The San Francisco call., 1904-04-17
CHAPTER X.
AT THE END OF THE SEA.


When regained consciousness was
lying in my berth on the Dulcette
My head was heavily bandaged. and
l could not move my left arm. found
this out by trying to do so, and for
little time I was unconscious again.
As consciousness returned once more,
lay very still, thinking of my strange
dream. For hours. ii seemed, I had
been watching a bear walking slowly
over a great meadow of red and white
the red portion steadily growing larg-
er, for the bear was bleeding. The
blood was spreading in all directions,
and thought the animal was wounded
in the shoulder. This reminded me of
something, but I could not for the life
of me tell what IT. was; / thought 1.
wrote ii down, intending to ask Oran-
off. The bear went on limping until
il came to the mutilated body of a sec
oad bear. whereupon it arose on its
hind legs, as though crazed with grief.
and then keeled eyer upon it's back
and lay paving the air convulsively,
which set me TO laughing. This woke
me up.
For white could not get the con-
nections OF things. and now and then 1
saw that bear again. But the world
came back clearly to me at last, and l
remembered with groan the events
OF the night previous-or had ii all
happened weeks before? remem-
bered Ling and Ii. and wondered IL
they were really burned alive with the
sarcophAgus and their faithful priests.
Perhaps. at the last moment, they die
escape. and the imperial funeral had
long since been celebrated and the Rus
sian protectorate successfully declared
Or perhaps Ling had attempted to es-
cape with the sarcophagus and had
been cut down swiftly on the walls
For soTne reason ] felt even now, that
the destruction of the temple, so long
and so cunningly planned, had been
accomplished.
Then suddenly my mind jumped few
erishly across the mountains to Klein
ming, whittier my Cossa cks had taken
that letter to Colonel Oranoff, in
which ! promised to be in Keinning
with the Queens body within two
days, Here 1 groaned aloud. and to
my surprise. Captain Kepneff arose
from a chair at the head Of my berth
and leaned over me.
IF you are able, Martyn," he said,
with greatest gentleness, "let us have
an understanding ct once. for with
Colonel Ii gone ] am under your or
ders. We found you on the rocks last
night while hurrying up to the tenn
Pile"
WAS It destroyed?" l broke in.
''Utterly-an4 all within it
"All?"
Nothing remains but ashes and the
bones Of those cremated."
groaned a!cid A SOB broke from
the face above me. For time l could
not answer, ard 1 listened TO the fab
by drum that was now starting out
across the bay again in search of
devils. But os l listened my thoughts
ran on to the task now dropped unex-
psctedly on my shoulders. I must now
do what Ii would have done, and l
tried to think what that would be.
will you telegraph to Keinning?"
asked Kepneff, gently.
Yes. from Han Chow" / said, re-
membering Oranoff's words
did not know what I was asking,
for the storm which had come down
upon Lynx Island was still raging
over the Yellow Sea, stirring the mud
bottoms to their stagnant depths.
There was but one way for Kepneff to
get me to Han Chow, and that was by
running around the southern extremity
of Quelparte TO the mouth of the Khan,
and ascending that river. 1t was a
desperate risk, but he knew somehow
that we were at desperate pass, and
without a word to me he set the little
craft into the teeth of the gale. BY
worrying cautiously along in the lee of
the islands which lay between Lynx
Island and the mouth of the Khan,
Kepnen, brave man. neared the river
as day began to dawn.
The tossing of the little vessel
caused me excruciating pain, and it
was only by bracing myself firmly that
l kept from rolling upon my injured
arm. But when, now and then, we ran
into smooth water behind the numer-
Gus islands. my thoughts turned from
myself to the play in which 1 was be-
coming so important an actor.
One thing was sure now Dejneffs
f1ne-spun theories regarding one of
those absurd Quelpartien myths would
soon be put to the test. There was no
doubt about the destruction of the sar-'
cophagus and of the Queens body
within it. Now. if the myth held good,
the King of Quelparte was to become
insane and his dynasty perish 1
smiled grimly as my thoughts ran on;
while knew every sane man would
agree with me and against Dejneff
touching his silly belief, 1 had not ex-
pected to precipitate any such actual
test as thisi