Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1901-12-27
CHAPTER XIII.
Paving a Debt

Paying Debt
When. on the fourth day OF the great
storm. the food had climbed almost 70
4 the castle walls, great anxiety arose
among the royalists. for surely " seem
ed that IL the waters continued 70 rlse
i twenty-four hours longer the Castle OF
Salrarez itself would cease to be habit
i able. But when, on the foiloWlns
i morning. the rains ceased ana the
| foods stopped rising, the lower noor
| Of the castle was still dry.
The relief that Philip and his loi-
4 lowers felt at this was very great
Philip at once turned his attention to
his neglected plans. and while Gomez
and Don Juan Cara resumed the plan
for pressing forward to the Orinoco.
| to cross it and extend their power.
| They were thus engaged on the day
that the waters had fallen away from
4 around the castle. when Francisco
burst in upon them. frantic In some
new excitement.
| Your majesty" he cried. Gomez!
Don Juan! A traitor has again come
near u.s."
What do you meant" asked Philip,
starting up and placing his hand on
his sword-hilt- HAS Salvarez re-
turned?"
NAY, not Salvarez," replied Fran
cisco, "and never will, fancy. for
where would he have gone to have sur
vived the fiood?"
Then who? II not Salvarez, Who IL
| the traitor OF whom your speak?"
II know not. Yet that some one has
| been here there Is no doubt. The
| horses are gone
"The horses? Gone!"
ITO be sure" said Gomez, with a
| gloomy smile. 1--WE might have ex-
| pected such loss, though not by the
hand OF traitor. Above the storm
heard the poor beasts shrieking In
their fear, and no doubt they had
broken bounds and stampeded through
the water to look for high ground and
safety. OF course they were safe
enough, for the stables were not food
| ed by more than a few inches OF
water. But they didn't know that. OF
course"
"Such was my explanation when the
thing was reported to me-" said Fran
! cisco, "but unfortunately there is proof
that l was wrong and you are wrong.
The halters have been cut-every one
Of them"
"Cut!"
"Cut with sharp knife. Every
severed end is smooth and free from
! the ragged appearance of a break. The
| horses have been set Free"
"This is great misfortune" said
Philip. "The flood has either drowned
or driven OF most Of the herds In this
vicinity, and we shall have difficulty in
moving north.
There will be more-plenty OF
them" said Francisco. con my own
fields I have two Thousand, and there
is high ground enough to give all my
beasts safety from the floods. It is not
the loss Of the horses concerns me. It
| is the presence so near of an enemy"
! '"That enemy must be found" said
Philip.
s'The place is full of mysteries" said
/ Francisco. "Do you remember, your
majesty, how even your own knife was
secretly taken from this room and con-
yeyed to the hand of Salvarez?"
True" replied Philip. eve found
| 1t sticking between the ribs of the
murdered sentinel. brought it here"
He disturbed the maps and papers on
the table in an absent way. as If to
pick up the knife.
''By the hole saints!" he exclaimed,
| at is gone again! Is the thing be-
| witched?"
II knew a knife had been used" he
said, land now it would seem to have
been your majesty's own"
Philip strobe to and fro excitedly.'
"Some one assuredly has access to
this ROOM" he said, land visits it when
none Of us are present The matter
must be Investigated and that imme-
diately. Have the guards that have
| been on duty at this door since the
beginning of the food summoned be-
fore us that we may hear their state
| ments."
While Philip, Gomez and Don Juan
were engaged in questioning the
frightened and bewildered sentinels,
let us see what another member of the
band was doing.
When Lola Cara had been lying on
her sick bed, attended only by her
father, whose reports of her condition
were anxiously listened to by Philip
and Gomez, Mattazudo was as anxious
az either Of them. When he had been
ordered to bring Namampa, the herb
doctor, CLEAN OF triumph had illu-
mined his ugly face.
! And when Don Juan was plunged In
grief and Philip mourned the loss Of
his queen, and Gomez cursed the fate
that had taken the beautiful victim
from his when he might have succeed
ed in getting her in his power, Malta
Judo alone-Mattazudo the half-breed