MY ONE ADVENTURE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1943, 14 February 1889, Page 30

MY ONE ADVENTURE.

lam a Frenchman. My name is Adolphe Levionois. By profession I am a musician —a violinist. I settled in this foggy country of yours many years ago, but I have never quite relinquished the hope of one day going back to end my days in beautiful, sunny France. I have no history, bat I have a little story to tell. I had been playing in the orchestra of a small country theatre, but on the death of its lessee found myself compelled to seek a fresh field for my services. While thus engaged I came across the following advertisement in a newspaper : — Professional.— Wanted, a good Violinist, aa Leader of the Asylam Band. The person appointed will be required occasionally to take Warder's duty, and must be willing to make himself generally useful. — Apply Dr Jones, Lunatic Asylum, W . I was a good violinist. I was willing to make myself generally useful, I sat down at once, and wrote to Dr Jones. Two days later I received a note asking me to go to the asylum on a day and hour named. I went. There were three other candidates besides myself. We were each in turn presented to Monsieur the Doctor. He was accompanied by another gentleman, whom I learned afterwards was a musician. When I was ushered into their presence I was required to play a difficult piece of operatic music which I had not seen before. But it was easy to me. I played it satisfactorily, and after waiting for half an hour I was told I had received the appointment. My new duties were very strange at first, and "the work was much harder than I had expected. But there was an excitement and romance about it which much toned down its hardship and bitterness, and I was greatly amused and interested by the strange whims and fancies of the poor mad creatures. There was a young fanatic who said he was more than a hundred years old, and was formerly a member of the vegetable kingdom. When first I went he one day drew me aside and whispered in my ear that he was glad I had come, for he had been expecting me for 50 years. I was a little startled, for he could not himself be more than 25 years old ; so I said : " I do not know how you can have been expecting me, for I have never seen your face before." ! " Ah, your memory is short," said he , gravely ; " but try to bethink you. You grew in the same garden with me many years age. I was a young green cabbage when you were a French bean." I had been told by another warder that it was always best to acquiesce in what the , madmen said, for if not they would become irritated and quarrelsome, so I told him that I remembered it quite well now he mentioned it. Poor fellow ! he only reversed a theory which some perfectly sane people hold, and which you call " transmigration of souls." There was one of the patients whom I did not like at all. He had an evil eye. He j chilled me. I was told he had been a cap- ! tain in the navy, and he always went by the name of " Captain Jack." • j He was a fine man, and of a splendid ' figure. ' Not tall, but broad and well knit, with enormous arms and shoulders. He was as strong as an ox, and as nimble as a cat. I wondered what had brought him here, for his eye had not the orazy, vacant stare of most of the others. I was told he had been struck on the head by a falling block, and had only recently regained his life and health at the expense of his reason. I met him one day as I was passing through the courtyard. " Hallo," said he, " I've been wanting to see you. " Aren't you a Frenchman ? " " Of course I'm a Frenchman," I answered. " Why do you ask ? " " Oh, nothing— only I've been wondering ever since you came here where I had seen your face before ; and now I remember, I met you at the Battle of Trafalgar." « Indeed," said I, " is that so ? " " Yes, that is so," he replied. " But there's something about it I can't quite make out yet. I thought I killed you with a hatchet. But, no, I remember you ran away, cowardly frog-eating Parley-voo as you were, and then I followed you with the hatchet, and — let me see— yes, just as I was coming up with you, you got hold of a rope that was hanging over the gunwale, and lowered yourself down the ship's side. But I chopped the rope in two and you fell into the sea, and I thought you were drowned, but you must have been picked up by one of the boats." " Ah, yes, I was picked up, no doubt, by one of the boats," I repeated, falling in with his humour, " but I had almost forgotten it." "Yes, that must have been it," he said. " I knew I had met you before somewhere, but I couldn't think where ; but that must be it," and he walked slowly away with his hands in his pockets, musing. He used to carry about with him sometimes a speaking trumpet, and was never so delighted as when he was pacing backwards and forwards on a short space of lawn, which he called his " quarter deck," bellowing out orders through this instrument. Once I caught him very excitedly stamping about on his quarter deck, shouting in a tremendous voice at some of the patients who had gathered about them. Several of them had shrunk away from him, and were looking on in terror from a distance. I went tip to him and took away his trumpet, telling him if he did not conduct himself more decently and restrain his tongue I would have him confined as a " refractory." He seemed much humiliated and cowed at the loss of his trumpet, but went quietly into his quarters and made no fuss. Some days after this I was engaged cleaning up in Ward No. 28, in which was situated Captain Jack's quarters. This was a duty that really ought to have devolved on the patients themselves, but sometimes they refused to perform it, and then the warders had to do it. While I was so engaged I turned round and 6aw the Captain close behind me. His brow was contracted, and his grey eyes were flashing, while his face was distorted with ferocity. It was but for an instant, for as soon as he saw me turn round it was immediately changed, and he greeted me with a smile, and in the most natural and

