"Great Scott! They've nabbed Hal," he muttered.
Unmindful of danger now, he crept forward more swiftly and at last drew close enough to distinguish what was said.
"So you won't tell what you are doing here?" came a coarse voice in German.
"I will not," was the reply in a voice that Chester recognized as Hal's.
"Then I'll have to find a way to loosen your tongue," said the German voice. "Lieutenant Steinz, do your duty again."
Chester strained his eyes to see. He made out the form of a big man who stepped toward a figure that Chester made out as Hal. The man's arm drew back and flashed forth. Chester saw Hal stagger back, but the lad made no outcry.
Chester's blood boiled.
"So that's the kind of men we have to deal with, eh?" he muttered. "Well, I guess I'll have to take a hand in this game."
With Chester to think was to act. Nevertheless, he realized the need of caution if he were to extricate Hal from his present difficulty.
"I'll have to be pretty careful," he told himself; "otherwise, they'll snare me, too."