Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-27


intervening walls, their purport reached
Jack.
Back to your place" he whispered.
they're comingr'
The rattle of bolts followed close on his
words The great door of Number One
swung ponderously inward The lantern
bearer. holding his light high in front Of
him, entered; then stepped to one side to
admit the gaoler, who came close after,
the tray of food in his outstretched hands.
Unluckly for the captives' plans it was
to the side of the cell opposite to that
where Alan crouched that the lantern
bearer had taken his stand. There no
way of reaching him at a bound. The open
door stood between. Were the gaoler to
be attacked first. his fellow-attendant could
readily be out of the cell and halfway up
the corridor before Alan might hope to
reach him.
The friends had counted on both men en-
tering the room together and crossing as
usual to the table. This change of plan
disconnected them. Already the gaoler had
set down his tray and was turning toward
the door. Alan, helpless. stood impotently
In the shadow, biting his blond mustache
with helpless rage. In another second their
cherished opportunity would vanish. And,
as the gaoler's next visit was to be to Num-
Der Two, discovery stared them in the eyes.
Here he called sharply to the lantern
bearer, bring your light. My electric APP
paratus Is out of order and I've mislaid
my matches I want to fix
The lantern-bearer. obediently. had ad
vanced into the room He was halfway
across 1t while Lamont was still speak
Ing. Then, from the corner of his eye. he
spIed Alan crouching in the angle behind
the door, now fully exposed to the rays
of the lantern
The man whirled about in alarm just as
Alan sprang. In consequence the English
mans mighty fist whizzed past his head,
missing 1t by fun inch.
The gaoler, recovering from his amaze,
whipped out one of the revoivers he
wore in his belt. But Jack leaping for
ward knocked it from his hand before he
could fire; and, with hand clapped
across the fellows bearded lips wound his
other arm about the stalwart body so as
to prevent for the instant the dra wing of
the second pistol.
Alans first blow had II issed clean: but
his second did not. Following up his right
hand blow with all trained boxers swift
dexterity he sent straight left-hander
flush on the angle of the light-hearer's Jaw.
The man dropped his lantern and collapsed
into a senseless heap on the floor. while
Alan, with no further delay. rushed toward
the gaOler.
The fall OF the lantern extinguished the
light The cell was again plunged In dense
blaCkness, through which could he heard
the painting and scuftiing of the prince and
the gaoler.
Barely a second of time had elapsed since
first Jack had seized the man. but that
second had sufficed for the latter to sum-
mon his great brute strength and shake off
his less gigantic opponent and to draw his
pistol
Quick. Alan" gasped Jack. Hes got
away from me. He'll
Drummond, guided by his friends voice,
darted forward through the darkness,
caught his foot against the sprawling body
OF the lantern bearer and fell heavily his
arms thrown out in instructive gesture
Of self-preservation. Even as he lost his
balance ne heard a sharp elk directly in
front of him. The gaoler had pulled the
n m NOT, n nd
out OF order, like many of the weapons of
common soldiers in Russia's frontier posts
had missed hre.
To that luckest OF mtshaps, the failure
of a defective cartridge TO explode, the
friends owed their momentary safety.
As Alan pitched forward, one of his out
flung arms struck against obstacle. 1t
a human figure ana from the feel of
the leather straps, which his fingers touched
in the impact, he knew it was the gaoler
and not Lamont.
Old foot ball tactics coming TO memory
Alan chung TO the man his arm had CHANGED
upon. and bore him along to the ground;
Jack. who had pressed forward in the dark
ness, being carried down well by the
others fall
Gaoler. prince and Englishman thus strug-
gled on the stone floor in one indistinguish-
able heap. 1t was no ordinary combat of
two to one, for neither of the prisoners
could say which was the goaler and which
his friend. The gaoler. troubled by no such
prevented from crying out by the fact that
his heavy fur cap had, in the fall, become
damned down over his face as far as the
chin and could not for the moment be dis
lodged
He reached for and drew the sword bay
onet that hung by his side dor his second
pistol had-become lost IN the scrmmage).
and thrust blindly about him. Once, twice
his blade met resistance and struck into
flesh
Jack" painted Alan. the beasts stab
bing. Get yourself loose and find the cleo
trio light
AS he spoke, Alan's hand found the
gaoler's throat. lie knew It was not Jacks
from the rough beard that covered it, The
gaoler maddened by the pressure stabbed
with fresh fury; most OF his blows fortu-
nately. going wild in the darkness.
Alan's free ha nd reached for and located
the arm that was welding the bayonet, and
for a moment the two wrestled desperately
for Its possession.
Then key clicked, and the room was
flooded with incandescent light tust as
Alan. releasing his grip on the Russians
throat. dealt him a short-arm blow on the
chin with all the power Of his practical
muscles The gaoler relaxed his tense limbs
and lay still, while Alan, bleeding and eX-
hausted, struggled TO his feet
Hot work, eh?" he painted. Hard posi-
ton TO land a knockout from. But 1 caught
him just right. He'll trouble us no more
for few minutes. I fancy. You're bleed
ing Did he wound your
Only "a scratch along my cheek And
your"
"A cut on the wrist and another on the
shoulder, l think. Neither of them bad,
thanks to the lack OF aim in the dark
Close call, that! Now to tie them up. Not
a movement from either yet"
You must have come close to killing
them with those sledge- hammer blows OF
yoursr'
1T doesn't much matter" said the I'M
perturbable puglist, they'll be all right In
half an hour It's knowing where to hit.
If there are only four men downstairs, we
don't need to wear the clothes of these
beasts. Let us take only the bunch of
keys and the revovers."
Securing these. the two stepped out into
the passage, locked and bolted the door:
then Jack, who knew his way. proceeded
along the passage to the stairway, leaped
nimbly up the steps, bolted the door lead
ing to the military quarters, then descend
ed and bolted the bottom door.
Now for the clerk, and then for the
governor"
The clerks room connected with the ar
mory, which reached by passing
through the apartment that held turbine
and dynamo which they found purring
away merrily.
Covering the frightened clerk with four
revoivers, Jack told him in Russian that If
he made sound 1t would be his last They
took him. opened cell No. 8, which was
empty. and thrust him in
Ia, live ke. Gnxr flaA sts.n ants -nd yha