NINDEMANN AND NOROS. 823 



one night in a lint on the road with natives, and after 

 twice crossing the river, continued to the southward, 

 and reached Bulim about six o'clock in the evening of 

 October 29th. Here they were housed and given some 

 tea, and then a native came and signed to them to fol- 

 low him to the commandant. They expected to see 

 the Russian with whom they had held their interview 

 at Ku Mark Surka, but found another man in his place, 

 who said that he was the commandant. Nindemann 

 shook his head and otherwise expressed his doubt, 

 whereupon the commandant, to convince him, showed 

 him his uniform and sword. Nindemann now attacked 

 this man also with signs and pantomimes to explain the 

 state of affairs. He counted off on his fingers the num- 

 ber of people whom he had left to the northward, the 

 captain and ten others. The commandant nodded as- 

 sent, and seemed to understand, and Nindemann went 

 on explaining. This man also spoke of telegraphing, 

 and Nindemann, making signs for pen, ink, and paper, 

 dictated to Noros a dispatch to the American minister 

 at St. Petersburg. 



The commandant said that he would take the paper 

 on the morrow to the " captain," by which the men un- 

 derstood him to mean that he would take it to his su- 

 perior officer at the telegraph station, but they did not 

 know what telegraph station there might be in the 

 neighborhood. They stayed that night with the com- 

 mandant, and the next morninsf, and toward noon the 

 commandant packed a box, and repeated that he was 

 going off with the dispatch to the captain. The assis- 

 tant-priest of the village had come in, and when the 

 commandant left, invited Nindemann and Noros to his 

 house. He kept them to dinner, but could not have 

 them stay with him, as he was about to be married, 



