frenzied yelling and the next moment a crash of firing.

CHAPTER XI

THE COSSACKS

Something fell against Fred, something heavy and warm. It was a full
minute before he realized that it was von Glahn, staggering, coughing.
He supported the German officer for a moment. Then they went down
together with von Glahn, still coughing terribly, on top. That saved
Fred's life. For over him now, for the next five minutes, there raged a
furious fight. Horses were all through the grounds; Fred heard them, and
the savage, unearthly cries of their riders. For the first minute there
was a good deal of firing. He guessed that the firing squad that had
been meant for him was putting up a stiff struggle; later he knew it.

Then abruptly it was all over. There was no sound save the groans of
wounded men. The firing ceased, and with it the fierce shouts of those
who had invaded the garden at that most critical of moments. Fred
realized afterward that he must have fainted, for when next he could see
and hear, there was a faint light in the sky. He was aroused by the
moving of the heavy weight of von Glahn's body, and looked up to see a
bearded man, small and wiry, in a rough sheepskin coat, who grinned down
at him.

"Not hurt, eh, comrade?" said this man in Russian. He seemed surprised
when Fred answered in his own tongue, and started back. But he had
pushed the body of the German captain away, and Fred rose to his feet a
little unsteadily. It was a wild, strange scene upon which his eyes
rested. All about the place where he had lain the ground was covered
with evidences of a furious struggle. Nearly a score of Germans lay
about, dead. Among them were half a dozen Cossacks, and over one of
these stood a riderless horse, muzzling his master's body inquisitively.
Fred was about to question the man who had relieved him of von Glahn's
weight when there was a sudden rush, and Boris, sobbing with delight,
threw his arms about him and kissed him on both cheeks.

"Here--I say, Boris, don't do that!" he cried.

"Oh, I forgot that is not your custom!" said Boris. "But I thought you
were dead! I thought they had killed you! I saw them bring you out from
my window, and if the sentry had not stopped me, I would have thrown
myself out to join you! Come with me--my father is here!"

Fred was still dazed. His escape had been so miraculous that he wanted
to pinch himself to see if he were still awake. A month before he had
been at home in A