CHAPTER XV. (Continued.)

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 151, 24 April 1886, Page 3

CHAPTER XV. (Continued.)

There is no fatiguo so great as advancing with excessivo precaution, and, at the end of a quarter of an hour of this military inarch, Sartilly felt quito warn out, for it seemed to him it would never ond, and he thought it probable that this subterranean passage might go through the whole longth of tho island. But, after going on some hundred steps moro through the gallery, it widened visibly, and, thinking they wore approaching the ond of it, the little army redoubled their precautions ; although the Captain began to suspect that there wa3 no one in it, and, as it was not in his nature to prolong voluntarily any uncertainty whatever, he quickened his steps, and soon reached the extremity of the cavo. It was a room, or rather a circular retreat, a roal box of granito, cut in the rock in ancient times to secure the troasures of the abbey. The officer raised his lamp, looking all around him, but the lamp only lighted walls without ogress, and Sartilly could not lestrain a cry of despair, for the cave was empty. "A thousand thunders!" exclaimod the Captain; "we havo come too late; the birds have flown S" " But Avhere have they flown to?" murmured the officer; "they could not have passed through the walls." | " Ah, they went out the same way they came in, and are hid on the island; and while we have been marching in this hole like national guards on patrol, these fellows have escaped."

"It is still possible that they are on the shore, and we may yet overtake them," said the officer. Sartilly suffered such anguish that he was not able to speak, but he pressed tho Captain's arm, showing him at the bottom of the wall two bronze hooks in the rock, to which were still fastened the iron- work of a cheat that had been recently torn away. It was impossible to hope longer, as no illusion could resist this evident testimony, and the dearest hopes of Sartilly crumbled away uuder this fearful blow. At the sight of his friend's poignant grief Chateaubrun did not speak, but gradually drew him away from the fatal cave that had contained Roger's fortune ; and he let himself be led mechanically. The persevering customhouse officer had not, however, lost all hope of overtaking the Jersey smugglers ; his first thought, on coming out of the cave, was to climb up the highest point of the island to try and discover the fugitives ; Sartilly and the Captain following him, without knowing exactly what they wero going after, and, above all, without having the least faith in the success of this last search. The scene had changed again— a thick fog, enveloping Mont Saint Michol from the baso to the summit, Beamed to be advancing slowly toward Tombelaine, the weather still being clear in the offing, where the barque could be distinctly seen in the same place. Tho sea had begun to rise ; already the uncovered strand had sensibly diminished, and the fishermen were all directing their steps to the shore, as the seagulls come back to the coaBt when the tompest approaches. " It is time to lea"O, gentlemen," said the soldior ; " the tido is rising, the fog descending ; it will not be pleasant here two hours from this ;" and, while fastening his trap on his gun, tho honest soldier cast a look at the shore. Suddenly, Sartilly, who was obsorving - him, put his hand quickly above his eyes, as if to shade them, and almost as soon showing evident signs of astonishmont — at length crying out whilo extending his arm toward tho sea : "I see them !" "Where are they?" asked Sartilly and the Captain at the same time. "There, before us, about five hundred paces from here, directly across tho channel.' And, indeed, two men could be seen very distinctly on tho sandy beach, walking toward the sea. "Bah! they aro fishermen," said Chateaubrun. "Fishermen ! You would not find one of them who would risk his life this side of Tornbolaine when the tide is beginning to rise. No, no ! they aro our smugglers, and aro going directly to the barque waiting for them. Look !" And, indeed, the mysterious barque, manoeuvring to approach, had raised her anchor, and, pushed along gently, by the first impulse of the tide, was visibly advancing. ' Ah, they have been more cunning than we," said the officer ; " hiding behind the rocks, when they saw us coming on the island ; they havo been making their way while wo havu beon amusing ourselves in tho cave, and now we must have wings like sea-gulls to overtake them." While the soldier was speaking, Chateaubrun had taken his eye-glass and was looking attentively at the runaways. "Oh, I can rocognise them without a glass," said the oilicor. "There is a tall ono with a stick in his hand, and the little one is carrying something on his back." "The casket!" cried the Captain, in a voico of thunder. "I recognise them also, and want to catch them, and send them to the galleys ;" and, at tho risk of breaking his neck, he ran down the steep declivity to the beach. "But it is a folly !" ropeated the officer, tumbling down after them. •' We cannot overtake them, and the sea will gain upon us." TheParisians did not turn their heads, but began running along the sand as swiftly as they could, and the soldier, who knew the danger they were exposing themselves to, raised his arms to heaven, exhausting himself in despairing appeals. " Thoy do not hear ; it is vain to cry out, as tho wind comes from the other eide. I can't stop," he said, in a low voico. Tho fog was advancing slowly over the beach, and at the horison the grey lines of the sea and sky wero blended together. "Ah well," said tho honest fellow, "no one shall say I deserted them. So much the worse, if we all three die together," and he began running in his turn, soon overtaking the imprudent travellers, loss accustomed than he to pass over the wet sand; and when he reached them, the Captain was boginning to swear at the soft mud, in which his feet sank at every step he took. "This way, this way," cried the officor ; " pass over the places whoro tho sand is in lines, and avoid hollows." " It isa goodthingto know," said Chateaubrun, who 'had kept his presenco of mind, and who followed immediately the instructions of the soldier. Sartilly was walking ahead, concerning himself very little as to the choice of his path, until at length his friend had to seize him by tho collar to remind him that prudence was necessary. The mad race that the friends ran had not been altogether useless, having diminished the distance between them and the fugitives, as thoy now could distinguish very plainly the forms of two men running, their desire boing no doubt to reach the boat ; and they were on tho pointof succeeding, beingscarcely fifty paces from it, only having to go in ' the water as high as the waist to reach it. Thoy must have known they were pursued, as thoy turnorl round frequently ; and the elder one seemed to bo exciting his comj panioii to greater efforts, both by voice and 5 gesture ; the latter, who seemed weighed down by a rather large box, walking much 1 slower, the o^der often stopping to wait for 1 him. "Ah ! wretches," cried the Captain. "I am going to pay you up at one blow for all you have made us suffor this month past." 3 Sartilly, seizing the officer's gun, took aim at the fugitivos, in spite of all the * efforts of the soldier, who considered it a 3 rather violent proceeding, even against •> smugglers. Chateaubrun, on the contrary, B entirely approved of this way of settling f tho affair. j " Aim at De Noreff," he cried, in a loud voice. "I promise you to lay my hand . upon your groom and tho caskot." - At the moment that the Viscount was go- { ing to touch the trigger, a fearful cry of distress was heard from tho beach, while 1 the officer seized tho Viscount's arm, say1 ing in an agitated voico ; "It is useless j he I must die !" e At scarcely twenty paces from them, the taller of the two who were oscaping stopped e suddenly as if nailed to the place by an e invisible forco. They saw him moving, extending his arms as if trying to support .. himself with his stick, but ho did not go e forward, and his tall form seemed to be diminishing gradually. Stupofied at this y singular phenomenon, the two friends j| looked at tho soldier, who murmured these u sinister words: "A quicksaud ! He is n lost!" {To be Continued.)