We resume our places. Popof gives the signal for departure as Caterna
trolls out the chorus of victory of the admiral's sailors in _Haydee_.
A thousand cheers reply to him. At ten o'clock in the evening the train
enters Tcharkalyk station.
We are exactly thirty hours behind time. But is not thirty hours enough
to make Baron Weissschnitzerdoerfer lose the mail from Tient-Tsin to
Yokohama?
CHAPTER XXII.
I, who wanted an incident, have had one to perfection. I am thankful
enough not to have been one of the victims. I have emerged from the
fray safe and sound. All my numbers are intact, barring two or three
insignificant scratches. Only No. 4 has been traversed by a bullet
clean through--his hat.
At present I have nothing in view beyond the Bluett-Ephrinell marriage
and the termination of the Kinko affair. I do not suppose that
Faruskiar can afford us any further surprises. I can reckon on the
casual, of course, for the journey has another five days to run. Taking
into account the delay occasioned by the Ki-Tsang affair that will make
thirteen days from the start from Uzun Ada.
Thirteen days! Heavens! And there are the thirteen numbers in my
notebook! Supposing I were superstitious?
We remained three hours at Tcharkalyk.
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