The Hickman courier., 1879-01-17

stllI insisted ne WAS d 1eu9olA"' '
could not be made to understand word
of French. z But the. moment he ven
tured hint of that kind, thousand
threatening voices were raised against
him. and be saw that clemency was
impossible.
"But," said he. "will you then risk
quarrel with Russia. whose neutrality
we are so anxiously asking Tor ?"
"No." said the officer, "but let us. try
this man"
l. eckinski understood all, for he was
acquainted with Spanish. He was re-
moved and thrown into room worthy
TO have been one of the dungeons of the
irquisition in its worst days.
When the spaniards took him prisoner
he had eat nothing since the previous
evening, and when his dungeon door
closed on him he had tasted eighteen
hours no wonder, then, what with ex~
haustion, fatigue, and the agony of his
situation, that the unhappy prisoner fell
almost senseless on his hard couch.
Night soon closed in and left him TO
realize, in its gloom, the full horror of
his hopeless. situation. He was brave,
of course, but to die at eighteen--so sud
denlyl But youth and fatigue finally
yielded to the approach of sleep, and he
was soon buried in profound slumber.
He had slept perhaps two hours, when
the door OF the dungeon opened slowly,
and some one entered with cautious
steps, hiding with his hands the light OF
a lamp; the visitor bent over the pris-
oner's couch, the hand that shsdowed
the lamp touched him on the shoulder,
and a sweet and silvery voice-a woman's
voice asking him.
! 'Do you want to eatP'
The young Pole awakened suddenly
by the glare of the lamp, by the touch
and words of the female, rose up on his
couch, and with his eyes half open, said
in German, "Whst do you WANT"
"Give me something to eat at once
said Castanos, when he heard the result
of the first experiment, "ar d let him go.
He is not FIenchman. How could he
have been 50 far master of himself? The
thing is impossible"
But though Leckinski was supplied
with food, he was detained a prisoner
The next morning he was taken TO spot
where he coulo ste the mutilated corpse
OF the Frenchman who had been cruelty
massacred by the peasantry of Truxillo,
and he was threatened with the same
death But the noble youth had prom
ised not to fail, and not word, not an
accent, not gesture or look betrayed
him.
Leckinski, when taken back to the
prison, hailed it with joy; for twelve
hours he had nothing but gibbets and
death, in its horrid forms, before his
eyes, exhibited to him by men with the
looks and passions of demons. He slept,
however, after the harassing excitement
of the day, and soundly, too; when, in
the midst of his deep and death-like
slumbers, the door opened gently, some
one drew near the couch, and the voice
whispered in his ear
"Arise and come with me. We wish
to save your lie. Your horse is ready"
And the brave young msu, hastily
awakened by the words, owe with TO
save your life; come answered still in
German
"What do you want 20
Castano, when he heard of this expert
ment and its results, said the Russian
WAS noble young man he saw the true
state of The case.
The next merning four men came to
take him before sert of court martial,
of officers OF Castanos' staff. During the
walk they uttered most horrible threats
against him; but true to his determina-
ton, he pretended not to understand
them.
When he came before his judges he
seemed to gather what was going on
from the arrangement OF the tribunal,
and not from what WAS said around him,
and he asked in German where his in
erpreter wSs He was sent for and the
examination began.
1t turned at first upon the motive of
his journey from Madrid to Lisbon. He
answered by showing his di~Patches to
Admiral Siniavin and his passport.
Spite of the presence and vehement
assertion of the peasant, he persisted in
the same story, and did not contradict
himself once.
"Ask him." said the presiding officer,
at last, "i it he loves the Spaniards, as he
is not Frenchman
The interpreter put the question.
Certainly" said Leckinski, "I like
the Spanish nation; esteem it for its
noble character l wish our two nations
were friends"
Colonel" said the interpreter TO the
President, "the prisoner Gays he hates us
| because we make war like banditti; that
he despises US, and that his only regret is
that he can not unite the whole nation
as one man: SO as to end this odious war
at a single blow"
While he was saying this, the eyes of
the whole tribunal were attentively
watching the slightest movement OF the
prisoners eountenance, in order to see
what effect the interpreters treachery
would have upon him, but Leckinski
had expected to be put to the test in
some way, and he was determined to
! battle all their attempts.
Gentlemen" said Castanos, i" it
..-o. q ma that this youno man cap