Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-08-21

the town.
The challenge Of the sentries rang
sharply on the air as they halted before
a huge military looking stockade,
pierced by large gate and fanked at
its corners guardhouses.
They passed through the gateway in
to the courtyard, and the huge forward
ing prison of Tomsk was before them,'
not single large building, as might
have been expected, but dozen or mora
one story log houses grouped about the
inclosure without any attempt at reg.
ularity. A large number of soldiers
were pacing to and fro with loaded RI
fles on their shoulders, and owing to
the mildness of the night hundreds Of
convicts were sleeping on the ground.
When the new arrivals entered, many
of them sat up with a harsh clanking
of chains. The officer Of the prison
quickly came forward, accompanied by
Captain Stanisla himself, and the pris-
oners were once more placed in his Gus
tody.
Lieutenant Brosky drove away imme-
diately without even glancing toward
the boys, the Cossacks trotted out of
the inclosure, and the recaptured fugi-
tives were marched off to an isolated
log building with heavy doors and bar
red windows.
The boys were not slow to realize the
serious change in their situation. The
guards roughly fastened chains to their
legs and thrust them into dark, III
smelling room containing absolutely
nothing but a dirty straw bed in one
corner. The door was closed and locked,
and they were alone in darkness.
"What do you suppose they will do
with us2'' asked Phil in despairing
tones. "Not that it matters much, for l
don't seem to care any more what be-
comes of me. l have lost all hope"
mo, Phil; don't give up" said
Maurice firmly. 1.-THE outlook is very
hard, but all hope is not gone. We
cam tell what may turn up yet in our
favor. Have courage, Phil; have cour-
age. Lieutenant Brosky may get us free
of this present scrape, and when we
learn just where they are going to take
us-and you know the lieutenant prom
ised to tell us-then we can see better
what our chances are"
Phil, however, refused to be comfort
ed and paced the front Of the narrow
apartment until compelled to lie down
from sheer weariness. Maurice was far
from feeling the confident manner which
he had assumed. He was deeply I'M
pressed with the gravity of their pres
ent scrape, and even should they avoid
punishment for that through Lieuten-
ant Brosky's influence he realized that
Siberian exile offered no hope of escape.
Vladimir Saradoff would take every
precaution on tElt score.
At the thought of his treacherous un-
Gle Maurice ground his teeth and clinch-
ed his fists.
Presently he became more composed
and sat down on the bed beside Phil.
If any aid could reach them, it must
come from one source-home. his
guardian and Phil's friends would make
determined effort to find the boys.
But here again Vladimir Saradcf
would no doubt be ready with some Gun.
ming tale to explain their disappearance.
Little did Maurice dream OF the
startling truth as he sat on the wretched
couch thinking of the home and tfe
friends that he would probably never
see again.
He fell asleep at last, and when he
woke the guards were tramping heavily
past the prison, and from all adjoining
cell came furious cries and savage ours
ing, doubtless the wretched Grodno in
a feverish delirium caused by his wound.
His rawlings continued until daylight,
completely putting an end to the boys
sleep.
They were provided with scanty,
anpalatable breakfast and then left
alone until after midday, when a file Of
soldiers, leo by a young officer, entered
the cell. They were taken outside,
where they found Grodno supported by
two guards, his ugly face flushed with
fever. He glared at the boys with ma
lignlty, and even made an effort to
spring at Maurice, but was held back
by the soldiers. They marched across
the courtyard between crowds of con-
victs, who surveyed them curiously
and, as close observer would have dis
covered, pityingly.
Maurice recognized among them
many familiar faces, his fellow voy-
ayers on the convict barge, and he was
glad to see that they had escaped the
terrible death to which Grodno's crime
had SO nearly consigned them.
Near the gates stood the office of the
prison, gloomy two story building
Soldiers were all around it, some Oh
guard duty, some chatting in groups,
others holding fiery black horses, be-
longing, no doubt, to officers who were
inside. The boys were ushered into a
large, dimly lighted room and in bar
red inclosure along one side. Around a
large table, lighted by lamp, sat half a