Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-07-24
CHAPTER II.
riIE WAY oY EscArI

preceded his execution Alfonso Bacar
had received visit from the parish
priest II salem. who duly performed his
spiritual cfiic~ Then. having been ask
ell u hc desired any special favor before
going to execution. he begged for bot
tie of brandy, which was brvusht to
him by permission of the civil and mil
itary Anthoritic--that 10 TO say. of DIN
Luis The half of this brandy served Ia
all q gourd which the prisoner hal in
his cell. the rc.t he offered 10 tho senti'
mel charged 90 keep watch over him
The soldier lcgan to make excuses. but
Alfonso insisted - pleasantly that the
other did not know ho . 90 refuse with.
out giving u Last insult 10 comradc al
near death
Tho sentinel then socepted u through
proprieiy, drank 10 through civility and
sndcd by going 10 sleep through the ~.
f,cts Bsca- Lost M time In laying hold
~ thu hclplc-. man aud dragging him
into his cell. Then he mounted guard
In his place. This was at . o'clock In
the morning.
Alfonso had scarcely time to take up
his position when the night patrol was
heard coming 90 relieve guard. The
Condemned man struck his forehead In
despair. In exchanging the password he
could not fail 90 IL recognized Moth
ing short of . miracle could ave him
Flight wa. impossible. 80 be- waited
The sergeant who commanded tho IA.
trol was q .ort ~ half caste who had
oom., noboiy knew why. from the Ar
g,ntine Republic. To which. for rcasons
l.-t known a. himself. ho showed NO
dosir, o. return Fortunately this man
knew very little Portuguese. and ~ soon
as Alfonso recognized him he came To
the conclusion that u would not L. very
difficult to outwit him. In fact, the
change of guard WA. made without any
trvublc. and Alfonso. rcady 10 drup frOm
fright. followed haltingly behind his
thro OF four comrades Ia order 10
con,inuc the patrol and return To the
guarlhous. hut u was precisely this
r,tun a. the guarlhousc which consti.
tutod hi most formidable danger
~ far ihcp Wa. nothing fear The
half caste and the soldiers were half
asleep ~ they walked: hut n. as always
hapIsns, there should H. a single one
awake among iho~c at the pos, all would
b. Lost.
Alfonso at once took n final rcsolu.
tion. The patrol marched In an orderly
fashion along the ramparts The fort of
Salem hal never undergone sicgc. and
yet, most luckily for him, thcrc existed
on the eastern side ~ the foriiiicaiions u
sort ~ breach. commenccd by the sun
and continued by time the most irwin
chile enemy Of all.
The raInparts. formed ~ earth held
together by bricks had ai this point
slightly fallen away. and. though u
would have b.en difficult to climb mp
this way into the citadel from the steep
n,.- of the activity. still . desperate
man might make the attempt of roll
ing down Ia the bottom at the risk
IL breaking his head. On every other
side ~ the fort Alfonso would have
bcn obliged to use thick rope Ia or
der to descend from the rampart-, and
thi. was not the moment 90 90 and try
~ gct one As TO the gaio-. they were
well g-'arled. for Don Lais Vagaert hal
ioo li,ilo to do not o. have introduces. a
very severe discipline into what he
called his army.
AZ the moment. then. that the patrol
arrived n, the breach Alfonso. who had
bccn laggin: behind. drew close 10 tho
opening and tscn LET himself roll down
10 the bottom VI the ramparts The half
caste and the soldiers with him. hear.
ing the noise. feared the approach of
some wild beast and Get on running to
the guarlhousc, where they called the
roll. one man missing. There were sew.
eral opinions on the matter. Ono sa'd
ho hal seen jaguu carry him OIL down
,.ic breacn. another declared that u
was an alligator. while third insisted
that ho hal hcarG the cry of boa con.
strictor, which resembles nothing 20
much as q saw cutting rotten wcct
Anyhow this was sufficient 10 make tho
soldiers barrica,lc the gunrdhou-e 80 well
that not u single soldier was relieved
until daylight.
We can tell what took place after.
ward. The escape was discovered at D
O'Clock. The soldier who was found In
the cell sloping himself sober wa con-
demned % q months Imprisonment.
Tho half caste guessed well enough what
had caused tlc noise at tho side of tho
breach. but kept his thoughts TO him
self, and Il was settled that after the
siesta-that l. TO say. ut the hour when
the human train cannot support the
heat Of the equatorial sun-i0 OF 10
men should set Of with arms and bag
gage and explore the forest, whero they
would bc forced 10 camp out during thu
whole Of the expedition.
The fugitive. we may NJ we'll say at
once, was long way of. His volunta-
~ fall had taken place under mot In
vorablc circumstances Some brambles.
tall grass and yielding brushwoci had
broken the shock. and although. after
having rolled down for some seconds.
he perceived depth below him-for hc
had fallen from o height Ut several
yar,ls--still no had nothing wone to
complain Of than come severe bruiss~.
| The dizziness which had arisen from
his giddy descent having passed away.
Alfonso rosc and dirccted his stcr- 10
tho north. This was not tho direction
he intended 10 take afterwas,i. but the
village lay to tho east Of the fort. and
he did not wish TO be secn by any one
who could givo the least indication ss
10 the cours hc had taken.
What has becn already related was
necessary for the proper understanding
Of tho tale. but tho ssd story begins
from this point Twodaysago this man
had seen his brother fall down dead uil.
der tho influence Of tho most terrible
poison Ia tho world. Without having
had time to lament him. hc had listened
| 10 his own death sentence He had suffer
cd tho most poignant anguish during the
night that should have prccesiesl his own
sxscution. BY bis own proscncs of
mind, In the midst of thousand
] alarmA y had ssoaped IN isnonini0u'