"We are between the devil and the deep sea!... which gives me time to
write.... The beastly tunnel has caved in midway in our passage....
It seems, from the roar overhead, that we are somewhere beneath the
railroad tracks. Yet there must be a vent somewhere, as there seems to
be a draft of air through this passage.... The family are congregated
off to the right, in a kind of stoping where the dirt has been
removed, leaving a small room like one meets with in the Gogebic iron
mines in Wisconsin and Michigan, back in the United States....
Our little electric bull's-eyes come in handy just now.... With my
bull's-eye propped up on a sand-encrusted box I am noting down
some things that must not be forgotten.... While trying to find a
passageway out of this hole in the ground we gyrated back and forth
for the last two or three hours until the women became exhausted....
Then my 'prisoner' and I returned to the mouth of the entrance. There
we heard a horrible row between the unruly brute we left on the
floor and his wild-eyed fellow conspirators.... They accused him
of DOUBLE-CROSSING THEM and making away with the treasure that they
insisted should be _theirs_!
"... He insisted that there was NO treasure EXCEPT the JEWEL he
apparently was exhibiting.... We could hear, quite distinctly, a
sullen voice saying: 'I do not believe you; you are trying to steal
the whole of it!... We'll give you ten minutes to produce ALL you have
hid away, and if you don't do it, we'll fill your body so full of lead
that your rotten carcass won't float in the Kolunda.'... The culprit
replied: 'Let me explain. You remember that I was suspecting that
_interloper_ when I insisted on watching him; well, my suspicions were
correct,--he was a TRAITOR to our cause. He was planning to steal away
with his precious gang when I covered them with my pistol. Then when
I had the drop on them I made them open all of their trunks and boxes.
Nothing was found. I felt sure they were holding out on me, so I took
a shot at the kid. The interloper made a dive at me. I knocked him
down with that chair there.... then in my rage I emptied my pistol
into the hearts of the whole gang.... that's all there's to it.'...
'He's lying!' 'Traitor!' 'Betrayer!' 'Down with the thief!' flew
back and forth from one to another above our heads.... Then in a more
subdued voice we heard 'Hist! _Silence_! Some one is coming!' A
moment later I heard distinctly the unmistakable growl of my hero of
Gallipoli overhead demanding, 'WHAT HAVE YOU CUTTHROATS DONE WITH
OUR PRISONERS?' ... There was a _silence_ that could be felt.... None
offered an explanation that I could hear.... 'Why don't you answer?'
thundered Gallipoli.... There was an unmistakable murmur.... 'Don't
YOU try to slide out of this, you COWARD! I'll hold _every one_ of you
responsible for this! _Where's my lieutenant_?'... He _means_ ME....
"'Out in the yard,' I heard one of them reply.... 'Go and tell him
to report here AT ONCE!'... Poor devil! the humor of this whole
situation is displayed in the tragic possibilities of criminal greed
when crooks fall out!... '_Where are the others_?' my Gallipoli hero
demanded.... I heard no answer.... 'DO YOU HEAR ME?'... still no
audible answer.... '_Crack!'_.... the report of a revolver, then a
scuffling and '_stand back!_ Another move and I'll blow you ALL to
HELL,--_line up there!_.... Now I order you to explain the whereabouts
of the PRISONERS.'
"... We could hear a voice boasting: 'Did you see that BLOOD
in yonder? Well, that is our answer. We were suspicious of that
Lieutenant of yours so we took the matter into our own hands.'...
'WHO DID THE KILLING?'... 'The Sergeant.'... 'And what did he DO
with the bodies?'... 'Threw them into the well!'... 'The devil!
you'll have to fish them out again!'... Then there was a long
silence.... Finally we heard: 'Here, Sergeant!' from HE of Gallipoli;
'when will my lieutenant report?'... 'The Captain said to present
his compliments and say that he is temporarily detained.'... My
'prisoner' poked me in the ribs impulsively and smiled.... 'Where
are the BODIES?'... 'Burned!' said the Sergeant. 'WHAT?'... 'BURNED
UP?... 'Who burned them?'... 'I did, Sir.'... 'Didn't throw them
in the well?'... 'No, Sir.'... 'Well, I'll be damned!... FALL IN!
