Show 9 44 Z jel 1 az ba aneus 0 anzy tile final rom from bl had deen made at eight by thle this time tile the small city was tilling filling with t tile the neighboring farmers and drovers cattle and their carts and vehicles ol of every kind nil all tending either tu to the plate du do blache or to the various taverns for refreshment lauzet lancet accompanied by had find ridden hick h ich to Al antes just before nine the hie diligence rattled over the cobblestones of that city and a halt was called at the posting ind it was part of the program to spend some hours in mantes bl antes where tile the extra men ol of the would be picked up op and only to ninke a fresh start when the of 0 evening were beginning to draw in it wn was not to be supposed that the english brigands brigande bri gands would launch their attack attach in broad daylight dai light and lie weather did not col look as if it were going to mend of course was there seeing to every arrangement will ills his friend lauzet close at his elbow lie ile had himself picked out the six si men of nf the gendarmerie gendar merie who were to ride in disguise inside the diligence he had inspected their disguises added an artistic or realistic touch here no and there before lie pronounced them to be good finally lie turned to the young jofh fit who was in command of the party now be said very earnestly to him you know just what you are going to do you realize the importance of the mission which I 1 Is heing heine In trusted to you the officer nodded in reply defily he was A young man an and ambitious the task which had been allotted to him had fired his enthusiasm indeed in ellipse days the capture ot of that elusive english spy known as the scarlet pimpernel was a goal for which every young officer of gendarmerie gendar merie merle was wont to strive not only because of the subi stant lal monetary reward tn in prospect ant because ol of the glory attached to the destruction of so bitter an enemy of revolutionary france 1 I will tell you citizen the young man said to Chauvel ln how bow I 1 have finally laid my plans and you shall tell me if you approve about a kilometer and a half balf before the road emerges out of the wood the ground rises gradually and there are one or two sharp bends in the rond road until it reaches the crest of the hill bill that part of the forest Is very lonely and at a point just before the ground begins to rise I 1 intend to push my mount on for a meter or two ahead of the men and pretend to examine the lead era of the team after a while I 1 will call halt half and make as if I 1 thought there was something wrong with the traces the driver Is such a lout I 1 that hat be and I 1 will embark on a long nr argument u as to what lie he should do to remedy the detect defect and in the course ol of the argument I 1 will contrive to slip a small piece ot of flint which I 1 have in my pocket under the hoot hoof of one ol of the coach horses I 1 you dont think one ot of your men will iee see you doing that and perhaps wonder oh I 1 can be careful it Is done in ID a moment then we shall get on the ro road d again and five fire minutes later that osame tame coach horse will be dead lame another halt tor for examination thil time near the crest of the hill the lout of a driver will never discover what la Is amiss I 1 shall make as it if tin the hurt was serious and set myself the tbt task of tending it it I 1 thought then subject to your approval of ordering the ahe troopers to dismount I 1 have pro tided them with good wine nod and certain special rations in their knap knapsacks sticks at A a word from me they will rest by tbt roadside seemingly heedless and un 1 concerned but really very wide awake and keen on the scent the diligence will the while be at a standstill with i i doors shut and curtains closely drawn but the six men whom we have stowed slowed inside the coach are keen on thea work well armed and like hungry wolves eager to get their teeth into the enemies of france they will III lit bt jon on the alert their hands on their pis tola ready to spring up ap and out of 0 the coach at the first sign of an attack now what think you of that setting el the young officer concluded for or luring the english spies into a bulit their methods are usually furtive but this time they will have to ineat us in a hand to hand combat and it if they tall fall into our trap I 1 know t that we can deal with therm them 1 I can but bot pronounce your plan adl miracle mirable citizen captain chauvell I 1 replied approvingly you have bare my best wishes for or your success to in the mean awhile walle citizen lauzet lanzet and I 1 will be anxiously waiting for news well make a start soon after you and strike the I 1 bridle path through the forest tills 4 4 if gives fives us a short cut which will bring J Us na to apone just in time to hear your neall ww if you mu bovo been attacked V 1 send me a courier thither as soon shon as you have the english spies securely bound and gagged inside your coach ill 1 ai not fall you yon citizen the young captain rejoined eagerly lauzet who had stood by anxious and silent whilst this colloquy was going on shrugged his shoulders with a show of philosophy and at worst he said it if that meddlesome scarlet pimpernel should think prudence the better part