CRUELTY BECOMES UNBEARABLE.
"That's enough. I'll save the extra lashes until he is in a condition to
feel them. Take him back to his dungeon."
It was General Surgoff who spoke. He looked down upon the prostrate form
of Jack, who, shirt again stripped from his shoulders, had fallen
beneath the terrible blows of the lash in his second whipping.
It was at the tenth blow that Jack had fallen forward on his face,
unable to bear the pain any longer. General Surgoff decided that it was
useless to waste blows on an unconscious enemy, so he had called upon
his men to hold their hands. However, he had no intention of letting
Jack off, and in his memory he made a note of the fact that there were
additional blows coming to the lad.
The two men dropped their whips. One took Jack by the head and the other
by the feet and they carried him back to his dungeon. There they left
him, after first thrusting a pan of water and a small piece of bread
into the cell.
Jack was brought back to himself by something cool upon his head. He
stirred a bit and when at last he was able to sit up he became aware
that his head was supported on a man's knee, while his temple was being
bathed with cold water.
"How do you feel now?" demanded a voice, which Jack immediately
recognized as that of the big Russian who had been with him on the first
day he had been confined to the dungeon.
"Pretty weak," said Jack feebly. "I don't think I can undergo another
such ordeal."
"A man never knows how much he can stand until put to the test," said
the Russian, with a shrug of his shoulders that was imperceptible to
Jack in the darkness.
"But how do you come to be back in here?" demanded Jack. "You were not
here last night."
"No," said Boris. "But this morning, just after you had been so severely
punished, I could keep quiet no longer and expressed myself to General
Surgoff."
"With what result?" asked Jack.
Again the Russian shrugged, but Jack failed to see the gesture.
"The lash," he replied quietly. "Fifteen lashes; then the dungeon
again."
Jack now got to his feet, though with some difficulty, and leaned on the
Russian's arm.
"It's no use," he said, after pacing up and down the dark cell for some
moments. "A person is a fool to stay here and put up with this sort of
thing. Better death in the snow. To-morrow, when I am again led forth
for my lashing, I shall make a break for liberty."
"It is impossible," said Boris. "You would be shot down before you had
gone a dozen yards."
"That's where you are wrong," said Jack. "To General Surgoff, I am too
valuable to be killed offhand. He would keep me alive until he is tired
of seeing me suffer. After that, perhaps, he would order me shot; but
until then no. If I can get anything like a start, perhaps I can reach
one of the sleighs that always stand nearby. Then I can make a dash for
liberty."
"By the Czar!" exclaimed Boris; "and perhaps after all you can reach the
sleigh safely. I have a mind to go with you."
"You are the more likely to be shot down," said Jack. "The general, I
fear, would have no scruples in ordering your death."
"Nevertheless," said Boris grimly, "with your permission I shall try it.
Besides, if we do get away, two would be more handy than one."
"True," said Jack. "Now if we only had weapons."
"There may be a rifle or two left in the sleigh," said Boris hopefully.
"There may be," said Jack, "but we can't bank on that. There may not
be."
"Then we shall have to go without weapons," said Boris finally.
Jack was deep in thought.
"I'm still weak from my beatings," he said at last, "but, if I am
fortunate, I shall secure weapons for both of us. Not rifles, perhaps,
but revolvers at least."
"How?" demanded Boris excitedly.
Jack smiled to himself in the darkness.
"I don't know exactly," he replied quietly, "though I have half an idea.
Now we shall have to map out our plan of action."
"I'll let you do that," said Boris. "I am not much of a hand to figure;
but when it comes to a fight you can count on me."
"You look as though you could give a good account of yourself," said
Jack.
In the darkness he stretched forth his hand and felt Boris over
carefully. The muscles swelled beneath the lad's touch and Jack knew
that the Russian was indeed a powerful man.
"I'm no weakling," said the Russian modestly, "but for the matter of
that neither are you. I have taken note of your build and I have thought
to myself that, between us, we would be a hard pair to overcome."
Boris now extended a hand and felt the lad's arms and chest carefully.
When he withdrew his hand he gave a grunt of satisfaction.
"You'll do," he said quietly. "Now as to your plan."
"Well," said Jack, "I have a half-formed plan. It will depend upon you
to some extent what our chances of success are."
