"Maybe they blew into the waterr," Archer suggested. But Tom only shook his head and pointed to the light handkerchief upon the ground. A mere breath would have carried that away.
They could only stand and stare at each other. Some one had evidently taken their coats away in the night.
"It's Gerrman efficiency, that's what it is," said Archer.
"Why didn't they take us, too?" Tom asked.
"They'll be along forr us pretty soon," Archer reassured him. "They'rre superrmen—that's what they arre.—Maybe it's some kind of strategy, hey? They can do spooky things, those Huns. They've got magic uniforms."
"I don't see any reason for it," said sober Tom, still looking about, unable to conquer his amazement.
"That's just it," said Archer. "They do things therre ain't any reason forr just to practice theirr efficiency. Pretty soon you'll see all the allied soldierrs'll be losing their coats. Go-o-o-o-d night!"
"Well, I can't find any footprints, that's sure," said Tom, rather chagrined. "I usually can."
"Maybe it was some sort of an airship," Archer suggested.
Whatever the explanation of this extraordinary thing, the coats were gone. There were no footprints, and there had been no wind. And the mysterious affair left the boys aghast.