The Moving Picture Boys on the War Front, Or, the Hunt for the Stolen Army Films (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1918 edition. Excerpt: ...grew more excited, and finally, turning to the boys, said in English, which he spoke fluently: "I regret to tell you there has been a mistake." "A mistake " cried Blake. "Yes. Owing to some error, those men were released before the war authorities could apprehend them. They have gone ashore " CHAPTER XIII UNDER SUSPICION Blake, Joe and Charles looked at one another. Then they glanced at Captain Merceau. For one wild moment Blake had it in mind to suspect the commander; but a look at his face, which showed plainly how deeply chagrined he was at the failure to keep the two under surveillance, told the young moving picture operator that there was no ground for his thought. "They got away " repeated Joe, as though he could hardly believe it. "Yes, I regret to say that is what my officer reports to me. It is too bad; but I will at once send out word, and they may be traced and apprehended. I'll at once send word to the authorities." This he did by the same messenger who had brought the intelligence that the Frenchman and the German had secretly left. When this had been done, and the boys had got themselves ready to go ashore and report, Captain Merceau told them how it had happened. He ha3 given orders, following the report made by Blake and his chums, that Secor and Labenstein should be kept under careful watch. And this was to be done without allowing them to become aware of it. "However, I very much doubt if this was the case," the captain frankly admitted. "They are such scoundrels themselves-that they would naturally suspect others of suspecting them. So they must have become aware of our plans, and then they made arrangements to elude the guard I set over them." "How did they do that?" asked Blake. "By a trick. One of them pretended to be ill...