michael strogoff-第12章

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and　Alcide　Jolivet。　　Jolivet；　an　optimist　by　nature；　found　everything
agreeable；　and　as　by　chance　both　lodging　and　food　were　to　his　taste；
he　jotted　down　in　his　book　some　memoranda　particularly　favorable　to
the　town　of　Nijni…Novgorod。　Blount；　on　the　contrary；　having　in　vain　hunted
for　a　supper；　had　been　obliged　to　find　a　resting…place　in　the　open　air。
He　therefore　looked　at　it　all　from　another　point　of　view；　and　was
preparing　an　article　of　the　most　withering　character　against　a　town
in　which　the　landlords　of　the　inns　refused　to　receive　travelers　who　only
begged　leave　to　be　flayed；　〃morally　and　physically。〃

Michael　Strogoff；　one　hand　in　his　pocket；　the　other　holding
his　cherry…stemmed　pipe；　appeared　the　most　indifferent　and　least
impatient　of　men；　yet；　from　a　certain　contraction　of　his　eyebrows
every　now　and　then；　a　careful　observer　would　have　seen　that　he　was
burning　to　be　off。

For　two　hours　he　kept　walking　about　the　streets；　only　to　find
himself　invariably　at　the　fair　again。　　As　he　passed　among　the　groups
of　buyers　and　sellers　he　discovered　that　those　who　came　from
countries　on　the　confines　of　Asia　manifested　great　uneasiness。
Their　trade　was　visibly　suffering。　　Another　symptom　also　was　marked。
In　Russia　military　uniforms　appear　on　every　occasion。　　Soldiers　are
wont　to　mix　freely　with　the　crowd；　the　police　agents　being　almost
invariably　aided　by　a　number　of　Cossacks；　who；　lance　on　shoulder；
keep　order　in　the　crowd　of　three　hundred　thousand　strangers。
But　on　this　occasion　the　soldiers；　Cossacks　and　the　rest；　did　not　put
in　an　appearance　at　the　great　market。　　Doubtless；　a　sudden　order
to　move　having　been　foreseen；　they　were　restricted　to　their　barracks。

Moreover；　while　no　soldiers　were　to　be　seen；　it　was　not　so　with
their　officers。　　Since　the　evening　before；　aides…decamp；　leaving　the
governor's　palace；　galloped　in　every　direction。　　An　unusual　movement　was
going　forward　which　a　serious　state　of　affairs　could　alone　account　for。
There　were　innumerable　couriers　on　the　roads　both　to　Wladimir
and　to　the　Ural　Mountains。　　The　exchange　of　telegraphic　dispatches
with　Moscow　was　incessant。

Michael　Strogoff　found　himself　in　the　central　square　when　the　report
spread　that　the　head　of　police　had　been　summoned　by　a　courier　to
the　palace　of　the　governor…general。　An　important　dispatch　from　Moscow；
it　was　said；　was　the　cause　of　it。

〃The　fair　is　to　be　closed；〃　said　one。

〃The　regiment　of　Nijni…Novgorod　has　received　the　route；〃　declared　another。

〃They　say　that　the　Tartars　menace　Tomsk！〃

〃Here　is　the　head　of　police！〃　was　shouted　on　every　side。
A　loud　clapping　of　hands　was　suddenly　raised；　which　subsided
by　degrees；　and　finally　was　succeeded　by　absolute　silence。
The　head　of　police　arrived　in　the　middle　of　the　central　square；
and　it　was　seen　by　all　that　he　held　in　his　hand　a　dispatch。

Then；　in　a　loud　voice；　he　read　the　following　announcements：
〃By　order　of　the　Governor　of　Nijni…Novgorod。

〃1st。　　All　Russian　subjects　are　forbidden　to　quit　the　province
upon　any　pretext　whatsoever。

〃2nd。　　All　strangers　of　Asiatic　origin　are　commanded　to　leave
the　province　within　twenty…four　hours。〃


CHAPTER　VI　BROTHER　AND　SISTER

HOWEVER　disastrous　these　measures　might　be　to　private　interests；
they　were；　under　the　circumstances；　perfectly　justifiable。

〃All　Russian　subjects　are　forbidden　to　leave　the　province；〃
if　Ivan　Ogareff　was　still　in　the　province；　this　would　at
any　rate　prevent　him；　unless　with　the　greatest　difficulty；
from　rejoining　Feofar…Khan；　and　becoming　a　very　formidable
lieutenant　to　the　Tartar　chief。

〃All　foreigners　of　Asiatic　origin　are　ordered　to　leave　the　province　in
four…and…twenty　hours；〃　this　would　send　off　in　a　body　all　the　traders　from
Central　Asia；　as　well　as　the　bands　of　Bohemians；　gipsies；　etc。；　having
more　or　less　sympathy　with　the　Tartars。　　So　many　heads；　so　many　spies
undoubtedly　affairs　required　their　expulsion。

