The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-08-05

est olive color, but the clear white of his
forehead, which had been protected
from exposure by his helmet, betrayed
the original purity OF his complexion.
His form was tall and commanding. He
sat apparently absorbed in thought, but
was aroused from his rovcric by the ell
trance of q retainer.
"Are the horses ready?"
eyes, my lord" said the man.
eve will mount into the saddle at
once then; how far did they say it was
to Bourdonnis?'
six leagues
1--WE shall reach it before nightfall;
lead on"
The party which set forth from the inn
was a gallant sight to behold. Knights,
souires, mcn-at-arms and other rctaincrs
swelled the escort Of the young count to
the number of nearly four-scorc, while
the pcnnons waving in the air, and the
occasional sound of a trumpet gave a
livelinesS to the escort which attracted
the attention of the passers-by of every
rank and sex, and drew many q sigh of
envy from them. But who might pre-.
tend to be the equal of the renowned
Count Garonnc, q crusader of unfair
nishcd fame, q gallant still in the flower
of his youth and the lord of half a score
of castles scattered over the wide do
main of France.
At the head of the proud array rode
the count himself, conversing gaily with
Il knight at his side, whom he Familiarity
called cousin.
CAV, BY st. Dcnnis!.n said the count,
| she is a divinity such as even our sunny
provence doth not afford. Such eyes,
such hair, and then, by my faith, such q
voice! 1t panied my heart to part from
nv sweet Zilah-but she would have it
so-and so she zones in company with
Father Ambrose and 4 score OF my best
knights. Her maidenly modcsty die
tated this, and I was forced to submit.
We were separated, however, by that
hcathenish storm, and | suppose her
galley put into Genoa"
Il long to sec your princess, nor do L
wonder at your love, since she freed you
from Il Moslem prison. am all impa.
thence to behold hcr-but look at the
knave coming over yondcrhill. lie rides
like the flcnd himself"
GAY! and by st. Dennis he IS a black
amoor;a scarccr thing here than in
Syria"
Even while they spoke the horscman
rapidly approached, and before many
minutes drew in the rein of his foaming
steed at the side of the count, whom he
appeared to know. The recognition was
mutual. The man instantly spoke in a
strange tongue, and with violent gcs.
lures. while, with an agitated voice, the
count appeared to question him. But a
few minutes had elapsed, however, be-
fore the count turned around to his
cousin, and exclaimed, in q voice trcm-
bling with emotion, but with an attempt
at composure:
"Zilah has been wrecked, and only
she and two of her train, with q few
common sailors, have escaped. Her
strange companions, her foreign tongue,
but, more than all, the accused PERU
ries of a thicving innkecper, have
brought on her the charge of sorccry. a
tumult has been raised, she has been
arrested, and-God of my fatners!-
may even now be suffering on the rack
or at the stake. Oh. why did | ever
leave herr But, if a hair Of her head is
harmed, l will hang every knavc of
Bourdonnis."
"Let US on at once, then; VIC may yet
arrive in time"
ssPass the word down the line" en-
claimed the count. "On. knights and
gentlemen; We must not draw rein un-
til we reach Bourdonnis."
After a few minutes of hurried con-
sultation with the servant, who stated
that he and his fellow had escaped in
the night Of the tumult, and each, by
different roads, sought the port where
they supposed the count to be, the gal
liant array set forward at q rapid pace,
and in a few moments nothing but a
cloud of dust in the valley and on the
hillside was left to tell of their late pres
cncc.
1t was already high noon in Bourbon
mis-. A little out OF town, in a gentle
valley, was the place chosen for the in.
! Fiction of the horrid sentence. For
more than an hour-indecd ever since
the condemnation of the accuscd-the
~populace had been pouring thither in
crowds, until now a vast multitude,
comprising nearly the whole population
of the town, surrounded the place of
execution and covered the cncircling
hills like spectators in m amphithcatre.
At length the procession came in sight.
First marched a body of soldiers; then
followed the magistrates of the town;
directly after appeared several monks;
and then, clad in white, with her hands
tightly pressed together came the victim.
She made no answers, it was observed.
to the words of the monks on either
hand, but ever and anon she would
kiss q c~rucitix which she carried,
and raised her swimming eyes to
heaven. In that hour of bitter agony,
what must have been her emotions !
She, the daughter of an emir and the
atianccd bride of one of the proudest
mobiles of France, to be Kissed at by q
mob, and end her life in unhcard of tor
mcuts at the stake. Oh! if her lover,
she thought, only knew her peril! But
alas! he was away. Well might she
raise her streaming eyes to heaven as to
her only hope, md well might she turn
away from the ministers of religion who
sanctioned her sacrifice and trust only
in that cross which was her lovers gilft,
and the emblem OF the suiferings of one
whom that lover had taught her was the
only true God.
At length they reached the fatal stake.
But if Zilah shuddcred at its sight the
feeling was checked before it could be
seen by the populacc. Calm and COL
lcctcd, though pale as the driven snow,
she stood proudly up while the fatal
chain was affixed around her slender
waist, and with eyes appraised to heaven,
appeared to be only an indifferent spec
tator. instead of the chief person in the
fatal tragedy. Not a rcpining word
broke from her lips. The first agony of
death had passed away, and she stcclcd
her heart to her fate.
At length all was prepared. Over the
vast assembly gazing or her, hung the
silence of the dead. Mems breath came
quick, and their hearts fluttcrcd when
they felt that in another minute the aw-
full tragedy would be begun. Every
eye was bent i~ntcntly on the fatal
stake as the cxecutioncr approached
with the fiery brand. For the last time
Zilah opened her eyes to take a final look
on that earth to which she was soon to
bid farewell forever. But what sent
that sudden flush to her check? Why
that cry of thril1inr iov thc frst uu1i-
Bile sound which had left her lips since
her SENTENCED She sees a troop of fiery
horsemen, covered with dust and foam,
laundering over the brow of the hill in
front of her, and in the very van of the
array she recognizes the pcnnon of the
count of Garonnc waving in the MONDAY
sun.
Onward came the rescucrs. Horse on
horse, knight after knight, retainer fol-
owing retainer, they swept like a whirl,
wind down the hill, shouting their war
CRY, 'Garonnc-a St. Denis and Ga.