The Winslow mail., 1900-06-07

end the stick he bore dropped IRON MS nand,
no doubt much to the satisfaction of the
mule. At first he was unable to speak, for
my words seemed to fill the man with terror,
and ] had to repeat the question, before he
| stammered out:
You are mistaken sir; | am no eminence,
but poor brother of Mount Carmel, on my
way to Foligno, out of this hell behind me"
and he glanced over his shoulder towards
Rome.
81 see," l answered with a smile, ''but if
the poor brother of Mount Carmel will look
more closely at me, he will see friend. In
short, your eminence, am Di Savelli."
''Corpo di Bacco! | mean our Lady be
thanked And so it is you, cavaliere. Take
my advice, and turn your horses head to
Foligno. On beast!" and he kicked at the
mule, which moved not an inch.
Il am for Rome, your eminence; but what
has happened?"
"What has happened? Everything has hap
pened, Alexander is dead or dying. Cesare
dead, they say, and burning in hades by this.
Orsini and Colonna at the old game of ham
mer and tongs-"
"And the cardinal-D'Ambo;se?"
''Safe enough, l believe, as the Orsini hold
Trust me, your reverence, you will be
safer in Rome than out of it. The whole
country will rise at the news, and the habit
of Mount Carmel will not save the cardinal
CT Strigonia. Turn back with me, and will
escort you to the Palazzo Corneto."
To make a short story, d Este agreed after
little persuasion, and the mule was kind
enough to amble back very willingly to
Rome We placed his eminence in the CEN
ter of our troops, and went onwards entering
the city by the Porta Pinciana, riding along
leisurely in the direction of S. Trinita di
Monti, and thence straight on towards the
Ripetta. 1t was 4 work of no little danger
to make this last passage, for everywhere
bands OF plunderers were engaged in cutting
the houses, many of which were in flames,
and we continually came across dead bodies,
or passed houses from which we heard
shrieks of agony We could help no one.
1t was al we could do to keep our own heads
on our shoulders; but by dint of shouting,
'AColonna!" with the Colonna, and "0rsini!
Orsini!" with their rivals, and sometimes
hitting a shrewd blow or two, we crossed
the Ripetta, and in a few minutes were safe
in the Palazzo Corneto.
Here we were received by LIE Clerc, who
comforted the trembling Strigonia, with the
assurance that an excellent supper awaited
him, informing me, almost in the same
breath, that D'Amboise was in the vatican.
l lost no time in repairing thther, which 1
did on foot, accompanied by Jacopo alone,
and made my way without fet or hlndran e
to the Tore Borgia. Here everything was in
the widest confusion, and the Spanish SOL
diers, of the pope were plundering right and
left / stumbled across De Leyva, who, with
few men at his back, was trying 10 main
tain order. He gladly accepted the offer of
my. sword, and we did what we could to pre-
vent the wholesale robbery from going on.
In brief interval of rest, asked:
"Do you know where D'Amboise %
"In the Sistine chapel, with half-a-dozen
others; De Briconnet guards the entrance" "
"And Alexander?'
Dead or dying-I do not even know
where is is; Don Michele has seized as much
as he can, and, carrying Cesare on litter
has escaped to Ostia."
"Then Casare is not dead"
mo. Cross of st. Jamesi see that!" and
! he pointed to a reeling drunken crowd, full
with wine and plunder, who passed by us
with yells, into the great reception-rooms.
Followed by the few men who remained
steady, De Leyva dashed after them, and
with Jacopo at my heels, made for the
Slstlne chapel. ] reached the Scala Regia,