assured him we intended nothing so seditious ; and, on
finding that he had children, I offered him a New
Testament and some tracts, which he stuffed into his
pockets, and at the next station was relieved by
another of four gendarmes who were in attendance
upon us. We were next under charge of the little
ferret-faced fellow who carried the telegram, and was
somewhat disposed to give himself airs. Presently he
wanted to smoke, which I forbade. He then went to!
do so in the gangway, leaving open the door, which I
rose and not very gently shut. He promptly re-opened
it, whereupon I stamped my foot, and if I did not
shake my fist I let him see unmistakably that I would
not have the atmosphere about me defiled, whereupon
he made some remark about my being an
Englishman, and caved in. We then sent the little I
man to Coventry, which exercised on him a subduing!
effect, so that ere we reached Perm he . was getting I
quite obsequious, for he began to suspect that he had!
made a mistake.
On arriving at the terminus about nine o’clock, I
Mr. Parsons and the station-master, true to friends in
adversity, were there to meet us, and we were asked!
to be seated in the gendarmes’ chamber, where presently!
arrived the Police Captain and the Procureur of the
Town. The Captain’s hair was all sixes and sevens;
he was smoking, and looked as if he might have been!
out all night on the spree ; whilst “ Monsieur le Pro-1
cureur ” was faultlessly clothed in a dress-coat of black,!
with gold buttons and green velvet collar, with a white!
tie of spotless purity, and carried an important-lookingl
portfolio. He wore the dignified air of a man who!
had serious business in hand, and after allowing him!
to settle himself, I opened fire by saying,
I 1 Well, gentlemen, you have brought us back : pray,
That have I been doing ?”
■ “ You have been distributing proclamations.”
■ “ Very good ; where are they ? ” said I.
1 “ We have sent for them, but the man has not yet
dome.”
I Here, then, things were stayed, for my accuser
Was six miles away. I therefore led off in another
direction, and produced various documents I had about
njie, such as the open letter of General Tchernaieff, and
an old one of the Minister of the Interior, and I said
tliat I had on my previous journey distributed more
tlian 50,000 books and pamphlets in Siberia. I also
aiowed an autograph letter addressed to me by
the Grand Duchess Olga, the official letter of Count
Tolstoy, and a communication from the Russian
Ambassador in London, thanking me for a copy of my
book presented to the Emperor. This heavy artillery
sjbon began to tell. The Captain allowed that from
rav permission it was clear I had a right to distribute
tie tracts, and the Procureur observed that it was
exceedingly unlikely that persons with such letters in
Possession would be distributing proclamations. A n other
thought appeared then to seize him, and he
alked whether I knew any priest in the town, and I,
without sufficient thought, answered “ No.”
■“ Was there a priest on board the steamer when you
came before ? ”
■ ‘ Oh, y e s !” I said, “ I remember, he wished me to
get a book he had recently published translated into
English.”
■ Ah'!” said the Procureur, gazing hard at me, “ I
■member you now, for I also was on board •; but at
Hat time you wore a beard ! ”