of valor if he be should scent a trap and carefully avoid it we would always have the satisfaction of sending the deneze family to the guillotine the english spies rejoined dryly will not scent a trap nor will they give up the attempt to rescue the deneze family this Is just a case to rouse their ire against it successful one to flatter their vanity and redound to their credit in their own country no he went on thoughtfully 1 I have no fear that the scarlet pimpernel wll wil evade us as this time ho he will attack I 1 know the only question Is when he does arp are we sufficiently prepared to defeat him with tile he halt dozen excellent men whom hoiu I 1 have picked up here in nantes mantes the young officer retorted 1 I shall have nine under my command and we are prepared tor for the attack it Is the english E n lish spies who will be surprised we nho ho will hold the advantage even as to numbers for the scarlet pimpernel can only work with two or three followers and we shall outnumber them three to one then good luck inch attend you citizen captain Chauvel ln said at the last you are in a fair way of rendering your country a signal service see sea that you let lct not fame and fortune evade you in the end remember that you yon will have to deal with one of the most astute as well as most daring adventurers of our times who ha harbat baffled men that were cleverer and at least ns ambitious as yourself stay the terrorist added and placed his thin tain claw like hand as if in warning on the other mans arm it Is impossible even for me who knows him as he Is and who has seen him blin in scores of disguises to give you any accurate description of his personality but one thing you can bear in mind Is that he la Is tall above the average tall even for an englishman and his height Is the one thing about him that he can not dot disguise so beware of every man who Is taller than yourself citizen captain however innocent chemay appear take the precaution to detain him film blis mistrust trust every tall man inan for one of them Is of a surety the scarlet pimpernel ile he finally reminded tile the young captain to send him a courier with the welcome news as soon as possible citizen lauzet and I 1 he concluded will ride by the bridle path and await you at apone I 1 shall be de anxiety until I 1 hear bear from yon the men were not nervous not at first they were merely excited I 1 knowing what awaited them both during the journey and afterward by way of reward it if they were successful there would be for every man en gag gagelin edIn ln the undertaking a sufficiency to provide for himself and his family tor for the rest of his life the capture of the scarlet Pim pimpernel pernell 1 aalf a dozen magic words in truth and they had bad spurred citizen captain raffet anil and his squad with boundless enthusiasm they felt no discomfort either from tearing wind or driving rain with eyes used fixed before them they rode on striving to pierce the mist alst laden distance where the enemy of france was wag even now lurking intent on that adventure which would be ills his last it was wag long past five when the diligence with its escort reached the edge or of the forest what little daylight there had bad been all afternoon was already beginning to wane the sky ehy was of a leaden color deavil heavily ly laden with rain clouds save way behind in the west where a few fiery crimson streaks cut through the clouds like sharp incisions there where the setting sun gun still lingered in the autumn sky the men now were keenly on the alert their eyes searching the di dim in light that glimmered through the forest to r trees their ears attuned to the slightest sound that rose above the patter r of their horses hoofs or the grinding of the coach wheels over the muddy road the forest between Me and apone Is four kilometers long ule the road which intersects it plunges down into the valley and then rises up again with two sharp bends to the crest of the hill after which within the space of two hundred yards the forest trees quickly become sparse and the open country lies iles spread out like a map w with ith on the right the ribbon of the seine sel ne wand id inz way was along to st SL germain and parti it was in the forest that the enemy would lurk out in the open he would find no cover and could be sighted i couple of kilometers all around and more it he attempted one of his fluda auda clous tricks the rhe light which bedaine more and more fitful as the sun annh lower in the west made observation difficult the thicket to right and let of the road looked like a dark im penetrable wall from behind which hop dozens of pairs of eyes were peering pearln ready to attack the men vibo were riding by the side of the coach felt queer sensations at if the ie roots root of their hair their hands moist and tot hot clung convulsively to the reins and tile the glances which they cast about them became furtive ind and laden with tear fear put nut those who were inside the dill gence find no superstitious terrors to contend with the aristos were bud died up or together in the far corner ol of the vehicle and the men hail had arend themselves out three a side as comfortably fort ably as they could A couple 01 0 bottles of excellent wine had bad been wel come supplement to their rations and