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SYNOPSIS.
Frederick Hardy, a fashionable Boston
society man, lost his wealth, was jilted
by a girl and sent by a friend to take
charge of an American Trading Company
store In Russia. On his journey through
Japan he met Stapleton Neville, sup
posedly an Englishman. They agreed to '
go together to Russia. Because of sus
picious circumstances they were several
times molested by the Japanese. Hardy •
was arrested and found upon his person
were papers showing maps of Jap forts.
Hardy was proven guiltless. On a train
he met Aisome Sano, daughter «»f a Jap
merchant. In Neville's shoes Jap found
i»i« tures of forts, proving him to be a
Russian spy. Hardy departed for Rus
sia on a steamer, which was wrecked J
shortly afterward. He was rescued by
a Rusisan steamer. On reaching Vladi
vostok he was well treated. He started
for Siberia, meeting Princess Romanovna
on the train. Hardy boarded a vessel for ,
Amur Hardy showed tlie princess his
expertness as a rifle shot. The steamer >
was stranded. The princess and her i
maid were attacked by Chinese. Hardy
saved their lives. The princess thanked
Hardy for his heroism. Manehurlans ,
fired upon the craft. Hardy slew their
chief. Burning arrows were hurled upon
the Pushkin's decks. An attempt was
made to board the vessel.
CHAPTER XVl—Continued.
There were four of the crew, be- ,
nldes the captain, all armed with rifles
to which bayonets had been affixed by
the general's order. Add to these
Smulders, the general himself, Hardy j
and three Rouriats, and the defending :
party consisted of 11 members. Grave j
S'cnKa Pugacheff of the crew had
gone down the river for help, and the |
attack had been delivered so sudden- j
ly that there was no time to call Ro
manoff. who was sleeping below. In- j
deed, it is doubtful if, at that moment
of extreme excitement, anybody
thought of him.
The Chinese were receiving a mur
derous and unlooked-for reception, but
they were not to be easily beaten off.
Several of them gained the deck and
began to swing their clumsy, two
handed swords, and the clash of steel 1
on steel rang out amid savage grunts,
snarls and cries of rage. The Cossack
crew and the Rouriats fought like dev
ils, leaping and darting about with the j
agility of wildcats and handling their j
more modern weapons with murder-1
ous dexterity and skill.
A man never knows what sort of
man he is still a supreme trial comes
to him. The American found himself
cooi. His faculties were all at a j
state of extremest tension, with the i
result that he could see and hear bet
ter, think faster anil decide more j
quickly than in ordinary moments. ;
He took his revolver from his pocket |
and ran lightly toward a Mancliurian j
who was just throwing one leg over '
the rail, lie fired at the head of the j
man. who fell back into the water with j
a loud splash, dropping his sword on j
the deck. Another leaped over the j
rail almost at his sid<\ and, swinging I
his great steel blade high in the air, j
chopped at Hardy's head. The latter
threw up his rifle and received the
blow on the barrel. The impact j
bror.gljt him to his knees, but, as he j
sank, he shot his assailant beneath ;
the chin, killing him instantly.
At this moment a blazing arrow j
pnssi'd over him and stuck in one of j
the cotton-stuffed pillows that had been j
vised as a barricade. Hardy snatched
the pillow, threw il> overboard and
ran to the down-stream side of the |
boat The attack of the boarders had t
not lasted in all over four or five j
minutes, and yet in that time several i
of the wading party had approached j
considerably nearer. The moon gave |
sufficient light for him to see the j
sights of his rifle now and the dark }
form of the Chinese made conspicuous t
marks in the gleaming water. This j
was not over two or three inches deep j
on the sand in Which the prow of the ;
boat v?as imbedded, and two of the ;
Chinese were running close in. Hardy |
killed them both with his rifle and ;
then began to shot deliberately at j
those who were farther away, with j
such effect that he put the entire
parly to flight ere the ten remaining
shots in his weapon were exhausted.
He turned to re-enter the melee just
in time to see Doris Romanoff burst
raging on deck, wrench a two-handed
sword from the fingers of a dead Chin
nese and ply it with as much ease and
skill as though it were lightest of
rapiers. The attackers were gaining
ground. Enough of them iiad come
over the side to defend a portion of
the rail, over which others were rapid
ly scrambling, while several of their
number were keeping the defending
party so busy that they could not use
their guns to shoot them down; which,
indeed, they would not have been
likely to do, in any case, as Cossacks
and Rouriats are primitive fighters
who do not think of shooting when
brought to close quarters. Roris Ro
manoff charged with such deadly skill
that the boarders leaped over the
Bide, back into the water, leaving two
of their number dead. The other
brigands followed their comrades,
with the exception of one, who was
bayoneted in the back just as he
Jumped; the rifle-barrel, striking the
rail, made a fulcrum of it, so that the
weapon was wrenched from the own
ers hands.
