The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-02-24

{
was the throng of folk, come from all
the. country round. to gaze upon the
! casket and in the procession of the
fora archb1Shop, and most devout of
them all was Martolo, who rested on
his knees from the moment the process
sion left the church till it was clear
of the village. And Martolo was still
on his knees when he beheld go by him
a party OF peasants, all, save one. tall
ana powerful men, wearing peasant s
garb. and having their faces overshad-
owed by large hats. These men had
knet as the casket passed, but they
had risen and were marching shoulder
to shoulder behind the men Of the
dukes guard, a peasant behind every
piheman. Martolo gazed long at
them, then he moistened his lips and
| crossed himself, murmuring: What
| does this thing mean? Now God for
bid-W And breaking off thus, he also
rose and went TO the house of his faith
er, sore Yexed and troubled TO know
what the thing might mean. But he
spoke of it to none, no. not to his
father, observing the VOW OF secrecy
in all matters which he had made
to Count Antonio.
At the bounds of the village the
greater part of the people ceased to
FOLLOW the procession of the sacred
bones, and, having received the Arch
bishops blessing, turned back to Their
own homes, Wier. they feasted and
made merry; but the Twelve peasants
whom Martolo had seen followed The
procession when 1t SCI forth for the
next village, distant three miles on
the road to Forniola. Their air mani
Tested great devotion, for they walked
with heads bent on their breasts and
doWncast eyes. and they spoke not
once on the way; but each kept close
behind pikeman. When the process
sion had gone something more than
a mile from the village of Rilan1 it
came where little stream crosses the
highway; and, the rains having been
heavy the week before, the stream
was swollen and the ford deeper than
it was wont to be. Therefore the Off
Ger of the guard, thinking of no dan
ger. babe six Of his men lay down
their pixies and go lift the Arch
bishops chair over the ford, lest he
should be Wetted by the water. And
on hearing this order the tallest
among the peasants put his hand up
to his hat and twisted the feather Of
it between his thumb and his fore
finger; and the shortest of them
whispered, "The sign! the sign" while
every man of them drew great dag
ger from under his habit and held it
behind his back. Now, by this time
the priests and attendants had passed
the ford, and one-half the guard had
lain down their pixies and were gone
to raise the Archbishop'S chair. the re-
mainder standing at their ease, lean
ing on their pixies and talking to one
another. Again the tallest peasant
twisted TIE feather in his hat, and,
without speech or cry, the peasants
darted forward. Six Of them seized
the pixies that lay on the ground, the
remaining six leaped like Wildcats on
the backs Of the pikemen, circlinG the
necks of the pikemen with their arms,
pulling them back and coming near to
throttling them, 50 that the pikemen,
utterly amazed and taken full at dis
advantage. staggered and fell back
ward, while the peasants got on top of
them and knelt on their breasts and
set the great daggerS at their hearts.
While this passed on the road, the re-
mainder Of Antonio'S band-for such
were the peasants into the
stream and compelled the unarmed
pihemen to set down the archbiShop'5
chair in the midst, 50 that the water
came in at the windows Of the chair,
and the procession. held at bay with
their own pixies, sought TO draw their
that draw" And ne came to the chair
and opened the door of it, and, using
as little force as he could, he laid
hands on the casket that held the sa-
cred bones and Wrested it from the
feeble hands Of the archbishop. Then
he and his men standing in line, step
ped backward, with the pixies levened
in front of them till they came out of
the water and on to the dry road again,
and one piheman rushed at Antonio,
but Tommasino, sparing to kill him,
caught him a buffet on the side of the
head with pike, and he fell like a log
in the water, and had been drowned
but that two Of his comrades lifted
him. Then all twelve of the band be-
ing together-for the first six had risen
now from off the six pihemen, having
forced them, on pain of instant death,
to deliver over their pixies to them.
Antonio, with the caSket in his hands.
spoke in a loud voice: 81 thank God
that no man is dead over this bust
ness, but if you resist you shall die one
and all. Go to the city, tell the Duke
that I, Antonio di Monte Yelluto, have
the bones Of the blessed Saint Prisian,
and carry them with me to my hiding
place in the highest parts Of the hills.
But If he will swear by these bones
that [ hold and by his princely word
that he will not suffer the Lady Lucia
to take the VOWS, nor will constrain her
to wed any man, but viii restore her
to her own home and to her estate,
then let him send the archbishop again
and / will deliver up the sacred bones.
But If he will not swear, then, as God
lives, tomorrow at midnight 1 will
cause great fire to be kindled on top
Of the hills-a fire whose flames you
shall see from the walls Of the city
and in that fire will consume the sa-
cred bones, and 1 will scatter the ashes
Of them to the four winds. Go and
bear the message that [ give you to the
duke"
And having thus said, Antonio,
with his men, turned and went back
at n run whence they had come; but
to the village of Rilano they did not
go. but turned aside before they come
to It, and, coming to the farm of one
who knew Antonio. they bought Of
him, paying him in good coin of the
duchy, three horses which Antonio,
Tommasino and Bena mounted, and
they three rode hard for the hills, the
rest following as quickly as they
might, 50 that by nightfaH they were
all assembled in their hiding place,
and with them the bones of the bles-
sed st. Prisian- But they told not yet
to the rest Of the band what. it was
that Antonio carried under his cloak,
nor did Martolo, when he returned to
Rilano, ask what had befallen, but he
crossed himself many times and wore
a fearful look. But Tommasino came
to Antonio and said to him
why did you not ask also pardon
for all of us, and for yourself the hand
of Lucia?''
"a great thing, and thing that
troubles me- I have done already" an
swered Antonio. Therefore, l viii
ask nothing for myself, and nothing
NAV ask fOT- Won or for my friends