THE SMUGGLER.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 29, 16 November 1894, Page 23

THE SMUGGLER.

(By Carl Ekstbom, in an exchange.) (Continued.') " The girl has a temper, and no mistake," mattered Olsen to himself, when he heard Martha slam th« door. "She's more of a man than a woman. This arrangement with Sierert will not succeed, I can already see that ; well, then, let her marry young Halvor. I'm determined she shall. And now I consider the affair well, this will be very likely better. Hilvor is bold and cunoiDg in basinesß, and knows how to get on ; and, bes des, his father has money, We eball know how to settle Master Sievert — be hanged to him 1" With this pious wish Even Olsen took his tobacso-box and began to cut s me tobacco to fill his pipe. But his daughter's erergetic manifestation, and the thought of the hated Sievert hid made him so nervous that he cut his finger several times. He wa=>, therefore, glad to remark the figure of an old Lap, who, staff in hind, ani with slow step, was coming np the hill and approaching the bous3. Toe Lap owed him some money, aad Heaven help him now, if he came to ask for a longer time to pay it in. Hil he should pay for both Martha aad SieTert 1 " Good save ycu 1" greeted the old man, as he sat down upon the lowest of thj door-steps, &n\ bagan co busy himself with his tobacco-pouch. Olaen only noddtd. " It's a fine day, ' said the Ltp, although he ka;w that thunder was in the air. " Well, Klemen. have you the money with you?" asked Olsen, coming at oDce to bis point. " No, God help me I I have not. Bat small pickings for the poor Laps this year. ... No rich Englishmen have landed among the fells." " The same old story," said Olsen contemptuously ; " there's never any good to be g)t out of you wretched Lap folk." The Lap looked up with stealthy regard. "Indeed, you have given us much help," said be, ia a tone of the greatest simplicity. " Have I not, indeed ? Who gives you tobacco on credit If it is not I, and who sells you spirits so cheap, although you know the risk ? If you only dared, I believe you would go over to the police inspector, and so would all your comrades, if I had not got you all into my power. Wtll, how about the money ?" " I haven't any," answered Klemen laconically. " And do ycu think I am going to be s-Uhfied with that answer 1 If you had but a single rtindeer I would Bay nothing, but you own nothing but the sweat upon your wretched body. And do you think I shall have patience with you? . . ."

K>men had borne these insults the aaaal apparent meeknesa of the Laps. The hot Eastern blood began to boil, indeed, in bis veins, but not a muscle of bis visage betrayed his feelings. He h«d, moreover, a particular reason for restraining himself, as we .shall presently learn. \ "So then, no money ; then what on earth did you come here for, yon wretched fool ?" cried O!s?d, in wrath ; " was it merely to tell me that, you come here to Gronfed ?" " No, God help me I" answered Kietnen meekly and aadly," bat it is so sad, with my wife lying ill at home, and longing, eight and day, for a drop of coffee. Help me to obtain tbip, Olsen, and God will reward yon ! " Olsen stood up, aad began to crack bis whip. "Do you want a tasta of this ?" was his only reply. The Lap also rose to go away. But before he left the steps he looked up to Olsen, and said, in a firm tone : " Evan OJsen, remember, we shall meet when you least expect it " But Kslmen could scarcely utter these daring words before a crack resounded, and tbe whip had struck him, taking a piece of fleib from bis cheek. Not a single sound of complaint escaped the pwr nomad's lips ; he turned round and went down the hill as softly as he had come. For a moment the overweening smuggler felt discomforted by the Lip'a threit, but only for a moment ; for after a while he laughed with satisfaction, and muttered to himself, "He knows nothing and dares nothing. Ah ! I know tbe cowardly pack well. " Covert ways and hidiog-places are not wanting in the fell tracts, and none of them is unknown to the Laps. It is no difficult matter for any one who wishes to conceal himself. la a roomy cave on the Butefell, just opposite Even Olsen's dwelling, about a month after the little occurrence we have just narrated, there lay a young man, clad in the uniform of the excise cfficerß. His bag of provisions lay at his side, hut his attention was occupied just at present with far other things, for bis dog's suggestive sniffings were quite lost on him,

' Yes," said be softly as if he feared that the warm autamn breeza would waft his words over the water and bear them to Martha, "yeß, I know that I lore her more that all else upon earth. Yet it ia scarcely possible tbatste should ever be mine, at least so long as her father liveß, even if her own feelings answered mine, which I dare not believe. My only way is to combat her father as my duty calls ma to do, and turn him into a law-abiding man again, and then I may think of winning the pretty Martha." As a check to this train of soft feeling which the thought of the young maiden bad called forth, he put his field glass to his eye for certainly not lesß than tbo hundredth time, and looked round again for the Lap Klemen, whom he so impatiently awaited. This time, indted, he discovered the long-expected Klemen at some distance off. A little old man was visible, toiling along among the foliage of dwarf birch, and the figure could be no other than that of Klemen. Another hour, and the old fellow crept into the cave and threw himself down npon its granite floor, bathed in sweat and breathless after his lone and toilsome expedition. "Well, friend Kiemen," began Sievert half rebnkefully, half quiwingly, " I began to think you must have come to an untimely end, or that the police must have put you in the lock-up in Roras for your little tipples. Here have I been standing— or sitting as if I was upon hot coali. and have not once ventured to attack the provision bag for fear I should have to wait here another twenty-four hours. Well, Klemen, how do matters staod 1 " The old Lap did not reply, but only made a significant gesture in the direction of the prog. " Ah, I understand you : you want a drink first. Well, we've both earned a bite aad sup, and bo let us have it." It was now almost dark, both outside and in, and so Sievert took a candle from a niche in the rock, and lighted it, so that the cavern was illuminated. He, however, took ihe precaution of hanging up his cloak before the entrance.