And now a thing happened that made
Hardy glad that he had not taken
Boris Romanoff's hand. One of the
Chinese was not dead, but had been
•tunned by a blow on the head with a
.polo He sat up and looked about
Was Bayoneted in the Back Just as He Jumped.
hiin, when Romanoff kicked htm in
the face, knocking him backward,
and, snatching a gun from one of the
Bouriats, pinned the man writhing to
the deck. So firmly was the steel
blade imbedded in the planking that
the combined efforts of two men
were needed to pull it out again.
The fight was over. There was no
further danger of the Chinese return
ing to the attack that night, if at all.
They had been taught a terrible les
son, though with considerable cost,
it must be confessed, to the defenders.
One of the Bouriats was dead, cleft
deeply at the base of the neck from
a blow with a two handed sword,
Smulders was wounded in the head
by a gash that caused the blood to
flow over his clieek. His clothing was
copiously stained. Romanoff, it was
found, too, had received a thrust in
the leg, of which he made light, but
which was bleeding profusely. The
general ordered him below.
While the men were washing down
the decks. Hardy went into the
passage leading to the cabins. He
wished to reload his rifle, and pos
sibly get a little sleep. He wondered
how the princess had fared during
these terrible moments of uproar and
carnage.
Her cabin door was open and he
saw her within, comforting her maid
and Smulders' Julia, both of whom
were in hysterics. The two girls,
clasped in each other's arms, were
lying on a berth, with a blanket
drawn over their heads, sobbing and
praying.
"We have driven them off, madame,"
announced Hardy. "I think there is
no further cause of apprehension at
present." The princess, leaning over
the girls, pulled the blanket from
their heads, and made them under
stand that the enemy had fled.
"I had no fears of the result," she
said, simply, "with such heroes on
board." Her face was pale, but It
flushed and her eyes flashed as she
cried: "Oh, why am I not a man, that
I might have helped you?"
"You have helped us a thousand
times mora by giving us such a cause
to fight for," replied Hardy, earnestly.
"You are good at making pretty
speeches to women," said a sneering
voice behind him. "I must tell her
highness of the effect which they
produced in Japan."
Hardy turned and beheld Boris Ro
manoff towering in the passage be
hind him.
"But he is wounded, my brave
Boris!" cried the princess, as Roman
off entered the room, limping painful
ly. As the princess sprang anxiously
to her cousin's side and assisted him
to a couch, Hardy turned away and
went to his cabin.
She had not been able to under
stand her cousin's remark, reflected
i Hardy, as he had made it in English.
CHAPTER XVII.
The Figure on the Cross.
When Hardy awoke in the morning,
i the sun was shining against his open
j cabin window. He looked out and saw
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 1910.
a stretch of yellow water, gleaming
like gold in the bright rays of the
early light, and, farther away, the
dark green of the interminable Si
berian forests. It was a peaceful
scene, with nothing in it suggestive of
the dreadful conflict of the night. The
corpses of the slain were even now
miles below, floating on and on by
Cossack villages and stretches of
Mancliurian woodland, proclaiming
with mute tongue that another con
flict had taken place between the
Slav and the Mongol, and with the
usual result. Hardy went on deck and
there beheld a solemn and affecting
scene. The dead Rouriat lay on a bier
improvised of two benches, with a
cross on his breast. The general, the
princess with her maid, and his com
rades, with uncovered heads, stood
by, while the captain read the burial
service. All were weeping.
The simple service finished, the
dead soldier, just as he was, in his
high boots and faded, blood-stained
uniform, and with the rude wooden
cross tied to his breast, was lifted
and consigned tenderly to the water,
to float on and on in tireless but
vain pursuit of those other corpses,
some of which he himself had sent on
their long, sad journey to the sea.
Hardy saluted the princess gravely,
and would have passed her by, but
she detained him.
"Have you noticed," she asked,
"that the forests are on fire?" He
looked. It was true. A dense cloud
of smcke was rolling up from be
hind a long ridge that ran parallel
with the river, but no flame could be
seen as yet. Half an hour later the
wind shifted and blew directly from
the fire, bringing the acrid smell of
smoke to the nostrils of the people
quarantined on the Pushkin. The fire
columns were evidently advancing up
the hill, for soon trees began to burst
into flame here and there along its
crest.
And now the Manchurians appeared
again, on their own side of the river,
as before. They could be plainly seen,
as the distance was in reality not
great, and their dark forms stood out
distinctly against the strip of white
sand that stretched between the
woods and the river. They were ma
king preparations of some kind. The
general brought his field-glass and
studied them carefully. There was
no doubt that they were digging a
hole, but for what purpose, it was im
possible to tell.
