Nobelist TIE & TRICK,

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2417, 7 January 1888, Page 1 (Supplement)

Nobelist TIE & TRICK,

BY HAWLEY SMART, Author of "Breezie Lancton, "Broken Bonds," "Sociai. Sinners," " Tue Giieat Tontine, 'At Fault," &c., &c.

CHAPTER XLV. A RACE HILLS. PATROCBHt lounged on the quay watching the police agent till he was out of si»ht " There i 3 no doubt about it, he muttered. "I was perfectly right That man is a myrmidon of the police. At whose insignation are they seeking lor my whereabouts? Surely, they will hardly be so mad as to take active measures against me while I hold these prisoners in my hand. It can only be at the promptings of one of these fat-headed islanders themselves. My own countrymen would never make such mistakes, much less-and his lip curled at the thought—with Pati'oceni. If I ve done nothing else, in all these years, I think X have taught the authorities to understand that I am a man of my word, ancl little given to flinch from the exertion of any threats that I may utter. No ; pressure of some kind must have been put ' lU pon them, or they would never proceed ,in this way. Matteo is a great loss. He ■would have ferreted out the rights of this for me before the week was out. I suppose, though it is to be accounted for in only one way, that triple-dyed scoundrel, to whom apparently, in sheer perverseness, these unfortunates would entrust the arranging of their ransom, is playing fast and loose with everyone. "What madness possessed Wheldrake to v"-<vn<se places with him 1 If there was a "V Whins who ought to have known of leaving a delicate affair like th?"® Ha -ramertoa's hands, it was Whelthis tc there was a man who had dr^!; rl vTittef wrong from Hammerton suffered bitter t- w r CO VTnb cot? Why did L. take the faterf those he Joved out of his own V. uinft it over to a man like SMiS- Wheldrake, in a "moment of infatuation, has thought proper to interfere with the conducting of my affairs. He is likely to pay for t -with his life. I can only say that his Wood, and that of his friends be upon his own head. I will go back not one into from what I have said ; in the meantime the sooner I am off to the mountains the better. I can do no good here, and if the police try to beat up my lan, much the worse for my ptisoners. Pleasant reflections these for Z good many people could they have knojvn them, but the Count was not g.yen to make confidants, and that night lie vanished silently from the city and took his way back to the woods above Ainalfi. Police-agent Leroux was not a little puzzled by the non-appearance next mornin" of his acquaintance of the Soul day He had made every pre paration for his reception, had given orders that he should at once be admitted to his own room, as soon as the Bcrap of paper he had given him should lse produced. But that money-see ing peasant never turned up, and as Say wore on a doubt stole over Leroux. mind as to whether that peasant had been quite so innocent as he seemed to be. Truo, he thought, a Btupid fellow like that might have fallen into bad himds■might bo lying drugged and half-stiippec -ia some of tho lower parts of the city,

All this was very probable • but for all that Leroux could not got over an uneasy feeling that for tho first time ho had come 'in contact with a spy of tho famous bandit chief, who had guessed what ho himself was. As ho thought over their conversation, while rowing about, on the B:iy, he was conscious that he had displayed ovor-oitgerncss to bo in possession of Patroceni's exact whereabouts*. But surely that stupid peasant could have had no deeper design than he professed— to wit, to dispose of such information as ho possessed about the haunts of the brigand to the best advantage. Doubtless" when tested, whether what ho did know was matter of much importance still in the rather tortuous game that Leroux was playing, ho knew that ho could not afford to neglent tho slightest chance that presented itself. He bore in mind, too, that ho was playing against a very clover and very crafty antagonist, one famous for stratagems, who had passed his life in ouo incessant struggle with thoso of authority. And again, Leroux wished that simple countryman would make his appearanco and disburthon himself of what he had to tell. If Patroceni should come to suspect that tho Neapolitan police were really taking active measures against him, then Leroux knew from his colleagues in tho bureau that it would bo in accordance with all tho traditions of Italian brigandage to put his captives to death. Tho police agent might well foel a little grave over the stato of tho case. Ho knew well what a mistake of that kind meant, as far as he was concerned—dismissal from his appointment would probably bo supplemented by an indefinite term" of years at the galleys—till such period, in all likelihood, as his offending had died out of men's minds—and as by that his very existence would have proprobably died out of tho memory of the ruling powers, that might possibly be his destiny for life. The more ho thought it over, the more police-agent Lereux felt confirmed in his opinion that thero was no timo to lose, that it behoved him to strike quickly,

His scouts should leave Naples that night, and feel their way leisurely forward towards the woods above Amalfi. That a guide to the brigand's camp would simplify matters was without doubt. But this innocent peasant had not re-appeared, and Giovanni had not as yet been aroused to that sense of his wrongs, which woulu induce him to betray his chief. No ; ho had arrived at a fair idea of tho locale in which tho bandits were oncatnped; the exact spot he must trust his scouts to discover. The great thing he had to impress upon thorn at first, was caution. Let them not be precipitate ; be in no hurry to discover the stronghold of Patroconi and his men, but saunter nlong leisurely as if they had no definite aim, time enough for them to push on in earnest when they heard that Leroux with the main body was close behind them in support.

