The sun., 1892-12-15
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE COMPACT.

CHAPTER xviii.
THE COMPACT.
As Rachel set her foot upon the dread
ISLAND Of Sakhalin she felt that at last two
things were about to come to pass, two
things for which she had suffered so much
and travelled so far. She would see her
father; she would accomplish her purpose;
and now it may be stated what that pur-
pose was. 1t was revenge; revenge on the
man who had wrought such misery and
ruin in her family-the hateful and hated
Peter Alexieff.
Such man, so she thought, was but an
outrage on Nature, an excrescence on the
earth, and she had resolved that he should
die. The mode of accomplishing his death
she had not yet thought Of what she did
think was that once she was in Sakhalin
some means and some opportunity would
present themselves. And though she was
now on the island by the Governors ex-
press command and as his prisoner, she
was not downcast, not disheartened. The
end, as it seemed to her, was in view, and
the end would crown her work.
AS the exiles landed on the desolate,
barren shore, they could scarcely repress a
shudder. Great masses of ice were still
Tiled up there, and the whole island
seemed wrapped in dripping mist.
A strong convoy waited on shore to
escort the prisoners to their destination,
and as soon as all were landed, the march
inland began, for the settlement was many
miles away towards the east. The route
was through a narrow, dreary valley, the
bottom OF which was marsh, and made
travelling exceedingly disagreeable and
difficult. There was no road only track
worn by the feet of the passing soldiers
and convicts. Anything more melancholy,
more desolate and saddening than the
whole valley presented it would be no
,oft 70 tha
chains OF the poor convicts seemed suited
to the scene. Cultivation there was none;
the vegetation consisted of course marsh
grass and bog cotton. Nowhere was there
a sign of human habitation, and the slopes
of the mountains that hemmed in the
valley were mere stony wastes.
Through this awful region, where the
air was bitterly cold, and the wind some.
times moaned, like thing in pain, and
anon screeched as if in fierce delight that
more victims had come to that living grave,
the people toilsd onwards for hours, until
the day began to close. Then they reach ed
large wooden barrack erected at the edge
temporary shelter for convict parties
marching to the settlement.
At this place they halted for the night
1t was dirty in the extreme, and devoid Of
everything that might have conduced to
even ti.S>s most barren of Comforts. Fol
Such ventilation as there was came through
the cracks and crannies of the half rotten
boards; but from time to time many o!
these crannies had been stopped with moss
in order to keep out the draught, with the
inevitable result Of causing the inside all
to become pestiferou and fetidiwhen party
of convicts had been congregated there fol
a short time.
In short, the accommodation afforded fol
the wretched beings who were at once the
objects of the Russian Governments hate
and revenge was such that in any
civilized country man would have hesl-
tated to put his dogs in such place:
AS soon as the muster-rolld had beer
called the convicts were informe that they
could do as they liked until reveille in the
morning, when the march would be re
sumed.
Rachel was the only woman in the gang
and it can we'll be imagined how her who'll
being revolted against the misery she wa
| called upon to endure; and feeling fain
and sick she went forth into the open air
and in few minutes soldier of the guarC
came up and spoke to her. Women wer
not often seen on the island, and tina
| fact made her conspicuous, and then he
beauty had attracted him.
How comes it, woman, that you ar
| here?" he asked, not unkindly.
~ am prisoner" she answered.
"That | know, but wherefore are you so?'
1T is due to the caprice of your master
| the Governor"
''Ah! he has many caprices; but VIII!
have you been sent to this part of tn
| country"
II have not been sent. I came voluntar
'"You speak ariddle. You are prisoner
and yet you came voluntarily. How recon
cile you the two thingsH"
Il journeyed across Siberia to see M
father"
| 'Your father?"
when l arrived at Nikolaevsk was mad
prisoner by order of the Governor"
That is strange" muttered the soldier
"Why strange? Would anything b
strange that Peter Alexieff did2" Th
soldier in answer to this simply shrugget
his shoulders, either as a sign of indiffer
ence to the subject or of contempt for tn
well?'' asked Rachel.
mo. have been here put four months
l was sent from Tobolsk. Do you knoI
him well?"
"Would to the God of Abraham di,
not"
"You are Jewess2" asked the man.
II am"
And you come to see your father?"
| eyes"
what is his name2"
"Aaron Arama."
For moment or two the soldier locke,
at her pityingly and sadly and then he re
| marked;-
Know you not that Aaron Arama
dead2"
Dead" echoed Rachel, in a strong hol
low tone, as if she were mechanical figur
| rather than a living, breathing woman
and, reeIing little, she supported her
self against the wooden wall of the bar
rack. ,
and failing to recognize altogether hoJ
terrible was the shock he had impaired t.
his listener, whose eyes were fearless, an,
almost stony. her breath labored and ster
torous, and her whole manner that of on
who was partially stunned. But suddenl,
she seemed to recover herself, and layin
her hand on the soldiers arm she exclaim
ed, Did you say he was dead2"
II did," returned the man.
"When died her"
"Well, it must have been about thre
months before camel"
"You did not know him, thenp"
mo, but his death was much talke
about amongst the soldiers and the exiles
by the Governor"
Rachel groaned. Then setting her lir
firmly she drew long breath through til
| nostrils after the manner of one who's
passion and bitterness could 1nd no outlt
in words; but, after little while, the solte
womanly nature asserted ITSELF and stag
gering to a wooden bench near the doo1
she fell upon it, and sobbed with a passion
ate sobbing.
The soldier spoke some kindly word
but they were unheeded, and he went b
way.
Through the long and weary nigl
Rachel wept out her wordless grief an
when the day came and the bugles SOUND
cd, she dried her tears and it verilyfeeme
as if her face had undergone during tho:
hours of darkness some, actual physics
Transformation. -,