Bad as the accident had been, the German worked so fast that in a very few minutes he had all the tires on, and was pumping them up as fast as possible. Then, when that was done, he came back, as Paul had seen that he must, and stooped over to remove the jack that had lifted the wheels from the ground. And that was the moment in which Paul struck.
"Stay behind!" he whispered, to Arthur. "I may need your help if anything goes wrong."
Then with one leap he reached the German. He landed quietly, and, though the German heard him and half turned, it was all over in a second. Paul brought down his horseshoe on the officer's skull, and he crumpled without a cry and fell in a silent heap in the roadside.
"Quick!" cried Paul. "Look under the seat! There ought to be drinking water there."
Arthur found a vacuum bottle, and a big gallon bottle of mineral water. This Paul broke, and, dipping a handkerchief in it, made a wet bandage for the German's head. Then he dropped the vacuum bottle where the officer must find it when he recovered consciousness. And now he did something that surprised Arthur. He stripped off the officer's coat, took his uniform jacket and his cap. These he himself donned, and, though they were far too big for him, he cried out with satisfaction at the fit of the cap.
"Now do you see?" he cried. "I bet we could go through the German lines like this! Hello!"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, but this is that chap Poertner—one of the men we got away from! He was taken into Liege as a prisoner. Don't you remember? He must have got away or else the Germans must have taken the fort where they were holding him! I'm afraid it's that!"
But there was no more time to be wasted. Paul leaped to the steering wheel of the car.
"In with you, Arthur!" he cried. "Get down, so that you won't be seen. Down low, on the floor!"