“Say,” he demanded in a soft voice, “what do you suppose General Pershing would think if he could see us now?”
Chester grinned despite his wounds.
“I guess he’d think we are a pair of confounded poor spies,” he declared.
CHAPTER XX
MORE GERMAN CRUELTY
True to Harding’s prediction, there was no let-up in the work until two o’clock that afternoon. At that hour the German guards passed the word and the prisoners dropped their tools and wiped moist brows. Hal and Chester found themselves beside Harding, the Englishman, and Mercer, the Frenchman, once more.
“Now what?” asked Chester.
“Back to our holes,” replied Harding. “I mean,” he added, catching the question in Chester’s face, “back to the filthy little shacks where we sleep and spend our leisure hours.”
Several cars now appeared along the little track in the mine and the prisoners clambered aboard. These then proceeded to the main shaft, where the men were carried aloft a few at a time.
Not for a moment did the German guards relax their vigilance. Rifles were held ready for instant use. More than once they had been caught unprepared and several times batches of prisoners had succeeded in making their escape. Some had been recaptured, but others had found their way back to their own lines.
Hal and Chester were carried up in the car with Harding and Mercer and two other British prisoners. For some reason, both lads had decided unconsciously to stick as close as possible to the big Englishman, and he appeared glad of their company.