New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-04-18

ANs
irreverently of the Serenissfma, why did you
not use your own lang1aRef Why dtd you exc
press your rash thoughts IN Italian Dl0 you
not know that walls have ears, ana that every
stone OF Venice is spyI -. IL. -
HIS friends, astOnished by TINS sudden out
burst, attributed it at first to those last glasses
| of vino santO they had been drinking To-
| gether; but knowing full well the Jealous care
the Serenisslma had for its reputation Iney IL
/ stinctiyely shrank from him, as iron danger
| Ous man. Awaiting themselves OF tayoraple OPP
pOrtunties, they disappeared round Dark cor
ners, down side alleys; and very soon Dir JOhh
| found himself alone. ,.-u-4
| figure had been following him for some time,
| and was now eagerly aud steaithlly dogg1ng
! him. So carefully it walked so noiselessiy lt
stepped, that for long time Slr JOnn olu h nOt
| notice this unwelcome shadow, and even when
| he did, he attached no Importance 10 u. buI az
| last he begau to feel some doubts ABOUT this
| follower. Nothing could be guessed from ms
appearance. Completely, wrapped up III GarN
| cloak, and with wide hat shading ana con-
! cealing the upper part of his face, the man
| would not have been recognized by MS Owl
brother. 1t was only the peculiar way IN Whl Gu
he followed, and the ability Win Wlllcu n4
| availed himself OF every nOOh auu COLh0I' 'H'O
Fearless still but somewhat annoyed, Sir
| John pursued bis way through the maze OF
alleys that led from the Plazza 10 Ills Temporary
| home. Determined to try to throw OH ms
| masked companion, he quickened his step; DuG
at the NEXT turning, a glance back showed that
il was no use. Having by this time reached Il1e
! Ponte San MOise--One OF the lnnumefaDle
| bridges that cross the minor canals or venice
| he stopped on its steps to see what his SHADOW
| would do AstOnished at first by this new ruse,
| the man hesitated q second, but a second only,
| aud then disappeared IN the shaqow Oh 'i i
| church. Our hero vainly strained MS eyes III
| irving TO find out whether he had really gone,
or whether he was only hiding behind the
columns and Watching. He certainly began to
feel an intense interest IN TINS new chaSe III
which he seemed to be the game hunted down.
Then, convinced that he had seen the last OF
| his silent friend, he decided on continuing, his
way home and was just going TO move, Wheh
| n cloak was thrown over bis hea0 ana cIleS5
| completeIy gagging him, whilst several strong
| arms entWined themselves round his body and
effeCtuaily pmiOned him. Before ne c0ul1 re-
cover his senses, voice. whispered III ltaliall,
in his ear: " You are prisoner OF the OerenlS-
| silna resistance is of no use:" -,
| Even after these words, the import OF Wnlch
| he dimly guessed, Sir John would have tried to
strike one blow mt least for his life or for his NO.
ertv :; but the cloak in which he had been wrapped
up was so artlstically and so securely fastened
| that he could not move a muscle nor utter cry
There was no help for it, and he doggedly
| awaited his fate. The voices round him
| seemed TO hold q short conference, and then
they lifted him from the ground ana carry ,l lilg
him a short distance, deposited him IN what
| he felt to be a gOndola. The journey was not
| long, though to him it seemed an age, ana very
soon the rocking motion ceased. Iley cyl
IDENTIFY had reached their destlnation' A rev
seconds more and he was lahdeu jill Tue same
| unceremonious manner.
After depriving him of his sword and sccur-
ing his hands, his captOrs released nm rom
the folds of the mantle IN which ne had Oeen
! almost choked. He fOund himself IN q very
| small passage, dimly lighted ana intensely
| damn. Tile low ceiling, the strong stone walls,
| the massive iron doors that lined 1t, reminded
him at once of all he had heard and read about
the state prisons of Venice, and his heat sank
| within him Without, however giving him
| much time for reflection, or ASKING lim any
| questions his captors opened one OF the cells
| thrust him in, AID bOtcd the door, Lett alone
in the most absolute darkness, oar lIlcn9
groped about az well rs ms tied hands would
| allow hun until he found stone behch, on
which he dropped, completely unnamed by
the novelty and the horror OF his position
He had heard of prisoners being kept IN
these state prisons for months, even tor years,
without light with JUS, enough OF tne coar9Gst
food to Keep them alive. and without inc
shadow of Judgment. Others had been trlcd
and executed within these dark walls, ana
their friends outside had never known their
fate Was he too going to disappear without
n struggle from this world Was his body going
TO be dropped into the Canal grandeT Or was
he TO linger LII his cell isuntil youth his strength
and perhaps his mind were gone, to be released
only wreck OF his former self, as Q warning TO
Othels2 There were many In Venice poor
shattered beings, heart-brOken, Eait-craZCd,
summed by everybody, who had once been the
leaders Of fashion, Of science, OF politics, untl
an anonymous note dropped into the Lions mouth
had caused their arrest, and their trlaless de-
tention In the underprOuDd-or rather under
water-prisOns of the SeTenlsslma.
But then, who could have denounced him
Who could have an interest in destroying hin
in this cowardly fashion? All the people nc
| knew were above suspiCiOn and yet even the
Serenissima would not have arrested an Eng
Gsbman, a kings messenger, without some
GOOD reason. In that dreadful silence, broken
only by the quiet FLASHING OF the water on inc
stone walls in which he was impIisOned, hi:
memory was particularly vivid, and recalled &c
his mind all the incidents OF his stay. AT las
he remembered those few hot foolish words ne
had used that very night; they. and they alone
could bo the cause OF ms present conultlon
only his fears and his despondency, since nc
well knew what awful punlshments were IN
1cted on those who, to use the Venetian
phrase, "blasphemed the Government"
Having settled the cause OF his arrest, ht
gradually fell into dull, drowsy state o.
half-unconsciousnes staring blindly in the
darkness listening vAcantly in the vain hop'
! of catching some sound, however faint, OF tina
outside world he had 30 recently ieft. dh'
silence was as complete as the darkness tina
surrounded him, and hours passed without
, bringing any change. Now and then mufiiet
, sound reached his ears. Was it footstep IL
the passage7 Was it o wave q little higher thar
the others7 Was it only the plaintive cry OF tht
seamowq Or was it the dying gasp of fellow
prisonerf He could not tell. After very
long time, of which he could not even guess
the length, he distinctly heard a noise as I?
bolts and keys at his prison door suddenly
I opened, and food of light illuminated every
corner of his dismal cell. Dazzled ut first bJ
the glare of the torches, he could not see thu
men by whom they were carTiedj but gradu
! ally, as his eyes grew accustomed to the light
, he saw they were all armed, all masked and al
: dressed In black. In the meantime his hand
had been released of their letters, and IN
, guards bad quietly surrounded him. Without
: word, without sound, they led him on III thei
; midst. Through dark halls and narrow stair