Show ophy of cravonia Kr avonia ua by ANTHONY HOPE author of the copyright 25 anthony hope I 1 alln aw ln ich Ch capler X P 41 aw 14 chirone Th irone N the end they thirty strong IX including sophy herself th very vere the tle three englishmen dan stanbury basil williamson henry brown servant nn all old soldier a rider and shot the real were sturdy young men of Vol nl once destined for tho the ranks of 0 the prince of or Sla Slav vitas nr tillery lukovitch and peter massip led them not n married man was as among them for to lili intense indignation was left behind la in command of the city sophy would have this eo so and nothing would more her tier she would not risk rink causing ciarlo 7 er kovitch to weep more and to harbor freab fresh fears of her bo ho they rode roae without incur brances aa said laughing ills spirit rose inexpressibly as tho the moment of action carue their horses were all that could be mustered in valsent of a mettle equal to the dash tho the little band paraded d in tho the market place on friday after noon there A they joined by sophy who had been to pay a last visit to gme she came among them end sad yet reen deeming ittig more moro serene iler spirit was the happier for striking a blow in pairs name too the reel rest of them were tn in bleu high feather the tho prospect of the expedition went far to blot out the tragedy of the past and to vell the threatening face of the future As duels dusk fell they rode out of the city kate gate lies twenty miles up the coune course of the river from slavna but tho the river fl flaw T w jabero here nearly I 1 m north to so south turning frig to abd eat only four or tire miles above the capital you ride then from to al moat most in n straight line leaving slavna away on the left it Is 13 a 4 distance c no more then thirty avo miles or there but the first ten consist of a precipitous and rugged descent by a bridle path from thi hills bills to the vall valley ey of the krath no pace beloid a walk was possible at any point here and for the greater part of tho the way it wa an necessary to lead tho the horses when once the plain was reached there was good going sometimes over country ada sometimes over grass to ml kloma it was plain that the n could easily be intercepted by a force imbuing from front slavna and placing itself astride the route but then they did cot expect a force to bauo from slavna that would lo 10 done only by tho the orders of general Ste noses and lepare had gono gone baik to slavna to tell tho the general that his ills message was ran wing considered very carefully considered dered in lil general Steno if they understood him rightly not cot move till he heard wore I for or the rest risks must be nin run if all went lent well they hoped to reach MILle before dawn on oil saturday there they ther were to he ile in wait for Staf nib and for the big guns which were nere coming don doun the krath urath from kolokol to blavka 1 Lu Lovitch was the guide and bad had lo 10 lack of aurnel tounsel our nel from front lads who knew CH rie hills as well a 4 their sweethearts fates he ile rode first and while they were on an the bridle path they followed fol loved la ju their horses or leading them and Don Dun stanbury rode behind wab basil williamson and clerry brown just in front of them in advance some hundreds of yarda peter vassie acted as scout comini coming back from timo time to time to advise lukovitch thit that the way was uns clear the eight night fell fine anti fresh but it was ery dark that did not matter the men of vol volena tent nl were like cats for seeing in the dark the first arst ten tell miles passed slowly arid and but without or mishap they halted on the edge of the plain nn an hour before midnight and took rest nd food mi each man walt carried provision for r two days behind them now ae rus the strep bills hills whence they had come before them att stretched etched the wide plain enny on their left was slavna kint ahead the goal of thir their pilgrimage lukovitch moved about seeing that every man gave heed to his boreo and had his equipment and his weapons in rood order then came ce thi word to remount aid between 12 anu 1 with a cheer hastily suppressed tesseL the troop set forth a a good trot over tho the level ground now ow williamson and henry brown felt fell to ahe ho nar rear n ar with three or four flans i t b h any chane e or accident 1st should loo of be cut off from the cain main udy badir twitch lul and reter peter vasela rode together al the hc d to S fl t bip bt by through the spreading pla pin n vias won darful a thins thing guili sufficient clent in itself with oct out regard to its object or ita its issue he ile had seen some service and anti there the joy of tint th it lie ile had known the comradeship of a bold en ter prise there was the exaltation of that lie ile had taken great risk risks before there was the excitement of that the night had ere now called him hint to the saddle and it called now nith ull all its it fascination ilia ills bood tingled and burned with alt all these things hut but there aa more beside him nil all the way was the figure of sophy dim in the darkness and the dim silhouette of her face dim yet as it seemed hardly blurred its stood out even in the me night she engrossed his thoughts though ti and spurred