The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-09-29


| his offer of refreshments, took my leave of
him. As | left the parsonage / thought l
heard some whispered talk, and then low
sneerng laugh.
81 am much Mistaken" said 1 to myself
as | stepped into my carriage and gave my
postlion the signal to start. sit Pope John,
the good old man. as Vassal called him, be
not as consummate and greasy humbug as
any in Muscovy. Then my thoughts re-
verted to ROSY dreams of Marie and the fu-
ture and [ sank into reyerle from which
only awakened to see that my driver was pro-
ceeding in leisurey manner that was most
unusual, for if Russians work slowly they
drive fast
Come, come, my ladp' said /, good hu-
moIedly. "surely three good nags and light
kibitka ought not TO 60 at snail's pace like
thisW
As spoke 1 heard the gallop of distant
horses, minging with the clank of steel. We
were on sandy road, traversing one of those
huge pine forests, the sombre gloom of which
alternating with the glare of the white sand.
has occasioned the name of "Black Russia"
to be assigned to these central provinces of
the ancient Muscovy. Very soon we were
overtaken by the hard riders in our rear,
their swords clashing against flank and stir
rup, their horses in foam-in all, some
by their long lances and barbarian equipment
l knew TO be Cossacks, but others wore the
uniform OF gendarmes, and three at least
were officers.
"Pull up! halt, sayr' shouted he who
seemed to command; and In an instant my
driver obeyed.
"Secure the foreignerw was the next order
and with amazing quckness / was grasped
by two Of the dismounted troopers.
"Resist and firew growled a Cossack cor
poral, pressing the muzzle of his pistol to my
left temple, while his soldiers dexterously
chained my wrists together. Then, shaking
off the stupor of surprise, found my tongue.
There was, said, evidently some mistake,
some confusion of persons. My passport, if
they would kindly look in the breast peck
ct of my ulster, would prove me to be Arthur
Musgrave, of the British diplotic service, Jun
ior attache of Fl. B. MS legation at Madrid.
''Prisoner, you trife with justice p said
the commandment sternly, iD French; and,
indeed, when the morocco case was drawn
out and opened it proved to be empty. NY
passport and papers were gone, inexplicably
TO me. As stared blankly there was roar
of laughter mingled with comments on nv
efffontery.
Remove the pretended Englishman p or
dered the colonel, and was thrust back into
the carriage, soldier on each side OF me, and
conducted to the town OF Torjok, where was
lodged in jail.
do not like, even yet, to recall what
underwent during the three miserable weeks
that spent in the prison of Tonok. 1t was
not that the cell was narrow, the bed sqad,
and the fare hard and bad. | was young and
strong, andscould rough it. But it was mad
dening to be eternaly examined and cross
examined by civil magistrates and military
functionalies, all OF whom tried, by threat
promise, persuasion, to wiring out of me
confession which. as they said, would enable
me to clasm the Cars mercy. and a lighter
punishment for my crime. was brow beaten
bullied, argued with. coaxed, but never &C.
cused of anything. When 1 inquiled the ma
ture of my offense was ieersd at. When |
entreated my captors to write to the British
embassy, my prayer was treated as an impu-
dent jest. And when l mentioned Count
Orlof, the governor Of the province, as nv
future father-in-law, really thought the
Judge of instruction would have flown at nv
throat, so angry was he.
"OnIy bread and water for the contuma-
ciousH i heard him roar to the jailer as he
went out. | thought between them, that
they would have driven me mad, and should
have welcomed Siberia as a release.
grew sullen at last and refused to retun
any answer to the interrogatories with which
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