The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-09-13

f fully lly guarded secret Of the council Of
There at my feet, along the widen
ing valley, lay double line of rails,
cleaning blue in the sunlight, and all
across the level space at regular inter
walls stretched low banks and bitches
the lines Of vast encampment, capable
of accommodating half million men.
Still further on / had glimpse OF the
white sparkle Of tents and piles of
fresh hewn timber, and / even fancled
I could catch the faint hum OF voices
and the thud of hammers as the hid
den army toiled away at its barracks
and entertainments.
The meaning of the peace rescript
was manifest at last, and the meaning
was formidable indeed. While appear
ing to disarm in concert with the rest
of Europe, Russia IS intention was Sc
cretly to withdraw her enormous forces
to this unsupported retreat, from
whence, at the decisive moment, they
would issue like creation OF magic
| to overwhelm the defenceless continent:
I had made my discovery, 1T was still
| question whether was to return with
| it in safety.
Before I had made up my mind
| whether to push my observations. fur.
Their, / was alarmed to, see sotnia OF
Cossacks approaching, led by a Russian
officers. My little camp was quickly
surrounded and the officer presented
! himself before me.
1t required all my nerve to deal with
the emergency. The first words of the
officer showed me that he considered
me out Of hand. I affected the utmost
establishment and Indignation, and
produced the papers which showed me
| to be Frenchman travelling on behalf
of various financial syndicates in Paris.
The officer thrust them aside con-
| temptuously.
CAN this is nothing to me-" he de-
clared. You should not have come
within reach of our camp. Even if I
do not hang you, you will never be al
lowed to return to Europe, of that you
may be assured
81 will take my chance of that, cap
this out-of- the-WaY region, you perhaps
have not heard that France and Rus
STA are in military alliance, and, be-
sides, that the czar has declared his in
tention to disarm, so that your prepare
tions here have ceased to be of the
| slightest consequence to anybody
The officer was fairly staggered. He
had heard of course, of the French al
lance, and no doubt some rumor as to
the recent rescript had penetrated to
the secret camp, but without it's scope
being very well understood.
l. KNOW ludG IL rs my QuCy TO ar
rest you, at the very least" he per-
sisted.
Gas to that, you will do as you
please. It will sound well in Paris that
every, prospector who ventures into
Siberia with a view to developing the
resources of the country exposes him
self to the treatment of a spy. NJ.
Witte will find it takes some persua-
sion to secure another French loan.''
It is needless to give further details
of conversation in which the ignor
| ance of the Russian gave me a very
great advantage over him. am vain
: enough to plume myself on having
: made use of the treacherous rescript to
out-maneuver its authors. In saving
olas FL. who perhaps did not even
; know of the existence of the hidden
camp. 2s.-2 - = - So
7 In the end the Cossack officers de-
cided to escort me back to the town
where l had left the train, and hand
ME over to the civil authorities, de-
, cision which was assisted by the usual
methods of persuasion in the east. My
? friend the project, already predisposed
, in my favor, required a somewhat heav-
c Ter bribe, and finally made assurance
, doubly sure by resumlng my journey
, eastward, and leaving Russian territory
by way of the Chinese frontier.
1t was from the first telegraph sta
ton in the celestial empire that [ sent
the cipher dispatch to Constantinople
, which was destined to render abortive
the much-talked-of conference at The
= Hague:
"Russia preparing enormous con-
= cealed camp in Siberia, beside railway,
, to hide forces when nominallY disband-
} ed. [ have seen it.
Abdul Hamid was too shrewd to take
: any open part in opposing the Russian
proposals, but when [ saw the firm
E stand made against them by the Ger
man representatives, [ knew that he
3 had not thrown my telegram into the
: wastepaper basket.
e It only remains to add that the Rus,
sian government. realizing that its Sc,
cret had been betrayed, stealthily set to
work to efface every sign of the con.
cealed camp; and that, if my latest in.
r formation be correct, the mysterious
!, valley is again given over to silence
and to solitude.