"Ah, my young Yankee!" he said. "They cannot hold you!"
"No, my general," replied John, "I've come back again to fight for France."
General Vaugirard looked at him keenly.
"You're exhausted," he said. "You've been under tremendous pressure."
"But I can guide you. I want neither sleep nor rest."
"You need both, as I can see with these two old eyes of mine. Sleep you can't have now, but rest is yours. You go with me in my automobile, which this war has trained to climb mountains, jump rivers, and crash through forests. The motor has become a wonderful weapon of battle."
"May I ask one question, General?" said John.
"A dozen."
"Do you know where the aviator, Philip Lannes, is? His sister is held a prisoner by a German general in a château toward which we will march, and doubtless he would wish to go at once to her rescue."
"He is not here, but his friend, Caumartin, is only a half-mile away. I'll send a man at once with a message to him to find Lannes, who will surely follow us, if he can be found. And now, my brave young Yankee, here is my machine. Into it, and we'll lead the way."