I was slowly being strangled.

To be vanquished meant imprisonment there, perhaps even death.  Victory meant Elma’s life, as well as my own.  Mine was therefore a fight for life.  A sudden idea flashed across my mind, and I continued to struggle, at the same time gradually forcing my enemy backward towards the door.  He shouted for help, but was unheard.  He cursed and swore and shouted until, with a sudden and almost superhuman effort, I tripped him, bringing his head into such violent contact with the stone lintel of the door that the sound could surely be heard a considerable distance.  For a moment he was stunned, and in that brief second I released his grip from my throat and hurled him backwards beyond the door.

There was the sound of the crashing of wood as the rotten platform gave way, a loud splash, and next instant the dark waters closed over the big, bearded fellow who would have snatched Elma Heath from me, and have held me prisoner in that castle of terrors.  He sank like a stone, for although I stood watching for him to rise, I could only distinguish the woodwork floating away with the current.

In a moment, however, even as I stood there in horror at my deed of self-defense, the place suddenly resounded with shouts of alarm, and in the tower above me the great old rusty bell began to swing, ringing its brazen note across the broad expanse of waters.

The fair-bearded Finn again shot the boat across to where I stood, crying—­

“Jump, Excellency!  For your life, jump!  The guards will be upon us!”

Behind me in the passage I saw a light and the glitter of arms.  A shot rang out, and a bullet whizzed past me, but I stood unharmed.  Then I jumped, and nearly upset the boat, but taking an oar I began to row for life, and as we drew away from those grim, black walls the fire belched forth from three rifles.

“Row!” I shrieked, turning to see if my fair companion had been hit.

“Keep cool, Excellency,” urged the Finn.  “See, right away there in the shadow.  We might trick them, for the patrol-boat will be at the head of the river waiting to cut us off.”

Again the guards fired upon us, but in the darkness their aim was faulty.  Lights appeared in the high windows of the castle, and we could see that the greatest commotion had been caused by the escape of the prisoner.  The men at the door in the tower were shouting to the patrol-boats, which were nowhere to be seen, calling them to row us down and capture us, but by plying our oars rapidly we shot straight across the lake until we got under the deep shadow of the opposite shore, and then crept gradually along in the direction we had come.

“If we meet the boats, Excellency, we must run ashore and take to the woods,” explained the Finn.  “It is our only chance.”

Scarcely had he spoken when out in the center of the lake we could just distinguish a long boat with three rowers going swiftly towards the entrance to the river, which we so desired to gain.