The Boy Allies in the Baltic; Or, Through Fields of Ice to Aid the Czar

by Clair W. Hayes

  CHAPTER XVIII.

  PRISON FRIENDS.

  The conversation languished now; and a few moments later the deepbreathing of the Russian proclaimed that he was asleep. But there was nomore sleep for Jack; he had slept until he could sleep no more. For longhours he lay there in his corner thinking.

  "I've been in some queer and peculiar places," he told himself, "butthis is the limit; also, as this Russian says, it's not going to be aneasy job to get out of here."

  In the darkness of the dungeon it was impossible to tell whether it wasday or night outside. Jack had lost all track of time. He felt in hispockets. He had no matches and his watch and what money he had had weregone.

  "They've cleaned me out pretty well," he muttered.

  Several hours later Jack heard the Russian stirring about again and cameto the conclusion that the man was awake. He hailed him.

  "Yes, I'm awake," came the reply.

  "Do you have any idea whether it is day or night?" asked Jack.

  "Can't be daylight yet," was the reply. "They'll have us out of here assoon as it is light."

  "Well, I wish it would hurry and come then," said Jack. "I would like toget out of here."

  "So would I; but I'd rather lie here peacefully than to face what wemust face when we get out."

  "You mean----"

  "The lash," replied the Russian calmly.

  Again Jack shuddered. The word had an ugly sound.

  It seemed only a short time later when a hand was heard fumbling at thelock of the door to the dungeon. Jack and the Russian got to their feet,and then the lad realized that not even his feet were bound. He walkedup and down in the darkness several times, with hands outstretched thathe might not bump into a wall.

  Now a streak of light pierced the darkness and Jack made out a door atthe far end of the dungeon. There came a hoarse hail, and although thewords were unintelligible to Jack, he supposed that they were a summonsto come out. He approached the door, the Russian behind him.

  Outside the door Jack and the Russian were surrounded by a squad ofsoldiers, fur clad. Then they were marched into the open. Here, for thefirst time, Jack discovered that his great coat was missing. He had notnoticed the fact before, but the extreme cold now called it forcibly tohis attention. He shivered.

  In spite of the cold, however, Jack glanced around eagerly as he was ledalong. On several sides were large rock structures. Men went in and mencame out. All were heavily clad and were, apparently, soldiers.

  A short distance farther on, however, they came upon a group of figureswho were not soldiers. These were prisoners, and they were not clad sowarmly as were their captors. Most of them shivered and quaked with thecold. Jack, fresh from the warmth of the dungeon, eyed them pitifully.

  Old men and young, girls and women there were in abundance; and uponeach countenance was the same expression--that of fright. They wereplainly subdued and cowed.

  Straight toward this group Jack and the Russian were marched by theirguards. There they were halted and herded into line like a lot of sheep,while their captors drew an armed circle about them. Directly thereapproached a man taller and more handsomely garbed than the others. Thisman Jack took to be the commander of the outpost. It transpired that hewas right, for the big man was General Surgoff, commander of thisparticular prison camp.

  The big officer eyed the prisoners closely; then he signaled one of hissoldiers. In response to the signal, the man hurried away, to return afew moments later with two other stalwart fellows, each armed with greatblack whips.

  The general motioned to a man foremost among the group.

  One of the guards thrust the man forward. He approached the general,plainly cowed. The officer spoke a few words to him; then turned to themen with the whips.

  "Ten lashes!" he ordered.

  The words were hardly out of his mouth when the first lash fell upon theman's shoulders. He uttered a moan of pain, but he did not cry out.Again and again the lash fell; until the ten blows had been delivered.Then the prisoner stumbled back to his place.

  Jack grew sick at the sight.

  The next man summoned before the general was the Russian who hadoccupied the dungeon with Jack. The man went forward quietly and with anair that impressed the lad with its courageousness. Again there were afew short words and the officer ordered:

  "Ten lashes!"

  The Russian made no move as the first whip descended across hisshoulders. He took the next blow unflinchingly and the others thatfollowed, and returned to his place without a word.

  All this time Jack had been standing within a few feet of the placewhere the whipping had taken place. He had stuck to the spot, for heknew it would be unwise to show any sign of weakness or fear.

  The next to face the general was a woman. Perhaps her age was thirty,perhaps fifty. From her face, so care-worn and haggard, it wasimpossible to tell. A few words the general held with her, too, thenturned to the men who wielded the whips.

