ly completed. One by one the
sleepers were replaced, the rails were laid end to end, and about four
o'clock in the afternoon the gap was bridged.

At once the engine began to advance slowly, the cars following until
they were over the temporary track and safe again. Now the road is
clear to Tcharkalyk; what do I say? to Pekin.

We resume our places. Popof gives the signal for departure as Caterna
trolls out the chorus of victory of the admiral's sailors in _Haydee_.

A thousand cheers reply to him. At ten o'clock in the evening the train
enters Tcharkalyk station.

We are exactly thirty hours behind time. But is not thirty hours enough
to make Baron Weissschnitzerdoerfer lose the mail from Tient-Tsin to
Yokohama?

CHAPTER XXII.

I, who wanted an incident, have had one to perfection. I am thankful
enough not to have been one of the victims. I have emerged from the
fray safe and sound. All my numbers are intact, barring two or three
insignificant scratches. Only No. 4 has been traversed by a bullet
clean through--his hat.

At present I have nothing in view beyond the Bluett-Ephrinell marriage
and the termination of the Kinko affair. I do not suppose that
Faruskiar can afford us any further surprises. I can reckon on the
casual, of course, for the journey has another five days to run. Taking
into account the delay occasioned by the Ki-Tsang affair that will make
thirteen days from the start from Uzun Ada.

Thirteen days! Heavens! And there are the thirteen numbers in my
notebook! Supposing I were superstitious?

We remained three hours at Tcharkalyk. Most of the passengers did not
leave their beds. We were occupied with declarations relative to the
attack on the train, to the dead which the Chinese authorities were to
bury, to the wounded who were to be left at Tcharkalyk, where they
would be properly looked after. Pan-Chao told me it was a populous
town, and I regret I was unable to visit it.

The company sent off immediately a gang of workmen to repair the line
and set up the telegraph posts; and in a day everything would be clear
again.

I need scarcely say that Faruskiar, with all the authority of the
company's general manager, took part in the different formalities that
were needed at Tcharkalyk. I do not know how to praise him
sufficiently. Besides, he was repaid for his good offices by the
deference shown him by the staff at the railway station.

At three in the morning we arrived at Kara Bou