The Osceola times., 1877-04-21
/ was dragged away. "Hotter blood
than his has cooled, ! warrant you, be-
tween Siberia and this"

uit io uNCbint lustuslult W lut fdplu mo
tion through the air, for the carriage had
now started, and at such pace that the
Cossacks of the escort were compelled to
keep their wiy little nags at hand gal
lop. As we New through the deserted
streets, and long after the suburbs had
been cleared and the lights of Warsaw
were lost to sight, ! continued to ponder
over this strange event, and to puzzle
| myself by vain efforts to guess why |, an
Englishman, quite free from political
complications OF any sort, had been thus
suddenly consigned to exile. had
heard of such arrests, but never OF for
| eigner, still less of British subject, as
their victim.
"T'h;s is Stanisawow," said a voice
that ] had heard before, speaking in
French, as the carriage drew up at the
door of a low rooted posthouse, and a
fresh relay of horses were harnessed and
put to. "And now, count, il you will
take my advice, and promise to abstain
from useless resistance, ] shall be happy
to give orders for the removal of that
chain around your wrists. Come, come,
sir, ! make allowance for your excite.
ment at the outset of the affair, and do
not desire to cause you any needless an
noyance. Should you refuse, your irons
must remain on until the governor of
Minsk-"
",Minskw | repeated, halfstupifed.
The junior of the two officers who had
arrested me, and who stood beside his
reeking horse, smiled.
1T is the nearest fortified place which
you will pass" he said: ." for | need not
tell you, Count Ladislas, that we are
anxious to get you safe across the Bug,
and out Of Poland viii you give your
parole?'
And then flashed upon me, all at
once, the key to the enigma chat had
perplexed me. ! had been arrested in
place of my friend and entertainer, whom
! had suspected rather than knew, to be
mixed up in one Of those wide-spreading
conspiracies in which Poles are so often
concerned, and whose heart was aware
was better than his head. As the glare
of the torches fell upon us | could even
guess the cause of the mistake, for in the
hurry of leaving the theater | had put
on the counts loose overcoat of rich
sables instead of my own, while in height
and figure we were alike. ! had the
presence of mind to repress the indignant
protest as to my nationality which was
on my lips.
" | will give my parole, since you ask
it," | said, concealing my face as if to
hide my emotion, and the chain which
settered my hands was at once removed.
=" 1t will no longer, count, be necessary
that an officer should accompany you,"
said Lieut.. Imkofi, civilly. Will you
drink some brandy before starting? The
night il cold, and the stage long one"
/ ,hook my head, and made no artic-
ulate reply, glad as should been of the
proposed dram of coarse corn brandy,
and chilled as was by the unusual ex.
posure to the keen night wind. But
feared toshow my face, least the mistake
should be found out too soon for my
friends sahty. The driver clutched the
reins, whilea grim Cossack corporal took
his seat beside me, in the place lately
occupied by, the Warsaw police-agent.
The other trotps were in their saddles.
" Forward, Mere Push on, men !"
cried the lieutegant, in Russian, and off
we set. amidst bowling wind and wbirl-
ing snowhakes.
1t was not unth Stanislawow was left |
behind, and | and my wild guards were
far on the road, that | began to reflect |
that, in providing for the security of |
Count Ladistas, ] hal perhaps seriously
compromised my own. Ny strategem |
had succeeded. My irst captors were
convinced that it wa the rich young !,
Polish landowner whom they bad des. |
patched on the dismal Journey 10 Siberia; |
and in all likelihood hemarriage next |
morning would take plae without in
terruption, and the newlywedded pair
start for Italy, upsuspicious T the danger
which had threatened then happiness
with shipwreck at the very ouset of life's
voyage. Could but keep w the de-
ception for another twenty.foG hours,
Ladislas and his bride would be safe
across the frontier.
But what would become of me, ,,r how
would the Russian authorities regal the
author of their discontinue? TIE,
had been arrested in sheer ignoraINe of
the blunder which promised to be 30
profitable to my friend but had Air
chance of declaring who ! was, and nd
chosen wilfully, il might be said, to mA
lead the imperial police. had heard-
most residents in Russia had heard ugly,
stories as to what can be done in Mus
covy, when it is no longer needfu to hide
the hand of steel with the glove of
velvet. Yet ] resolved to play out my
part so long as deemed it indispensable
to the safety of Count Ladislas, and
manfully addressed myself to confront
the hardships of the long and arduous
journey that lay before me.
That terrible night, and the dark and
stormy day that followed it; / think of
them vet as of some hideous dream; of
the snow, the cutting blasts, the toll TO
force way through the drifts, the black
woods, the mounted escort, ex-
changed at every second stage for fresh
Cossacks and the intensity of the cold,
which 80 benumbed my limbs that, when
Minsk was reached could not stand,
and had to be carried into the presence
of the governor, the frozen efiigy of a
man. Feebly made my protest. Twas
Hugh Forster, British subject. bad
broken no law, infringed 20 rule. !
claimed my liberty, and. after a most
severe cros+examination and detention
of three days, obtained it. but only in
a qualified form, being sent back under
escort, TO Warsaw. and thence, alter a
rigorous course of questioning, con-
Quoted to the frontier.
Lucky for you, Mr.. Forster" said
the superior officer of police, who had
kept me in his charge as ] stepped into