Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-09

and cry not out, for thou wouldst only
waste thy breath. Thou standest III place
or Ill omen, and the herdSman who heareth
thee will but cross himself and hurry fur
Their off,
With that he departed, and the simple
soldlers, smelling no treachery. mounted
their horses and salloped off behind their
masters. Manrique heard the calvacade
thunder away, till all sound was lost in 81
lence. Then he became conscious of the
dripping music of the water hard nv and
Noted also the smoldering torch sending
up gray smoke in dim, quverfng premoui,
ton OF the dawn, which already lighted the
mouth of his prison.
By the orders of the black masks u.p
r1ques horse had been left tethered hard
by the caVe-a circumstance which appear-
ed reasonable enough to the mercenaries
whose united action had saved their com
patriots life. They, indeed saw no sfgniti-
canoe in recent events save that upon the
lace OF them; and when, therefore an in
cioeht arrested the cavalcade on it's return
Journey, none but the conSpira tors realized
It's purport. AS the company trotted steaJi-
ly back through the gorge towards Brus-
selS, and after they had gone some two
mics or more. one among the black masks
suddenly pulled up and dismounted Won
der Huyls-for such was the mobiles name
bade soldier hold his horse by the head
and then, in the dim dawn, it seemed that
ne picked from out one of its shoes a stone
which had wedSed there This done NJ, re-
mounted, but had not travelled far when he
stopped again. declaring his steei dead
lame Meantime Don Galyn, doubtless suf-
1erlns no small torment from his clushed
thumb, had sped forward, and only Noir-
cafmeS and three troopers remained with
Won der Huyls. The latter it was who sud
denly, as an inspiration suggested return
ing to the ambush in the cliffs, AID making
use OF the gray mare still tethered there
Twill bear me well back to Brussels"
said he, and when party set forth again
tomorrow. they can bring with them
fresh steed for ManriQue.'
Ncircarmes hesitat ted some few moments
but finally decided that this was the only
practicable course. He was better mount ed
than the troopers, and therefore decided to
accompany Non der Huyls.
The soldiers, completely deceived did as
they We're bid and fastened after their
companions. but hardly We're they out of
| sight before the two rascals pricked their
steeds and galloped speedily back upon the
| way they had come; while all traces of
| lameness in the mount of Won der Huyls
utterly vanished.
This, them was the result of the last de-
liberation. Noircarmes had sketched the
crude plot, and matters fell out exactly as
| he foretold. The return journey was to be
| made by himself and one other-ostensibly
| to exchange lame horse for the tethered
mare, in reality on widely different
errand.
1.-The paser sort" said Noircar-ies. "baye
no soul that can rise superior to fieshly
torment
But this Manrique. take 1t, hath a dev-
| IL. Else whence his power?"
"a red-hot dagger point may find an an
| swer easier than L.
Dawn was already gray, and a black
cock calling in the pines when the horse
men galloped back to the cleft in the rocks,
| and, making fast their horses, strobe to
where the bonfire now reduced to a pile of
white ashes and black sent upward slen-
| der column Of smoke. But kick from Won
der Huyls showed glowing embers beneath
| the charcoal, and revealed fire amply
| hot enough for his purpose. Great silence
| had settled within the rocky theater. I'm
der gray dawn, the low cliffs, the pine
| trees, the tumbled masses of stone upon
the sward. the yawning mouth of the cave
dimly indicated behind it's curtain Of briar
and bush. suggested unutterable desola-
| ton. spirit Of loneliness brooded over
the spot: no ear but Gods would note
| mans loudest yell of agony ringing there
| To the cave NoircarmeS and his COM
| panion turned their footsteps, designing to
| bring forth the prisoner, stake him to the
ground beside the fire, and then try what
devilish cruelty could do toward dragging
| his secret from him. Both yet wanted
| some fifty PAGES of the cavern when, from
| the black depths of 1t, came a strange
| rumbling as Of distant thunder. The sound
| increased and ended as suddenly as it had
begun, with vibrating crash that seemed
| to suggest that the great pillars of the
| cave had fallen and Overwhelmed the in
terror. A glede, startled from her roostinR