came along," he said. He turned to Stubbs. "What will
you have?"

"Thanks, I don't drink," said Stubbs fearfully.

"Now, Mr. Stubbs!" said Ivan with a comical grin.

Hal now decided the affair had gone far enough.

"Listen to me, Ivan," he said quietly. "Stubbs doesn't want any wine and
neither do the rest of us. You have had enough."

"And what have you to do with it?" demanded Ivan loudly.

"Just this," said Hal, and produced a revolver. "Before I'll stand for
any more of this nonsense, I'll put a hole through you. Understand?"

Ivan looked at the lad, apparently bewildered, for some moments. Then he
said with a laugh:

"Don't you ever shoot at me with that gun. Not ever!"

He rose to his feet and faced Hal threateningly. The lad was nonplussed.
He had no idea that his bluff wouldn't work. He knew of course that he
could never shoot the Cossack.

It was Chester who saved the day.

"Ivan," he said quietly. "That's not your money."

"What--what's that?" said Ivan, turning to him suddenly.

"I said that's not your money. Surely you are not a thief?"

"A thief?" cried Ivan. "Who says I am a thief?"

"I do, if you touch the money in the bag you hold there," said
Chester quietly.

For a moment it seemed that the big Cossack would spring upon Chester;
but the lad stood his ground, and suddenly Ivan sank down in a chair.

"No, I'm not a thief," he mumbled. "I'm not going to be a thief."

He threw the bag of gold down heavily on the table and looked
thoughtfully into space.

Chester approached him and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"There," he said calmly, "I knew you wouldn't. This, you know, is the
king's money. You wouldn't touch that?"

"No," said Ivan, then added hastily: "but I have touched it. I bought
wine with it; and it wasn't my money."

His remorse was so apparent that Chester was forced to smile.

"Why, that's all right," he said. "You are going to pay him back. Now
come with us."

Again Ivan was silent for several moments.

"That's right," he said at last. "I'm going to pay him back." He rose
to his feet. "Come, I shall go with you," and they all passed out into
the night.

CHAPTER XIX.

INTO SERBIA.

Two days later and we find our friends once more in the air and sailing
swiftly toward the rising sun.

"Seems to me we should be along about there some place," declared Hal,
taking his eyes from the distance ahead for a brief moment.

"Unless you have not gauged your co