Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-08-17


echoes of the shore.
HI scooped handful OF orange sand
into his goblet and raised it to his
mouth, pledging the newcomers in fan
tastic show. Then again his yelling
travesty of mirth broke across the rush
and backfow of the tide.
One OF the waiting soldiers thrust his
hand into his breast and touched the
eikon that hung from his swarthy
throat. He called softly the good saints
name to protect him from all devilries
The sergeant laid his hand roughly
upon the ragged shoulder. "No more
fooling," said he tersely. Get up,
dog"
The wild. almlcss hands still moved
the pebbles unheedingly, and the blur
red eyes royed vacantly across the
waste Of waters. A flake or two of
| snow began to fall from the massed
clouds.
Impatiently the sergeant kicked at
| the huddled limbs, cursing with fierce
oath their listless. inhuman swayings
The tossing, ungoverned hands staid
themselves into rigid surprise be-
| meath the stroke of the heavy boot.
/ Then with yell of furious pain the
| man animal sprang upon his aggressor,
tearing and worrying with blind. bes-
tial ferocity at his flesh. A crimson
stain followed quick upon the leopard
like spring, smearing the coarse uni
form. The two men fell together to
earth, their strivngs beating the peb-
bly, strand as a pestle beats within
mortar. They lost themselves in an in
dstinguishable whirl Of striving, oath
| splitting rage
The suddcnness of the fray at first
left the others motionless with amaze.
ment. Then with shout they fell up
on the twined furies Of the fight and
tore their leader from the throttling
hands of his assailant 1t took the
three of them to restrain the mad
mans writings. 1t was not till they
had shackled him with the straps Of
their bandoliers that they had him IN
der any control With linked hands
and ankles he rolled upon the sand,
shrieking lis uninteligibe mouthings
! in a frenzy of fighting lust.
The blasphemies of the sergeant rose
from him like a cloud as he laved his
| torn limbs in the sea water
THE accused brute's maniac"
he shouted. "Withcr and blast him!
| Why in the name of st. Paul and all
saints did you let me handle the hog,
you son of perdition?'' he asked fierce
ly, turning on the spy.
"0pn nf tho pol,ln hirtb - r,lan IoI bo
other. HE shams AS there is n God
, in heaven he makes pretense of this
| dcllrium to conceal his evil doirgs.
! Give me but leave to question him
with fear, and he shall tell all-all, as
l live"
"Do your devimost." quoth the SER
| gcant with a coarse oath as he turned
again to the washing of his wound,
and into the eyes of the man stoat rose
a light of unholy, hideous desire.
| They stretched the kicking, writing.
wretch upon the shore and piled rocks
upon him, crushing his breath from
{ him to the bare limits of existence
I Between his bound fingers they burned
matches; beneath his nails they thrust
! splinters; after each torture they piled
him with one queStion-a single, mo-
notonous query. Naught did they get
save yells that might have sprung
from the ninth circle Of the lost.
In his disappointment and lust for
cruelty the unsuccessful torturer sug-
| gested unprintable atrocities. The sol
diers, already sichened into half a
mutiny, cursed him into silence. Final
ly at a word from the leader they
heaved their chattering victim to his
feet, unbound his lower limbs and be-
tween them forced him across the
rocks forcstward. They faded down
the trail among the pines as the even
ing closed upon them, and the snow
began to fall in earnest at last.
The great feathery fakes thickened
and swirled in the air, carpetng the
ground in swiftly piling layers. They
fell upon the pines and spruces of the
forest till each to the topmost Dough
was laden and dropping with the cling
ing weight. They covered and wiped
out the dark trail as schoolboy
putting on their winter clothing-thick,
woolly, as the bears that lived among
them. They would not doff it till the
spring. Night and snow wrapped them
as by curtains that ran upon a single
rod.
The men tumbled along YEARLY,
thrusting their prisoner before them.
They cursed impartially the weather
and their quest, nor forgot to spare an
eXecraton or two for their guide, who
SUNK ahead, wiping now and again
the drifted snow from pine trunk to
seek the yellow blaze upon it. AS the
darkness deepencd he did this with in
creasing difficulty, scrabbling at the
flake wrapped bolls with the nervous
energy of despair. At every halt the
sergeant swore with growing fervor,
and the wretched craven shook with
dismal alright.
Family down the asles of pine came
a moaning drift borne cry. Low, deep
and full it began, then swclled and
shrilled to ravcning dscords of hunger
ana desire. The single, first heard note
lost itself in tossing chorus of yells.
Lcaping, echoing, they smote apart the
thick silenccs Of the snow bound for
est, With gathering, swift growing
suddenness they filled the night. From
every thicket they rose out of seeming
nfpntippsS srba ronf of poI-oJ hounbc