A NIGHT OF SUSPENSE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 160, 6 January 1914, Page 8

A NIGHT OF SUSPENSE.

AUVKNTI'ttJi "K A RUSSIAN Illv | YOIX'TIOXARY. It happened in the very boat of the Russian Revolution. The steamer John Grafton, chaptered in England by Father (Japon, liuil been stopped on the shores of Kiiiniid and tin*, cargo confiscated by 'thu ]!u.--i.iu (iovernin. 111. Rut noi'.'.o ut tlie arms and ammunition won; saved by the Finnish brunch of tlie Revolutionary Party. One ii. v ). —then r, ojftrwr - received the honorable commission to convey a portion of those stores from IMsingf'ors to Petersburg. The Revolutionary Party, to which I belonged, had to prevent the expected invasion of Rus- | sian troops into Finland. At my starting from lfelsingfors station lale !U the evening everything seemed to go well. A porter known to me as a uiclnbcr of the "Red Guard" found for me a very comfortable compartment in; the Pullman sleeping-ear, in which were only two other passengers, evidently ICnglisfhincn, for, buried in their London papers, they took no notice of my entry.

I l'n my trunk were 1000 revolver eart- < ridges, hung over lay shoulder on a leather strap there was a travelling I "cau-di'-cologne" fla.sk full of nitro-gly-cerine, and unde.r my oflicer's fur coat a bag containing two dozen revolvers. Having piaccd the trunk in my berth, 1. went to the dressing-room at the end of the corridor, where the friendly porter was awaiting me with a small key. In a cupboard where t'ho train servants keep towels and soap I deposited the bag and, with the key in'my pocket, returned -to hiy compartment, easy in mind so far as the revolvers were concerned. lint the cartridges and the tlask of nitro-glyeerine were a different matter. . Carefully, but not too carefully lest I should arouse the'suspicion of the passengers in the corridor, I hung my coat an;l the itask on a peg nearest to my compartment, AX ENDLESS TWO MINUTES. Having satisfied myself that file Englishmen were not interested in me, I turned mv attention to the door of our compartment. "Would it open, and if it opened, whom would it admit'!" Tho .second bell rang. The berth below mine was still unclaimed. 1 glanced ut my watch; only two minutes left; evidently I was safe. Yet suddenly my ) heart began to throb as the full realisaI lion of my position dawned on me. To j those two minutes there seemed no end. I The reader will understand their elastij city it' I mention that my luggage, if opened at the Custom House inspection, ' ' would .send me before a court-martial, 1 .' and the court-martial would send me to ■ death in twenty-four hours' time, with twolvo bullets in my body. One minute—my heart was ready to jump. Third bell. Although not l'elig: ions, [ mentally crossed myself, . Then, at tho' very moment when the train gavo tlhe first gentle shiver, there ' stood before me a young Russian gen- ' darme ollicer, slight and tall, in his smart blue uniform. Gallantly clicking his I spurs and half-lifting his hand to his ' j cap (Russian gendarmes are exceedingly ' | polite, even when sending' their fellow- ' men to thy gallows), lie asked in a gentle ' voice:"ls (Jiie berth number 13 in this ■ compartment?' "Yes," 1 answered politely, savagely cursing in iny heart all tho thirteens in the world. No doubt the object of uty trip was suspected. This "blue archangel," as we Russians call the gendarmes, had been told oil' to take, care of meA talkative fellow, full of questions. Did 1 know who were our fellow-travel-lers'; Wvm they foreigners? Could they speak Russian? 1 answered that they were Knglisli and seemed not to know '■ our language. i- "Nowadays one can't bo 100 careful n of one's company," said he. "Those curs- - ed revolutionaries nwko life unbearable for decent people." Tho gajnu had started, and whatever the end might be I would take my part in it bravely, j The "archangel" and I bade each other ? [ a friendly good-night, but I thought ." there was irony in his tone. No need to I say that for mo there was no good night in prospect. "Does he know or does he not know what 1 have in my trunk?" j Tliiit. was the question which 1 turned over and over till it seemed to pierce my bruin like a. screw.. Why did I catch him e looking up at my berth as if trying tu [' mako out what I was doihg? The lights of one station after an. c other flew by us, for thw was no stop- '' ping, except once or twice to take uj water for the engine. Through the padded walls of tho luxurious Pullman cat the rhythmical rush of the wheels came " muflW to my ears. Tho wheels seemed . to join me and themselves to ask end'l lessly "Yes or no? Yes or no? Yes or no?" c ' Only two hours more and then Oho r train would reach the frontier. There ' was'no lime to lose. Whulher the "blue ; archangel" was on the watch or not, my preparations must be made. d Softly I drew- aside the curtain and looked over the edge of, the bed. The gondaruro was lying with his face to the wall, apparently asleep. Very quietly 1 opened my trunk and began taking ou( „ the cartridges one by one very carefully, They were small, buttliu slightest shaft>r ing of the spring mattress on my bed B might give the alarm. 1 stored then: around my person. There was hardly ] room enough under the blanket for them ' and me. and I remember that 1 slipped some of them into spurred boots and left j these outside at the foot of my bed. 1 jf knew that the Custom lfouse officers 0 seeing my uniform—unless first on this B scent—would never dream of disturbing , s a Russian officer in bis bed, but wouhi content themselves with examining my now half-empty trunk. But just as I was comforting mysell j with this assurance a dreadful thought Hashed into my mind. Thy Husk, hanging with my overcoat in the corridor! o ... . liow could 'li have been such j; a fool as to forget it? Could I still reach ivud remove it? j Again I drew the curtain, again looked stealthily down. The gendarme was lying on liitt other side and was no mora _ asleep. It was out of the question to leave him ami my bed alone together for a single moment. 1 must, just leave the 'flasl' lmnging under the fur collar of my coat and trust to its innocent appearance. Now at -hist wu were Hearing the frontier. The guard of the train passed along the corridors, warning tho sleepers to liave their hand luggage ready for inspection (the luggage in the van is usually inspected at St. Petersburg). A few niijjutes more and the train stopped Almost immediately I heard the steps of threo men—tho two Custom House officials and tlwi station gendarme—as , they , moved from one compartment to another, Such short pauses. Our turn must come soon. : The gendarme 1 ; wai»ow. ..sitting up oU his bed fully ft

I ('lcik'luml my tuoili. VVns tlio is sure of his prey an all tii.ii,? M\ hand tho rcvohor in uiy trousers poi-k----.jt. Yes. the was iill right. Tho <lunr Jippca a-.u!,< v.itli a noffc i'aul<\ ;md tile ihroe uu-n stood in Hit' opening. a .wavt» of wiuti'r air into the compartment from behind Uioni. And now a tiling happened, My heart, Unit had bmilwatiiig wildly, went suddenly <|iiiol: duiibl. iVar, ('jqnw-tation —all plate it) absolute ralmm**. I

< o'.ild ;it-;^;i• 111 Move anil observ.- as if 1 were ;i. ; ,pectalor ol u drama in wliit'-ii I luid no |>!irt. Hurriedly, tin- bags (if each of us were . :intnl. Thru. twining tu me, una uf the men -;iii! civilly:

"Certainly, sii 1 . \on have no spiritw or cigars with yon.'' "None,"' I an.-worcd calmly, though with a glance at my possible licensor. Would lie Kay, "Not spirits or cigars, biil somcthino- bett£r worth confiscating. I.ook and find."

]nst.-ad came an energetic: ''Hurry up. hurry up. The third-class passengers have still to he examined, and they often carry arms with them."

"Just so, your nobility,'' answered the si.ition gendarme. "Xo end of trouble in these da vs."