The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1872-03-21

middles in the shiny waters. In silence,
and very soon in profound darkness. we
tramped YEARLY on. the men who walk
ed on either side Of Archie and myself, |
and held oul shoulders in their iron
grip, never hesitatirg to point pistol
unpleasantly close to our temples if we
attempted to utter sound.
Once, on the outskirts of large farm,
we halted, and while number of men
we're detailed to go in search of sheep
and chickens, the rest of US were ordered
to lie down and sleep. The darkness was
so dense. and the silence for haitian hour
so profound, that Archie and [ sprang
to our feet and made frantic effort to
escape but We were seized almost in
stantly and carried before the captain, who
informed US, in very plain Italian, that
for every such effort that We might
think proper to make, an car, nose,
finger, or some other useful and valuable
member, would most certainly be requir-
3D.
GAS you please, Signor Capitano," |
replied In tone as arrogant as his own,
you may hack Us in pieces if you like
that kind amusement, but you must re-
| member that the British Government
| does not pay heavy ransoms for maiuI.d
and mutiated subjects. What you want
| is n,oney, what ace want is liberty. We
shall be prepared to pay for our liberty,
if you treat US with proper respect. If
not, you can take the consequences.
''Silenzo = replied the captain, max
ing signal that we should be sent to the
rear again; but think that my bullying
tone had its effect as our arms were not
bound when we started again on our
march, and the men who walked beside
US kept at fairly respectful distance.
After that there was no further halt :;
on we went, at almost railroad speed
and always on an ascent, until the dawn
of day found us on high table land at
the base of mountain which was clothed
with vendure more than half way up.
The band Immediately plunged into the
thickest of the forest, from whence, after
an hour of terrible scrambling and scratch
ing against trees and underbrush, we
emerged into lovely glade surrounded
by overhanging beeches, whose branches
swept the ground. Here the men threw
themselves down at full length, and as
the sun rose behind them in pomp of
gold and crimson, their picturesque cos
tunes and the stern rugged beauty of
the scene made picture for Salvador
Rosa.
Here fire was kindled, sheep and
chickens slaughtered, and without very
much dantiness Of preparation torn into
pieces and thrust into huge iron pot,
from whence they were dipped out again
supposed to be cooked: by the dirt en-
crusted fingers Of the bandits.
Arches blue eyes expressed more
amusement than disgust as I unhesita-
tingly thrust my hand in with the others,
and drawing out what seemed to me a
fair allowance for US both handed him
his share with bow as ceremonious as if
we had been dining IN gra,,de tenue, in
our favorite corner at the Parthenon.
The brigands looked suspiciously
at US during this little pantomime, and
the men who had us in charge laid their
hands upon their pistols as if they sus-
pected some hidden meaning, aud almost
Immediately afterward we were hurried
before the chief, Lorenzo Rocca, whose
breakfast had been served to him en-
grand setgneur, at some distance from the
rest of the baud.
Seen by daylight he was an athletic
and picturesque-looking outlaw enough,
dressed in motley suit oe faded velvet
and chamois skins, with a pair of Eng
fish hunting boots which I could have
sworn were made in Bond street, AMI of
which some unwary traveller had EVIDENT
ly been very recently relieved.
He received us in sort Of tent impro-
vised out Of the branches of oyerhanging
! trees, and lay reclining at full length
while we stood, closely guarded, before
him. On his side reclined smaller
slightcr figure dressed almost exactly
like him, and armed as he was, with
pistols and dagger at the belt. At the
first glance 1 supposed it to be boy
but the steady gaze that Archie fixed
upon her, and a responsive glance in her
large dark eyes as she returned the gaze,
convinced me that it was woman, and of
course the chiefs wife.
lnwardly thanking Heaven that Char
| lie Beresford was not of the party, and
giving Archie warning word as l pass
ed, l stepped forward to discuss the
question of release and ransom with the
chief
found Rocca more infexible and de
termined than he had been the night
before, and neither arrogance nor concil-
latlon moved him in the least Perhaps
be was irrated at the by-play which was
Enthusiastically going on between Archie
and the girl, for he sternly refused to
abate one silver of the sum he named,
which was 100, 600 ducats each, about
el7,000 sterling l told him that it
would be utterly impossible for us to
raise SO large sum, and that as we had
never served our country in any way the
British Government would most nm
doubtedly decline to pay it. To which