“Do you mean to tell me that you came over that trail on foot at this time of year?” And the captain looked at the boys in amazement. “We sure did,” replied Raymond, “every step of the way. Don’t those shoes look like it?” And Raymond held up a foot on which the shoe was barely holding together. “You see,” said Sidney in explanation, “we came down the Volga from Nizhni to Petrovsk, and then across from there. We started out with horses, but an army officer took them away from us the first day.” “Yes, I expect so,” said the captain; “no man outside of the army can travel horseback in Russia now.” “We haven’t heard a thing about the war,” said Sidney, “since we left the boat. How is it going?” “Well, nobody knows yet. It’s a bad war.” And the captain looked very grave. “I’d be helping, but I’m too old. And it begins to look pretty nasty with Turkey; that’s why I’m clearing in the morning. But weren’t you with a party?” “We went with our father to Nizhni to see the Fair,” replied Sidney, “and father was arrested as a German spy just because he speaks German. We were afraid if we waited we shouldn’t be able to leave Russia at all, so my brother and I came south, expecting to go through the Dariel Pass. But at Petrovsk we were told that troops were thick in the pass, and were advised not to go that way. So we came over by the trail, and it was a tough tramp.” “Didn’t your father have a passport?” “Yes, he had a passport from the Secretary of State at Washington.” “I’m sure he got out all right, then,” said the captain. “Americans can go anywhere in the belligerent countries, if they can only prove they _are_ Americans. But how did you young men get away without a passport?” “The clerk of the hotel, who spoke English, took my father’s passport down and showed it to the purser of the boat. And the chief of police at Petrovsk gave us a sort of a passport, but it’s in Russian.” And Sidney took the paper from his pocket and handed it to the captain. “I fancy I can read it if it is in Russian,” said Captain Foster, as he took the paper and glanced over its contents. “I think that’ll get you out all right. I’ll take it to the American Consul and have it viséed, and then to the chief of police for his O.K. Now, if you young gentlemen want to make any purchases,”--and the captain looked the boys over with amusement in his eye,--“you can do it while I’m getting this fixed up.” “I wish we could buy new suits,” said Sidney, “and shoes; in fact, new outfits right through, for both of us.” “You come with me then,” said the captain, “and I’ll show you a good shop. We must have everything ready to-day, for I shall get off in the morning before daylight.” Captain Foster conducted the boys to a clothing shop that was kept by an Armenian Jew who spoke English. Before allowing the boys to enter, the captain detained them for final instructions.