The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 357: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

¢ ie 4 ~ ry ~ pty = : +) eee “ . > 4 * " THE BRONZE STATUE. 355 eA hero a fiend incarnate for the time an interest more breathlessly absorbing. Bh being ! | And all this time the din of battle ae l'remendous was the force with’ was proclaimed in tongues but too ap- fe | which the gallant T'aborites pressed on | propriate and in voices too suitable. to Basis | to storm those walls that bristled with | the hideous carnage, ‘l‘he roar of the sa so many brave defenders. Torrents of | cannon, though only bursting forth at missiles showered down on them: de- ‘long intervals, echoed from the ram- struction and death were vomited forth parts of the Castle and the lines of the from the cannons’ mouths. Still on-. besiegers, and seemed to leap from hill ward pressed the T'aborites ; and where | to hill, reverberating in the distance the scaling ladders were reared against | like peals of rolling thunder. the frowning front of old Altendorf, the | Throughout that day raged the con- besiegers were dashed precipitately | flict; and even when the sun had gone down, either slain already, or else to ‘down, and the moon lay upon masses of perish in the moat, which now ran red | clouds, like a sultana pillowed on cush- with a sanguine tide. Nevertheless, as | ions of purple velvet edged with silver, the ‘laborites were swept by whole | the strife was continued. But though ranks from the walls, or were hurled desperate were the endeaovrs of the from the ladders, or else were hurled | Taborites to maintain upon the ram- to destruction by those ladders breaking | parts that footing which they had suc- beneath them yet did they continue to|ceeded for a moment ip establishing, succeed each other with an enthusiasm |though never was valor more dauntless now maddened to a perfect frenzy. |Dor strength more herculean, yet were By dint of pouring across the moat and |they beaten back from the walls: and upwards on the walls, these countless | towards midnight the assault ceased. numbers in such unabated succession, Numbers had fallen that day—num- the dauntless Republicans succeeded at | bers on both sides! The Aristocratic last in establishing a footing upon the | army had fought with all the courage of outward edge of the rampart. And/\desperation: the Baron of Altendorf now the spectacle presented to the view | exhibited the utmost skill in conducting was as wondrous as it was terrible—as | the defence of his stronghold; and Ro- thrillingly interesting as it was fright-|dolph had performed prodigies of valor. ful. For up the whole frontage of the | Nevertheless, the T'aborites had given left wing of the Castle did the Taborites | such proofs of an iron will and an ada- now maintain themselves: it was one! mantine determination, that there was unbroken surface of human forms, cov- | not a soul within the fortalice of Alten- ering the masonry as ivy covers a house | dorf who believed that the place could front—the whole living mass thus ap-|hold out for any length of time. Un- pearing like a swarm of bees, without | less, indeed, some lucky casualty or un- visible support otherwise than by each ! foreseen interposition should transpire to other. favor the Aristocratic cause and injure Thus the activity of those Taborite |that of the Taborites; and it was te warriors became as interesting and as | this chapter of accidents that the Baron marvellous as their courage. It was |and his officers trusted. gn activity which put into requisition | lor several days did a cessation of every crevice in the walls, and which; hostilities continue. But in the mean- made availuble every projecting object, |time the Taborites were not idle. They no matter however slight. Upon each | were busily employed in constructing a other’s shoulders did they climb; one | huge bridge, or rather an immense above another did they thus raise them- | harge, which they intended to launch selves, either sustaining their balance | upon the moat, and in which a batter- with an admirable precision, keeping | ing ram might be worked. ‘They also their footsteps with the wondrous tena- strengthened their own position in such city of the chamois hunter of the Alps, |a manner that their tents were protect- or leaping from point to point in places|ed from the cannon of the ramparts ; where the antelope itself would scarce-|and they stretched out their lines in ly have ventured. Had they been my-|every direction, so as to cut off all pos- riads of somnambulists thus performing | sible means of communication between feats from which they would have | the adjacent villages and the garrison ef Shrunk in horror and dismay if their| Altendorf. The outposts of the ‘T'a- Senses were awake to the appalling pe-|borite army were established beyond ril, those deeds could not have inspired | the little chapel in the forest, where, as & more tensely wrought curiosity, nor |the reader wiil remember, there was & —E comicbooks.com = - _— . ux e,-*-. pen ; _— ~~ as * 7 ~~ FS os - < tne & — ; - oy ts —_—e ° = . . af a aewy -*7 P< a % - Fe* “© 4. 7~* A Cr ee ae. = a bes 7. ; — —_ - he Pie, Mad ~—* F 7 ee na) = o* ate oe J ~ - - aay © a > «—* : — - ~~ ~- 7 ~_ z - ee ee ene 4 <4 eA oR, *e = as - Saco wat 4 \ 42 ‘ { & o~ Gant a 4« ted we —_— ~ a > - Tr -ae a ~ " wye i $ | ~<* * tw e..* > . , - £ ad e p> e 4 = «, A - . . rs