The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1901-12-12

At midnight he had cleared seventy
versts and halted at the station of Kou-
likoyo. But there. as he feared, he
found neither horses nor carriages.
Several Tartar detacliments had pass
ed along the highway Of the steppe.
Everything had been stolen or requisi-
toned both In the villages and in the
posting houses. 1t was with difficulty
that Michael Strogoff was even able to
obtain some refreshment for his horse
and himself.
1t was of great Importance therefore
to spare his horse, for he could not tell
when or how he might be able to re-
place 1t. Desiring, however, to put the
greatest possible distance between him
self and the horsemen whom Ivan Oga-
ref had no doubt dispatched in pursuit,
he resolved to push on. After one
hours rest he resumed his course across
the steppe.
And on July 80, at A p. M, Michael
Strogoff. needless of fatigue, arrived at
Elamsk.
There he was forced to give nights
rest to his horse. The courageous
beast could not have continued that
journey any longer.
At Elamsk there was no means of
transportation for the same reasons as
in the burghs already passed by--rar-
riages and herses were gone.
Elamsk, small town the Tartars
had not visited yet, was almost COM
pletely depopulated, for it was very
easy to Invade it from the south and
almost impossible to succor it from the
north. So relay Of post, police station,
government building, all were aban-
doned by governmental order, and on
one side the functionaries, on the other
the inhabitants, had gone to Kamsk, in
the center of the Baraba.
Michael Strogoff was obliged to pass
the night at Elamsk to permit his horse
to rest at least twelve. hours. He re-
membered the Instructions given him
at Moscow to cross Siberia unknown,
reach Irkutsk at all hazards, but also
to not sacrifice success to the swiftness
of his passage. Consequently he was
forced to spare the only means Of trav-
Ell left him. 81 -s. ~
: On the morrow Michael Strogoff left
Elamsk, and five days later, on the 9Th
Of August, twenty-one days since start
ing, he found himself 1900 versts yet
distant from Irkutsk. q,
Michael Strogoff was rapidly nearing
Kalyvan when distant detonations
reached his ears. a.
He stopped and distinctly heard the
dull, heavy reports which shook the
air, mingled with sharper and shriller
sounds, the cause of which he well
knew. 1T, b.
He was only half a mile from Kaly-
van when long jet of flame flashed
betwixt the houses of the city, and the
spire of church crumbled down in the
middle Of torrent of embers and fire.
At that moment the detonations were
very violent. Soon the flames stretched
forth on the left of the city. The fire
had devoured whole quarter Of Kaly-
van. srs.a y, ~"
Michael Strogoff was running across
the plain. trying to reach the cover Of
some trees scattered here and there,
when a detachment Of Tartar cavalry
appeared on the right. "a
Michael Strogoff could no longer 60
in that direction. The horsemen adj
vanced rapidly toward the city, and it
was difficult for him to escape. Sud-
denly at the corner of a thicket he saw
a house which he might perhaps reach
unperceived. =.
To rum, to hide himself, to ask and
to take there, If need be, something to
renew his strength, for he was exhaust
ed with fatigue and hunger, was MI
chael Strogoff's only resource. He fed
then to this shelter, and, drawing near,
station. Two wires were going east
and west, and a third was stretched to-
ward Kalyvan.
One would suppose that under the
circumstances that station would have
been abandoned, but as it was Michael
Strogoff could find there refuge, wait
for the night if need be to travel again
across the steppe which was searched
by the Tartar .pickets.
Michael Strogoff hurried toward the
door of that house and opened it hasti-
~. A single person was in the room
where the dispatches were written. He
was an employee, calm, cool. indiffer-
ent to all, that was going on outside.
Faithful to his post, he waited behind
his window for the public to claim his
services. ~.
Michael Strogon went to him and
with voice broken by fatigue asked:
what do you known
Nothing" answered the employee.
smiling. aass
"Are the Russians and Tartars fight
ingY'
People say So"
"But who are the victors Z" ga.
:, 81 don't know"
So much GOODNESS in the midst OF
these terrible occurrences, SO much in
difference even, was hardly possible.
"And Is not the wire cutf" asked MI
chaei Strogof.