“Well, what do you think of the war?” questioned Roger.
“I think it’s a bad affair—a very bad affair indeed, especially for the English and the Americans,” answered the German aviator readily.
“Then you still think Germany will win?” put in Phil.
“To be sure. Why not?” returned the German in his broken English. “No combination of nations can master the Vaterland. It cannot be done. We are too strong for them. We have too much system and too much science.”
“But what do you think of the American army?” questioned Dave.
At this Heinrich Eberhardt pursed up his lips and was silent for a moment.
“You have been very good to me, so why should I say anything against you?” he answered finally. “But if you must know the truth, let me say I think you can do little or nothing in this war. You are too far away. Your President may send a few hundred thousand men over here, but that will count for nothing.”
“Don’t you know we have over a million men in France already?” demanded Phil.
“A million? Oh, no, nothing like that! You couldn’t possibly get them here. Our U-boats would stop your troopships and sink them. At the most, you may get over a few hundred thousand. But I doubt very much if it will be that many.”
“Some day you’ll have your eyes opened to the truth of what is going on,” said Dave. “But now you had better keep quiet. I have sent for the stretcher-bearers, and I think they’ll get here before long, and then they’ll carry you to the hospital, where you will get proper treatment.”