and "' Pas* " had accordingly to make the best of bis lot, however hard it might be, and having run four miles with bis master, upon an empty stomach. We need scarcely say that the man was Sievert the cxc seman. As the time crept on, and the shades of the September eveniog began to daiken tbe fell-pidee, Bievert grew more and more impatient. It would have been easy to see that he had an appointment to meet some one whose coming was of importance. To make an appointment against a certain, boor amorg the fells is, indeed, easy enough ; It is, however, quite a different matter to kiep it. Even the accustomed fellsmen may meet with a thousand small hindrances, aad this is why, in these districts, time is counted rather by days than by hours. The confounded Lip ! ' mattered Sievert to himself from time to time, aB he cautiously peered out through an opening in the rock, and scanned the valley. " Tbe confounded Lap ! Here have I been idle, waiting for him tbe whole day, and, as it seems, am like to spend the night too in this wretched hole. Yts, friend Pasp, I understand yon," said he, Btroking the dog's head," but we have Bomeihing else on hand than eating jus' now. Oily wait till Klemen comes, and then you shall have something good." But Pass did not so readily adopt his comprehension nor his conduct to this new dietary regulation. He cared little for the old Lip's advent, for he knew well enough that his master's knapsack was full of meat, although he neither ate himself nor gave anything to a poor dog. So after some further vain sniffing", Pas 9 laid himself duwn again to wait patiently, clearly seeing that his mas'er in his present disposition is not to be overcome by fair means or foul.

Again Sievert approached tbe opening, and threw his keen glance over the water, towards Even Olsen's house, It was already twilight, but be saw all the clearer, for this, with his mind's eye, the handsome Martha and her peaceful little loom, so unlike the other apartments of the house where her father ruled as a tyrant, He thought he saw tie pert but kindly maiden, sitting as was her wont of an afternoon upon the door-step, and he felt a glow about his heart.

1 And now the bag of provisions disclosed its contents, which were by no means to be despised, although to the L»p the spirit-bottle was the pearl of the eqaipment ; and he accordingly dn.io.ed with unutterable enjoyment the pewter tumbler, brimful, which Sievert offered him, as an introdu3aoa to tbe repast they were about to make. " Well," cried Sievert, af er hunger was someweat appeased, " do you bring good or bad news 1 " "Bjth the one and the other," answered the Lap industriously cutting himself off a piece of smoked reindeer steak at tbe same time. " Both tie one and the other." " What do you mean 1 " '' That we shall both take and not t»ke." "What is it that we Bball not take ? " "A deal— tobacco, spirit, silk, and other things. I scented out many things up there. Halvor is no horse-dealer, except fjr appearance sake ; but his horses carry up smuggled goods into the fells by so many different ways at once, that if we se zad one in one place, a dtzen others woul>i escape. Do you see?" " Yes, yes. It is what I have long thought, but we are too few of xx i to hmier it. Our plan must therefore be to make the most valuable capture, and I strongly suspect that all these goods go to Even Olsen's house. If I couid but discover where he conceals them 1 " ''Ah yes 1 ' saip the Lap, with his habitual phlegm. " But what is it that you think we might seize 1 " said Sievert, whose curiosity was naturally aroused. •■ O 1 there is still much to be got, only we are a little late in the antumD. Ualvor'd father's shop was full of goods, which were to be Sc-nt off to Sweden in October, from what I could manage to overhear. A>> 1 the old Lap is a cunning fellow, depend upon it." "I believe you, and yon shall be well rewarded. Now the first thing to be done is to fiad out tbe old fox's hiding-place, and this business you must take upon you, friend Klemen ; and I cannot atop here night and day, and, besides, tbat would be sure to excite Olsen's

suspicions. We must go to work with the utmost caution, with such a slippery rascal.' 1

"Never fear ; he shall not escape me-no, not if he hid himself i? the bowels of the earth, and his ill-gotten wares at the bottom of 7f,e Malmagen water. Ah ! when I remember huw he treated mr I long to see bis heart's blood I "

"Qaieiy, quietly! old fellow; no huny-not a word, not a look, mind you. If you meet Even Ols 3D about the country, don't forget to appear homble and submissive, jutu t as if you had not received that slash from bis whip. Althougo it's much a-ainst the grain, let him abuse and beat a bit still ; we're sure to win when our time comes."

The Lap was in anything but a good humour, a circumstance which did not escape Sievert, who accordingly asked. " Why, Klemen wrat are you cross about ? If you are as fickle as the rest of your race, and repent of what you've done, go jour own way and leave the matter to me alone ; I shall know how to adopt a prop 3 r c 3 urse with both Even and Halvor, you m*v be sure of that."

The last words were uttered with some heir, which was not without its reason, for the young excisemaa had often been fooled by Lap?, in whom he had confided for help and guidance among th 3 fells. This time, however, be was mistaken.

"No, no, that's not it," answered Klemen, rising, acd stre'ehing his stiffened limbs. " But lam vexed that you should try and teach cun-ing toauch an old bani as I. You',l neve.- be as cute ag old Klemen, if you live till doomsday."

Suveit s countenance brightened up, an 1 he promptly extended his hand. r '

Forgive me, Klemen," be sa-d heartily ; » you rather misunderstood me. Do what you consider best ; I will a*k you noihm* about Even O seu before you tell me of your own accord, and we are ready for action."

Toeir future plans thus se tied, the two to- k leave of each other with a hearty eh&ke of the hande. Elemen took his way westward along the Malmagen strand, Sievert in the contrary direction so at to be out of the way of icquisitive glances before morning

(To be continu-ed.')