"
Uncle John was the brother of Chester's mother. All had been bound for
home when Hal and Chester had become involved in a matter that took them
forward with the Italian troops. Uncle John had been along to keep them
out of mischief, if he could. He hadn't succeeded and had fallen into the
hands of the Austrians. The boys had saved him. Later they had been
forced to seek refuge in the Balkans, having found it impossible to get
back into the Italian lines, and they had lost Uncle John. Their arrival
in Marseilles had really been the first step toward a return to Rome,
where they intended to try and find their mothers.
But their plans to return to Rome did not materialize. As Hal said: "Luck
was with us."
In a little room in a Marseilles restaurant they had overheard a
conversation between two men, plainly foreigners, that had resulted in
their once more being sent on active service. While they had been unable
to gather all the details, they had learned enough to know that the
German Crown Prince had laid careful plans for an attack on Verdun. They
had taken their information to the French commanding officer in
Marseilles. The latter had been somewhat skeptical, but Colonel Derevaux,
an old friend of the boys, had arrived at the psychological moment and
vouched for them.
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