Under a War-Torn Sky

The three travelers continue in their boat and at night they arrive at Bern. The boatman and the schoolteacher prop Henry up against a column and leave him, telling him to wait. Two nurses arrive and take him to the hospital, where he gets surgery for his broken ankle.

Samuel Watson, special assistant to the US Ambassador, tells him that although 500 American airmen are in a camp in Adelboden, Switzerland, and conditions there are good, the neutrality of the Swiss government is not guaranteed. It would be better if Henry left Switzerland for France, and Watson promises to assist him. The French Resistance will also help him get to Spain and then Portugal, from where he will take a boat to England.

A drawback is that Henry is not allowed to write to his parents, as that would jeopardize his safety. It distresses Henry that he cannot let his mother know he is alive, but he accepts the conditions that Watson lays out.

Four weeks later, Henry leaves the hospital and is put on a train to Adelboden, escorted by a Swiss soldier. Henry knows he must exit the train before arriving there, but he has no idea of what the plan is.