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| committer | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-02-04 02:00:39 -0800 |
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diff --git a/old/62747-h/62747-h.htm b/old/62747-h/62747-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 4cd710a..0000000 --- a/old/62747-h/62747-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9721 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Two American Boys in the War Zone, by Levi Worthington Green. - </title> - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -.p1 {margin-top: 1em;} -.p2 {margin-top: 2em;} - -/*Modified horizontal rules to fix ePub display issue*/ -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -/*End modified horizontal rule CSS*/ - -table { - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; -} - -/*Table of Contents format*/ -table.toc { max-width: 30em;} -td.tocchapter{ text-align: right; vertical-align: top; padding-right: 1em;} -td.toctitle { text-align: left; vertical-align: top; text-indent: -1.3em; padding-left: 1.3em;} -td.tocpage { text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; padding-left: 1em;} - -.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ - /* visibility: hidden; */ - position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; -} /* page numbers */ - -.boxit{ - max-width: 20em; - padding: 1em; - border: 0.25em solid black; - margin: 0 auto; } - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; - max-width: 90%; -} - -.figcenter1 { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; - max-width: 50%; -} - -img {max-width: 100%; height: auto;} /*Limit width to display*/ - -/* Transcriber's notes */ -.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA; - color: black; - font-size:smaller; - padding:0.5em; - margin-bottom:5em; - font-family:sans-serif, serif; } - -/*CSS to set font sizes*/ -/*font sizes for non-header font changes*/ -.xxlargefont{font-size: xx-large} -.xlargefont{font-size: x-large} -.largefont{font-size: large} -.boldfont{font-weight:bold} -.cheaderfont{font-size:medium} -.normalfont{font-style:normal} -.invisiblefont{display:none} -.italicfont{font-style:italic} - -/*for drop caps*/ -p.dropcap { - text-indent: 0em; -} - -p.dropcap:first-letter -{ - float: left; - font-size: 2.75em; - padding-right: 0.05em; - margin-top: 0.1em; - margin-bottom: -0.1em; - line-height: 0.65em; -} - -/*CSS to force a page break in ePub*/ -div.chapter {page-break-before: always;} - -p.nobreak{ - page-break-before: avoid; - padding-top: 0; -} - -h1.nobreak{ - page-break-before: avoid; - padding-top: 0; -} - -h2.nobreak{ - page-break-before: avoid; - padding-top: 0; -} - -/*Half-title page CSS*/ -#half-title -{ - text-align: center; - font-size: x-large; -} - -@media screen -{ - #half-title{ - margin: 6em 0; - } -} - -@media print, handheld -{ - #half-title{ - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; - margin: 0; - padding-top: 6em; - } -} -/*End half-title page CSS*/ - -/*CSS markup for handhelds -- put at end of CSS*/ -@media handheld -{ - /*for drop caps -- gets rid of drop cap on eReaders*/ - p.dropcap:first-letter - { - font-size: 1em; - padding-right: 0em; - margin-top: 0em; - margin-bottom: 0em; - line-height: 1em; - } -} -/*End CSS for handhelds*/ - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Two American Boys in the War Zone, by -Levi Worthington Green - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll -have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using -this ebook. - - - -Title: Two American Boys in the War Zone - -Author: Levi Worthington Green - -Release Date: July 24, 2020 [EBook #62747] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TWO AMERICAN BOYS IN THE WAR ZONE *** - - - - -Produced by Demian Katz, Craig Kirkwood, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net -(Images courtesy of the Digital Library@Villanova University -(http://digital.library.villanova.edu/)) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img id="coverpage" src="images/cover.jpg" alt="Cover." /> -</div> - -<div style="padding-top:2em"> - -<div class="boxit"> -<p class="p1 center italicfont boldfont xlargefont">By Worthington Green</p> - -<p class="center">TWO AMERICAN BOYS IN THE WAR -ZONE. Illustrated.</p> - -<p class="center">THE BOY FUGITIVES IN MEXICO. Illustrated.</p> - -<p class="center">HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Boston and New York</span></p> -</div></div> - -<p id="half-title">TWO AMERICAN BOYS<br /> -IN THE WAR ZONE</p> - -<div id="Ref_41a" class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/frontispiece.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class="center"><a href="#Ref_41">STOP, RAY! THEY’RE GOING TO SHOOT!</a></p></div> -</div> - - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="figcenter1"> -<img src="images/titlepage.jpg" alt="Title page." /> -</div></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h1 class="nobreak">TWO AMERICAN BOYS<br /> -IN THE WAR ZONE</h1> - - -<p class="center p2">BY<br /> -<span class="xlargefont">L. WORTHINGTON GREEN</span></p> - -<p class="center p1" style="margin-bottom:2em">WITH ILLUSTRATIONS</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/titlepageicon.jpg" alt="Publisher's icon." /> -</div> - -<p class="center p2" style="line-height:1.5">BOSTON AND NEW YORK<br /> -<span class="largefont">HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY</span><br /> -<span class="italicfont">The Riverside Press Cambridge</span><br /> -1915</p> -</div> - - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="center nobreak">COPYRIGHT, 1915, BY L. WORTHINGTON GREEN</p> - -<p class="center p1">ALL RIGHTS RESERVED</p> - -<p class="center p1"><em>Published October 1915</em></p> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="center nobreak">TO<br /> -<span class="largefont">GLADYS</span></p> - -<p class="center" style="line-height:1.5">WHOSE OWN WORK SERVES AS<br /> -AN INSPIRATION</p> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="center largefont nobreak">NOTE</p> - -<p>In writing this story the author has been indebted, for -suggestions of local color, to George Kennan’s illuminating -article in the <cite>National Geographic Magazine</cite>, “An Island in -the Sea of History,” to Stephen Graham’s fascinating -book, <cite>A Vagabond in the Caucasus</cite>, and to Ruth Kedzie -Wood’s excellent guide, <cite>The Tourist’s Russia</cite>.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak">CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<div class="center"> -<table class="toc" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary="Contents"> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">I.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">The Journey to Russia</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">II.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">The Arrest</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_14">14</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">III.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">The Flight down the Volga</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_26">26</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">IV.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">An Involuntary Contribution to the Russian Army</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_39">39</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">V.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Night Prowlers</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_53">53</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">VI.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">A Desperate Encounter</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_64">64</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">VII.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">A Lesghian Jail</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_75">75</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">VIII.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">An Escape</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_86">86</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">IX.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">A Chase</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_101">101</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">X.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">In Hiding</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_112">112</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XI.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Without Water</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_125">125</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XII.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Resting</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_139">139</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XIII.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Their First Game</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_151">151</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XIV.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Lesghian Hospitality</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_162">162</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XV.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">A Blockade</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_176">176</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XVI.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Snowed Under</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_188">188</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XVII.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">An Arctic Camp</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_199">199</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XVIII.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">From Midwinter to Midsummer</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_211">211</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XIX.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Good-bye to Russia</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_224">224</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XX.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">A Great Disaster</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_240">240</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XXI.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Castaways</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_256">256</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XXII.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">A Rescue</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Page_270">270</a></td></tr> -</table></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_1" class="pagenum"><span class="invisiblefont">[1]</span></span></p> -<p class="center xxlargefont nobreak" style="margin-bottom:1em">TWO AMERICAN BOYS<br /> -IN THE WAR ZONE</p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER I<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE JOURNEY TO RUSSIA</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">After the Porter brothers, Sidney -and Raymond, had escaped from -Mexico in their flight from Mexican rebels, -they proceeded as rapidly as possible to -their El Paso home. There they found their -father, who had succeeded, several weeks -before, in reaching El Paso from Chihuahua.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Porter declared that the boys should -then remain at home, at least until they had -ceased to be boys. She said that her nerves -were not equal to another such strain as -they had endured while the boys were in -the wilds of Mexico, and that she would -have no more wandering in dangerous foreign -lands.</p> - -<p>Her husband reminded her, however, that -there seemed to be nothing in the boys’ -recent adventure that would justify so<span class="pagenum">[2]</span> -drastic a prohibition. The boys had successfully -made a difficult journey without harm, -and had proved that they were quite able -to take care of themselves under unusual -conditions of great danger, as he had all -along maintained that they were.</p> - -<p>There was no question, though, of their -going back to the Mexican mine. The entire -State of Chihuahua was so unsettled -by the frequent changes of the revolution -that even Mr. Porter admitted it would be -the wildest folly to attempt to return there. -So the boys entered the El Paso High School -for the rest of that year and the next, and -their father gradually reconciled himself to -the idea of losing his entire Mexican investments.</p> - -<p>It was difficult for Mr. Porter to settle -down quietly at home, where he had no regular -business, and, moreover, he possessed -in a high degree the American mania for -travel. The result was, that one year of -inactivity was as much as he could endure, -and as the second summer approached he -began to long for a change of scene. Being -cut off from his accustomed Mexican stamping -ground, he was forced to look farther<span class="pagenum">[3]</span> -afield. One day he read an account of the -great Russian Fair at Nizhni-Novgorod and -that reminded him that he had long wished -to visit that wonderful mart. So he proposed -that the entire family should make -the trip. It would, he said, be a liberal -education for the boys, and it was providential -that the date of the Fair and their -summer vacation exactly coincided.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Porter was plunged in despair at -the proposal, for to penetrate to the interior -of Russia seemed to her like invading one of -the wildest and most impossible countries -on earth. In vain her husband assured her -that Russian hotels were notoriously comfortable, -and that, indeed, to attain comfort -in every department of his living was the -ideal of the Russian. To begin with, there -was no more delightful course of ocean -travel than that supplied by the steamers -of the Russian-American line from New -York to Libau. And to visit any of the -peaceful countries of Europe was a very -different matter, anyway, from a journey -in strife-broken Mexico. Mr. Porter was -obliged to admit that it would necessitate -a long journey, but he was sure every part<span class="pagenum">[4]</span> -of it would be so delightful that his wife -would never regret having gone.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Porter was not in the least convinced, -but experience had taught her that -when her husband once fixed his mind on a -thing he seldom gave it up, so she proposed -a compromise. She would make one of the -party as far as New York, but would remain -there with her sister, whom she had -long wished to visit, until Mr. Porter and -the boys returned in September.</p> - -<p>The boys were clamorous that their -mother should go with them, and reminded -her of the Eastern silks and rugs which she -would undoubtedly see, and might buy, at -the Fair. They also made a great deal of -the delightful long voyage, knowing their -mother’s enjoyment of the water; but Mrs. -Porter remained firm, and it was finally arranged -as she had suggested.</p> - -<p>In a very short time, really, though it -seemed an age to the impatient boys, they -were on the pier in New York ready to -board the fine steamer Kursk for Libau, -Russia. Mrs. Porter gave the boys final -instructions about their clothes, and told -them just where, in their trunk, she had<span class="pagenum">[5]</span> -placed the box of sewing materials. The -boys, besides being crack shots with the -rifle and six-shooter, an accomplishment -which they had found so valuable in their -Mexican adventure, could replace missing -buttons, sew up ripped seams, and even -put on patches, if necessary.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Raymond, “I <em>wish</em> we had -brought our rifles, though I don’t suppose -we should be allowed to use them anywhere. -But, mother, if we <em>should</em> get switched off -into mountains where we couldn’t send -you word, you mustn’t be alarmed if you -don’t hear from us for a long time.”</p> - -<p>“If I thought anything of that sort would -happen,” said his mother with a worried -look, “I should refuse now to let you -go.”</p> - -<p>“Ray is talking wild, as usual,” said Mr. -Porter. “We are going by rail direct from -Libau to Nizhni-Novgorod, and then back -by way of St. Petersburg. I imagine there -will not be much chance for a wild mountain -trip on that route.”</p> - -<p>“I wish it were a mountain trip, though,” -said Raymond.</p> - -<p>“I guess we’ll have to travel in a civilized<span class="pagenum">[6]</span> -way this time, Ray,” said his brother, -“and I believe I shall enjoy it more.”</p> - -<p>“I am sure,” said Mrs. Porter, “there -will be no war, as there was in Mexico, so I -don’t see how you can get into any trouble.”</p> - -<p>“Of course we shall not get into any -trouble, my dear,” replied her husband.</p> - -<p>“I told father,” said Sidney, “that we -ought to go through Germany, to give him -a chance to use his German.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Porter’s mother had been a native -German, and she had insisted that her boy, -during his childhood at home, should speak -her tongue. Learning the language in that -way he had never known any difference -between it and English. He had not, however, -been as wise as his mother, and had -not taught it to his own boys.</p> - -<p>“I should like to do that,” said Mr. Porter, -“but it would take too long; you boys -would not get back in time for school.”</p> - -<p>“Which wouldn’t bother me any,” declared -Raymond.</p> - -<p>The last good-byes were finally said and -the travelers stood on deck waving their -handkerchiefs to Mrs. Porter on the fast-receding -pier.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[7]</span></p> - -<p>While the boys had been great travelers -by land, they had never before made a long -ocean voyage and the novel scenes and sensations -were of constant interest to them. -The greatest interest began, however, after -the ship had traversed the English Channel -and had passed through the Strait of Dover -into the North Sea. There the ships which -they encountered were numerous and made -a pleasant variety after the broad expanse -of the Atlantic.</p> - -<p>On the eighth day after leaving New York -they made the port of Rotterdam and the -boys could give a day to quaint Dutch -scenes. Then came the delightful voyage -up the North Sea, around the north end of -Denmark, through the narrow strait into -the Baltic and to their destination, Libau, -three days packed full of pleasure and -charm.</p> - -<p>With the Great Fair in prospect there -was little in Libau to detain the travelers -and at the earliest possible moment they -were aboard a train for Nizhni-Novgorod -with three days of what they feared would -be tiresome travel ahead of them. But the -boys found, to their delight, that in the<span class="pagenum">[8]</span> -first-class coach they were given a compartment -for three. As Raymond said,—</p> - -<p>“It’s just like having a private car.”</p> - -<p>“And we even have our own bedding,” -said Sidney, “which makes it still more -private.”</p> - -<p>They had followed Baedeker’s instructions -and had provided themselves with -traveling-rugs and pillows, which is the wisest -course to pursue on Russian railways.</p> - -<p>However, even the charms of a private -car may become tiresome, and all the party -were glad when, on the afternoon of August -1, their train pulled into Nizhni-Novgorod. -That city is situated along the right bank -of the Volga River, and of its great tributary, -the Oka. The most important part of -the city is on the high bluff that borders the -two rivers along that side, and the hotel -which our travelers selected was on the bluff -near the Kremlin.</p> - -<p>Climbing the bluff in a cab they had tantalizing -glimpses of the magnificent view, -and the boys did not want to go into the -hotel until they had seen more of it. Their -father, however, suggested that they had -better help him select rooms. When that<span class="pagenum">[9]</span> -was accomplished and they were alone Mr. -Porter said,—</p> - -<p>“I asked you to stay, boys, because I -want to arrange an important matter. I -think I should make a better disposition of -our money; it does not seem to me wise for -me to carry it all.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to be bothered with money, -father,” expostulated Raymond.</p> - -<p>“I think you ought to have a reasonable -amount, though,” said his father. “You -might want some badly when you were not -with me.”</p> - -<p>“I would rather have some,” said Sidney. -“We should have been up a stump in Mexico, -Ray, if we hadn’t been able to use Ramon’s -money.”</p> - -<p>“What I propose is this,” said Mr. Porter: -“I will turn over two hundred dollars -to you, Sidney, and one hundred dollars to -Raymond. I will keep a couple of hundred -myself and will place two hundred dollars -in the trunk. I think I had better divide -my express checks with you, Sidney, too, -and I will place a portion of those in the -trunk.”</p> - -<p>“Now that’s fixed up, let’s hurry out,”<span class="pagenum">[10]</span> -urged Raymond. “I want to see that view -before dark.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Porter insisted on dividing the money -and checks first, but when that was done -they went out to the Alexander Gardens, -near by.</p> - -<p>While there are high bluffs along the right -banks of the Volga and the Oka, on the opposite -side extend level plains. From the Gardens -the travelers saw at their feet the two -broad rivers, and on the peninsula formed -by the junction of the two streams was -situated the great temporary city of the -Fair, connected with Nizhni-Novgorod by a -bridge of pontoons, transitory, like the community -it served.</p> - -<p>Beyond the Volga stretched plains, farther -than the eye could reach toward the Urals, -hundreds of miles of cultivated fields and -meadows.</p> - -<p>“Gee!” exclaimed Raymond, “that looks -like Russia, all right, without any limit.”</p> - -<p>“It is evident that one must travel in -Russia,” said his father, “to comprehend -the size of the country.”</p> - -<p>“Those plains look broader, somehow, -than our own Western prairies,” said Sidney,<span class="pagenum">[11]</span> -“but I guess it’s because we know they -are bigger, for often we can’t see across -ours.”</p> - -<p>Near them stood a gentleman who was -also regarding the view. He must have -understood what had been said in English, -though he turned to Mr. Porter and spoke -in German.</p> - -<p>“We Russians are used to vast expanses -of country, and a view like this has a great -charm for me. I have often wished that I -might see the American plains; they must -be wonderful.”</p> - -<p>“The American plains, no less than the -American mountains, are wonderful,” replied -Mr. Porter in German. “But then, -America is a wonderful country.”</p> - -<p>“And the Americans are a wonderful people,” -said the stranger. “They have accomplished -marvels in an incredibly short time. -Are many of them linguists like yourself?”</p> - -<p>“I can hardly be called a linguist,” replied -Mr. Porter. “I speak only German -besides English. My mother was German.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, your mother was German?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Mr. Porter, surprised at the -rather significant tone of the stranger’s voice.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[12]</span></p> - -<p>A policeman who stood a short distance -away, approached in response to an almost -imperceptible signal from the gentleman -and placed himself at Mr. Porter’s side.</p> - -<p>“Will you have the kindness to come with -me?” said the gentleman; “there is some -business that I wish to transact with you.”</p> - -<p>“But, my dear sir,” said Mr. Porter, -“why should I go with you, who are a stranger -to me? I must beg you to excuse me.”</p> - -<p>“I am sorry that I cannot accept an excuse,” -said the other, very courteously; “it -is absolutely necessary that you should go -with me.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Porter saw that he was probably -being placed under arrest, and concluded -it was for political reasons of some sort. -Though he believed that any objection on his -part would be futile, he determined to make -an attempt to at least obtain information.</p> - -<p>“I beg of you the favor of an explanation,” -he said.</p> - -<p>“I cannot give you an explanation,” replied -the other, “and I must request you -to come with me at once.”</p> - -<p>“I have a passport issued from the office -of the Secretary of State, at Washington.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[13]</span></p> - -<p>“That will be examined later.”</p> - -<p>“May I not appeal to the American Consul, -if there be one here?”</p> - -<p>“The United States has no representative -here.”</p> - -<p>“Well, sir, I suppose at least my sons may -go with me.”</p> - -<p>“It is not desired to detain the young -men,” replied the gentleman with considerable -impatience. “You must come with -me at once.” And he said something in Russian -to the officer, who stepped up and -placed a hand on Mr. Porter’s shoulder.</p> - -<p>“Sidney,” said Mr. Porter as he was being -led away, “I am arrested, but this man will -not tell me why. I believe I can clear myself -of any suspicion, but of course I can’t -be sure. You boys go back to the hotel and -I will try to send you word. Don’t follow -me, it would not be allowed. Good-bye; -keep a stiff upper lip.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_14" class="pagenum">[14]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER II<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE ARREST</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">Sidney and Raymond, not understanding -anything that was said, had -listened in great suspense to the conversation -between their father and the stranger. -At first they had supposed the gentleman’s -remarks were merely politely casual. They -were made uneasy when he began to show -impatience, and when the policeman stationed -himself at their father’s side their -wonder and fear grew. They recalled tales -of arbitrary Russian political oppression, -and imagined they were all about to be -thrown into a dungeon. Their dismay was -hardly allayed by their father’s brief explanation -as he was hurried away, and there was -only time for Sidney to call after him,—</p> - -<p>“Don’t worry about us, father.”</p> - -<p>When Mr. Porter had disappeared with -the officer, and the man who was, apparently, -the officer’s superior, the boys were -left gazing at each other in consternation. -The whole affair had occupied so little time<span class="pagenum">[15]</span> -that they were dazed, and could hardly believe -that it was reality and not a dream.</p> - -<p>“Wouldn’t that jar you, Sid!” exclaimed -Raymond finally. “What do you suppose -they have arrested father for?”</p> - -<p>“I can’t imagine,” replied Sidney. “It -must be a mistake. I am sure he will be released -right away.”</p> - -<p>“I guess mother was right when she -thought Russia was a dangerous country; -here we’ve come straight from the ship without -stopping anywhere, and couldn’t have -done any mischief if we had wanted to, and -yet father has been arrested before we have -been here an hour.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Sidney, “it will probably -come out all right, and we will be laughing -about it to-morrow. But we’d better go -back to the hotel, so if father sends a message -we shall be there to receive it, or maybe -he will come himself.”</p> - -<p>With that idea to encourage them, the -boys hurried back to the hotel and went -directly to their room. Mr. Porter had selected -connecting rooms, and their one trunk -was placed in the room which he had expected -to occupy. When the boys entered<span class="pagenum">[16]</span> -they found a man in uniform directing the -removal of the trunk by two porters.</p> - -<p>“Has my father sent for his trunk?” -asked Sidney eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said the officer with an amused -smile, and in English with a strong foreign -accent, “he has sent for the trunk.”</p> - -<p>“Did he send us any message?”</p> - -<p>“No; he sent no message.”</p> - -<p>Meantime the men had carried the trunk -out into the corridor, and the boys followed -in their eagerness to get news of -their father. The officer turned and said -sharply,—</p> - -<p>“Do not follow. Remain here.”</p> - -<p>The boys stopped with the sensation of -having received a blow, and returned to -their rooms feeling very forlorn. There -everything looked cheerful and homelike. -The windows were suffused with the soft -light of late evening in a high latitude, and -the prevailing aspect was so peaceful that -they were more than ever inclined to think -they were dreaming. When they looked -about them, however, and saw the trunk was -gone, the reality of the situation returned. -When they had come from the train the<span class="pagenum">[17]</span> -traveling-rugs and pillows had been thrown -across a couch, and there they still lay, not -having been noticed by the men who took -the trunk. Mr. Porter’s handbag was gone, -but a small one which Sidney had carried -was on the dresser in the boys’ room. That -bag and the rugs were all that remained of -their belongings.</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe father sent for his trunk,” -said Raymond; “the authorities have simply -seized it.”</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid that is so,” replied Sidney; -“but I can’t think of any reason unless there -has been a mistake, and father has been -taken for some one else. Let’s go down to -the office; the man there speaks English, and -we may learn something.”</p> - -<p>Accordingly they descended to the office -and found the English-speaking clerk.</p> - -<p>“Do you know the officer who just went -out with our trunk?” asked Sidney.</p> - -<p>The clerk looked at him hesitatingly for a -moment without replying; then after a cautious -glance about the lobby, where there -happened to be no one within hearing, he -said,—</p> - -<p>“You are not Germans, are you?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[18]</span></p> - -<p>“Of course not,” replied Sidney; “we are -Americans.”</p> - -<p>“But your father speaks German.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, he does, but we don’t. His mother -was German.”</p> - -<p>“Ah!” and the man shook his head dubiously; -“Germans will not be safe in Russia -now.”</p> - -<p>“But we are not Germans,” protested -Sidney. “Anyhow, why should they not be -safe here now?”</p> - -<p>“On account of the war.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t know there was a war.”</p> - -<p>“Germany declared war on Russia to-day.”</p> - -<p>“That’s just what is the matter, Ray!” -—and Sidney turned to his brother excitedly. -“They think father is German because -he speaks the language. But they must -have known before that he speaks German, -for that man who spoke to him in the park -must have had everything arranged to arrest -him.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you remember, Sid, that father -replied in German to a man who asked him -some question when we left the train?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I believe he did. I am greatly relieved,<span class="pagenum">[19]</span> -Ray, for I am sure father can prove -he is American. He will show his passport -and that will settle it.”</p> - -<p>“Your father’s passport is here in the -safe,” said the clerk.</p> - -<p>“Did the officer who arrested father see -it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, he examined it before he followed -your father to the park.”</p> - -<p>“And yet they arrested him!” exclaimed -Sidney.</p> - -<p>“Many Germans,” said the clerk, “will -be coming from America now, and some -might come directly here as spies.”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean they have taken my father -for a spy?” And a vision of Major André -of Revolutionary times rose before the horrified -boy, whose face turned pale at the -thought.</p> - -<p>“I do not know,” said the clerk, looking -with pity at the distressed boys; “but I -would advise you to wait quietly and your -father may return in the morning.”</p> - -<p>That seemed to be good advice and the -boys determined to follow it. It was then -time for dinner and they tried to eat something, -but with poor success. They were so<span class="pagenum">[20]</span> -uneasy about their father that they could -hardly think of anything else, and they had -not yet begun to consider what they, themselves, -should do. All thought of the Great -Fair, which they had come so far to see, had -entirely left their minds. Their trouble, -however, did not prevent them from sleeping -well, and when they went to bed they -knew nothing more until long past daylight -the next morning.</p> - -<p>After such a night’s rest things did not -appear so bad to the boys as they had -seemed the day before, and they ate a -hearty breakfast. Then they hunted up the -English-speaking clerk again, for they had -received no message from their father. That -person could tell them nothing and they -went out on the street. The evening before -they had noticed nothing unusual in conditions, -or if there had appeared to be great -activity, they had supposed it was only the -ordinary business of the city. With their -knowledge that war had been declared, however, -the boys plainly perceived an air of -suppressed excitement everywhere. Automobiles -raced through the streets, and the -boys noticed that the cars always carried<span class="pagenum">[21]</span> -men in uniform. Private automobiles seemed -to have strangely disappeared, and the boys -did not know that all such cars had been -commandeered by the Government.</p> - -<p>There were groups of people talking earnestly -on the streets, but not a word that the -boys heard could they understand, and they -felt very much out of everything and very -forlorn. In their far Southwestern home -their ability to speak Spanish besides their -native English had been all that they ever -needed, but in Nizhni-Novgorod both English -and Spanish seemed to be unknown. -They felt finally that they could no longer -endure the suspense of not knowing what -was being done, and determined to return -to the hotel and seek their English-speaking -friend again.</p> - -<p>“Has our father sent us any message?” -asked Sidney when they had found the clerk.</p> - -<p>“No,” replied the man; “we have heard -nothing from him, and I think you young -gentlemen ought to leave the city at once. -If you stay much longer you may not be -able to get out of the city at all.”</p> - -<p>“How can we go,” cried Raymond, “and -leave our father here in prison?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[22]</span></p> - -<p>“You cannot help him by remaining,” -said the man; “and when he is released he -will come here and will learn where you are -gone.”</p> - -<p>“I think that is right, Ray,” said Sidney; -“and I am sure father would want us to get -away where we shall be safe. We had better -take the first train back to Libau and then -sail for New York by the first ship. Mother -must be feeling pretty anxious, for she probably -knows a good deal more about the war -than we do. When is there a train for Libau?” -—and Sidney turned to the clerk.</p> - -<p>“You cannot go to Libau; the Government -has taken all trains to transport troops. -You cannot go either west or north from -here.”</p> - -<p>“Then we can’t get away at all,” declared -Raymond petulantly. “Why did you advise -us to go?”</p> - -<p>“You can go by boat down the Volga and -across the mountains to the Black Sea. You -would be almost sure to find either American -or English ships there.”</p> - -<p>“Would it be difficult to cross the mountains?” -asked Sidney.</p> - -<p>“Not very; there is an excellent road by<span class="pagenum">[23]</span> -the Dariel Pass, the Georgia military road. -I have been through there.”</p> - -<p>“But how are we going to get away?” -asked Sidney dolefully. “I have heard that -one cannot move a step in Russia without a -passport, and we can’t take my father’s passport, -for he will need that when he is released.”</p> - -<p>“No,” said the clerk; “we could not let -you have this passport, which is made out -in your father’s name, but I think I would -be allowed to take it down to the boat and -show it to the purser, who would probably -be satisfied with that.”</p> - -<p>“What should we do when we had to -make a change, and would need to show a -passport again?”</p> - -<p>“There are steamers here that bring up -petroleum from the Caspian ports of the -Caucasus. Some of them carry passengers, -and I think I can find a boat that will take -you directly to Petrovsk where you would -leave the Caspian to go across the mountains. -By one of those boats you would not -have to make a change, and showing your -passport once would be all that was necessary. -Those steamers are not so fine as the<span class="pagenum">[24]</span> -regular passenger boats, but they are comfortable.”</p> - -<p>“It seems pretty bad, Sid,” said Raymond, -“for us to run away and leave father here -in prison.”</p> - -<p>“I know it does, Ray, but I believe he -would want us to go. If we could help him -by staying I shouldn’t think for a minute -of going, but we should probably only be -a burden to him after he gets out. If we -reach home, perhaps we can help him more -there.”</p> - -<p>“I think you should go at once,” said the -clerk; “we can’t tell what may happen before -to-morrow. Already twenty of the waiters -and porters have been taken from the -hotel to serve in the army.”</p> - -<p>“There is one thing, Ray,” said Sidney; -“we must first cable mother in New York -what we are going to do. I don’t believe -we had better tell about father, though, -except to say that he has been detained -here.”</p> - -<p>“I am sorry,” said the clerk, “but it is -not allowed to send any private telegrams -out of the country.”</p> - -<p>“Could letters be sent out?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[25]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh no; I am sure the German fleet in -the Baltic will intercept all mail.”</p> - -<p>“The only thing we can do apparently,” -said Raymond, “is to get out ourselves, if -we <em>can</em> do that.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_26" class="pagenum">[26]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER III<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE FLIGHT DOWN THE VOLGA</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">The boys were not sure that they were -really going to be allowed to leave -Nizhni-Novgorod until the boat had actually -started on its voyage down the river. -Even then they feared that it might be -stopped and they would be taken off and -thrown into a Russian dungeon. When they -found, however, that they were truly leaving -the city where their father was held in -some sort of mysterious restraint, his plight -seemed more dreadful to them than it had -before. The thought that they were deserting -him when he might be in great danger -made them so miserable that they almost -determined to ask to be put ashore and -then to make their way back to the hotel -and stay quietly there until their father was -released or they received a message from -him.</p> - -<p>“It makes me feel positively sick,” said -Raymond, “when I think we are leaving -father in an awful Russian prison.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[27]</span></p> - -<p>“It does me, too,” said Sidney, “and I’ve -a good mind to go back.”</p> - -<p>“I expect it would be pretty tough, -though, Sid, to stay at the hotel, maybe for -weeks, without hearing from father.”</p> - -<p>“And then when he got out perhaps we -shouldn’t be able to leave the city at -all, and mother would think we were all -killed.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” said Raymond; “if we reach -some place where we can telegraph, it will -be a great relief to mother.”</p> - -<p>“You know, Ray, when father was shut -up in Chihuahua by the rebels he sent us a -message to get home the best way we could, -and said he could depend on us to take care -of ourselves. I believe he would want us to -do the same thing now.”</p> - -<p>“I guess that’s right, Sid, and we are doing -the best thing after all.”</p> - -<p>When the matter was finally settled and -the boys had decided that they were doing -the right thing, they felt easier in their -minds and were able to enjoy the strange -sights on the boat. Their cabin, in the bow -on the upper deck, was very comfortable, -and with their soft rugs and pillows they<span class="pagenum">[28]</span> -made up an excellent bed, for on Russian -steamboats and trains bedding is not supplied -without extra charge, so most travelers -take their own.</p> - -<p>While the boat was classed as a freight -carrier there were really a great many passengers, -and all were Russian, or people -under Russian rule. Many of the latter -were decidedly Eastern and gave a very -Oriental atmosphere to the scene.