The Ladysmith news and Ingram news. [volume] (Ladysmith, Wis.) 1905-1906, 1905-08-19
CHAPTER VI.


friends in New York, assuring them of
my safety spent considerable time
lowering around the offices of the
steamship company thirsting for
word or hope for Maubikeck and
those who had left or board the i'll
fated Queen. But the only thing that
was really known was that four boats
left the Queen at the time of the col
lision, and ours was the only one
heard from And as the boat we
were in was the last to leave, those
who remained on the steamer must
have shared her fate.
There was besides my anxiety on
Maubikecll's behalf, a motive of haste
in my resolve. If Maubikecls was re-
ally lost, as no one who had seen the
dark form of the sinking Queen melt
away in the fog as had could doubt,
then | was wasting time in Liverpool
that should be spent on the trail of
Maligni. I felt terrible yet almost
holy responsibility resting on me,
now that Maubikeck was gone He
had given me my life at the cost Of
his own.
And in that last moment of parting,
when | had but half realized the full
purpose of his heroic action, he had
cried out to me from the fog and
blackness to find and rescue Nita
Barlotti if / reached land alive. And
now those last words of my preserv-
er rang in my ears like an imperative
call to perform a solemn duty. In
obeying Maubikeck | was but further
ing my own purposes. But | may say
truthfully, that SO heavily and solemn
ly did that last cry Of MaubikeclI
weigh upon my soul, if tle carrying
out of his wishes involved the re-
linquishing of my own, | would have
gone on his errand unhesitatiEg,J,
and let my own ambitioEs sink out OF
sight until my debt to his memoir
was fully paid.
Thus it was that, having given uo
all hope for MaubikeclS, and having
provided myself with all the things
needful to replace these | had lost
on the Queen. was anxious to start
at once for Sardinia in quest Of Ma
ligni and his slave. Nita.
On the deck of a mootlly-glidi2g
steamer that was rapidly entering the
port of Cagliari, the chief southern
seaport Of the Island of Sardinia, |
stood, with my marine glass leyelled,
taking in with interest the scene that
was being opened UP before me.
The city of Cagliari has popula-
ton closely approximatirg forty thou
sand 1t is the most important city
in fact, the capital-of Sardinia. With
the exception of what little trade and
commerce goes to Sassari, on the
north, Cagliari is the emporium Of
trade of the island.
Before leaving Genoa on the steam
er l had performed two duties-one
for Maubikeck and one for myself.
The ore in behalf of Maubikecll was
simple. I had telegraphed to Liver
pool to learn if any EeWs he'd been
received of my Inflated fel1ow-pas
sengers. I received a reply from the
president of the company that one Of
the boats-a companion to the one
had been in-had been picked up,
and ten more unfortunates had been
saved from destruction. But nothing
whatever had been heard of the
Queen or any who had been left on
board and it was finally concluded
that she had sunk. and the marine
insurance had been paid.
The duty to myself was the employ
ing of a guide and interpreter.
Fortunately for me / had recol-
lected that the banking house of Dorr
& Company of New York, with which
| had had long-standing friendship,
had branch at Genoa, and I had
called upon them, made myself known,
and informed them that [ was on my
way to Sardinia and wished to en-
gage the services of an honest guide
and interpreter OF course | did not
tell them anything about the real
| gave them to understand that | was
merely bent on pleasure hunting
trip after mouf1on.
The mouflon is small animal of
the sheep tribe and thriyes in wild
state on the Sandman mountains. 1t
is not unusual for French, German
or English sportsmen to go to Sar-
DINA to hunt them, and as a reason
for my voyage, the mouf1on served
very well.
Signor Branderi, the head of the
Genoa branch of Dorr & Co, was a
quiet, affable gentleman, very polite,
and spoke English well. He seemed
eager to do whatever he could for
me, and promised to furnish me with
just the person I needed.
Signor Branderi rang bell in his
private Office, where we had been sit
ting, and clerk responded. The
banker spoke to him in Italian, and the
clerk bowed and went away Shortly
thereafter another person came and
stood respectfully before us. 1t was
my interpreter
"Mutterelli, said Signor Branderi,
in English, II have an engagement
for YOU This gentleman is a friend
of our house in New York, and is
about to visit Sardinia to hunt mou-
flon You are to accompany him as