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Show I SILVER I A Rinsii-eB I &l If Pinw&imlkinidl H chapter- in. I nrxTH lu"1 "ot cono flfty 'nni3 H yy when n score of men, slnil- I jTJnc '"rly nccutered to my com- H IftB-Wl pnnlons, rushed upon us. Tho B strugglo wns Hliort niul sharp, r was I unable to make nny Id ml of resistance nnd wan dragged from ray horso and my hands tied securely behind me. O'ltyun nnd his men fought despornto-ly, despornto-ly, nnd for n few minutes tho clash of steel woke tho echoes of tho wood. Hut number? told. O'llyan was knocked knock-ed out of his saddle nnd was bound as I wan, nnd llirco ot his meu were also taken prisoners Six men lay deail, two of ours and four of tho ono-my. ono-my. bearing terrible witness to tho fact that tho light had been no child's play- It was my Urst experience of medieval warfare, but It was not destined des-tined to bo my list. "With luck may get to heaven." O'llyan whispered lo me, "but I don't think we'll ever get to Vndasara. Prisoners of war get badly handled. We'd be belter off lying with those poor devils yonder." Surrounded on every side by mountains, moun-tains, twilight is of shott duration In Dnissculand. It was dark-long before wo enmo to our Journey's end, nnd In spite of O'ltynn's gloomy forebodings 1 was not sorry to reach tho rebel hendquarters. The rebel rump, willed was set around a good shed loun, called Meern. 1 learned later, lay between two spurs of the hills, and wo came upon It suddenly, O'ltyau and I wero taken Into a barrack yard full of armed arm-ed men and after our hands had been untied wero locked lu a dungeon. We ,wero lu absolute darkiics and for some moments stood quite still and wero silent.. Then O'ltyan growled out a long stilng of onllix, which must hnvo given him considerable trouble to collect, and ended by consigning himself to perdition for leaving his flask In his snddlebtig. A flood of daylight pouting Into the ,. darkness through the open doorway jm nwoko me and almost blinded me loo. ' 1 rosu to my feet, but tho two soldiers who entered had not como for inc. They shook O'ltynn, who, after n few sleepy grunts, stood up. ory wide awake ludecd. "Wnnted so soon'" lie said. One of tho soldiers answered In thu nfllrmntlve. "Good! Far better than long waiting." wait-ing." bo said, and ho shook hands with mo. Tho next moment bo was gone. Tho door closed and was locked again, and I wns alone, Perhups an hour elapsed beforo tho door opened again. A boI-dlcr boI-dlcr entered and placed on tho iloor eoiuo food and a tlagou of wlue. I thanked him, aud ho saluted me. Ho waited until I had eaten somo ot tho food and drunk tho wlno, with what relish I leave to the Imagination, and then requested mo to follow him. Outside Out-side n small giimd received me, aud I was takeu across tho barrack yard, which was full of llfo and business, to u building on tho opposlto side. It must liavo been about noon when a body of warriors moro Imposing than any I had et seen marched Into the yard. Tho otllcer ennio to me. "The iiilneess holds council, and I am commanded to bring you beforo her," be sold. I Inclined my head. My Journey to the council Intll was through tho streets, and many people. chiefly women and old men. had gathered gath-ered to sco mo pass. We turned Into a courtyard sui rounded on thieo sides by massive tt mo bulldlugs and. marching straight across, hulled for a moment before gates which opened Into a great hall. At each end of the building was a huge t oiiiid window, lull the lighting was J ii tilth lent, and the place "lis gloonn The Iloor was of stone Hugs, worn n rood deal, and Indeed Iho whole - M e looked old I know Utile I of ai'chltiM'luie. but although the stylo was (oiiimou In l)iiissiiihiiid I have oen nolhlig like it elsewhere. Seated In tho cooler of the hall on a platfotm was a woman siinoiinded by knights who wero clad In steel a goodly sight to look upon, if s trance to bucIi eyes ns mine. Just below tho platform on either side stood n dozen men In loose garments teaching from shoulder lo heol, tied at Iho waist with n whlto sash, the ends ot which fell to tho ground. Ench worn a w hlto, hkullcap. They wero all elderly men, and their hair and beards hnd been allowed to grow at will. To say that I he princess was the most beautiful woman my eyes hud ever rested upon Is hardly lo describe her. The whole of Princess Darin's world allowed Hut sho was Iho most beautiful of women, nnd tho women of Dnisseulnnd am beautiful Her warriors, from the highest k'nlght to tho humblest soldier, worshiped her and hail rworu obedlenco to him who should win her for himself My (111 Impression was that sho was (it to rule those who bowed beforo licr She looked qiiccul) and their mistress Seated In her elinlr of state, as I first saw her she looked a pilnccss sho looked what Nlie was the Idol of her , le, nnd "die lookul more a woman SiiGfHnF; Copyright, 1907, by R. F. Fcnno 6c Co. O -J n man could lore. Every eyo was turned toward me ns I advanced up the hall. Certnlnly never before hud I been such a center of attraction, I iiw O'ltjnn standing nt the foot of the platform between two soldier, but as I appio,ic-hrd Included In-cluded Ihelr lu'Ihmee nnd. rushing toward me, fell on Ids l.neo and UN cd my hand, whispering ns he did mi: "Admit everything It's our only chniK e." Evidently 1 li.nl to pl.i.i n p.ut of some sort. Thele was slli-iee for sumo moments is I stood nt Hie foot of the platform. The pi linens leaned forwald In her seat to study me closely, and I tried to look iiucnnvlous of the sensation sensa-tion I caused, lie hi the white lobe and the silver glidlo was the llrst lo speak. "Is It