him thickly.</p>
+
+<p>The center of the fighting seemed to have passed beyond the group of
+moving picture boys by this <a name="Page_147" id="Page_147"></a>time. Blake, Charlie and Drew turned to
+where Joe lay and began scraping the dirt from him.</p>
+
+<p>He stirred uneasily while they were doing this, and murmured:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's all right. Put in another reel.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Touched on the head,&quot; said the soldier. &quot;We'd better get him back of
+the lines where he can see a doctor. Your machine got a touch of it,
+too.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Anderson hurried over to the overturned camera. A quick examination
+showed him that it had suffered no more damage than the broken support.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's all right,&quot; he announced. &quot;Not even light-struck, I guess. I'll
+take this and the boxes of film,&quot; and he shouldered his burden.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I'll take your bunkie&mdash;guess I can manage to carry him better
+than you, for we've had practice in that&mdash;and you can shoulder the other
+picture machine,&quot; said Drew, as he moved over to Joe. &quot;We won't wait for
+the stretcher-men. They won't be along for some time if this keeps up.
+Come on now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But can you manage, hurt as you are?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, sure! Mine's only a scratch. Wait, I'll give myself a little first
+aid and then I'll be all right.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>With the help of Blake the soldier disinfected his wound with a liquid
+he took from his field kit, and then, having bound a bandage around his
+head, <a name="Page_148" id="Page_148"></a>he picked up the still unconscious Joe and started back with him
+to the rear trenches.</p>
+
+<p>They had to make a d&eacute;tour to avoid some of the German fire, which was
+still hot in sections, but finally managed to get to a place of
+comparative safety. Here they were met by a party of ambulance men, and
+Joe was placed on a stretcher and taken to a first dressing station.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Anderson put the cameras with their valuable reels of film in
+a bomb-proof structure.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is he badly hurt?&quot; asked Blake anxiously of the surgeon.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I hope not. In fact, I think not,&quot; was the reassuring answer of the
+American army surgeon. &quot;He has been shocked, and there is a bad bruise
+on one side, where he seems to have been struck by a stone thrown by the
+exploding shell. But a few days' rest will bring him around all right.
+Pretty close call, was it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, it might have been worse,&quot; answered Drew, whose wound had also been
+attended to. &quot;It was just a chance shot.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I don't know that it makes an awful lot of difference whether
+it's a chance shot or one that is aimed at you, as long as it hits,&quot;
+said the surgeon. &quot;However, you are luckily out of it. How does it seem,
+to be under fire?&quot; he asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I can't say I fancy it as a steady diet, and <a name="Page_149" id="Page_149"></a>yet it wasn't quite
+as bad as I expected. And we got the pictures all right.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's good!&quot; the surgeon said. &quot;Well, your friend will be all right.
+He's coming around nicely now,&quot; for Joe was coming out of the stupor
+caused by the blow on the head from a clod of earth.</p>
+
+<p>At first he was a bit confused&mdash;&quot;groggy,&quot; Private Drew called it&mdash;but he
+soon came around, and though he could not walk because of the injury to
+his side, he was soon made comparatively comfortable and taken to a
+hospital just behind the lines.</p>
+
+<p>As this was near the house where Charlie and Blake were quartered, they
+could easily visit their chum each day, which they did for the week that
+he was kept in bed.</p>
+
+<p>As Charles had surmised, the films in the cameras were not damaged, and
+were removed to be sent back for development. The broken tripod was
+repaired sufficiently to be usable again, and then the boys began to
+prepare for their next experience.</p>
+
+<p>The engagement in which Joe had been hurt was a comparatively small one,
+but it netted a slight advance for the French and American troops, and
+enabled a little straightening of their trench line to be made, a number
+of German dug-outs having been demolished and their machine guns
+captured. This, for a time at least, removed a serious annoyance to
+those who had to occupy the front line trenches.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150"></a>Though Joe improved rapidly in the hospital, for some time his side was
+very sore. He had to turn his camera over to Charlie, and it was
+fortunate the lanky helper had been brought along, for the work would
+have proved too much for Blake alone.</p>
+
+<p>Following that memorable, because it was the first, going &quot;over the
+top,&quot; there was a period of comparative quiet. Of course there was
+sniping day and night, and not a few casualties from this form of
+warfare, but it was to be expected and &quot;all in the day's work,&quot; as
+Private Drew called it.</p>
+
+<p>Blake, Joe and Charlie were complimented by Captain Black for their
+bravery in going so close to the front line in getting the pictures;
+then he added:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You can have it a little easier for a while. What we want now are some
+scenes of trench life as it exists before an engagement. So get ready
+for that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This Blake and Charlie did, while Joe sat in the sun and tried to learn
+French from a little boy, the son of the couple in whose house the
+moving picture boys were quartered.</p>
+
+<p>Though the American and French soldiers, with here and there a Canadian
+or English regiment, lived so near the deadly front line, there were
+periods, some lengthy, of quiet and even amusement. Of course, the
+deaths lay heavy on all the soldiers when they allowed themselves to
+think of their com<a name="Page_151" id="Page_151"></a>rades who had perished. And more than one gazed with
+wet eyes at the simple wooden crosses marking the graves &quot;somewhere in
+France.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But officers and men alike knew how fatal to spirit it was to dwell on
+the sad side of war. So, as much as possible, there was in evidence a
+sense of lightness and a feeling that all was for the best&mdash;that it must
+be for the best.</p>
+
+<p>Now and then there were night raids, and occasionally parties of German
+prisoners were brought in. Blake and Charlie made moving pictures of
+these as they were taken back to the cages. Most of the Germans seemed
+glad to be captured, which meant that they were now definitely out of
+the terrible scenes of the war. They would be held in safety until after
+the conflict, and they seemed to know this, for they laughed and joked
+as they were filmed. They appeared to like it, and shouted various words
+of joking import in their guttural voices to the boys.</p>
+
+<p>A week after coming out of the hospital Joe was able to take up light
+work, and did his share of making pictures of trench life. He had a big
+bruise on one side, a discolored patch that had an unpleasant look, but
+which soon ceased to give much pain except after a period of exertion.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, you're a veteran now&mdash;been wounded,&quot; said Blake to his chum.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_152" id="Page_152"></a>Yes, I suppose you can call it that. I don't care for any more,
+though.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The plan in operation at this particular section of the front where the
+moving picture boys were quartered and on duty was for the soldiers to
+spend five or six days in the trenches, taking turns of duty near No
+Man's Land, and then going back to rest in the dug-outs. After that they
+would have a day or so of real rest back of the lines, out of reach of
+the big guns.</p>
+
+<p>And there the real fun of soldiering, if fun it can be called amid the
+grim business of war, was to be had. The officers and men vied with one
+another in trying to forget the terrible scenes through which they had
+gone, and little entertainments were gotten up, the moving picture boys
+doing their share.</p>
+
+<p>Thus they obtained views of trench life both grave and gay, though it
+must be admitted that the more serious predominated. There were many
+wounded, many killed, and, occasionally, one of the parties going out on
+patrol or listening-duty at night would never come back, or, at most,
+one or two wounded men would come in to tell of a terrific struggle with
+a party of Huns.</p>
+
+<p>Sometimes, though, the tale would be the other way around, and the
+Americans would come in with a number of captives who showed the effects
+of severe fighting.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX" /><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153"></a>CHAPTER XIX</h2>
+
+<h3>GASSED</h3>
+
+
+<p>&quot;Well, there's one thing about it,&quot; remarked Joe to Blake one day, as
+they sat in the shade beside the French cottage waiting for orders.
+&quot;This isn't as nervous work as traveling on a ship, waiting for a
+submarine.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It was three weeks after the first and only engagement they had taken
+part in, and, meanwhile, they had filmed many more peaceful scenes of
+army life on the front.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Especially when you know there's a traitor in the cabin across the hall
+that may signal any minute for you to be blown up,&quot; Blake responded to
+his friend's remark. &quot;You're right there, Joe. But how's the side?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Coming on all right. Hurts hardly at all now. I wonder what became of
+those two fellows?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Which two?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Secor and Labenstein.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, I thought you meant those two German of<a name="Page_154" id="Page_154"></a>ficers who tried to hire us
+to send some word back to their folks about them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This had been the case: In a batch of prisoners brought in after a raid
+which was most successful on the part of the Americans, two captured
+German officers of high rank who spoke English well had offered Blake
+and Joe a large sum if they would send word of their fate and where they
+were held prisoners to an address in Berlin.</p>
+
+<p>But the boys would do nothing of the sort, and reported the matter to
+Captain Black. The result was that the officers were searched and some
+valuable papers, containing some future plans of the enemy, were
+discovered. The officers were sent to England under a strong guard, as
+it was felt they were particularly dangerous.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I suppose Secor and Labenstein are somewhere, plotting to do their
+worst,&quot; went on Blake. &quot;Having gone as far as they did, they wouldn't
+give up easily, I imagine. I can understand Labenstein's acting as he
+did, but that Secor, a Frenchman, if he really is one, should plot to
+injure his own country&mdash;that gets me!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Same here! I wonder if we'll ever see him again&mdash;either of them, for
+that matter.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I hope not I don't like&mdash;snakes!&quot; exclaimed Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, that's what they are&mdash;snakes in the grass,&quot;<a name="Page_155" id="Page_155"></a> agreed Joe. &quot;But I
+wonder what our next assignment will be.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's hard to say. Here comes an orderly now. Maybe he has some
+instructions.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This proved to be the case, the messenger bearing a note from Captain
+Black, requesting the moving picture boys to get some scenes around the
+camp when the soldiers were served with their daily rations.</p>
+
+<p>Some German propaganda was being circulated in the United States,
+Captain Black explained, to the effect that the soldiers in France were
+being underfed and were most unhappy. It was said that large losses had
+taken place in their ranks through starvation.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We want to nail that lie to the mast!&quot; said the captain; &quot;and I can't
+imagine a better way than by making some films showing the boys at their
+meals.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And they are some meals, too!&quot; exclaimed Blake, as he and his chum made
+ready for the task set them. &quot;If every soldier in this war had as good
+grub as our boys, they'd want to keep on fighting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Though Blake and Joe were resting at that particular time, it must not
+be assumed that they did much of that sort of thing. Of course they were
+not always on duty. Moreover, unlike the soldiers, they could do nothing
+after dark, during which pe<a name="Page_156" id="Page_156"></a>riod many raids were made on both sides. The
+moving picture business of taking films depended on daylight for its
+success. But when they were not filming peaceful scenes in and about the
+trenches the boys were getting views of tanks, of men drilling, of their
+games and sports, and now they were to get some pictures of the meals.</p>
+
+<p>As Blake and Joe had remarked, they had neither heard nor seen anything
+of Secor or Labenstein since they came from England. The men might have
+been arrested, but this was hardly likely.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Even if they were we wouldn't hear of it,&quot; said Blake. &quot;But I hope, if
+they are under arrest, they'll hold them until we can tell what we know
+of them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Same here,&quot; agreed Joe. &quot;But I guess we'll never see them again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Before long, however, his words were recalled to him in a strange manner
+and under grim circumstances.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, Buddy, coming to get yours?&quot; called Private Drew, as Blake and
+Joe, their cameras over their shoulders, walked toward the cook wagons
+from which came fragrant odors.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Haven't heard any invitations yet,&quot; returned Blake, grinning.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come in with us!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Over this way!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here you are for the big feed!&quot;</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157"></a>The cries came from a number of different groups of Uncle Sam's soldiers
+who were fighting in France. For Blake, Joe and Charlie were generally
+liked, and though they were not supposed to mess with the soldiers, they
+did so frequently, and had many a good meal in consequence.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We're going to get records of your appetites to show the folks back
+home,&quot; observed Blake, as he and Joe set up the machines. &quot;There's a
+report that you're gradually wasting away from lack of pie and cake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Watch me waste!&quot; cried a vigorous specimen of American manhood. &quot;Just
+watch me waste!&quot; And he held aloft a big plate heaped high with good and
+substantial food, while, laughing, Blake and Joe made ready to get the
+views.</p>
+
+<p>There was much fun and merriment, even though a few miles away there was
+war in its grimmest aspect But if one thought of that all the while, as
+Captain Black said, none would have the nerve and mental poise to face
+the guns and finally overcome the Huns.</p>
+
+<p>Following the taking of the scenes around the mess hall, others were
+made showing the boys in khaki at bayonet practice, at the throwing of
+hand grenades, and other forms of war exercises.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I guess these will do for peaceful scenes,&quot; said Captain Black, when
+Joe and Blake reported to him <a name="Page_158" id="Page_158"></a>what they had accomplished. &quot;And now do
+you feel equal to a little more strenuous work?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, sir. In what way?&quot; returned Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;On the firing line again. I know you'll keep it to yourselves, but we
+are going to have a big engagement in a day or so. We are all primed for
+it and it will be on a big scale. The Government wants some films of it,
+if you can get them, films not so much to be shown in public as to be
+official records of the War Department. Do you boys feel equal to the
+task?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's what we're here for!&quot; exclaimed Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How about you, Duncan?&quot; asked the captain of Joe. &quot;Is your side all
+right?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, yes! I'd never know I'd been hurt. I'm game, all right!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, it will be in a day or so. None of us knows exactly when, as
+those higher up don't let us into all of their secrets. Too many leaks,
+you know. We want to surprise Fritz if we can.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This gave the moving picture boys something further to think about and
+to plan for, and when they had taken the reels of exposed film, showing
+the dinner scenes, from their cameras, they made the machines ready for
+more strenuous work.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think I'll put an extra covering of thin sheet steel on the film
+boxes,&quot; said Charlie, talking the matter over with his two chums. &quot;A
+stray bit of <a name="Page_159" id="Page_159"></a>shrapnel might go through them now and make a whole reel
+light-struck.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I suppose it would be a good idea,&quot; agreed Blake. &quot;Go to it, Mac, and
+we'll be ready when you are.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Four days of anxious waiting followed, with the men keyed up to concert
+pitch, so to speak, and eager for the word to come that would send them
+out of the trenches and against the ranks of the Germans.</p>
+
+<p>But for a long time no word came from the higher command to prepare for
+the assault, though many knew it was pending. Perhaps the Germans knew
+it, too, and that was what caused the delay. None could say.</p>
+
+<p>Blake, Joe and Charlie were in readiness. They had their cameras
+adjusted, had plenty of fresh film, and but awaited the word that would
+send them from their comparatively comfortable house with the French
+family into the deadly trenches.</p>
+
+<p>Finally the word came. Once more in the gray dawn the boys took their
+places with their cameras in the communicating trench, while ahead of
+them crouched the soldiers eager to be unleashed at the Germans.</p>
+
+<p>And then they went through it all over again. There was the curtain of
+fire, the artillery opening <a name="Page_160" id="Page_160"></a>up along a five-mile front with a din the
+boys had never heard equalled.</p>
+
+<p>Waiting for the light to improve a little, the boys set up their cameras
+in a little grove of trees where they would be somewhat protected and
+began to make the pictures.</p>
+
+<p>The battle was one of the worst of the war. There were many killed and
+wounded, and through it all&mdash;through the storm of firing&mdash;the moving
+picture boys took reel after reel of film.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Some fight!&quot; cried Blake, as a screaming shell burst over their heads,
+some scattering fragments falling uncomfortably close to them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I should say yes!&quot; agreed Joe. &quot;But look, here comes Drew on the run. I
+wonder what's happened.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They saw their friend the private rushing toward them, and waving his
+hands. He was shouting, but what he said they could not hear.</p>
+
+<p>And then, so suddenly that it was like a burst of fire, Blake, Joe and
+Charles experienced a strange feeling! Some powerful odor overpowered
+them! Gasping and choking, they fell to the ground, dimly hearing Drew
+shouting:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Gassed! Gassed! Put on your masks!&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX" /><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161"></a>CHAPTER XX</h2>
+
+<h3>&quot;GONE!&quot;</h3>
+
+
+<p>Rolling down upon the American and French battlelines, coming out of the
+German trenches, where it had been generated as soon as it was noted
+that the wind was right, drifted a cloud of greenish yellow, choking
+chlorine gas.</p>
+
+<p>Chlorine gas is made by the action of sulphuric acid and manganese
+dioxide on common salt. It has a peculiar corrosive effect on the nose,
+throat and lungs, and is most deadly in its effect. It is a heavy gas,
+and instead of rising, as does hydrogen, one of the lightest of gases,
+it falls to the ground, thus making it dangerously effective for the
+Huns. They can depend on the wind to blow it to the enemy's trenches and
+fill them as would a stream of water.</p>
+
+<p>Knowing as he did the deadly nature of the gas from his own experience
+and that of his comrades, some of whom had been killed by it, Private
+Drew <a name="Page_162" id="Page_162"></a>lost no time in sounding his warning to the moving picture boys.
+He had taken part in the raid on the Germans, had seen and engaged in
+some hard fighting, and had been sent to the rear with an order from his
+officer. And it was as he started that he saw, from one section of the
+Hun lines, the deadly gas rolling out.</p>
+
+<p>He knew from the direction and strength of the wind just where it would
+reach to, and, seeing the moving picture boys in its path, he called to
+them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Put on your masks! Put on your masks!&quot; cried the soldier. At the same
+time, as he ran, he loosed his from where it hung at his belt and began
+to don it.</p>
+
+<p>The gas masks used in the trenches are simple affairs. They consist of a
+cloth helmet which is saturated with a chemical that neutralizes the
+action of the chlorine. There are two celluloid eye holes and a rubber
+tube, which is taken into the mouth and through which the air breathed
+is expelled. All air breathed, mixed as it is with the deadly chlorine,
+passes through the chemical-saturated cloth of the helmet and is thus
+rendered harmless. But it is a great strain on those who wear the masks,
+for nothing like the right kind of breathing can be done. In fact, a
+diver at the bottom of the sea has better and more pure air to breathe
+than a soldier in the open wearing a gas mask.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163"></a>It was the first experience of Blake and his chums with the German gas,
+though they had heard much about it, and it needed but the first whiff
+to make them realize their danger.</p>
+
+<p>Even as Private Drew called to them, and as they saw him running toward
+them and trying to adjust his own mask, they were overcome. As though
+shot, they fell to the ground, their eyes smarting and burning, their
+throats and nostrils seeming to be pinched in giant fingers, and their
+hearts laboring.</p>
+
+<p>One moment they had been operating their cameras. The next they were
+bowled over.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Put on your&mdash;&mdash;&quot; began Blake; and then he could say no more. He tried
+not to breathe as he fumbled at his belt to loosen his mask. He buried
+his nose deep in the cool earth, but such is the nature of this gas that
+it seeks the lowest level. There is no getting away from it save by
+going up.</p>
+
+<p>In a smoke-filled room a fireman may find a stratum of cool, and
+comparatively fresh, air at the bottom near the floor. This is because
+cold air is heavier than the hot and smoke-filled atmosphere. But this
+does not hold with the German gas.</p>
+
+<p>And so, before Blake could slip over his head the chemical-impregnated
+cloth, he lost consciousness. In another moment his two companions were
+also unconscious. Private Drew, struggling against <a name="Page_164" id="Page_164"></a>the terrible
+pressure on his lungs, managed to get his helmet over his head, and then
+he gave his attention to his friends.</p>
+
+<p>He knew that to save their lives he must get their helmets on; for a few
+breaths of the gas will not kill. But they will disable a person for
+some time, and a little longer breathing of it means a horrible death.</p>
+
+<p>And so, working at top speed, the soldier, now himself protected from
+the fumes, though he had breathed more of them than he liked, labored to
+save his friends.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly a new terror developed, for, wearing their own helmets which
+made them look like horrible monsters out of a nightmare, the Germans
+charged against the French and Americans, whom they hoped to find
+disabled by the gas.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here they come with blood in their eyes if I could only see it!&quot; mused
+Private Drew, as he finished fastening the helmet on Charles Anderson,
+having already thus protected Joe and Blake. All three boys were now
+unconscious, and what the outcome would be the soldier could only guess.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But there won't be any guesswork if I leave 'em here for the Huns,&quot; he
+reasoned. &quot;I've got to help 'em back&mdash;but how?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Germans, in a counter-offensive, were striving to regain some of the
+lost ground, and, for the <a name="Page_165" id="Page_165"></a>moment, were driving before them the French
+and American forces. Back rushed the advance lines to their supporting
+columns, and Drew, seeing some of his own messmates, signaled to them,
+for he could not talk with the helmet on.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately his chums of the trenches understood, and while some of them
+caught up the unconscious boys and started with them to the rear, others
+saved the moving picture machines.</p>
+
+<p>And then, just as it seemed that the Germans would overtake them and
+dispose of the whole party, there came a rush of helmet-protected
+Americans who speedily dispersed those making the counter-attack,
+pursuing them back to the very trenches which they had left not long
+before.</p>
+
+<p>The fight went on in that gas-infested territory, a grim fight,
+desperate and bloody, but in which the Allies were at last successful,
+though Blake and his two chums saw nothing of it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They're in a bad way,&quot; the surgeon said, when he examined them soon
+after Drew and his friends brought them in. &quot;I don't know whether we can
+save them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But prompt action, coupled with American ingenuity and the knowledge
+that had been gained from the experience of French and British surgeons
+in treating cases of gas poisoning, eventually <a name="Page_166" id="Page_166"></a>brought the moving
+picture boys back to the life they had so nearly left.</p>
+
+<p>It was several days, though, before they were out of danger, and by that
+time the French and Americans had consolidated the gains it cost them so
+much to make, so that the place where the three boys had been overcome
+was now well within the Allied lines.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, what happened to us?&quot; asked Joe, when he and his chums were able
+to leave the hospital.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You were gassed,&quot; explained Private Drew, who had had a slight attack
+himself. &quot;Didn't you hear me yelling at you to put on your helmets?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, and we started to do it,&quot; said Blake. &quot;But that stuff works like
+lightning.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Glad you found that out, anyhow,&quot; grimly observed the soldier. &quot;The
+next time you hear the warning, 'Gas!' don't stop to think, just grab
+your helmet. And don't wait longer than to feel a funny tickling in your
+nose, as if you wanted to sneeze but couldn't. Most likely that'll be
+gas, too. Cover your head when you feel that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Thanks!&quot; murmured Blake, for he and his chums understood that the
+soldier and his mates had saved their lives.</p>
+
+<p>Now that the moving picture boys were out of danger and could take some
+stock of themselves <a name="Page_167" id="Page_167"></a>and their surroundings, their first thoughts,
+naturally, were of their apparatus.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did they get our machines?&quot; asked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No; we saved the cameras for you,&quot; answered Drew.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What about the boxes of exposed film&mdash;the ones the War Office is so
+anxious to get?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I didn't see anything of them,&quot; said the soldier. &quot;We were too anxious
+to get you out of the gas and save the cameras to think of anything
+else. I didn't see any boxes of films, but I'll ask some of the boys who
+helped me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Blake and his chums waited for this information anxiously, and when it
+came it was a disappointment, for no one knew anything of the valuable
+reels.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Though they may be there yet,&quot; said Drew. &quot;There was some fierce
+fighting around that shell crater where we carried you from, but it's
+within our lines now, and maybe the boxes are there yet. Better go and
+take a look.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This Blake, Joe and Charlie lost no time in doing. After a little
+search, for the character of the ground had so changed by reason of the
+shell fire they hardly knew it, the boys located the place where they
+had so nearly succumbed. They found the spot where their cameras had
+been set up, for they <a name="Page_168" id="Page_168"></a>were marked by little piles of stones to steady
+the tripods. But there were no boxes of films.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Gone!&quot; exclaimed Blake disconsolately, as he looked about. &quot;And we'll
+perhaps never get another chance to make such pictures again!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It surely is tough luck!&quot; exclaimed Joe.</p>
+
+<p>They saw a sentry on guard, for this place was far enough from the lines
+of both forces to obviate the use of trenches.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What are you looking for, Buddies?&quot; asked the soldier, who knew the
+moving picture boys.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Some valuable army films,&quot; explained Blake, giving the details.
+&quot;They're very rare, and we'll probably never get any others like them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did you leave them here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Right around here,&quot; answered Joe. &quot;I think just near this pile of
+rocks,&quot; and he indicated the spot he meant.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, now,&quot; exclaimed the American private, &quot;I wouldn't be surprised but
+what those two fellows took 'em!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What two fellows?&quot; cried Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, just as I was coming on duty here I saw two fellows, one dressed
+as a German soldier and the other in a blue uniform, walking around
+here. I thought they were up to no good, so I took a couple of shots at
+'em. I don't believe I hit either of 'em, but I came so near that I made
+'em jump.<a name="Page_169" id="Page_169"></a> And then, just before they ran away, across No Man's Land, I
+saw them stoop down and pick up something that looked like boxes. I
+thought they might be something they had lost in the fight the other
+day, for the scrap went back and forth over this section. But now, come
+to think of it, they might have been boxes of your films.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I believe they were!&quot; cried Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What two fellows were they you saw?&quot; asked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>The soldier explained, giving as many details as he could remember, and
+Charlie cried:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Lieutenant Secor for one&mdash;the chap in the blue. A French traitor!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He did have a uniform something like the French,&quot; admitted the private.
+&quot;The other was a Fritz, though.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Labenstein!&quot; murmured Joe. &quot;I wonder if it is possible that they are
+with the Hun army and have learned through spies that we are on this
+front. If they have, they would know at once that those were boxes of
+films, and that's why they stole them! Do you think it possible, Blake?&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI" /><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170"></a>CHAPTER XXI</h2>
+
+<h3>ACROSS NO MAN'S LAND</h3>
+
+
+<p>Blake Stewart did not answer at once. He appeared to be considering what
+the soldier had told him. And then Blake looked across No Man's
+Land&mdash;that debatable ground between the two hostile forces&mdash;as though to
+pierce what lay beyond, back of the trenches which were held by the
+Germans, though, at this point, the enemy was not in sight.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Could it, by any chance, have been Secor and Labenstein who got our
+films?&quot; asked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very possible,&quot; agreed Blake. &quot;Labenstein, of course, would be with the
+German forces, and since Secor is a traitor he would be there also. Of
+course it may not have been those fellows, but some other two men who
+had learned through their spies that we were here taking pictures and
+wanted them for their own purposes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The question is, can we get them back?&quot; put in<a name="Page_171" id="Page_171"></a> Charlie, scowling in
+the direction of the Germans.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's only one of the questions,&quot; observed Blake. &quot;The main one is,
+where are the films now, and where did those fellows go with them?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maybe I can help you out there,&quot; put in the soldier. &quot;I saw those two
+fellows heading that way, down in that depression, and they certainly
+carried some sort of flat, square boxes under their arms.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's down in there?&quot; asked Joe eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, it <i>was</i> a machine-gun station, and old Fritz certainly played
+hob on our boys with it,&quot; answered the sentry. &quot;But we wiped that out
+the other day, though I guess the dugout is there yet, or whatever is
+left of what they used to house their barker in. The two fellows I saw
+were heading for that spot.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is that between the lines?&quot; asked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Just about, yes, though there aren't any of our trenches, or theirs
+either, near there now. What trenches there were have been knocked into
+smithereens. That's No Man's Land down there. It belongs to whoever can
+keep it, but just now nobody seems to want it. I'm here to report if
+there's any movement on the part of Fritz to take up his station there
+again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;As it is now, could we go down there?&quot; asked Joe eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_172" id="Page_172"></a>Well, if you wanted to take a chance, I s'pose you could,&quot; answered the
+sentry slowly. &quot;I wouldn't stop you. You don't belong to the army,
+anyhow, and we've been instructed that you're sort of privileged
+characters. All the same, it might be a bit dangerous. But don't let me
+stop you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come on!&quot; exclaimed Joe, starting down the slope that led across the
+bullet-scarred and shell-pitted ground.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where are you going?&quot; asked Charles Anderson.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Across No Man's Land,&quot; answered Joe grimly. &quot;I'm going to see if we can
+get back those stolen army films. If they were ours, I wouldn't be so
+anxious about them. But they belong to Uncle Sam. He hired us to take
+them, and it was our fault they were lost.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not exactly our fault,&quot; put in Blake. &quot;We couldn't help being gassed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, but excuses in war don't go. We've got to get back those films!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's right!&quot; exclaimed Charlie. &quot;I'm with you!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, for the matter of fact, so am I,&quot; said Blake quickly. &quot;I feel, as
+you do, Joe, that it's up to us to do all we can to get back those
+films. I'm only trying to think out the best plan for getting them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Go right down there and make that traitor Se<a name="Page_173" id="Page_173"></a>cor, and that submarine
+Dutchman, give 'em back!&quot; cried Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, and perhaps make such a row that there'll be a general
+engagement,&quot; said Blake. &quot;No; we've got to go at this a little
+differently from that. I'm in favor of getting the films away from those
+fellows, if they have them, but I think we'd better try to sneak up
+there first and see what the situation is. If we march down there in the
+open we'll probably be fired on&mdash;or gassed, and that's worse.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now you've said it, Buddy!&quot; exclaimed the sentry. &quot;I've had both happen
+to me, and getting shot, say in a soft place, ain't half as bad as the
+gas. Whew! I don't want any more! So, if I was you, I'd wait until after
+dark to make a trip across No Man's Land. You'll stand a better chance
+then of coming back alive.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's what I think,&quot; returned Blake, and though Joe and Charlie were
+eager for action, they admitted that their chum's plan was best.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We'll have to make some preparations,&quot; Blake went on; &quot;though I don't
+know that we need say anything to Captain Black about what we are going
+to do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He might stop us,&quot; said Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, no, he wouldn't do that,&quot; Joe assured their assistant.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll tell you what to do,&quot; counseled the sentry:<a name="Page_174" id="Page_174"></a> &quot;I'm going to be on
+duty here until late this afternoon. I'll keep my eyes peeled for
+anything that may happen down there where that dugout used to be, and
+I'll let you know.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Meanwhile, you can be getting ready to take a little excursion there
+after dark. You'd better take your gas masks with you, and also your
+automatics, for you may run into a party of Fritzes out to get the night
+air.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's what we'll do,&quot; decided Blake, and his chums agreed with him.
+And then they began to make their preparations for the perilous trip
+across No Man's Land that night.</p>
+
+<p>They were not asked to make any pictures that day, for which they were
+thankful, as they still felt some of the effects of the gas, though they
+were rapidly improving.</p>
+
+<p>Following the fight in which the boys so nearly lost their lives and in
+which there were severe losses on both sides, though with a net gain of
+territory in favor of the Allies, there was a period of comparative calm
+in the American ranks. The soldiers took advantage of this to rest and
+repair their damaged uniforms, arms and equipment. And it was on one of
+these days, when discipline was somewhat relaxed, that the moving
+picture boys made their preparations.</p>
+
+<p>As they were left pretty much to themselves <a name="Page_175" id="Page_175"></a>when they were not called
+on to be making pictures, it was rather easy for them, without exciting
+any comment, to get ready. This consisted in seeing that their automatic
+pistols were in good working order. They also applied for new gas masks,
+with a fresh impregnation of chemicals. When they received these, and
+with a supply of lampblack, they were ready, waiting only for the fall
+of darkness.</p>
+
+<p>The lampblack was to be put on their hands and faces so that their
+whiteness would not be revealed in case the Germans played their
+searchlights on the ground the boys hoped to cover, or sent up star
+clusters to give light for raiding parties sent out to kill the French
+and American wounded, such being one of the pleasant ways in which Fritz
+makes war.</p>
+
+<p>Late in the afternoon they paid a visit to their friend the sentry,
+asking if he had seen anything of the two men that they suspected might
+have the films&mdash;Secor and Labenstein.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wouldn't know 'em by those names even if I saw 'em,&quot; said the
+soldier, &quot;and, as a matter of fact, I didn't see the same two chaps I
+saw before. But I have seen figures moving about down in that hollow,
+where we wiped out the machine gun squad, and I wouldn't be surprised
+but what there was something doing there.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I only hope our films are there,&quot; said Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't build too much on it, Buddy,&quot; advised <a name="Page_176" id="Page_176"></a>the sentry. &quot;As I say, I
+saw some figures I took to be Germans down in that valley, but they may
+be getting ready for a raid on our lines, and may have nothing to do
+with your pictures.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, we'll take a chance,&quot; decided Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's what!&quot; chimed in Joe.</p>
+
+<p>Being accredited representatives of a certain branch of the army, though
+non-combatants, the boys were allowed to pass through the sentry lines,
+except in certain restricted places. They were given the countersign
+each night in case they desired to leave their quarters and go about.</p>
+
+<p>But there was a risk in starting on this journey. As non-combatants, if
+they carried arms and went into the enemy's territory, they were not
+entitled to be considered prisoners of war. Of course they could fight
+for their lives, but not with the same status as could a uniformed
+soldier. As a matter of fact, they did not wear the regulation uniform,
+having dark suits better suited to this night excursion than the khaki.</p>
+
+<p>Waiting until it was dark enough for their purpose and taking with them
+electric flashlights to use in case they got into a hut or some such
+place where they could not see to search for their films, and having
+blackened their hands and faces and seen that their weapons were in
+order, they sallied <a name="Page_177" id="Page_177"></a>forth from the home of the humble French couple,
+many good wishes going with them.</p>
+
+<p>It was a walk of three or four miles from the little village to the
+place where the sentry had said the dugout lay, and during the first
+part of the trip the boys talked to each other.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you suppose we'll really find the films there?&quot; ventured Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's a slim chance, but one worth taking,&quot; said Blake. &quot;Though I can't
+imagine what Secor and Labenstein, if those two fellows are really here,
+could want of them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maybe they just picked them up on the chance that they would give away
+some of the American army secrets,&quot; suggested Charlie. &quot;And they would
+show our boys were drilling, fighting, and all that. Of course some of
+the things on the films were actually seen by the Germans, but others
+were not; and I fancy those would be of value to Fritz. That's why they
+took 'em.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They couldn't have known we were here taking views,&quot; remarked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, yes they could!&quot; declared Blake. &quot;Germany's spy system is the best
+in the world, and lots that goes on in America is known in Germany
+before half of our own people hear about it. But we'll have to get there
+before we can find out what is in that dugout, if it's there yet.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_178" id="Page_178"></a>Well, some part of it&mdash;maybe a hut or a brush heap&mdash;must be there, or
+the sentry wouldn't have seen men about it,&quot; observed Joe. &quot;And now we'd
+better keep quiet. We're getting too close to talk much.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A little later they passed a sentry&mdash;not their friend&mdash;gave the proper
+password, and then stood on the edge of No Man's Land.</p>
+
+<p>What would be their fate as they crossed it and ventured on the other
+side&mdash;the side held by the Germans?</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come on!&quot; whispered Blake softly, and, crouching down to avoid as much
+as possible being detected in the starlight, the boys went cautiously
+into the debatable territory.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII" /><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179"></a>CHAPTER XXII</h2>
+
+<h3>CAPTURED</h3>
+
+
+<p>Not without a rather creepy feeling did the three boys start on their
+mission, the outcome of which could only be guessed. They were taking
+great risks, and they knew it. But it was not the first time. They had
+gone into the jungle to get films of wild beasts at the water hole. They
+had ventured into Earthquake Land where the forces of nature, if not of
+mankind, were arrayed against them. And they had dared the perils of the
+deep in getting pictures under the sea.</p>
+
+<p>But these were as nothing compared to the mission on which they were now
+engaged, for, at any moment, there might go up from the German lines,
+not half a mile away, a string of lights that would reveal their
+presence to the ever-watchful snipers and sharp-shooters.</p>
+
+<p>And, more than that, the whole area might suddenly be swept by a hail of
+bullets from a battery of machine guns. Both sides had these deadly
+weapons in readiness, and it was well known that<a name="Page_180" id="Page_180"></a> Fritz was exceedingly
+nervous and apt, at times, to let burst a salvo of fire without any real
+reason.</p>
+
+<p>The fluttering of some armless sleeve on the body of a dead man, the
+rattle of a loose strand of barbed wire, the movement of a sorely
+wounded soldier lying out in the open, might draw the German fire. And
+if the moving picture boys were caught in that they would be hard put to
+it to escape.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The only thing to do, when you see a flash of fire, is to drop to the
+ground and lie as still as you can,&quot; Blake had said to his chums before
+they started out. &quot;Duck your heads down on your arms and don't move. The
+lampblack will kill any glare from the lights and they may not see us.
+So remember, don't move if you see anything like a light. It may be a
+glare from a discharged rifle, or it may be a rocket or star cluster.
+Just lie low, that's the way!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And so, as they crawled on, in crouching attitudes, over the desolate
+stretch that lay between them and the place they sought, they made no
+noise, and kept a sharp watch.</p>
+
+<p>Blake led the way, his hand ready on his pistol, and the other two boys
+followed his example. Their gas masks were ready at their belts, but
+these were mainly an added precaution, as it was not likely, unless a
+general attack was contemplated, <a name="Page_181" id="Page_181"></a>that the Germans would produce the
+chlorine.</p>
+
+<p>Blake had gone a little way down the slope, Joe and Charlie following as
+closely as was safe, when the leader came to a halt. Watching his dim
+form, his chums did the same.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is it?&quot; whispered Joe, in the softest of voices.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A figure,&quot; answered Blake likewise. &quot;I'm not sure whether it's a dead
+man or some one like us&mdash;trying to discover something. Do you see it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Joe looked. He saw a huddled heap which might, some day, have been a
+man. Now it was but a&mdash;heap. As the boys strained their eyes through the
+darkness they became aware that it was the body of a man&mdash;a French
+soldier who had fallen in the engagement of a few days before, and who
+had not yet been buried. There were many such&mdash;too many on both sides
+for the health and comfort of the living.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pass to one side,&quot; advised Joe. &quot;We can't do him any good.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Poor fellow!&quot; murmured Charlie. &quot;Ouch!&quot; he suddenly exclaimed, in
+louder tones than any they had heretofore used.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Quiet!&quot; hissed Blake. &quot;What's the matter?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A big rat ran right over my legs,&quot; answered Macaroni.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, if he didn't bite you what are you yelling <a name="Page_182" id="Page_182"></a>about?&quot; demanded Joe.
+The trenches were full of rats&mdash;great, gray fellows&mdash;for there was much
+carrion food for them.</p>
+
+<p>Once more, making a little d&eacute;tour, Blake started forward, but hardly had
+he again taken up his progress when there came the sound of a slight
+explosion over toward the German lines, and almost instantly the dreary
+stretch of No Man's Land was brightly illuminated.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Down! Down!&quot; hoarsely called Blake, and he and his chums dropped full
+length on the ground, never heeding puddles of water, the rats or the
+dead, for they became aware that more bodies were all about them.</p>
+
+<p>Up from the German lines went a series of rockets and star clusters.
