CHAPTER VIII

THE SPIES IN THE CAMP

"By jing! I'm awfully glad to see you," said Joe, as the boys appeared. "Excuse me for not shaking with the right hand, but that is out of commission, and the left is not much better. And how have you been? Oh, I heard all about you. Lieutenant Guyon! poor fellow! he was a brick; sure enough. Too bad he had such a weak heart! That's what did him up. Say, do you know when we got the first reports we understood that both of you went under; and say; did you ever get hold of any of the New York papers that wrote you up? Fine obituaries! Makes a fellow feel good to read about yourself after you're dead. I have some notices of the same kind about myself."

Ralph and Alfred laughed, as Joe rattled on.

"But tell me," he continued, "what have you been doing the past six months?"

"Why, we've been in the artillery service," said Ralph.

Joe arose and looked at them straight and hard, as he replied:

"Artillery service? You don't mean it? And where?" he asked.

"Directly east of Amiens. We just came out of the hospital," said Alfred.

"Out of the hospital? Were you in the big drive? Wasn't that a dandy? So you got peppered up there, eh?" he asked.

"Well, yes; we were in that from the first; but they never touched us; we got hurt after the battle was over; accidental bomb explosion on the battlefield," replied Ralph.

"Tell us about yourself," said Alfred. "How did you happen to lose your right arm?"

"Tried to bring down too many of them in one day, I suppose. Oh, they gave me a tough fight; but they came down when I did."

"So you are not flying now?" remarked Alfred with a rueful voice.

"No," said Joe, looking down and slowly shaking his head. "I can do it as well as ever, but they won't let me."

"See here, Joe; we've got something that's bothering us; we believe we are on the trail of a spy. He acts like it. It's a peddler. I followed him around, and both of us noticed some suspicious-looking things on his part," said Ralph.

"A peddler!" remarked Joe. "Why, I saw a peddler around here a half hour ago. Fellows of that kind need watching. Go on investigating. I am awfully sorry I can't move around as I used to, or I would help you out."

"What is the matter with your foot?" asked Alfred, as he now saw a bandage above the ankle.

"Oh, that was only a part of the damage. Go on, boys; see the commandant; here, let me give you a note; now, take it over to that low building in front of the brown warehouse," said Joe.

"Thank you for the hint," said Alfred.

"Don't forget to come back; I want to talk with you," remarked Joe, as he waved his hand in the parting salute.

The peddler was nowhere to be seen as they hurried across the field. The boys were too much excited to open and read the note which Joe had given them.

"Is the commandant in?" asked Alfred, as they approached the guard.

An orderly appeared, and to him Ralph handed the note. It was at once taken into the officer's room. The orderly came out smiling, bowed and said:

"Col. Winston wishes you to step in."

They were met at the door by the officer, who grasped their hands warmly as he said:

"You don't know how happy I am to meet you. My brother always speaks so affectionately of you, and my sister is really much hurt because you left Dunkirk without seeing her."

The boys were astonished. Ralph was the first to speak:

"Are you Lieutenant Winston's brother?"

"Did he recover from the fall in the airship?" asked Alfred.

"Yes, and he says that without you he would have been crushed to death; we are certainly thankful to you. And now, what can I do for you? Joe says you have something important to communicate to me without delay," said the colonel, glancing at the note.

"We may be mistaken," said Ralph, "but we think we have spotted a spy."

"Where?" asked the colonel, as he arose from the chair. "Here in the camp?"

"Yes, right here; over in the warehouse and at the hangars, and he acted so suspiciously before he reached the camp that we've been trailing him," said Alfred.

The colonel tapped a bell. The orderly appeared. "Send for Captain Rose. Tell him it is urgent," said the colonel.

"We ought to be out looking for the fellow, for we missed him as we came across the grounds. He's a peddler," said Ralph.

"The captain is out on duty and cannot be here for a half hour, so he informs me over the wire," said the orderly.

"Then suppose I go out and tell Joe to watch that end of the field, and from there I will go to the entrance. Probably they,——"

"Wait one moment," said the colonel, interrupting, as he turned to the orderly. "'Phone to the corporal of the gate squad and ask whether a peddler has passed out within the past half hour; if not, tell him to arrest a peddler if he attempts to go out."

"I will go over to the warehouse," said Alfred. "I have an idea he is sneaking around in that part of the grounds."

"Good idea," said the colonel. "Hand this to the officer in charge," he said, as he sat down and wrote a few lines on a pad, and handed it to Alfred.

The latter lost no time in presenting himself to the officer in charge.

"Is this Lieutenant Brand?" asked Alfred, as he addressed a trim-looking officer.

"Yes; at your service," was the reply. He looked at the note.

"What is this?" he continued.

"A spy, we think," said Alfred.

"Do you mean he has been here?" said the officer in an incredulous tone.

"Yes; not more than a half hour ago," answered Alfred, "and he is here somewhere on the grounds; we are trying to find him."

"One moment; there is a call on the 'phone; excuse me," said the lieutenant, as he disappeared into the next room.

"Yes, he is here!" Alfred heard the lieutenant say. "Do you want him?"

Alfred was moving toward the door when the lieutenant appeared and announced: "They have arrested a peddler at the gate. The colonel wishes to speak to you."

Alfred took the receiver. "They have the peddler at the gate. They are bringing him over now, so be kind enough to get here at once," was the message.

Alfred hurried to the commandant's office, and met Ralph at the door.