his speculations what mat thoughts dwelt in ili her did she ride to death and was it a death blie he herself courted if so ho ile was sarn in his tits soul to thwart her even to his own death she was not food tor tv death leath his tits soul cried passionately against that losa loss that impoverishment of the world why had they lit her come she was not a woman of whom that could be asked therefore it was that his mind so bung hung on her with an attract attraction lon a fascination nn sin overbearing curiosity the men of volvent seemed to think it natural that jibe should come they knew her then better than he did save for the exchange of a few words now and then about the road they had not talked he ile bad had respected her silence but she poke spoke now and to his great grett pleasure lesa less sadly than he had bad expected her tinb was light and witnessed to a whimsical enjoyment which not even memory could quench this Is my first war lord dun stanby iry ehe aid said the first timo ise the odd field la in person at the head of my benr men yes your first campaign slay may it be clor loust I 1 he ho answered suiting his tone to ben hers my first and my last I 1 suppose well I 1 could hardly hare have looked to have even one in those old days you know of could 12 I 1 frankly Frunk ly I 1 never expected to hold my commission as an army officer from TAU Is mu iny first aar lord dunstan bury the she sald lid you bo he laughed As it la Is im itu breaking all ill laws la the world I 1 suppose perhaps never hear of it in En england glaud though where there are no laws left you can break none she said aid there are none left in cravonia Kr avonia now theres but one crime to be weak and but one penalty death neither the crime nor the penalty fop for us 11 tonight he cried gayly queen star shines can call you see it she asked touch ing her cheek a moment no I 1 cant bo he laughed 1 I forget I 1 spoke metaphorically when people speak of mr star I 1 always think of this so my star s hines yes I 1 think so shines brightly before it sets I 1 wonder if siar star too will have a n sot act tins oon soon a stormy setting I 1 all inell were not helping to airale it more tranquil eald sold Dun stanbury he ile saw her tuni turn her head and shar ily toward him she spoke and low im seel chir a mans life in this ex she be said its his hl or mine before N no e part 1 I 1 dont blame you for that ob oh no the reply sounded almost contemptuous at least it showed pin plain I 1 n ly that her conscience vas not troubled and he lie wont alimo til ime rne either 11 hen I 1 P wes ee me uell bell know what it means and in fact fa I 1 to help bo SO do we nil all I 1 mini atnas it atvas oath in Vol nl 11 seq ro va aw red they duink will alef sicto li tho the better for it but I 1 know well tat chat nothing troubles steep and im so selfish hint chat I 1 wish ho lie could be troubled yes ye troubled about mo me that he could bo be riding 11 in the spirit with us tonight tong ht hoping for our victory yet cry iery anxious very noxious about me that I 1 co id ld still bring 1 him joy and borrow sorrow grief and dellget I 1 cant desire that cur should steep so veil yell binder under 0 him his own foila foll of they arent jealous of his sleep not oc of the peace of death but im verr very 1 us of it IL im to aim him now just as n all the rest an too tra it i 1 nothing to now IN ho knots sv win who can know mild mald softly III attempted consolation lilia ili luick ok ing of the old pera latent hope the ta ins ing doubt did not reach he hei heart I 1 in n her great love 0 of life the best she could ask of the tomb wa a little memory there so eho she had told mon elg neur such sins the thought in her heart tonight she was jealous and forlorn because of tho the silent darkness dark nesa which bad wrapped her lover from her eight and no so eloped nv him lie ile could not even ride with her in the spirit on oil the when ebe she went forth fuith to avenge the death ete she mourned the night broke toward clawn dawn tho tb horizon grew gray lukovitch drew in III nil his rein and the party fell to a gentle their journey waa was almost done presently they halted tor for a few min itei ut while lukovitch and peter massip held a consultation alen they jogged on again la im the samo same order save that now sophy and Dun stanbury rode with lukovitch at the head bead of the party in another half halt hour the heavens lightening yet more they could discern the double row of jow trees which marked at irregular intervale intervals the course of the river across the plain at the same moment ment a row a squat buildings rose in murky white between them and the river bank lukovitch pointed to it with his hand there ve e are madame be eald said the farmhouse at the right end and anti the barn nt at the left within a hundred yards of the lock theres our shelter till the colonel comes what of the farmer farmerr asked dun stanbury we shall catch him in his bed ill M and his wife eald said lukovitch theres only the pr of them they keep the lock and hae a it few acres of pasture land to eke out their living give ua us no trouble it they do wo we can lock them in and turn tum the key then we can lie ile quiet in the barn bam with a bit of close p packing poking oking take us all peter massip and