The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-17

Well" shouted Arnold, at the top OF his
voice. for the whirr of our skates on the
ice and the merry sariek Of the wind would
have drowned ordinary speech. how d'you
like it?'
1t was too perfect TO be expressed In
mere words. I sang out in the joy of my
soul, a wild war whOOp that was half a
mad halloo and half the triumphant yell of
the barbarian warrior.
Through the freezing air we few-hying
must surely feel like this! \ minute ago
we were close to st. Petersburg town, and
now we approached Peterhof. fifteen miles
away.
Hold on" shouted Arnold. "she's going
about"
Heavens. What a wrench to ones arms!
She went about with a pitch and then a
spring forward, which went near 10 up
roofing me, though 1 chung to the mast, at
Toms warning. like a limDet to its rock.
and away We sped across the gulf towards
Cronstadt. 1t was superb. Let any man in
clined TO depression. or in need of a nerve
tonic, climb aboard an ice ship IN be
swept before a forty-mile wind through the
champagne air Of the frosty latitudes. In
five minutes he win laugh and sing. in
spite of himself. 1 guarantee it,
vice across the gulf we sped and twice
back again. and exhilaration was at the
flood.
Great Scott! old man." I shouted to. Ar
mold. ct is simply supreme"
Then we took a diagonal course that
would carry us out past Cronstadt.
might just as well have a run up the Fin
nish coast said Tommy; 1.-THE wind would
be blowing a gale, or near it, out in the
very open. My goodness! How we should
fy,'
We passed at a quarter of a mile distance
a man skatins-or, rather, we saw him
from afar, skating, but he had now been
brought up by a crevice. We had cleared
many crevices in our stride, so TO speak;
cracks in the thick ice caused by the in
tensity Of the frost. This one that had
stopped the skater seemed a wide one.
1--WE must stop and have a look before
We fly it," said Arnold; eve mustn't COM
nit suicide for the sake of a good jump.
though the little ships safe for anything
up 10 six feet or SOL
So about we went, both Of us clinging
with grim determination to anything we
could grip as the yacht brought up in the
winds eye.
The crevice proved a wide one-fve feet
at least.
1--WE can easily rush that much," said
the skipper. Drag her back a bit, and We'll
take the brook at full stride! Stop. I'll Of
fer to carry that skating chap across. Just
run over to him and tell him he can jump
aboard. if he likes"
The fellow had skated up the crevice and
down it, but seemed nonplussed. 1 hurried
across the ice TO give him Arnold's invita-
ton AS I draVv naar ha turned and "a W
me. I noticed him give a great start, and
stand a moment irresolute. Then he skatcd
towards me. 1t was our friend Pavlof.
My first impression was that 1 would give
any odds that the rascal had Arnold's
thousand pounds about him. and had de-
vised this ingenious way of decamping
with it.
rs it you, Mr.. Elliot?' he said. What
a happy chance! Would your friend take
me over the c~revice, do you think? 1 am
anxious TO get on"
my friend is MI. Arnold" I said, watch
ing his face. He did not start this time or
change countenance. HE sent me to offer
to take you across" 1 added.
How like kim Mr.. Arnold" he said, Ito
offer assistance to every stranger-for, of
course, he did not know it was L."
mo, that he didn't" I replied. lit is. in
deed, a happy chance, as you say!'
He glanced quickly at me. but 1 think my
smile was successfully bland and childlike.
When Arnold saw whom 1 had in tow. his
face underwent a change, and 1 could see
plainly that his mind was going through
certain struggles and-I hoped-tergiversa
tions. He must surely discern that this
rencontre was an extremely fortunate one.
and that fate had placed certain opportuni-
ties in his hands which. perhaps, he did not
quite deserve.
What, you, Pavlof?" he said. What are
you doing here?'
Il hope you will excuse my absence from
the Office" said PavIof. "Yo received my
note this morning, of course?"
81 received nothing" said Arnold.
"a note, sir, to say that my mother is
very i'll, and desires to see me. 1 learnt the
news by telegraph early this morning. My
mother lives near Wyborg, on the Finnish
coast, and that is why 1 am skating across
the gulf; it occurred to me that this would
be the quickest way"
THE 1O:45 train to Wyborg would have
taken you home in three hours, or little
over"
ITO Wyborg, sir, yes; but there would
then be a two hours drive
We'll, get IN, SAID Arnold; III take you
across,
My goodness thought 1. rs he really
going to let the man escape out of his
hands when fate has dropped him, like a
ripe fruit, into them?"
1 could not say anything now, however;
but determined that when once he had
gone and was skating away from us for all
he knew, 1 should convince Arnold that he
was more than an ordinary idiot TO let
him go, or perish in the attempt! We
dragged the ship back a couple of hundred
yards, Pavlof assisting. I could see that
Arnold's mind worked. Was the germ of
truth taking root, the suspicion that this
man was a hypocrite and a swindler?
As we laboriously dragged the ship
through half an acre of cat ice, which had
formed just in this place from an overflow
at the lip of the crevice, 1 saw, a mile
away, between us and st. Petersburg, a
body of about half a dozen horsemen. l
guessed in a moment that these were
mounted gendarmes, and that they were
after Mr.. Pavlof. thanks to the vigilance
Of our friend, the inspector.
"Halloo! What are those chaps doing out
on the gulf?'' said Arnold.