The Sword of a Gascon

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 62, 14 March 1900, Page 6

The Sword of a Gascon

AN HISTORICAL ROMANCE.

By AMEDEE ACHARD.

SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. CHAPTER-I.—The Count Gedeon Paul de Montestruc spuanders the last of his valuable inheritance ac the gaming table at Lectoure, leaving a young wife and his heir, who is about 10 years old, destitute. CHAPTER ll.—While her husband was having his final fling at the gaming table, the Countess, who- all her. married life has been practically deserted, in a seeno at the castle, learns that her lover, Count Jean de Coligny, is returning to Paris by order of the King. CHAPTER 111. (Continued). The little troop arrived in the principal street of St. Jean, at the extremity of which was found the hostelry renowned for the excellence of its roast geese. A great disorder reigrfed everywhere. It was a panic. An infernal uproar. -iirough the wide open door could be seen the baron on horseback, his felt hat upon his head, finishing the emptying of a flagon and laughing loudly. Around him an abominable disorder; the house was upside down. The furniture was being broken and the plates thrown through the window.- Some bandits were pursuing the servant girls, who did not knowwhere to conceal themselves; the table had been overthrown. Casks with holes bored through them by pistol shots poured forth the wine in waves upon the reddened floor. Some more rascals crouched upon their knees were drinking it just the same. Here and there soldiers were hastily stuffing their sacks with i-ne fruits of their robberies. Others were firing upon the chickens and ducks, and stringing by the feet to their saddle bows the poultry which they had killed. "Huzza! huzza!" cried the baron, who was amusing himself like a god. A trumpet sounded boots and saddles. Those who held themselves almost upright set feet in the stirrups and ranged themselves by the side of the Baron Saccaraux, who was redder than a peony. The others entered the stables, staggering much, and emerged from them drawing their horses by their bridles. "All solid and well armed," said Frantz, "and not twenty, but thirty!" "It will be more droll. At the ball, you understand; the more dancers there are, the more gay it is," answered Giuseppe. "Do you wish to let me choose one of them? That-great fellow with a red robe pleases me." "And that one with a green feather in bis hat takes my fancy." "We shall fire together, and that will make the pair." His troop almost ranged in line of battle, the baron fell upon the loiterers with strokes of the whip, and rising up in his stirrups. "Now, my lambs, we are going to setout in search of the pretty girls and beautiful crowns. Who loves me, follow me." A hurrah answered him, and at the moment when all the tr.oop was moving off, the count appeared in the, court, followed by Frantz and Gins- - eppe, his wide-brimmed felt hat pulled down over his forehead, firm in the saddle, and with his cloak thrown back over his shoulder. The baron, who was making for the d.oor, perceived him. "Eh! the Count of Montestruc!" he exclaimed. "Himself." "The devil'come aid my memory! Is it not you whom I threw to the ground one evening upon the road to Miranda, last year?" "Yes, .by leaping upon me behind and by surprise." "All's fair in Avar, my friend, you know. Ah! the bea»utiful fall! 'By what accident are you journeying upon my route?" "I am journeying here because I seek 3rou." "Well! now that you have found me, 'what do you wish?" - "I wish to kill you!" The count's sword glittered in his right hand, at the same time that from the left die fired a pistol shot at a galliard wilio was obstructing the passage. Two shots echoed almost immediately followed by three lothers fired with the rapidity of lightning. Six men fell, among whom was the man with the red robe and tllie man with the green feather. And suddenly crying "Kill! kill!" which was the war cry of his house, the Count Montestruc, with raised sword, passed straig-'ht ion to the baron. At the same time, sword in hand, Frantz and Giuseppe pounced upon the rest of the band. The shock was terrible. Surprised by the impetuosity of this attack, shaken by the simultaneous fall of six among them, the baron's cavaliers let themselves be pierced througlh and through, and two more emptied the saddle hows at the first thrusts. But when thej'' perceived that they only had three adversaries to deal with finally rallying themselves, they charged them in their turn. Soon it was no longer anything but a melee from which came with cries, groans, imprecations, a furious clashing of swords, and the dull noise of a body falling heavily upon the soil. The smioke of the pistol shots enveloped this tumult. The count, passing over the dead body of the soldier whom he had overthrown, made for the baron, whom he attacked at once. He had to deal with j a rough warrior, who used sword and dagger equally well, and who was not j easily made recoil; but he did not pos-1 sess all his means, and, fatigued by the I libations to which he had delivered ! himself in the morning, his hand had! neither the' same suppleness nor the j same firmness; besides, the count had! over him the advantage lof the man i who consents to die provided he kills, j Two tigers do not attack each other ] with more rage when they are disput- j ing a prey. Thrust followed thrust, j and aimed at the heart. Already their j blood flowed, but an onlooker could1 divine, by the fashion in which the. count turned round his enemy, pres- i sing him with the arm, with the j sword, with • the poniard, prompt to I attack and to parry, multiplying his feints and charging him unrelaxingly, on which side would be the victory. It would have been more prompt if at moments one of the men who acIBM—WW W*'WII_J_W<MW»«_-W_-_--WW-_^B-_"_W-BK«' M "W——«' M_* i «■——llll Hi ""***"""

