The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1902-01-23


wool impregnated with printing pow
der, which he threw into the river. IL
was by the order of Ivan Ogaref that
torrents of mineral oil had been cast
on the surface of the Angara. Springs
of naphtha had been discovered above 4
Irkutsk on the right bank, between the
village of Poshkavsk and the town. 4
Ivan Ogareff had resolved to employ /
this terrible means for setting fire to
Irkutsk He therefore made use of the /
immense reservoir which contained the ,
combustible liquid. He had only to /
make a few canals to draw in streams /
| into the river. These he had made that t
very night, some hours before. The |
cotton wool had been cast on the wa !.
tiers of the Angara. In an instant, as if
the current had been made of alcohol, ,
all the river became mass of flames, |,
I'D and down the stream. with the ra-
pidity of electricity. Volumes Of blue ,
flames covered the whole surface of the !
I river and shot far up into the sky.
The few blocks Of ice that came float
ing down the river being seized by the !
burning liquid. melted like wax on the !
. surface Vi q thC "dlSl,
sent off as vapor, rose Kissing to the ,
clouds. At that very moment the fir
ing began at the north and at the south
of the town. The batteries of the camp
Of the Angara threw an uninterrupted
volley of shot and shell. Many thou
! sand Tartars rushed to the assault Of
the ramparts. The houses along the
! high banks, constructed of wood, took !
I fire in every direction. An immense !
! light dissipated the shades of night. I
"At lastw said Ivan Ogareff. And he
| had good reason to applaud. The di- =,
version which he had planned was ter
rible The defenders saw themselves |
placed between the attack Of the Tar !
tars and the disasters of an immense !
| confa grafton. The bells sounded, and !
every ablebodied man Of the population |
| fastened to the points attacked and to !
| the houses which were being devOured |
! by the fire, which was threatening to
| communi&a itself to the whole city !
| The Bolchaia gate was almost free. 1t |
was with difficulty that any defenders !
had been left there. q
Ivan Ogareff re-entered his room,
then brilliantly lit up by the flames
from the Angara that overtOpped the
| balustrades of the rampartS. Then he !
prepared to leave it. But scarcely had
he opened the door when a woman
rushed into the room, with her gar
ments dripping wet, her hair in disor- :,
| der. I
"Sangarre!' cried Ivan Ogareff in the
first moment of surprise and not imag-
lining that it could be any other woman
than the gypsy. 1
1t was not Sangarre; it was Nadia.
At the moment when, seeking refuge
on the block of ice, the young girl had
uttered that cry when she saw the fire
spread over the current of the Angara,
Michael Strogoff had seized her in his
arms, and he had dived with her to
seek even in the depths of the river a
shelter from the flames. After having
swum under the waters Michael Stro-
golf had fortunately put his foot ON
ground at the quay, and he had Nadia
still safe with him.
Michael Strogoff was touching at last
his goal He was at Irkutsk. ''To the
palace of the GOVERNOR said he to Ma
dia. In less than ten minutes after
ward both arrived at the entrance to
that palace, the massive stone walls of
which were being licked by the long
! flames from the Angara, without, how
ever, their being able to set the struc-
ture on fire. Beyond, the houses on the
bank were all in flames.
Michael Strogoff and Nadia entered
without difficulty into that palace,
which was open for all. In the midst
of the general confusion no one noticed
them, although their clothes were drip
ping wet a crowd of officers came for
orders, and soldiers running to execute
them blocked up the grand salon on
the ground floor.
There Michael Strogoff and the young
girl, in the midst of so great a crowd,
found themselves separated from each
other. Nadia, distracted, ran along the
lower rooms, called her campaniOn and
asked to be led before the grand duke.
A door leading into room that was
inundated with light opened itself be-
fore her. She entered, and she found
herself unexpectedly face to face with
him whom she had seen at Ichim,
whom she had seen at Tomsk, in the
presence of that man whose cursed
hand an instant later would have deliv-
cred up the city.
"Ivan Ogareffw cried she.
/, On hearing his name pronounced the
miserable wretch trembled. His true
name being once known. all his plans
would be ruined. He had only enc
thing to do-to kill the being whoever
it might be, who had just pronounced
it. Ivan Ogareff threw himself on Ma
dia, but the young girl, with knife in
her hand, placed her back to the wall,
resolved to defend herself.
Ivan Ogareffw cried again Nadia,
knowing well that detested name would
bring succor to her.
"Ah, you shall be silentv' said the
traitor.
Ivan Ogareffw cried third time the
intrepid young girl in a voice whose
hate had increased tenfold the force.