Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-12-15
TWO MEN CROSS BELUcHisTAN.

TWO MEN CROSS BELUCRiSTAN.
Russian Officers Have an Adventuresome
Journey and Kill some Erigands
New York Sun: Awhne ago Lieuts.
Leonard and Patrin, Russian army Off
GERS, left the town of Djulfa, the last
Russian post on the RuSSo-PerSian from
tier, for the purpose of crossing Persia
and BeluchiStan on horseback. They
travelled without any escort, discarding
all baggage except what could be car
ried by the two horses they rode. They
were armed to the teeth. They follow
ed the road to Teheran, and Western
Persia, being q well cultivated land,
offered no difficulties.
1t was very different, however, in
Beluchistan, region that is infested
with brigands. The Persians will not
trust themselves there, except in large
caravans, with an armed and mounted
escort. The people Of Beluchistan are
not numerous and do not welcome the
visits of strangers. For their better Sc
curity the tourists made it 4 practice to
camp in the open air at Il considerable
distance not only from settlements, but
also from the Travelled road. They had
TO put themselves on short allowance
of sleep, AS one of them was invariably
on guard while the other slept They
accordingly found the journey extremely
fatiguing and also suffered from
scarcity Of food, being at times unable
to buy any supplies from the natives.
They had number of encounters
with bands Of brigands numbering
twenty to thirty members. Whenever
they saw a suspected lot of men on
their route they left the road in order
to give the party passage if they de
sired it, without coming in contact with
them. If the bands intentions We're all
right they could 90 along their way and
leave the Russians to themselves. If
they were brigands they ut once made
the fact known by posing their arms and
starting toward the two travellers as
fast as they could run. On every such
occasion the travellers Immediately
opened fire. Both were splendid shots,
and they had the best of rapid firing
guns One time, in less than Il minute
they fired eighteen shots, most of which
hit their mark. The brigands could not
stand such defensive energy and in
yariably took to fight after some Of
their number had fallen. The tourists,
therefore, did not succeed in crossing
the little known country without she'd
ding considerable blood. When the bri-
gands had disappeared from view the
travellers took the road again and tray
eled at top speed for miles in order to
eyade pursuit.
They reached the frontier of India
early III the spring. AS they were Rus
sian soldiers they had great difficulty in
inducing the British authorities to per
NIT them to travel in India. With the
aid, however, of the French consular
agents they finally obtained permits to
wander where they pleased They tray
eled as far as the Indus, which they
descended, and then returned to Flu
rope. The journey they made was one
which nobody would care to undertake
unless possessed of Il most adyentlr-
some spirit. and the two soldiers could
not have succeeded in their enterprise
if they had not been Splendidly armed
and ready to use their weapons upon
the slightest indication that they were
in danger