Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1837-09-22
The Traveller in a Den Of A.sas.in..

IL was few weeks before the termina-
ton of the short but TOR Austria) fatal cam.
paign OF lS09--ibat campaign which, be.
gan nobly by the Ausirans, ended in their
seeing Bonaparte dictate TO their PROSTATE
empire from their capital, and shortly nGer
claim as his bride the daughter of tie SOW.
ereign he had so injured and humbled: that
an Hungarian householder left Vienna 10
return TO bis home, which was situated in
an interior province Of his country. He
carried with him in paper money and in
gold. very considerable sum- the produc,
oil the horses he had sold at the Austrian
capital. To carry this in safety was diff.
cult object just at that time for troops
French and Austrian, were scattered in ey.
cry direction, and he knew by experience
that II was not always safe to fall in with
small parties of soldiers, even OF his own
country or government TO say nothing Of
the French,) but that Creates. and wild Illus.
sars and Hulans, and others that fought un.
der the Austrian eagle, were seldom over
scrupulous as to keeping their hands from
picking and stealing" when opportunity was
favorable or tempting. The dealer however,
relied on his minute knowledge Of the coun-
try he had ,raversed so ohen on the bottom
and speed Of his thorough, bred Hungarian
horse, and having obtained what he consid.
cred good information. as TO the posts occu.
pied by the billigerents, and the range of
country most exposed 10 the soldery, he sci
out from Vienna, which he feared would
soon be in the hands Of the enemy He
went alone, and on his road carefully avoid
ed, instead seeking the company Of other
travellers. for he reasonably judged, that
solitary individual meanly dressed as he
was might escape notice. while u party Of
travellers would be sure 10 atracth Bv
this good management he passed the Hun.
garlan frontier unframed, and continued his
journey homeward by circu;tous unfre-
quented route.
On the third night after his departure from
Vienna, he stopped at quiet inn. situated in
the suburbs OF small town. He had new
er been there before. but the house was COM
Portable. and the appearance OF the people
about il respectable. Having first attended
TO his tired horse, he sat down to supper
with his host and family. During The
meal, he was asked whence he came and
when be said from Vienna, all present were
anxious 10 know the news. The dealer told
them all he knew. The host then enquired
what business had brought him to Vienna.
He told them he had been there to sell some
of the best horses tina, were ever yet taken
to that market When he heard this, he,
the host cast a glance at one OF the men of
tbc hrtHify, wtIv- svVr,-l - - L:---, - '''~s'
the dealer scarcely observed then. but which
he bad reason TO recall afterwards. When
supper was finished. the ialigued traveller
requested to be shown to his bed. The host
himself took up The light and conducted him
across little yard at the back Of the house
to detached building, which contained two
rooms. tolerably decent for Hungarian ho-
tel In the inner OF these rooms was bed.
and here the host left him to himself AS
he dealer threw off his jacket and loosened
the giTdle round his waist where his money
was deposited. he thought he might us well
see whether il was all safe. Accordingly.
he drew out an old eathern purse that con-
mined his gold, and then ia,tered parch-
menl pocket book that developed the Aus
tran bank notes, and finding that both were
quite correct. he laid them under the bolster
exlinguished the light, and threw himself
upon the bed thanking God and the saints
that had carried him so far homeward in
SAFETY. He had no misgivines as 10 the
character OF the people he had fallen in
amongst TO hinder his repose. and the poor
dealer was very soon in a profound sleep
| He might have been in this state OF beat-
tude an hour or two. when he was disturbed
by noise like that of an opening window,
and by a sudden rush OF cool night air; on
raising himself on the bed, he saw peeping
through an open window which was al
most Immediately above his bed, the head
and shoulders Of man, who was was evil
IDENTIFY intending to make his ingress into
the room that way As the terrified deal
err looked, the inlrudng figure was with.
drawn, and he heard rumbling noise, and
then the voices OF several men, as he thought,
clos. under the window The most dread
fu apprehensions, the more horrible as they
were SO sudden, now agitated the traveller,
who scarcely knowing what he did, but ut
terly despairing OF preserving his life, threw
himself under the bed He had scarcely
done so, when the hard breathing Of man
was heard a, the open window, and the next
moment robust fellow dropped into the
room, and after staggering across it, CROPPED
his way by the walls to the bed Fear had
almost deprived the horse dealer of his sens
es, but vet he perceived that the intruder,
whoever he might be. was drunk. There
was however slight comfort in this, for he
might have swallowed wine to make him the
more desperate and the traveller was con-
WINGED that he had heardthe voices Of other
men without who might climb into the
room to assist their brother villain in case
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