+They made the battle ground between the two forces almost as bright as
+day, so that should any of the unfortunate wounded men be seen to move
+they might be killed.</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps some keen-eyed Hun, watching for just this chance, had detected
+a slight movement near the dead man beside whom Blake and his chums
+first stopped. And, knowing from a previous observation that the body
+was cold and stark, the sniper must have reasoned that the living had
+joined it.</p>
+
+<p>Or perhaps the incautious exclamation made by Charlie when he felt the
+big rat may have been <a name="Page_183" id="Page_183"></a>carried to the ever-listening ears. However that
+was, the glaring lights were set off, and at once hundreds of rifles,
+aimed over the tops of the German trenches, began to send a hail of lead
+across No Man's Land.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately the line of fire was either to one side of where the boys
+had fallen, or it was too high or too low. They did not stop to consider
+which it was, but were thankful that they felt none of the leaden
+missiles, though some sang uncomfortably close.</p>
+
+<p>For perhaps five minutes the glaring lights illuminated the
+blood-stained ground, and the firing was kept up at intervals. It was
+replied to from the American and French lines, but with what effect
+could only be guessed.</p>
+
+<p>And then, once more, darkness settled down, and the boys began to
+breathe more easily. They had had a narrow escape, and their journey was
+not half over, to say nothing of the return trip&mdash;if they lived to make
+it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come on!&quot; Blake cautiously whispered again. &quot;And bear off to the right.
+The fire wasn't so heavy from there. Maybe we can find a gap to get
+through.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>His companions followed him as he crawled along, actually crawling this
+time, for it was not safe to rise high enough to walk even in a stooping
+<a name="Page_184" id="Page_184"></a>position. No one could tell when the glaring lights might be sent up
+again.</p>
+
+<p>But, for a time, Fritz seemed satisfied with the demonstration he had
+made. Perhaps he had killed some of the wounded, for not all of them had
+been brought in. Perhaps he had only further mutilated bodies that had
+long since ceased to be capable of movement.</p>
+
+<p>And so, over the dark and bloody ground, Blake and his chums made their
+way. In a little while they would be in comparative safety, for their
+friend the sentry had told them there were no regular trenches near the
+little hollow where once had stood a machine-gun emplacement and where
+the boys now hoped to find their precious war films.</p>
+
+<p>But their journey was not destined to be peaceful. Once more the flaring
+lights went up, and again came the heavy firing. Again the boys crouched
+to get below the storm of bullets, and again they escaped. But a groan
+and a cry of anguish, from somewhere on their left, told them some poor
+unfortunate had been put out of his misery.</p>
+
+<p>They waited a little while, and then again took up the perilous journey.
+Presently Blake, taking a cautious observation, announced that they were
+in comparative safety, and might walk upright.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where's the hut&mdash;or whatever it is?&quot; asked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Down in that little hollow, I take it,&quot; said Blake.<a name="Page_185" id="Page_185"></a> &quot;We can't see it
+until we round that little hill. Maybe we can't see it at all, for it
+may not be there,&quot; he added. &quot;But we'd better go slow, for it may be
+there, and there may be some one in it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Secor and Labenstein, perhaps,&quot; murmured Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Perhaps,&quot; agreed Blake. &quot;If they are&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He did not finish, but his chums knew he meant there might be a
+desperate fight.</p>
+
+<p>A little later, having proceeded cautiously, the boys made the turn
+around the little hill that had hitherto hidden from view the hollow of
+which the American sentry had spoken, and then they saw in the light of
+the stars what seemed to be a tumbled-down hut. As a matter of fact, it
+had once been a concrete dugout, where a machine gun had been placed in
+order to fire at the French and American lines. But in the heavy
+fighting of the past few days this place had been captured by an
+American contingent. They had destroyed the gun and killed most of the
+crew, and the place had been blown up by a bomb. But the fierce waves of
+Germans had surged back over the place, driving out the Americans who,
+in turn, captured it again.</p>
+
+<p>Just now the place was supposed to be deserted, being of no strategic
+value, and in a location that made it dangerous for either side to hold
+it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We'll take a look in there,&quot; said Blake, when <a name="Page_186" id="Page_186"></a>they had drawn near and
+had discovered that the ruins of the concrete dugout had been covered
+with brush, to &quot;camouflage&quot; it from spying airmen.</p>
+
+<p>They approached cautiously, and, as they did so, they became aware of a
+faint light coming from the ruins. So faint was it that at first it
+seemed no more than the reflection of the stars, but a long look showed
+that it was a light from within, but carefully screened.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We've got to have a look in!&quot; whispered Blake. &quot;Maybe the films are
+there, and maybe not; but some person is.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Probably Germans,&quot; said Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very likely. But it may be that Frenchman. If we could only capture
+him!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'd like a chance at him!&quot; exclaimed Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hush!&quot; cautioned Blake. The boys were now close to the hut, for that
+was all it was since the bombardment. They tried on three sides of the
+place to look in, but without success. Then, as they moved around to the
+side which faced the German lines, they saw a crack through which the
+light streamed in greater volume.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Take a look, Blake,&quot; advised Joe.</p>
+
+<p>His chum did so, and, with an exclamation of surprise and satisfaction,
+turned away from the slot, motioning to the others to look for
+themselves. And as Joe and Charlie looked they saw, seated on <a name="Page_187" id="Page_187"></a>the ruins
+of a machine gun and other things that had been in the place, Secor and
+Labenstein. The two plotters had between them boxes which the boys had
+no difficulty in recognizing as their missing war films.</p>
+
+<p>Joe was about to utter an exclamation of delight when Blake softly put
+his hand over his chum's mouth.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not a sound!&quot; breathed Blake.</p>
+
+<p>For a moment the boys stood looking in at the plotters and wondering how
+they could capture them, or at least get back the stolen films.</p>
+
+<p>And then a door, or what had been a door, to the dugout swung open with
+a creak of its rusty hinges.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's that?&quot; cried Secor, in French, starting to his feet.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Only the wind,&quot; replied the German, in the tongue of his
+fellow-conspirator. &quot;Only the wind.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah! I thought maybe it was&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You thought perhaps it was the boys who own these films, but who will
+never see them again. I know not how valuable they may be&mdash;these
+films&mdash;but I was told to get them, and I have. Let the ones higher up
+decide on their value. But we must get our price for them&mdash;you and I. We
+must get a good price. We have run a great risk.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, a great risk,&quot; murmured the Frenchman.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188"></a>Blake motioned to his chums to follow him into the dugout. They could
+see his gestures in the light of a lantern which formed the illumination
+of the ruins.</p>
+
+<p>Cautiously the three went inside, the noise they made being covered by
+the rattling of the wind which had sprung up.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We have them! We have them!&quot; exulted Joe, in a whisper.</p>
+
+<p>They were silently considering how best to surprise and capture the two
+men, who were still unaware of the presence of the boys, when a sudden
+noise came from outside. Blake and his chums, as well as the two men,
+started.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That was not the wind!&quot; exclaimed Secor.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, my friend. It was not. I think there is some one here besides
+ourselves. We must look. I&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And then came a guttural command in German:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Surrender&mdash;all of you! You are surrounded and are prisoners!
+Surrender!&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII" /><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189"></a>CHAPTER XXIII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE AIRSHIP RAID</h3>
+
+
+<p>Surprise on the part of Blake and his chums, as well as on the part of
+Secor and Labenstein, was so complete that it would be hard to say who
+felt the sensation most. The moving picture boys, after danger and
+difficulties, had found the stolen army films and those they believed
+had taken them. They were about to make a dash and get not only the
+precious boxes, but also, if possible, capture the two plotters, when,
+like a bolt from a clear sky, they were themselves called upon to
+surrender.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come on!&quot; yelled Charlie, as he understood the import of the summons to
+surrender. &quot;We can make a fight for it!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't try it!&quot; advised Blake. By the light of lanterns carried by the
+raiding party of Germans he had seen that they were numerous and well
+armed. It would have been the height of folly to resist, especially as
+the boys were non-combatants and not entitled to the honors of war.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_190" id="Page_190"></a>Hands up&mdash;and search them!&quot; commanded the German officer of the raiding
+party, as he pointed to Blake and his two chums. He spoke in German and
+then lapsed into English, which he spoke very well, saying:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It will be best for you Americans to give in quietly. Hands up!&quot; And
+the order was stern.</p>
+
+<p>The boys had no choice but to obey, and their weapons were quickly taken
+from them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I will allow you to keep your gas masks for the present,&quot; the German
+captain said, &quot;as you may need them, as we ourselves may, before we get
+back to our lines.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then we are going back with you?&quot; asked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of a certainty&mdash;yes! Did you think I would leave you here to go back to
+your own? Indeed not! Now, then, ready&mdash;march&mdash;all of you!&quot; and he
+nodded at Secor and Labenstein.</p>
+
+<p>Blake and his two friends noticed that no hostility seemed directed
+toward the two conspirators, who, however, appeared as much surprised at
+the advent of the raiding party as were the boys. It was evident,
+though, that some understanding existed between the German captain and
+Labenstein, for they talked in low voices while Secor stood a little
+apart. The gaze of the Frenchman rested on the boys in what Blake said
+later seemed a peculiar manner.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_191" id="Page_191"></a>Well, up to your old spying tricks, I see!&quot; exclaimed Joe, with a sneer
+he could not forego. &quot;Have you summoned any submarines lately?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A strange look passed over the face of the Frenchman, but he did not
+reply. Labenstein, who had finished his talk with the German captain of
+the raiding squad, turned to the boys, and a tantalizing smile spread
+over his face as he said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah, we meet again, I see!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And you don't seem to have found much use for my flashlight,&quot; said
+Blake. &quot;I hope it still works!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The German muttered an exclamation of anger, and turned aside to pick up
+the boxes of films. This was too much for Charles Anderson, who sprang
+forward, crying:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, those are ours, you Dutch thief! Let 'em alone! We came here to
+get 'em! Let 'em alone!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The German captain gave a sharp order, and Charlie was forcibly pulled
+back by one of the soldiers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, but look here!&quot; exclaimed the lanky assistant of the moving
+picture boys. &quot;This isn't war. I mean we aren't fighting you
+Germans&mdash;though we might if we had the chance. We're just taking
+pictures, and these fellows have stolen our films,&quot; and he indicated
+Secor and Labenstein. The latter <a name="Page_192" id="Page_192"></a>made some reply in German to the
+captain which the boys could not understand.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Give us back our films and let us go!&quot; demanded Macaroni. &quot;We only came
+to get them!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Enough of this!&quot; broke in the captain. &quot;You are our prisoners, and you
+may be thankful you are alive,&quot; and he tapped his big automatic pistol
+significantly. &quot;March!&quot; he ordered.</p>
+
+<p>Labenstein and Secor picked up the boxes of exposed film containing the
+army views and went out of the hut followed by some of the soldiers.
+Then the moving picture boys were told to follow, a guard of Germans,
+with ready bayonets, closing up the rear. A little later the boys,
+prisoners in the midst of the raiding party, were out under the silent
+stars. For the time peace had settled over the battlefield, extending
+across the trenches on both sides.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wonder what they are going to do with us,&quot; said Joe, in a low voice,
+to Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hard to tell,&quot; was the quiet answer. &quot;They're marching us toward their
+lines, though.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This was indeed true, the advance being toward a section of the field
+beyond the German trenches whence, not long before, had come the
+searchlights and the hail of shrapnel.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, things didn't exactly turn out the way we expected,&quot; said
+Charlie. &quot;I guess we'll have to <a name="Page_193" id="Page_193"></a>make a re-take in getting back our
+films,&quot; he added, with grim humor. &quot;How do you figure it out, Blake?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The talk of the boys was not rebuked by their German captors, and indeed
+the captain seemed to be deep in some conversation with Secor and
+Labenstein.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know how it happened,&quot; Blake answered, &quot;unless they saw us go
+into that hut and crept up on us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They crept up, all right,&quot; muttered Joe. &quot;I never heard a sound until
+they called on us to surrender,&quot; he added.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maybe Secor and Labenstein saw us and never let on, and then sent a
+signal telling the others to come and get us,&quot; suggested Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I hardly think that,&quot; replied Blake. &quot;The Frenchman and his fellow
+German plotter seemed to be as much surprised as we were. You could see
+that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I guess you're right,&quot; admitted Joe. &quot;But what does it all mean,
+anyhow?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, as nearly as I can figure it out,&quot; responded Blake, as he and his
+chums marched onward in the darkness, &quot;Secor and Labenstein must have
+hidden the films in the hut after they stole them from the place where
+we went down under <a name="Page_194" id="Page_194"></a>the gas attack. For some reason they did not at once
+turn them over to the German command.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maybe they wanted to hold them out and get the best offer they could
+for our property,&quot; suggested Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maybe,&quot; assented Blake. &quot;Whatever their game was,&quot; and he spoke in a
+low tone which could not carry to the two plotters who were walking
+ahead with the German captain, &quot;they went to the hut to get the films
+they had left there. And as luck would have it, we came on the scene at
+the same time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish we'd been a little ahead of time,&quot; complained Macaroni. &quot;Then we
+might have gotten back with our films.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No use crying over a broken milk bottle,&quot; remarked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's right,&quot; Blake said. &quot;Anyhow, there we were and there Secor and
+his German friend were when the others came and&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here we are now!&quot; finished Joe grimly.</p>
+
+<p>And there, indeed, they were, prisoners, with what fate in store none of
+them could say.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly from the darkness a sentinel challenged in German, and the
+captain of the little party answered, passing on with the prisoners.</p>
+
+<p>A little later they turned down into a sort of trench and went along
+this, the boys being so placed that each walked between two Germans,
+<a name="Page_195" id="Page_195"></a>who carried their guns with bayonets fixed, as though they would use
+them on the slightest provocation. But Blake and his chums gave none.</p>
+
+<p>And then, making a sudden turn, the party came to what was evidently an
+outpost of importance. There were several large underground chambers,
+fitted up with some degree of comfort and a number of officers and
+soldiers about. Some were eating, some smoking, and others drinking, and
+still others sleeping. In one room could be seen a rough table, laden
+with maps and papers, and there were many electric lights, showing to
+what degree of perfection the German military system was carried out at
+this point. A portable dynamo and gasolene engine probably furnished the
+current.</p>
+
+<p>The captives were halted, and a brief talk in German took place between
+the captain and the officer to whom he reported. What was said Blake and
+his chums could not, of course, hear, nor could they have understood had
+they heard.</p>
+
+<p>A little later, however, they were ordered to march on, and then were
+shown into an underground room, none too clean and quite dark, and the
+door was banged shut on them. Just before this they had seen Secor and
+Labenstein go off in another direction, still carrying the boxes of
+films.</p>
+
+<p>The echoes of the retreating footsteps of the men who had thrust them
+into their prison soon died <a name="Page_196" id="Page_196"></a>away, and the boys were left to themselves
+in a veritable cell that was unpleasantly dirty and dark.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Whew!&quot; whistled Joe, after a moment of silence. &quot;This time we certainly
+are up against it!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly a light flashed in the darkness.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's that?&quot; asked Joe sharply.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I want to see what sort of hotel accommodations they've given us,&quot; was
+Blake's grim answer, as he flashed his pocket light about. The Germans
+had not taken those from the boys, and they were soon inspecting their
+prison.</p>
+
+<p>It was merely a hole dug underground, earth, supported by timbers,
+forming the floor, ceiling and sides, while the entrance was made of a
+plank door, with cracks large enough to show that a passage ran
+outside&mdash;a passage along which men passed with a frequency which seemed
+to indicate that escape would be exceedingly difficult.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, we've just got to make the best of it,&quot; said Blake. &quot;I'm going to
+get what rest I can.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It could not be much at best, for there was no furniture in the cavelike
+cell. The boys curled up in corners&mdash;fortunately it was not cold&mdash;and
+thought over their situation. That it was very desperate they all
+admitted.</p>
+
+<p>That night was like a bad dream to them. At times they dozed off in
+light slumber, but, as far as they knew, their captors did not so much
+as look <a name="Page_197" id="Page_197"></a>in on them. They did not know, of course, when morning came,
+but they judged that the sun had risen when, after several hours of
+waiting, a tin can of water and some food was thrust in to them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And I'm hungry enough to eat even German sausage,&quot; announced Macaroni,
+as he inspected the food. It was coarse but satisfying, and the boys
+felt better when they had eaten it.</p>
+
+<p>Later came a squad of Germans, one of whom spoke enough English to order
+Blake and his chums to follow them. They were led out of the dungeon,
+along a covered underground passage, and then they suddenly emerged into
+daylight.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, it's a comfort to be able to see,&quot; remarked Joe, as he and his
+companions looked about.</p>
+
+<p>Without a word as to where they were to be taken, the boys were marched
+along, and, for a moment, they feared they were to be the victims of a
+firing party. But a turn in the course showed them just ahead a group of
+buildings about which could be seen some German officers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Evidently we're going to be questioned by some one in authority,&quot;
+suggested Blake. &quot;Well, that looks more hopeful.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They were at the very edge of an enclosure containing the official
+headquarters of that part of the German army, and the leader of their
+squad was about to reply to the challenge of the sentinel when <a name="Page_198" id="Page_198"></a>a
+curious sound was borne to the ears of the boys. It was like a fast
+motor operating at some distance.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's that?&quot; asked Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>As if by a common impulse they all looked up, for the noise seemed to
+come from above, and they saw dotting the blue sky many small, black
+specks.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aeroplanes!&quot; cried Blake.</p>
+
+<p>The Germans had seen the objects in the air at the same time, but on
+them the sight produced quite a different effect from that made on the
+boys.</p>
+
+<p>In an instant all thought of guarding Blake and his chums seemed to have
+been forgotten. Their escort ran to one side. The sentries on duty
+before the official headquarters hastened away, and some of the
+elaborately gold-laced officers ran within the buildings.</p>
+
+<p>A moment later a number of soldiers could be observed some distance away
+manning a battery of guns, the muzzles of which pointed upward.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They're going to fire at the airships!&quot; cried Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And that means they are not German craft!&quot; added Blake. &quot;Boys, I guess
+the French and Americans are making an airship raid on Mr. Fritz this
+morning, and maybe it'll be a good thing for us. Let's hunt cover!&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV" /><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199"></a>CHAPTER XXIV</h2>
+
+<h3>BURIED ALIVE</h3>
+
+
+<p>Even as Blake and his chums looked about for some place of refuge, the
+firing of the German anti-aircraft guns began. These weapons, designed
+especially for shooting straight up and sending shrapnel shells to a
+considerable height, were rapidly manned and fired by crews that seemed
+to be in readiness for just such danger.</p>
+
+<p>The raid of the French and American airships, quickly as the defensive
+preparations were made, seemed to take the Germans by surprise. That is
+the only way the boys could account for the fact that their guarding
+escort deserted them. For deserted they had been, some of the Germans
+running back in the direction whence Blake and the others had come,
+while a few, under orders from one of the German officers, helped to man
+the guns of which several score were now shooting at the aircraft high
+above the Hun position.</p>
+
+<p>Joe, Blake and Charlie paused a moment, before <a name="Page_200" id="Page_200"></a>seeking some shelter, to
+watch the thrilling sight. On came the aeroplanes, like a flock of great
+birds, and they did not resemble anything else quite so much, high up as
+they were. They came on in regular formation, for the day of the lone
+attack by an aeroplane was passed, except under special circumstances.</p>
+
+<p>Straight for the German camp&mdash;if camp it could be called&mdash;came the
+flying squadron. As yet the airships were too high to be hit by the
+German guns, however great their range.</p>
+
+<p>But the airships came on. Their speed was not apparent at so great a
+height, but it must have been wonderful, for but a few minutes seemed to
+have elapsed from the time they were first sighted, far down on the
+horizon, until they were almost overhead.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And now's the time for us to get under cover!&quot; said Blake. &quot;When they
+begin to drop bombs, there'll be something doing around here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where'll we go?&quot; asked Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, there ought to be plenty of bomb-proofs and dug-outs in this camp.
+The Germans must have been air-raided before, or they wouldn't have the
+anti guns ready. The most likely place to find the best cyclone cellars
+will be near the officers' headquarters, I think. Trust those fellows to
+have a safe place ready.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_201" id="Page_201"></a>Do you think they are making the raid to help us?&quot; asked Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hardly,&quot; replied Blake. &quot;They probably don't even know that we have
+been captured. No, I guess this has been in preparation on our side for
+some time, judging by the number of craft in it. I hope they wipe out
+this dump!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But not until we get under cover!&quot; said Joe. &quot;Look! There goes one of
+our ships!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As he spoke a white cloud seemed to burst in the vicinity of one of the
+aircraft. The machine, which with the others had come lower down, was
+seen to dip and plunge. Then, after what seemed a dizzy fall, it
+straightened out again and kept up with the others.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hit but not disabled,&quot; murmured Blake, as he and his chums paused in
+their race for shelter. &quot;The Germans are getting the range, I guess.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why don't we drop some bombs?&quot; cried Joe, speaking as though he and his
+friends were personally engaged.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I guess they're waiting until they get in a favorable position,&quot;
+returned Blake. &quot;Look out! Here comes one!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Something black dropped from one of the airships. It fell in a long
+curve, landing in a spot which the boys could not see, and an instant
+later there was a terrific explosion.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_202" id="Page_202"></a>That hit an ammunition dump, all right!&quot; cried Charlie. &quot;Duck,
+fellows!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In here!&quot; yelled Blake, for at that moment they came opposite what
+looked like the entrance to a tunnel. It was lighted by small electric
+lamps and appeared to extend some distance into the earth. No one could
+be seen in it or entering it as the boys made a dive for it.</p>
+
+<p>And it was well that Blake, Joe and their assistant found shelter when
+they did, for an instant later the whole area was under bombardment by
+the airships. The boys, racing through the tunnel, dug underground and
+timbered and braced as is a mine shaft, could not see what went on, but
+they could hear and imagine.</p>
+
+<p>By this time the American and French aeroplanes were directly over the
+German camp and were dropping tons of explosives. The bombs struck and
+burst, some of them setting off stores of ammunition and powerful powder
+designed for the big guns. And these explosions, combined with the
+firing of the weapons aimed to bring down the flying enemy, made a
+pandemonium which penetrated even to the tunnel along which the boys
+were fleeing.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's some fight out there!&quot; cried Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If we could only film it!&quot; added Charlie, his voice and that of his
+chum ringing hollow in the tunnel.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_203" id="Page_203"></a>We'd stand about as much chance as we did when the volcano let loose in
+Earthquake Land,&quot; answered Blake. &quot;Come on, fellows! This isn't over
+yet.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I only hope we don't run into a party of Huns who'll drive us out,&quot;
+murmured Joe.</p>
+
+<p>But, so far, they had met no one, though ahead of them they could hear a
+sound as though others were running through the underground shaft
+seeking a place of safety.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where are we going, anyhow?&quot; asked Charlie at length.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Going until we stop,&quot; answered Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And that'll be soon,&quot; added Blake, &quot;for I see the last of the lights.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boys looked down the long passage, which was well made and was high
+enough to permit them to run upright. It was wide enough, also, for
+three to go abreast. As Blake had said, the string of incandescent
+lights, suspended overhead, came to an end a little farther on. They
+stopped under the third light from the last and looked about them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Isn't this as good a place as any?&quot; asked Joe. &quot;If we go on any farther
+we may get into a hole we can't get out of. I say, let's stay here.
+We'll be safe from the airship bombs.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know about that,&quot; said Blake. &quot;If you'll notice, we have come
+along pretty much on the level.<a name="Page_204" id="Page_204"></a> This tunnel wasn't dug in the side of a
+hill. It went into the ground slanting, and at such a gradual slope that
+the top can't be very far under the surface.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What does that mean?&quot; asked Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It means that we haven't much dirt over our heads, and if a bomb were
+to drop directly above us we'd be in a bad way. I think we'd better keep
+on until we get to a deeper part of the cave, or whatever it is.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But we'll have to go on in the dark,&quot; objected Joe. &quot;There are only
+three more lights, and&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly came a muffled explosion, and the lights went out, leaving the
+place in black gloom.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now there aren't any lights,&quot; said Charlie, when the echo of the dull
+roar had passed away. The tunnel had been shaken, and there was a
+pattering sound all about the boys, as if little particles of earth had
+been dislodged, but no other damage appeared to have been done.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It <i>is</i> dark!&quot; said Blake. &quot;But come on. Use your pocket lights. No,
+hold on. We'll use only one at a time. No telling how long we may need
+them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Bringing out his own light, he flashed it on and led the way. Above them
+a continuous roar could now be heard, and they guessed that the airships
+were attacking in force, directly over the German <a name="Page_205" id="Page_205"></a>camp, and were being
+fired at from all sides.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;One bomb must have splattered Fritz's electric plant,&quot; observed Joe, as
+he and his chums hurried on as best they could in the somewhat dim light
+of the little pocket lamp Blake carried.</p>
+
+<p>Hardly had he spoken when there came a tremendous explosion&mdash;one that
+staggered the boys and seemed to crumple up the tunnel as though it were
+made of paper.</p>
+
+<p>They had no time to cry out. They were thrown down and felt rocks and
+stones falling about them, while their ears were deafened by the roaring
+sound.</p>
+
+<p>Then came silence and darkness&mdash;a darkness that weighed heavily on them
+all, while Blake, who had been in the lead, tried to move his hand to
+flash on the electric light that had gone out or been broken. He could
+barely move, and as he felt dirt and rocks all about him there was borne
+to his senses the horrible message:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Buried alive!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After that thought mercifully came unconsciousness.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXV" id="CHAPTER_XXV" /><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206"></a>CHAPTER XXV</h2>
+
+<h3>THE END OF LABENSTEIN</h3>
+
+
+<p>How long they lay entombed in the German tunnel the moving picture boys
+did not know. They must have been unconscious for some time.</p>
+
+<p>Joe was the first to regain his senses. Telling about it later, he said
+he dreamed that he had been taking views in Earthquake Land and that,
+somehow or other, a volcano had fallen on his chest. He had difficulty
+in breathing, and no wonder, for as he came to his senses he found that
+a great rock and a pile of earth were across him.</p>
+
+<p>Slowly at first, fearing to move much because he might bring down more
+d&eacute;bris on himself, Joe felt about. He found that his arms and hands were
+comparatively free, though partly buried in earth.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I say!&quot; he called, and his voice sounded strange in that dark and
+broken tunnel, &quot;is any one here but me? Blake! Charlie! Are you alive?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>No one answered, and then, feeling his strength <a name="Page_207" id="Page_207"></a>coming back, Joe
+ventured to move. He found that he could manage to emerge from the pile
+of earth and stones that had fallen on him, fortunately none over his
+head. When he ventured to stand upright he tried to pierce the darkness
+and find out what had become of his chums.</p>
+
+<p>But he could see nothing until he thought of his pocket lamp and, taking
+it in his hand, flashed it about him. The light revealed to him the
+figures of Blake and Charlie, lying not far away and covered with d&eacute;bris
+as he had been.</p>
+
+<p>He set the little light on a rock, leaving the switch on, and by the
+intense but limited glow, he set to work to free his companions. Blake's
+head was bleeding from the cut of a sharp rock, but he, like Joe and
+Charlie, had fallen in such a way, or rather, the cave-in had taken
+place in such a manner, that their heads and faces were comparatively
+free from dirt, else they would have been smothered.</p>
+
+<p>Joe worked feverishly to free his chums and at length succeeded in
+freeing his assistant, who, of the two, was less covered by the d&eacute;bris.
+Charlie opened his eyes and looked about him, asking:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What happened? Where am I?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't stop to ask questions now,&quot; directed Joe. &quot;Help me with Blake.
+I'm afraid he's hurt!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The two together got their chum cleared of the <a name="Page_208" id="Page_208"></a>d&eacute;bris finally, and then
+Joe, taking a flask of cold coffee from his pocket, gave his now
+half-unconscious chum some to drink. This served further to rouse Blake,
+and it was soon found, aside from a painful cut on the head, that he was
+uninjured except for bruises, such as they all had.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But what happened?&quot; asked Charlie, as they sat down to rest on some
+rocks and took turns finishing Joe's limited supply of coffee.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The tunnel caved in on us after a big explosion of some kind,&quot; Joe
+said. &quot;I guess we're going to have trouble getting out, too.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let's have a look,&quot; suggested Blake. &quot;We can't stay in here much longer
+or more of the roof and sides may cave in. Can we get out?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I haven't looked,&quot; answered Joe. &quot;I wanted to get the dirt off you
+fellows. I'm afraid we're caught, though.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And they were. An examination, made with the pocket lights, showed them
+that the way back was blocked by a mass of rock and earth and that no
+progress ahead could be made for the same reason.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I guess we'll have to dig our way out,&quot; said Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What with?&quot; asked Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Some of the broken boards that held up the tunnel,&quot; was the answer, and
+Joe pointed to pieces of timber that had been splintered and shattered
+by the cave-in.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_209" id="Page_209"></a>Yes, it's the only way out,&quot; agreed Blake, who, now that his cut had
+been bound up with bandages from the first-aid kits the boys carried,
+felt better. &quot;We'll have to dig out.&quot; And after a short rest they began
+this work.</p>
+
+<p>A terrible fear was upon them, a fear greater than that caused by their
+capture by the Germans with the possibility of being shot as spies. It
+was the fear of a horrible death&mdash;buried alive.</p>
+
+<p>They dug as best they could for some time with the broken boards, their
+hands becoming cut and bruised by the rough edges. And yet, with all
+their efforts, they could not see that they had gained much.</p>
+
+<p>They were digging back along the way they had come in, for, as Blake
+said, they knew how long the tunnel was in that direction, but they did
+not know how far it extended the other way.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is it of any use to continue?&quot; asked Joe wearily, when they had been
+digging for what seemed several hours, though really it was not as long
+as that.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of course we've got to continue!&quot; declared Blake, half savagely. &quot;We
+can't give up now&mdash;and die!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We may die anyhow,&quot; said Joe.</p>
+
+<p>They were resting in the darkness after strenuous digging. In the dark
+because, to save the bat<a name="Page_210" id="Page_210"></a>tery, they had switched off the electric light
+by which they had been working.</p>
+
+<p>Charlie turned to look back. They had been piling the earth behind them
+as they worked, but there was not much of it as yet. They had made but
+small impression on the d&eacute;bris that hemmed them in. And as Charlie
+looked he uttered a cry.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is it?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A light! Don't you see a light there?&quot; Charlie demanded. &quot;See! Back
+there through the chinks in the rock. See, a flickering light!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There was no doubt of it! There was a gleam of light, and it appeared to
+come from a point where some fallen rocks were loosely piled.</p>
+
+<p>Dropping their boards, which they had been using for shovels, the boys
+climbed as near as they could to the hole. In the dark as they were, the
+light showed plainly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can you see anything?&quot; asked Charlie of Joe, who was nearest.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, only some figures moving about. It seems like some sort of dugout
+beyond there, and it hasn't caved in. Maybe it's the end of the tunnel.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did you say you can see somebody in there?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes; figures moving about.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Call to them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maybe they're Germans!&quot; exclaimed Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_211" id="Page_211"></a>They probably are,&quot; Blake answered. &quot;But we've got to be rescued from
+here and take our chance with them. It's better than being buried alive.
+Hello, there!&quot; he shouted. &quot;Help us get out!&quot; and he began tearing at
+the stones with his hands.</p>
+
+<p>Seeing his object, his chums helped him. And then some one on the other
+side of the rocky barrier also began pulling down the stones, so that in
+a little while, the light becoming momentarily greater, the boys saw a
+way of escape open to them.</p>
+
+<p>But it was a strange way. For when the rocks had been pulled down
+sufficiently to enable them to crawl through, they emerged into a
+space&mdash;a small room, as it were&mdash;walled with solid logs. Logs also
+formed the roof. It was a room lighted by a lantern, and on a pile of
+bags in one corner lay a huddled figure of a man. Standing near him was
+another man&mdash;a man in a ragged blue uniform&mdash;and at the sight of his
+face Blake murmured:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Lieutenant Secor!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;At your service!&quot; said the Frenchman, bowing slightly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No!&quot; bitterly cried Blake. &quot;Not at <i>our</i> service&mdash;you traitor!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Frenchman seemed to wince, but at that moment a call from the
+huddled man in the corner attracted his attention. He bent over him,
+drew <a name="Page_212" id="Page_212"></a>back the covering and revealed in the lantern's glow the face of
+Labenstein.</p>
+
+<p>The German raised himself on one elbow, and a wild look came over his
+face. His eyes gleamed brightly for a moment.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They&mdash;they here!&quot; he murmured. &quot;Well, perhaps it is better so.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How better? What does he mean?&quot; asked Blake. &quot;Does he think&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hush!&quot; and the Frenchman spoke softly. &quot;This is the end&mdash;of
+Labenstein!&quot; And even as he spoke the man fell back dead.</p>
+
+<p>Lieutenant Secor seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, as though the death
+of the other had brought a great release to him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now I can speak,&quot; said the officer. &quot;Now I can explain, and perhaps you
+will again regard me as a friend,&quot; he said softly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; returned Blake, &quot;you probably saved our lives by helping us get
+out of the tunnel. But as for being friends with&mdash;&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Please do not say it,&quot; begged the lieutenant. &quot;I have had to play a
+part. It is over now. I can again take my place with my comrades and
+fight openly for France. For I have learned all his secrets and whence
+the spy-leaks came. Now my unpleasant mission is over!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What&mdash;what do you mean?&quot; asked Joe, begin<a name="Page_213" id="Page_213"></a>ning, as did his chums, to
+have an inkling of the truth. &quot;Aren't you two working together against
+us and for Germany?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Never I!&quot; cried the Frenchman. &quot;I am a member of the French Secret
+Service, and for months I have consorted with that dog!&quot; and he pointed
+at the dead man. &quot;I but played a part to gain his confidence and to
+learn from what sources Germany was getting her secret information about
+our soldiers and yours. Now I know. I will explain. But come, we must
+get out of here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can we get out?&quot; asked Blake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Surely, yes. The tunnel goes from here into the German trenches, and
+the other end was not damaged by the explosion.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But,&quot; exclaimed Joe, &quot;the German trenches! We don't want to go there to
+be captured again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Have no fear,&quot; said the Frenchman, with a smile. &quot;I should, perhaps,
+have said what <i>were</i> the German trenches. They are now held by some of
+your own troops&mdash;the brave Americans!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They are?&quot; cried Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is true! You shall see!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hurrah!&quot; cried the moving picture boys, and their fears and weariness
+seemed to depart from them in a moment.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The great airship raid was a success,&quot; went on the Frenchman. &quot;Our
+troops and yours have made <a name="Page_214" id="Page_214"></a>a big advance, and have captured many
+prisoners. They would have had Labenstein, but he is beyond prisons now.
+Let us go hence! Even dead I can not endure his company. I suffered much
+on his account.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, things are happening so fast I don't know which to begin to think
+of first,&quot; remarked Joe. &quot;But, on general principles, I presume it's a
+good thing to get out of this tunnel. Come on, boys.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;One moment,&quot; interposed the lieutenant. &quot;Perhaps you will like to take
+these with you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He stooped and lifted a pile of trench bags, and the boys saw the boxes
+of moving picture films.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ours?&quot; cried Joe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;None else,&quot; answered the Frenchman. &quot;I trust you will find them all
+right.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not a seal broken!&quot; reported Charlie, who had quickly examined the
+cases. &quot;This is great!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Together, hardly able to believe their good luck, they made their way
+out of the log-protected room&mdash;once a German bomb-proof dugout. As they
+emerged into the trenches, carrying the films, the boys saw American
+soldiers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Stars and Stripes!&quot; cried Charlie, as he noted the United States
+flag. &quot;Now we're all right!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Whew! We did make some advance!&quot; added Blake, as they saw how the
+battle lines of the<a name="Page_215" id="Page_215"></a> French and Americans had been extended since they
+had crawled into No Man's Land the night before.</p>
+
+<p>The boys learned later that the airship raid was the forerunner of a big
+offensive that had been carried out when they were held prisoners and in
+the tunnel. The Germans had been driven back with heavy loss, and one of
+their ammunition dumps, or storage places, had been blown up, which had
+caused the collapse of the tunnel.</p>
+
+<p>That the moving picture boys were welcomed by the soldiers, among whom
+they had many friends, goes without saying. And the recovery of the
+films was a matter for congratulation, for they were considered very
+valuable to the army.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Though it was Lieutenant Secor who really saved them for us,&quot; explained
+Blake, when the story of their adventure was being told.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And I am glad the time has come when Lieutenant Secor can appear in his
+true light,&quot; said Captain Black. &quot;Even I suspected him, and he lost many
+friends who will come back to him, now that he risked all to serve his
+country in a r&ocirc;le seldom honored&mdash;that of getting secret intelligence
+from the enemy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>For that is what the French lieutenant had been doing. Even while he was
+in the United States, where the boys first met him, he had been playing
+that part.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<a name="Page_216" id="Page_216"></a>But I assure you,&quot; he said to Blake and the others, &quot;that the
+destruction of your films by my auto was an accident. When I found you
+believed it done purposely I let it go that way, as it helped me play my
+part the better. Also, I had to act in a manner to make you believe I
+was a friend of Labenstein. But that was all a part.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And it had not been an easy part for the French officer to play. He had,
+in ways of his own, come to suspect Labenstein, who went under various
+names, sometimes that of Karl Kooder. This man, who held forged
+citizenship papers of the United States, was a German spy and had done
+much to aid the Kaiser. But he accepted Lieutenant Secor as a co-worker,
+on the latter's representation that he, too, was a friend of Germany, or
+rather, as the Frenchman made Labenstein think, was willing to become so
+for a sum of money. So the two seemingly worked together.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And it was thus you knew us,&quot; said the lieutenant to the boys.
+&quot;Labenstein, to use one of his names, had orders to make all the trouble
+he could for you when you reached France, and to prevent your getting
+any pictures, if possible. Of course he could not do that, but he tried,
+even to the extent of writing a false note in London that caused your
+arrest. I had, seemingly, to help him, but all the while I was
+endeavoring to find out where the leak <a name="Page_217" id="Page_217"></a>was on our side that enabled him
+to profit. And I found out. The leak will be stopped.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I even seemed to join Labenstein in signaling the submarine, though
+that night, had he really succeeded in calling her with your light, I
+would have killed him where he stood. However, the depth charge solved
+that question.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I had to escape from the ship with him to lull his suspicions against
+me. Then I went into the German ranks with him, being thought a
+deserter! That was hard for me, but I had my duty to perform.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The rest you know. It was by a mere chance that Labenstein, when I was
+with him, came upon your films after the gas attack. He thought to
+profit personally from selling them, which is why he did not turn them
+over at once to his superiors. Ever since then he has been trying to
+dispose of them to enrich himself. And I have been trying to find a way
+to get them back to you without betraying myself and my mission.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;At last chance favored me. The big air attack came just after I had
+secured all the information I wanted. I was about to go back to my
+comrades and arrange for the capture of Labenstein if I could. He still
+had the films and was about to sell them to another German&mdash;a traitor
+like himself.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then came the big explosion, and he was fatally <a name="Page_218" id="Page_218"></a>hurt. We both took
+refuge in the tunnel, Labenstein carrying with him the films, and you
+came just as Labenstein died. Well, perhaps it is better so.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; agreed Blake, &quot;I think it is.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And we have the films back!&quot; exulted Charlie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, best of all, we know Lieutenant Secor is straight!&quot; cried Joe.