sane manner in thejworld. „-,, . I had forgotten the trumpet. All went on as usual for some days, I went about my duties in the day-time and played in the band at night, and had almost forgotten the affair entirely, when it was recalled to my memory in a very forcible way. Every warder in the asylum is furnished with a key which opens all the doors of his ward. It is his duty whenever he goes through a door to lock it after him. This rule is without exception, and you will see that it is absolutely necessary that it should be so. , - It was 6 o'clock on Friday evening, and the carpenters who had been doing some repairs in the building had left off work and gone home. I was going from Ward No. 28, in whiob* as I have said before, were Captain Jack's quarters, into the eastern part of the building, where was the warders' dining room, aa it was time for my tea. The door of the ward opened into a little passage, at the end of which was a small storeroom and this room led into ajl long corridor, at the other end of which, on the left-hand side, was the door opening into the eastern wing Standing looking down the corridor there was a long window in front, whioh lighted the whole passage, and down each aide at intervals, were doors of various rooms, principally the patients' dormitories, all locked. I noticed as I passed through the storeroom that the workmen had lett their bags containing their tools, which they would require when they resumed work on the following day. As I stepped into the corridor, which was only very dimly- lighted, I hsard a slight noise in the room behind me, but, thinking it was another warder, walked on and took l no notice of it. When, however, I had got about halfway down, I looked round. My heart stood still. Creeping along the wall, his face contorted into the same hideous expression which I had noticed before, was Captain Jack. In his hand was a carpenter's axe, and the light of madness gleamed in his eyes. The horror of my position came across me like a flash of light. I had forgotten to lock the door behind me, and had left the key in the lock. I was thus unable to open the heavy door at the end of the corridor, and was a prisoner at the mercy of this maniac. Almost frantic with terror I ran to the end of the corridor, the madman creeping softly and stealthily along towards me. , I struck the heavy door with my fißt, but to no effect. It was locked, and he would be upon me in an instant. Above me was the stone ledge of the window. It was at this window that the carpenters had been engaged, and the iron barricades which protected it had been temporarily removed. I sprang up, and with the strength of frenzy drew myself on to the window sill, shouting for help. .With a low, gurgling laugh he came slowly on, brandishing the heavy axe above his head. His fingers were upon the ledge, the axe handle thrust into his bosom, leaving the broad blade glittering on his breast. With a desperate effort I seized him as he was about to spring on to the window ledge after me, and hurled him back into the corridor. Then I threw up the window and shouted with all the Strength of my lungs. He regained his feet in an instant, and was again springing on to the window ledge, this time with the axe in his right hand. Even then I remember to have felt a thrill of admiration for his wonderful strength as he drew himself up to the window ledge" with one hand. Looking outside, I paw that the window sill was continued in an ornamental cornice or ledge which ran' straight on from end to end of the building, projecting some eight inches from the face of the wall. If I could walk along this ledge to the window at the extreme end of the building which opened into the warders' room, and was not barricaded, I knew- there would be someone in that room who would admit me, and I should be safe. It was but a slender ohance, bnt it was my only one. I looked back as I worked my way slowly and painfully onward. His head and shoulders were through the window. He was evidently coming after me. With an involuntary cry of alarm I renewed my efforts. I had a fearful distance to traverse before I reached the window, and the gap between us was but small, and gradually becoming less and less. I felt that if I looked down I should be lost, for it was a sheer drop of nearly 100 feet into the paved courtyard below. I turned my head again to glance at my pursuer. True to his sailor instincts he had kicked off his boots, and was now fast working his way on after me, his bare feet clinging to the stone and enabling him to go more safely and quickly than myself. With a shudder I gave myself up for lost, when just then a blaze of light shot out afc the end of the building, as the lights were turned on, and gave me new strength. Then I heard shouts from below, and knew that I had been seen. Then the window at the end was flung up, and a man appeared ready to seize and poll me in. But I felt I should be overtaken before I could reach it, for now the distance between us was terribly small. I could hear the madman panting with the thirst for murder as he worked his way towards me. I dared not look at him, and strained every nerve to reach the window which was still yards away. Then a shout fiom below told me that something was being done. I heard a voice this time above me and just ahead of where I stood. Something was flung over the cave of the roof and dangled in front of me. " Quick, the rope 1 It's your only chance." ! I could hear the voice which came from I the roof above, but the speaker was out of | sight. I loosened one hand from the waterspout and stretched it out to the rope. Horror ! It was beyond my reach two feet or more. Then from below I heard a faint shout. "Leap, leap, catch the rope— quick for your life 1 " I could only just see it dimly swinging in the darkness before me, and fora moment I was paralysed with terror. Then I turned towards the rope and nerved myself, for the spring. Heaven receive my soul ! The rope was in

m y hands , and I /Was slipping down rapidly, tearing the, skin and flesh off my fingers'.. Then my grasp grew firm, and I went down" band over hand. , Not an instant too soon. The maniac above me stood in the place from which I sprang a moment ago, hacking furiously at the rope with the axe. There W as a jerk, the windows of the building seemed to flash before me like a thousand stars, and I knew no more. I was saved. Willing hands took me up and bore me tenderly away. For weeks I lay delirious and raving of the horrible scene I passed through. When I recovered consciousness my nerves were shattered, and ib was some months before I was able to resume my daties. I have now left the asylum, and am again earning a modest, pittance by giving lessons on the violin and accepting casual engagements to perform at private parties, concerts, and the like. This, gentle reader, is my little story. Heaven defend you from ever having such a one to tell.