thing or other. At least this
was high nobility of some kind. His bearded face was very red, and his
system had evidently been warmed by something besides exercise.

"His eyes were blurred, and, coming from the light into the
semi-darkness of the carriage, he did not see me. A guard deposited a
hamper within, and he and the station-master bowed profoundly to me
likewise, evidently taking me for some exalted personage, possibly the
Czar, who, however, was a giant of a man while I was only medium in
height. So it must have been someone else."

"You certainly were a cool hand," remarked Jim admiringly. "I never
could have done that."

"Nor I, either," was the chorus of the other boys.

"Just my bloomin' cheek, as an English pal of mine used to say," the
engineer continued, "and nothing that I'm very proud of now, but it
was the only thing that would have pulled me through that fix. No
sooner was his Nibs seated in the train than it started.

"It made me rather tired to think that we had been delayed for that
big pig of a Russian, though I suppose in the United States a train
would have been held for some big-bellied politician with a pull, so
that I need not have felt so aggrieved at this happening in darkest
Russia. But I looked at the big Russian in disgust nevertheless. Then
he saw me sitting quietly near the window opposite. One moment he was
a picture of amazement, and then he let a roar out of him that shook
things.

"I did not naturally understand what the Russian was saying, so I just
had to let him roar, and made a few gestures for myself. I feared at
first that he would have a fit of apoplexy, as he grew redder in the
face than ever, but having expressed himself to his full satisfaction,
with a final threat he sat down. I supposed that I should be shot or
sent into exile at the first stop."

CHAPTER X

THE RUSSIAN

"The first thing his Royal Highness did was to open the neat-looking
wicker hamper and take out a cut-glass bottle encased in silver, the
contents of which he poured into a dainty-looking glass. He took a
number of drinks, but without asking me to join, which I thought was
very impolite of him. Then he settled himself for a nap, first drawing
out a huge pistol which he placed near him on the cushions.

"It was, of course, a silly thing for him to do, but then the man was,
I thought, more than half drunk. When he first drew, I was afraid that
he was going to blow me to pieces then a