+&quot;I'd hate to think anything else of him, after he saved our lives.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; agreed Blake softly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And now to get back on the job!&quot; cried Joe, after a moment of silence.</p>
+
+<p>And so the moving picture boys again took up their perilous calling.
+They soon recovered from their slight injuries caused by the cave-in of
+the tunnel, and, finding their cameras where they had left them in the
+French house, resumed the turning of the cranks.</p>
+
+<p>They filmed many stirring scenes, and the records they made now form an
+important part of the archives of the War Office in Washington, the
+films so strangely lost and recovered being considered most valuable.</p>
+
+<p>Lieutenant Secor became one of the boys' firmest friends, and through
+his help they were enabled to obtain many rare views. And now, having
+seen them safely through some of their perils, we will take leave of
+them.</p>
+
+<h4>THE END</h4>
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h3><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219"></a>THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS SERIES</h3>
+
+<h4>By VICTOR APPLETON</h4>
+
+<p class="center">12mo. BOUND IN CLOTH. ILLUSTRATED. UNIFORM STYLE OF BINDING.</p>
+
+<p class="indent">Moving pictures and photo plays are famous the world over, and in this
+line of books the reader is given a full description of how the films
+are made&mdash;the scenes of little dramas, indoors and out, trick pictures
+to satisfy the curious, soul-stirring pictures of city affairs, life in
+the Wild West, among the cowboys and Indians, thrilling rescues along
+the seacoast, the daring of picture hunters in the jungle among savage
+beasts, and the great risks run in picturing conditions in a land of
+earthquakes. The volumes teem with adventures and will be found
+interesting from first chapter to last.</p>
+
+<p class="center">
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS<br />
+Or Perils of a Great City Depicted.<br />
+<br />
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS IN THE WEST<br />
+Or Taking Scenes Among the Cowboys and Indians.<br />
+<br />
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS ON THE COAST<br />
+Or Showing the Perils of the Deep.<br />
+<br />
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS IN THE JUNGLE<br />
+Or Stirring Times Among the Wild Animals.<br />
+<br />
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS IN EARTHQUAKE LAND<br />
+Or Working Amid Many Perils.<br />
+<br />
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS AND THE FLOOD<br />
+Or Perilous Days on the Mississippi.<br />
+<br />
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS AT PANAMA<br />
+Or Stirring Adventures Along the Great Canal.<br />
+<br />
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS UNDER THE SEA<br />
+Or The Treasure of the Lost Ship.<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<b>THE MOTION PICTURE CHUMS SERIES</b><br />
+<br />
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS' FIRST VENTURE<br />
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS AT SEASIDE PARK<br />
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS ON BROADWAY<br />
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS' OUTDOOR EXHIBITION<br />
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS' NEW IDEA<br />
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS AT THE FAIR<br />
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS' WAR SPECTACLE<br />
+<br />&nbsp;
+</p>
+
+<h3>THE TOM SWIFT SERIES<a name="Page_220" id="Page_220"></a></h3>
+
+<h4>By VICTOR APPLETON</h4>
+
+<p class="center">12mo. CLOTH. UNIFORM STYLE OF BINDING. COLORED WRAPPERS.</p>
+
+<p class="indent">These spirited tales convey in a realistic way the wonderful advances in
+land and sea locomotion. Stories like these are impressed
+upon the memory and their reading is productive only of good.</p>
+
+<p class="center">
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR CYCLE<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or Fun and Adventure on the Road</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR BOAT<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or The Rivals of Lake Carlopa</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or The Stirring Cruise of the Red Cloud</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or Under the Ocean for Sunken Treasure</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or The Speediest Car on the Road</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or The Castaways of Earthquake Island</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or The Secret of Phantom Mountain</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or The Wreck of the Airship</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or The Quickest Flight on Record</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or Daring Adventures in Elephant Land</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or Marvellous Adventures Underground</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or Seeking the Platinum Treasure</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or A Daring Escape by Airship</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or The Perils of Moving Picture Taking</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or On the Border for Uncle Sam</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or The Longest Shots on Record</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or The Picture that Saved a Fortune</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or The Naval Terror of the Seas</span><br />
+<br />
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Or The Hidden City of the Andes</span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap center">Grosset &amp; Dunlap, Publishers New York</span><br />
+<br />
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Moving Picture Boys on the War
+Front, by Victor Appleton
+
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+</pre>
+
+</body>
+</html>
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Moving Picture Boys on the War Front, by
+Victor Appleton
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Moving Picture Boys on the War Front
+       Or, The Hunt for the Stolen Army Films
+
+Author: Victor Appleton
+
+Release Date: February 10, 2006 [EBook #17744]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOVING PICTURE BOYS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Cori Samuel and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE
+MOVING PICTURE BOYS
+ON THE WAR FRONT
+
+OR
+
+The Hunt for the Stolen Army Films
+
+BY
+VICTOR APPLETON
+
+AUTHOR OF "THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS," "THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS
+UNDER THE SEA," "TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR-CYCLE," "TOM SWIFT
+AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP," ETC.
+
+_ILLUSTRATED_
+
+NEW YORK
+
+GROSSET & DUNLAP
+PUBLISHERS
+
+
+
+
+
+Copyright, 1918, by GROSSET & DUNLAP
+
+_The Moving Picture Boys on the War Front_
+
+[Illustration: IT TOOK ALL THE NERVE OF THE THREE LADS TO STAND AT
+THEIR POSTS AND SEE MEN KILLED.]
+
+
+=CONTENTS=
+
+
+CHAPTER                         PAGE
+
+I     A CALL TO BATTLE             1
+
+II    THE ACCIDENT                11
+
+III   MONSIEUR SECOR              20
+
+IV    ALL ABOARD                  29
+
+V     ANXIOUS DAYS                39
+
+VI    A QUEER CONFERENCE          47
+
+VII   "PERISCOPE AHOY!"           56
+
+VIII  BEATEN OFF                  65
+
+IX    SUSPICIONS                  72
+
+X     THE FLASHLIGHT              80
+
+XI    THE DEPTH CHARGE            88
+
+XII   IN ENGLAND                  97
+
+XIII  UNDER SUSPICION            105
+
+XIV   IN CUSTODY                 114
+
+XV    THE FRONT AT LAST          121
+
+XVI   THE FIRING LINE            130
+
+XVII  BOWLED OVER                138
+
+XVIII TRENCH LIFE                145
+
+XIX   GASSED                     153
+
+XX    "GONE!"                    161
+
+XXI   ACROSS NO MAN'S LAND       170
+
+XXII  CAPTURED                   179
+
+XXIII THE AIRSHIP RAID           189
+
+XXIV  BURIED ALIVE               199
+
+XXV   THE END OF LABENSTEIN      206
+
+
+
+
+=THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS ON THE WAR FRONT=
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+A CALL TO BATTLE
+
+
+"Come on now, ready with those smoke bombs! Where's the Confederate
+army, anyhow? And you Unionists, don't look as though you were going to
+rob an apple orchard! Suffering snakes, you're going into battle and
+you're going to lick the boots off the Johnnie Rebs! Look the part! Look
+the part! Now, then, what about the cannon? Got plenty of powder in 'em
+so there'll be lots of smoke?"
+
+A stout man, with perspiration running down his face, one drop trickling
+from his nose, was hurrying up and down the field.
+
+On one side of him was a small army composed of what seemed to be Civil
+War Union soldiers. A little farther back was a motley array of
+Confederates. Farther off was an apple orchard, and close beside that
+stood a ramshackle farmhouse which was soon to be the center of a
+desperate moving-picture battle in the course of which the house would
+be the refuge of the Confederates.
+
+"The old man is sort of on his ear this morning, isn't he, Blake?" asked
+Joe Duncan of his chum and camera partner, Blake Stewart. "I haven't
+heard him rage like this since the time C. C. dodged the custard pie he
+was supposed to take broadside on."
+
+"Yes, he's a bit nervous, Joe; but----"
+
+"Nervous isn't the word for it, Blake. He's boiling over! What's it all
+about, anyhow? Is he mad because I was a bit late getting here with the
+extra reels of film?"
+
+"No, he didn't say a word about that. It's just that he can't get this
+battle scene to suit him. We've rehearsed it and rehearsed it again and
+again, but each time it seems to go worse. The extras don't seem to know
+how to fight."
+
+"That's queer, considering all the war preparations that have been going
+on here since we got in the game against Germany," observed Joe Duncan,
+as he made some adjustments to his camera, one of several which he and
+Blake would use in filming part of a big serial, a number of scenes of
+which were to center around the battle in the apple orchard. "With all
+the volunteering and drafting that's been going on, soldiers quartered
+all over and as thick as bees around the cities, you'd think these
+extra fellows would know something about the game, wouldn't you?"
+
+"You'd think so; but they seem to be afraid of the guns, even though
+they are loaded with blanks. Here comes Mr. Hadley again, and he's got
+fire in his eyes!"
+
+Mr. Hadley, producer of the Consolidated Film Company, approached Jacob
+Ringold, a theatrical manager who was in charge of the company taking
+the parts in "The Dividing Line," which was the name of the Civil War
+play.
+
+"Look here, Jake!" exclaimed Mr. Hadley, "is this supposed to be a
+desperate, bloody battle, or a game of tennis?"
+
+"Why, a battle scene, of course, Mr. Hadley!"
+
+"Well, I'm glad to know it! From the way most of your people just
+rehearsed it, I thought I might be in the wrong box, and looking at a
+college football game. But no, I wrong the college game! That would be
+more strenuous than this battle scene, at least as far as I've watched
+it. Can't you get a little more life into your people?"
+
+"I'll try, Mr. Hadley," answered the manager, as the producer walked
+over to the two boys who stood near their cameras waiting for the word
+to be given, when they would begin grinding out the long reels of
+celluloid film.
+
+"This is positively the worst production I've ever been in!" complained
+Mr. Hadley to Blake. "Did you ever see such a farce as when the
+Confederates were hidden in the orchard and the Unionists stormed over
+the stone wall? You'd think they were a lot of boys going after apples.
+Bah! It makes me weary!"
+
+"It isn't very realistic," admitted Blake.
+
+"Mr. Ringold's talking to them now like a Dutch uncle," observed Joe, as
+he idly swung the crank of his camera, the machine not being in gear.
+
+"Well, I hope it does some good," observed the producer. "If it isn't
+better pretty soon, I'll let all these extra men go and hire others
+myself. I want that battle scene to look halfway real, at least."
+
+"It'll be a failure, I know it will," observed a melancholy-looking man
+who strolled up at this juncture. "I saw a black cat as I came from my
+room this morning, and that's always a sign of bad luck."
+
+"Oh, leave it to you to find something wrong!" exploded Mr. Hadley.
+"Can't you look on the cheerful side once in a while, C. C.?" he asked,
+forgetting that he, himself, had been prophetic of failure but a few
+moments before.
+
+"Humph!" murmured C. C., otherwise Christopher Cutler Piper, a comedian
+by profession and a gloom-producer by choice, "you might have known
+those fellows couldn't act after you'd had one look at 'em," and he
+motioned to the mobs of extra men, part of whom formed the Confederate
+and the other half the Union armies. "There isn't a man among them who
+has ever played Macbeth."
+
+"If they had, and they let it affect them as it does you, I'd fire them
+on the spot!" laughed Mr. Hadley; and at this, his first sign of mirth
+that day, Blake, Joe and some of the others smiled.
+
+"I don't want actors for this," went on the producer. "I want just plain
+fighters--men who can imagine they have something to gain or lose, even
+if they are shooting only blank cartridges. Well, I see Jake has
+finished telling them where they get off. Now we'll try a rehearsal once
+more, and then I'm going to film it whether it's right or not. I've got
+other fish to fry, and I can't waste all my time on 'The Dividing Line.'
+By the way," he went on to Joe and Blake, "don't you two young gentlemen
+make any long-time engagements for the next week."
+
+"Why?" asked Blake.
+
+"Well, I may have a proposition to submit to you, if all goes well. I'll
+talk about it when I get this battle scene off my mind. Now, then, Jake,
+how about you?"
+
+"I think it will be all right, Mr. Hadley. I have talked to my extra
+actors, and they promise to put more verve and spirit into their work."
+
+"Verve and spirit!" cried the producer. "What I want is _action_!"
+
+"Well, that's the same thing," said the manager. "I've told them they
+must really get into the spirit of the fight. I think if you try them
+again----"
+
+"I will! Now, then, men--you who are acting as the Confederates--you
+take your places in and around the farmhouse. You're supposed to have
+taken refuge there after escaping from a party of Unionists. You fortify
+the place, post your sentries and are having a merry time of
+it--comparatively merry, that is, for you're eating after being without
+food for a long time.
+
+"The farmhouse is the property of a Union sympathizer, and you eat all
+the more heartily on that account. He has two daughters--they are Birdie
+Lee and Miss Shay," he added in an aside to the moving picture boys.
+"Two members of your company--yes, I'm speaking to you Confederates, so
+pay attention--two members of your company make love to the two
+daughters, much to their dislike. In the midst of the merry-making and
+the love scenes the Union soldiers are reported to be coming. You
+Johnnie Rebs get out and the fight begins.
+
+"And let me tell you if it isn't a better fight this time than any
+you've put up before, you can pack your duds and get back to New York.
+You've missed your vocation, take it from me, if you don't do better
+than you have! Now, then, Union soldiers, what I said to the enemy
+applies to you. Fight as though you meant it. Now, one more rehearsal
+and I'm going to start you on the real thing."
+
+Under the direction of the assistants of Mr. Ringold, while Mr. Hadley
+looked on critically, the Confederates took their positions in and about
+the old house. They rehearsed the merry-making scenes and Miss Lee and
+Miss Shay took the parts of the daughters of the Union sympathizer. The
+two girls, being actresses of some experience, did very well, and the
+extra people evidently improved, for Mr. Hadley nodded as if satisfied.
+
+"Now, then, Unionists, move up!" he called. "March along the road as if
+you didn't care whether you met Stonewall Jackson and his men or not.
+Get a reckless air about you! That's better. Now, then, some action!
+Lively, boys!"
+
+This part, too, went better; and after a little more rehearsal the
+producer called to Blake and Joe.
+
+"Go to it, boys! Get the best results you can from this mimic battle.
+Maybe you'll soon be where it's hotter than this!"
+
+"What does he mean?" asked Joe, as he picked up his camera and took his
+position where he could film the scenes at the farmhouse.
+
+"I don't know," answered Blake, who was to take pictures of the
+marching Unionists. "Maybe there are more stunts for us to do in
+Earthquake Land."
+
+"If there are I'm not going! I'd rather do undersea stuff than be around
+volcanoes."
+
+"So would I. But we'll talk about that later. Say, that looks better!"
+and he motioned to the so-styled Confederates, who did seem to be
+putting more life into their work.
+
+"Yes," agreed Joe. "I guess when it comes to shooting, and all that,
+there'll be action enough even for Mr. Hadley."
+
+A little later the mimic battle scene was in full swing. Hundreds of
+blank cartridges were fired, smoke bombs filled the air with their dense
+vapor, and in the distance bursting shells tore up the earth, far enough
+removed from the positions of the men to preclude any danger.
+
+The Unionists closed in around the farmhouse. Close-up scenes were made,
+showing Birdie Lee and Miss Shay fighting off their Confederate
+admirers.
+
+Then came the turn in the battle where the Southern force had to give
+way.
+
+"Burn the house, boys!" cried their officer; and this would be flashed
+on the screen later as a lead.
+
+The dwelling, which had been purchased with the right to burn it, was
+set afire, and then began a scene that satisfied even the exacting
+producer. Great clouds of smoke rolled out, most of it coming from
+specially prepared bombs, and amid them and the red fire, which
+simulated flames, could be seen the Union leader carrying out his
+sweetheart, Birdie Lee.
+
+Blake and Joe ground away at their cameras, faithfully recording the
+scenes for the thrill and delight of those who would afterward see them
+in comfortable theaters, all unaware of the hard work necessary to
+produce them.
+
+The Confederates made a last stand at the barn. They were fired upon by
+the Unionists and finally driven off down the road--such as were left of
+them--while the victorious Northern fighters put out the fire in the
+house and the scene ended in the reuniting of long-separated lovers.
+
+"Well, I'm glad that's over!" remarked Mr. Hadley, as he came up to
+Blake and Joe where they were taking their cameras apart in readiness
+for carrying them back to the studio. "It didn't go so badly, do you
+think?"
+
+"I think it'll be a fine picture!" declared Joe.
+
+"The last stand of the Confederates was particularly good," observed
+Blake.
+
+"Good!" cried the producer. "That's a fine line for a leader--'The Last
+Stand.' I must make a note of it before I forget it. And now you boys
+can go back to New York. Have the films developed the first thing and
+let me know how they have come out."
+
+"They'll probably be spoiled," put in the gloomy voice of C. C.
+
+Mr. Hadley looked around far something to throw at him, but having
+nothing but his note book, which was too valuable for that, contented
+himself with a sharp look at the gloomy comedian.
+
+"When will you want us again, Mr. Hadley?" asked Blake, as he and Joe
+made ready to go back in the automobile to New York, the "Southern"
+battle scene having taken place in a location outside of Fort Lee on the
+New Jersey bank of the Hudson River, where many large moving picture
+studios are located.
+
+"Oh, that's so! I did want to talk to you about something new I have in
+mind," said Mr. Hadley. "Blake--and you, too, Joe--are you game for some
+dangerous work?"
+
+"Do you mean such as we had in Earthquake Land?" asked Blake.
+
+"Or under the sea?" inquired his partner.
+
+"This is a call to battle," replied Mr. Hadley. "And it's real battle,
+too! None of this smoke-bomb stuff! Boys, are you game for some actual
+fighting?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE ACCIDENT
+
+
+Not at all to the discredit of the moving picture boys is it to be
+considered when it is recorded that, following this question on the part
+of Mr. Hadley, they looked sharply at one another.
+
+"A call to battle!" murmured Joe.
+
+"Actual fighting?" added his chum wonderingly.
+
+"Perhaps I'd better explain a bit," went on the film producer. "Most
+unexpectedly there has come to me an opportunity to get some exceptional
+pictures. I need resourceful, nervy operators to act as camera men, and
+it is only paying you two a deserved compliment when I say I at once
+thought of you."
+
+"Thank you," murmured Blake.
+
+"No thanks necessary," responded Mr. Hadley.
+
+"So now I am ready to put my offer into words. In brief, it is----"
+
+At that moment back of the farmhouse (which was partly in ruins, for
+the fire had been a real one) a loud explosion sounded. This was
+followed by shouts and yells.
+
+"Somebody's hurt!" cried Mr. Hadley, and he set off on a run toward the
+scene, followed by Blake and Joe.
+
+And while they are investigating what had happened, advantage will be
+taken of the opportunity to tell new readers something of the former
+books in this series, so they may feel better acquainted with the two
+young men who are to pose as "heroes," as it is conventionally termed,
+though, in truth, Joe and Blake would resent that word.
+
+"The Moving Picture Boys" is the title of the first volume of the
+series, and in that the readers were introduced to Blake Stewart and Joe
+Duncan while they were working on adjoining farms. A moving picture
+company came to the fields to make certain scenes and, eventually, the
+two young men made the acquaintance of the manager, Mr. Hadley.
+
+Blake and Joe were eager to get into the film business, and their wish
+was gratified. They went to New York, learned the ins and outs of the
+making of "shifting scenes," as the Scotchman called them, and they had
+many adventures. The boys became favorites with the picture players,
+among whom were the gloomy C. C., Miss Shay, Miss Lee, Harris Levinberg
+and Henry Robertson. Others were added from time to time, sometimes
+many extra men and women being engaged, in, for instance, scenes like
+these of "The Dividing Line."
+
+Following their adventures in New York, which were varied and strenuous,
+the moving picture boys went out West, taking scenes among the cowboys
+and Indians.
+
+Later they moved on, with the theatrical company, to the coast, where
+they filmed a realistic picture of a wreck. In the jungle was where we
+next met Blake and Joe, and they were in dire peril more than once,
+photographing wild animals, though the dangers there were surpassed when
+they went to Earthquake Land, as they called it. The details of their
+happenings there will be found in the fifth volume of the series.
+
+Perilous days on the Mississippi followed, when Blake and Joe took
+pictures of the flood, and later they were sent to Panama to make views
+of the digging of the big canal.
+
+Mr. Hadley was a producer who was always eager for new thrills and
+effects. And when he thought he had exhausted those to be secured on the
+earth, he took to the ocean. And in "The Moving Picture Boys Under the
+Sea," the book that immediately precedes the present volume, will be
+found set down what happened to Blake and Joe when, in a submarine, they
+took views beneath the surface.
+
+They had not long been home from their experiences with the perils of
+the deep when they were engaged to make views for "The Dividing Line,"
+with its battle pictures, more or less real.
+
+"What's the matter? What happened? Is any one hurt?" cried Mr. Hadley,
+as he ran toward the scene of the explosion, followed by Blake and Joe.
+They could see, by a large cloud of smoke, that something extraordinary
+had occurred. The figures of several men could be noted running about.
+
+"Is anybody hurt?" demanded the producer again, as he and the two boys
+reached the place. "I'll send the ambulance, if there is." For when a
+film battle takes place men are often wounded by accident, and it is
+necessary to maintain a real hospital on the scene.
+
+"I don't believe any one's hurt," remarked Mr. Robertson, who did
+juvenile leads.
+
+"Unless it might be C. C.," remarked Mr. Levinberg, who was usually cast
+as a villain. "And small loss if he was laid up for a week or so. We'd
+be more cheerful if he were."
+
+"Is C. C. hurt?" asked Joe.
+
+"No; but I guess he's pretty badly scared," answered Mr. Robertson.
+"After this I guess he'll have more respect for a smoke bomb."
+
+"Was that what exploded?" asked Mr. Hadley.
+
+"Yes," replied the "villain." He pointed to Mr. C. C. Piper walking
+along in the midst of a group of soldiers. "It happened this way: We
+were talking about the battle scene, and C. C. kept saying it would be a
+failure when projected because the smoke bombs were not timed right. He
+said they should explode closer to the firing line, and some of the men
+who handled them said they held them as long as they dared before
+throwing them.
+
+"Old C. C. sneered at this, and said he could hold a smoke bomb until
+the fuse was burned down out of sight, and then throw it and get better
+results. So they dared him to try it."
+
+"Well?" asked Mr. Hadley, as the actor paused.
+
+"Well, C. C. did it. He held the smoke bomb, all right, but he didn't
+throw it soon enough, and, as a result, it exploded almost in his face.
+Lucky it's only made of heavy paper and not very powerful powder, so he
+was only knocked down and scorched a little. But I guess he'll have more
+respect for smoke bombs after this."
+
+"Foolish fellow!" remarked Mr. Hadley. "He never will listen to reason.
+I hope he isn't badly hurt."
+
+"It's only his feelings, mostly," declared the juvenile actor.
+
+Mr. Piper, otherwise called C. C., came limping along toward the
+producer and the moving picture boys.
+
+"Mr. Hadley, you may have my resignation, effective at once!" cried the
+tragedian.
+
+"Oh, don't say that, Mr. Piper. You're not hurt----"
+
+"Well, it isn't any thanks to one of your men that I'm not. I offered to
+show them how to throw a smoke bomb, and they gave me one with an extra
+short fuse. It went off almost in my face. If my looks aren't ruined my
+nerves are, and----"
+
+"No danger of your _nerve_ being gone," murmured Blake, nudging his
+chum.
+
+"I should say not!"
+
+"Anyhow, I resign!" declared C.C. savagely.
+
+But, as he did this on the average of twice a week, it had become so now
+that no one paid any attention to him. Mr. Hadley, seeing that he was in
+no danger and hardly even painfully scorched, no longer worried about
+the gloomy comedian.
+
+"And now to get back to what we were talking about before that
+interruption came," said Mr. Hadley to the moving picture boys. "Do you
+think you'd like to tackle the job?"
+
+"What is it?" asked Blake.
+
+"Give us an idea," added his chum.
+
+"Well, it isn't going to be any easy work," went on the producer. "And I
+might as well tell you, first as last, that it will be positively
+dangerous on all sides."
+
+"Like anything we've done before?" Blake wanted to know.
+
+"Not exactly. Earthquake Land is as near like it as anything that occurs
+to me. In short, how would you like to go to Europe?"
+
+"To the war?" cried Joe.
+
+"Yes; but to take films, not prisoners!"
+
+"Great!" cried Blake. "That suits me, all right!"
+
+"The same here!" agreed Joe instantly. "Tell us more about it!"
+
+"I will in a few days," promised the producer. "I have several details
+to arrange. Meanwhile, I have a little commission for you along the same
+line, but it's right around here--or, rather, down in Wrightstown, New
+Jersey, at one of the army camps.
+
+"I can tell you this much: If you go to Europe, it will be as special
+agents of Uncle Sam, making films for the use of the army. You will be
+commissioned, if my plans work out, though you will be non-combatants.
+The war department wants reliable films, and they asked me to get some
+for them. I at once thought of you two as the best camera men I could
+pick out. I also have a contract for getting some films here of army
+encampment scenes, and you can do these while I'm waiting to perfect my
+other arrangements, if you like."
+
+"Down at Wrightstown, is it?" cried Joe. "Well, I guess we can take
+that in. How about it, Blake?"
+
+"Sure we can. That is, if you're through with us on this serial."
+
+"Yes. The most important scenes of that are made now, and some of my
+other camera men will do for what is left. So if you want to go to the
+Jersey camp I'll get your papers ready."
+
+"We'll go," decided Blake.
+
+Two days later, during which they wondered at and discussed the
+possibilities of making films on the battle fronts of Europe, the two
+youths were in Wrightstown.
+
+One incident occurred while they were at work there that had a
+considerable bearing on what afterward happened to them. This was after
+Joe and Blake had finished making a fine set of films, showing the
+drilling of Uncle Sam's new soldiers, the views to be used to encourage
+enlistments about the country.
+
+"These are some of the best views we've taken yet in this particular
+line," observed Joe to Blake, as they sent the boxed reels to New York
+by one of their helpers to be developed.
+
+"Yes, I think so myself. Of course, they're peaceful, compared to what
+we may take in France, but----"
+
+He was interrupted by the unexpected return of Charles Anderson,
+nicknamed "Macaroni," their chief helper, who hurriedly entered the
+tent assigned to the two boys.
+
+"What's the trouble, Mac?" asked Joe, that being the shortened form of
+the nickname. "You look worried."
+
+"And so would you, Joe, if you'd had an accident like mine!"
+
+"An accident?" cried Blake, in some alarm.
+
+"Yes! At least, he _said_ it was an accident!"
+
+"Who said so?"
+
+"That Frenchman!"
+
+"What accident was it?"
+
+"Why, he ran into me with his auto, and the army films are all
+spoiled--light-struck!"
+
+"Whew!" whistled Blake, and Joe despairingly banged his fist against his
+camera.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+MONSIEUR SECOR
+
+
+Macaroni sank down on a chair. Blake said, afterward, their young
+assistant gave a very fair imitation, as far as regarded the look on his
+face, of C.C. Piper.
+
+"Ruined! Just plumb ruined!" murmured Charles Anderson.
+
+"But what happened? Tell us about it!" begged Joe. "You say some one ran
+into you?"
+
+"Yes. I was in the small auto taking the films you gave me to the
+station, and I had just about time to catch the express when I saw this
+fellow turning out of one of the side streets of the camp."
+
+"What fellow?" asked Blake.
+
+"I don't know his name," answered Macaroni. "But he's a Frenchman sent
+here, I've heard, to help instruct our men. He's some sort of officer."
+
+"And his machine ran into yours?" asked Blake.
+
+"Smack into me!" answered his helper. "Knocked the box of films out on
+the road, and one wheel went over it. Cracked the box clean open, and,
+of course, as the film wasn't developed, it's light-struck now, and
+you'll have to take all those marching scenes over again!"
+
+"That's bad!" murmured Joe. "Very bad!"
+
+"Did you say it was an _accident_?" asked Blake pointedly.
+
+"That's what _he_ said," replied Charlie. "He made all sorts of
+apologies, admitted it was all his fault, and all that. And it was,
+too!" burst out Macaroni. "I guess I know how to be careful of
+undeveloped films! Great hopping hippodromes, if I couldn't drive a car
+any better than that Frenchman, I'd get out of the army! How he has any
+license to buy gasolene, I can't imagine! This is how it was," and he
+went into further details of the occurrence.
+
+"I brought the films back, covering 'em with a black cloth as soon as I
+could," went on Charles; "but I guess it's too late."
+
+"Let's have a look," suggested Blake. "It may not be so bad as you
+think."
+
+But it was--every bit, and Joe and Blake found they would have to make
+the whole series over, requiring the marching of thousands of men and
+consequent delay in getting the completed films to the various
+recruiting centers.
+
+"Well, if it has to be done, it has to be," said Joe, with a philosophic
+sigh. "And making retakes may delay us in getting to Europe."
+
+"That's right!" agreed Blake. "But who is this fellow, anyhow, Charlie?
+And what made him so careless? An accident like this means a lot to us
+and to the Government."
+
+"I should say it did!" agreed Macaroni. "And it was the funniest
+accident I ever saw!"
+
+"How so?" asked Joe.
+
+"Well, a little while before you finished these films this same French
+officer was talking to me, asking if there were to be any duplicates of
+them, and questions like that."
+
+"And you told him?"
+
+"Yes. I didn't see any reason for keeping it secret. He isn't a German.
+If he had been I'd have kept quiet. But he's an accredited
+representative from the French Government, and is supposed to be quite a
+fighter. I thought he knew how to run an auto, but he backed and filled,
+came up on the wrong side of the road, and then plunged into me. Then he
+said his steering gear went back on him.
+
+"Mighty funny if it did, for it was all right just before and right
+after the accident. He was all kinds of ways sorry about it, offered to
+pay for the damage, and all that. I told him that wouldn't take the
+pictures over again."
+
+"And it won't," agreed Blake. "That's the worst of it! Did you say you
+had seen this Frenchman before, Mac?"
+
+"Yes; he's been around camp quite a while. You must have seen him too,
+you and Joe; but I guess you were so busy you didn't notice. He wears a
+light blue uniform, with a little gold braid on it, and he has one of
+those leather straps from his shoulder."
+
+"You mean a bandolier," suggested Joe.
+
+"Maybe that's it," admitted Macaroni. "Anyhow, he's a regular swell, and
+he goes around a lot with the other camp officers. They seem to think he
+knows a heap about war. But, believe me, he doesn't know much about
+running an auto--or else he knows too much."
+
+"Well, seeing that he's the guest of this camp, and probably of Uncle
+Sam, we can't make too much of a row," observed Blake. "I'll go and tell
+the commandant about the accident, and have him arrange for taking a new
+series of views. It's too bad, but it can't be helped."
+
+"It could have been helped if anybody with common sense had been running
+that auto, instead of a frog-eating, parlevooing Frenchman!" cried
+Macaroni, who was much excited over the affair.
+
+"That's no way to talk about one of our Allies," cautioned Joe.
+
+"Humph!" was all Charles answered, as he looked at the wrecked box of
+film. "I s'pose he'll claim it was partly my fault."
+
+"Well, we know it wasn't," returned Blake consolingly. "Come on, we'll
+get ready to do it over again; but, from the way Mr. Hadley wrote in his
+last letter, he'll be sorry about the delay."
+
+"Is he eager for you to get over on the other side?" asked the helper.
+
+"Yes. And I understand he asked if you wanted to go along as our
+assistant, Mac."
+
+"He did? First I wasn't going, but now I believe I will. I don't want to
+stay on the same side of the pond with that Frenchman! He may run into
+me again."
+
+"Don't be a C. C.," laughed Joe. "Cheer up!"
+
+"I would if I saw anything to laugh at," was the response. "But it sure
+is tough!"
+
+The moving picture boys felt also that the incident was unfortunate, but
+they were used to hard luck, and could accept it more easily than could
+their helper.
+
+The commanding officer at the camp was quite exercised over the matter
+of the spoiled films.
+
+"Well," he said to Blake when told about it, "I suppose it can't be
+helped. It may delay matters a bit, and we counted on the films as an
+aid in the recruiting. There have been a good many stories circulated,
+by German and other enemies of Uncle Sam, to the effect that the boys in
+camp are having a most miserable time.
+
+"Of course you know and I know that this isn't so. But we can't reach
+every one to tell them that. Nor can the newspapers, helpful as they
+have been, reach every one. That is why we decided on moving pictures.
+They have a wider appeal than anything else.
+
+"So we army men felt that if we could show pictures of life as it
+actually is in camp, it would not only help enlistments, but would make
+the fathers and mothers feel that their sons were going to a place that
+was good for them."
+
+"So they are; and our pictures will show it, too!" exclaimed Blake. "On
+account of the accident we'll be a bit delayed, and if that Frenchman
+runs his auto----"
+
+"Well, perhaps the less said about it the better," cautioned the
+officer. "He is our guest, you know, and if he was a bit awkward we must
+overlook it."
+
+"And yet, after all, I wonder, with Mac, if it was a pure accident,"
+mused Blake, as he walked off to join Joe and arrange for the retaking
+of the films that were spoiled. "I wonder if it was an accident," he
+repeated.
+
+In the days that followed the destruction of the army films and while
+the arrangements for taking new pictures were being made, Joe and Blake
+heard several times from Mr. Hadley. The producer said he was going to
+send Macaroni abroad with the two boys, if the wiry little helper would
+consent to go; and to this Charles assented.
+
+He would be very useful to Joe and Blake, they felt, knowing their ways
+as he did, and being able to work a camera almost as well as they
+themselves.
+
+"Did the boss tell you just what we were to do?" asked Blake of Joe one
+day, when they were perfecting the details for taking the new pictures.
+
+"No. But he said he would write us in plenty of time. All I know is that
+we're to go to Belgium, or Flanders, or somewhere on the Western front,
+and make films. What we are to get mostly are pictures of our own boys."
+
+"Most of them are in France."
+
+"Well, then we'll go to France. We're to get scenes of life in the camps
+there, as well as in the trenches. They're for official army records,
+some of them, I believe."
+
+"And I hope that crazy Frenchman doesn't follow us over and spoil any
+more films," added Charles, who was loading a camera.
+
+"Not much danger of that," was Joe's opinion.
+
+"Come, don't nurse a grudge," advised Blake.
+
+It was about a week after this that the two boys were ready to take the
+first of the camp pictures over again.
+
+"Better make 'em double, so there won't be another accident," advised
+Charles.
+
+"Oh, don't worry! We'll take care of them this time," said Blake.
+
+The long lines of khaki-clad soldiers marched and countermarched. They
+"hiked," went into camp, cooked, rushed into the trenches, had bayonet
+drill, and some went up in aeroplanes. All of this was faithfully
+recorded by the films.
+
+Blake and Joe were standing together, waiting for the army officer to
+plan some new movements, when a voice behind the two lads asked:
+
+"Pardon me! But are these the new official films?"
+
+Joe and Blake turned quickly before replying. They saw regarding them a
+slim young fellow with a tiny moustache. His face was browned, as if
+from exposure to sun and air, and he wore a well-fitting and attractive
+blue uniform with a leather belt about his waist and another over his
+shoulder.
+
+"Yes, these are the official films," answered Blake.
+
+"And are you the official artists?"
+
+"Camera men--just plain camera men," corrected Joe.
+
+"Ah, I am interested!" The man spoke with a slight, and not unpleasing,
+accent. "Can you tell me something about your work?" he asked. "I am
+very much interested. I would like to know----"
+
+At that moment Macaroni slid up to Blake with a roll of new film, and
+hoarsely whispered:
+
+"That's the guy that knocked into me and spilled the beans!"
+
+The Frenchman, for it was he, caught the words and smiled.
+
+"Pardon," he murmured. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Monsieur
+Secor, and I believe I did have the misfortune to spoil some films for
+you. A thousand pardons!" and Monsieur Secor, with a quick glance at the
+two boys, bowed low.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+ALL ABOARD
+
+
+Blake was about to make a sharp reply to the polite Frenchman, when he
+happened to remember what the commanding officer had said. That was that
+this man was, in reality, a guest of the nation. That he had come over
+instructed to give as much help as he could in getting the new soldiers
+in readiness to go "over the top."
+
+"And so I guess I'd better not say what I was going to," mused Blake.
+Then, to Monsieur Secor he replied:
+
+"I'm sorry, but we're not supposed to talk about our work without the
+permission of the commanding officer. You see----"
+
+"Ah, I comprehend!" exclaimed the Frenchman, with another bow--a bow
+altogether too elaborate, Joe thought. "That is as it should be! Always
+obey orders. I asked, casually, as I am much interested in this motion
+picture work, and I have observed some of it in my country. So it was
+your films that I had the misfortune to spoil? I greatly regret it. I
+suppose it made much extra work for you."
+
+"It did, Monsieur Secor," replied Joe rather shortly. "That is the work
+we are doing now."
+
+"And if you will excuse us," went on Blake, "we shall have to leave this
+place and go to the other side of the parade ground. I'm sorry we cannot
+tell you more of our work, but you will have to get an order from----"
+
+"Non! Non!" and the blue-uniformed officer broke into a torrent of rapid
+French. "It does not matter in the least," he began to translate. "I
+asked more out of idle curiosity than anything else. I will watch as
+much of your work as is permissible for me to see. Later I shall observe
+the finished films, I hope."
+
+"If you don't bust 'em again!" murmured Macaroni, when out of the
+officer's hearing. "I wouldn't trust you any too much," he added, as he
+and the two chums moved away to get views of the soldiers from a
+different angle.
+
+"What's wrong between you and Monsieur Secor?" asked Joe. "I mean, aside
+from his having run into you, which he claims was an accident?"
+
+"Well, maybe it was an accident, and maybe it wasn't," said Charles.
+
+"But that isn't all. I know you, Mac. What else do you mean?" demanded
+Blake, as Joe began to set up the camera in the new location.
+
+"Well, I don't want to make any accusations, especially against a French
+officer, for I know they're on our side. But I heard that Sim and
+Schloss are pretty sore because you fellows got this work."
+
+"Sim and Schloss!" repeated Blake. "That Jew firm which tried to cut
+under us in the contract for making views of animals in Bronx Park?"
+
+"That's the firm," answered Macaroni. "But they're even more German than
+they're Jews. But that's the firm I mean. One of their camera men was
+telling me the other day they thought they had this army work all to
+themselves, and they threw a fit when they heard that Hadley had it and
+had turned it over to you."
