Thestarostanamed an exorbitant figure, but Sandoff paid it without demur, and then waited in the courtyard until the three spirited horses were harnessed.
He now went back into the post room, and sent Vera out to the sledge, with instructions to draw the covering tightly and remain inside. Then he paced up and down the room for probably half an hour, glancing through the window from time to time into the courtyard.
All at once a ringing clatter of hoofs was heard that came nearer with every second, and a moment later the sound of voices and a loud call for thestarostaapprised Sandoff that the horsemen had entered the yard. He glanced cautiously through the window, and could dimly make out five mounted figures—Colonel Nord and his escort, beyond a doubt.
Leaving the window after the first hasty glance, Sandoff threw up the lid of the chest, placed the paper on the table before him, lit a cigar, and seated himself comfortably in a chair. He had hardly done so when the door was thrown open, and thestarostaentered, followed by a large red faced man in full uniform.
“Colonel Nord, your excellency,” he stammered, backing out of the room and closing the door.
The colonel was unmistakably surprised at sight of Sandoff. He hesitated a moment, and then, catching sight of the chest of money, bowed in a formal manner.
Sandoff held out his hand.
“I am glad to see you, Colonel Nord. I owe you an apology for my seemingly strange conduct this morning, and beg you will accept my explanation——”
The colonel’s brow grew dark, andhe glared at Sandoff under his bushy eyebrows.
“Sir, I wish to see Inspector Zamosc,” he thundered. “You are not the man!”
For an instant Sandoff could only stare at his visitor in hopeless confusion. Here was a contingency that had never entered his head.
“What does this mean?” continued the colonel fiercely. “Is the inspector afraid to meet me in person? Does he forget having made my acquaintance in Petersburg last summer, that he attempts to palm off a substitute upon me? I refuse to treat with you. I will not touch a cent of that money, unless Inspector Zamosc counts it out with his own hand. Where is he? I demand to see him.”
The irate colonel started for the door, and would have rushed out to the sledge had not Sandoff checked him in time.
“Stop just a moment, Colonel Nord, and hear my explanation,” he entreated. “It is true that I am not Inspector Zamosc—I am merely his assistant. It was through a sad error that the inspector drove through Riga this morning without stopping. He has now begged me to see you in his stead and plead sickness as an excuse for his absence. He is out in the sledge, but if you insist upon seeing him I will summon him.”
“Yes, I do insist upon seeing him,” the colonel replied with a grim smile. “There are various private matters that must be discussed. Tell the inspector that he needn’t be afraid of me,” he added with a short chuckle.
“I will deliver your message,” replied Sandoff calmly. “Kindly excuse me while I go to summon the inspector. You will find cigars and wine on the table.”
“I had better accompany you,” said Colonel Nord jocosely. “The inspector might take fright and run away. When he sees that I am not in a violent rage he will be reassured.”
As he spoke he preceded his companion to the door. For a moment Sandoff thought all was lost, but a idea occurred to him just in time.
“Beg pardon, colonel!” he exclaimed. “But all that money—would it be safe to leave it here alone?”
“Ah, no, quite right!” muttered the colonel, glancing greedily at the chest. “I will remain here. Be quick, though, for I must return to Riga as soon as possible.”
Sandoff left the room with a firm step and composed bearing, but nevertheless his brain was fairly bursting with the intensity of his thoughts. He had but one idea—the necessity of making an immediate and desperate dash for liberty.
The game was up. Just inside the door stood the four Cossacks who formed Colonel Nord’s escort. They were laughing and talking boisterously, and Sandoff noted with satisfaction that thestarostahad taken away their horses—probably to be fed and watered. Here was one danger out of the way. The sledge stood where he had left it, facing the road, and the gates were wide open, thestarostahaving neglected to close them after Colonel Nord’s entry. Another favorable circumstance!
Sandoff calmly untied the strap that held the horses to the gate post. Then he turned and slowly mounted the seat beside Shamarin. Even in the dim light the marble pallor of his face was visible, and his companions were quick to scent danger.
