Volume I Part 70 (1/2)
”At the moment when you laid the pen down and ca?”
”I do not know, papa; I have read of the eye of the serpent, which frightens the little birds and prevents thele movement I could nothands uponme off Then finally I screamed and they disappeared”
Monte-Cristo ely murmured:
”Keep quiet, Spero, I ahtful Suppose his boy should be taken fro
”Spero,” he said, turning to the child, ”I shall watch over your sluain and have no fear Coo to sleep”
The boy save hi his head upon Monte-Cristo's shoulder, he fell asleep, : ”Dear, dear ently withdrew his arm and softly walked to the corner of the tent The cloth of which the tent wasand thick, and withstood the rays of the sun and the rain When the count let his hand glide over it, he almost uttered a cry of astonish! The tent had been cut from top to bottom as if with a sharp sword
Who had any interest in breaking into his tent? Did they wish to kill him or Spero?
The count turned deadly pale He had tried to reassure Spero by telling him that drea the curtains of the tent aside, Monte-Cristo went out into the night
The pale lance of an eagle Monte-Cristo gazed about It seeh the camp unhindered and undisturbed, and yet it was so The cut in the canvas was the best proof of this Shaking his head, the count returned to the tent and mended the tear in the cloth with fine wire thread Thereupon he shoved the table near the wall and began to write Spero could sleep peacefully; his father atching Haydee had intrusted the child to hi it back to her in safety Suddenly he was aroused by the roar of a lion
The count seized a gun, flung his arm about Spero, whom he would not have left alone for the world, and hurried out The Arabs, stricken with terror, had fled in all directions
”Let no one stir!” shouted the count above the din ”I will answer for your life, but youforward ”Master, let ht him”
”Master, take my life, but spare your own,” implored Jacopo
”Jacopo, Coucou,” said the count, ”I intrust Spero to you, and let no one fire until I do The first shot belongs to me If I should miss the lion, then you can take your turn”
A new uproar was heard, followed by the report of a gun
”Ain the direction whence the sound proceeded
To his horror he saw aover him with one paw on his breast It was Bertuccio, Benedetto's foster-father Carefully, fearlessly, looking into the yellow eye of the king of beasts, Monte-Cristo advanced The lion growled The slightest movement would have caused Bertuccio's death With a bound it sprang at the count Quick as thought the latter fired With a roar of pain the round, dead The next minute the count knelt at Bertuccio's side The latter was unconscious
The count raised his pale face, and, dashi+ng soradually restored the old man to his senses
”Bertuccio,” he softly said, ”do you know me?”
”Yes, master Ah, the lion has finished ers into say to me? Have you no wish to be carried out?
Speak, you know I am your friend”
”Quick, quick!” he whispered, breathlessly; ”one more--drop--Spero--you--”
”Drink!” said the count, placing a bottle to his lips
”Master, beware of your enemies I saw them, I followed them, and then I met the lion”