+
+"It goes to show that Duncan and Stewart are making a name for
+themselves in the moving picture world," said Blake, with a smile.
+
+"It goes to show that you've got to look out for yourselves," declared
+Charlie Anderson. "Those fellows will do you if they can, and I wouldn't
+be surprised to hear that this frog-eating chap was in with them, and
+maybe he spoiled your films on purpose, by running into me."
+
+"Nonsense!" cried Blake, speaking confidently, though at heart a little
+doubtful. "In the first place. Monsieur Secor wouldn't do anything to
+aid a German firm. That's positive! Again he would have no object in
+spoiling our films."
+
+"He would if he's in with Sim and Schloss," suggested Joe, taking sides
+with their helper. "If he could throw discredit on us, and make it
+appear that we were careless in doing our work, our rivals could go to
+the war department and, in effect, say: 'I told you so!' Then they could
+offer to relieve us of the contract."
+
+"Well, I suppose that's true," admitted Blake. "And we haven't any
+reason to like Sim and Schloss either. But I don't believe they could
+plot so far as to get a French officer to help them as against us.
+
+"No, Charlie," he went on, having half convinced himself by his
+reasoning, "I can't quite agree with you. I think it was an accident on
+the part of Monsieur Secor. By the way, what's his army title?"
+
+"He's a lieutenant, I believe," answered Joe. "Anyhow, he wears that
+insignia. He's mighty polite, that's sure."
+
+"Too polite," said Macaroni, with a grim smile. "If he hadn't waited for
+me to pass him the other day he might not have rammed me. Well, it's all
+in the day's work, I reckon. Here they come, boys! Shoot!"
+
+Blake and Joe began grinding away at the camera cranks, with their
+helper to assist them. Charles Anderson was more than a paid employee
+of the moving picture boys. He was a friend as well, and had been with
+the "firm" some time. He was devoted and faithful, and a good camera man
+himself, having helped film many large productions.
+
+In spite of what he had said, Blake Stewart was somewhat impressed by
+what Charles had told him. And for the next few days, during which he
+was busily engaged on retaking the films, he kept as close a watch as he
+could on Lieutenant Secor. However, the attitude and conduct of the
+Frenchman seemed to be above suspicion. He did not carry out his
+intention, if he really had it, of seeking permission from the
+commanding officer to observe more closely the work of Blake and Joe.
+And for a few days before the last of the new films had been taken the
+blue-uniformed officer was not seen around the camp.
+
+Blake and Joe were too busy to ask what had become of him. Then, too,
+other matters engaged their attention. For a letter came from Mr.
+Hadley, telling them and Charles to hold themselves in readiness to
+leave for England at any time.
+
+"It's all settled," wrote the producer. "I have signed the contracts to
+take moving picture films of our boys in the French trenches, and
+wherever else they go on the Western front. You will get detailed
+instructions, passes, and so on when you arrive on the other side."
+
+"When do we sail?" asked Joe, after Blake had read him this letter, and
+when they were preparing to go back to New York, having finished their
+army camp work.
+
+"The exact date isn't settled," answered his partner. "They keep it
+quiet until the last minute, you know, because some word might be
+flashed to Germany, and the submarines be on the watch for us."
+
+"That's so!" exclaimed Joe. "Say, wouldn't it be great if we could get
+one?"
+
+"One what?" asked Blake, who was reading over again certain parts of Mr.
+Hadley's letter.
+
+"A submarine. I mean film one as it sent a torpedo to blow us out of the
+water. Wouldn't it be great if we could get that?"
+
+"It would if the torpedo didn't get us first!" grimly replied Blake. "I
+guess I wouldn't try that if I were you."
+
+"I'm going to, if I get a chance," Joe declared. "It would make a great
+film, even a few feet of it. We could sell it to one of the motion
+weeklies for a big sum."
+
+"It's hardly worth the risk," said Blake, "and we're going to have
+plenty of risks on the other side, I guess."
+
+"Does Mr. Hadley say how we are to go?" asked Joe.
+
+"From New York to Halifax, of course, and from there over to England.
+They search the ship for contraband at Halifax, I believe, or put her
+through some official form.
+
+"From England we'll go to France and then be taken to the front. Just
+what will happen when we get on the other side nobody knows, I guess.
+We're to report at General Pershing's headquarters, and somebody there,
+who has this stunt in hand, will take charge of us. After that it's up
+to you and Charles and me, Joe."
+
+"Yes, I suppose it is. Well, we'll do our best!"
+
+"Sure thing!" assented Blake.
+
+"We will if some ninny of a frog-skinning Frenchman doesn't try to ram
+us with an airship!" growled Macaroni. He had never gotten over the
+accident.
+
+"I believe you are growing childish, Mac!" snapped Blake, in unusual
+ill-humor.
+
+The last of the army camp films had been made and sent in safety to the
+studios in New York, where the negatives would be developed, the
+positives, printed by electricity, cut and pasted to make an artistic
+piece of work, and then they would be ready for display throughout the
+United States, gaining recruits for Uncle Sam, it was hoped.
+
+Blake and Joe said good-bye to the friends they had made at the
+Wrightstown camp, and, with Macaroni, proceeded to Manhattan. There they
+were met by Mr. Hadley, who gave them their final instructions and
+helped them to get their outfits ready.
+
+"We'll take the regular cameras," said Blake, as he and Joe talked it
+over together, "and also the two small ones that we can strap on our
+backs."
+
+"Better take the midget, too," suggested Joe.
+
+"That's too small," objected the lanky helper. "It really is intended
+for aeroplane work."
+
+"Well, we may get some of that," went on Joe. "I'm game to go up if they
+want me to."
+
+"That's right!" chimed in Blake. "I didn't think about that. We may have
+to make views from up near the clouds. Well, we did it once, and we can
+do it again. Pack the midget, Charlie."
+
+So the small camera went into the outfit that was being made ready for
+the steamer. As Blake had said, he and his partner had, on one occasion,
+gone up in a military airship from Governor's Island, to make some views
+of the harbor. The experience had been a novel one, but the machine was
+so big, and they flew so low, that there was no discomfort or danger.
+
+"But if we have to go over the German lines, in one of those little
+machines that only hold two, well, I'll hold my breath--that's all!"
+declared Joe.
+
+Finally the last of the flank films and the cameras had been packed, the
+boys had been given their outfits, letters of introduction, passports,
+and whatever else it was thought they would need. They had bidden
+farewell to the members of the theatrical film company; and some of the
+young actresses did not try to conceal their moist eyes, for Blake and
+Joe were general favorites.
+
+"Well, do the best you can," said C. C. Piper to them, as he and some
+others accompanied the boys to the pier "somewhere in New York."
+
+"We will," promised Blake.
+
+"And if we don't meet again in this world," went on the tragic comedian,
+"I'll hope to meet you in another--if there is one."
+
+"Cheerful chap, you are!" said Blake. "Don't you think we'll come back?"
+
+Christopher Cutler Piper shook his head.
+
+"You'll probably be blown up if a shell doesn't get you," he said. "The
+mortality on the Western front is simply frightful, and the percentage
+is increasing every day."
+
+"Say, cut it out!" advised Charlie Anderson. "Taking moving pictures
+over there isn't any more dangerous than filming a fake battle here when
+some chump of an actor lets off a smoke bomb with a short fuse!"
+
+At this reference to the rather risky trick C. C. had once tried, there
+was a general laugh, and amid it came the cry:
+
+"All aboard! All ashore that's going ashore!"
+
+The warning bells rang, passengers gathered up the last of their
+belongings, friends and relatives said tearful or cheerful good-byes,
+and the French liner, which was to bear the moving picture boys to
+Halifax, and then to England, was slowly moved away from her berth by
+pushing, fussing, steaming tugs.
+
+"Well, we're off!" observed Blake.
+
+"That's so," agreed Joe. "And I'm glad we've started."
+
+"You aren't the only ones who have done that," said Macaroni. "Somebody
+else has started with you!"
+
+"Who?"
+
+For answer the lanky helper pointed across the deck. There, leaning up
+against a lifeboat, was Lieutenant Secor, smoking a cigarette and
+seemingly unconscious of the presence of the moving picture boys.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+ANXIOUS DAYS
+
+
+For a moment even Blake, cool as he usually was, seemed to lose his
+head. He started in the direction of the Frenchman, against whom their
+suspicions were directed, thinking to speak to him, when Joe sprang from
+his chair.
+
+"I'll show him!" exclaimed Blake's chum and partner, and this served to
+make Blake himself aware of the danger of acting too hastily. Quickly
+Blake put out his hand and held Joe back.
+
+"What's the matter?" came the sharp demand. "I want to go and ask that
+fellow what he means by following us!"
+
+"I wouldn't," advised Blake, and now he had control of his own feelings.
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"Because," answered Blake slowly, as he smiled at his chum, "he might,
+with perfect truth and considerable reason, say it was none of your
+business."
+
+"None of my business? None of our business that he follows us aboard
+this ship when we're going over to get official war films? Well, Blake
+Stewart, I did think you had some spunk, but----"
+
+"Easy now," cautioned Macaroni. "He's looking over here to see what the
+row's about. There! He's looking right at us."
+
+The Frenchman did, indeed, seem to observe for the first time the
+presence of the boys so close to him. He looked over, bowed and smiled,
+but did not leave his place near the rail. He appeared to be occupied in
+looking at the docks and the shipping of New York harbor, glancing now
+at the tall buildings of New York, and again over at the Jersey shore
+and the Statue of Liberty.
+
+"Come on back here--behind the deckhouse," advised Blake to his chum and
+Macaroni. "We can talk then and he can't see us."
+
+And when they were thus out of sight, and the vessel was gathering way
+under her own power, Joe burst out with:
+
+"Say, what does all this mean? Why didn't you let me go over and ask him
+what he meant by following us on board this vessel?"
+
+"I told you," answered Blake, "that he'd probably tell you it was none
+of your business."
+
+"Why isn't it?"
+
+"Because this is a public vessel--that is, public in as much as all
+properly accredited persons who desire may go to England on her.
+Lieutenant Secor must have his passport, or he wouldn't be here. And, as
+this is a public place, he has as much right here as we have.
+
+"And of course if you had asked him, Joe, especially with the show of
+indignation you're wearing now, he would have told you, and with perfect
+right, that he had as much business here as you have. He didn't follow
+us here; I think he was on board ahead of us. But if he did follow us,
+he did no more than some of these other passengers did, who came up the
+gangplank after us. This is a public boat."
+
+Joe looked at his chum a moment, and then a smile replaced the frown on
+his face.
+
+"Well, I guess you're right," he announced. "I forgot that anybody might
+come aboard as well as ourselves. But it does look queer--his coming
+here so soon after he spoiled our films; whether intentionally or not
+doesn't matter."
+
+"Well, I agree with you there--that it does look funny," said Blake
+Stewart. "But we mustn't let that fact get the better of our judgment.
+If there's anything wrong here, we've got to find it out, and we can't
+do it by going off half cocked."
+
+"Well, there's something wrong, all right," said Charlie Anderson,
+smiling at his apparently contradictory statement. "And we'll find out
+what it is, too! But I guess you're right, Blake. We've got to go slow.
+I'm going below to see if our stuff is safe."
+
+"Oh, I don't imagine anything can have happened to it--so soon," said
+Blake. "At the same time, we will be careful. Now we must remember that
+we may be altogether wrong in thinking this Frenchman is working against
+us in the interests of our rivals, Sim and Schloss. In fact, I don't
+believe that firm cares much about the contract we have, though they
+have tried to cut in under us on other matters. So we must meet
+Lieutenant Secor halfway if he makes any advances. It isn't fair to
+misjudge him."
+
+"I suppose so," agreed Joe. "Yet we must be on our guard against him.
+I'm not going to give him any information about what we are going across
+to do."
+
+"That's right," assented Blake. "Don't talk too much to
+anybody--especially strangers. We'll be decent to this chap, but he is
+no longer a guest of our nation, and we don't have to go out of our way
+to be polite. Just be decent, that's all--and on the watch."
+
+"I'm with you," said Joe, as Macaroni came back to say that all was well
+in their cabin where they had left most of their personal possessions.
+The cameras and the reels of unexposed film were in the hold with their
+heavy baggage, but they had kept with them a small camera and some film
+for use in emergencies.
+
+"For we might sight a submarine," Joe had said. "And if I get a chance,
+I'm going to film a torpedo."
+
+By this time the vessel was down in the Narrows, with the frowning forts
+on either side, and as they passed these harbor defenses Lieutenant
+Secor crossed the deck and nodded to the boys.
+
+"I did not know we were to be traveling companions," he said, with a
+smile.
+
+"Nor did we," added Blake. "You are going back to France, then?"
+
+The lieutenant shrugged his shoulders in characteristic fashion.
+
+"Who knows?" he asked. "I am in the service of my beloved country. I go
+where I am sent. I am under orders, Messieurs, and until I report in
+Paris I know not what duty I am to perform. But I am charmed to see you
+again, and rest assured I shall not repeat my lamentable blunder."
+
+"No, I'll take good care you don't run into me," muttered Macaroni.
+
+"And you, my friends of the movies--you camera men, as you call
+yourselves--you are going to France also?"
+
+"We don't know where we are going, any more than you do," said Blake.
+
+"Ah, then you are in the duty, too? You are under orders?"
+
+"In a way, yes," said Blake. "We are, if you will excuse me for saying
+so, on a sort of mission----"
+
+"Ah, I understand, monsieur! A thousand pardons. It is a secret mission,
+is it not? Tut! Tut! I must not ask! You, too, are soldiers in a way. I
+must not talk about it. Forget that I have asked you. I am as silent as
+the graveyard. What is that delightful slang you have--remember it no
+more? Ah, I have blundered! Forget it! Now I have it! I shall forget
+it!" and, with a gay laugh, he smiled at the boys, and then, nodding,
+strolled about the deck.
+
+"He's jolly enough, anyhow," remarked Joe.
+
+"Yes, and perhaps we have wronged him," said Blake. "The best way is not
+to talk too much to him. We might let something slip out without knowing
+it. Let him jabber as much as he likes. We'll just saw wood."
+
+"I suppose he'd call that some more of our delightful slang, and
+translate it 'render into small pieces portions of the forest trees for
+the morning fire,'" laughed Joe. "Well, Blake, I guess you're right.
+We've got to keep things under our hats!"
+
+"And watch our cameras and films," added Charlie. "No more
+accidental-purpose collisions for mine!"
+
+In the novelty and excitement of getting fairly under way the moving
+picture boys forgot, for the time being, the presence of one who might
+be not only an enemy of theirs but of their country also. It was not the
+first time Blake and Joe had undertaken a long voyage, but this was
+under auspices different from any other.
+
+The United States was at war with a powerful and unscrupulous nation.
+There were daily attacks on merchantmen, as well as on war vessels, by
+the deadly submarine, and there was no telling, once they reached the
+danger zone, what their own fate might be.
+
+So even the start of the voyage was different from one that might have
+been taken under more favorable skies. Soon after they had passed into
+the lower bay word was passed that the passengers would be assigned to
+"watches," or squads, for lifeboat drill, in anticipation of reaching
+the dangerous submarine zone.
+
+And then followed anxious days, not that there was any particular danger
+as yet from hostile craft, but every one anticipated there would be,
+and there was a grim earnestness about the lifeboat drills.
+
+"I have been through it all before--when I came over," said Lieutenant
+Secor to the boys; "but it has not lost its terrible charm. It is a part
+of this great war!"
+
+And as the ship plowed her way on toward her destination the anxious
+days became more anxious, and there were strained looks on the faces of
+all.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+A QUEER CONFERENCE
+
+
+Halifax was safely reached, nothing more exciting having occurred
+between that port and New York than a severe thunder storm, and, after
+the usual inspection by the English authorities, the ship bearing the
+moving picture boys was once more on her way.
+
+The lifeboat drills were rigorously kept up, and now, as the real voyage
+had begun, with each day bringing nearer the dreaded submarine peril,
+orders were given in regard to the display of lights after dark. The
+passengers were ordered to be in readiness, to keep life preservers at
+hand, and were told that as soon as the actual danger zone was reached
+it would be advisable for all to keep their clothing on at night as well
+as during the day.
+
+"But the destroyers will convoy us, won't they?" asked Charlie Anderson.
+
+"Oh, yes! They'll be on hand to greet us when the time comes," answered
+Blake. "Uncle Sam's as well as King George's. But, for all that, a
+submarine may slip in between them and send a torpedo to welcome us."
+
+"Then's when I'm going to get busy with the small camera," declared Joe.
+
+"A heap of good it'll do you to get some pictures of it, if the ship is
+blown up," remarked his chum.
+
+"Oh, well, I'm going to take a chance. Every ship that's torpedoed
+doesn't sink, and we may be one of the lucky ones. And if I should
+happen to get some views of a destroyer sinking a submarine--why, I'd
+have something that any camera man in the world would be proud of!"
+
+"That's right!" agreed Blake. "But don't take any chances."
+
+Joe promised to heed this advice, and he was really enthusiastic about
+his chance of getting a view of an oncoming torpedo. That he might get
+views of a warship or a destroyer sinking one of the Hun undersea boats
+was what he dreamed about night and day.
+
+It was the day before they were actually to enter the danger zone--the
+zone marked off in her arrogance by Germany--that something occurred
+which made even cautious Blake think that perhaps they were justified in
+their suspicions of the Frenchman.
+
+The usual lifeboat drills had been held, and the passengers were
+standing about in small groups, talking of what was best to be done in
+case the torpedo or submarine alarm should be given, when Macaroni, who
+had been down in the cabin, came up and crossed the deck to where Blake
+and Joe were talking to two young ladies, to whom they had been
+introduced by the captain.
+
+By one of the many signs in use among moving picture camera men, which
+take the place of words when they are busy at the films, Macaroni gave
+the two chums to understand he wanted to speak to them privately and at
+once. The two partners remained a little longer in conversation, and
+then, making their excuses, followed their helper to a secluded spot.
+
+"What's up?" demanded Joe. "Have you made some views of a torpedo?"
+
+"Or seen a periscope?" asked Blake.
+
+"Neither one," Charlie answered. "But if you want to see something that
+will open your eyes come below."
+
+His manner was so earnest and strange, and he seemed so moved by what he
+had evidently seen, that Blake and Joe, asking no further questions,
+followed him.
+
+"What is it?" Joe demanded, as they were about to enter their cabin, one
+occupied by the three of them.
+
+"Look there!" whispered the helper, as he pointed to a mirror on their
+wall.
+
+Blake and Joe saw something which made them open their eyes. It was the
+reflection of a strange conference taking place in the stateroom across
+the passageway from them, a conference of which a view was possible
+because of open transoms in both staterooms and mirrors so arranged that
+what took place in the one across the corridor was visible to the boys,
+yet they remained hidden themselves.
+
+Blake and Joe saw two men with heads close together over a small table
+in the center of the opposite stateroom. The tilted mirror transferred
+the view into their own looking-glass. The men appeared to be examining
+a map, or, at any rate, some paper, and their manner was secretive,
+alone though they were.
+
+But it was not so much the manner of the men as it was the identity of
+one that aroused the curiosity and fear of the moving picture
+boys--curiosity as to what might be the subject of the queer conference,
+and fear as to the result of it.
+
+For one of the men was Lieutenant Secor, the Frenchman, and the other
+was a passenger who, though claiming to be a wealthy Hebrew with
+American citizenship, was, so the boys believed, thoroughly German. He
+was down on the passenger list as Levi Labenstein, and he did bear some
+resemblance to a Jew, but his talk had the unmistakable German accent.
+
+Not that there are not German Jews, but their tongue has not the knack
+of the pure, guttural German of Prussia. And this man's voice had none
+of the nasal, throaty tones of Yiddish.
+
+"Whew!" whistled Joe, as he and Blake looked into the tell-tale mirror.
+"That looks bad!"
+
+"Hush!" cautioned Blake. "The transoms are open and he may hear you."
+
+But a look into the reflecting glasses showed that the two men--the
+Frenchman and the German--had not looked up from their eager poring over
+the map, or whatever paper was between them.
+
+"How long have they been this way?" asked Blake, in a whisper, of
+Charlie.
+
+"I don't know," Macaroni answered. "I happened to see them when I came
+down to get something, and after I'd watched them a while I went to tell
+you."
+
+"I'm glad you did," went on Blake; "though I don't know what it
+means--if it means anything."
+
+"It means something, all right," declared Joe, and he, like the others,
+was careful to keep his voice low-pitched. "It means treason, if I'm any
+judge!"
+
+"Treason?" repeated Blake.
+
+"Yes; wouldn't you call it that if you saw one of our army officers
+having a secret talk with a German enemy?"
+
+"I suppose so," assented Blake. "And yet Lieutenant Secor isn't one of
+our officers."
+
+"No, but he's been in our camps, and he's been a guest of Uncle Sam.
+He's been in a position to spy out some of the army secrets, and now we
+see him talking to this German."
+
+"But this man may _not_ be a subject of the Kaiser," said Blake.
+
+"Sure he is!" declared Charlie. "He's no more a real Jew than I am! He's
+a Teuton! Germany has no love for the Jews, and they don't have any use
+for the Huns. Take my word for it, fellows, there's something wrong
+going on here."
+
+"It may be," admitted Blake; "but does it concern us?"
+
+"Of course it does!" declared Joe. "This Frenchman may be betraying some
+of Uncle Sam's secrets to the enemy--not only our enemy, but the enemy
+of his own country."
+
+"Yes, I suppose there are traitorous Frenchmen," said Blake slowly, "but
+they are mighty few."
+
+"But this means something!" declared Macaroni.
+
+And Blake, slow as he was sometimes in forming an opinion, could not but
+agree with him.
+
+In silence the boys watched the two men at their queer conference. The
+tilted mirrors--one in each stateroom--gave a perfect view of what went
+on between the Frenchman and the German, as the boys preferred to think
+Labenstein, but the watchers themselves were not observed. This they
+could make sure of, for several times one or the other of the men across
+the corridor looked up, and full into the mirror on their own wall, but
+they gave no indication of observing anything out of the ordinary.
+
+The mirrors were fastened in a tilted position to prevent them from
+swinging as the ship rolled, and as they did not sway there was an
+unchanged view to be had.
+
+"I wonder what they're saying," observed Blake.
+
+They could only guess, however, for though the men talked rapidly and
+eagerly, as evidenced by their gestures, what they said was not audible.
+Though both transoms were open, no sound came from the room opposite
+where the boys were gathered. The men spoke too low for that.
+
+"I guess they know it's dangerous to be found out," said Joe.
+
+"But we ought to find out what it's about!" declared Macaroni.
+
+"Yes, I think we ought," assented Blake. "This Frenchman has been in our
+country, going about from camp to camp according to his own story, and
+he must have picked up a lot of information."
+
+"And he knows about our pictures, too!"
+
+"Well, I don't imagine what we have taken, so far, will be of any great
+value to Germany, assuming that Lieutenant Secor is a spy and has told
+about them," Blake said.
+
+"We've got to find out something about this, though, haven't we?" asked
+Joe.
+
+"I think we ought to try," agreed his chum. "Perhaps we should tell
+Captain Merceau. He's a Frenchman, and will know how to deal with
+Secor."
+
+"Good idea!" exclaimed Joe. "If we could only get him down here to see
+what we've seen, it would clinch matters. I wonder----"
+
+But Joe ceased talking at a motion from Blake, who silently pointed at
+the mirror. In that way they saw the reflection of the men in the other
+cabin. They arose from their seats at the table, and the map or whatever
+papers they had been looking at, were put away quietly in the
+Frenchman's pocket.
+
+He and the German, as the boys decided to call Labenstein, spoke in
+whispers once more, and then shook hands, as if to seal some pact.
+
+Then, as the boys watched, Lieutenant Secor opened the door of the
+stateroom, which had been locked. He stepped out into the corridor, and
+was now lost to view.
+
+The next moment, to the surprise of Blake and his two friends, there
+came a knock on their own door, and a voice asked:
+
+"Are you within, young gentlemen of the cameras? I am Lieutenant Secor!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+"PERISCOPE AHOY!"
+
+
+Sudden and unexpected was the knocking, and it found the boys unready to
+answer it. They had no idea that the conspirators--either or both of
+them--would come directly from their conference to the room where a
+watch had been kept on them.
+
+"Do you think he saw us?" asked Joe, in a whisper.
+
+"S'posing he did?" demanded Charlie. "We have the goods on him, all
+right."
+
+Blake held up a hand to enjoin silence, though the remarks of his
+friends had been made in the lowest of tones.
+
+The knock was given again, and the voice of the Frenchman asked:
+
+"Are you within, my friends of the camera? I wish to speak with you!"
+
+"One moment!" called Blake, in a tone he tried to make pleasant. Then
+he motioned to Joe and Charlie to seem to be busy over the midget
+camera, which was kept ready for instant use. At the same moment Blake
+threw a black focusing cloth over the mirror, for he thought the
+Frenchman might notice that it was in a position to reflect whatever
+took place in the opposite room.
+
+"Act natural--as if you were getting ready to make some pictures," Blake
+whispered in Joe's ear, and then opened the door.
+
+"Pardon me for disturbing you," began Lieutenant Secor, "but I have just
+come down from on deck. They are having a special lifeboat drill, and I
+thought perhaps you might like to get some views of it. Also, I have a
+favor to ask of you."
+
+"Come in," said Blake, as he opened the door wider. At the same time he
+noticed that the door of the stateroom across the corridor was shut.
+
+"Just came down from deck, did he?" mused Joe, as he took note of the
+Frenchman's false statement. "Well, he must have run up and run down
+again in jig fashion to be able to do that. I wonder what he wants to
+ask us?"
+
+Joe and Charlie pretended to be adjusting the small camera, and Blake
+smiled a welcome he did not feel. Black suspicion was in his heart
+against the Frenchman. An open enemy Blake could understand, but not a
+spy or a traitor.
+
+"I thought perhaps you might like to get some of the views from on
+deck," went on Lieutenant Secor, smiling his white-toothed smile. "They
+are even lowering boats into the water--a realistic drill!"
+
+Blake looked at Joe as much as to ask if it would be advisable to get
+some views. At the same time Blake made a sign which Joe interpreted to
+mean:
+
+"Go up on deck and see what's going on--you and Charlie. I'll take care
+of him down here."
+
+"Come on!" Joe remarked to their helper, as he gathered up the small
+camera. "We'll take this in."
+
+"I thought you might like it," said the Frenchman. "That's why I hurried
+down to tell you."
+
+"Now I wonder," thought Blake to himself, as Joe made ready to leave,
+"why he thinks it worth his while to tell that untruth? What is his
+game?"
+
+At the same time an uneasy thought came to Joe.
+
+"If we go up and leave Blake alone with this fellow, may not something
+happen? Perhaps he'll attack Blake!"
+
+But that thought no sooner came than it was dismissed, for, Joe
+reasoned, what harm could happen to his chum, who was well able to take
+care of himself? True, the Frenchman might be armed, but so was Blake.
+Then, too, there could be no object in attacking Blake. He had little of
+value on his person, and the films and cameras were not in the
+stateroom. And there were no films of any value as yet, either.
+
+"Guess I'm doing too much imagining," said Joe to himself. "This fellow
+may be a plotter and a spy in German pay--and I haven't any doubt but
+what he is--but I reckon Blake can look after himself. Anyhow, he wants
+me to leave Secor to him, and I'll do it. But not too long!"
+
+So Joe and Charlie, taking the small camera with them, went up on deck.
+There they did find an unusual lifeboat drill going on. The danger zone
+was now so close that Captain Merceau and his officers of the ship were
+taking no chances. They wanted to be prepared for the worst, and so they
+had the men passengers practise getting into the boats, which were
+lowered into the water and rowed a short distance away from the ship.
+
+The women and children, of whom there were a few on board, watched from
+the decks, taking note of how to get into the boats, and how best to act
+once they were in their places.
+
+"Going to film this?" asked Charlie of Joe.
+
+"No, I think not," was the answer. "It's interesting, but there have
+been lots of drills like it. If it were the real thing, now, I'd shoot;
+but I'm going to save the film on the chance of getting a sub or a
+torpedo. This is a sort of bluff on the part of you and me, anyhow.
+Blake wanted to get us out of the cabin while he tackled Secor, I
+reckon. What _his_ game is I don't know."
+
+"I can come pretty near to guessing," said Macaroni, as he stretched his
+lank legs, which had, in part, earned him the nickname. "That fake
+lieutenant is planning some game with the German spy, that's his game."
+
+"Maybe," admitted Joe. "But I don't see how we figure in it."
+
+"Perhaps we will after we've gotten some reels of valuable film,"
+suggested Charlie. "Don't crow until you've ground out the last bit of
+footage."
+
+"No, that's right. Look, that boat's going to spill if I'm any judge!"
+
+Excited shouts and a confusion of orders drew the attention of the boys
+and many others to a lifeboat where, amidships on the port side, it was
+being lowered away as part of the drill. There were a number of sailors
+in it--part of the crew--and, as Joe and Charlie watched, one of the
+falls became jammed with the result that the stern of the boat was
+suddenly lowered while the bow was held in place.
+
+As might have been expected, the sudden tilting of the boat at an acute
+angle threw the occupants all into one end. There were yells and shouts,
+and then came splashes, as one after another fell into the ocean.
+
+Women and children screamed and men hoarsely called to one another. For
+a moment it looked as though the safety drill would result in a tragedy,
+and then shrill laughter from the men who had fallen into the water, as
+well as cries of merriment from those who still clung to the boat,
+showed that, if not intended as a joke, the happening had been turned
+into one.
+
+The sailors were all good swimmers, the day was sunny and the water
+warm, and in a short time another boat had been rowed to the scene of
+the upset, and those who went overboard were picked up, still laughing.
+
+"I might have taken that if I had known they were going to pull a stunt
+like that," said Joe, a bit regretfully. "However, I guess we'll get all
+the excitement we want when we get to the war front."
+
+"I believe you!" exclaimed Charlie. "There's our German spy," he added,
+pointing to the dark-complexioned and bearded man who had been seen,
+through the mirrors' reflections, talking to the Frenchman. He had
+evidently hurried up on deck to ascertain the cause of the confusion,
+for he was without collar or tie.
+
+The boat was righted, the wet sailors went laughing below to change into
+dry garments, and the passengers resumed their usual occupations which,
+in the main, consisted of nervously watching the heaving waves for a
+sight of a periscope, or a wake of bubbles that might tell of an
+on-speeding torpedo.
+
+Mr. Labenstein, to credit him with the name on the passenger list, gave
+a look around, and, seeing that there was no danger, at once went below
+again.
+
+"Wonder how Blake's making out?" asked Charlie of Joe, as they walked
+the deck. "Do you think we'd better go down?"
+
+"Not until we get some word from him. Hello! Here he is now!" and Joe
+pointed to their friend coming toward them.
+
+"Well?" asked Joe significantly.
+
+"Nothing much," answered Blake. "He was as nice and affable as he always
+is. Just talked about the war in general terms. Said the Allies and
+Uncle Sam were sure to win."
+
+"Did he want anything?" asked Charlie. "He said he was going to ask a
+favor, you know."
+
+"Well, he hinted for information as to what we were going to do on the
+other side, but I didn't give him any satisfaction. Then he wanted to
+know whether we would consider an offer from the French Government."
+
+"What'd you say to that?"
+
+"I didn't give him a direct answer. Said I'd think about it. I thought
+it best to string him along. No telling what may be behind it all."
+
+"You're right," agreed Joe. "Lieutenant Secor will bear watching. Did
+he have any idea we were observing him?"
+
+"I think not. If he did, he didn't let on. But I thought sure, when he
+came across the corridor and knocked, that he'd discovered us."
+
+"So did I, and I was all ready to bluff him out. But we'll have to be on
+the watch, and especially on the other side."
+
+"What do you mean?" asked Blake.
+
+"Well, I have an idea he's after our films, the same as he was before,
+either to spoil them or get them for some purpose of his own. Just now
+we aren't taking any, and he hasn't any desire, I suppose, to get
+possession of the unexposed reels. But when we begin to make pictures of
+our boys in the trenches, and perhaps of some engagements, we'll have to
+see that the reels are well guarded."
+
+"We will," agreed Blake. "What was going on up here? We heard a racket,
+and Labenstein rushed up half dressed."
+
+"Lifeboat spilled--no harm done," explained Charlie. "Well, I might as
+well take this camera below if we're not going to use it."
+
+"Come on, Blake," urged Joe. "They're going to have gun drill. Let's
+watch."
+
+The vessel carried four quick-firing guns for use against submarines,
+one each in the bow and stern, and one on either beam. The gunners were
+from Uncle Sam's navy and were expert marksmen, as had been evidenced
+in practice.
+
+"Are we in the danger zone yet?" asked one of the two young women whose
+acquaintance Blake and Joe had made through the courtesy of Captain
+Merceau.
+
+"Oh, yes," Blake answered. "We have been for some time."
+
+"But I thought when we got there we would be protected by warships or
+torpedo-boat destroyers," said Miss Hanson.
+
+"We're supposed to be," replied Joe. "I've been looking for a sight of
+one. They may be along any minute. Look, there comes a messenger from
+the wireless room. He's going to the bridge where the captain is. Maybe
+that's word from a destroyer now."
+
+Interestedly they watched the messenger make his way to the bridge with
+a slip of paper in his hand. And then, before he could reach it, there
+came a hail from the lookout in the crow's nest high above the deck.
+
+He called in French, but Joe and Blake knew what he said. It was:
+
+"Periscope ahoy! Two points off on the port bow! Periscope ahoy!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+BEATEN OFF
+
+
+Decks that, a moment, before, had exhibited scenes of quietness, though
+there was a nervous tenseness on all sides, at once assumed feverish
+activity. Officers on duty, hearing the cry of the lookout, called to
+him to repeat his message, which he did, with the added information that
+the submarine, as evidenced by the appearance of the periscope cutting
+the water, was approaching nearer, and with great swiftness.
+
+"Here she comes, Blake!" cried Joe, as the two boys stood together at
+the spot from which they had been watching the wireless messenger a
+moment before. "Here she comes! Now for a chance at a picture!"
+
+"You're not going below, are you?" cried Blake.
+
+"Why not?" asked Joe, pausing on his way to the companionway.
+
+"Why, we may be blown up at any moment! We may be hit by a torpedo! I
+don't see why they haven't loosed one at us before this, as their
+periscope is in sight. You shouldn't go below now! Stay on deck, where
+you'll have a chance to get in the boat you're assigned to!"
+
+"I've got to go below to get the small camera," answered Joe. "I ought
+to have kept it on deck. I'm going to, after this, to have it ready."
+
+"But, Joe, the torpedo may be on its way now--under water!"
+
+"That's just what I want to get a picture of! I guess if we're going to
+be blown up, being below deck or on deck doesn't make much difference. I
+want to get that picture!"
+
+And, seeing that his chum was very much in earnest, Blake, not to let
+Joe do it alone, went below with him to get the camera. But on the way
+they met Charlie coming up with it.
+
+"She's all loaded, boys, ready for action!" cried the lanky Macaroni. "I
+started down for it as soon as I heard the lookout yell! I didn't know
+what he was jabbering about, seeing I don't understand much French, but
+I guessed it was a submarine. Am I right?"
+
+"Yes!" shouted Joe. "Good work, Mac! Now for a picture!"
+
+And while Joe and his two friends were thus making ready, in the face of
+imminent disaster, to get pictures of the torpedo that might be on its
+way to sink the ship, many other matters were being undertaken.
+
+Passengers were being called to take the places previously assigned to
+them in the lifeboats. Captain Merceau and his officers, after a hasty
+consultation, were gathered on the bridge, looking for the first sight
+of the submarine, or, what was more vital, for the ripples that would
+disclose the presence of the torpedo.
+
+But perhaps the most eager of all, and certainly among the most active,
+were the members of the gun crews. On both sides of the vessel, and at
+bow and stern, the call to quarters had been answered promptly, and with
+strained but eager eyes the young men, under their lieutenants, were
+watching for the first fair sight of something at which to loose the
+missiles of the quick-firing guns.
+
+"Give it to her, lads! Give it to her! All you can pump in!" yelled the
+commander of the squad on the port side, for it was off that bow that
+the lookout had sighted the periscope.
+
+And while the hurried preparations went on for getting the passengers
+into the lifeboats, at the falls of which the members of the crew stood
+ready to lower away, there came from the port gun a rattle and barking
+of fire.
+
+The periscope had disappeared for a moment after the lookout had sighted
+it, but a slight disturbance in the water, a ripple that was different
+from the line of foam caused by the breaking waves, showed where it had
+been.
+
+And by the time Joe and Blake, with the help of Charlie, had set up
+their small camera, the tell-tale indicator of an undersea boat was
+again in view, coming straight for the steamer.
+
+"There she is!" cried Blake.
+
+"I see her!" answered Joe, as he focussed the lens of the machine on the
+object "I'll get her as soon as she breaks!"
+
+The mewing picture boys, as well as Charlie, had forgotten all about the
+need of taking their places at the stations assigned to them, to be in
+readiness to get into a boat. They were sharply reminded of this by one
+of the junior officers.
+
+"Take your places! Take your places!" he cried.
+
+"Not yet!" answered Joe. "We want to get a shot at her first!"
+
+"But, young gentlemen, you must not shoot with that. It will be
+ineffectual! Let the gunners do their work, I beg of you. Take your
+places at the boats!"
+
+"That's all right!" exclaimed Blake "We're only going to shoot some
+moving pictures."
+
+"Ah, what brave rashness!" murmured the French officer, as he hurried
+away.
+
+Blake and Joe, with Charlie to steady the machine, for the steamer was
+now zigzagging at high speed in an effort to escape the expected
+torpedo, were taking pictures of the approach of the submarine. The
+underwater craft was still coming on, her periscope in the midst of a
+hail of fire from the steamer's guns. For, now that the vessel was
+making turns, it was possible for two gun crews, alternately, to fire at
+the German boat.
+
+"There goes the periscope!" yelled Charlie, as a burst of shots,
+concentrated on the brass tube, seemed to dispose of it.
+
+But he had spoken too soon. The submarine had merely drawn the periscope
+within herself, it being of the telescope variety, and the next moment,
+with a movement of the water as if some monster leviathan were breaking
+from the ocean depths, the steel-plated and rivet-studded back of the
+submarine rose, glistening in the sun and in full view of those on deck,
+not two hundred yards away.
+
+"There she blows!" cried Charlie, as an old salt might announce the
+presence of a whale. "There she blows! Film her, boys!"
+
+And Blake and Joe were doing just that.
+
+Meanwhile even wilder excitement, if possible, prevailed on deck. There
+was a rush for the boats that nearly overwhelmed the crews stationed to
+lower them from the sides, and the officers had all they could do to
+preserve order.
