He too
knew the vital nature of his errand, but his instant decision gave a
wrench to his whole being. He saw the Uhlans breaking through the woods
and John before them. He was standing beside the _Arrow_, and giving the
machine a sharp push he sprang in and rose at a sharp angle.
"Up! Up, Philip!" John continued to cry, until the cold edge of a lance
lay against his throat and a brusque voice bade him to surrender.
"All right, I yield," said John, "but kindly take your lance away. It's
so sharp and cold it makes me feel uncomfortable."
As he spoke he continued to look upward. The _Arrow_ was soaring higher
and higher, and the Uhlans were firing at it, but they were not able to
hit such a fleeting target. In another minute it was out of range.
John felt the cold steel come away from his throat, and satisfied that
Lannes with his precious message was safe, he looked at his captors.
They were about thirty in number, Prussian Uhlans.
"Well," said John to the one who seemed to be their leader, "what do you
want with me?"
"To hold you prisoner," replied the man, in excellent English--John was
always surprised at the number of people on the continent who spoke
English--"and to ask you why we find an American here in French
uniform."
The man who spoke was young, blond, ruddy, and his tone was rather
humorous. John had been too much in Germany to hate Germans. He liked
most of them personally, but for many of their ideas, ideas which he
considered deadly to the world, he had an intense dislike.
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