“None!” cried the man, striking the table a hard blow with his fist. “I know, because I am one of his men.”
“What!” exclaimed Hal, in well simulated surprise, though he had surmised as much.
“Yes,” said the man quietly. “Brigands, they have called us. But they will find that when the Russians attempt to cross the Carpathians, as they surely will, we bandits will give as good an account of ourselves as will the trained troops. We love our country just as well as do those who live in Budapest. But tell me, you are not Hungarians nor Austrians, nor even Germans?”
“No,” said Hal, thankful that they had been wise enough to discard their uniforms before setting out upon their mission. “We are Americans.”
“Ah!” said the man. “I have heard much of them. And you have been fighting with the German army?”
“Yes,” said Chester truthfully.
“But this man,” said their host, turning to Alexis. “Is he an American also?”
“Yes,” replied Hal, and signified for Alexis not to speak, for fear that his accent might betray him.
Their host was evidently satisfied. The meal finished, the man walked with them to the door, and pointed out the direction they were to take. Then he pointed also to the southwest.
“In that direction,” he said, “lies the home of Brunnoi. No, there is no truth that he will espouse the Russian cause. Even now he is able to do much harm to their cause. He is with Austria to the last drop of blood in him.”