Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1905-07-01
CHAPTER /.

Transcaucasia."
Such is the address OF the telegram
found on the 18th Of May when | arrived
at Tifis.
This is what the telegram said;
"As the matters in hand will terminate
on the 18th instant, Claudius Bombarnac
will repair to Uzun Ada, a port on the
east coast OF the Caspian. There he
will take the train by the direct Grand
Transasiatic, between the European from
tier and the capital Of the Celestial EN-
pire He will transmit his impressions
In the way OF news interviewing remark
able people on the road, and report the
most trivial incidents by letter or tele
gram as necessity dictates. The Twenti-
eth Century trusts TO the zeal, intelli-
gence, activity and tact OF its corresponds
ent, who can draw on its bankers to any
extent he may deem necessary.
1t was the very morning | had arrived
nt Tiflis, with the intention Of spending
three weeks there In visit to the
Georgian provinces for the beneht OF my
newspaper, and also | hoped for that OF
Its readers.
Here was the unexpected, indeed; the
uncertainty Of a special correspondent
life. / had hardly arrived before was
obliged to be off again without unstrap-
ping my portmanteaul
1t was hard, but there was no way out
of it. And to begin with, at what o'clock
did the train for Tihis start from the
Caspian7 l went to the railway station
at a run, and rushed into the departure
office.
when is there train for BakuT /
asked.
"Six o'clock tonight"
"And when does it get thereV
'Seven o'clock In the morning"
as that In time to catch the boat for
Uzun AdaT
The man at the trap door replied to
my salute by a salute Of mechanical pre-
cision. The question Of passport did not
trouble me- The French consul would
know how to give me all the references
required by the Russian administration.
At 5 o'clock, having secured my pass
port, hurry to the railway station.
There there Is crowd of Armeninns.
Georgians, Mingrelians. Tartars, Kurds,
1sraelites, Russians, from the shores Of
the Caspian, some taking their tickets
direct for Baku, some for intermediate
stations.
take ticket for Baku, first class. l
go down on the platform to the carriages.
According to my custom, l install myself
in a comfortable corner. A few travel
ers follow me, while the cosmopolitan
populace invade the second and third
class carriages The doors are shut af-
ter the visit OF the ticket Inspector A
last scream of the whistle announces that
the train is about to start Suddenly
there is a shout-a shout In which anger
mil laI wifi AnQnuir-ond |
these words In German:
'Stopl Stopv
put down the window and look out.
A fat man, bag In hand, travelling cap on
head, his legs embarrassed in the skirts
OF a huge overcoat, short and breathless.
He Is late. The porters try to stop him.
Try TO stop a bomb in the middle Of its
trajectory Once again has right to give
place to might.
The Teuton bomb describes n well-cal-
culated curve, and has just fallen into the
compartment next to ours, through the
door a traveller had obligingly left open.
The train begins to move at the same in
slant, the engine wheels begin to slip on
the rails, then the speed increases. We
are of.
1t is still daylight at o'clock in the
evening In this latitude. l have bought
a time table and | consult 1t. Then
began TO examine my travelling compan-
Ions. There were four Of us, and need
scarcely say that we occupied the four
corners Of the compartment. | had taken
the furthest corner facing the engine
AT the two opposite angles two travellers
were seated facing each other, As soon
as they got In they pulled their caps
down on their eyes and wrapped them
selves up In their cloaks-evidently they
were Georgians. as far as l could see.
In front OF me was quite a different
type, with nothing OF the oriental about
It; thirty-two to thlrty-fve years old. face
with reddish beard, very much alive il
look, nose like that OF a dog standing al
point, mouth only too glad to talk, hands
free and easy, ready for a shake Will
anybody; a tall. vigorous, broad-shoul
dered, powerful man. BY the way II
which he settled himself and put dow
his bag, and unrolled his travelling rus
of bright-hued tartan, had recognized
the Anglo-Saxon traveller, more accus
toned TO long journeys by land and SEES
than to the comforts of his home, II b,
had home. He looked like a CONNER
cial traveller. l noticed that his jewelr,
was In profusion; rings on his fingers. pii
In his scarf, studs on his cuffs with pho
tographic views in them. snowy trinket,
hanging from the watch chain across hi,
waist coat. ! should not have been sur
prised II he turned out to be an Ameri
can.
IL l am not mistaken, he will be ius
as glad to speak to me as am TO speal
to him-and reclprocally. / will see Blu
a fear restraints me. Suppose this Amer
lean should also be a special correspond
ent. and suppose he has also been or
dered to do this Grand Asiatic Tha
would be most annoying! lie would be ,
riyall