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

stones, and upon examining them, cxclaim.
ed:
What luckl These are green emeralds
Of rare size and great value"
Are you certain, M. Lafieur" asked Mad.
ege, who already saw in perspective superb
adornments for grand occasions.
II tell you, Mademoiselle, that they are
marvellous emeralds, the equals of which,
perhaps, no court in Europe possesses. They
are worth many thousands Of dollars"
The chief of police heard these words and
approached, followed by Yegor
Look, Monsieur" said Ladislas to him.
IN. Lafleur asserts that these are emer.
aldsr'
81 can readily believe it." answered Yer.
mac, after brief examination
''There can be no doubt about it." said M.
Lafeur. "Glance at this one which is brok.
en-; the break has the requisite glassiness
and roughness."
Il have made good days work, it seems =
cried the child
My little friend" said the chief of police
"you, perhaps, do not know that all the
precious stones discovered in Siberia belong
to the Car These must be sent to him,
without retaining any"
you are joking, Monsieur Yermac |" said
Yegor. always the Czar!"
But it is the law"
"Must we retrace our steps to lay at the
feet of the Emperor these gewgaws with
the like of which his treasury abounds!"
You are having your little laugh. will
charge myself with transporting them
without in the least incommoding YOU"
1T is you who are laughing now-and at
our expense" replied Yegor.
'Well, / see | must do as you like in this
matter and must limit myself to making q
note of the discovery"
Make as many notes as you please, my
dear Monsieur Yermac," said M. Lafeur,
land make them at your ease. For our part,
we shall carefully put aside these little peb
bles. They will be souvenirs of our rough
experiences and of the time we passed in
your company"
The incident had no other result
One day, two days passed; it was just sc
much less to wait for the arrival of the
nartas. The snow, which fell at shorter
and shorter intervals, commenced to harden.
The great highway of fight was preparing
broad, level, and as vast as possible.
The chief of police, his right arm in a
sling, aided Nadege in the preparation of
the food. To the dry fish and smoked sal
mon which the Russians called oukale,
some of Yegor's happy shots added white
hare and two heath-cocbs; finally, NJ Laf.
leur killed wild ram, which promised for
the succeeding meals passable outlets and
legs of mutton.
The third day, at supper time, the bivouac
fire attracted a native woman. who, in re-
gaining her yourte, had strayed little from
her road.
On hearing the snow crack, the guests of
the desert raised their heads and saw a mis-.
cradle, almost repulsive-look being, Gov.
cred with tattered animal skin. The I'M
fortunate nomad, with bronzed complexion,
high cheek bones and small, half-open eyes,
seemed to have a nursing under the breast
of her garment.
Nadege quickly approached her, made her
seat herself beside the fire, and offered her
part of fowl, which the woman devoured,
casting her hard, black eyes around her.
Upon her bosom moved living creature
carefully enveloped.
"Well, nurse" said NJ Lafleur, Knight one
see the baby"
The Yakoute understood the gesture which
accompanied the Parisian's question, utter
ed in strange jargon in which Russian,
French, and the Yakoute language were
mingled.
She gently and materially drew aside the
reindeer skin which covered her shoulder,
and displayed three little blue foxes.
The stupefaction was general. NJ Laf-
leur, however, soon explained to everybody
hot; &c thn 10
fur-hunters to carry off the young foxes to
raise with the intention of selling the fur
when the animals have attained their full
development. And, while talking of the fur
of the blue foxes, the Partisan laughed
heartily at the credulity with which the
ladies of the west, especially the English
ladies, array themselves in what purports
to be the genuine article. He informed
Nadege that the four feet of the animal
alone are utilized by the furriers, which
makes peliSse cost in Russia seven or
eight thousand dollars. The feet only are
sold by the hunters. The rest of the fur is
thrown in, as having no value.
Ladislas questioned and, while the native
was voraciously finishing her repast, NJ
Lafieur gave the curious child some details
concerning the habits of the blue foxes.
He told him that exceedingly suspicious
and employing thousand artful tricks
against the hunters, they leave their bur
rows only at night.
Voracious and given to theft, they steal
everything from the hunters and even gar:
ments from sleeping men; they devour the
corpses and attack the sick When travel
ers bury food, placing numerous heavy
stones over the earth which covers it, the