The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1902-09-20

The first object upon which hi
eyes fell was the humpbacked priest
Savotano. There were four other,
behind him, but Ruric noticed then
not yet. He saw before him thu
man whom he believed to be the in
strument of his suffering, and witt
one bound he reached him and fellec
him to the floor.
"Hold!" cried one of the others
one who held the lantern. eve
have come to conduct thee out from
here"
'Hal Say ye so? ?"
"Most surely we have"
"Then stand aside and let me 90. y
Just as you say. The doors are
open, and you may go. You may fol-
low us, oryou may go in advance"
"Then lead on" returned Ruric,
"and will follow"
Gas you say"
Thus speaking, the man assisted
the priest to his feet and led him
out from the CELL In a few mo-
ments more the others went out al
SO, and Ruric prepared to follow.
tie heard the priest cursing, but he
noticed that one of the others led
him off. The youth stepped forth
INTO the passage, but he did not
place the fullest confidence in what
he had heard He reached the foot.
of the stairs, and the others were
nearly up. He started to follow
them and had nearly gained the top
when quick, lightninglike shadow
fitted before him. He would have
started back, but twas too late.
There came blow upon his head,
and, with dull, crashing sensation,
he sank down. He realized that he
was turned over and that rope was
being lashed about his arms.
But the prisoner had not been
fully stunned. He returned to con-
seriousness as they lifted him to his
feet, and his first impulse was to try
to force his bonds asunder, but
this he could not do. He gazed up
now, and he found only two men
with him, and they wore masks up
on their faces. They were stout,
powerful men, and their very bear
ing was murderous, and his heart
sank within him.
"Come," said one of them. you'll
60 with us. We won't force you il
you'll walk"
"But where" asked the youth.
"What mean your"
You'll see when you get there.
But there's no time to- waste, SO
come"
What could the prisoner do? His
hands were firmly bound behind
him, and his great strength availed
not bit. He knew that he could
not resist, so he simply bowed his
head in token of submission and
prepared to follow his conductors. |
But they left him not to follow at
will. They took him by either arm
and thus led him away, He remem-
bered the room into which he had
been first conducted on the evening
Of his capture, but he was not de-
tanned there. From here long cor
ridor led off to where a wing of the
building had been partly torn away,
and they soon came to large circu-
ar apartment, in the center of
which was deep basin where in
years gone by people had been wont
to battle. The walls looked grim
and ragged by the feeble'rays of the
lantern, and the chill wind came
moaning through the cracks and
in the decaying masonry.
There" spoke one of the guides
as he set his lantern upon the top of
a broken column. eve will stop
here.'
The words were spoken in a sort
Of hushed, unmerciful tone, and
Rurlc felt them strike fearfully up-
on him. He gazed upon the man
who had spoken, and he saw that he
Was preparing to throw off his pc
lsse, which he had thus far worn.
As soon as this was off he moved to
where his companion stood and
whispering.
Could Ruric mistake longer?
What reason but one could there /
nave been for bringing him to such
| place? To the left, where the ba-
I'm had once emptied itself, there
vas a dark, deep, cavelike place, at
ne mouth OF which a heap of rub
'lsh had collected. What a place in !
which to hide dead body! So
thought Ruric. But he was startled
rom the dark reyerie by darker
'eality.
One of the men had taken a club,
long, heavy bludgeon which the
7outh had not before seen, and was
ust balancing it in one hand while ]
lie spat upon the other.
you will not murder mo here =,