Saturday Evening Mail, Volume 24, Number 26, Terre Haute, Vigo County, 23 December 1893 — Page 3

Continued from Second Page.

ibero was a lot of baggage anil letter Tags,' for this, I lelieve, was the mail sledge. The driver arranged it so as to form a comfortable Beat under the hood and gave us a couple of pillows, lie himself sitting in front. When we were ready to start, a couple of mounted Cossacks cataic out. "This is our bodyguard," said Gordon. "Didn't I promise you that we should be treated like princes? A prince! Wait till I've lit my pipe, and one of us, I know, will be as happy as a king."

It was indeed hard to iy\! '•. that we were still in the iron grasp ui the police when the Cossacks, falling tot ho n.ir, were out of sight. My despondent misgivings gave place to the hopeful idea• imparted by my friend, and my spirits rosunder the exhilarating influences of the journey. The air, though intensely cold, was bright and clear the stars shone sharp and bright in the sky the snow was hard. the horses sped along swiftly to the i.tnsical clash of the bells over their backs.

We ditl not stop until we reached the poKihnuse. vliere the horses were cbang?J. There we had a very good lunch, and after the indispensable cup of tea we started afresh, quite pleased to go on. "This is something like a journey d'agremoiiK'" said Gordon as he lit another pipe and nestled tip in his corner. "Yes, if there's nothing worse than this!" said I, but not at all in atone of misgiving.

CHAPTER XXXIV. WE MARK OUR ESCAPE.

It was getting dark when we overtook a train of miserable convicts marching with clanking chains along the road. About an hour later we reached the etape, where we were to stay for the night.

I had heard much of the horrors of these stations and the loathsome "kameras," or sleeping places, in which the convicts were herded, and had seen them in the collections of paintings exhibited by Taras. 1 was therefore astonished to find the log hut in which I passed the night so decent and habitable. It was not overcrowded. There was a rough carpet on the floor, and the only real hardship was the absence of bed and bedding, for we had to sleep on a sloping board and in our clothes. 1 was much better off than my companion, who was thrust into a den built to accommodate 250 prisoners, with no less than 710 criminals of all sorts, and the horrors of that night were more, I believe, thau he oould make light of, for he was extremely reticent upon the subject. All that he told me was that he-had found no room to lie down and had breathed a little atmosphero of his own by smoking all night. "However," he said cheerfully, "that's all past, atid I shall make up for a sleepless night by a good long snooze this afternood—if we don't come to the end of our journey before."

We went on by another uiail sledge, but with the same guard who had left St. Petersburg with us.

These two Cossacks never left us throughout our long journey, which continued without any break, save the nightly halt at a convict station, for three weeks after we 1 tiid passed through Moscow. Soon after leaving that city behind us I noticed a chanuo in poor Gordon. His spirits seemed to be losing their elasticity, his gayety to be a little forced, his pipe more necessary.

Hut despite the bitter reflections that must have urisen to his mind his attitude toward me displayed no *ign of animosity. There was no lapse in his gentleness and tender consideration for my comfort. His kindness was unvarying. Our common misfortune, which 1 thought would imbiS-r ter our hearts, served only a» a link of sympathy to hold us together.

Gordon still spoke hopefully, though at rare and rarer iutervals, of our being recalled to .St. Petersburg, but

fur

my part 1

had quite abandoned the hope of any revo tion of our fate when an accident oe cur red which gave a new turn to our for tunes.

One night I was awakened by a strange outcry of distant voices. As I turned upon the wooden platform that served us my sleeping place, the woman next to me. who had already sprung ftp, cried: "Holy God, we are on firel"

At that cry all of us slipped to the ground tn a moment, with minified exclamations of dismay.

The kantera was full of smoke—itchoked us lis we breathed—and through the one small casement, a dull ml glow fell upon «*, When we perceived that it was not oar kamern, but another, which was in Barnes, we concluded that it must lie theone hi which the tueu were confined, atid shriek tng the names of our friends we rushed at the door, vainly trying to break it open.

The muffled clamor of voices told us that the men were still shut up. Suddenly there was a great outburst of voices as they forced their door, and the next iustant they were cryiug to us from the outside of our hut and beating furiously at the door which separated us. We stood back as the heavy panels creaked under the pressure of sturdy shoulders, and presently a mighty thrust burst the lock away, and the door flew back.

In the midst of the wild confusion that followed I felt my arm grasped and found Gordon by my side. "Come along. Utile woman. Don't give way there's a brick—it's all right."

