Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1910-04-07

flowers and to catch a sight of one
of the cuckoos, that fill the forests of
Siberia with their strange cries, ex-
acty as though millions of invisible
Swiss clocks were hanging among the
trees. On their return, the two men
heard the sound of shooting.
my God!" cried the American, his
face blanching as he thought Of the
princess. II believe the brigands have
attacked the boat"
He ran toward the sound, followed
by Smulders, and beheld Gen. Catkoff
shooting at bottle on a stump at
distance of 20 PAGES. The general was
military governor of Irkutsk, now on
his way to his post, from which he
had been absent three months. He
was a gray, corpulent man, with a
kindly face, the only person aboard
of sufficient rank to associate init
mately with the princess, in whom he
seemed to take a fatherly interest. He
fired now five times and missed, much
to the amusement of the princess, who
stood near In fact, her derisive
laughter so irritated the pompous
general that he threw the weapon
spitefully on the ground and began to
explain volubly to his fair tormentor.
What does he say?" asked the Ger
man of a Viennese opera singer from
Vladivostok, who was also one Of the
spectators; and a moment later he
explained to Hardy.
HE says it's an American pistol
from Vladivostok, and that it's no
good"
Courtland Hardy picked up the
weapon and examined it. 1t was not
an expensive model, but a practical
arm of honest blue steel He tossed
1t Familiarity in his hand and then said
to Smulders: "Will you ask our fair
interpreter here to present my COM
pliments to the general, and tell him
that l am an American and beg the
privilege of proving the excellence of
this American weapon?"
AS the Viennese addressed the gen.
eral, Hardy lifted his hat gracefully.
The princess clapped her little hands.
nodded pleasantly at the American
and cried: Bravo! Bravo!" 1t was
she, evidently, who persuaded the gen
eral to reload the weapon and ac-
cede to the request.
Now, as usual, there was group
of peasant women standing about, who
had come down to the boat from the
Lord knows where, to sell milk. Hardy
tossed so copecks on the ground, and,
picking up five bottles, walked to a
log near the stump, where he set
them in a row. Then he returned to
the group standing about the general
and commenced firing. The distance
was in reality not great nor the feat
difficult for so good shot. The ef-
feet, however, was spectacular, for
between the rapid Cracks" of the
weapon could be heard the "ching,
ching, ching" of the breaking bottles.
Hardy offered the revolver to the
general with a polite salute, but the
latter generously complimented his
craftsmanship and begged that he
would keep it, adding to the gift the
box of cartridges which he produced
from a coat pocket. The American
was somewhat embarrassed His pride
was averse to the Acceptance Of the
gift, yet he was unable to explain that
he meant no offense. He stood offer
ing the pistol to the Russian, while
the latter pressed the cartridges on
him. The princess relieved the situa-
tion by taking the cartridges and
handing them to Hardy with be-
seeching little moue. He accepted
p,,1
though he were saluting cotillion
partner The princess replied in kind
and walked away on the arm Of the
general
The only other incident worth re.
cording happened at night, after all
the passengers had retired. A party
of hidden marauders fired on the boat,
and one of the bullets passed through
Hardy's cabin window. That they were
Chinese was evident from a war-ar-
row, with it's iron point, that was
found sticking to the rail the next
morning.
"They are becoming very restless"
said Smulders, in his broken English,
"but they will hardly dare much to
do"-and he pointed to long line Of
dusty Cossacks that were .rotting
along the military road that skirts the
Amur. "The river is we'll guarded.
and if they make depredations, the
Cossacks take terrible vengeance. l
am glad that they did not harm my
Chulia'
Julia was the name of a VienDesa
singer on board, with whom Smulders
was fast becoming infatuated.
A little way below BlagovestchensK
they passed the blackened ruins of
Aigum, the once populous Chinese
city which the Cossacks had destroyed
not very long before.
"They found the bodies of 1000
men, women and children in the
rmins % exnlainna Smnldera mand into