Sidney began a remonstrance and a request to know why they were seized in that way, but their captors paid not the least attention to what he said. He wished to present his passport to one of the men, but they were forced along so precipitately that he could not get the paper out of his pocket. Indeed, they were nearly out of breath when they were pulled up before a small stone building, pushed through a doorway, and the door slammed and locked behind them.
It was so dark in the room where the boys were thrown, the only light coming through one small window, that at first they were unable to distinguish anything. Moreover, they were dazed by the sudden and violent change in their condition. Presently, however, as their eyes became accustomed to the dim light, they were able to see into what sort of quarters they had been thrust.
The room in which they found themselves was absolutely bare except that in one corner were three or four planks raised a little above the floor, evidently designed for a bed. At least the room was bare of furniture, but it was indescribably filthy, and the boys gradually became aware that the filth which littered the floor and the plank bed was swarming with vermin. The boys gazed at each other, at first too stunned and shocked for expression, then indignation possessed Raymond.
“I suppose,” he said, “that we ought to have expected this. Russia is not civilized, anyway, and we are served right for visiting such a God-forsaken country.”
“But you must remember,” said Sidney, “that appearances are very much against us. They have no doubt found the bandits, and assume, quite reasonably, I must admit, that we killed them. I really don’t wonder that they arrested us.”
“Well, they might have done it in a civilized way.”
“That man must have been explaining why they arrested us, but we couldn’t understand him, which was not his fault.”
“For Heaven’s sake, Sid, are you excusing these ruffians?”
“No, but I am trying to imagine what I should think in their place.”
“You’ll be fully occupied in what you think of this place,” said Raymond with sarcastic emphasis. “Do you suppose they’ll keep us here to-night? If they do, we’ll have to sleep standing. I don’t want to put my blankets down on that bed, if it is a bed.”