</p> - -<p>Down on the lower deck, squatting about -on the floor playing various games, were -many brown-clad Tatars, their brown garb -extending even to the heavy brown cloth -head-coverings. Less socially inclined were -gaunt Kalmucks with shaven heads. All -showed their Mongolian origin by their narrow, -slant eyes. Of Mongolian origin also, -but Russian in appearance, were several -Mordvin families going back to their homes -in Simbirsk and Samara. These people, as -well as nearly all the Russians, were preparing -their afternoon potation of tea, made -from pressed tea bricks and hot water which -they obtained from the waiters.</p> - -<p>The current of the Volga is very slow and -even, the fall being slight, and as the boat<span class="pagenum">[29]</span> -stopped only at large towns, which on the -river are widely separated, the boys on going -to bed slept as soundly as they would -have done in their own home.</p> - -<p>On the right bank of the Volga there are -usually bluffs, sometimes quite high hills, -while much of the country on the left bank -is low and flat. The boys spent the greater -part of the next day lazily gazing out over -the level fields, or inspecting the villages -past which they steamed.</p> - -<p>On the third day, August 5, they reached -the large city of Kazan, where the boat -stopped several hours to make a considerable -change of cargo. The boys stationed themselves -near the gangplank to watch the unloading, -for the city is some five miles from -the landing and they thought it too far away -to visit. There was a great deal of animated -talking between the men of the boat and the -men on the wharf, and the boys wondered -if the Russian roustabouts were always so -vivacious. Presently one of the Russian -sailors, whom they had not especially noticed, -addressed them in excellent English.</p> - -<p>“I suppose you young gentlemen don’t -understand what these men are saying.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[30]</span></p> - -<p>“No,” said Sidney; “we don’t understand -a word.”</p> - -<p>“They are talking about the war; it’s -going to be a big fight.”</p> - -<p>“Then Germany and Austria will both -fight Russia?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but Russia is backed up by England -and France.”</p> - -<p>“Has England joined in the war, too?”</p> - -<p>“She joined yesterday; she and France are -Russia’s allies, and they are bound to help -her.”</p> - -<p>At that moment the officer in charge of -the unloading called out sharply and the -sailor hurried along with his load. After -the boat had left the wharf at Kazan, the -boys took every opportunity to speak to the -sailor, it was so pleasant to be able to talk -English with some one. They asked information -about the country through which -they were passing, and about the strange -people on the boat. The topic that would -have interested them most was the war, but -the sailor could tell them very little about -that. The man, though a Russian, had -served on English ships, and had been in -many English and American ports, in that<span class="pagenum">[31]</span> -way learning to speak English well. In the -course of the voyage to Astrakhan the boys -picked up many Russian words and phrases -and soon began to feel that they were prepared -to travel anywhere in the empire.</p> - -<p>On August 8 the boat tied up to the wharf -at Astrakhan, where the English-speaking -sailor gathered the news and imparted to -the boys the information that President Wilson -had issued a proclamation of neutrality.</p> - -<p>The boys soon began to notice that the -people on the boat appeared greatly interested -in them, though at first they had attracted -little attention. After passing out -on to the Caspian not only the captain but -other officers of the boat talked with them -through their friend the sailor, for it happened -that none of the officers spoke English, -as would not have been the case on a -boat in the regular passenger service.</p> - -<p>They told the circumstances of their trip -very frankly to the captain, who assured -them that they need not be alarmed about -their father, for he would certainly be released, -though he might be held some days. -All Russian officials, the captain said, would -be extremely busy in the mobilization of<span class="pagenum">[32]</span> -the army, but he was sure that Mr. Porter -would not only eventually be released, but -would probably be helped back to America. -The captain informed the boys that the -Government had wired instructions to the -chiefs of police in all towns where there was -likely to be any foreign travel, that all English, -French, and American travelers, but -especially the latter, should be treated with -the utmost consideration, and should be -assisted whenever possible. Such a message -had been received at Astrakhan.</p> - -<p>Sidney asked why Americans should be -treated with greater consideration than the -citizens of other countries, and was told that -it was because the United States was the -only great nation that had remained neutral, -and would probably continue to be neutral -throughout the war.</p> - -<p>The boys became quite excited at that -information, and imagined that their father -might even then be at liberty. Sidney declared -that when they arrived at Petrovsk -he would try to reach his father with a telegram, -and if he succeeded they would return -to Nizhni-Novgorod.</p> - -<p>The captain dashed their hopes, however,<span class="pagenum">[33]</span> -by telling them that all telegraph lines had -been monopolized by the Government, and -that it would be impossible to send a private -message of any sort. He advised the boys -to continue as they had planned, saying -that they would probably reach home before -their father. He said, moreover, that he -could be of great help to them at Petrovsk.</p> - -<p>When they arrived at that port, where -the boys were to leave the boat, the captain -went with them to the chief of police, taking -the sailor along to assist in the conversation. -He explained the state of affairs to the -official, and though no instructions concerning -foreigners had been received at Petrovsk, -probably because that town was so insignificant -a place, the chief of police was finally -convinced that it would be his duty to help -the boys to the extent of his power. The captain -assured him that he had seen the order -sent to Astrakhan, and he was certain the -Petrovsk official would rue the day that he -went contrary to the spirit of those instructions.</p> - -<p>The boys had expected to proceed from -Petrovsk by rail to Vladikavkaz, and then -by wagon along the Georgia military road<span class="pagenum">[34]</span> -through the Dariel Pass to Tiflis. They had -been told there was a daily automobile stage -through the pass, but feared that if they -indulged in such luxury, they would not -have money enough to reach home, so decided -to choose the very much slower, but -also very much cheaper, mode of travel.</p> - -<p>When the captain learned, however, that -mobilization of the army was being pushed -so vigorously that the Dariel Pass would be -filled constantly with moving troops, he -feared that it would not be safe for the boys -to attempt that route, and advised them to -give it up. He said they would be almost -certain to encounter acts of aggression by -the soldiers, no matter how well disposed -the officers might be. The chief informed -them there was another possible way of -crossing the mountains by trails that led -almost directly south from Petrovsk. But the -mountains through which those trails passed -were extremely rugged and difficult, and the -people who inhabited them were very rough -and sometimes even fierce. That it would be, -in short, a dangerous road, and he doubted -if young boys who were strange to the country -could accomplish a passage. When those<span class="pagenum">[35]</span> -drawbacks were explained to the boys, however, -they declared that they were too familiar -with mountains to be scared by anything -of the sort. Indeed, the mountain -route looked very attractive to them, and -they immediately chose it.</p> - -<p>The captain thought if the boys were to -pass through so wild a country that they -should have something in the nature of a -passport which they could show, and suggested -that the chief of police should give -them one. As a result, probably accelerated -by a fee of five rubles offered at the -captain’s suggestion, a paper was made out -which stated that Sidney Porter and his -brother Raymond were returning to their -home in the United States on account of the -war in which Russia was engaged, and that -all officials of Russian towns through which -they passed should help them on their way -in obedience to an order received from Petrograd. -Signed by the “Chief of Police of -Petrovsk, Province of Daghestan.”</p> - -<p>The sailor read this paper to the boys so -they would know exactly what they were -offering as a passport. When he came to -the end Raymond exclaimed,—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[36]</span></p> - -<p>“Where in the world is Petrograd? I -never heard of that place before.”</p> - -<p>The man could not inform him, for he had -never heard of the place either; but when -he asked the captain, it was explained that -the Czar had just changed the name of St. -Petersburg to Petrograd, on account of the -German origin of the former name.</p> - -<p>“Well, if they feel that way about everything -German,” said Raymond, “I don’t -wonder they arrested father, who could -speak the German language.”</p> - -<p>When that matter was arranged, the captain -said that he must return to the boat. -He accordingly bade good-bye to the boys -and embraced them most affectionately. -But he left the sailor with them until they -should have purchased horses and whatever -of an outfit they needed for their mountain -journey. The boys learned from the sailor -that the captain remained in port several -hours longer than he would otherwise have -done, solely to help them get started on their -way.</p> - -<p>With the assistance of their friend the -boys purchased two young, spirited horses -and high Tatar saddles. They also bought<span class="pagenum">[37]</span> -heavy boots, horsehair cloaks, and saddlebags. -Then they bade good-bye to the sailor -with hearty thanks for his aid, and went to -the inn to get a good rest in preparation for -hard work the next day.</p> - -<p>There was a very passable wagon road as -far as the provincial capital, Timour Khan -Shoura, and by getting an early start from -Petrovsk the boys hoped to cover that first -stage of their journey in one day. Accordingly, -they made all final arrangements the -night before so there might be no delay in -the morning. Their traveling-rugs and the -new horsehair cloaks they would tie behind -the saddles, but the pillows which they had -brought with them down the Volga they -could not carry any farther. Those desirable -accessories to a comfortable journey -they accordingly presented to the chief of -police, who had taken so active an interest -in their welfare. The contents of their handbag -they transferred to the saddle-pockets, -and the bag itself they gave to the landlord -of the inn, who also had been very attentive -to their needs and comfort, as far as his limited -resources would allow. The saddlebags -were destined to hold also a limited supply<span class="pagenum">[38]</span> -of food, consisting mainly of cheese and the -hard bread of the country.</p> - -<p>The boys were on the road in the morning -quite as early as they had desired, and the -new horses proved admirable under the saddle, -though almost too ambitious, requiring -constant watchfulness. The immediately -surrounding country was barren and uninteresting, -but in front the ground rose gradually -until, in the dim distance, it culminated -in the colossal wall of the Caucasus Range, -which they must cross. The principal objects -of interest were the people, chiefly -Tatars, whom they met, or who passed -them, dashing furiously ahead on their wiry -horses of the Steppes.</p> - -<p>The day wore on to late afternoon and -the boys judged they were approaching Timour -Khan Shoura, when there appeared a -considerable cavalcade approaching them. -There were a number of loose horses being -driven by half a dozen soldiers under an -officer, who gave a command on reaching -the boys, and the soldiers drew up across the -road, blocking the way.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_39" class="pagenum">[39]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER IV<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">AN INVOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION TO THE RUSSIAN ARMY</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class="dropcap">“We’re going to be robbed by bandits, -Sid!” exclaimed Raymond -when he saw that they were about to be -halted by the men in front of them.</p> - -<p>“They can’t be bandits; they must be -soldiers, for they’re in uniform.”</p> - -<p>“I guess Russian soldiers would be as bad -as bandits.”</p> - -<p>The officer, who, the boys thought, must -be a lieutenant, said something to them in -Russian which of course they did not understand. -Then he made a motion which seemed -to indicate that he wanted them to dismount. -“He is telling us to get off,” said Sidney. -“I’m not going to get off,” declared Raymond. -“Show him your passport.”</p> - -<p>Sidney took out the passport and presented -it to the officer, who received and -read it. He then returned it with a polite -bow and with a statement of which the boys -understood only the words meaning “government”<span class="pagenum">[40]</span> -and “army.” Still he motioned -for the boys to get off their horses.</p> - -<p>“We are Americans,” declared Sidney -to the officer, “and are returning home. The -Russian Government has ordered that all -Americans be helped to leave the country.” -The man replied in his own language, -which was Greek to the boys, and they concluded -that he did not understand them any -better than they did him.</p> - -<p>When the officer saw that the boys did -not obey his request he gave an order to his -own men, and one of the soldiers dismounted -and took Sidney’s horse by the bit, motioning -to the boy to get off.</p> - -<p>“I tell you what, Ray,” said Sidney, “he’s -going to seize our horses for the Government -to use in the army. See, some of those -loose horses have saddles, they’ve taken -them away from somebody else.”</p> - -<p>“He’s not going to have my horse.” And -Raymond dug his heels into the horse and -struck him with the end of the reins. The -spirited animal leaped forward and dashed -to one side of the road to pass the little -group of mounted men and their herd of -horses. The officer gave a sharp order and<span class="pagenum">[41]</span> -the men whipped out their pistols. Sidney, -when he saw the threatening movement, -shouted to his brother,—</p> - -<p>“<a id="Ref_41" href="#Ref_41a">Stop, Ray! they’re going to shoot</a>.”</p> - -<p>Raymond either did not hear or did not -care, for he struck his horse another blow -and dashed past the obstructing group. Just -as he reached the clear road beyond, the -officer gave another sharp order and the soldiers -fired a volley, all together.</p> - -<p>Sidney turned sick and faint, expecting to -see his brother fall from his horse pierced -by half a dozen bullets. Instead, the boy -pulled his horse up with a jerk and took off -his hat, which he examined ruefully.</p> - -<p>“They plugged my hat,”—and he exhibited -a hole through the brim,—“but if -I had my pistol here I’d show them better -shooting than that.”</p> - -<p>“What made you run, Ray?” Sidney remonstrated, -who was trembling with fright; -“I don’t see how you escaped being killed.” -“Pshaw! these fellows couldn’t kill anybody. -I’ll let them see how we shoot in -Texas.”</p> - -<p>Raymond jumped off his horse, and going -up to one of the soldiers took hold of the<span class="pagenum">[42]</span> -pistol which the man was still holding in his -hand, at the same time asking him, of course -in English, for the loan of it a few minutes. -The soldier looked inquiringly at his officer, -who made no comment, and the man yielded -the gun.</p> - -<p>“Gee! if it isn’t a Colt .38.” And the boy -gazed longingly on the revolver. “That sure -looks like home.”</p> - -<p>He held back the hammer and ran the -cylinder around two or three times in wistful -admiration, then he picked up two small -rocks and throwing them into the air he -fired twice in quick succession, shattering -both rocks while they were still high in air.</p> - -<p>There were exclamations of wonder from -the soldiers, and the officer said something -which was apparently very complimentary.</p> - -<p>“I’ve just got to have that gun, Sid,”—and -Raymond handled the revolver lovingly,—“I’m -going to see if I can’t buy it.”</p> - -<p>He took twenty rubles from his purse and -holding the gold out to the soldier, pointed -to the revolver. The soldier looked covetously -at the money, but the officer shook -his head, and taking the revolver from Raymond -he showed some letters cut in the barrel,<span class="pagenum">[43]</span> -which evidently marked it as belonging -to the Government.</p> - -<p>“They wouldn’t dare to sell government -property,” said Sidney, “and anyway we -can’t spare money to buy guns.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose we can’t, but I’m thinking -we may wish we had some before we get -through the mountains.”</p> - -<p>Raymond turned around to his horse, -which he had left standing when he dismounted -to give his exhibition of shooting, -and was surprised to find that one of the -soldiers had the animal in charge and had -led him over to the bunch.</p> - -<p>“Well, they’ve got my horse, all right. -I guess you’ll have to turn yours over too, -Sid.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose so, but it’s certainly a shame.”</p> - -<p>Sidney dismounted and left his horse with -the soldier, who still retained hold of the -bridle. The officer gave an order and two -of the men untied the rolls of blankets and -cloaks from back of the saddles and laid -them on the ground. They then emptied -the saddlebags and placed the contents with -the blankets, but did not remove the bags -themselves. The officer then made out and<span class="pagenum">[44]</span> -signed a paper which he gave to Sidney, and -which the boys assumed was a receipt for -the horses.</p> - -<p>“You want to take good care of that -paper, Sid,” said Raymond; “it will be a -fine souvenir of the trip, and I expect that’s -about all it will be good for.”</p> - -<p>When that was done the soldiers sprang -into their saddles, rounded up all of the -loose horses, including the two which had -so recently belonged to the boys, and galloped -off, the officer giving a courteous salutation -to the boys as they departed.</p> - -<p>Sidney and Raymond stood in the road -and looked after their vanishing steeds, -then at the rolls of blankets which lay on -the ground near them. For a few minutes -neither spoke, then Raymond said,—“We’re -stranded all right this time, Sid. -This beats Lower California.”</p> - -<p>“It certainly does, and look at that range -we’ve got to cross.” And Sidney gazed -doubtfully at the far Caucasus, whose northern -heights were white even at that distance.</p> - -<p>“I move we go back to Nizhni-Novgorod,” -said Raymond, “and wait for father.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[45]</span></p> - -<p>“I don’t believe it would be wise to try -that,” replied Sidney. “By the time we -reached the Volga probably all of the boats -would be taken over by the Government -to carry troops; you remember the captain -said that Russia would mobilize more than -five million men. We might not even be -able to reach Astrakhan. It seems to me the -quicker we get into the mountains the better, -for I imagine they will take soldiers out -of those mountains only as a last resort.” -“Well, it’s going to be dark pretty soon, -and we’d better hustle for this town ahead; -what’s its name?—Timmy Can Show you.”</p> - -<p>Sidney laughed, “I’m sure I hope Timmy -can show us, for we may, like the Missourian, -need to be shown.”</p> - -<p>“It’s simply fierce that we’ve got to tote -these things.” And Raymond kicked the -blankets vindictively. “And what are we -going to do with the plunder that came out -of the saddlebags?”</p> - -<p>The saddlebags had not contained very -much,—only the few things that Sidney -had carried in his handbag when they arrived -at Nizhni-Novgorod: a suit of pajamas -for each of them, socks, handkerchiefs,<span class="pagenum">[46]</span> -brush and comb, and their toothbrushes. -Those few things, however, added to their -blankets and cloaks, seemed to Raymond -to be the culminating straw.</p> - -<p>“We <em>must</em> hang on to those pajamas,” -continued Raymond; “they’ll be great when -we make our bed toilets on cold nights under -the lee side of a rock.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you what they will be great for, -Ray, and that is to put on under our other -clothes when the weather does get cold.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I suppose we’d better take them -along,” said Raymond grudgingly; “and we -may as well start.”</p> - -<p>The small articles the boys crowded into -their pockets, and each made a long roll of -his blankets and cloak, and carried it over -one shoulder, tying the ends together under -the opposite arm. In that way the bundle -rode well, with very little inconvenience to -the traveler.</p> - -<p>When their packs were arranged the boys -started out, and passing through a small -ravine, on emerging into a broader valley, -they were cheered to observe the town which -was the goal of their day’s journey. For the -capital of a large province like Daghestan,<span class="pagenum">[47]</span> -Timour Khan Shoura appeared very insignificant, -and when they reached the inn, -they found it to be primitive in the extreme.</p> - -<p>Sidney presented their passport to the -landlord, who seemed properly impressed, -though it was plain that he could not read -it. The news of their arrival must have been -spread very promptly, for immediately there -appeared men of all sorts and conditions, -who apparently came solely to view the travelers. -In this crowd was the chief of police, -to whom the passport was turned over, and -who seemed to consider it satisfactory. He -read the paper aloud, and its effect on the -assemblage was great. There was instantly -a Babel of talk, and the boys were familiar -enough with the sound of Russian to know -that a large part of the conversation was in -some other language.</p> - -<p>The chief of police asked them a long -string of questions of which they understood -only an occasional word. Sidney assumed, -however, that the official was asking who -they were, where they came from, and -where they were going, so he politely imparted -that information, to Raymond’s great -amusement.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[48]</span></p> - -<p>“See how wise the old owl looks, Sid, and -I’ll wager he doesn’t understand a word you -say.”</p> - -<p>“I hope he doesn’t understand a word -you say. You ought to be careful, Ray; we -may sometime run up against a man who -does understand English.”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to meet him now; his voice -would sound good.”</p> - -<p>The chief looked at the boys while they -were talking, with a certain amount of suspicion, -as though he thought they might be -plotting something revolutionary, then he -asked another question, of which Sidney -caught the word for “horses.”</p> - -<p>“He’s asking if we have no horses,” said -Sidney, and he related how their horses -had been taken, giving it all in English except -the words “government,” “army,” and -“horses,” of which he knew the Russian -equivalents.</p> - -<p>The chief appeared to grasp his meaning -without any difficulty, and to be rather -amused by it, for he made a remark to the -surrounding men, who all laughed, and the -talking began afresh.</p> - -<p>“They think it’s a great joke,” growled<span class="pagenum">[49]</span> -Raymond, “that our horses were stolen. -Maybe they’ll lose some if they don’t look -out.”</p> - -<p>“I expect they have lost some already,” -said Sidney, “and that is the reason they -are so interested.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you suppose, Sid, that we can buy -horses here?”</p> - -<p>“I doubt it, and I don’t believe we had -better buy more horses even if we can get -them, for we should probably lose them in -the same way.”</p> - -<p>“But I don’t see how we are going to cross -that range on foot, Sid. If we only had a -pack-mule now,—old Tuerto, for instance,—we -should get along fine.”</p> - -<p>“What seems the worst to me,” said Sidney, -“is the time it will take.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, that will be bad; but I must say I -don’t hanker after climbing those mountains -on foot, even if we had all the time -there is.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll ask about horses, if I can make -them understand.”</p> - -<p>Sidney took some gold out of his pocket -and showed it to the chief, using the Russian -word for “horses” and holding up two fingers.<span class="pagenum">[50]</span> -The man shook his head and made a -vigorous statement in which occurred the -familiar Russian words for “government” -and “army.”</p> - -<p>“I guess he is saying that the Government -has taken their horses too, but I did a -foolish thing to show that money.”</p> - -<p>“There are certainly some villainous faces -in the crowd,” said Raymond. “I think we -had better buy guns.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know but you are right, Ray. -Suppose we buy one gun; I guess we can -spare money for that.”</p> - -<p>“We can better spare money for that than -to lose all we have.”</p> - -<p>“Then we’d better go out and find one -now, before it gets dark.”</p> - -<p>The streets of Timour Khan Shoura were -so narrow and dark that the boys feared -they had waited too long as it was. They -found, however, to their great surprise, that -the bazaars of the town were well stocked -with excellent guns, though their pattern -was somewhat Oriental. They did not know -until afterward that many of the weapons -were manufactured there.</p> - -<p>After a short search they purchased a<span class="pagenum">[51]</span> -five-shot, .38 caliber revolver with a silver-trimmed -stock. The decorative part of the -gun they would have been willing to omit -in order to save expense, but they could find -none simpler that satisfied Raymond. With -the purchase of a box of cartridges, five of -which went immediately into the cylinder -of the new gun, Raymond said he felt more -like himself.</p> - -<p>When they returned to the inn the landlord -indicated that supper was prepared, -and after they had partaken of that they -went to their room, which was on the second -floor. Sidney had been made rather nervous -when he thought about his mistake in showing -money to the crowd of strangers, and -his first care was to assure himself that the -room was secure. He found to his relief that -the window overlooked a clear space with -no other building near. The door was very -solid, but the lock appeared to be more ornamental -than effective.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think much of that lock, Ray,” -he said, “and I don’t want to run the risk -of a visit in the night from one of those men.”</p> - -<p>“We can soon fix that.” And Raymond -dragged up the only chair, a very heavy oak<span class="pagenum">[52]</span> -one, and braced it under the door handle in -such a way that the door could not be opened -from without. They then swung the window -back for air, as there seemed to be no possibility -of danger from that quarter.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to divide my money,” said -Sidney, “and you had better do the same. -We can’t tell what may happen on the road.” -He knotted the greater part of the gold -which he carried in a handkerchief and suspended -it from his neck underneath all of -his clothes.</p> - -<p>“Now, if we are held up, unless we are -stripped, the robbers will think the forty -rubles I have left in my purse is all I have. -It’s lucky father insisted on dividing his -money with us. If he hadn’t we should not -have any now to hide from robbers.”</p> - -<p>“We shan’t be so likely to be held up,” -said Raymond, “now I have this gun. I -wish I had had a chance to show them the -way I can use it. They would have greater -respect for me.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_53" class="pagenum">[53]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER V<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">NIGHT PROWLERS</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">When the boys had disposed of their -money, most of which they carried -to bed with them, and had barricaded the -door, they went to bed with a feeling of -tolerable security. They were usually both -very sound sleepers, but Sidney had worried -so over his ill-advised exhibition of money -that he slept very lightly that night, and -was constantly rousing to a half-wakened -state.</p> - -<p>As he lay in an apprehensive half-slumber -he dreamed that the captain of the river -boat had come to call on them and was trying -to open the door. But for some reason, -which Sidney could not fathom, he could -neither admit the caller nor call out to him -to come in. Suddenly he wakened fully, and -realized that there was some one really at -the door.</p> - -<p>He listened intently and could hear a -movement outside, as though a person were -cautiously manipulating the door handle.<span class="pagenum">[54]</span> -He took hold of his brother’s arm and shook -him gently. Raymond started up in bed as -though he had been dreaming too, but Sidney -put his hand over his brother’s mouth -and said “Sh-sh.”</p> - -<p>The boys held their breath and listened. -After a few moments there was a slight grating -sound and the fumbling ceased. Then -the door strained against the chair, which, -however, held without sliding on the floor. -Whoever was attempting an entrance had, -without doubt, succeeded in shooting back -the bolt of the lock, and had then tried to -push the door open, but had been balked -by the chair.</p> - -<p>After it was discovered that the door was -blocked on the inside, no further noise was -audible. Indeed, what noise there had been -was so slight that it would not have roused -the boys if Sidney had not been nearly awake -and really expecting something of that sort.</p> - -<p>They sat up in bed and listened breathlessly -for what seemed a long time, then as -they heard no sound, they lay quietly back -on the pillows. They did not talk, for they -did not want whoever might be lurking outside -to know that they were awake.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[55]</span></p> - -<p>The door was on Sidney’s side of the bed, -and the window on Raymond’s. From the -bed, as the boys looked out of the window, -they looked directly against the sky, which -was clear and brilliant with stars. The boys -were too thoroughly aroused to go to sleep -again, and lay there thinking about the possible -future dangers of a journey that had -begun so ominously, when they were conscious -that the light from the window was -darkened.</p> - -<p>They turned their faces that way and saw -the figure of a man outside the open window. -At first they thought he had climbed up -from below, but in a moment they saw that -he was suspended by a thick rope from above, -and had without doubt let himself down -from the flat roof of the building.</p> - -<p>A dark hand grasped the window sill and -the intruder was evidently steadying himself -for the entrance. Raymond seized his -new revolver, which he had placed under -his pillow, raised on his elbow, and, taking -a quick aim, fired. The figure at the window -disappeared, and there was a heavy -thud.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Ray!” whispered Sidney, “did you<span class="pagenum">[56]</span> -shoot him? I’m afraid we’ll get into trouble -for that.”</p> - -<p>“No, I didn’t shoot him; I only cut his -rope and let him down gently.”</p> - -<p>“Did you aim for the rope?”</p> - -<p>“Sure thing.”</p> - -<p>Sidney lay back on the bed and shook -with noiseless laughter. When he was able -to speak he whispered again,—</p> - -<p>“I hope it didn’t jar him much when he -struck the ground. He must have been somewhat -surprised.”</p> - -<p>“I have just noticed a thing that has surprised -me,” said Raymond.</p> - -<p>“What is that?” asked his brother.</p> - -<p>“You don’t see that rope at the window -any more, do you?”</p> - -<p>“No, I don’t.”</p> - -<p>“Well, after I cut it in two, the rest of it -was drawn up. There was somebody on the -roof who let that fellow down. I believe the -whole caboodle of them were in on this -thing.”</p> - -<p>“You did a good job, though, Ray, when -you cut his rope. I imagine they will all be -careful how they come within range of your -gun again.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[57]</span></p> - -<p>“Yes, unless they think I tried to hit -the man and couldn’t. Never mind, maybe -I’ll fool them next time.”</p> - -<p>The boys expected that some one would -come to their room to inquire about the -shooting, and they waited in some apprehension, -but no one came. There was no more -sleep for them, and they lay in bed wide -awake. Presently the dawn flushed the sky -and the light intensified until it was day. -Then the boys got up and dressed, and by -the time that process was concluded the -muezzin’s call to prayers sounded from a -near-by mosque. The faithful were putting -up their petitions in preparation for the -activities of the day. The boys descended -from their room, and were greeted with most -obsequious politeness by the landlord, who -placed before them an appetizing breakfast.</p> - -<p>“I wonder if his sleep was disturbed last -night,” Said Raymond. “Isn’t he an innocent -old sinner?”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps he didn’t have anything to do -with it,” suggested Sidney.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you believe it. If he had been -surprised by the commotion, he would have -tried to find out what it was.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[58]</span></p> - -<p>“I guess maybe shooting, and perhaps -shooting men, too, is so common here that -no one notices it.”</p> - -<p>“But we haven’t heard any shooting at -all,” said Raymond, “except what I did.” -“That’s so,” replied Sidney. “Perhaps -they were so attracted by the possibilities -of my purse that they forgot everything -else.”</p> - -<p>“They’ll have to make another try for -that purse. I suppose that we’ll have to -pack some grub now, and that’ll be no fun.” -“I guess we’ll have to,” replied Sidney, -“if it’s nothing more than bread and cheese. -I don’t know whether we’ll find a village -very often or not, and we must be prepared -to camp out if necessary.”</p> - -<p>After breakfast they went out to a bazaar -and bought two small leather pouches, in -which they placed a little food and the -few small articles they had to carry. The -pouches they slung over their shoulders with -the blanket rolls above. Then they were -ready to begin their tramp, and the undertaking, -when it was close at hand, seemed -so formidable that their courage almost -failed them. It was necessary for Sidney to<span class="pagenum">[59]</span> -bolster up their declining spirits by declaring -again that they would probably not be -able to return to Nizhni-Novgorod even if -they should wish to do so. So they took the -road, or rather the trail, for beyond Timour -Kahn Shoura there was no wagon road, but -only narrow saddle trails that led up into -the high plateaux and ranges of the Caucasus.</p> - -<p>That first day their way was through a -succession of narrow, wooded ravines that -were pleasant rather than difficult. The -ascent was gradual and was not difficult at -any time, and there was sufficient shade to -temper the sun’s rays, which, in those southern -valleys, would otherwise have been -scorching.</p> - -<p>The boys would have covered the ground -more effectively if they had not been somewhat -nervous as a result of the events of the -preceding night. They fully expected that -the men who had tried to enter their room -at the inn would waylay them somewhere -on the road that day. The country through -which they passed was ideal for such an enterprise, -for there was frequent and abundant -shelter for an ambush. They were,<span class="pagenum">[60]</span> -therefore, constantly on the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">qui vive</i>, and -examined rather carefully before passing -every spot that seemed favorable for an -attack from robbers. Such vigilance retarded -their speed, and they had a feeling -that they were making very little progress. -The packs, too, though not really heavy, -were burdensome, and toward night made -the boys’ legs, which lately had not been -used to tramping, drag distressingly.</p> - -<p>“I guess those fellows at Timmy got -scared last night after all,” remarked Raymond -as the day waned and there had been -no alarm.</p> - -<p>“I hope so,” replied Sidney; “a long mountain -tramp is bad enough without having -to watch out all the time for highwaymen.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe they would have come out -so far as this, anyway. There were plenty -of good places to hold us up back on the -road. What do you say to making camp? -I’m dead tired.”</p> - -<p>“I’m ready to stop. If we don’t get too -tired to-day we’ll travel better to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and the day after, and the day after -that, and so on <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">ad infinitum</i>. I guess it will -take us <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">ad infinitum</i> to get through.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[61]</span></p> - -<p>“It won’t do for us to get discouraged at -this stage of the game, Ray.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not discouraged; I’m only ready to -quit for the night, and here’s a good place.”</p> - -<p>The travelers were following up a ravine -through which a small stream flowed, a -tributary of the larger stream on which Timour -Khan Shoura was situated. At the point -where Raymond proposed to stop, the wall -of the ravine was a rocky bluff that rose -nearly perpendicularly. A short spur jutted -out, forming a small cove which faced up -the ravine and made a well-sheltered spot. -Across to the other side the distance was -perhaps two hundred yards, and midway -flowed the stream. About half a mile farther -up, the walls of the ravine drew together -until a narrow gorge was formed.</p> - -<p>The boys unslung their blanket rolls and -threw themselves down on the ground with -exclamations of relief. The disturbance of -the night before, with the nervous strain and -consequent loss of sleep, was a greater tax -on their strength than they had realized at -the time. All day they had been keyed up -by the expectation of trouble, which they -had been braced to meet and defeat. When<span class="pagenum">[62]</span> -the necessity for alertness, as they supposed, -was removed, and the tension was relaxed, -they settled down, feeling too languid to -exert themselves further.</p> - -<p>Raymond declared that he would rather -loaf than eat, and he didn’t care if he never -ate again if he only got well rested. That -was the way they felt when they stopped, but -a very little rest will suffice to make healthy -boys conscious of gnawing hunger, especially -when they have eaten very little through -the day, as was the case with Sidney and -Raymond.</p> - -<p>Soon both of them began to feel a strong -desire to explore the lunch-bags, but they -remembered how dry that lunch was, and -how difficult it would be to eat it without -something to wash it down. Raymond proposed -that they move down to the stream -and eat their supper there where the water -was handy, but Sidney told his brother to -stay where he was and he would take a large -cup with which they had provided themselves -and bring water up.</p> - -<p>Raymond lay at his ease on the ground, -lazily watching Sidney as he went down to -the stream and knelt to fill his cup and take<span class="pagenum">[63]</span> -a drink before returning to camp. From the -stream, Raymond allowed his gaze to wander -on to the rugged mountains of the opposite -side, and then up the ravine to the narrow -gorge. There his look paused with a -start, for he saw an object moving, which in -a moment he identified as a man. The figure -was coming down the ravine, just below -the gorge. As Raymond looked, the man -dropped to one knee and brought a long -rifle up to a sight down the ravine.</p> - -<p>Raymond wondered what the game could -be that was the object of the hunter’s aim. -The gun, apparently, pointed directly down -the ravine, and the boy looked rapidly along -to try to discover the animal. His gaze traveled -down until it encountered his brother -still stooping to fill the cup, and he had seen -no game. Then, as his eye rested on Sidney, -in a flash he realized that his brother -was the game the hunter was stalking. His -heart seemed to leap into his throat, where -it nearly stifled him. Making a supreme -effort he overcame the convulsion of terror -and shouted,—</p> - -<p>“Drop flat, Sid!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_64" class="pagenum">[64]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VI<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">A DESPERATE ENCOUNTER</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">When Raymond shouted, Sidney -obeyed instantly without looking -up, and fell flat on his face at the side of the -stream. At the same instant there was a -puff of smoke from the leveled gun, a report, -and a ball whistled just above Sidney’s form.