Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-03-25
lifting her hand and lcvollns a, him a

| lifting her hand and lcvcling at him q
finger.
a shrek echoed behind him. follow
cd by noise OF pelting feet. Pancho
had found courage to adventure" rs
far as tho patio cnd or tn" passage.
and had fled from the sight of tho
white witch stalking his master.
The sound caused tho Princess to
shudder a tritic. but she did not wakcn,
On tho gallery above the nHuro Of
Juan Lopez appeared. armed with II
rifle. Neither OF the two in tho patio
below were conscious OF him.
\ few PAGES from tho mouth OF tho
passage tho somnambulst paused.
ike thing lacking viii that could
move only when she moved. tho planter
paused as we'll.
The dream that haunted the brain OF
the sleeping woman chansod charnc-
ter: prompted by some inscrutablc
phase of II she lifted an arm until its
hand pointed directly at the bosom OF
Senior Ortiz.
With an insane cry the lunatic leap
cd toward her with knife uplifted.
Stricken in midstridc--evcn as tho
Voodoo woman had been stricken-hc
paused. wavercd. and fell in a hcV.
quite dead
Once More tho Sen.
on the gallery of the hacienda Juan
Lopez lowered the rifle with which he
had shot Senior Ortiz through tho
hcart-a magazine weapon equipped
with n Maxim silcnccr. once the prop
erty OF Count Ramon dc Zoba--Rnd
pccred down inc the patio.
The body of the planter lay motion
less. Fast ii. still asleep the figure of
the Princess moved on toward the pas
sarcway.
Juan delayed moment to eject tho
discharged cartridge and replace il
ith tn q
that he had expended the last shot in
the magazine. When he looked M
again the dead man was alone in the
courtyard.
Dropping the rife. Juan ran down
the stairs and through the passage to
he heard a sudden CHATTER Of hoots.
punctuated by the screams OF the
Princess and saw two horses racing
away from the hacienda.
They were not Yet SO far away that
the servants vision aided 10y tropical
moonlight of extraordinary brilliance.
could not identify the riders.
rhe foremost horse was ridden by
Victorine Savatz. The other carried a
double load-Count Ramon lie Toba in
the saddle. holding Princess Julia In
his arms.
Bitter oaths blackened the lips Of
Juan Lopez.
and pitfalls of the jungle and found
the hacienda in the nick OF time to kid
nap the sleeping Princess! Surely. it
seemed. the hand OF the devil must
have led them.
Rounding on his heel, he sped back
ami up tho stairs. breaking into the
bedchamber OF Prince Philip and rous-
ing that gentleman by din OF releni-
less shaking.
AS soon as his sleep be fuddled sense
could grasp he import of the servants
news. Philip spranS 20 his feet and
ran out OF the hacienda.
The horses were still In sight If
small upon the perspective of long.
straight roadway.
Five minutes were lost while Philin
and Juan searched for the stables,
found them. selected and saGdled other
suit in earnest But by the time they
were fairly in motion. the others had
disappeared.
Their lead was none the less not so
long that II were hopeless TO think OF
riding them down-espccially consider
ing the fact that one OF the leading
horses carried two. 6ut for that mat
ter. the Prince and mis- man would
never have drawn rein had they been
without a Slimmcr of hone.
Riding low in tho saddle. bending
forward over the necks OF their stecds.
they kicked anG dashed them ncrci-
lcssly And the animals responded gall
lanuy. Nentre-a-terre they raced like
hunted things through the moon smit-
ten night.
Hour after hour they neld On. a.
times within sight Of tho chase. al
times riding blndly. yet never losing
the trail.
The road ran roughly wcstwards.
curving round the foot OF the coastal
range. AS the moon dipped toward
the horizon and the stars winked out;
in paling sky. their way led through
broad savannahs sloping inSensibly TO
thc sea
Some time before sunrise The hoofs
OF the horses rackcttcd through the
streets Of sleepy seaport. whose IN
hahitants were just rising, surprised
from their beds by the noiS. OF the
chase: for now the Savatz and Ramon.
with their captive. were leading by lit
tie more than an eighth OF a mile.
Straight 10 the waterfront they rode.
and there dismountcd dragging the
Princess with them down rotting
wharf and thence TO the deck of a
small auxiliary sloop that lay moorcd
there.
None lifted hand TO hinder them.
Ramon left to the Savatz woman the
business Of imprisoning Julia in tho
cabin OF the sloop. while he himself
} NHS' on uncovered tnc engine I.
started the motor. and as It's unmunicd
exhaust began to wake the echoes,
took tn" wheel. shaping a cours" out
of the mouth Of the shallow harbor
for the open sea
Only once he looked back. and then
TO grin. with a derisivc gesture. at th..
two men who had followed down the
( wharf, just three minutes too latc
Cndauntcd by this bitter dsappoiiut-
mcnt. Philip set ont with Juan 10 find
craft capable of ovcrtaking tho pow.
or sloop. The most superficial survey
of the vessels made fast to the wharves
and at anchor in the roadstcad sutIi-
ccd to demonstrate that accident had
guided Ramon 10 choose the only ono
OF tho lot that had motor-powcr.
Even so. the two were not 10 10
deferred from continuing tho pursuit.
There was still a little gold Ia the
money belt strapped round Philips
waist-not much. but enough TO per
suade the master OF 81 small hut able
droghcr built on fairly speedy lines.
TO rent them his ship and his services
to boot.
But much precious tinn had been