+
+"The torpedo! The torpedo at the stern!" cried the lookout, who,
+notwithstanding his position of almost certain death should the ship be
+struck, had not deserted his elevated post. "They have loosed a torpedo
+at the stern!"
+
+Blake and Joe, who were well aft, looked for a moment away from the
+submarine, and saw a line of bubbles approaching the stern and a ripple
+that indicated the presence of that dread engine of war--an air-driven
+torpedo.
+
+And as if the ship herself knew what doom awaited her should the torpedo
+so much as touch her, she increased her speed, and to such good purpose
+that the mass of gun-cotton, contained in the steel cylinder that had
+been launched from the submarine, passed under the stern. But only a few
+feet from the rudder did it pass. By such a little margin was the ship
+saved.
+
+And then, having a broader mark at which to aim, the gunners sent a
+perfect hail of lead and shells at the underwater boat, and with such
+effect that some hits were made. Whether or not they were vital ones it
+was impossible to learn, for there was a sudden motion to the submarine,
+which had been quietly resting on the surface for a moment, and then she
+slipped beneath the waves again.
+
+"Driven off!" cried Blake, as he and Joe got the final pictures of this
+drama--a drama that had come so near being a tragedy. "They've beaten
+her off!"
+
+"But we're not safe yet!" cried Charlie. "She may shoot another torpedo
+at us from under water--she can do that, all right! Look out, boys!"
+
+There was need of this, yet it was impossible to do more toward saving
+one's life than to take to the boats. And even that, under the inhuman
+and ruthless system of the Huns, was no guarantee that one would be
+saved. Lifeboats had, more than once, been shelled by Germans.
+
+The appearance of the submarine had added to the panic caused by the
+sight of the periscope, and there was a rush for the boats that took all
+the power and authority of the officers to manage it.
+
+There was a period of anxious waiting, but either the submarine had no
+other torpedoes, or, if she did fire any, they went wide, or, again, the
+gunfire from the vessel may have disabled her entirely. She did not
+again show herself above the surface. Even the periscope was not
+observed.
+
+Having nothing to picture, Blake and Joe turned away from the camera for
+a moment. Some of the lifeboats had already been filled with their loads
+when Charlie, pointing to something afar off, cried:
+
+"Here comes another boat!"
+
+On the horizon a dense cloud of black smoke showed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+SUSPICIONS
+
+
+For a moment there was more terror and excitement aboard the _Jeanne_,
+if it were possible, after it became certain that another craft, the
+nature of which none knew, was headed toward the French steamer. Then an
+officer gifted with sound common-sense, cried out in English, so that
+the majority could understand:
+
+"It is a destroyer! It is a destroyer belonging to the Stars and Stripes
+coming to our rescue. Three cheers!"
+
+Nobody gave the three cheers, but it heartened every one to hear them
+called for, and the real meaning of the smoke was borne to all.
+
+"Of course it can't be a submarine!" exclaimed Blake. "They don't send
+out any smoke, and there aren't any other German boats at sea. It's a
+destroyer!"
+
+"One of ours, do you think?" asked Charlie.
+
+"Perhaps. Uncle Sam has a lot of 'em over here to act as convoys.
+Probably this is our escort coming up a little late to the ball," said
+Joe.
+
+"But we did very well by ourselves," observed Blake. "It was a narrow
+squeak, though."
+
+And indeed it was a narrow escape. The _Jeanne_ had, unaided, driven off
+the undersea boat, and perhaps had damaged her by the rain of shot and
+shell poured at her steel sides. They could not feel sure of this,
+though, for the approach of the destroyer was probably known to the
+submarine, for they have underwater telephones which tell them, by means
+of the throbbing of the screws and propellers in the water, just about
+how far away another ship is, and what speed she is making, as well as
+the direction from which she is coming.
+
+Whether the submarine had expended her last torpedo, or whether having
+missed what she intended for a vital shot she deemed there was not time
+to launch another and had sunk out of sight, or whether she were
+disabled, were questions perhaps never to be answered.
+
+At any rate, the approach of the destroyer, which came on with amazing
+speed, served to make the _Jeanne_ comparatively safe. The lifeboats
+were emptied of their passengers, and once more there was a feeling of
+comparative safety as the passengers again thronged the decks.
+
+On came the destroyer. She proved to be one of Uncle Sam's boats, and
+the joy with which she was greeted was vociferous and perhaps a little
+hysterical. She had learned by wireless of the appearance of the French
+craft in the danger zone, and had come to fulfill her mission. She had
+been delayed by a slight accident, or she would have been on hand when
+the submarine first approached.
+
+The wireless message that had come just as the German craft appeared had
+been from the destroyer, to bid those aboard the _Jeanne_ have no fear,
+for help was on the way. And soon after the grim and swift craft from
+the United States had begun to slide along beside the _Jeanne_ two more
+destroyers, one of them British, made their appearance, coming up with
+the speed of ocean greyhounds.
+
+There was great rejoicing among the passengers, and much credit was
+given the lookout for his promptness in reporting a sight of the
+submarine. Formal thanks were extended to the gun crews for their
+efficient work, without which the undersea boat might have accomplished
+her purpose. Nor were the boiler room and engineer forces forgotten, for
+it was because of the sudden burst of speed on the part of the _Jeanne_
+that she escaped that one torpedo at least.
+
+"Now we'll be all right," Charlie said, as he helped his friends make a
+few pictures of the approach and the convoying of the destroyers to add
+to the views they had of the submarine and her defeat--temporary defeat
+it might prove, but, none the less, a defeat.
+
+"Well, hardly all right," remarked Blake, as the camera was dismounted.
+"We're still in the danger zone, and the Huns won't let slip any chance
+to do us harm. But I guess we have more of a chance for our white alley
+than we had before."
+
+Though the French ship was now protected by the three convoying vessels,
+the crews of which kept a sharp watch on all sides for the presence of
+more submarines, there was still plenty of danger, and this was felt by
+all.
+
+At any moment a submarine, approaching below the surface with only her
+periscope showing--and this made a mark exceedingly hard to see and
+hit--might launch a torpedo, not only at the merchant-man but at one of
+the destroyers.
+
+"It's like sleeping over a case of dynamite," observed Joe, as he and
+his chums went below. "I'd rather be on the war front. You can at least
+see and hear shells coming."
+
+"That's right," agreed Blake. "Well, if nothing happens, we'll soon be
+there now."
+
+"_If_ is a big word these days," observed Charlie.
+
+"Now that we're comparatively safe for the moment, I want to ask you
+fellows something," said Blake, after a pause.
+
+"Ask ahead," returned Joe. "If you want to know whether I was scared,
+I'll say I was, but I was too busy getting pictures to notice it. If it
+is something else----"
+
+"It is," interrupted Blake, and his manner was grave. "Come below and
+I'll tell you. I don't want any one else to hear."
+
+Wondering somewhat at their friend's manner, Joe and Charlie went to
+their stateroom, and there Blake closed the door and took the dark cloth
+down from the mirror. A look into it showed that the transom of the room
+opposite--the cabin of Levi Labenstein--had been closed.
+
+"So we can't tell whether he's in there or not," said Blake.
+
+"Did you want to talk about him?" asked Joe.
+
+"Yes, him and the lieutenant. Did you fellows happen to notice what they
+were doing when the submarine was attacking us?"
+
+"Not especially," answered Joe. "I did see Lieutenant Secor looking at
+us as we worked the camera, but I didn't pay much attention to him."
+
+"It wasn't him so much as it was the German," went on Blake.
+
+"In what way?"
+
+"Did you see where he was standing when the submarine came out of the
+water?"
+
+Neither Joe nor Charlie had done so, or, if they had, they did not
+recall the matter when Blake questioned them. So that young man resumed:
+
+"Well, I'll tell you what I saw: Labenstein was leaning over the rail on
+the side where the submarine showed, and he was holding a big white
+cloth over the side."
+
+"A big white cloth?" cried Joe.
+
+"That's what it was," went on Blake. "It looked to me like a signal."
+
+"Do you mean a signal of surrender?" asked Charlie. "A white flag? He
+wouldn't have any right to display that, anyhow. It would have to come
+from Captain Merceau."
+
+"Maybe he meant that he'd surrender personally," suggested Joe, "and
+didn't want his fellow-murderers to hurt him."
+
+"I don't know what his object was," went on Blake, "but I saw him take
+from his pocket a big white cloth and hold it over the side. It could
+easily have been seen from the submarine, and must have been, for he
+displayed it just before the underwater boat came up."
+
+"A white cloth," mused Joe. "From his pocket. Was it his handkerchief,
+Blake?"
+
+"He wouldn't have one as large as that, even if he suffered from hay
+fever. I think it was a signal."
+
+"A signal for what?" Charlie again asked.
+
+"To tell the submarine some piece of news, of course--perhaps the port
+of sailing, something of the nature of our cargo, or perhaps to tell
+just where to send the torpedo. I understand we are carrying some
+munitions, and it may be that this German spy directed the commander of
+the submarine where to aim the torpedo so as to explode them."
+
+"But he'd be signaling for his own death warrant!" cried Joe.
+
+"Not necessarily," answered Blake. "He may have had some understanding
+with the submarine that he was to be saved first. Perhaps he was going
+to jump overboard before the torpedo was fired and was to be picked up.
+Anyhow, I saw him draping a white cloth over the side, and I'm sure it
+was a signal."
+
+"Well, I guess you're right," said Joe. "The next question is, what's to
+be done? This fellow is a spy and a traitor, and we ought to expose
+him."
+
+"Yes," agreed Blake. "But we'd better have a little more evidence than
+just my word. You fellows didn't see what I saw, that's plain, and
+perhaps no one else did. So it would only make a big fuss and not result
+in anything if I told the captain."
+
+"Then what are you going to do?" asked Charlie.
+
+"Just keep watch," Blake answered.
+
+"What about Lieutenant Secor?" asked Joe.
+
+"Well, I didn't see him do anything," admitted Blake. "Though I have my
+suspicions of him also. He and Labenstein weren't talking so earnestly
+together for nothing. We'll watch that Frenchman, too."
+
+"And if he tries any more games in spoiling films I'll have my say!"
+threatened Macaroni.
+
+The boys talked the situation over at some length as they put away the
+films they had taken of the submarine attack, and agreed that "watchful
+waiting" was the best policy to adopt. As Blake had said, little could
+be gained by denouncing Labenstein with only the word of one witness to
+rely on.
+
+"If all three of us catch him at his traitorous work, then we'll
+denounce him," suggested Blake.
+
+"Yes, and the Frenchman, too!" added Charlie, in a louder voice, so that
+Blake raised a cautioning hand.
+
+At that moment came a knock on their door, and a voice said:
+
+"I am Mr. Labenstein!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+THE FLASHLIGHT
+
+
+Almost like conspirators themselves, the boys looked at one another as
+the voice and knock sounded together. Blake was the first to recover
+himself.
+
+"Come in!" he called, in as welcoming a tone as he could muster under
+the circumstances. Then as the knob of the door was ineffectually tried,
+he added:
+
+"Oh, I forgot it was locked! Wait a moment!"
+
+A moment later he had swung the door open, and the man who, the boys
+believed, was a German spy confronted them, smiling.
+
+"You are locked in as if you feared another submarine," he said. "It is
+not the best way to do. You should be on deck!"
+
+"But not on deck as you were, with a flag to signal to the Huns,"
+thought Joe; and he wished he dared make the accusation.
+
+Blake motioned to the caller to seat himself on a stool.
+
+"I came to see if I might borrow something," began the caller. "I find
+that mine is out of order for some reason," and he held out a small, but
+powerful, electric flash lamp, of the sort sold for the use of soldiers.
+"Have you, by any chance, one that you could spare me?" asked Mr.
+Labenstein.
+
+"I do not want it, if it is the only one you have, but they are a great
+convenience in one's berth, for the lights must be kept turned off, now
+that we are in the danger zone made by those terrible Germans. Ah, how I
+hate them!" and his anger seemed very real and earnest.
+
+"Did you say you wanted to borrow a pocket electric flash lamp?" asked
+Blake, wishing to make the caller repeat his request. As he asked this
+question Blake looked at his chums, as though to ask them to take
+particular note of the reply.
+
+"I should like to, yes, if you have one to spare. There are three of
+you, and, I presume, like most travelers, you each have one. I am alone
+in a single stateroom, and I may have need of a light. I will return it
+to you at the end of the voyage, or buy it of you at a good price. You
+see, I have a little Jew in me. I will make a bargain with you. And I
+will pay you well, something a Jew proverbially does not like to do. But
+I realize the value of what I want, and that the market is not well
+supplied, so you may take advantage of my situation. My battery is
+either worn out or the light is broken. It will not flash."
+
+He shoved down the little sliding catch, but there was no glow in the
+tiny tungsten bulb.
+
+"You have me at your mercy if you wish to sell me a lamp," he went on,
+with a smile and a shrug of his shoulders, not unlike that of Lieutenant
+Secor.
+
+"Hasn't your friend a spare light?" asked Joe quickly.
+
+"My friend?" repeated the German, as though surprised. "You mean----?"
+
+"I mean Lieutenant Secor."
+
+"Oh, him!" and again came the deprecatory shrug of the shoulders. "He is
+an acquaintance, not a friend. Besides, he has but one lamp, and he
+needs that. So, also, will you need yours. But as there are three of you
+together, I thought perhaps----"
+
+"We each have a light," said Blake, interrupting the rather rapid talk
+of Labenstein. "In fact, I have two, and I'll let you take one."
+
+"That is very kind of you. Ah, it is like mine!"
+
+The visitor was watching Blake eagerly as he brought forth one of the
+flat, three-cell nickel-plated holders of tiny batteries, with the
+white-backed and tungsten-filamented incandescent light set in a
+depressed socket.
+
+"Yes, this is the best type," Blake said. "You may have this."
+
+"And the price?" asked Labenstein, as his hand quickly went into his
+pocket.
+
+"Is nothing," answered Blake. "It is a gift."
+
+"Ah, but, my dear sir, that is too much! I could not think of taking it
+without pay!" insisted Mr. Labenstein, as he flashed on the light and
+then slipped the switch back in place again. "I protest that I must pay
+you."
+
+"Please don't insist on paying," begged Blake, "for I shall only have to
+refuse to take any money. Please consider the light a gift. I have a
+spare one."
+
+"You are very kind, I'm sure," said the other, bowing with some
+exaggeration, it seemed to the boys. "I appreciate it, I assure you, and
+I shall look for a chance to repay the favor."
+
+"That's all right," said Blake, and he tried to make his voice sound
+hearty. "You are welcome to the light."
+
+"A thousand thanks," murmured Mr. Labenstein, as he bowed himself out.
+
+And then, when the door had closed on him and they had taken the
+precaution of closing their transom, Joe burst out in a cautious whisper
+with:
+
+"What in the world did you let him take it for, Blake Stewart? Don't you
+see what his game is?"
+
+"Yes," was Blake's quiet answer; "I think I do."
+
+"Well, then----"
+
+"What is his game?" asked Charlie.
+
+"I presume he wants to use the flash lamp to give a signal at night to
+some German submarine," said Blake quietly--very quietly, under the
+circumstances, it might seem.
+
+"And you let him take a light for that?" cried Joe.
+
+"Wait a bit!" advised Blake, and he smiled at his chum. "Do you know
+anything about these flashlights, Joe?"
+
+"A little--yes. I know a powerful one, like that you gave Labenstein,
+can be seen a long way on a dark night."
+
+"Well, then maybe you know something else about them, or you may have
+forgotten it. Like the proverb which says 'blessings brighten as they
+vanish,' so the light of these lamps sometimes glows very strong just
+before the battery goes on the blink and douses the glim."
+
+Joe looked at his chum for a moment, uncomprehendingly, and then a smile
+came over his face.
+
+"Do you mean you gave him a light with a battery in it that was almost
+played out?" he asked.
+
+"Exactly," answered Blake, with another smile. "This is a light I have
+had for some time. I noticed, only last night, that it was brighter
+than usual. Just as a fountain pen--at least, the old-fashioned
+kind--used to flow more freely when there were only a few drops of ink
+left, so this battery seems to be strongest just before it gives out
+altogether.
+
+"I suspected this was going to happen, but I tested the battery with a
+galvanometer to-day and I found out it has about ten flashes left. After
+that the light will be dead."
+
+"Is that why you gave it to him?" asked Charlie.
+
+"The very reason. As soon as he asked for a light it occurred to me that
+he wanted to use it--or might use it--to give a signal at night to some
+watching submarine commander waiting for a chance to torpedo us. I
+thought if I let him do it with this failing light he might do the Huns
+more damage than he could us."
+
+"How?" asked Joe.
+
+"By not being able to give the proper signals. He'll need to flash a
+light for some little time to make sure to attract the attention of the
+submarine, won't he?"
+
+"Probably," agreed Joe.
+
+"Well, then, if, while he's in the midst of signaling, his light goes
+out, the submarine won't know what to make of it, and will come up
+closer to find out what's wrong. Then our own guns, or those of the
+destroyers, can bang away and catch the Germans napping."
+
+"Say, that's great!" cried Charlie, as soon as he understood the plan
+Blake had so quickly evolved.
+
+"If it works," conceded Joe. "But how are we going to know when that
+German spy signals the submarine and fails to convey his full meaning,
+Blake?"
+
+"We'll have to watch him, of course. Catch him in the act, as it were.
+The defective lamp will help."
+
+"So it will!" exclaimed Joe. "Blake, I take back all I thought of you. I
+imagined you were making a mistake to let that lamp go out of your
+possession; but now I see your game. It's a good one! But we've got to
+be on the watch for this spy!"
+
+"Oh, yes," agreed his chum. "And not only him but the Frenchman as well.
+I didn't believe it possible that Secor could be in with this German,
+but perhaps he is, and maybe he'll betray his own countrymen. Either one
+may give the signal, but if they do we'll be ready for them. No more
+moving pictures for us, boys, until we get to the war front. We've got
+to be on this other job!"
+
+"But hadn't we better tell Captain Merceau?" asked Charlie.
+
+"Yes, I think so," assented Blake. "We'll tell him what we think, and
+what we have done."
+
+But they did not get a chance that day, for there was a submarine scare
+toward evening--a lookout thinking he saw a periscope--and the
+consequent confusion made it impossible to have a talk with the
+commander. The boys did not want to report to any subordinate officer,
+and so concluded to wait until the next day.
+
+"But we'll keep watch to-night on our friend across the corridor," Blake
+said. "And on Lieutenant Secor as well. His stateroom is next to
+Labenstein's, and we can tell when either of them goes out after
+dark--that is, if we keep watch."
+
+"And we'll keep it, all right!" declared Joe "Now that we know something
+about what to look out for, we'll do it!"
+
+And so, as evening came on and the lights of the ship were darkened and
+as she sped along in company with her convoy, the three boys prepared to
+divide the night into watches, that they might be on guard against what
+they regarded as an attempt at black treachery.
+
+For somewhere under or on that waste of waters they believed a deadly
+submarine was lurking, awaiting the favorable moment to send a torpedo
+at the ship.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+THE DEPTH CHARGE
+
+
+Charlie Anderson, who had taken the earliest watch, roused Blake at the
+appointed time, and reported:
+
+"All quiet so far."
+
+"Then you haven't seen anything of our friends across the hall?"
+
+"Not a thing. Just as we arranged, I've had my eye at the hole, but
+their doors have both been closed. Maybe you'll have better luck."
+
+"I don't think it will be good luck at all to see one of them sneak out
+to flash a signal to a waiting submarine, or one that may be following
+us all the while, waiting for a chance to strike. But I will call it
+exceedingly good luck if we can stop it," said Blake.
+
+"Go to it, old top!" exclaimed Macaroni, dropping into what he thought
+the latest English slang. "I'm going to turn in."
+
+The lanky helper of the moving picture boys had spent the hours of his
+watch with his eye close to a small hole that had been bored in the door
+of the boys' stateroom. The hole gave a view of the staterooms of
+Lieutenant Secor and Mr. Labenstein, which adjoined. And, as Charles had
+said, he had not observed either man leave his apartment.
+
+If what the boys had only guessed at were true--that one or both of the
+men contemplated giving a signal to the enemy by means of the
+flashlight--the time for it had not yet come.
+
+"Well, I'll try my hand," Blake said. "You turn in, Mac, and if I need
+any help I'll call you. If I don't see anything up to about one o'clock
+I'll let Joe do his trick. Good-night and pleasant dreams."
+
+Charlie did not answer. He was already in his bunk and asleep, for he
+was tired, and the last half hour of his watch he had kept himself awake
+with difficulty.
+
+Then Blake began his turn of duty. He took a position at the door where
+he could look out through the hole into the dimly lighted corridor. He
+had a view of the doors of the staterooms of the two men who were under
+suspicion, and as soon as either or both of them came out he intended to
+follow and see what was done.
+
+For an hour nothing happened, and Blake was beginning to feel a bit
+sleepy, in spite of the fact that he had rested during the early part
+of the evening, when he was startled by a slight sound. It was like the
+creaking of a rusty hinge, and at first he thought it but one of the
+many sounds always more or less audible on a moving ship.
+
+Then, as he tuned his ears more acutely, he knew that it was the
+squeaking of a hinge he had heard, and he felt sure it meant the opening
+of a door near by.
+
+Through the hole he looked at the door behind which was Levi Labenstein,
+whether sleeping or preparing for some act which would put the ship in
+peril and endanger the lives of all the passengers, could only be
+guessed.
+
+Then, as Blake watched, he saw the door open and the German come out.
+Labenstein looked around with furtive glances, and they rested for some
+little time on the door behind which Blake was watching. Then, as if
+satisfied that all was quiet, the man stole silently along, the
+corridor.
+
+"Something doing," thought Blake. "Something doing, all right. He has
+something in his hand--probably my flashlight. Much good may it do him!"
+
+As Labenstein passed the stateroom where Lieutenant Secor was quartered,
+that door opened softly, but not until the German was beyond it. And
+then Blake saw the Frenchman peer out as though to make sure his
+fellow-conspirator was fairly on his way. After that the lieutenant
+himself emerged and softly followed the German.
+
+"Both of 'em at it," mused Blake. "I'd better rouse Joe and let him keep
+track of one, in case they should separate."
+
+A touch on Joe Duncan's shoulder served to arouse him, though he was in
+a deep sleep. He sat up, demanding:
+
+"What is it? Are we torpedoed?"
+
+"No, but we may be," was Blake's low answer. "Keep quiet and follow me.
+Secor and Labenstein have both gone up on deck, I think. We'd better
+follow."
+
+"Shall we tell Charlie?" asked Joe, as he slid from his berth. Neither
+he nor his chums had taken off their clothes.
+
+"Yes, I guess we'd better get him up," Blake answered. "If you and I
+have to watch these two fellows, we may need some one to send for help
+in case anything happens. Come on, Macaroni," he added, leaning over
+their helper and whispering in his ear. "Wake up!"
+
+Charles was up in an instant, a bit confused at first, as one often is
+when emerging from a heavy sleep, but he had his faculties with him
+almost at once, and was ready for action.
+
+"What is it?" he asked, in a whisper.
+
+In like low tones Blake told him, and then the three boys, after making
+sure by a cautious observation that neither of the suspected men was in
+sight, went out into the corridor and to the deck.
+
+It was quite dark, for all unnecessary lights were dimmed, but there was
+a new moon, and the stars were bright, so that objects were fairly
+clear. On either side could be dimly observed the black shapes of the
+convoying destroyers.
+
+"Where are they?" asked Joe, in a whisper. "The traitors!"
+
+"I don't know--we'll have to look," was Blake's answer. They looked
+along the deck, but saw no one, and were about to turn to the other end
+of the craft when a figure stepped out from the shadow of a boat and
+sharply challenged them.
+
+"Who are you--what do you want?" was asked.
+
+It was one of the ship's crew assigned to night-watch. Blake knew him
+slightly, having, at the man's request one day, showed him something of
+the workings of a moving picture camera.
+
+"We came up looking for two gentlemen who have the staterooms opposite
+ours," Blake answered, resolving to "take a chance" in the matter.
+"Lieutenant Secor and Mr. Labenstein," he added. "Have you seen them?"
+
+"Yes; they came up to get a bit of air, they said," answered the sailor.
+"I saw them a little while ago. You will find them up near the bow. Do
+not show a light, whatever you do, and light no matches. If you wish to
+smoke you must go below."
+
+"Thanks, we don't smoke," Joe answered, with a low laugh. "But we'll be
+careful about lights."
+
+"All right," answered the sailor. "We have to look out for submarines,
+you know," he added. "This is the worst part of the danger zone."
+
+The boys moved forward like silent shadows, peering here and there for a
+sight of the two figures who had come up a little while before them,
+with evil intentions in their hearts they had no doubt. Even now there
+might be flashing across the dark sea, from some hidden vantage point on
+the ship, a light signal that would mean the launching of the deadly
+torpedo.
+
+"There's no doubt, now, but the Frenchman is a traitor," whispered Joe
+to Blake. "I have been positive about that German being a spy ever since
+I've seen him, but I did have some doubts regarding Secor. I haven't any
+now."
+
+"It does look bad," admitted Blake.
+
+"I wish I'd smashed him with my auto, instead of waiting for him to
+smash me," remarked Charlie. "He's a snake, that's what he is!"
+
+"Hush!" cautioned Blake. "They may be around here--any place--and hear
+you. I wish we could see them."
+
+They moved along silently, looking on every side for a sight of the two
+conspirators, but there were so many shadows, and so many places where
+the men might lurk, that it was difficult to place them. The sailor,
+evidently, had had no suspicions, thinking that Blake and his chums had
+merely come up to be with the two men.
+
+"What are you going to do when you do see them?" asked Joe of his chum.
+
+"I don't know," was the whispered answer. "First, we've got to see them,
+then we can tell what to do. But where in the world are they?"
+
+Somewhat at a loss what to do, the boys paused in the shadow of a
+deckhouse. They were about to emerge from its dim protection when
+Charlie plucked at Blake's sleeve.
+
+"Well?" asked the moving picture boy, in a low voice. "What is it?"
+
+"Look right straight into the bow, as far as you can see," directed
+Macaroni. "Notice those two moving shadows?"
+
+"Yes," answered Blake.
+
+"I think that's our men," went on Charlie.
+
+"Yes, there they are," added Joe.
+
+It was evident, after a moment's glance, that the two men who had so
+silently stolen from their rooms were together in the bow of the
+steamer, or as far up in the bow as they could get. The deck was open
+at this point, and, leaning over the side, it would be easy to flash a
+signal on either beam. The lookout on the bridge was probably too much
+occupied in sweeping the sea ahead and to either side of the ship to
+direct his attention to the vessel itself.
+
+"Come on," whispered Blake to the other two. "We want to hear what they
+are saying if we can, and see what they're doing."
+
+Silently the boys stole forward until they could make out the dim
+figures more clearly. There was no doubt that they were those of Secor
+and Labenstein. And then, as the boys paused, fearing to get so close as
+to court discovery, they saw a little light flash.
+
+Three times up and down on the port side of the bows went a little flash
+of light, and then it suddenly went out.
+
+"My electric light," whispered Blake in Joe's ear.
+
+"But I thought you said it would burn out!"
+
+"I hope it has. I think----"
+
+From one of the figures in the bow came a guttural exclamation:
+
+"The infernal light has gone out!"
+
+"So?" came from the other.
+
+"Yes. It must be broken. Let me have yours, Herr Lieutenant. I have not
+given the signal in completeness, and----"
+
+"I left my light in the stateroom. I'll go and----"
+
+But the lieutenant never finished that sentence. Across the dark and
+silent ocean came a dull report--an explosion that seemed to make the
+_Jeanne_ tremble. And then the sky and the water was lighted by the
+flashing beams of powerful lights.
+
+"What was that?" gasped Joe, while from the crouching figures in the bow
+came exclamations of dismay. "Are we torpedoed?"
+
+"I fancy not," answered Blake. "Sounded more like one of the destroyers
+made a hit herself. I think they set off a depth charge against a
+submarine. We'll soon know! Look at the lights now!"
+
+The sea was agleam with brilliant radiance.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+IN ENGLAND
+
+
+From the bridge came commands to the lookouts stationed in various parts
+of the French steamer. Orders flashed to the engine room, and the vessel
+lost way and floated under her momentum. As yet she was shrouded in
+darkness, the only lights glowing being those actually required to
+enable persons to see their way about. Below, of course, as long as the
+incandescents were shaded, they could be turned on, and many passengers,
+awakened by the concussion and the following sounds, illuminated their
+staterooms.
+
+The lights that gleamed across the billows came from the convoying
+destroyers, and signals flashed from one to the other, though the
+meaning of them the moving picture boys could only guess at.
+
+Immediately following the explosion, which seemed to come from the side
+of the _Jeanne_ where Labenstein had flashed his signal, the German and
+the Frenchman had subsided into silence. Each one had given voice to an
+exclamation in his own tongue and then had hurried away.
+
+And so occupied were Blake and his chums with what had gone on out there
+on the ocean--trying to guess what had happened--that they did not
+notice the departure of the two men.
+
+"What's that you said it was?" asked Joe of his partner. "I mean the
+explosion."
+
+"I think it was a depth charge," answered Blake. "One of the destroyers
+must have sighted a submarine and let go a bomb, with a heavy charge of
+explosive, which didn't go off until after it got to a certain depth
+below the surface. That's the new way of dealing with submarines, you
+know."
+
+"I only hope they got this one, with a depth charge or any other way,"
+remarked Charles Anderson. "Look, we're lighting up! I guess the danger
+must be over."
+
+Lights were flashing on the deck of the _Jeanne_, and signals came from
+the destroyers. It was evident that messages were being sent to and fro.
+
+And then, as passengers crowded up from their staterooms, some in a
+state of panic fearing a torpedo had been launched at the ship, another
+muffled explosion was heard, and in the glare of the searchlights from
+one of the convoying ships a column of water could be seen spurting up
+between the French steamer and the war vessel.
+
+"That's caused by a depth charge," Blake announced. "They must be making
+sure of the submarine."
+
+"If they haven't, we're a good target for her now," said Joe, as he
+noted the lights agleam on their steamer. "They're taking an awful
+chance, it seems to me."
+
+"I guess the captain knows what he's doing," stated Blake. "He must have
+been signaled from the destroyers. We'll try to find out."
+
+An officer went about among the passengers, calming them and telling
+them there was no danger now.
+
+"But what happened?" asked Blake, and he and his chums waited eagerly
+for an answer.
+
+"It was a submarine," was the officer's reply. "She came to attack us,
+trying to slip around or between our convoying ships. But one of the
+lookouts sighted her and depth charges were fired. The submarine came
+up, disabled, it seemed, but to make sure another charge was exploded
+beneath the surface. And that was the end of the Hun!" he cried.
+
+"Good!" exclaimed Blake, and his chums also rejoiced. There was
+rejoicing, too, among the other passengers, for they had escaped death
+by almost as narrow a margin as before. Only the sharp lookout kept had
+saved them--that and the depth charge.
+
+"But how does that depth charge work?" asked Charlie Anderson, when the
+chums were back in their cabin again, discussing what they had better do
+in reference to telling the captain of the conduct of Labenstein and
+Secor.
+
+"It works on the principle that water is incompressible in any and all
+directions," answered Blake. "That is, pressure exerted on a body of
+water is transmitted in all directions by the water. Thus, if you push
+suddenly on top of a column of water the water rises.
+
+"And if you set off an explosive below the surface of water the force
+goes up, down sidewise and in all directions. In fact, if you explode
+gun-cotton near a vessel below the surface it does more damage than if
+set off nearer to her but on the surface. The water transmits the power.
+
+"A depth charge is a bomb timed to go off at a certain depth. If it
+explodes anywhere near a submarine, it blows in her plates and she is
+done for. That's what happened this time, I imagine."
+
+And that is exactly what had happened, as nearly as could be told by the
+observers on the destroyer. The submarine had risen, only to sink
+disabled with all on board. A few pieces of wreckage and a quantity of
+oil floated to the surface but that was all.
+
+Once more the _Jeanne_ resumed her way in the midst of the protecting
+convoys, the value of which had been amply demonstrated. And when all
+was once more quiet on board, Blake and his chums resumed their talk
+about what was best to do regarding what they had observed just before
+the setting off of the depth charge.
+
+"I think we ought to tell the captain," said Charlie.
+
+"So do I," added Joe.
+
+"And I agree with the majority," said Blake. "Captain Merceau shall be
+informed."
+
+The commander was greatly astonished when told what the boys had seen.
+He questioned them at length, and made sure there could have been no
+mistake.
+
+"And they gave a signal," mused the captain. "It hardly seems possible!"
+
+"It was Labenstein who actually flashed the light," said Blake. "Do you
+know anything about him, Captain Merceau?"
+
+"Nothing more than that his papers, passport, and so on are in proper
+shape. He is a citizen of your own country, and appeared to be all
+right, or he would not have been permitted to take passage with us. I am
+astounded!"
+
+"What about the Frenchman?" asked Joe.
+
+"Him I know," declared the captain. "Not well, but enough to say that I
+would have ventured everything on his honor. It does not seem possible
+that he can be a traitor!"
+
+"And yet we saw him with the German while Labenstein was signaling the
+submarine," added Blake.
+
+"Yes, I suppose it must be so. I am sorry! It is a blot on the fair name
+of France that one of her sons should so act! But we must be careful. It
+is not absolute proof, yet. They could claim that they were only on deck
+to smoke, or something like that. To insure punishment, we must have
+absolute proof. I thank you young gentlemen. From now on these two shall
+be under strict surveillance, and when we reach England I shall inform
+the authorities. You have done your duty. I will now be responsible for
+these men."
+
+"That relieves us," said Blake. "We shan't stay in England long
+ourselves, so if you want our testimony you'd better arrange to have it
+taken soon after we land."
+
+"I shall; and thank you! This is terrible!"
+
+The boys realized that, as the captain had said, adequate proof would be
+required to cause the arrest and conviction of the two plotters. While
+it was morally certain that they had tried to bring about the successful
+attack on the French steamer, a court would want undisputed evidence to
+pronounce sentence, whether of death or imprisonment.
+
+"I guess we'll have to leave it with the captain," decided Blake. "We
+can tell of his borrowing the light, and that we saw him flash it. Of
+course he can say we saw only his lighted cigarette, or something like
+that, and where would we be?"
+
+"But there was the signal with the white cloth," added Joe.
+
+"Yes, we could tell that, too; but it isn't positive."
+
+"And there was Secor's running into me and spoiling our other films,"
+said Charlie.
+
+"That, too, would hardly be enough," went on Blake. "What the
+authorities will have to do will be to search the baggage of these
+fellows, and see if there is anything incriminating among their papers.
+We can't do that, so we'll have to wait."
+
+And wait they did. In spite of what Captain Merceau had said, the boys
+did not relax their vigilance, but though, to their minds, the two men
+acted suspiciously, there was nothing definite that could be fastened on
+them.
+
+Watchful guard was maintained night and day against an attack by
+submarines, and though there were several alarms, they turned out to be
+false. And in due season, the vessel arrived at "an English port," as
+the papers stated.
+
+"Let's go and see if Captain Merceau wants us to give any evidence
+against those fellows," suggested Joe; and this seemed a good plan to
+follow.
+
+"Ah, yes, my American friends!" the commander murmured, as the boys were
+shown into his cabin. "What can I do for you?"
+
+"We thought we'd see if you wanted us in relation to the arrest of Secor
+and Labenstein," answered Blake.
+
+"Ah, yes! The two men who signaled the submarine. I have had them under
+surveillance ever since you made your most startling disclosures. I sent
+a wireless to the war authorities here to come and place them under
+arrest as soon as the vessel docked. I have no doubt they are in custody
+now. I'll send and see."
+
+He dispatched a messenger who, when he returned, held a rapid
+conversation with the captain in French. It was evident that something
+unusual had taken place.
+
+The captain grew more excited, and finally, turning to the boys, said in
+English, which he spoke fluently:
+
+"I regret to tell you there has been a mistake."
+
+"A mistake!" cried Blake.
+
+"Yes. Owing to some error, those men were released before the war
+authorities could apprehend them. They have gone ashore!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+UNDER SUSPICION
+
+
+Blake, Joe and Charles looked at one another. Then they glanced at
+Captain Merceau. For one wild moment Blake had it in mind to suspect the
+commander; but a look at his face, which showed plainly how deeply
+chagrined he was at the failure to keep the two under surveillance, told
+the young moving picture operator that there was no ground for his
+thought.
+
+"They got away!" repeated Joe, as though he could hardly believe it.
+
+"Yes, I regret to say that is what my officer reports to me. It is too
+bad; but I will at once send out word, and they may be traced and
+apprehended. I'll at once send word to the authorities." This he did by
+the same messenger who had brought the intelligence that the Frenchman
+and the German had secretly left.
+
+When this had been done, and the boys had got themselves ready to go
+ashore and report, Captain Merceau told them how it had happened. He
+had given orders, following the report made by Blake and his chums, that
+Secor and Labenstein should be kept under careful watch. And this was to
+be done without allowing them to become aware of it.
+
+"However, I very much doubt if this was the case," the captain frankly
+admitted. "They are such scoundrels themselves that they would naturally
+suspect others of suspecting them. So they must have become aware of our
+plans, and then they made arrangements to elude the guard I set over
+them."
+
+"How did they do that?" asked Blake.
+
+"By a trick. One of them pretended to be ill and asked that the surgeon
+be summoned. This was the German. And when the guard hurried away on
+what he supposed was an errand of mercy, the two rascals slipped away.
+They were soon lost in the crowd. But we shall have them back, have no
+fear, young gentlemen."
+
+But, all the same, Blake and his chums had grave doubts as to the
+ability of the authorities to capture the two men. Not that they had any
+fears for themselves, for, as Joe said, they had nothing to apprehend
+personally from the men.
+
+"Unless they are after the new films we take," suggested Charles.
+
+"Why should they want them?" asked Blake. "I mean, our films are not
+likely to give away any vital secrets," he went on.
+
+"Well, I don't know," answered the lanky helper, "but I have a sort of
+hunch that they'll do all they can and everything they can to spoil our
+work for Uncle Sam on this side of the water, as they did before."
+
+"Secor spoiled the films before," urged Blake. "He didn't know
+Labenstein then, as far as we know."
+
+"Well, he knows him now," said Charles. "I'm going to be on the watch."
+
+"I guess the authorities will be as anxious to catch those fellows as we
+are to have them," resumed Blake. "Putting a ship in danger of an attack
+from a submarine, as was undoubtedly done when Labenstein waved my
+flashlight, isn't a matter to be lightly passed over."
+
+And the authorities took the same view. Soon after Captain Merceau had
+sent his report of the occurrence to London to the officials of the
+English war office, the boys were summoned before one of the officers
+directing the Secret Service and were closely questioned. They were
+asked to tell all they knew of the man calling himself Lieutenant Secor
+and the one who was on the passenger list as Levi Labenstein. This they
+did, relating everything from Charlie's accident with the Frenchman to
+the destruction of the submarine by the depth charge just after
+Labenstein had flashed his signal, assuming that this was what he had
+done.
