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 to the
fact that those men were probably really Russian.
Presently Raymond woke, and with characteristic impetuosity jumped up
the moment his eyes were open.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Yes, it would do all right for us,” said Sidney, laughing, “but it
might not for the next travelers.”
“I don’t believe there are any next travelers here; we are the only
ones.”
The boys ate a dry breakfast, slung their blanket rolls over their
shoulders, and 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.
“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.”
“He certainly would have made a fine soldier, but I guess he had a
better business. Brigandage must be profitable.”
“I can’t help feeling uneasy, Ray,” said Sidney as they went on, “about
what will happen when those men are found.”
“I’m not going to worry, Sid. As you said, there was nothing else we
could do.”
The boys soon reached the gorge, where 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.
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.
“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.”
“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.”
“You don’t mean you’re going to leave them here?”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
“Why, that would be outrageous, Sid, when we need horses so badly, and
we are sure the owners were those dead men.”
“Nothing under Heaven could make me touch those horses, Ray.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Gee, you _are_ cautious, Sid. Well, if we’ve got to hoof it, we may as
well keep going.” And Raymond rather grumpily continued the march.
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 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.
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.
When they were halfway across the valley, two wild-looking horsemen
emerged from the gorge and dashed past them.
“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.
“More likely,” said Sidney, “they are hurrying to report what they
found, and warn officers to take us.”
The boys followed slowly and reluctantly. They would have been very
much happier if they could have skipped that first village, 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.
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.
Sidney began a remonstrance and a request 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.
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.
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 swarming with vermin. The boys gazed at each other, at first too
stunned and shocked for expression, then indignation possessed Raymond.
“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.”
“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.”
“Well, they might have done it in a civilized way.”
“That man must have been explaining why they arrested us, but we
couldn’t understand him, which was not his fault.”
“For Heaven’s sake, Sid, are you excusing these ruffians?”
“No, but I am trying to imagine what I should think in their place.”
“You’ll be fully occupied in what you think of _this_ place,” said
Raymond with sarcastic emphasis. “Do you suppose they’ll keep us here
to-night? If they do, we’ll have to sleep standing. I don’t want to
put my blankets down on _that_ bed, if it is a bed.”
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.
“It isn’t a very attractive bed, that’s a fact,” said Sidney.
“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:--
“We can hang our things to these bars, 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.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Well,” said Raymond, “we’ll be outside of this wretched place, anyway,
and I’ll take my chances then on making a getaway.”
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.