| Show T iiriiiin1 T i I I a i I 1 rY ujf t t 7JW l CO GJOR6y 1 4 K COPYRIGHT 906 THe oa4f ME L L CON FlfilVPft U I G < It r I i C It f o I I 1 r 0 t j I r A p 0 r4 aNIC I I I I 9Ie ithrl eteoa krttQ > 1 e Age a 342 j How Much Water Is There In the Shllka SYNOPSIS 1 leI I is rederlck Hardy a fashionable Boston ore leiy man lost his wealth was Jilted a girl and sent by a friend to take Trailing Company awe of an American YOUI ore In Russia On his Journey through pan he mot Staplcton Nnvllle sup KnKllahnian They agreed to nedly na I be together to Russia Uecuuso of sus lous circumstances they were several ea molested by the Japanese Hardy ulJav arrested and found upon his person re papers showing maps of Jup forts rdy was proven guiltless On a train I met Alsorne Sano daughter of a Jail reliant In Nevilles shoes Jap found lures of forts proving him to bo alan a-lan spy Hardy departed for Ilus on a steamer which was wrecked irtly afterward Ho was rescued by Russian steamer On reaching Vlaill stnk he was well treated He started Princess Ilomannvna Siberia meeting the train Hardy boarded a vessel for at r Q I ur Hardy showed tho princess his irtness as a rifle shot CHAPTER XI A Up the Amur aolbodb The blackened ruins of Algun and J oullifaao grisly story of men and women ss r t ° dur ln In that swoop of tho Cossacks rM bout ft t awful picture ot fire slaughter d helmet Tblro II i rapine and the thousands tram r s thoUi d by horses cut down by the lIn1 lord or driven to death In the turbid par Illustrated In Hardys mind Phase of the advance of Russian IIV iDAHO IWzatlon another and moro pleas Illy termtda phase was symbolized by the large Ui p gymnasium of Hlagovestchonsk hrtuntti first building of that progressive dern city that could bo seen from Dimes decks of the Alexsny Ino Rillr Ta he Imperial mallsteamer on which 1 leserlptlf j embarked about dark was a rosonrr S S ch > smaller boat than the Alexsay or p of only A t I lighter draft Thoro were akeCky lnl class cabins all forward and Poor princess was obliged toN 11 to-N ere Into three of these the senor IV ding the other three Hardy man I to obtain an upper berth In a ery Wclass cabin aft but was soon en out of this as tho Russian be d Tf him smoked some filthy brand cigarettes all night lighting them lble J five minutes with old fasbloned her matches the ticrld fumes of AH Trai J mingled with tho smoke arose s Ming clouds to his nostrils and NO 12 i he entire cabin The Russians s l h to Hardys surprise kept the Iud window tightly closed and gh he arose several times to open I0 the other his fellow l passen Sough SprCD Immediatol ShhuL Pimmcoiately ulna It again system rssi jwoso at last dressed and went au deck taking his blankets with The air was balmy and he soon 111001 > lulled by tho breathing of Intlne and the whispering of tho t But hI was not lxllovvC1 toT to-T hhn repose long for about mid tthe pRSSIIIOrS and the baggage tbnged over to another steamer viri drtw 1 n trigs loss water and was Ion etc > for tho comfort of tho nrers all save tho princess and leneral of smaller holding en S Y 7 This now steamer brought the did pll0ting rumor that tho teAd the Shills which latter rrletl the waterway higher up Inal laxdire a u1b aridly falling gently to tiiv detach IlaIOS tlrQ took oti a od g tho Guaranteed D Q n r + I ctvary In faded 1 Guard d refunded red onoy Cold Co-ld Drug dirty and dusty uniforms returning from some murderous and unrecorded raid Into Manchuria They seemed hal Chinese and half NorthAmerican Indian and they swarmed on every available portion of the deck The ship was off again at dawn feeling its way cautiously to avoid the shallow places There were six firstclass cabins on this boat also Hardy learned which were given over i the princess as a matter of course to and the general I As she continued her course for several sev-eral days it was necessary for Hardy and Smulders to preempt places on the deck for lying down for the time comes at last when a man must sleep I and not being provided like a horse with four legs ono on each corner he finds It necessary to measure his length on something It was necessary now to test the depths of the water constantly Two men ono on either side of the prow sounding by means of stakes attached to ropes swaying rhythmically as they cast their wooden spears chanting the depths Chctyre chetyrepolovena pyut Four four and a half five a downcoming steamer As often as passed thc little captain made a trumpet trum-pet of his hands mid shouted across tc its commander How much water IE there in the Shllka 1 The disquieting rumor that tho wa tor was rapidly falling was gaining confirmation by each report Onci tho men with the poles cried Tres three and a half and UK polovena tho bottom At steamer scraped on Pokrovka a drear Cossack vlllagi tho junction of the Amur and tin near Shllka rivers they found a snmllei them that drew mail boat awaiting throe feet of water They changei but multilingual hullabaloo again with a over grand scramble for places baloo and a the general and the princess all save first into the who moved leisurely 11 tho superior being icu bins like ttNS nU v n I wore tlH they I stuck fast on a Ihl next day they boats crow carrie and a sand hank the river and anchor far up the haw stout It attached to a dropped windless of the by l moans ser