"Halt!"
Chester did so.
"Who are you?" demanded the man, "and where are you going?"
To Chester's great relief, he spoke in German, and the lad replied in the same language, which he spoke without an accent.
"I am on an errand for the ambassador, sir. A prisoner has recently escaped, and I am bearing word to the outposts to be on the watch for him."
"Hm-m-m," muttered the officer. "Why didn't the ambassador make use of the wireless 'phone?"
"I don't know, sir," replied Chester.
The officer laid a heavy hand on the lad's arm, and peered into his face in the dim light. Then the hand tightened.
"You are no German!" was his quiet comment. "You are probably a spy. You are my prisoner!"
Chester's heart sank.