Franz and Iggy came back with a doctor who, after a brief examination, said the sergeant was suffering from bad treatment and lack of food and water more than anything else. He did not seem to be wounded, but, of course, there might be some internal hurt which did not show at the first examination.
"Hospital's the place for him," decided the doctor. "Ill have him sent back with the first batch of wounded."
And so poor Maxwell was rescued from the oblivion of "missing," and again put on his company's rolls. But the mystery about him was not solved, and over it Jimmy and his chums wondered much.
"Well, things have certainly turned out queerly!" remarked Jimmy, when he and his chums were back once more in their "holes," eating their emergency rations, and wondering when the real "chow" would come up. "To thing of finding Max like that!"
"That place was held by the Germans before we rushed them back," declared Bob. "They might have kept him a prisoner."
"That's very possible," admitted Jimmy. "I'd like to know the whole story, but we'll have to wait."
"And a long time, I'm afraid," added Roger.
"Why, do you think Max will die?" asked Franz.
"No, but this fight has only just started. We've got to go forward, and land knows when we'll ever get back where we can see Max again."
"Oh, well, it isn't as hopeless as it was at first," remarked Jimmy. "I'm not worrying about the thousand dollars—only I'd like to know what he did with it."