“That’s too bad, Heinrich. Do you suppose they came this way?” remarked a second guard.
“Dolbear thought so,” went on the first speaker. “He told me to tell you and the others to be on the watch. If we see any of those rascals we are to shoot them on sight.”
CHAPTER XXV
THE ENCOUNTER ON THE RIVER
“This looks as if I had jumped from the frying-pan into the fire.”
Such was Dave’s thought as he listened to what was said by the German guards. He could not understand every word spoken, but he gathered enough to know that they were keeping a lookout for him and some others who had leaped from the prisoners’ train.
The two guards were on the top of one of the cars, and only a few feet from where the young lieutenant was in hiding. He crouched low on one of the bumpers, running a serious risk of being pinched should the cars make a sudden swerve to one side or the other.
On and on puffed the train. The top of the hill was presently gained, and then the cars increased their speed and rattled forward over the uneven rails and across numerous switches.
One of the guards had evidently gone toward the rear of the train, and now the other started to move forward. He leaped directly over our hero’s head from car to car, but he was too interested in maintaining his footing to glance down, so Dave remained undiscovered.
“I hope those fellows don’t come back this way,” he muttered to himself, as he straightened up, holding fast to one of the cars as he did so. His cramped position had begun to tell on him, and he was glad to make a change.
A couple of hours passed and the long freight still continued on its way. It had rolled through a number of villages and several small towns, and had also crossed three small streams. Now they were climbing another hill, and the speed of the train was again slackened.