If that had been done, it would have complicated his position, because he could scarcely have hoped to get out of his shelter without making some noise.

But this was a precaution that apparently did not suggest itself to the Germans.
And so, as soon as they were well out of hearing, Fred scrambled out, leaving his dangerous coats and helmets behind, and began trudging boldly along the road.

He did not know the character of the wooded section through which the road now ran, and it seemed to him that he would be safer in the road than if he tried to walk under cover.
Fred was very tired.

And, now that the excitement was fading, he was beginning to realize that he had not escaped entirely scatheless from the wreck of the car.

Every bone and muscle in his body was sore and aching, and he wondered how many black and blue spots he would find when he got a chance to look for them.
By Ivan's reckoning, he had something like two miles to go to reach the Russian outposts.