“Has our father sent us any message?” asked Sidney when they had found the clerk. “No,” replied the man; “we have heard nothing from him, and I think you young gentlemen ought to leave the city at once. If you stay much longer you may not be able to get out of the city at all.” “How can we go,” cried Raymond, “and leave our father here in prison?” “You cannot help him by remaining,” said the man; “and when he is released he will come here and will learn where you are gone.” “I think that is right, Ray,” said Sidney; “and I am sure father would want us to get away where we shall be safe. We had better take the first train back to Libau and then sail for New York by the first ship. Mother must be feeling pretty anxious, for she probably knows a good deal more about the war than we do. When is there a train for Libau?” --and Sidney turned to the clerk. “You cannot go to Libau; the Government has taken all trains to transport troops. You cannot go either west or north from here.” “Then we can’t get away at all,” declared Raymond petulantly. “Why did you advise us to go?” “You can go by boat down the Volga and across the mountains to the Black Sea. You would be almost sure to find either American or English ships there.” “Would it be difficult to cross the mountains?” asked Sidney. “Not very; there is an excellent road by the Dariel Pass, the Georgia military road. I have been through there.” “But how are we going to get away?” asked Sidney dolefully. “I have heard that one cannot move a step in Russia without a passport, and we can’t take my father’s passport, for he will need that when he is released.” “No,” said the clerk; “we could not let you have this passport, which is made out in your father’s name, but I think I would be allowed to take it down to the boat and show it to the purser, who would probably be satisfied with that.” “What should we do when we had to make a change, and would need to show a passport again?” “There are steamers here that bring up petroleum from the Caspian ports of the Caucasus. Some of them carry passengers, and I think I can find a boat that will take you directly to Petrovsk where you would leave the Caspian to go across the mountains. By one of those boats you would not have to make a change, and showing your passport once would be all that was necessary. Those steamers are not so fine as the regular passenger boats, but they are comfortable.” “It seems pretty bad, Sid,” said Raymond, “for us to run away and leave father here in prison.” “I know it does, Ray, but I believe he would want us to go. If we could help him by staying I shouldn’t think for a minute of going, but we should probably only be a burden to him after he gets out. If we reach home, perhaps we can help him more there.” “I think you should go at once,” said the clerk; “we can’t tell what may happen before to-morrow. Already twenty of the waiters and porters have been taken from the hotel to serve in the army.”