true what this man has told concerning you''" ho snld. pointing to O'llyan ".Sometimes men lie. What has ho told unicornlng mo?" t said. "That suddenly, while ho watched In the night, j oil came from tho mountains moun-tains quickly by a path unknown, which no man has -traveled." "It Is i rue." "Know j on aught of us In Drussen-In Drussen-In nd?" "1 know Hint war sings death among the hills" "Naught else?" "I know that Khryni looks down nnd la sorrowful, hldtug his neau with n cloud." "Tho great Khryiu shall bo appeased tomorrow," ho said. "Is It from Khryiu you have come?" IIo asked tho question slowly. "I havo snld that I came from the mountain. Has any man Mravctsed tho path I have traversed?" "And you havo come to help us?" "To all good." "Tell us your mission that we may know you." "From tho mountains hnvo I coino to help you against your enemies. He strong, nnd your princess shall sit upon up-on the throno In Tadasnra. Ho faithful, faith-ful, bo patient, and that which has bcon hidden for ages from your eyes shall once more sparkle In tho sunlight lu Drussenland." My allusion to tho treasure had an electilcal effect upon my audience. " "AUUtl' J.Y-1I11IU.NU. IIS 01 n okly CHANCE." Tho iiliuen tone to her feet, and tho steel tang mightily as oery sword leaped fioin Its scnbbnrd. The priests bowed low, nnd shout after shoiu mndo the tunssUu walls echo again. Only one mini seemed unmoved at my slatonieut he who stoud nt tho right hand of (lie pilnccss "Has the pi lest umo pioof Hint tho knight w mug iMiocied has oino''" 5f toe STAJH Bktpip "Tlie priests snail suiuy tieforo tdey speak certainly, Count Vnscn." I "Ileniomber," snld tho count, lrrl-tnted lrrl-tnted nt tho priest's quiet answer nnd pointing to O'ltjnn, "on tho word of n foreign dog we nro trusting." "Nny, count, on tlw word of tho knight himself." It wns tho princess who spoke. It wits the llrst time I hnd hoard her speak, and her voice thrilled mo. "Tho princess has Judged," nnswered tho count. "What, then, shnll bo dono to this foreign dog, who, knowing that this was the promised knight, sought lo carry him to our enemies lu Ynda-' Ynda-' snra?" A giowl of h-itred followed theso words, and I saw Hint It was lllcely to go hard with O'llyan. "Stayl" I cried, raising my nrm for silence. "Those who tight In n cnuse, faithful to Hint cause, are worthy of honor. These foreign dogs, valiant though they be. light often In Ignorance." "To that man owes many n knight his overthrow," snld tho count. "If ho has been mighty In n wrong cause more mighty shall ho bo In n right one. Ho has told the truth of mo nnd Is therefore snered to mo ond to my cause." "Then I hao not understood our laws," said Count Vnsca In a volco which rang clear nnd loud through the hnll. "Since tho days when the mountains moun-tains shut In our laud no foreign dog has como to us, who aro truo Drussen-landers. Drussen-landers. Our enemies hnvo called thcin In to slay us, but wo who inn truo people hale them even with n moro deadly hatred than those who, born lu the hind, bear arms ngalnst us In the pay of him who calls himself tho king. Have not the priests, speaking ns with the mouth of Khrym himself, commanded us to crush them as wo would reptiles under our feet? Hnvo the pilosis given us false counsel, or does this knight o'orstop his mission? AVould Khryiu speak In one way to the priests and after another manner to his messenger? Is It not strange, princess, prin-cess, that two couimiiiids concerning our enemies nro given us?" "Count Vnsca speaks most truly," I snld. "Hut man's Judgment Is bound by the things of today, and of tho morrow ho knows naught. Where man sees only an enemy today. Khrym may reeogiite one who shall toiuoriow bo Ills messenger. This foreign dog hm been so marked out. Had It not been given to him to know me might he not bine ;i ten led me Instead of wcl-I wcl-I coming mi'1 If In his Ignorance he wished lo lake mo to those whom he pcrved was he not fnlihfully fiillllllng his duty ns ho undeiKtood It? The priests IniM' well understood nnd hue rightly spoken the law, but of this man they lane not spoken." "He Is n foreign dog: It sveuoilgh," snld' the count, but no sound of approbation appro-bation followed. "I e.itne from tho mountains, mid to Iho mountains I ctiu letiirn," "The priests havo not yet consulted," ho snld. "Let them bewaie how they do so," I answered. "In their study lies tho fnto of niiisseulniul This man Is my nrmor bearer, my pngo and squire. Speak rrtucess. Judgo betwixt Count Vasca and me. As your knight I claim this man. sucred to mo nnd to my cause." "Princess" "Pardon, count," sho said, Interrupting Interrupt-ing him. "Sir Knight, the man is yours." "Study tonight," snld tho princess, turning to tho priests. "Tomorrow after sunset shall we hold audience, nnd you shall declare If this Is bo so long by you expected. Count, sco this knight and his servant ycll attended, then como to mo. I hnvo n word for you In private" For one moment tho princess looked at mo keenly mid then turned. A door nt tho back of the platform was thrown open, nnd, followed by n guard of soldiers, slid disappeared. Count Vasca ciiine to me. "I am commanded to seo you fittingly fitting-ly entci tallied," ho said, uud ho led tho wny through one of tho sldo doors, O'llyan and I following, u Binall guaid behind us, whether to honor us or to see Hint we did not oscnpo I do not know. Wo pnssed down several long corridors corri-dors nnd then mounted a flight of Btalrs. "Host hero until tomorrow," said tho count, ushering us Into a spacious apartmont. "I will sco that you nro served." In n short tlmo food wns brought us nnd wlno In llagous (To bo Continued.) |