CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE ATTACK ON THE CZAR.
Though I did not now care whether the rails were disturbed again ornot, seeing that I knew where the mechanism was and could point to myhaving discovered, as the reason for what I was about to do, I keptglancing at the spot, while I let the train approach unchecked nearenough to have all eyes drawn to my actions.
I guessed the distance which the brakes would take to act and when thetrain had reached a point such as I judged necessary, I sprang on thetrack between the rails and waving my arms excitedly, thundered out atthe top of my voice a warning to stop the train.
This was taken up by the soldiers who repeated the shouts and cries,and a moment later the shrieking whistle of the engine told us thewarning had been heeded and that the brakes were on at full pressure.
With a succession of whirring, grating, rasping, grinding jerks thetrain slackened quickly, and in a moment everything was plunged inindescribable commotion. The soldiers on both sides began to close inon the fast stopping train.
"Close ranks round the whole train," I shouted to Sergeant Grostef: andordered him away to bring up the men as quickly as possible.
But I had made one miscalculation that was nearly proving fatal toeverything. When I sprang on the line to stop the train, the rails hadnot been moved, and even now for some reason they remained in position.I had calculated to cause the train to be stopped so that it wouldreach the false points at a slow pace, and thus be derailed close towhere I stood. I judged that the jerk with which the train would leavethe line would be sufficient to bring it to a standstill, but notenough to overturn it; and I should thus be able to get at once to thepresence of the Emperor, and tell my story in person at the moment whenhe would be most affected by the occurrence. But as the rails remainedin position--owing probably to the fact that the man operating them hadseen that the train had been stopped and deemed it best to donothing--there was nothing to stay the train's progress, except thebrakes.
To my horror I saw it pass me with just about sufficient speed to carryit right into the middle of the five men who were waiting there tomurder the Emperor.
With a loud shout to the men nearest to me to follow I dashed after it,making sure as I ran in which carriage was the Emperor.
The first of the five men planted himself right in my path, and firedhis revolver point-blank at me when I was only three or four paces fromhim. He missed and then drew his sword to engage me. With scarcely asecond's delay I cut down his sword arm and a second slash at his neckas I ran past, sent him reeling down the embankment, all but headless,with the blood spurting from the fearful wounds I had inflicted.
My one thought was now the Emperor; and I saw that the other assassinshad discovered him in the train as quickly as I.
One of them stood with a bomb, ready poised in his hand, intending tohurl it right into the carriage. I tore it from him and threw it withall my force over the embankment and then plunged my sword into thevillain's heart.
I tore it from him.]
The bomb exploded the instant it touched the ground below, and theeffects were perfectly awesome. There was a prodigious roar; the earthreeled as if under a heavy blow, and a number of the soldiers werethrown to the ground; the train seemed to be shaken bodily: and beforethe reverberation of the explosion ceased, the splintering of wood andthe crashing of glass, told of desperate injuries to some of thecarriages.
The saloon carriage in which the Czar travelled suffered most, and itwas so violently shaken that the windows were broken, the sides split,and the doors jammed.
It was a moment for strong heads; and, thank God, I was able to keepmine.
The three surviving Nihilists were among the first to shake off theeffects of the shock, and two of them made instantly for the door ofthe Czar's carriage.
His Majesty had been at the window and must have seen me tear the bombfrom the man's hand; but the shock had driven him away now. Glancinground I saw Sergeant Grostef and one or two more of my men hadrecovered themselves and were running towards us. Seconds meant livesnow; and I dashed forward and sprang upon the steps of the carriageafter the two who were striving with might and main to tear the door ofthe saloon open. It was partly jammed by the effects of the explosion,and was being defended by two men, who to my surprise were HisMajesty's only companions in the saloon. I learnt the reason for thisafterwards; another instance of the damnable treachery which hedged theEmperor round.
Those inside were like children before the maddened Nihilists; and thedoor was wrenched open and the Czar's companions shot down but notkilled, just as I reached the carriage platform. I shot one of theNihilists instantly, but I believe the other would have succeeded inhis deadly purpose had it not been for Sergeant Grostef who entered thecarriage on my heels. He dashed forward and threw himself on thesecond man and both went to the ground in a fearful struggle.
