Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-12-08

his constant Forward, Monsieur!" in tone that warned me that his finger was on the trigger. At such a distance he could not miss; and I saw nothing for it but to go on mee1ly before him to the Roca Blanca and my fate. ' What was to be done? The road presently reached the end of the valley @and entered narrow pine-clad deile. strewn with rocks and boulders, over Which the torrent plunged and eddied with a deafeniEg roar. In front the white gleam of waterfalls broke the 9sombre ranks of climbing trunks. The lsnow-line lay less than half a mile Saway on either hand; and crowning ;all-at the end of the pass, as it seemed i. to the eye--rose the pure white pillar of the Pie du Midi shooting up 5000 fleet into the blue of heaven. Such a ; scene. so suddenly disclosed, was enough to drive the sense of danger .Sfrom my mind. and for moment I ' refined in my forse%TBut77 Forward, ' Monsieuri!" came the grating order. T fell to earth again and went on. What :, was to be done?
 < was at my wits end to know. The | man refused to talk, fefpsed to ride abreast of me. would have no dismount. Sing, no haltings no communication at all. He would have nothing but this :. silent, lonely procession of two, with $ the muzzle of his gun at my back. And meanwhile we were fast climbing the pass. We had left the others an hour-nearly two, The sun was dc. clining: the time, supposed, about half-past three.
 If he would only let me come within reach of him. Or if anything would fall out to, take his attention! When the pass presently widened into bare and dreary valley, strewn with huge boulders and with snow lying here and there in the hollows. I looked desper- ately before me and scanned even the vast snow-fcldg that overhung us and stretched away to the base of the ice peak. But saw nothing. No bear swung across the path, no izard showed itself on the cliffs. The keen sharp air cut our cheeks and warned me that we were approaching the sum- init of the ridge. On all sides were silence and desolation.
 Mon Dieu, And the rufIians on whose mercies I was 10 be thrown might come to meet us! They might appear at any moment. Jn my de- spair I loosened my hat on my head aud let the first gust carry it to th' ground. and then with an oath of an noyance tossed my feet loose 10 gC after it. But the rascal roared to III, to keep my seat.
 Forward. Monsieur" he shouted brutally. Go on!"
 But my hat!" I cried. "Mille ton nerres. man! must"
 Forward. Monsieur, or I shoot" he replied inexorably, raising his gun "One-two-"
 And I went on. But. oh, wa NTHInIuls Udl T. NlA ue Dtldult should be outwitted and led by tn, nose. like a ringed bull, by this GascoI lout, That I, whom all Paris knew and feared-if it did not love me-tht terror of Zaton's should come to m! end in this dismal waste of snow and rock, done to death by some pitifu -muggler or thief It must not be! Surely in the last resort could give an account of one man. though hi' belt were stuffed with pistols!
 But how? Only. it seemed, by oper force. My heart began to hutter a' I planned it: and then grew steady again. A hundred paces before us gully or rsvine on the left ran mp into the snow-feld- Opposite its mouth tumble of stones and broken rocks GOV cred the path. I marked this fol the place. The knave would need bOtf his hands to hold up his nag over th' Stones. and. if I turned on him sud denly enough, he might either droI his gun. or fire t hsrmlessly.
 But in the meantime. something hap pensd. ss. st the last moment. thing, do happen. While we were still 2 wards short of the place found hii horses nose creeping forward On lev ei wfrh my cruprer. and sill advanc Ing. until could see it Uut of the tai cf uv ere, and ur heart EzTe Ersa