So swiftly had the movement been executed by Jimmie that none of the officers near by had been able to intercept the flight of the three.
Before the Kaiser could check the mad rush of his mount and bring the noble animal to a quivering stop, considerable distance had been covered. Jimmie rode on the Kaiser's right Hank, his own horse's shoulder close to the other's saddle. Dave followed immediately behind Jimmie so close that when the halt was made he fairly crowded Jimmie beside the Kaiser. He was still mystified when they stopped.
With a face livid with wrath at the treatment, the Kaiser turned toward Jimmie. The next instant he began a forceful speech. It was never delivered. Jimmie slipped from his horse and began to drag the other from his mount. He was too excited for coherent speech.
"Young man—," began the other in a severe tone.
"Shut up!" stormed Jimmie. "Get off your horse, quick! It's coming!"
As he spoke, the boy, looking earnestly into the face of the man he had pursued, pointed toward the French lines and in the direction of the spot where the hasty flight had begun.
Dave glanced back to see a knot of officers and Uhlans closely packed about the very spot where the three had stood a moment before. As he looked he shivered slightly. A huge black object was hurtling through the air. It landed in the center of the group, bearing down with a shriek of agony a horse and its rider.
Instinctively Jimmie and Dave had thrown their arms up to cover their faces. By this means they had protected themselves in a degree from the force of the flying scraps of earth that stormed upon them like hail. They were covered with dirt to a woeful degree.
As the rain of dirt ceased Jimmie looked up at the man he had tried so hard to rescue. His face bore a look of solicitude.
"I tried to get you out of there," he said. "I saw it coming."