Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1899-03-09
CHAPTER XXIiI.
On Board the Imperial Yacht.

! was now committed, for good or
evil. a thousand times more deeply
than / had been before, to the cause OF
the conspiratcrs. / might have fore
seen that | could not long remain a
passive tool in their hands, but never
dreamed that / would be forced by cir
cumstances 10 throw in my lot with
theirs in so decisive a manner. 1t could
not be helped Eow. knew that | need
expect no mercy. and that the British
ambassador could ask mons for me, II
after what had passed | was detected
i'm the reasonable plot / was engaged
in.
OF course. this made me all the more
determined that | would not be caught,
And such is the attractive force of any
enterprise when we have nee fairly
undertaken it, that | now felt-I am
ashamed to say-something like en-
thusiaSm for the very questionable
cause | was engaged in. Only a few
hours before, while | was waiting i'll
the office of the chief of The secret po-
lice for the telegram from London that
was to acquit or condemn me, | could
have cursed the Nihilists and all their
ways as heartily as any officer in His
Najesty's service. But now ! was free.
/ had overcome that great peril; and |
felt eager for the time to come when 1
should begin to play my part in the
revolutionary struggle for freedom.
For three days l remained in the
boarding house without receiving any
communication from Won Mitschka or
his friends. But | resolved to wait pa
tiently and make no attempt to find
tEem. l knew better than to 60 10 the
house at which | had before met YES
silov, as ! felt pretty sure that / was
still being watched by the police, and I
had little doubt that De Noilleff had
suggested that / would do something
of the kind in the hope that / might
unwittingly guide the police to some
secret Nihilist haunt. | was certain
that. sooner or later, the Committee
would inquire for me at the boarding
hcase, as they knew l had nowhere
else to GO il l succeeded in regaining
my liberty.
| was not disappointed.
On the morning Of the fourth day af-
ter l was set at liberty. a tall seaman,
wearing a .~billycoat,' but neither
whiskers nor moustache, lounged into
the boarding house, and, after making
some inquiries about a room, sat down
opposite TO me.
After a time he accosted me, and
asked If I was looking for a ship. /
said / was waiting for my ship; and
the room being then empty, he said, in
a guarded tone, II guess that ship of
ynttrs Ia mighty Homo IF nnnni,,r Va,
would be better to make up your mind
to ship with me-"
One Of the servants coming in at that
moment, a v me an excuse for max.
ING no reply, and, in truth, 1 did not
know what reply to make. / did not
know whether the IA was a friend or
an enemy. . Taking no notice of my
silence, he went on talking of his
barpue, what a fine vessel she was,
what a rapid passage she had made
from Boston, and so on, TO all Of which
j made suitable answers.
Can ycu tell me the time, mister?''
he said, abruptly.
about half-past eleven"
Wrong. Wrong by ten minutes. at
least. Look there,."
He held his watch before my eyes /
SlaHceu at III, n IN place OF the dial.
plate saw a circular piece of paper
fitted inside the case. On 1t was writ.
ten; Trust this man and follow him.
There was no signature, but | knew
the handwriting. 1t was that In
which the two communications | had
had from the Committee had been
written.
Without hesitation, | rose. took my
hat, and followed him out of the
house. lie led me to n shipping office.
and there | duly signed articles ms
tiilrd mate on board the Eliza Tibbet.
son, barque, from St Petersburg to
New York, or any port on the Ameri.
can ~scaboard; Ebenezer Tucker, cap
tain.
CTo be continued,