ue the bound Englishman who was being twitted so outrageously on
his own and his country's supposed misfortunes. Who could they be? Were
they armed, and sufficiently numerous to rout the Germans? In any event,
how could they deliver an effective attack? He, Dalroy, took it for
granted that the imminent strangulation of the Guardsman, if successful,
was but the prelude to a sharp fight, since Von Halwig's death, though
supremely dramatic as an isolated incident, would neither benefit the
prisoners nor conduce to the well-being of the people in the loft. How,
then, did they purpose dealing with a score of trained soldiers, who
must already be fidgeting in the rain, and whose leader, the corporal,
might look in at any moment to ascertain what was delaying the young
staff captain. Discipline was all very well, but these hussars belonged
to a crack regiment, and their colonel would resent strongly the
needless exposure of his men and horses to inclement weather. Moreover,
how easy it was for the corporal to convey a polite hint to Von Halwig
by asking if the chauffeur should not turn the car in readiness for his
departure!

All this, and more, cascaded through Dalroy's brain while his enemy was
lighting the second cigarette. He was in the plight of a shipwrecked
sailor clinging to a sinking craft, who saw a lifeboat approaching, yet
dared neither look at nor signal to it. He must bend all his energies
now to the task of keeping Von Halwig occupied. What would happen when
the noose coiled around the orator's neck? Would it tighten with
sufficient rapidity to choke a cry for help? Would it fall awkwardly,
and warn him? Were any of the troopers so placed that they could see
into that section of the barn, and thus witness their officer's
extraordinary predicament? Who could tell? How might a man form any sort
of opinion as to the yea or nay of a juggler's feat which savoured of
black magic?

Dalroy gave up the effort to guess what the next half-minute might bring
forth. Those mysterious beings up there needed the best help he could
offer, and his powers in that respect were strictly limited to two
channels--he must egg on the talker--he must not watch that rope.

"I am ready to admit Germany's strength on land," he said, resolutely
fixing his eyes on an iron cross attached to the Prussian's tunic above
the top button. "That is a reasonable claim. How futile otherwise would
have been your twenty years of preparation for this ve