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all too many had been made happy. Some of the smiles were from loyal Russians
who were pleased to see him thwarted. This was nonsense ... merely an attempt
by LaBarge to delay sentence ... yet, suppose it were true? The thought was an
unpleasant one; he knew even his powerful friends would sacrifice him if it
became necessary ... but how would a prisoner know if such a treaty had been
ratified?
Even as he denied the possibility he answered the question himself. It was
with prisoners as with the army: many times they knew things in the rank and
file before the colonels of regiments knew. It was the grapevine, that word of
mouth telegraph that could not be shut off or stopped. Perhaps
 Sentence will be passed tomorrow afternoon, he commanded abruptly, rising
to his feet.  Return the prisoner to his cell.
37
When he awakened it was night. Returned to his cell he had fallen across his
bunk and slept like a man drugged, but he now lay wide awake, listening to the
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night sounds, for his was the hunter s brain, always tuned to the little
sounds, the creeping sounds. He got up and walked to the narrow window. Out
there were the stars, the same he had watched long ago from the Great Swamp.
Was he a fool to trust in a man so far away? Outside a night bird called, and
a wind talked gently among the pines and whispered of far-off mountains, a
wind that came from distant glaciers, caressed the restless waters and blew
into his small window.
There was a rustle in the corridor, a rustle of movement. He turned quickly,
knowing that sound. A key grated in the lock and the door opened, and in the
instant before it swung wide he caught a whiff of perfume.  Jean? ... Jean!
She was in his arms then and they clung to each other, clung with a strength
that hurt.  Jean! Oh, Jean! I ve been so frightened! Helena drew back
suddenly, the guard was still in the door, but he had politely turned his
back.  Jean, is it true? Has the United States bought Sitka?  Helena  he
spoke softly so the guard would not hear  I don t know anything more than you.
It was a bluff.
 Of course, he added,  I know Rob. I know he has made this thing go through
if anyone could, and when I saw those American ships out there, just lying
there waiting ... well, what could I lose?
She hesitated, fearing to tell him.  Jean, Rob Walker has been writing to me,
and they have tried everything to find you and free you. It was because of
that that I am here, but at the last minute it all came to nothing. The treaty
was not ratified.
He shook his head stubbornly.  I can t believe that. If the treaty was
written, if a price was agreed upon, then Walker would get out the vote. No,
Helena, if that treaty was written and submitted to the Senate it was
ratified.  But it wasn t, Jean! You mustn t depend on that! You must escape!
 No. I think Zinnovy wants me to attempt an escape .... if I do I ll be shot
and his problem is solved. Don t you realize he would expect you to see me?
That he might deliberately make it easy believing you would bring me
something, a weapon? No, I ll stay. If Count Rotcheff can help, then   Jean?
Her throat found difficulty with the words.  Jean, Alexander has been dead for
nearly a year. He died before I returned to Sitka.  Dead? The word did not
make sense. If he was dead then she was free ... free. Free ... they could be
together. They could belong to each other. Nothing would stand between them.
Only tomorrow he would be returned to Siberia ... or hanged. The improvised
courtroom was jammed. The clerk took his place. Opposite Jean, Helena sat
where her eyes could see his, and beside her were Prince and Princess
Maksoutof. The crowd was large, and contained many familiar faces. His eyes
stopped a full second.
Barney Kohl ... his face was solemn, but there was an obvious bulge at his
waistband. Beside him was the square, tough face of Gant. Suddenly, Jean was
filled with excitement. They had escaped then ... none of them were known to
Zinnovy, and they were here. That meant they had been able to hide out after
the attack on the Susquehanna.
His eyes searched the crowd ... Ben Turk ... beside him was Shin Boyar. There
were several other men he did not know but he was sure they were Americans;
they looked like Frisco seamen, right off the waterfront. And they were
scattered, scattered in a perimeter around the room. Kohl was seated right
behind a guard. Boyar was beside another. That meant they intended to break
him out, which meant shooting unless they had a plan, a good plan.
Baron Paul Zinnovy came into the room. He walked to the desk and seated
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himself. He was cool, composed, sure. If he noticed the strange faces in the
crowd he gave no evidence of it.
The clerk got to his feet.  Jean LaBarge, stand and receive sentence! Jean
LaBarge got to his feet, and Baron Zinnovy looked over the papers he held in
his hand. He smiled at LaBarge, finding pleasure in the moment. Suddenly there
was a rustle of movement at the door, a shoving, a whisper, a shout, and then
the door pushed open and a man in civilian clothes entered followed by a line
of American bluejackets.
The man passed LaBarge by without speaking and stopped before Zinnovy, whose
face had turned ashen.
 Baron Zinnovy? I am Brigadier General Lovell H. Rousseau, United States
Commissioner to accept the Territory of Alaska from the government of Russia.
A Russian officer walked from the. door to a place beside the general. He [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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