</p> - -<p>The man up the ravine sprang to his feet -and dropped the stock of his gun to the -ground. Raymond saw that he was proceeding -to load with powder and ball, and -he shouted to Sidney again,—</p> - -<p>“Come back, Sid, quick, he’s got a muzzle-loader.”</p> - -<p>Sidney jumped up and raced for camp, -reaching it before the man had finished -loading his rifle. Raymond took out his pistol -and prepared to shoot, but the distance -to the man who had fired was so great that -he decided to wait, and lowered his gun. As -he did so he saw that the figure up the ravine -was joined by another who came from -out of the gorge.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[65]</span></p> - -<p>“Sid,” he said to his brother without taking -his eyes from the men, “they were waylaying -us in the gorge. It’s lucky we were -too tired to go on.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and it’s lucky you stayed here while -I went for water, or that fellow would have -potted me, sure. As it was, I think he didn’t -miss me by more than a foot.”</p> - -<p>“He certainly shoots well, and he has a -good rifle. That was a long shot. I wish I -had my rifle here; I don’t know what I shall -be able to do with this revolver.”</p> - -<p>The two bandits were in consultation together, -and evidently were examining the -cove that sheltered the boys. After a few -moments of talking one of them crossed to -the farther side of the ravine and walked -down on that side, while the other came -down on the same side where the boys were. -They proceeded slowly and deliberately, but -rather as though that were their customary -mode of walking, for they made no attempt -at concealment.</p> - -<p>“They don’t appear to have much respect -for us,” said Sidney; “if they had, they -wouldn’t walk out in the open like that.”</p> - -<p>“They think that shot of mine last night<span class="pagenum">[66]</span> -was a miss,” said Raymond,—“that I -tried to hit the man and couldn’t. I presume -they know what kind of a gun I have, -too, and think it’s no good. I wish I knew -how far it will carry. It seems to me it ought -to be good for two hundred yards.”</p> - -<p>The cliff back of the boys was so nearly -perpendicular that it would be impossible -for any one to pass along its face, so they -knew they need not fear an attack from -above. They felt pretty sure, indeed, that -there were only the two men who were in -sight in the ravine, who had placed themselves -in ambush for them in the narrow -gorge, and had been disconcerted when the -travelers stopped just before reaching them. -They believed, if they could stand the bandits -off until dark, that they would become -discouraged and return to Timour Khan -Shoura; though the deliberate way in which -the first of the men had attempted to snipe -Sidney did not look as though they would be -easily discouraged.</p> - -<p>The wall of the cove was rough and irregular. -In one place a great rock stood out from -the back in such a way as to afford protection -from up the ravine. It was nearly on a<span class="pagenum">[67]</span> -line with the jutting spur that formed the -inclosure, so it was protected also from in -front.</p> - -<p>The boys made a hasty examination of -their citadel and took refuge at one side of -the big rock at the back. The two bandits -were in plain view, coming leisurely down -the ravine, one on each side. Each man -carried a long gun. They were keeping a -close watch of their quarry, and presently -the one on the near side of the ravine paused -and tested the distance with a shot. The -bullet flattened itself against the rock of the -lower side of the cove, about on a line with -the boys’ heads.</p> - -<p>“Gee! Sid,” exclaimed Raymond, “that’s -good shooting. We’ll have to be careful how -we get out of shelter.”</p> - -<p>“I never saw anything so cold-blooded,” -said Sidney. “They come down just as -deliberately as though they were shooting -rabbits.”</p> - -<p>The man who had fired was still reloading -his gun, and Raymond jumped out from -behind the rock to a place where he was still -protected by the jutting spur from the man -across the ravine, and announced,—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[68]</span></p> - -<p>“I’m going to fire at him before he finishes -loading, but I’ll shoot into the ground -about two thirds of the way out, so he’ll -think my gun won’t carry any farther.”</p> - -<p>Raymond fired and his bullet threw up -the dirt far short of the advancing bandit. -They imagined that they could see a smile -of derision on the man’s face. At that moment -the other man fired from across the -ravine, and again the boys were shown that -only a position behind the rocks would protect -them from such expert shooting.</p> - -<p>Steadily the two men came down the ravine, -firing occasionally. As the boys were -safe hidden behind the rocks, and could not -be reached by a bullet from either direction, -they concluded that the bandits were firing -merely to prevent a sally on their part. -Why they should do that, however, the -boys could not understand, for it would -have seemed to be better to encourage them -to expose themselves; especially as there -seemed to be no fear of the one small gun in -the boys’ possession.</p> - -<p>Every shot, apparently, was placed with -precision, for every one entered on a line -that was nearest to the boys’ shelter. <em>Spat!<span class="pagenum normalfont">[69]</span> -spat!</em> they came, first from one side and then -from the other. Not very rapidly, for there -was always necessarily a pause for reloading.</p> - -<p>Steadily the bandits advanced, until they -were less than two hundred yards from the -cove. And they were still perfectly indifferent -to any danger they might be in from -Raymond’s gun. Such a steady, relentless -advance began to fill the boys with panic. -They felt as though an inexorable fate were -closing in on them.</p> - -<p>“I can’t stand this much longer, Sid.” -And Raymond’s face was pale with the nervous -strain. “I feel as though I were being -killed by inches.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think your pistol would reach -them now?”</p> - -<p>“I’m sure of it, but I am not sure that I -have the nerve to stand out and shoot -them.”</p> - -<p>“I believe our only chance for salvation is -to kill those men, Ray. I thought at first -we might frighten them, but they’re not the -kind to be frightened. I would be willing to -take the responsibility of shooting them, but -I can’t shoot so close as you can, and I might -miss, and a miss would be the end of us.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[70]</span></p> - -<p>“I’m not afraid of missing,” said Raymond, -“but it makes me sick to think of -potting them like rats.”</p> - -<p>Still the advance continued, with an occasional -shot. By that time the men were so -close that their features could be plainly -distinguished, and the boys were surprised to -see that the bandits were white as themselves. -The mountain tribes of Central -Daghestan, the Lesghians, are a conglomerate -race. There are many tribes, of many -different origins, and some of them have -very fair skin.</p> - -<p>“If I wait much longer I shan’t be able -to shoot at all. I’m beginning to shake now. -If only they weren’t white! It wouldn’t -be half so bad if they were black. As soon -as the man on this side shoots again I’m -going to wing them.” And Raymond examined -his revolver carefully, bringing the -hammer back to full cock.</p> - -<p>“Do you mean you will only disable -them? Do you think that would be wise?” - -“No; I’ll shoot to kill.” And there was -a look of fixed determination on Raymond’s -face, which was whiter than before.</p> - -<p>In a moment a bullet from the bandit on<span class="pagenum">[71]</span> -their side spattered the rocks. Raymond -stepped quickly out from the shelter with -his revolver pointing over his right shoulder -as he held it high before him. Bringing the -gun forward into position with the lightning -sureness of one accustomed to shooting a -heavy pistol, the instant it reached a level -before his eyes he fired, without appearing to -take any aim. The man in the distance turned -half around and pitched down to one side.</p> - -<p>Not waiting to note the effect of his shot, -Raymond stepped to the left, beyond the -projecting spur of rock which formed the -cove, bringing himself in range of the other -bandit, who was raising his gun into position. -The boy threw his revolver up and -brought it down to a level with the same -lightning precision, and fired. The man in -front also fired, but a thought too late, and -his bullet went wild. He dropped his gun -and lunged forward, falling on his face.</p> - -<p>Raymond had moved with absolute certainty -and incredible quickness, but now -that the dreadful business was concluded, -his pistol hand fell nervelessly to his side and -he leaned, trembling, against the wall of the -cove.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[72]</span></p> - -<p>“Don’t feel like that about it, Ray.” And -Sidney placed his hand affectionately on his -brother’s shoulder. “There was no other -way, but I’m sorry you had to do it instead -of me.”</p> - -<p>“When we had fights with the Mexicans -last winter there was always the excitement -of a battle that made it seem inevitable, but -this was so cold-blooded that it really got -my nerve.”</p> - -<p>“Shall we go out and look at those men?” -asked Sidney. “They may be only stunned.” - -“You needn’t worry about that. I’m -sure they’re dead, but I don’t think I want -to see them. How about taking their guns, -though?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think we ought to take anything -that belonged to them; then when they are -found, no one can accuse us of robbery.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose you are right,” said Raymond, -“but those guns might come in mighty -handy.”</p> - -<p>“I think we’d better get something to -eat,” said Sidney, “then we’ll both feel better. -You wait here and I’ll go down and -bring up some water.”</p> - -<p>When Sidney returned with the water,<span class="pagenum">[73]</span> -Raymond had taken out the food and was -waiting for his brother to join in the lunch.</p> - -<p>“Gee! Sid,” he said, “think what has happened -since you went after water the first -time. I was scared stiff when I looked up -the ravine and saw that man draw a bead -on you. I thought at first he was shooting -game of some kind, and I looked along the -ravine to see if I could see what it was. -Then when I saw you kneeling to get a drink, -in a flash I knew it was you he was after.”</p> - -<p>“It was a close call for me. And if you -were not a dead sure shot we should be done -up by now. You know Ramon used to boast -that you were the best shot in Mexico, and -I guess there aren’t many better anywhere.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I shook so I was afraid I couldn’t -do a thing. But just as soon as I stepped -out to shoot I was perfectly steady, and then -when it was all over I was weak as a cat.”</p> - -<p>The boys had thought they were pretty -tired when they stopped to make camp, and -they had been under such a strain since that -when relaxation came they were simply exhausted. -They had barely energy sufficient -to roll up in their blankets. Fortunately, -the night was warm and it made little difference<span class="pagenum">[74]</span> -whether they were really covered. -Their minds were relieved of all anxiety of -a possible attack, for they believed that the -two men who were lying so still out in the -ravine were the only ones whom they had -had to fear. Consequently, they were no -more than stretched out on the ground when -both were sleeping profoundly.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_75" class="pagenum">[75]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VII<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">A LESGHIAN JAIL</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">It was broad day, though the sun had not -climbed high enough to look down into -the ravine, when the boys woke. Sidney was -the first to rouse, and he lay quietly gazing -up into the sky, which, from that position, -looked like the bluest sea, with floating -masses of fleecy wool. He reviewed the exciting -events of the previous day and night, -and wondered what might still be in store for -them. He could not believe, however, that -they would encounter again such bloodthirsty -bandits as the two men who had -attacked them. They had been given to -understand that the mountaineers of the -Caucasus, while often fierce and wild, were -usually honorable and hospitable. Their -first experience of the people of Daghestan -had justified such a report, for the men with -whom they had had dealings at Petrovsk -had been attentive and considerate. Sidney -thought that might possibly have been due<span class="pagenum">[76]</span> -to the fact that those men were probably -really Russian.</p> - -<p>Presently Raymond woke, and with characteristic -impetuosity jumped up the moment -his eyes were open.</p> - -<p>“Are you awake, Sid? I tell you I’m glad -we are both here safe. It seems now as -though that affair of yesterday couldn’t be -true, but I suppose we’d find those fellows -lying out there if we went to look.”</p> - -<p>“I’m worrying a little, Ray, about the -chance of our getting into trouble over that. -If we should be arrested for killing those -men, we don’t know a word of the language -here, and it might be impossible for us to -show that we did it in self-defense.”</p> - -<p>“Why can’t these people speak a civilized -language instead of such a barbaric jargon! -If they only knew Spanish, now, that would -do all right.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it would do all right for us,” said -Sidney, laughing, “but it might not for the -next travelers.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe there are any next travelers -here; we are the only ones.”</p> - -<p>The boys ate a dry breakfast, slung -their blanket rolls over their shoulders, and<span class="pagenum">[77]</span> -took up their long tramp. Their way led -past the first bandit who had fallen a victim -to Raymond’s skill. The man, apparently, -did not move after he fell. His hands -still grasped a long-barreled, silver-trimmed -rifle, and from a cord hung an ornately decorated -dagger. His head was covered with a -conical, black, lamb’s wool cap, and he was -clothed in a coat which was so long that it -reached nearly to his ankles. On either side -of the front of his coat were fastened silver -cartridge cases. The whole effect of the -man’s equipment was that of comfortable -affluence.</p> - -<p>“I suppose,” said Sidney, as they regarded -the prostrate form, “that if he had -gone to the war with Germany he might -have met the same fate.”</p> - -<p>“He certainly would have made a fine -soldier, but I guess he had a better business. -Brigandage must be profitable.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t help feeling uneasy, Ray,” said -Sidney as they went on, “about what will -happen when those men are found.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not going to worry, Sid. As you -said, there was nothing else we could do.”</p> - -<p>The boys soon reached the gorge, where<span class="pagenum">[78]</span> -the bandits had, probably, planned to waylay -them. It was an ideal spot for such an -enterprise. The opening was narrow, and -the cliffs on either side were ragged and -broken, affording the best possible place for -concealment. The boys were quite sure if -they had gone on the night before that they -would not then be traveling.</p> - -<p>A short distance above the entrance to the -gorge they came upon two horses tied with -ropes. The animals were fully accoutered, -carrying bridles and saddles. They had -evidently been tied there many hours, for -they had restlessly tramped the ground -within the length of their tethers, and they -whinnied entreatingly when they saw the -boys.</p> - -<p>“Gee, Sid,” exclaimed Raymond when -he saw the animals, “those horses must have -belonged to the bandits, and they’re just -the ticket for us.”</p> - -<p>“It would never in this world do for us to -take them, Ray. That would make it look -as though we had killed the men for their -horses.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t mean you’re going to leave -them here?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[79]</span></p> - -<p>“That’s exactly what I mean.”</p> - -<p>“Why, that would be outrageous, Sid, -when we need horses so badly, and we are -sure the owners were those dead men.”</p> - -<p>“Nothing under Heaven could make me -touch those horses, Ray.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess you’re right, Sid, you always -are. But at any rate, we’ll give them -some water, they must be awfully dry.”</p> - -<p>“I would like to water them, Ray, but I -think it wouldn’t be safe to do even that. -I would rather leave them exactly as they -are. It is almost certain that some one will -pass soon and find them.”</p> - -<p>“Gee, you <em>are</em> cautious, Sid. Well, if -we’ve got to hoof it, we may as well keep -going.” And Raymond rather grumpily continued -the march.</p> - -<p>The gorge proved to be a short one, and -the boys soon came out into a valley, on the -farther side of which, climbing up the mountain -slope, they saw a village. They were -uncertain whether to be pleased or apprehensive -at the prospect of encountering people. -If they could get into the high mountains -before the bodies which they had left -in the ravine were discovered, it might be<span class="pagenum">[80]</span> -that they would not be followed and would -not be caused any trouble by their successful -effort to protect their own lives. On the -other hand, they had very little food, and -they were not sure that they would be able -to replenish their supply after they had once -really entered the mountains.</p> - -<p>There seemed, however, to be no way of -avoiding the town, if they had wished to do -so. The trail led directly to it, and as the -country rose abruptly beyond, they knew -that the village, in all probability, must be -at the foot of the only road that penetrated -the range.</p> - -<p>When they were halfway across the valley, -two wild-looking horsemen emerged -from the gorge and dashed past them.</p> - -<p>“Those fellows act as though they were -scared by what they saw in the ravine,” remarked -Raymond as he watched the riders -enter the village.</p> - -<p>“More likely,” said Sidney, “they are -hurrying to report what they found, and -warn officers to take us.”</p> - -<p>The boys followed slowly and reluctantly. -They would have been very much happier -if they could have skipped that first village,<span class="pagenum">[81]</span> -for the more they reflected on the possibilities -before them, the more uneasy they felt. -They wondered if they had made a supreme -effort to get out of Russia only to land in a -mountain jail. And they thought, if that -should be the outcome of their adventure, -that their father would be infinitely better -off in a civilized city like Nizhni-Novgorod, -even if he had not yet recovered his liberty.</p> - -<p>They entered the village and passed along -the narrow, crooked street, looking for a -bazaar where food might be purchased. -They thought they would buy the very first -eatables they saw, and then hurry out of -town and on into the mountains. They were -not, however, to be allowed to do that. They -had proceeded but a short distance in their -search for supplies when they were met by -two men who were armed with the customary -rifles and swords. The men, who somehow -gave the impression of being officials, -placed themselves one on each side of the -boys, and taking hold of their arms hurried -them along with a brief statement in a -strange language that was plainly not Russian.</p> - -<p>Sidney began a remonstrance and a request<span class="pagenum">[82]</span> -to know why they were seized in that -way, but their captors paid not the least -attention to what he said. He wished to -present his passport to one of the men, but -they were forced along so precipitately that -he could not get the paper out of his pocket. -Indeed, they were nearly out of breath when -they were pulled up before a small stone -building, pushed through a doorway, and -the door slammed and locked behind them.</p> - -<p>It was so dark in the room where the boys -were thrown, the only light coming through -one small window, that at first they were -unable to distinguish anything. Moreover, -they were dazed by the sudden and violent -change in their condition. Presently, however, -as their eyes became accustomed to the -dim light, they were able to see into what -sort of quarters they had been thrust.</p> - -<p>The room in which they found themselves -was absolutely bare except that in one corner -were three or four planks raised a little above -the floor, evidently designed for a bed. At -least the room was bare of furniture, but it -was indescribably filthy, and the boys gradually -became aware that the filth which -littered the floor and the plank bed was<span class="pagenum">[83]</span> -swarming with vermin. The boys gazed at -each other, at first too stunned and shocked -for expression, then indignation possessed -Raymond.</p> - -<p>“I suppose,” he said, “that we ought to -have expected this. Russia is not civilized, -anyway, and we are served right for visiting -such a God-forsaken country.”</p> - -<p>“But you must remember,” said Sidney, -“that appearances are very much against -us. They have no doubt found the bandits, -and assume, quite reasonably, I must admit, -that we killed them. I really don’t wonder -that they arrested us.”</p> - -<p>“Well, they might have done it in a civilized -way.”</p> - -<p>“That man must have been explaining -why they arrested us, but we couldn’t understand -him, which was not his fault.”</p> - -<p>“For Heaven’s sake, Sid, are you excusing -these ruffians?”</p> - -<p>“No, but I am trying to imagine what I -should think in their place.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll be fully occupied in what you -think of <em>this</em> place,” said Raymond with -sarcastic emphasis. “Do you suppose they’ll -keep us here to-night? If they do, we’ll<span class="pagenum">[84]</span> -have to sleep standing. I don’t want to put -my blankets down on <em>that</em> bed, if it is a bed.”</p> - -<p>The boys still had their blankets slung -over their shoulders. Rather strangely, as -it seemed to them now that they had time -to think it over, none of their belongings -had been taken from them. Even Raymond’s -revolver was still in his possession.</p> - -<p>“It isn’t a very attractive bed, that’s a -fact,” said Sidney.</p> - -<p>“I’d like to get rid of my load, too.” And -Raymond looked around to see if by any -chance there was a spot that was passably -clean. There was no comfort to be found in -examining the floor, or the plank bed, and -he turned his attention to the walls. The -house was built of rough stone, and the walls -were not finished in any way on the inside. -But rough as the walls were, there was no -projection on which anything might be laid -or from which it might be suspended. The -window, which was about two feet square -and was some five feet above the floor, was -set with iron bars, but contained no glass. -Raymond examined that, and said to his -brother:—</p> - -<p>“We can hang our things to these bars,<span class="pagenum">[85]</span> -Sid, if they are strong enough to hold anything, -but they are nearly rusted through. -Sid!” he continued in a tone of excitement, -“I believe we can easily break these bars -out.” And he grasped one to test it.</p> - -<p>“Hold on, Ray,” cried his brother; “don’t -touch them now. We couldn’t get out until -after dark, and if they found we had broken -a bar, they would put us somewhere else.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” assented Raymond, “but -I’m sure we can break them out. They’re -not so smart, after all, with their filthy old -jail.”</p> - -<p>“I expect if we do get out,” said Sidney, -“that we’ll have a tough time in finding our -way out of this town in the dark. My vague -recollection of the place is that the streets -are a regular Chinese puzzle.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Raymond, “we’ll be outside -of this wretched place, anyway, and I’ll take -my chances then on making a getaway.”</p> - -<p>They proceeded to suspend their blanket -rolls and knapsacks from the bars, and had -no more than disposed of their packs in that -way when the door was thrown open and an -official with two attendants entered.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_86" class="pagenum">[86]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VIII<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">AN ESCAPE</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">The official who entered the jail gave -instructions to his two subordinates -and they proceeded to search the boys, but -Sidney stepped back and raised his hand in -appeal.</p> - -<p>“Wait,” he said, “I have a passport that -will explain who we are.”</p> - -<p>He took the paper out from his breast -pocket and presented it to the official, who -regarded it curiously, but immediately returned -it with a short comment which the -boys, of course, could not understand.</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet he can’t read Russian,” said -Raymond.</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” said one of the men in broken -English, “he not speak Russian, only Lesghian.”</p> - -<p>“Hello!” exclaimed Raymond in surprise, -“where did you learn English?”</p> - -<p>“I live New York.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you stay there?”</p> - -<p>“I come home.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[87]</span></p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll be jiggered! you leave New -York to come back to such a place as -this?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I leave New York; I come back -home.”</p> - -<p>“Do you read Russian?” asked Sidney.</p> - -<p>“No, not read Russian.”</p> - -<p>“Who is this officer?”</p> - -<p>“He chief polis.”</p> - -<p>“Tell him,” said Sidney, “that I have a -passport which says that we are American -citizens returning to America, and that all -Russian officials are commanded by the -Government to help us.”</p> - -<p>The man had a short conference with his -superior and then turned to Sidney.</p> - -<p>“He says you kill two men.”</p> - -<p>“But they attacked us,” said Sidney; -“we only defended ourselves. We did not -take anything that belonged to them. We -left their guns and horses and everything. -Tell him that.”</p> - -<p>There was another conference and the -man turned again to Sidney.</p> - -<p>“He says you have trial, maybe next -week.”</p> - -<p>“Holy smoke!” exclaimed Raymond in<span class="pagenum">[88]</span> -horror, “they wouldn’t keep us in this -filthy place till next week?”</p> - -<p>“Maybe next week, maybe longer.”</p> - -<p>The chief had waited patiently, smiling -blandly, but he apparently thought the conversation -had lasted long enough, for he gave -a command to his deputies, and the man repeated:—</p> - -<p>“He says we search you now.”</p> - -<p>The task they had before them must have -been an unaccustomed one, for they were -particularly awkward about it, and not at -all thorough. The boys’ purses they found -at once, and the chief himself took immediate -charge of them, but Raymond’s revolver -was the only other article which they seemed -to think it worth while to remove. The -money which the boys carried concealed -beneath their clothes was not discovered, -and the only attention they gave to the blankets -was to make joking remarks and laugh -when the rolls were noticed hanging from -the window bars. The boys could imagine -that the men were commenting on the comfortable -night they would pass if they attempted -to sleep on their suspended beds. -When the search was concluded, the chief<span class="pagenum">[89]</span> -and his assistants left the room without -further word.</p> - -<p>“I wish I’d used my revolver before they -took it,” said Raymond as the door closed -and the bolt slid into place. “I could easily -have shot all three.”</p> - -<p>“And that would have been a specially -foolish thing to do,” said Sidney.</p> - -<p>“Well, it would have been specially satisfactory, -if it was foolish.”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad, though,” said Sidney, “that -we didn’t take any such desperate step as -that. It is much better to wait till night and -see if we can’t get out through the window, -as I believe we can.”</p> - -<p>“Those fellows are so stupid,” said Raymond, -“that I don’t believe they would -know enough to stop us if they saw us climbing -out of the window. Think of their not -finding the rest of our money! It’s lucky -for us they didn’t.”</p> - -<p>The day wore on past noon, and the boys -took a lunch from their knapsacks. Though -the lunch was extremely simple, consisting -mainly of dry bread, they were able to occupy -considerable time in disposing of it, -for very careful mastication was necessary<span class="pagenum">[90]</span> -in order to swallow the food without water, -of which there was none. Aside from that -diversion there was nothing whatever for -them to do while they waited the arrival of -night.</p> - -<p>The window looked out against a blank -wall, only a few feet away, and gave them -no view of the village. The door was so extremely -thick that it allowed no sound to -penetrate. Though it opened on the street, -the boys could distinguish no noise of passing -feet, and what appeared strange to them -was that the only noise they heard seemed -to come from the roof.</p> - -<p>When the boys were put into the jail in -the morning, the whole affair of their arrest -and imprisonment had been so hasty and so -bewildering that they had not taken note -of the fact that the jail was situated against -the mountain-side. Above the jail other -buildings ran up the steep slope, and the -roofs of the lower lines of buildings formed -front yards for the next line of buildings -above, and so on to the top. So the roof -of the jail no doubt was occupied, possibly -as a stable for the horse that belonged to the -family above. On that plan are built many of<span class="pagenum">[91]</span> -the mountain villages of Daghestan, very like -the villages of our own Pueblo Indians.</p> - -<p>Toward night the English-speaking policeman -opened the door and brought in water -and black bread, closing the door after him. -The drink, though in a repulsive-looking -receptacle, was most welcome to the boys.</p> - -<p>“You like it here?” asked the man, with -a twinkle in his eyes.</p> - -<p>“No, it’s filthy,” replied Raymond.</p> - -<p>“Yes, pretty dirty, not like New York -jail.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know a New York jail?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know New York jail.”</p> - -<p>“What is your name?” asked Sidney.</p> - -<p>“Aleskandir,” replied the man.</p> - -<p>“Is there another village near here?”</p> - -<p>“No, long way next village.”</p> - -<p>“Then,” said Sidney, “I guess we’ll have -to go back to Timour Khan Shoura.”</p> - -<p>“You want me let you out?” asked the -man. “You give me twenty rubles, I let -you out after dark.”</p> - -<p>“How can I give you twenty rubles?” -asked Sidney. “You took our money away, -the chief of police has it.”</p> - -<p>“I think you got more money,” said the<span class="pagenum">[92]</span> -man with a cunning look. “You have lump -under clothes.” And he tapped his breast -significantly.</p> - -<p>The boys were very much startled by the -revelation that the policeman knew they -had more money. Raymond, though excited -by the prospect of an easy release, fortunately -had presence of mind to remain -quiet and leave the matter in Sidney’s hands, -realizing that one could manage it better -than two.</p> - -<p>Sidney could not be sure that the man -before them was the only one who knew -that all of their money had not been taken -away. It was possible that the chief of police -was just as well informed, and there was -a prearranged plan to get the boys to try to -escape. Perhaps, Sidney thought, there was -a custom among the Lesghians similar to the -Mexican “Ley de fuga,” in plain English, -law of flight, which encouraged a prisoner to -escape and then shot him in the act. Possibly -any money taken from a prisoner who -was killed in that way would not be reported -by the chief of police, and that would be -an inducement for the official to encourage -such attempted escapes.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[93]</span></p> - -<p>Sidney ran the matter over in his mind so -rapidly that only a few moments were consumed -while the man was waiting an answer -to his proposal. But he did not dare trust -the fellow, for he realized that if they were -once outside the jail there would be nothing -to prevent the man from taking whatever -money they had, perhaps putting them out -of the way to accomplish it. So he determined -to deny that he had any money left, -and said accordingly,—</p> - -<p>“I have no money to pay you.”</p> - -<p>“You be sorry,” said the man with an -ugly look. “You get shot.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?” asked Sidney.</p> - -<p>“You kill two men, you both get shot.” -And he opened the door and went out, locking -it behind him.</p> - -<p>“What made you do that, Sid?” asked -Raymond when they were alone. “Why -didn’t you give him the bribe he wanted?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think he’s to be trusted.”</p> - -<p>“But he is sure we have the money.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, he is, and that’s just the trouble. -If he once got us out of here he would probably -kill us and take it all.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it doesn’t matter so much after<span class="pagenum">[94]</span> -all,” said Raymond, “for I’m sure we can -get out through the window.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” suggested Sidney, “if that fellow -isn’t waiting outside to receive us. He may -know the window bars are rotten and thinks -we’ll try that way.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll give him a run for his money, anyway. -If I <em>only</em> had that revolver I’d give -him something besides a run. I hate to -start up through the mountains without any -gun, Sid. Did you notice if that man had -one?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, he had a long revolver in his belt, -I should think a .38.”</p> - -<p>“I almost wish he’d be waiting outside, -then, and I’d make a try for it. Those boneheads -didn’t take our cartridges, so all we -lack is a gun.”</p> - -<p>The boys were very much amused by the -inefficient search the policemen had conducted. -Their knapsacks hung with the -blanket rolls from the window bars in plain -view, but had not been examined at all. The -sacks contained, besides a few small articles -of clothing and a little food, all of Raymond’s -ammunition. If they could only obtain -a gun of the same caliber, they would<span class="pagenum">[95]</span> -still be well fortified. Sidney admonished -his brother, however, to take no rash chances, -at any time, in an attempt to procure arms.</p> - -<p>The black bread which the policeman had -brought to them was not at all inviting in -its appearance,—indeed it was fairly repulsive,—but -they decided to keep it, for -if they were to succeed in escaping from the -town in the night, they would, of course, have -no chance to buy food. So the bread was -stowed away in the knapsacks with the small -supply already there.</p> - -<p>The boys, while it was still light, carefully -inspected the window bars so that they would -know just what to do in the dark. They did -not place their hands on them, for they did -not wish anybody who might be watching -outside to observe that the bars were being -examined. They found that the rains which -had rusted the bars had, of course, run downward, -so that the irons, while nearly rusted -through at the lower ends, were still very -solid at the top. They believed that they -would be able to break the bars loose at the -bottom, and then to bend them up, in that -way making an opening of sufficient size to -admit their bodies.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[96]</span></p> - -<p>After their plan of action was arranged, -the boys waited, with as much patience as -possible, for the closing-down of night. They -could not plan beyond climbing out of the -window, for their further action would depend -on whether there were any persons -abroad in the streets. They hoped that the -sky would be clear, so that they would be -able to locate the mountains, and not make -a mistake in direction.</p> - -<p>Finally it became dark, and very dark -it was, indeed, inside the jail. But they -waited what seemed to them a long time -after that, to make it probable that all -stragglers would have returned home. When -they were sure that night was well advanced, -they began operations on the window bars, -tentatively at first, to see what resistance -they would be obliged to overcome.</p> - -<p>“Let me hang all this plunder over your -shoulders, Ray, so as to get it out of the -way. I don’t want to put it on the dirty -floor.” And Sidney suited the action to the -word and disposed of the blanket rolls and -knapsacks by turning his brother into a -pack-animal.</p> - -<p>Then he selected the bar which seemed<span class="pagenum">[97]</span> -to be thinnest at the lower end, and began -to give it quick, sharp jerks, first one way -and then the other. At first that assault -made very little impression, then the bar -began to yield a trifle. Suddenly, with almost -no warning, when Sidney gave an -especially strenuous pull, the iron snapped -in two at the bottom, the upper end dropped -out of the hole where it had rested in the -masonwork, and the bar fell clattering to -the floor.</p> - -<p>The boys stood rigid with their hearts in -their throats. The noise had echoed back -from the walls of the empty room until they -were sure it must have roused the whole -town. They waited, hardly daring to breath, -listening for the sound of running feet, and -then for the opening of the door and the entrance -of guards. Why <em>hadn’t</em> he bribed that -man to let them out! Sidney thought, bitterly. -That would have been a chance, at -least, and after such an alarm, of course, -there would be no chance at all.</p> - -<p>Outside, however, the silence was not -broken, but continued as profound as before. -The occasional barking of a dog only -served to emphasize the lack of other sound.<span class="pagenum">[98]</span> -As the boys waited in tense suspense, they -could hardly credit their ears which told -them that the terrific clatter of the falling -bar had roused no corresponding commotion -outside. After they had stood absolutely -quiet so long that the impulse to shout -was almost uncontrollable, they were convinced -that no harm had been done, and -Raymond whispered to his brother,—</p> - -<p>“This must be where the Seven Sleepers -live, Sid. We’ll get away all right and don’t -you forget it.”</p> - -<p>“The sounder they sleep the better,” replied -Sidney.</p> - -<p>With the loose iron to use as a lever the -other two window bars were quickly broken -at the bottom and bent up, for they did not -come loose at the top as the first one had -done. Then the boys arranged their plans -carefully so that there might be no slip.</p> - -<p>“We’ll each sling a knapsack on,” said -Sidney. “We can get out with them on all -right, and that will be the best way to carry -them. Then I’ll climb out and you pass me -the beds and come yourself.”</p> - -<p>That was easily accomplished; Sidney -climbed out without mishap, and received<span class="pagenum">[99]</span> -the blanket rolls which Raymond passed -him. Then Raymond prepared to follow. -The window was large enough so that he -climbed up into it, and drawing his legs up -turned around and proceeded to drop down -on the outside, feet first. But when he let -himself down on the outside of the wall, his -trousers caught on the stub of one of the -bars that had broken just above the window -sill. For a moment he was suspended in the -air, then the cloth gave way with a rip and -he fell with a thud in a heap on the ground.</p> - -<p>Sidney stood waiting for his brother with -the blanket rolls in his hands. Though it -was very dark, it had been so much darker -inside the building that he could distinguish -objects very well. He saw that they were in -a sort of an alley, only a few feet wide, between -the jail and the next building. Toward -the front of the jail it opened out into -a wider space which Sidney knew must be a -street. The other way it melted into indistinguishable -blackness.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Ray!” exclaimed Sidney when his -brother came tumbling down, “I guess we’ll -wake the Seven Sleepers after all.”</p> - -<p>As Raymond was gathering himself up<span class="pagenum">[100]</span> -from the ground a man dashed around the -front of the jail toward them.</p> - -<p>“Come this way, Ray, I’ve got all the -plunder, we can get away from him,” cried -Sidney, and he ran in the opposite direction, -followed by his brother.