" Thank you, sir," they said.
" How in the world did you get out of it? You must be remarkable chaps. I thought you were in a hopeless position. I wired and cabled everywhere I could, but I could find out nothing."
" A correspondent," said Peter Tounley. " I don't know if you have met him. His name is Coleman. He found us."
" Coleman ? " asked the minister, quickly.
" Yes, sir. He found us and brought us out safely."
" Well, glory be to Coleman," exclaimed the min- ister, after a long sigh of surprise. " Glory be to Cole- man! I never thought he could do it."
The students were alert immediately. "Why, did you know about it, sir? Did he tell you he was coming after us ? "
"Of course. He came tome here in Athens. and asked where you were. I told him you were in a peck of trouble. He acted quietly and somewhat queerly,. and said that he would try to look you up. He said you were friends of his. I warned him against trying it. Yes, I said it was impossible, I had no idea that he would really carry the thing out. But didn't he tell you anything about this himself?"
" No, sir ' " answered Peter Tounley. " He never said much about it. I think he usually contended that it was mainly an accident."
" It was no accident," said the minister, sharply. "When a man starts out to do a thing and does it, you can't say it is an accident."