the chap as was going to tie us up and whop us!" he said,
with huge enjoyment. "He was going to give us a taste of the rope! He
shall have some himself soon, but for the present the dose of stick will
suit him."

Shaking his club at the unconscious man, he followed Phil out of the
carriage and closed the door. Both crawled beneath the cart till close
to the niches down which the Russian must climb, and waited eagerly for
his appearance. But there was not a sound above, and nothing but the
certainty that he had ascended to the loft to convince them that he was
there still.

"What has happened to him?" asked Phil. "Do you think he heard the
noise below, and has escaped through the trap-door?"

"Not he," Tony answered with assurance. "He's up there, p'r'aps hiding,
but most like dead asleep. Listen. Perhaps we'll hear him."

There was a minute's silence, when both heard heavy snoring from the
loft, and looked at one another, uncertain how to proceed.

"We're in a fix," said Phil shortly. "We dare not move out of this till
nightfall, for the surrounding country is open; and we cannot leave this
fellow asleep up there. He may pull himself together at any moment and
search for his friend. Also if we climb up to him we are likely to
rouse him, and he will give the alarm before he can be silenced."

"Yes, it's a real fix, Phil; but we've got to get out of it," muttered
Tony, scratching his head in bewilderment. "Why not sing out to him in
his own lingo and tell him to come down?" he suddenly suggested. "Then
as he gets close to the ground we can nobble him."

"Of course; just the thing;" and Phil, who had heard Petroff address his
friend as "Nicholas", called to him in a low voice.

At first there was no response; but presently the man above moved, and
they heard him grumble something, and evidently turn over to sleep
again.

"Nicholas, here are the English. Remember our reward," cried Phil in a
harsh tone.

"Ah, what?" they heard the man say. Then there were sounds as if he had
risen to his feet and fallen again. But he was evidently fully aroused,
and soon his legs appeared through the opening above searching for the
first of the niches. He found it, and commenced to descend, while Phil
and Tony crept a little closer and prepared to dart out from beneath the
shelter of the cart and overpower him. Suddenly there was an oath as
one foot slipped from its hold, then a sharp cry of fear, and before
e