The National tribune., 1897-05-06

i
| with appreciative meaning at his long, sup
pie fingers.
1.-THE thing is easy enough" resumed Iskan
! der. "They are all tired, and will soon b
| fast asleep, Aga Yusef among the rest. Tho'
knowest how soundly he sleeps with nudg
to his companion). He is sure the girl ]
safe in that cell. But Stephanos, who guard
| the door, is an Albanian, and is ready to g
with us. / have already spoken to him
We can get the girl away and have her a
Paleo-Kastron before day breaks. As hav
before told thee, my brothers felucca lietl
/ in the Bay of Suda,waiting for me. He ha
begged me oft to leave this dogs life ant
join him in smuggling. He will not g
J away now until he hath my answer. w
can carry the girl to Stamboul to q deaie
we know well, who will give US gold enougl
! for her to make Us all rich"
"Well, so be it." answered Ali, after
moments thought.
Some hours later Ida was awakened b,
the cold wind from the sea blowing on he
face. It was some minutes before she eoult
collect her scattered thoughts and realiz'
where she was and what had happened.
Then she discovered that in her deep sleep
due to some subtle drug, the men had carried
her out, placed her on her pony, and were
now riding with her, making all haste for th'
sea coast
THE PURSUIT.
Basil pressed on with feverish haste, bu,
cautiously. Nikolas paused few minute.
by the roadside, and whispered "Silence!
to each group as they came up. This was
all that was necessary Centuries of am-
buscades and surprises had made the Spha-
kiots as willy as Indians. In few minutes
no one rod or two away would have
dreamed that 100 armed, fighting men were
pressing forward with hate and vengeance
in their hearts. Not twig broke, not a
step could be heard. In lemon grove at
the foot of the low hill on which the house
stood Basil halted his men, and slipped
softly forward to reconnoiter, with Nikolas
following Is PAGES behind.
Near the front gate he heard very feeble
bark of recognition, joined to low moan
which seemed almost human. STOPPING
down, he was able to make out in the gloom
Ida's fayorite dog almost in the act Of expir-
ing from wicked scimeter cut, which had
cleft him nearly in two. Basil understood
at once that the faithful dog had persisted
in following Ida and attacking her assailants
until the angry blow had stopped him. The
poor brute licked his hand and died.
Nikolas came up, and Basil whispered to
him what he had found. Scarcely was the
recital finished, and while Nikolas was still
STOPPING over to examine the dog, when the
click of horses hoofs was heard on the stones
in the road to Retimo. Both cousins drew
their pistols instantly.
NO" whispered BASIL after listening an
instant, "there are but two of them. The
knife. There may be others not far away.
the first one; thou the second"
Both replaced their pistols, drew their
knives, and noiselessly as ghosts stepped
behind two large plane-trees at the side Of
the road.
The horses came on up the hill rather
slowly, as if either they were tired from long
riding, or their riders were careful about
approaching the house. They stopped in
the deeper darkness made by the shade OF
the plane-trees.
There seemeth no one in the house as
yet, but someone may come at any time"
said the first rider, in low tone, and speak
ing the jargon of Turkish and Romaic COM
mon in the seaport towns. 81 thought thou
hadst that Frankish dark-lantern of thine
ON thy saddle, when bade thee come with
me to execute Ibrahim's orders"
II have lost it somewhere" said the Sec
ond.
"The evil Jim will carry thee away to
the Mountains Of Kaf some day, thou maker
of losses, and / care not how soon" grumbled
the other. "How are we going to search
for that girls jewels in the dark? And yet
fear to strike a flint. It may bring down
on us some of those lurking Sphakiots. If
the Aga had not been crazed by that scratch
the girl gave him, he would have thought of
the jewels then, and secured them. He did
not think of them until we were two hours
On the road, and then he must needs bid me
go back, and take another with me.
My ill-luck made me select thee, thou
blunderhead. It is ill-luck every way. II
do not find the jewels, the Aga will say
that we stole them. If do find them, he
will say that we have stolen part of them.
1t is the bastinado-maybe worse, anyway.
And all for slender slip Of Christian
girl, slim az a serpent thought the
Padishah loved fatness best. Well, get thee
down, and D.
Like panthers the two Sphakiots sprang
from their concealment upon the kavasses.
Though taken by surprise, the first brought
his pistol down heavily upon Kanaris's
head. Basil tore him from the saddle, but
lost his knife in doing so. He fell to the
ground with his enemy, and the two men
grappled fiercely together. The Turk was
heavier and stronger, but Basil the more
agile and filled with fury that redoubled
his strength. The whereabouts of Basips
knife was revealed to him by his shoulder
striking against it as the kavass threw him
backward. He clutched the kavass by the
throat with his left, and caught up his knife
with his right. The kavass threw his
brawny arms around him, as if to squeeze
the life out of him, but Basil plunged the
knife in behind his shoulder, and with a
shudder the Muslem was dead.
Nikolas had sunk his knife into the other
kavass's side as he sprang at him. He re-
peated the thrusts as he pulled the ill-fated
gendarm from the saddle, until he was dead
before he touched the ground.
Little noise as the struggle made the rest
heard it, and came rushing up with cat-like
steps and deadly knives drawn. But it was
all over before they reached the spot.
Why did ye kill them both?" asked
Andreas Strandia reprovingly. Now we
have lost all chance of getting any informa-
tion from them. Ye should have first forced
them to tell what they knew"
"I had thought of that" said Basil, re-
covering his breath, "and started to whisper
it to Nikolas, when the thought of what may
have been done to Ida filled my brain and
took away all thought but revenge"
when I get chance to kill dog Of q
Kavass waste no time on aught else"
remarked Nikolas sententiously. ITO my