"The terrible general, the Baron," arrived quite unexpectedly,unnoticed by the outposts of Colonel Kazagrandi. After a talk withKazagrandi the Baron invited Colonel N. N. Philipoff and me intohis presence. Colonel Kazagrandi brought the word to me. I wantedto go at once but was detained about half an hour by the Colonel,who then sped me with the words:

"Now God help you! Go!"It was a strange parting message, not reassuring and quiteenigmatical. I took my Mauser and also hid in the cuff of my coatmy cyanide of potassium. The Baron was quartered in the yurta ofthe military doctor. When I entered the court, Captain Veseloffskycame up to me. He had a Cossack sword and a revolver without itsholster beneath his girdle. He went into the yurta to report myarrival.

"Come in," he said, as he emerged from the tent.

At the entrance my eyes were struck with the sight of a pool ofblood that had not yet had time to drain down into the ground--anominous greeting that seemed to carry the very voice of one justgone before me. I knocked.

"Come in!" was the answer in a high tenor. As I passed thethreshold, a figure in a red silk Mongolian coat rushed at me withthe spring of a tiger, grabbed and shook my hand as though inflight across my path and then fell prone on the bed at the side ofthe tent.

"Tell me who you are! Hereabouts are many spies and agitators," hecried out in an hysterical voice, as he fixed his eyes upon me. Inone moment I perceived his appearance and psychology. A small headon wide shoulders; blonde hair in disorder; a reddish bristlingmoustache; a skinny, exhausted face, like those on the oldByzantine ikons. Then everything else faded from view save a big,protruding forehead overhanging steely sharp eyes. These eyes werefixed upon me like those of an animal from a cave. My observationslasted for but a flash but I understood that before me was a verydangerous man ready for an instant spring into irrevocable action.

Though the danger was evident, I felt the deepest offence.

"Sit down," he snapped out in a hissing voice, as he pointed to achair and impatiently pulled at his moustache. I felt my angerrising through my whole body and I said to him without taking thechair:

"You have allowed yourself to offend me, Baron. My name is wellenough known so that you cannot thus indulge yourself in suchepithets. You can do with me as you wish, because force is on yourside, but you cannot compel me to speak with one who gives meoffence."At these words of mine he swung his feet down off the bed and withevident astonishment began to survey me, holding his breath andpulling still at his moustache. Retaining my exterior calmness, Ibegan to glance indifferently around the yurta, and only then Inoticed General Rezukhin. I bowed to him and received his silentacknowledgment. After that I swung my glance back to the Baron,who sat with bowed head and closed eyes, from time to time rubbinghis brow and mumbling to himself.

Suddenly he stood up and sharply said, looking past and over me:

"Go out! There is no need of more. . . ."I swung round and saw Captain Veseloffsky with his white, coldface. I had not heard him enter. He did a formal "about face" andpassed out of the door.

"'Death from the white man' has stood behind me," I thought; "buthas it quite left me?"The Baron stood thinking for some time and then began to speak injumbled, unfinishe............