A German trooper had dived beneath the water and succeeded in grasping the collar of the boys' late prisoner and dragging him to shore, where several men were now at work trying to restore him to consciousness.
The men who had captured the boys stopped to watch this operation. Soon the German began to gasp for breath, and ten minutes later he was able to sit up and look about. His gaze rested on the two lads.
He was a pitiful-looking object, but in spite of this the lads were forced to smile as he glanced at them. The man arose and approached them, leaning heavily upon the arm of a brother officer.
"So you didn't get away after all?" he said.
"No," said Hal quietly, "we are still here."
"And here you'll stay, if I have anything to do with it," was the response. "You are tough customers, and no mistake, but I guess there are enough here to keep you quiet now."
The German officer turned to his fellow-officer.
"I'll take charge of them," he said quietly. "Give me a couple of dry guns; mine are no good."
The other did as requested, and, pointing his two weapons at the lads, the German ordered:
"March!"