For Love and Glory.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8172, 4 July 1906, Page 2

For Love and Glory.

By St- George Rathborne. Aulhor of i( Dr. Jack," " The Witch from India," " Captain Tom," J 'Mynheer Joe," i( Dr. Jack's Wife," etc., etc.

CHAPTER XXl.—Continued. He moved Lie arm—yes, grad. ually power was returning, aud given a little time, lie would be it a pOPltiou lo surprise these miserable cowards who dared not face him, but sneaked up behind bis back tc deliver their craven blow. \ Something about tbo anticipation thrillea him; the old feeling was rioting through his veins again, and he even began a systematic search foi the friendly weapon that had already served him so faithfully; with that in h»s band, he could surely laugh at fate and Godaigo Takanori. Radcilffe had had many a singulai . ride in vehicles as remarkable —as an Irish -jur.nting cart, and the sledge of the Esquimau drawn by reindeer or a musk ox, but, really, this capped the climax. It is not gicsn to every dbd to lido in his own fumial, apd lirn after the experience. Lively woman is responsible for many things that happen to mankind here below, and Armand was finding this out rapidly enough, Tho cart having jolted over the city stones, set a smoother pace when the country roads were reached, and as Radcliffe considered that he had been massaged quite enough, he, was, consequcutly,grateful for small favours, grudgingly betsowed. So far as he could make out under the difficulties that confronted him, neither of these worthies could heifnown to hire; they were doubtless hired for the occasion, since Manila has her bravos just as does Venice or Naples—floating derelicts, stranded occasionally in some port, and ready to use knife or pistol if the pay is tempting enough. That was bad; if he arose and wrought annihilation now, the effort would be shorn of half its flavour, since those who were the instigators of the dastardly affair could not be present to share the glory. Perhaps he had better wait, satisfjing his cariosity regarding the object they had in view, and stand reads at any moment to pnatoh out bis weapon, and open a broadside; perhaps he might even find a chance to carry oat his plans; you see, he never forget those papers; but these , ideas all fell to the ground when the cart suddenly came to a halt. CHAPTER XXII. A HUMAN TELEGBAPH KBYi It was vory apparent to Radcliffe that a crisis cf some sort had arrived, since the bull cart was brought 10 such a sadden stand. Where they were he had, not f tberemo'i-st idea, whether on the road to Wejo, heading for Malante, or what seemed more likely, since he had been captured rear the bay, it was Malabon toward which they beaded. Little it mattered to him, since he entertained not the slightest notion in the world of goisg there. Instinctively his first move was to thrust a hand in the direotion of the pocket that held bis best friend, and when he had drawn the revolver he felt equal to a host. Voices! Ha! then this was a rendezvous, this the spot where the real instigators of the aflair had agreed to meet their tools, this the intended scene of the petty triumph. • Armand realized that he waß, in all probability, in for a serious time, and that another glorious opportunity to Drove his mettle was about to open before him. He accordingly nerved himself for the ordeal, nor did he once wish himself safe back on the Plaza del Padre Moraza, or the Rozarie, in the heart of Manila. Sure enough, he heard a Spanish word of exceedingly k hot temperature, which be realized oame from that erratic knight of chivalry, Don Juan, who, unlike most men, did not confine his swearing to periods of anger, but blazed away at odd moments, like the popping of firecrackers in a Chinese city where devils constantly hover about, and have to be perpetually harried. Radcliffe smiled grimly. Somehow,- he really enjoyed the possibility of a little song and dance movement with Don Juan. Taken to task, he probably could not have explained the reason cf ♦ his,'bat. possibly it lay in the fact of the Spaniard being so very strikingly handsome, and. at one time a lover of Miss Therese, who might hare even given him a little encouragement. Godaigo was also present; his, soft silken voice made itself heard, and yet there was a power of persuasion in those mellow tones that pronounced him, like his ohefi, Aguinaldo, a born leader of men. Uadcliffe, still influenced by curiosity, lay quite still concealing bis weapon, though there was little need of this, since it was very nearly dark under the trees where • they had halted. He believed he could, in and emergency, spring up and oat of the cart, that his benumbed faculties had been restored, and he was no longer helpless. They oame round the cart. Some one struck a match, and he oould feel the eager eves that were instantly glued upon his face, it was a crucial test. And Armand stood it well, for when the match went put he heard his captors uttering exclamations of satisfaction; .no doabt.it pleased their hearts to see him lying there so helpless, so utterly in their power, as they believed. The datt'Went ori. Armaad;Clfausedi his ..position;, it. grew tiresome"and monotonous lying;,

