The National tribune., 1906-11-01

THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
been for one devoted man who gave
forced the door the sight I saw was
this: The King stood in the corner of
the room; broken by his sickness, he
could do nothing; his fettered hands
moved uselessly up and down, and
he was laughing horribly in half-mad
delirium. Detchard and the doctor
| were together in the middle of the
room; and the doctor had flung HIM
self on the murderer, pinning his hands
| to his sides for an instant. Then
Detchard wrenched himself free from
the Feeble grip, and as I entered drove
his sword through the hapless man.
Then he turned on me, crying:
"At last!"
We were sword to sword. BY blessed
chance neither he nor Bersonin had
been wearing their revolvers I found
them afterward, ready loaded, on the
mantelpiece of the outer room; it was
hard by the door, ready to their hands.
but my sudden rush in had cut off
access to them. Yes we were man to
man; and We began to fight, silently,
sternly and hard. Yet I remember lit
tie of it, save that the man was my
match with the sword-nay and more.
for he knew more tricks than I; and
bars that guarded the entrance to
Jacobs ladder" And I saw a smile
on his face, and he wounded me in
the left arm
No glory do I take for that contest
1 believe that the man would have
mastered me and slain me. and then
done his butchers work. for he was
the most skillful swordsnan / have
ever met; but even as he pressed me
hard the half-mad, wasted. wan crea-
ture in the corner leaped high in luna
tic mirth, shieking:
ITS Cousin Rudolf! Cousin Rudolf,
I'll help you, Cousin Rudolfn' and
catching up chair in his hands Che
could but just lift it from the ground
and hold it uselessly before him). he
came toward US. Hope came to me.
Come on!'' I cried. Come on!
Drive it against his legs
Detchard replied with savage
thrust. He all but had me.
Come on! Come, on mani" ! cried.
Come and share the fun!'
And the King laughed gleefully, and
came on, pushing his chair before him.
With an oath Detchard skipped back,
and before I knew what he was doing
had turned his sword against the King.
He made one fierce cut at the King,
and the King, with piteous cry,
dropped where he stood. The stout
ruffian turned to face me again. Blu:
his own hand had prepared his de-
struction; for in turning he trod in
the pool of blood that flowed from the
dead physician. He slipped; he fell
Like a dart I was upon him. caught
him by the throat. and before he could
recover himself I drove my blade
through his neck, and with a stifled
curse he fell across the body of his
victim.
Was the King dead? 1t was my
G,-r,%
lay. Aye. it seemed as if he were dead.
for he had a great cash across the
forehead, and he lay still in huddled
mass on the floor. ] dropped on my
knees beside him. and leaned my ear
down to hear if he breathed. But be-
fore I could, there was loud rattle
from the outside. 1 knew the sound:
the drawbridge was being pushed out.
A moment later it rang home against
the wall on my side of the moat. !
should be caught in a trap, and the
King with me, if he yet lived. He must
take his chance, to live or to die. I
took my sword. and passed into the
drawbridge out-my men? If SO. all
was well. My eye fell on the revoIvers,
and / seized one, and paused to listen
in the doorway of the outer room To
listen, say /? Yes, and to get my
breath; and tore my shirt and twisted
strip of it round my bleeding arm.
and stood listening again. / would
have given the world to hear Sapt'sI
voice. For / was faint. spent. and
weary. And that wildcat. Rupert Hent-
Eau, was yet at large in the castle. Yet,
because could better defend the mar
row door at the top of the stairs than
the wider entrance to the room. I
dragged myself up the steps, and stood
behind it, listening.
What was the sound? Again a
strange one for the place and the time.
An easy. scornful. merry laugh-the
laugh of young Rupert Hentzaui /
could scarcely believe that sane man
would laugh. Yet the laugh told me
that my men had not come. for they
must have shot Rupert ere now If they
had come. And the clock struck half
past q My God, The door had not
been openedi They had gone to the
bank, They had not found me, They
had gone by now back to Tarlenheim.
with the news of the Kings desth-anj
mine. Well, it would be true before
they got there. Was not Rupert laugh
ing in triumph?
For a moment I sank, unnerved.
against the door. Then I started up
alert again, for Rupert cried scorn-
fully:
"Well, the bridge is there, Come
over it. And in Gods name. let's see
Black Michael! Keep back, you ours.
Michael, come and fight for heri"
If 1t We're three-cornered fight I
might yet bear my part. L turned the
key in the door and looked out.