Volume I Part 35 (1/2)

Hastily strapping the dagger to his side, he left the torture chanize hiarding his own safety--he desired to rescue Aslitta if possible

CHAPTER xxx

IN THE WELL

The subterranean prison into which Aslitta had been throas dark as pitch, and it was a long time before his eyes became accustos He remembered that he had descended many steps, and he supposed that his cell was in the casemates of the citadel

He soon discovered that the cell was very narrow but high; about ten feet above his head he found an opening, secured by iron bars All attempts to reach this proved futile, and he could secure no foothold on the slippery walls

What should he do? At any ht be opened, and his captors enter and lead him to the torture-chamber, or, perhaps, to his doom He did not fear death itself--but ould beco of the patriots was to take place this very evening As it was, there were but a few of these in comparison to the nuood work ht be seriously haht, when suddenly he stumbled and fell, as it appeared, into a vast eht hold of one of the projecting ledges, and so hung suspended in mid-air

What was to be done? Aslitta strove to secure a foothold, but the relation of his accident to his imprisonment soon dawned upon him

In the centre of the floor he had discovered an opening, which evidently was the passage leading to a well, or perhaps, as he thought, to one of the unused drains, such as there are many in the old castles A low stone fence surrounded the opening, and it was this over which he had stumbled Aslitta reflected for a moment--perhaps it was once covered with a stone, which, slipping out of place, dropped below The opening was not very wide, and it was only after a great effort that he succeeded in ju over the rail

If he could only have seen whether there ater in the hich iven for a match?

But that was out of the question

Suddenly he stopped short; it appeared as though he heard a noise proceed fro was quiet He bent over the opening, and now he could distinctly hear a sound It was a hu his hands about his mouth he cried out:

”Is anybody here?”

No answer came The prisoner waited and then called out once ain no answer came

Presently he heard a voice cry out, ”You are a prisoner; are you not?”

”Yes, I am Whoever you may be, have no fear; I am not your enemy,”

returned the voice of Aslitta

”I aht Aslitta; ”I ought to know that voice, it sounds so familiar;” and in a loud tone he asked, ”Who are you?”

Yet no answer came; evidently the voice in the well doubted his sincerity To his good fortune he found a hted With a suppressed cry he shrank back; he recognized the uniform of the Austrian officer

Before he could recover his surprise, he heard words in pure Italian proceeding fro deeper and deeper”

Now there was no reason for doubt; were he friend or ene his scarf, he held one end firmly while he threw the other over into the well

”Catch hold of the scarf,” he called down, ”the stuff is firm and will bear you”