Part 14 (1/2)

At ten o'clock he started out with his party, followed the road by the side of the Crorrere river--here a mere streamlet--and halted in a wood about five miles from Felletin.

At six o'clock in the afternoon, a horseman was seen coming along, and was recognized as the man who had been left at Pont Gibaut.

Desmond went out to meet him. He reported that, at twelve o'clock, a party of hors.e.m.e.n had come down on to the road a mile to the west of the town. He had followed at a distance, and they had turned off by the track leading to Croc. They had with them a carriage and a horse litter, and were travelling slowly.

Desmond and his men at once s.h.i.+fted their position, and took up a post on the track between Croc and Felletin. An hour later, the party of hors.e.m.e.n were seen approaching the wood in which they were hidden. Desmond drew up the men, all of whom were armed with pistols, as well as swords, in line among the trees. He waited until the carriage was abreast of them, and then gave a shout, and the men at once dashed upon the escort.

Taken completely by surprise, these made but a poor fight of it.

Several were shot down at once. The vicomte, whose head was enveloped in bandages, leapt into the saddle of a horse whose rider had been shot, and, drawing his sword, rode at Desmond, who was making for the door of the carriage. Expecting no such attack, he would have been taken by surprise had not Mike, who saw his danger, shouted a warning, and at the same moment discharged his pistol. The ball struck de Tulle in the forehead, and he fell back dead.

His fall at once put an end to the conflict. The robbers, who had lost some eight of their number, at once turned their horses'

heads and rode off at full gallop.

As Desmond drew bridle by the carriage, the door opened, and the baron leapt out.

”By what miracle have you effected our rescue, my dear Monsieur Kennedy?” he exclaimed. ”My daughter told me that she saw you and your servant break your way through these brigands, and ride off.

She has been suffering an agony of grief for Philip, whom she saw shot. Have you any news of him?”

”None, sir. I, too, saw him fall, but whether he was killed, or only wounded, I am unable to say. I have sent two men to bring him into Moulins, and I trust they will find that he is only wounded.”

”My daughter saw you cut down that villain with a terrible blow.

We have not seen him since, but we know that he was carried on a horse litter behind the carriage.”

”At any rate, he will trouble you no more, Baron. My man shot him through the head, just as he was riding to attack me from behind.”

”Thank G.o.d! We are saved from further persecutions! And now, tell me how you came to be here.”

”It was simple enough, Baron. I found twelve men, with Monsieur de la Vallee's intendant, at Roanne. Philip, who feared that the vicomte would endeavour to make a further effort to repair his fortune, by carrying your daughter off on the road, sent a messenger to his intendant to ride at once, with twelve men, to meet us; and, had all gone well, they would have joined us fully two days' journey north of Nevers. The messenger was attacked on the way, robbed of his letter and purse, and left for dead. He managed to crawl to Nevers, and there, being too weak and ill to sit a horse, he hired a peasant's cart and made the journey, slowly and painfully, to la Vallee. As he knew the purport of the letter, two hours after his arrival there the intendant started, and rode, without drawing bridle, to Roanne. There, by great good fortune, I found them, though men and horses were alike done up.

Knowing, however, that the vicomte, in his wounded state, and embarra.s.sed with the coach, could proceed but slowly, I let them have seven hours' sleep, and in the meantime hired fresh horses for them; and we rode that day to Aubusson, and this morning moved down to within five miles of Felletin. I left a man on the road to Pont Gibaut, and he brought us word that you had left the main road, and were travelling through Croc, so we moved at once to intercept you; and you know the rest.”

Chapter 7: In Paris Again.

”You have indeed done well, Monsieur Kennedy,” the baron said, when Desmond finished his story.

”Now, let us see to my daughter. Her maid is attending on her. She fainted when the fight began. She is not of a fainting sort, but the trials of the last few weeks, and her belief that de la Vallee was killed, have very much upset her.”

”No wonder,” Desmond said. ”It must have been terrible, indeed, to lose her lover, and to know that she was again in the power of that villain.

”And you, Baron; how did you escape the fate that befell the rest of your convoy?”

”We had ridden close up to the tree, when suddenly there was a discharge of firearms. The two men with me fell at once. I was unhurt, but as I turned my horse he fell dead, three bullets having pierced his chest. Before I could recover my feet, the rascals were upon me. They evidently intended to take me alive, for they were provided with ropes, and, binding my arms, hurried me back to the carriage.

”By the time we got there, all was over. My faithful Eustace and the coachman lay dead by the side of the carriage. They had fought stoutly, for three of the brigands lay beside them. Six others were scattered near, and the brigands were gathered round a fallen man, who I guessed was their leader.

”I found Anne in a state of the wildest grief. She told me that she had seen Philip shot by the vicomte, just as he was attacking him, and that you in turn had cut down the villain.

”For half an hour, nothing was done, and then one, who was evidently in authority over the others, left the troop and came up to the carriage.