The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-10-26


What was to be donef That was the
| question, and a terrible question 1t was
Behind us we had the inhospitable coun-
| try, dark and dreary, the night wind
sweeping over it, In front. where tho
lights twinkled and the smoke of the town
went up, we were like to meet with a
savage reception, And 1t was no time for
weighing alternatives Tho choice had to
| be made-made in a moment. / marvel
to this day at the quickness with which i
made 1t for good or i'll.
I'VE must get into the town. cried
imperatively, land before the alarm is
given. 1t is hopeless to fly Master BERTHE,
and we cannot spend another night In the
fields. Quick, MADAME / continued to
the duchess as she came up. did not
wait to hear his opinion, for saw he was
stunned by the catastrophe I'VE have
hurt one Of the town guard through
mistake. We must get through the cato
before 1t is discovered
l seized her rein and logged up her
horse and gave her no time to ask ques
lions, but urged ON the party at hard
gallop until the gate was reached Tho
attempt, knew, was desperate, for the
two men who had escaped had ridden
straight for the town, but / saw no other
to surrender peaceably, II that We're pos.
sble, than to expose the women to anoth-
or night of such cold and hunger as the
last. And fortune go far favored us that
when we reached the gate 1t was open.
Probably, the patrol having ridden
through to get help, no one had thought
fit to close 1t, and, no one withstanding
us, we spurred our sobbing horses under
the archway and entered the street.
1t was a curious entry, and curious
scene we came upon. l remember now
how strange 1t all looked. The houses,
leaning forward in dozen quaint forms,
clear cut against the pale evening sky,
caused dark ness as of cavern In the
narrow street below. Here and there In
the midst of this darkness hung a lantern,
which, making the gloom away from 1t
seem deeper, lit up the things about 1t,
throwing into fiaring prominence some
barred window with scared face peering
from 1t, some corner with q puddle,
sinking dog, broken flight Of steps.
just within the gate stood a brazier full OF
glowing coal, and beside 1t halbert rest
cd against the wall. / OWNED that the
Waterman had run into the town with
the riders, and l drew roin in doubt, lis
tening and looking. / think II we had
ridden straight on then all might have
been well, or at least We might have been
allowed to give ourselves up
But we hesitated moment and were
lost. No doubt, though we saw but one
there were score Of people watching us,
who took us for four men, Master BERTHE
and being in front, and these, judging
from the boldness OF our entry that there
We're more behind, concluded that this was
a foray upon the town. At any rate, they
took instant advantage Of our pause.
With q swift whir an iron pot came hur-
Ting past me, and missing the duchess by
hands breadth went clanking under the
gatehouse That served for signal. In
a moment an alarm Of hostile cries rose
all round us. An arrow wbizzed between
my horse feet. Half dozen odd mis-
SHES snatched up by hasty hands, came
raining In on us out Of the gloom. The
town seemed 10 be rising as one man.
bell began to ring, and hundred yards
In front, where the street branched of to
right and left, the way seemed suddenly
alive from wall to wall with lights and
voices and brandshed arms, the CLEAN Of
steel and the babel of a furious crowd-a
crowd making down toward us with
purpose we needed no German to inter
pref.
1t was a horrible moment, tho more
horrible that had not expected this fury
and was unnerved as well as taken abaok
by 1t. Remembering that had brought
my companions here, and that two were
women, one was child, quailed. How
could protect themi There was no mis-.
taking the stern meaning Of those cries,
II that rage so much surprising anything
! had feared, Though l did not know
that tho man we had struck down was a
bridegroom, and that there were those In
the crowd In whose ears the young wife's
piercing scream still rang, / yet quailed
before their yells and curses.
ITO he Continued.