Morris tribune., 1902-03-29
BY Jules NerDe

( very We'll, repIed Ivan OgareH
| Then, recollecting himself, he added
ssBut, no; was forgetting. was
about to confound dates. It is unfortu
nately too probable that your daugh.
ter has had to cross the frontier, and
only one hope remains-that she may
have stopped on receiving news Of the
Tartar invasionv
Wassili Feodor hung down his head
He knew Nadia, and he knew well that
| nothing would prevent her setting OIL
By this statement Ivan Ogareff had
just committed gratuitously an act OF
real cruelty. With one word he could
reassure Wassili Feodor.
Although Nadia had passed the FROM
tier under the circumstances previous
~ described. Wassili Feodor, by COM
pairing the date at which his daughter
was certainly at Mini Noygorod and
the date of the order forbidding any one
to leave it, would without doubt draw
this conclusion-that Nadia could not
have been exposed to the dangers of
an invasion and that she was still, in
spite of herself, on the European terri
tory of the empire.
Ivan Ogareff might have said that
word. He did not say it. Wassii Eco
dor withdrew heartbroken. After that
interview his last hope was destroyed.
During the two following days the
grand duke several times asked for
the pretended Michael Strogof and had
him repeat all that he had heard in the
imperial cabinet Of the New palace.
Ivan Ogareff, prepared for all those
questions, answered without ever hest
tating. He did not conceal designedly
that the government of the car had
been altogether taken by surprise by
the invasion; that the rising had been
prepared with the greatest secrecy;
that the Tartars were already masters
of the line of the Obi when the news
reached Moscow, and finally that moth
ing was ready in the Russian provinces
to throw into Siberia troops sufficient
to repel the invaders.
Afterward Ivan Ogareff, entirely
free in his movements, began to study
Irkutsk, the state Of its Notifications,
their weak points, in order eventually
to make use. of those observations if
any circumstance should prevent the
contamination Of his treason. He de-
voted himself more particularly to the
examination of the Bolchafa gate,
which he intended treacherously to sur
render, Twice at night he came to in
spect that gate and the Notifications
around it He walked about there with
out any fear Of exposing himself to the
missiles Of the besiegers, whose first
posts were less than a verst from the
ramparts. He knew we'll that he was
not eXpOsed-nay, even that he was
recognized. He had had a, glimpse of
a shadow which had glided to the foot
Of the ramparts.
Sangarre, risking her life, had just
come to try to put herself in communi-
cation with Ivan Ogareff. Besides, the
besieged for two days had enjoyed
tranquility to which they had not been
vested Irkutsk. 1t was by order of
Ivan Ogareff.
The lieutenant of Feofar-Khan had
wished that all attempts to carry the
town by sheer force should be suspend
ed. Thus after his arrival at Irkutsk
the artillery was absolutely silent. Per
haps-at least he hoped so-the' vigi-
lance of the besieged would be some
what relaxed. In any case, at the out
posts several thousand Tartars were
ready to hurl themselves against the
gate when deprived of it's defenders,
when Ivan Ogareff should let them
know the hour for action.
Meanwhile that could not be long de-
layed. They must make an end of ii
before the Russian corps should arrive
in sight of Irkutsk. The resolution Of
Ivan Ogaref was taken, and that very
night from the Top Of the rampant a
note fell into the hands Of Sangarre.
1t was the following night, the night
from the 9Th to the 9th of October, at
2 o'elock in the morning, that Ivan
Ogareff had fixed for delivering up IT.
kutsk to the Tartars.