ither Phil or Tony could utter an exclamation, the unhappy Cossack,
overpowered by drink, had lost his hold and fallen like a sack to the
ground, where he lay huddled in a heap, while a crimson stream ran from
his ears and nose.

Phil crept to his side and found that he was dead.

"We are saved our trouble," he said sorrowfully. "The poor fellow has
smashed his skull. What's to be done, Tony?"

His friend looked blankly round and shook his head.

"Blest if I know, Phil! Here we are with two Russian coves, one of them
dead, and here we've got to stick for a matter of four hours and more.
It beats me. The farmer chap saw them both come in here, and it won't
take long for him to search. It's a regular fixer."

"And the worst of it is too, Tony, that if we are found with this dead
man we shall be accused of having killed him. I have it. We'll hoist
him to the loft again, and place the other fellow alongside him. Then
we'll take up our quarters there. If we are discovered we can make a
good fight for it, and if the farmer comes in search he may think his
unwelcome visitors have left the shed to investigate some other spot and
will return to his house."

Tony looked at his friend as if to say, "Well, you're a good 'un," and,
without venturing on a remark, stepped to the wall and returned with the
traces which had already served as a rope. One of these was buckled
round the dead man, and the other trace attached. Then both climbed
into the loft and hoisted their burden after them. Another trip and the
still unconscious figure of their enemy Petroff was dragged up beside
them. The harness was returned to its peg, and with a hasty glance
round to make sure that there was nothing about the shed to show that a
struggle had taken place within it, Phil and Tony climbed into the
hay-loft and sat down to regain their breath and rest after their
exertions.

Two hours passed almost in silence, when Phil suddenly slapped his knee
and gave a sharp exclamation of delight.

"We'll reach our friends yet, old man," he said enthusiastically. "I've
thought the whole thing over and have decided what to do. At first I
imagined that our best way would be to relieve these gentlemen of their
clothing in exchange for ours. But it would not do. If we were
captured it would mean a file of muskets at six in the morning, for we
should certainly be condemned as spies."

Tony grunted hoarsely, showing that he had a decided dislik