“Yes.”
A little later another body of Russians were discovered up the side of a hill, in a big cornfield. At once the detachment gave chase.
It was hot work, all the more so because the ground in the cornfield was wet and slippery. In this running fight, which lasted half an hour, two Russians were shot dead, and two Japanese privates were slightly wounded. Then the Russians slipped out of sight around a patch of timber and could not be located again.
“They are slippery customers,” said Ben, after a hunt through the woods. “Where do you think they went to, Gilbert?”
“I give it up. Perhaps they ran hard and reached that next patch of timber before we got to this spot.”
“Could they go that far?”
“Perhaps they could—if they were scared. When a man is badly frightened he can run like a deer, you must remember.”
“Yes, that is true—I’ve done a little running myself at times.”
The Japanese major held a consultation with the young Americans, and it was resolved that the best thing to do would be to get back to the main body of the army without delay.
“To follow those Russians might get us into serious trouble,” said the Japanese officer. “There may be more of their posts near by.”