VII + 

His Majesty Sleeps in Strelsau + 

I put my arm round SaptтАЩs waist and supported him out of the cellar, drawing the battered door close after me. For ten minutes or more we sat silent in the dining room. Then old Sapt rubbed his knuckles into his eyes, gave one great gasp, and was himself again. As the clock on the mantelpiece struck one he stamped his foot on the floor, saying: + 

тАЬTheyтАЩve got the king!тАЭ + 

тАЬYes,тАЭ said I, тАЬтАКтАШallтАЩs well!тАЩ as Black MichaelтАЩs despatch said. What a moment it must have been for him when the royal salutes fired at Strelsau this morning! I wonder when he got the message?тАЭ + 

тАЬIt must have been sent in the morning,тАЭ said Sapt. тАЬThey must have sent it before news of your arrival at Strelsau reached ZendaтБатАФI suppose it came from Zenda.тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd heтАЩs carried it about all day!тАЭ I exclaimed. тАЬUpon my honour, IтАЩm not the only man whoтАЩs had a trying day! What did he think, Sapt?тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat does that matter? What does he think, lad, now?тАЭ + 

I rose to my feet. + 

тАЬWe must get back,тАЭ I said, тАЬand rouse every soldier in Strelsau. We ought to be in pursuit of Michael before midday.тАЭ + 

Old Sapt pulled out his pipe and carefully lit it from the candle which guttered on the table. + 

тАЬThe king may be murdered while we sit here!тАЭ I urged. + 

Sapt smoked on for a moment in silence. + 

тАЬThat cursed old woman!тАЭ he broke out. тАЬShe must have attracted their attention somehow. I see the game. They came up to kidnap the king, andтБатАФas I sayтБатАФsomehow they found him. If you hadnтАЩt gone to Strelsau, you and I and Fritz had been in heaven by now!тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd the king?тАЭ + 

тАЬWho knows where the king is now?тАЭ he asked. + 

тАЬCome, letтАЩs be off!тАЭ said I; but he sat still. And suddenly he burst into one of his grating chuckles: + 

тАЬBy Jove, weтАЩve shaken up Black Michael!тАЭ + 

тАЬCome, come!тАЭ I repeated impatiently. + 

тАЬAnd weтАЩll shake him up a bit more,тАЭ he added, a cunning smile broadening on his wrinkled, weather-beaten face, and his teeth working on an end of his grizzled moustache. тАЬAye, lad, weтАЩll go back to Strelsau. The king shall be in his capital again tomorrow.тАЭ + 

тАЬThe king?тАЭ + 

тАЬThe crowned king!тАЭ + 

тАЬYouтАЩre mad!тАЭ I cried. + 

тАЬIf we go back and tell the trick we played, what would you give for our lives?тАЭ + 

тАЬJust what theyтАЩre worth,тАЭ said I. + 

тАЬAnd for the kingтАЩs throne? Do you think that the nobles and the people will enjoy being fooled as youтАЩve fooled them? Do you think theyтАЩll love a king who was too drunk to be crowned, and sent a servant to personate him?тАЭ + 

тАЬHe was druggedтБатАФand IтАЩm no servant.тАЭ + 

тАЬMine will be Black MichaelтАЩs version.тАЭ + 

He rose, came to me, and laid his hand on my shoulder. + 

тАЬLad,тАЭ he said, тАЬif you play the man, you may save the king yet. Go back and keep his throne warm for him.тАЭ + 

тАЬBut the duke knowsтБатАФthe villains he has employed knowтБатАФтАЭ + 

тАЬAye, but they canтАЩt speak!тАЭ roared Sapt in grim triumph. тАЬWeтАЩve got тАЩem! How can they denounce you without denouncing themselves? This is not the king, because we kidnapped the king and murdered his servant. Can they say that?тАЭ + 

The position flashed on me. Whether Michael knew me or not, he could not speak. Unless he produced the king, what could he do? And if he produced the king, where was he? For a moment I was carried away headlong; but in an instant the difficulties came strong upon me. + 

тАЬI must be found out,тАЭ I urged. + 

тАЬPerhaps; but every hourтАЩs something. Above all, we must have a king in Strelsau, or the city will be MichaelтАЩs in four-and-twenty hours, and what would the kingтАЩs life be worth thenтБатАФor his throne? Lad, you must do it!тАЭ + 

тАЬSuppose they kill the king?тАЭ + 

тАЬTheyтАЩll kill him, if you donтАЩt.тАЭ + 

тАЬSapt, suppose they have killed the king?тАЭ + 

тАЬThen, by heaven, youтАЩre as good an Elphberg as Black Michael, and you shall reign in Ruritania! But I donтАЩt believe they have; nor will they kill him if youтАЩre on the throne. Will they kill him, to put you in?тАЭ + 

