Part 27 (2/2)

Then Blenkiron began to laugh, a deep internal ruht down a heap of forage on his head I thought it was hysterics, the relief froht be out of training, but there was never anything the matter with his nerves He was consuasped, 'I don't usually cherish dislikes for my fellow men, but somehow I didn't cotton to Colonel Stumm But now I almost love him You hit his jaw very bad in Geruess it's ihty set on steeple-chasing over those roofs I haven't done such a thing since I broke into neighbour Brooodshed to steal his tame 'possuenooine ahed so much since old Jim Hooker told the tale of ”Cousin Sally Dillard” ere hunting ducks in Michigan and his wife's brother had an apoplexy in the night and died of it'

To the accompaniment of Blenkiron's chuckles I did what Peter had done in the first minute, and fell asleep

When I woke it was still dark The wagon had stopped in a courtyard which seereat trees The snow lay deeper here, and by the feel of the air we had left the city and clis on one side, and on the other what looked like the lift of a hill No lights were shown, the place was in profound gloom, but I felt the presence near me of others besides Hussin and the driver

We were hurried, Blenkiron only half awake, into an outbuilding, and then down some steps to a roomy cellar There Hussin lit a lantern, which shohat had once been a storehouse for fruit Old husks still strewed the floor and the place smelt of apples Straw had been piled in corners for beds, and there was a rude table and a divan of boards covered with sheepskins

'Where are we?' I asked Hussin

'In the house of the Master,' he said 'You will be safe here, but you must keep still till the Master comes'

'Is the Frankish lady here?' I asked

Hussin nodded, and froht out some food-raisins and cold meat and a loaf of bread We fell on it like vultures, and as we ate Hussin disappeared I noticed that he locked the door behind him

As soon as the meal was ended the others returned to their interrupted sleep But I akeful now and ot Blenkiron's electric torch and lay down on the divan to study Stulance showed me that I had lit on a treasure It was the staffthe forts and the field trenches, with little notes scribbled in Stu eneral lie of the land I saw the horseshoe of Deve Boyun to the east which the Russian guns were battering Stumm's was just like the kind of squared artillery map we used in France, 1 in 10,000, with spidery red lines showing the trenches, but with the difference that it was the Turkish trenches that were shown in detail and the Russian only roughly indicated The thing was really a confidential plan of the whole Erzeruold to the enemy No wonder Stumm had been in a wax at its loss

The Deve Boyun lines see, and I re defences It looked as if Russia were up against a second Plevna or a new Gallipoli

Then I took to studying the flanks South lay the Palantuken range ofthe passes, where ran the roads to Mush and Lake Van That side, too, looked pretty strong North in the valley of the Euphrates Ithe road from Olti On this part of the ave them all my attention I re on a broad front, for it was clear that Stu pains about the flank of the fortress

Kara Gubek was the point of interest It stood on a rib of land between two peaks, which fro as it was held it was clear that no invader could len Stumm had appended a note to the peaks-'not fortified'; and about two miles to the north-east there was a red cross and the name 'Prjevalsky' I assuht wing of the Russian attack

Then I turned to the paper fros on to his map It was typewritten, and consisted of notes on different points One was headed 'Kara Gubek' and read: 'No tiet batteries there, but not ier, for if Prjevalsky wins the Peaks Kara Gubek and Tafta must fall, and enemy will be on left rear of Deve Boyun h to see the tremendous importance of this note On Kara Gubek depended the defence of Erzerum, and it was a broken reed if one knehere the weakness lay Yet, searching the ain, I could not believe that any mortal commander would see any chance in the adjacent peaks, even if he thought them unfortified That was information confined to the Turkish and German staff But if it could be conveyed to the Grand Duke he would have Erzeru at the Deve Boyun ridge for weeks, and long ere he won it the Gallipoli divisions would arrive, he would be out-numbered by two to one, and his chance would have vanished

My discovery setup and down that cellar in a perfect fever of exciteeon, an aeroplane-anything to bridge over that space of half a dozento have stumbled on vital news and to be wholly unable to use it How could three fugitives in a cellar, with the whole hornet's nest of Turkey and Gere of life and death?

I went back to the map and examined the nearest Russian positions They were carefully marked Prjevalsky in the north, the main force beyond Deve Boyun, and the southern columns up to the passes of the Palantuken but not yet across them I could not knohich was nearest to us till I discovered where ere And as I thought of this I began to see the rudiments of a desperate plan It depended on Peter, now slu on a couch of straw

Hussin had locked the door and I must wait for information till he came back But suddenly I noticed a trap in the roof, which had evidently been used for raising and lowering the cellar's stores It looked ill-fitting and ht be unbarred, so I pulled the table below it, and found that with a little effort I could raise the flap I kneas taking iarded the prised open, and catching the edges of the hole with e

It was the outbuilding of which our refuge was the cellar, and it was half filled with light Not a soul was there, and I hunted about till I found what I wanted This was a ladder leading to a sort of loft, which in turn gave access to the roof Here I had to be very careful, for I ood luck there was a trellis for grape vines across the place, which gave a kind of shelter Lying flat on reat expanse of country

Looking north I saw the city in a haze ofs of the glen where the river left the hills Up there, ahts, were Tafta and Kara Gubek To the east was the ridge of Deve Boyun, where thebefore the winter's sun On the roads up to it I saw transport , I saw the circle of the inner forts, but for a reat wall of white mountain, which I took to be the Palantuken I could see the roads running to the passes, and the sht under the cliffs

I had learned what I needed We were in the outbuildings of a big country house two or three miles south of the city The nearest point of the Russian front was somewhere in the foothills of the Palantuken

As I descended I heard, thin and faint and beautiful, like the cry of a wild bird, the muezzin froh the trap the others were awake Hussin was setting food on the table, and viewing ht,' I said; 'I won't do it again, for I've found out all I wanted Peter, old est job of your life is before you!'