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_101" class="pagenum">[101]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER IX<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">A CHASE</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">The boys ran up the alley, Sidney leading -with both the blanket rolls, and -Raymond following a short distance behind. -Close after them came the man who had -rushed around the corner of the jail, and who -was evidently doing his best to overtake -them.</p> - -<p>The boys found that the alley climbed up -a steep slope, and they stumbled up the ascent -with breathless haste. The man who -pursued them was shorter, older, and less -agile, so, although he was carrying nothing, -and Sidney, at least, was well loaded, the -boys managed to keep ahead. Raymond, -however, stepped on a loose stone and floundered -along, barely saving himself, with his -hands on the rising ground, from a complete -fall. He felt, rather than saw, that their -pursuer was close upon him. He made up -his mind that if it came to a grapple he would -call out to Sidney for help, and run the risk -of bringing others whom they would not<span class="pagenum">[102]</span> -want. But with a supreme effort he recovered -his balance in time to save himself from -the grasp of the man behind.</p> - -<p>Up, up, they struggled until their pounding -hearts and panting lungs nearly suffocated -them. The walls continued along the -sides with no change that was perceptible -in the darkness, and the boys wondered on -what plan the village could be constructed.</p> - -<p>At last Sidney came to the end of the -alley and found there was an opening, a similar -narrow passageway, to the left. Around -that corner the alley extended on a level, and -having made the turn, Sidney’s road was -much easier. He soon came to a blind wall -across the passage, and groping along its -face, in the corner between that wall and the -wall of the alley, he felt a ladder.</p> - -<p>Sidney hesitated for a moment, wondering -where the ladder could lead, but as he -could find no opening in the wall, and as he -could not well turn back, he went up it. -After climbing eight or ten feet he stepped -over the top of the ladder to a level surface -that was apparently a dozen feet or so wide. -At the left there seemed to be only space, -but on the right rose a wall in which dimly<span class="pagenum">[103]</span> -showed an opening. He stood and listened. -From down in the alley came the noise of -Raymond and his pursuer running. Then -for a moment there was a pause in the sound, -followed by a heavy thud, and in another -moment the sound of a blow.</p> - -<p>Sidney strained his eyes to see into the -gloom below, to discover, if possible, what -was happening there. Failing in that he -threw his blankets down on the ground and -grasped the ladder to descend, fearing that -harm had come to his brother. As he did -so, one person instead of two came running -along the darkness below, and the figure -blundered into the wall at the end.</p> - -<p>“Is that you, Ray?” Sidney whispered.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” was the reply from below.</p> - -<p>“There is a ladder, a little to your left,” -he directed.</p> - -<p>When Raymond had reached the angle of -the alley, the man behind was so close that -he believed he would be overtaken, especially -as his breath, from the violent running -uphill, was becoming very short. So he -decided to resort to a trick. After running -for a few feet along the level floor of the alley -beyond the turn, he dropped to one knee<span class="pagenum">[104]</span> -and turned to face his pursuer, crouching -closely to the ground. The fellow came on at -full tilt and Raymond grasped him by one -leg and rose with his burden. The impetus -the man had acquired in running sent him -hurtling through the air and he crashed, -head first, against the wall. Stunned by the -blow, he fell in a huddled heap.</p> - -<p>Instead of running on after Sidney, as -Raymond’s first impulse had been when his -pursuer was placed <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">hors de combat</i>, with a -sudden thought he stopped to examine his -fallen antagonist. Something in the aspect -of the man as he was flying over Raymond’s -head had seemed familiar. He turned the -form over to bring the face upward and, -stooping, peered closely. It was just as he -had suddenly suspected, the man was the -English-speaking policeman. That meant -that he probably had a revolver stuck in his -belt, and Raymond immediately fumbled -under the man’s coat. Pulling out the gun -which he felt there, an instant’s examination, -even in the dark, convinced him that -it was indeed a .38 caliber. He wanted to -whoop for joy that he once more had a -serviceable weapon to fit the ammunition<span class="pagenum">[105]</span> -which they still possessed. It did not occur -to him for a moment that in appropriating -the revolver he was doing practically -the same thing that the policeman had attempted -when he coveted their money. The -gun was so precisely what they needed that -it only seemed as though a kind fortune had -presented it to him.</p> - -<p>As Raymond straightened up with the revolver -in his hand the prostrate man raised -himself to his elbow. The thick lamb’s -wool cap which he wore, and which is the -usual head-covering of men in the Caucasus, -had so protected his head that the shock -of being thrown against the wall had only -slightly stunned him. Raymond was confronted -with a new danger. With the man -conscious, he would not be able to hide from -him or to escape him in the end, though he -might at first outdistance him in running.</p> - -<p>The thought of a possible return to the -filthy jail was more than Raymond could -endure; he simply <em>must</em> prevent any danger -of that. He had a savage, momentary impulse -to shoot the man as he lay before him, -but he could not bring himself to do that, -and, anyway, it would make too much<span class="pagenum">[106]</span> -noise. There was one other way, and clubbing -the pistol he brought it down with full -force on the man’s head. The fellow sank -back on the ground without a sound and lay -without moving. Raymond sped on and in -a moment came plump against the wall at -the end, when Sidney hailed him, and he -climbed the ladder.</p> - -<p>“Where is that fellow who was chasing -us?” asked Sidney in a whisper, when his -brother appeared at the head of the ladder.</p> - -<p>“I tripped him up and he’s down there in -the alley,” replied Raymond in an equally -low tone.</p> - -<p>“I thought I heard the sound of a blow,” -said Sidney.</p> - -<p>“You did; I clouted him over the head -with his own revolver, and I’ve got the gun -here.”</p> - -<p>“I wish you hadn’t done that, Ray.”</p> - -<p>“But what <em>could</em> I have done, Sid?—just -turn my money over to him and wait -meekly to see if he wanted to kill me?”</p> - -<p>“Of course not, but you needn’t have -taken his gun.”</p> - -<p>“I wasn’t going to lose so good a chance -to get a gun, and I simply <em>had</em> to make<span class="pagenum">[107]</span> -him keep quiet till I could get out of the -way.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m glad enough to have you safe -here, anyway.”</p> - -<p>“What kind of a place is this?” asked -Raymond.</p> - -<p>“I can’t imagine,” replied his brother. -“I thought it might be the roof of a house -when I climbed the ladder, but there seems -to be a house of some sort up here; I think -that is a door.”</p> - -<p>“Suppose we go and investigate,” suggested -Raymond.</p> - -<p>“We must be pretty careful if we do; -there may be people here.”</p> - -<p>The boys proceeded cautiously toward the -dim opening in the wall that rose on their -right. The surface over which they walked -was smooth, but had the feel, under their -feet, of earth. They paused outside the doorway -and listened intently, but could hear -no sound.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to strike a match,” said Raymond, -“and see what there is inside.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t make a light out here,” remonstrated -Sidney; “that would show us too -plainly to any one who might be looking this<span class="pagenum">[108]</span> -way. I think it would be safer to step -inside the door. I don’t believe there is any -one here or we should have heard some -sound.”</p> - -<p>Raymond stepped carefully inside the -door and struck a match, holding it up till -the flame burned steadily. When the light -shone clear it revealed a good-sized room -that was perfectly bare. The walls were of -rough stone, similar to the walls of the jail, -and the floor was of earth packed hard and -smooth. There was no indication that the -room had been occupied, and it certainly -was empty enough then.</p> - -<p>The match died down and Raymond -turned back to the doorway where Sidney -waited. The mystery of their surroundings -made both of them thoughtful,—the -strange, narrow alley that climbed the steep -hill, shut in on both sides by walls or buildings, -they did not know which; then the -house in whose door they were standing, -that was reached, so far as they knew, only -by a ladder, and that was so providentially -unoccupied; the silence that covered the -place, too, though to be sure it was probably -after midnight, an hour when a town<span class="pagenum">[109]</span> -should be silent, if ever. All the conditions -were weird and mysterious.</p> - -<p>The boys stood in the doorway and tried -vainly to pierce the darkness about them. -The sky was clear and starlit, but there was -no moon, and the mountains, which seemingly -nearly surrounded them, were black -and without form, and shut out most of -what light there would otherwise have been. -In front of them was the narrow, level -space on which they had landed when they -climbed the ladder, and beyond that fell a -slope which appeared, in the gloom, to be -set with knobs. Whether those knobs were -rocks or buildings the boys could not tell. -They thought, however, that they must be -buildings, else what had become of the village? -Back of them rose the mountains.</p> - -<p>“What do you make of it, Sid?” asked -Raymond, still in a whisper, for they had a -sort of feeling that there were people near.</p> - -<p>“I can’t make anything of it. If this is a -town, and I suppose it must be, it’s the most -curious one I ever heard of. We’ll just have -to wait till daylight, and I hope we shan’t -find then that we are in the midst of a hornet’s -nest of savage mountaineers.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[110]</span></p> - -<p>“We’d better go into that room and get -some sleep,” said Raymond; “I begin to -feel pretty used up after that run uphill. I -should think you’d be too, with the heavy -load you had to carry.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it was a hard stunt. What do you -say to pulling the ladder up, Ray? Then if -anybody comes into the alley they can’t get -up here without bringing another ladder.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a good idea, Sid. It takes you to -make things safe.”</p> - -<p>“And it takes you, Ray, to clear the road -of undesirables. What do you think that -fellow down in the alley will do when he -comes to his senses? I don’t suppose you -really killed him?”</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid not, his cap was too thick. -I don’t know whether he will imagine that -we came up here, or not.”</p> - -<p>“You know when he said there was no -other village near, I told him that we should -have to go back to Timour Khan Shoura. -I wanted to fool him, and maybe he’ll think -we have started back that way.”</p> - -<p>“I hope he will, and chase after us.” -While the boys were talking, they carefully -drew the ladder up and laid it down,<span class="pagenum">[111]</span> -well back from the edge. Then they went -into the room, opened up their blankets -close to the wall on one side of the door, and -in about a minute were both fast asleep.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_112" class="pagenum">[112]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER X<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">IN HIDING</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">When the boys woke in the morning, -they were obliged to think several -minutes in order to remember and comprehend -their situation. Only twenty-four -hours before they had waked in the ravine, -after their nerve-trying battle with the bandits, -the misguided men whom they had left -lying there on the ground. Then followed -their precipitate arrest, and the escape which -had been accomplished in such darkness -that it seemed a miracle that they should -have been able to get away at all. They -wondered if they had chanced upon the one -route that led to, perhaps, the only unoccupied -house in the village.</p> - -<p>“I hardly have the courage to look out -of the door, Ray,” said Sidney. “I’m afraid -we’ll find there are houses and people on all -sides of us.”</p> - -<p>“If there are, the people certainly don’t -make much noise; we might be in the middle -of a cemetery for all we can hear.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[113]</span></p> - -<p>Raymond had hardly finished speaking -when there came in at the door the sound of -a voice talking, seemingly so near that the -boys were sure it must be from some person -just outside the door. Another voice -replied, and the two continued in a conversation.</p> - -<p>The boys looked at each other in wide-eyed -apprehension, then they raised themselves -cautiously from their blankets and -stood, Raymond with his revolver held at -full cock. They expected every moment -that some one would enter through the door, -and Raymond wondered if it would not be -foolish to resist, after all, if men came to arrest -them. He could, without doubt, shoot -a man or two, perhaps all who came at first, -but they could hardly hope to get away -even then.</p> - -<p>The talking outside continued, yet no -one appeared, and when the boys were standing -they could hear more distinctly, and the -voices did not seem quite so near as they -had thought at first. They did not dare to -speak, but they tiptoed carefully to the -door, and standing just inside, listened -again. They were greatly puzzled to locate<span class="pagenum">[114]</span> -the voices; they seemed near, and yet -not as though the persons talking were on -the terrace outside of the door. Finally, -Raymond peered out, and then stepped -into the doorway, but just inside, where he -would be protected from possible observation -except from directly in front. There he -was joined by Sidney.</p> - -<p>For the first time the boys saw the prospect -from the door, for darkness had, of -course, prevented their seeing anything before -they went to sleep. They observed that -the space in front of the room where they -had slept was, in fact, a terrace. It was some -fifteen feet wide and was then cut square -down. The voices which they heard rose -from some lower level which they could not -see, apparently close under the wall that -descended from the edge of the terrace, and -at no great distance.</p> - -<p>Beyond the level whence came the voices, -however, the view was unobstructed, and -the boys were amazed by what they saw. -The steep slope below them was thickly -clothed with houses constructed in terraces, -apparently with no intervening streets, the -front yard of one house being also the roof<span class="pagenum">[115]</span> -of the next house below. The buildings -were all of rough stone and the walls were -not finished smooth with mortar or plaster, -so that, seen at a distance, the village might -easily be taken for a collection of rocks on -the side of the mountain. On some of the -terraces in front of the houses they saw -horses calmly eating their provender on the -roofs of their neighbors. They also saw people -moving about, undoubtedly attending -to their customary occupations.</p> - -<p>Beyond the village in front lay the narrow -valley, and beyond that mountains, but the -great range extended across the horizon -more to the right, and rose high and formidable -against the clear sky. The village, -plainly, was situated among the foothills, -right at the base of the towering range which -they had yet to cross.</p> - -<p>“I wonder,” said Sidney, after they had -looked for a few moments in silence, “if -the houses continue up the mountain above -this one. Do you suppose we are surrounded -by houses and people as thick as they are -below?”</p> - -<p>“I wish we could see to the sides and -back,” said Raymond. “There is one thing<span class="pagenum">[116]</span> -sure, this terrace out here in front is the -roof of a house.”</p> - -<p>The conversation of their neighbors just -below continued at intervals, and the sound -of the voices came up to them with great -distinctness. The boys imagined the two -men who were talking to be sitting in the -sun in front of their own door. There were -no sounds audible from the rear, but if there -were people above them, any noise which -they made would, of course, be heard more -readily above than below. There were no -windows in the room where they had passed -the night, no opening except the door, and -there seemed to be no way for them to obtain -a view to one side or the other except -by exposing themselves in front.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to see if I can’t look around -the wall to one side without being seen,” -said Raymond, edging forward on one side -of the doorway as far as he could go without -actually passing beyond the line of the front -wall.</p> - -<p>“Gee! Sid,” he exclaimed, after taking a -look, “the alley that we came up last night -is a street with houses opening on it. But I -don’t believe there are any more houses as<span class="pagenum">[117]</span> -high up as this one. You take a look.” And -he made way for Sidney.</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” said Sidney, “and if you -look sharp you can see the tops of ladders -on the line of the alley that runs down the -hill. That must be a favorite way of getting -into the houses. They are regular cliff-dwellers. -I should think we’d have blundered -into some of those ladders last night; it’s -lucky we didn’t.”</p> - -<p>“Some of the doors must open on a level,” -said Raymond, “and there must be other -alleys that run up through the houses; that’s -the way those horses got out there.”</p> - -<p>“This is the last house up,” said Sidney, -who had shifted to the other side of the -doorway and was looking out beyond the -house to the right; “there is nothing but -mountain out there.”</p> - -<p>“This is the first house on a new street, -Sid. I guess it was built to rent, and they -hadn’t got a tenant yet.”</p> - -<p>“I hope the owner won’t come to look at -it to-day. If we can stay here till night without -being found, Ray, I’ll bet we can get -away after dark.”</p> - -<p>“I wish we might step outside,” suggested<span class="pagenum">[118]</span> -Raymond, “and see how the mountain -looks. Maybe we could locate the trail -where it leaves the village.”</p> - -<p>“That wouldn’t be safe,” replied his -brother, “but I’m sure the trail must go out -up the valley, and then enter a ravine that -narrows up. If we go along the mountain -beyond the houses and then drop down to -the valley, we can probably find it in the -dark.”</p> - -<p>“There may be half a dozen trails,” said -Raymond, “that run out after firewood, -and it will be mighty ticklish business to -pick out the main one.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it will be,” replied Sidney, “but -we’ll have to take that chance.”</p> - -<p>The boys began to realize that they had -had no breakfast, and the situation was not -made more cheerful when they remembered -that the knapsacks contained only dry -bread and cheese. Moreover, the cheese -was very salty, and as there was no water -they did not dare to eat it, for fear of creating -a consuming thirst which could not be -allayed. So the breakfast menu was reduced -to dry bread only. They ate that as slowly -as possible, taking very small pieces and<span class="pagenum">[119]</span> -chewing each piece a long time. Even with -such a highly hygienic method as that the -meal was only too quickly finished. When -breakfast was out of the way, Raymond -took up his new revolver, which he had not -had time to examine.</p> - -<p>“Now, Sid,” said he, “I’ll clean my gun -while you are doing up the dishes.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” laughed Sidney; “when I get -a lot of dishes in the rinsing water, I’ll call -on you to dry them.”</p> - -<p>“If you do, I’ll drink some of the rinsing -water first. Gee, but I’m thirsty!” -Raymond found that the gun was a six-shot -revolver of English make; rather antiquated -in style but in serviceable condition. -He took it all apart and wiped the pieces -and the inside of the barrel carefully with a -bit of rag, polishing the barrel until every -atom shone. He spent so much time on the -work that Sidney, who had nothing to do, -became restless.</p> - -<p>“What will you do, Ray,” he asked, “if -some one comes before you put your gun -together again?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ll just point the barrel at them; -that will scare them away. But seriously,<span class="pagenum">[120]</span> -Sid, if somebody should come I don’t believe -it would do to try to stand them off. -If I shot a man or two, it would probably -only be worse for us in the end, for we certainly -couldn’t get away. If they didn’t -dare come right in and take us, it would -only be a question of starving us out.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, that’s so. I guess we should have -to take our medicine if we were discovered.” -Sidney had been watching his brother at -work on the gun. As he finished speaking he -glanced up and there was a little child peering -in at the door. The little fellow, as soon -as he saw the boys, turned and fled. Sidney -jumped up and ran to the door and saw the -child scampering away along the side of -the mountain. Raymond, in his occupation -with the revolver, had not seen their visitor, -but when Sidney rushed so precipitately to -the door, he followed in alarm.</p> - -<p>“I guess it’s all up with us now, Sid,” he -said when he saw the child. “That little -rascal is sure to tell that he saw us.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe he will. He’s scared now, -but he will forget all about it as soon as he -meets somebody. He’s too young to remember -long.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[121]</span></p> - -<p>“Well, I shall have nervous prostration -if we keep getting such jolts as this all day. -I shall be glad when it’s dark again.”</p> - -<p>The day seemed interminable to the boys, -for there was nothing to do, and they did -not dare even to step outside, for fear of being -seen. Raymond persisted in believing -that the tiny spy who had looked in at the -door would report their presence. There -was no alarm, however, as the day wore on, -and he was finally obliged to confess that -Sidney’s prediction was probably accurate, -and that the child had forgotten the incident -as soon as it was past.</p> - -<p>The varied noises of village life rose to -the lonely house and gave a pleasing sense -of neighborliness to the boys in spite of the -possibility of danger that the sounds suggested. -Three or four horsemen galloped -in, seemingly on the road by which the boys -had arrived. The sunlight glistened from -the bright metal trimmings of saddle and -bridle, and from the guns and the silver -cartridge cases which the men wore on their -coat fronts. If the arms had been omitted, -the long dark coats, with skirts that covered -the horses’ sides, and the black lamb’s wool<span class="pagenum">[122]</span> -caps worn by the men, would have made -them appear like a company of priests.</p> - -<p>“Gee! don’t I wish I had one of those -horses!” sighed Raymond. “It’s hard lines -for a Texan to have to go afoot.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Sidney, “we proved, that -winter in Mexico, that Texans can walk if -necessary.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but we never had such mountains -as those to cross.” And Raymond looked -distrustfully on the tremendous range that -rose above the horizon.</p> - -<p>“What bothers me most,” said Sidney, -“is the thought of cold weather and snow -over the summit. It must get pretty cold -up there a little later. We’ll have to do our -very best hiking as soon as we get out of -this place.”</p> - -<p>As afternoon advanced the boys became -so thirsty that hunger was forgotten and -they could not endure the thought of dry -food. The desire for water increased until -it amounted to torture. They paced restlessly -across the room, back and forth, in -absolute silence, with no heart for talk.</p> - -<p>“Sid,” asked Raymond, when the sun -had dropped behind the mountain at the<span class="pagenum">[123]</span> -back, and long shadows lay across the valley, -“how much longer will we have to -wait?”</p> - -<p>“Until it’s good and dark.”</p> - -<p>“But then we shan’t know where to get -water.”</p> - -<p>“It can’t be far to the mouth of the cañon -above the village, and we’re almost sure to -find water there.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see how I’m going to stand it, -Sid. I’d go back to the jail if I could have a -good drink.”</p> - -<p>“You see, Ray, it’s not just a question of -going back to the jail. We can’t tell what -they would do with us for killing the bandits. -I don’t know of any way we could prove we -did it in self-defense.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I almost wish that policeman would -find us; that would settle it.”</p> - -<p>“I’m surprised he hasn’t,” said Sidney, -“but I think he must have believed that we -went back to Timour Khan Shoura. And I -think, too, that he was trying to work a -little private graft of his own. I don’t believe -he reported that we got out. He probably -went back on the road to try to overtake -and rob us.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[124]</span></p> - -<p>“And here we’ve had to stay all day,” -growled Raymond, “with water in the -house right below us. I’ve a good mind to -go down there now and get a drink.” For -the thought of the possible water so near -was almost more than the boy could endure.</p> - -<p>“It won’t be long now, Ray,” said Sidney -encouragingly; “see, it’s almost dark down -in the valley now. You’ve been too fine the -last few days to give up just because you’re -thirsty.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s stop talking about it, Sid,” groaned -Raymond. “It makes me wild to think of -water.” And Raymond took up the endless -tramp again to wear away the time.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_125" class="pagenum">[125]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XI<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">WITHOUT WATER</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">At last the hour came when Sidney -judged it was dark enough for them -to venture out. He did not think it necessary -to wait until late at night, for as soon -as they could leave the house they would -climb a little way up the mountain and then -pass along the slope at some distance above -the village. Moreover, all the houses opened -toward the valley, and like their place of -refuge had no windows facing the mountain. -It seemed, then, that there would be -little danger of discovery as soon as it was -dark enough to prevent their being seen at a -distance.</p> - -<p>The boys rolled up their blankets and -disposed of their packs to the best advantage -for traveling, then left their shelter -with feverish haste in their longing to reach -water. The mountain along which they had -to pass was bare, as all southern slopes are -in Eastern and Central Daghestan. With -practically no growth of bushes, and with<span class="pagenum">[126]</span> -only broken rocks to retard them, their way -was not difficult, even in the dark, and they -made good progress.</p> - -<p>Sidney again proved himself to be a good -prophet, for their departure was not seen, -and no one appeared to stop them. They -stumbled along in the dark over the rocky -surface, and soon were beyond what seemed -to be the extreme limit of the village. However, -to insure security, they went half a -mile farther, and then descended to the -valley.</p> - -<p>At the foot of the mountain they encountered -a well-traveled trail, but as it was -plain that they had not yet reached the -lowest level of the valley, they decided to -continue a little farther on the same line in -the hope of finding water. So they went -straight forward and soon crossed the wash -of a stream, but alas! it was dry. They -thought it might be that it was only a tributary -wash and that they had not yet come -to the main stream, and they went on, only -to realize after a little that they were climbing -an ascent. That convinced them, with a -shock, that they had, indeed, crossed the -bottom of the valley without finding water.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[127]</span></p> - -<p>“What shall we do, Sid?” asked Raymond -with a tremble in his voice.</p> - -<p>“We must go back to the trail and follow -that up to the mountains. The stream -probably doesn’t flow much below the -mouth of the cañon, and when we get up -there we’ll find it.”</p> - -<p>“I hope so,” said Raymond, in a tone -that contradicted his words.</p> - -<p>They turned back on their course, crossed -the wash again, and climbing a gentle rise -reached the trail. Turning into that to the -left they plodded doggedly on. They had -encountered only one trail, and as that -was well traveled, they had assumed that it -must be the main road into the mountains, -therefore the one they wanted. So they -followed it without hesitation.</p> - -<p>As they proceeded they entered more directly -under the brow of the mountains and -the darkness increased. The trail was so well -defined, however, that they had no difficulty -in following it, even when they could -not really see the road they were traveling. -On and on they went, with only one thought, -to hurry forward, the sooner to reach water.</p> - -<p>The boys had eaten nothing since early in<span class="pagenum">[128]</span> -the day, for after they had become so thirsty -they could not endure the thought of dry -food. And they ate very little the day before -while in the jail, for even when there -was water to assist, the food they had was -very unpalatable. So their strength was -failing greatly, though they hardly realized -it, even unconsciously, and certainly did -not think about it, in their frenzy to reach -the mouth of the cañon where they expected -to find water.</p> - -<p>The two raced on at a speed which, under -ordinary conditions, and without the stimulus -of an overpowering desire, would have -soon exhausted them. They kept the trail -in the dark with the instinct that is shown -by animals, rather than by any exercise of -reason, and they paid no attention to its -direction so long as they were advancing, -as they supposed, to water. With the terrible -disappointment they had experienced -in finding a dry wash where they had expected -a stream, their desire for water had -increased so greatly as to be fairly consuming, -and left no room for any other -thought.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Sidney, who was in the lead,<span class="pagenum">[129]</span> -stopped short,—so suddenly in his swift -course that his brother plunged forcibly -against him. When Raymond had recovered -his balance he asked anxiously, in a -strained, unnatural voice,—</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter, Sid?”</p> - -<p>“See that trail!” replied Sidney.</p> - -<p>Raymond stooped and peered at the -ground in the darkness. The trail turned -back at a sharp angle and ascended in almost -the opposite direction, plainly the -first turn of a switchback that climbed the -mountain.</p> - -<p>“That means we’re on the wrong road,” -said Sidney. “I’m sure the road we want -doesn’t go up over the mountain like that, -and, anyway, we shan’t find water this -way.”</p> - -<p>“Then we’ll have to go back,” said Raymond -in a hopeless tone, “and hunt for another -trail.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a long way,” said Sidney doubtfully. -“I think we must have been tramping -fully two hours, and after we found another -trail we’d have to follow it up to water, -maybe two hours longer. I doubt if we are -equal to that.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[130]</span></p> - -<p>With the new disappointment, after the -great exertion that had preceded it, the -boys had nearly collapsed. Their legs gave -way under them and they sank to the -ground.</p> - -<p>“Sid!”—and there was a note of terror -in Raymond’s voice—“maybe this country -is like Lower California, and there is no -surface water.”</p> - -<p>“It can’t be; there are so many people -living here.”</p> - -<p>“But perhaps the people in the village -get all their water from wells.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so; I never thought of that; -maybe they do.”</p> - -<p>“I’m going back to the village, Sid, for -water.” And Raymond struggled to his -feet.</p> - -<p>“We must not do a foolish thing, Ray, -just because we feel desperate. If we go -back I don’t believe we’ll ever leave there -alive. I think there is water in the cañon -above the village, too, for you know there -was running water where we camped below.”</p> - -<p>Raymond hesitated, partly convinced by -his brother’s reasoning.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[131]</span></p> - -<p>“What do you propose to do?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“I think it’s too far to go back by the -trail,” replied Sidney, “and we can’t get -straight down the mountain in the dark. I -blame myself for not noticing that we -were climbing quite a grade, but that can’t -be helped now, and really, I could hardly -think of anything but water.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t think of anything else now. You -were not to blame, Sid, any more than I -was. We were simply frantic, both of us.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you think, Ray, that we could -stay here till daylight? That would be better -than to blunder around in the dark, and -wear ourselves out, and perhaps break our -arms and legs.”</p> - -<p>Raymond stood without replying, and -Sidney continued:—</p> - -<p>“We can leave here just as soon as it is -light enough to get down the mountain. -We can go straight down, then, and it probably -won’t be more than two or three miles. -And I believe we’ll find water when we get -there, Ray. It will be flowing in the mouth -of the cañon, if anywhere.”</p> - -<p>“Can you stay here till morning without -water, Sid?” asked Raymond finally.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[132]</span></p> - -<p>“I believe I can, because I think it’s the -only thing for us to do. It will be hard, I -admit. I would rather have a drink now -than anything else under Heaven.”</p> - -<p>Raymond threw his blankets down on the -ground and began to unroll them without -speaking.</p> - -<p>“Won’t you eat a little bread first, Ray?” -asked his brother.</p> - -<p>“No; I can’t eat.”</p> - -<p>“I think we ought to eat something, -though. If we don’t we’ll be so weak by -morning we shan’t be able to reach water. -If we chew the driest part of the bread very -thoroughly we can swallow it.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” said Raymond dully; “give -me a piece.”</p> - -<p>Sidney opened his knapsack, felt for the -driest piece of bread, and, breaking off the -driest portion of that, handed it to Raymond. -Then he selected a bit for himself -and they sat on their blankets and munched -the crusts. Even with the most faithful -chewing they found it difficult to swallow -the morsels, but they persevered and managed -to consume nearly all of the pieces -which Sidney had apportioned them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[133]</span></p> - -<p>Then they opened their blankets on the -smoothest bit of ground they could find in -the dark, and huddled down in them. Neither -boy felt like talking. The reclining -position was a relief, for their fatigue was -great, but the rest it brought was more a -sort of apathy than sleep.</p> - -<p>They had not been lying long when Raymond -began to mutter and talk unintelligibly -and frequently started up violently. -Sidney spoke to him at such times, but was -unable to attract his attention, so finally, -when the boy sprang up in such a frenzy, -Sidney would reach out and place his hand -soothingly on Raymond’s shoulder or his -hand, and that always quieted him.</p> - -<p>That occurred at such frequent intervals -that it seemed to Sidney as though it had -gone on forever, and would continue without -end. He would no more than settle -down in his blankets and sink into a delicious -stupor when Raymond would jump -up and cry out, and he would have to take -hold of him to quiet him. So it went with -almost mechanical regularity until Sidney -was dazed.</p> - -<p>But extreme exhaustion at length prevailed<span class="pagenum">[134]</span> -and both boys lay without moving. -That change took place so near morning that -when the boys had become quiet they did -not wake early as they intended. They did -not rouse at all until the sun shone hot upon -them, then Sidney opened his eyes. He -could not remember at first where he was. -His mouth felt queer and stiff and uncomfortably -full of something. He looked about, -vaguely at first, when his gaze rested on -Raymond and it all came back to him. He -remembered their flight in the dark from -the village, their having taken the wrong -road, and their failure to find water.</p> - -<p>The thought of water brought Sidney’s -mind back to his own condition and he realized -that the something which filled his -mouth so uncomfortably was his tongue, -which was badly swollen. That realization -made him get up as quickly as he was able. -He stood and looked down into the valley. -The trail which they had followed by mistake -had taken them along the side of the -mountain until they were directly above the -gorge that narrowed from the upper end of -the valley. Down there, glistening in the -sun, perhaps two miles away, Sidney saw a<span class="pagenum">[135]</span> -thread of water. At the sight he started to -plunge down the mountain to reach it, but -he had taken no more than two or three -steps when he remembered with a shock -that he was leaving his brother behind.</p> - -<p>With a crucial effort Sidney relinquished -the thought of prompt relief and turned -back and spoke to Raymond in a voice that -was thick and unmanageable, but received -no reply. Then he stooped and took hold of -him, but was obliged to shake him several -times before he roused.</p> - -<p>Raymond finally looked around and sat -up, but did not seem to comprehend what -was wanted. Sidney tried to explain that -there was water in sight, but his voice was -little more than a croak. At last he succeeded -in getting Raymond on his feet and -started with him down the mountain. Each -boy wore his knapsack still slung over his -shoulder, but their blankets and cloaks -they did not think about, and left lying on -the ground.</p> - -<p>It was a difficult task that Sidney had -before him. His own wits were so befuddled -by raging thirst that he could not think -clearly, and it was only by a supreme effort<span class="pagenum">[136]</span> -of the will that he could fix his mind on a -subject and keep it there. Two days and -nights only without water, but when his -mind tried to go back to that last drink in -the jail, it seemed as though half a lifetime -must have passed since.</p> - -<p>Raymond was able to help himself very -little; he could only stumble forward when -he was guided and supported by his brother. -In that way they proceeded slowly down -the mountain slope. Sidney had almost uncontrollable -impulses to desert his brother -and rush headlong down the hill to the water -which he knew was at its foot, but he -had a dim, undefined fear that if he did that -he would not get back to Raymond until it -was too late. So he stuck by his brother -and they went down together.</p> - -<p>Two miles is not far, and it was probably -not more than that from the place where -the boys slept, or rather where they passed -the night, on the mountain, down to the -bottom of the gorge. Moreover, the goal -was in plain view, and every step was down -hill. But to Sidney, who was nearly at the -point of collapse, and who was burdened -with his almost insensible brother, the distance<span class="pagenum">[137]</span> -over the rocky, broken ground seemed -interminable.</p> - -<p>The boys stumbled along, Sidney dragging -his brother and sometimes falling and -picking himself up with difficulty. Raymond, -too, frequently fell over rocks and -into holes, and was pulled up by his companion. -Each time that happened it became -increasingly difficult to put the boy on his -feet again.</p> - -<p>Hours, it seemed to Sidney, passed in the -endless struggle. Finally, however, they -reached a point where the descent became -abruptly much steeper, the last nearly a -perpendicular drop to the bottom of the -gorge. That was the hardest stretch of all. -Down that declivity Sidney went first, supporting -his brother’s weight on his shoulders. -It was but little better than carrying -an inert body, and the boy trembled with -the strain. But it came to an end, and with -his nearly inanimate burden he dropped on -the sand at the bottom of the cliff.