“I happened to hear some conversation yesterday that put me to thinking,” pursued Lieutenant Gebauer. “The engineers are going to move in a day or two. They are going to lay out a road in the vicinity of some abandoned coal or iron mines. I rather think they’ll have their headquarters in the mines, just as the Germans were quartered there when they were in that vicinity.”
“Well, what if they do go to those mines?” questioned Nat.
“I think it’s a pretty lonely sort of region around those mines,” returned Gebauer. “And that being so, we may have more of a chance to get at Porter. If he went off to explore any of the mines—or anything like that—we might get a chance to follow him. Anyway, I am going to keep my eyes wide open at every opportunity. And I want you to do the same. We’ll never catch him unless we watch him like a cat watches a mouse.”
“Gee, if only we could get the best of him!” sighed Nat. “I’ve wanted to do it ever since we went to boarding-school together.”
“The time will come, don’t worry. Sooner or later, Nat, we’ll get Dave Porter just where we want him. And when that time comes—well, he had better look out for himself, that’s all!” concluded Lieutenant Gebauer.
CHAPTER XX
ATTACKED IN THE DARK
“These old mines must have been worked for all they were worth.”
“That’s the way it looks to me, Roger. And yet I’ve no doubt that with up-to-date mining methods they might get a good deal more out of these places.”
“Oh, I know that, Dave. Modern mining machinery has accomplished wonders for the mines in the United States.”
About a week had passed since Dave had had the quarrel with Nat Poole at the brook, and during that time the engineers had been moved forward to the vicinity of the abandoned mines mentioned by Lieutenant Gebauer. Here they were busy repairing the roads which had once been used by the Germans and left by them in a most deplorable condition. Trees and huge masses of rocks blocked the way and great masses of abandoned wire entanglements had been strung around wherever it was thought they would impede the progress of the Americans.