It was a wild planтБатАФwilder even and more hopeless than the trick we had already carried through; but as I listened to Sapt I saw the strong points in our game. And then I was a young man and I loved action, and I was offered such a hand in such a game as perhaps never man played yet. + 

тАЬI shall be found out,тАЭ I said. + 

тАЬPerhaps,тАЭ said Sapt. тАЬCome! to Strelsau! We shall be caught like rats in a trap if we stay here.тАЭ + 

тАЬSapt,тАЭ I cried, тАЬIтАЩll try it!тАЭ + 

тАЬWell played!тАЭ said he. тАЬI hope theyтАЩve left us the horses. IтАЩll go and see.тАЭ + 

тАЬWe must bury that poor fellow,тАЭ said I. + 

тАЬNo time,тАЭ said Sapt. + 

тАЬIтАЩll do it.тАЭ + 

тАЬHang you!тАЭ he grinned. тАЬI make you a king, andтБатАФWell, do it. Go and fetch him, while I look to the horses. He canтАЩt lie very deep, but I doubt if heтАЩll care about that. Poor little Josef! He was an honest bit of a man.тАЭ + 

He went out, and I went to the cellar. I raised poor Josef in my arms and bore him into the passage and thence towards the door of the house. Just inside I laid him down, remembering that I must find spades for our task. At this instant Sapt came up. + 

тАЬThe horses are all right; thereтАЩs the own brother to the one that brought you here. But you may save yourself that job.тАЭ + 

тАЬIтАЩll not go before heтАЩs buried.тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, you will.тАЭ + 

тАЬNot I, Colonel Sapt; not for all Ruritania.тАЭ + 

тАЬYou fool!тАЭ said he. тАЬCome here.тАЭ + 

He drew me to the door. The moon was sinking, but about three hundred yards away, coming along the road from Zenda, I made out a party of men. There were seven or eight of them; four were on horseback and the rest were walking, and I saw that they carried long implements, which I guessed to be spades and mattocks, on their shoulders. + 

тАЬTheyтАЩll save you the trouble,тАЭ said Sapt. тАЬCome along.тАЭ + 

He was right. The approaching party must, beyond doubt, be Duke MichaelтАЩs men, come to remove the traces of their evil work. I hesitated no longer, but an irresistible desire seized me. + 

Pointing to the corpse of poor little Josef, I said to Sapt: + 

тАЬColonel, we ought to strike a blow for him!тАЭ + 

тАЬYouтАЩd like to give him some company, eh! But itтАЩs too risky work, your Majesty.тАЭ + 

тАЬI must have a slap at тАЩem,тАЭ said I. + 

Sapt wavered. + 

тАЬWell,тАЭ said he, тАЬitтАЩs not business, you know; but youтАЩve been a good boyтБатАФand if we come to grief, why, hang me, itтАЩll save us lot of thinking! IтАЩll show you how to touch them.тАЭ + 

He cautiously closed the open chink of the door. + 

Then we retreated through the house and made our way to the back entrance. Here our horses were standing. A carriage drive swept all round the lodge. + 

тАЬRevolver ready?тАЭ asked Sapt. + 

тАЬNo; steel for me,тАЭ said I. + 

тАЬGad, youтАЩre thirsty tonight,тАЭ chuckled Sapt. тАЬSo be it.тАЭ + 

We mounted, drawing our swords, and waited silently for a minute or two. Then we heard the tramp of men on the drive the other side of the house. They came to a stand, and one cried: + 

тАЬNow then, fetch him out!тАЭ + 

тАЬNow!тАЭ whispered Sapt. + 

Driving the spurs into our horses, we rushed at a gallop round the house, and in a moment we were among the ruffians. Sapt told me afterwards that he killed a man, and I believe him; but I saw no more of him. With a cut, I split the head of a fellow on a brown horse, and he fell to the ground. Then I found myself opposite a big man, and I was half conscious of another to my right. It was too warm to stay, and with a simultaneous action I drove my spurs into my horse again and my sword full into the big manтАЩs breast. His bullet whizzed past my earтБатАФI could almost swear it touched it. I wrenched at the sword, but it would not come, and I dropped it and galloped after Sapt, whom I now saw about twenty yards ahead. I waved my hand in farewell, and dropped it a second later with a yell, for a bullet had grazed my finger and I felt the blood. Old Sapt turned round in the saddle. Someone fired again, but they had no rifles, and we were out of range. Sapt fell to laughing. + 

тАЬThatтАЩs one to me and two to you, with decent luck,тАЭ said he. тАЬLittle Josef will have company.тАЭ + 

тАЬAye, theyтАЩll be a partie carr├йe,тАЭ said I. My blood was up, and I rejoiced to have killed them. + 

