Litchfield enquirer., 1872-06-06

I tried, east, and condemned for an in,ag-
 mary crime, he would have beea too apa-
 thetio to say anything in arrest of iiudg- 1 ment.
 Silently and swiftly, as forlorn hope,
 they passed through the town and along the sandy causaways Yhe succession of white rolling waves on their left, where extended the full breadth of the Straits. while the bay on their right was almost smooth, showed the wind to be still against them; but it WAS now so moderate
 that they might safely beat up for the
 Rock. Arrived at the head of the stairs
 leading to the water, they paused in the angle to reconoitre. Francisco was lying
 coiled up in the head of the boat, his hand
 on the rope, ready to cast her loose, and
 the boat-hook projecting over the bow.
 Above them, and behind the wall, at 8 lit
 tie distance, they could hear the measured
 tread of the sentry, and catch the gleam of his bayonet as he turned uron his
 walk; c few vigorous shoves would carry
 them outside the sea-wall aifd beyond his
 ken. All depended on their silence; and
 like two stealthy cats did Owen and Ju-
 ana descended to the boat-the Majors and Carlota watching the success of their at tempt with protruded necks. Cautiously
 did Owen stride from the last stair to the
 deck-cautiously did he transfer Juana to
 the bark, and guide her aft The Major was just preparing to follow, when noise
 from the boat startled him; Juana had
 upset an unlucky wine jar which Francis
 co had left there. The sentry put his
 head over the wall, and challenged; Fran
 cisco, starting up, showed hastily of; the
 sentry fired his piece, his bullet shatter- l ing the wine-ja that had caused the mis-
 chief. Juana screamed, Owen swore in English, and Francisco surpassed him in Spanish. There was no time to return OF
 wait for the other pair, for the guard was
 alarmed by the sentry's shot, and their
 aecoutrements might be heard rattling
 near at hand, as they turned hastily out.
 Before they reached the wall, however,
 the boat had disappeared.
 Major Flinders watched it till 1t was
 out of sight, and, at first, experienced
 feeling of despair at being thus deprived
 of the aid of Garry's boldness and promp-
 titude, and left to his own resources. 1 Presently, however, gleam of comfort
 dawned upon him-perhaps Carlota would
 now abandon the enterprise, and he | s1Ould thus, at any rate, be freed
 from the embarrassment her pres enee occasioned him. In this hope he
 was shortly .undeceived. To have added 1 the shame of failure and exposure to her l present. disappointment, while an open | ing to persevere still remained. did not
 suit that lady's ardent spirit; and whether
 1t was that the unscrupulous Garry had
 really represented the Major as very
 much in love, or whether such an impress
 sion resulted from her own lively imagina- 1 tion, she certainly thought her compan- ion would be as much chagrined at such
 denouement as herself. She displayed a prompt decision in this emergency, be- i ing, indeed, as remarkable for presence
 as the Major was for absence of mind.
 Taking the Majors arm, she caused him l swiftly to retrace his steps with her to the inn where he had slept. As they retreat ed; they heard the boom of gun behind 1 them, fired doubtless, from the Point. ut
 the Fair Unknown. At Carlota's orders, l a couple of horses, one with side-saddle. l were speedily at the door; they mount ed, and, before the sun was yet risen, had issued forth from the gate of Tarifa, | on the road to -Gibralter
 The major rode beside her like fl man 1 in dream-in fact, he was partly asleep.
 having been deprived of large portion of his natural and accustomed rest. and partly bewildered A few days before he had been the most methodical,. uuroman-
 tic, not to say humdrum, old bachelor in his Malesty's service; and here he was.
 how or why he did not we'll know, egallop-
 ing away at daybreak> with foreign lady.
 of whose existence he had been ignorant week before, with the prospect of being apprehended by her relatives for her ab- ductlon, and by the Government for assisting in the escape of a smuggler.
 When at length reused to complete con consciousness by the rapidity of their mo-
 tion, he positively groaned in anguish Of spirit, and vowed internally that, once within the shelter of his own quiet quat- CTS nothing on earth should again tempt
 him forth on such harum-scarum exreii- tions.
 It was near noon when they reached AL
 geciars, where they stopped to breakfast,
 both of them rather exhausted with fatigue
 and hunger. This town stands just op- posite Gibralter, across the bay-the road
 they had come by forms the base of tri-
 angle, of which Cabrita Point is the apex. the bay washing one side of the project ing coast, the Straits the other. The Ma
 jor was reserved and embarrassed; there was tenderness about Carlota's manner that frightened him out Of his usual gal 1 1antry, and, to avoid meeting his glance.
 he looked steadily out of the window at the rock of Gfbralter, casting wistful glances at the spot where his quarters law hidden in little clump Of foliage. I'm mediately after the meal he quilted the
 room, on pretence of looking after the horses. He determined to protract their stay in Ageclras till late in the afternoon. that they might enter Gibralter ill the dusk, and thus avoid awkward meetings
 with equestrian parties from the garrison.
 who would then be hastening Aomewards. in order to be in before gun-fire, when the
 gates are shut.
 On returning, still out or temper, to the
 room where he had left Carlota, he found
 her, quite overcome with fatigue, asleep
 on the sofa. Her head was thrown a lit tie back on the cushion; her lips wefe just parted, and she looked in her sleep like weary child. The Major approach ed on tiptoe, and stood regarding her. His il-h,imor melted fast into pity. He. thought of all her kindness to him, and
 by sudden soft-hearted impulse, took gently one of her hands projecting over the side of the sofa Carlota opened her eyes, and squeezed the hand that held
 hers; whereupon the Major suddenly quit ted bis hold, and, retreating with great discomposure to the window, did not ven
 ture to look at her again till it was time
 to resume their journey. ...-. .... l At little distance from Algeeiras is the
 river Palmones, called by the English the
 Second River. This was crossed by q l floating bridge, pulled from shore to l shore by ferryman warping on rope ! extended across. They had just reached
 the opposite bank of the stream, when
 Carlota noticed two hoFsemen galloping
 fast along the road they had just traversed. A second glance showed them to be Don
 Pablo and the lover of Juana. The first inquiries of the Governor had led him to
 suppose that all had escaped in the boat, and 1t was not till some time after that he
 learned the true state of affairs.
 ! The fugitives now hastened on in ear
 nest, and reused their horses to steady ! gallon. never paIlsino till thev reaebad