Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1877-07-19

coming Dack got IL llIlle way lrOui
the track, and the first thing / knew
was. got fall. You see the effect
Of it. 1t laid mo up till this morn
ing. / found a shelter under a
rock where dragged myself, and for
the last eight-and forty hours, /
have lived on sahrac root and dew.
This morning I could crawl down the
mountain, and here l am.@
"And you know where the women
are?"
Il know where the young one is.
| did not see the other"
and can you lead the way to her
place Of concealment?"
"Yes. il you find a couple of good
stout men to help me-"
"That I can do" exclaimed Kraun-
ich, almost beside himself with ex-
citenient. "By the saints. I would
furnish a whole army IL you needed
it. We will start within an hour"
Just as you choose" returned the
forester. "All l ask is, time enough
to swallow bottle OF wine and eat a
loaf OF bread"
"Then get thee to the butler and
take what you want, and in the mean
time will have the men ready to
set out"
"Ay, but you will need strong
body Of them, Sir Moritz. The place
where / found the maiden will be a
hard one to force. A dozen men
could maintain it against m army.
~Never mind,. II you are sure the
girl is there, I'll send men enough to
take her. I'd turn out our whole
force il 'twere necessary. Go and
get your wine and bread, and by the
time you are satisfied, we will be
ready
The forester llmped away to the
department of the butler. and Moritz
Kraunich betook himself to the Of
fee OF his lieutenant.
'Ho, Ludolf," he cried, as he en-
tered the room where his officer was
sitting, Il want yoa at the head OF
fifty well-armed men. Haste, now
and have them ready in half an
hour"
with horses?" asked Ludolf.
"No. On foot"
KraurAch knew that his order
would be promptly obeyed, and with
out more words he hastened away to
his cabinet to prepare himself.
It.was at the lapse OF just half an
hour when the party were ready TO
set out for the mountains. The
lieutenant had selected fifty OF his
best men. To be sure most Of them
had been in the castle under Reginald
Leusden; but then they were SOL
diers, and it was their trade to obey
the orders OF superiors. Indivi dually
the y would not like to engage in a
pursuit after Johanna Leusden, but
collectively. with superior at their
head they knew nothing but what
their leader told them.
The forester had taken wine
enough to make nim feel st ronger
than he did when be first returned,
and with the assistance OF two men
he walked along quite comfortably.
There was need OF some haste in
their movements, for they only had
about five hours Of daylight left for
them. When they came to the en-
trance OF the secret pass. and Kla-
mith had shown the way through it,
Kraunich was much surprised that
he had never found it.
Il never should have found it by
merely searching fDr it," the forester
said, after he and the major had gone
through, "but traced footsteps here.
I found the leaves crumpled down,
and cad twigs broken"
At short distance beyond. the
path became more apparent, and ere
long the way was so plain that Kraun-
ich wondered he had never found it
before. 1t was rugged. and In some
places so abrupt that for while it
seemed to have come to an end; but
the forester had carefully noted all its
peculiarities, and without hesitation
he led on. After an hours tramp
there began to appear numerous side
paths-paths which would certainly
have led strangers astray; and even
Klamith himself acknowledged that
he should neve. have found the true
way, IL 1t had not been for the fresh
tracks Of the night before he COM
menced his search.
At length the party came in sight
of the perpendicular cliff that flanked
the area in front OF the mountain
cave. The forester signified their
position to Kraunich and the latter
gave the order to halt.
Now, Klamith, I" he asked, do you
know the entrance to the cave?"
"Yes." returned the forester. Il
crawled up into the space above here
and watched there till / saw 1t
opened. / think it is a wooden door,
and IL we find it bolted. We can con-
trive some means to force it. We
shall get along very well il we meet
with no opposition till we reach the
cave, for you can just see the narrow
way, between those two huge rocks,
which leads to the open space above
Kraunich turned to his men and
gave them their orders. Each man
seized his weapons and prepared to
follow their leader.