The Chinese did not leave their in
tentions long in doubt, for they
brought a huge cross out from the
shadows of the forest, and a strug
gling prisoner, whom they cast down
on the earth and proceeded to nail to
the cross. The general turned to
Hardy with white, drawn face.
"Stenka!" he groaned.
Yes, there was no doubt of It. The
unfortunate Pugacheff had been cap
tured and was now being crucified in
plain sight of his comrades. The ef
fect upon the latter, as soon as they
comprehended, was indescribable.
They seized their rifles, they shook
impotent fists at the shore and
I screamed imprecations at those fiends,
j engaged there in their horrid work,
j One of the crew, mounting a coil of
! rope, addressed a few impassioned
| remarks to his brethren, crying:
"Come on, brothers, let us save poor
| Stenka or die with him!"
Every member of the little baud
|shouted:
| "We will save him or die with
j him!" —and in a moment more all
j would have been over the rail, had
| not the old general drawn liis revol
j ver and leaped before them, crying in
a voice of thunder:
j "Stop! The first man who attempts
to leave the boat I will shoot through
j the head!" —and so great was their
habitual respect for authority, that
j they paused and regarded him in
■ dumb amazement.
"What, my children," he said,
j "would ye fall into a Chinese trap?
! Those fiends there are crucifying poor
"Stop! The First Man Who Attempts to Leave the Boat I Will Shoot!"
Stenka that we should lose our wits
and plunge into the water, when they
will kill us one by one. We must be
brave! It is harder to stand here and
watch a comrade in torture than to
die with him. Do you suppose that if
there were the least chance of saving
him 1 would hold you back? Is there
here any man who will accuse me of
cowardice? No! If you go, it is I who
should lead you. But I tell you we
could do nothing for poor Stenka, and
that we should all be killed. Let us
rather pray for divine help and that
the Virgin will relieve his sufferings.
The time will surely come, in God's
good providence, for your revenge,
and I promise that you shall feed it
fat."
Even as he spoke, the cross was
heaved on high, and Stenka loomed
upon it, very large and plain, in the
light of the sun, shining on the white
stretch of sand. The general was
standing with his back against the
rail, the pistol in his band. His voice
had been tender, but his eye was
stern and there was that in his man
ner which suggested accustomed com
mand and the prestige of a dozen fa
mous battles.
It was a critical moment, during
which the fate of all on board was at
stake.
For 10, 20 seconds, for half a minute,
the men stood, grasping their weap
ons, their muscles rigid, in various at
titudes of men about to rush into the
fight; and then the general conquered.
Several dropped their rifles clattering
to the deck, and covered their faces
with their hands, sobbing. Some fell
on their knees and prayed, while oth
ers, with pale faces and set teeth, re
sumed the tasks on which they had
been engaged.
The Chinese, having finished what
they had to do, retired into the cover
of the woods, leaving that awful thing
there in the light.
Hardy turned away, his teeth chat
tering, sick, giddy with horror. His
eye# fell on the Princess Romanovna,
white as a ghost, wringing her bands
and staring at the awful object.
"Oh, why does not the Virgin help
me? Why is not a miracle per
formed?" she whispered, hoarsely.
"Listen, my friend," she cried, grasp
ing Hardy by the arm convulsively,
"could you not shoot so far? Could
you not put him out of his misery?"
"This is no place for you." said
Hardy, "come away. Come inside."
"1 will go and pray for him," she
murmured, letting the American lead
her toward the cabin door. "1 have a
sacred icon with me. I will promise
the Virgin half my fortune if she will
save him!"
And now an idea occurred to Harris,
the application of a desperate remedy
for a desperate case. He had under
stood nothing of the words that had
passed between the captain and the
crew, though there was no possibility
of mistaking their import. Why should
he not again take advantage of his ig
norance of Russian and act on his
own initiative? While the general's
back was turned, Hardy walked to the
prow and dropped over the side upon
a bit of hard sand. Then, rifle in
hand, he ran straight toward the Man
churlan shore, plashing through the
shallow water that flew about him in
a spray. Men shouted after him from
the Pushkin. He paid no attention,
but ran on, his eyes fixed on the cross
and the burden that it bore. Once he
stepped into a channel where the wa
ter was up to his armpits and running
so swiftly that it nearly swept him
from his feet, but he struggled
through and dashed on again.
A dozen or more Chinese came out
of the forest and regarded him in
wonder. Then, raising rifles, they
took deliberate aim and commenced
to shoot, the bullets striking about
him in the water. One, that hit sev
eral rods ahead of him, "skipped"
like a child's pebble and passed close
to him. And still Hardy ran on, his
eyes fixed on the man on the cross.
He could see the features now, but
could not recognize them, they were
so distorted with agony. The head
was moving slowly from side to side.
CHAPTER XVIII.
A Hard Shot.