“Something has happened,” said Vera. “What is it, Victor?”
“Hush!” said Sandoff in a voice that they hardly recognized. “Not so loud! All is lost and discovery is inevitable. Prepare the firearms for use. All depends now on getting clear of the village.”
He gathered up the lines and Shamarin touched the horses with the whip. They trotted out of the yard, the circlet of bells making merry music over their heads, and turned up the street on a gallop.
“Those accursed bells!” muttered Sandoff. “Why did I not take them off?”
Then he fiercely jerked the horses to a standstill as the military post loomed in view, with the barred gate stretching from side to side across the road.
The officer who had stopped them before came out with a lantern.
“Open the gate,” demanded Sandoff. “I am in haste, and must make up for lost time.”
The man hesitated. “Have you seen Colonel Nord already, your excellency? He came but a moment or two ago.”
“Certainly, you blockhead!” roared Sandoff, losing control of himself. “Else why should I be here? Open that gate instantly!”
The officer was cowed by this determined attitude, and moved forward with the evident intention of obeying; but before he could take three steps a door was heard to slam violently, and from the post yard came a volley of shouts and curses, delivered in Colonel Nord’s high pitched voice. Then followed answering cries, and a quick running of feet over the frozen snow.
The officer halted, and looked keenly at the occupants of the sledge. Then he called “Guard! guard!” in a shrill voice.
“Hold firm,” whispered Shamarin. “There’s only one way—I’ll do it—stand by me.”
With a leap he was on the ground, and running toward the gate, where stood a single Cossack. As he passed the officer the latter whipped out his sword, and started in pursuit. Sandoff caught the gleam of steel, and, leaning from the seat, whip in hand, he dealt the fellow so terrific a blow on the arm that he dropped the weapon and howled with pain. Shamarin reached the gate and was confronted by the burly soldier before it, rifle in hand. There was no time for parleying. Shamarin dodged under the Cossack’s rifle and flung the fellow to one side of the road, where he lay stunned in the snow and ice. Then he dashed furiously at the gate—which was fortunately not locked—and by a single blow knocked it half way back on its hinges.
It was now Sandoff’s turn. Swinging his whip overhead, he brought it down smartly on the horses. The spirited brutes plunged madly forward, and he urged them with hoarse shouts to still greater speed. As they dashed through the gateway, Shamarin regained his seat by a flying leap.
The whole affair had consumed but a few seconds. Before the Cossacks could realize the audacity of the deed, the sledge and its occupants were whizzing away into the night at a rate of speed that had seldom been equaled on the great Siberian road.
The officer picked up his sword with his uninjured arm, and swore and yelled alternately until he was hoarse. The vanquished Cossack rose to his feet, and idiotically jerked the gate shut with a bang. The others ran for their horses and mounted in hot haste—and in the midst of all the confusion up clattered Colonel Nord and his escort, bawling at the top of their voices.
“Idiot! Blockhead!” the colonel roared at the terrified officer. “You will pay dearly for this! Why did you let those scoundrels through? Open that gate at once—send after me all the men you have—telegraph to the next station. Do you hear me?”
Then, as the gate swung back, the irate colonel and his squad of armed Cossacks—now increased to nine—galloped madly through, and went pounding along the frosty road in hot chase of the fugitive sledge.
As the twinkling lights of the little settlement receded in the distance, and the stretch of road intervening still remained free from pursuers, Sandoff and his companions felt their spirits rise, darkly as the future loomed ahead. Shamarin helped Vera to prepare and load all the guns. This done, he furled the rear hood, and stationed himself so that he could see backalong the course over which they had come. The horses continued to gallop at a tremendous pace, but when two or three miles had been traversed the pursuers hove in sight, and Shamarin soon reported the alarming fact that they were gaining.
“They will continue to gain, of course,” said Sandoff. “It can’t be otherwise. We must fight them off.”