</p> - -<p>Sidney lay there panting, his parched -nostrils unable properly to admit air to his -lungs, and his mouth and throat so swollen -and dry that but little aid was possible that<span class="pagenum">[138]</span> -way. For a few moments he nearly lost -consciousness; then came a remembrance of -the salvation that was so near, and he struggled -to his feet and staggered the few yards -to the little stream. Throwing himself on -the ground, with his scooped hand he dashed -water into his mouth and over his face.</p> - -<p>Oh, the blessed, indescribable relief that -moisture gave! But with the return of reason -that it brought came the memory of his -brother, and with an almost superhuman -effort of self-restraint, Sidney dipped up -water in his hat and went back to Raymond. -Kneeling by the unconscious boy’s side, he -plunged his hand into the water and dripped -the life-giving fluid into Raymond’s mouth -and over his face. Occasionally he allowed -himself the luxury of a sip, but he resolutely -refused to allow his own desire to interfere -with his ministry to his brother, until Raymond -began to stir and opened his eyes.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_139" class="pagenum">[139]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XII<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">RESTING</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">The return of the boys to anything like -a normal condition was very slow, -though Sidney had the courage and good -sense to parcel out the water, both to himself -and to Raymond. He allowed his -brother to take only a swallow or two at -intervals, and he restrained himself in the -same way. At first it required a self-control -that was almost beyond his strength, but as -they absorbed the restoring fluid their ravening, -consuming appetite decreased, and -it became a joy, instead of a tantalizing -torture, to sip the water slowly. Presently, -too, as their mouths and throats became -softened they were able to talk, if not with -ease, at least with little difficulty.</p> - -<p>“That was as near as I want to come to -passing in my checks, Sid,” said Raymond -as they lay on the sand below the cañon -wall.</p> - -<p>“Yes, it was quite close enough.”</p> - -<p>“I would have done it, too, if I had been<span class="pagenum">[140]</span> -alone. You must have just dragged me down -the mountain.”</p> - -<p>“You didn’t seem very anxious to come, -and that’s a fact.”</p> - -<p>“You know, Sid, I don’t remember a -thing after we lay down last night, but I had -the most delightful dreams.”</p> - -<p>“You didn’t act as though they were -delightful.”</p> - -<p>“Why, what did I do?”</p> - -<p>“You kept jumping up and calling out.”</p> - -<p>“And keeping you awake, I suppose.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, a little.”</p> - -<p>“Poor old Sid; you have a hard time getting -me through.”</p> - -<p>“But when it comes to gun play, then -you take care of us both.”</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s one thing I can do,—handle -a gun.”</p> - -<p>“I hope you’ll not have any more of it to -do, though.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think, Sid, that we are safe -here? I haven’t looked, but I should think -the trail that we missed last night must -pass through this gorge.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it does. I saw the tracks out there -in the sand.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[141]</span></p> - -<p>“I suppose it must be traveled occasionally.” -And Raymond stood up and looked -along the cañon wall. “That looks like a -little ravine coming in up there. Let’s see -if there isn’t some place that we can crawl -into for shelter.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I guess we’d better.” And Sidney -stood up and stretched stiffly. “We are certainly -too exposed here. But do you know, -Ray, I’m so lame and sore that I can hardly -move.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not very lame,—just tired, that’s -all; but then you worked harder than I -did.”</p> - -<p>The boys moved slowly along the sand to -the cleft in the cañon wall which Raymond -had indicated. They found a very narrow -chasm that had been cut through the rock -by the occasional torrential rains of centuries. -Its bottom, for some yards back, was -on a level with the sandy floor of the cañon -and was not more than ten feet wide. Overhead -the cleft was very irregular, in places -the two walls nearly coming together. Extending -back on the right side beneath the -overhanging rock was a sheltered space, -very like a small cave.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[142]</span></p> - -<p>“Gee! Sid,” exclaimed Raymond, “that’s -a fine place, and nobody can see us from the -cañon. But, jiminy! where are our blankets? -Did we leave them up on the mountain?”</p> - -<p>“I guess we did. I hadn’t thought of -them at all. But I don’t believe I can crawl -up there after them to-night; I feel too gone -for anything.”</p> - -<p>“No wonder you feel gone,” said Raymond; -“we haven’t eaten a thing to-day. -We’ve been so busy drinking since we got -down to the cañon that I had forgotten all -about grub.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t remember exactly,” said Sidney, -“but I don’t think there is much grub.”</p> - -<p>“Well, there’s some, anyway. You get -out what there is, Sid, and I’ll take the cup -and bring up some water. I feel as though I -should want to keep right on drinking forever.”</p> - -<p>It had been very late in the morning when -the boys roused from their night of stupor -on the side of the mountain, and then it had -taken a long time for Sidney to get himself -and his brother down to the bottom of the -cañon. After they had reached water they -were also a long time in getting back any<span class="pagenum">[143]</span> -semblance of strength, so when they retreated -to the little cave under the cañon -wall, it was nearly night and the sun had -already dropped back of the mountains.</p> - -<p>Sidney, when he examined the knapsacks, -found there was a moderate supply -of bread and cheese. The latter, with water -to remove the effect of its salty condition, -was extremely palatable, and the boys made -what they declared was a sumptuous supper.</p> - -<p>“Do you realize, Sid,” said Raymond, as -they lay on the sand munching bread and -cheese, and frequently sipping water, of -which they seemed never to be able to get -enough, “that we have eaten nothing for -twenty-four hours, and then only a little -bread in that deserted house, because we -had no water to wash it down? And we’ve -done some strenuous work since, too.”</p> - -<p>“We haven’t eaten much, but you know -we did eat a little bread up on the mountain -last night.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t remember eating any bread,” -declared Raymond.</p> - -<p>“Have you forgotten how I urged you to -eat something, and you finally took a dry -crust?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[144]</span></p> - -<p>“Yes; I don’t remember a thing about it. -But I do remember the dreams I had. I was -in swimming most of the time, and it was -always down in Mexico, in the Conchos -River. Gee, but it was fine!”</p> - -<p>“If it was so fine I don’t see why you -made such a rumpus.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose I was swimming hard, and -splashing around.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t observe much splashing. It was -a mighty dry swim.” And Sidney laughed -rather ruefully.</p> - -<p>“Do you know what the date is, Sid?”</p> - -<p>“No, I haven’t the least idea, and I don’t -believe I could figure it out, after all we -have done.”</p> - -<p>“Do you suppose it’s September yet?”</p> - -<p>“September,” repeated Sidney thoughtfully; -“maybe it is. I should think it might -be December.”</p> - -<p>The boys had by that time finished their -supper, and Sidney carefully packed away -the bread and cheese that was left. Then -they stretched out on the sand, beginning -to feel quite like themselves again.</p> - -<p>“I wish I knew where father is,” said -Sidney.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[145]</span></p> - -<p>“He may be back in New York by this -time.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t think he can be,” exclaimed -Sidney. Then, after a moment of reflection, -“Still, he may be, too. I hope he is.”</p> - -<p>“Are you sorry we started out the way we -did?” asked Raymond.</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t know,” replied Sidney. -“If we had known the Russian Government -was going to be so good to Americans, we -might have waited in Nizhni-Novgorod. -But we did what we thought was the best -thing.”</p> - -<p>“Gee! but that was a long time ago,” -said Raymond. “If we had only been able -to send a message to mother! She must -have had a tough time waiting in New York -after she knew about the war.”</p> - -<p>“Yes; I feel worse about that than anything -else.” And there was a suspicion of -moisture in Sidney’s eyes. “Poor mother! -I suppose we ought not to have insisted on -coming when she was so opposed to it.”</p> - -<p>“But who could have imagined there -would be such a war? Even mother thought -we should be safe from war over here. And -father wanted to come, too.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[146]</span></p> - -<p>“Well, father is about as much of a boy -as we are.”</p> - -<p>“This is the toughest proposition we were -ever up against, Sid.”</p> - -<p>“It certainly is, and after we are over the -mountains we don’t know what we’ll strike -on the other side.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe America will join in the war by -that time, and we’ll be arrested as spies.”</p> - -<p>“That couldn’t be,” said Sidney. “If -America goes in she’ll be on the side of England -and France and Russia. So I think -we’ll be safe till we reach the Black Sea; -then there’s no knowing what Turkey may -do to us.”</p> - -<p>“It would sure be a comfort to know -what’s going on.”</p> - -<p>As Raymond spoke, the boys heard -voices, and peering around the corner of -rock they saw two horsemen cantering down -the cañon.</p> - -<p>“I’m glad we had sense to hide,” said -Raymond, as they watched the men. “I -should think those fellows would swelter in -their long coats and those awful woolly -caps.”</p> - -<p>“I’m wondering,” said Sidney, “how<span class="pagenum">[147]</span> -much travel there is on that other trail. I -feel so much better now that I’ve a good -mind to go up after our blankets.”</p> - -<p>“It would be dark before you could -get there. We’d better wait till morning. -That’s probably only a wood trail and -there won’t be much travel over it.”</p> - -<p>“If it’s a wood trail,” suggested Sidney, -“somebody may start out after wood early -in the morning, or somebody may have -come down to-night, already.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if they’ve come down already,” -said Raymond, “we can’t do any good by -going up now.”</p> - -<p>“It’s not going to be very comfortable -here to-night without any blankets.” And -Sidney looked about them suggestively.</p> - -<p>“Oh, it won’t be so bad,” said Raymond; -“we can stretch out on the sand, and it’s -not cold.”</p> - -<p>The relief brought by food and drink -after their privation, and the delightful -peace of calm security after their strenuous -exertions, induced a languid drowsiness -that became sleep almost as soon as the -boys had lain down.</p> - -<p>A cold night wind came down off the high<span class="pagenum">[148]</span> -mountains and whistled and wailed through -the little ravine, but the boys in their cave -were out of its course, and its moaning, instead -of disturbing them, made them sleep -sounder. As they had gone to sleep, however, -with the closing-in of night, the long -hours before morning brought thorough -rest, and they were awake by break of day.</p> - -<p>Raymond proposed that they should go -up after their blankets before eating breakfast, -and so perhaps get ahead of any early -wood-chopper. The slope did not look so -long as it had seemed the night before, and -they were soon halfway up it. At that -height they could see the village from which -they had escaped, looking, from that distance, -like a collection of big rocks. And -they saw, too, coming on the trail which -they had taken in the dark, a man who was -driving a donkey ahead of him.</p> - -<p>“There’s our wood-chopper, Ray,” said -Sidney, “and he’s going to reach the blankets -ahead of us.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, he can’t get away with them, -and we can take care of one man all right.”</p> - -<p>Hurry as the boys might, the man with -the donkey arrived first. He was, apparently,<span class="pagenum">[149]</span> -ignorant that there was any one near -him, but the boys were sure that he must -have seen them on the bare slope. When he -came to the blankets he stopped and examined -them for a moment, then quickly gathering -them up, he threw them across the -donkey and started on.</p> - -<p>“Hold on, there!” shouted Raymond.</p> - -<p>The man, however, instead of stopping, -tried to whip his donkey to a swifter gait. -But the little animal was so used to traveling -at a walk that it could not be persuaded -to go faster, and the boys soon overhauled -them.</p> - -<p>Raymond ran up on one side of the donkey, -and taking hold of his head, stopped -him. <a id="Ref_149a" href="#Ref_149">The man, on the other side, drew a -wicked-looking knife</a> and reaching across -the animal’s back made a lunge at Raymond. -Sidney, who was a few steps behind, -saw the movement and cried a warning -to his brother, who leaped back in time -to avoid the thrust.</p> - -<div id="Ref_149" class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i148.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class="center"><a href="#Ref_149a">THE FELLOW DREW A WICKED LOOKING KNIFE</a></p></div> -</div> - -<p>“Oh, no, you don’t!” cried Raymond, -and whipping out his revolver he covered -the man with it.</p> - -<p>The fellow stood, without flinching,<span class="pagenum">[150]</span> -watching them with gleaming eyes while -Sidney removed the blankets and cloaks -from the donkey’s back.</p> - -<p>“Now, go on,” ordered Raymond, motioning -up the trail.</p> - -<p>The man sulkily took charge of his donkey, -and drove the animal along without -once looking back.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_151" class="pagenum">[151]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XIII<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THEIR FIRST GAME</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">“If we had waited for breakfast,” said -Sidney, as the boys stood watching the -mountaineer climb the switchback of the -trail, “we should have been minus our -blankets.”</p> - -<p>“Gracious! It makes me shiver just to -think of hiking over those mountains without -any blankets.” And Raymond gazed -off at the Caucasus, whose crests shone -white in the clear morning air.</p> - -<p>“And speaking of breakfast,” said Sidney, -as he made his blanket and cloak into -the usual roll for packing, “reminds me -that I’ll be quite ready for it when we get -down to the bottom.”</p> - -<p>“I wish there was a good breakfast ready -for us,” said Raymond, as they started down -the mountain. “I’m tired to death of that -everlasting dry bread.”</p> - -<p>“Dry bread, you know, is more hygienic -than fresh bread.”</p> - -<p>“It may be hygienic, but it’s not high<span class="pagenum">[152]</span> -living. I just long for something really -tasty, like quail or rabbit.”</p> - -<p>“Well, there are rabbits here. I saw one -this morning down in the cañon. Do you -think you could hit one with that revolver?”</p> - -<p>“Of course I could hit one! What’s the -matter with you?”</p> - -<p>“Then I hope we’ll see another.”</p> - -<p>The long night’s rest, after food and -drink, had made the boys feel so fine that -they already had little to remind them of -their trying experience of the previous two -days. They went down the mountain at a -swinging gait, and as they approached the -bottom, Raymond’s mind reverted with -longing to the subject of rabbit.</p> - -<p>“Sid,” he suggested, “if you’ll hang back -a little I’ll go on ahead and maybe I’ll see a -rabbit as we near the cañon.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” agreed Sidney. “You’d better -give me your blankets; you don’t want -to be bothered with them if you’re going to -shoot.”</p> - -<p>Raymond passed his blanket roll over to -Sidney, who sat down on a rock to give his -brother time to get ahead. The boy proceeded -cautiously down the slope with his<span class="pagenum">[153]</span> -revolver held ready, but rabbits were, apparently, -either very scarce or very shy, -for none appeared. He stopped on the brink -of the steeper descent just before the bottom, -and after pausing to make an examination -there, he turned and called out to Sidney -in a disgusted tone,—</p> - -<p>“No use, Sid; come on.”</p> - -<p>The boys clambered down the rocks and -trudged through the sand to their camping-place, -Raymond grumbling as they went.</p> - -<p>“Tough luck, I say, not to see hide or -hair of a rabbit, hungry as we are.”</p> - -<p>They reached the little ravine, and there, -just inside the entrance, sat a big gray rabbit!</p> - -<p>Raymond threw up his revolver, and -bringing it down, fired as it came to a level. -It was done in an instant, without apparent -preparation, and yet there on the sand with -the greater part of its head missing, lay the -rabbit.</p> - -<p>“You are certainly a crackerjack with -the gun, Ray,” exclaimed Sidney admiringly. -“If I had tried that I should have -blown the rabbit all to pieces, or else missed -him entirely.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[154]</span></p> - -<p>“It all depends on believing you’re going -to hit. And don’t hesitate; fire as soon as -you see your game through the sight.”</p> - -<p>“But you don’t sight at all, you just fire -regardless.”</p> - -<p>Raymond laughed. “Well, I guess it’s -instinct.”</p> - -<p>While Raymond was dressing the game -Sidney gathered an armful of bits of wood -and brush, and carrying the fuel up into the -little ravine, he built a fire in an angle where -it could not be seen from the cañon. He fed -the blaze until, by the time Raymond had -the rabbit cleaned and quartered, there was -a thick bed of coals. Then the boys sharpened -sticks and holding the pieces of meat -over the coals roasted them beautifully.</p> - -<p>The meal that followed, Raymond declared -was fit to be served on Olympus. It -would, perhaps, have been improved with a -little salt, for the boys had forgotten to supply -themselves with that desirable condiment. -But the delicious roast meat was so -much more savory than anything they had -eaten for days, and so much better than -they expected to have, that it seemed -absolutely perfect. Besides furnishing an<span class="pagenum">[155]</span> -ample breakfast, there was enough meat -left for another meal, and that they packed -in the knapsacks with the bread and cheese.</p> - -<p>By the time breakfast was concluded the -day was far advanced toward noon, and the -boys hastened on their way. The trail up -the cañon, though the bottom was very -sandy, was sufficiently plain to leave the -travelers in no doubt. After two or three -miles, too, where the cañon became narrow -and rocky, the trail turned to the right up -the mountain, and there, on the harder -ground, it was well beaten.</p> - -<p>To the inexperienced traveler it would -have seemed that the traffic must be very -considerable to maintain so well-defined a -road. The boys, however, were familiar -with a land of scanty rainfall and knew that -in such a dry region tracks are obliterated -very slowly. So they were not uneasy about -meeting people, for they knew that they -might possibly travel two or three days and -see no one. If they might only be allowed -to place a reasonably safe distance between -themselves and the village where they had -had such an unpleasant adventure, they -would rather meet people than not.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[156]</span></p> - -<p>The road plunged at once into difficult -mountains, more difficult than the boys had -ever seen before. They did not know that -the region is called the “Russian Alps,” -and that it furnishes scenery which is -grander and more magnificent than that in -the true Alps. The road would climb up out -of a cañon for two or three thousand feet by -a series of zigzags over a lofty divide, and -descend by another switchback into a similar -cañon on the other side. The cañons -were narrow, deep, and gloomy, and were -crowded so closely together that there was -absolutely no level ground between.</p> - -<p>From the summit of any high divide the -boys looked off both ways and saw only a -confused jumble of mountains and ravines, -picked out by occasional salient peaks. -Sometimes there was a descent of not more -than a mile in a direct line, and yet the road -was so tortuous that half a day of strenuous -walking was required to reach the bottom.</p> - -<p>On the sides of the cañons were perched -villages, curious collections of rough rock -houses, always above the bottom of the -cañon, and often far above, away out of -reach, except by an hour of hard climbing.<span class="pagenum">[157]</span> -As the boys advanced into the mountains -the villages were situated at greater heights, -and were more difficult of access.</p> - -<p>For many hundreds of years the great -Caucasian Range was a harbor of refuge -for oppressed people of various nationalities. -Greek and Roman deserters from the -armies of Alexander the Great and Pompey -fled to its fastnesses; Mongols found asylum -there, and Arabs, Jews, and later, Armenians. -All these peoples, to insure their security, -built their habitations in inaccessible -places. That they planned well was shown -by the way in which they held out against -both Turks and Persians. There is a saying -among the Persians, which has become a -proverb: “If the Shah becomes too proud, -let him make war with the highlanders of -Daghestan.”</p> - -<p>Though the boys walked as rapidly as -possible in their anxiety to get away from -the village where they had been imprisoned, -night came while they were still up on the -top of the first high divide which they had -climbed after leaving the cañon. Away behind, -and far below them, was the slope -where they knew the village lay, though at<span class="pagenum">[158]</span> -that distance they could not make out the -houses.</p> - -<p>The boys saw that they would be obliged -to pass the night on the summit, for while it -was still light where they were, down in the -cañon into which the trail descended it was -already dark. They looked about and found -a place where two or three great rocks -formed a protected angle, and there they -prepared to make their beds. That performance -was very simple, consisting only -of picking the loose stones from a space -large enough for them to lie down. Then -Sidney took their supper out of the knapsacks.</p> - -<p>“Yum! yum!” said Raymond, as he -watched his brother take out the food; -“won’t that rabbit be good, though!”</p> - -<p>Sidney paused and looked thoughtful for -a moment, then asked:—</p> - -<p>“Is there anything you would specially -like for supper, Ray?”</p> - -<p>“How about some caviare, like that we -had on the Volga steamer, and a cup of coffee; -yes, and a little butter.”</p> - -<p>“What would you say to a glass of water?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[159]</span></p> - -<p>Raymond looked thunderstruck. “For -Heaven’s sake, Sid! We haven’t any water, -have we?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t find any here.” And Sidney -peered into the knapsack.</p> - -<p>“What boneheads we are, Sid, and I was -hardly moistened through after that other -dry spell.” And Raymond groaned dismally.</p> - -<p>“Well, I must say,” said Sidney, “I -should think water would be the last thing -we’d forget now. We can’t get down to the -bottom of that cañon to-night, either, and -there’s not likely to be any water this side -of the bottom.” And Sidney looked down -into the deep gloom of the ravine at their -feet.</p> - -<p>“It’s a dry supper, that’s sure,” said -Raymond. “It’s a good thing that rabbit -has no salt.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, we’ll forget all about it once -we’re asleep, and we can hike down to the -next stream as soon as it’s light.” And Sidney -spread the meat, bread, and cheese out -on the ground before them.</p> - -<p>“No cheese for yours truly, thank you,” -said Raymond, “but I’ll take some meat -and bread, if you please.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[160]</span></p> - -<p>“I guess it would be wise to let the cheese -go by to-night,” agreed Sidney; “it’s a little -too salty for a dry lunch.”</p> - -<p>“There’s one thing sure, Sid; we’ve got -to scare up something to carry water in. -We may be caught like this often.”</p> - -<p>“Meantime, we’ll have to stop where -there is water, if we make only half a day.”</p> - -<p>The roast rabbit was savory enough to -assist the consumption of a little dry bread, -and the lack of water did not prevent the -boys from going to sleep almost as soon as -they lay down. Early to bed, the old jingle -truthfully says, is early to rise, and the boys -were awake before the sun had touched the -peaks around them, and while the cañons -were still in dense shadow.</p> - -<p>It required only a minute or two for the -travelers to roll up their blankets and start -on their hike down into the next ravine. At -its bottom was a little stream that seemed, -to the thirsty boys, to be flowing nectar.</p> - -<p>In the afternoon of that day they observed -a village, the first one, but as it was -perched up on the side of the ravine, and -they happened at that time to be in the -bottom, they passed stealthily, and thought<span class="pagenum">[161]</span> -themselves fortunate to get by. An hour or -two later, when they found that the trail -was leaving the cañon to climb another -mountain, they camped right there by the -stream, determined not to be surprised by -another dry camp.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_162" class="pagenum">[162]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XIV<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">LESGHIAN HOSPITALITY</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">The boys need not have been uneasy -about water, for as they advanced to -the main range every ravine was the bed of -a foaming torrent, and there were no more -dry camps. The trail crossed the streams by -bridges of curious construction. Sometimes -the bridge spanned a gorge high above the -stream, and sometimes it was thrown across -from banks that were near the water.</p> - -<p>To build the bridges logs were projected a -few feet from one side, being held in place -by an abutment of rocks which was built -about them and in which they were bedded. -Above those logs were laid other longer ones -which projected a few feet farther, and were -lashed to the lower ones by leather thongs, -secured at the inner end by the rock abutment. -That was repeated until from each -side extended a span so far out that finally -the intervening space could be covered by a -length of poles. Then a hand-rail was placed<span class="pagenum">[163]</span> -along each side, and the result was a rude -but stable and safe suspension bridge.</p> - -<p>The bridges were a never-failing source -of interest and wonder to the boys. Each -one that they crossed seemed quite as remarkable -as the first one had appeared, and -they always stopped to look in admiration. -Days afterward, in Batum, when they were -describing their mountain journey to an -English-speaking Russian, they were told -that in all the mountain region the building -of bridges was so difficult that the destruction -of one was punished by death.</p> - -<p>Raymond shot another rabbit, which -eked out their scanty stock of bread and -cheese for a couple of days. Then, as the -food was almost gone, they decided they -must stop at the first village they came to. -That they found situated high on a mountain-side. -Though they had sighted the -houses early in the afternoon, the climb up -to them was so steep and so long that night -was closing in when they arrived.</p> - -<p>That village, like the one from which they -had escaped, was built in terraces on a -mountain slope, but it was much steeper, -even, than the first village. The road went<span class="pagenum">[164]</span> -up in front of the lower tier of houses, where -were standing several men, who, apparently, -had been watching the boys’ approach.</p> - -<p>Sidney selected the most important-looking -of the group and tendered him their -passport, with an inquiry for accommodation -for the night. The man received the -paper, examined it curiously, and then -passed it on to another near him. It went -around the circle, and was the subject of -an animated conversation, coming back in -the end to Sidney, with, however, no intelligible -comment.</p> - -<p>“Can you tell us where we will find supper -and lodging?” Sidney asked.</p> - -<p>The man who had received the paper -looked mystified and replied in a tongue -that sounded to the boys different from -anything they had previously heard: as indeed -it was, for in the mountainous part of -Daghestan nearly every village has its own -dialect, there being about twenty different -languages spoken in that area.</p> - -<p>“It’s no use to talk to them, Sid,” said -Raymond; “they won’t understand a word -you say.”</p> - -<p>“I know they won’t, but I can’t just<span class="pagenum">[165]</span> -stand and stare at them. It’s much easier -to say something, even if they don’t understand.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll have to use pantomine, the way -Ramon used to with the Tarahumaras. -Let’s see what I can do.” And Raymond -made the motion of putting something into -his mouth, at the same time working his -jaws vigorously.</p> - -<p>The man laughed, as did all the others. -The number present had been increased by -many who were curious to see the strangers, -and laughter and joking remarks extended -through the crowd.</p> - -<p>Raymond’s face grew very red. “They -are easily amused,” he said sarcastically, -“but I’ll bet they understood what I -meant.”</p> - -<p>It was apparent that they did understand, -for the man who had been addressed beckoned -to the boys to follow him, and proceeded -to a near-by house. As they were -about to enter, something over the door -caught Raymond’s eye, and he stopped and -stared incredulously.</p> - -<p>“Goodness! Sid, look over the door!” he -exclaimed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[166]</span></p> - -<p>On the lintel were tacked the bony skeletons -of two human hands.</p> - -<p>“That looks pretty gruesome,” said Sidney; -“I wonder what it means.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose it’s a pleasant reminder of -some nice feud. We’d better not show too -much interest in it; they might not like -that.”</p> - -<p>The room that they entered had a floor -that was earth mixed with chopped straw -packed down hard and smooth. It was -quite dark, being lighted only by the door -and two small portholes of windows that -had neither sash nor glass. Supper, which -consisted of a kettle of stewed mutton, was -just ready, and was placed on the floor in -the center of the room. The family gathered -about the kettle, each person provided with -a sharp stick with which he fished out fragments -of meat. They also dipped pieces of -black bread in the broth, and soaked them -before they were eaten. The boys were -given sticks and helped themselves as the -others did, finding the stew extremely savory.</p> - -<p>When supper was finished there was the -sound of a fife outside, and the family all -got up and went out, followed by the boys.<span class="pagenum">[167]</span> -They found a large gathering of people, -with torches placed around on the buildings -for light. The fife was playing shrilly, -and as a drum began to mark time, a man -stepped out into a space that had been left -in the center. Then a woman from another -side joined him and they danced in a stately -fashion. The fife and the drum vied with -each other in the noise they made, and frequently, -as the couple danced, there was a -fusillade of pistol shots, fired by the spectators.</p> - -<p>Presently, when those dancers had become -weary, they retired and their places -were taken by others, who danced in the -same fashion, to the same accompaniment -of pistol shots added to the music of the fife -and drum. Besides the circle of people surrounding -the dancers, many others were -perched on the flat-topped roofs of the near-by -houses.</p> - -<p>It was well into the night before the dancing -ceased and the people scattered to their -homes. The boys went with their host, who -indicated some rugs on the floor where they -might spread their beds. The rugs were -fine, silky, and delightfully soft.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[168]</span></p> - -<p>“Gee! Sid,”—and Raymond stooped to -examine the beautiful rug before placing -his blankets on it,—“if mother was here -I’ll bet that rug would go with her when -she left, if she had to carry it herself.”</p> - -<p>“She’d just go wild over them, Ray. -They’re finer than anything she’s got.”</p> - -<p>“Heck! Sid, why can’t we buy one to -take home to her?”</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid it would be pretty heavy to -pack, with the load we’ve already got,” -said Sidney doubtfully. “I’d just love to -do it, though, it would please her so.”</p> - -<p>“We haven’t got much of a load, Sid, -and these rugs are not heavy, they’re so fine -and thin. And one would be as good as another -blanket. We ought to have more bedding, -anyway, as we go higher up.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ll see in the morning if we can -strike a bargain with that fellow. I’ve got -to get to sleep now, I’m dead tired. I’m -glad we don’t have a dance every night.”</p> - -<p>In the morning, when the boys had eaten -and wished to depart, Sidney took a piece -of bread, and opening their knapsacks, -showed that they contained no food, at the -same time holding the bread up inquiringly.<span class="pagenum">[169]</span> -Their host understood at once that they -wished to buy food, and brought two or -three loaves of black bread. Then Sidney -held four rubles out on his open hand, motioning -toward their beds to indicate that -he wished to include that accommodation -as well as the food. The man took two -rubles from the four, and bowed in assent.</p> - -<p>There still remained the rug which the -boys wished to buy, and Sidney picked up -the finer of the two pieces of carpet and -held it up, saying, “How much?”</p> - -<p>The man considered for a few moments, -and held a short consultation with his wife, -after which he extended his hands with the -fingers all open.</p> - -<p>“He means ten rubles, Sid,” said Raymond. -“That’s dirt cheap.”</p> - -<p>“It certainly is, and I guess we’d better -take it.” Whereupon Sidney nodded in -affirmation and took out his purse for the -money. “I hope I’ve got enough here without -going down under my clothes.”</p> - -<p>“If you haven’t, I have a few rubles in -my purse.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I have exactly ten rubles. When -we’re out on the trail, Ray, you must remind<span class="pagenum">[170]</span> -me to take some more money from my -secret stock.”</p> - -<p>“Now I’ll take your cloak, Sid,” said -Raymond, “and carry it with my cloak and -blanket. Then you take the rug with your -blanket, and that will be about even. Gee! -won’t mother be pleased with that rug! -And you certainly are a peach, Sid, with -sign language.”</p> - -<p>“I feel silly as can be when I try to talk -without saying anything. I wish we were in -Mexico, or some other place where we could -use Spanish.”</p> - -<p>When the boys started out they were -obliged to drop down to the bottom of the -cañon again to pick up the trail. Then began -the really difficult part of their mountain -journey. For several days they climbed -steep slopes by endless zigzags, or trod the -edges of dizzy precipices. The cañons were -deep, dark, and narrow, and occurred one -right after another, with no intervening -level ground. The boys were always either -straining forward to toil up a precipitous -ascent, or holding back to keep from pitching -down another. And always when they -opened their bed under some sheltering<span class="pagenum">[171]</span> -rock they were at a higher elevation than on -the previous night. That meant, as a general -thing, that each camp was colder than -the preceding one.</p> - -<p>The camps soon became very cold indeed, -and the boys were obliged each night -to seek a spot that was protected from the -biting winds that raced and surged from the -crests above. As soon as the sun was gone, -the cold air descended from the summits to -take the place of the layers that rose from -the rocks which had been warmed during -the day.</p> - -<p>The lower portions of the range had been -destitute of trees, but between that section -and the heights that were above the timber -line was a zone where a little timber grew. -When the boys reached that belt they also -ran into clouds and drizzling mists.</p> - -<p>One day the weather had been threatening -and damp, but not actually raining. -Toward night, however, the clouds thickened -and descended in genuine rain. The -boys saw that they would soon be soaked -through, their beds as well as their clothes. -That would mean a night of misery, so they -hunted for a spot that was sheltered from<span class="pagenum">[172]</span> -the storm. Fortune smiled on them, for almost -immediately Sidney, who had gone a -little to one side of the trail to examine a -ledge of rocks for possible shelter, called out -to his brother,—</p> - -<p>“Here’s a dandy place, Ray.”</p> - -<p>In the face of the ledge was a narrow fissure -which was just wide enough, with some -squeezing, to admit the boys. Once inside, -however, the opening proved to be a good-sized -cave. The ceiling was high enough -for the boys to stand upright, and there was -plenty of room for them to spread their beds -comfortably. Moreover, it was absolutely -dry, and there was a thick coating of fine -soil on the floor which would make a soft bed.</p> - -<p>“This is swell, Sid,” exclaimed Raymond, -when they were inside. “Jiminy! it’s good -to be out of the rain. Just see how it’s coming -down now.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied Sidney, “it’s raining so -hard that we shan’t be able to get any wood -for a fire.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, it’s warm in here, and we have -nothing to cook anyway. I think there’s a -little meat left, and there’s always that horrid -bread.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[173]</span></p> - -<p>Raymond had succeeded in keeping them -supplied with small game. The day before -he had shot two fine grouse, and there was -still some of that meat. The boys ate their -cold supper and spread their beds before it -became dark, then sat in the gloom talking. -Night fell rapidly, and with the heavy -downpour of rain it soon became very dark. -The boys were just about to roll up in their -blankets for the night when they heard -strange noises outside. There was a low, -muttered grumbling, mingled with a strange -whimpering.</p> - -<p>The boys sat breathless, listening intently. -At first they thought it must be -some large animal, though they had seen -no animals larger than rabbits. In a moment, -however, the voice whimpered complainingly, -and the boys thought it was -surely a person in distress. The storm was -turning colder, and the rain and sleet were -coming down in such volumes that any one -caught in it, perhaps insufficiently clothed, -would suffer greatly.</p> - -<p>Raymond was about to step to the opening -and call out that there was shelter near, -when the whimpering ceased and the growling<span class="pagenum">[174]</span> -began again, in a heavier, gruffer tone -than at first. It was plain that it could not -be a human being that made such noises, -and it seemed to the frightened boys that it -must be a very large animal.</p> - -<p>“What can it be, Sid?” whispered Raymond.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know, unless it’s a wolf. We’ve -read of the terrible Russian wolves.”</p> - -<p>“The animal that’s growling like that is -bigger than a wolf,” declared Raymond.</p> - -<p>“Then I hope it’s so big that it can’t -squeeze in here.”</p> - -<p>The growling and muttering continued, -and steadily drew nearer. The boys sat -shivering. The cave had grown much -colder, they thought, and their teeth chattered. -Suddenly the noises ceased and there -was a dreadful silence. The rain was still -pouring outside, with a steady roar on the -rocks, but the boys did not notice that, and -it seemed to them that all sounds had -stopped.</p> - -<p>Silently the two sat in suspense, wondering -what would happen, whether they would -suddenly be conscious of an animal in the -cave with them. Then they reflected that<span class="pagenum">[175]</span> -the entrance was so small that no large animal -could pass through, at least not quickly.