Then hy warped tho stoamer lUlibeately they At dark of the same day the loose of wa feet for good In 2V grounded tramp lol u great yaids below tor a few athwart thc Imbedded firmly steamer no mope of goIng There was channel down for many d1tJ Ing cither UP or took the ma The peasants to come thc would slm they ter 1lltliosollltlrnlb were relit free they ply live whore and mill of the bread buying their lit to Bend CossackS Whcn Gml saw would go on water they CHAPTER XII the Rescue To general do the would the nut what Irkutsk For as of military governor must bo U his ± he ovcrylJUclY knoW date and limo White post on a certain take the will to bo apt not Czar would Within two days oC Goll Into account Intentions ncfoo Wade thc genelalS manifest for his orderly arrived with t several long dugouts each having a 1 I mast at tho prow A rope fastened at the t stern was passed through n pulley I nt the top of the mast and the other end attached to a shaggy horse The generals baggage was piled Into one of these dugouts and he seated himself him-self comfortably In the midst A muz lilk with a paddle occupied tho stern another mounted the horse and they I I rode off tho animal scrambling over the stones by the shore or splashing i i through the shallow water while tho man with the paddlu kept tho boat I clear of the bank This Is tho ancient mode of ascending Russian rivers tho method of loslmt and lotka and two military stations or about 30 miles 1 I can thus be made In a day under I favorable circumstances by getting under way at four oclock In the morning I morn-ing To Hardys consternation the prln j I cess and her maid followed In a sec I ond dugout But there were two more I waiting on the bank their owners hoping that others of tho passengers would wish to avail themselves of their use Come on cried Hardy to Smul dors Lets follow them It will be a lark A lark Whats that A lark Why fun sport But Smulders sighed and shook his head thinking of the fair Viennese Ah no ho said I do not care It It be an eagle I cannot leave Chulla I loaf her too heavy Hardy lost no time I5y signs ho conveyed to one of the sailors that hq wished his luggage carried ashore and piled Into tho dugout Soon ho too was seated In the bottom reclining gracefully against impedimentahis horse scrambling along In the wake of the princess lotka They made but one military station the first aya largo square building where a samovar Is kept always ready for travelers and tho sledges that carry car-ry the malls over the Ice In winter To Hardys delight the old general and the princess were extremely courteous cour-teous to him and made him understand under-stand by signs that ho was welcome I The crnnprnlH nrd rlv fort g t1 and nro 111 g enera D u duced some black bread some milk and a quantity of delicious fresh caviar of the kind tho Russians do not export Tho princess presided charmingly at tho samovar after which she disappeared disap-peared for the night Hardy spread his blankets on the floor and was soon fast asleep But he seemed no sooner to have closed his eyes than he was awakened again by the voice of the general shouting at him In Russian It was only three oclock but the place was nil bustle with prcpara ions for departure Ere the mists md risen from the river they were again under way dim as ghosts HardY reclined against his luggage and slept deliciously until the sun arose when ho was awakened by the stinging of a cloud of gnats Sitting upright he noticed that thc lotka of ho princess was deserted by Its fair passenger Casting his eyes about he observed maid and mistress strolling along the government road that follows fol-lows the course of tho Shllka and that serves as a channel for tho stream of Cossacks that pours Into Manchuria The bank was high at this point and the women wore above him plainly visible In the bright sun The Ho nanovna twirling her Japanese parasol para-sol on her shoulder walked rapidly and with a Joyous freedom of motion i hat testified to her love of the open air 1 wonder if she plays golf mused he Hardy and at that very moment perceived that he too was cramped sitting there in the boat He got out accordingly and struck vigorously across a wide stretch of sand deposited de-posited during high water He was some 15 minutes climbing the steep Unread bank and when he at last reached was nowhere to be road the princess seen Indeed the road at this point turned sharply away from the river and disappeared around the foot of n however that it hill Hardy knew must wind back to the river and he therefore followed the wide dusty trail confidently LIIa although it seemed to into the heart of tho wilder plunge Once or twice he asked himself him-self ness why ho was walking so rapidly Why and each time made answer with my lotka of course keep up to ad gentleman to < Ho was too thorough a the unit to himself that he was pursuing he would not have done such princess street why should Ileacou thing on a road in Siberia ho do it on a government rate it would be an berla At any would Indiscreet thing to do as she be sure to crush him for his prcsump ties Hut he certainly had just as walk a8 right to get out and wa good a soliloquizing thus and As he wns she about come to the conclusion thai had fair way at last of malting ho was in a he hear of himself ho thought an ass scream In the