He backed the two trunks and a pile of rugs against the seat, for protection to himself while driving, and instructed Vera and Shamarin to keep low in the bottom of the sledge, which had a depth of at least two feet.
By this time the Cossacks were close enough to be counted, and close enough for something else, too, for a shower of bullets suddenly whistled about the sledge. Shamarin retorted with two cleverly aimed shots, and disabled one of the enemy. This occasioned a slight delay, after which the Cossacks came on more rapidly than ever. It was evident that a resumption of firing would do speedy harm to the fugitives or their horses. Taking advantage of a smooth bit of road where the sledge made little noise, Shamarin leaned from the end and shouted with all his might:
“We have a captive here—Inspector Zamosc. We are going to place him in range, and if you shoot again you will surely kill him.”
Colonel Nord’s reply to this was a volley of oaths, but the firing was not resumed, in spite of the fact that occasional shots from the sledge held the Cossacks at bay.
None realized the critical nature of the situation better than Sandoff. Nearly half the distance to the next station had been covered, and at any moment Cossacks might be met coming from the opposite direction. He decided on a daring and uncertain plan—nothing less than to abandon the post road and strike across country toward the coast. Although Vladivostok was yet some sixty miles away, it was barely two thirds of that distance to the nearest point on the Sea of Japan.
The desired opportunity speedily came—none too soon, however, for the Cossacks were beginning to spread out with a view of getting ahead of the sledge or of shooting down the horses.
To the right of the post road lay wooded hills, and on the left, toward the sea coast, was a stretch of undulating country very little timbered. Sandoff abruptly turned the horses in this direction, and applied the whip with merciless severity. The sledge attained a speed that was truly terrific. It skimmed over the frozen ground, swaying dizzily from side to side, and leaping high in air as it struck hillocks or scattered stones.
The Cossacks made a desperate effort to overtake the fugitives, but the four who had come on from Riga with Colonel Nord began to fall behind, their horses being exhausted. The colonel himself had evidently procured a fresh steed at the post station, for he pushed on with the other three Cossacks.
For half an hour this wild race continued. The ground increased in ruggedness. The undulating swells of land grew higher, and the hollows between them consequently deeper. As the horses galloped with steaming nostrils up one of these long slopes and dragged the sledge lightly over the crest, Sandoff uttered a cry of dismay. Down in the next valley wound a stream a hundred yards or more in width. It was ice bound, but the glassy covering looked smooth and treacherous, and was dotted with air holes.
“They have us now!” exclaimed Shamarin. “The game’s up!”
Sandoff gritted his teeth and took a firmer hold of the lines.
“There is a chance yet,” he cried hoarsely to his companions. “Drowning is better than recapture.” Then he lashed the horses more furiously than ever, and the sledge went down the frozen descent like a meteor, and whizzed out on the sheet of ice. Had the horses been moving less rapidly they must have broken through at once, but their very speed carriedthem on over the treacherous surface. The frail ice behind the sledge creaked and groaned and broke, and the angry and amazed Cossacks, who were close in pursuit, found their progress cut off by a watery gulf.
On went the sledge, Sandoff all the while urging the noble beasts by whip and voice, but when the shore was only half a dozen yards away the ice gave way with a terrific crash.
Sandoff plunged into the icy water waist deep, and, taking Vera in his arms, conveyed her in safety to the bank. Shamarin followed him with an armful of rifles and ammunition. Then Sandoff returned to the horses, knife in hand, and regardless of the bullets that pattered about him, he severed two of the animals from their fastenings, and after much kicking and plunging they gained a foothold on the firm ice. The third horse was struck in the head by a bullet, just as Shamarin—who had hurried back to aid his companion—was cutting it loose, and with a shrill neigh it rolled over into the water.
“Mount as once,” cried Sandoff, as he led the horses out on the shore. “Vera can ride with you or me—it matters not which.”
“And Zamosc! Shall I shoot him before I go?”
“No, leave him to his fate.”
“But,” said Vera, placing her hand softly on Sandoff’s arm, “the sledge is sinking, and he is helpless. Give him a chance for his life.”
