Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-12-18

down at the back part OF the raft. en-
dured without complaint this addition
al suffering. For man who was reck
oning soon to attain his end Michae
Strogoff seemed singularly calm. BE
sides, in the most grave situations hi
energy had never abandoned him. Al
ready he looked forward to the momen
when at last it would be permitted hin
to think Of his mother, Of Nadia, o
himself. He only feared one last ant
evil chance. 1t was lest the raft shoul'
be absolutely stopped by barrier o
thick Ice before having reached lr
kutsk. He did not think Of anything
but that. being. moreover. decided II
were necessary to attempt some su
preme act Of daring.
Nadia, refreshed by some hours Of re
pose. had recovered that physical en-
ergy which misery had sometimes beel
able to subdue without ever having
shaken her moral energy. She wa
thinking also that in case Michael Stro
goff should make new effort to attail
his end she must be there to guide him
But at the time that she was approach
ing Irkutsk the image Of her father wa
pictured more vividly in her mind. Sh'
saw him in the invested town.. far from
those he cherished. but-for she dit
not doubt it-struggling against the In
vaders with all the dash Of his patriot
Ism. Before many hours. If HEAVIER
should at length favor them. she woult
be in his arms. reciting to him the las
words of her mother, and nothing
should again separate them.
The raft still moved on, unperceived
amid the mass Of floating ice.
Up to this time no Tartar detachmen
had been signaled on the high banks
Of the Angara, and this indicated tha
the raft had not as yet come on line
with their outposts.
Meanwhile it was necessary 20 ma
the Ice, which was fast closing.
The old mariner rose up, and the mu
jiks took up again their boathooks
All had as much as they could do. and
the management Of the raft became
more and more difficult, for the bed OF
the river was becoming obstructed.
Michael Strogoff had moved softly to
the fore part Of the raft.
Alcide Jolivet had followed him.
Both listened to what the old sailor
and his men were saying.
Guard there on the right"
Look! The blocks of Ice are thick
ening on the left"
Keep it off! Keep it Off with your
boathookp'
Before an hour we shall be stop
ped"
"If God wills it!' replied the old sail
or. Against his will nothing can be
DONE"
"You hear them?" said Alcide Jolivet'
EYES," replied Michael Strogoff. "but
God Is with u.s."
Meantime the situation became more
and more serious. If the raft once
ceased to make headway, the fugitives
would not only never reach Irkutsk,
but they would be obliged to abandon
their floating apparatus, which, crush
ed by the Ice blocks, would not be long
in sinking under the waters. The WILL
low bindings were already breaking
the fir trunks, violently separated, were
becoming entangled under the hard
crust, and soon the unfortunate people
would have no other refuge than the
Ice itself. Then, when daylight should
come, they would be perceived by the
Tartars and massacred without pity.
Michael Strogof returned to the back
part Of the raft, where Nadia was wait
ing for him. He approached the young
girl, he took her hand and put to her
that invariable question. nadia, are
you ready" to which she answered as
usual:
II am ready"
For some yersts more the raft con-
tinued to make its way through the
floating ice. If the Angara should be
choked up with ice. it would form a
barrier, and consequently it would be
impossible to follow the current. Al
ready the passage down the river was
slower. At every instant there were
collisions. or time was lost by having
to make long turnings. Here they must
escape landing on the ice; there they
must take Il narrow pass between it
in fine, many anxious drawbacks.
And now only a few hours of the
night remained. If the fugitives did
not reach Irkutsk before o'clock In
the morning. they must give up oil
hope of ever entering there.
At length, at half past l. In spite OF
all their united efforts. the raft struck
against a thick barrier and stopped al
together. The ice which was floating
down the river cast itself upon 1t and
forced it against the obstacle and held
it motionless as If it had been driven
upon reef.
At this place the Angara becomes mar
rowed to not more than half its normal
breadth; hence the accumulation or Ice
blocks, which were by little and little
piled one upon another under the action
of the double pressure. which was con-
siderable, and of the cold, whose In
tensity was redoubling. At 500 PAGES
down the river again became wide. and
ice blocks. detaching themselves by lit
tie and little from the lower edge of tina,
field, continued to float down to lrkutsk
hence it is probable that without that
narrowingof the banks the barrier would
not have been formed. and the raft could
have continued to descend the current
d.. a., o,,;l u-o. irrnno IN blp and the