</p> - -<p>They were gazing intently toward the -opening, though the darkness was so dense -that not even its outline could be distinguished. -As they sat, rigid, they realized -with a shock that they were looking at two -small balls of fire which must be just outside -the opening. The fiery globes remained -stationary, and colder shivers ran along the -boys’ spines.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_176" class="pagenum">[176]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XV<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">A BLOCKADE</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">When the boys saw the two glowing -spots of fire in the entrance to the -cave, for one sickening moment they imagined -that it was something supernatural. -They waited tensely for whatever fearful -development might follow.</p> - -<p>“What can it be, Sid?” And Raymond’s -voice trembled.</p> - -<p>“It’s beyond me. Is it outside, or in?”</p> - -<p>As they gazed, the glowing orbs rose -slowly to about the height of a man, where -they again remained stationary. There was -a rock wall a short distance in front of the -cave so that no sky-line could be visible -from the entrance. Consequently, in the -pitch darkness there was not the slightest -suggestion of a form that could be distinguished. -It was as though the luminous -points had raised independent of any -agency. But the fact of their rising to the -height at which they stopped suggested a<span class="pagenum">[177]</span> -possibility to Sidney, and he exclaimed -under his breath,—</p> - -<p>“It must be a bear, Ray, and he’s risen -to his hind legs.”</p> - -<p>“Gee! I believe it is, and those are his -eyes.”</p> - -<p>“But don’t shoot, you would only wound -him.”</p> - -<p>Sidney’s warning was too late, for as he -spoke Raymond fired. The glowing balls -wavered, rapidly disappearing and reappearing -several times, then became extinguished. -At the same time there was the -sound of scratching and straining, with -groaning and grunting. Then there was a -cough or two and all was quiet.</p> - -<p>The boys waited with their hearts in -their throats, expecting an attack from some -sort of formidable animal. But the silence -continued.</p> - -<p>“You certainly hit him, Ray,” said Sidney.</p> - -<p>“Yes, but why didn’t he drop?”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you didn’t kill him.”</p> - -<p>“Then why didn’t he run away, or attack -us? And why is he so still now?”</p> - -<p>“I give it up,” said Sidney. “I wish I -could see.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[178]</span></p> - -<p>“I’m going to strike a match,” declared -Raymond, “and find out what I did do.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Sidney, rather dubiously, “I -suppose that will do no harm. If he wants to -rush us he won’t wait for a light.”</p> - -<p>The match burned dimly and the boys -strained their eyes to solve the mystery -held by the darkness. Then the blaze flared -up brightly, and there, erect in the entrance, -loomed a huge bulk which the boys could -not see well enough to identify.</p> - -<p>Raymond smothered an exclamation when -he saw it, but before either of them could -determine what it was, the light died down -and they were again left in darkness.</p> - -<p>The monster had seemed to be just crowding -through the opening, which he completely -filled, and the apparition had appeared -so lifelike that the boys expected an -immediate onslaught. They were appalled -by the size of the intruder, and in their -cramped quarters only one result seemed -possible. Still there was no advance by the -strange animal, and the silence was still -profound.</p> - -<p>“If that is a bear,” whispered Sidney, -“why doesn’t he do something?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[179]</span></p> - -<p>“We might as well be killed as scared to -death in this way; I’m going to strike -another match.”</p> - -<p><a id="Ref_179a" href="#Ref_179">Raymond took a cautious step toward the -entrance</a> and lighted a match. The anxious -boys thought the blaze would never stop -sputtering and burn clear and bright. When -it did, Raymond held it up as close as he -dared and saw a great bear standing erect -on his hind legs, apparently wedged tightly -in the opening. The animal’s head lay over -to one side against the rock, and blood -dripped from the jaws.</p> - -<div id="Ref_179" class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i178.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class="center"><a href="#Ref_179a">RAYMOND TOOK A CAUTIOUS STEP TOWARD THE ENTRANCE</a></p></div> -</div> - -<p>“He’s dead!” exclaimed Raymond. “He -must have been just squeezing through -when I fired into his mouth and killed him, -and he was wedged in too tight to fall.”</p> - -<p>“For Heaven’s sake, Ray, think what -would have happened if you had done as I -said and not fired!”</p> - -<p>“Well, I did fire, and nothing happened. -But wasn’t that a lucky shot?”</p> - -<p>“You always do just what you want to -with a gun, Ray, whether it’s light or -dark.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, this was a chance shot, of course, for -I couldn’t see a thing but his eyes. It’s<span class="pagenum">[180]</span> -mighty strange that his eyes shone so when -it’s so dark.”</p> - -<p>“The rock at the back of the cave is -white,” said Sidney, “and it must reflect a -little light. He could probably see us, though -we couldn’t see him.”</p> - -<p>“I move we get to bed,” said Raymond; -“such scares make me awfully tired.”</p> - -<p>“And leave that fellow standing in the -door?”</p> - -<p>“Why not? He can’t hurt us now.”</p> - -<p>“No, I guess he’s past that. Well, I’m -tired, too, and I’ll beat you to bed.”</p> - -<p>In less than a minute the boys had pulled -off their shoes and crawled into their blankets, -and in another minute they were asleep. -Their excited, turbulent life of the previous -few weeks, and the great fatigue they underwent -at times, had put them in good -training to sleep promptly. An opportunity -was all they needed, and they immediately -became oblivious to all their worries.</p> - -<p>When the boys woke in the morning and -saw the light peering around the huge form -that was still jammed in the entrance, the -sight was rather startling. A moment’s reflection, -however, recalled the events of the<span class="pagenum">[181]</span> -previous evening, and alarm became curiosity. -They found that the bear would undoubtedly -have succeeded in passing the -entrance had he not been killed in the nick -of time. While his body was a tight fit in the -opening, it was really held upright, after the -fatal shot, mainly by projections of the unequal -rocky sides. He was, however, quite -as big as he had appeared in the dim -light.</p> - -<p>When Raymond fired, the bullet, as he -had surmised the night before, had entered -the bear’s mouth, which probably had been -open, and had, undoubtedly, penetrated the -brain, causing instant death. The boys -pushed and lifted on the carcass until they -succeeded in crowding it out sufficiently to -let it fall to the ground, where it lay just -outside the entrance.</p> - -<p>“Gee, but he’s a whopper!” exclaimed -Raymond, as they stood looking down at the -prostrate animal.</p> - -<p>“He would have made things lively for -us,” said Sidney, “if he had once got inside.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but he didn’t get inside, thanks to -this little pet of mine.” And Raymond -patted his revolver approvingly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[182]</span></p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you what, Ray; I’m going to -sharpen my knife on a rock and see if I can’t -cut out some steaks.”</p> - -<p>“That will be swell!” agreed Raymond.</p> - -<p>Sidney found it was not easy to put an -edge on a knife with only a piece of rock for -a whetstone. The beast’s hide, too, was extremely -tough. He finally, however, succeeded -in laying the skin back enough to cut -two or three fine steaks.</p> - -<p>The rain had ceased in the night, and -morning had come clear and cold. While -Sidney was struggling with the meat, Raymond -gathered wood and built a fire. By -the time the steaks were ready there was a -fine bed of coals to broil them, and the boys -were soon eating a savory breakfast.</p> - -<p>“It’s a shame to leave that fine pelt here,” -said Raymond, looking from the steak he -was consuming over to its source.</p> - -<p>“Yes, it is,” assented Sidney, “but, of -course, we can’t do anything with it. If we -had it in El Paso, though, it would pay a -passage home for both of us.”</p> - -<p>“I guess it would,” sighed Raymond; -“and to think we’ve got to let it lie here! -It’s the first bear I ever shot, too.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[183]</span></p> - -<p>“And you shot him blindfolded. I don’t -see how you managed to do it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I aimed just a little below his eyes. -I intended to shoot him in the head, but I’d -forgotten a bear’s snout is so pointed. If the -bullet hadn’t struck him in the mouth, just -by a chance, it wouldn’t have killed him.”</p> - -<p>“I wish father was here to have some of -this meat,” said Sidney; “you know he’s -awfully fond of bear steak.”</p> - -<p>“Gee!” exclaimed Raymond, “I wish we -knew where he is; it makes me homesick to -think about him.”</p> - -<p>“I guess mother will never let us go away -from home again,” said Sidney, “after we -get back this time.”</p> - -<p>“<em>If</em> we get back this time, you mean.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we’ll get back all right, Ray, and -don’t you forget it.”</p> - -<p>“I certainly shan’t, if we get there.”</p> - -<p>It had taken the boys a good while to prepare -the steaks and cook them, so by the -time they had finished their breakfast it was -later than they usually took the road. They -hurried off, therefore, with a last regretful -look at the fine skin which they were obliged -to leave behind.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[184]</span></p> - -<p>The elevation had been rapidly increasing -and the mountains had become rockier and -more precipitous. The sleet which fell the -night they were in the cave was the first -frozen rain they had encountered, but the -snow-covered heights had even before that -sometimes seemed very near.</p> - -<p>The night after the boys’ adventure with -the bear was very cold and they searched -for another cave, but unsuccessfully. They -found, however, a crevice in the rocks that -was large enough for them to crawl into. -They could not lie down, but they huddled -up close together in their blankets and were -warmer than they would have been outside.</p> - -<p>The next night the boys found shelter in -the mountain village of Bezheeta, which -perched at an elevation of about nine thousand -feet. The warmth of the rude stone -house in which they slept was very pleasant -after the exposure of the previous nights. -Bezheeta is at the foot of the ultimate great -ridge which forms the backbone of the -Caucasus Range. The snowy summits towered -some three thousand feet above the -village, and appeared to the weary boys an -almost insurmountable barrier.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[185]</span></p> - -<p>There was no dance that night as there had -been at the other village where they stopped. -The night air was too frosty for such an outdoor -function. Consequently the boys were -allowed to get to sleep early, and were up -correspondingly early in the morning. That -enabled them to start out on their last climb -long before the sun appeared over the mountain -crests.</p> - -<p>The trail went up the steep ascent by a -switchback which crossed, back and forth, -the bed of a foaming stream that came down -from a glacier above. At first the walking -was good, over hard rock, but presently -they reached snow, and tramped for a time -through half-frozen slush. That greatly increased -the effort necessary to climb the -steep trail. The boys slipped and slid, and it -sometimes seemed to them that they hardly -advanced at all. Their feet became soaked -and cold, and altogether they felt very miserable -and discouraged.</p> - -<p>Then gradually the slush underfoot became -firmer and changed to old snow that -was packed and frozen hard. Finally the -noise of the torrent ceased; that, too, was -frozen. Still, up, up, the boys toiled, their<span class="pagenum">[186]</span> -packs growing heavier and their breath -shorter.</p> - -<p>As the day advanced, clouds gathered -about the summits, and from these masses -snow-squalls swept down across the ravines -and ridges. Several of these surging gusts -enveloped the boys. At first the flurries of -snow were light and rather fun than otherwise, -but as the boys gained in altitude the -storms increased in density and in severity. -Finally, when one came they did not try to -breast it, but stopped, in the shelter of some -rock if possible, till it passed.</p> - -<p>Occasionally there was a heavy noise like -rolling thunder that echoed from cliff to cliff. -The boys thought it very strange that there -should be thunder with what was, in effect, -a midwinter storm. Also there was no -lightning, only the reverberating noise, but -they could think of no other cause, and accepted -the thunder theory as the only one.</p> - -<p>Then the perplexing question was solved -in a startling manner. The boys were toiling -up the steep side of a ravine, with the slopes -above them more nearly perpendicular than -where they were. A storm, which appeared -to be heavier than any previous one, passed<span class="pagenum">[187]</span> -along the mountain, extending beyond the -boys, and nearly smothering them in swirling -snow.</p> - -<p>When the gust had gone by, just as they -were able to see once more, there was a roar -directly above them. They looked up and -saw what appeared to be the whole mountain-side -sweeping down upon them.</p> - -<p>“It’s an avalanche, Ray!” cried Sidney; -“run to one side.”</p> - -<p>The boys ran back on the trail to the first -angle, then plunged off into the snow, -floundering along in frantic haste. They had -time, however, to take only a few steps -when the great mass of snow was upon them. -With it were carried rocks and brush, whatever -the torrent had been able to tear from -the mountain.</p> - -<p>When the boys saw that they could not -escape, and were about to be overwhelmed, -they seized hold of a small scrub tree that -was growing from a cleft in the rock, and -hung on for life.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_188" class="pagenum">[188]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVI<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">SNOWED UNDER</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">When the boys clung to the tree in -the direct path of the avalanche, -their action was the instinctive effort toward -self-preservation, for they did not really -hope it would save them. The mass of snow -that was advancing upon them appeared to -be carrying everything before it, and they -fully expected, in the moment they had for -thought, to be added to that accumulation -of débris.</p> - -<p>The great bulk, coming down with such -terrifying velocity, reached them and piled -over them, but not with the resistless force -they were braced to meet. The main body -of the avalanche passed with a roar just beyond, -and plunged into the cañon below. -The boys had paused in the edge of the torrent, -where its velocity was slight as compared -with that of the center. They crawled -out of the snow that covered them and -looked at each other with wide eyes.</p> - -<p>“I can’t think of anything that could be<span class="pagenum">[189]</span> -worse than an avalanche,” said Raymond as -he looked down at the smooth path left by -the cataclysm.</p> - -<p>“That was an awful moment,” said Sidney, -“just before it struck us.”</p> - -<p>“I know I was never so badly scared before. -Do you suppose they are always as -thick as they have been to-day?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think so. I think when there is a -storm that the snow drifting in places is the -weight that starts the slide.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I shan’t be easy a minute now,” -said Raymond, “till we’re at the top, and -that looks a long way off yet.”</p> - -<p>“I guess we’d better not fool away any -time,” said Sidney, “and we’ve got no trail -to start with.”</p> - -<p>The avalanche had descended diagonally -across the course of the trail, and had swept -away a long reach of it, leaving only a -smooth stretch of snow, with rocks sticking -up here and there. The portion of the trail -that was left intact was visible away up on -the mountain, and the boys started for it, -across the expanse of trackless snow. They -were obliged to go very carefully to prevent -slipping and sliding down the smooth incline.<span class="pagenum">[190]</span> -Their progress, therefore, seemed to -them distressingly slow, but they plodded -on persistently in their great desire to reach -the summit. Both were filled with a dread -of being caught in another avalanche, an -encounter that might not result so fortunately -as the first one had done.</p> - -<p>At last the boys reached the unbroken -trail across the path of the avalanche. While -the road there had not been disturbed by -the slide, the storms that were increasing -with the increase of height had nearly buried -it in snow. Sometimes for many yards it -was entirely obliterated, and there the progress -of the travelers was still more painful -and slow. In such places they struggled -through the soft snow, at times sinking to -the waist before striking the hard old snow -beneath.</p> - -<p>It was only by the utmost care and the -closest attention that the boys were able to -keep the course of the trail. Frequently they -lost it for a time, and then had to stop and -hunt carefully to find it again. They were -in constant terror lest they drop into some -unsuspected gulch, or slip over the concealed -edge of a ravine. It was a heart-breaking<span class="pagenum">[191]</span> -struggle and a slow one, and as they -toiled upward the difficulties increased.</p> - -<p>Snow-squalls continued to sweep down -from the summits and along the slopes, -swirling about the laboring boys and blinding -them with the fine particles. At such -times they were obliged to stand still and -wait for the fury of the gust to pass. Then -they reached the glacier, which, early in the -day, they had seen above them. The trail -went up to the terminal moraine of the -glacier and disappeared, but the boys assumed -that it passed over the mass of broken -rocks to the ice. So they climbed over the -débris and up to the surface of the glacier, -which at that point was not very high. They -proceeded cautiously over the ice, until suddenly -they came to the edge of a crevice. So -unexpectedly, indeed, that Raymond nearly -plunged into it, and was only saved by Sidney, -who grasped him and threw him back -on the ice.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Raymond with a long breath, -as he rose to his feet; “that might be as bad -as an avalanche.”</p> - -<p>“If you went down into it,” said Sidney, -“you would probably not have a very soft<span class="pagenum">[192]</span> -fall. We must have missed the road. I don’t -believe it comes up over a place like this.”</p> - -<p>“No, it can’t. We’ll have to go back and -hunt for it. Jiminy! If we went over that -ice-field we’d run across polar bears next -time.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve had enough bear for this trip,” declared -Sidney, as they turned back on their -tracks. “It’s a shame to lose this time, and -we’ve got to hustle to reach the top before -night.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe we can do it, Sid; I’m -about played out now.”</p> - -<p>“We’ve simply got to do it. Let me carry -your blankets for a while, Ray.”</p> - -<p>“Not much! I’ll carry them myself.”</p> - -<p>The boys, on arriving again at the moraine, -after some search found that the trail turned -to the right, but was covered with fresh -snow, which was the cause of their missing -it. It followed along the side of the glacier -for a distance, and then over the ridge into a -smaller ravine that was not filled with ice.</p> - -<p>While the next ravine was not the bed of a -glacier, it contained very much more snow. -At the height to which the boys had reached -by that time the storms during the day had<span class="pagenum">[193]</span> -been more frequent and more severe, consequently -there was a great deal of fresh -snow, which made traveling very much -more difficult.</p> - -<p>At first the trail climbed along well up on -the left side of the ravine, and in that exposed -position it was not filled uniformly -with soft snow. In places the snow had -failed to lodge, or had been swept away by -eddying gusts, and those places came with -sufficient frequency to mark the road for the -travelers.</p> - -<p>So, usually, while the boys were floundering -through a deep deposit of fresh snow, -they were able to see, ahead of them, the trail -where it passed over the old hard snow of -former years. In that way they were enabled -to keep the general direction of the -road, though they were sometimes off it, in -deeper snow than ever. At such times when -they left the trail, they frequently plunged -down into soft snow that was above their -waists, and were obliged to make a desperate -effort to get back on the hard foundation.</p> - -<p>Such traveling would have been sufficiently -difficult if the boys had been unencumbered, -and with the packs they were<span class="pagenum">[194]</span> -carrying it was extremely exhausting. Once -or twice, when Raymond stepped off into -loose snow, he was obliged to wait for Sidney’s -help before he could get back. Sometimes, -when the boys sank down in that way, -they would loosen their blanket rolls, and -throw them up, thus being enabled to crawl -out without help.</p> - -<p>All that occupied much time, besides taking -the strength of the struggling boys, and -the sun sank behind the western peaks and -they were still not out of that cañon. Then, -too, as they constantly climbed to higher -elevations, and the trail approached the -upper end of the ravine, it was less exposed -to the wind and was more evenly covered -with snow. So, finally, the boys labored -through deep snow without any intervals of -good road, and could only with difficulty -keep the trail at all.</p> - -<p>For what seemed to the boys hours they -toiled on and up, without conversation, except -when one of them briefly requested aid -from the other. All their breath was needed -for the work they were doing, with none left -for talk. Sidney was a little taller than his -brother, and in deep snow that gave him<span class="pagenum">[195]</span> -great advantage. Then, being older, he was -more solid and more closely knit, consequently -he possessed greater endurance. So -it was generally his lot to pull Raymond out -of holes.</p> - -<p>When they missed the road and got up -on the glacier by mistake, Raymond had -thought he was not equal to much more, but -with pure nerve he kept to the work, and for -a long time said nothing more about being -tired. At first the fear of another avalanche -had been an incentive to keep forging ahead. -As they ascended, however, and neared the -summit of the range, they gradually rose -level with, or above, the overhanging cliffs -from which snow-slides were likely to start, -and were relieved of that fear.</p> - -<p>But there may be a limit to the endurance -of even a gritty boy, and Raymond began to -feel that he was really at the end of his rope. -The day had been extremely arduous, and it -had been preceded by many days of hard -work, with barely a sufficiency of food. The -boy finally stopped, standing in the deep -snow, and gazed up at the summit above -them.</p> - -<p>The snow-squalls had ceased and the<span class="pagenum">[196]</span> -clouds had cleared away. The sun, which -was out of sight behind the western peaks, -still shone on the crests, and turned all -their white covering to a glorious rosy pink. -That beauty was lost on Raymond, however, -for all he could think of was the distance -that remained. It was not far,—indeed, it -seemed very near,—but every step was -through deep snow, and all vestige of a trail -had disappeared.</p> - -<p>“Sid!” called Raymond to his brother, -who was a few steps ahead, and his voice -hardly carried the short distance.</p> - -<p>Sidney stopped and looked back.</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe I can go any farther, Sid.”</p> - -<p>“But we can’t stop here, Ray.”</p> - -<p>“I know; I suppose if I stop it will be for -good. You go on without me, Sid. You can -make it alone, and there is no use in both of -us failing.”</p> - -<p>Sidney returned to his brother, and was -alarmed by the pallor of the boy’s face.</p> - -<p>“Give me your blankets, Ray,” he said; -“I ought to have taken them before.”</p> - -<p>“You can’t carry mine and your own too.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, I can, easily.” And Sidney detached -the blanket roll from the shoulder of<span class="pagenum">[197]</span> -the unresisting boy. “Now, see, Ray, it’s -only a little bit farther; don’t you think you -can get up without anything to carry?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll try; maybe I can.”</p> - -<p>Raymond took one or two struggling, uncertain -steps in the deep snow and stopped -again.</p> - -<p>“Here, Ray,” said Sidney, when he saw -how exhausted his brother was; “take hold -of the end of this blanket roll and pull just -as hard as you want to. That will help you -along.”</p> - -<p>Raymond did as directed, taking hold of -the roll which was slung over Sidney’s -shoulder, and again they started. They took -two or three steps when Sidney felt the -weight released from his shoulder. He -looked back and saw that Raymond had -sunk down in the snow.</p> - -<p>“Ray!” he said, but there was no response.</p> - -<p>He stooped and raised Raymond’s head. -The boy’s face was very white and his eyes -were closed.</p> - -<p>“Ray! Ray!” called Sidney beseechingly, -but Raymond did not hear, and when Sidney -released his head it dropped forward on -his chest.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[198]</span></p> - -<p>Sidney stood up and looked about him in -a panic. The setting sun still illumined the -summit that was so short a distance above -him. But everywhere between was deep -snow and no trail. If there were only a trail, -Sidney thought, he would take Raymond on -his back and carry him to the top. It would -be like a labor of Hercules, but he believed -he could do it. Without a trail, however, -and with deep snow to walk through, such a -thing was plainly impossible.</p> - -<p>He looked down on Raymond, who lay in -the snow just as he had dropped, and realized -that if he did not do something promptly -the fainting boy would become so cold that -nothing could revive him. And yet, what -could he do? They had gone far above the -timber-line, and there was not a shrub or -tree in sight, nothing to make a fire for -warmth. And there was, apparently, no -refuge from the snow that covered all the -rocks, the snow that was likely to freeze -them both. That, then, would be the end of -their desperate attempt to reach home, and -their mother, who was waiting in New York, -and their father in a Russian prison, would -never know what had become of them.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_199" class="pagenum">[199]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVII<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">AN ARCTIC CAMP</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">When Sidney looked around and -saw only a desolate Arctic waste, -with no haven from the bleak exposure, his -strength and courage suddenly went from -him and he sank down in the snow by his -brother’s side. The piercing cold remorselessly -bit through his clothes and sucked all -his vitality. But as he crouched in the snow, -the relief of repose was so great that he -thought, languidly, he would rest there with -Raymond, and escape the terrific struggle for -a time. He was rapidly becoming numbed -by the cold, and was lapsing into a somnolent -state that felt neither inconvenience -nor pain.</p> - -<p>Then, with a mental wrench, Sidney’s -thoughts reverted to his brother’s condition, -and he remembered that when Raymond -fell he had determined that he must do -something immediately to restore him. That -thought gave to his brain the fillip that was -necessary to set his mind at work again, and<span class="pagenum">[200]</span> -he struggled to his feet and looked around at -Raymond. The sight of the boy, huddled -helplessly in the snow, brought a complete -realization of their peril, and he became once -more alert. By stamping his feet and threshing -his arms he restored a tingling circulation, -and began to feel equal to further -effort.</p> - -<p>When Sidney examined his surroundings -more carefully than he had done in his first -fright, he saw, not far away, a break in a -snowy cliff. What had before appeared to -be only a bit of rock exposed through the -snow seemed then to promise a space back -of the white mantle. With careful steps he -waded over to the spot, and found, to his -joy, that there was really a shelter ready -for them. A shelving cliff projected a few -feet beyond its base, and that projection had -prevented the snow from drifting in quite to -the rock at the bottom. There was a space -of bare ground some three or four feet wide, -and, what was more important, there were -small shrubs growing all along at the base of -the cliff.</p> - -<p>With a renewal of energy Sidney returned -to his brother, taking care to step in the<span class="pagenum">[201]</span> -tracks he had made when going to the cliff. -By so doing he packed the snow to some extent -and made a semblance of a trail. Raymond -had not stirred, and Sidney thought, -with a pang, that without effective aid he -probably never would stir again. He picked -the unconscious boy up, and holding him -across one shoulder, retraced his steps to the -cliff.</p> - -<p>Sidney laid his brother down on the bare -ground close to the rock wall, and then, -without waiting to revive him, he hurried to -collect fuel before it should become quite -dark. Fortunately, while the shrubs at the -base of the cliff appeared small, they had -been growing for many years and there was -more dead wood than green. Gathering -armfuls of the small dead branches Sidney -built a fire at the edge of the snow in front of -where Raymond lay.</p> - -<p>How grateful was the warmth that was -thrown back from the rocks of the cliff! The -ruddy fire, reflected brilliantly from the -glistening snow that covered everything, -changed the appearance of cold, which had -been so depressing but a few moments before, -to a seeming of cheer and hope. Even<span class="pagenum">[202]</span> -the sight of Raymond, lying so still between -the fire and the cliff, seemed less dreadful.</p> - -<p>As soon as the fire was established, Sidney -placed a supply of fuel within reach, and -then turned his attention to Raymond. -Opening the blankets, and spreading the -warm Daghestan rug on the ground, he -stretched his brother on that. Then he -took off Raymond’s shoes and stockings, -and after briskly chafing his ice-cold feet, -wrapped them in a blanket and chafed his -hands and wrists. Alternately rubbing the -boy’s feet and hands, he worked assiduously -until a slight degree of warmth began to be -manifest.</p> - -<p>Sidney kept the fire replenished, maintaining -a constant brisk though small -blaze. In the restricted quarters the heat -was given back from wall and sloping ceiling -until it was almost like a warm room. Sidney’s -own exertions, quite independent of -the fire, put his whole body in a most agreeable -glow, but he was becoming fatigued -and hungry almost to the limit of endurance. -Finally, as he had used his entire stock of -fuel, he went along the base of the cliff to -search for more, first covering Raymond<span class="pagenum">[203]</span> -with the blankets. As he returned with an -armful of sticks he saw that his brother’s -eyes were open.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Ray,” he cried cheerily; “how’s -this for a camp!”</p> - -<p>Raymond smiled faintly and whispered, -“Gee, but I’m tired!”</p> - -<p>“You have a right to be tired,” said Sidney, -“and there’s nothing to do now but -rest.”</p> - -<p>“It’s fine to have nothing to do,” said -Raymond from his bed.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t it?” responded Sidney, though at -the time he was so tired he could hardly -stand.</p> - -<p>“I think now,” he continued, “I’ll sit -down and have some supper. Don’t you -want something to eat, Ray?”</p> - -<p>“I’m too tired to eat, and too warm to -move, but you go ahead, I’ll eat something -after a while.”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad you’re warm, Ray,” said Sidney -as he opened a knapsack and took out -some food, “for you certainly were not an -hour ago.”</p> - -<p>Raymond lay quiet, as if thinking, for a -moment, then he raised himself on his elbow.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[204]</span></p> - -<p>“Heck! Sid,” he exclaimed; “did you -bring me in here? I remember now I was -out in the snow, and thought I couldn’t go -any farther.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and you were a mighty heavy tug. -It was lucky you gave out when you did, -though, Ray, within reach of this fine place.”</p> - -<p>“You certainly are a trump, Sid; you always -pull me through.”</p> - -<p>“Well, now you’d better have some supper; -I know you’re hungry.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I am hungry, and seeing you eat -makes me hungrier. Jiminy! Wouldn’t it -be swell to have some hot coffee?”</p> - -<p>“It would that,” replied Sidney. “But -never mind, we’ll get where there’s coffee -before long.”</p> - -<p>At Bezheeta they had obtained bread and -a little cheese, the latter being a great treat, -for they had been some days without any. -The bear steaks had been consumed before -they reached the village. They sat on their -blankets back of the little fire and ate the -bread and cheese with great relish. For -drink, of which they did not care for much, -they melted fresh snow in the cup.</p> - -<p>As the boys sat munching their supper<span class="pagenum">[205]</span> -they looked out on a very Arctic landscape. -They were at the upper end of the ravine -they had been following up, and only a short -distance from the summit, with an outlook -that would, in daylight, embrace many -miles of the north side of the range. The sky -had cleared after the storms of the day, and -a full moon, just above the crests in the east, -flooded with a soft light the rocky cliffs and -ravines that were rounded with their covering -of white.</p> - -<p>The overhanging cliff which formed the -boys’ shelter was draped from its upper edge -with frozen snow, which even hung down in -front and gave the appearance of an ice -grotto. The only relief from the prevailing -white radiance was afforded by the bare rock -of the cliff at the back. Even that was -picked out in ruddy lights reflected from -the fire.</p> - -<p>That fire was the saving feature of the -whole scene. Outside, the prospect was one -of Arctic desolation, but inside, the impression -given by the cheerful blaze was one of -comfort and warmth.</p> - -<p>The boys soon imbibed the cheer of their -immediate surroundings, and were promptly<span class="pagenum">[206]</span> -fortified by their supper. Both of them had -been exhausted as much by hunger as by -hard work. Not until they were lying at -their ease by the fire, and felt the rest that -is given by food, did they realize that they -had eaten nothing since they left Bezheeta -in the morning. The cold and bleakness of -the road had not invited lunches. The wonder -was that they had not given out before -they did.</p> - -<p>“Wasn’t the trail covered up entirely -before we stopped, Sid?” asked Raymond -after they had finished their supper and lay -in the warmth.</p> - -<p>“Yes, there wasn’t a foot of it left.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think we can get up to the top -without any road?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I think so. It isn’t far, and it will -look mighty near in the morning.”</p> - -<p>“But the snow is pretty deep,” said Raymond, -“and we’ll have to do some tall wading. -And suppose we drop into a hidden -gulch?”</p> - -<p>“I think,” said Sidney, “that if we can -get up to the ridge back of this cliff we can -follow that up and the snow won’t be so -deep.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[207]</span></p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t want to be a croaker, Sid, -but what shall we do if we can’t find the -road down the other side?”</p> - -<p>“I think when we get to the top that we’ll -find there is no snow on the other side, or -maybe just a little near the summit. It’s -too early in the season for the snow to go -very far down the south side of the range.”</p> - -<p>“I hadn’t thought of that,” said Raymond. -“That will be fine; I’m tired of -snow.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll make quick time,” said Sidney, -“down the south side. As I remember the -map it’s a very short slope, compared with -this side.”</p> - -<p>“Gee!” said Raymond, “I’ll be glad of -that. I want to get where I can eat a square -meal and have all the coffee I want. We -haven’t had a smell of coffee since we left -Petrovsk.”</p> - -<p>“I hope, when we reach Tiflis,” said Sidney, -“that we can send a cable to mother. I -don’t know whether everything around the -Black Sea will be all war or not.”</p> - -<p>“There’s one sure thing,” said Raymond; -“Russia can’t send any troops over these -mountains.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[208]</span></p> - -<p>“Not by this trail, I guess,” said Sidney -with a laugh, “but she can send them up -through the Dariel Pass. You know they -told us at Petrovsk that troops were going -north that way then.”</p> - -<p>“That was ages ago,” said Raymond. -“The war may have been ended long before -now.”</p> - -<p>“It does seem a long time.” And Sidney -sighed wearily as he thought of the work -back of them. “I hope the war is over. I -wish we knew.”</p> - -<p>The weather, after the skies cleared, had -turned cold very rapidly, and the night that -followed was very frosty, but the boys, in -what they called their house, were snug as -could be. The cliff served not only as a wall, -but as a roof, and with the fire in the “doorway,” -they were well protected. To be sure, -the fire did not burn all night, but they kept -it up until they were ready to crawl between -their blankets. Then they doubled up their -beds and slept close together, and though -the night was the coldest in all their camping -experience, they did not suffer.</p> - -<p>In the morning it was a short task to -build a brisk fire with the stock of dry sticks<span class="pagenum">[209]</span> -they had left overnight. Indeed, the fire was -more cheerful than the breakfast, for with -a temperature that must have been hovering -near the zero mark, a cold, dry meal was -not very satisfying. Raymond sighed again -for hot coffee, and declared that if he ever -took such a journey again he would carry a -coffee-pot, whatever else he left behind.</p> - -<p>The boys really felt very little effect from -the terrible exposure and fatigue of the previous -day. A night’s warm rest, and food -that was sufficient in quantity, however unpalatable -in quality, had restored them -completely. They started out, therefore, -with renewed courage, and, as Sidney had -predicted, the summit in the morning light -seemed very near, as though it were not -more than a few hundred yards away.</p> - -<p>The boys first sought a place where they -might climb to the top of the cliff back of -their camp, and having gained that, found -they were on a ridge that led directly to the -summit. Even then, however, it was not an -easy climb. The snow, while not so deep as -it had been in the ravine, was still too deep -for good traveling. The more recently fallen -snow had been packed just enough to make<span class="pagenum">[210]</span> -it resist a little when they stepped on it, and -yet not enough to allow it to support their -weight. That made very heavy walking.</p> - -<p>Over that yielding surface the boys -plodded slowly but steadily, and with good -cheer. The air was still and the sun shone -clear and warm. It was a day very different -from the previous one of storms. When they -stepped into a depression and were buried -to the waist, they did not mind it, but -laughed and struggled out.</p> - -<p>In that way, slowly but surely, they won -toward the summit. As they neared the -goal their impatience increased until they -were ploughing through the snow with -breathless haste, panting and puffing with -the effort. Then, finally, they stood on the -topmost point, and simultaneously their -caps flew into the air, and they gave three -rousing cheers and a tiger.