The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-01-08
CHAPTER K.
DOWN THE BRICO.

DOWN THE BRIco.
Count Sandorf resumed his task at
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
illumined 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 as soon as
Zathmar heard that the sentry had
reached the far end of the corridor.
The crossbar was moved along the en-
brasure. It fell over and vanished.
At the moment there was q lull in the
storm. Sandorf listened to hear when
the heavy frame struck the ground. He
heard not sound
"The donjon is built on high rock
which rises from the valley" remarked
Bathory.
",rhe height does not matter - an
swered Sandorf. "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
it was wrong in 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, this is
what we had better do, l am the young
est, and, think, the rongest. 1t is
my place, therefore, to be the first to go
down this iron rope. In case of some
obstacle, which is impossible for us to
foresee, preventing my reach ng the
ground, may have strength enough t;
climb back to the window. Two mn.
utes after I 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.
1--WE will obey You, Mathias," 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 wort quite as much in the
face of an act of ju.tice which has to be
done, answered Count Sandorf. "And
If one of us alone survives he will he
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 wit his feet
for he staples on which to rest.
The storm burst forth again with ex.
traordinary violence. 1t did not rain,
but the wind was rrifc 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 TO
CLEANED with pallid brilliancy as the
electricity streamed off in long spear
point of flame, and the cable shook and
swung with the furious flashing 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 Brioo, was terrible.
Had the app ratus been i'll perfect con-
dition there would have been no danger
of a 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 !ha conductor was bluuted
or there were any solution of continuity
in the cable OF arupture occurred at any
spot below q 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 in the defective apparatus.