"'I must be close to a nest of them,' he muttered. 'I must find out
about those fellows, for the commanders will wish to know about them.'
Creeping cautiously ahead he came to the edge of a clearing, a vast
open space where the timber had, he judged, been cut off some time
since, and the brush growth that followed the cutting of the trees had
by now been well trampled down by the Germans, who appeared to be
making this out-of-the-way place a sort of headquarters for their
operations. He was amazed at what he saw.

"There, before Henri's eyes, was a small German army, all branches of
the service being represented. His association with the French Army
enabled him to observe very closely and understand what he saw. And in
this instance his observation told him that the Prussians were
preparing for battle; he knew, too, that the orders he was carrying
had to do with the very preparations he was witnessing. After fully
satisfying his curiosity Henri plunged again into the forest, using
great caution and watching keenly for stray Prussians. Finally he
reached the brush again, being now free of the forest itself.

"'Halt!'

"The command brought him up standing. He rarely had been caught
napping, but drew a breath of relief when he saw that the sentry who
had halted him was in the uniform of his own army.

"'France!' was the boy's answer to the challenge. 'I have a letter for
your commander.'

"'Pass!'