put additional heart into them on onar of them had produced a pack of greasy wora cards from his pocket with to tn awu ll 11 HIP ie time X A 1 quarter a ri far of an hour later tile the captain in command called a halt the jolting vehicle came to a standstill with a jerk and there was much sern scrambling niblIng and creaking and jingling while the driver got down from mf hir seat to see what was amiss nothing much apparently for a minute or twi later the diligence was once more its way but only for a brief period soon there was an appreciable slack ening of speed then a halt more sh shouting and swearing creaking and ing the men inside marveled what was amiss it was as much as a their life was wa worth to put then thel heads out of the window or even to draw one of the tattered blinds to one side in order to peep but they quickly put cards card and wine away it II was better to be prepared for the word of command which might come now at any moment they strained their ears to listen and one by one a word or two a movement a sound lot told them what was was happening their comrades out side were ordered to dismount to take it easy to sit down by the roadside and rest it seems one of the draft horses had gone lame the men who were inside sighed with a longing tor for rest too a desire to stretch their cramped limbs but they did not murmur they were walting waiting tor for the word of command that would release them from their inactivity until then there was nothing to do but walt wait no doubt this halt by the roadside was just a part of the tha great scheme schema for or luring the english adventurers to the attack grimly nod and la in silence the six ii picked men inside the coach drew their pistols from their wallets saw that they were primed and in order then laid them across their knees with with their fingers finger on the tha triggers in readiness for the englishmen when they came CHAPTER V dissension it was not everybody very body at who sympathized with the deneze family when they were arrested there were all the envious the tha dissatisfied the ambitious as well as the ragtag rag rug tag and bobtail of the district who had linked their fortunes with the revolutionary government and who looked for their own advancement by loudly proclaiming their loyalty to its decrees for such as these the deneze family with their well known integrity their wealth and unostentatious piety were just a set of arestos that the principles of the glorious revolution condemned as traitors to the state and to the people and on market day ll 31 was always full of people they were noisy and they were aggressive and while the sympathizers with the deneze family after they had waved a last tare fare well toward the fast disappearing dill gence went quietly about their theler bust busi de ness ss or returned silently to their homes the others thought this a good opportunity tor for airing some gome of those sentiments which would be rep reported or led in influential quarters if any government spy happened d to be within earshot in spite bithe of the persistent bad weather men congregated in and about the market place during the intervals of business and lustily discussed the chief event ot of ahe the day there was much talk of citizen lauzet whom every one had bad known as a young out at el bows bow ragamuffin in tile employ of bec tor for deneze and who now had power ol of life and death over the very man who had bad been ills his master be it noted that lauzet appeared to have lave few friends amon amongst st the crowd J ot 07 arbo ver S ana arie p er s an and a hie t T ie farmers who came to in with their produce from their outlying homesteads with advancement in ufa life had bad come arrogance in the man and a perpetual desire to assert hla his authority over those with whom he bad fraternized in 10 the past those however who had their homes in the immediate neigh boyhood of mantes dared not say much tor for louzet was feared almost as much as he was detested but the strangers stranger who had bad come into ll lif with their cattle and their produce were free enough with their tongue rumor had bad gone far afield about this arrest of the deneze family and many there were who asserted that mysterious currents were at work in this affair undercurrents under currents that would draw citizen lauzet up on the crest of a tidal wave rare to the giddy heights height of incredible fortune nay morel there were many who positively asserted that in some on explainable way the whole of the deneze affair was connected with the capture of the english spy who was known throughout france as the sear scarlet pimpernel this spy had been at al work in the district tor for some time every one knew that it was he who had dragged those cl ci devant traitors and arl arestos the tournon n bout out of citizen laurets Lau clutches and citizen lauzet was now having his re he would capture the scarlet pimpernel catch him in the act of try ing to effect the escape of the deneze family am sno thus earn the reward ot of ten thousand loyrea offered to any nan man who would toy lay that enemy of arran france by the heels lucky lanzell thus to have the menns means of earning a torn sum of money sufficient lelent to keep a man and his tarn fam lly ily in affluence for the rest of theli |