there cramped so long, and accord- . ingly ne partially sat up, boing careful that in so doing he did not raise |. his head above the sides of the 3 clumsy, two wheeled bull cart, u As near as he could judge, one 8 man walked on .either side, and the i others wore distributed one at the 0 bullocks heads, the other possibly back yonder in the rear, Q It ocuured to Radcliffe that he had 3 gone far enough; if he took these d follows out too groat a distance r from the city, perhaps they would 7 ivgleet to to aboard the yacht, t and consequently might escape Mcb Arthur's dragnet when he set out to capture all those on tho Dleasure r boat - ~ ~ 3 Besides, his ounosity was really f not as powerful as he had believed; r or, at least, since he learned tho 3 identity of his enemies, it had bej gun to dwindle. No sooner bad this idea started ' to take bold upon his mind than he i set to work upon it. His only chance seemed to lie in 3 gradually slippiug his body from the end of the uart until he could 3 reach the ground with his feet; , then, as he pattered on, keeping time with the cart, he could watnh bis \ opportunity to -dfop . fat, and lie 3 like a stone in the road while the [ procession moved along. Radcliffe was not deficient in fAp- • lomacy, it appears, and yet in times 1 pflst he had never arijudged nim- | self as worthy of commendation . when it came to such matters. ) No man knows of what he may i be capable until his hour comes. Inch by inch, A rmand began to i push hia extremities over the tail j of the cart, and anyone who has r ever ridden in one of these remarkable PiliDino traps will agree ♦bat it was Dot the easiest task in i the world that ho had undertaken, i especially since it had to be done i face down, and always with the ex- • peotation of feeling violent hands laid upon his anatomy., A little persistence will accomplish many things that appear diffli cult upon their face, and the task Armand had laid out for himself was ! not the most serious of his life, to ; be sure. Presently he found his legs dangling from the rear the vehicle, and i then his feet toaohed Bolid ground. He was now pattering along, keeping time with the slow bat steady tramp of the bull between the shafts. Having gone thus far, our young friend made up his mind that he would not be persuaded to return again to his recent lodgings. Some people may particularly admire this sort of thing, and a ride in a Filipino ball cart appeals , strongly to their admiration for [ novelty, bat a little. experience soon wears the edge of this off, and they are ready to cry quits. ; That was the way Aimand felt. J He bad never hankered after suoh a ride, to begin with, and tne disj filiation had been actually thrust upon him without consulting his | . desires, so that the most exacting could hardly find fault with him , for wishing to make a change. ; Radcliffe was now in a peouliar '. position, trotting behind the cart, his body bent forward so as to re- | main hidden from those on either • side. ; The young man could not remem- [ ber doing suoh a trick since the days i of childhood, when it was boylike to run behind waggons and steal a ride. This was a more serious business; true, no whip might lash behind, i but desperate men were close at hand, and discovery would be apt to bring severe treatment, beside which the former would appear homeopathic, indeed. He must not delay too long. It seemed light ahead, and he oould readily imagine that the road debouched from tjhe leafy arcade it had followed thus far, and for a time , ran upon the open. Should they arrive at this point of departure without his having cut loose from bis anchorage, discovery must speedily ensue. He did not vrish to fight unlesß all other avenues of escape were cut off. There was the natural, disinclination to shed human blood, ana, besides, these fellowa were a quartet against his single arm, and few men, even heroes, care to eo up atzaiust such odd as if it can be avoided. ( He had his weapon ready for business, and all his senses were keenly on the alert. The light grew stronger ahead. Really, he oould no longer delay the break, much as he disliked severing his pleasant relations with his guard of honour, or never did a mandarin of old Pekin or Canton go forth with more especial fayours in the way of personal attention than he was receiving. So, stooping down lower and lower, he suddenly released connection, the bull car creaked on and left him in the road stranded. (Tc be continued.)