“The villain doesn’t deserve it,” replied Sandoff shortly, but meeting an appealing glance from Vera’s eyes he turned and waded back to the sledge. Leaning over the seat he pulled Zamosc to an upright position, and took the gag from his mouth.
“If you value your life you had better tell your friends to cease firing,” he said.
Zamosc lost no time in making good use of his voice, and he was shouting lustily for help when Sandoff regained the shore. By the aid of a huge bowlder Shamarin mounted one of the horses. As it happened to be the smaller of the two, Sandoff mounted the other, and helped Vera up behind him. A moment later the fugitives vanished over the crest of the next ridge.
A succession of thick forests and rockstrewn ravines made progress slow and painful. Day came, revealing a barren and desolate country stretching as far as the eye could reach. In front of the fugitives towered a range of lofty mountains. After three or four hours of difficult riding they reached the foothills, themselves and their horses thoroughly exhausted. Here the latter were abandoned, and the ascent was begun on foot. A long and wearisome climb brought the refugees to the top, and here their eyes were gladdened by the sight they had longed to see. The mountain and the wooded hills at its base sloped gently to the eastward for half a dozen miles, and beyond were the fair blue waters of the Japan Sea, fading away into the horizon. Near the shore lay two black objects—steamers without doubt.
It was late in the afternoon when the fugitives drew near the sea. One slight ridge crowned with pine trees lay between them and the desired goal. They crept through the valley with slow and cautious steps, fearing either to meet Cossacks who had come up the coast from Vladivostok, apprised of the situation by telegraph, or to be overtaken by Colonel Nord and his party, who for all they knew might have been following them since the previous night.
“The first thing is to get a good look at those vessels lying off the shore and discover their nationality,” said Sandoff.
At that moment a rifle shot rang sharply on the air, and was followed by a second report and a ferocious yell that came from no human throat.
“Some wild beast!” muttered Sandoff, and as he spoke a man’s voice cried, “Help! Help!”
The tragedy—for such it seemed to be—was taking place but a few yards distant.
Rifle in hand, Sandoff ran forwardfor a dozen yards or more and peered through the thick foliage into a circular open glade. In the center of this rose a rounded bowlder six or eight feet high, and perched on the top was a young man, striking blow after blow with a clubbed rifle at a great wounded tiger cat who was making frantic efforts to get at him.
At sight of the stranger Sandoff uttered a cry of surprise. “Can it be he?” he said aloud. “Yes, it surely is. What can he be doing——”
He did not finish the sentence, for at that instant the tiger cat sprang fairly to the top of the bowlder, and seized the unfortunate man by the ankle. It was no time for hesitation. Sandoff boldly advanced from the bushes, and, taking aim at the tiger cat’s head, fired. The brute rolled backward in his death struggle, while the rescued man half fell, half jumped, from the rock, and limped toward Sandoff with amazement and gratitude visible on his face.
“I owe you my life,” he said huskily. “That was a good shot of yours. I fired twice at the brute, but failed to kill him, and my steward, who was with me, ran off. The coward won’t stop now until he gets to the yacht.”
“The yacht!” cried Sandoff hoarsely. “Is your yacht here? But don’t you know me, Maurice Dupont?—No, of course you don’t. I am Victor Sandoff.”
“Victor Sandoff!” The other repeated the words in an amazed tone. “Can it really be you? How came you here? You, who were sent to Siberia. I heard about it—it was unjust, tyrannical!”
Both were silent for an instant, thinking of the time when they had last met in one of the aristocratic clubs of St. Petersburg.
“Tell me,” said Dupont, “what does this mean?”
Briefly Sandoff recounted the story of his escape, and when he paused, pale and agitated, Maurice Dupont took both his hands in his and held them there.
