Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-20
.ain. ..wm you walk the deck before

II u,
and by your salutation take you to be
| a Finn
Il am native of Abo." replied the cap
tain. and as you say. Finn. but diner
from many of my countrymen, as am
| good Russian also
Well there are not too many good Rus
slams. and here Is one who would rather
SOLELY.
cit is to prevent any mistake" replied
the captain. almost roughly. that I men
ton | am a good Russian"
Right you are. captain, and as / am q
| good Russian also. perhaps good Russian
Number One can tell me to what part of
the world he Is conveying good Russian
Number Two man guiitless of any
| crime. and unwilling. ct this moment to
| take enforced Journey
We may both be good. but the day Is
not. highness. 1t has been raining during
! the night. and Is still drzzling. I advise
| you to put on your overcoat.
| Thanks, captain, / will
The captain In most friendly manner took
| the overcoat from Its hook. shook 1t out.
! LermontoF showed right arm, then left,
! into the sleeves hunched the coat up into
place. and buttoned it at the throat
Again, captain, my thanks. Lead the
way and 1 will follow
| They emerged on deck into dismal gray
| morning No land or craft of any kind was
| In sight The horizon formed a small close
/ circle round the ship. Clouds hung low,
running before the wind, and bringing in
| termittently little dashes of rain that SEEM
! ed still further to compress the walls or
| horizon. The was not what could be
| called rough, but merely choppy and fret
| ful. with short waves that would not have
| troubled larger craft. The steamer proved
| to be small, undstinguished dingy look
! ing boat. more like commercial tramp
| than a government vessel An officer, APP
| parently the mate, stood on the bridge
| sinewy hands grasping the rail. pesring
ahead into the white mist that was almost
fog The promenade deck afforded no
great scope for pedestrianism. but captain
| and prisoner walked back and forth over
| the restricted space, talking genially to-
gether as IL they were old friends. Never
| theless there was a certain cautious guard
! edness In the captains speech. the wary
| craft of an unready man who is in the
presence of a person more subtle than him.
| self The bluff captain remembered he had
been caught mapping the night before
when. after refusing to tell the prince the
| direction of the steamer, he had given HIM
| self away by mentioning the Gulf of Fin
! land. Lermontof noticed this reluctance to
| plunge into the abyss of free conversation,
! and so, instead Of reassuring him he would
| ask no more questions. he merely took upon
| his own shoulders the burden of the talk
| and related to the captain certain wonders
! of London and New York.
The steward advanced respectfully to the
| captain, and announced breakfast ready
whereupon the two men followed him into
a saloon not much larger than the state
room Lermontof had occupied the night
before. and not nearly so comfortably fur
nished. A plenteous breakfast was sup
piled, consisting principally of fish, steam
| ing potatoes, black bread and very strong
tea The captain swallowed cup after cup
or this scaldfng beverage, and 1t seemed to
make him more and more genial as If 1t had
been wine. Indeed, as time went on he
forgot that it was a prisoner who sat be-
fore him. for quite innocently he said to
the steward who waited on them:
Have the poor devils below had any
thing to eat?
mo orders. sir" replied the steward
oh, well, give them something-some-
thing hot. 1t may be their last meal" then
turning he met the gaze of the prince, de-
manded another cup of tea. and explained:
Three of the crew took too much vodka
in st. petersburg yesterday"
The prince nodded carelessly, as II he be-
lieved. and offered his open cigarette case
to the captain, who shook his head
Il smoke a pipe" he growled.
The captain rose with his lighted pipe,
and together they went up on deck again,
The prince saw nothing more of the tall
sentinel who had been his guard the night
before. SO without asking permission he
took 1t for granted that his movements.
now they were In the open sea- were un-
restricted, therefore he walked up and
down the deck smoking cigarettes At the
stroke of a bell the captain mounted the
bridge and the mate came down
Suddenly out of the thickness ahead
doomed up great black British freighter
making for St Petersburg, as the prince
supposed The two steamers, big and lit
tie were so close that each was com
PEELED to sheer off a bit; then the captain
turned on the bridge and seemed for a
moment uncertain what to do with his pris-
oner. number of men were leaning over
the bulwarks of the British ship and 1t
would have been quite possible for the per-
son on one boat to give a message to those
on the other. The prince, understanding
the captains quandary, looked UP at him
aud smiled, but made no attempt to take
advantage Of his predicament. Some one
on board the English ship shouted and fut-
tered handkerchief whereupon the prince
waved his cigarette in the air and the big
| boat disappeared in the thickness of the
east.
Lermontof walked the deck, thinking
very seriously about his situation, and won
derlng where they intended to take him
II he were to be put In prison. 1t must be
In some place of detention on the coast of
Finland, which seemed strange, because he
understood that the fortresses there were
already filled with dissatisfied inhabitants
of that disaffected land. His first impress
sion had been that Punishment was in
tended. and he had expected to be landed
at some Swedish or German port, but
chance remark made by the captain at
breakfast inclined him to believe that there
were other prisoners on board not quite SO
favorably treated as himself. But why
should he be sent out OF Russia proper, or
even removed from st. Petersburg, which,
he was we'll aware, suffered from no La ok
OF gaols. The continued voyage of the
steamer through an open sea again aroused
the hope that Stockholm was the objective
point. If they landed him there 1t merely
meant little temporary Inconvenience
and. once ashore. he hoped to concoct
telegram so apparently innocent that 1t
would win through to his friend. and give
Drummond at least the knowledge of his
abiding place. The thought OF Drummond
aroused all his old fear that the English
man was TO be the real victim, and this
enforced voyage was merely a convenient
method of getting himself out of the way
After lunch dismal drizzle set in that
presently increased TO a steady downpour
which drove Lermontof to his cabin and
that room being unprovided with either
window or electric light. the prince struck
a match to one of the candles newly placed
on the washstand. He pushed the electric
button summonng the steward, and giving
him some money, asked IL there was such
thing as piece OF stone on board. carried
as ballast. or for any other reason The
steward said he would inquire, and finally
returned with sharpening stone used for
the knives in the galley. Boiling his door.
Lermontoff began an experiment, and at
once forgot he was prisoner He filed
the wash basin with water. and opening
one of the glass-stoppered bottles took ont
Uff Of lie Lnyfa