ccepted your terms. May I never
again witness such anger as was his when I presented your letter. It
was not till the last moment that he yielded to my entreaties and
those of his staff, and ordered the white flag to be hoisted."

"Yes," replied Natas. "He tempted his fate to the last moment. The
guns were already trained upon Cuestrin, and thirty seconds more would
have seen his headquarters in ruins. He did wisely, if he acted
tardily."

So saying, Natas broke the imperial seal. On a sheet of paper bearing
the imperial arms were scrawled three or four lines in the Autocrat's
own handwriting--

I accept your main terms. The air-ship has joined the Baltic
fleet. She will be delivered to you with all on board. The four
men are my subjects, and I feel bound to protect them; they will
therefore not be delivered up. Do as you like.

ALEXANDER.

"A Royal answer, though it comes from a despot," said Natas as he
refolded the paper. "I will waive that point, and let him protect the
traitors, if he can. Colonel Alexandrovitch," he continued, turning
to the Russian, who had also boarded the air-ship, "you are free. You
may return to your war-balloon, and accompany us to give the order
for the release of your squadron."

"Free!" suddenly screamed the Russian, his face livid and distorted
with passion. "Free, yes, but disgraced! Ruined for life, and
degraded to the ranks! I want no freedom from you. I will not even
have my life at your hands, but I will have yours, and rid the earth
of you if I die a thousand deaths!"

As he spoke he wrenched his sword from its scabbard, thrust the
Professor aside, and rushed at Natas with the uplifted blade. Before
it had time to descend a stream of pale flame flashed over the back
of the Master's chair, accompanied by a long, sharp rattle, and the
Russian's body dropped instantly to the deck riddled by a hail of
bullets.

"I saw murder in that man's eyes when he began to speak," said
Natasha, putting back into her pocket the magazine pistol that she
had used with such terrible effect.

"I saw it too, daughter," quietly replied Natas. "But you need not
have been afraid; the blow would never have reached me, for I would
have paralysed him before he could have made the stroke."

"Impossible! No man could have done it!"

The exclamation burst involuntarily from the lips of Professor
Volnow, who had stood by, an amazed and horrified spectator of the
rapidly enacte