"Too bad; they have gotten the wrong peddler. He is in that room. Look in through the door and see what you think," said Ralph.

Alfred waited and finally obtained a glimpse. "No, it doesn't look like the man we spotted. What was this fellow selling?" asked Alfred.

"There's his pack," said the orderly.

"That looks just like the pack that our peddler had. Same kind of things, too; same strap,—and that flap; well,—I'll bet he belongs to the other fellow, or knows something about him," said Alfred.

"What is that?" said the colonel, as he entered and heard the last remark.

"I just said that this pack is just the same, the flap and the belt are exactly like the one the peddler had that we are after, and although that doesn't look like the man, I wouldn't be surprised if he belonged to the same gang," answered Alfred.

"I have a way that will tell the story," said Ralph. "Where are the things that were taken from him?" he asked.

"In my office," said the colonel; "come in and look them over."

They made a careful examination of the peddler's pockets, and Ralph shook his head doubtfully.

"Where is his money?" said Alfred.

"That's it!" almost shouted Ralph.

The arresting officer was directed to bring in the money, and the moment it was deposited on the table both boys stared at the paper wrapped around it.

"I think we know some of the figures on that paper," said Ralph.

The colonel looked at the boys incredulously. "If you do," he said, "I should call it some pretty fine detective work."

"There are figures here," said the officer, unwrapping the paper.

"Do you see 42 there?" asked Ralph.

"Yes," replied the officer.

"Now, right next to it or very near, is there a figure 8, and then 3?"

The officer looked at Ralph in amazement. "That is just what I note here, and in the order you have given," he said.

"Now look for the following numbers, which ought to be up somewhere above those you have just mentioned: 10, 8 and 6. Do you find them there?" asked Alfred.

"Yes," replied the officer. "But there is another amount here, 14."

"That represents the fourteen unpacked aeroplanes," said Alfred.

"What do you know about them?" asked the colonel.

"Joe told me there were that many in the cases," answered Alfred.

"Well, I wonder where that fellow has hidden himself?" said Ralph.

"How did you know about the numbers on that paper?" asked the colonel.

"We saw him put them down; and that is what created the suspicion in our minds," said Alfred.

"One thing more," said Ralph. "May I examine the paper?"

He scanned it from top to bottom, then turned to the colonel. "How many men," he asked, "were in the regiment that came in about an hour ago?"

The colonel turned to the orderly. The latter replied: "890, according to the rolls, if you mean the 23d Essex."

"There it is," said Ralph, pointing to the figures.

The colonel stooped over. "Where is 890? What you are pointing to is 8.90, and it may have reference to the sales he made to the members of the regiment," he observed.

"But he didn't make any sales to any of the fellows there," said Alfred.

"Are you sure of that?" asked the colonel.

"We are both sure of that," replied Ralph, "and what is still more, here is 23 right above it with an X following. Doesn't that mean the 23d Essex regiment?"

"Well, I consider that a pretty piece of reasoning from observation," said the colonel.

The boys turned to the colonel and fairly stared at him.

"I hope I have not offended you."

"No; we didn't feel that way about your remark, but it reminded me of the lesson that the captain of the artillery company gave us one night on the value of observation," said Alfred.

"Bring in the man; I think we have a clear case," ordered the colonel.

He was ushered in and the colonel addressed him. "When did you come into the grounds?"

"About an hour ago," was the reply.

"Were you on the grounds when the Essex regiment arrived?"

"Yes."

"This paper which was wrapped around your money contains an account of the sales you made at various times; is that so?"

"Yes."

"What was the sum total of the sales you made to the regiment?"

He leaned forward and glanced over the paper, as he responded:

"Eight francs and nine centimes."

"What did you sell that brought 23 centimes?" asked the colonel with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Are you sure that 23 meant centimes?"

The man's face paled, and for the first time he hesitated to reply promptly. The colonel gave him no time to collect his thoughts.

"What does the X stand for following 23?"

"Ten."

"Ten what?"

"The profit I made."

"On what? On the 8.90?"

"Yes," was the relieved reply.

"Put him under guard," ordered the colonel.

As the man was led away, Ralph said: "While he is dressed differently, and appears to look somewhat unlike the peddler we spotted, I think it is the same man," said Ralph.

"That pack might show something. Do you object if we take out all the things?" asked Alfred.

"Of course not; that fellow is guilty; I am sure of that," said the colonel.

The goods were unpacked. In the bottom, neatly folded, was the identical suit that the peddler wore when the boys first noticed him.

"He simply shifted suits somewhere in the grounds, and altered his personal appearance. I regard that as very clever, on your part, boys, and the service shall be rewarded," said the colonel. "Now, tell me about your adventures since you left Dunkirk."

For an hour the boys were busy telling the colonel about their experiences, their work in the aerial corps, and in the artillery, to all of which he listened with the most intense interest. At the close of the interview the colonel said:

"Where are you now staying?"

"Anywhere, and nowhere," said Ralph, with a laugh.

"Well, you are entitled to a comfortable place, and you shall have it right here. The orderly will see that you are well taken care of; here, Cameron, put up the boys and see that they get anything they want."

"Thank you," replied both. As they were passing out the door, an officer was about to enter.

"One moment, boys; this is Captain Rose, in charge of the Secret Service. We have had an interesting experience since you left this morning, Captain. Go over to the quarter with the boys and they will tell you about it, for I shall depend on your co-operation to convict the fellow."