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_211" class="pagenum">[211]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVIII<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">FROM MIDWINTER TO MIDSUMMER</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">For two or three weeks Sidney and -Raymond had had their gaze and -their hopes fixed on the summit of the Caucasus, -a soaring line that neared them, oh, -so slowly! They had toiled up, up, with -alternating courage and despondency. At -times the tremendous chasms which they -had been obliged to cross had given them -the disagreeable impression that they were -climbing for the sole purpose of descending -again. Always, however, when at the end -of a couple of days they took definite note -of results, they found there had been an -appreciable increase of elevation added to -their credit.</p> - -<p>Sometimes they looked back and down on -the vicinity of a previous camp with such a -feeling of height gained that they were -elated. And again a day passed with hardly -any perceptible accomplishment. When, -therefore, they finally actually stood on the -summit, their delight was boundless. They<span class="pagenum">[212]</span> -shouted and jumped and capered on the -lonely crest as though they had taken leave -of their senses. One would have supposed -that their journey was finished and all the -hard work was done. To the casual observer, -though, there would have seemed to be still -something left.</p> - -<p>The boys were standing on old, hardened -snow that had undoubtedly been in place -for many years, and that was pierced only -occasionally by rocks so gray as to be hardly -distinguishable from the dingy snow itself.</p> - -<p>Back of them, by the route on which they -had come through Daghestan, the immediate -slopes were densely covered with snow, -but beyond, only the high elevations were -clothed in their first white robe of early fall. -The prospect that way was Arctic and forbidding.</p> - -<p>In front of them, how different! At their -feet,—more than two miles of perpendicular -descent below them,—lay the great -valley of Georgia. It was crossed and -marked by scores of thread-like, glistening -lines, the streams and canals that carried -water over its fields and meadows. All was -glowing and smiling in the tints of summer,<span class="pagenum">[213]</span> -where even autumn, much less winter, had -not yet approached.</p> - -<p>In the checkerboard of cultivated country -there were squares of dark, rich green that -indicated orange groves, and other divisions -of ashy green that proclaimed orchards of -olive trees. It was a glorious and beautiful -scene, and was like a fairy transformation -after the barren ranges and desolate slopes -of Daghestan.</p> - -<p>Beyond that brilliant valley, as though to -remind the beholder that all to the south -was not soft and warm, towered the snow-capped -mountains of Armenia. In the west, -across a jumble of mountains that rose at -the upper end of the Georgian valley, the -boys saw a hazy line which they were sure -must be the Black Sea, and their hearts -throbbed faster as they looked.</p> - -<p>The travelers were viewing the wonderful -panorama from a height of fully twelve -thousand feet, and only in the western portions -of the range were points that were -higher. To the east the range dropped much -lower, and when the boys turned that way -they saw, off on the dim horizon, a level line -that was, without doubt, the Caspian.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[214]</span></p> - -<p>“Gee! Sid,” exclaimed Raymond as they -gazed in wonder, “I thought I had been on -mountains before, but this beats everything.”</p> - -<p>“And such a difference!—the dead of -winter on one side, and the middle of summer -on the other.”</p> - -<p>“No wonder we were cold back there,” -said Raymond, as he looked over the snowy -wastes through which they had passed. “But, -jiminy, won’t I be glad to get down on that -side!” And he turned with longing to the -warmth and beauty of the south.</p> - -<p>“It will be a short job to get down,” said -Sidney; “it’s almost a straight drop.”</p> - -<p>“How about the trail?” suggested Raymond; -“there certainly is none in sight here.”</p> - -<p>When the boys looked down on the slope -immediately below them they saw, what -they had not before observed, in their enthusiasm -over the view, that the snow did -not descend more than half a mile on that -side. The trail across the summit was entirely -obliterated, at least, the boys could -find none; and for a short distance down the -south side also, none appeared. A little farther -down, however, the snow was melted<span class="pagenum">[215]</span> -along the line of the trail, leaving it plainly -visible, while on either side the ground was -covered thick. Beyond the snow, also, the -road could occasionally be seen where an -angle of it came out on some ridge.</p> - -<p>“You see, Ray,” said Sidney, “it’s not -far to a good trail at any rate. We can go -down that ridge, and we’ll soon be out of the -deep snow.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and then we’ll be in slush.”</p> - -<p>“Well, that won’t last long, either. And -I’d rather have a little slush than much of -such work as we had this morning.”</p> - -<p>“Heck! Sid,” said Raymond, “I hope -that country down there will be like western -Texas in the winter, with no rain.”</p> - -<p>“Remember,” said Sidney, “that western -Texas sometimes has northers, and they’re -worse than rain.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll guarantee there’ll be no northers -down there,” declared Raymond. “It would -take a pretty vigorous norther to get over -these mountains.”</p> - -<p>“Well, once we’re down, we shan’t wait -for one; we’ll hike right on to Tiflis and the -railroad. It seems as though we ought -almost to see Tiflis from here.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[216]</span></p> - -<p>“I’ll bet we could if we had glasses. Gee! -wouldn’t it be swell to have a pair of prism -binoculars? We could see everything from -the Black Sea to the Caspian, and the other -way to Nizhni.”</p> - -<p>“They would be good ones.” And Sidney -laughed. “But we don’t want to take it all -out in looking. It must be about noon; suppose -we eat a lunch and then start down.”</p> - -<p>“No more lunches in the snow for me,” -declared Raymond. “I’ll take my next -lunch on <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">terra firma</i>.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” assented Sidney; “then we’d -better get a move on.”</p> - -<p>Without stopping to hunt any longer for a -trail over the top, the boys started down a -ridge that appeared to intersect the road -below. At first the snow was deep, and the -traveling was bad, but the sun was warm -and the air was still, and soon, as Raymond -had predicted, they were in slush. That did -not last long, but it was followed by a zone -of mud. That, too, was soon past, and by -the time the travelers reached the road, they -were walking on dry ground.</p> - -<p>With exclamations of delight the boys -threw themselves down in the warm sun,<span class="pagenum">[217]</span> -and stretching out at full length, ate a dry -lunch with utmost relish. As soon as that -was concluded they took the road again, -with a desire to reach a level that would give -a decidedly warmer climate for their next -camp.</p> - -<p>The trail went down the tremendous -mountain wall by a series of switchbacks. -There would be a long zigzag, consisting of -twelve or fifteen sharp angles, back and -forth down a steep face of rock; then the -trail would run off to one side across the -heads of half a dozen gullies that were transformed -below into deep and precipitous -ravines; or perhaps it would descend for a -distance at a less acute angle down the -backbone of a long ridge.</p> - -<p>Nearly all the time, as the travelers descended, -they were enraptured with a view -of the magnificent panorama that was spread -out before them. With all their experience -of mountain travel they had never before -seen anything to equal it. If they had ever -crossed the Alps in early spring from Switzerland -to Italy, they would have been supplied -with a comparison, though the prospect -before them was much grander and<span class="pagenum">[218]</span> -more extended than that afforded by the -journey down the Alps.</p> - -<p>“I suppose,” said Sidney, as they were -trotting down a zigzag with nothing to obstruct -the view, “that those high mountains -in the distance must be in Asia.”</p> - -<p>“Wouldn’t it be swell, Sid, to have topographic -maps of this country! Do you -think they have anything like our Geological -Survey maps?”</p> - -<p>“That’s not likely, in a wild country like -this.”</p> - -<p>“But we have maps of wild mountains.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but that’s in the United States.”</p> - -<p>“Where I wish we were, this minute,” -declared Raymond fervently.</p> - -<p>“I believe we’ve done our hardest work,” -said Sidney, “so don’t get blue. Won’t it -be fine, though, to get aboard a train at -Tiflis!”</p> - -<p>“The finest will be a steamer on the Black -Sea, and then home; think of that, Sid!”</p> - -<p>“I hope Turkey is not mixed up in the -war. I have a sort of an idea that she controls -the Black Sea, and unless she has -joined Russia and England we may have -trouble in getting out.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[219]</span></p> - -<p>“What should we do, then?” asked Raymond.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know, but I’m sure Americans -would be allowed through if anybody -would.”</p> - -<p>By night the boys had descended so far -that the air was soft and warm, and they -did not need to seek a spot that was sheltered -from cold winds. They chose a level place -and spread their blankets in the open, with -only the blue sky overhead. It was very -different from their camp of the previous -night, and, indeed, as they lay on the ground -looking up at the twinkling stars, it did not -seem possible that such a transformation -could be reality and not a dream.</p> - -<p>The boys, however, did not take much -time for star-gazing, and the aching of their -muscles all over their bodies assured them -that what they had gone through was no -dream. Their prodigious exertions of the -previous days culminated in overwhelming -fatigue, and they had hardly more than -lain down when sleep made them oblivious -of everything.</p> - -<p>Sidney and Raymond had camped out so -much, and so rarely with anything more<span class="pagenum">[220]</span> -than blankets to place between them and -the earth, that they could sleep on any spot, -however hard. If their bed were free from -loose rocks they asked nothing more. Sleep, -such as they had that night, is a great restorer, -and in the morning the boys felt -equal to anything that might be ahead of -them.</p> - -<p>The travelers observed no habitations -on the south slope of the range, and in fact -the descent was so short and so precipitous -that it would have been impossible for any -one to make a home there. Even the hardy -tribes who had established villages in the -almost inaccessible mountains of Daghestan -would not have had the temerity to attempt -a colony on the opposite slope of the Caucasus.</p> - -<p>By noon of the next day, however, the -boys had reached the upper margin of the -beautiful valley of the Alazan: a valley -where the dwellers conducted water wherever -they pleased, and that was made luxuriant -by the stimulus of irrigation under a -warm sun. There the languid air of a semi-tropic -early autumn was laden with the fragrance -of ripening grapes. A luscious late<span class="pagenum">[221]</span> -crop of figs hung heavy on their stems, and -pomegranates had burst their rinds to show -the crimson kernels within.</p> - -<p>In groves of glossy dark orange trees -golden globes gleamed amidst the rich foliage, -and the ashy green of the olives was set -thick with the black of ripened fruit. All -was luxurious warmth, abundance, and -peace, and seemed to the boys, after the -rugged, sterile mountains over which they -had toiled, to be a veritable Happy Valley.</p> - -<p>The travelers found the people whom they -encountered to be very different from the -stern inhabitants of the rugged mountains -of Daghestan. Indeed, such a type would -have been impossible in the languorous air -of the Southern valley. The Georgians appeared -a mild, gentle folk, and much more -fair of face than their neighbors across the -mountain barrier.</p> - -<p>It was easy to make the owners of the -gardens and groves understand that a purchase -of fruit was desired, and a delicious -variety was heaped before the boys in return -for the silver coin which Sidney tendered. -And how they did feast! Only one -who has been entirely without fruit and<span class="pagenum">[222]</span> -vegetables for many days could understand -what that abundance meant to the boys. -Besides, the semi-tropical fruits reminded -them of their own Southwestern home, and -created a longing of homesickness that was -painful in its intensity.</p> - -<p>As it was easy to obtain food, so also there -was an open hospitality that made the -tramp of two or three days across to Tiflis -an enjoyment rather than a task. Possibly -the people were not more hospitable than -those of Daghestan, and it may be that the -soft air and beautiful surroundings lent to -them a seeming of suave courtesy. At any -rate, the boys thoroughly enjoyed that part -of their journey, and it was the first time -that they had felt real enjoyment.</p> - -<p>While the valleys were filled with luxuriant -growth, fostered by the streams that -were conducted in canals over their surface, -the mountains were more forbidding, and -that condition, also, reminded the boys of -their own Southwest. They found Tiflis -situated where the Kura River emerged -from between high bare mountains.</p> - -<p>There ended the long tramp of hundreds -of miles, and the boys paused and looked<span class="pagenum">[223]</span> -back at the sky-line of white that marked -the crest of the great Caucasus Range over -which they had climbed. As they looked, -and their minds ran back over the way by -which they had come, the distance to the -Caspian, where they had left the steamer, -seemed infinity.</p> - -<p>“I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t know -what was ahead of us when we left Nizhni, -Sid,” said Raymond as they gazed.</p> - -<p>“If we had known I don’t believe I should -have been willing to tackle it. But it would -have been easy if we could have come by -wagon through the Dariel Pass, as we -planned.”</p> - -<p>At Tiflis the boys saw evidence of war -preparations again, in companies of soldiers -that were passing in the streets. They proceeded -directly to the railway station, where -they tried, without success, to obtain news -of the war. The railway agent replied “Yes” -to every question they asked, but that was -not very enlightening, as their questions -were varied. So they purchased second-class -tickets to Batum, and took the first -train that arrived.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_224" class="pagenum">[224]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XIX<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">GOOD-BYE TO RUSSIA</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">The train which the boys boarded was -a very slow one, with, apparently, a -maximum speed of about fifteen miles an -hour; nevertheless it seemed heavenly to -them to have a mode of locomotion other -than that supplied by their own legs. Then, -too, they were alone in the compartment, -and hoped they would continue to be alone -all night. They judged it was quite likely -that they would be, for they observed that -nearly all the passengers on the train went -third class. Raymond declared that that -was where they belonged also, for with the -exposure and hardships of their long journey -their clothes had become very disreputable -in appearance.</p> - -<p>Sidney had expected to try to send a cable -from Tiflis to their mother in New York, -but the station agent had exhibited such -density regarding the English language that -he decided to wait until they reached Batum. -He believed that in a seaport they would almost<span class="pagenum">[225]</span> -certainly find some one who could -speak English and who would be willing to -help them, even if the official of the telegraph -office could not be made to understand.</p> - -<p>It was fortunate that they did not wait in -Tiflis, for when they arrived at Batum they -learned that the train they were on was the -first one in several days that had been allowed -to carry the general public. It was -not known either how long it would be before -it was followed by another.</p> - -<p>Nearly all the trains were being used by -the Government to transport troops that -were being massed at the various Black Sea -ports it was supposed in anticipation of the -opening of hostilities with Turkey. That -country, the boys learned, still remained -neutral, though her purchase from Germany -of two cruisers that had fled for shelter within -the Dardanelles had already nearly precipitated -trouble with Russia.</p> - -<p>Sidney and Raymond found their blankets -quite as necessary in a Russian railway -coach as on a Russian mountain. While the -air of the coach was not so cold as that of -the mountain, the surface on which they had<span class="pagenum">[226]</span> -to lie was even harder than the surface of -the Caucasus. With their blankets and their -cloaks and their soft Daghestan rug, however, -they made very comfortable beds on -the long seats which extended in their compartment -across the coach. And with their -acquired ability to sleep wherever they -might make their beds, they were ignorant -of everything that occurred all night, not -being aroused by any of the jolting of stopping -and starting.</p> - -<p>In early morning the train approached the -coast of the Black Sea at Poti, several hours -before its arrival at Batum. From that -point the railway ran near the shore and -the boys found much of interest and amusement -in watching the varied scenes of the -waterfront. Upon the arrival of the train at -Batum the boys made their way at once to -the docks, and, with their rolls of blankets -slung over their shoulders, they felt quite as -they imagined emigrants must feel.</p> - -<p>There was much freight on the docks, -great stacks of lumber and bales of hides -waiting to be shipped, but there were very -few boats tied up there. The first ship -which they came to was a small steamer<span class="pagenum">[227]</span> -where there were a couple of sailors talking -in a language that sounded strangely familiar -to the boys, and yet which did not seem, -after all, to be one with which they were acquainted. -They stopped and listened and -were more puzzled than ever. Some words -sounded like Spanish spoken with a strong -foreign accent, but the next words would be -entirely strange to them.</p> - -<p>“What in creation are they talking, Sid?” -asked Raymond. “Is it Spanish they are -trying to get at?”</p> - -<p>“It’s mighty curious Spanish, if it is,” replied -Sidney. “I tell you what, Ray,” he -continued, after a moment of thought, “it -must be Italian. I think that sounds a good -deal like Spanish. I believe I can talk with -them.”</p> - -<p>Sidney then asked one of the men in -Spanish where they were going, and the man -replied promptly in his own tongue that they -were going to Rome, a reply of which the -boys gathered the meaning very clearly.</p> - -<p>“Gee, Sid,” exclaimed Raymond, “that’s -swell! You talk Spanish and he talks Italian, -and you both understand. Try him -again.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[228]</span></p> - -<p>The next attempt, however, was not so -successful, possibly because Sidney embodied -too much in his question. He asked -the sailor when they were going to leave, and -if he thought their captain would take some -passengers. The man looked puzzled for a -moment, and then replied in a statement -that sounded very long and intricate to the -unlearned ears of the boys. While they were -considering and trying to select words at -whose meaning they might guess, a voice -spoke behind them in perfectly plain English.</p> - -<p>“Where do you young gentlemen want to -go?”</p> - -<p>The boys wheeled and saw a stocky, middle-aged -man. He wore side whiskers, and -there was something decidedly English in -his appearance.</p> - -<p>“We don’t care much where we go,” said -Sidney, “so long as it is west. We want to -get back to New York, but I don’t suppose -we’ll find a ship here for that port.”</p> - -<p>“No, you will not, but perhaps I can help -you out. I am Captain Foster, of the -Princess Mary, and I clear in the morning -for Venice.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[229]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh, captain,” cried Sidney eagerly, “can -you take us?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t carry passengers; I have -no place for ’em; but I’d do anything I could -to help Americans to get home. I fancy you -are Americans?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, we are,” replied Sidney, “and our -mother is waiting in New York for us.”</p> - -<p>Captain Foster looked at the boys curiously. -“If I may be so bold,” he said, “you -are pretty young to be in a country like this -alone, and you look as though you had -traveled some.”</p> - -<p>“I should say we had traveled some,” -broke in Raymond, “we came over the -Caucasus.”</p> - -<p>“By the Dariel Pass, in a motor-car, I -fancy,” said the captain.</p> - -<p>“Not much! We hoofed it, by way of -Bezheeta to Tiflis.”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean to tell me that you came -over that trail on foot at this time of year?” -And the captain looked at the boys in amazement.</p> - -<p>“We sure did,” replied Raymond, “every -step of the way. Don’t those shoes look -like it?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[230]</span></p> - -<p>And Raymond held up a foot on which -the shoe was barely holding together.</p> - -<p>“You see,” said Sidney in explanation, -“we came down the Volga from Nizhni to -Petrovsk, and then across from there. We -started out with horses, but an army officer -took them away from us the first day.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I expect so,” said the captain; “no -man outside of the army can travel horseback -in Russia now.”</p> - -<p>“We haven’t heard a thing about the -war,” said Sidney, “since we left the boat. -How is it going?”</p> - -<p>“Well, nobody knows yet. It’s a bad -war.” And the captain looked very grave. -“I’d be helping, but I’m too old. And it -begins to look pretty nasty with Turkey; -that’s why I’m clearing in the morning. -But weren’t you with a party?”</p> - -<p>“We went with our father to Nizhni to -see the Fair,” replied Sidney, “and father -was arrested as a German spy just because -he speaks German. We were afraid if we -waited we shouldn’t be able to leave Russia -at all, so my brother and I came south, expecting -to go through the Dariel Pass. But -at Petrovsk we were told that troops were<span class="pagenum">[231]</span> -thick in the pass, and were advised not to go -that way. So we came over by the trail, and -it was a tough tramp.”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t your father have a passport?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, he had a passport from the Secretary -of State at Washington.”</p> - -<p>“I’m sure he got out all right, then,” said -the captain. “Americans can go anywhere -in the belligerent countries, if they can only -prove they <em>are</em> Americans. But how did you -young men get away without a passport?”</p> - -<p>“The clerk of the hotel, who spoke English, -took my father’s passport down and -showed it to the purser of the boat. And the -chief of police at Petrovsk gave us a sort of a -passport, but it’s in Russian.” And Sidney -took the paper from his pocket and handed -it to the captain.</p> - -<p>“I fancy I can read it if it is in Russian,” -said Captain Foster, as he took the paper -and glanced over its contents. “I think -that’ll get you out all right. I’ll take it to -the American Consul and have it viséed, and -then to the chief of police for his O.K. Now, -if you young gentlemen want to make any -purchases,”—and the captain looked the -boys over with amusement in his eye,—“you<span class="pagenum">[232]</span> -can do it while I’m getting this fixed -up.”</p> - -<p>“I wish we could buy new suits,” said -Sidney, “and shoes; in fact, new outfits -right through, for both of us.”</p> - -<p>“You come with me then,” said the captain, -“and I’ll show you a good shop. We -must have everything ready to-day, for I -shall get off in the morning before daylight.”</p> - -<p>Captain Foster conducted the boys to a -clothing shop that was kept by an Armenian -Jew who spoke English. Before allowing the -boys to enter, the captain detained them -for final instructions.</p> - -<p>“This man has a very good stock of -clothes,” he said. “After you have selected -what you want and got his price for everything, -offer him exactly half what he asks. -If he objects, pretend you’re going to leave -and he’ll come to time fast enough. When -you get through, wait for me here, and I’ll -take you to the ship.”</p> - -<p>The boys entered the shop, and informed -the merchant what they wished. They -found, as Captain Foster had said, that the -shop contained an excellent stock of clothing, -and they soon made their selections of a<span class="pagenum">[233]</span> -complete wardrobe for each of them. Then -Sidney asked the merchant how much it all -amounted to.</p> - -<p>“As the gentlemen can see,” said the man, -rubbing his hands together and smirking, -“the clothing is most excellent quality.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Sidney, “the clothes are all -right. How much are they?”</p> - -<p>“I am sure,” said the merchant, “the -young gentlemen are well pleased.”</p> - -<p>“Of course, or we shouldn’t take the -things. Now, tell me how much everything -is, we’re in a hurry.”</p> - -<p>The man regarded his customers shrewdly -for a moment, and then said,—</p> - -<p>“The gentlemen may have all of this -clothing, all of the most excellent garments -which they have selected, for the small sum -of one hundred ten rubles.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll give you just fifty-five rubles for -everything we’ve picked out,” said Sidney.</p> - -<p>The man threw up his hands in supplication, -and raised his eyes in horror.</p> - -<p>“Would your lordship rob a poor defenseless -man?” he asked, most humbly.</p> - -<p>“My lordship doesn’t intend to rob anybody,” -said Sidney, while Raymond snickered.<span class="pagenum">[234]</span> -“But if you don’t want to sell the -things, all right. Come on, Ray.”</p> - -<p>The man interposed hastily. “Business is -so bad with the cruel war, that I am willing -to take much less than the clothing is worth. -But fifty-five rubles!” And he raised his -hands in protest.</p> - -<p>“All right,” said Sidney, “we’ll go somewhere -else.” And he started toward the door.</p> - -<p>“If the gentleman insists,” interposed the -merchant again in a tone of agony, “he -shall have the excellent clothing at his own -price, though I lose half the value of the -goods.”</p> - -<p>“Very well,” said Sidney; “now show us -a place where we can put the things on.”</p> - -<p>“Do you want to change your clothes -here, Sid?” objected Raymond.</p> - -<p>“Yes; we’d better do the whole thing up -now.”</p> - -<p>Thereupon the merchant conducted the -boys to a room at the rear of the shop where -he apparently lived. When the boys were -alone Sidney explained to his brother.</p> - -<p>“You see, Ray, my money is all under -my clothes, and I didn’t want to take it out -and let that fellow know how much we’ve<span class="pagenum">[235]</span> -got. Besides, we may as well leave all these -old rags here, they’re good for nothing. I -was ashamed to jew him down that way, but -I guess we paid all the things were worth, or -he wouldn’t have let them go.”</p> - -<p>When the boys had changed their clothes -they returned to the shop, and Sidney informed -the merchant that he might have -their old clothes which they had left lying in -the other room. That seemed to satisfy the -man, who was looking as though the boys -had literally robbed him of everything he -possessed. In a few minutes Captain Foster -returned.</p> - -<p>“Everything is all right,” he announced, -as they walked toward the docks, “and -when I told your consul, Mr. Davis, what -you boys had done, he said that if you -needed money to get home with to call on -him. I told him you wouldn’t need any -money as far as I went.”</p> - -<p>“That’s fine of both of you,” said Sidney, -“but I think we have enough money to pay -our way home. I took your advice about -paying for the clothes, so they didn’t cost -us much, but I felt pretty cheap to beat the -man down.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[236]</span></p> - -<p>“You needn’t feel cheap,” said the captain; -“if you paid half what he asked, you -paid enough. You don’t look like the same -young men.” And he regarded the boys -with satisfaction.</p> - -<p>“I’m glad we look better,” said Sidney, -“and we’ll feel better after we’ve had a -good scrub.”</p> - -<p>“You can have a tub,” said the captain, -“as soon as we get to the Princess Mary.”</p> - -<p>“There is one other matter,” said Sidney. -“I would like to send a cable to our mother -in New York. We couldn’t make the man -at Tiflis understand, and she must be awfully -anxious about us.”</p> - -<p>“I doubt if you can do that,” replied -Captain Foster. “I don’t believe the Government -will allow a message to be sent to a -foreign country, but I’ll go around to the -telegraph office with you and we’ll find out. -You see, when there’s trouble, I don’t have -to wire any owners, for I own the Princess -Mary myself, so I don’t know whether the -wires can be used now or not.”</p> - -<p>“What sort of a cargo do you carry, Captain -Foster?” asked Sidney, as they walked -along.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[237]</span></p> - -<p>“I load with crude oil for Venice.”</p> - -<p>“Isn’t that an awfully messy cargo?” -asked Raymond.</p> - -<p>The captain laughed. “Oh, no; you -wouldn’t know what I had aboard. There -are tanks built into the ship, and the oil is -pumped into them, and pumped out.”</p> - -<p>By that time they had arrived at the -telegraph office and the captain interviewed -the man in charge, who spoke no English. -After a short conversation the captain turned -to the boys, and announced, regretfully,—</p> - -<p>“He says you can’t send any message of -any kind out of the country.”</p> - -<p>“Poor mother, she will be sick with anxiety.” -And Sidney’s eyes looked suspiciously -moist. “She didn’t want us to come, Captain -Foster. We had a bad time last winter -getting away from the war in Mexico, and -mother was sure something would happen to -us this time, too. But that was before the -war over here began.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you know the old saying, ‘No -news is good news.’”</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid that mother wouldn’t agree -to that. But I guess there’s nothing we -can do.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[238]</span></p> - -<p>“I fancy you can send a cable from Venice,” -said the captain; “you know Italy is -neutral, like the United States.”</p> - -<p>“I do hope we can.” And Sidney looked -somewhat relieved.</p> - -<p>They were two rather dejected boys, however, -who turned back to the docks with Captain -Foster. It was very hard to be obliged -to give up all present thought of communicating -with their mother. It seemed ages -since they said good-bye to her in New -York. The anticipation of sending a message -had been so pleasant, and when that -hope was suddenly dashed, their loneliness -and homesickness were greater than ever.</p> - -<p>When they arrived at the docks the boys -saw a small, dingy steamer, that ordinarily -would have appeared anything but attractive, -but to the boys then she seemed finer -than a big Atlantic liner. They were taken -on board, and were shown to a tiny cubby-hole -of a cabin that adjoined the captain’s -own stateroom.</p> - -<p>“This is not much of a cabin,”—and the -captain looked about apologetically,—“but, -you see, the Princess Mary was not intended -to carry passengers.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[239]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh, I think it’s fine,” protested Sidney; -and Raymond declared,—</p> - -<p>“It’s perfectly swell! You may have the -lower berth, Sid, and I’ll take the upper -one.”</p> - -<p>When the boys had thrown their blankets -into the berths, the captain said,—</p> - -<p>“Now, you come into my cabin; I’ve got -a tub there, and I’ll have the cook bring -you some hot water, and you can scrub as -long as you want to.”</p> - -<p>“It’s good of you, Captain Foster,” said -Sidney, “to let us use your bath.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you see, the Princess Mary is not -very modern, though she’s as stanch a little -craft as was ever built, and she hasn’t got -any bathrooms. Now you young gentlemen -take your time, and come up on deck when -you’re through. I shan’t come down till I -see you out there.”</p> - -<p>Captain Foster’s bath was a funny little -short tub that the bather could just sit down -in. The boys did not try even to sit down, -but stood up, one at a time. There was -plenty of water, however, and soap, and the -scrubbing that followed was very thorough, -and resulted in two well-renovated boys.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_240" class="pagenum">[240]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XX<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">A GREAT DISASTER</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">It had seemed to Sidney and Raymond -that they had attained to the height -of ease when they boarded the train at Tiflis -after their tremendous tramp and were -transported without effort on their part. -But when the Princess Mary drew away -from the pier at Batum and started westward -across the Black Sea, the travelers felt -that they were then enjoying sublimated -luxury.</p> - -<p>The great sea lay rippling gently under a -peaceful autumn sky, and the little steamer -drove steadily ahead on a level keel. It was -as though they were navigating a small lake. -Captain Foster’s cargo consisted wholly of -oil, so that he put in at no ports, but made -a straight run from Batum to Venice.</p> - -<p>As the Princess Mary used oil for fuel, -her crew was made up chiefly of engineers. -There were only four sailors, one of whom -was the captain’s first officer, and a cook. -The mate, Mr. Wright, sat at the captain’s<span class="pagenum">[241]</span> -table, so with the boys there was a nice little -party of four.</p> - -<p>Captain Foster had a great fund of stories -gathered during a sea life of forty years, -and he remembered and was willing to relate -them all. And as the voyage was very -uneventful, the captain’s time was largely -unoccupied, and he employed much of it in -story-telling. So the boys had not a dull -moment.</p> - -<p>After two days of such sailing the Princess -Mary entered the Bosporus. It had been -Captain Foster’s custom to stop at Constantinople, -but there had lately been so -many rumors that Turkey was about to join -Germany in the war that he decided to make -no stop on that voyage. The ship, therefore, -was headed to pass directly through, and -the boys thought that they would see the interesting -foreign sights only from a distance. -There was the great city of Constantinople -on one side, and the beautiful heights of -Scutari on the other, both of which places -they would have loved to visit. Then, as -they were passing the entrance to the harbor -of the Golden Horn, a launch flying the -Turkish flag signaled them to stop.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[242]</span></p> - -<p>In obedience to the summons Captain -Foster lay to, and they were boarded by a -Turkish officer who demanded their clearance -papers. After he had examined the -papers he went below with Captain Foster -to inspect the cargo.</p> - -<p>Sidney and Raymond waited on deck in -great anxiety. They could not face with -equanimity the possibility of being detained -at Constantinople. The narrow straits into -which they had entered seemed to them like -the door through which they would pass for -home, and to have that door close and shut -them out was too dreadful to contemplate.</p> - -<p>“Sid,” said Raymond, as they waited in -suspense for the return on deck of the Turkish -officer, “if we are stopped here I shall -escape in some way and swim across to the -other side. If Byron could do that with his -club feet I am sure I can.”</p> - -<p>“But Byron, you know, swam across the -other strait, not this one, and that’s probably -narrower.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe it’s any narrower than -it is here; why, this is no width at all.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if you got across you would still be -in Turkey.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[243]</span></p> - -<p>“Yes, but it would be in the country, and -not in a big city.”</p> - -<p>“It would be in the country if you could -land outside of Scutari, but that looks like a -pretty big place from here.” And Sidney -gazed across at the heights on the other side -which were covered with buildings.</p> - -<p>“I don’t care what there is over there,” -declared Raymond; “there’s one thing sure, -I’m not going to stay in Constantinople.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe they’ll stop us,” said -Sidney; “they’ll be careful how they stop -Americans. But we’ll soon know, for here -comes that Turk.”</p> - -<p>The officer approached and looked at the -boys, not unkindly.</p> - -<p>“Where are you boys started for?” he -asked in excellent English.</p> - -<p>“We are going back to New York,” replied -Sidney.</p> - -<p>“Do you live in New York?”</p> - -<p>“No; we live in Texas.”</p> - -<p>“Texas; that’s a big State. Let’s see -your passport.”</p> - -<p>Sidney presented that paper to the officer, -who read it hastily.</p> - -<p>“H—m,” he said, “that’s a curious passport,<span class="pagenum">[244]</span> -but I think it will do. We don’t want -to stop boys, anyway.” Then turning to -Captain Foster, “Your papers are all right, -captain.” And he added significantly, as he -went down the side, “I think there is going -to be a storm; don’t let it catch you in the -Straits, or you might be wrecked.”</p> - -<p>As soon as the Turkish officer had left the -ship, Captain Foster sprang to the signal-button -for the engine-room and rang full -speed ahead. The Princess Mary’s screws -churned the water furiously, and she was -soon throwing the spray back from her bows. -But the captain did not appear to be satisfied; -he told the man at the wheel to keep -her well in the middle of the stream, and -rang for greater speed. In obedience to his -demands dense black smoke poured from -the funnel, and the little vessel ploughed -through the water faster than the boys had -supposed could be possible.</p> - -<p>“You see the Princess Mary is good for -something, if she is old,” said Captain Foster -proudly as he returned to the boys.</p> - -<p>“She can’t go too fast to suit me, captain,” -said Sidney, watching with pleasure -the shores as they glided past.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[245]</span></p> - -<p>“Nor me either,” said the captain. “That -officer is an old friend of mine, and he meant -for me to sit up and take notice when he -gave me that warning.”</p> - -<p>“About the storm?” asked Raymond. “I -wondered what he meant. It doesn’t look -now as though it would ever storm.”</p> - -<p>“He meant something worse than a windstorm,” -said the captain. “But if I can have -until to-morrow morning, they may do what -they please.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think Turkey is going into the -war?” asked Sidney.</p> - -<p>“I think that’s what they’re getting -ready for,” replied the captain.</p> - -<p>“Which side will they join?”</p> - -<p>“Well, it won’t be England; I’m sure of -that. They would just love to kick up a fuss -in Egypt.”</p> - -<p>Captain Foster kept close watch of the -Princess Mary’s speed, and did not allow the -engines to subside in the least. So long as -they were threading the narrow Strait of the -Bosporus, the boys were kept fully occupied -in watching the various interesting sights -on either side, and the numerous shipping -which they met.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[246]</span></p> - -<p>After a time, however, the ship drew out -into the Sea of Marmora, and then there -was less of interest to be seen. The captain, -too, appeared distrait, and was not so good -company as he had been while they were -traversing the Black Sea. So the boys felt -rather dull, and when night came they went -to bed early.</p> - -<p>In the morning when the boys looked out -of their porthole of a window, they thought -the ship must be still in the Sea of Marmora, -for there was only water to be seen on either -side.</p> - -<p>“I wish this old tub could go faster,” said -Raymond grumblingly. “We’ll never get -to Venice at this rate.”</p> - -<p>“She seems to be making good speed,” -said Sidney, as he watched the water surge -past the side of the boat. “I don’t understand -why we aren’t farther along; perhaps -they were obliged to lie to for some reason in -the night.”