_Unless those prisoners are produced I'll court-martial every one of
you_!'
"... We could hear the measured tread of a squad overhead tramping
away until the thump, thump, thumping sank into a faint indistinct
vibration which was caught up by the beating of our hearts and
the throbbing of our fascinated and incredulous ears.... 'Well!'
ejaculated my amused '_prisoner_'; 'It'll be exceedingly interesting
to read the future accounts of my double execution. I am sure my
family will read it with greater interest than they've ever manifested
in any of London's or Gorky's fanciful novels!'... 'I assume that you
will not be surprised to learn that you have some mighty good friends
in that crowd outside,' I ventured.... 'Oh, not at all,' my prisoner
returned, 'and I venture to say that your friend from Gallipoli will
find it convenient to contribute to the general misunderstanding
and confusion by allowing the suspected executioners to air their
conflicting explanations of my disappearance.'
"'_We haven't disappeared yet, my friend!_' I grumbled, as we turned
back in the direction of our underground camp.... 'If we had some
shovels it would solve the problem; but the way we're fixed it looks
like a case of starvation or surrender for the whole of us,--we can't
stay down here indefinitely!'... 'Patience, _courage_, my friend,' my
'prisoner' replied whole-heartedly; 'this is the first time in my life
I have been absolutely alone, the first moment in our lives we have
been positively FREE!'... He took a few swift steps and swung around
gracefully, like a figure in a dance.... 'I love the mazurka!' he
exclaimed!... 'I'd like to have a real pillow fight again with the
children!... We used to have such fun!... It was about the only time
my wife would ever smile!... I used to tell her that she reminded me
of the sad goddesses that stood on the dull red cornices of my
Winter Palace looking coldly into space during any of the Court
ceremonies.... Really that was true,--a woman like my wife, in a
_manteau de cour,_ a head flaming with the rays of her kokoshnik and
supported by that long white veil, DOES resemble an icicle in the
Winter Palace!... But when we are _alone_!... the Zaritsa is
a motherly MOTHER!... You'll see.... We have always loved
simplicity.... This is our chance.... I never did like the late
suppers and high life indulged in by some of my relations.... My
greatest dissipation was at the Marinsky when we'd sup between acts
and go straight home to bed.... Grand Duke Alexis never wanted to go
to bed.... After the theatre he was always primed for another party
out at the Islands.... Our motto has always been, "Early to bed and
early to rise."... Had to.... At work early after breakfast till
eleven ... luncheon ... to work again at half past twelve until dinner
... back to work until very late at night.... NOW we are hearing of
our misguided _workmen and soldiers_ attempting to run the country on
SIX HOURS WORK A DAY!... That would be delightful if they would
only devote the remaining hours to recreation and STUDY.'... My
'prisoner' seemed positively _boyish_....
"His voice was in pleasant contrast to the shrill staccato accents I
had heard in that gloomy underground room of the Foreign Office at
Berlin.... I could see at a glance that his present attitude was not a
pose,--his simplicity, like his courage and democracy, was GENUINE....
It explains the reason for his composure at THIS VERY MINUTE when a
less courageous man would be excitedly running around in circles and
making my life miserable by bemoaning our ill luck.... To show the
_morale_ of this family of cave dwellers I'll record this incident:
'Be careful about those electric lamps,' I requested of the ladies.
'If they give out we'll be in darkness.' ... 'Then we'll use our hands
and dig ourselves out to daylight!' exclaimed Maria.... 'WHY can't
we start doing THAT NOW?' exclaimed Tatiana.... 'Come on!' chorused
Alexis and his four sisters as they fell to and are now pawing the
dirt away from the embankment that impedes our escape.... I'll have to
supervise that work a little, for if these girls continue to pile back
the dirt the way they are doing it they may stop up the passage both
ways and _bury us all alive_...."
X