The San Francisco call., 1904-08-14
CHAPTER XIII. =

IreSn WIND or dawn blowing cOldly
upon her face awoke Esther from her
dream-like swCon. She opened her
eyes and became aware that the sun
was shining upon her face and that the
night had passed. Anon, her situation
shaped more clearly, and she under
stood that she was strapped upon a
horses back and that the animals un-
certain step rocked her as in the rudest
cradle. She was very i'll and her brain
burned, defying all clear thought. If
she remembered anything of yesterday,
II was at first indistinctly as something
which she would we'll forget One by
one, however, events shaped them
selves. She recalled her arrival at
Folk, the scene at the station, the drive
through the hills, the silent gorge, the
castle perched upon the height. She
dwelt upon Arthur's passionate tender
ness when they were together at their
journeys end. She recalled her mus
ings in the bedroom, the picture of the
snow-b bound road, and then, as in a
flash, the whole story of the tragedy!
Her despair a such moment was be-
yond words to describe. She knew not
whence the outrage had come, or why.
that these men were brigands of the
hills who would carry her to their hid
ing-places, where she might expect a
worse fate than death. But this
thought she quickly rejected. No mere
hill thief would venture an attack upon
her husbands house. She must find
her answer in subtler plan, nor could
she separate her misforIunes frpm the
story of Arthur's kingdom and of his
months of exile. He himself had
warned her that all might not be as
he would wish it. This hour of crisis
was the justification of his doubts.
She suffered terribly from the cold,
though they had wrapped fur coats
about her and even covered her face
with a woolen shawl The bonds
which bound her to the saddle were
cruelty tight and left her hands and
feet white and blood;ess. She could
have cried for very pain OF it, and vet
suffered in silence. That many accom-
panied her upon this strange journey
the circumstances of the hour denied
From time to time she heard a harsh
voice encouraging a horse or cursing a
loiterer, but the voice was never an
swered and it ended always in cultural
self-approval. The road itself told her
nothing. She perceived mighty wall
Of rock upon her left, rising sheer, as
it were, to the very heavens. Her eyes
could not fathom the abyss below and
she understood that they were upon
the ledge of a precipice, descending to
the valleys heart. Thus, for a full
hour, she endured her torture with a
woman's unbroken courage. They
could kill her, she said She would be
content to die If she knew that Arthur
lived.
The cortege, II such It might be
called, halted at last; and for the first
time Esther beheld the face of one OF
her captors. This man she recognized
at once for the burly ruffian who lee
the troop last night. His uniform was
blue, with metal buttons. He wore ar
odd-shaped busby and Carried an an.
cient sword at his belt. AS last night
so now, his air of self-importance was
tremendous, and not less ridiculous
than the French tongue he delighted tC
misuse.
"So,' he said, crying out in mock sur.
prise, her Highness is awake! Com,
here, Pablo, come and help me to pay
my respects
He numbered from his horse ant
tugged clumsily at the ropes which