"Quiet, you!" bellowed the officer. "Do not talk to each other."
The ranking officer shouted a command and three German soldiers with machine guns closed in behind the boys.
"March!" the younger officer snapped.
They marched toward the woods. The officer moved stiffly ahead. The boys realized that escape from two squads of Italians would have been much easier than escape from the three Germans. They seemed eager to use their deadly tommy-guns.
"I understand German, you know," Allison murmured as he bumped against Stan. Stan moved closer to his pal and Allison went on.
"The commander is very angry because they were forced to open up on our fighters. Now the location of their guns is known. He is also eager to learn something about the strength of our air forces attacking Sicily and heading for Italy. He hinted we would be baited on by a promise of being treated as prisoners of war if we talked."
"We won't talk," Stan muttered. "Anyway, we don't know anything."
Entering the woods they found themselves in a cleverly hidden camp. The boys were lodged in a barracks room with barred windows. Two other prisoners, both Italians, were in the room. A guard stood at the door, while several others paced up and down outside.
"Looks snug and tight," Stan said.