Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1905-07-15
Tbe Special Correspondent
CHAPTER VIII.

!
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 n 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
moisele 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 Check 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 . o'clock, after having
been Joined by a few passengers whom
Popof tells me are TurkOmans.
l 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 succession of long porti-
Goes extending over fifteen hundred
yards. Running over few embank-
ments necessitated by the inequalities
of the sandy ground, the train again
reaches the horizontal steppe.
70 t,-+1v
miles an hour in a southwesterly direc-
ton along the Persian frontier. 1t is
only beyond Douchak that the line be-
gins to leave it. We reached that sta
ton at O'Clock in the morning.
We stop here two hours. | am off to
look at Douchak with Major Noltitz as
my cicerone. | was led to question the
major regarding the safety of the Grand
Transasiatic across the provinces Of Cen
traI Asia.
In Turkestan, he told me- the safety
is well assured. During the years the
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
much confidence in that"
Are there not q lot of scoundrels
proving about Mongolia and Northern
Gilman | asked. My sole anxiety is
that our journey may not be devoid of
incident"
Really, Mr.. Special Correspondent,
admire you. Well, l am afraid you will
be disappointed, as l 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 KiTsang."
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."
We'll, he ought to furnish a few
paragraphs"
We returned toward the station. The
stoppage at Douchak had another half
hour 10 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 NV the branch line of Nesched which
nuts +bn parsi,n coni+al in comm,nica-
tion with tho Transnosnion
This van was holte5 and horrad and
recommended nv sorod If Persian no
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inso s;,,L+ of -
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i, 80
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..r Top o. ' =, % Int an e0i"s
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