“Well, I’ll be jiggered! you leave New York to come back to such a place as this?”
“Yes, I leave New York; I come back home.”
“Do you read Russian?” asked Sidney.
“No, not read Russian.”
“Who is this officer?”
“He chief polis.”
“Tell him,” said Sidney, “that I have a passport which says that we are American citizens returning to America, and that all Russian officials are commanded by the Government to help us.”
The man had a short conference with his superior and then turned to Sidney.
“He says you kill two men.”
“But they attacked us,” said Sidney; “we only defended ourselves. We did not take anything that belonged to them. We left their guns and horses and everything. Tell him that.”