UNDER COVER The shed roof was below, and he struck it, fortunately feet first, but the sharp slant of the boards sent him hurtling forward over the edge into a miscellaneous pile of boxes beneath, his body finally resting on the hard ground.

He lay there dazed, the breath knocked entirely out of him, bruised, and scarcely certain whether he was dead or alive.

For the moment, he seemed to have lost all consciousness, unable to realize even what had occurred in that upper room, or to comprehend the necessity of immediate flight.

All about him was intense darkness, and, after the crash of his fall, no sound broke the silence.

He could see nothing, hear nothing to arouse his faculties; his flesh quivered with pain, although he felt sure no bones were fractured, for he could move both arms and limbs freely, while after the first shock, his mind returned to activity, dominated by the single conviction that he must get away from there before those men could get down stairs.
But how?
He retained no strength, no ability to use his limbs sufficient to carry him away from the neighbourhood swiftly.