Part 33 (1/2)

As Jimmie spoke he glanced back toward Dave, sitting with the others.

”Now, you just sit there, Dave,” Jimmie chattered on, ”until I tell you to move. Remember,” he added, ”I'm doing this part of it. All you are to do is to follow instructions. You're better at the la.s.so than you are at pouring coffee!”

”Yes, I guess that's the truth,” admitted Dave with a mock sign of resignation at finding his short-comings flaunted before strangers.

It was well that the meal was served in the open, for Jimmie poured until every cup ran over, thereby wasting much of the liquid.

”Have some more, won't you?” he asked, grasping the coffee pot.

”Just a little more,” replied Otto. ”I never had better.”

”Why,” cried Jimmie in a surprised tone, ”the pot is almost empty. I guess you boys didn't make very much, did you? Here, Dave,” he hurried on, ”you chase yourself up to the Eagle and get some of that coffee out of the locker on the right-hand side. We'll brew another pot of it. I haven't begun to eat yet.”

”See how quickly you can la.s.so a cup or two of the real stuff and hurry back here,” commanded Jimmie. ”We'll have more in a jiffy.”

”Have a little of this stew while you're waiting,” urged Ned, extending the pot of stew toward the soldiers. ”It's mighty good!”

Ned and Jimmie rattled on in a whirlwind of conversation to keep the attention of the soldiers in their own direction. So absorbed were Otto and Fritz in listening to the chatter that they failed to hear the faint whistle of a rope through the air, and it was not until the noose of Dave's la.s.so settled about their shoulders and they were jerked incontinently backward that they suspected anything wrong.

Otto and Fritz were compelled to surrender to a superior force.

Lengths of small line secured from the Eagle were brought by Dave when he saw that the two were securely held by his companions.

”Let me get at this chap's pockets a moment,” said Ned, advancing. ”I think he has some spark plugs that would look better in another place.

We can use them to good advantage ourselves.”

”Just the thing!” cried Jimmie, gleefully. ”How thoughtful of him to bring them back here so we could run the little old Eagle.”

Ned lost no time in producing the plugs and fitting them into position.

”Now we 're off!” declared Jimmie. ”Let's get the cooking utensils aboard and beat it out of here. We won't want no wireless now!”

”For one, I want to get to some place where I can exchange this uniform for some real clothes!” stated Jack, vehemently.

”And I want a real feed!” protested Jimmie. ”I haven't eaten in weeks.

All I could do was to lunch along on this awful grub!”

”All right, boys, I guess you're right,” Ned agreed with a laugh.

”We'll load up and be on our way even if it is daylight.”

”Won't the Germans see us rise out of here and take a shot at us?”

”What if they do?” scorned Jimmie. ”They'll be so busy with all this fighting they won't have time to chase us very far. Hear those cannons going all the time?” he went on. ”They're wasting a lot of good powder shooting at the Frenchmen and the allies!”

As the aeroplane rose above the tree tops, two other planes were sighted high overhead.

CHAPTER XXIV