itting out with his naked fists.

Vaguely he noticed the sameness of the faces about him. A short wiry man
sprang at him, and with a broken sword, stabbed him in the left
shoulder. Alexis caught him by the throat with his right hand, and the
man gave a choking screech as he lifted him clear off the ground.

As he did so, someone behind him struck him a heavy blow on the head
with the butt of a revolver. With a last furious effort he turned upon
his foes, and dashed the man he held by the throat full into their
faces; fell forward upon the body and, with a great sob, he shuddered
and lay still.

And there, on the battlefield on the plains of Poland, lay the bodies of
the two American lads and, a short distance away, that of Alexis, the
giant Cossack, their friend.

CHAPTER VI.

MARQUIS.

The Russian cavalry, outnumbered by the Germans, had continued to give
ground and the Germans were still in pursuit. But now, from the distance
arose a cloud of dust, and a moment later, in a headlong dash to save
their companions, came a second body of Cossack cavalry, 5,000 strong,
to give battle to the Germans.

Down they came upon the unprepared Germans, with yells and shouts, their
horses running free. At the same time that part of the first Cossack
body which still remained reformed and sprang forward.

The Germans turned and fled.

Then from the trenches came forth columns of infantry, supported by
field batteries, and in a moment these had opened upon the advancing
Russian horsemen; but in spite of this hail of death, the Cossacks did
not falter nor pause. Straight up to the mouth of the field guns they
rode--sabering the gunners right and left--and in a few moments these
had been silenced.

Then the Cossacks turned their attention to the infantry, which, firing
with machine-like precision and accuracy, dealt havoc to the ranks of
the Russian horsemen and mowed them down.

Several squadrons of Cossacks dismounted and approached the foe on foot,
and soon the fighting became hand to hand. The standard-bearer suddenly
threw up his hands and fell over backward, the colors fluttering to the
ground.

A German officer, thinking to capture the flag, jumped forward, and
leaning down laid his hand upon it; but at that moment a hairy, snarling
body sprang forward, straight at the German's throat. The latter
released his hold on the flag and jumped to his feet to ward off the
attack of this strange enemy, which he cou