Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-11-16

r9 me to suffer longer detention.

] determined to leave my wife and
baggage in charge Of Num-, to put the
$3.50, 900 had in q bag and start back
to the French frontier, cross into France
and catch tho Saturday steamer from
Havre to New York. explaining to my
wife that important business demanded
my presence in America; that she could
follow ON the next steamer and that !
would meet her ON arrival
In the meantime my unlucky IS were
happy. For were they not sheltered.
with plenty of food and high wages, all
out of the pocket Of the great lord the
Virgin herself must have sent to them?
In fact, they were winning from me
what to them was fortune. Twas pay
ing each man 81 q day and $5 for each
team and cart.
All day long the blizzard blew. It
was o novel situation, and how I should
have enjoyed it had only possessed
that greatest of all blessings good
conscience! As it was, was in misery
and could find no peace, not even in my
wife's smiles and evident content to be
anywhere with me.
At o'clock had all hands up and
breakfast under way. I ordered the
drivers and hangers ON to have the
teams hitched up and ready at day
break. They all ate breakfast heartily
enough, but were not jealous about
starting out They made all sorts of
pretexts and excuses to avoid leaving
their comfortable quarters. Certainly
the road was not an inviting prospect,
there being quite Is inches. Of snow, but
was determined to start one way or
the other, either south with the party
or north alone. After long argument
they, thinking they had me at their
mercy, refused to hitch up the cattle to
make the attempt. delivered a speech
to my lucky -unlucky Is, telling them
in the best way I could that was 60
ing in order to deliver them all over to
the vengeance of the military chief Of
the district; that should accuse them
as robbers and thieves and that they
might look for anguish that would
wiring their hearts and souls.
They were greatly moved, and, pull
ing out my watch, informed them by
pantomime and bad Spanish that if they
got the teams in harness and the lug
| gage all packed ON the carts in 20 min
utes would take them into my favor
| and resume our journey southwark.
| Spaniards are proverbially slow. But
these Spaniards were not slow this time,
and very few minutes saw us all once
baggage carts following, and on our
rocky way southwark.
We passed during the day o military
post and several squads Of armed men.
Poor fellows, they were wretchedly
equipped, SO far as garments went.
They all examined us curiously, but did
not offer to stop or question us, while
marched on ahead of the cavalcade like
. drum major, giving the military sa-
lutte to each party we passed ought
to have been fatigued, but was not.
After about miles of uphill work we
began to descend. The road was a mas
terpiece of engineering, and we'll il
might be, for it was one of five mill
tary roads the great Napoleon ordered
TO be constructed across the Pyrenees,
and it was done in q thoroughly work.
manlike manner. 1t wound in and out
and along defiles of stern beauty.
We halted for rest and refreshment al
noon and again at O'Clock for an hour.
|, At the last place we found some Carlis1
officers, one a young Englishman, who
was good fellow and most attentive
He was an aid-de-camp on Don Car
, los staff. He told me there was NJ
J chance of his side winning, but he wa
!, in it for the fun of the thing and il
hope to see some fighting. He had takel
part in a number Of skirmishes and wa
| by no means satisfied yet. He volun
/ teered to escort us through the line
! and was evidently more than pleased t
, meet an English lady in the person Q
l my wife.
? It was beautiful to see him orde
> about my muleteers and bully them NJ
! hill and down dale, not hesitating {
: use his whip ON them. About 5 o'cloc
3 we started off in great shape, havin
, some 20 miles to go to the little tow
ON the railway south of the Pyreneel
t We had two lanterns and q number {
Q torches. 1t was picturesque carava
Q in the darkness. The young officer rod
y | UcSluC Vic All 81 COANCAoAuS WAoA ~
J, wife, while walked in the rear. "
}. had reason to congratulate ourselv'
p over our escort, he being brave an
d brilliant fellow and evidently perso
# of Importance. He little thought who
= he was escorting. was pleased on n
3 wife's account, as he was company Fl
h her, and altogether she thoroughly el
d joyed the novelty Of the whole stu
ton.
d Another mile and our escort had
5, leave Us, but the town, standing dal
g against the snow, was in plain vie,
1t By his advice went ahead ON foot wi
two men in case any Of "the enemy
Is were prowling around, but found mo-
g until we arrived in the town. Then
b scene of great excitement to the town
Q. people arose.
e. We were examined and cross exal
(. ined and our statements taken down
le writing and sworn to by all hands.
W the meantime ! had made beds for o
q. | sick man and tho ladies in tho waltz