He rushed to a place where, through a crisscross of beams and planks,
he could see daylight. Yet, though there were openings, none of them
was large enough to permit the passage of the smallest of the five
Brothers. And the wooden beams and planks were all of extraordinary
thickness.

"We're trapped! Trapped! And the fire coming nearer!" half sobbed Bob.

And then he saw through the crisscross of beams, coming toward the
burning mill, a man who seemed to be an American officer. And yet he
wore no such uniform as Bob had ever seen before.

"Steady, boys!" cried this strange rescuer, as he glimpsed them. "I'll
soon have you out! Wait! Don't bring the ruins down on top of you!"




CHAPTER XII

MUCH WONDERING


Through the splintered and tangled crisscross of beams, planks and
boards which barred their way to freedom, as some iron grill or
lattice work might have kept in some ancient prisoner, the Khaki Boys
looked at the man who had shouted to them; the man who had said he
would rescue them. And he spoke with a calmness and confidence that
was in strange contrast to the scene of terror, noise and confusion
which was behind the boys--a danger that was ever coming nearer as the