, having put a
sufficient distance between them and himself he sat down and indulged in
a whinny--a curious collection of sounds which every school-boy is an
adept at, having, no doubt, times out of number, tried the nerves of
some irascible master by repeating them from the remote and unobserved
depths of his class-room, together with cat-calls and other
pleasantries. Half an hour later Phil and Tony had met, and were
crawling away towards the Cossack outposts. Stealing through the long
grass, and avoiding stones and small patches of corn which were spread
thereabouts, they were soon near the post occupied by the horsemen.

"We'll get alongside that wall," whispered Phil, pulling Tony's sleeve
in the direction he meant. "It is not a long one, and by crawling to
the end and squeezing against it, we ought to be able to see our
gentleman without ourselves being observed."

Accordingly they crept to the wall, which surrounded a potato field, and
advancing cautiously were soon at the corner, where, lying side by side,
they searched the darkness for the Cossack horseman.

"Can't see him anywhere," muttered Phil in an undertone.

"Here, what's that?" asked Tony excitedly, pointing in front of him.

Before Phil had time to answer, there was a hoarse cry of astonishment,
and a figure which had been leaning upon the wall just round the corner
started out, and, lowering a lance, rushed at them. The weapon struck
the ground between them, narrowly missing Phil's arm. Next moment Tony
had sprung at the Cossack with a low cry, and had felled him to the
ground with a powerful blow from his fist.

"Didn't I say I'd do for yer if yer winked yer blessed eye?" he said
breathlessly. "Move again and I'll stick yer through with the lance."

But even if the Russian had been able to understand, he was not in the
condition which would allow him to prove offensive, for the fist had
crashed like a sledge-hammer into his face, and he now lay motionless
and stunned upon the ground. Phil picked up the lance, and while they
lay still, in case the slight noise should have aroused the next outpost
he produced his knife and commenced to cut it in half. It was soon
done, and, keeping the head armed with the spear-point, he handed the
other to Tony, and they once more rose to their knees and crept
stealthily away into the darkness. Ten minutes later they were walking
briskly in the direction of Sebastopol.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

THE HI