Page:Ossendowski - From President to Prison.djvu/181

Rh car and glanced sternly all around. His eyes soon rested on a detachment of armed workers, with Vlasienko at their head, approaching him. Then Batianoff gave another quick survey of the scene and demanded:

"Where is my train and my detachment?"

The smiling Vlasienko amiably answered:

"Your train, General, is at this moment on its way back to Ssupingkai and Your Excellency will continue his journey alone."

"Where am I going?" the now troubled General demanded.

"To the Manchurian frontier and then on to Chita," returned the former hussar, standing at attention.

Everything seemed entirely in order, and in the merry flashes from the eyes of Vlasienko the General found something which did not leave him any tendency to protest. A few moments afterwards he swung round and re-entered his car, and the big drive wheels of the engine turned slowly over to begin the westward journey that carried him out of Manchuria for ever, leaving no one among us to regret especially his departure. Once the necessity for ceremonious dignity was removed, Vlasienko broke into a hearty laugh and told us the rest of the story.

"When Batianoff arrived at the station where I was to meet him, I told him the track was under repair but that it would be ready in a little while. In the meantime I was keeping an eye out for the Staff Officer's train and, the moment I saw the smoke of it in the distance, I ordered my men to execute swiftly our plan to cut the General's car, which was next to the locomotive, off from the others, at the same time jumping on the engine and giving the engineer the word to open up full speed. The rest of the train with the soldiers on board remained