Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-07-11
BY BARR,
HuNor of

vi Couise IL was no trouble Tor me
TO keep afoat My only danger was
that the intense GOODNESS Of the water
would numb my body beyond recovery.
sJHll l had been accustomed to hard
ships Of that kind before now in the
frozen north. AT last the gentle roar
q the waterfall ceased, and 1 realized
ny cell was emptying itself. When 1
reached my shelf again, l stretched my
limbs back and forth as strenuously
g I could and as silently, for 1 wished
4p sound to give any hint that 1 was
SUI alive, if, indeed, sound could pen
crate to the passage, which is unlike
y. Even before the last Of the water
3fd Tun away from the cell l lay
Stretched out at full length on the
igor, hoping l might have steadiness
enough to remain death quiet when
the men came in with the lantern. 1
need have had no fear. The door was
opened, n of the men picked me up
PE the heels and, using my legs as if
they were the shafts of a wheelbar-
tw, dragged me down the passage to
the place where the stream emerged
from the last cell, and into this tor
rent he flung me. There was one swift.
hf1et moment Of darkness, then l shot.
yet first, into space and dropped down,
DOWN, down through the air like a
plnmmet into the arms Of my mother"
Unto what?" cried Dorothy, white
and breathless, thinking the recital of
these agonies had turned the mans
Drain. N~"-<ns,e1sss,n--~,ss".
'oThe Baltic, madam, is the Finland
ers mother. 1t feeds him in life, car
ries him whittier he wishes to go, and
every true Finlander hopes to die in
her arms. The Baltic seemed almost
warm after what l had been through,
and the taste Of the salt on my lips
was good. 1t was a beautiful starlight
night in May, and 1 floated around the
rock, for l knew that in a cove on the
eastern side, concealed from all view
OF the sea, lay a Finland fishing boat,
a craft that will weather any storm,
and here in the water was a man who
knew how to handle 1t. Prisoners are
landed on the eastern side, and such
advantage is taken of the natural con-
formation of this precipitous rock that
a man climbing the steep zigzag stair
way which leads to the inhabited DOR
ton is hidden from sight Of any craft
upon the water even 400 or 500 yards
away. Nothing seen from the outside
gives any token of habitation.
"The fishing boat, l suppose, is kept
for cases of emergency, that the gov
ernor may communicate with the shore
II necessary. l feared it might be
moored SO securely that l could not un-
fasten it. Security had made them
careless, and the boat was tied merely
by lines to rings in the rock, the object
being to keep her from bruising her
sides against the stone rather than to
prevent any n taking her away. l
pushed her out into the open, got quiet
~ inside and 1oated with the swift
tide, not caring to raise a sail until |
was well out Of gunshot distance.
Once clear of the rock l spread canvas
and by daybreak was long out Of sight
Of land. l made for Stockholm, and
there being no mark or nam on the
boat to denote that it belonged to the
Russian government 1 had little diff
Guilty in selling 1t. l told the author1-
ties what was perfectly true-that l
was a Finland sailor escaping from
the tyrant of my country and anxious
to get to America. AS such events are
happening practically every week along
the Swedish coast | was not inter
fered with and got enough money from
the sale of the boat to enable me to
dress myself we'll and take passage to
England, and from there first class to
New York on a regular liner.
"Of course I could have shipped as
a sailor from Stockholm easy enough,
but ] was tired of being a common
sailor and expected, if l was respecta-
bly, clothed, to get a better position
than would otherwise be the case.
This proved true, for crossing the
ocean l became acquainted with MI.
6tockwell, and he engaged me as mate
Of his yacht. That's how I escaped
from the Trogzmondof, madam, and
I think no one but a Finlander could
have done it."
II quite agree with you," said Doro-
thy. you think these two men l have
been making inquiry about have been
sent to the TrogZmondoff?"
1.-THE Russian may not be there, ma.
dam, but the Englishman Is sure tc
be there"
els the cannon on the western side
of the rock?"
II don't know, madam. 1 never saw
the western side by daylight. I no.
ticed nothing on the eastern side as
vas climbing the steps to show that
any cannon was on the Trogzmondof
at ALL"
II suppose you had an opportunity
Of finding out how many men garrison
the rock"
mo, madam. I don't think the gar.
rison is large. The place is SO secure
that It doesn't need many men to guard
1t. Prisoners are never taken out fol-
exercise, and, as l told you, they are
fed but once in four days"
"How large a crew a the Walrus
carryY