Morris tribune., 1902-03-08
IS q city during a great feast.

as q city during great feast.
Michael Strogof listened. The scene
of the late reyels and crime was silen'
and deserted.
He dragged himself by groping to
ward the place where his mother haC
fallen. He found her with his hand
He bent down toward her. He brought
his figure near to hers. He listened
to the beatings Of her heart. Then one
would have said that he spoke to hel
In low voice.
Did old Marta still live and did she
hear the words her son spoke to her?
In any case she did not make any
sign of life by movement.
Michael Strogoff kissed her forehead
and her white hairs. Then he rose,
and, cropping with his foot and trying
to hold his hands in such way as to
guide him, he walked by little and lit
tie to the end Of the plateau
Suddenly Nadia appeared.
She went straight to her companion.
A dagger that she held served to cut
the cords that bound the arms Of Mi
chael Strogof.
He, blind as he was, did not know
who it was who was releasing him, for
Nadia had not spoken word.
But, that done, said she.
Brother
NADIA" murmured Michael Strogof.
"Nadiaw
''Come, brother" replied Nadia.
"Henceforth my eyes shall be your
eyes, and it is who will conduct you
to Irkutsk!"
In half an hour after Michael Stro-
goff and Nadia had leftsTomsk.
A certain number of the prisoners on
that night were able to escape from the
Tartars, for officers and soldiers, all
more or less besotted, had unconscious
ly relaxed the severe surveillance which
they had maintained up to that time,
both at the camp Of Zabedeiro and dur
ing the march of the convoy.
Nadia, after having been led out
with the other prisoners, had been able
to escape and return to the plateau at
the very moment Michael Strogof was
being conducted before the emir.
There in the midst of the crowd she
had seen all. Not a cry had escaped
her when the blade, white with heat,
passed over the eyes Of her companion.
She had the strength to remain motion
less and silent. A providential inspira-
ton told her to preserve herself still
free to guide the son Of Maria Strogof
to the end which he had sworn to at
tain. Her heart for the moment ceased
to beat when the old Siberian fell life
her energy.
81 will be the dog Of the blind man."
she said to herself.
After the departure of Ivan Ogaref
Nadia had hidden in the shade. She
waited until the crowds left the pla-
teau. Michael Strogoff, abandoned as
a miserable being to be feared by no
one, was alone. She saw him drag him
self as far as his mother, bend him
self down to her, kiss her forehead,
then raise himself up and grope for
fight. -,s..., n.
Some moments later Michael and Ma
dia, hand in hand, had descended the
steep hillside, and, after having fol
lowed the banks Of the Tom as far as
the extremity Of the town, they hap
PLY passed out by gap in the fence.
The route for Irkutsk was the only
one that struck eastward. They could
not make mistake. Nadia rapidly pull
ed along Michael Strogoff. It was possi-
bic that early next morning, after some
hours of orgies, the scouts Of the emir,
throwing themselves again on the |
Steppe, would cut off all communica-
ion. 1t was then of the utmost i'm
)ortance to outstrip them and to reach |
before them. which was
800 versts separate from Tqmsk-sn
me word, only to leave the highway as
ate as possible.
The next morning, twelve hours after
heir departure from Tomsk, Michael
Strogof and Nadia reached the town
# Semilowskoe, after journey of ff-
cen versts.