+
+"Very well, young gentlemen, I am exceedingly obliged to you," said the
+English officer. "The matter will be taken care of promptly and these
+men may be arrested. In that case, we shall want your evidence, so
+perhaps you had better let me know a little more about yourselves. I
+presume you have passports and the regulation papers?" and he smiled;
+but, as Blake said afterward, it was not exactly a trusting smile.
+
+"He looked as if he'd like to catch us napping," Blake said.
+
+However, the papers of the moving picture boys were in proper shape. But
+they were carefully examined, and during the process, when Joe,
+addressing Charles Anderson, spoke to him as "Macaroni," the officer
+looked up quickly.
+
+"I thought his name was Charles," he remarked, as he referred to the
+papers.
+
+"Certainly. But we call him 'Macaroni' sometimes because he looks like
+it--especially his legs," Joe explained.
+
+"His legs macaroni?" questioned the English officer, regarding the three
+chums over the tops of his glasses. "Do you mean--er--that his legs are
+so easily broken--as macaroni is broken?"
+
+"No, not that. It's because they're so thin," Joe added.
+
+Still the officer did not seem to comprehend.
+
+"It's a joke," added Blake.
+
+Then the Englishman's face lit up.
+
+"Oh, a joke!" he exclaimed. "Why didn't you say so at first? Now I
+comprehend. A joke! Oh, that's different! His legs are like macaroni, so
+you call him spaghetti! I see! Very good! Very good!" and he laughed in
+a ponderous way.
+
+"At the same time," he went on, "I think I shall make a note of it. I
+will just jot it down on the margin of his papers, that he is called
+'Macaroni' as a joke. Some other officer might not see the point," he
+added. "I'm quite fond of a joke myself! This is a very good one. I
+shall make a note of it." And this he proceeded to do in due form.
+
+"Well, if that isn't the limit!" murmured Joe, when the officer, having
+returned their papers to them, sent them to another department to get
+the necessary passes by which they could claim their baggage and make
+application to go to the front.
+
+"It's a good thing this officer had a sense of humor," remarked Blake,
+half sarcastically, "or we might have had to send back for a special
+passport for one stick of macaroni."
+
+If Blake and his chums had an idea they would at once be permitted to
+depart for "somewhere in France" and begin the work of taking moving
+pictures of Uncle Sam's boys in training and in the trenches, they were
+very soon disillusioned. It was one thing to land in England during war
+times, but it was another matter to get out, especially when they were
+not English subjects.
+
+It is true that Mr. Hadley had made arrangements for the films to be
+made, and they were to be taken for and under the auspices of the United
+States War Department.
+
+But England has many institutions, and those connected with war are
+bound up in much red tape, in which they are not unlike our own, in some
+respects.
+
+The applications of Blake and his chums to depart for the United States
+base in France were duly received and attached to the application
+already made by Mr. Hadley and approved by the American commanding
+officer.
+
+"And what happens next?" asked Blake, when they had filled out a number
+of forms in the English War Office. "I mean, where do we go from here?"
+
+"Ah, that's one of your songs, isn't it?" asked an English officer, one
+who looked as though he could understand a joke better than could the
+one to whom macaroni so appealed.
+
+"Yes, it's a song, but we don't want to stay here too long singing it,"
+laughed Joe.
+
+"Well, I'll do my best for you," promised the officer, who was a young
+man. He had been twice wounded at the front and was only awaiting a
+chance to go back, he said. "I'll do my best, but it will take a little
+time. We'll have to send the papers to France and wait for their
+return."
+
+"And what are we to do in the meanwhile?" asked Blake.
+
+"I fancy you'll just have to stay here and--what is it you say--split
+kindling?"
+
+"'Saw wood,' I guess you mean," said Joe. "Well, if we have to, we have
+to. But please rush it along, will you?"
+
+"I'll do my best," promised the young officer. "Meanwhile, you had
+better let me have your address--I mean the name of the hotel where you
+will be staying--and I'll send you word as soon as I get it myself. I
+had better tell you, though, that you will not be allowed to take any
+pictures--moving or other kind--until you have received permission."
+
+"We'll obey that ruling," Blake promised. He had hoped to get some views
+of ruins caused by a Zeppelin. However, there was no hope of that.
+
+On the recommendation of the young officer they took rooms in London at
+a hotel in a vicinity to enable them to visit the War Department
+easily. And then, having spent some time in these formalities and being
+again assured that they would be notified when they were wanted, either
+to be given permission to go to France or to testify against the two
+suspects, the moving picture boys went to their hotel.
+
+It was not the first time they had been in a foreign country, though
+never before had they visited London, and they were much interested in
+everything they saw, especially everything which pertained to the war.
+And evidences of the war were on every side: injured and uninjured
+soldiers; poster appeals for enlistments, for the saving of food or
+money to win the war; and many other signs and mute testimonies of the
+great conflict.
+
+The boys found their hotel a modest but satisfactory one, and soon got
+in the way of living there, planning to stay at least a week. They
+learned that their food would be limited in accordance with war
+regulations, but they had expected this.
+
+There was something else, though, which they did not expect, and which
+at first struck them as being decidedly unpleasant. It was the second
+day of their stay in London that, as they were coming back to their
+hotel from a visit to a moving picture show, Joe remarked:
+
+"Say, fellows, do you notice that man in a gray suit and a black slouch
+hat across the street?"
+
+"I see him," admitted Blake.
+
+"Have you seen him before?" Joe asked.
+
+"Yes, I have," said Blake. "He was in the movies with us, and I saw him
+when we left the hotel."
+
+"So did I," went on Joe. "And doesn't it strike you as being peculiar?"
+
+"In what way?" asked Charles.
+
+"I mean he seems to be following us."
+
+"What in the world for?" asked the assistant.
+
+"Well," went on Joe slowly, "I rather think we're under suspicion.
+That's the way it strikes me!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+IN CUSTODY
+
+
+Blake and Charlie nodded their heads as Joe gave voice to his suspicion.
+Then, as they looked across once again at the man in the slouch hat, he
+seemed aware of their glances and slunk down an alley.
+
+"But I think he has his eye on us, all the same," observed Blake, as the
+boys went into their hotel.
+
+"What are we going to do about it?" inquired Charlie. "Shall we put up a
+kick or a fight?"
+
+"Neither one," decided Blake, after a moment's thought.
+
+"Why not?" inquired Macaroni, with rather a belligerent air, as befitted
+one in the midst of war's alarms. "Why not go and ask this fellow what
+he means by spying on us?"
+
+"In the first place, if we could confront him, which I very much doubt,"
+answered Blake, "he would probably deny that he was even so much as
+looking at us, except casually. Those fellows from Scotland Yard, or
+whatever the English now call their Secret Service, are as keen as they
+make 'em. We wouldn't get any satisfaction by kicking."
+
+"Then let's fight!" suggested Charlie. "We can protest to the officer
+who told us to wait here for our permits to go to the front. We can say
+we're United States citizens and we object to being spied on. Let's do
+it!"
+
+"Yes, we could do that," said Blake slowly. "But perhaps we are being
+kept under surveillance by the orders of that same officer."
+
+"What in the world for?"
+
+"Well, because the authorities may want to find out more about us."
+
+"But didn't we have our passports all right? And weren't our papers in
+proper shape?" asked Charlie indignantly.
+
+"As far as we ourselves are concerned, yes," said Blake. "But you must
+remember that passports have been forged before, by Germans, and----"
+
+"I hope they don't take _us_ for Germans!" burst out Charlie.
+
+"Well, we don't look like 'em, that's a fact," said Blake, with a smile.
+"But you must remember that the English have been stung a number of
+times, and they aren't taking any more chances."
+
+"Just what do you think this fellow's game is?" asked Charlie.
+
+"Well," answered Blake slowly, and as if considering all sides of the
+matter. "I think he has been detailed by the English Foreign Office, or
+Secret Service, or whoever has the matter in charge, to keep an eye on
+us and see if we are really what we claim to be. That's all. I don't see
+any particular harm in it; and if we objected, kicked, or made a row, it
+would look as if we might be guilty. So I say let it go and let that
+chap do all the spying he likes."
+
+"Well, I guess you're right," assented Joe.
+
+"Same here," came from their helper.
+
+"Anyhow, we might as well make the best of it," resumed Blake. "If we
+had a fight with this chap and made him skedaddle, it would only mean
+another would be put on our trail. Just take it easy, and in due time, I
+think, we'll be given our papers and allowed to go to the front."
+
+"It can't come any too soon for me," declared Joe.
+
+So for the next few days the boys made it a point to take no notice of
+the very obvious fact that they were under surveillance. It was not
+always the same man who followed them or who was seen standing outside
+the hotel when they went out and returned. In fact, they were sure
+three different individuals had them in charge, so to speak.
+
+The boys were used to active work with their cameras and liked to be in
+action, but they waited with as good grace as possible. In fact, there
+was nothing else to do. Their moving picture apparatus was sealed and
+kept in the Foreign Office, and would not be delivered to them until
+their permits came to go to the front. So, liking it or not, the boys
+had to submit.
+
+They called several times on the young officer who had treated them so
+kindly, to ask whether there were any developments in their case; but
+each time they were told, regretfully enough, it seemed, that there was
+none.
+
+"But other permits have been longer than yours in coming," said the
+officer, with a smile. "You must have a little patience. We are not
+quite as rapid as you Americans."
+
+"But we want to get to the war front!" exclaimed Joe. "We want to make
+some pictures, and if we have to wait----"
+
+"Possess your souls with patience," advised the officer. "The war is
+going to last a long, long time, longer than any of us have any idea of,
+I am afraid. You will see plenty of fighting, more's the pity. Don't
+fret about that."
+
+But the boys did fret; and as the days passed they called at the permit
+office not once but twice, and, on one occasion, three times in
+twenty-four hours. The official was always courteous to them, but had
+the same answer:
+
+"No news yet!"
+
+And then, when they had spent two weeks in London--two weeks that were
+weary ones in spite of the many things to see and hear--the boys were
+rather surprised on the occasion of their daily visit to the permit
+office to be told by a subordinate:
+
+"Just a moment, if you please. Captain Bedell wishes to speak to you."
+
+The captain was the official who had their affair in charge, and who had
+been so courteous to them.
+
+"He wants us to wait!" exclaimed Joe, with marked enthusiasm. For the
+last few days the captain had merely sent out word that there was no
+news.
+
+"Maybe he has the papers!" cried Macaroni.
+
+"I'm sure I hope so," murmured Blake.
+
+The boys waited in the outer office with manifest impatience until the
+clerk came to summon them into the presence of Captain Bedell, saying:
+
+"This way, if you please."
+
+"Sounds almost like a dentist inviting you into his chair," murmured Joe
+to Blake.
+
+"Not as bad as that, I hope. It looks encouraging to be told to wait and
+come in."
+
+They were ushered into the presence of Captain Bedell, who greeted them,
+not with a smile, as he had always done before, but with a grave face.
+
+Instantly each of the boys, as he admitted afterward, thought something
+was wrong.
+
+"There's something out of the way with our passports," was Joe's idea.
+
+"Been a big battle and the British have lost," guessed Macaroni.
+
+Blake's surmise was:
+
+"There's a hitch and we can't go to the front."
+
+As it happened, all three were wrong, for a moment later, after he had
+asked them to be seated, Captain Bedell touched a bell on his desk. An
+orderly answered and he was told:
+
+"These are the young gentlemen."
+
+"Does that mean we are to get our permits?" asked Joe eagerly.
+
+"I am sorry to say it does not," was the grave answer. "I am also sorry
+to inform you that you are in custody."
+
+"In custody!" cried the three at once. And Blake a moment later added:
+
+"On what grounds?"
+
+"That I am not at liberty to tell you, exactly," the officer replied.
+"You are arrested under the Defense of the Realm Act, and the charges
+will be made known to you in due course of time."
+
+"Arrested!" cried Joe. "Are we really arrested?"
+
+"Not as civil but as military prisoners," went on Captain Bedell. "There
+is quite a difference, I assure you. I am sorry, but I have to do my
+duty. Orderly, take the prisoners away. You may send for counsel, of
+course," he added.
+
+"We don't know a soul here, except some moving picture people to whom we
+have letters of introduction," Blake said despondently.
+
+"Well, communicate with some of them," advised the captain. "They will
+be able to recommend a solicitor. Not that it will do you much good, for
+you will have to remain in custody for some time, anyhow."
+
+"Are we suspected of being spies?" asked Joe, determined to hazard that
+question.
+
+Captain Bedell smiled for the first time since the boys had entered his
+office. It was a rather grim contortion of the face, but it could be
+construed into a smile.
+
+"I am not at liberty to tell you," he said. "Orderly, take the prisoners
+away, and give them the best of care, commensurate, of course, with
+safe-keeping."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE FRONT AT LAST
+
+
+Well, wouldn't this get your----"
+
+"Billiard table!" finished Joe for his chum Blake, who seemed at a loss
+for a word.
+
+"Why billiard table?" asked Blake.
+
+"Because they've sort of put the English on us!" And Joe laughed at his
+joke--if it could be called that.
+
+"Huh!" grunted Blake, "I'm glad you feel so about it. But this is
+fierce! That's what I call it--fierce!"
+
+"Worse than that!" murmured Charlie. "And the worst of it is they won't
+give us a hint what it's all about."
+
+"There _is_ a good deal of mystery about it," chimed in Joe.
+
+"All but about the fact that we're in a jail, or the next thing to it,"
+added Blake, with a look about the place where he and his chums had been
+taken from the office of Captain Bedell.
+
+They were actually in custody, and while there were no bars to the doors
+of their prison, which were of plain, but heavy, English oak, there were
+bars to the windows. Aside from that, they might be in some rather
+ordinary hotel suite, for there were three connecting rooms and what
+passed for a bath, though this seemed to have been added after the place
+was built.
+
+As a matter of fact, the three boys were held virtually as captives, in
+a part of the building given over to the secret service work of the war.
+They had been escorted to the place by the orderly, who had instructions
+to treat his prisoners with consideration, and he had done that.
+
+"This is one of our--er--best--apartments," he said, with an air of
+hesitation, as though he had been about to call it a cell but had
+thought better of it. "I hope you will be comfortable here."
+
+"We might be if we knew what was going to happen to us and what it's all
+about," returned Blake, with a grim smile.
+
+"That is information I could not give you, were I at liberty to do so,
+sir," answered the orderly. "Your solicitor will act for you, I have no
+doubt."
+
+Following the advice of Captain Bedell, the boys had communicated with
+some of their moving picture friends in London, with the result that a
+solicitor, or lawyer, as he would be called in the United States,
+promised to act for the boys. He was soon to call to see them, and,
+meanwhile, they were waiting in their "apartment."
+
+"I wonder how it all happened?" mused Joe, as he looked from one of the
+barred windows at the not very cheerful prospect of roofs and chimneys.
+
+"And what is the charge?" asked Charlie. "We can't even find that out."
+
+"It practically amounts to being charged with being spies," said Blake.
+"That is what I gather from the way we are being treated. We are held as
+spies!"
+
+"And Uncle Sam is fighting for the Allies!" cried Joe.
+
+"Oh, well, it's all a mistake, of course, and we can explain it as soon
+as we get a chance and have the United States consul give us a
+certificate of good character," went on Blake. "That's what we've got to
+have our lawyer do when he comes--talk with the United States consul."
+
+"Well, I wish he'd hurry and come," remarked Joe. "It is no fun being
+detained here. I want to get to the front and see some action. Our
+cameras will get rusty if we don't use them."
+
+"That's right," agreed Macaroni.
+
+It was not until the next day, however, that a solicitor came,
+explaining that he had been delayed after getting the message from the
+boys. The lawyer, as Blake and his friends called him, proved to be a
+genial gentleman who sympathized with the boys.
+
+He had been in New York, knew something about moving pictures, and, best
+of all, understood the desire of the American youths to be free and to
+get into action.
+
+"The first thing to be done," said Mr. Dorp, the solicitor, "is to find
+out the nature of the charge against you, and who made it. Then we will
+be in a position to act. I'll see Captain Bedell at once."
+
+This he did, with the result that the boys were taken before the
+officer, who smiled at them, said he was sorry for what had happened,
+but that he had no choice in the matter.
+
+"As for the nature of the charge against you, it is this," he said. "It
+was reported to us that you came here to get pictures of British
+defenses to be sold to Germany, and that your desire to go to the front,
+to get views of and for the American army, was only a subterfuge to
+cover your real purpose."
+
+"Who made that charge?" asked Blake.
+
+"It came in a letter to the War Department," was the answer, "and from
+some one who signed himself Henry Littlefield of New York City. He is in
+London, and he would appear when wanted, he said."
+
+"May I see that letter?" asked the lawyer, and when it was shown to him
+he passed it over to the boys, asking if they knew the writer or
+recognized the handwriting.
+
+And at this point the case of the prosecution, so to speak, fell
+through. For Blake, with a cry of surprise, drew forth from his pocket
+another letter, saying:
+
+"Compare the writing of that with the letter denouncing us! Are they not
+both in the same hand?"
+
+"They seem to be," admitted Captain Bedell, after an inspection.
+
+"From whom is your letter?" asked Mr. Dorp.
+
+"From Levi Labenstein, the man who summoned the submarine to sink the
+_Jeanne_," answered Blake. "This letter dropped from his pocket when he
+came to me to borrow the flashlight. I intended to give it back to him,
+as it is one he wrote to some friend and evidently forgot to mail. It
+contains nothing of importance, as far as I can see, though it may be in
+cipher. But this letter, signed with his name, is in the same hand as
+the one signed 'Henry Littlefield,' denouncing us."
+
+"Then you think it all a plot?" asked Captain Bedell.
+
+"Of course!" cried Joe. "Why didn't you say before, Blake, that you had
+a letter from this fellow?"
+
+"I didn't attach any importance to it until I saw the letter accusing
+us. Now the whole thing is clear. He wants us detained here for some
+reason, and took this means of bringing it about."
+
+"If that is the case, you will soon be cleared," said Captain Bedell.
+
+And the boys soon were. There was no doubt but that the two letters were
+in the same hand. And when it was explained what part the suspected
+German had played aboard the steamer and cables from America to the
+United States consul had vouched for the boys, they were set free with
+apologies.
+
+And what pleased them still more was Captain Bedell's announcement:
+
+"I also have the pleasure to inform you that the permits allowing you to
+go to the front have been received. They came yesterday, but, of course,
+under the circumstances I could not tell you."
+
+"Then may we get on the firing line?" asked Blake.
+
+"As soon as you please. We will do all we can to speed you on your way.
+It is all we can do to repay for the trouble you have had."
+
+"These are war times, and one can't be too particular," responded Joe.
+"We don't mind, now that we can get a real start."
+
+"I'd like to get at that fake Jew and the Frenchman who spoiled the
+films!" murmured Charles.
+
+"Charlie can forgive everything but those spoiled films," remarked
+Blake, with a chuckle.
+
+"We will try to apprehend the two men," promised Captain Bedell, "but I
+am afraid it is too late. It may seem strange to you that we held you on
+the mere evidence of a letter from a man we did not know. But you must
+remember that the nerves of every one are more or less upset over what
+has happened. The poison of Germany's spy system had permeated all of
+us, and nothing is normal. A man often suspects his best friend, so
+though it may have seemed unusual to you to be arrested, or detained, as
+we call it, still when all is considered it was not so strange.
+
+"However, you are at liberty to go now, and we will do all we can to
+help you. I have instructions to set you on your way to the front as
+soon as you care to go, and every facility will be given you to take all
+the pictures of your own troops you wish. I regret exceedingly what has
+happened."
+
+"Oh, let it go!" said Blake cheerfully. "You treated us decently, and,
+as you say, these are war times."
+
+"Which is my only excuse," said the captain, with a smile. "Now I am
+going to see if we can not apprehend that German and his French
+fellow-conspirator."
+
+But, as may be guessed, "Henry Littlefield" was not to be found, nor
+Lieutenant Secor, nor Levi Labenstein.
+
+"Labenstein probably wrote that letter accusing us and mailed it just to
+make trouble because we suspected him and Secor," said Blake.
+
+"Well, it's lucky you had that note from him, or you'd never have been
+able to convince the authorities here that he was a faker," remarked
+Joe. "I guess he didn't count on that."
+
+"Probably not," agreed Blake. "And now, boys, let's get busy!"
+
+There was much to do after their release. They went back to their hotel
+and began getting their baggage in shape for the trip to France. Their
+cameras and reels were released from the custody of the war officials,
+and with a glad smile Macaroni began overhauling them to see that they
+had not been damaged on the trip.
+
+"Right as ever!" he remarked, after a test. "Now they can begin the
+_parlez vous Francaise?_ business as soon as they please."
+
+Two days later the boys embarked for the passage across the Channel, and
+though it was a desperately rough one, they were, by this time, seasoned
+travelers and did not mind it.
+
+The journey through France up to the front was anything but pleasant.
+The train was slow and the cars uncomfortable, but the boys made the
+best of it, and finally one afternoon, as the queer little engine and
+cars rolled slowly up to what served for a station, there came to their
+ears dull boomings.
+
+"Thunder?" asked Joe, for the day was hot and sultry.
+
+"Guns at the front," remarked a French officer, who had been detailed to
+be their guide the last part of the journey.
+
+"At the front at last! Hurrah!" cried Joe.
+
+"Perhaps you will not feel like cheering when you have been here a week
+or two," said the French officer.
+
+"Sure we will!" declared Charlie. "We can do something now besides look
+at London chimney pots. We can get action!"
+
+As the boys looked about on the beautiful little French village where
+they were to be quartered for some time, it was hard to realize that, a
+few miles away, men were engaged in deadly strife, that guns were
+booming, killing and maiming, and that soon they might be looking on the
+tangled barbed-wire defense of No Man's Land.
+
+But the dull booming, now and then rising to a higher note, told them
+the grim truth.
+
+They were at the war front at last!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+THE FIRING LINE
+
+
+"Hello! Where are you fellows from?"
+
+It was rather a sharp challenge, yet not unfriendly, that greeted Blake,
+Joe and Charlie, as they were walking from the house where they had been
+billeted, through the quaint street of the still more quaint French
+village. "Where are you from?"
+
+"New York," answered Blake, as he turned to observe a tall,
+good-natured-looking United States infantryman regarding him and his two
+chums.
+
+"New York, eh? I thought so! I'm from that burg myself, when I'm at
+home. Shake, boys! You're a sight for sore eyes. Not that I've got 'em,
+but some of the fellows have--and worse. From New York! That's mighty
+good! Shake again!"
+
+And they did shake hands all around once more.
+
+"My name's Drew--Sam Drew," announced the private. "I'm one of the
+doughboys that came over first with Pershing. Are you newspaper
+fellows?"
+
+"No. Moving picture," answered Blake.
+
+"You don't say so! That's great! Shake again. When are you going to give
+a show?"
+
+"Oh, we're not that kind," explained Joe. "We're here to take army
+films."
+
+"Oh, shucks!" cried Private Drew. "I thought we were to see something
+new. The boys here are just aching for something new. There's a picture
+show here, but the machine's busted and nobody can fix it. We had a few
+reels run off, but that's all. Say, we're 'most dead from what these
+French fellows call _ong we_, though o-n-g-w-e ain't the way you spell
+it. If we could go to one show----"
+
+"You say there's a projector here?" interrupted Joe eagerly.
+
+"Well, I don't know what you call it, but there's a machine here that
+showed some pictures until it went on the blink."
+
+"Maybe I can fix it," went on Joe, still eagerly. "Let's have a look at
+it. But where do you get current from? This town hasn't electric
+lights."
+
+"No, but we've got a gasolene engine and a dynamo. The officers'
+quarters and some of the practice trenches are lighted by electricity.
+Oh, we have some parts of civilization here, even if we are near the
+trenches!"
+
+"If you've got current and that projection machine isn't too badly
+broken, maybe I can fix her up," said Joe. "Let's have a look at it."
+
+"Oh, I'll lead you to it, all right, Buddy!" cried Private Drew. "We'll
+just eat up some pictures if we can get 'em! Come along! This way for
+the main show!" and he laughed like a boy.
+
+Among the outfits sent with the troops quartered in this particular
+sector was a moving picture machine and many reels of film. But, as Sam
+Drew had said, the machine was broken.
+
+After Blake and his chums had reported to the officer to whom they had
+letters of introduction and had been formally given their official
+designation as takers of army war films, they went to the old barn which
+had been turned into a moving picture theater.
+
+There was a white cloth screen and a little gallery, made in what had
+been the hay mow, for the projector machine. Joe Duncan, as the expert
+mechanician of the trio, at once examined this, and said it could soon
+be put in readiness for service.
+
+"Whoop!" yelled Private Drew, who seemed to have constituted himself the
+particular guide and friend of the moving picture boys. "Whoop! that's
+as good as getting a letter from home! Go to it, Buddy!"
+
+And that first night of the boys' stay at that particular part of France
+was the occasion of a moving picture show. All who could crowded into
+the barn, and the reels were run over and over again as different
+relays of officers and men attended. For the officers were as eager as
+the privates, and the moving picture boys were welcomed with open arms.
+
+"You sure did make a hit!" laughed Private Drew. "Yes, a sure-fire hit!
+Now let Fritz bang away. We should worry!"
+
+But all was not moving pictures for Blake, Joe and their assistant, nor
+for the soldier boys, either. There was hard and grim work to do in
+order to be prepared for the harder and grimmer work to come. The United
+States troops were going through a period of intensive trench training
+to be ready to take their share of the fighting with the French and
+British forces.
+
+The village where Blake and his chums were quartered was a few miles
+from the front, but so few that day and night, save when there was a
+lull, the booming of guns could be heard.
+
+"There hasn't been much real fighting, of late," Private Drew informed
+the boys the day after their arrival. "It's mostly artillery stuff, and
+our boys are in that. Now and then a party of us goes over the top or on
+night listening-patrol. Fritz does the same, but, as yet, we haven't had
+what you could call a good fight. And we're just aching for it, too."
+
+"That's what we want to get pictures of," said Blake. "Real fighting at
+the front trenches!"
+
+"Oh, you'll get it," prophesied the private. "There's a rumor that we'll
+have some hot stuff soon. Some of our aircraft that have been strafing
+Fritz report that there's something doing back of the lines. Shouldn't
+wonder but they'll try to rush us some morning. That is, if we don't go
+over the top at 'em first."
+
+"I hope we'll be there!" murmured Joe. "And I hope we get a good light
+so we can film the fighting."
+
+"They'll be almost light enough from the star-shells, bombs and big
+guns," said Private Drew. "Say, you ought to see the illumination some
+nights when the Boches start to get busy! Coney Island is nothing to it,
+Buddy!"
+
+Before the moving picture boys could get into real action on the front
+line trenches, there were certain formalities to go through, and they
+had to undergo a bit of training.
+
+Captain Black, to whom they were responsible and to whom they had to
+report each day, wanted first some films of life in the small village
+where the troops were quartered when not in the trenches. This was to
+show the "boys at home" what sort of life was in prospect for them.
+
+Aside from the danger ever present in war in any form, life in the
+quaint little town was pleasant. The boys in khaki were comfortably
+housed, they had the best of army food, and their pleasures were not
+few. With the advent of Blake and his chums and the putting in operation
+of the moving picture show, enthusiasm ran high, and nothing was too
+good for the new arrivals.
+
+But they had their work to do, for they were official photographers and
+were entrusted with certain duties. Back of the firing line, of course,
+there was no danger, unless from air raids. But after the first week,
+during which they took a number of reels of drilling and recreation
+scenes, there came a period of preparation.
+
+Blake, Joe and Charlie were given gas masks and shown how to use them.
+They were also each provided with an automatic pistol and were given
+uniforms. For they had to be on the firing line and on such occasions
+were not really of the non-combatant class, though they were not
+supposed to take part in the fighting unless it should be to protect
+themselves.
+
+At the suggestion of Captain Black the boys had made sheet-iron cases
+for their cameras and reels of film.
+
+"Of course, if a shell comes your way that case won't be much
+protection," said the United States officer. "But shrapnel won't go
+through it."
+
+Steel helmets were also given the boys to wear when they went on duty in
+the firing trenches, and they were told under no circumstances to leave
+them off.
+
+"For even if there isn't any shooting from across No Man's Land,"
+explained Captain Black, "a hostile aircraft may drop a bomb that will
+scatter a lot of steel bullets around. So wear your helmets and keep the
+cases on your cameras."
+
+It was a week after this, during which time there had been several false
+alarms of a big German attack, that one evening as they were about to
+turn in after having given a moving picture show an orderly came up to
+Blake.
+
+"You and your two friends will report to Captain Black at four o'clock
+to-morrow morning," said the orderly.
+
+"Why that hour?" asked Joe curiously.
+
+"We're going over the top," was the answer. "You may get some pictures
+then."
+
+Charles Anderson hastily consulted a small book he took from his pocket.
+
+"What you doing?" asked Blake.
+
+"Looking to see what time the sun rises. I want to see if there'll be
+light enough to make pictures. Yes," he went on, as he found what he
+wanted in the miniature almanac, "we ought to be able to get some
+shots."
+
+The gray wreaths of a fog that had settled down in the night were being
+dispelled by the advance heralds of dawn in the shape of a few faint
+streaks of light when Blake and his chums, wearing their steel helmets
+and with the steel-protected cameras, started from the farmhouse where
+they were quartered to report to Captain Black.
+
+"All ready, boys?" the captain called. "We're going over the top at
+five-seven--just as soon as the artillery puts down a barrage to clear
+the way for us. You're to get what pictures you can. I'll leave that
+part to you. But don't get ahead of the barrage fire--that is, if you
+want to come back," he added significantly.
+
+"All right," answered Blake, in a low voice.
+
+He and his chums took their places in one of the communicating trenches,
+waiting for the American and the French soldiers in the front ones to
+spring up and go "over the top."
+
+Every minute seemed an hour, and there were frequent consultations of
+wrist watches. Suddenly, at five o'clock exactly, there was a roar that
+sounded like a hundred bursts of thunder. The artillery had opened the
+engagement, and the moving picture boys, at last on the firing line,
+grasped their cameras and reels of film as the soldiers grasped their
+guns and waited for the word to go.
+
+The earth beneath them seemed to rock with the concussion of the big
+guns.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+BOWLED OVER
+
+
+Not a man of the American and French forces that were to attack the
+Germans had yet left the protecting trench. The object of the artillery
+fire, which always preceded an attack unless it was a surprise one with
+tanks, was to blow away the barbed-wire entanglements, and, if possible,
+dispose of some of the enemy guns as well as the fighting men.
+
+The barrage was really a "curtain of fire" moving ahead of the attacking
+troops to protect them. This curtain actually advanced, for the guns
+belching out the rain of steel and lead were slowly elevated, and with
+the elevation a longer range was obtained.
+
+Waiting in a trench slightly behind the troops that were soon to go into
+action, Blake Stewart and his chums talked, taking no care to keep down
+their voices. Indeed, they had to yell to be heard.
+
+"Well, we're here at last," said Blake.
+
+"Yes; and it looks as if there'd be plenty of action," added Joe.
+
+"If it only gets lighter and the smoke doesn't hang down so," added
+Charlie. "We won't get very good films if it doesn't get lighter. It's
+fierce now."
+
+"Well, if the fighting lasts long enough the sun will soon be higher and
+the light better," responded Blake. "And it sounds as if this was going
+to be a big fight."
+
+By this time the German guns seemed to have awakened, and were replying
+to the fire from the American and French artillery. The shells flew
+screaming over the heads of those in the trenches, and instinctively
+Blake and his companions ducked.
+
+Then they realized how futile this was. As a matter of fact, the shells
+were passing high over them and exploding even back of the line of
+cannon. For the Germans did not yet have the range, some of the Allies'
+guns having been moved up during the night.
+
+Suddenly, though how the signal was given the moving picture boys did
+not learn until afterward, there was activity in the trenches before
+them. With yells that sounded only faintly above the roar of the big
+guns, the American and French soldiers went "over the top," and rushed
+toward the German trenches.
+
+"Come on!" cried Blake. "This is our chance!"
+
+"It isn't light enough!" complained Charlie, as he ran along the
+communicating trench with the other two lads to the front line ditch.
+"We can't get good pictures now."
+
+"It's getting lighter!" cried Blake. "Come on!"
+
+He and Joe were to work the cameras, with Charles Anderson to stand by
+with spare reels of film, and to lend a helping hand if need be.
+
+Along the narrow trench they rushed, carrying their machines which, it
+was hoped, would catch on the sensitive celluloid the scenes, or some of
+them, that were taking place in front. Mad scenes they were, too--scenes
+of bursting shells, of geysers of rock and earth being tossed high by
+some explosion, of men rushing forward to take part in the deadly
+combat.
+
+As Blake had said, the scene was lighting up now. The sun rose above the
+mists and above the smoke of the guns, for though some smokeless powder
+was used, there was enough of the other variety to produce great clouds
+of vapor.
+
+Behind the line of rushing soldiers, who were all firing their rifles
+rapidly, rushed the moving picture boys. They were looking for a spot on
+which to set their machines to get good views of the engagement.
+
+"This'll do!" yelled Blake, as they came to a little hill, caused by
+the upheaval of dirt in some previous shell explosion. "We can stand
+here!"
+
+"All right!" agreed Joe. "I'll go a little to one side so we won't
+duplicate."
+
+The barrage fire had lifted, biting deeper into the ranks and trenches
+of the Germans. But they, on their part, had found the range more
+accurately, and were pouring an answering bombardment into the artillery
+stations of the French and Americans.
+
+And then, as the sun came out clear, the boys had a wonderful view of
+what was going on. Before them the French and Uncle Sam's boys were
+fighting with the Germans, who had been driven from their trenches. On
+all sides were rifles belching fire and sending out the leaden
+messengers of death.
+
+And there, in the midst of the fighting but off to one side and out of
+the line of direct fire, stood Blake, Joe and Charlie, the two former
+turning the handles of the cameras and taking pictures even as they had
+stood in the midst of the volcanoes and earthquakes, or in the perils of
+the deep, making views.
+
+The fighting became a mad riot of sound--the sound of big guns and
+little--the sound of bursting shells from either side--the yells of the
+men--the shouting of the officers and the shrill cries of the wounded.
+
+It took all the nerve of the three lads to stand at their posts and see
+men killed and maimed before their eyes, but they were under orders, and
+did not waver. For these scenes, terrible and horrible though they were,
+were to serve the good purpose of stimulating those at home, in safety
+across the sea, to a realization of the perils of war and the menace of
+the Huns.
+
+The fighting was now at its fiercest. The Germans had an accurate idea
+of the location of the American and French cannon by this time, and the
+artillery duel was taking place, while between that double line of fire
+the infantry were at body-grips.
+
+Hand grenades were being tossed to and fro. Men were emptying the
+magazines of their rifles or small arms fairly into the faces of each
+other.
+
+When a soldier's ammunition gave out, or his gun choked from the hot
+fire, he swung the rifle as a club or used the bayonet. And then came
+dreadful scenes--scenes that the moving picture boys did not like to
+think about afterward. But war is a grim and terrible affair, and they
+were in the very thick of it.
+
+Suddenly, as Blake and Joe were grinding away at their cameras, now and
+then shifting them to get a different view, something that made shrill
+whistling sounds, passed over their heads.
+
+"What's that?" asked Charlie, who stood ready with a reel of spare film
+for Blake's machine.
+
+"Bullets, I reckon," answered Joe. "They seem to be coming our way,
+too."
+
+"Maybe we'd better get out of here," suggested Blake. "We've got a lot
+of views, and----"
+
+"Don't run yet, Buddies!" called a voice, and along came Private Drew.
+"You'll never hear the bullet that hits you. And they're firing high,
+the Fritzes are! Don't run yet. How're you making it?"
+
+"All right so far, but it's--fierce!" cried Blake, as he stopped for a
+moment to let a smoke cloud blow away.
+
+"Yes, it's a hot little party, all right," replied the soldier, with a
+grin. "I haven't had all my share yet. Had to go back with an order. Hi,
+here comes one!" and instinctively he dodged, as did the others, though
+a moment later it was borne to them that it was of little use to dodge
+on the battlefield.
+
+Something flew screaming and whining over their heads, and fell a short
+distance away.
+
+"It's a shell!" cried Joe, as he saw it half bury itself in the earth.
+"Look out!"
+
+Private Drew gave one look at the place where the German missile had
+fallen, not ten feet away, and then, with a shrug of his shoulders, he
+cried:
+
+"It's only a dud!"
+
+"What's that?" asked Joe.
+
+"Shell that didn't explode," answered the soldier. "The Fritzes have
+fired a lot of them lately. Guess their ammunition must be going back on
+them. It's only a dud!"
+
+He was about to pass on, and the moving picture boys were going to
+resume their making of films, when another scream and whine like the
+first came, but seemingly nearer.
+
+Instinctively all four looked up, and saw something flashing over their
+heads. They could feel the wind of the shell, for that is what it was,
+and then the chance shot from the German gun fell about fifty feet
+behind the group.
+
+The next instant there was a tremendous explosion, and Blake and the
+others felt themselves being tossed about and knocked down as by a
+mighty wind.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+TRENCH LIFE
+
+
+Blake was the first to scramble to his feet, rolling out from beneath a
+pile of dirt and stones that had been tossed on him as the shell heaved
+up a miniature geyser and covered him with the debris. Then, after a
+shake, such as a dog gives himself when he emerges from the water, and
+finding himself, as far as he could tell, uninjured, he looked to his
+companions.
+
+Private Drew was staggering about, holding his right hand to his head,
+and on his face was a look of grim pain. But it passed in an instant as
+he cried to Blake:
+
+"Hurt Buddy?"
+
+"I don't seem to be," was the answer, given during a lull in the
+bombardment and firing. "But I'm afraid----"
+
+He did not finish the sentence, but looked apprehensively at his
+prostrate chums. Both Joe and Charlie lay motionless, half covered with
+dirt. One camera had been upset and the tripod was broken. The other,
+which Blake had been operating, seemed intact.
+
+"Maybe they're only knocked out. That happens lots of times," said Drew.
+"We'll have a look."
+
+"But you're hurt yourself!" exclaimed Blake, looking at a bloody hand
+the soldier removed from his head.
+
+"Only a scratch, Buddy! A piece of the shell grazed me. First I thought
+it had taken me for fair, but it's only a scratch. If I don't get any
+worse than that I'm lucky. Now to have a look at your bunkies."
+
+Charles Anderson seemed to need little looking after, for he arose to
+his feet, appearing somewhat dazed, but not hurt, as far as was
+evidenced.
+
+"What happened?" he asked.
