The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1905-07-12
CHAPTER XXI.

train"
CHAPTER XIII
In a moment the passengers. more or
less bruised and alarmed, were out on
the track. Nothing but complaints and
questions uttered in three or four diner
ent languages, amid general bewilder-
| ment.
Faruskiar. Changer and the four Mon
gols were the first to jump of the cars.
They are out on the line. kandijar In one
| hand, revolver In the other. No doubt
an attack has been organized to pillage
| the train.
The rails have been taken up for about
| hundred yards. and the engine, after
humping over the sleepers, has come to
a standstill in a sand hill.
| What. The railroad not finished
and they sold me a through ticket from
Tifis to Pekin! And | came by this
Transasiatic to save nine days In my
trip round the world" shouted the voice
of the irascible baron.
1.-The baron is mistaken" said Popof.
"the railway is completed. and II hun
bred yards of rails have been lifted here,
1t has been with some criminal inten-
ton"
''To stop the train exclaim.
| And steal the treasure they are send
ing to Pekin." says Caterna.
There is no doubt Of that" says
Popof BE ready to repulse an attack"
at is Ki-Tsang and his gang that we
have to do with?" l ask.
KiTsang The name spread among
the passengers and caused inexpressible
| terror.
The major said to me in a low voice
Faruskiar?"
"He--the manager Of the Transasi
atic?"
"If it Is true that the company had to
take several of these rObber chiefs into
Its confidence to assure the safety of the
| trains"
II will never believe that. ma jOr."
| "As you please. Monsieur Bombarnac
But assuredly Faruskiar knew that this
pretended mortuary van contained mill
lens"
Come, major, this is no time for jok-
ing"
| No. 1t was the time for defending. and
defending ones self courageously. The
Chinese officer has placed his men around
the treasure van. They are twenty in
number, and the rest Of the passengers,
not counting the women. amount to thir-
| ty POpof distributes the weapons,
which are carried In case of attack
Major Noltitz. Caterna. Pan Chao. Eph-
rii,ell, driver and stoker, passengers, Ash
attic and European. all resolve to fight
| for the common safety.
On the right of the line. about hun
dred yards away. stretches a deep.
gloomy thicket. sort of jungle, in which
| doubtless are hidden the robbers. await
| ing the signal to pounce upon us.
Suddenly there is Il burst of shouting.
the thickct has given passage to the
gang in ambush-some sixty Mongols.
nomads of the Cobb. If these rascals
beat us. the train will be pillaged the
treasure of the Son Of Heaven will be
stolen. and. what concerns MS more i'll
timately. the passengers will be massa-
cred without mercy.
| And Faruskiar, whom Major Nolttz
So unjustly suspected? l look at him.
His face is no longer the same; his fine
features have become pale. his height
has increased, there is lightning in his
eyes.
|
brandishing their arms and shouting.
Faruskinr. pistol in one hand, kandijar in
the other, has rushed on to them, his
eyes cleaning, his lips covered with a
| light foam. Ghangir is at his side, fol.
lowed by four Mongols whom he is ex-
citing by word and gesture.
| Major Noltitz and l throw ourselves
into the midst of our assailants. Ca
1 To-, 80 Ill
his white teeth ready to bite. his eyes
blinking. his revolver Aourishing about.
The actor has given place to the old sail
or who has reappeared for the occasion.
"These beggars want to board u.s.
said he. Forward, forward, for the
honor of the flag! To port, there. fire!
To starboard. there, fire! All together,
fire."
And it was with no property daggers
he was armed. nor dummy pistols loaded
with inoffensive powder. No! A revolver
In each hand, he was bounding along, FIR
ing right and left. and everywhere.
Pan Chao also exposed himself brave
~, smile on his lips. calamity leading
on the other Chinese passengers Popof
and the railway men did their duty
bravely. Sir Francis Trevellyan. of
Trevellyan Hail. took matters very
coolly. but Ephrinell abandoned himself
to true Yankee fury, being no less irri-
tated at the interruption to his marriage
than as to the danger run by his forty
two packages Of artificial teeth.
Faruskiar, my hero--I cannot call him
anything else-displays extraordinary in
trepidity. bearing himself the boldest In
the struggle, and when he had exhausted
his revolver. using his kandijar like a
man who had often faced death and new
er feared 1t.
| Already there were a few wounded ON
both sides, perhaDs n few dead nmony