Such were the peremptory orders that the police agent gavo to his subordinates. He had thought the wholo campaign out as carefully as a Marlborough. might have dono, and was conducting it on a miniature scale with as much energy and ability. Ho had sounded the advance, and his trail/curs were already creeping steadily forward. Like many another great commander Leroux waited for some final information, and that he trusted to obtain at mid-day from Giovanni at tho " Golden Busb." No sooner had he given up all hope of the ro-appoaranco of that opon-hoarted countryman, with his secret iufortnationfor sale, than ho had promptly issued his orders. All he awaited now, was to hear that the last hamper of wine had been duly received in the camp. He could not move too quickly after that. Patroceni's followers wore thirsty soul?, and little likely to keep wine flasks uncorked. Let Pietro and his friends only appreciate this hamper to the extent they bad done tho previous ones, and, according to Loroux's calculations, two-thirds of Fati-oceni's followers would be lion de eombat. Every bottle of that wine was dragged, and not a man who partook deeply of It was liM'j to recover his senses J or many hoars. It must not bo supposed that Leroux's men had not received their orders before tins Some of his advanced scouts were already on tho other side of Pompeii, and tho main body of gendarmerie had already for some days been stationed at that place, with tho avowed object of protecting the road to Amalfi from brigandage. Ostentatious patrolling had constantly taken place for the purpose of throwing dust iu Patroceni's eyes. And so hr it hnd succeeded. The Count had no idea that the Napolitan police really contemplated beating up his quarters. He looked upon this as a mere flourish of trumpets, for the benefit of the, public. A protest from the Government they have intended to tamp out brigandage with a strong hand. A hint to himself that there must be no more kidnapping of wealthy Englishmen, at all events, in the neighbourhood of Naples, for some time. Shrewd as he was, it had never occurred to Patroceni that the presence of all these gendarmes in Pompeii was anything more than demonstration. He had a right to think so He had much experience ot the putting down of brigandage by the Bourbon, and knew that the leader of the party was ever to be bought if the transgressors deemed it worth their while. As a rule it was not; it was something like shirking a master in a big public school. The gendarmerie no more wanted to see the brigands than the master does the transgressing schoolboy. . Leroux discovered Giovanni on his accustomed seat at the "Golden bush and speedily ascertained from that worthy that the wine had safely reached its destination. . "The dogs; they are longing for a bout of it. I wish I was with them, but his Excellcncey is away, and Signor Sarina, who holds command there now is a stern disciplinarian. Santo Uiavolo, there would he much desertion from the band if Sarini were chief." " You seem to know these followers ot Count Patroceni pretty well," said Leroux, laughing. "Ha! ha! my little man, we dwellers on the 'country side are not scared at people of this sort as you city lellows a *" No" rejoined Leroux, contemptuously, "we arc scared at them, and yet I don't suppose there's a man in the city who had been visited with such cruel punishment as you. I mean as you des-cribe,-for such a trivial ottcuce who would not have bided his time, and ere long flown like a wild cat at his adversary's throat." " Its all very well," growled the bandit, " but you don't know his Excellency." "No, Signor. I am an old man, and am scarce likely to make his acquaintance but if he had treated me as he treated you-I mean your Mend.-I don't think the length and breadth of Italy would have kept us apart. Giovanni said nothing, _ but gulped down another bumper of wine. "No," he said at length, doggedly, I will not turn against his Excellency. _ " Smnor G'ovanni," aaid Leroux, nsin« " I regret that I must leave you ; it is possible you will not see me again for two or three days, for business calls me in the direction of Amain. Why should I disguise it from you my inencl: I have to play a very subordinate part in the arrangements that has been made for the release of these Englishmen. II is possible I may even see his Excellency,

Count Piitroccni, even speak to this man, at whoso frown you tremble. doubt his impressing mo to that extent." And Lcroux's lip curled as ho shook hands with tho brieand. Giovanni slowly finished his wine while he pondered over Lcroux's last remark. For oucu tho Police agent had over-reached himself. He had sought to stiii" Giovanni into revenging his injuries, but he had gone a little too far, when he said that he was going towards Amalli to meet the Count about that matter of the ransom. It began to dawn upon the bandit's slow intelligence that lie had perhaps been indiscreet in talkin" so freely before a stranger. He recollected what mischief his tongue had led him into that day when he was told to watch tho Englishmen. Surely he could have said nothing that could by any possibility bring harm to his comrades. That the Count and his followers were in the hills above Anialfi was no news to anyone. He had doggedly refused to take part against him, but, ah ! there were those letters. He did not know what might come to them. Fool that ho had been to take this Signor Stein's gold ; and yet there could hardly be harm in a letter, and the gold was bright red gold, and lie loved gold, or rather what gold could give him. Still, he felt uneasy in his mind, and suddenly resolved that he would make his way back to the camp, and, at all events, give notice that tho people were coming with the ransom for tho prisoners. It still in no wise dawned upon his mind that the affable old gentleman who had entertained him so hospitably almost daily was connected with the police. It was a vague feeling of uneasiness that impelled him to hurry back to the hills and give his comrades warning, though what he was to warn them_ against was by no means very clear to him. The bandit rose from his chair, and leaving the " Golden Bush" made Jus way rapidly back to his lodgings in La Vicaria. His preparations for the journey were soon made, and before the sun dropped he was on his way. Three men, speeding rapidly towards that camp on the plateau, and each in ignorance of the others' movements. Patroceni scouring back to his lair amidst the woods to warn his men to be on the alert, and with ominous thoughts concerning some _ of those captives in his keeping. Policeagent Leronx has the like goal in view, bent on pushing on there with all possible speed, and the myrmidons of the law at his back ; and there again is thick-headed, drunken, hindering Giovanni, dimly conscious of danger, pressing forward to warn all his comrades of undefined perils.