"Did you ride in this kind of an auto in France?" asked Russ of Captain Ben.
"Not very often," was the answer. "I had to walk most of the time, and I was glad I could. Lots of poor fellows were so crippled they couldn't walk."
"Do you know any French riddles?" Laddie wanted to know, as they turned out on a country road.
"French riddles?" repeated Captain Ben. "Do you mean you want me to tell you a riddle in the French language?"
Laddie shook his curly head.
"I don't know how to speak French," he said. "What I want is a French riddle that will be different from any riddle I know in English."
"I'm sorry, but I can't think of any," replied Captain Ben Barsey.
"Could you tell us a funny story about the war?" asked Russ.
Captain Ben thought for a moment.
"There wasn't very much chance to have fun when the fighting was going on," he answered, "but of course I didn't have to fight all the while. I remember once, being in a trench—that's like the big ditch over there," and he pointed to one at the side of the road along which the automobile was traveling at the time.