Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1899-03-02

custom house. there was no difficulty
I'm getting me struggled ashore In q
sui. beloging TO one of the sailors.
From the moinent my feet touched
Russian soil, I "a no longer a Tree
agent. I became. for b time being,
the servant of the revolutionary COIN,
mlttee, ard they undertook To PROVIDE
for me i'm every way.
l was taken to a small boarding mouse
frequented by the mates n masters
of small merchantmen, and here !
lived for several weeks. dressed IN
nautical costume. and pretending tbat
| was waiting for a ship that V
turned up. 1t was not a particularly
pleasant existence. My walks We're
limited 70 the neighborhood OF the
docks. and / was afraid TO open my
mouth lest my Ignorance OF nauticai
things should make itself apparent. /
knew nothing all this time OF the prog
ress of the plot in which | was 10 play
so important a part. / had no idea
whether the car had resolved 10 sail
on board N OF the ships Of war, or to
accompany the squadron IN the imperi-
al yacht. Nor did / want 10 know any
thing about 1t. Yet the time hung 81
heavy on my hands, my life was 50
monotonous, that | positively lon@ei
for the time when my adventure was
to begin.
At last the summons came.
Ii was just after dark enc evening IN
August when n note n put into my
hand. 1t had no address. but when 1
opened il | recognized the handwriting
ms that of the letter Of instructions i
had received before my return 10 Eng
land.
All is ready" So ran the note. AT
this hour night, dressed as
you are now, leave the house and turn
in the direction of the river. Before
You have gone far you viii meet a
man who viii ask you for a pipeful of
tobacco. Offer him your pouch. and II
he asks you, Have you any Scotch to-
baccoI' reply, No: but / have some j N
my chest He will then leave you.
Follow him, taking are TO keep him IN
sight without going so near him as TO
excite anyone's suspicion that you are
tracking Elm. He will bring you to a
wharf on the bank of the river, at
which a boat with two men in her will
be lying. They will take you ON board
the boat. and there you will receive fur
Their instructions. Burn this as oon as
you read it,
1t was with a strange feeling OF sub
dued excitement that / sprang out OF
bed next morning, and dressed myself
in my ~sea-going garments. The day
had ut last dawned-the day that wa
To see the beginning of the strange en-
terprise / had undertaken. Ii was inn
possible to be calm. the stake at issue
was too great. Not for any reason
short Of the one | was acting upon-the
saving of the girl | loved from being
married 10 Alexis KropenSki-would
/ have taken part in such a plot. i
was thankful that mine was to be a
passive part. l doubt whether my
nerves would not have betrayed me il
I had had 10 do more than To obey or
ders.
Half an hour after sunset / left the
house and stroiled along the street. \
sailor coming up TO me, touched his
cap and asked for a pipe Of tobacco. /
was in the act of giving it TO him when
the question for which i had been pre-
pared was put and answered. He
took the tobacco, thanked me, and
turned down the street. l followed him
at a considerable distance, and he led
to the river.
There was a wharf at the place, and
the lights of the many ships riding in
the harbor could I've plainly seen.
The sailor turned away, and / walked
forward to the edge OF the wharf. A
set of stairs ran down to the water,
ard at the foot of the stairs a small
boat, with two men in her, rocked with
the tide.
/ took hold of the iron railing, for the
steps were slippery, and had already
taken q few steps d~ownwards, when a
rough hand was laid on my collar. !
looked up. The grinning face of a
gendarme looked down at me. Anoth'
er. as well as the tip OF a bayonet,
peered at me from behind him.
| looked down at the boat, 10 calcu.
late the distance, for my first thought
was to drop down into the water
dragging the gendarme with me But
the boat was already several yards
away from the shore.
Should / drop into the water and
drown. or surrender TO the Russian po'
lice? What did it matter? When the
second gendarme, coming to his com
rade's assistance. seized my arm, OF.
fered no further resistance. 1t was
useless. / might have drowned then
both. but / must myself have been eth
err drowned or captured.
/ submitted quietly. stating that
was all English merchant captain OF
the name of Brown. l was taken tC
the nearest police station and made tc
empty my pockets.
What is that paper? Ii seems famil
lar to me. One OF the officials picks II
up from the heap of articles-a revolver
among them-lying ON the table. and
begins to- read it. As he reads it, a say.
agc,joy comes into his face. As | live
fool. ass. dolt that / am!-it is the
letter | had received the night before
Ny box of vestas being empty. | had
slipped II into my pocket, meaning &c
burn ii later, and had forgotten 1t. My
fate was sealed!
CHa TEL XVI