The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-01-27
COPY ye/SA- 1906 me

|
ing.
To Hardy's CONSERVATION the prin.
cess and her maid followed In a sec.
ond dugout. But there were two more
waiting on the bank, their owners
hoping that others Of the passengers
would wish to avail themselves OF
their use.
Come on" cried Hardy to Smul,
ders. Lets follow them. 1t will be
a lark"
"A lark? What's that?"
"a lark? Why, fun, sport"
But Smulders sighed and shook his
head, thinking of the fair Viennese.
"Ah, no." he said, Il do not care if it
be an eagle. l cannot leave Chulia.
loaf her too heavy"
Hardy lost no time. BY signs he
conveyed to one of the sailors that he
wished his luggage carried ashore and
piled into the dugout. Soon he, too,
was seated in the bottom, reclining
gracefully against his impedimenta, his
horse scrambling along in the wake of
the princess lotka.
They made but one military station
the first day-a large square building,
where a samoYar is kept always ready
for travellers and the sledges that car
ry the mails over the ice In winter
To Hardys delight, the old general
and the princess were extremely cour-
teous to him and made him under
stand by signs that he was welcome.
The generals orderly foraged and pro-
duced some black bread, some milk
and a quantity of delicious fresh
caviar of the kind the Russians do not
export.
The princess presided charmingly
at the samovar, after which she disap-
peared for the night. Hardy spread
his blankets on the floor and was soon
! fast asleep. But he seemed no sooner
to have closed his eyes than he was
awakened again by the voice of the
general shouting at him in Russian.
1t was only three o'clock, but the
place was all a-bustle with prepara-
tions for departure. Ere the mists
had risen from the river they were
again under way, dim as ghosts.
Hardy reclined against his luggage
and slept deliciously until the sun
arose, when he was awakened by the
stinging of a cloud of gnats. Sitting
upright, he noticed that the lotka of
the princess was deserted by it's fair
passenger. Casting his eyes about, he
nhCnrun1 OF
along the government road that fol-
lows the course of the Shilka and that
serves as a channel for the stream of
COssacks that pours into Manchuria.
The bank was high at this point and
the women were above him, plainly
visible in the bright sun. The Ro-
manovna, twirling her Japanese para
sol on her shoulder, walked rapidly
and with a joyous freedom of motion
that testified to her love of the open
air.
Il wonder if she plays golf," mused
Hardy, and at that very moment he
perceived that he, too, was cramped,
sitting there in the boat. He got out, |
accordingly, and struck vigorously
across a wide stretch of sand de-
posted during high water. He was
some Is minutes climbing the steep |
bank, and when he at last reached the |
road, the princess was nowhere to be |
seen. Indeed, the road at this point |
turned sharply away from the river |
and disappeared around the foot of a |
hill. Hardy knew, however, that it
must wind back to the river, and he |
therefore followed the wide dusty trail |
confidently, although it seemed to
plunge into the heart of the wilder !
ness. Once or twice he asked him
self why he was walking so rapidly, |
and each time made answer: why, |
to keep up with my lotka, Of course"
He was too thorough gentleman tc ad
nit to himself that he was pursuing the
princess; he would not have done such
thing on Beacon street; why should |
he do it on a government road in ST.
IBERIA? At any rate, it would be an
indiscreet thing to do, as she would
be sure to crush him for his presump-
ton. But he certainly had just as
good right to get out and walk as
she. AS he was soliloquizing thus and
had about come to the conclusion that
he was in fair way at last of making
an ass of himself, he thought he heard
a shrill scream in the distance. Listen
ing, with his heart in his mouth, he
was sure, for the first cry was fol-
lowed by others-wild, despairing
shrieks, as of a woman in the most
excruciating fear
Coming! coming!" shouted Hardy,
and, feeling in his pocket for the gen.
erals American pistol, which, thank
God! was there, he ran as he never
ran before. Rounding little turn in
the road and clump of trees, he
came suddenly on sight that thrilled
him with rage and sickened him with
fear, not for himself, but for the prin-
cess. There she was, struggling in
the arms of big Chinese, one of that
half-savage tribe that inhabits the
wild regions of Manchuria. The beast
had lifted her in his arms and was
running toward the woods with her,
while another carried the maid. Two
other Mongolians, with long war bows
in their hands, completed the strange
picture. Hardy shouted again, and
the four Chinese wheeled about and
regarded him with startled malignancy
that turned on the instant to amuse-
ment.
Those four great brutes beheld one
rather small. dark man, of dapper ap-
pearance, despite his weeks river
traYel-a slender, dark man in a blue
serge suit and neg..gee shirt, who me-
chanically adjusted his gold pince-nez
as he advanced now at a slower gait.
The two Chinese with war bows fitted
long arrows to the strings and with
sudden lift of the left foot and q