distance Listen a 1 shrill with his heart In his mouth he ing for tho first cry was followed was sure otherswild despairing by lowed woman In tho most shrieks as of a fear excruciating Coming coming shouted Hardy feeling In his pocket for the gen and pistol which tbanl orals American God I was there ho ran as ho never ran before Rounding n little turn In 1 the road and a clump of trees he came suddenly on n sight thnt thrilled him with rage and sickened him with fear not for himself but for the princess prin-cess There she was struggling In the arms of a big Chinese one of that halfsavage tribe that inhabits the wild regions of Manchuria Tho beast had lifted her in his arms and was running toward the woods with her while another carried tho maid Two other Mongolians with long war bows In their hands completed the strange picture Hardy shouted again and tho four Chinese wheeled about and regarded him with startled malignancy that turned on the Instant to amusement amuse-ment Those four great brutes behold one rather small dark man of dapper appearance ap-pearance despite his weeks river travelII slender dark man In a blue serge suit and negligee shirt who mechanically me-chanically adjusted his gold pincenez as ho advanced now at a slower gait The two Chinese with war bows fitted long arrows to tho strings amid with n sudden lift of tho left foot and n nnn widening of the arms they lot drive Ono arrow whizzed by Hardys head and tho other pierced his clothing making a nasty scratch on his left side Then tho pistol cracked tWh land l-and the two Chinese fell sprawling with bullets through their bodies The other two promptly dropped tho faintIng faint-ing women and started to run Hardy aimed deliberately at tho ono who had seized tho princess and fired It was a long shot but tho bullet took effect as a scream of pain testified Neither tho princess nor tho maid evinced any signs of reviving but lay there huddled on the ground as though dead Hardy ran to the edge of the bluff and there as good fortune would have It was the generals lotka and tho general himself strolling along leisurely on tho sand Tho American shouted so loudly and flung his arms about so wildly that the orderly or-derly the two muzhiks and even tho governor himself were soon scrambling scram-bling up tho steep bank toward him The Romanovnn had revived by tho time they all reached her and sat in nn P n tho tall grass putting up her abundant hair woman fashion nnd looking about with awakening eyes Sho was as pale as a ghost and held out her hands appealing Hardy aid tho general helped her to her feet and it was tho American who supported her until her trembling limbs regained their strength The general surveyed the dead Chinese and then standing squarely In front of Hardy removed his cap and made a low bow At the next station they found a small government boat tho Pushkin awaiting them that drow only one foot of water It had been sent down by tho authorities to pick up tho general gen-eral and Courtland Hardy excotillion lender was taken on board and one of the four cabins was given to him although ono 01 the greatest heiresses In all Russia was thereby compelled to occupy a room with her maid CHAPTER XIII Womans Gratitude The princess was sitting on one of tho benches of tho upper deck attired in tho costume of Little Russia with tho Japanese parasol turned toward the sun over her shoudcr Hardy had rather avoided her since the incident inci-dent of the brigands as lie felt that any attempt at friendship on his part would be tiklng advantage of the service ho had been able to render hCTa service which he assured himself him-self he would have performed Just as eagerly for the humblest peasant woman on the boat The Romanovna In fact had been nearly prostrated since that dreadful happening remaining re-maining In her cabin until now under the care of her maid Monsieur she said to Hardy who was promenading tho little deck Ho throw away his cigar removed his hat and bowed very low Ho noticed that she was still pale and that her eyes looked unnaturally large Parlez vouz Francais monsieur she asked sweetly with a perfect Parisian ac cent Un pen madaine he replied but unfortunately very badly Ah but you do speak it sho cried with animation you speak it well or at least well enough to enable me to express to you my undying gratitude I owe you my life monsieur Pray sit down here beside mo I owe you my escape from a horrible a hideous fate Hardy sat beside her on the bench You owo me nothing madame ho said there was no great danger for me really Thothe obligation Is all on my side There Is not a muz hilt or Bourlnt on the boat who would I not have done the same thing They aro all envious of my great good fortune I I for-tune I owo you nevertheless my life she insisted and you have my u dYIng dY-Ing gratitude as I said I do not Know how I shall over bo able to repay re-pay you Hardy frowned I did not do It with any thought of repayment of any kind madame he said You will best recompense 7dii t < iS11 IA 119111 I i ° t I i fI 1 rr el Ir p f tP D l I l V I 0 u1McJr r 1 l l w t I A fI j hP Struggling in the Arms of a Big Chinese ti irk mo if you will dismiss all thought of obligation It would pain me to think that I had imposed any such ImagInary Imag-inary burden on you I am more than repaid In my own satisfaction