The lad spoke in English and there was no reply. He asked the same question again, this time in French, and still there was no answer. A third time he tried it, this time speaking in German. He drew an answer at last. "Yes; Boris Duttsky. Who are you?" Jack introduced himself in German and in the darkness, and then added; "Where are we?" "Siberia," was the brief response. "I know that," said Jack. "But where are we right now? And what makes it so awfully dark in here?" "We are in a dungeon," was the reply. "I recognize a dungeon by the feeling, because I have been in a dungeon before. I believe I know who you are. You are the English prisoner, are you not?" "Yes," replied Jack. "I thought so. I spotted you in the freight car when you knocked the guard down. That's why you're here." "And are we the only two in this place?" "I guess so. I have heard no other voices." "And you say I am here because I knocked the guard down?" "Yes; they consider you a bad customer." "And why are you here?" "For the same reason. I followed your example in the car and butted a guard under the chin. I wish I hadn't now. It's a bad business." "Why? All they have done is lock us up where it is dark." "Wait; in the morning they'll take us out and give us the lash." "The lash?" "Yes; probably lay a dozen strokes across our bare backs with their big whips. After that they'll give us bread to eat and water to drink; and that's probably all we'll get for a week." Jack shuddered. Then he straightened himself up in the darkness. "They had better not lay a whip on me," he said quietly. The Russian laughed aloud. "Why? What will you do?" he asked. "I'll fight. I'll rush the man who strikes me, whether I'm bound or not." "That would be foolish. The punishment would only be redoubled. No; take my advice, and grin and bear it." "I don't know but what you're right," said Jack after some consideration. "I'll take your advice, then, in part. I'll bear it, but I won't promise to grin." "Now that's the way I like to hear a man talk," declared the Russian. "You are a man after my own heart. It will hurt, of course, but it won't kill. Although," he added as an afterthought, "I don't know but it would be well to kill a man at once, rather than to kill him by inches as they do here in Siberia." "You talk as though you knew something about it," said Jack. "I do. I had a brother who was once imprisoned in Siberia, through a mistake. He was later released by the personal order of the Czar; but in the time he was here he endured much. He has told me many tales of the cruelties of the guards and their officers." "Well, all we can do is hope that we shall have a chance to escape," said Jack. "No chance of that--without outside help," declared the Russian. "Besides, if you were able to get away, where would you go? You are miles from a railroad and you would perish of cold or of hunger before you got far."