"Very well, sir."
"Good," said Colonel O'Neil again. "I'm glad to hear it, for I've an important piece of work that must be done at once and I wouldn't feel like calling upon you unless you are perfectly fit."
"We're perfectly fit, sir," declared Chester eagerly.
"Draw up chairs here, then," said the colonel.
The boys obeyed.
CHAPTER II
THROUGH THE LINES
"I suppose," said Colonel O'Neil, "you have both heard the rumor that Austria has sued for peace?"
"Yes, sir," replied Chester, "and I have tried to convince Hal of it, but he is inclined to be skeptical."
"And with good reason," declared Colonel O'Neil. "I don't place much confidence in the report myself. Nor, it seems, do my superiors. In fact, it is in regard to that report that I have summoned you here."