Russian guards, big heavily bearded men, forced their way through the struggling heaps of humanity in the car, stirring the half-frozen men with the toes of their heavy boots. Some kicks brought groans, others curses; but, in spite of this, the men at last managed to get slowly to their feet.
Jack gazed at them curiously, forgetting for a moment his own desperate plight. The majority were men of middle age. Some were older and some few younger.
A groan at his feet attracted Jack’s attention. There he saw a young boy—he could not have been more than fifteen—lying upon the floor of the car. The lad was small and delicate, half frozen, and it appeared that he could not drag himself to his feet.
But the big guard who stood over him paid no attention to the lad’s pleadings to be let alone. Twice he stirred the prostrate form with the toe of his boot as Jack looked on; then, drawing back his foot, he kicked the boy heavily in the side.
The lad gave a subdued cry and rolled away. The guard moved after him and would have repeated the kick, had Jack not taken a sudden step forward, and in spite of the cords that bound his hands, placed himself before the burly guard and his victim.
“Shame on you!” cried Jack.
Jack spoke in English. Evidently the Russian, while not understanding the lad’s words, guessed their import. For a brief moment he hesitated; then, drawing back his huge fist, he struck Jack a heavy blow on the right cheek.
Jack staggered, but did not fall. He stood his ground, still facing the big Russian, but there was a dark scowl on the lad’s face. Again the Russian stepped forward and raised a hand.
But before the blow could fall, Jack stooped a trifle, and thrusting his head in front of him, charged. The Russian was unable to leap back in time to avoid Jack, and the lad’s head struck him squarely in the pit of the stomach. The guard doubled up and fell to the bottom of the car, gasping for air.
There was a murmur of approval from the other prisoners in the car; but this was soon silenced, for half a dozen other guards, wielding revolver butts and long whips, sprang in among them, and laid about lustily. The prisoners could not fight, for their hands were bound, and there was nothing for them to do but to stand and receive the blows stolidly. But there was anger in their eyes and Jack knew that it would go hard with one of the guards should a prisoner get a hold upon him.