  "Five lashes!" he ordered quietly.

  The woman uttered a piteous cry and fell on her knees, raising anappealing hand to the general. She was in this position when the firstblow fell.

  The arm of the second man was now raised and descended; but before thelash could find its mark, Jack sprang suddenly forward and caught theblow upon his left arm. With a cry of rage he leaped upon the man whohad wielded the whip and snatched it from his hand with a singlemovement; then he leaped back and struck the man squarely across theface.

  The man staggered back.

  The second whip-wielder rushed upon the lad, with his weapon raised.This blow, too, Jack caught upon his arm. Before it could be repeated,he had dealt the Russian a heavy blow across the face, and, following itup quickly, snatched the whip from the man's hand.

  Then, still furious, the lad wheeled upon the officer, who had stood by,smiling the while. As Jack faced him, the officer, still with a smile onhis face, drew a revolver and pointed it squarely at him.

  So great was his anger, however, that Jack either failed to see therevolver pointed directly at him, or else he was too enraged to heed it.Ignoring the weapon as though it had been no more than a toy pistol, heleaped forward with a cry.

  There was a flash and a sharp report and Jack felt something burn theleft side of his head; but the bullet did not stay him. Before theofficer could fire again, the lad was upon him, the whip in his righthand held high above his head.

  "Swish!"

  It descended with all the power of Jack's good right arm.

  The blow caught the general about the shoulders and he staggered back,at the same time seeking to bring his revolver again into use.

  But Jack was too quick for him. Again the heavy lash rose and fell andyet again. Three times General Surgoff attempted to raise his revolverand fire and each time he was unsuccessful.

  As each blow fell the general cried aloud in pain and fear.

  Suddenly, tiring of his attempts to get a shot at the lad, he turned andfled.

  Jack, with a grim smile on his face, ran after him.

  "Swish!"

  Again the lash wrapped itself around the officer's shoulders and he gavea cry of pain.

  "Swish!"

  This time the lash caught him in the back of the head and entwineditself about his face.

  Another howl from General Surgoff.

  Raising an arm in an attempt to shield his face, the general lost hisbalance and fell to the ground. Leaning over him, Jack seized him withhis left arm and jerked him to his feet. Then, thrusting him off atarm's length, he again brought the lash into play.

  "Eight!" he counted aloud.

  "Nine!"

  "Ten!"

  He threw the lash suddenly to the ground and turned to face the squad ofsoldiers who came running up.

  These men had been afraid to fire for fear of wounding their commander;but now they laid rude hands on Jack and held him, as General Surgoffarose slowly to his feet and felt his face an
d shoulders tenderly.

  The officer turned an angry glare on Jack and he said very quietly:

  "I should have you killed. But I won't. It would be too easy a death.You shall have twenty lashes every morning and nothing but bread to eatand water to drink for thirty days. Strip him, men!"

  Jack's coat was quickly stripped from his shoulders. His vest was jerkedaway and his shirt ripped off. Then, his back bare, he was pushed intothe center of the crowd of soldiers.

  The general now summoned the two men who had first held the whips andthey seized their weapons eagerly, for each had felt the weight ofJack's anger.

  "Twenty lashes!" cried the general. "Ten from each of you!"

  Jack braced himself to receive the first blow. It came a moment laterwith a terrible whishing sound. The lash wrapped itself around his bareshoulders and the pain of it was terrible.

  But Jack made no outcry.

  The second man delivered a hard blow, which also caught the lad aboutthe bare shoulders, only from the other side. The lad staggered atrifle, but kept his feet with a visible effort.

  A third and fourth blow came in rapid succession; and Jack staggeredfirst to the right and then to the left. It was almost more than fleshand blood could stand.

  The rawhides continued to fly with renewed vigor. Jack, who had at firstkept track of the strokes, had lost all count now. He was doing his bestto remain on his feet; and he kept his lips shut firmly to keep fromuttering a cry of pain.

  With the fifteenth blow Jack was all but unconscious, but he was stillon his feet. At the seventeenth he reeled and all but fell. At thenineteenth he stumbled, and with eyes closed, fell face forward on theground.

  He did not feel the twentieth blow, for consciousness had left him.

  The men who had plied the lashes, stepped back, tired out with theirexertions. But they eyed Jack with a certain degree of respect.

  During the terrible ordeal, not a sound had escaped his lips.