тАЬWell, a pleasant nightтАЩs work to the rest!тАЭ said he. тАЬI wonder if they noticed you?тАЭ + 

тАЬThe big fellow did; as I stuck him I heard him cry, тАШThe king!тАЩтАКтАЭ + 

тАЬGood! good! Oh, weтАЩll give Black Michael some work before weтАЩve done!тАЭ + 

Pausing an instant, we made a bandage for my wounded finger, which was bleeding freely and ached severely, the bone being much bruised. Then we rode on, asking of our good horses all that was in them. The excitement of the fight and of our great resolve died away, and we rode in gloomy silence. Day broke clear and cold. We found a farmer just up, and made him give us sustenance for ourselves and our horses. I, feigning a toothache, muffled my face closely. Then ahead again, till Strelsau lay before us. It was eight oтАЩclock or nearing nine, and the gates were all open, as they always were save when the dukeтАЩs caprice or intrigues shut them. We rode in by the same way as we had come out the evening before, all four of usтБатАФthe men and the horsesтБатАФwearied and jaded. The streets were even quieter than when we had gone: everyone was sleeping off last nightтАЩs revelry, and we met hardly a soul till we reached the little gate of the palace. There SaptтАЩs old groom was waiting for us. + 

тАЬIs all well, sir?тАЭ he asked. + 

тАЬAllтАЩs well,тАЭ said Sapt, and the man, coming to me, took my hand to kiss. + 

тАЬThe kingтАЩs hurt!тАЭ he cried. + 

тАЬItтАЩs nothing,тАЭ said I, as I dismounted; тАЬI caught my finger in the door.тАЭ + 

тАЬRememberтБатАФsilence!тАЭ said Sapt. тАЬAh! but, my good Freyler, I do not need to tell you that!тАЭ + 

The old fellow shrugged his shoulders. + 

тАЬAll young men like to ride abroad now and again, why not the king?тАЭ said he; and SaptтАЩs laugh left his opinion of my motives undisturbed. + 

тАЬYou should always trust a man,тАЭ observed Sapt, fitting the key in the lock, тАЬjust as far as you must.тАЭ + 

We went in and reached the dressing room. Flinging open the door, we saw Fritz von Tarlenheim stretched, fully dressed, on the sofa. He seemed to have been sleeping, but our entry woke him. He leapt to his feet, gave one glance at me, and with a joyful cry, threw himself on his knees before me. + 

тАЬThank God, sire! thank God, youтАЩre safe!тАЭ he cried, stretching his hand up to catch hold of mine. + 

I confess that I was moved. This king, whatever his faults, made people love him. For a moment I could not bear to speak or break the poor fellowтАЩs illusion. But tough old Sapt had no such feeling. He slapped his hand on his thigh delightedly. + 

тАЬBravo, lad!тАЭ cried he. тАЬWe shall do!тАЭ + 

Fritz looked up in bewilderment. I held out my hand. + 

тАЬYouтАЩre wounded, sire!тАЭ he exclaimed. + 

тАЬItтАЩs only a scratch,тАЭ said I, тАЬbutтБатАФтАЭ I paused. + 

He rose to his feet with a bewildered air. Holding my hand, he looked me up and down, and down and up. Then suddenly he dropped my hand and reeled back. + 

тАЬWhereтАЩs the king? WhereтАЩs the king?тАЭ he cried. + 

тАЬHush, you fool!тАЭ hissed Sapt. тАЬNot so loud! HereтАЩs the king!тАЭ + 

A knock sounded on the door. Sapt seized me by the hand. + 

тАЬHere, quick, to the bedroom! Off with your cap and boots. Get into bed. Cover everything up.тАЭ + 

I did as I was bid. A moment later Sapt looked in, nodded, grinned, and introduced an extremely smart and deferential young gentleman, who came up to my bedside, bowing again and again, and informed me that he was of the household of the Princess Flavia, and that her Royal Highness had sent him especially to enquire how the kingтАЩs health was after the fatigues which his Majesty had undergone yesterday. + 

тАЬMy best thanks, sir, to my cousin,тАЭ said I; тАЬand tell her Royal Highness that I was never better in my life.тАЭ + 

тАЬThe king,тАЭ added old Sapt (who, I began to find, loved a good lie for its own sake), тАЬhas slept without a break all night.тАЭ + 

The young gentleman (he reminded me of Osric in Hamlet) bowed himself out again. The farce was over, and Fritz von TarlenheimтАЩs pale face recalled us to realityтБатАФthough, in faith, the farce had to be reality for us now. + 

тАЬIs the king dead?тАЭ he whispered. + 

тАЬPlease God, no,тАЭ said I. тАЬBut heтАЩs in the hands of Black Michael!тАЭ + 