The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-10-16
THE BRETHREN
A Romance of the CrUsades
BY H. RIDER HAGGAP0
BY H. RIDER HAGGARD

y Arcy, forgive us, who are but the
peace" Ni0 III
T. who have so much to be forgiven
forgive you,' answered the old knight
Then his eyes fixed themselves upon
ms daughters face with one long
searching look and closed.
l thlnk that he is dead" said Has
9dn' May God be Merciful and Com
passionate, rest his SOUL" And taking
a white garment from the wall. he
come" A-''N''
Ihrlce Rosamund looked at the
shrouded figure on the floor; once she
Wrung her hands and seemed about to
IAN Then, as though a thought struck
her' she lifted her fathers sword from
Where 1t lay, and gathering her
Strehgth, drew herself up and passed
IKE queen down the blood-stained
passage and the steps of the solar.
IN the nall beneath waited the band of
nassau, who bowed as she came-a
vision of despairing loneliness, that
held aloft a red and naked sword,
lhere, too, lay the drusged men fallen
tnls way and than, and among them
WuIt across the table, and Goodwin on
the dais. Rosamund spoke.
are these dead or sleeping?"
have no fear" answered HasSan.
by my hope of paradise, they do but
sleep, and will awake ere morning"
Rosamund pointed to the renegade
Nlcholas-he that had struck down her
father from behind-who, an evil look
upon his face, stood apart from the
Saracens, holding in his hand lighted
torch.
What does this man with torch?"
she asked.
IF you would know, lady" he an
sWered with a sneer, 81 wait till you
he out of it to fire the hall"
Prince Hassan," said Rosamund, lis
this deed that great Saladin would
wish, to burn drugged men beneath
their own roof? Now, as you shall
answer to him, in the name of Saladin
l, daughter of his house, command
you, strike the fire from that mans
hand, and in my hearing give your or
der that none should even think of
such an act of shame"
What" broke in Nicholas; land
leave knights such as these, whose
quality you know"-and he pointed to
the brethren-"to follow in our path,
and take our lives in vengeance? Why,
it is madness!"
Are you master here, traitor. or am
I?' asked the lord Hassan in cold con-
tempt. Let them follow if they will,
and [ for one shall rejoice to meet
knights so brave in open battle, and
there give them their revenge. Ali"
he added, addressing the man who had
been disguised as a merchants I'M
derling, and who had drugged the men
in the barn as his master had drugged
those in the hall. and opened the moat
gate to the band, "Ali, stamp upon
the torch and guard that Frank till
we reach the boat lest the fool should
raise the country on us with his fires.
Now, Princess, are you satisfied"
Aye, having your word" she an
swered. "One moment, l pray you.
1 would leave token to my knights"
Then, while they watched her with
wondering eyes, she unfastened the
gold cross and chain that hung upon
her bosom, and slipping the cross from
the chain, went to where Goodwin lay,
and placed it on his breast. Next,
with a swift movement, she wound the
chain about the silver hilt of Sir An
drew's sword, and passing to Wulf,
with one strong, swift thrust, drove
the point into the wood of the table,
so that it stood before him-at once
a cross, a brand of battle and a lady's
token.
His grandsire wore it," she said in
Arabic, when he leaped on to the
walls of Jerusalem. 1t is my last gift
to him." But the Saracens muttered
and turned pale at these words of evil
omen.
Then, taking the hand of Hassan,
who stood searching her white, in
scrutable face, with never a word or
a backward look, she swept down the
length of the long hall, and out into
the night beyond.
1T would have been well to take
my counsel and fire the place, or at
least to cut the threats of all within
it," said the man Nicholas to his guard
Ali as they walked with the rest. IF
l know aught of these brethren, cross
and sword will soon be hard upon our
track, and mems lives must pay the
price of such soft folly" And he shiv-
cred as though in fear.
1T may be so, spy" answered the
Saracen, looking at him with sombre
contemptuous eyes. 1T may be that
your life will pay the price"
Wulf was dreaming, dreaming that
he stood on mis- head upon a wooden
board, as once he had seen a juggler
do, which turned round one way while
he turned round the other, till at
length some one shouted at him, and
he tumbled off the board and hurt
himself. Then he awoke to hear a
voice shouting surely enough-the
voice of Matthew, the chaplain of Stee-
pie Church.
Awake" said the voice 'In Gods
name, / conjure you, awake!"
What IS it?" he said, lifting his
head sleepily, and becoming conscious
of a dull pain across his forehead.
1T is that death and the devil have
been here. Sir Wulf"
"Well, they are often near together.
But I thirst. Give me water"
A serving woman, pallid, disheveled,
heavy-eyed, who was stumbling to and
fro. lighting torches and tapers, for 1t
was still dark, brought it to him in a
leathern Jack, from which he drank
deeply.
"That is better" he said. Then his
eve fell upon the bloody sword fixed
point downwards in the wood of the
table before him, and he exclaimed,
Mother of God What is that? My
uncle's silver-hilted sword, red with
blood, and Rosamund's gold chain upon
the hilt! Priest, where is the Lady
Rosamuud?"
GONE" answered the chaplain In a
voice that sounded like a groan. 1.-THE
woman woke ana round her gone ana
Sir Andrew lies dead or dying In the
solar-but now / have shriven him
and. oh! we have all been drugged.
Look at them" And he waved his
hand toward the recumbent forms. Il
saw that the devil has been here"
Wulf sprang to his feet with an
oath.
"Tbe devil? All! have It now. You
,raan the Cyprian chapman Georgios.
He who sold wine
az - soid drupqed wine" echoed