The Vultures

ng-houses and the boat-houses are. Here lie the steamers that ply slowly on the shallow river. Here, also, is a trade in timber where from time to time one of the s

most Parisian street in the town, Warsaw's only boulevard-down the hill, as if it expected to find a bridge at the bottom. But there is no bridge there, and the fine street dwindles away to sandy ruts and a broken tow-path. Here horses struggle vainly to drag heavy sand-carts from the ru

sat by the water and ate their gray bread, which only tastes of dampness and carraway-seeds. It was late autumn, and the sun shone feebly through a yellow haze. The scene was not exhil

offered a comfortable seat. Their position was in a sense a strategetical one. They were in full view o

that there will inevitably be a kingdom of Poland again. S

Lithuanian; while a third type possessed the broad and placid face that comes from Posen. Some were born to this hard work of th

ver towards the spires of Praga pointing above the brown trees. Perhaps he was thinking of those other times, which he must have seen fifty and twenty years ago. His father must have seen Praga paved with the dead bodies of its people. He must have seen the river run sluggish with the

ships. His manner was quick and vivacious, and when he laughed, which was not infrequent, his mouth gave an odd twist to the left. The corner went upwards towards the eye. His smile was what the French call a pale smile. At times, but very rarely,

few of us have seen it with our own eyes. But we have other means of remembering. We have also the

randfather had died at Praga; his fath

If anything happened to Bismarck, if Austria and Russia were to fall out, if the dogs should quarrel among themselves-the three dogs that have torn Poland to pieces! Anything would do! The

Others looked doubtful, for one reason or another. These men resembled a board of directors-some of them knew too little, others too much.

s. Fat men with beady eyes are not usually found in near proximity to da

e knew the voice perhaps, or he knew that the great truth that a man's character

some day-with a little good-fortune,"

derly man, who had the subdued manner

hard monotone. "It is well to remember that the Muscovite

ers. Kosmaroff glanced sideways at two men who sat s

done it. They are ready to do it again. Look at the Bukatys and a hundred others, who could go to France and live there peaceably in the sunshine. I could do it myself. But I am here. The Bukatys are here.

" asked one of the two smaller men, throwin

ives-whether freely or with a niggard hand-and each shall be paid back in his own coin. They give freely enough th

ith a sudden anger, with an intelligence made for higher things than spade and oar. As they sat there they were like the notes of a piano, and Kosmaroff played the instrument with a sure t

ere he was back in Poland, with a Russian name for daily use and another name hidden in his heart that had blazed all over Poland once. Here he was, a raftsman plying between Cracow and Warsaw, those two hot-beds of Polish patriotism-a mere piece of human driftwood on the river. He had made the usual grand tour of Russia's deadliest enemi

t time they acted at the wrong moment. This time we shall not do that, but we shall nevertheless act with decision when the moment arrives. We are a step nearer to readiness, and we owe it to Prince

some lighted up and others drooped. The fat little man with t

that the cause is a dead one, they had better say so now-and take th

sed to avail himsel

ontinued Kosmaroff, "to close the a

d and steady hatred of the conquered; but on

death of either emperor, of the King of Prussia, or of Bismarck, the declaration of war by any of the great powers. There is always something seething on the Indian frontier, and one day the English will awake.

ed this statement. This was his department. I

ross the plain. The bells of the city churches broke out into a clanging unanimity as

t and stretched himself-a

d. "We must go

countenance, his steady, dark eyes, and clean-cut nose must have realized tha