We secured three camels and started out with a large group of Chinese merchants and Russian refugees to make Uliassutai, preserving the warmest recollections of our courteous hosts, T. V. and D. A. Teternikoff.  For the trip we had to pay for our camels the very high price of 33 lan of the silver bullion which had been supplied us by an American firm in Uliassutai, the equivalent roughly of 2.7 pounds of the white metal.

CHAPTER XXIV

A BLOODY CHASTISEMENT

Before long we struck the road which we had travelled coming north and saw again the kindly rows of chopped down telegraph poles which had once so warmly protected us.  Over the timbered hillocks north of the valley of Tisingol we wended just as it was growing dark.  We decided to stay in Bobroff’s house and our companions thought to seek the hospitality of Kanine in the telegraph station.  At the station gate we found a soldier with a rifle, who questioned us as to who we were and whence we had come and, being apparently satisfied, whistled out a young officer from the house.

“Lieutenant Ivanoff,” he introduced himself.  “I am staying here with my detachment of White Partisans.”

He had come from near Irkutsk with his following of ten men and had formed a connection with Lieutenant-Colonel Michailoff at Uliassutai, who commanded him to take possession of this blockhouse.

“Enter, please,” he said hospitably.

I explained to him that I wanted to stay with Bobroff, whereat he made a despairing gesture with his hand and said: 

“Don’t trouble yourself.  The Bobroffs are killed and their house burned.”

I could not keep back a cry of horror.

The Lieutenant continued:  “Kanine and the Pouzikoffs killed them, pillaged the place and afterwards burned the house with their dead bodies in it.  Do you want to see it?”

My friend and I went with the Lieutenant and looked over the ominous site.  Blackened uprights stood among charred beams and planks while crockery and iron pots and pans were scattered all around.  A little to one side under some felt lay the remains of the four unfortunate individuals.  The Lieutenant first spoke: 

“I reported the case to Uliassutai and received word back that the relatives of the deceased would come with two officers, who would investigate the affair.  That is why I cannot bury the bodies.”

“How did it happen?” we asked, oppressed by the sad picture.

“It was like this,” he began.  “I was approaching Tisingol at night with my ten soldiers.  Fearing that there might be Reds here, we sneaked up to the station and looked into the windows.  We saw Pouzikoff, Kanine and the short-haired girl, looking over and dividing clothes and other things and weighing lumps of silver.  I did not at once grasp the significance of all this; but, feeling the need for continued caution, ordered one of my soldiers to climb