Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-05-10
CHAPTER XXIy.

hOt pursuing tne way Jney ndu come, ds
| the lights in st. Isaac's Cathedral must
have been visible long ago.; but Balgo-
ME replied, haughtily and briefly, that
| he had special orders"
Then the corporal urged a short halt
as the horses were sinking; but again
Balgonie replied, that he had peculiar
orders. ands must push on
After passing little village with q
! windmill, several miles from the shore
of the Lake of Ladoga, the road dipped
| down into a dark hollow, between i'm.
| pending crags of granite, the gray faces
| of which were beginning TO brighten in
| the first light of the tagging October
| sun. The rain and wind were over; the
! hollow way was full of rolling and per
| picking mist; but Usakoff affirmed with
confidence that he knew the country WELL
Out of the gray vapor, from both sides
of the path, there flashed, redly and
! luridly, FIVE or six musketsl One bullet
struck white splinters from the wagon,
eliciting a shrek from its occupant; an
other whistled through the name of
Charles horse; and a third killed one
of the Cossaeks, who died without a
groan.
whose numbers -asd disposition, the dim
light, or rather, the darkness AMI the
mist, alike served to conceal
Make way, in the name of the EN-
press~ cried Balgonie, dashing forward
with his saber drawn; may, command
you, on your peril and allegiancew he
added, as the threaten words of Was
fef occurred to him i'd, to his aston
ishment and disma. saw that person
age actually appear, mounted and arm
ed His party, who seemed all on foot.
were clad like peasants, but were arm
ed with muskets, which they were rap
idly casting about and reloading.
Haiti In the name of the Empress
halt, | command you! for this is not
the way to ST. Petersburg, whittier the
prisoner and treasure were to be CON
yeyed Treason! treasonr' shouted the
Staff Captain Vlasief
Balgonie fired a pistol at his head; but
the Captains horse reared, or was com
PEELED to do so by bit and spur, for the
bullet pierced its throat; and with an
oath. Vlasfef fell on the pathway, en-
tangled in the stirrups as the animal
sank under him.
The three remaining Cossacks, who
were somewhat bewildered by the at
tack, by the appearance of Vlasfief,
whom they knew, and whose confident
bearing confirmed certain gathering sus-
piciOns that something was wrong as
to their route, now drew their sabers.
aimed several blows at Usakoff's head,
and endeavored 70 cut the reins of his
horse, or stab it between TIE shafts, as
he dashed the animal almost to racing
speed, and the light wagon jolted, rolled
and bounded along the rough road be-
hind it.
BY another pistol shot Balgonie rid
himself of the Cossack corporal, whose
bride arm he broke, while facing about
and galloping in the rear of the wagon.
and now, with wild halloes, the entire
party of armed men followed it on foot,
with all speed, up a steep slope, over
which the path wound.
Usakoff ground his teeth, for he was
without weapons, and passive in the
flying combat but, being fertile in expe-
dents, he tore open bag of roubles,
and scattered them on the upland road
with q ready and reckless hand.
The bright coins proved too exciting
for the cupidity of the pursuers, who
loitered TO pick them up, tumblng,
scrambling, rising and falling over each
other, with shouts, curses and maledic-
tions; their firearms sometimes exploding
the while; and so the whole were speed
lily left behind, as the wagon, guarded
now by Balgonie alone, was driven along
a lonely and unfrequented road that led
to the little town of Pomphela.
Thanks. dear Usakoff-thanks for
your presence of mind" said Balgonie;
Il had forgotten all about those roubles.
To tighten the wagon let us throw out
those remaining bags-this perilous lum-
Der, the intended recapture of which has
nearly cost us our lives-honor-all at
the hands of Vlasfef"
Nay, nay, never! Lumber. say you?
The roubles are Natalie's-hers and
mine-hers and yours. when you wed
her; they have saved us once, and may
do so again." replied Usakof. cheer
fully. us the sun burst forth in his clear
October splendor. and they saw the dome
shaped cupola of the Church of Pom
phela rising with golden CLEAN from
amid the white morning haze.
There Balgonie's uniform and display
of gold roubles operated powerfully on
the postmaster, who. without asking for
passports or other papers, at once, and
in the name of the Empress, supplied
them with fresh horses for the frontier.
toward which, after procuring some
proper nourishment and restoratives for
Natalie. they pushed on without mo-
ment of unnecessary delay.
"Ah," thought Balgonie. with a shud-
der and a prayer; had JagousAi's name
not been omitted in that order of Ney-
marn. where would she have been now!'
Pale with sorrow and long suffering.
her face was still beautiful. though sore
" wasted: the deep, thoughtful eyes had
vet a weasth-a world of tenderness in
their LIQUID depths; and the long, dark
hair was thick. soft and wayy as ever,
rs il fell in masses behind the small,
compact and finely formed head.
All was changed now. and. as she
laid her head on Charles breast. she
felt content-almost happy; and the hor-
rorS that hung over her family alone pre-
vented her. as yet. from being eoR-
pletely 50.
No trace of purSuerS was behind them
now. though their flight must by this
time have been known both in the capital /
and at Schlusselburg. But in those days
there were neither railroads nor electric
telegraphs: SO. riding on more leisurely,
Balgonie changed horses again near VI
borg. and ere long the great Lake of
Saima appeared before them. with the
distant hills of Swedish Finland beyond
its friendly waters.
A boat was procured there; the wag- |
on was abandoned; and with a shout of
joy. Usakof assisted the Finnish boat |
man to hoist the great lugsail TO catch |
the breeze OF balmy and beautiful even |
ing. as they bade fong farewell TO |
Russia and all its terrors.