THE SURRENDER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6120, 5 March 1898, Page 1

THE SURRENDER.

(From D. E. Parry's " The Defence of the Chdtiav," in Cossoll's Family Magazine). "Rittmeister, are you there ?" called the colonel. "I am here," replied the Prussian captain, directly beneath. " Resistance is at an end ; lam about to open the door for you." The Prussian looked at his lieutenant, suspecting treachery. " You have an ambuscade ?" he said. "I am the only living soul in the chdieau," replied the colonel sternly. " You and I have something to say to each other — I wish to say it in the presence of your men." Still doubting — for yo.ur Prussian has little notion of honour — they drew cautiously towards the porch, and heard the old man pulling away the barricade inside and shooting ba?k the heavy bolts. A bright light illumined the snow, and they saw him standing there, alone and unarmed, a veteran of Jena, of Moscow, of Waterloo, bareheaded, at their mercy. "Enter, if you please," he said, fixing his eyes on the captain ;■ " you have come for something, and you have come a long way ; it is unfortunate that we cannot meet as friends— never mind — be good enough to follow me ; again I assure you lam the only living Frenchman in this house." Still wondering, they followed him into the salle-cL-manger, Reiter and the lieutenant, with a score of Uhlans at their heels, one of whom, at a sign from the officers,* remained under the lamp in the hall. " Gentlemen," said the colonel gravely, filling three goblets with wine that sparkled ruby-red in the candlelight, "to the souls of the brave men who have died to-night — no, it is not poisoned j see, I drink first." They drank solemnly, and in silence, and then the colonel motioned to the chairs. " Be seated, messieurs, I will only detain you five minutes — you will find these cigars not at all bad." He handed a box to the officers, who sat down, and conquering their reserve from sheer astonishment, helped themselves and bowed politely. The colonel held one of the candles by the massive silver stick, and they lit up ; Jean Sermaize, from the passage, noticing that the old man held that candle with peculiar care, afterwards lighting his own cigar and replacing it on the table with both bandg. " What is going to happen ?" thought the forest-keeper uneasily. "Now, pardon me, Rittmeister," said the colonel sternly, " I want to look at yoti — hum, a strong face.i and broad shoulders, eyes blue and prominent ; that is courage ; a fair moustache— your never-to-be-for-gotten grandfather was clean shaven, if I remember, in 1806— and yet I seem to know your face." "Do you wish to still further insult me ?" said the Uhlan, turning livid and half rising. " Not in the least," replied the old man, smiling. ." I venture to think the saddle is on the other horse. You have five times by letter accused me in strong terras of having, ages before you were born, murdered your ancestor and stolen his medals ; now, in the hearing of your comrades I desire to set that matter right," be coninued still more sternly. " Afterwards, I uppose, for the impertinence of defending my house, you will give me a blank wall and some ball cartridge, eh ?" " No, I shall hang yon from your own lantern there," said the Rittmeister, " and I advise you to hasten with your remarks ; we have no time to listen to fairy tales." A wave of crimson passed over the old colonel's fine face, leaving it white and set, but he only puffed a little harder at the cigar. "It was at Saalfeld that I killed your grandfather," he continued, speaking very distinctly. "In the marshes there, among the willows, I was pursuing an officer of rank — Prince Louis, it proved to be, whom my quarter-master, Guinde, slew just after — when your grandfather rode between us to save the Prince, and fell in a fair struggle, sabre to sabre, and man to man. Was that murder ? I think not." He paused and looked round the circle of listening men ; the troopers standing stiffly with their long lances, the lieutenant fidgeting nervously with the stem of his glass. " I did not think more of it until some hours after, when a rumour got about that there was a general of importance lying dead in the low ground, and I rode back with some others to see who had been killed. Some of our fellows were examining him, but we did not know then that it was the Prince, and remembering my own antagonist, I went to the tree where he ]ay, undisturbed by the plunderers. My arm was bleeding where he cut me, and, believe me, as I looked down at him, his shoulders pillowed on a bank which in summer would have been covered with flowers, his right hand still clenched on his sword hilt, I felt- a thrill of admiration for a gallant foe, and in memory of our encounter I took the decoration from his breast, meaning to preserve it carefully, as lie no doubt would have taken my cross if fate had gone the other way. Was that theft ? was that foully stealing ? I think not ! " He was not pleading for his life — that white-haired veteran, whose body bore almost as many scars as the marks on the face of the dead Guepin upstairs. He had a terrible card to play, and it rested with the captain whether he should put it down — in reality he was giving him his chance ! It was then that Jean Sermaize, by some intuitive prompting which he could never explain, bent on a level with the ground, and began to grope softly with his hand in the doorway. He sprang up again instantly, and crossed himself for the first time in thirty years ; his eyes were starting from their sockets, his mouth was wide open, and the sweat of mortal terror poured from the hardy frame of the forest-keeper as . he crept hurriedly away to the uttermost extremity of that doomed mansion, and found his way out he knew not how! The colonel sat slightly doubled in his chair, gazing apparently into the cold blue eyes of Reiter opposite, but in reality he was looking back down the l©ng vista of years to other scenes and other faces which liis words had conjured iip before him. The lieutenant seemed as if he would have spoken — he was touched, being sentimental and rather young — but Reitor was in command, and had already raised his voice. " Now, perhaps, you have finished your pack of lies," he said brutally. " I have not lost twenty-eight men, and Heaven knows how many . horses, to hear the history of your campaigns. You say my face is familiar to you. Do you remember the orchestra that played under the trees, last summer at Mercey,when you and your'/ granddaughter visited that dog's hole ? Do you remember the clarionet player who brought tears to your hypocritical eyes with Gretry's rubbishy composition — what was it ? — ' Veillon au Saint del'Empire,' I think — and to whom you sent a gold napoleon by the waiter. Can you recall me now ? Yes, you may stare, old man, I was there six months' in that guise, learning the roads — the roads to Paris !" The colonel made no effort to conceal his contempt at the system and the man who could so degrade his commission as to sink to such unworthy espionage, but Reiter got up before ho could reply. " Some of you find a rope, or else buckle your stirrup leathers together; it will save { time. Old man, e'est fini, as you say in '

your language. Give me my ancestors order of the Ked Eagle, or, what is better, the pretty Josephine shall present it to meon her knees, and I will give her two kisses in return. Come, an end to words— where is the eagle ?" The Rittmeister had lost his chance ! The width of the table was between them, but every man started as the colonel rose to his feet! He did not spring nor overthrow his chair with a yell and rush upon himj rather he seemed to soar to an altitude, morally and physically, above them all, and stood withering the ruffian with eyes that knew no fear, j " Here it is, Prussian !" he thundered at last, throwing back the loose end of his neckcloth, which he had purposely allowed to hide the two decorations. " Here, on an honourable breast from which your Bwinish hand shall never wrest it! Sire, lam coming— my comradeß, lam here !" and as he pronounced those enigmatic words in a tone of ecstasy, he flung his lighted cigar upon the Aubusson oarpet bo thickly sprinkled with the deadly powder that trailed away to the three tons stored in the faults below. • # ,g Then it was that the old man kept his f word, and Josephine, away in the woods, heard from her grandfather . for the last time.