It　is　easy　to　understand　the　effect　produced　by　these　two　thunder…claps
bursting　over　a　town　like　Nijni…Novgorod；　so　densely　crowded
with　visitors；　and　with　a　commerce　so　greatly　surpassing　that　of　all
other　places　in　Russia。　　The　natives　whom　business　called　beyond
the　Siberian　frontier　could　not　leave　the　province　for　a　time　at　least。
The　tenor　of　the　first　article　of　the　order　was　express；　it　admitted
of　no　exception。　　All　private　interests　must　yield　to　the　public　weal。
As　to　the　second　article　of　the　proclamation；　the　order　of
expulsion　which　it　contained　admitted　of　no　evasion　either。
It　only　concerned　foreigners　of　Asiatic　origin；　but　these　could　do
nothing　but　pack　up　their　merchandise　and　go　back　the　way　they　came。
As　to　the　mountebanks；　of　which　there　were　a　considerable　number；
they　had　nearly　a　thousand　versts　to　go　before　they　could　reach
the　nearest　frontier。　　For　them　it　was　simply　misery。

At　first　there　rose　against　this　unusual　measure　a　murmur
of　protestation；　a　cry　of　despair；　but　this　was　quickly
suppressed　by　the　presence　of　the　Cossacks　and　agents　of　police。
Immediately；　what　might　be　called　the　exodus　from　the　immense
plain　began。　　The　awnings　in　front　of　the　stalls　were　folded　up；
the　theaters　were　taken　to　pieces；　the　fires　were　put　out；
the　acrobats'　ropes　were　lowered；　the　old　broken…winded
horses　of　the　traveling　vans　came　back　from　their　sheds。
Agents　and　soldiers　with　whip　or　stick　stimulated　the　tardy　ones；
and　made　nothing　of　pulling　down　the　tents　even　before　the　poor
Bohemians　had　left　them。

Under　these　energetic　measures　the　square　of　Nijni…Novgorod　would；
it　was　evident；　be　entirely　evacuated　before　the　evening；
and　to　the　tumult　of　the　great　fair　would　succeed　the　silence
of　the　desert。

It　must　again　be　repeatedfor　it　was　a　necessary　aggravation
of　these　severe　measuresthat　to　all　those　nomads　chiefly　concerned
in　the　order　of　expulsion　even　the　steppes　of　Siberia　were　forbidden；
and　they　would　be　obliged　to　hasten　to　the　south　of　the　Caspian　Sea；
either　to　Persia；　Turkey；　or　the　plains　of　Turkestan。　　The　post
of　the　Ural；　and　the　mountains　which　form；　as　it　were；　a　prolongation
of　the　river　along　the　Russian　frontier；　they　were　not　allowed　to　pass。
They　were　therefore　under　the　necessity　of　traveling　six　hundred
miles　before　they　could　tread　a　free　soil。

Just　as　the　reading　of　the　proclamation　by　the　head　of　the　police
came　to　an　end；　an　idea　darted　instinctively　into　the　mind
of　Michael　Strogoff。　　〃What　a　singular　coincidence；〃　thought　he；
〃between　this　proclamation　expelling　all　foreigners　of　Asiatic　origin；
and　the　words　exchanged　last　evening　between　those　two　gipsies
of　the　Zingari　race。　　'The　Father　himself　sends　us　where　we　wish
to　go；'　that　old　man　said。　　But　'the　Father'　is　the　emperor！
He　is　never　called　anything　else　among　the　people。　　How　could
those　gipsies　have　foreseen　the　measure　taken　against　them？　how　could
they　have　known　it　beforehand；　and　where　do　they　wish　to　go？
Those　are　suspicious　people；　and　it　seems　to　me　that　to　them
the　government　proclamation　must　be　more　useful　than　injurious。〃

But　these　reflections　were　completely　dispelled　by　another
which　drove　every　other　thought　out　of　Michael's　mind。
He　forgot　the　Zingaris；　their　suspicious　words；　the　strange
coincidence　which　resulted　from　the　proclamation。
The　remembrance　of　the　young　Livonian　girl　suddenly　rushed
into　his　mind。　　〃Poor　child！〃　he　thought　to　himself。
〃She　cannot　now　cross　the　frontier。〃

In　truth　the　young　girl　was　from　Riga；　she　was　Livonian；
consequently　Russian；　and　now　could　not　leave　Russian　territory！
The　permit　which　had　been　given　her　before　the　new
measures　had　been　promulgated　was　no　longer　available。
All　the　routes　to　Siberia　had　just　been　pitilessly　closed
to　her；　and；　whatever　the　motive　taking　her　to　Irkutsk；
she　was　now　forbidden　to　go　there。

This　thought　greatly　occupied　Michael　Strogoff。　　He　said　to　himself；
vaguely　at　first；　that；　without　neglecting　anything　of　what　was　due
to　his　important　mission；　it　would　perhaps　be　possible　for　him　to　be
of　some　use　to　this　brave　girl；　and　this　idea　pleased　him。　　Knowing　how
serious　were　the　dangers　which　he；　an　energetic　and　vigorous　man；
would　have　personally　to　encounter；　he　could　not　con