THE CLAWS OF THE HUNS
There was a wild tumult of questions and answers. None of the Army Boys knew what they were doing or saying. The escape had been so narrow, the relief at deliverance so great, that they were simply incoherent for a while.
"Thank heaven, old man, that we have you with us again safe and sound!" cried Frank, as he grasped his comrade's hand and almost wrung it off.
"I felt as though my heart were going to come out of my body while
I watched you," said Bart, gripping the other hand.
"It seemed ages while we stood waiting for the lieutenant to give the word," added Billy, giving vent to his feelings by giving Tom a hug like that of a boa constrictor.
"I don't know yet whether I'm awake or dreaming," said Tom, with a laugh that was a little shaky. "You boys surely did come just in time. I never expected to see you again. And yet I might have known that you'd find me if I was on top of the earth."
"You made a game fight for it, old boy," said Frank admiringly.
"Gee, what a clip you gave those fellows with that spade," chuckled Billy. "They went down like cattle hit with an axe."
"You might have won out even without us," said Bart "If you had once got into those woods they'd have had to do some traveling to catch you."
"They'd probably have caught me with a bullet," laughed Tom. "Can you imagine, boys, how I felt when I saw you fellows fairly seem to come up out of the ground? I hadn't really thought that I had a chance to escape. But I made up my mind that if I had to go I'd take some of those Huns along with me. That spade that they wanted me to dig my grave with was a good friend of mine."