Then with a shout, Will rushed forward, followed by the other boys
and the home guard man.

"Hands up!" shouted the latter, leveling his pistol at something that
moved among the bushes. "Stand where you are."

Like a flash of lightning the man wriggled out from his cover, and
made a dash for liberty. With a yell, the guard ran forward, firing
as he went, with the boys close at his heels.

"Oh, oh, they'll get shot!" wailed Amy, her hands before her face. "I
don't see why we couldn't have left the old thing alone, anyway."

"That's a nice thing to say!" cried Mollie, trembling with
excitement. "Is that your idea of patriotism, to let a spy get away
right under our very noses?"

"It's a good deal better than having the boys shot right under our
very noses," retorted Amy with spirit.

"We'll be lucky if we don't get shot ourselves," said Grace, almost
in hysterics. "Oh, there goes another one. I wonder who got shot that
time."

"Let's go and see," said Betty, pale, but determined, "It isn't like
us to stand in the background, when there may be something to do."

"But, Betty," wailed Amy, "we may get shot."

"Well, then, we shall," cried Betty, turning upon her fiercely. "That