Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1893-02-01
recollect him. When we caught him
I told nv comrade this is the French

recollect him. When we caught hin
l told my comrade this is the Frencl
officer I delivered my forage to-"
This was correct. Castanos proba
bly, discovered the true state of th'
case, but he was Il generous foe. HI
proposed to let him pursue his journey
for Leckinski still insisted he was ;
Russian, and could not be made to un
derstand word of French. But the
moment he ventured a hint of the
kind, a thousand threatening voices
were raised against him and he saw
that clemency was impossible.
"But," said he, twill you then risk 8
quarrel with Russia, whose neutrality
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 re-
moved and thrown into room worthy
to have been one of the dungeons ot
the inquisition in its best days.
When the Spaniards took him pris'
oner he had eaten nothing since the
previous evening, and when his dun.
geon door was closed on him he had
tasted for eighteen hours. No wonder
then what with exhaustion, fatigue
anxiety, and the agony of his dreadful
situation, that the prisoner fell almost
senseless on his hard couch. Night
soon closed ilf and left him to realize
in its gloom the full horror of his hope
less situation. He was brave, of course,
but to die at eighteen-'tis sudden
But youth and fatigue finally yielded
to the approach of sleep and he was
soon buried in profound slumber.
He had slept perhaps two hours
when the door of his dungeon opened
slowly and some one entered with eau
tious steps, hiding with his right hand
the light Of a lamp. The visitor bent
over the prisoners couch, the hand
that shaded the lamp touched him on
the shoulder, and sweet and silvery
voice-a woman's voice-asked him,
"Do you want to eat?
The young Pole, awakened suddenly
by the glare of the lamp, by the touch
and words of the female, rose up on
his couch and with eyes only half
opened said in German, "What do you
want?"
"Give the man something to eat at
once," said Castanos, when he heard
the result of the first experiment,
"and let him 60. He is not French
man. How could he have been so far
master of himself? The thing is i'm
possible"
But though Leckinski was supplied
with food he was detained a prisoner.
The next morning he was taken to a
spot where he could see the mutilated
remains of the Frenchman, who had
been cruelty massacred by the peasan-
try of Truxillo, and he was threatened
with the same death. But the noble
youth had promised not to fail, and not
q word, not an accent, not gesture or
look betrayed him.
Leckinski, when taken back to his
prison, hailed it with sort of joy.
For twelve hours he had had nothing
but gibbets and death in its most hor-
rid forms before his eyes-exhibited to
him by men with the looks and the
passions of demons. He slept, how
ever, after the harrassing excitement
Of the day, and soundly, too, when in
the midst of his deep and deathlike
slumbers the door opened gently, some
one drew near his couch, and the same
voice whispered in his ear:
"Arise and come with me. We wish
to save your life. Your horse is
ready"
And the brave young man, hastily
awakened by the words, ave wish to
save your life; come," answered still
in German, "What do you want?"
Castanos, when he heard of this ex-
pertinent and its result, said the Rus
sian was noble young man he saw
the true state of the case.
The next morning early four men
came to take him before sort Of court
martial, composed of officers of Cas-
moss staff. During the walk they ut
tered the most horrible threats against
him, but true to his determination he
pretended not to understand them.
When he came before his judges he
seemed to gather what was going on
from the arrangements of the tribunal
and not from what he heard said
around him, and he asked in German
where his interpreter was? He was
sent for, and the examination COM
menced.
1t turned at frstupo the motive Of
his journey from Madrid to Lisbon.
He answered by showing his dispatches
to Admiral Siniavin and his passport.
Spite of the presence and the vehe-
ment assertions of the peasant, he per-
sisted in the story and did not contra
dict himself once.
"Ask him." said the presiding officer
at last, "if he loves the Spaniards, as
he is not a Frenchman
"Certainly," said Leckinski, 81 like
the Spanish nation, and esteem it for
it's noble character. / wish our two
nations were friends"
"Colonel," ;" said the interpreter to the
president, "the prisoner says that he
hates us because we make war like
banditti; that he despises us, and that
his only regret is that he cannot unite
the whole nation in one man, to end
this odious war at single blow"
While he was saying this, the eyes
of the whole tribunal were attentively
watching the slightest movement of
the prisoners countenance, in order to
see what effect the interpreters treach-
cry would have upon him. But Leck-
inski had expected to be put to the
test in some way, and was determined
to battle all their attempts.
"Gcntlemen," said Castanos, sit
seems to me that this young man CAN
not be suspected; the peasant must be
deceived. The prisoner may pursue
his journey, and when he reflects on
the hazard of our position he will find
the severity we have been obliged to
use excusable."
Leckinski's arms and dispatches
were returned, he received a free pass,
and thus this noble youth came victo-
rious out of the severest trial that the
human spirit can be put to.