Weekly miners' express. (DuBuque, Iowa) 184?-1849, 1847-09-29
SELECTED TALE.
THE FUGITIVE GLADIATOR.

from his brutal master, is extracted from Mr.
Horace Smiths fine novel. entitled .Zillah,
tale of the holy city The time is during
the second triumvirate, and the heroine, the
daughter Of the second high priest Of tho
Jews. Zillah is On The road to Rome.
As she gazed vaguely around her, lisle-
ming, rather thun looking. she perceived
something moving ssealthily amid the foli-
age, midway up one OF the prodigious oaks
! scarcely twenty yards from their carriage.
| At first she onjecturcd it to be some wild
creature, but another moment undeceived
her. Yes, yes-it was; the fugitive, hold
ing his sword in bis hand, and cla,nbering
up the oakcn tower, as if he had been FASH
Toned by nature for the purpose clawed
animal. a thing of the woods. lnstsntlY a.
verting her eyes, lest their gaze should d-
rect others to the same spot, she fixed tlis,l
upon the ground, and elasping her hands, re-
manned for some moments in an agory Of
! suspense-almosta afraid TO breathe, and still
more fearful of betraying her emotion. The
shout otmany voices, the clamor Of Z brazcn
throat trumpet, and huarse cries Of found.
found found!-in the tree--in the grest
oak! revealed to her that the object @: her
deep soicitude was discovered, und as ehe
| chung to her father. trembling with agitation
and utterlng an involuntary sob Of synpa-
thetlc anguish, she again cast her eyes up
10 see whether the poor wretch NIGH: still
possess some chance Of escape.
Conclous, as he must have been, that he
was discovered, he neither accelerated nor
retarded his progress, but. appearing to be-
stow no attention whatever, upon the hub-
pub beneath him, and the numerous purs,,-
ers VINO were now con,erging hastily to-
wards the spot; he continued climbing UP,
up, uphill he had nearly gained the sum
init of the tree, where a ieafess bare bouyEl
apparently one that had been blasted by the
lightning, shot Itself into the giddy air,
stretched atilwart the road Along this
crazy, fearful perch, he began to crawl on
his hands aud knees. still holding the sword
IN his mouth. The branch tremJled-s
swayed to and fro--it bent with his weight.
ZIlah shut her eyes with a shudder; she e.
ven tried 10 stop her ears, expecting every
moment to hear the appalling crash, the
death -shriek-the horrible signal that he
was precipita'ed from that terrific height,
and dashed to atoms upon the rock.
As nothing indicated the catastrophe, she
mad anticipated. she again vcrtureL to look
up Still retaining the wreath around his
helmet. he had now seated himself at tho
formed extremity of the Dough, with his face
towards the tree, and brandishing his sword
in his right hand, poised in mid-air, swing
ing between heaven and earth like wound
ed eagle upon ms prey, ne determined to
meet his assulsants upon the psrious field
of battle that he had chosen for himself
ZlIah was at loss to account for some
small object, chat kept momentarily g.iste-
hing in the sunshine beneath him, and
L.. 1. -
sound, drew her eyes to the road below,
where she behed crimson circle. formed
by the continual dropping OF his blood. Her
previous sympashy with the sufferer was
hardly capable of increase, but her indigns-
t'uu against his useless pursuers WAS not
little nhumed at this pltable sight. E,
By this time the horsemen, descending
from the brow Of the mountain, stood togctlI-
er under the trees, as il! waiting for orders;
while several of their comrades on foot sue
cesslye!y made their appearance and station
ed themselves under the oak without offer
ing to climb it. After u short interval, a
huge, terocious rutfianlike fellow, holding
Il trumpet in one hand and a sword in the
other, came out of the bushes, putting ana
pointing to the spot, and Immediately began
to issue orders, as if lie were the leader of
IhC potLy o'oi1I VI thS Hiha uoNH Will I'll
arrow!' asked one of the horse men, adjusting
the bow-'He is dead shot Us he sits, and
We sball never catch him otherwise, unless
we wait til! he drops out Of the tree from
hunger -. ...,.-..s. ii
AT your peril, sirrah!' shouted the leader
shaking his sword ut the fellow who had
made the proposition. He is my best man
worth any two of ye. Besides, havnt
hor bo
the great match at Capue, and the festival
OF Jupiter ut Beneventum! No, no, we
must fetch tie rascal down without hurting
him. Let's see, let's see! Going out in
to the road for the purpose of taking more
exact observation Of the fugitive's position, ,
he began to shake and scratch his head, and
to one of his companions, Should
not mind putting an arrow into him myself
if he wern't up SO high, SO desperate high.
Wing him as delicatey as you will, the fall
IS sure to spoil him. Ugly job! Then if
send up after him, no lse-the chap is no
lincher--will fight till all the flesh is hack
I'd off his bones. Besides. the bough won't
,old two-shall lose 'em both. 'Twould cost
, good round sum to replace 'em. Coax him
coax him down.
Raising his hoarse rough voice SO as to be-
heard by the man in the tree, he endeayored
% wheedle him down by the most solemn
promises Of granting him his freedom after
he Jupiter festival at Beneventum winkipg
It the same time to his companion, swear
ny in an under tone that the runaway rogue
should be effectually prevented from repent
ny the prank, it he could only get him into
lis clutches. His fawning, yet hoarse. loud
,oicc, and the viilainous savage chuckle Of
lis under tone as he sneered at the credul.
y of the dupe he thought himself about TO
ajoe, offerad singular contrast to the for
ign accent, bat clear. resolute, honest. i'm
cation of his intended victim. You have
lready repeated me some promise, and have
$ often violated yoar VOW said the latter.
True. but mean to keep it now. BY
;astor and Pollux,l do! (Say any thing to
,et the rascal out Of the tree.'j
Have you any objection to dip your two
lands IN VIVA, you have go long lived by--
ny blood-there is plenty on the ground be.
eath, to lift them up to heaven and swear
y Hercules to give me my discharge after
he festival at Beneventum' A
sAny objection! Not I-none in the wor d. Nv