“We’re off on their trail now,” he finished. “We’d no time to explain to you on shore. What do you think, Harding? Lucy can’t believe Elizabeth is up to mischief.”
Lucy was watching the Stars and Stripes floating over the giant fortress of Ehrenbreitstein, just across the river. Now she lowered her eyes to Major Harding’s face.
He answered thoughtfully, “I can hardly believe it either, that Elizabeth has turned traitor. Yet how to explain this——” He glanced at the note in his hand. “As for von Eckhardt, I told you, Eaton, what I know of him. He’s one of the most bitter malcontents in Germany. He has lost everything with the Kaiser’s fall and he hates the Republican government. He would league himself with no matter which enemy of ours now—anything to break up the Allies and delay the peace.”
“But how? What can he do?” asked Lucy, feeling once more as though it were only a dream that the war was over.
“Lots of ways,” said Major Harding. “Fortunately we’re on to the way he adopted, and I don’t think, as I told Larry, that he’s got very far. What he’s doing here is only a small part of his plottings throughout Germany. He’s a clever rascal.” He spoke low, glancing at the steersman.
“Well, what is he doing?” asked Lucy, her heart thumping as she put the question.
Major Harding saw her flushed face and laid a friendly hand on her arm, saying, “You’ll hear it all soon enough. Let’s decide what we have to do now. To begin with, how is your precious Elizabeth going to get across the Rhine? And how are we to know her landing-place?”
“I’ve thought of that,” said Larry. “She probably crossed on one of the barges that take over Franz’ wood. As for the landing-place, we’ll have to look for it. Five miles up, she said.”
As he spoke the boat sped past the village of Cappellen, the castle of Stolzenfels towering on the hill three hundred feet above. Twilight began to darken the river and from the banks stray lights shone out. A torpedo boat cast its gleaming search-light over the water. The broad stream was almost deserted, a few scows were being towed along, and a river steamer passed, going toward Mayence.
“We’d better go inshore, before it gets dark,” Larry suggested. “We’ll have to trace them by the wood-barge. When I think of Franz and his honest labors!” Larry gave a sudden snort of indignation. Then to the steersman he ordered, “Go inshore and turn the search-light along the bank. Are we five miles south of Coblenz?”