"That we see if there's a chance of getting down in the cellar and
staying there. Some of these old mills had very thick foundation
walls. I don't know just how long this one will stand up if many more
such shells as the first one came over, but we can try it. In fact, it
seems to be our only chance."

"All right--to the cellar!" cried Bob. "And don't forget to take with
us what food and water we can. Maybe we'll be held there some time.
If there's a big battle it may last several days, though if our boys
drive back the Huns we'll take the opportunity to slip out and join
our friends."

"That's right," agreed Jimmy. "Just think, fellows, what's happening
to us now may have happened to poor Maxwell. Maybe that's why he
hasn't been heard from. If we don't come back they'll list us as
missing, and no one will know whether we've run away, been killed or
captured. So we'll have to suspend judgment on the man that's got our
thousand dollars."

"That's so," agreed Franz. "I never looked at it in just that way. We
never thought this would happen to us, any more than I thought I'd be
captured."

They were gathering up such food as remained to them, and Bob was
looking for something in which to carry some water to the cellar, when
there came again that nerve-racking screech, followed by a roar and
bang that seemed to knock the very bottom out of the world itself.

And this time the boys were conscious, for a brief instant at least,