The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 391: what you’re looking at

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

THE BRONZE STATUE. 2G) en beings who recognised him instan- | the spacious hall and along the vaulted taneously. Ferociously did they rush furward to wreak their vengeance upon the man passages leading thence in every diree- tion. ‘Quick! let the work be done with- who was alike the author of all their | out delay!’ cried the vindictive priest, sufferings and all their humiliation,— | whose thirst for blood was actually shar- the man who had reduced them to the extremest verge of famine and con- quered them in the fight,—the man, too, into whose hands the Castle would ‘What! Zitzka here ?—is it posst- ble 2”? exclaimed Father Cyprian, who was amongst the band of armed men— or rather its leader. The fact was that the priest, dreading the alternative of falling into the duced some forty or fifty of the sterving soldiers of the garrison to accompany him in the desperate scheme of cut- ting their way through the Taborite lines, under cover of the obsurity of night: and in order to do this, the priest was leading his ** forlorn hope”’ through the subterraneans, 80 that they might emerge thence by the avenue of the trap-door in the little chapel. ‘The whole of this band, be it observed, con- sisted of sworn servitors of the Bronze Statue: and it formed a part of their present scheme to destroy not only that image, but likewise the infernal me- chanism underneath, so that not a trace should remain to afford the uninitiated a clue to the horrors or the mysteries of Altendorf Castle on its falling into the hands of the Taborites. Return we, after this brief digression, to the thread of our narrative. On observing the armed men rushing onward and on perceiviug that he was recognised, Zitzka flung down the lamp and grasped the handle of his sword. But the sudden efforts thus made gave to his body an impulse which caused his feet to slip upon the slimy pave- ment ;—and unable to recover his bal- ance, he fell heavily before he had even drawn the weapon from its sheath. The next moment he was a prisoner +1 the hands of the wretches whose eyes, rendered ferocious by hunger, gla- red with wolfish rage upon the Captain- General of the Taborites ; and already were a dozen swords uplifted to des- patch him, when Father Cyprian ex- claimed, ‘Slaughter him not thus, my friends: but let our worst enemy at least gerve as a last sacrifice to the Bronze Statue !’ And the horrible yell of acclaim which greeted this suggestion, rang through | have been surrendered on the morrow ! | pened by the haughty look of defiance which John Zitzka threw alike upom him and on the engine of death. ‘ Here* two of you must act as Executioners, my brave fellows: let another approach with a light—and thea shali the usur- per enjoy the elysian raptures of the Virgin’s Kiss !’ As Father Cyprian uttered these last words, he flung a look of diabolical ha- ! 'tred upon the Captain-General : then, hands of the Captain-General, had in-| hastening up to the image, he showed’ a couple of his armed bravos the seeret spring whereby the mechanism of the statue itself was set in motion. ‘Then the arms of the colossal image unfolded slowly—and all the front part opened ‘n the manner which has been described in a previous chapter. ‘ Let me assure myself that the knives are sharp and the spikes well pointed,” exclaimed the priest, who in the fiend- ish malignity of his hatred against the - Taborite chieftain, sought to enhance- the bitterness of impending death by detailing all the horrors of the tortures - ‘Thou hast’ that were to precede it. only one eye, Zitzka: but that will soon be darkened also!’ And the diabolical chuckle which the Carthusian gave as he uttered these words, were accompanied by the mock- ing laughter of the wretches whose irom grasp was fixed upon the Taborite chief- tain, and whose eyes were glowing hye- na-like upon the countenance which composure mingled with haughty de- fiance. the horrible apparatus connected with the engine of death was indeed com- faw minutes the exquisite tortures which he hoped were endured by the Captain- General, despite the heroism of his de- meanour,—-Father Cyprian stooped down and looked into the body of the statue. But at that instant,—swift as the ea- gle from its eyre sweeps down upon its prey,—or as a hound, loosened from its lash, darts in pursuit of the timid deer, __did a female rush from the door-way leading to the workshop. Away flew the cloak which had wrapped her form —awny flew the veil which had covered. comicbooks.com maintained an expression of dignified Then, as if to assure himself that alb plete,—but in reality to prolong for ® — Is 2. - > ~ } > wd = ._, . < a ba ~ oo . 2 _ — Sal <= - - # —. ¥. —— ~*~ >> : * * 2 - -_=* : - 's - 7 - * ’ a a FERS o> wail ‘ - Pe. Xx <3 r ‘ Ry ing j i; a te a a ote 2 .. *« ~ «*- — es im 5 5 * 4 - Poe. nde, etal nine “— => —_ ” = — — ee = *