Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1905-07-22
CHAPTER XI.

The train is running at high speed In
the ordinary service, when it stops ut the
eleven stations between Bokhara and
Samarkand. II takes a whole day over
the distance. This time 1t took but three
hours to cover the two hundred kilo-
meters which separate the two towns,
and at 2 o'clock I'm the afternoon 1t en-
tered the illustrious city Of Tamerlane.
Samarkand is situated in the rich oasis
watered by the Zarafchane In the valley |
Of Sogd A small pamphlet l bought |
at the railway station informs me that
this great city is one of the four sites
in which geographers agree" to place
the terrestrial paradise. | leave this
discussion to the exegetists Of the pro
fession. After a stop of six hours our
train started off again at 8 o'clock.
During dinner l noticed that Major
Noltitz continued to keep his eye on bis
lordship Faruskair. Had he begun to
suspect him? Was 1t Of any Importance
In his opinion that this Mongol seemed
to know, without appearing to do 80, the
three second-class travellers, who were
also Mongolsf Was his imagination
working with the same activity as mine?
And was he taking seriously what was
only a joke on my partf
As for me, had soon forgotten all
about the Mongol for the man In the
case. II l get a chance to visit him
tonight l will.
1t was about half past eleven when l
decided to open the door of the van,
which l shut behind me.
knew that the young Roumanian was
not always shut up In his box. and the
fancy might just have taken him to
stretch his limbs by walking from one
end to the other of the van. The dark
ness is complete. No jet of light filters
through the holes Of the case That seems
all the better for me- 1t is as well that
my No. IL should not be surprised by
too sudden an apparition. He is doubt
less asleep. l will give two little knocks
on the panel; / will awake him, and we
! will explain matters before he can move.
| feel as l go. Ny hand touches the
case; | place my ear against the panel
and l listen. There is + IT a stir, not a
BREATH Is my man no. here? Has he
got awayI Has he slipped out at one
OF the stations without my seeing him ?
am just going to knock, when the
locomotives whistle emits its strident
crow as we pass through station. But
the train is not going to stop, | know.
and l wait until the whistling has ceased.
then give a gentle knock on the
panel There is no reply. l knock more
loudly.
This time it is followed by an invol-
untary movement Of surprise and fright.
"Open, openw l say in Russian. ut
is a friend who speaks. You have moth
ing to fearr'
If the panel Is not lowered as l had
hoped, there is the crack Of a match be-
ing lighted and a feeble light appears in
the case
look at the prisoner through the
holes in the side. There is a look OF
alarm on his face; his eyes are haggard
He does not know whether he is asleep
or awake.
I, "Open. my friend say; open and
have confidence. l have discovered your
secret. l shall say nothing about It, On
the other hand, l may be of use to you
You are a Roumanian, l think, and l an
Frenchman."
"Frenchman? You are a Frenchman p
: And this reply was given in my OWL
language, with a foreign accent. One
more bond between us. The panel Slip
along its groove, and by the light of &
: little lamp l can examine my No. IL.
"No one can see us nor hear usY he
asked in a half-stihed voice.
, "No one"
9 '''The guard2"
Asleep"
a My new friend takes my hands; HI
v clasps them. feel that he seeks {
a support. He understands he can Deepen,
ON me. and he murmurs:
o do not betray me-do not betra!
4 me-"
= "Betray you, my boy7 Can you be
o lpieve that 1, journalists"
I. You are a Journalistic"
n "Claudius Bombarnac, special CORE
/. spondent of the Twentieth Century"
e And you are going to PekinT
% Through to Pekin."
,e "Ahl Monsieur Bombarnac, Providenc
II has sent you on to my road"
r Anything l can do for you will
r What is your nameT
d "Kinko."
It "You are a Roumaninn, are you not
e "Roumanian, of Bucharest"
2; "But you have lived in FranceT
d -Four years In Paris, where | wa
apprentice TO an upholsterer in the Fat
IT bourg Saint Antoine"
Dt "And you went back to Bucharest
y Eyes, to work at my trade there unit
rs the day came when 1t was impossible
for me to resist the desire to leave
he ITO leave7 WhyT
he ''To marryw
3, ITO marry Mademoiselle zinca Klorl
t, Avenue Cha-Coua, Pekin, China"
A. you knowY'
d. Certainly. The address is on II
II hox."
he 'She Is a young Roumanian. I kne
ly her in Paris. where she was learnir
Of the trade of a milliner. OH charr
ing"
a 81 am sure of 1t. You need not dive
es on that"
rs "She also returned to Bucharest, unit
NJ she was invited TO take the managemei
ey of a dressmaker's at Pekin. We love
MT monsieur; she went-and we were Sc
ng arated for a year. Three weeks ago 81
TT, wrote to me. She was getting on ov
"a there If I could go out to her l wou
a do we'll We should get married witho
delay. She had saved something.
". would soon earn as much as she ha
he And here am on the road, in my tur
to for China"
'In this boxT'
TX what would you have, Monsie
lly BOmbarnacT asked Kinko, reddenin
to II had only money enough to buy
To- packing case, a few provisions, and z
myself sent of by an obliglng friend.
th- costs thousand francs to go fro
in Tiils to Pekin. But as soon as ha
IDS gained them. the company Will be
paid, l assure you"
M "You may rest assured 1 will M
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