Wichita eagle., 1888-12-06

little beyond Paoudo you viii find corps de
garde, who will LOOK at your papers and give
you all information about your journey"
l was of course. very careful to avoid the
corps de garde, and jourreyed on as before,
buying my provisions at the izbas during the
day, but sleeping in the forest at night.
reached the summit Of the Oural noun
| tains on a clear, calm night in March. The
moon was at the full, and Lit up landscape
at once magnificent and strange, where
gigantic rocks and trees cast their shadows
on vast expanse Of snow. A silence pro-
found and solemn reigned over all Every
now and then hard metallic ring was
audible. 1t was the swapping Of the stones
caused by the intense cold. A few days
afterward passed through SolikamSk. and
went on over the steppe Of Petchara toward
Veliki Oustjoug. The journey was always
the same the same vast snow covered plains.
the same deep forests, the same icy winds,
and for me always my toilsome march, my
Ostiak burrow, and now and then a less mea-
ger repast in an izbouchka "a sort Of peasant
inn.
These izbouchkas were my greatest temp
tation | dared not think Of sleeping in
them. But little hot soupl How ardently
longed to stop and buy some, and eat it In Il
warm rooml | could not venture to do this
often, and one night when, after losing my
way N whirlwind of snow, found myself
without bread, and racked by acute pain as
well as hunger l writhed in my brrrow
and prayed for death. When morning broke
found that | could not walk. After sew
eral attempts sank unconscious on the snow
How long lay there l do not know. l was
aroused by loud voice. 4 stranger stood
beside me, who inquired what YVES doing in
the forest.
answered that had lost my way; that !
was from Tchordine, and was making pill
grimage to the monastery Of Solovetsk, but
that was dying of hunger.
ut is not surprising that you should have
lost your way in such storm, answered the
man. II do SO often, though l am from this
district, and know the forest well. Now
taste that"
So saying, be held bottle to my mouth,
and | drank. 1t contained some excellent
brandy, which revived me at once, but at
the same time burned 80 terribly that fell
on the snow in commissions Ny good friend
soothed me, and gave me some bread and
dried fish, which l devoured eagerly. We
then sat down at the foot of a tree and my
companion explained that he was a trapper,
and was now on his way home with the game
which he had caught. He added that he
would remain with me until felt calmer and
stronger, and would then conduct me to the
nearest izbouchka
81 thank you with all my heart. May the
good God reward you'll"
Eli! for what then" he answered, kindly.
"We are Christians"
He afterward supported me to the door of
the izbouchka, where he babe me farewell,
recommending me to God.
An immense relief was mine as crossed
the threshold Of the izbouchka, but | had
scarcely done SO when fell senselesS on the
floor | recovered In half an hour and asked
for some warm soup, but l could not swallow
it. fell asleep on bench at midday, and
never stirred for twenty-four hours, when
was Weakened by my host, who was anxious.
He was an honest man, and his kindness and
sympathy redoubled when he learned that
was making pious pilgrimage to the mon
astery Of Solovetsk. He begged me to stay
several days, but dared not do SO, and on
the following morning resumed my jour
ney reached the gates Of Veliki-O ustioug
on the 18th of April, and there in my role Of
pilgrim lodged in humble inn with many
others, all bound for the monastery Of Solo
vetSk.
At Veliki-Oustioug we were all obliged
to remain for q month in order to awais
the thawing of the Dvina. The month
over, l agreed, as did many other pilgrims,
to row in boat going to Archangel Each
of us received Is rubles We reached Arch
angel in fortnight, and most of my com
panions pressed on to the monastery. l pre-
tended fatigue, and for several days l
haunted the quays in the hope of discovering
a French vessel Alasl not one was in port,
and on the deck Of every vessel, Russian and
foreign, paced a Russian soldier, armed to
the teeth. This precaution is taken in order
to prevent the escape of exiles by way of
Archangel After week passed in this man
ner became aware that was watched, and
decided most reluctantly TO abandon the
hope which had hitherto sustained me, that
of escaping from the port of Archangel. l.
therefore, in order to disarm suspicion, took
the road to Solovetsk. / had not then de-
cded what to do, but as l journeyed on 1
came to the conclusion that the safest plan
would be for me to make the pilgrim jour
ney, as it is called that is, to go from Solo
vetsk to Omega, and thence to the shrineS of
Novgorod and Kew. The pilgrim disguise
had hitherto served me well, and it contin-
ued to do so.
Inever reached Solovetsk, but took boat
at Vytegra Opposite Solovets0 for st.
Petersburg. I with several other pilgrims
was engaged to row, and as we were paid
fairly well, l arrived at St. Petersburg with
nearly sixty rubles in my pocket.
bad now come to the most difficult point
of my fight, which seemed more desperate
than ever. Still in my pilgrim disguise, l
took my modest lodging, and was greatly re-
lieved when my landlady "a washerwoman)
advised me not to go to the police Office with
my passport, because she would be obliged TO
accompany me, and would, therefore, lose
much precious time.
left St. Petersburg on the afternoon of .
the next day in boat bound for Riga, and
thence walked on through Courland and
Lthuania, and passed the Prussian frontier
in safety. l had changed my disguise, and
when obliged TO explain myself, said that
was dealer in pig skins | thus succeeded
without difficulty OF any kind in getting as
far as Koenigsburg, but there, on the eve Of
my departure for Pcsen, wa. arrested aud
as "rot being able to give an &C
count II myself"
passed month in prison, prey to tor
turing anxiety, and then-nothing having |
been proved against mel was released and
ordered to quit Koenigsburg Immediately.
had found an opportunity TO confess my
IDENTITY TO a French gentleman living in tie
and to his generous assistance,
and 10 that of some Of the inhabitants Of
koenigsburg whom he had interested in my
story, owed the means of travelling so rap
idly that soon crossed the French frontier.
On the 22d of September, eight months after
leaving Ekaterininski-Zovod, / saw before