The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-02-12


driving a flock of geese, doubtless to
market at some town or village which
could not be very far from the canal
Men and women were clothed i'll lstrian
style, with the jewels, medals, earrings,
breast crosses and filigree pendants
which ornament the ordinary costume OF
both sexes. The salt marsh workers
were more simply dressed, as with sack
on back and stick in hand they marched
along to the salterns in the neighbor-
hood, or perhaps even to the important
establishments at Stagnone or Pirano il
the west of the province.
Some of them stopped when they
reached the farm and rested for little
on the doorstep. They talked in loud
| voice, not without certain animation,
but only of things concerning their
trade.
The fugitives leant against the cor
ner and listened. Perhaps these people
had already heard of the escape aud
were talking about it +? Perhaps they
were saying something which might re-
veal in what part of Istria they then
| were.
Not q word passed on the subject.
They could only continue to guess.
IF the country people say nothing
| about our escape it is fair inference"
said Sandorf, THAT they have not yet
heard of it.
"That," said Bathory would go to
prove that we are some distance from
the fortress. Considering the rapidity
of the torrent which kept us under
ground for more than six hours am not
surprised at that
| "That must be it, said Sandorf.
A couple of hours passed, and then
some salt-workers as they passed the
farm without stopping were heard to
| speak about the gendarmes they had met
at the gate of the town.
What town? They gave it no name.
This was not very reassuring. If
gendarmes were about it was probable
that they were securing the country in
search of the fugitives.
But" said Bathory, considering
how we escaped, they might well believe
us dead and never think of pursuit"
"They will believe we are dead when
they find our bodies," answered San
dorf.
| There being no doubt that the police
were afoot and in search of them, they
decided to stay till it was night. AL
though they were tortured with hunger
they dared not leave their retreat; and
they were wise.
About five o'clock the tramp of a small
troop of horse was heard along the road.
Sandorf, who had been out to the gate
Of the enclosure, hurriedly rejoined his
companion and dragged him into the
darkest corner of the cellar. There they
hid themselves under heap of brush
wood and remained motionless.
Half n dozen genG rmes heuded by Il
sergeant were coming alCng the road
towards the east Would they stop at
the farm? Ssadorf snyiously asked. If
they searched the place they could not
fail to find them.
They halted. The sergeant and two Of
the men dismounted, while the others
remained in the saddle and received or
ders to search the country along the
canal and then return to the farm,
where the rest would meet then at seven
o'clock.
The four gendarmes moved off imme-
diately. The sergeant and the two other
picketed their horses and sat down to
talk. From the corner of the cellar the
fugitives could hear all that passed
YES" we shall go back to the town
this evening and get the orders for to-
night, said the sergeant in reply to one
Of the men. "The telegraph may bring
us fresh instructions from Trieste"
The town in question was not Trieste;
that was one point of which Count San
dorf made note.
"Are you not afraid, said the second
gendarme, that while we are looking
about here that the fugitives may have
got down the Quarnero Canal ?"
"Yes, that is possible" said the first
gendarme, "for they might think it
safer than here"
none the less risk being found, for the
whole coast is being looked after from
one end to the other"
Second fact worth noting. Sandori
and his companion were on the west
coast of Istria, that is to say, near the
Adriatic shore, and not on the banks OF
the opposite canal which runs out al
Fiume
II think they are having a look round
the salt works at Pirano and Cape
dIstria," said the sergeant. "TheN
might hide there easily and get on boar,
q vessel crossing the Adriatica and boun(
for Rimini or Venice"
They had much better have waiteC
patiently in their cell, said one of Tia,
gendarmes philosophically.
Yes, added the other, "sooner o
later they'll be caught, if they have no
fished them up out of the Buco, Tha
would finish it, though, and we shoul,
not have to trot about the country il
all this heat,
And who says it hasn't finished it :?
replied the sergeant. Perhaps tn
Foiba has been the executioner, an,
while it is i'll flood, the wretched mel
could not have chosen worse road ou
of the donion of Pisno."
The Foiba then was the name of tn
river which had carried off Count San
dorf and his companion. 1t was tn
fortress of Pisino TO which they ha,
| bttii tHtil utItstf uLi llltl
they had beei imprisoned, tried an,
sentenced. 1t was from its donjon the,
had escaped. Count Sandorf knew thi
!, town of Pisino we'll He had at las
! fixed on this point which was SO impol
tant for him to know, and it would II
longer be by chance that he would eros
the Istrian peninsula, if fight was still
5 possible.
The conversation of the gendarme
did not stop here but in these few word
the fugitives had learned all they wishe
; to know-except, perhaps, the nam
OF the town by the canal on the Adriati
coast
Soon the sergeant got up and wake
about the enclosure, Watching il his me
were returning to the farm Twice {
:, thrice he entered the ruined house an
y looked into the rooms, rather from prt
" fessional habit than suspicion. He eve
came to the door of the cellar and tl
' fugitives would certainly have bee
:, discovered if the darkness had not bee
!, so great He even entered it, and tosse
= about the brushwood in the cornt
I. with his scahbarl, but without reachin,
;, those beneath At this moment Sal
i, dorf and Bathory passed through almoi
: the whole gamut Of anguish. They ha
~ / raSnlvad IN Sall thai, l;,,aa 1ao,l,, 4, Al