I 1 will be lock keepers if anything comes by we know tho the work eh peter reter aye captain and the tain man peters his name too by the way muss mur give us something to hide our sheepskins sophy turned to Dunat shar was sa smiling illing bow it sounds very simple it I 1 she asked then wo we watch our chance for a dash when the colonels off his guard dukovitch Tu kovitch went on but if it he wont oblige us in that way arkid Dun stanbury with a laugh then he shall have the reward of his virtue in a better fight for the guna gung said lukovitch now lads listen im going forward with peter massip hero here and four more well secure the man and his wife there be a servant lid arl on the premises too perhaps when you hear bear my whistle the rest of you will follow take command my lord lie ile turned to sophy madame will you come with will roe me or stay here follow with lord Dun stanbury aba said we ought nil all to be in the barn before its light Sure surely lyl A barge might come up or down the river you see and it bian t do for the nien men on board to see any badr but massip and me who are tire to be th the e lock keepers lie ile and peter vast hasip rode off with their pirty of four and the rest waited in a field a couple of hundred yards from the bare A dip in the ground afforded fill cover som some of the meu in to jut Dun stanbury topped stopped them its just that one never knows he be said and its better to be on your horop abah off it in cise any trouble doca does come you know there to be much trouble with the loci lock keeper and his wife or even with the ervant servant kirt said 11 basil Willi 1111 antRon girls cin c in make a ditre difference rence sometimes sophy said with it smile 11 1 I did ace boce in the street of the fountain over in ili slavna there dunst precaution was amply justified Justl fied for to their astonishment the next instant a eliot shot rang through the air and find the moment after a loud cry A ridelle Rs s horse home galloped mildly wildly pait past them the sheepskin rug across the addle marked marled it as belonging to a vo lan by n haie hao they got there bc forc x wred Dun stanbury 11 aej we wo shant have to wilt 1 eald paid sophy hut but they did wait walt there a it moment aben canio came a confuted confused noise froal from the long 1 low barn then a clatter of hoof hoots and was with them again but ili com comrades were four our men now not live silence keep cover emer ho he panted bre Staf nitz 1 here rady al at least lea at there are men man in ili the th birn b irn and horses tethered and the barges are on the river just above the lock the saw us lie ile challenged anil and fired and one no of ua dropped it must bo be Stif nitz it was general Ste novica had failed to allow for the tb respect which his colleague entertained for bis his if Sten novica expected him back at blahn i with hi his guns as on the sunday Staf nitz was quite clear mat he had better arrive on oil saturday to this en tic had strained every nerve tre strain str ain was with him hint flowing strong tot at the wind was contrary his ills barges had not made very good progress he ile had pressed the horses of his company into service on the towing path sti kovics bad had not thou bt ht of that ills rest at ilavska bad had been only long enough tu aa ire his men and beast beasts nn an hours re rest und and food and drink 10 lo his pride and exultation he bad had reached the lock at at nightfall on oil friday almost exactly at the hour when expedition bet set out on ita its ride to intercept him men and horses might be weary now could afford to be to that he could give them a I 1 good rest and bet ct starting at A clatter cla of hoof hoofs and 7 the he next mom Luka lukavitch Litch was bilth ing be ig in slav them again ita th them and the guns in the course of the afternoon there might be nothing wrong of course but it was no barm to forestall any lose and clever calculation of the generals the s gitry whispered dunstan bury 1 I had to cut him down shall wo we be at them ray my lord no not yet theire in the barn arent they yes dont you bear them listena the door opened shall we charge 1 no I no not yet retreat inside and it would be tho devil then have the pull of us walt wait r them to come out they must send to look for the sentry tell the men to lean right down in their saddles close down closel closet then the ground covers us and now silence till I 1 give the word I 1 silence fell again for a few momento they were waiting walting for a movement from Staf nitza men la in tho the barn only Dun stanbury bareheaded risked a look over the hillock which protected them from view A A single man had come out of the barn and was looking about him for tho sentry iho had alred ile seemed to suspect no other presence Staf nitz must have been caught in a sound nap this time the eel cher found bis his roan man and dropped on his knees by him for a moment then he rose and ran hurriedly toward the barn bam crying colonel colonel bowl whispered impetuous luko miteb but Dun stanbury pressed him down again saying not yot yet not yet sophy laid hr hor hand band on his arm half of us to the barges 11 she said in their eagerness for the fight lukovitch and had forgotten the main object of it but the tho guns were what monseigneur would have |