man."

He went out, and I went to the cellar. I raised poor Josef in my arms
and bore him into the passage and thence towards the door of the house.
Just inside I laid him down, remembering that I must find spades for our
task. At this instant Sapt came up.

"The horses are all right; there's the own brother to the one that
brought you here. But you may save yourself that job."

"I'll not go before he's buried."

"Yes, you will."

"Not I, Colonel Sapt; not for all Ruritania."

"You fool!" said he. "Come here."

He drew me to the door. The moon was sinking, but about three hundred
yards away, coming along the road from Zenda, I made out a party of men.
There were seven or eight of them; four were on horseback and the rest
were walking, and I saw that they carried long implements, which I
guessed to be spades and mattocks, on their shoulders.

"They'll save you the trouble," said Sapt. "Come along."

He was right. The approaching party must, beyond doubt, be Duke
Michael's men, come to remove the traces of their evil work. I hesitated
no longer, but an irresistible desire seized me.

Pointing to the corpse of poor little Josef, I said to Sapt:

"Colonel, we ought to strike a blow for him!"

"You'd like to give him some company, eh! But it's too risky work, your
Majesty."

"I must have a slap at 'em," said I.

Sapt wavered.

"Well," said he, "it's not business, you know; but you've been good
boy--and if we come to grief, why, hang me, it'll save us lot of
thinking! I'll show you how to touch them."

He cautiously closed the open chink of the door.

Then we retreated through the house and made our way to the back
entrance. Here our horses were standing. A carriage-drive swept all
round the lodge.

"Revolver ready?" asked Sapt.

"No; steel for me," said I.

"Gad, you're thirsty tonight," chuckled Sapt. "So be it."

We mounted, drawing our swords, and waited silently for a minute or two.
Then we heard the tramp of men on the drive the other side of the house.
They came to a stand, and one cried:

"Now then, fetch him out!"

"Now!" whispered Sapt.

Driving the spurs into our horses, we rushed at a gallop round the
house, and in a moment we were among the ruffians. Sapt told me
afterwards that he killed a man, and I believe him; but I saw no more of
him. With a cut, I split the head of a fellow on a brown horse, and he
fell to the ground. Then I found myself opposite a big man, and I was
half co