Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-10-16

'DlSlnJGffGu MN, cnlld!
ooh! it is a strange storyl Lookl this
revolver belonged to him."
My father alive!" murmured Dimitri
overcome with surprise; and an irresistible
desire to see him again in life and Obtain
his pardon took possession of him. DO yor
know" resumed he, lowering his voice.
''Where we can rejoin him--as well as youl
friendS?"
EYES," said the lad; gin the vicinity Of
Niini-Kolimsls, near the frontier Of the coun.
try Of the Tchouktchis."
mot another word, " said Yermac's son
'In moment when all are asleep, J vii
tell you what we will do to again see before
long your friends-and my father!"
CHAPTER KHAN ELK HUNT
It was only after every effort had beer
fruitlessly made to recover the little Pole.
that Yegor succeeded in inducing the weep
ing and inconsolable Nadege to consent tc
resume the journey.
The succeeding days were of the most
sorrOWful description. The fugitives de-
cided that they must follow the left bank
Of the kOlima. Ladislas had been lost not
far from the river. He knew that they were
going towards the north to reach the Arctic
Ocean. If he were still alive, he would,
perhaps, perceive the fire that they would
light on establishing each encampment and
would keep up every night upon an elevated
shore.
Besides these reasons, Vegor had others
for not going too far from the banks of the
river. The provisions brought in the sledges
had greatly diminished during the forced
i0n1npuQ tho Hncppt of Pint
there existed on the borders Of the Kolima,
between the Bolchoy-Aniouy and the Mali
Aniouy rivers which flow into it, plains
sheltered by lofty mountains from the winds
of the north The vegetation there is in.
comparably more beautiful. One finds there
the aspen, the poplar, the willow, and the
cedar; after having crossed the icy and bare
toundra, these plains are the GASES of these
solitudes. The forests which clothe the
sides of the mountains are inhabited by
herds Of reindeer; elk, foxes, and brown
and black bears are met there in large mum.
bers.
Yegor thought that it would be easy to kill
some of these animals, which would furnish
them with food for several days.
Swift as the lightning, the two sledges
without leaving trace, glided anew over
the icy stretch. Nadege, her eyes red with
weeping and her heart sad, silently and s0r
rowfully thought of her dear Ladislas. She
could not believe him lost. A secret pre-
sentiment told her to hope and that she
would, perhaps, see him again. M. LAT
leur, usually 50 loquacious, was also silent
Plunged in his reflections, with lowered
head and compressed lips, he internally
cons0la9 himself for the present by think.
ing of the future. He was busy making
plans.
His mind, with the rapi2ity of the electric
spark, sped from Yakoutsk to the ice of the
pole, from the pole to Paris, upon the Place
de Ia BaStille lighted up by that bright sun
Of Thermidor sung of by Beranger, and
from Paris to Chateau-Thierry, in the little
house he had inherited from his maternal
uncle. 1t was in this house that NJ Lafeur
intended to found the museum which was
to bear his name and attract, every summer
| caravans of visitors to the town which gave
birth to the great French fable-Wrter The
! former dancing-master had defnitivcly re,
| nounced his idea of scizing upon the first
occasion that should present itself to return
and solicit his pardon, that he might con
tinue to teach contry-dances and good
4iAteJ ACAo " ItiC VI tllC Ill
ian fUnctionaries. True the affairs of his
millinery SHOP remained TO be settled. but
that was not much. He willingly sacrificed
his profits. Being a man of foresight, NJ
Latieur had not kept his savings in a stock
ing in the depths of drawer; neither had
he entrusted them to the Jewish usurers OF
the country. Twice year, at collection
time, he had sent, by the hands of reliable
| agent his funds to Paris. to the address OF
| solid and honorable house-the house of
| Vernes ct c.
| NJ. Lafeur, so far as worldly wealth was
! concerned, was, therefore. exempt from
| care, ana ne was approaching an age when
1T is permitted to a man 20 repose and enjoy
| the fruit Of his toll. He had yet a very
| long road to travel over to return to Paris
and Chateau-Thierry; but, at the rate at
which he was going, the distance was, so to
| speak, visibly diminishing,
At his side, Yermac, well wrapped in his
/ furs, kept his eyes closed and seemed asleep
| He was as motionless and stiff as a frozen
| corpse.
| Directed by Yegor, who took his eyes
neither from his compass nor the little map
| sketched by him at the ostrog from a wall
map, prepared by the Esaoule in accordance
With the most reliable information he had
been able to gather, Tel1el drove so admir-
ably that the fugitives were enabled to fol
low the surest and shortest route.
The teams of dogs, furnished by the Esa-
oule Of Sredne-Kolimsk, did marvels in the
hands of Tekel and Chort. The dogs of the
north of Siberia have long and slenders ears,
always erect, and their tails are thick. Some
have smooth hair and others curly hair OF
different shades.
At the head of each team wac the most
active and best disciplined dog. 1t kept the
| others, less Intelligent or more stubborn, in
the right direction, preventing them, es-
pecially, from turning aside from the road
to follow the tracks of animals.
Once, Yegor's animals precipitated them
| selves on the footprints of fox marked
upon the snow; already, the dogs were