Half fainting with fright and the suffocating effect of the dense smoke blowing down upon us, I staggered along by his side, past a crowd of panic stricken wretches surging about the gate of the yard in expectation of its being opened for them to escape, and then through a shower of sparks and past a roaring and crackling mass of fire into an open space, where it was possible to breathe freely and get a comprehensive idea of what was going on.

This etape, like most other*, consisted of four or five log buildings of a single story. Inclosed by a high palisade of solid logs, planted side by side, and «ach cut to a sharp point at the top. One of the buildings, used as a storehouse and carpenter** shop, had taken fire, and the wind, which was blowing fiercely, carried the flames ami smoke down upon the kamem. The end of that one in which Gordon bad been shut op was already biasing, and It looked as if all the huts in succession most catch fire and be destroyed, for the officials oould do nothing to extinguish the flames and were solely occupied in dragging what movables

sit®

were worth saving into Uie space where we and p. few others stood. Just in front of us was an ugly little man with a red beard. A sardonic grin was on his impish, facte. "Look at them," he said, pointing to a party of warders hauling along a cumbrous piece of furniture- "Half a dozen men choking themselves to save apiece of wood not worth a couple of kopecks, and not one will stir a foot to prevent those poor wretched devils trampling each other

The Cossacks, peering in at us, wore the queerest expression imaginable. Never before perhaps had they seen an exile starting out for Orkutsk with such a jovial, happy-go-lucky air as Gordon's. "Five o'clock," said Gordon, looking at his watch as we passed under the lamp over the gates of the fortress. "They haven't taken a thing from me, though of course 1 was searched for incriminating papers— not a thing. That's a convincing proof that our detention was merely formal and that we are bound by nothing stronger than red tape—in fact, I don't feel like a prisoner. Do you. Sister Aura'"

to death at the locked gate." "Is there any danger here?" lasted, lie turned around and answered bitterly "Yes there's ttie danger of living to see the mines of Kara or any other pit of Tophet that our holy czar in bis mercy con signs us to."

Shading his eyes from the glare of the flames and looking into the smoke, he said: "If those fools, inst of pounding each othp»* into a jelly, would only pile them selves into a heap systematically, there would be a chance for some of us to snatch a few days'respite in the forest. Hello!' he exclaimed as a lull came in the conflict of screams and curses. "They're not such fools after all they've got the gate off its hinges—I'm off!" And with that he dis appeared into the smoke.

The wardens also discovered what had happened. Half a dozen ran across to a shed and returned with rifles in their hands. The noise at the gates was over now. The crackling of timber, the soft whirl of rising flame, an occasional thud as a beam fell—these were the only sounds that reached us for a minute or two. Then a shot was fired, and another and another— half a dozen shots perhaps, and two or three yells answered for echo.

We stood still till the warders returned, one by one, and all was stilL Then Gordon drawing closer to me. whispered: "Shall we try?" "Yes, yes—we will try," I answered eagerly, for the thought that we also might escape had just then occurred to me.

Gordon slipped down his hand aud grasped mine tightly. Between us and the gateway, on which the smoke still blew down in a, thick column, charged with whirling sparks and dropping flakes of fiery embers, stood a couple of warders. One was charging his rifle. "We must make a slip behind them and make a dash for the smoke," said Gordon as we edged that way.

We waited one breathless minute, and then as a roof fell in, throwing up an eddying column of sparks, which drew off the attention of the warders, we slipped quickly behiud them and rushed into the smoke.

We were seen. A voice called to us to stop, and a shot was fired after us. But we were already lost to sight. The smoke blinded us, and stumbling over the bodies of those who had been trampled to death in the frantic struggle to escape we reached the open gateway.

those w/w

hiul hct'n trampled tn death.

Suffocated bv the smoke, I reeled and should have fallen, but Gordon, grasping my arm. forced me to bend down—for he dared not. open his mouth to speak—and dragged mo on. Almost unconsciously 1 staggered on until at length we got air to breathe and saw the plain stretching out, all red in the light, from the firo, to the dark line of the forest trees.

We waited there until another fall of roof or walls within the palisades caused a sudden drop in the brightness of the light. "Now's the time," whispered Gordon, springing to his feet. "I can't see those fellows, nor they us. if this only lasts a couple of minutes, we may get out of their range,"

I rose quickly, and greatly restored by the few minutes of rest we sped over the hard snow, hand in hand.

CHAPTER XXXV.

