Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1896-09-03

which seemed to prevail, and which a
first sight had puzzled us. For a mo
ment the absence Of the dreadfulsymp
toms we had come TO know 80 we'll
the flying and pursuing, the random
blows, the shrieks and curses and bat
tering on doors, the tipsy yclls, had re
assured us. But the relief was short
lived. The people before us were un
der control. A tighter grip seemed II
close upon our hearts as we discernct
this, for we knew that the wild fury Of
the populace, like the rush Of bull
might have given some chance OF es
cape in this case as In others. But
this cold-blooded ordered search left
none.
Every face about us was turned In
the same direction; away from the
river and toward block Of old houses
which stood opposite to 1t. The space
Immediately In front Of these was
empty, the people being kept back by q
score or so Of archers Of the guard set
ut intervals, and by as many horse,
men, who kept riding up and down,
belaboring the holder spirits with the
fiat Of their swords, and so preserving
a line. At each extremity Of this
more noticeably on our left where the
line curved round the angle Of the
buildings-stood q handful Of riders,
seven In group, perhaps. And alone
in the middle Of the space SO kept clear,
walking his horse up and down and
gazing at the houses, rode a man Of
great stature, booted and armed, the
feather nodding in his bonnet.
could not see his face, but had no need
to sec It, I knew him, and groaned
aloud. It was Bezersi
understood the scene better now.
The horsemen, stern, bearded Swi'zers
for the most part, who eyed the rabble
about them with grim disdain, and
were by no means chary Of their blows,
were oil in colors and armed to the
teeth. The order and discipline were
Of his making; the revenge Of his
seeking. A grasp as Of steel had set
tied upon our friend, and ! felt that his
last chance was gone. Louis de
Pavannes might as well be lying on his
threshold with his dead servant by his
side, as be in hiding within that ring
Of ordered swords.
1t was with despairing eyes we looked
at the old wooden houses. They seemed
to be bowling themselves towards us,
their upper stories projected so far,
they were SO decrepit. Their roofs
were a wilderness of cutters and
crooked gables, Of tottering chimneys
and wooden pinnacles and rotting
beams. Amongst these Judged Kits
lover was hiding. Well, 1t was good
place for hide and seek-with any other
player than Death. In the ground
floors OF the houses there were no win
dows and no doors; by reason, | learned
afterwards, Of the frequent flooding Of
the river. But long wooden gallery
raised on struts ran along the front,
rather more than the height Of q man
from the ground, and access to this was
gained by q wooden staircase at each
end. Above this first gallery was a sec
ond, and above that q line Of windows
set between the gables. The block
it may have run for 70 or so yards along
the shore--contained four houses, each
with door opening on to the lower
gallery. saw indeed that but for the
vidame's precautions Louis might well
have escaped. Had the mob once poured
helter-sketer into that labyrinth Of
rooms and passages he might with
luck have mingled with them, unheeded
and unrecognized. and effected his es-
cape when they retreated.
But now there were sentrles on each
gallery and more on the root, Whenever
one Of the latter moved or seemed to be
looking inward--where a search party.
understood. were at work--indeed II
he did but turn his head, thrill ran
through the crowd and a murmur arose,
which once or twice sweled TO n savage
roar such as earlier had made mo
tremble, When this happened the i'm
pulse came, 1t seemed to me, from the
farther end of the line. There the
rougher elements were collected, and
there more than once saw Beers
troopers in conflict with the mob. In
that quarter too a savage chant was
presently struck up, the whole gather
ing joining in and yelling with an in
describably appalling effect;
Haul Haul Huguenotsl
Faites place aux Papegots!"
In derision Of the old song said to be
popular amongst the Protestants. But
in the Huguenot version the last words
were of course tranposed
We had worked our way by this time