e the precaution of carrying twenty golden Fredericks,
sewn up in the lining of my tunic. It comes in very useful, in case
of an emergency of this kind."

"I am afraid that neither of us has imitated your forethought,"
Ritzer said with a laugh. "I have only my last month's pay in my
pocket, and Stauffen is no better off."

"Ah, well! With thirty pounds among us, we shall do very well,"
Fergus said. "We must be careful because, if we do make our escape,
we shall want money to get disguises."

"You are not really in earnest, Drummond," Stauffen said, "in what
you say about escaping?"

"I am quite in earnest about getting away, if I see a chance;
though I admit that, at present, the matter seems a little
difficult."

"Perhaps if you will tell us about your escape from Spielberg, we
shall be able to get a hint from it."

They now drew up their seats round the stove, and Fergus told them
in detail the manner of his escape, omitting only the name of the
noblemen at Vienna who had assisted him.

"It was excellently done," Ritzer said warmly. "Your making off in
that Austrian uniform, at the only moment when such a thing could
be done, was certainly a masterly stroke."

"So was the taking of the post horses," Stauffen agreed, "and your
getting a disguise from the postmaster. I should like to have seen
the Austrian's look of surprise, when he got his uniform back
again.

"I am afraid that your adventures do not afford us any hint for
getting away from here. Even you will admit that three Austrian
uniforms could not be secured, and the tale by which you procured
the post horses would hardly hold good in the case of three."

"No, if we get away at all it must be done in an entirely different
manner. The place is not so difficult to get out of as Spielberg
was, for with patience we could certainly manage to cut off the
rivet heads of the bars. But I don't see, at present, how we could
cross this wide moat, with a sentry pacing up and down thirty feet
above us; nor climb up the brick wall on the other side, without
making a noise. That done, of course we could, on a dark night,
cross the glacis and swim the outer moat. All that accomplished,
the question of disguises will come in. Just at present it is not
very easy to see how that is to be managed.

"Can you swim?"

Both officers replied in the affirmative.

"Well, that is something gained. As to the rest, we need not bother
about it, at present. We are not uncom