The Girl from Hong-Kong: A Story of Adventure Under Five Suns — page 229: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE GIRL FROM HONG-KONG. 223 around: her, when he receives quite a shock. There is heard a clatter of hoofs, and then comes a gruff voice demanding that they ‘‘Halt! in the name of the czar!”’ Of course it is one of the troopers whose suspicions must have been aroused. Po The situation is fraught with peril, and it remains to be seen whether Smolensko will be equal to such an emergency. He engages in conversation with the trooper who has been so faithful to his trust that even the anticipation of a cozy corner by a warm fire, and a. glass of vodky, do not alienate him. Doubtless Somlensko 1s endeavoring with all the “eloquence a rustic dare possess to convince the soldier that their change of base is only caused by a sudden sickness on the part the driver, who must return home. His argument may be specious enough for all ordinary purposes, but it does not. satisfy this fellow, who suad- denly throws back the canvas cover and has a glimpse of several figures inside. . Doubtless the man has had more than one previous experience with Nihilists, and knows something of their ‘désperate nature. At any rate he does not seem willing to undertake the ‘Herculean. task of attempting to bag this company alone and single-handed, when his fellow-. “troopers are not more than'a mile away. 458 Oe , comicloooks.conm