</p> - -<p>The boys dressed rapidly and went out -to hunt Captain Foster, whom they found -pacing the deck and looking very happy.</p> - -<p>“Good-morning, captain,” called out the -boys; and Sidney added,—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[247]</span></p> - -<p>“When shall we reach the Dardanelles?”</p> - -<p>“Why, bless you,” replied the captain, -beaming on the boys, “we passed the -Straits last night, and we’re well out in -the Ægean now. What did you think the -Princess Mary had been doing? The old -girl is making twenty-two knots.”</p> - -<p>“Jiminy, that’s fine!” exclaimed Raymond; -“then I suppose we’ll round Cape -Matapan to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we’re not going to run away down -there. We’ll go through the Corinth Canal; -that will cut off a whole day.”</p> - -<p>“Shall we stop at Athens?” asked Raymond -eagerly.</p> - -<p>“No, we’ll make no stops, but we’ll be -off Piræus this evening. I shan’t feel really -comfortable till we’re tied up at Venice.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Sidney, “that Turkish storm -didn’t materialize.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know whether it did or not,” -replied the captain; “but if it did we were -beyond it.”</p> - -<p>The Princess Mary was too small and unimportant -a craft to carry a wireless, and -since passing the Dardanelles they had met -no vessel within speaking distance. Captain<span class="pagenum">[248]</span> -Foster, therefore, had had no opportunity to -learn what his friend, the Turkish officer, had -meant by the warning he had given. He was, -consequently, feeling rather anxious to know -if he had passed the danger, whatever it was.</p> - -<p>The day wore on uneventfully, and the -boys amused themselves as best they might. -They went back and forth from the deck, -where there was nothing of especial interest, -to the engine-room, where there was a good -deal. They were left entirely to their own devices, -for Captain Foster watched the horizon -constantly. He knew there was a possibility -that they might meet an Austrian -cruiser, and in that case he wished to take -advantage of whatever chance there might -be to escape.</p> - -<p>Early in the afternoon the captain called -the boys’ attention to the island of Skyros, -which showed off on their right, and he told -them that before long they would see the -mainland of Greece. While they were examining -the horizon Raymond thought he -saw a tiny line of smoke dead ahead. He -called Captain Foster’s attention to it, and -the captain brought his binoculars to bear on -the spot.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[249]</span></p> - -<p>“It’s not a cruiser,” he announced immediately; -“it’s a tramp steamer. Do you -want to look at her?” And he passed the -glasses over to the boys.</p> - -<p>“How can you tell that’s not a cruiser?” -asked Raymond. “I can’t see anything but -a little speck.”</p> - -<p>“Well, she’s only got one funnel, for one -thing, and she’s too small for another. She -doesn’t look like any liner, either. I can’t -explain to you exactly how I can tell; I -simply <em>know</em>, that’s all.”</p> - -<p>As the approaching ship was coming directly -toward them, she grew large rapidly. -While she was still too small, however, for -the boys to distinguish anything about her, -even with the glasses, Captain Foster examined -her again. He looked intently -through the glasses for a few moments, and -then declared,—</p> - -<p>“It’s the Black Duke, Captain Johnson, -from London to Smyrna.”</p> - -<p>“Gee! captain,” exclaimed Raymond; -“you must have second sight. How do you -know what ship that is at this distance?”</p> - -<p>“I know her as well as I know the Princess -Mary.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[250]</span></p> - -<p>“I couldn’t tell the Princess Mary as far -off as that,” declared Raymond.</p> - -<p>“Well, I could. When she comes up I’ll -speak her and we’ll get the news.”</p> - -<p>The two ships rapidly drew together, and -laid their courses to pass about one hundred -yards apart. When the Black Duke, -for such the ship was in fact, was still some -three or four hundred yards distant, Captain -Foster took the trumpet and shouted,—</p> - -<p>“Ahoy! Black Duke.”</p> - -<p>“Ahoy! Princess Mary,” came the answer.</p> - -<p>“What news of the war?”</p> - -<p>“Turkey closed the Dardanelles this -morning.”</p> - -<p>“Gee!” exclaimed Raymond, “that was a -close shave.”</p> - -<p>The vessels were now rapidly separating, -but Captain Foster launched one more -question.</p> - -<p>“Is the Adriatic safe?”</p> - -<p>“English and French cruisers there, Austrian -coast is mined,” was shouted back -from the distance.</p> - -<p>Captain Foster lowered the trumpet and -regarded the departing ship thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>“Well,” he said finally, “we escaped that<span class="pagenum">[251]</span> -storm, thanks to my Turkish friend. Now -if those mines are stationary, we’ll get -through, but floating mines I’m afraid -of.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think Austria would put out -floating mines, captain?” asked Sidney.</p> - -<p>“Germany has sowed the North Sea with -floating mines, and Austria may have done -the same thing in the Adriatic. But there -is no way we can locate them, so we’ll just -have to go straight ahead, and take what -comes.”</p> - -<p>Having obtained what information he -desired, Captain Foster determined to -crowd the ship forward at top speed. With -Turkey apparently about to join the hostilities -and probably on the side of Germany, -the quicker they were out of the Ægean the -better. While passing through Grecian -waters they would be perfectly safe, and in -the Adriatic the presence of English and -French cruisers would be a great protection, -though they would not insure absolute security. -The most serious aspect of the -whole matter was presented by the mines in -the Adriatic. There was no possibility, however, -of evading, or minimizing, that danger.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[252]</span></p> - -<p>In early evening the Princess Mary entered -the Gulf of Ægina, and Captain Foster -laid his course directly for the Corinth Canal. -Before they arrived at that cut, however, -night had closed down. The boys remained -on deck to get what impression they might -of the country, but after the ship had traversed -the canal, and entered the Gulf of -Corinth, nothing whatever could be distinguished -on either side. When the boys woke -rather late the next morning the Princess -Mary was passing between the island of -Corfu and the mainland.</p> - -<p>“What a measly shame!” exclaimed -Raymond, when he learned where they -were; “here we’ve gone right through the -middle of Greece, and we haven’t been -able to see one foot of it.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Sidney, “if we could be set -down in New York now, I’d give up all -chance of seeing any more foreign countries -this trip.”</p> - -<p>All that day and all night the Princess -Mary steamed steadily northward. At daylight -on the following day the ship was far -up the Adriatic, opposite the coast of Austria. -When the boys went up on deck they<span class="pagenum">[253]</span> -found Captain Foster standing in the bow -gazing intently out over the water.</p> - -<p>“I know I’m silly,” he said when the boys -approached, “but I feel like watching every -minute for mines, though if they were thick -all around us, I shouldn’t know it unless -the Princess Mary struck one.”</p> - -<p>“It seems to me,” said Sidney, “that -mining the sea is a barbarous way to make -war.”</p> - -<p>“Yes; but making war any way you -please is all of a piece.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think there is really much danger, -captain, that we shall strike a mine?” -asked Raymond. “It would seem like being -pricked by a needle in a haystack.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know how great the danger is,” -replied the captain, “but a good many ships -have struck mines and been sunk in the -North Sea. I have been thinking that you -boys ought to know where the life-preservers -are, in case anything does happen. I don’t -think there are any in your room, but there -are some in the main cabin, underneath the -couch. You see the Princess Mary never -carries passengers, and we haven’t paid -much attention to life-preservers. You’d<span class="pagenum">[254]</span> -better get out a couple and bring them up -on deck, then you can get into them in a -jiffy.”</p> - -<p>“Aren’t you going to get one for yourself, -captain?” asked Raymond.</p> - -<p>“No, I think not. If I had one ready I’d -be afraid it would have to be used, and if I -don’t get it maybe I shan’t need it. But -you boys get them; that will be all right.”</p> - -<p>The boys hunted out the life-preservers -and took two of them up on deck, placing -them by the side of the companionway, -where they would be easy to grasp in case -of necessity. Then the cook announced -breakfast and they went down to the cabin -with Captain Foster.</p> - -<p>They seated themselves at the table and -were seasoning their coffee, when, without -warning, the bow of the ship was thrown -upward with a terrific shock, accompanied -by a muffled roar. The floor of the cabin -inclined at a high angle, sloping down toward -the stem. For a moment the Princess -Mary hung in that terrifying position, while -Captain Foster and the boys clung to the -table, from which all the dishes had been -thrown to the floor. Then the ship settled,<span class="pagenum">[255]</span> -not only into place again, but farther than -she should, so that the floor inclined the -other way.</p> - -<p>“Get on deck and into your life-preservers, -boys,” said Captain Foster quietly, -though with a very pale face; “she won’t -last five minutes.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_256" class="pagenum">[256]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXI<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">CASTAWAYS</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">Sidney and Raymond rushed up the -companionway to the deck and began -to buckle on the life-preservers, which were -still lying where they had been placed. Captain -Foster had preceded the boys and was -directing the lowering of a boat, but the -tackle had jammed, and the boat hung in -the air from the davits.</p> - -<p>All the small force of men gathered on -deck, including the engineers on duty, whom -the captain had summoned through the -speaking tube. It had been barely a minute -since the explosion, but the Princess Mary -was rapidly settling forward. Three or four -of the men still struggled with the boat, -which obstinately refused to descend to the -water, while others were cutting the lashings -of a life-raft on deck. But the bows of -the ship were already awash, and some of -the oil tanks must have burst and let their -contents out, for the stern rose high in air.</p> - -<p>“Let everything go,” ordered Captain<span class="pagenum">[257]</span> -Foster, when he saw the desperate condition -of the vessel, “and jump, as far out from -the ship as you can.”</p> - -<p>“Are you ready, Ray?” And Sidney’s -voice shook a little. “Let’s keep together -if we can.”</p> - -<p>There was no time, however, for any one -to jump. With not even a quiver the Princess -Mary dove head first into the deep. -The waters sucked down after her with a -strong pull, and then met with a surge -overhead.</p> - -<p>When Sidney realized that they would -have no chance to leap for safety, he tried -to grasp his brother, but the suddenly tilting -deck threw him against the side of the -companionway, where he seized the edge of -the opening, and held fast with desperate -energy.</p> - -<p>For a moment he had a wild idea that -only by maintaining his hold of the ship -could he be saved, and he clung tenaciously -to the casing. The water surged about him -as he was dragged through it with terrific -force. By closing his mouth tightly he kept -himself from strangling, but the suction and -the pressure were stupefying.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[258]</span></p> - -<p>Then it flashed into his mind that he -was being dragged to certain death, instead -of being saved. Instantly he let go. The -speed of the descending vessel had decreased -somewhat with the depth reached, but the -relief of pressure, which had become agonizing, -was heavenly.</p> - -<p>For a few moments after Sidney relinquished -his hold he hung wavering in the -wake of the plunging ship, which was still -followed by the eddying currents of water. -Then the buoyancy of his body, together -with that of the life-preserver, shot him upward. -Instinctively, too, he aided that -upward movement by his own effort, the -well-directed effort of a practiced swimmer.</p> - -<p>Fortunately there was no wreckage floating -at the spot where he reached the surface, -and what a blessed thing it was to breathe -the air again! The time he was being dragged -down with the ship had been measured by -seconds, but it was quite long enough, when -he was once more in the free air, to make -him feel that he had been restored to life.</p> - -<p>Sidney’s presence of mind in keeping his -mouth closed had prevented the water from -entering his lungs, so that he was able<span class="pagenum">[259]</span> -at once to look around to see who else might -be near him. His first thought was of Raymond. -Looking out over the water that was -still agitated by the sinking ship, at first -there was nothing evident but confusion, -for the surface was thickly sprinkled with -wreckage. There was every article that had -been loose on the ship’s deck, to which were -added many pieces of splintered and shattered -planking that had been torn from the -vessel’s bottom by the explosion.</p> - -<p>Sidney supported himself by treading -water, and raising himself high, gazed about -him. He saw here and there amidst the -flotsam the head of a man who was clinging -to some piece of wood. Presently, away on -the other side of the circle of waste he saw -his brother.</p> - -<p>“O—h, Ray!” he called.</p> - -<p>Raymond, also, was intently examining -the surface of the water, and immediately -he distinguished Sidney.</p> - -<p>“I’ll swim over there, Ray,” called Sidney -when he saw that he was observed.</p> - -<p>There was no wind, and the waves and -swells caused by the destruction and the -sinking of the Princess Mary were beginning<span class="pagenum">[260]</span> -to subside. So it was not difficult for Sidney -to swim, though he was retarded somewhat -by the cork jacket that was buckled -around him.</p> - -<p>He had proceeded but a few strokes when -he noticed, a little to one side, the form of a -man lying against a piece of plank, and he -changed his course to examine it. The man’s -face was in the water, and Sidney, turning -it up, was shocked to find it was Captain -Foster. There was a bloody bruise extending -across his forehead, and he was unconscious, -but Sidney thought he still lived.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Ray,” Sidney called, “Captain -Foster is hurt; come and help me.”</p> - -<p>The other men who were floating in the -wreckage heard the call, and all hastened -to the aid of their captain. There were the -mate, a sailor, and two engineers, all who -were left of the ship’s company. Mr. Wright -was the first to reach them, and after examining -Captain Foster briefly, he declared,—</p> - -<p>“He’s only stunned, sir, but we must get -him out of the water, or he’ll be chilled. -You men,” he continued, turning to the -others, while he supported himself by a -piece of plank, “get together all the good<span class="pagenum">[261]</span> -pieces of timber you can find, and we’ll -make a raft. I saw a coil of rope just over -there, and maybe you’ll find some more.”</p> - -<p>The men, assisted by Sidney and Raymond, -swam through the floating débris, -and collected all the pieces of wood that -were large enough to use. They also found -several long pieces of rope. It was slow -work, and tedious, but fortunately all were -good swimmers. As fast as they brought -the pieces in, pushing them before them to -where Mr. Wright was waiting with Captain -Foster, the mate arranged them in some -sort of order. He tied fragments of about -the same length and width together, and -then placed those couples consecutively and -bound them with the long ropes. There -were two heavy hatch covers, each of which -would easily support a man, and that addition -expedited the work greatly.</p> - -<p>Finally the lumber was all collected and -bound together. While not all of it was yet -assembled in the raft, enough of it was put -together to support several men. So the -mate, who was anxious to get the captain -out of the water, climbed up on it and directed -the men from there.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[262]</span></p> - -<p>“Jack,” he said to the sailor, “you and -Watson,” indicating one of the engineers, -“bring the captain here and we’ll lift him -up.”</p> - -<p>The mate had supported Captain Foster -in the water by placing his arms over a -plank and securing them there with a bit of -rope. The two men unbound the lashing, -and placing themselves one on each side of -the injured man, who was still unconscious, -they floated him across the few intervening -yards of space to the raft.</p> - -<p>“Now, let me get hold under his shoulders,” -said Mr. Wright, “and you men take -hold of the raft with one hand and lift on -the captain with the other.”</p> - -<p>In a few moments Captain Foster was -lying stretched out on the raft, and the -mate turned to Sidney and Raymond.</p> - -<p>“If you young gentlemen,” he said, “will -climb up here and chafe the captain’s hands, -I’ll help the men and we’ll soon have the -raft done. Take off his shoes, too, and rub -his feet till they’re warm and dry. He must -have been thrown against a timber when -the ship plunged down, and was unconscious -when he struck the water. So there’ll<span class="pagenum">[263]</span> -be no water in his lungs, and all you’ll have -to do will be to get him warm. I wish we -had some brandy to give him, but we haven’t -even got water.”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Sidney, who had climbed up -and was kneeling by the captain’s side, -“and Captain Foster didn’t have any -breakfast this morning, and I think he was -so worried last night that he didn’t eat -much dinner, so he won’t be in good shape -to get his strength back.”</p> - -<p>“Did you young gentlemen have any -breakfast?”</p> - -<p>“No, we didn’t have any either. The -explosion came just as we sat down to the -table.”</p> - -<p>“That’s bad; we men ate a good meal. -Well, we may not be kept here long.”</p> - -<p>When Mr. Wright and his men had bound -together all of the lumber which had been -collected, they had a commodious, serviceable -raft. It consisted of a double tier of -heavy timbers all through, and rode high in -the water, even when it carried all seven of -the party.</p> - -<p>The boys had worked faithfully over -Captain Foster, but he still had not recovered<span class="pagenum">[264]</span> -consciousness, though his body had -become much warmer. The sky was clear, -and a bright sun had done quite as much as -the boys’ vigorous rubbing to bring about -that condition. Mr. Wright examined the -unconscious man more carefully than he had -done at first, and was quite sure that the -skull had not been injured by the blow -which he had received.</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe there is anything more -we can do,” said the mate, “but I think he -will come to himself before long. We’d better -all take off our clothes and dry them in -the sun. I ought to have taken off some of -the captain’s clothes; he would have warmed -up quicker; I believe I’ll do it now.”</p> - -<p>He began to remove Captain Foster’s -jacket, and as he stooped over him to release -an arm the captain opened his eyes.</p> - -<p>“How many of the men were saved?” he -asked.</p> - -<p>“Three,” replied the mate.</p> - -<p>“Who were they?”</p> - -<p>“Jack, Watson, and Smith.”</p> - -<p>“Thank God!” said the captain fervently; -“they are three of the men with families. -And the passengers?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[265]</span></p> - -<p>“Both of them,” replied the mate.</p> - -<p>“I’m glad of that. What are we on?”</p> - -<p>“We built a raft,” said the mate, “from -the wreckage.”</p> - -<p>“You’re a capable man, Mr. Wright,” -said the captain. “My head feels pretty -level now. I fancy I can sit up.” And he -proceeded to do so.</p> - -<p>Sidney and Raymond and the three men -gathered around the captain and expressed -their delight at his recovery.</p> - -<p>“Gee! captain,” exclaimed Raymond, -“we’re glad to hear you talking.”</p> - -<p>“And I’m glad to see you, my boy,” said -the captain. “This is pretty hard luck for -you boys, just as you thought you were getting -out.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t think about us, captain,” said -Sidney; “it’s you and your crew who have -met with hard luck.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the captain, “we have to -take it as a part of the day’s work.”</p> - -<p>“I hated awfully,” said Raymond, “to -lose that fine rug that we packed over the -mountains for our mother, and my revolver, -too.”</p> - -<p>“You won’t need your revolver again,”<span class="pagenum">[266]</span> -said Captain Foster, “but if we’re taken by -the Austrians the rug might have come in -handy. I only hope that we’ll not be picked -up by an Austrian boat.”</p> - -<p>“What would they do with us?” asked -Raymond.</p> - -<p>“You boys would probably not be held, -but the rest of us would be sent to a detention -camp. They would never let Englishmen -get back home.”</p> - -<p>“And not be released until the war is -over?”</p> - -<p>“I fancy not.”</p> - -<p>“Gee!” said Raymond, “that would -be tough. Why, the war may last a month -or two yet.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Captain Foster, “or a year -or two.”</p> - -<p>“Captain,” asked Raymond, “do you -remember when the ship went down?”</p> - -<p>“No, I do not,” replied Captain Foster. -“When she made her first plunge, I was -thrown against the rail, and that was the -last I knew.”</p> - -<p>“I remember everything I did,” said -Raymond, “but I didn’t go down very far -till I began to come up again.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[267]</span></p> - -<p>“The suction from a small boat like the -Princess Mary is not very great,” said the -captain, “but if it had been a big liner, you -wouldn’t have come up, that is, not alive.”</p> - -<p>“Then why didn’t the other men reach -the surface too?” asked Sidney.</p> - -<p>“Because they probably became entangled -in some way and were held down,” replied -the captain. “Poor fellows! the sea is -relentless, as only those know who follow it.”</p> - -<p>The outer clothing of the castaways, -which they had removed, was become quite -dry in the sun, and they felt more cheerful. -But while they were glad of the warm sun -at first, they soon saw the possibility of its -becoming too warm for comfort. Besides, -the warmer they became the more their -minds turned to the thought of water, of -which there was none.</p> - -<p>The injury to Captain Foster’s head was -wholly superficial, but it gave him a very -sanguinary appearance, for it could not be -cleansed, and there was no possible bandage -for it except salt-soaked handkerchiefs. -The captain, however, soon felt quite like -himself again, for, as he said, he was altogether -too tough to be permanently knocked<span class="pagenum">[268]</span> -out by anything so trivial as a little blow on -the head.</p> - -<p>He noticed that what little breeze there -was came from the east, and that fleecy -clouds were gathering in that quarter, indicating -the approach of a storm. He called -the mate’s attention to that, and said he -felt uneasy about their condition if there -should be a storm.</p> - -<p>“I believe, Mr. Wright,” the captain finally -suggested, “that we can rig up a sail to -help us toward the coast of Italy.”</p> - -<p>“We don’t seem to have much to make a -sail of, sir.”</p> - -<p>“We could use our coats if we had any -way to fasten them together.”</p> - -<p>“There’s a coil of ratline-stuff, sir, that we -fished out of the water, and that I thought -was too small to trust in making the raft.”</p> - -<p>“That’s just the thing, Mr. Wright. -Make holes along the edges of the coats and -tie them together with bits of the cord. -Then pull out the two longest sticks you can -find in the top of the raft. Hoist those -sticks a little ways apart, jam the ends down -between the timbers, and spread the sail -between them.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[269]</span></p> - -<p>All went to work with a will, the boys tying -the coats together, and the men getting -out the sticks for masts and setting them in -position. Soon there was a curious patchwork -quilt of a sail raised, but one that -offered a large surface to the breeze. Raymond -stationed himself at the edge of the -raft, and trailing his hand in the water for -a log, announced gleefully,—</p> - -<p>“We’re making two knots.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span id="Page_270" class="pagenum">[270]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXII<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">A RESCUE</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="dropcap">While Raymond had declared jokingly -that they were making two -knots, it was probably a fact that they were -not going so fast as that. The raft, however, -with its broad sail before an increasing -breeze, was moving through the water at a -rate that was perceptible, and that, to their -joy, was taking them toward a safe, neutral -country.</p> - -<p>A few thin gray clouds were coming in -from the east, but the sun was still warm -and invited to ease and comfort. So the -various members of the little party stretched -themselves out as best they might. There -was nothing, however, to mitigate the hardness -of the surface on which they lay, except -their own will to endure it.</p> - -<p>“After all,” said Raymond, “this beats -some of the beds we had in the Caucasus.”</p> - -<p>“That must have been a tough tramp for -you boys,” said Captain Foster.</p> - -<p>“It was,” replied Sidney, “and if we had<span class="pagenum">[271]</span> -known just how hard it would be, I think we -should not have attempted it.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Raymond, “we were never -blown up at any rate. I hope the raft won’t -strike another mine; it would be our finish -if it did.”</p> - -<p>“That is not likely,” said the captain. -“It is strange that even one mine should -have floated out so far from the Austrian -coast.”</p> - -<p>As the day advanced, the wind increased -and the raft ceased to be a stable vehicle. -It pitched and rolled altogether too much -for comfort. The occupants of the raft, too, -became very thirsty, and Captain Foster -and the boys, who had missed their breakfast, -added the pangs of hunger to the -misery of thirst.</p> - -<p>Hunger and thirst, however painful, -might be borne, but the endurance of the -raft in a gale was an undetermined problem. -It was a problem, though, that promised to -press for solution, for the wind continued to -increase, and the clouds rolled up dark and -darker from the east. The raft plunged -heavily and sullenly through the rising sea.</p> - -<p>Finally, Captain Foster ordered the sail<span class="pagenum">[272]</span> -down, and the coats restored, each to its -owner. It was high time that the coats were -made to perform their proper office again, -for the wind had become very cold, and the -spray constantly drenched the occupants of -the raft. The sail, too, must soon have been -torn away if it had not been taken down.</p> - -<p>Soon after noon the wind had risen to a -gale, and instead of lying stretched in a warm -sun on a placid sea, the shipwrecked party -were huddled together under a cold and -lowering sky. They crouched in silence, for -no one felt like talking.</p> - -<p>When the raft made an especially violent -plunge and nearly stood on edge, they all -clutched each other, and by their very bulk -maintained their position. At one such -time, however, <a id="Ref_272" href="#Ref_272a">Sidney failed to grasp the -man who was next him, and slid to the -edge</a>. He only saved himself there by seizing -hold of a stick which protruded a little -above the level of the raft.</p> - -<div id="Ref_272a" class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i272.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class="center"><a href="#Ref_272">SIDNEY SLID TO THE EDGE</a></p></div> -</div> - -<p>The boy was so nearly paralyzed by fright -that when the raft settled to a level again, -he could not get back to the center until he -was pulled in by one of the men.</p> - -<p>“It won’t do to take such chances as<span class="pagenum">[273]</span> -that,” said Captain Foster. “Mr. Wright, -knot together the pieces of rope that we -used in the sail. Then tie one end to one -edge of the raft, bring it across the center -and tie to the other side. We’ll all take hold -of that, and we shan’t be washed off.”</p> - -<p>The mate found there was enough rope to -extend across the raft and pass back again, -making it double. He also fastened the -middle to the raft, and had a secure anchor.</p> - -<p>“Now, boys,” said Captain Foster, -“grasp the line, and don’t let go for an instant.”</p> - -<p>Sidney’s narrow escape was all the warning -that was necessary to make the boys, -even Raymond, obey implicitly. The men -did not need any warning for caution, for -their experience of the ocean was sufficient -to show them their danger. So all the members -of the party gripped the rope with the -tenacity of fear.</p> - -<p>The supporting rope had not been provided -any too soon, for the gale increased in -intensity. Indeed the strength of the unfortunates -who clung to the rope was sometimes -taxed to the utmost to enable them to -maintain their hold. Without that support<span class="pagenum">[274]</span> -they would certainly have been washed -away.</p> - -<p>The raft would sometimes be dashed up -on the crest of a great wave with such force -that it seemed in imminent danger of being -thrown over backward. Then it would be -hurled down into the trough of the sea, and -be threatened with destruction by the waves -that reared on either side.</p> - -<p>As the wind increased, too, the clouds -became more dense, and began to discharge -dashes of biting rain. The rain itself did not -make so much difference, however, for the -shipwrecked people were already as wet, -from the drenching spray, as they could be. -But with the rain came bitter cold, and that -was heart-breaking.</p> - -<p>It had been difficult enough for the castaways -to keep hold of the rope with the pitching -and rolling of the raft. That difficulty -was increased many fold by the cold that -numbed their hands and sapped their -strength. Even the sailors, with the hardihood -acquired during years of hardships, -found the situation a difficult one. And the -boys, despite their severe schooling in endurance, -found it nearly insupportable.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[275]</span></p> - -<p>Raymond’s hands became absolutely devoid -of feeling, and his whole body was almost -without sensation. His grasp on the -rope held more because his fingers were -stiffening in their clutch than because of any -volition on his part. He hung, almost insensible, -from the rope.</p> - -<p>Finally, Captain Foster noticed the boy’s -condition, and cast about for a way to help -him. He thought he might hold Raymond, -himself, with one arm, but he hardly dared -trust the weight of both of them to the insecure -support of one hand. If there were -only a line to tie him fast!</p> - -<p>“Mr. Wright,” he said to the mate, “we -must do something for the boy, or he will -be washed away. Is there any line left?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir,” replied the mate. “Yes, I -think there is, too,” he added. “When I -lashed the center of the line down to the -raft, there was a long end which I left hanging. -It’s right by the boys.”</p> - -<p>When the members of the party had -ranged themselves along the rope anchor, -Sidney and Raymond were placed in the -center as the most secure position.</p> - -<p>“Then I wish you’d work your way in<span class="pagenum">[276]</span> -there, Mr. Wright, and tie that boy to the -line,” said the captain.</p> - -<p>“Aye, that I will, sir,” replied Wright.</p> - -<p>The mate, who was near one end, climbed -cautiously past the other man until he -reached Raymond. Then he knotted the -long loose end of line around the boy’s body -under his arms in such a way that it could -not draw tight, and yet so securely that -Raymond could not be washed off. When -that was done, he found there was still rope -left, and he said to Sidney,—</p> - -<p>“Shall I lash you too, sir? It will be safer.”</p> - -<p>“I wish you would,” replied Sidney. “I -may be able to hold on, but I am not sure. -Thank God, my brother is safe.”</p> - -<p>It was not long after that when Raymond’s -hands lost their grip and he hung, an -inert weight, from the rope. Then, after the -raft was free of a towering wave that had -broken over it, Smith’s place was vacant. -When Captain Foster discovered their loss, -he besought the men who were left to have -courage.</p> - -<p>“Don’t lose heart,” he said to them. -“Watson, remember your family, and, -Jack, that old mother of yours. I think we<span class="pagenum">[277]</span> -must be in the route from Fiume to Ancona, -and there may be some traffic yet between -Austria and Italy, so I fancy we stand a -good chance of being picked up.”</p> - -<p>“I shall hang on, sir,” replied Watson, -“as long as any one. My missus can’t support -the children alone.”</p> - -<p>As the man finished speaking, the raft -mounted the crest of a huge swell, and the -mate and Jack sang out simultaneously,—</p> - -<p>“Ship ahoy!”</p> - -<p>There was barely time to see a steamer -that was bearing down upon them not far -away, when the raft plunged into the trough -again. With the next rise, however, there -was a good view of a long steamer with four -funnels, that lay low in the water, coming up -against the wind.</p> - -<p>“It’s a destroyer,” said Captain Foster, -“probably an Austrian. Well, better an -Austrian than none at all.”</p> - -<p>The castaways were observed, and the -warship, after passing close to one side, hove -to so as to bring the raft under her lee. -There she hung, with her engines working -only enough to hold against the wind, while -she lowered a boat.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[278]</span></p> - -<p>The shipwrecked men watched anxiously -while the boat fought its way toward -them. It was thrown from crest to trough, -then back again, and tossed about until it -seemed impossible that it could live. There -was no trouble about its being able to advance, -for the wind swept it resistlessly -along. The greatest danger was that it -would strike the raft and both be wrecked.</p> - -<p>When the boat was opposite the raft its -crew attempted to bring it up to the wind. -As they came around and the gale struck -them broadside on, it seemed as though -their destruction was certain. For a few -moments the boat was hidden beneath the -piling seas, and Captain Foster and his men -held their breath in terrible suspense.</p> - -<p>Then the boat emerged, but the wind had -driven it past its destination. Slowly the -boat’s crew battled their way back against -the gale. When they were once more opposite, -they drew the boat up on the windward -side, and let it down as carefully as possible -against the raft.</p> - -<p>The protection which the warship offered -in breaking the force of the wind was considerable, -but even then the two craft<span class="pagenum">[279]</span> -pounded together in a most alarming manner.</p> - -<p>The mate cut the cord that held Sidney, -and he and Captain Foster helped the boy -to the side. Sidney had not been, like his -brother, rendered entirely helpless by the -cold, and the prospect of rescue had greatly -restored his strength. So by watching until -the boat and the raft, in their violent oscillations, -were brought to nearly the same -level, he was able to spring into the boat, -where he was caught by its crew and placed -in safety.</p> - -<p>Then Captain Foster and the mate turned -to Raymond. He was unconscious, and -they were obliged to carry him, which was -extremely difficult. They left the cord attached -to the boy, and threw the end to the -boat’s crew, who held it as a safeguard -against disaster. By lifting and pulling, -Raymond was transferred safely to the boat.</p> - -<p>When that had been accomplished it was -comparatively easy for the sailors to follow -the boys, and the boat started back to the -ship. That was a long pull and a hard one, -but the nearer they approached under the -lee of the ship the less difficult it became,<span class="pagenum">[280]</span> -and the shipwrecked party were finally safe -on board.</p> - -<p>Captain Foster and the boys were conducted -to the cabin of one of the officers, -where Raymond received the attention of -the ship’s surgeon. And the mate and his -men were taken forward. Warmth and food -were all that Raymond needed to restore -him completely, and the others responded -to the same treatment.</p> - -<p>Captain Foster learned that the ship -which had rescued them was the Salzburg, -an Austrian torpedo boat destroyer, which -was doing patrol duty from Pola as a base. -Presently they were visited by the lieutenant -in command, a courteous young man -who spoke English perfectly.</p> - -<p>“What ship are you from?” he asked -Captain Foster.</p> - -<p>“The Princess Mary, freighter, from Batum -to Venice,” was the reply.</p> - -<p>“Were you wrecked in the storm?”</p> - -<p>“No, we struck a mine early this morning.”</p> - -<p>“And these young men?”</p> - -<p>“They are Americans who were returning -home from Russia, and I was helping them -out.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[281]</span></p> - -<p>“Well, captain,” said the lieutenant, “I -shall be obliged to detain you and your men. -I will turn you over to the commandant at -Pola. But I will see that these young Americans -are sent on by rail. If you have money -to get to Genoa,” he continued, turning to -Sidney, “you will find ships that will take -you to England, and from there you can -easily get home.”</p> - -<p>“I think we have money enough for -that,” replied Sidney, “and we shall never -forget what you have done for us.”</p> - -<p>“I have done only my duty,” replied the -officer as he turned away.</p> - -<p>“It distresses me, Captain Foster,” said -Sidney when they were alone, “to leave you -a prisoner.”</p> - -<p>“That you can’t help, my friend,” replied -the captain, “and it is a chance that we -took with our eyes open.”</p> - -<p>“Can’t we take a letter for you to your -family?” asked Sidney.</p> - -<p>“I shan’t give you a letter; that would -only get you into trouble; but when you -reach London, I’ll be grateful if you will go -to see my wife, at No. 18, Southampton -Row, Russell Square. You can tell her just<span class="pagenum">[282]</span> -what has happened to me, and where you -left me, and that will be a great comfort to -her.”</p> - -<p>“I will do that, certainly,” said Sidney.</p> - -<p>The boys had no further opportunity for -conversation with Captain Foster, for men -came to take them to a separate room. And -in the morning they had only a glimpse of -their benefactor before they were put -aboard a train at Pola for the Italian frontier, -where they would transfer to another -train for Genoa.</p> - -<p>“Gee! Sid,” said Raymond, when they -were speeding along in the train, “this -beats tramping over the Caucasus.”</p> - -<p>“It sure does,” replied Sidney, “and I -guess we’ve done our last tramping this -trip.”</p> - -<p>“It really looks now,” said Raymond, -“as though we were going to see mother, -after all. When we were on that raft I -thought we never should again.”</p> - -<p>“And I hope we’ll find father with her -in New York,” said Sidney.</p> - -<p class="center p1">THE END</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class=" center italicfont largefont">The Riverside Press</p> - -<p class="center">CAMBRIDGE. MASSACHUSETTS</p> - -<p class="center">U. S. A</p> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="transnote"> -<h2 style="margin-top: 0em">Transcriber’s Notes:</h2> - -<p>Illustrations have been moved to paragraph breaks near where they are -mentioned.</p> - -<p>Punctuation has been made consistent.</p> - -<p>Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained as they appear in -the original publication, except that obvious typographical errors -have been corrected.</p> -</div></div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Two American Boys in the War Zone, by -Levi Worthington Green - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TWO AMERICAN BOYS IN THE WAR ZONE *** - -***** This file should be named 62747-h.htm or 62747-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/7/4/62747/ - -Produced by Demian Katz, Craig Kirkwood, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net -(Images courtesy of the Digital Library@Villanova University -(http://digital.library.villanova.edu/)) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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