And he was right--at least in the first few houses the boys entered.
The cupboards had been cleaned out, if not by the unfortunate owners,
then by the Germans who had devastated the region.

"We'll have to live on what we have," said Jimmy. "And we may not be
so badly off for all that Lots of the boys have been without food
for three days. If they stood it we can. And we may get to our lines
sooner than we expect."

"I don't see why we shouldn't get there by night," observed Roger. "We
didn't hike very far when we were fighting, and our boys can't have
retreated far enough in the time that has elapsed since the fighting
changed, to get entirely beyond our reach. I believe we'll be with our
own division by night."

"Well, it doesn't do any harm to hope," said Jimmy. "But we've got to
be cautious just the same."

They kept on, ever on the alert for a sight of the Germans, ever
hoping for a sight of their own khaki-clad comrades. They appeared to
be marching away from the scene of the battle, or battles. The firing
became fainter. The country was now quite open, consisting of little
hills and valleys. Each time they came to a height which afforded
a place for observation, they looked all around. But all they saw,
besides an occasional deserted farmhouse, or patch of woods, were
rolling clouds of mist or smoke.

There had been considerable rain, and the ground was damp. The sun,
shining on this, caused the moisture to condense into fog that swirled
about here and there. The day had begun wonderfully clear, but now it