“Your troubles are over, my old friend,” he said, with tears in his eyes. “Tonight, as soon as it is dark, come down to the shore. You will find a boat there with one of my men in it, and once safely on my yacht I defy the Czar himself to take you off. You must be careful, though, for a Russian corvette is lying at anchor near me, watching for a couple of poor devils who escaped in a boat from the convict island of Saghalien last week. In fact, one of the Russian officers came out with me today. He is somewhere at hand now, with a couple of my men. You see I have been wintering in Vladivostok, and came up here a day or two ago for a little sport before starting forla belle France—but stop! I hear footsteps. Keep yourself and your companions well hidden, Sandoff, and as soon as it is dark make your way to the beach. You will find the boat opposite my yacht, which you can identify by the red lantern in the bow. Quick! They are coming.”
The Frenchman strolled leisurely across the glade while Sandoff darted into the bushes and made his way back to Shamarin and Vera with his burden of joyful news.
Through the remainder of that short afternoon the fugitives lay concealed among the rocks on the summit of the ridge, and when darkness came they crept cautiously down to the edge of the bay. Less than a mile from shore lay the steam yacht Grenelle, easily distinguished by the red light that swung from its bow.
“If your friend fails to keep his word, we are lost,” said Shamarin. “He may hesitate to assume such a risk——”
“He won’t hesitate and he won’t fail,” interrupted Sandoff with decision. “There! What is that now?”
“A boat!” cried Vera joyously, and so indeed it was. It lay upon the beach, and as the fugitives drew near a man advanced to meet them—a middle aged bearded sailor, wearing the blue and white uniform of the Grenelle. He bowed politely to Sandoff and said, “The boat is waiting, monsieur. I fear we shallhave a rough passage, for the surf is heavy and the wind is rising.”
“Then the sooner we start the better,” said Sandoff, answering the sailor in his own tongue.
The boat was small, and without difficulty it was dragged down to the edge of the surf with Vera seated in the stern. The three men pushed the craft out through the surf. Then they sprang in, and Sandoff and the sailor fell to the oars, Vera and her brother meanwhile bailing out the water that had been flung over the sides.
“Pull with all your strength, my friend,” said Sandoff. “It will be no easy matter to gain the yacht.”
The wind was blowing toward the shore. Each moment it seemed to increase in violence, and the sea to grow more turbulent. After a period of steady rowing Sandoff noted with alarm that the boat was being carried in the direction of the Russian corvette. Again and again it was headed for the crimson wake of the lantern, and each time the waves buffeted it persistently out of its course. Shamarin relieved Sandoff at the oar, but with no better result. The situation was becoming alarming. The sky was overcast with dark, murky clouds, and the waves tossed the frail craft about at will.
Suddenly a ruddy blaze was seen on the beach. Then a rocket with a luminous blue wake whizzed high in the air, and before the fugitives could recover from their surprise a similar signal was sent up from the deck of the corvette.
“We have been tracked to the shore,” cried Sandoff. “The Cossacks must have come up from Vladivostok, and now they are signaling to the corvette either to be on the lookout or to send a boat in.”
“Most likely the latter,” said Shamarin. “Look! Lights are moving on deck, and I can hear the rattling of chains.”
The possibility of recapture when safety was so near at hand dismayed the fugitives. The boat was in a dangerous position, being directly between the corvette and the shore.
“We may be saved yet,” cried Sandoff hoarsely. “Pull straight for the yacht—pull as you never pulled in your lives. It is our last chance.”
The men tugged desperately at the oars, and to such purpose that the boat made visible headway toward the Grenelle. A shout for help might have brought another boat to the rescue, but as it could have been heard with equal distinctness on board the corvette this expedient was out of the question.
Another mishap was close at hand. As the sailor pulled desperately at his oar, it split with a sharp crack. In the momentary confusion that followed, the boat swung broadside to the waves, and a fierce blast of wind coming up at that instant, over it went in the twinkling of an eye.
Sandoff, being on the leeward side, shot out and downward, going clear under the icy water and coming to the surface a few seconds later, to find the capsized boat half a dozen feet from him. To the bow clung Shamarin, submerged to the breast, while the sailor had managed to crawl upon the stern. Vera was not to be seen, and as Sandoff made this terrible discovery his heart seemed to stand still and his chilled limbs to lose their power.
