The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-08

foaming Liamone, which, contracted in
its banks, has become a torrent.
Marina thinks a moment, then says:
on, yes; 1 remember a mountain trail
often Travelled as girl. But 1t is very
steep"
Would you kindly show It to me
when we come to it ?"
They dash up the gorge for half a
mile and she says sharply, TT is here, -
pointing to a steep ascent that, cum
bered by ferns and wild-flowers, makes
a most unpromising roadway Then
she catches her breath and whispers:
You expect an ambush" for the
American has now his rifle on the sad
die in front of him. western fashion,
and his pistols ready in his belt
! Il do" answered Barnes, and relates
the words of the shepherd
"Quick!p~ cries the girl This trail
will take you right up Del ORC, where
| you can look down on Bocognano. BY
it, you will get between your enemies
and your destination
MY destination is my wife. She is
in this valley with those men,"
"Oh, 1 think not. Saliceti is too
crafty. He is still conveying Enid to
Bocognano and has left only some of
|
Barnes follows his guide up the steep
little path, that covered with vines and
wild flowers is difficult to discern,
but after they had gone a few
| hundred yards, the rocks growing
larger, the trail more precipitous,
Marine says: Here we must leave our
ponies and climb on foot" So they
pasture the two hardy little brutes in
q vale of soft grasses and leave them
munching cOntentedly. Barnes. singing
his haversack over his shoulder, Mar
ina having nothing to carry with her.
| Before her strides the American, his
alert eyes always gIancink down the
steep declivities TO their left, for the
almost unused trail they are following
is hundreds of feet above the Travelled
bride path that keeps to the torrent,
daShing through the bottom of the
valley. After nearly an hour of this,
| the noise of a waterfall strikes their
ears, gradually growing louder
Five minutes later, Barnes holds up
| his hand cautiously. Marinas glance
follows his; far below them, concealed
/ in the bog rocks that skirt the stream
at the little bridge near the waterfall.
are several crouching armed men. A
little farther down the rapid, in the top
/ of big beech tree, is perched another
his hand shading his eyes from the
rays of the declining sun that shines
in his face as he looks down the path
| way coming from the east The
mountain sides are clothed with lex
beech and Iarch trees, decked with
mistletoe and climbing cyclamen, the
! fragrance from the myriad flowers of
| Corsica mix with the sweet doors of the
pine and spruce-abOve the cliffs, the
| hills rise abruptly to the great SUBMITS
of Del ORC and Rotondo, spears of
snow in transparent air, below flows
| the rushing torrent, a living stream of
sunshine. The vale is paradise, filled
with death.
| These gentlemen are waiting for
me-" remarks the American. in his face
the supreme joy of a sportsman who
will bag not only one head, but a bat
tue. He puts his rifle on the ground,
! lOOsens both revOlvers in his belt and
asks: 1.-The way to descend the preci-
pice from here?'
Why" falters the girl.
why? Because am now the hunt
err" answers Barnes. DO you think l
am going to spare the wretches who
/ have stolen my wife? None of them!
! Quick the path by which 1 can inter-
cept them and cut them off to the last
mani"
Marina looks at his fatal pistols and
shuddersI Thank God, there is no
path"
"Ah, then 1 will have to be content
with the sentry, that fellow in the
beech three there"
My Coda if you kill any of Them"
gasps Marina, you will never get Enid
out of the island alive. You came to
save her not to murder her" She
puts a white imploring hand on
Barnes, who is already preparing his
rifle. Then she suddenly half cries:
Your wifel You want heri" and points
far up to the top of the pass between
the two great mountains, ROtondO and
Del ORC, and Barnes eyes following
her hand, he sees figures silhOuetted
against the clear Alpine air. All are
mounted, and one is surely a woman.
You think that is my wife?"
Il am sure of it. Saliceti has only
left some of his men behind to waylay
you if you come on unguarded."
Barnes doesn't even answer her His
fUick steps are carrying him so rapid
Iy in pursuit along the dizzy mountain
path that Marina, though the poor girl
half runs, can scarce keep up with
him
Their path leads along the precipices,
now and again reaching some little
mountain valley through which a
straem trickles between stunted pines,
and about whose rocks are growing the
sweet forget-me-nots and violets of
Corsica. Once they skirt rapidly a lit
tie blue lake whose waters fall over a
cliff to join the Liamone, running far
below, and so on and on toward the up
per slopes of the Del Orc.
But as they near the summit of the