"We wish to know if the rumor is true, sir?"
"And what if it is true, General?"
"Nothing, sir, except that my men will obey none but his majesty."
"You mean," asked the chancellor, sharply, "that you will dispute my authority?"
"I do, sir."
"General Herwigs," said the chancellor, addressing one of his companions in the airplane, "will you kindly dispatch one of your men for assistance? It seems there is mutiny here."
In response to a command from the general, a man who had been standing near the airplane started away. He was immediately halted by the officer who had accosted the party in the plane.
"One moment, my man," said the officer. "You cannot pass here until I have verified the rumor of the kaiser's abdication."
"General Herwigs," said Chancellor Ebert quietly, "will you kindly place that officer under arrest."
"With pleasure, sir."