SUDDENLY the ferocious gaze was veiled or turned aside, and Sergey heard a noise against the wall as of leaping, clawing, and tearing. This roused Ivan who, grasping his old gun which stood ld in a corner, sprang to the doorway just in time to see a large grey, cat-like animal with tufted ears, springing off the raft on to the shore. He fired at the retreating robber, and the creature, with a yell of rage and pain, dropped and rolled over on the bank.
"Bring a light, child!" cried Ivan.
And Sergey hastily lighted the lantern and looked about to see where the skipper could be.
"Here! I am here!" called Ivan from the bank, and the lad noticed that the old man's voice sounded faint.
He sprang ashore, and found Ivan on his knees beside a huge lynx. The light of the lantern flashed on its glazing eyes, and sharp white teeth bared in an evil grin.
"Is the beast dead?" inquired Sergey.
"Yes, he is dead now, but he was not when I came after him here! And see what he has given me to remember him by!" And Ivan showed his right hand, which had a ragged deep wound across the back of it, while the sleeve of his shirt had been torn to shreds by the vicious claws of the big cat, and the flesh of the arm was scarred as though with barbed hooks.
"Oh, poor dear Ivan!" cried the boy. "How dreadfully it must hurt!"
"That is not what troubles me, little son," replied the old man, "but our voyage has not long begun, and there are many difficult bits of waterway before us. And I fear I shall be unable to use my hand for a long while."
"No, I fear you are right. But as we are coming to a town to-morrow, you must surely see a surgeon, and hear what he says."
"I will, child; thou sayest well! But now call my sons, for they must take this beast's skin. It is a good one, and we can sell it as soon as we got to the town of Krasnoi-Yablok."
Ivan's hand and arm were roughly swathed with a wet towel, Vassia and Sergey acting as dressers, while Kostia and Sasha skinned the lynx, and pegged the skin and feet out on the raft deck to dry in the wind.
Poor Ivan suffered much pain during the next few hours, but he made no complaint, and early next morning the raft was tied up close to the wharf of Krasnoi-Yablok. And Ivan, taking the boy with him, found his way to a hospital where a doctor and surgeon were attending to out-patients.
The latter carefully examined the skipper's injuries, which he said might become serious and even dangerous unless fully cleansed and dressed every day. He also warned Ivan that if he proceeded on his voyage, the chances were that he might have an illness which would prove fatal.
"But, Sir Doctor, I am in charge of the big 'Swan' raft," said Ivan. "My sons are willing, good lads, but as yet they are inexperienced. How can I trust them to take the raft on? Then too, here is this boy, for whom I am responsible; I promised to look after him, and I am loath to neglect my duty."
"When God makes impossible to us what we considered our duty," said the surgeon, with a grave smile, "should it not convince us that the path of duty lies elsewhere?"
Ivan looked up quickly and crossed himself devoutly.
"You are right, good Sir Doctor! The will of God be done!"
"If thou fearest that thy sons cannot safely take the raft farther without thee, skipper, why not all remain here until thy wounds are healed enough for thee to travel?"
"Nay, Sir Doctor, that cannot be, for our firm is under contract to get the rafts to their terminus in a given time, with a margin of only a few days. So that whether I stay or not, the 'Swan' must go."
"Then thou must settle matters as thou best can, good skipper. I can say no more." And the surgeon turned away to another patient.
"Ivan, listen!" said Sergey in low tones. "Since I go on the raft that will make a fourth hand; and Kostia is so clever and strong that he can surely be skipper for a time. Stay here and get cured, and then come on by train, and join the 'Swan' farther down."
Ivan thought silently for a minute. Then he said, "Yes, Sergey, little son, thy counsel is good. So be it!" And the matter was thus settled.
The "Swan" was not to start until late in the afternoon, so Sergey wandered about the town, looking in at shop-windows, and much interested in watching some of the showy vehicles and well-dressed people who had apparently driven in from surrounding estates.
Presently his whole attention was fixed upon a handsome couple who alighted from their open carriage in front of a jeweller's shop, near the door of which Sergey was standing.
"Come in here with me, Elena dear," said the gentleman. "We will try in some sort to replace thy losses. Those forest banditti near Glynoi-Liess took most of thine ornaments, did they not? Was ever carriage tour so disastrous before! Come in, my dove, and choose some for thyself."
"There was only one thing, Yevgen, that I have grieved and even wept over," replied the lady, "and that is the ruby ring thou gavest me on my wedding-day. I never cease to miss it. It was the most precious thing I had, and now I shall never see it again."
Thus spake the lady, and she was about to follow her husband into the shop, when a hand gently touched her arm, and a voice that trembled with earnestness said, "'This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes!'
"Yes, most gracious Barrina, for you 'shall' see your jewel again! It is in safe hands; I know, and can tell you in whose! There can be no mistake! Is it not a great red stone with a heart of fire, and inside the gold ring is engraved,—
"'Yevgen to Elena'?"
"Yes! Yes! Those are the words, but child, child, who art thou?"
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