I trust you are qulto recovered from tho shock shoclDut you wore wounded Tho general gen-eral tells me that you were wounded Do not deny it she commanded smiling The entire boat knows of it It is fortunate tho arrow was not poisoned Not wounded replied Hardy merely sit atchcd The princess fixed her eyes on him for several moments I have always Insisted she murmured mur-mured that the American gentlemen compare favorably with thoso of any country in tho world and now I know It Pray do me the honor to sit here and talk with mo a while Wo will change tho subject if you desire How do you like our Russia Hardy talked with her for an hour or so Sho spoke slowly and distinctly for him and he found under such delightful de-lightful auspices his French was a much more practical and useful acquirement ac-quirement than ho had thought They talked of tho Increasing activity of tho Chinese marauders of tho possibility of war with Japan of the wild flowers of Siberia of Russian and American society lIe found her Intensely patriotic patri-otic and firm in the belief that Russia I sill could crush Japan In a month should hostilities actually break out As they were thus engaged In conversation con-versation tho general npproached and bowing before the princess proposed zakouska to Hardy 1h monsieur she laughed do you know the great Russian Institution Institu-tion of zakouskn Yes he replied It was about tho first Russian word I learned and I have heard It moro frequently than any other since Then site said rising and taking the generals arm we will have za kouska In my cabin Will you do us i tho honor of joining us Certainly replied Hardy with alacrity I find it a most delightful custom And all day long they steamed up tho winding and yellow Amur through virgin solitudes of rolling prairie through Interminable stretches of primeval forest with medieval Russia Rus-sia on tho right and ancient prehistoric prehis-toric China on tho left Tho grinding and jarring of tho lit lie steamer on the sand was now a matter of hourly occurrence Occasionally Oc-casionally a largo river boat would be passed ldgh foundered and dry either deserted or occupied by n few pas engcrs patiently waiting for tho water wa-ter to rise Many rowboats drifted by laden with moro fortunato people going with tho swift current rather than against It To these tho captain shouted continually How is tho water In tho Shtlka And over came the same reply Falling slowly tailing At midnight they ran upon a sand jank and had such difficulty petti un off that Hardy thought they went stuck for good It was necessary to r wnUo up tho passengers with the exception ex-ception of her highness tho princess t and drive them all over to ono side of tt f tho boat to list her Afteran hour of ° most exciting work during which tho i captain dashed forward and back on tho bridge gesticulating with his entire P en-tire body and shouting like u madman mad-man they got off and worn under way again only to rnnko another hours 1 stop for wood This time as before a bewhlskcrcd muzhik was sitting on tho bank by a flaring fire He could i be seen very distinctly from A great distance and as the steamer approached ap-proached the officer In command shouted at him again and again The soundness with which ho was sleeping hS sleep-ing with bend upon breast and arms folded upon knees gave rise to considerable con-siderable amusement among such of o tho passengers as were awake Tho j g plank was laid and soveraliof tho crew ran up to him Ono of them pushed him and ho sprawled over ties dead I announced the sailor tjtk I Dead Yes sir transfixed by an arrow tin + Ho put his foot upon tho mans breast and seizing something pulled 1 A moment later ho hold up In tho light of tho bonfire a Chinese war arrow ar-row then throwing it to the earth a ho stooped and wiped his hand upon the grass Toward morning they stuck on the sand again In a 1 wide part of the river with dense forests on either bank The steamer drifted about and blocked which up a narrow channel through they wero attempting to pass Tho sand came level with tho surface of the water on either hnnd The captain tried in vain all tho expedients known on tho Amur ho attempted to lift tho boat around by means of a mast f planted at her sldo In tho river he sent the anchor up stream and essayed es-sayed to drug hor through bodily by means of tho windlass ho added to r th this power tho pulling force of a wood tt en windlass set up on ono bank of the river whoso long cross bar was manned by half the boats crow but z p without Huccess What Is tho matter1 tho princess coming out on tho deck about nine t oclock in tho morning asked Hardy r Wo are stuck for good explained 1 tho American I hope you slept i well Excellently thank you But I hope wo are not stranded as I havo Invited t some friends to a house party at my t country placo near Moscow 1a A rowboat drifted Into tho mouth of the channel and lodged against the side ot tho steamer It contained four dead ono of whom was a priest In o long robes Ho was lying flat on hIs n back with his head lolling horribly over tho sldo his venerable beard y a floating In tho water All were pierced with arrows Tho general offered of-fered the princess his arm and conducted t con-ducted her below Znkouska ho said patting bit iTO i hand 1 I TO BE CONTiNlRD i I |
