"Because she's so cheerful, an' because I don't know her name," was the reply.
"It must be pretty near dawn," Jack said, after a long silence, with a prodigious yawn.
Frank looked at his watch and found that it was six o'clock. It had been a long night. The sun would rise shortly after six.
Five minutes later sounds of trouble of a physical nature were heard along the tunnel by which the chamber had been reached. There were blows, grunts, and ejaculations of rage. Then they heard a voice they knew:
"Donner! I make your face preak! Come py mine punch of fives. Oh, you loaver!"
"Hans!" cried Jack. "How the Old Harry did he get here?"
"He'll soon be able to tell you himself," Frank said, "if he keeps on coming."
Indeed, the German's voice came nearer every instant, nearer and more emphatic. He was panting, too, and the sound of blows reached the ears of the listening boys.
"Get in there!"
The words were spoken in English, but not by Hans.