Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-04-12
CHAPTER XVI

On returning to Schlusselburg Bal
gonie found the governor, Colonel Berni-
koff, in a very bad humor indeed The
Grand Chancellor had recently sent him
n prisoner, with note to the effect that
he wrote verses, and was otherwise a
dangerous fellow-to keep him for n
week or two. and then get rid of him.
lie had thrice sent to the chancellor. to
/ learn under what name the man was to
be buried. for the fellow was dead now
so much had the damp atmosphere Of
the lower vaults disagreed with his poet
ica temperament, but no answer had
been returned, which was very annoying
So Bernikoff. whose patience was never
very extensive. was furious; but he
strove to sooth his ruffled feelings by sew
eral enormous pinches of the sharp snuff
of Beresovski. from the box which had
been found in the fob of the later Peter
ILL.,; and by beating with his cane the
Cossack. Jagouski.
No tidings vet. Carl Ivanovitch. of
those traitors?' said Bernikoff; the
Captain Vlashef, and my faithful friend.
Tchekin. with forty picked Cossacks. and
clever guide
Nicholas Paulovitch, l presume.
1.-THE same" continued Bernikoff. with
n fierce grimace on his lips and cruel
leer in his eyes, the same, strand what
then?"
Nothing, excellency. Well, these and
the forty CosSacks-"
Are securing all the roads between
this and st. Petersburg on one flank, and
between this and North Ladoga on the
other: SO the cursed Asiatics cannot es-
cape me-"
who will betray them to your" asked
Balgonie. making a terrible effort to APP
pear calm and unconcerned. as he played
with his sword knot and the tassels Of
his sash.
"Who? exclaimed Colonel Bernikoff.
grinding his teeth. Their own friends
their own dear comrades-adherents
which you will. Russia is full Of people,
yea OF many nations. The Empress can
reckon her faithful slaves by millions:
vet. when Russian hath his hat on his
head. its rim contains the only friend on
| whom he can rely"
This is a severe libel on your coun-
| try. surely, eNcellency."
IT'S truth though: so Basil Micro
/ wiz. Usakof and the rest are all doomed
men. No one was ever lost on a straight
road: thus the soldier who DIVORCES from
the straight line OF duty must speedily
[ 6nd himself face to face with degrade
/ ton and death. Punishment TO those
traitors will be swift and sure, So.
/ only fear that the Grand Chancellor viii
never give me the pleasure Of having
them under my judieious care at Schlus-
selburg. We have certain old vaults,
I built below the tide mark by Ivan the
/ Terrible. for some OF those people of
Novgorod who leagued with the King OF
Poland. They are always fun Of fog:
and l am curious to know how long an
able-bodied prisoner might live there. or
rather how long he would be in dying"
Charlie gladly scaght the solitude AZ
forded by the stockades and outworks
OF the fortress on the side toward the
Lake OF Ladoga. There, as elsewhere,
was. of course. a chain OF seEt'nels; but
they did not interrupt his lonely COM
muning with himself
BY his interest in Natalie. by his deep
sove for her, and more than all, perhaps,
by his recent visit and interview. he al
ready felt himself "art snd part" with
/ the rash adherents OF Ivan. III one or
these deserted the cause in which they
had embarked. then would their lurking
place be ut once discovered. and the story
OF his recent visit be revealed.
| He dreaded lest Bernikod and others
suspected his friendly interest in the
family OF Mierowitx. and thst more might
yet be learned OF il: thus he would have
experienced neither shock nor surprise.
had he, at any hour. in that land OF
treachery and espionage. seen either Cap
tain Vlasfef. Lieutenant Tschekin. or
any other oficer Of the fortress, advanc-
ing toward him. ssber in hand. with an