"We're in a fix," said Phil shortly. "We dare not move out of this till nightfall, for the surrounding country is open; and we cannot leave this fellow asleep up there. He may pull himself together at any moment and search for his friend. Also if we climb up to him we are likely to rouse him, and he will give the alarm before he can be silenced." "Yes, it's a real fix, Phil; but we've got to get out of it," muttered Tony, scratching his head in bewilderment. "Why not sing out to him in his own lingo and tell him to come down?" he suddenly suggested. "Then as he gets close to the ground we can nobble him." "Of course; just the thing;" and Phil, who had heard Petroff address his friend as "Nicholas", called to him in a low voice. At first there was no response; but presently the man above moved, and they heard him grumble something, and evidently turn over to sleep again. "Nicholas, here are the English. Remember our reward," cried Phil in a harsh tone. "Ah, what?" they heard the man say. Then there were sounds as if he had risen to his feet and fallen again. But he was evidently fully aroused, and soon his legs appeared through the opening above searching for the first of the niches. He found it, and commenced to descend, while Phil and Tony crept a little closer and prepared to dart out from beneath the shelter of the cart and overpower him. Suddenly there was an oath as one foot slipped from its hold, then a sharp cry of fear, and before either Phil or Tony could utter an exclamation, the unhappy Cossack, overpowered by drink, had lost his hold and fallen like a sack to the ground, where he lay huddled in a heap, while a crimson stream ran from his ears and nose. Phil crept to his side and found that he was dead. "We are saved our trouble," he said sorrowfully. "The poor fellow has smashed his skull. What's to be done, Tony?" His friend looked blankly round and shook his head. "Blest if I know, Phil! Here we are with two Russian coves, one of them dead, and here we've got to stick for a matter of four hours and more. It beats me. The farmer chap saw them both come in here, and it won't take long for him to search. It's a regular fixer." "And the worst of it is too, Tony, that if we are found with this dead man we shall be accused of having killed him. I have it. We'll hoist him to the loft again, and place the other fellow alongside him. Then we'll take up our quarters there. If we are discovered we can make a good fight for it, and if the farmer comes in search he may think his unwelcome visitors have left the shed to investigate some other spot and will return to his house."