Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-08-08

his second did not.
latter to summon his great brute
strength and shake off his less gigantic
opponent and to draw his pistol.
"Quick, Alan!" gasped Jack. "He's
got away from me. Help
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 an instructive gesture of self preser-
walton. Even as he lost his balance he
heard a sharp click directly in front of
him. The jailer had pulled the trigger,
and his pistol-contract made and out
of order, like many of the weapons of
posts-had missed fire.
To that luckiest Of mishaps, the fail
ure Of a defective cartridge to explode,
the friends owed their momentary
safety.
AS Alan pitched forward one of his
QUITTING arms struck against an obsta-
Gle. 1t was a human figure, and from
the feel Of the leather straps which his
fingers touched in the impact he knew
it was the jailer and not Lamont.
Old football tactics coming to men,
DRY, Alan chung to the man his arm
had CHANGED upon and bore him along
to the ground, Jack, who had pressed
forward in the darkness, being carried
down as we'll by the others fall.
Ja1ler, prince and Englishman thus
struggled on the stone floor in one in
d1stinguishable heap. 1t was no ordi-
nary combat Of two to one, for neither
Of the prisoners could say which was
the jailer and which his friend. The
jailer, troubled by no such doubts. laid
about him Justify and was only pre-
vented from crying out by the fact
that his heavy fur cap had in the fall
become jammed down over his face
as far as the chin and could not for
the moment be dislodged.
He reached for and drew the sword
bayonet that hung at his side, for his
second pistol had become lost in the
scrimmage, and thrust blindly about
him. Once. twice his blade met re-
s%istance and struck into flesh.
"Jack," painted Alan. ''the beasts
stabbing. Get yourself loose and find
the electric light"
AS he spoke Alan's hand found the
jailer's throat. He knew it was not
Jacks from the rough beard that COW
cred 1t. The jailer, maddened by the
pressure, stabbed with fresh fury, most
Of his blows fortunately going wild in
the darkness.
Alan's free hand reached for and To-
Gated the arm that was welding the
bayonet, and for a moment the two
wrestled desperately for Its possession,
Then a key clicked and the room was
flooded with incandescent light, just
as Alan, releasing his grip on the Rus.
slams throat, dealt him a short arm
blow on the chin with all the power
of his practiced muscles. The jailer
relaxed his tense limbs and lay still,
while Alan, bleeding and exhausted.
struggled to his feet.
"Hot work, eh?" he painted. lizard
position to land a knockout from. But
I caught him just right. He'll trouble
us no more for a few minutes, 1 fancy
You're bleeding! Did he wound your
"Only a scratch along my cheek
And you?"
"a cut on the wrist and another on
the shoulder, I think. Neither of then
bad, thanks to the lack of aim in the
dark. Close call, that! Now to tic
them UP. Not a movement from either
yet"
"You must have come close to killing
them with those sledge hammer blows
of yours"
eft doesn't much matter" said the
im%perturbable pugilist, 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
revolvers."
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,
bottled the door leading to the military
quarters, then descended and bolted
the bottom door.
'Now for the clerk, and then for the
governor"
The clerks room connected with the
armory, which was reached by pass.
ing through the apartment that held
turbine and dynamo, which they found
purring away merrily.
Covering the frightened clerk with
four revolvers, Jack told him in Rus.
sian that IL he made a sound 1t would
be his last. They took him. opened
cell No. 8. which was empty. and
thrust him in.
Jangling the keys. the two entered
the governors room. The ancient man
looked up, but not a muscle Of his face
changed. Even his fshy eyes showed