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

where the uduSeT SuOuiu NC must pieSS
ing The right bank of the Angara was
protected by the only artillery a. their
disposal.
With these measures taken in time.
thanks to the opportune recommends
tons of Ivan Ogareff, there was every
reason to hope that the prepared attack
would not succeed. In that case the
Tartars, discouraged for the time. with
out doubt would defer for a few days
any new attack against the town. Be
sides, the troops expected by the grand
duke might arrive any hour. The safe
ty or the loss of IrkutSk hung on
thread.
On that day the sun. which had risen
at twenty minutes past e. had set at
$40. Twilight would still have to strug-
gle with night for two hours. Then
space would be filled with thick dark
ness, for heavy clouds hung still in the
air, and the moon would not appear.
This profound obscurity would favor
more completely the plans of Ivan Oga-
ref.
Already, for some days, an extremely
, keen frost had come as a prelude to
the rigors of the Siberian winter, and
on that night the cold was still more
piercing. The soldiers posted on the
right bank of the Angara, being forced
to hide their presence, had not kindled
any fires. They therefore suffered
| dreadfully from great lowering Of the
temperature. At some feet below them
! the ice blocks floated past. following
the current Of the river.
During all that day they had seen
| them in close ranks floating rapidly
between the two banks. That circum-
stance. observed by the grand duke and
his officers, had been considered as for
! tunate. 1t was evident that if the bed
of the kiyer became obstructed the pas
sage OF it would become altogether in
! practicable.
The Tartars would not be able to
manage either RATS or boats. AS for
attempting to cross the river over the
blocks of ice when the cold should have
joined them, that was not possible. The
field, newly cemented, would not have
been strong enough for the passage
over it of an attacking column.
But Ivan Ogareff did not regret that
circumstance, although it appeared ia
vorable to the defenders of Irkutsk, for
! the traitor knew well that the TartarS
were not seeking to cross the Angara
and that at least on that side the at
tempt would only be feint. Never
theless toward 10 o'clock at night the
state of the river visibly changed, to
the extreme surprise of the besieged
and now to their disadvantage. The
passage, up to that time impracticable.
suddenly became possible. The bed Of
the Angara soon became free. The
floating ice, which for some days had
| come down the river in great quanti-
ties, disappeared, and very little could
be seen between the two banks.
The Russian officers, who had no.
ticed this change in the state Of the
river, made it known to the grand
duke. Besides, it was explained in this
| way that at some narrow portion of the
Angara the floating ice had accumu-
lated and found a barrier. We know
that such was the case. The passage
of the Angara was therefore open to
the besiegers; hence the necessity for
the Russians to watch with greater at
tention than ever.
In the camp of the Angara there was
plenty of agitation, as was proved by
the lights constantly fitting about. At
a verst up above, as also down below
the point where the fertilization slopes
down to the river, there was a dull
murmur, which proved that the Tar
tars We're on foot, waiting for some
signal. Again an hour passed by.
Nothing new.
Two o'clock in the morning was about
to strike from the clock tower of the
cathedral Of Irkutsk and no movement
had taken place to disclose the hostile
intentions of the besiegers. The grand
duke and his officers began to ask
themselves if they had not been led
into error, if it had really entered into
the plan of the Tartars to attempt to
surprise the town.
The preceding nights had not by any
means been, so calm. Firing had been
kept up from the advanced posts, and
shells had Kissed through the air, and
this time there was nothing Of the kind.
The grand duke, General VoranZoff,
their aids-de- camp, waited therefore,
ready to give their orders according to
the circumstances.
1t has been stated that Ivan Ogareff
occupied room in the palace. 1t was
a pretty large room, situated on the
ground floor. and it's windows opened
out upon a side terrace. One need only
step a few PAGES on this terrace to
overlook the course of the Angara. A
profound darkness reigned in that
room. Ivan Ogareff. standing near a
+, window, was waiting for the hour of
action to arrive. Evidently the signal
could only come from him. Once this
signal was given, when most of the de-
tenders of Irkutsk should have been
called to the points openly attacked,
his plan was to leave the palace and
to go and accomplish his work. He
waited then in the dark, like tiger
ready to spring upon it's prey.
i Meanwhile, some minutes before
o'clock, the grand duke asked that Mi