News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-02-05


the rajah watching me closely He
had been an interested spectator OF
the game.
"That game of chess saved my life
for a short time. | was sent to
prison, but not condemned to death.
The next day, and in fact every day
for several weeks, / was brought out
of the prison and commanded to
play chess with the prince. He was
far from being poor player; but af-
ter | had met him several times, | felt
confident that | could beat him.
From policy's sake, however, | let
him win most of the games, which
seemed to please him immensely
This sort of thing went on for n long
time, until | began to get restless,
and anxious to learn what my fate
was to be. | began to look around
to discover some means of escape;
but the prison was guarded SO care
fully that mychances were very poor.
One day | was called int, the
rajah's presence earlier in the day
than common, and | instinctively felt
that | was going there to learn my
fate. was led into another part of
the royal quarters, place that l
had never entered before. | was con-
Quoted between two lines of soldiers,
until a spacious balcony, where the
rajah was sitting, was reached. The
balcony overlooked Il great court
yard, which was thronged with peO-
pie and native soldiers. In the center
of the courtyard was q large vacant
space. divided up into large squares
of alternating black and white mar
bic. 1t was, in fact, a huge chess
board, laid out in the most costly
way.
As a great lover of the game,
instinctively uttered an exclamation
of surprise and pleasure. My posi-
tiOn was such that | could see every
one of the siXty-four squares. While
| was still looking, the crowd at one
side tell back, and four elephants, two
draped with black and two with
white, entered, and took their places
at the four corners of the strange
chess-board Small castle-Shaped
structures were on their backs, which
made them look like the castles of
the chess board. Then came in the
knights, two horsemen on white
steeds, and two on black. These also
| took their proper positions on the
chess-bOard. Fools. or clowns. then
took the places of the bishops, which
| is the custom in the Oriental coun-
tries. Two were Hindoos, and the
other two were captured Englishmen
Then eight Hindoo soldiers took the
/ yN1o Of tho ri1n aDI
eight English soldiers were placed in
a row on the opposite side The two
kings next entered, one a white man,
and the other a Hindoo. and both
richly dressed in magnificent robes.
| The two queens followed, carried in
! on sedan chairs. One was a HindOo
maiden, and the other-wen, one
glance was sufficient-was Evelyn,
Jacks wifel
''The whole matter was getting
pretty interesting by this time, and |
felt myself worked up to a fevcrish
| heat The chess-men were all living
| ones and they We're in position,
! ready for the players. The raia h
then told me that L had but one
chance for my life. If l won this
game of chess / could have my lib
prty, and also that of the white
! queen, if saved her.
"My heart jumped into my throat,
so to speak, and | began to study
out the game, determined to make 1T
the game of my life. l felt more con-
fident than ever that | could defeat
the raiah, and so | summoned all my
courage to steady my nerves.
"The play soon began. The rajah
had the first move; and one of his
pawns, or English soldiers, he having
| chosen the whites, came out two
squares. | followed with one of my
Hindoo soldiers. After three or four
moves there was an exchange OF
pawns. The two soldiers were car
ried out. and in sight of everyone
thev we're executed. This blood
thirsty act unsettled my nerves so
that 1 could hardly collect my
thoughts; but when | was informed
that the HindOo soldiers were trait
ors condemned to death, and that
the English soldiers had likewise been
sentenced to execution, | partly re-
covered my composure.
''The game then proceeded. The
white queen of the rajah soon began
to make great havoc with my black
men, and it seemed necessary to take
her if | intended to win. Then the
terrible thought that if | took her
she would be executed the same as
the rest of the living chess-men, made
the cold sweat stand out on my fore
head. / could not sentence Jack 5
wife to the eXecutioner's sword, not
even if lost the game and my life
, with it. The rajah seemed to under
: stand this, and he moved his queen
around recklessly among my men,
, taking pawn after pawn. The game
: became doubly difficult, for l felt that
= | could not take the rajah's strong
est piece.
+ Il bent my whole mind to the
game, and tried to lay some trap fOl
. the raiah's men. After a little man
! euvering, | succeeded in taking two
of his ishops, one castle, and botf
n of his knights; but the reckless queer
4 was still hedging me in, on every side
y putting herself in positions where
9 could easily have taken her if 1T hat
/ not been question of life or deatl
8 with her. Evelyn's face was pale ant
q | ANXIOUS us SHE WdlCncu lilC pay tiI'
, tried to give her a reassuring smil
# now and then. But she saw how dit
IS ficult it was for me to avoid takin:
her off the chess board and having
70 her executed so that | could win tn
20 game and thus save my own life.
" The rajah, seeing my difficulty
n. soon became reckless in his playln
E with his other pieces. | studied t
or take advantage of his folly. | sue
% denly Fsaw an advantage that hi
nj reckless playing had given me, and
h worked it up carefully. ! made
ad move: he fell into the trap with I'll
~ very next move. Two or three swi
81 81 moves followed, and the raiah's kin
ne was checkmated.
es- at so astonished the native print
no that he jumped to his feet and mac
lis a circle or two around his head wit
I'M heavy sword. But he was a ma
In of his word; and after looking at ii
ID. chess-board a minute or two to co
/ vince himself there was no cheatin
in he turned to me and told me that
"a had played well. In reward for n
Jen good playing was to have my ii
ISL erty, along with the remaining viii
5he chess-men on the board. These co
sisted of the queen, Jacks wife, al
nv three English soldiers.
an "The raiah was true to his WOr