+
+"Just a little bit of a compliment from our friend Fritz," answered
+Drew. "That was a real shell--no dud--but it exploded far enough away
+from us not to do an awful lot of damage. That is, unless your other
+bunkie is worse hurt."
+
+"I'm afraid he is," observed Blake, for Joe had not yet moved, and dirt
+covered him thickly.
+
+The center of the fighting seemed to have passed beyond the group of
+moving picture boys by this time. Blake, Charlie and Drew turned to
+where Joe lay and began scraping the dirt from him.
+
+He stirred uneasily while they were doing this, and murmured:
+
+"It's all right. Put in another reel."
+
+"Touched on the head," said the soldier. "We'd better get him back of
+the lines where he can see a doctor. Your machine got a touch of it,
+too."
+
+Anderson hurried over to the overturned camera. A quick examination
+showed him that it had suffered no more damage than the broken support.
+
+"It's all right," he announced. "Not even light-struck, I guess. I'll
+take this and the boxes of film," and he shouldered his burden.
+
+"Well, I'll take your bunkie--guess I can manage to carry him better
+than you, for we've had practice in that--and you can shoulder the other
+picture machine," said Drew, as he moved over to Joe. "We won't wait for
+the stretcher-men. They won't be along for some time if this keeps up.
+Come on now."
+
+"But can you manage, hurt as you are?" asked Blake.
+
+"Oh, sure! Mine's only a scratch. Wait, I'll give myself a little first
+aid and then I'll be all right."
+
+With the help of Blake the soldier disinfected his wound with a liquid
+he took from his field kit, and then, having bound a bandage around his
+head, he picked up the still unconscious Joe and started back with him
+to the rear trenches.
+
+They had to make a detour to avoid some of the German fire, which was
+still hot in sections, but finally managed to get to a place of
+comparative safety. Here they were met by a party of ambulance men, and
+Joe was placed on a stretcher and taken to a first dressing station.
+
+Meanwhile, Anderson put the cameras with their valuable reels of film in
+a bomb-proof structure.
+
+"Is he badly hurt?" asked Blake anxiously of the surgeon.
+
+"I hope not. In fact, I think not," was the reassuring answer of the
+American army surgeon. "He has been shocked, and there is a bad bruise
+on one side, where he seems to have been struck by a stone thrown by the
+exploding shell. But a few days' rest will bring him around all right.
+Pretty close call, was it?"
+
+"Oh, it might have been worse," answered Drew, whose wound had also been
+attended to. "It was just a chance shot."
+
+"Well, I don't know that it makes an awful lot of difference whether
+it's a chance shot or one that is aimed at you, as long as it hits,"
+said the surgeon. "However, you are luckily out of it. How does it seem,
+to be under fire?" he asked Blake.
+
+"Well, I can't say I fancy it as a steady diet, and yet it wasn't quite
+as bad as I expected. And we got the pictures all right."
+
+"That's good!" the surgeon said. "Well, your friend will be all right.
+He's coming around nicely now," for Joe was coming out of the stupor
+caused by the blow on the head from a clod of earth.
+
+At first he was a bit confused--"groggy," Private Drew called it--but he
+soon came around, and though he could not walk because of the injury to
+his side, he was soon made comparatively comfortable and taken to a
+hospital just behind the lines.
+
+As this was near the house where Charlie and Blake were quartered, they
+could easily visit their chum each day, which they did for the week that
+he was kept in bed.
+
+As Charles had surmised, the films in the cameras were not damaged, and
+were removed to be sent back for development. The broken tripod was
+repaired sufficiently to be usable again, and then the boys began to
+prepare for their next experience.
+
+The engagement in which Joe had been hurt was a comparatively small one,
+but it netted a slight advance for the French and American troops, and
+enabled a little straightening of their trench line to be made, a number
+of German dug-outs having been demolished and their machine guns
+captured. This, for a time at least, removed a serious annoyance to
+those who had to occupy the front line trenches.
+
+Though Joe improved rapidly in the hospital, for some time his side was
+very sore. He had to turn his camera over to Charlie, and it was
+fortunate the lanky helper had been brought along, for the work would
+have proved too much for Blake alone.
+
+Following that memorable, because it was the first, going "over the
+top," there was a period of comparative quiet. Of course there was
+sniping day and night, and not a few casualties from this form of
+warfare, but it was to be expected and "all in the day's work," as
+Private Drew called it.
+
+Blake, Joe and Charlie were complimented by Captain Black for their
+bravery in going so close to the front line in getting the pictures;
+then he added:
+
+"You can have it a little easier for a while. What we want now are some
+scenes of trench life as it exists before an engagement. So get ready
+for that."
+
+This Blake and Charlie did, while Joe sat in the sun and tried to learn
+French from a little boy, the son of the couple in whose house the
+moving picture boys were quartered.
+
+Though the American and French soldiers, with here and there a Canadian
+or English regiment, lived so near the deadly front line, there were
+periods, some lengthy, of quiet and even amusement. Of course, the
+deaths lay heavy on all the soldiers when they allowed themselves to
+think of their comrades who had perished. And more than one gazed with
+wet eyes at the simple wooden crosses marking the graves "somewhere in
+France."
+
+But officers and men alike knew how fatal to spirit it was to dwell on
+the sad side of war. So, as much as possible, there was in evidence a
+sense of lightness and a feeling that all was for the best--that it must
+be for the best.
+
+Now and then there were night raids, and occasionally parties of German
+prisoners were brought in. Blake and Charlie made moving pictures of
+these as they were taken back to the cages. Most of the Germans seemed
+glad to be captured, which meant that they were now definitely out of
+the terrible scenes of the war. They would be held in safety until after
+the conflict, and they seemed to know this, for they laughed and joked
+as they were filmed. They appeared to like it, and shouted various words
+of joking import in their guttural voices to the boys.
+
+A week after coming out of the hospital Joe was able to take up light
+work, and did his share of making pictures of trench life. He had a big
+bruise on one side, a discolored patch that had an unpleasant look, but
+which soon ceased to give much pain except after a period of exertion.
+
+"Well, you're a veteran now--been wounded," said Blake to his chum.
+
+"Yes, I suppose you can call it that. I don't care for any more,
+though."
+
+The plan in operation at this particular section of the front where the
+moving picture boys were quartered and on duty was for the soldiers to
+spend five or six days in the trenches, taking turns of duty near No
+Man's Land, and then going back to rest in the dug-outs. After that they
+would have a day or so of real rest back of the lines, out of reach of
+the big guns.
+
+And there the real fun of soldiering, if fun it can be called amid the
+grim business of war, was to be had. The officers and men vied with one
+another in trying to forget the terrible scenes through which they had
+gone, and little entertainments were gotten up, the moving picture boys
+doing their share.
+
+Thus they obtained views of trench life both grave and gay, though it
+must be admitted that the more serious predominated. There were many
+wounded, many killed, and, occasionally, one of the parties going out on
+patrol or listening-duty at night would never come back, or, at most,
+one or two wounded men would come in to tell of a terrific struggle with
+a party of Huns.
+
+Sometimes, though, the tale would be the other way around, and the
+Americans would come in with a number of captives who showed the effects
+of severe fighting.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+GASSED
+
+
+"Well, there's one thing about it," remarked Joe to Blake one day, as
+they sat in the shade beside the French cottage waiting for orders.
+"This isn't as nervous work as traveling on a ship, waiting for a
+submarine."
+
+It was three weeks after the first and only engagement they had taken
+part in, and, meanwhile, they had filmed many more peaceful scenes of
+army life on the front.
+
+"Especially when you know there's a traitor in the cabin across the hall
+that may signal any minute for you to be blown up," Blake responded to
+his friend's remark. "You're right there, Joe. But how's the side?"
+
+"Coming on all right. Hurts hardly at all now. I wonder what became of
+those two fellows?"
+
+"Which two?"
+
+"Secor and Labenstein."
+
+"Oh, I thought you meant those two German officers who tried to hire us
+to send some word back to their folks about them."
+
+This had been the case: In a batch of prisoners brought in after a raid
+which was most successful on the part of the Americans, two captured
+German officers of high rank who spoke English well had offered Blake
+and Joe a large sum if they would send word of their fate and where they
+were held prisoners to an address in Berlin.
+
+But the boys would do nothing of the sort, and reported the matter to
+Captain Black. The result was that the officers were searched and some
+valuable papers, containing some future plans of the enemy, were
+discovered. The officers were sent to England under a strong guard, as
+it was felt they were particularly dangerous.
+
+"I suppose Secor and Labenstein are somewhere, plotting to do their
+worst," went on Blake. "Having gone as far as they did, they wouldn't
+give up easily, I imagine. I can understand Labenstein's acting as he
+did, but that Secor, a Frenchman, if he really is one, should plot to
+injure his own country--that gets me!"
+
+"Same here! I wonder if we'll ever see him again--either of them, for
+that matter."
+
+"I hope not I don't like--snakes!" exclaimed Blake.
+
+"Yes, that's what they are--snakes in the grass," agreed Joe. "But I
+wonder what our next assignment will be."
+
+"It's hard to say. Here comes an orderly now. Maybe he has some
+instructions."
+
+This proved to be the case, the messenger bearing a note from Captain
+Black, requesting the moving picture boys to get some scenes around the
+camp when the soldiers were served with their daily rations.
+
+Some German propaganda was being circulated in the United States,
+Captain Black explained, to the effect that the soldiers in France were
+being underfed and were most unhappy. It was said that large losses had
+taken place in their ranks through starvation.
+
+"We want to nail that lie to the mast!" said the captain; "and I can't
+imagine a better way than by making some films showing the boys at their
+meals."
+
+"And they are some meals, too!" exclaimed Blake, as he and his chum made
+ready for the task set them. "If every soldier in this war had as good
+grub as our boys, they'd want to keep on fighting."
+
+Though Blake and Joe were resting at that particular time, it must not
+be assumed that they did much of that sort of thing. Of course they were
+not always on duty. Moreover, unlike the soldiers, they could do nothing
+after dark, during which period many raids were made on both sides. The
+moving picture business of taking films depended on daylight for its
+success. But when they were not filming peaceful scenes in and about the
+trenches the boys were getting views of tanks, of men drilling, of their
+games and sports, and now they were to get some pictures of the meals.
+
+As Blake and Joe had remarked, they had neither heard nor seen anything
+of Secor or Labenstein since they came from England. The men might have
+been arrested, but this was hardly likely.
+
+"Even if they were we wouldn't hear of it," said Blake. "But I hope, if
+they are under arrest, they'll hold them until we can tell what we know
+of them."
+
+"Same here," agreed Joe. "But I guess we'll never see them again."
+
+Before long, however, his words were recalled to him in a strange manner
+and under grim circumstances.
+
+"Well, Buddy, coming to get yours?" called Private Drew, as Blake and
+Joe, their cameras over their shoulders, walked toward the cook wagons
+from which came fragrant odors.
+
+"Haven't heard any invitations yet," returned Blake, grinning.
+
+"Come in with us!"
+
+"Over this way!"
+
+"Here you are for the big feed!"
+
+The cries came from a number of different groups of Uncle Sam's soldiers
+who were fighting in France. For Blake, Joe and Charlie were generally
+liked, and though they were not supposed to mess with the soldiers, they
+did so frequently, and had many a good meal in consequence.
+
+"We're going to get records of your appetites to show the folks back
+home," observed Blake, as he and Joe set up the machines. "There's a
+report that you're gradually wasting away from lack of pie and cake."
+
+"Watch me waste!" cried a vigorous specimen of American manhood. "Just
+watch me waste!" And he held aloft a big plate heaped high with good and
+substantial food, while, laughing, Blake and Joe made ready to get the
+views.
+
+There was much fun and merriment, even though a few miles away there was
+war in its grimmest aspect But if one thought of that all the while, as
+Captain Black said, none would have the nerve and mental poise to face
+the guns and finally overcome the Huns.
+
+Following the taking of the scenes around the mess hall, others were
+made showing the boys in khaki at bayonet practice, at the throwing of
+hand grenades, and other forms of war exercises.
+
+"I guess these will do for peaceful scenes," said Captain Black, when
+Joe and Blake reported to him what they had accomplished. "And now do
+you feel equal to a little more strenuous work?"
+
+"Yes, sir. In what way?" returned Blake.
+
+"On the firing line again. I know you'll keep it to yourselves, but we
+are going to have a big engagement in a day or so. We are all primed for
+it and it will be on a big scale. The Government wants some films of it,
+if you can get them, films not so much to be shown in public as to be
+official records of the War Department. Do you boys feel equal to the
+task?"
+
+"That's what we're here for!" exclaimed Blake.
+
+"How about you, Duncan?" asked the captain of Joe. "Is your side all
+right?"
+
+"Oh, yes! I'd never know I'd been hurt. I'm game, all right!"
+
+"Well, it will be in a day or so. None of us knows exactly when, as
+those higher up don't let us into all of their secrets. Too many leaks,
+you know. We want to surprise Fritz if we can."
+
+This gave the moving picture boys something further to think about and
+to plan for, and when they had taken the reels of exposed film, showing
+the dinner scenes, from their cameras, they made the machines ready for
+more strenuous work.
+
+"I think I'll put an extra covering of thin sheet steel on the film
+boxes," said Charlie, talking the matter over with his two chums. "A
+stray bit of shrapnel might go through them now and make a whole reel
+light-struck."
+
+"I suppose it would be a good idea," agreed Blake. "Go to it, Mac, and
+we'll be ready when you are."
+
+Four days of anxious waiting followed, with the men keyed up to concert
+pitch, so to speak, and eager for the word to come that would send them
+out of the trenches and against the ranks of the Germans.
+
+But for a long time no word came from the higher command to prepare for
+the assault, though many knew it was pending. Perhaps the Germans knew
+it, too, and that was what caused the delay. None could say.
+
+Blake, Joe and Charlie were in readiness. They had their cameras
+adjusted, had plenty of fresh film, and but awaited the word that would
+send them from their comparatively comfortable house with the French
+family into the deadly trenches.
+
+Finally the word came. Once more in the gray dawn the boys took their
+places with their cameras in the communicating trench, while ahead of
+them crouched the soldiers eager to be unleashed at the Germans.
+
+And then they went through it all over again. There was the curtain of
+fire, the artillery opening up along a five-mile front with a din the
+boys had never heard equalled.
+
+Waiting for the light to improve a little, the boys set up their cameras
+in a little grove of trees where they would be somewhat protected and
+began to make the pictures.
+
+The battle was one of the worst of the war. There were many killed and
+wounded, and through it all--through the storm of firing--the moving
+picture boys took reel after reel of film.
+
+"Some fight!" cried Blake, as a screaming shell burst over their heads,
+some scattering fragments falling uncomfortably close to them.
+
+"I should say yes!" agreed Joe. "But look, here comes Drew on the run. I
+wonder what's happened."
+
+They saw their friend the private rushing toward them, and waving his
+hands. He was shouting, but what he said they could not hear.
+
+And then, so suddenly that it was like a burst of fire, Blake, Joe and
+Charles experienced a strange feeling! Some powerful odor overpowered
+them! Gasping and choking, they fell to the ground, dimly hearing Drew
+shouting:
+
+"Gassed! Gassed! Put on your masks!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+"GONE!"
+
+
+Rolling down upon the American and French battlelines, coming out of the
+German trenches, where it had been generated as soon as it was noted
+that the wind was right, drifted a cloud of greenish yellow, choking
+chlorine gas.
+
+Chlorine gas is made by the action of sulphuric acid and manganese
+dioxide on common salt. It has a peculiar corrosive effect on the nose,
+throat and lungs, and is most deadly in its effect. It is a heavy gas,
+and instead of rising, as does hydrogen, one of the lightest of gases,
+it falls to the ground, thus making it dangerously effective for the
+Huns. They can depend on the wind to blow it to the enemy's trenches and
+fill them as would a stream of water.
+
+Knowing as he did the deadly nature of the gas from his own experience
+and that of his comrades, some of whom had been killed by it, Private
+Drew lost no time in sounding his warning to the moving picture boys.
+He had taken part in the raid on the Germans, had seen and engaged in
+some hard fighting, and had been sent to the rear with an order from his
+officer. And it was as he started that he saw, from one section of the
+Hun lines, the deadly gas rolling out.
+
+He knew from the direction and strength of the wind just where it would
+reach to, and, seeing the moving picture boys in its path, he called to
+them.
+
+"Put on your masks! Put on your masks!" cried the soldier. At the same
+time, as he ran, he loosed his from where it hung at his belt and began
+to don it.
+
+The gas masks used in the trenches are simple affairs. They consist of a
+cloth helmet which is saturated with a chemical that neutralizes the
+action of the chlorine. There are two celluloid eye holes and a rubber
+tube, which is taken into the mouth and through which the air breathed
+is expelled. All air breathed, mixed as it is with the deadly chlorine,
+passes through the chemical-saturated cloth of the helmet and is thus
+rendered harmless. But it is a great strain on those who wear the masks,
+for nothing like the right kind of breathing can be done. In fact, a
+diver at the bottom of the sea has better and more pure air to breathe
+than a soldier in the open wearing a gas mask.
+
+It was the first experience of Blake and his chums with the German gas,
+though they had heard much about it, and it needed but the first whiff
+to make them realize their danger.
+
+Even as Private Drew called to them, and as they saw him running toward
+them and trying to adjust his own mask, they were overcome. As though
+shot, they fell to the ground, their eyes smarting and burning, their
+throats and nostrils seeming to be pinched in giant fingers, and their
+hearts laboring.
+
+One moment they had been operating their cameras. The next they were
+bowled over.
+
+"Put on your----" began Blake; and then he could say no more. He tried
+not to breathe as he fumbled at his belt to loosen his mask. He buried
+his nose deep in the cool earth, but such is the nature of this gas that
+it seeks the lowest level. There is no getting away from it save by
+going up.
+
+In a smoke-filled room a fireman may find a stratum of cool, and
+comparatively fresh, air at the bottom near the floor. This is because
+cold air is heavier than the hot and smoke-filled atmosphere. But this
+does not hold with the German gas.
+
+And so, before Blake could slip over his head the chemical-impregnated
+cloth, he lost consciousness. In another moment his two companions were
+also unconscious. Private Drew, struggling against the terrible
+pressure on his lungs, managed to get his helmet over his head, and then
+he gave his attention to his friends.
+
+He knew that to save their lives he must get their helmets on; for a few
+breaths of the gas will not kill. But they will disable a person for
+some time, and a little longer breathing of it means a horrible death.
+
+And so, working at top speed, the soldier, now himself protected from
+the fumes, though he had breathed more of them than he liked, labored to
+save his friends.
+
+Suddenly a new terror developed, for, wearing their own helmets which
+made them look like horrible monsters out of a nightmare, the Germans
+charged against the French and Americans, whom they hoped to find
+disabled by the gas.
+
+"Here they come with blood in their eyes if I could only see it!" mused
+Private Drew, as he finished fastening the helmet on Charles Anderson,
+having already thus protected Joe and Blake. All three boys were now
+unconscious, and what the outcome would be the soldier could only guess.
+
+"But there won't be any guesswork if I leave 'em here for the Huns," he
+reasoned. "I've got to help 'em back--but how?"
+
+The Germans, in a counter-offensive, were striving to regain some of the
+lost ground, and, for the moment, were driving before them the French
+and American forces. Back rushed the advance lines to their supporting
+columns, and Drew, seeing some of his own messmates, signaled to them,
+for he could not talk with the helmet on.
+
+Fortunately his chums of the trenches understood, and while some of them
+caught up the unconscious boys and started with them to the rear, others
+saved the moving picture machines.
+
+And then, just as it seemed that the Germans would overtake them and
+dispose of the whole party, there came a rush of helmet-protected
+Americans who speedily dispersed those making the counter-attack,
+pursuing them back to the very trenches which they had left not long
+before.
+
+The fight went on in that gas-infested territory, a grim fight,
+desperate and bloody, but in which the Allies were at last successful,
+though Blake and his two chums saw nothing of it.
+
+"They're in a bad way," the surgeon said, when he examined them soon
+after Drew and his friends brought them in. "I don't know whether we can
+save them."
+
+But prompt action, coupled with American ingenuity and the knowledge
+that had been gained from the experience of French and British surgeons
+in treating cases of gas poisoning, eventually brought the moving
+picture boys back to the life they had so nearly left.
+
+It was several days, though, before they were out of danger, and by that
+time the French and Americans had consolidated the gains it cost them so
+much to make, so that the place where the three boys had been overcome
+was now well within the Allied lines.
+
+"Well, what happened to us?" asked Joe, when he and his chums were able
+to leave the hospital.
+
+"You were gassed," explained Private Drew, who had had a slight attack
+himself. "Didn't you hear me yelling at you to put on your helmets?"
+
+"Yes, and we started to do it," said Blake. "But that stuff works like
+lightning."
+
+"Glad you found that out, anyhow," grimly observed the soldier. "The
+next time you hear the warning, 'Gas!' don't stop to think, just grab
+your helmet. And don't wait longer than to feel a funny tickling in your
+nose, as if you wanted to sneeze but couldn't. Most likely that'll be
+gas, too. Cover your head when you feel that."
+
+"Thanks!" murmured Blake, for he and his chums understood that the
+soldier and his mates had saved their lives.
+
+Now that the moving picture boys were out of danger and could take some
+stock of themselves and their surroundings, their first thoughts,
+naturally, were of their apparatus.
+
+"Did they get our machines?" asked Joe.
+
+"No; we saved the cameras for you," answered Drew.
+
+"What about the boxes of exposed film--the ones the War Office is so
+anxious to get?" asked Blake.
+
+"I didn't see anything of them," said the soldier. "We were too anxious
+to get you out of the gas and save the cameras to think of anything
+else. I didn't see any boxes of films, but I'll ask some of the boys who
+helped me."
+
+Blake and his chums waited for this information anxiously, and when it
+came it was a disappointment, for no one knew anything of the valuable
+reels.
+
+"Though they may be there yet," said Drew. "There was some fierce
+fighting around that shell crater where we carried you from, but it's
+within our lines now, and maybe the boxes are there yet. Better go and
+take a look."
+
+This Blake, Joe and Charlie lost no time in doing. After a little
+search, for the character of the ground had so changed by reason of the
+shell fire they hardly knew it, the boys located the place where they
+had so nearly succumbed. They found the spot where their cameras had
+been set up, for they were marked by little piles of stones to steady
+the tripods. But there were no boxes of films.
+
+"Gone!" exclaimed Blake disconsolately, as he looked about. "And we'll
+perhaps never get another chance to make such pictures again!"
+
+"It surely is tough luck!" exclaimed Joe.
+
+They saw a sentry on guard, for this place was far enough from the lines
+of both forces to obviate the use of trenches.
+
+"What are you looking for, Buddies?" asked the soldier, who knew the
+moving picture boys.
+
+"Some valuable army films," explained Blake, giving the details.
+"They're very rare, and we'll probably never get any others like them."
+
+"Did you leave them here?"
+
+"Right around here," answered Joe. "I think just near this pile of
+rocks," and he indicated the spot he meant.
+
+"Say, now," exclaimed the American private, "I wouldn't be surprised but
+what those two fellows took 'em!"
+
+"What two fellows?" cried Blake.
+
+"Why, just as I was coming on duty here I saw two fellows, one dressed
+as a German soldier and the other in a blue uniform, walking around
+here. I thought they were up to no good, so I took a couple of shots at
+'em. I don't believe I hit either of 'em, but I came so near that I made
+'em jump. And then, just before they ran away, across No Man's Land, I
+saw them stoop down and pick up something that looked like boxes. I
+thought they might be something they had lost in the fight the other
+day, for the scrap went back and forth over this section. But now, come
+to think of it, they might have been boxes of your films."
+
+"I believe they were!" cried Blake.
+
+"What two fellows were they you saw?" asked Joe.
+
+The soldier explained, giving as many details as he could remember, and
+Charlie cried:
+
+"Lieutenant Secor for one--the chap in the blue. A French traitor!"
+
+"He did have a uniform something like the French," admitted the private.
+"The other was a Fritz, though."
+
+"Labenstein!" murmured Joe. "I wonder if it is possible that they are
+with the Hun army and have learned through spies that we are on this
+front. If they have, they would know at once that those were boxes of
+films, and that's why they stole them! Do you think it possible, Blake?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+ACROSS NO MAN'S LAND
+
+
+Blake Stewart did not answer at once. He appeared to be considering what
+the soldier had told him. And then Blake looked across No Man's
+Land--that debatable ground between the two hostile forces--as though to
+pierce what lay beyond, back of the trenches which were held by the
+Germans, though, at this point, the enemy was not in sight.
+
+"Could it, by any chance, have been Secor and Labenstein who got our
+films?" asked Joe.
+
+"Very possible," agreed Blake. "Labenstein, of course, would be with the
+German forces, and since Secor is a traitor he would be there also. Of
+course it may not have been those fellows, but some other two men who
+had learned through their spies that we were here taking pictures and
+wanted them for their own purposes."
+
+"The question is, can we get them back?" put in Charlie, scowling in
+the direction of the Germans.
+
+"That's only one of the questions," observed Blake. "The main one is,
+where are the films now, and where did those fellows go with them?"
+
+"Maybe I can help you out there," put in the soldier. "I saw those two
+fellows heading that way, down in that depression, and they certainly
+carried some sort of flat, square boxes under their arms."
+
+"What's down in there?" asked Joe eagerly.
+
+"Well, it _was_ a machine-gun station, and old Fritz certainly played
+hob on our boys with it," answered the sentry. "But we wiped that out
+the other day, though I guess the dugout is there yet, or whatever is
+left of what they used to house their barker in. The two fellows I saw
+were heading for that spot."
+
+"Is that between the lines?" asked Joe.
+
+"Just about, yes, though there aren't any of our trenches, or theirs
+either, near there now. What trenches there were have been knocked into
+smithereens. That's No Man's Land down there. It belongs to whoever can
+keep it, but just now nobody seems to want it. I'm here to report if
+there's any movement on the part of Fritz to take up his station there
+again."
+
+"As it is now, could we go down there?" asked Joe eagerly.
+
+"Well, if you wanted to take a chance, I s'pose you could," answered the
+sentry slowly. "I wouldn't stop you. You don't belong to the army,
+anyhow, and we've been instructed that you're sort of privileged
+characters. All the same, it might be a bit dangerous. But don't let me
+stop you."
+
+"Come on!" exclaimed Joe, starting down the slope that led across the
+bullet-scarred and shell-pitted ground.
+
+"Where are you going?" asked Charles Anderson.
+
+"Across No Man's Land," answered Joe grimly. "I'm going to see if we can
+get back those stolen army films. If they were ours, I wouldn't be so
+anxious about them. But they belong to Uncle Sam. He hired us to take
+them, and it was our fault they were lost."
+
+"Not exactly our fault," put in Blake. "We couldn't help being gassed."
+
+"No, but excuses in war don't go. We've got to get back those films!"
+
+"That's right!" exclaimed Charlie. "I'm with you!"
+
+"Oh, for the matter of fact, so am I," said Blake quickly. "I feel, as
+you do, Joe, that it's up to us to do all we can to get back those
+films. I'm only trying to think out the best plan for getting them."
+
+"Go right down there and make that traitor Secor, and that submarine
+Dutchman, give 'em back!" cried Charlie.
+
+"Yes, and perhaps make such a row that there'll be a general
+engagement," said Blake. "No; we've got to go at this a little
+differently from that. I'm in favor of getting the films away from those
+fellows, if they have them, but I think we'd better try to sneak up
+there first and see what the situation is. If we march down there in the
+open we'll probably be fired on--or gassed, and that's worse."
+
+"Now you've said it, Buddy!" exclaimed the sentry. "I've had both happen
+to me, and getting shot, say in a soft place, ain't half as bad as the
+gas. Whew! I don't want any more! So, if I was you, I'd wait until after
+dark to make a trip across No Man's Land. You'll stand a better chance
+then of coming back alive."
+
+"That's what I think," returned Blake, and though Joe and Charlie were
+eager for action, they admitted that their chum's plan was best.
+
+"We'll have to make some preparations," Blake went on; "though I don't
+know that we need say anything to Captain Black about what we are going
+to do."
+
+"He might stop us," said Charlie.
+
+"Oh, no, he wouldn't do that," Joe assured their assistant.
+
+"I'll tell you what to do," counseled the sentry: "I'm going to be on
+duty here until late this afternoon. I'll keep my eyes peeled for
+anything that may happen down there where that dugout used to be, and
+I'll let you know.
+
+"Meanwhile, you can be getting ready to take a little excursion there
+after dark. You'd better take your gas masks with you, and also your
+automatics, for you may run into a party of Fritzes out to get the night
+air."
+
+"That's what we'll do," decided Blake, and his chums agreed with him.
+And then they began to make their preparations for the perilous trip
+across No Man's Land that night.
+
+They were not asked to make any pictures that day, for which they were
+thankful, as they still felt some of the effects of the gas, though they
+were rapidly improving.
+
+Following the fight in which the boys so nearly lost their lives and in
+which there were severe losses on both sides, though with a net gain of
+territory in favor of the Allies, there was a period of comparative calm
+in the American ranks. The soldiers took advantage of this to rest and
+repair their damaged uniforms, arms and equipment. And it was on one of
+these days, when discipline was somewhat relaxed, that the moving
+picture boys made their preparations.
+
+As they were left pretty much to themselves when they were not called
+on to be making pictures, it was rather easy for them, without exciting
+any comment, to get ready. This consisted in seeing that their automatic
+pistols were in good working order. They also applied for new gas masks,
+with a fresh impregnation of chemicals. When they received these, and
+with a supply of lampblack, they were ready, waiting only for the fall
+of darkness.
+
+The lampblack was to be put on their hands and faces so that their
+whiteness would not be revealed in case the Germans played their
+searchlights on the ground the boys hoped to cover, or sent up star
+clusters to give light for raiding parties sent out to kill the French
+and American wounded, such being one of the pleasant ways in which Fritz
+makes war.
+
+Late in the afternoon they paid a visit to their friend the sentry,
+asking if he had seen anything of the two men that they suspected might
+have the films--Secor and Labenstein.
+
+"I wouldn't know 'em by those names even if I saw 'em," said the
+soldier, "and, as a matter of fact, I didn't see the same two chaps I
+saw before. But I have seen figures moving about down in that hollow,
+where we wiped out the machine gun squad, and I wouldn't be surprised
+but what there was something doing there."
+
+"I only hope our films are there," said Joe.
+
+"Don't build too much on it, Buddy," advised the sentry. "As I say, I
+saw some figures I took to be Germans down in that valley, but they may
+be getting ready for a raid on our lines, and may have nothing to do
+with your pictures."
+
+"Well, we'll take a chance," decided Blake.
+
+"That's what!" chimed in Joe.
+
+Being accredited representatives of a certain branch of the army, though
+non-combatants, the boys were allowed to pass through the sentry lines,
+except in certain restricted places. They were given the countersign
+each night in case they desired to leave their quarters and go about.
+
+But there was a risk in starting on this journey. As non-combatants, if
+they carried arms and went into the enemy's territory, they were not
+entitled to be considered prisoners of war. Of course they could fight
+for their lives, but not with the same status as could a uniformed
+soldier. As a matter of fact, they did not wear the regulation uniform,
+having dark suits better suited to this night excursion than the khaki.
+
+Waiting until it was dark enough for their purpose and taking with them
+electric flashlights to use in case they got into a hut or some such
+place where they could not see to search for their films, and having
+blackened their hands and faces and seen that their weapons were in
+order, they sallied forth from the home of the humble French couple,
+many good wishes going with them.
+
+It was a walk of three or four miles from the little village to the
+place where the sentry had said the dugout lay, and during the first
+part of the trip the boys talked to each other.
+
+"Do you suppose we'll really find the films there?" ventured Joe.
+
+"It's a slim chance, but one worth taking," said Blake. "Though I can't
+imagine what Secor and Labenstein, if those two fellows are really here,
+could want of them."
+
+"Maybe they just picked them up on the chance that they would give away
+some of the American army secrets," suggested Charlie. "And they would
+show our boys were drilling, fighting, and all that. Of course some of
+the things on the films were actually seen by the Germans, but others
+were not; and I fancy those would be of value to Fritz. That's why they
+took 'em."
+
+"They couldn't have known we were here taking views," remarked Joe.
+
+"Oh, yes they could!" declared Blake. "Germany's spy system is the best
+in the world, and lots that goes on in America is known in Germany
+before half of our own people hear about it. But we'll have to get there
+before we can find out what is in that dugout, if it's there yet."
+
+"Well, some part of it--maybe a hut or a brush heap--must be there, or
+the sentry wouldn't have seen men about it," observed Joe. "And now we'd
+better keep quiet. We're getting too close to talk much."
+
+A little later they passed a sentry--not their friend--gave the proper
+password, and then stood on the edge of No Man's Land.
+
+What would be their fate as they crossed it and ventured on the other
+side--the side held by the Germans?
+
+"Come on!" whispered Blake softly, and, crouching down to avoid as much
+as possible being detected in the starlight, the boys went cautiously
+into the debatable territory.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+CAPTURED
+
+
+Not without a rather creepy feeling did the three boys start on their
+mission, the outcome of which could only be guessed. They were taking
+great risks, and they knew it. But it was not the first time. They had
+gone into the jungle to get films of wild beasts at the water hole. They
+had ventured into Earthquake Land where the forces of nature, if not of
+mankind, were arrayed against them. And they had dared the perils of the
+deep in getting pictures under the sea.
+
+But these were as nothing compared to the mission on which they were now
+engaged, for, at any moment, there might go up from the German lines,
+not half a mile away, a string of lights that would reveal their
+presence to the ever-watchful snipers and sharp-shooters.
+
+And, more than that, the whole area might suddenly be swept by a hail of
+bullets from a battery of machine guns. Both sides had these deadly
+weapons in readiness, and it was well known that Fritz was exceedingly
+nervous and apt, at times, to let burst a salvo of fire without any real
+reason.
+
+The fluttering of some armless sleeve on the body of a dead man, the
+rattle of a loose strand of barbed wire, the movement of a sorely
+wounded soldier lying out in the open, might draw the German fire. And
+if the moving picture boys were caught in that they would be hard put to
+it to escape.
+
+"The only thing to do, when you see a flash of fire, is to drop to the
+ground and lie as still as you can," Blake had said to his chums before
+they started out. "Duck your heads down on your arms and don't move. The
+lampblack will kill any glare from the lights and they may not see us.
+So remember, don't move if you see anything like a light. It may be a
+glare from a discharged rifle, or it may be a rocket or star cluster.
+Just lie low, that's the way!"
+
+And so, as they crawled on, in crouching attitudes, over the desolate
+stretch that lay between them and the place they sought, they made no
+noise, and kept a sharp watch.
+
+Blake led the way, his hand ready on his pistol, and the other two boys
+followed his example. Their gas masks were ready at their belts, but
+these were mainly an added precaution, as it was not likely, unless a
+general attack was contemplated, that the Germans would produce the
+chlorine.
+
+Blake had gone a little way down the slope, Joe and Charlie following as
+closely as was safe, when the leader came to a halt. Watching his dim
+form, his chums did the same.
+
+"What is it?" whispered Joe, in the softest of voices.
+
+"A figure," answered Blake likewise. "I'm not sure whether it's a dead
+man or some one like us--trying to discover something. Do you see it?"
+
+Joe looked. He saw a huddled heap which might, some day, have been a
+man. Now it was but a--heap. As the boys strained their eyes through the
+darkness they became aware that it was the body of a man--a French
+soldier who had fallen in the engagement of a few days before, and who
+had not yet been buried. There were many such--too many on both sides
+for the health and comfort of the living.
+
+"Pass to one side," advised Joe. "We can't do him any good."
+
+"Poor fellow!" murmured Charlie. "Ouch!" he suddenly exclaimed, in
+louder tones than any they had heretofore used.
+
+"Quiet!" hissed Blake. "What's the matter?"
+
+"A big rat ran right over my legs," answered Macaroni.
+
+"Well, if he didn't bite you what are you yelling about?" demanded Joe.
+The trenches were full of rats--great, gray fellows--for there was much
+carrion food for them.
+
+Once more, making a little detour, Blake started forward, but hardly had
+he again taken up his progress when there came the sound of a slight
+explosion over toward the German lines, and almost instantly the dreary
+stretch of No Man's Land was brightly illuminated.
+
+"Down! Down!" hoarsely called Blake, and he and his chums dropped full
+length on the ground, never heeding puddles of water, the rats or the
+dead, for they became aware that more bodies were all about them.
+
+Up from the German lines went a series of rockets and star clusters.
+They made the battle ground between the two forces almost as bright as
+day, so that should any of the unfortunate wounded men be seen to move
+they might be killed.
+
+Perhaps some keen-eyed Hun, watching for just this chance, had detected
+a slight movement near the dead man beside whom Blake and his chums
+first stopped. And, knowing from a previous observation that the body
+was cold and stark, the sniper must have reasoned that the living had
+joined it.
+
+Or perhaps the incautious exclamation made by Charlie when he felt the
+big rat may have been carried to the ever-listening ears. However that
+was, the glaring lights were set off, and at once hundreds of rifles,
+aimed over the tops of the German trenches, began to send a hail of lead
+across No Man's Land.
+
+Fortunately the line of fire was either to one side of where the boys
+had fallen, or it was too high or too low. They did not stop to consider
+which it was, but were thankful that they felt none of the leaden
+missiles, though some sang uncomfortably close.
+
+For perhaps five minutes the glaring lights illuminated the
+blood-stained ground, and the firing was kept up at intervals. It was
+replied to from the American and French lines, but with what effect
+could only be guessed.
+
+And then, once more, darkness settled down, and the boys began to
+breathe more easily. They had had a narrow escape, and their journey was
+not half over, to say nothing of the return trip--if they lived to make
+it.
+
+"Come on!" Blake cautiously whispered again. "And bear off to the right.
+The fire wasn't so heavy from there. Maybe we can find a gap to get
+through."
+
+His companions followed him as he crawled along, actually crawling this
+time, for it was not safe to rise high enough to walk even in a stooping
+position. No one could tell when the glaring lights might be sent up
+again.
+
+But, for a time, Fritz seemed satisfied with the demonstration he had
+made. Perhaps he had killed some of the wounded, for not all of them had
+been brought in. Perhaps he had only further mutilated bodies that had
+long since ceased to be capable of movement.
+
+And so, over the dark and bloody ground, Blake and his chums made their
+way. In a little while they would be in comparative safety, for their
+friend the sentry had told them there were no regular trenches near the
+little hollow where once had stood a machine-gun emplacement and where
+the boys now hoped to find their precious war films.
+
+But their journey was not destined to be peaceful. Once more the flaring
+lights went up, and again came the heavy firing. Again the boys crouched
+to get below the storm of bullets, and again they escaped. But a groan
+and a cry of anguish, from somewhere on their left, told them some poor
+unfortunate had been put out of his misery.