“Victor! Victor! Help me!”
His name was called in feeble accents, and he saw a head and an arm floating in the waves between him and the boat.
All else was instantly forgotten. With three powerful strokes he reached the spot, and placed one arm tightly about the girl’s waist, while with the other he beat the water furiously.
“I will save you, I will save you, Vera—my darling!” he whispered hoarsely. The words came unbidden from his very soul. This moment of common peril had wrung from his lips the confession of a passion that he had cherished in secret for months.
The wind forced the boat down toward him, and throwing up his arm he caught the keel and clung there, pressing his precious burdenclose to his side. Slowly the space between the yacht and the boat widened. They were drifting nearer and nearer to the long, black hull of the Russian corvette.
“Better to die now than go back to the mines—back to torture and a living death,” whispered Shamarin across the boat. “Good by, Sandoff. I can’t hold on much longer.”
Sandoff could not reply. His own strength was failing, and a deadly numbness was stealing his senses away. The heroic sailor remained mute, faithful to his trust, though a single cry would have brought rescuers to the spot.
Suddenly the quick, sharp rattle of oars was heard. The sound came nearer and nearer, and finally a dim object passed close to the drifting boat. It was the gig from the corvette, speeding toward the shore.
As the dreaded object disappeared in the gloom, Sandoff still held to the keel, though his arm seemed to be tearing from the socket. With the other arm he fiercely drew Vera to his breast until her cheek was almost touching his.
“I love you, I love you!” he cried passionately. “I tell you now, Vera, in the presence of death. Would that God had seen fit to spare us for another and a better life in a land without tyranny and oppression! But regrets are vain. It is sweeter to die this way together than to be torn apart and dragged back to the horrors of Siberia.”
His eyes met hers, and he read in their swift, mute glance the echo of his own words.
With one hand she drew his head down. “Victor,” she whispered, “you have made death sweet. Its bitterness is gone.” Then their lips met, and as the waves thundered around them Sandoff felt his hand slipping from the boat.
A low cry from the sailor roused him, and unconsciously his fingers tightened anew on the keel. The spot where Shamarin had been was empty—the brave fellow had gone down. For him there was an end of toil and suffering.
Again that low cry! The seaman was kneeling on the capsized craft, staring ahead through the gloom. “A boat! a boat!” he cried hoarsely.
“He is mad,” thought Sandoff. “He sees no boat,” but even as he strained Vera to his breast and felt the icy waters rising higher around him, a dark object shot forward over the waves, and a voice cried, “Sandoff! Sandoff!”
The next instant he and his burden were snatched from the icy waters, and then remembrance left him.
When his senses returned, he was lying, warm and comfortable, in a snug berth on board the Grenelle. As in a dream he saw kind faces about him and heard Maurice Dupont’s voice:
“Sandoff, my dear fellow, you are safe now. The yacht is already under way. We are bound for France. It was providence that guided us when we started out to search for you in the other boat. We arrived just in time—but too late to save your companion. The brave fellow had gone down.”
Sandoff made an effort to rise. “Vera, where is she?” he asked.
“Safe, my dear fellow, safe and well. You will see her tomorrow.”
Sandoff smiled and his eyes closed. He was sleeping peacefully.
Toward the end of the following June the Grenelle entered the harbor of Marseilles, and Sandoff and Vera journeyed by rail to Paris, accompanied by Maurice Dupont.
But little more remains to be told. Vera and Sandoff were married in Paris, where both had friends, and the honeymoon was spent in Maurice Dupont’s villa at Asnieres. They will never return to Russia, nor have they any desire to do so. They live happily in their adopted country, but if they are spared to the extreme limit of old age they can never forget the terrible adventures they shared together when escaping from the mines of Kara, or that memorable night off the Siberian coast when poor Felix Shamarin lost his life in the sea he toiled so hard to reach.