"You can count on me to the finish," said the Russian gravely.
"All right. Then what we shall do is this. When I am led forward to
receive my lashing, you create a diversion of some kind. Give a yell or
something, but make no dash toward the row of sleighs at that moment. It
would prove fatal, for you would be shot down. However, make enough
noise to attract attention your way. At that moment I'll jump the
general and seize his revolvers--he most likely will be caught off his
guard. Then I'll dash for the sleighs; and as soon as you see I have the
general's weapons, you do the same. Whoever reaches there first will
take the reins and be ready to whip up the horses the moment the other
jumps in. That's all there is to the plan."
"It's not half bad," said the Russian, "and it promises a certain degree
of success. So you are going to steal the general's revolvers, eh? I
like that. And if he interferes with you, shoot him."
"Not if I can help it," said Jack. "I intend to come back here some day
and attend to him with my hands."
"Ah, but he is too big for you there," protested Boris.
"Don't you believe it," said Jack dryly. "Take his guns away from him
and give me fair play, and I'll promise I'll whip him good and
properly."
"Perhaps," said the Russian, but he was plainly unconvinced. "But were I
to make a wager, I would be forced to put my money on the general."
"I hope there will be no occasion for you to lose your money," said
Jack, smiling.
"By the way," said the Russian after a pause, "how are your injuries? I
can't see in the darkness, but I have no doubt the lash has left its
mark."
"It has indeed," said Jack in reply. "My shoulders are bruised and
bleeding. There are several welts across my face, and my legs and arms
are very painful. But they feel better, now that I know I shall not
stand still and receive more blows of the same kind."
"Well, you have put your mark on the general, anyhow," said Boris, his
tone greatly pleased.
"So I have; but I have paid dearly for it," responded Jack.
It was Boris who finally put an end to the conversation.
"Take my advice," he said, "and get what rest you can to-day and
to-night. To-morrow is near and there is no telling when you will sleep
again. It is always well when a man has rested before he undertakes a
desperate venture. He is in better condition."
"Your advice is good; I shall heed it," said Jack.
He lay down again in his corner and soon was asleep.
All day and all that night the two prisoners rested in the dungeon as
well as they were able. It was impossible to sleep all the time, but
they did no walking about; and when morning came they felt well and fit.
Each gulped down the water and bread that was thrust through the bars to
them early in the morning; and each was on edge when the guard unlocked
the heavy door and called upon them to emerge from their prison.
Boris stepped out as lively as a kitten, but Jack, to whom the work
ahead seemed to be more serious, walked quietly, with head bent.
Apparently taking the lad's attitude for one of fear, the Russian guard
sneered audibly.
Boris caught the sound and looked up sharply. He opened his mouth to
make a remark to the guard, but Jack, perceiving that Boris was about to
cause trouble, raised a warning finger. Boris' mouth closed without
saying a word, although Jack could see that he choked back the words at
the tip of his tongue with an effort.
The lad smiled to himself.
"He'll be a pretty good partner," he muttered.
They followed the guard until they again stood in the presence of
General Surgoff. The latter eyed them evilly as they approached, and
motioned for Jack to step forward. The lad did so unhesitatingly. Boris
would have followed, but the guards shoved him back among the crowd of
other prisoners.
Jack looked quickly around as he stepped toward the Russian general.
Some distance away, perhaps two hundred yards, he made out several
sleighs, all ready to be put in use.
"If there were only one," he muttered; and he determined in that moment
to try and frighten the other horses as he leaped into one sled.
He faced the Russian commander.
"And how do you feel this morning?" asked the general.
"Not very well, thank you, sir," returned Jack quietly.
"Feel like another little whipping will do you good, eh? Well, you shall
have it."
"I just want to remark to you, general," said Jack quietly, "that you
will rue the day you first laid the lash on me."
"What! You threaten me?" exclaimed General Surgoff. "You shall have an
additional ten lashes this morning, whether you stand on your feet or
fall fainting to the ground. Strip him, men."
The pair of Russians with their lashes stepped forward and would have
laid hands on Jack; but Boris now decided that it was time for him to
act.
He set up a sudden wild yell, that drew all eyes in his direction. It
was the moment for which Jack has been waiting.