Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1905-07-14
The Special Correspondent
OHAPTnR vITI

OAAFIDH VIII.
Before the train reaches Ghoek Tepe
am back In the car. Confound this
dromedary! If he had not managed to
get smashed so clumsily, No. II would
no longer be unknown to me- He would
have opened his panel, we would have
talked together In a friendly way, and
separated with a friendly shake of the
hand. Now he will be full Of anxiety,
he knows his fraud Is discovered, that
there Is some one who has reason to sus-
pect his intentions, some one who may
not hesitate to betray his secret. And
then after being taken out Of his case
he will be put under guard at the next
station, and It will be useless for Made
modselle Zinca Klork to expect him In
the capital Of the Chinese empire.
1t would be better for me to relieve
his anxiety this very night. That Is inn
possible, for the train will soon stop
at Gheok Tepe, and then at Askhabad,
which it will leave In the first hour Of
daylight. can no longer trust to Pop
offs going to sleep.
am absorbed In these reflections
when the locomotive stops in Check Tepe
station at O'Clock IN the morning Lac
train starts at 2 O'Clock, after having
been Joined by a few passengers whom
Popof tells me are Turkomans.
envied the sleep Of my companions.
The dawn was appearing in the east.
Here and there were the ruins of an
ancient city, a citadel girdled with high
ramparts and a succession of long porti-
Goes extending over fifteen hundred
yards. Running over a few embank-
ments neceSsitated by the inequalities
Of the sandy ground, the train again
reaches the horizontal steppe.
We are running at a speed of thirty
miles an hour in a southwesterly direc-
ton along the Persian frontier. 1t is
only beyond Douchak that the line be-
gins to leave 1t. We reached that sta
ton at o'clock in the morning.
We stop here two hours. l am of to
look at Douchak, with Major Noltttz as
my ciceTone, ] was led to question the
major regarding the safety Of the Grand
Transasiatic across the provinces Of Cen
tral Asia.
In Turkestan, he told me, the safety
Is well assured. During the years the
Franscaspian has been at work there has
been no attack to hinder the train SER
vice.
That Is another MATTER" said the
major. 'The Grand Transasiatic Is I'M
dor Chinese control, and / have not
much confidence in that"
Are there not a lot of scoundreIs
providing about Mongolia and Northern
China r. l asked. my sole anxiety is
that our journey may not be devoid Of
incident"
Really, Mr. Special Correspondent,
admire you. Well, / am afraid you will
be disappointed. as have heard that
the company has treated with several
chiefs Of the robber bands. But there
is one Of these highwaymen who has
retained his independence and liberty of
action, a certain Ki-Tsang."
who Is heT'
"A bold bandit chief, half Chinaman,
half Mongol. Having for some time been
a terror to Yunan, he was being too
closely pursued and has now moved into
the northern provinces. His presence has
even been reported in that part OF Mon
gOlia served by the Grand Transasiatic."
well, he ought to furnish few
paragraphs"
We returned toward the station. The
stoppage at Douchak had another half
hour to last. As / walked on the quay,
observed something going ON which
would change the makeup Of our train.
Another van had arrived from Teher-
an by the branch line Of Mesched, which
puts the Persian capital In communica-
ton with the Transcaspian.
This van was bolted and barred. and
accompanied by a squad Of Persian po-
lice, whose orders seemed to be not to
lose sight of it.
/ don't know what made me think SO,
but it seemed as though this van had
something about 1t, and ais the major
had left me, went and spoke to Popof,
woh was watching over the proceedings.
"Uopof, where is that van goingF'
"To Pekin.'
"And what has 1t got in itT'
AN exalted parsonage"
well, Popof, when this exalted per-
sonage gets out perhaps you viii let
me know2"
HE will not get out"
why notY
Because he is dead. It is his body
they are taking to Pel1n, where he will
be inferred with all the honors due to
him"
While / was looking at this van
new passenger came up and examined
it with no less curiosity than / did. He
was a fine looking man Of about 40,
wearing gracefully the costume of the
richer Mongols, tall fellow with rather
a gloomy look, military mustache, taw-
ny complexion and eyes that never shut.
Here is a splendid fellow" l said to
myself. II don't know If he viii turn
out the hero Of the drama / ann in
search Of, but anyhow, viii number
him twelve in my travelling troupe
This leading star, soon learned from
Popof, bore the name Of Farusldar. He
was accompanied by another Mongol Of
inferior rank, Of about the same age,
whose name was Ghangir. As they look
ed at the van being attached to the tail
OF the train In front OF the luggage van
they exchanged q few words. As soon