Part 19 (1/2)

”Rot!” Freddy snorted ”Who got us out of that room? And who flew that plane and didn't break our necks, I'd like to know?”

”Yeah?” Dave grinned at hi us sians fro car when the sergeant had been killed? And who?”

”All right, all right, boys!” General Caldwell broke it up ”You both did splendid jobs, and that's fine And now, about that o back to that Just a minute”

The General turned and looked at one of his officers

”Let's have that map, Saunders,” he said

A major whipped a rolled map froot a table andup thumb tacks some place, and the General unrolled the map and tacked it flat on the table

”Now,” he said in his soft voice and leaned over the map ”This little town here It's named Spontin Do you remember if there was a colored pin there?”

The boys bent over and peered at the place on the er tip Freddy answered first

”Yes sir,” he said ”There was a blue pin there In fact, sir, there were three blue pins all in a line About a quarter of an inch apart I remember that distinctly”

”I see,” the General murmured ”And do you recall if there was a date printed under those pins?”

”Yes, there was!” Dave cried ”Wait a minute Yes, it was May Sixteenth

I'll bet on it!”

”No need of that, er ”Now, here At Vervins, in France What about that?”

”A blue pin also, sir,” Freddy spoke up ”And the date hteenth”

”And here at Guise?” General Caldwell asked and ain

”Check on the blue pin!” Dave said

”And I'm pretty sure that date was May Nineteenth, sir,” Freddy said

General Caldwell didn't htened up and looked around at his officers They all nodded together and looked very grave A little bit of panic raced through Dave

”We're all wet, General?” he blurted out ”You think we've just made all this up? So help me, honest, we”

Dave cut hiave hihost of a smile

”On the contrary, not at all, my boy,” he said ”As they would say in the States, I was just checking up You two most certainly saw the German plan of invasion attack and execution”

”We could be a bitvoice ”But I'ave you were correct”

”They were,” the General said, and there was a faint ironic edge to his voice ”You sahat the Germans _planned_ to do We saw them _do_ it!

They occupied Spontin on the Sixteenth, Vervins on the Eighteenth, and Guise on the Nineteenth That's a rief!” Freddy exclaiained that rimly and took a little box from his tunic pocket ”Now, I have a very important job for you two Very important! A whole lot depends on your memories, so sharpen them up well Here is a box of pins I want you two lads to try and put a pin in this ence map Colors don't matter These here are all the same All white, as you see Now, study this map and shake up your memories well And here's a couple of pencils, too Write down all the dates you can reht pins, of course”