The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 320: what you’re looking at

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

THE MEETING 303 the facts as they positively occurred. For, the moment the carriage was stopped, you seized your pistols, and gave the men to understand that you would use them. But I besought you not to endanger your life thus madly.” “And I was compelled to submit,’’ added the marquis, smiling. ‘‘ Well, perhaps rt was all for the best, for, as I have said, resistance would indeed have proved utterly vain. The captain of the band — who was certainly the most decent fellow for a bandit that ever figured otherwise than on a stage in a melodrama — came up to the carriage window, and in very excellent French assured us that not the slightest violence should be offered us if we only re- mained quiet. He even went so far as to say that our articles of jewelry should be left us, and that our domestics should not be despoiled at all, if we only gave up whatsoever ready money we had in our possession. Now, it unfortunately happened that there was a casket in the carriage, containing about twenty thousand francs in gold and silver — ”’ ‘Eight hundred pounds sterling,’ observed Constance, ‘‘ and the whole of this sum did the brigands self-appropriate, leaving us, however, the little we happened to have in our purses, and faithfully fulfilling their pledge in respect to our jewelry, as well as the property of the servants. They did not even ransack our trunks and boxes, but appeared per- fectly well content with the rich booty in the shape of specie that fell into their hands.’’ ‘““And well they might be!” ejaculated the marquis. “ But I rather think that their great forbearance was not altogether owing to good feeling on their part, but may be also ascribed to terror lest one of the flying columns which the captain-general of Catalonia has sent out to sweep the principality of the banditti who infest it should have sud- denly appeared upon the spot. Hence the expeditious mode with which the scoundrels transacted: their business. They decamped with their booty, and when we reached the next village, we were informed that there was little doubt our plunderers were a gang which for some years have carried on their proceedings with comparative impunity, and seem > to defy all the vigilance of the authorities. Their commander is known as Ramon de Collantes, and though an immense sum is set upon his head, yet his comrades are evidently too faithful to betray him.”’ CONNIE DOOKS (©)