The number of Chinese who
emerged from the forest was surpris
ing. There must have been 100 of
them, at least 20 of whom were
mounted. There could be no further
doubt as to their purpose In thus tor
turing Stenka, openly and in full sight
of the Pushkin. They hoped that his
comrades, maddened by the sight,
would rush to his aid immediately, or
would fall into the trap later, believ
ing that the Chinese had gone away
and left him there to suffer. So
great was their astonishment now,
when they realized that only one per
son was coming to Stenka's rescue,
that they ceased shooting and stood
staring in wonder. And still Hardy
lull on, UOI'IK.:, tin- wide and shai.o.<r
river, his ey» s fixed on that specta* .i>
of agony. At last he stopped, for thu
time had con.e lor him to do the thins
he must do. lie could get no nua.' j r
without the absolute certainty of 1J -
ins shot down. There was no other
way. it would not have been pos
sible for Stenka's friends to reach
that cross without all being picked
ofr from the woods, lie cast una
g'ance at the shore, measuring the
distance with the keen, accurate eye
of the marksman. Then he rerrov d
his g'asses and wiped the moisturo,
tears, perhaj s, from his eyes. Re
placing them, he aimed at Stenksi,
and prayed:
"Receive his soul, O God!" lie
fired. The head stopped that dreadful
moving from side to side, and Hardy
could feci, even at that distance, that
the eyes were fixed on his own, in
comprehension. Ha will believe, to
his dying clay, that there was grati
tude in them. He had missed, how
ever, and now the Chinese, gr&sping
his purpose, began shooting at him in
earnest, and several of the horsemvn
urged their steeds into the water.
With the bullets scattering all about
him, llardy set his teeth and fired
again.
Poor Stenka's sufferings were over.
His chin fell forward on his breast
and the body collapsed limply on t'.:e
wooden peg thrust between his thighs.
"Thank God!" cried Hardy, and,
turning, he ran back toward the boat,
ran madly, desperately, as he had
run but once before, and that was
the time when he heard the princess
scream and saved her from the brig
ands.
On he ran over the hard sand cov
ered with a sheet of rippling water,
carrying his rifle low and bending at
the hips. He realized that every step
was taking him farther from those
savages on the shore, was putting a
greater distance between himself and
their rifles. He scarcely believed that
he could get away without being
wounded. If they would only kill him
outright, or would hit him in some
spot that would not prevent his run
ning! He listened, as a hare before
the pursuing hunter, for the sound of
the guns, and still he ran on.
But the Chinese did not shoot again,
and now from the Pushkin came half
a dozen men to the rescue, deployed
in open formation, like a troop of
trained soldiers, with their eyes fixed
on something behind him. They were
shouting to him, but Hardy could not
understand.
He turned, looked, and knew why
the enemy had ceased shooting. They
feared killing their own horsemen,
who were between him and the shore,
and bearing down on him rapidly.
There were at least a dozen of them,
and in a minute more three, better
mounted than the others, would have
been upon him. These were bending
close to their horses' necks, and were
armed with long swords to cut him
down. The American aimed at the
horses and fired rapidly, three times.
One of the animals, mortally wounded,
sank to his knees, while the others,
stung and maddened by the bullets,
became unmanageable and ran snort
ing back toward the Manchurian
shore.
The Cossacks now came up, and,
turning in a volley on the mounted
brigands, emptied one saddle and
compelled the entire party to retire,
which they (lid slowly, shaking their
swords at the Russians and yelling
imprecations. They were destined,
however, to lose one more of their
number. The man whose horse Hardy
had killed was making frantic but un
successful efforts to get away, his leg
being pinned down beneath the dead
animal. To him one of the Bouriats
ran up and, wrenching the man's own
sword from his hand, cleft his skull
with it and left him there with his
dead steed.
When Hardy again reached the
deck of the Pushkin, the general ind
the captain each shook his hand i»
silence, and the princess, her beauti
ful eyes red with weeping, said to
him:
"It was an act of mercy, my friend,
for which we all thank you. The
soul of brave Stenka, now in heaven,
will be grateful to you."
"It was a hard thing to do," replied
Hardy, faint almost to falling, "but I
could not endure the sight of the
agony—l could not bear to have you
look at it. It is what I should b» v «
wanted some one to do for me," he
added, as though further extenuation
were necessary.
"Then," said the princess with a
sad, solemn smile," it was a Christ
like act, a deed of sublime courage,
and so 1 shall ever regard it. But
you are faint, my friend. Go and lie
down and be sure that the Virgin and
all the saints approve what you have
just done."
"Thanks, a thousand thinks," mur
mured Hardy. "If you approve, I am
sure that it was right."
And still there were no signs ot
help, no sounds of galloping hoofs, on
the military road yonder, that wound
in and out of the dark forest, or
stretched like a long white ribbon by
the side of the yellow river.
(TO BK CONTINUED.)