San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-07-17

dancing master, gravely marking the steps,
played and danced nobly an old-time minuet.
The animal yawned at first, but the sharp
sounds Of the instrument astonished and,
perhaps, charmed it. 1t shook its head with
an approving air.
1t is well known that the ear of the bear,
insensible to bursts of thunder or the fall Of
avalanches, has the gift of perceiving and
appreciating the weakest and softest sounds.
The gray bear seemed to grow familiar
with the dancer and his music. 1t belonged,
for that matter, to species void of ferocity,
feeding mainly on vegetables and fish. At
the commencement of winter, the Ostiaks
are often seen conducting herds of gray
bears to Berezoff, where the flesh is sold on
the butchers stalls.
Carried away by the cadence Of the air,
the animal also began to shake itself and
dance.
While executing his minuet, NJ. Lafleur
gradually moved away from the encamp-
ment; the bear followed him, as if magnet
lied by his bow
Yegor had great trouble to prevent his
dog Wab from going up to smell at close
quarters this companion, suddenly grown
so sociable.
Finally, NJ Lafieur. thinking that he had
drawn the animal far enough away to have
removed all danger, quickly wheeled about,
scraping forcibly upon the treble string.
The bear. evidently annoyed by the alto
gether unexpected lack of harmony, de-
parted with the heavy step of a mystified
beast.
Some hours later, clouds of crows settled
upon the bleeding bodies of the wolves,
and the travellers thought it advisable to
move their camp, advancing in the direc-
ton in which Tekel was to come with the
nartas
The Yakoute woman did not follow them,
but resumed her road, bearing with her the
three blue foxes.
Two days afterwards, as night was coming
Onto speak the truth, it had been night all
day-a sharp noise and pattering sound on
the hard snow announced from a distance
the arrival of Telel and the sledges, so i'm.
patiently awaited
Soon the two nartas were in sight The
reindeer were running rapidly.
Yegor's Joy was overwhelming, Nadege's
eyes were filed with tears of emotion, and
Ladislas clapped his hands.
'.What fine teams" cried NJ Lafleur.
But Yermac's forehead suddenly clouded.
The chief of police turned away to hide his
annoyance.
The situation of this MuScovite function
airy was passably strange The former
Judge, incapable of relying upon his own
Judgment, regulated himself only by strict
justice and the written law, without admit
ting any examination, Interpretation or
modification. Distrustful of his rights and
his authority, he remained deaf to that in
terror voice which tells every man what is
Just or unjust, and limited his intellectual
activity to the strict application Of the law.
In his eyes, men were made to obey the
laws and the laws were not written in the
interest of humanity. Further, he was al
ways ready to sacrifice himself to his duty,
as he had clearly shown.
And yet he was almost forced to lend as
sistance to people who had forfeited their
privileges, who were Drawing the law and
personally defying it, Now, he was about
to be compelled to follow him. How far
and during what time they alone could tell.
Yermac felt himself unable to resist this
humiliation. Better had it been for him,
he thought, to have succumbed beneath
their repeated attacks than to become in
their hands an object of pity and derision
But what would he do if patrol of Cos.
sacks suddenly appeared! Would he de-
nounce, as his duty strictly ordered him to
do. Yegor and Nadege as escaping convicts
and M. Lafieur as an accomplice in an at
tempted crimei But he owed his life to
these unfortunates What a cruel perplex.
ity! A dolorous struggle took place in the
conscience of the chief Of police.
Tekel, as he advanced, hesitated for
moment. He did not recognize the locality.
The forest RACED by the cont1agration gave
the face Of the country new aspect. The
Yakoute was greatly surprised, on approach.
ing the encampment, to find that it had been
established by Yegor and his party, the peo-
pie in whose service he was.
He leaped lightly from the marta he was
driving and displayed his teams for the gen.
eral admiration. His Yakoute comrade was
presented after the reindeer. He was quite
a young man of a very pronounced Tartar
type, and answered to the somewhat harsh
name Of Chort.
The costumes of the two Yakoutes pre-
scented mixture of the garments Of the
Russian peasants and those of the natives
of the fur countries. They were long pc
lisses of gray cloth in the Muscovite fash
ion, breeches Of well-tanned reindeer skin
and torbassas or boots Of thick reindeer
hide. These boots are so made that the
foot can enjoy perfect ease in them, the tip
of the sole is turned up like the runner Of
skate. They reach to the knee and are
bordered by wide band of black cloth
All the seams in the garments Of Tekel
and Chort were covered with bands Of this
cloth. 1t is to be added that their boots