The Red Cloud chief., 1888-12-14
..Ye.; they arr from shi. village

TIE government OF IOpolS8. osu t3os -
going 10 Bohoisx 10 SEEK work"
Forgive u. little father" responded sh'
p~casau;s- I'VE are e~1cussbie. you see- 5o'
there arc often escaped conv:cis about
The rest Of the night passed comsortao.,
and quietly, but the next morning ! orsax
:sstcd and bede farewell 70 the omen VII
the melancholy certainty OF passing N
nights in future In the heart OF the fores'
The demand for . passport had Shown O.
how dangerous IL was for me- 70 srequso'
the haunts Of men For many . night After
ward, therefore. the Ostiak burrow was n,
sole refuge, and I became % scrussomed Y
IL that ss Close OF day ! entered the forest y
IL Il weev . well known hosiery.
From the lNh or 18th Of February 70 -
nrss week In April ! ~lourueycd northwasu
| only thrice v~enturing TO sock ahelscr In
| house. Isu0ered much The soseece o.
| al c~ivilised comforts. and especially OF no
| food. . privssion more difacult 70 bear thai
| any other on such . long cold journey
almost brought NO % the grave. Then. too
l had constantly TO struggle against that dis
position 70 sleep which II death N such
case - mine.
Il was 1t Psouda, high NJ In b OurA
Mountains, that I slept in = house for tns
| second time after lssving lrbit- ] was pass
| ing late ut night through . village. when 4
voice from one Of the isbas (huts) called out
w no goes there's"
"A traveller"
"Are you going fsrf"
20. very far"
"Wcll, II you choose, como In and sleep IN
our house"
Nay the God reward you," exclaimed
Is ] entered the door. but shall ! not be Z
trouble to youF"
'How should you trouble usS We are moi
yet in bed. Come in"
Ny two good kind hosts-aa old peasant
and his wife-gave me u meager supper.
which was 10 me a feast. In the morning
breakfasted with them. and for my food and
bed they refused any recompense. As !
prepared TO leave them. the Old man said
"A little beyond PaOuda you will find .
corps de gard. who will 10 at your papers
and give you all the information about your
journey"
WAS. Of course, very careful 70 avoid the
corps de garde. and journeyed on - before,
buying my provisions At the izbas during
the day, but sleeping in the forest at night.
reached the summit Of the Oursi Noun
tains on q clear, calm night in March. The
moon was ut the full. and Lit up a landscape
ut once magnificent and strange, where
gigantic rocks and trees cast their shadows
on Q 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 stone
caused by the ntens cold. A few days
afterward l passed through SOlikamsk, and
went on over the steppe Of Petchars toward
Veliki-O ustioug. Tho journey WA always
the same-the same vast snow-cOvercd
plains, the same deep forests, the same icy
winds, and for me always my toilsOme
march, my Ostiak burrOw, and DOW and
then q less meager rcpast In an iab0uchka
"a sort Of peasant inn).
These izbouchkas were my greatest
temptation. dared not think Of sleeping in
them. But . little hot soup! How ardently
l longed to stop and buy some. q eat II In
q warm room! I could not venture 70 do
this often, and one night when, after losing
nv way in q whirlwind Of snow. l found my
self without bread, and rscked BY acute
pain Is well Is hunger. I writhed In my
burrow and prayed for death. When morning
broke l found ! could not walk. After sev-
eral attempts sank unconscious on the
SUOW. xlOW touk ! Icy tuCbV = Wv " nsAV"'
l was aroused by = lou voice. A stranger
stood beside me. who inquired b was
doing in the forest.
answered that l had lost my way !; that
I was from Tchordine. and was making u
pilgrimage to the monastery ut SOlovetsk,
but that l Wa dying Of hunger.
1T il not surprising that you should have
lost your way in such . storm" answered
the man. II do so often, though ! am from
this district, M know the forest we'll. Now
taste that"
So say ing h held . bottle 70 nv mouth,
and l drank. 1t contained some excellent
brandy, which revived me at once, but at the
same time burned so terribly hal l fell on
tho snow in commissions. My good friend
soo;hed me. and gave me some bread and
dried fish. which I devOured eargeriy. We
then sat at the foot OF . tree, and my com
panion explained that he was . trappcr, m
was now on his way home with the game
which he had caught. He added IN he
would remain with me until ] felt calmer
and stronger. ard would then conduct me 70
the nearest izbouchka.
Il thank you with all my heart. May the
good God reward you"
"Ehi for what then" he answered,
kindly. .We are Christians"
He aftcrward supported me 70 the door Of
the izbOuchka. whcr he babe me farewell.
recommending me to God.
An immense relief was mine a. I crossed
the threshold Of the i1bouchka. but I had
scarcely done SO when l fell senseless to
the floor. recovered in half an hour and
asked for some warm soup. but I could not
swallow il. fell asleep on q bench ut mid
and never stirred for twenty -four
hours. when ! was awakened by my. host,
who was anxious. He was an homes man.
and his kindness and sympathy redOubled
when he learned that I WA making = pious
pilgrimage to the monastery Of SOlovetsk.
He begged me to stay several days. but
I dared not do 80. n on the following
morning I resumed my journey. reached
the gates OF Veliki-O ustioug on the 18th Of
April. and there in my role Of pilgrim lodged
In q humble inn with many others, all bound
for the monastery OF Solovotsk.
At Vel:kiI OustiouS We were all obliged to
remain for . month. in order to await the
thawing OF the Dvina. The month over. I
agreed. as did many other pilgrims. 70 row
in = boat going TO ArchAngeL Each OF Us
fifteen rubles. We reached Arch
in q fortnight, M most Of my com
pressed on 70 the monastery. I
pretended fatigue. and for several days
huanted the quays in the hope Of discovering
q French vessel. Alas! not one wa in port
aud on the deck Of every vessel, Russian
and foreign. paced . Russian soldier. arncd
10 the teeth. This p~recsution is taken in
order to prevepibhe escape OF exiles BY way
OF Archangel. After . week passed In this
manner ! became awarethat l was watched.
and l decided most reluctantly 70 abandon
the hope which had hitherto sustained me,
OF escaping from the port Of Anchangel
I therefore. in order 10 disarm SUSPICION.
took the road TO Soiovetsk. l had not then
decided what TO do. but - I ~journ.yed on