San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-10-24
CHAPTER III.
ARRESTED.


One day Maurice Hammond and Phil
ip Danvers spent amid the grandeur
and magnificence of st. Petersburg--a
day so vivid in contrast to the darkness
and gloom that followed that it will
ever remain undimmed in their memo
ries.
In huge Russian sleigh, drawn by
three powerful horses, they drove the
length of the vast Neyskoi Prospekt--a
boulevard more than 100 feet broad and
three miles long. The buildings-were
huge, massive and imposing; the frozen
roadway was filled with sleighs of ev-
cry description, from the PEASANTS hum
BILE box on runners 10 the magnificent
turnouts of the nobility. The sidewalks
were thronged with foot passengers,
merchants, porters, civil servants, Off,
GERS in long cloaks, ladies in Partisan
toilets, priests in flowing black gowns
and brimless hats, while over the hori-
zon rose gilded and painted domes and
countless Greek crosses.
Presently the great street merged in
to the Court quay, marvellous high
way of rose granite, bordered on the one
side by the palaces of the nobility, on
the other by the frozen waters of the
Neva.
Ivan, sitting like a statue on the
front seat, points ont from time to time
places of note-the Winter palace, where
the car lives in regal state; the adJoln-
ing hermitage and the palaces of the
grand dukes.
Now he inclines his hand across the
frozen Neva.
1.-THE fortress, +" he says briefly, and
with thrilling interest the boys gaze on
the bastions and towers of that noted
citadel where unhappy prisoners Ian
guish in their bombproof cells.
For hours they drove through the
streets, crossing and recrossing the sew
en- canals which appear in every direc-
ton.
Turning back late in the afternoon,
they entered through massive arch
way the palace square.
A burst of music reached the boys
ears, and a scene of splendor opened be-
fore them.
From the center of the square tower
ed the shaft of red granite, the Alexan-
der column, and at its base the band Of
the Imperial guard was playing airs
from Offenbach. Mounted Cossacks
were keeping back the impetuous crowd.
"There has been "a review" said
Ivan. "The troops are returning"
He signaled to the driver, and as the
sleigh drew up before the imposing IA
cade of the admiralty the bead Of the
line, squad of the Imperial guard,
reached the archway. Close behind at
a sharp trot came the Asiatic troops
Georgians, Persians, Circassians and
MongOls, armed with lances and steel
maces, clad in long coats of mail.
Then followed compact bodies Of in
fantry, Finland chasseurs and the gl-
ants of the Paul regiment with massive
copper hats, marching sharply to avoid
the hordes of cavalry who were crowd
ing at their heels, red hussars, grena
diers, lancers and swarms of Cossacks
ON their shaggy ponies.
They FASTENED on toward their quar-
| ters. and as the last COssaok ambled
through the arch battery of artillery
charged into the square from the other
extremity.
Maurice watched the approaching
group with eager interest. They clat-
/ tered past the Alexander column, the
fiery black chargers curveting and
prancing to the music Of the band, and
as they drew near the arch an officer.
superbly uniformed and mounted, gal
Hoped into the square almost beside the
sleigh where the boys sat.
The horse slipped on the smooth trod-
den snow and plunged heavily to the
ground, bearing his rider with him and
pinuing him firmly from the waist
doy. inward CircCtly in the track of the