WK MKET AX Ol.t) ACQUAINTANCE. Darkness compells us to keep on the out skirts of .the forest, for within the obsctir ity was so impenetrable that we should have had to grope our way from tree to tree, only maybe to find, when light came, that we had been traveling in a circle. The alow of the smoldering kameras at least indicated the direction we were not to take, and the light of the stars was suffi dent to eua.! us to keep a tolerablv straight courSv'. We were cheerful enough as we plodded on. Only, as it began to grow light, we cast apprehensive glances behind us for pursuing Cossacks, bnt not a speck rose out of the great white plain. The remains of the etape were lost to sight. There was no sign of habitation or living creature between us and the dark line of far distant forest which bounded the horizon. "It's odd," said Gordon in atone of perplexity, after looking about on the snow around us, "it's odd that there are no marks of feet* I saw by the ticket on the wall last night that there were 600 and odd In the kameras, and one would think that some of that number sorely would take the path we have chosen. There were bat two ways to go."

It was a mystery to me also, but 1 thought it an advantage, for the majority of the convicts we had passed on the road were horrible looking villains, the number of unshackled prisoners—men exiled Cor political offenses—being very small indeed Besides this. It seemed to me that the fewer footprints there were in the snow the l«a likelihood there was of pursuit being uiad In oar direction, as there would oertainh be abetter chance of making captives In the other. When it grew lighter, we also struck Into the forest, and sat down under a canopy of frtxeen snow spread over the meeting boughs of the grmt pines*.

W* were not cold, for there was no winfl, and exercise had thoroughly warmed our blood, hot were tired. and already hunger wa*m«&esting the question. "What are we to eat?"

Bnt we said nothing on the snbjoct for

...

i£

TERRE HAUTE SATURDAY EVENING MAIL- DECEMBER 23. 1S98-.

some time, fearing to betray our own misgivings. At length Gordon, after looking round him in silence, said: "Awfully quiet in here, isn't it?" 1 nodded, looking around me also. Indeed the stillness was, in the true sense of the word, awiuL "I can't see a living thing anywhere," he continued, "and yet there must be, yon know." "Taras told me there were wolyes in the forests. Are they good to eat?" "Well, I've uevertried 'em," heanswered evasively, conceal ng whatever disagreeable reflections this question may have suggested, "but one thing is certain, they wouldn't exist if there were nothing for them to eat. If we could knock over a rabbit now, or even an old crow, we could soon make a fire to cook him, and then we shonld be as right as rain."

He had mechanically filled his pipe and was now about to light it. He stopped, and I saw him ruefully counting the small number of vestas that remained in his box When they were gone, there would be no more smoking. "I say, do you think you could smoke a cigarette?" hd asked hopefully. 'Baccy's a wonderful comfort at all times, but when you're a bit pinched, you know"

He pulled out his tobacco pouch temptingly. 1 told him I would rather not try it yet awhile. "I think I shall enjoy it more presently," said he, putting his pipe in his pocket.

Then I noticed by the limpness of his pouch as he put that away that his tobacco was nearly all gone.

When we began to feel chilly, we walked on again, keeping under the trees with the hope of findiug some animal that might serve us for food, the snowdrift that edged the wood being our guide.

Gordon had provided himself with a stout stick, but we saw no sign of living creature the whole day, and the only thing we found to eat was some frozen moss and a leathery kind of lichen. On and on we went, skirting the edge of the plain, through the interminable forest, until the light began to fade then we went out and looked beyond the drift. The boundless plain, with the edging of black pines, was all we saw—nothing else. "We must think now of making ourselves comfortable for the night," said Gordon as we re-entered the forest. "We will have a good fire at any rate."

Fuel was not wanting. The edge of the wood was strewn with broken wood—limbs torn from the trees by the gales that swept across the plain, or broken down in former winters by the weight of ice and snow. We collected a great heap, and having built the foundation of our fire Gordon, with infinite care, struck one of his precious matches and lit the pile of dry leaves and fir cones. I knew then why he had refrained from smoking all day. Our lives depended on those vestas, for if they gave out before we could get a fresh supply we must freeze to death.

As soon as the fire was well alight we scraped a narrow trench, about six feet long, in the thick bed of fir needles facing the fire, and framing a kind of roof over it with pine branches piled a mass of twigs aud rubbish of all kinds on top so as to exclude the cold air. We both worked with a will, leaving off now and then to put fresh fuel on the fire, and when it was finished felt very well satisfied with our performance. "Now," said Gordon when we had put tho finishing touch to the roof, "creep inside, mademoiselle, aud see if you can get a few hours' sleep." "But we have got to make another shelter for you," said I. "No one will serve us both—turn and turn about. It won't do to let the fire go down, you know"—it was in this way he disguised his fear of attack by wolves— "and I promise you to take my full share of rest as soon as you have had yours."

