Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-11-20
THE EXILES.
A RUSSIAN STORY.

gun Oh his SnOuluef, anu, DeSlQeS, nnQlng
the means to drag after him saw, a sack
of biscuit and packages of cartridges, would
certainly have taken him for an Arctic Rob
inson Crusoe.
One evening, the Yakoute guides arrived,
making great noise with their thirty-two
dogs and awakening the echoes of the Polar
Sea. Yermac was overjoyed; he could re-
turn to his plan of escape, and, this time,
under much better conditions, thanks to
Yegor's absence. Only one thing clouded
his citation and that was his inability to
take back the fugitives with him But he
knew their route; from Yakoutsk, By en-
ploying the government couriers, it was pos
sible to spread the alarm over the entire
coast of the Pacific Ocean bordering upon
the Gulf of Anadyr. In the spring, Yegor
and his companions would reach this locality
only to be captured.
The guides, to whom Yermac related in
his own fashion the abduction of Nadege
and little Ladislas, and the departure Of
Iegor Semenoff and M. Lafeur in search Of
them, thought that their employers would
never find their way back to the hut, or
that, finding themselves brought by their
pursuit nearer the Pacific than the Arctic
Ocean, they would not retrace their steps
They seemed therefore, to consent easily
enough to what the chief of police desired
They, however, demanded three or foul
days to reach a final decision; this time be.
sides, was necessary to rest the dogs.
Yermac, on the point of realizing his hopes
resolved to utilize these few days. He
brought away from the whaler, with the aid
of marta drawn by several dogs, which
were replaced by others on completing each
Il
if taken to Nijni-Kolimsk, especially the
powder, the harpoons, and the arms. AT
forwards, he caused to be buried near the
spot where his son reposed the bones gath
cred up here and there on the deck and il
the betWeen-decks of the vessel, thus carry
ing out YegOrS pious intentions.
CHAPTER.-XX AMONG TIE TCH.
OUKTCHIS.
Three hundred and fifty miles to the east
of the Bay of Tchaouask is situateG the Bay
of Koliou1chne, where the Vega wintered
from the 9th of September, 1878, until the
18th Of July Of the following yeu.
Everybody nov izlows the surprising his
tory of tie e--pe licion conlm ;ii,ioI Dy Nor.
denskiold, the result of which was the
revelation of the existence of IL northeast
passage. 1t is certainly the greatest geo.
graphical achievement since the discovery
of America.
1t is known by all how the Swedish saw
ant, after several voyages of exploration to
the north of Russia and Siberia, succeeded
In reaching Behring's Strait and the great
ocean, thus demonstrating the truth of
very IL genious hypothesis, namely: that
along the coast of Siberia was a navigable
channel, caused by the abundant warm wat
ers discharged during the summer by the
vast Asiatic rivers.
NordenskiOld while wintering ten months
In the Bay of Kolioutchine, lived among the
Tchouktchis, people very little known
now, long feared by the other Siberian tribes
with whom they came in contact, and whose
reputation for ferocity has, no doubt beer
greatly exaggerated.
The illustrious Swedish traveller was not
the first to penetrate into the Tchoul1tchi
peninsula. In 1923, Lieutenant Wrangel, OF
the Russian navy, since admiral, went as
far as the Island of kolioutchne and even
before the Russian navigator, the celebrated
Cook had, in ITS, discovered North Cape
(Nordenskiold's Cape IrkaipO and the
Island of Kolioutchine which he named
Buney's Island. In 1871, Captain Billings,
the Bay of Saint Laurent in the Sea of Ok.
hotsk, went by land to the Bay of Koliout
chine and then to Cape Chelagsk.
1t was from the accounts of Wrangel and
his lieutenants Matiouchl1ine and Kozmine.
as well as from what he knew of the expe-
ditions of Billings and some others less
known such as the merchant Chalaouroff.
of Yakoutsk, and Captain Saritchoff, that
had fva IJar ~
ignorant of the fact that the Tchouktchis
were a people to be feared and to be looked
out for, but never had the terrible possibil.
ity of an abduction with armed hand OF
Davldoff's daughter entered among his ap.
prehensions.
The unfortunate Nadege, confined in the
double tent of the chief of a tribe establish.
ed to the south of the Bay of Kolioutchine.
now no longer hoped for deliverance if il
were not effected by the intelligence and
courage of her adopted brother
Ladislas, without being forced to do so
had followed her, hoping to be able to pro-
tect and be useful to her. The young girls
abductors numbered seven. Among them
was the old Tchouktchi who had asked
hospitality of the exiles a few days before.
They We're commanded by a young CHIEF
established temporarily at the Bay of Tch
aounsk, but whose permanent fishing quar-
tiers We're at the Bay of Kolioutchine
The TchOuktchi kamakay finding himself
much too near the wintering place of the
white men from the west gave the signal
for departure and was followed by all those
belonging to his tribe, the richest taking
with them their slaves, descendants, doubt
less, of former prisoners of war
Nadege, treated at first with some con-
sideration, made this new journey in a well
covered marta, having beside her her dear
Ladislas, whom she pressed to her bosom
as if she feared they would snatch him from
her, Numerous dogs drew the marta, ex-
cited by slave who ran on foot beside the
vehicle. AS the tribe advanced towards the
east, Ladislas, whose intention from the
first mad been to steal away and return te
the hut to inform Yegor of the route taker
by Nadege's abductors, saw with terror the
lengthening of the road he would have te
pass over to carry out his plan.
He wished to quit Nadege, but she retain.
ed him, explaining to him that, while there
was still uncertainty about the locality tx
which she was being taken, he ought not tc
abandon her, If he departed at once, how
could he inform Yegor! Better would it be
for him to remain with her, depending upon
the devotion and activity of her betrothed h
find them.
On leaving Cape Chelagsk, the coast was
seen to be covered with villages composed
of dozen tents each. and. sometimes, OF
even less These were settlements of the
fixed Tchoui1tchis, who dwell upon the Dor
ders of the sea and are distinct from the
nomads or reindeer Tchouktchis
Their tents warp formed of ,,Olec NV r,b,lx