+
+They waited a little while, and then again took up the perilous journey.
+Presently Blake, taking a cautious observation, announced that they were
+in comparative safety, and might walk upright.
+
+"Where's the hut--or whatever it is?" asked Joe.
+
+"Down in that little hollow, I take it," said Blake. "We can't see it
+until we round that little hill. Maybe we can't see it at all, for it
+may not be there," he added. "But we'd better go slow, for it may be
+there, and there may be some one in it."
+
+"Secor and Labenstein, perhaps," murmured Charlie.
+
+"Perhaps," agreed Blake. "If they are----"
+
+He did not finish, but his chums knew he meant there might be a
+desperate fight.
+
+A little later, having proceeded cautiously, the boys made the turn
+around the little hill that had hitherto hidden from view the hollow of
+which the American sentry had spoken, and then they saw in the light of
+the stars what seemed to be a tumbled-down hut. As a matter of fact, it
+had once been a concrete dugout, where a machine gun had been placed in
+order to fire at the French and American lines. But in the heavy
+fighting of the past few days this place had been captured by an
+American contingent. They had destroyed the gun and killed most of the
+crew, and the place had been blown up by a bomb. But the fierce waves of
+Germans had surged back over the place, driving out the Americans who,
+in turn, captured it again.
+
+Just now the place was supposed to be deserted, being of no strategic
+value, and in a location that made it dangerous for either side to hold
+it.
+
+"We'll take a look in there," said Blake, when they had drawn near and
+had discovered that the ruins of the concrete dugout had been covered
+with brush, to "camouflage" it from spying airmen.
+
+They approached cautiously, and, as they did so, they became aware of a
+faint light coming from the ruins. So faint was it that at first it
+seemed no more than the reflection of the stars, but a long look showed
+that it was a light from within, but carefully screened.
+
+"We've got to have a look in!" whispered Blake. "Maybe the films are
+there, and maybe not; but some person is."
+
+"Probably Germans," said Joe.
+
+"Very likely. But it may be that Frenchman. If we could only capture
+him!"
+
+"I'd like a chance at him!" exclaimed Charlie.
+
+"Hush!" cautioned Blake. The boys were now close to the hut, for that
+was all it was since the bombardment. They tried on three sides of the
+place to look in, but without success. Then, as they moved around to the
+side which faced the German lines, they saw a crack through which the
+light streamed in greater volume.
+
+"Take a look, Blake," advised Joe.
+
+His chum did so, and, with an exclamation of surprise and satisfaction,
+turned away from the slot, motioning to the others to look for
+themselves. And as Joe and Charlie looked they saw, seated on the ruins
+of a machine gun and other things that had been in the place, Secor and
+Labenstein. The two plotters had between them boxes which the boys had
+no difficulty in recognizing as their missing war films.
+
+Joe was about to utter an exclamation of delight when Blake softly put
+his hand over his chum's mouth.
+
+"Not a sound!" breathed Blake.
+
+For a moment the boys stood looking in at the plotters and wondering how
+they could capture them, or at least get back the stolen films.
+
+And then a door, or what had been a door, to the dugout swung open with
+a creak of its rusty hinges.
+
+"What's that?" cried Secor, in French, starting to his feet.
+
+"Only the wind," replied the German, in the tongue of his
+fellow-conspirator. "Only the wind."
+
+"Ah! I thought maybe it was----"
+
+"You thought perhaps it was the boys who own these films, but who will
+never see them again. I know not how valuable they may be--these
+films--but I was told to get them, and I have. Let the ones higher up
+decide on their value. But we must get our price for them--you and I. We
+must get a good price. We have run a great risk."
+
+"Yes, a great risk," murmured the Frenchman.
+
+Blake motioned to his chums to follow him into the dugout. They could
+see his gestures in the light of a lantern which formed the illumination
+of the ruins.
+
+Cautiously the three went inside, the noise they made being covered by
+the rattling of the wind which had sprung up.
+
+"We have them! We have them!" exulted Joe, in a whisper.
+
+They were silently considering how best to surprise and capture the two
+men, who were still unaware of the presence of the boys, when a sudden
+noise came from outside. Blake and his chums, as well as the two men,
+started.
+
+"That was not the wind!" exclaimed Secor.
+
+"No, my friend. It was not. I think there is some one here besides
+ourselves. We must look. I----"
+
+And then came a guttural command in German:
+
+"Surrender--all of you! You are surrounded and are prisoners!
+Surrender!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+THE AIRSHIP RAID
+
+
+Surprise on the part of Blake and his chums, as well as on the part of
+Secor and Labenstein, was so complete that it would be hard to say who
+felt the sensation most. The moving picture boys, after danger and
+difficulties, had found the stolen army films and those they believed
+had taken them. They were about to make a dash and get not only the
+precious boxes, but also, if possible, capture the two plotters, when,
+like a bolt from a clear sky, they were themselves called upon to
+surrender.
+
+"Come on!" yelled Charlie, as he understood the import of the summons to
+surrender. "We can make a fight for it!"
+
+"Don't try it!" advised Blake. By the light of lanterns carried by the
+raiding party of Germans he had seen that they were numerous and well
+armed. It would have been the height of folly to resist, especially as
+the boys were non-combatants and not entitled to the honors of war.
+
+"Hands up--and search them!" commanded the German officer of the raiding
+party, as he pointed to Blake and his two chums. He spoke in German and
+then lapsed into English, which he spoke very well, saying:
+
+"It will be best for you Americans to give in quietly. Hands up!" And
+the order was stern.
+
+The boys had no choice but to obey, and their weapons were quickly taken
+from them.
+
+"I will allow you to keep your gas masks for the present," the German
+captain said, "as you may need them, as we ourselves may, before we get
+back to our lines."
+
+"Then we are going back with you?" asked Joe.
+
+"Of a certainty--yes! Did you think I would leave you here to go back to
+your own? Indeed not! Now, then, ready--march--all of you!" and he
+nodded at Secor and Labenstein.
+
+Blake and his two friends noticed that no hostility seemed directed
+toward the two conspirators, who, however, appeared as much surprised at
+the advent of the raiding party as were the boys. It was evident,
+though, that some understanding existed between the German captain and
+Labenstein, for they talked in low voices while Secor stood a little
+apart. The gaze of the Frenchman rested on the boys in what Blake said
+later seemed a peculiar manner.
+
+"Well, up to your old spying tricks, I see!" exclaimed Joe, with a sneer
+he could not forego. "Have you summoned any submarines lately?"
+
+A strange look passed over the face of the Frenchman, but he did not
+reply. Labenstein, who had finished his talk with the German captain of
+the raiding squad, turned to the boys, and a tantalizing smile spread
+over his face as he said:
+
+"Ah, we meet again, I see!"
+
+"And you don't seem to have found much use for my flashlight," said
+Blake. "I hope it still works!"
+
+The German muttered an exclamation of anger, and turned aside to pick up
+the boxes of films. This was too much for Charles Anderson, who sprang
+forward, crying:
+
+"Say, those are ours, you Dutch thief! Let 'em alone! We came here to
+get 'em! Let 'em alone!"
+
+The German captain gave a sharp order, and Charlie was forcibly pulled
+back by one of the soldiers.
+
+"Say, but look here!" exclaimed the lanky assistant of the moving
+picture boys. "This isn't war. I mean we aren't fighting you
+Germans--though we might if we had the chance. We're just taking
+pictures, and these fellows have stolen our films," and he indicated
+Secor and Labenstein. The latter made some reply in German to the
+captain which the boys could not understand.
+
+"Give us back our films and let us go!" demanded Macaroni. "We only came
+to get them!"
+
+"Enough of this!" broke in the captain. "You are our prisoners, and you
+may be thankful you are alive," and he tapped his big automatic pistol
+significantly. "March!" he ordered.
+
+Labenstein and Secor picked up the boxes of exposed film containing the
+army views and went out of the hut followed by some of the soldiers.
+Then the moving picture boys were told to follow, a guard of Germans,
+with ready bayonets, closing up the rear. A little later the boys,
+prisoners in the midst of the raiding party, were out under the silent
+stars. For the time peace had settled over the battlefield, extending
+across the trenches on both sides.
+
+"I wonder what they are going to do with us," said Joe, in a low voice,
+to Blake.
+
+"Hard to tell," was the quiet answer. "They're marching us toward their
+lines, though."
+
+This was indeed true, the advance being toward a section of the field
+beyond the German trenches whence, not long before, had come the
+searchlights and the hail of shrapnel.
+
+"Well, things didn't exactly turn out the way we expected," said
+Charlie. "I guess we'll have to make a re-take in getting back our
+films," he added, with grim humor. "How do you figure it out, Blake?"
+
+The talk of the boys was not rebuked by their German captors, and indeed
+the captain seemed to be deep in some conversation with Secor and
+Labenstein.
+
+"I don't know how it happened," Blake answered, "unless they saw us go
+into that hut and crept up on us."
+
+"They crept up, all right," muttered Joe. "I never heard a sound until
+they called on us to surrender," he added.
+
+"Maybe Secor and Labenstein saw us and never let on, and then sent a
+signal telling the others to come and get us," suggested Charlie.
+
+"I hardly think that," replied Blake. "The Frenchman and his fellow
+German plotter seemed to be as much surprised as we were. You could see
+that."
+
+"I guess you're right," admitted Joe. "But what does it all mean,
+anyhow?"
+
+"Well, as nearly as I can figure it out," responded Blake, as he and his
+chums marched onward in the darkness, "Secor and Labenstein must have
+hidden the films in the hut after they stole them from the place where
+we went down under the gas attack. For some reason they did not at once
+turn them over to the German command."
+
+"Maybe they wanted to hold them out and get the best offer they could
+for our property," suggested Charlie.
+
+"Maybe," assented Blake. "Whatever their game was," and he spoke in a
+low tone which could not carry to the two plotters who were walking
+ahead with the German captain, "they went to the hut to get the films
+they had left there. And as luck would have it, we came on the scene at
+the same time."
+
+"I wish we'd been a little ahead of time," complained Macaroni. "Then we
+might have gotten back with our films."
+
+"No use crying over a broken milk bottle," remarked Joe.
+
+"That's right," Blake said. "Anyhow, there we were and there Secor and
+his German friend were when the others came and----"
+
+"Here we are now!" finished Joe grimly.
+
+And there, indeed, they were, prisoners, with what fate in store none of
+them could say.
+
+Suddenly from the darkness a sentinel challenged in German, and the
+captain of the little party answered, passing on with the prisoners.
+
+A little later they turned down into a sort of trench and went along
+this, the boys being so placed that each walked between two Germans,
+who carried their guns with bayonets fixed, as though they would use
+them on the slightest provocation. But Blake and his chums gave none.
+
+And then, making a sudden turn, the party came to what was evidently an
+outpost of importance. There were several large underground chambers,
+fitted up with some degree of comfort and a number of officers and
+soldiers about. Some were eating, some smoking, and others drinking, and
+still others sleeping. In one room could be seen a rough table, laden
+with maps and papers, and there were many electric lights, showing to
+what degree of perfection the German military system was carried out at
+this point. A portable dynamo and gasolene engine probably furnished the
+current.
+
+The captives were halted, and a brief talk in German took place between
+the captain and the officer to whom he reported. What was said Blake and
+his chums could not, of course, hear, nor could they have understood had
+they heard.
+
+A little later, however, they were ordered to march on, and then were
+shown into an underground room, none too clean and quite dark, and the
+door was banged shut on them. Just before this they had seen Secor and
+Labenstein go off in another direction, still carrying the boxes of
+films.
+
+The echoes of the retreating footsteps of the men who had thrust them
+into their prison soon died away, and the boys were left to themselves
+in a veritable cell that was unpleasantly dirty and dark.
+
+"Whew!" whistled Joe, after a moment of silence. "This time we certainly
+are up against it!"
+
+Suddenly a light flashed in the darkness.
+
+"What's that?" asked Joe sharply.
+
+"I want to see what sort of hotel accommodations they've given us," was
+Blake's grim answer, as he flashed his pocket light about. The Germans
+had not taken those from the boys, and they were soon inspecting their
+prison.
+
+It was merely a hole dug underground, earth, supported by timbers,
+forming the floor, ceiling and sides, while the entrance was made of a
+plank door, with cracks large enough to show that a passage ran
+outside--a passage along which men passed with a frequency which seemed
+to indicate that escape would be exceedingly difficult.
+
+"Well, we've just got to make the best of it," said Blake. "I'm going to
+get what rest I can."
+
+It could not be much at best, for there was no furniture in the cavelike
+cell. The boys curled up in corners--fortunately it was not cold--and
+thought over their situation. That it was very desperate they all
+admitted.
+
+That night was like a bad dream to them. At times they dozed off in
+light slumber, but, as far as they knew, their captors did not so much
+as look in on them. They did not know, of course, when morning came,
+but they judged that the sun had risen when, after several hours of
+waiting, a tin can of water and some food was thrust in to them.
+
+"And I'm hungry enough to eat even German sausage," announced Macaroni,
+as he inspected the food. It was coarse but satisfying, and the boys
+felt better when they had eaten it.
+
+Later came a squad of Germans, one of whom spoke enough English to order
+Blake and his chums to follow them. They were led out of the dungeon,
+along a covered underground passage, and then they suddenly emerged into
+daylight.
+
+"Well, it's a comfort to be able to see," remarked Joe, as he and his
+companions looked about.
+
+Without a word as to where they were to be taken, the boys were marched
+along, and, for a moment, they feared they were to be the victims of a
+firing party. But a turn in the course showed them just ahead a group of
+buildings about which could be seen some German officers.
+
+"Evidently we're going to be questioned by some one in authority,"
+suggested Blake. "Well, that looks more hopeful."
+
+They were at the very edge of an enclosure containing the official
+headquarters of that part of the German army, and the leader of their
+squad was about to reply to the challenge of the sentinel when a
+curious sound was borne to the ears of the boys. It was like a fast
+motor operating at some distance.
+
+"What's that?" asked Charlie.
+
+As if by a common impulse they all looked up, for the noise seemed to
+come from above, and they saw dotting the blue sky many small, black
+specks.
+
+"Aeroplanes!" cried Blake.
+
+The Germans had seen the objects in the air at the same time, but on
+them the sight produced quite a different effect from that made on the
+boys.
+
+In an instant all thought of guarding Blake and his chums seemed to have
+been forgotten. Their escort ran to one side. The sentries on duty
+before the official headquarters hastened away, and some of the
+elaborately gold-laced officers ran within the buildings.
+
+A moment later a number of soldiers could be observed some distance away
+manning a battery of guns, the muzzles of which pointed upward.
+
+"They're going to fire at the airships!" cried Joe.
+
+"And that means they are not German craft!" added Blake. "Boys, I guess
+the French and Americans are making an airship raid on Mr. Fritz this
+morning, and maybe it'll be a good thing for us. Let's hunt cover!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+BURIED ALIVE
+
+
+Even as Blake and his chums looked about for some place of refuge, the
+firing of the German anti-aircraft guns began. These weapons, designed
+especially for shooting straight up and sending shrapnel shells to a
+considerable height, were rapidly manned and fired by crews that seemed
+to be in readiness for just such danger.
+
+The raid of the French and American airships, quickly as the defensive
+preparations were made, seemed to take the Germans by surprise. That is
+the only way the boys could account for the fact that their guarding
+escort deserted them. For deserted they had been, some of the Germans
+running back in the direction whence Blake and the others had come,
+while a few, under orders from one of the German officers, helped to man
+the guns of which several score were now shooting at the aircraft high
+above the Hun position.
+
+Joe, Blake and Charlie paused a moment, before seeking some shelter, to
+watch the thrilling sight. On came the aeroplanes, like a flock of great
+birds, and they did not resemble anything else quite so much, high up as
+they were. They came on in regular formation, for the day of the lone
+attack by an aeroplane was passed, except under special circumstances.
+
+Straight for the German camp--if camp it could be called--came the
+flying squadron. As yet the airships were too high to be hit by the
+German guns, however great their range.
+
+But the airships came on. Their speed was not apparent at so great a
+height, but it must have been wonderful, for but a few minutes seemed to
+have elapsed from the time they were first sighted, far down on the
+horizon, until they were almost overhead.
+
+"And now's the time for us to get under cover!" said Blake. "When they
+begin to drop bombs, there'll be something doing around here."
+
+"Where'll we go?" asked Charlie.
+
+"Oh, there ought to be plenty of bomb-proofs and dug-outs in this camp.
+The Germans must have been air-raided before, or they wouldn't have the
+anti guns ready. The most likely place to find the best cyclone cellars
+will be near the officers' headquarters, I think. Trust those fellows to
+have a safe place ready."
+
+"Do you think they are making the raid to help us?" asked Joe.
+
+"Hardly," replied Blake. "They probably don't even know that we have
+been captured. No, I guess this has been in preparation on our side for
+some time, judging by the number of craft in it. I hope they wipe out
+this dump!"
+
+"But not until we get under cover!" said Joe. "Look! There goes one of
+our ships!"
+
+As he spoke a white cloud seemed to burst in the vicinity of one of the
+aircraft. The machine, which with the others had come lower down, was
+seen to dip and plunge. Then, after what seemed a dizzy fall, it
+straightened out again and kept up with the others.
+
+"Hit but not disabled," murmured Blake, as he and his chums paused in
+their race for shelter. "The Germans are getting the range, I guess."
+
+"Why don't we drop some bombs?" cried Joe, speaking as though he and his
+friends were personally engaged.
+
+"I guess they're waiting until they get in a favorable position,"
+returned Blake. "Look out! Here comes one!"
+
+Something black dropped from one of the airships. It fell in a long
+curve, landing in a spot which the boys could not see, and an instant
+later there was a terrific explosion.
+
+"That hit an ammunition dump, all right!" cried Charlie. "Duck,
+fellows!"
+
+"In here!" yelled Blake, for at that moment they came opposite what
+looked like the entrance to a tunnel. It was lighted by small electric
+lamps and appeared to extend some distance into the earth. No one could
+be seen in it or entering it as the boys made a dive for it.
+
+And it was well that Blake, Joe and their assistant found shelter when
+they did, for an instant later the whole area was under bombardment by
+the airships. The boys, racing through the tunnel, dug underground and
+timbered and braced as is a mine shaft, could not see what went on, but
+they could hear and imagine.
+
+By this time the American and French aeroplanes were directly over the
+German camp and were dropping tons of explosives. The bombs struck and
+burst, some of them setting off stores of ammunition and powerful powder
+designed for the big guns. And these explosions, combined with the
+firing of the weapons aimed to bring down the flying enemy, made a
+pandemonium which penetrated even to the tunnel along which the boys
+were fleeing.
+
+"That's some fight out there!" cried Joe.
+
+"If we could only film it!" added Charlie, his voice and that of his
+chum ringing hollow in the tunnel.
+
+"We'd stand about as much chance as we did when the volcano let loose in
+Earthquake Land," answered Blake. "Come on, fellows! This isn't over
+yet."
+
+"I only hope we don't run into a party of Huns who'll drive us out,"
+murmured Joe.
+
+But, so far, they had met no one, though ahead of them they could hear a
+sound as though others were running through the underground shaft
+seeking a place of safety.
+
+"Where are we going, anyhow?" asked Charlie at length.
+
+"Going until we stop," answered Joe.
+
+"And that'll be soon," added Blake, "for I see the last of the lights."
+
+The boys looked down the long passage, which was well made and was high
+enough to permit them to run upright. It was wide enough, also, for
+three to go abreast. As Blake had said, the string of incandescent
+lights, suspended overhead, came to an end a little farther on. They
+stopped under the third light from the last and looked about them.
+
+"Isn't this as good a place as any?" asked Joe. "If we go on any farther
+we may get into a hole we can't get out of. I say, let's stay here.
+We'll be safe from the airship bombs."
+
+"I don't know about that," said Blake. "If you'll notice, we have come
+along pretty much on the level. This tunnel wasn't dug in the side of a
+hill. It went into the ground slanting, and at such a gradual slope that
+the top can't be very far under the surface."
+
+"What does that mean?" asked Charlie.
+
+"It means that we haven't much dirt over our heads, and if a bomb were
+to drop directly above us we'd be in a bad way. I think we'd better keep
+on until we get to a deeper part of the cave, or whatever it is."
+
+"But we'll have to go on in the dark," objected Joe. "There are only
+three more lights, and----"
+
+Suddenly came a muffled explosion, and the lights went out, leaving the
+place in black gloom.
+
+"Now there aren't any lights," said Charlie, when the echo of the dull
+roar had passed away. The tunnel had been shaken, and there was a
+pattering sound all about the boys, as if little particles of earth had
+been dislodged, but no other damage appeared to have been done.
+
+"It _is_ dark!" said Blake. "But come on. Use your pocket lights. No,
+hold on. We'll use only one at a time. No telling how long we may need
+them."
+
+Bringing out his own light, he flashed it on and led the way. Above them
+a continuous roar could now be heard, and they guessed that the airships
+were attacking in force, directly over the German camp, and were being
+fired at from all sides.
+
+"One bomb must have splattered Fritz's electric plant," observed Joe, as
+he and his chums hurried on as best they could in the somewhat dim light
+of the little pocket lamp Blake carried.
+
+Hardly had he spoken when there came a tremendous explosion--one that
+staggered the boys and seemed to crumple up the tunnel as though it were
+made of paper.
+
+They had no time to cry out. They were thrown down and felt rocks and
+stones falling about them, while their ears were deafened by the roaring
+sound.
+
+Then came silence and darkness--a darkness that weighed heavily on them
+all, while Blake, who had been in the lead, tried to move his hand to
+flash on the electric light that had gone out or been broken. He could
+barely move, and as he felt dirt and rocks all about him there was borne
+to his senses the horrible message:
+
+"Buried alive!"
+
+After that thought mercifully came unconsciousness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+THE END OF LABENSTEIN
+
+
+How long they lay entombed in the German tunnel the moving picture boys
+did not know. They must have been unconscious for some time.
+
+Joe was the first to regain his senses. Telling about it later, he said
+he dreamed that he had been taking views in Earthquake Land and that,
+somehow or other, a volcano had fallen on his chest. He had difficulty
+in breathing, and no wonder, for as he came to his senses he found that
+a great rock and a pile of earth were across him.
+
+Slowly at first, fearing to move much because he might bring down more
+debris on himself, Joe felt about. He found that his arms and hands were
+comparatively free, though partly buried in earth.
+
+"I say!" he called, and his voice sounded strange in that dark and
+broken tunnel, "is any one here but me? Blake! Charlie! Are you alive?"
+
+No one answered, and then, feeling his strength coming back, Joe
+ventured to move. He found that he could manage to emerge from the pile
+of earth and stones that had fallen on him, fortunately none over his
+head. When he ventured to stand upright he tried to pierce the darkness
+and find out what had become of his chums.
+
+But he could see nothing until he thought of his pocket lamp and, taking
+it in his hand, flashed it about him. The light revealed to him the
+figures of Blake and Charlie, lying not far away and covered with debris
+as he had been.
+
+He set the little light on a rock, leaving the switch on, and by the
+intense but limited glow, he set to work to free his companions. Blake's
+head was bleeding from the cut of a sharp rock, but he, like Joe and
+Charlie, had fallen in such a way, or rather, the cave-in had taken
+place in such a manner, that their heads and faces were comparatively
+free from dirt, else they would have been smothered.
+
+Joe worked feverishly to free his chums and at length succeeded in
+freeing his assistant, who, of the two, was less covered by the debris.
+Charlie opened his eyes and looked about him, asking:
+
+"What happened? Where am I?"
+
+"Don't stop to ask questions now," directed Joe. "Help me with Blake.
+I'm afraid he's hurt!"
+
+The two together got their chum cleared of the debris finally, and then
+Joe, taking a flask of cold coffee from his pocket, gave his now
+half-unconscious chum some to drink. This served further to rouse Blake,
+and it was soon found, aside from a painful cut on the head, that he was
+uninjured except for bruises, such as they all had.
+
+"But what happened?" asked Charlie, as they sat down to rest on some
+rocks and took turns finishing Joe's limited supply of coffee.
+
+"The tunnel caved in on us after a big explosion of some kind," Joe
+said. "I guess we're going to have trouble getting out, too."
+
+"Let's have a look," suggested Blake. "We can't stay in here much longer
+or more of the roof and sides may cave in. Can we get out?"
+
+"I haven't looked," answered Joe. "I wanted to get the dirt off you
+fellows. I'm afraid we're caught, though."
+
+And they were. An examination, made with the pocket lights, showed them
+that the way back was blocked by a mass of rock and earth and that no
+progress ahead could be made for the same reason.
+
+"I guess we'll have to dig our way out," said Joe.
+
+"What with?" asked Charlie.
+
+"Some of the broken boards that held up the tunnel," was the answer, and
+Joe pointed to pieces of timber that had been splintered and shattered
+by the cave-in.
+
+"Yes, it's the only way out," agreed Blake, who, now that his cut had
+been bound up with bandages from the first-aid kits the boys carried,
+felt better. "We'll have to dig out." And after a short rest they began
+this work.
+
+A terrible fear was upon them, a fear greater than that caused by their
+capture by the Germans with the possibility of being shot as spies. It
+was the fear of a horrible death--buried alive.
+
+They dug as best they could for some time with the broken boards, their
+hands becoming cut and bruised by the rough edges. And yet, with all
+their efforts, they could not see that they had gained much.
+
+They were digging back along the way they had come in, for, as Blake
+said, they knew how long the tunnel was in that direction, but they did
+not know how far it extended the other way.
+
+"Is it of any use to continue?" asked Joe wearily, when they had been
+digging for what seemed several hours, though really it was not as long
+as that.
+
+"Of course we've got to continue!" declared Blake, half savagely. "We
+can't give up now--and die!"
+
+"We may die anyhow," said Joe.
+
+They were resting in the darkness after strenuous digging. In the dark
+because, to save the battery, they had switched off the electric light
+by which they had been working.
+
+Charlie turned to look back. They had been piling the earth behind them
+as they worked, but there was not much of it as yet. They had made but
+small impression on the debris that hemmed them in. And as Charlie
+looked he uttered a cry.
+
+"What is it?" asked Blake.
+
+"A light! Don't you see a light there?" Charlie demanded. "See! Back
+there through the chinks in the rock. See, a flickering light!"
+
+There was no doubt of it! There was a gleam of light, and it appeared to
+come from a point where some fallen rocks were loosely piled.
+
+Dropping their boards, which they had been using for shovels, the boys
+climbed as near as they could to the hole. In the dark as they were, the
+light showed plainly.
+
+"Can you see anything?" asked Charlie of Joe, who was nearest.
+
+"No, only some figures moving about. It seems like some sort of dugout
+beyond there, and it hasn't caved in. Maybe it's the end of the tunnel."
+
+"Did you say you can see somebody in there?" asked Blake.
+
+"Yes; figures moving about."
+
+"Call to them."
+
+"Maybe they're Germans!" exclaimed Charlie.
+
+"They probably are," Blake answered. "But we've got to be rescued from
+here and take our chance with them. It's better than being buried alive.
+Hello, there!" he shouted. "Help us get out!" and he began tearing at
+the stones with his hands.
+
+Seeing his object, his chums helped him. And then some one on the other
+side of the rocky barrier also began pulling down the stones, so that in
+a little while, the light becoming momentarily greater, the boys saw a
+way of escape open to them.
+
+But it was a strange way. For when the rocks had been pulled down
+sufficiently to enable them to crawl through, they emerged into a
+space--a small room, as it were--walled with solid logs. Logs also
+formed the roof. It was a room lighted by a lantern, and on a pile of
+bags in one corner lay a huddled figure of a man. Standing near him was
+another man--a man in a ragged blue uniform--and at the sight of his
+face Blake murmured:
+
+"Lieutenant Secor!"
+
+"At your service!" said the Frenchman, bowing slightly.
+
+"No!" bitterly cried Blake. "Not at _our_ service--you traitor!"
+
+The Frenchman seemed to wince, but at that moment a call from the
+huddled man in the corner attracted his attention. He bent over him,
+drew back the covering and revealed in the lantern's glow the face of
+Labenstein.
+
+The German raised himself on one elbow, and a wild look came over his
+face. His eyes gleamed brightly for a moment.
+
+"They--they here!" he murmured. "Well, perhaps it is better so."
+
+"How better? What does he mean?" asked Blake. "Does he think----"
+
+"Hush!" and the Frenchman spoke softly. "This is the end--of
+Labenstein!" And even as he spoke the man fell back dead.
+
+Lieutenant Secor seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, as though the death
+of the other had brought a great release to him.
+
+"Now I can speak," said the officer. "Now I can explain, and perhaps you
+will again regard me as a friend," he said softly.
+
+"Well," returned Blake, "you probably saved our lives by helping us get
+out of the tunnel. But as for being friends with----"
+
+"Please do not say it," begged the lieutenant. "I have had to play a
+part. It is over now. I can again take my place with my comrades and
+fight openly for France. For I have learned all his secrets and whence
+the spy-leaks came. Now my unpleasant mission is over!"
+
+"What--what do you mean?" asked Joe, beginning, as did his chums, to
+have an inkling of the truth. "Aren't you two working together against
+us and for Germany?"
+
+"Never I!" cried the Frenchman. "I am a member of the French Secret
+Service, and for months I have consorted with that dog!" and he pointed
+at the dead man. "I but played a part to gain his confidence and to
+learn from what sources Germany was getting her secret information about
+our soldiers and yours. Now I know. I will explain. But come, we must
+get out of here."
+
+"Can we get out?" asked Blake.
+
+"Surely, yes. The tunnel goes from here into the German trenches, and
+the other end was not damaged by the explosion."
+
+"But," exclaimed Joe, "the German trenches! We don't want to go there to
+be captured again."
+
+"Have no fear," said the Frenchman, with a smile. "I should, perhaps,
+have said what _were_ the German trenches. They are now held by some of
+your own troops--the brave Americans!"
+
+"They are?" cried Charlie.
+
+"That is true! You shall see!"
+
+"Hurrah!" cried the moving picture boys, and their fears and weariness
+seemed to depart from them in a moment.
+
+"The great airship raid was a success," went on the Frenchman. "Our
+troops and yours have made a big advance, and have captured many
+prisoners. They would have had Labenstein, but he is beyond prisons now.
+Let us go hence! Even dead I can not endure his company. I suffered much
+on his account."
+
+"Well, things are happening so fast I don't know which to begin to think
+of first," remarked Joe. "But, on general principles, I presume it's a
+good thing to get out of this tunnel. Come on, boys."
+
+"One moment," interposed the lieutenant. "Perhaps you will like to take
+these with you."
+
+He stooped and lifted a pile of trench bags, and the boys saw the boxes
+of moving picture films.
+
+"Ours?" cried Joe.
+
+"None else," answered the Frenchman. "I trust you will find them all
+right."
+
+"Not a seal broken!" reported Charlie, who had quickly examined the
+cases. "This is great!"
+
+Together, hardly able to believe their good luck, they made their way
+out of the log-protected room--once a German bomb-proof dugout. As they
+emerged into the trenches, carrying the films, the boys saw American
+soldiers.
+
+"The Stars and Stripes!" cried Charlie, as he noted the United States
+flag. "Now we're all right!"
+
+"Whew! We did make some advance!" added Blake, as they saw how the
+battle lines of the French and Americans had been extended since they
+had crawled into No Man's Land the night before.
+
+The boys learned later that the airship raid was the forerunner of a big
+offensive that had been carried out when they were held prisoners and in
+the tunnel. The Germans had been driven back with heavy loss, and one of
+their ammunition dumps, or storage places, had been blown up, which had
+caused the collapse of the tunnel.
+
+That the moving picture boys were welcomed by the soldiers, among whom
+they had many friends, goes without saying. And the recovery of the
+films was a matter for congratulation, for they were considered very
+valuable to the army.
+
+"Though it was Lieutenant Secor who really saved them for us," explained
+Blake, when the story of their adventure was being told.
+
+"And I am glad the time has come when Lieutenant Secor can appear in his
+true light," said Captain Black. "Even I suspected him, and he lost many
+friends who will come back to him, now that he risked all to serve his
+country in a role seldom honored--that of getting secret intelligence
+from the enemy."
+
+For that is what the French lieutenant had been doing. Even while he was
+in the United States, where the boys first met him, he had been playing
+that part.
+
+"But I assure you," he said to Blake and the others, "that the
+destruction of your films by my auto was an accident. When I found you
+believed it done purposely I let it go that way, as it helped me play my
+part the better. Also, I had to act in a manner to make you believe I
+was a friend of Labenstein. But that was all a part."
+
+And it had not been an easy part for the French officer to play. He had,
+in ways of his own, come to suspect Labenstein, who went under various
+names, sometimes that of Karl Kooder. This man, who held forged
+citizenship papers of the United States, was a German spy and had done
+much to aid the Kaiser. But he accepted Lieutenant Secor as a co-worker,
+on the latter's representation that he, too, was a friend of Germany, or
+rather, as the Frenchman made Labenstein think, was willing to become so
+for a sum of money. So the two seemingly worked together.
+
+"And it was thus you knew us," said the lieutenant to the boys.
+"Labenstein, to use one of his names, had orders to make all the trouble
+he could for you when you reached France, and to prevent your getting
+any pictures, if possible. Of course he could not do that, but he tried,
+even to the extent of writing a false note in London that caused your
+arrest. I had, seemingly, to help him, but all the while I was
+endeavoring to find out where the leak was on our side that enabled him
+to profit. And I found out. The leak will be stopped.
+
+"I even seemed to join Labenstein in signaling the submarine, though
+that night, had he really succeeded in calling her with your light, I
+would have killed him where he stood. However, the depth charge solved
+that question.
+
+"I had to escape from the ship with him to lull his suspicions against
+me. Then I went into the German ranks with him, being thought a
+deserter! That was hard for me, but I had my duty to perform.
+
+"The rest you know. It was by a mere chance that Labenstein, when I was
+with him, came upon your films after the gas attack. He thought to
+profit personally from selling them, which is why he did not turn them
+over at once to his superiors. Ever since then he has been trying to
+dispose of them to enrich himself. And I have been trying to find a way
+to get them back to you without betraying myself and my mission.
+
+"At last chance favored me. The big air attack came just after I had
+secured all the information I wanted. I was about to go back to my
+comrades and arrange for the capture of Labenstein if I could. He still
+had the films and was about to sell them to another German--a traitor
+like himself.
+
+"Then came the big explosion, and he was fatally hurt. We both took
+refuge in the tunnel, Labenstein carrying with him the films, and you
+came just as Labenstein died. Well, perhaps it is better so."
+
+"Yes," agreed Blake, "I think it is."
+
+"And we have the films back!" exulted Charlie.
+
+"But, best of all, we know Lieutenant Secor is straight!" cried Joe.
+"I'd hate to think anything else of him, after he saved our lives."
+
+"Yes," agreed Blake softly.
+
+"And now to get back on the job!" cried Joe, after a moment of silence.
+
+And so the moving picture boys again took up their perilous calling.
+They soon recovered from their slight injuries caused by the cave-in of
+the tunnel, and, finding their cameras where they had left them in the
+French house, resumed the turning of the cranks.
+
+They filmed many stirring scenes, and the records they made now form an
+important part of the archives of the War Office in Washington, the
+films so strangely lost and recovered being considered most valuable.
+
+Lieutenant Secor became one of the boys' firmest friends, and through
+his help they were enabled to obtain many rare views. And now, having
+seen them safely through some of their perils, we will take leave of
+them.
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+[Transcriber's note: Some of the adverts appeared at the start of
+the book and repeated at the end.  The duplicates have been removed,
+and the remaining series (Motion Picture Chums) have been added here.]
+
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS SERIES
+
+By VICTOR APPLETON
+
+12mo. BOUND IN CLOTH. ILLUSTRATED. UNIFORM STYLE OF BINDING.
+
+Moving pictures and photo plays are famous the world over, and in this
+line of books the reader is given a full description of how the films
+are made--the scenes of little dramas, indoors and out, trick pictures
+to satisfy the curious, soul-stirring pictures of city affairs, life in
+the Wild West, among the cowboys and Indians, thrilling rescues along
+the seacoast, the daring of picture hunters in the jungle among savage
+beasts, and the great risks run in picturing conditions in a land of
+earthquakes. The volumes teem with adventures and will be found
+interesting from first chapter to last.
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS
+Or Perils of a Great City Depicted.
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS IN THE WEST
+Or Taking Scenes Among the Cowboys and Indians.
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS ON THE COAST
+Or Showing the Perils of the Deep.
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS IN THE JUNGLE
+Or Stirring Times Among the Wild Animals.
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS IN EARTHQUAKE LAND
+Or Working Amid Many Perils.
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS AND THE FLOOD
+Or Perilous Days on the Mississippi.
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS AT PANAMA
+Or Stirring Adventures Along the Great Canal.
+
+THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS UNDER THE SEA
+Or The Treasure of the Lost Ship.
+
+
+THE MOTION PICTURE CHUMS SERIES
+
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS' FIRST VENTURE
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS AT SEASIDE PARK
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS ON BROADWAY
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS' OUTDOOR EXHIBITION
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS' NEW IDEA
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS AT THE FAIR
+MOTION PICTURE CHUMS' WAR SPECTACLE
+
+
+THE TOM SWIFT SERIES
+
+By VICTOR APPLETON
+
+12mo. CLOTH. UNIFORM STYLE OF BINDING. COLORED WRAPPERS.
+
+These spirited tales convey in a realistic way the wonderful advances
+in land and sea locomotion. Stories like these are impressed
+upon the memory and their reading is productive only of good.
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR CYCLE
+  Or Fun and Adventure on the Road
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR BOAT
+  Or The Rivals of Lake Carlopa
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP
+  Or The Stirring Cruise of the Red Cloud
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT
+  Or Under the Ocean for Sunken Treasure
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT
+  Or The Speediest Car on the Road
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE
+  Or The Castaways of Earthquake Island
+
+TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS
+  Or The Secret of Phantom Mountain
+
+TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE
+  Or The Wreck of the Airship
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER
+  Or The Quickest Flight on Record
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE
+  Or Daring Adventures in Elephant Land
+
+TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD
+  Or Marvellous Adventures Underground
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER
+  Or Seeking the Platinum Treasure
+
+TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY
+  Or A Daring Escape by Airship
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA
+  Or The Perils of Moving Picture Taking
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT
+  Or On the Border for Uncle Sam
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON
+  Or The Longest Shots on Record
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE
+  Or The Picture that Saved a Fortune
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP
+  Or The Naval Terror of the Seas
+
+TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL
+  Or The Hidden City of the Andes
+
+
+=GROSSET & DUNLAP=, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Moving Picture Boys on the War
+Front, by Victor Appleton
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOVING PICTURE BOYS ***
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