Out of Evil Good
SUDDENLY the ferocious gaze was veiled or turned aside, and Sergey
heard a noise against the wall as of leaping, clawing, and tearing.
This roused Ivan who, grasping his old gun which stood loaded in
a corner, sprang to the doorway just in time to see a large grey,
cat-like animal with tufted ears, springing off the raft on to the
shore. He fired at the retreating robber, and the creature, with a yell
of rage and pain, dropped and rolled over on the bank.
"Bring a light, child!" cried Ivan.
And Sergey hastily lighted the lantern and looked about to see where
the skipper could be.
"Here! I am here!" called Ivan from the bank, and the lad noticed that
the old man's voice sounded faint.
He sprang ashore, and found Ivan on his knees beside a huge lynx. The
light of the lantern flashed on its glazing eyes, and sharp white teeth
bared in an evil grin.
"Is the beast dead?" inquired Sergey.
"Yes, he is dead now, but he was not when I came after him here! And
see what he has given me to remember him by!" And Ivan showed his right
hand, which had a ragged deep wound across the back of it, while the
sleeve of his shirt had been torn to shreds by the vicious claws of the
big cat, and the flesh of the arm was scarred as though with barbed
hooks.
"Oh, poor dear Ivan!" cried the boy. "How dreadfully it must hurt!"
"That is not what troubles me, little son," replied the old man, "but
our voyage has not long begun, and there are many difficult bits of
waterway before us. And I fear I shall be unable to use my hand for a
long while."
"No, I fear you are right. But as we are coming to a town to-morrow,
you must surely see a surgeon, and hear what he says."
"I will, child; thou sayest well! But now call my sons, for they must
take this beast's skin. It is a good one, and we can sell it as soon as
we got to the town of Krasnoi-Yablok."
Ivan's hand and arm were roughly swathed with a wet towel, Vassia and
Sergey acting as dressers, while Kostia and Sasha skinned the lynx, and
pegged the skin and feet out on the raft deck to dry in the wind.
Poor Ivan suffered much pain during the next few hours, but he made
no complaint, and early next morning the raft was tied up close to
the wharf of Krasnoi-Yablok. And Ivan, taking the boy with him, found
his way to a hospital where a doctor and surgeon were attending to
out-patients.
The latter carefully examined the skipper's injuries, which he said
might become serious and even dangerous unless fully cleansed and
dressed every day. He also warned Ivan that if he proceeded on his
voyage, the chances were that he might have an illness which would
prove fatal.
"But, Sir Doctor, I am in charge of the big 'Swan' raft," said Ivan.
"My sons are willing, good lads, but as yet they are inexperienced. How
can I trust them to take the raft on? Then too, here is this boy, for
whom I am responsible; I promised to look after him, and I am loath to
neglect my duty."
"When God makes impossible to us what we considered our duty," said the
surgeon, with a grave smile, "should it not convince us that the path
of duty lies elsewhere?"
Ivan looked up quickly and crossed himself devoutly.
"You are right, good Sir Doctor! The will of God be done!"
"If thou fearest that thy sons cannot safely take the raft farther
without thee, skipper, why not all remain here until thy wounds are
healed enough for thee to travel?"
"Nay, Sir Doctor, that cannot be, for our firm is under contract to get
the rafts to their terminus in a given time, with a margin of only a
few days. So that whether I stay or not, the 'Swan' must go."
"Then thou must settle matters as thou best can, good skipper. I can
say no more." And the surgeon turned away to another patient.
"Ivan, listen!" said Sergey in low tones. "Since I go on the raft that
will make a fourth hand; and Kostia is so clever and strong that he can
surely be skipper for a time. Stay here and get cured, and then come on
by train, and join the 'Swan' farther down."
Ivan thought silently for a minute. Then he said, "Yes, Sergey, little
son, thy counsel is good. So be it!" And the matter was thus settled.
The "Swan" was not to start until late in the afternoon, so Sergey
wandered about the town, looking in at shop-windows, and much
interested in watching some of the showy vehicles and well-dressed
people who had apparently driven in from surrounding estates.
Presently his whole attention was fixed upon a handsome couple who
alighted from their open carriage in front of a jeweller's shop, near
the door of which Sergey was standing.
"Come in here with me, Elena dear," said the gentleman. "We will
try in some sort to replace thy losses. Those forest banditti near
Glynoi-Liess took most of thine ornaments, did they not? Was ever
carriage tour so disastrous before! Come in, my dove, and choose some
for thyself."
"There was only one thing, Yevgen, that I have grieved and even wept
over," replied the lady, "and that is the ruby ring thou gavest me on
my wedding-day. I never cease to miss it. It was the most precious
thing I had, and now I shall never see it again."
Thus spake the lady, and she was about to follow her husband into the
shop, when a hand gently touched her arm, and a voice that trembled
with earnestness said, "'This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous
in our eyes!'
"Yes, most gracious Barrina, for you 'shall' see your jewel again! It
is in safe hands; I know, and can tell you in whose! There can be no
mistake! Is it not a great red stone with a heart of fire, and inside
the gold ring is engraved,—
"'Yevgen to Elena'?"
"Yes! Yes! Those are the words, but child, child, who art thou?"