Chapter 14

XIV

THE MARSHES

They ascertained the next day that there had been two explosions,
almost simultaneous, one under each staircase. The two Nihilists,
when they felt themselves discovered, and watched by Ermolai, had
thrown themselves silently on him as he turned his back in passing
them, and strangled him with a piece of twine. Then they separated
each to watch one of the staircases, reasoning that Koupriane and
General Trebassof would have to decide to descend.

The datcha des Iles was nothing now but a smoking ruin. But from
the fact that the living bombs had exploded separately the
destructive effect was diffused, and although there were numerous
wounded, as in the case of the attack on the Stolypine datcha, at
least no one was killed outright; that is, excepting the two
Nihilists, of whom no trace could be found save a few rags.

Rouletabille had been hurled into the garden and he was glad enough
to escape so, a little shaken, but without a scratch. The group
composed of Feodor and his friends were strangely protected by the
lightness of the datcha's construction. The iron staircase, which,
so to speak, almost hung to the two floors, being barely attached
at top and bottom, raised under them and then threw them off as it
broke into a thousand pieces, but only after, by its very yielding,
it had protected them from the first force of the bomb. They had
risen from the ruins without mortal wounds. Koupriane had a hand
badly burned, Athanase Georgevitch had his nose and cheeks seriously
hurt, Ivan Petrovitch lost an ear; the most seriously injured was
Thaddeus Tchitchnikoff, both of whose legs were broken.
Extraordinarily enough, the first person who appeared, rising from
the midst of the wreckage, was Matrena Petrovna, still holding
Feodor in her arms. She had escaped with a few burns and the
general, saved again by the luck of the soldier whom Death does not
want, was absolutely uninjured. Feodor gave shouts of joy. They
strove to quiet him, because, after all, around him some poor
wretches had been badly hurt, as well as poor Ermolai, who lay
there dead. The domestics in the basement had been more seriously
wounded and burned because the main force of the explosion had gone
downwards; which had probably saved the personages above.

Rouletabille had been taken with the other victims to a neighboring
datcha; but as soon as he had shaken himself free of that terrible
nightmare he escaped from the place. He really regretted that he
was not dead. These successive waves of events had swamped him;
and he accused himself alone of all this disaster. With acutest
anxiety he had inquired about the condition of each of "his victims."
Feodor had not been wounded, but now he was