The San Francisco call., 1905-01-15
CHAPTER X.
On Board the Galley.

Steeple across the meadow down to the
quay at Steeple Creek, where a great
boat waited-that of which the brethren
had found the impress in the mud
In this the band embarked placing
their dead and wounded, with one OF
two to tend them, in the fishing skiff
that had belonged to her father. This
skiff having been made fast to the sterI
of the boat, they pushed off, and in
utter silence rowed down the creek
till they reached the tidal stream OF
the blackwatcr, where they turned their
bow seaward. Through the thick
night and the falling snow slowly they
felt their way along, sometimes row.
ing, sometimes drifting, while the false
palmer Nicholas steered them. The
journey proved dangerous, for they
could scarcely see the shore, although
they kept as close to it as they dared
The end of it was that they grounded
on a mud bank, and, do what they
would, could not thrust themselves
free. Now hope rose in the heart OF
Rosamund, who sat still as a statue in
the middle of the boat, the Prince
Hassan at her side and the armed men
twenty or thirty of them-all about
her. Perhaps, she thought, they would
remain fast there till daybreak, and be
seen and rescued when the brethren
woke from their drugged sleep. But
Hassan read her mind, and said to her
gently enough:
BE not deceived, lady, for I must
tell you that if the worst comes to the
worst, we shall place you in the little
skiff and go on, leaving the rest to take
their chance"
AS it happened, at the full tide they
floated off the bank and drifted with
the ebb down toward the sea. At the
first break of dawn she looked up, and
there, looming large in the mist, lay a
galley, anchored in the mouth of the
river Giving thanks to Allah for their
safe arrival, the band brought her
aboard and led her toward the cabin.
OH rfls- poop stood tall man, who was
commanding the sailors that they
should get up the anchor. AS she came
he aavanced to her, bowing and say
lady Rosamund, thus you find me
when doubtless you never
IN hit to see more
81 looked at him in the faint light
and er blood went cold. 1t was the
knight Lozelle.
you here, Sir Hugh" she gasped.
Where you are, there / am" he
answered, with a sneer upon his coarse,
handsome face Did l not swear that
it should be so, beauteous Rosamund,
after your sanity cousin worsted me
IN the fray!
You here" she repeated, you
Christian knight, and in the pay of Sa-
ladin!'
I'm the pay of any one who leads me
to you, Rosamund." Then, seeing the
enir Hassan approach, he turned to
give some orders to the sailors, and
she passed on to the cabin and in her
agony fell upon her knees.
When Rosamund rose from them she
Al ~ iY10 a mr.
string to look her last on Essex land,
went out again upon the poop, where
Hassan and Sir Hugh placed them
selves, one upon either side of her.
Then it was that she saw the tower
of st. Peter-on-the-wall and her cous-
the light of the sun shining upon their
mail Also she saw Wulf spur his
horse into the sea, and family heard
his great cry Of Fear mott We fol-
low, we follow!"
A thought came to her, and she
sprang toward the bulwark; but they
were watching and held her, so that all
that she could do was to throw up her
arms In token.
Now the wind caught the sail and the
ship went forward swiftly, SO that soon
she lost sight of them. Then in her
grief and rage Rosamund turned upon
Sir Hugh Lozelle and beat him with
OlILeT WOTQS I'LL ne SQrank DGIOre ner.
Coward and traitor!" she said so
1t was you who planned this, knowing
every secret of our home, where often
you were a guesti You who for Pay
MIN gold have murdered my father, not
daring to show your face before his
sword, but hanging like a thief upon
the coast, ready to receive what braver
men had stolen. Oh! may God avenge
his blood and me on you, false knight
false to him and me and faith and
honor-as avenge he will! Heard you
not what my kinsman called to me?
We follow. we follow!' Yes, they fol-
low and their swords-those swords
you feared to look on-shall yet pierce
your heart and give up your soul to
trembling with her righteous wrath,
while Hassan stared at her and NUT
tered:
"By Allah, a princess indeed! So
have l seen Salah- din look in his
rage. Yes, and she has his very eyes"
But Sir Hugh answered in a thick
voice.
LET them follow--one or both I
fear them not and out there my foot
will not slip in the snow"
''Then say that it shall slip in the
sand or on q rock" she anwswered,
and turning, fled to the cabin and cast
herself down and wept till she
X.
?. Well might Rosamund weep whose
beloved sire was slain, who was torn
from her home to find herself in the
power of man she hated. Yet there
was hope for her. Hassan, Eastern
trickster as he might be, was her
friend; and her uncle. Saladin, al
least, would never wish that she
should be ashamed. Most like he
knew nothing of this man Lozelle, ex-
ccpt as one of those Christian traitors
who were ever ready to betray the
cross for gold. But Saladin was far
away and her home lay behind her,
and her cousins and lovers were eat
ing out their hearts upon that fading
shore. And she--one woman alone
was on this ship with the evil man
Lozelle, who thus had kept his prom
ise, and there were none save Easterns
to protect her, none save them-and
God, who had permitted that such
things should be.
The ship swayed, she grew sick and
faint. Hassan brought her food with