The Emperor, though as brave as a man could be, was for a moment incomplete bewilderment. Caught weaponless and menaced by what seemedcertain death, his nerves all unhinged by the explosion, his companionsstruck down before his face, he had rushed away in an effort to escapefrom what looked like a hellish snare, and was seeking to fly by theother door, when the fifth of the murderous crew attacked him withdrawn sword. Seeing the man in uniform, the Czar believed that thewhole of the guard had mutinied and meant to murder him.
"Is there no one to help me?" he cried, looking round.
"Yes, to hell," growled the man, with a grim quip, as he rushed uponhim.
I had dropped my sword in entering the saloon, and my revolver had beendashed out of my hands, so that I could do nothing but fling myselfbefore the Emperor, and give my body to save his.
I dashed in between them, uttering a loud and violent shout, in thehope of attracting the man's attention to me. But he was too grim adevil to be turned from his work; and the only effect of myinterference was to impel him to greater efforts.
But he was too late.
Taking a liberty with his Imperial Majesty, which at another time mighthave cost me my freedom and perhaps my life, I pushed the Emperorviolently on one side, and threw myself upon his murderer.
The thrust that was meant for the Emperor, passed through my neck, andI rejoiced as I felt the man's steel run into my flesh. I had savedthe Emperor's life, even if I had lost my own. Then I called toGrostef as I felt the villain draw out the steel and saw the light ofunsated murder lust redden his eyes.
With a desperate effort I seized his blade, and though it cut andgashed my hands through and through as the man tugged and twisted it towrest it from me, I held on till the villain put his foot against mychest and dragged the weapon away, despite my most desperate effort.Then he drew it back to plunge it into the Czar's heart. But at thatmoment I saw Grostef's great blade swing in the air with tremendousforce, and sever the miscreant's head from his body.
But the Czar was safe: and as I rolled over near his feet, I ralliedall my strength for a last effort and cried:----
"God save your Majesty."
After that I had a dim feeling that good old Grostef and the Emperorwere both bending over me trying to staunch the blood that came flowingfrom my throat and mouth, choking me, from the wound which the villainhad meant for the Emperor. But I had saved him and he had seen I hadsaved him.
"Who is it?" I heard the Czar ask.
"Lieutenant Petrovitch, your Majesty, of the Moscow Infantry Regiment,"answered the old soldier.
"Your Majesty, I implore you, take care. You are in an ambush ofNihilist villains," cried some one stepping forward hastily. "I knowthat man"--pointing to me--"he is the most dare-devil rebel of themall, and has planned this business for your assassination. For God'ssake have a care. This is the most devilish snare that was ever vainlylaid."
The Emperor moved away from me quickly and looked in the deepestperplexity from one to another of the group who had now crowded intothe carriage.
"That is a strange thing to hear," said His
Majesty. "The man has justsaved my life at the infinite hazard of his own. You see him. But forhim and for this good fellow"--waving a hand toward old Grostef--"thethrust you see there would have been in my heart."
"Yet I pledge myself to prove what I say. You know I do not speak atrandom. They are probably together in this."
Old Grostef growled out a stiff oath that was lost in his beard andthen without releasing my head which was supported on his knee, hebrought his hand to the salute and said gruffly:----
"Nihilist or no Nihilist, your Majesty, the lieutenant will soon be adead man, choked by his own blood if his wounds are not dressed."
"There will be one traitor the less, then," said the man who hadaccused me, accompanying the words with a brutal sneer.
"Oh the contrary, Grand Duke," said the Emperor angrily, "his life ismy special care. If he be a traitor it seems to me I should pray toGod to grant me thousands of such traitors in my army."
"God save your Majesty, and Amen to that," cried old Grostef, unable tokeep his tongue between his teeth at that, and positively trembling inhis excitement.
"Silence," said the Emperor. "And now let all haste be made to get onto the city."
"As your Majesty pleases," said the man whom I guessed was the GrandDuke against whom Prince Bilbassoff had warned me. "I will make goodmy words, and we will save the life to take it."