prisoners are forced to work for the benefit of the government thathas exiled them there; and thousands of poor wretches, when once forcedinto them, never again see the light of day, but drag out a miserableexistence hundreds of feet underground.
The serfs have been nominally freed; but slavery of the most horribleand degrading kinds is rampant in Russia to-day. The press is gagged andsuppressed, and no man is free to speak his opinion regarding thetyrants and their doings.
Is it any wonder the people meet in secret conclave and resort todynamite?
After a long and dreary passage, William Barnwell was landed, with hiscompanions in misery, not one of whom could speak English, in Siberia,more dead than alive.
They had been treated worse than cattle during transportation, and nowtheir fortunes were on the eve of being made even worse.
However guilty the others of his party may have been, his case was oneof the grossest injustice, and one that the United States would havebeen quick to demand satisfaction for had there been an opportunity offinding it out.
As before stated, there is no such a thing in Russia as justice. All isselfish tyranny and inborn ingratitude.
They--the members of the secret tribunal--knew that the important letterwhich enabled the government to arrest dangerous and wholly unsuspectedenemies had been brought over by a young American gentleman, and alsothat his identity had been blotted out, and he sent to Siberia; butwhether he was innocent or guilty, they never gave themselves thetrouble to think, and so, virtually, that was the end of him, so far asthey were concerned or cared; not even thanks enough for the result hehad innocently brought about to inquire into his case at all.
On the first day of their arrival they were assigned to different gangsfor different mines, and on the second, to give the newcomers an idea ofwhat insubordination brought about, they were treated to the revoltingsight of the punishing of prisoners with the knout.
There were nearly fifty of them, but what their crimes had been Barnwellhad no means of knowing, as he could not understand the Russianlanguage.
But the poor, miserable wretches were unmercifully flogged on their barebacks with that terrible weapon of torture, the knout; and while some ofthem sent up piteous cries as the cruel whip tore their flesh, othersreceived their punishment in stolid silence, as though disdaining to letthe tyrants know that they suffered, while still others paid back everylash with a curse.
It was one of the most terrible sights that young Barnwell had everconceived of even, and being forced to witness it he became sick andfaint at heart. He had read of such things but until now he neverbelieved them possible. He could not believe that anything wearing thehuman form could be so fiendishly cruel. Indeed, it seemed to be aholiday treat to those bearded beasts who wielded the thongs, andwhenever a particular case was administered upon they would look at thenewcomer with mocking leers.
Finally to Barnwell's infinite horror a young Russian girl was broughtout bared to the waist.
She could not have been above twenty years of age and under differentcircumstances would have been beautiful and evidently belonged to agrade higher than the peasants.
"Zera Vola!" he heard the governor's officer call as the girl was ledout for punishment.
"Great Scott!" exclaimed Barnwell, "are they going to flog her? I hadrather die myself than see it!"
He looked around, but no one appeared to understand him, although henoted the horror and disgust on the faces of the new exiles.
The girl was blushing deeply at this forced exposition of her person,but she seemed otherwise firm and undaunted.
The wretch with the knout grinned, and made some insulting remarks,which his fellow-brutes appeared to enjoy very much.
Then she was placed in position and forced to bow her head so that herbeautiful back might be rounded up for the cruel blows. And yet she didnot flinch, and Barnwell saw red scars that told of previouscastigations.
The grinning rascal raised his knout to strike her, when young Barnwell,mad with indignation, leaped into the arena.
With one powerful blow he felled the burly rascal like a log, andseizing his knout, placed his foot upon him and raised it as if tostrike.
The movement was so sudden and so bold that the officers were for amoment paralyzed and stood looking at him.
"Wretches, to strike a woman! Flog me if you must vent your brutality,but if you claim to be men, don't harm that girl!" he cried.
She was the only one present who understood the English language.
"Oh, sir," said she, "they will kill you for this!"
"Let them; I had rather die than witness such horrible brutality."
The next instant he was seized, or an attempt was made to seize him, butbefore they succeeded in doing so, at least six of them felt hispowerful blows and went down under them.
Quick orders were given, and his clothes were stripped from him, and hewas held in position while the executioner rained blow after blow uponhim to revenge the one he had received.
And then he was hurried away and thrust into a cold, damp dungeon, hislacerated flesh bleeding copiously, but with his heart still unbroken.
CHAPTER VI.
STRANGE ACQUAINTANCE.
William Barnwell suffered terribly during the next forty-eight hoursafter his terrible flogging, for having resented the punishment of agirl, for during all that time he was left without his clothes andwithout food.
But his clothes were finally thrown into his cell, together with half aloaf of black bread, dry and moldy.
He had never known what hunger was before, but now he seized thatdisgusting loaf and ate it with avidity, and while doing so he dressedhimself, but without having a chance to wash his lacerations, the bloodof which had dried upon his back.
But he had suffered much from the cold, and his clothes were welcomeindeed.
What would be the next move?
He realized that he was a Russian victim, and that in all probability hewould never leave Siberia alive, and that his friends would never knowhis fate.
Indeed, he understood now that exile to Siberia was like suddenlysinking into the earth or the sea, never to be seen or heard of again.
The particulars of his case were, however, reported to the secretary ofthe governor of Siberia, and through him to the governor, who, for somereason or other, became interested to such a degree that he ordered thepresumptuous prisoner brought before him.
When taken from his loathsome cell, young Barnwell did not know, did notcare what his fate was to be. He was so stiff that he could scarcelywalk, and the doing so caused him great pain.
He was marched to the governor's palace by two armed guards, andpresently taken into his presence.
But he was far from being the handsome-looking youth he was before hefell into the hands of Russian tyrants, although, in spite of his badlylacerated back, he still maintained his erect carriage and independentbearing.
The governor looked at him for a moment and then spoke to him inRussian, but Barnwell shook his head. Then he spoke German, but he didnot understand that.
"English," said he.
"Oh, you are an Englishman--eh?" asked the governor, who appeared to bethe master of many languages.
"No, sir; I am an American," replied Barnwell indignantly.
"What brings you here?"
"Fraud, deceit, and Russian tyranny."
"What did you do?"
"Simply brought a letter from New York, from Paul Zobriskie, withoutknowing what its contents were--simply to oblige a stranger--and this ismy reward," said he bitterly.
"Paul Zobriskie! To whom directed?" the governor asked cautiously.
"Prince Mastowix."
"Ah! he has been lately executed."
"Thank God!" exclaimed Barnwell.
"And you knew nothing of the contents of the letter?"
"Nothing; but it is evident that he thought I did, and when I assuredhim that I was not a Nihilist, he ordered my arrest, and here I am incursed Siberia."
&nbs
p; "You speak too strongly."
"Because I have been outraged."
"You struck one of the guard."
"Yes; because he was about to strike a lady on her bare back with hiscruel knout, which act my American blood revolted at," replied Barnwell.
"That is the way we punish refractory prisoners."
"Well, it is the way of brutes and fiends."
"You are altogether too outspoken, sir."
"Why should I not be? I owe no allegiance to the Czar," repliedBarnwell, quickly.
"But you owe respect to me, sir."
"As the kid owes respect to the wolf in whose power it is."
"Be cautious, I advise you. If what you say of yourself is true, why didyou not appeal to the American Minister at St. Petersburg?"
"I was not permitted to do so, sir, but was thrown into a dungeon."
"Did you know Zobriskie was a Nihilist?"
"I did not. He accosted me when