"Did you have a fight?" asked Alfred.
"I should say we did," answered Tom. "Brought down two, at any rate, and it was pretty hot for about an hour. So you are on your way to Paris; sorry you didn't get back before we started," he added.
"We got to the grounds several hours after you left," said Alfred.
"Glad you came; we can put you up, if you are willing," remarked Tom.
"Thank you for the invitation; we helped them on the trenches and have done considerable marching, so it's better than going back to camp," said Ralph.
The boys were up early in the morning, but didn't have the least idea what steps to take to continue their journey. Everything in the way of transportation was reserved for the troops. Thousands of people were leaving their homes, and people with household effects, mounted on all sorts of conveyances, were noted on all sides, although at this time the Germans were not within ten miles of the river. The nearest railway to the south, which ran east and west along the southern bank of the river Aisne, was fully ten miles distant from this point.
Tom was on hand early, and greeted the boys most affectionately.
"I have been thinking I might be able to help you out a bit," he said, after a little talk. "We are ordered to the station near Villers-Cotterets, and that's only forty miles from Paris."
"How can you help us?" inquired Ralph excitedly.
"Probably I can give you a lift in the machine," he said.