Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-12-29
CHAPTER NNNII.
AN UNEXPECTED DESouEMES7.

Amongst the con"icts OF Siberia an artcl,
or secret society, is often formed for the
protection OF themselves against the bru-
iality of the officers and soldiers. This
union elects q chief who is known as q
s:arosta. who has an extraordinary amount
Of lower r. aced in his hands, and bis ruling
is iinpliCitly nbeycd. code Of secret
sign and signals is drawn up, and every man
belonging to TIC UNION has TO contribute q
mite from his miserable Government al
Iowa. &C .owar,ls..a general fund, of which
tho sarosta is the treasurer. This fund is
employed Ia buy extra food and tobacco
for the mcmhcr> vi the union, and as much
member who hal planned all escape and
saw c!.aEcc :or carrying 1t out.
II all officer or any other individual has
made himself particularly obnoxious to
the c,llvicts his death is decided upon and
the mem' crs of the ariel draw lots as to
who shall XII him. and very rarely indeed
docs the man who-c lot it is to do this shrk
it. These ere: societies sometimes have
most extensive ran ifcations, and q man
proving false TO tho confidence and trust
rtpo. ed in him would be killed, though it
might rot be un:il years after the otfense
was committed. Ii is seldom indeed a
traitor to the artci cal, escape its vengeance.
or cour the Authorities are not ignor-
ant of the existence OF thcs" secret sOcie-
though tIcy try; and it is % very rarely
that Il III, lubrr ut the artci turns traitor
lha, the autMOrt Is can get no information.
Although Il union o! this kind cannot effect
The release OF all its members, It can and
docs aid individual escapes. AMI it has
lower 10 aimeinrale the coIi ton to j
large extent % All exile 1,a-ty.
VIXEN The party troiH Kara of Which
Ca,herin. ana Paul I'c:rOyna ". re mem.
lc:~ had reached Nikrlaev-k, an artcl had
! cen formed. Catherine as may be sup
posed. was the prime mover in this. 81
leully ami surely she had worked until she
had cured the cooperation oInrarly the
whole Of the cnnvicis. Panl had been
chUsc. >Iaro>.a. end though he was il! and
*cak and ms energy and hope alike were
:,oI e. lie was encouraged AMI supported by
his vie. She wIIisp. red to him of liberty.
She ialkci .! the near time when they
would affect their escape" and. reaching
-o.ur land where 'hcre were Just laws and
a humane GovcrnIucN!; would &c: klIo "
Happiness.
lie had no faith tina, this woul,i ever
come to l,as.; but still he Ionyed for ven
geaicc against those who had tnrtured him
and Injected his wife 10 indignity and in
nit. She like Rachel mrs Il and fosicred
| II intense hatred against those who had
been re .pOnS!ble Tor the cry brought up
IN those each Lowell.
were sonrwl lat different. Her grievance
was n@ail.s: rarticu ar individual, who al
that moment was i'll power there. But to
Catherine ttiis man was stranger She
| knew hin. nor, and he was i'll 10 way re.
-pnnsibic .or her misiurtllnes. She had
however. come t" regard everyone in au
iliurily al her deadly enemy. and against
| them all she was eIiht'ercsi.
During the terrible journey, and those
| long drcary month, in Kara. Rachel had
found a corsnling conn anon in Catherine
| and she had never lost sight o. the posi-
biiit:cs of this woman proving valuable as
| siStancc to her III carrying out that purpose
wIic!, from the moment of leaving St
| Peter burg TO her arrival at Nikolacvsl
! she had never once wavered in. 1t had
supported her through all her diflicultle-
| it had given her strength when she woui,
| lave broken down, and it seemed at times
| that but Tor that purpose she NUT have
gone mad. WH:.t that purpose was she
| had carefully kept from Ivan Alexieff and
she also kept from him the knowledge oi
| her connection with it.
| And now we must explain here that
| Nikolacysk is dcsOlatc and isolated
station at the mouth of the River Amoor
| which flows into the Gulf OF Tartary, anL
separates the mainland from the remark
able Island of Sakhalin. The nearest poin