“Yes,” Rod was saying, loud enough for the others to hear him, “I’m afraid, too, his regiment is going to be in the thick of that desperate battle for the possession of the ford across the Marne.”
“Do you mean Andre?” demanded Hanky Panky, instantly.
“Just who I meant,” came the reply.
The others knew that as Rod spoke French, and had talked with a number of people as well as soldiers on the road, he must be primed with information such as had not fallen to their lot. Hence it never occurred to either of them to question the accuracy of anything he might say.
“That would be too bad for all of us,” remarked Josh, “if anything happened to Andre, just when we got within stone’s-throw of him. But Rod, do we have to stay right here, and do our looking?”
“What makes you ask that, Josh?”
“Well, you see, there’s a whole lot better place over yonder, if only we could reach it; but I’m afraid lugging our machines over the rough ground would be too big a job.”
At that Rod took a glance, and of course saw the advantages to be attained by a shift in their position.
“It might be done,” he told the anxious Josh, “if we cared to try and conceal our wheels somewhere near by, and walked or ran over to the rise.”
“Would that be safe?” asked Hanky Panky, fearful lest they after all lose their mounts, and be compelled to walk, or depend on getting an occasional lift from some vehicle going in the direction of Paris.