Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-12-10
NERVE.

While Marat was IN Madrid he was
anxious 70 communicate with Junot In
Portugal, bar all the roads 90 Lisbon
swarn1ed with zuerrillAs and with the
troops composing C.astanos' army.
He asksf Kr'.s4nsAI. the commandment
Of the lancers, u lind him brave aud
intelligent young man. Two days after
ward the commandment brought the
prince = young man Of his corps, for
whom 10 pledged his hfe. His name
wAa Leckinsxi. and ne was but eighteen
pears old.
Murat VS. moved &c seeing 90 young
man court 30 imminent . danger, for II
he wrs detected his doom was scaled
Nurss could not help remarking to the
Pole the risk no vas about 10 run. The
youth smiiesi.
ssLst your imperial highness give me
my Instructions" answered he respect
fully, "and l will give good account
q tho mission I have been honored
with"
The young prince augured favorsbly
from the young mans modest resolu-
tion- The Russian ambassador gave
him his dispatches; he put on Russian
uniform aud set out for Portugal
The first two days passed over quietly,
but on the afternoon Of the third Leck-
inski WA surrounded by body OF Span
iards. who disarmed him and dragged
him before rheir commanding officer.
Luckily for the gallant youth it was
CassAnos himself
Leckinsh was aware that he was lost
II he were discovered 10 be French
man: consequently he determined on
the instant not 70 let single word Of
French escape him, and to speak but
Russian and German, which he spoke
with equal fuency. The cries of rage
Of mis- captors announced the fate which
awaited him, and the horrible murder
Of General Rene, who had persisted In
the most dreadful tortures but o few
weeks before a. ne was going TO join
Junot, WAS sufficient To freeze the very
blood.
"Who are your said Castanos in
French, which language he spoke per-
fecsly well, having been educated in
France
Leckinski looked At the questioner,
made . sign and answered In German,
FL do not understand you"
C&stanos spoke German, but he did
not wish TO appear personally in the
matter and summoned one Of the officers
Of his stan, who went on with the ex-
animation. The young Pole answered
In Russian or German, bat never let q
single syllable Of French escape him.
He might. however. easily have forgot
tan himself, surrounded as he was by q
crowd eager for his blood. and who
waited with savage impotence to have
him declared guilty-that is, a French
pan--to fall upon him and murder him.
But their fury was raised to height
which the general himself could not con-
troll. by an incident which seemed to cut
of the unhappy prisoner from every
hope of escape. One Of Castanos' aids do
caznp, ono of the fanatically patriotic
who were sd numerous in this war, and
who from the first had denounced Leck-
inski "a French spy, burst In the room,
dragging with him a man wearing the
brown jacket, tall hat and red plume of
aspsnish peasant
The officer confronted him with the
Pole and said:
Look at this man, and then say IL it
Is true that he is German or a Rus
sian lie Is spy. | swear by my soul"
The peasant meanwhile was eying the
prisoner closely. Presently his dark eye
lighted MP with the fire Of hatred.
ssEs Frances. he is a Frenchmanw ex-
claimed ne, clapping his hands. And
he stated that having been in Madrid q
few weeks before he had been put in
requisition 20 carry forage TO the French
barrack. and. said he, II recollect that
this ~ the man who took my load of
forage and gave me receipt. was
near him an hour and recollect him
When We caught him told my comrade
this Is the French officer delivered my
forage 70.
This was correct. Castanos probably
discovered the true state of the case. but
he wss a generous foe. lie proposed to
let him pursue his journey. for Leckinski
still insisted he as a Russian. and could
not be- made TO understand word Of
French But the moment he ventured
hint Of the kind. thousand threaten
ing voices we're raised against him and
he saw that elemency was impossible.
But said he, will you then risk a
quarrel with Russia. whose neutrality
We are so snxiously asking for?"
''So.~ said the officer, ebut let "a try
thi@ man.
Leckinski understood all, for he was
acquainted with Spanish. He was re-
moved and thrown into q room worthy
to have been one Of the dungeons Of the
tnanisition in It's best days.
When the Spaniarsis took him prisoner
he had eaten nothing since the previous
evening. sud when his dungeon door
was closed on him he had tasted for
esxhtsen hours. No wonder then what
with exhaustion. fatigue. anxiety. and
the agony IT his drssdful situation. that
NE unhappy prisoner fell almost sense
iess on his hard couch. Night soon
closed in and EFF him % reaiize in its
gloom the fun horror Of his hopeless
situation. lie was brave. % course. hut
90 die st sixhteen-'t sudden. But
vonth and fatigue finally Welded to the
approach Of sleep and he was soon buried
IN profound siunher-
He had slept perhaps two hours when
the dcor Il bis dungeon opened slowly
s,s Some ers. entered with cautious