Dave had taken a good look at the German who had spoken to Max Gebauer, and he had little trouble in picking the fellow out from the one hundred and twenty men who filled the wire enclosure. He took Roger with him, and also one of the engineers who could speak fairly good German.
He found the prisoner to be a man of about forty, tall and thin, with light hair and watery blue eyes. When questioned he gave his name as August Besswig, and said that he had been a bookkeeper for a large manufacturing firm in Frankfort.
“Ask him how it is that he happens to know a man by the name of Max Gebauer,” said Dave to the interpreter.
When this question was put to the prisoner he looked rather disturbed and then shrugged his shoulders.
“Max Gebauer? Who is he?” he returned after a pause.
“He is the man you were speaking to on your way to this camp,” said the interpreter, after some words with Dave.
“Oh, that man! I don’t know him very well.”
“How do you happen to know him at all?” was the next question put.
“Well, it’s this way, if you must know. Some years ago I worked for a large jewelry firm in Germany. We did business with the Gebauer firm in America. That is how I got to know Mr. Max Gebauer. He used to come to our place once a year or so on business.”
“Did he come after the war broke out?”