weakened--they're half starved--they're bleeding to death; they WANT to
be disarmed. Only the Iarovitch and the Maranovitch keep on with the
struggle because each is fighting for the power to tax the people and
make slaves of them. If the Secret Party does not rise, the people
will, and they'll rush on the palaces and kill every Maranovitch and
Iarovitch they find. And serve them right!"

"Let us spend the rest of the day in studying the road-map again," said
Marco. "To-night we must be on the way to Samavia!"

XXVI

ACROSS THE FRONTIER

That one day, a week later, two tired and travel-worn boy-mendicants
should drag themselves with slow and weary feet across the frontier
line between Jiardasia and Samavia, was not an incident to awaken
suspicion or even to attract attention. War and hunger and anguish had
left the country stunned and broken. Since the worst had happened, no
one was curious as to what would befall them next. If Jiardasia
herself had become a foe, instead of a friendly neighbor, and had sent
across the border galloping hordes of soldiery, there would only have
been more shrieks, and home-burnings, and slaughter which no one dare
resist. But, so far, Jiardasia had remained peaceful. The two
boys--one of them on crutches--had evidently traveled far on foot.
Their poor clothes were dusty and travel-stained, and they stopped and
asked for water at the first hut across the line. The one who walked
without crutches had some coarse bread in a bag slung over his
shoulder, and they sat on the roadside and ate it as if they were
hungry. The old grandmother who lived alone in the hut sat and stared
at them without any curiosity. She may have vaguely wondered why any
one crossed into Samavia in these days. But she did not care to know
their reason. Her big son had lived in a village which belonged to the
Maranovitch and he had been called out to fight for his lords. He had
not wanted to fight and had not known what the quarrel was about, but
he was forced to obey. He had kissed his handsome wife and four sturdy
children, blubbering aloud when he left them. His village and his good
crops and his house must be left behind. Then the Iarovitch swept
through the pretty little cluster of homesteads which belonged to their
enemy. They were mad with rage because they had met with great losses
in a battle not far away, and, as they swooped through, they burned and
killed, and trampled down fields an