"They found no charred bodies in that crash!" he suddenly spat out in their faces. "They found goggle glasses and rims in the burned cockpit. They found radio earphones of burned helmets. They found the remains of a camera—something that is only carried in that type of plane on special occasions! They found parachute harness buckles and clasps. They found lots of things that the occupants of that plane left behind when they set fire to their craft!"
"Set afire, my hat!" Freddy blurted out. "I tell you we saw it crash and burn up!"
At that moment one of the German airmen shook his head and said something to the colonel so fast that neither of the boys could catch what it was. The colonel nodded and broadened his leer.
"Stop lying!" he snarled. "You are caught. The plane did not crash and burn up. Herr Captain, here, has just told me that the marks in the sand show that the plane made a good landing. There were also other marks in the sand. Two sets of footprints leading northward from the crash!"
The German commander thumped his fist down on the table in front of him and glared at the two boys out of eyes fitted with dancing shafts of lightning. Dave could almost feel every drop of blood drain down out of his body. His mouth went bone dry and his leg joints seemed to turn to jelly. It was all he could do to hold himself erect. He glanced at the German pilot who had spoken, and in that moment he would gladly have given anything to get his hands about the man's scrawny, leathery-skinned neck.
"So what?" he suddenly shot out, returning his gaze to the colonel's face. "If you think we're R.A.F. pilots, then that's your mistake. So what?"
The colonel's eyes flew open a bit in stunned surprise. Anger flooded his face with a fiery red. Then just as quickly the anger faded and he laughed harshly.
"American bluff!" he snorted. "I have heard of that, but it will do you no good. No good at all, do you hear? I know all about you now, and—"
The colonel leaned forward and thrust out his jaw.
"And I shall deal with you as I would any other spies!" He fairly crammed the words down their throats.