The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-11-07

brutalizing factory for enriching d few
with the very life blood and vitals Of
thousands that will suffer and starve
and never be heard off, Gall his Ian
guage cannot be recorded) "will make
two or three regulations by the way.
Mime Will be one, altho I'll get moth
ing else. Shelikov.sis safe; but you
bless you. Igrndge you nothing. Not
even the happiness you deserve and are
bound to have-for when all is said
and done, Rezanov, you are lucky
dog, lucky dog! Any man may see
that, even when these internal SHOWS
have left him with but half an eye. To
quarrel with destiny like yours
would be as wise as to protest because
california is warm and fertile, while
TINS internal north is like living in
refrigerator with the deluge to vary
the monotony. Now let us get drunk!5'
But Rezanov laughingly extricated
himself, and sending a message to Da-
widow and Khostov to come to him i'm
medlately, walked toward the tent he
had ordered erected on the edge of the
! settlement; only the worst of weather
drove him indoors in these alf-civilized
communities. Ri. so
AS he was passing the chapel, fol-
lowed again by the employees Of the
company, to whom he had granted a
holiday, he suddenly found his hand
taken possession of, and looked up to
see, himself confronted by dissipated-
Looking, person in plain clothes. His
hand hand became, so limp that it was
dropped as if it had put forth sting,
and ne narrowed his eyes and demand
brought the blood to the face of the
intruder: -. .-
[ And who are you, may I asks"
me man. threw back his head def
antly. "a am Lieutenant Sookin Of
the imperial navy Of Russia he said
IN q loud defiant tone. 80
And i am chamberlain of the Rus
sian court and commander of all
America, - replied Rezanov coolly.
NOW go to your quarters, dress your
self in your uniform, and present your
report to me an hour hence''
The officer, concentrating in his in
lected eyes all the lively hatred and
Jealousy of his service for the Russian
American! a company in this region where
1t reigned supreme and cared no more
for the admiralty than for some native
ch!eftaln covered with shells and war
PANT, glared at its plenipotentiary as
II calling upon his deeper resources of
lnsolence; but the steady contemptuous
gaze of the man who had dealt with
MS KIND often and successfully over
came his sodden spirit and he turned
sulkily and slouched off to his quarters
to console himself with more brandy.
|, Rezanoy shrugged his shoulders and
went on to his tent.
There was no furniture in it as vet.
and he was obliged to receive Davidoy
and Khostov stan ding, but this he pre.
ferred. They followed him almost i'm
medlately, apprehensive and nervous,
and before speaking he looked at them
for a moment with. his strong pene-
tratlng gaze. He we'll knew the power
OF his own personality, and that it was
inlmeasurably enhanced by the fact
that of all with whom he had to do in
these benighted regions his will alone
was: never weakened by liquor. These
young men, clever. Ghighbred, with an
honorable record not only in Russia
but in England and America, looked
ward Of work well done by day. Brandy
was debited to their account by the
| tsbucket'. Ga bucket being a trife less
than two gallons), and they found lit
| tie fault with life. But it gave COM
manding spirit like Rezanov's an adj
vantage which they did not underesti-
mate for moment; and they alter
nately hated and worshiped him. :
- 1 think you have an inkling of
what I am going. to ask you to do s
The chamberlain brought out the euY
Ephemism with the utmost suayity. e.1I
have made up my mind not to leave
jected last year by Japan without such
punishment as it is in. my power to
inf1ict at present. It was my inten-
I ton to build a fotilla here, but owing
! to the diseased condition and reduced
numbers of the employees, that was i'm
| possible, and shall be obliged to con-
| tent myself with the Juno and the
laid in November, and is no doubt fin
ished long since. These shall fit with
ornaments ), in Okhotsk. I shall place
the enterprise I. have spoken Of in your
charge, sailing with you from Sitka
five days hence. From Okhotsk I de-
sire that you proceed to the Japanese
settlements in the lower Kurile islands,
take possession Of them and bring all
stores and as many of the inhabitants
as the vessels will accommodate, to
Sitka, where Baranhov will see that
that large island in the harbor-which
VIC shall call Japonsky-and converted
into good servants Of the company.
The excuse for this enterprise is that
| those islands were formally taken DOS
session of by Shelikov; and altho aban-
doned later, the fact remains that the
Russian flag was the first to float over
them. The, stores captured may not
be worth much and the islands are Of
no particular use to us. but it is wise
that Japan should have a taste of Rus
sian power; and the consequences may
be salutary in more ways than one. 7
nope you will do me this great favor,
for there is no one of your tried probi-
| ty and skill to whom I can trust so
DELEGATE an enterprise. | am doing it
wholly upon my own responsibility,
for altho 1 wrote tentatively to the
car ON this subject before I sailed for
California, it is not yet time for a re-
| ply. However, I take the consequences
! suffer IN any way, for your orders are
| to obey mine while you remain in these
! waters. ''#%i=y =. - ~
He paused moment and then sud
denly smiled Into the unresponsive
faces beforeathim. He. held out his
hand and shook their limp ones
warmly. =
"Let me thank you here for all YOUR
| inestimable services in the past. and
particularly during our late hazardous
voyages. Be sure that whether you sue
coed in this enterprise or not, your re-
wards shall be no less for what YOU
have already done. I shall make it a
personal matter with the car. You
| increase in pay, besides the orders and
imperial thanks you so richly deserve.
| Lest anything happen to me on my
homeward journey, I shall write to ST.
! Petersburg before I leave.''
The ieutenants, overcome as ever