“If any of the Heinies are on a raiding party we had better get prepared for them,” was Shadow’s comment.
They talked the matter over for fully an hour, but without arriving at any satisfactory conclusion. The disappearance of Dave worried all of them a good deal, and it was a long while before any of them got to sleep, Roger and Phil being unusually restless.
“Gee! if the Germans have captured Dave, however are we going to tell his folks?” was the way the shipowner’s son expressed himself.
“And how are we going to tell Jessie Wadsworth?” added Roger. “Oh, it just makes me sick to think of it!”
All of the young engineers were up at an early hour, and they readily received permission to go on a hunt for their missing chum. Captain Obray, however, cautioning them to be careful and not expose themselves needlessly to the enemy.
The search for Dave lasted the best part of the morning. During that time they visited not only the vicinity of the spring, but also came close to the spot where the young lieutenant had been knocked senseless. But they saw nothing which threw any light on what had occurred.
“Beats the Dutch what has become of him!” sighed Ben, after they had walked up and down through the woods and along the hills in that vicinity.
“Looks almost as if the earth had opened and swallowed him,” said Buster.
“Say! do you suppose it’s possible he broke through to one of the openings of the mines?” questioned Phil.
“That might be possible, Phil,” answered Roger. “Just the same, if it did happen, it’s queer we don’t find some evidence of it. If Dave went merely for a walk, it isn’t likely he left this path, and we have searched every foot of that several times.”