The Florence tribune., 1897-07-17

ing and wrenehing, but never quite free. At last. with my jacket nearly torn eff my back and the blood dripping from my wrists, was hauled back wards in the blight of rope and cords passed around my ankles and my arms.
 You sleek hound, 1 cried. If ever l. have you at my swordspoint l will teach you to maltreat one of my lads. You will find, you bloodthirsty beast, that my emperor has long arms, and, though you lie here like a rat in it's hole, the time will come when he will tear yon out of it, and you and your vermin will perish together" My faith, have a rough side to my tongue, and there vas not hard word that-l had lserssssl in fourteen campaigns which l did not let fly at him, but he sat with the han de of his pen tapping against his fore head and his eyes squinting up at the roof as if he had conceived tho idea of some new stanza. It was this occupa- tion of his which showed me how I might get my point into him. You spawn" said I, you think that you are safe here, but your life may be as short as that of your absurd verses, and God knows it could not be shorter than that"
 Oh, you should have seen him bound from his chair when I had said the words. This vile monster, who dis pensed death and torture as grocer serves out figs, had one raw nerve which I could prod at pleasure. His face now grew Hvid and those little bourgeois side whiskers quivered and thrilled with his passion.
 "very good, colonel. You have said enough" he cried, in a choking voice. "You say that you have had a very dis tinguished career; I promise you also very distinguished ending. Col. Eli enne Gerard, of the Third hussars, shall have a death of his own"
 "AndI only beg" said I, that you do not commemorate it in verse" had one or two other little ironies to utter, but he cut me short with a fu- rious gesture which caused my three guards to drag me from the cave.
 Our interview, which have told you as nearly as 1 can remember it, must have lasted some time, for it was quite dark when we came out, and the moon was shining very clearly in the heav- ens The brigands had lighted a great fire of the drled branches of the fir trees; not of course for warmth, since the night was already very sultry, but to cook their evening meal. A huge copper pot hung over the blaze, and the raseals were lying all around in the yellow glare, so that the scene looked like one Of those pictures which Jnnot stole out of Madrid. There are some soldiers who profess to care noth- ing for art and the like, but have al ways been drawn toward it myself, in which respect show. my good taste and my breeding. ! remember, for ex- ample, that when they were selling the plunder after the fall of Danzig, I bought a very fine picture called ''Nymphs Surprised in Wood" !" and l carried it with me through two cam paigns until my charger had the mis- fortune to put his hoof through it.
 only tell you this, however, to show yon that was never mere rough sol dier like Rapp or Lefebvre. As I lay in that brigands' camp had little time or inclination to think about such mat ters. They had thrown me down un- der a tree, the three villains squatting round and smoking their cigarettes within hands touch of me What to do I could not imagine. In my whole career do not suppose that I have ten times been in as hopeless a situation But courage thought I, courage, my brave boy, you were not made a colonel of hussars at twenty-eight be- cause you could dance cotillon. You are a picked man, Etienne, man who has come through, more than two hun dred affairs and this little one is surely not going to be the last" I began eagerly to glance about for some chance of escape, and as l did so I saw something which filled me with great astonishment.
 T have already told you. that large