Ah Escape From Siberia.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXXVII, Issue 11760, 10 October 1902, Page 2

Ah Escape From Siberia.

One of the stories of the Wide World Magazine this month is the very exciting one of an escape from Siberia. The author. Rurik Kowallsky, tells how he journeyed to Siberia with the express intention of rescuing an old student friend, Alexis Semiojiwski, who had beeii exiled fcr life on account of his political views. For many weeks an opportunity for escape is -looked foi", but in vain. Then one day Semionwski is nearly drowned while bathing; m fa(:t, h9 is giveu up for lost by his friends? But he comes to the shore, and is secretly carried to his own' homei, where he is.' hidden for some wse>ks in a closet. Meanwhile permission is given to his widow to return.to Russia.

Semienwski is hidden in the sledge, covered over with fur?., but just before the frontier station is reached a Cossack spy named Fheodore, who accompanies the party in another sledge, discovers the presence of the man whom he held supposed to b-J dead. To outwith the spy the rescuer resorts to thisstratagemi: "Mounting the box, where the spy sat in sulky silence, I drove the sledge qtumisiiy down the incline we had now reached. The Altai Mountains stretched far away on the west, and the frontier—our'goal—lav dose ahead along a rough, road leading through broken country. Suddenly he pulled the left rein, the sledge upse*, and both of us floundered out int.) the snow. Before the Cossack could rise I seized him an dound his ann# with a rope I had in reac'iness. A loaded {pfistoil held to his head ga<ve additional weight to my threaits and dem.a.ids, and he had no choice but to obey my next order.

"Loosening his arms for the purpose, I made liim take off his clothes and put on others, and then I tied him to a tree, whfcro I left him, promising him an early i-eleasc if he behaved properly. I left the .--ledge where it had upsafc, ond harnessed one of the horses to the narta. In the meantime Alexis came forth from his hiding place, and, with my assistance —for his limbs were so cramped that he coujd hardly standhastily assumed the Cossack's rlress and fur cap. His face had already boen stained AvitU walnut juice so as to hide the paleness of his visage. His emaciated figure was nxuffled in a long fur cloak as much for disguise as for warmth. Hawing completed bis toilet, the supposed Coss;iek mounted the box beside me,

"We presently drove up to the Customhousa at Troitskaskavsk, a low, wooden building by the roadside, about two hundred yard.? from Chinese territory, and divided from it by the River Salenga, which was spanned by a stone bridge. Two or three officials came out. and the weary business began. One of them examined my Da-ss. which was accepted without remark. Meanwhile the supposed Cossack tendered to a secorsl officer the papers connected with Madame Semionowski. He acted his parb coolly, answering questions in a hoarse, gruffff voice. "While the baggage was being searched, the supposed Fheodore advanced and asked permission to travel with the party as far as Urga, where he said family affairs required his presence. For this ipurpose a written pass had to be made out. Noticing tha.fc poor Alexis was becoming chilled and faint with such prolonged standing, I called to him to mount and control the horses, who were getting fidgety at the delay. Meanwhile the official leisurely endorsed the remaining papers, and calmly addressed himself to the task of filling out a pass for the supposed Cossack. "In .order to hide mv impatience, I looked out through a small window which commanded the road along which we had just come. Heavens, what' did I see. Far away doAvn the road, running towards us. T saw the figure of a man. shouting and brandishing his arms as he ran! It was Fheodore! Some peasant must have set him free! Everything was lost, for in a few minutes the trutjh must transpire. Alexis, what would be his- fate? "Quickly I turned, snatched the still wet lwssport from the hands of the astonished officer, and then darted out of the 'office. I sprang to my friend's, side, seized the reins, and with whi'ip. and voice urged the horses forward. Shouts and calls to stop came from behind us. and presently a bullet sped past us and touched our middle horse, which, maddened with pain, dashed oh like wildfire. A moment later the land of exile and bitter bondage was left behind. The bridge had been gained and crossed ; we were in Chinese territory, where the Russians dared not follow us. For a iKe our perils were at an end.

"Little more now remains to be told, ex cept that we reached a Tartar encamp menfc in safety, staying, with these hospitable people till Alexis was strong enougli to journey farther on. Having accompanied the happy husband and wife to a plar ; of safety. X "finally reached England, where I found that the moment a foreigner treads on British soil the bitter memories of past oppression and espionage pass from him 1 L° a "fearful dream, and he stands vi deemed and regenerated by his new-found liberty.

"Have you ever had an experience 'iv handling high-grade pottery?" asked the importer of an applicant for v situation. "No. sir," replied the applicant, "but I can do the work alright." "Suppose." said the merchant, "you should accidentally break a valuable vase; what would you d»?' "I would put it together carefully," replied the job-seeker, "and set it where a wealthy customer would be sure to knock it to pieces again." "Consider yourself engaged," said the merchant.