The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-08

song says. I'VE know neither father nor
mother, nor the wife, the dear one. ine
stiletto is our inamorata, the rife our
wife"
Up to now the chief prevented all mis-
deeds on the part of the Heyducs and Ko-
koschars Chicken thieves, but whether he
will be able to keep the band so well in
hand If the ransom is much longer delayed
is a question. Among the Heyducs are sew
eral desperate robbers, who Were, until
now, held back by the promise of rich re-
ward. If the Americans d%isappoint us in
nocent people will suffer, though none of
the small fry will dare touch Miss Stone,
as she is the chiefs property until ran
somed, and respect for his authority is
never lost sight OF, come what may. There
in, particularly, lies the difference between
Christian and Mussulman bands.
And, unlike those lowly fellows, the
Turks, we always know exactly on whom
to lay hands. No prisoner of chance for
US; they would not be worth the trouble
and the expense, for the kind of war the
Mobiles of the Mountains wage costs money,
and again money. Our chief read several
books and many reports before he decided
on Miss Stone. He knew beforehand that
the lady and her immediate friends are
poor, but what of that when Miss Stone
represents the wealthiest class of the
United States-the church-goers? They can
not allow her to die; if they did there
would be a revulsion of popular feeling
against religious societies. we are told. AS
to the reports our chief procured, they tell
Of the vast wealth of these religious So
%cieties, of the many millionaires who back
them IF fhnrn urara cp1 Drn roflfnnnfra
could he afford to let his countrywoman
die when, with the twentieth part of his
wealth, or less still. her freedom may be
bought?
Investigations preliminary to the capture
of Miss Stone occupied many months-the
Observation-Disclosures does nothing by halves
and, despite the many delays, we are sure
of getting the ransom. As to the political
or other consequences on which some of the
gazettes are harping. the Mobiles laugh at
them. AS hereditary Lords of the Noun
tains We defy an army to march upon us.
An army can't do anything without maps,
and the only maps of the RhadOves in ex-
istence are engraven in our memories.
TREATMENT OF THE PRISONER.
After securing the American woman and
her companion-we didn't want the latter,
but had to take her ~along-we placed them
on pack horses in saddles SO constructed
as TO prevent either mishap or escape.
The horses had not worked for several
days and were particularly well fed. 1t
would not do to mount the women on tired
or otherwise unfit beasts liable to stumble
or throw them. Any accident to the pris-
oners would spell disaster TO our hopes,
and if they were killed we would be
charged with their murder, for men like
us are never credited with observing the
ordinary decencies of life, or for common
sense either. Naturally our first care was
to put as much space between the pris-
oners and the inhabited regions as posi-
BILE. After the taking of Miss Stone and
friend, we did not draw rein for seven
hours, though the road necessitated the
hardest kind of climbing. The procession
was headed by the Harambascha, who kept
his eye on the chicken thieves ordered to
give warning of breaks in the road and
other dangers threatening us. These out
runners We're unarmed, as is customary.
If either of them had it in his heart TO be-
tray us, he would have paid with his life
for such follies as making signs to the
enemy, leaving marks on the rocks, etc.
AlltI III JUS nHdI al utldCllIllGill d
Heydu, followed by the paymaster. The
chief came next and after him the Amer
lean women, riding single file most of the
time. BY their sides walked two of the
most trusted mobiles to guide the horses
and guard against surprises of any sort.
If the band had been attacked, the chief
would have placed Miss Stone on his own
horse. seating her before him, while a sec
ond mounted noble would have taken of
the other woman. Behind the latter rode
and walke the rest of the Balkan-Tschel-
ebis, Heyducs bringing up the rear. This
order of march is invariably observed. 1t
has this advantage. In case the band is
attacked the captives, serving as bull
warks, prevent the soldiery or gendarmes
from gaining their object, as they must
necessarily restrict their fire upon the
Heyducs and chicken thieves, while the
Mobiles with their precious burden, escape.
Our first days march led into the widest
mountain regions, inhabited only by a few
shepherds and hunters, wild goats, foxes,
bears and deer. The mules had to scale
almost perpendicular walls and ridges, and
the chicken thieves were ordered to remove
every sign of our passing presence. Final
~ we went down again, riding through
supposedly bottomless gulleys and ravines.
FIRST HALTING PLACE.
1t was late in the night and excessively
cold when we reached our first hating
place, a cave in the slope of a mighty rock,
surrounded by virgin forest. The entrance,
though large enough TO admit a pack
horse, is so hidden by young trees as Ia
escape even the trained eye-no noun
taineer or hunter has ever invaded this
refuge and storehouse of the Mobiles. We
found a Heyduc and two chicken thieves
on guard there, as previously arranged.
They had gathered a great mass of dry
leaves for the accommodation of the pris-
oners and "A lusty fire was burning. The
chief himself undid the ropes that bound
the prisoners to their horses. He was kind
to them, I noticed, and, brave women that
they are, they were not at all frightened.
Some one in the band who understood
their lingo says they attribute their forti-
tude to trust in their God, but think they
must come from a brave race anyhow.
The women were given a bite of bread
and dried meat at once, but everybody else
had to wait until the wants of the Heyducs
ordered on sentinel duty were attended to.
One of them mounted guard on top of the
mountain 10 look out for a relief force
that might have followed us, while two
other men guarded the approaches of the
ravine, and the chicken thieves were sent
- F-,-t, ~-o-N g.. r.