The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-10

began as he received me in his private
room. 81 cannot strictly call it an Off
cial affair-at least not British. have
taken it up and promised to do what
could to oblige an old friend. Personally,
l. can do little or nothing, but if you ike
to undertake the case I can promise you
that your services will be most hand
someiy rewarded"
''Will you give me a few particulars
first?' l asked cautiously.
''The friend of whom I have spoken IS
a Russian official of some distinction, but
his position is not equal to his ambition.
He is of a restless, eager temperament,
and is not content to plod on slowly 20
success. He wishes to carry the situation
by a coup de main. If he could give some
valuable Information to his government
something that would show he was a
man of unusual capacity and resource
his fortune would be made. In RUSSIA
they cannot afford to ignore brains IN
those who serve the state. Practically
there is only the official world between
the throne and the populace, which is
eaten through and through with diseon-
tent and sedition.
The chief spoke with some warmth. He
was an admirer of the Russian nation,
but he considered it doomed by ages of
tyranny and incompetency.
My friend has been on the watch for
such a chance for years and at last he
has hit on something, which, if he could
carry it through, would give him all
and more-than he has dared to hope. 1t
would prove his zeal and ability and could
not fail to make him persona gratis
sima at court
I looked up inquiringly.
TO our matter-of-fact English notions
the scheme may seem a little wild and
theatrical, but perhaps we err on the
side of being over practical. A little inn
agipat1on widenS the horizon. Briefly,
then, Monsieur Bouteneff has set his
heart on obtaining some papers belong
ing to secret society giving details of a
plot against the government. They were
in the possession of Count Donhoff the
notorious conspirator a year ago. but
Bouteneff has good reason to believe they
We're never given into anyone elses
charge"
"And this Count Donhofs. where is he
now? Cannot Monsieur Bouteneff lay his
hands on him?'
He has disappeared completely. Don
hoff was on the point of being arrested
at st. Petersburg when he made his es-
cape, and from that time to this no one
has ever seen or heard anything of him.
II is a most complete and mysterious
disappearance. He was a conspicuous
figure, both by reason of his rank and
his personal appearance, which was
strikingly handsome. He was a blonde
giant of over six feet, with the bearing
of prince and the ambition of Lucifer
[ believe his plotting and planning had
his own advancement in view more than
the general good Not man to hide
OF be hidden-aWay in any hole or corner,
you see
'And if he has disappeared so com
pletely for so long, why should NJ.
BOuteneff think there is any chance of
finding him now?"
He. has been working on this scheme
for months and at last he has discovered
that Donhoff made his escape on a
Russian brig-the Sonia-which was
bound for the far North on trading ex-
petition in skins and furs. AS far as
he can ascertain-and on this point he IS
practically positive-the brig never re.
TUNED; it seems TO have vanished as
completely as the man. Bouteneff has.
however, obtained information which
leads him to believe that the vessel
might have been caught in an ice foe
anG frozen up. She was too far north
Tor the time of year, and when she was
las; spoken to, in Davis strait she COM
Claimed of being hampered by the drift
ice"
II am scarcely prepared to undertake
an expedition to the north pole on such
a vague chance" 1 said.
1t is hardly as bad as that" Sir Ed
for granted, as Bouteneff does, that the
brig has been frozen up all the winter
IN Davis strait, where she would be
shut off from any outside communication.
he is of the opinion that-unless she has
already gone to pieces-there may be a
schanee of her being released with the
warmer weather. which is now approach
ing In Which case he has worked out
by studying the tides and currents. she
would probably drift down towards the
Azores | cannot give you the scientific
explanation he gave mel have not his
knewledge-but L think you may RELY on
his facts and premises"
But what, then, has become of the
count and his companions?" [ asked
HAS Monsieur Bouteneff formulated
some theory to account for their disap-
pearance?"
lie presumes that they would naturally
nave stayed on the vessel as long as
lhere was any chance of suceour or of
the ice relaxing its grip, but when this
hope was gone and the long Arctic win
ter stared them in the face with death
from starvation or cold, they would aban-
Con the ship and make a struggle TO reach
land and lind some human habitation
Sleh struggle in such a region would
be almost hopeless from the beginning
particularly for man like the Count
VINO mad never roughed it, The prob
aplnty is that all the crew have per
lShed-partlcularly as nothing has been
heard Of anyone of them-but | think
It may be taken for granted that Donhoff
is dead"
I'm which case" said, what becames
OF any chance of recovering the papers?n
Bouteneff maintains-and in This T
agree with hin-that it is most unlikely
that the Count would have burdened
himself with any but absolute necessaries
on such difficult and dangerous under
taking. as an attempt to reach land. You
must remember that the papers would
have made rather a bulky package con-
sisting, as they did of the rules of the
brotherhood to which he belonged. and
of which he was president with the vari-
Gus pamphlets, etc. through which the
society propagated its doctrines He left
st. Petersburg in such haste that he
could not have had time to DESTROY
anything, and yet no paper of import
ance was found, which goes to prove that
he took them with him. He would prob
ably consider the documents safer on
board than on his person. for an ice
bound ship should surely make a secure
hiding place"
You do not think it likely he would
have destroyed any discriminating writ
ings during the voyage or before leaving
the vessel?'
Il should say not from what Bouteneff
tells me- There must have been some
Papers of Importance, which could not be