"Gracious Heaven, is it possible!"
Ogareff felt that he was lost. But mustering all his courage, he sprang
forward on his impassible adversary. The two blades crossed, but at
a touch from Michael's knife, wielded in the hand of the Siberian hunter,
the sword flew in splinters, and the wretch, stabbed to the heart,
fell lifeless on the ground.
At the same moment, the door was thrown open. The Grand Duke,
accompanied by some of his officers, appeared on the threshold.
The Grand Duke advanced. In the body lying on the ground,
he recognized the man whom he believed to be the Czar's courier.
Then, in a threatening voice, "Who killed that man?" he asked.
"I," replied Michael.
One of the officers put a pistol to his temple, ready to fire.
"Your name?" asked the Grand Duke, before giving the order
for his brains to be blown out.
"Your Highness," answered Michael, "ask me rather the name of the man
who lies at your feet!"
"That man, I know him! He is a servant of my brother!
He is the Czar's courier!"
"That man, your Highness, is not a courier of the Czar! He is
Ivan Ogareff!"
"Ivan Ogareff!" exclaimed the Grand Duke.
"Yes, Ivan the Traitor!"
"But who are you, then?"
"Michael Strogoff!"
CHAPTER XV CONCLUSION
MICHAEL STROGOFF was not, had never been, blind. A purely
human phenomenon, at the same time moral and physical,
had neutralized the action of the incandescent blade which Feofar's
executioner had passed before his eyes.
Pages:
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361