The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-02-05
CHAPTER Y.
DOWN THE BRICO.

Count Slndorf resumed his task az
the window. Three out of the four
sockets were already scraped away
sufficiently to allow the ends of the
crossbar to be moved out of them. The
fourth was then attacked by the light of
the dazzling flashes which constantly
illumned the sky.
AT half-past ten o'clock the work was
done. The crossbar was clear of the
walls, and could be slipped out of the
embrasure. 1t only had to be pushed
forward and dropped on the outside of
the wall. And this was done rs soon as
Zathmar heard that the sentry had
reached the far end of the corridor
The crossbar was moved along the en-
brasure. 1t fell over and vanished
AT the moment there was lull in the
storm. Sandorf listened to hear when
the heavy frame struck the ground. He
heard not a sound
"The donjon is built on high rock
which rises from the valley" remarked
Bathory.
"The height does not matter :" an
swered Sandof. There can be no
doubt that the lightning conductor
reaches the ground, because that is
necessary for it to be of any use And
so we shall reach the ground without the
risk of fall ="
The reasoning was right as rule, but
1t was wrong i'll this instance, for the
end of the conductor was plunged in
the waters Of the Foiba.
The window being clear, the moment
for escape had come.
MY friends, said Sandorf, q" this is
what we had better do, | am the younp-
est, and, thin.t the S rongest, II is
my place, therefore, to be the first to 90
Town this iron rope III case of some
obstacle, which is impossible for us to
foresee, preventing my reaching the
ground, may have strength enough to
climb back to the window. Two min
utes after l have gone, Stephen, you
get out of the window and follow me.
Two minutes after him, Ladislas, you
come the same way. When we three
have reached the foot of the donjon we
will act according to circumstances.
"We will obey you. Matthias" an
swered Bathory. " We will do what
you tell us to do; we will go where you
tell us to go. But we do not like your
| taking the greatest share of the danger
on yourself-"
"Our lives are not worth as much as
yours, added Zathmar.
"They are worth quite as much in the
tlce of an act of justice which has to be
| done, answered Count Sandorf "And
if one of us alone survives he will be
the one to perform that act. Shake
hands my friends"
And then while Zathmar went to
watch at the door of the cell, Sandorf
climbed into the embrasure. A mo-
ment afterwards he was hanging
in the air, Then while his knees
gripped the iron rope, he slid down,
hand under hand, feeling with his feet
for the staples on which to rest.
The storm burst forth again with ex-
traordinary violence. 1t did not rain,
but the wind was terrific. Flash over
| Tapped flash. The zigzags crossed and
crossed above the donjon, attracted by
its isolated position and its towering
| height. The point of the lightning rod
cleaned with pallid brilliancy Us the
electricity streamed off in long spear
point of flame, and the cable shook and
swung with the furious lashing of the
| storm.
| The risk that was run in hanging on
to this conductor, through which the
electricity was travelling, to lose itself
in the waters of the Brico, was terrible.
Had the app lratus been in perfect con-
dition there would have beenn no danger
| OF stroke, for the extreme conducti-
bility OF the metal compared to that of
the human body, which is very much
less, would have preserved the daring
man who was suspended from it. But if
| the point of the conductor was bluuted
or there Were any solution of continuity
III the cable or n rupture occurred mt any
spot below a stroke was quite possible
due to the meeting of the positive and
the negative; and this without light
ming flash, owing to the tension of the
accumulation i'll the defective apparatus
| Count Sandorf was fully aware of the
danger to which he was exposed A
sentiment more powerful than that of
the instinct of preservation made him
brave it. He slipped down slowly,
cautiously through tie electric emana-
tions which enveloped him as in mist
His foot ought each staple down the
wall, and for an instant he paused, and
rs binding flash illqmined the abyss
beneath him he tried, but in vain, to
discover its depth.
When Matthias had descended about
sixty feet from the window he found
| firm raStIn0 nlnnn Il
ledge few inches wide which marked
the beginning of the base of the wall.
! The lightning conductor did not END
here; itwent down lower, and-unknown
to the tugitive-from this point down
ward it was unfastened and hoated free
sometimes skirting the rocky wall,
sometimes swinging in mid-air, some-
times scraping against the rocks that
overhung the abyss,
Count Sandorf stopped to recover his
breath. His feet rested on the ledge,
his hands grasped the mon cable. He
saw that he had reached the first course
of the masonry of the donjon But how
far he was above the valley he could not
estimate,
That must be very deep" he
thought,
In fact few large birds, dazed with
the binding brilliancy of the lightning,
We're flying round him with heavily
Tapping wings, and instead of rising
sank out of sight beneath his feet Hence
he must be on the brink of precipice
which fell away, deep down below him.
As the birds disappeared he heard
noise above and by the light of vivid
flash he saw II confused mass detach
itself from the wall.
1t was Stephen Bathory escaping from
the window He had gnsped the CON
ductor and was slowly slipping down to
join Count Sandorf. Matthias waited
for him, his feet firmly planted on the
narrow ledge. There Stephen could
wait while he continued to descend.
In few minutes both We're Standing
ON the narrow stone work,
As soon as the thunder ceased for
an instant thoy could speak and hear
each other.
"An Ladislas ?" asked Sandorf.
He will be here in minute"
| Nothing wrong aloft 2"
Nothing"
Good l will make room for Iadis-
las and you, Stephen, wait till hereaehes