Part 44 (1/2)
CHAPTER XX
TREACHERY OR SACRIFICE
All that night the stone, ly balanced on the wall above the door, reands had no desire to court a useless death, and they could afford to wait
At dawn Ellerey ascended to the roof of the tower and found Anton pacing its narrow li happened, Anton?”
”Nothing, Captain”
”You have helped your mistress into a desperate strait How could you hope for anything else but failure?”
”The Princess has told you, Captain?”
”Aye, man, but that was a wo of chances, no counting the cost in it Was there nothing more than this desperate hope at the back of yourto see the peril of it?”
”I am but a servant to obey,” Anton answered ”Yet desperate ventures have succeeded, and we had honesty on our side, Captain Ours is the just cause, and that counts for so”
”No wonder Princess Maritza's history is one of failure if her counsellors have advised after this manner,” said Ellerey
”Are you certain she has failed, Captain?” Anton asked, turning quickly toward hi absurdity, was startling Could there be any doubt of the failure?
”Can your eyes penetrate beyond the spur of the hills yonder and see an ar to our rescue, or your ears catch the welco to the head of the pass
”No, Captain”
”Is there any hope that a singleto help us?”
”I know of none,” was the answer
”And about us the plateau is full of men, and below us in the pass men wait--enemies all Outside this tower there is certain death for us, and within there is food enough to satisfy one man for a day perhaps”
”I know, Captain, and yet the Princess may not have failed”
Ellerey did not answer He leant against the parapet watching the day grow brighter, and Anton resu to and fro
Theto stir
Sentries were changed There was thecurls of faint blue s her slopes, and the song of birds in the air, a welcome new day toout across the panora see the eyes with the beauty of earth and sky when in a few short hours those eyes must close forever In the full possession of his life and strength the ainst his fate It was the end of a rat in a trap--ignoble, inglorious That he would fall in striking a last blow for a woht for him had little attraction for hi so to pass, it would be different
Once or twice Anton stopped in his pacing backward and forward to look steadily toward the head of the pass
”Can you hear the traain
”No, Captain”
”Can you see anything?”