remarked naïvely that he would be glad to share their rations until they
passed him on.

"Very well, Castel," said Lieutenant Schmidt, "you shall have your
share, but I must take you first to our colonel. He will have important
questions to ask you."

"I'm ready," said John in an indifferent tone. But as he went with the
men he noted as well as he could, without attracting attention to
himself, the German position. Rifle pits and trenches appeared at
irregular intervals, but the mountains themselves furnished the chief
fortifications. In such country as this it would be difficult for either
side to drive back the other, a fact which the enemies themselves seemed
to concede, as there was no firing on this portion of the line. But at
points far to the west the great guns muttered, and their faint echoes
ran through the gorges.

The path led around one of the crests, and they came to a little cluster
of tiny huts, which John knew to be the quarters of officers. Snug, too,
they looked, with smoke coming out of stovepipes that ran through the
roofs of several of them. A tall man, broad of shoulder, slender of
waist, blue of eye, yellow of hair, and not more than thirty, came
forward to meet them. John recognized at once a typical German officer
of high birth, learned in his trade, arrogant, convinced of his own
superiority, but brave and meaning to be fair.

"A peasant of Lorraine, sir," said Lieutenant Schmidt. "He says that his
name is Jean Castel, and that he has been selling cattle. We found him
wandering between the lines. He was unarmed and he has considerable
money."