DORIS MOORE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17113, 19 March 1919, Page 10

DORIS MOORE.

5 W-'OUY THORNB.

COPYBIGHT. CHAPTER XIV.-(Continued.) "Mr. Duck is vanquished:; Iseom lis fequivocations. Peter, three hundred stops to the next stage. I challenge yon." She was off to. a flash, and had disappeared round the projecting corner of the twisting path before the deep mollow notes of her voice died away. Peter stood for a moment looking round upon the others and laughing. Esau was excited. "Be quick, Peter," he shrieked; " she will beat vou I know." Then they ail saw tho tall, beautiful voting man leap laughing up the steps iiko some mountain goat. The ease and rpcod of his movements were incompar- ■ able. He vanished' behind tho red rock before they had time to realise that ho had roue. The attendant soldier took up his rifle and began to tramp stolidly upwards. Jisau Duck and tho professor made pretexts for delay by lighting cigarettes', but riocoupides touched his patron's arm. ■• Lordos," he said, " it is Hermes come to Greece again ! Did you see the profile r.5 ho leapt up there? Did you sea the glial of sunlight ou his golden hair?" * '■ These things must not be. spoken of," Mavrogodato answered. "It is enough to krow that the old gods are with US." Upon the second platform the slower folk found Daphne and Peter Standing together. The girl's face was flushed. " Father," she said, " he passed ma like tie wind !" Mavrogodato saw her face turn towards her lover, and for a brief moment, as he caught the look, a sharp pang went through his heart'•Sha is now his," he thought; "she will never quite ho my little Daphne again." They were now some six hundred feet above the sea level. The whole Bay of Nauplia by below them like a coloured map. In the centre of the vast horseshoe was tho little whito island of Bourzi, a rock of some hundred feet high and about three acres in extent, rising sheer cut of the sea. A little beyond it was the tiniest of toy white boats, which was the Water Witch. , " There is cur ship," Esau said " and there is our boat close by, isn't it?" Procoupide3 answered him in English. " Yes, sir, that is ze island of Bourzi, and thai is ze ship." " Rather a nice little place for a picnic," Esan remarked. " Anyone live there, Procoupides?" The Greek .looked at Mavrogodato and alio professor. Then he ehrugged) hu shoulders. " Well, yess, sir, upon that so small island live ze eie>aitionej of Greece!"

'• You mean—? " "Ze executioner. He is a murderer who has save his life by consenting to execute all zeo ozzer cnmeenala. When that is necessaire, his guardians take him off in a boat, and his guillotine is packed up, and he goes by train to to spot." Daphne frowred. "And 1 always thought it was such a peaceful and lovely liitie feature in the seascape," she said. "Are you ready, Lordos I*' Procoupides asked,' and they all began the last stage of the ascent.

In a. few minutes they came out upon a rocky plateau before the high walls ff the prison. Procoupides spoke to a sentry, before the door, and. thp soldier who had accompanied them from below produced the pass. There was a clanging of a hell, Borne lasy, murmuring voices beyond, and the wicket gate opened. , A warder in stained green uniform came out, glanced .at -the. .party, ,decided that they were worthy M Ms attention, made a low bow, and invited them to enter. They passeoWhrougb the little gate in the door and came out into a small courtyard, surrounded by high and crumbling fortifications.- v The sun poured down upon it with tremendous neat, and it was quite empty of, life., , •' Precoupides whispered, in the man's ear. There -was v " chink'' of passing silver! and they were . conducted across tho Hot yard, where the lizards scurried up the walls 'as ' their approach, and through a rock tunnel which sloped upwards to the central yard of the prison. Here another official- met them, and they were suddenly brought up against a high iron fence" of heavy bars, beyond ■which a nondescript crowd of prisoners eat ajbout -upon the bare rock Guards with loaded 'rifles marched round the ramjets above; silhouetted against the sky, and six feet below a hundred or more indescribable ruffians slept, played dice, or worked at their pitiful carvings in groups such as no stage manager had ever been able to reproduce. For a moment the prisoners did not see ithe advent of the visitors. Then some. poor wretch scented them. Immediately howling like a pack of hounds, the whole crowd uthrew themselves against the barriers,;claw-ilike hands shaking with importunitywhejd; trivial objects out for sale. '-. The' noise was liideous, and Daphne shrank -hack, for the throng of haunted, Hopeless, _ ( evil faces was like some .monstrous vision of Dante himself. The, soldier who had brought them up from tho town spat upon the ground in disgust. " They are always like this, Lordos," he said,' turning to-Esau; " they are wild beasts. Cmr .worst* criminals are here." Esau did "not .•kftpw a word of Greek, but he understood; the soldier fry intuition. . " Ydu. '.«$; perfectly right, my man," ho said.,- And the soldier understood him too; ; ' There was a sudden loud and authori-

tative shout, ' followed immediately by a crack like that of.a pistol shot. In an instant the pandemonium shivered into silence, and the prisoners began to slink away from the barrier. Two warders were seen approaching. One carried a whip, which no cracked over bis head. The other, who wore a FV7ord and had rank badges upon his sleeves, was a pasty-faced and impudent scoundrel before whom the' wretched prisoners seemed gentlemen. He walked with a strut. He threw ous his chest;

lie had the pride of a minor devil striding among lost souls. "That is the swine Bini," Procoupides whispered to Mavrogodato. "He will bring Thasos to you very soon." The man came up to Peter and Mavrofrodato. His tallowy face was wreathed in smiles. He bowud to Peter.

Daphr.o turned away, sick at heart''Mr. Duck," ere said, "let us look over the parapet down on tho sea. Let us !nck at some.'.hong clean. I did not Bargain-for this sort of thing when I came up here." While ProiS'ifpides, Peter, Mavrogodato, and the professor were clustering together on the other side of Ihe harrier and the Horrible warder was speaking to them in a hissing whisper, Daphne and Kau gazed down upon the splendid vista, below. On one side they could see the Wire Argive plain to the north-east, a faint purple mourd betokened the world-fi-rned castle of Tiryns, where Hercules Virself once ruled. On the far-distant Inrizrn were the purple hills Mycenae. "I cou'd not wa'ch those people much Itnger, Mr. Duck," Dahne said tremblit!,'. " I know it has to bo done for IT)* good of our cause." "Don't think about it, Miss Daphne." " >*o. I won't; but thie—her arm made an all-embracing gesture above the vast and far-flung vista. " This does one good!" " A little of what yon fancy ..." Esau murmured with profound sympathy, ('jfjo be-cintinued on Saturday n«tj

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