I crept into the trench, and stretching myself out at full length found that the springy fir needles made a better.bed than the hard planks of the kameras. It was pleasantly warm, too, with the heat thrown out by the fire.

Gordon seated himself at the opening, with his heavy stick beside him, and with a deep sigh of satisfaction lit the first pipe of the day. It was good to see the happy content in his face as he slowly smoked, letting the clouds issue slowly from his lips, and the leaping flames of the fire beyond him. Indeed, but for the craving of hunger, I had no reason to complain, but a good deal to be thankful for.

It was not long before I dropped off, and I slept soundly, as it seemed to me, for a good long while. But when I awoke Gordon declared that it was not yet time to think about changing the watch so, not unwillingly, but perhaps selfishly, 1 dropped off again.

I awoke a second time to find him still patiently sitting on guard at my feet, but he gave me the same answer and would not permit me to take his place. And when, after a third space of sleep, he allowed me to come out, I saw by the gray light between the trees that the night was past. Then having piled more wood on the fire, and handed his stick over to me with instructions to give him "a crack over the toes" with it if I heard the slightest sounds or detected any movement in the surrounding trees, he crawled into the trench, and in a few minutes was snoring sonorously.

In a couple of hours he came out, protesting that he could sleep no longer, and having nothing to detain us we recommenced our onward march.

I have no need to dwell on this part of my history, for further testimony to the patient courage, generosity and unceasing kindness of George Gordon is unnecessary, and nothing occurred to break the terrible monotony of our journey through the dreary forest until the fourth day of our escape. In the afternoon of that day we came upon a road cat through the forest and debouching upon the plain. This discovery threw us into a state of intense excitement. It was like a vision of water in the desert.

Not a soul was in sight, but there were marks of sledge runners in the snow which had fallen the day before.

It's not amain road—that is evident by Its narrowness," said Gordon, grasping my hand.

What shall we do?" I asked, trembling violently. If it only leads tom farm, we're all right. No one would be so inhnman aa to refuse us food, seeing bow pinched and done up we are. If, on the other hand, it leads to a town—why, then, we stand a good chance of being made prisoners again. What do you say to stopping here while 1 go on and reconnoiter?" "No. no. If you go on, I will go with you."

And hope for the best," he added star dily, pressing my arm to his side and stepping out.

The road seemed as endless* and deserted the forest itself. Then, leaning more and more heavily on Gordon's arm, 1 plodded wearily on, with feet that aeemed to cling to the ground, until my companion, that my strength was well nigh •pent, said: done op, my dear girL Let ui stop

,n'

for the night. We can dream of having a good supper—that will be some satisfaction —and then tomorrow we will realize our dream." "If we could only go to sleep and never wake again!"' I murmured faintly. "Ah, you'll not say that when we get a loaf of black bread and some salt belore us," he replied, smacking his lips. We craved for nothing beyond that simple fare.

We made our usual preparations for the night. "One more," said Gordon, closing his box after taking out a match to light the fire.

We sat down on the windward side of the blazing sticks and began to pick fir cones to pieces, having discovered by accident that some of thsm contained seeds that were eatable. From this engrossing occupation we were suddenly startled by hearing a low laugh, and looking up we saw a man standing near us with a sack slung over one shoulder and a heavy stick in his right hand. "Who are you?" cried Gordon, springing to his feet. "Ivan Dontremember," the man replied in tolerable English. "You've seen me before—by a better fire than this."

As he spoke he pushed back his hood and thrust out his chin, showing a red beard, an impish face and a massive cranium, disproportionately large for the size of his face and perfectly bald. I recognized him as the man who had stood beside us by the burniug kameras. "You've chosen an odd place for your fire," he said, with another chuckle, as he threw down his sack carefully and rested himself on it. "One can see you are novices. An old hand at this sort of thingone of the large family of Dontremembers, for instance—would have taken the precaution to see whether the smoke would blow into the road or not before lighting up. But perhaps you are tired of liberty and swine food. Are you?" "Why do you ask?" Gordon demanded. "Because your smoke is blowing straight down, and the posthouse is not 500 yards distant. The man there has orders to take prisoner or shoot any refugee that comes within his reach." [lobe Continued Next Week.']

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