companied the baron had not detached himself from the melee where, like two wild boars harassed by a pack of hounds, Frantz and Guiseppe fought, for throwing himself upon the count, who had then to disembarrass himself of him. For a minute the baron regained breath, but his strength weakened with, the blood which escaped from bis wounds, and his sword defended him badly. A moment came when his weary hand could not sustain its Aveight and left uncovered his palpitating breast. More prompt than the thunderbolt, the count's arm was extended and his enemy sunk down upon the croup of the horse. With a poniard thrust, which opened his throat he finished him and'threw him all bloody upon the soil. "Dead!" he cried. On seeing their master fa(ll, the baroii's men who still held out took to flight, and reaching the door at the same time fell pell mell over each other. Frantz and Giuseppe did not think of pursuing them. Around them were extended a dozen lifeless bodies. Some others were gasping for breath in the corners, or dragging themselves here and there. They had made a massacre of that rabble which was tottering upon the backs of their horses and giving forth at each thrust as much wine as blood. But the obstinacy displayed by their adversaries in continuing the struggle had come as an aid to their awkwardness. Among the thrusts made at haphazard, some of them had reached their objective point. Surrounded b} r dead and dying Franz and Giuseppe did not appear in better condition. The former extended his hand to the latter. "How are you, my brother?" said he. "Not well, brother; and you?" "A little worse still, if that is possible. It seems to me that the walls of this inn are dancing the sarabande." The count, who was approaching them, grew pale all at once and closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them again and making an effort to hold himself upright: "I believe that I am done for," said he. Frantz and Giuseppe leaped from their saddles in spite of their wounds and received him in their arms. The pount no longer sustained himself. They stretched him out upon a pile of straw covered' over with cloaks hastily picked up. The rout of the men who had been seen traversing the village at a gallop had brought back a certain number of inhabitants around the hostelry. The boldest penetrated within the court, looking at the wounded, counting the dead, avoiding tramping in the pools of blood. Two or three of them prowled around the baron, astonished at his great stature, and still frightened at the ferocious countenance which he possessed in his immobility. They showed to each other the wound which ho had in the breast. Some, however, pressed around those who had rid them of these bandits, but one of them, still undecided, designating with the finger the dead body.of Saccaraux: "Is it true that he is dead?" said he. "Dead as I will be myself presently," said the count. A little man in a black cloak, who emerged from a cellar, advanced with his hand under his chin. *'I am something of a surgeon, having made some studies in Spain," said he. "The late Baron Saccaraux —God have his soul—took me with him in his journeys to affrays and violent encounters. When I saw that he was going to fight I retreated to one side, wishing to guarantee from all wounds a person whose ministry might be of some usefulness." Giuseppe pushed him towards the count. '"Pull out your case and go to work," said the former. The little man in black knelt down, undid the count's clothing, stretched him out upon his back, then upon his stomach, examined the wounds carefully, after which, with the end of his bony finger, indicating half a dozen which showed their red marks upon the bruised flesh. "All this is nothing, sir; but, unfortunately, you have there, upon the left side, between the third and fourth rib, a dagger thrust four or five inches long, which has perforated vital parts." "Mortal, then?" said the count. "I have every reason to believe, in fact, that it will lead you from life to death; if my learned friend, Professor Don Ignacio Carronbio, who practices at the University of Salamanca., was here, he would tell you that a dago-er thrust which has pierced " "To the devil with your friend Don Ignacio, and let him be silent! Speak for yourself. How much time have 1 to live?" "With the aid of God and the cares which I am going to lavish on your lordship, till " The little man in black hesitated. "Go ahead! lam a soldier. When you say that I can go till " "Till this evening, sir." "Have I time to make my confession and receive the sacraments?" "Yes, if your lordship has not too many things to say." "Nothing except what a good gentleman can acknowledge. Eh, Frantz?" Frantz approached. The poor fellow had two big tears in bis eyes. "You are going to mount on horseback and fly to the Abbaye Guinot; the abbe is one of my friends. You will tell him that you come on my part, and he will send me a priest. Make haste; death is a, personage whom it is necessary to never make wait. The honest soldier, without replying, seized a fresh horse which was strolling around without a master, and making Giuseppe tie around the wounds with which he was covered some bandages soaked in whisky and firmly drawn together. "The question is for them to leave me the time to arrive," said he, hoisting himself upon the back of the animal. "Pah! by economising your breath?" "That is it: I shall economise." He released his horse's reins, and plying the spur, left at a gallop. (To be continued daily.) 1 1 .1 , mi ■mil