The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1893-06-23
5Miscel lanenrts.
NERVE.

While Murat was in Madrid he
| was anxious to communicate with
Junot in Portugal, but all the roads
| to Lisbon swarmed with guerrillas
and with the troops composing Cas-
| tanos' army.
He asked Krasinski, the command
ant of the lancers, to find him a brave
and intelligent young man. Two days
| afterward the commandment brought
| the prince Il young man of his corps,
for whom he pledged his life. His
| name was Leckinski, and he was but
| eighteen years old.
Murat was moved at seeing SO young
a man court 50 imminent danger,
! for if he were detected his doom was
| sealed. Murat could not help remark
ing to the Pole the risk he was about
to run. The youth smiled.
Let your imperial highness give
me my Instructions" answered he re-
count of the mission have been hon
ored with
The young prince augured favorably
| from the young mans modest resolu-
ton. The Russian ambassador gave
him his dispatches he put on Rus
sian uniform and set out for Portugal.
| The first two days passed over quiet
| ly, but on the afternoon of the third
| Leckinski was surrounded by a body
| of Spaniards, who disarmed him and
dragged him before their commanding
| officers. Luckily for the gallant youth
| it was Castanos himself.
Leckinski was aware that he was
| lost if he were discovered to be a
| Frenchman; consequently he deter
mined on the instant not to let sin
gle word of French escape him, and to
| speak but Russian and German, which
| he spoke with equal fluency. The
cries of rage of his captors announced
| the fate which awaited him, and the
| horrible murder of General Rene, who
had persisted in the most dreadful tor
| lures but a few weeks before as he
| to freeze the very blood.
| who are you?" said Castanos in
| French, which language he spoke per-
fectly well, having been educated in
| France.
Leckinski looked at the questioner,
made sign and answered in German,
| Il do not understand you
| Castanos spoke German, but he did
\ not wish to appear personally in the
matter and summoned one of the Off
| GERS of his staff, who went on with the
| examination. The young Pole an
| swered in Russian or German, but
| never let a single syllable of French
escape him. He might, however, cas-
| lily have forgotten himself, surrounded
as he was by crowd eager for his
! blood and who waited with savage I'M
| patience to have him declared guilty
| that is, a Frenchman-tof fall upon him
and murder him.
| But their fury was raised to a height,
\ which the general himself could not
| control, by all incident which seemed
to cut off the unhappy prisoner from
| every hope of escape. Ore of Cas-
| tanos' aids de camp, one OF the frantl-
cally patriotic vino were so numerous
| in this war, and who from the first had
denounced Leckinski as French spy,
burst into the room, dragging with
him a man wearing the brown jacket,
! tall hat and red plume of Il Spanish
| peasant.
The officers confronted him with tho
| Polo anu said
| Look at this man, and then say if
1 it is true that he is a German or Il
| Russian. He is spy, swear by my
soul"
The peasant meanwhile was cycling
the prisoner closely Presently his
dark eyes lighted up with the fire of
| hatred.
''Es Frances he is a Frenchman ~
| exclaimed he, clapping his hads. And
! he stated that having been in Madrid
| few weeks before lie had been put
in requisition to carry forage to the
French barrack, and, said he, Il re-
| collect that this is the man who took
my load of forage and gave me re
1 2, III, a
recollect him. When we caught him
| told my comrade this is the French
officer delivered my forage to-"
This was correct. Castanos prob
ably discovered the true state of the
case, but he was IL generous foe. He
proposed to let him pursue his journey,
for Leckinski still insisted he was a
Russian, and could not be made to I'm
derstand a word of French. But the
moment he ventured a hint of the
kind, Thousand threatening voicse
4 were raised against him and he saw
that elemency was impossible.
Il Butt said he, will you then risk
quarrel with Russia, whose neutral
ity we are SO anxiously asking for -
No" said the officer, but let us
try this man.
| Leckinski understood all, for he was
acquainted with Spanish. He was
removed and thrown into a room
worthy to have been one of the dun
geons of the inquisition in its best
days.
| When the Spaniards took him pris-
4 oner he had eaten nothing since The
4 previous evening, and when his dan
geon door was closed on him he lad
tasted for eighteen hours. No Won
der then what with exhaustion, ia
Iigue, anxiety, and the agony of his
dreadful situation, that the unhappy
\ prisoner fell almost senseless on his
\ hard couch. Night soon closed in and
Il left him to realize in its gloom the full
hnrrnr of his homeless situatiOn. lie