Chester needed no second warning. He did not move a muscle. From above came the sound of a voice:
“I wonder where they went?”
“I don’t know,” answered another voice, “but we had best be careful. They are probably armed.”
Now, Hal, moving his position slightly, felt a space behind him, and crawled slowly backward, where the darkness seemed greater, pulling Chester along after him. They continued this crawling for some minutes. Finally, raising his head, Hal dropped quickly again with a muttered exclamation.
In arising his head had come in contact with something above him. Raising an exploring hand, he investigated. He touched a rock above. Then he reached out on each side. As he had surmised, only a few feet each way were solid walls.
“A cave,” he muttered.
“What?” asked Chester.
“We are cooped up in a cave. If the Germans are wise enough, after they learn where we are, they will just sit down on the outside and starve us out. But, if they try to come in—well, I don’t think they will get very far, as long as our cartridges hold out. You wait here until I see how far back this thing goes.”
Chester obeyed, and Hal continued his exploration. For two or three minutes he crawled along, and then, turning a slight bend, gave a sudden exclamation. He had come upon a possible means of exit, for, apparently, the cave had two openings.
Quickly Hal poked his head out and looked around. He could see no one. Slowly he crawled back to where he had left Chester, and informed him of what he had learned.