Adventure Magazine Cover — page 167: what you’re looking at

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

THE WAY All that disquieted me was that, in the press of the battle, I had not seen Count Roberto; doubtless this meant that he was away, raising more aid still; and if such were the case, and more troops arrived, sorties would be out of the question; ’twould be a matter of sitting still in the castle, awaiting the time when Alessandro should have force free wherewith to raise the siege. It was a much graver matter than had been represented to me; if we were to be bottled up here for months, old Scarlatti would gain all the employment that offered; and I had no great trust in the gratitude of Salviati, once his business was done. My temper, notwithstanding the victory, was evil as I saw to the accommodation of my men, set guards, and sent the steward to ask an interview with the Countess Anita. The cannon-fire had given her a headache, it appeared; she excused herself until supper; and, in the meantime, I set about prepara- tions for the siege. Naturally, the first duty in order was a general inspection of the stronghold, its dis- position for defense, and its provisions for the maintenance of its defenders. Of these, the first were excellent, and the second little short of dismaying. Since the castle was built upon a rock, whereof one face was sheer, without foothold, and another so steep as to be defensible by a dozen men against an army, my forces were sufficient to man the outer enceinte thoroughly, leav- ing moreover enough to garrison the inner citadel, and fill the towers that protected the angles of approach to the enceinte. Of powder and shot, likewise of crossbows and their bolts, even of longbows and their arrows, there was great store; it was when I came to the food magazines that my heart sank, Either from precaution or careless- ness, the Count Roberto had failed to keep his castle in state to withstand a siege; the stores which should (according to one of the countess’ guard that came with us as guide) have been enough for fifteen hundred men’s sustenance during a month, were so depleted OF SINNERS 165 that I doubted whether we could live on them for a fortnight. ‘“‘There are the horses,” says Benedetto feebly, catching my eye as it rolled. “Fifty horses to be paid for out of five thousand crowns,” says I, ‘‘will leave us a great wealth—and the men to be paid. Benedetto, do thou go forthwith to the walls and attend to the setting of the guard and the disposition of the armament. I will join thee anon. As for thee, soldier, go in- stanter to the countess, and say I must have audience, headache or no headache.”’ ‘“‘T—I dare not,” says the man. “Dost thou believe me a better person to beard than the lady?”’ Seemingly, he was spared this mistake; for he departed suddenly, and I followed at his heels; having long since learned the folly of permitting nobles to refuse by word alone. To say no is. very easy; to keep a determined man out of the presence by force is a little more difficult. Nor had I scruple as to this assertion of the force at my command against a woman; I had long since learned, likewise, that there is no difference of sex between nobles, male and female, what time they are dealing with the commonalty; they are nobles simply. From what I remembered of the countess, that night in the duke’s cabinet; from what I had heard of her since; and above all, from inspection of the terror of this soldier before me, I was inclined to believe her peculiarly addict to the ways of nobility, and accord- ingly it seemed well to put my authority into practise without delay. Ah, what a changed world this would be if all could know what I had learned even at that time; namely, how bankrupt are most princes, not only of the wealth on whose reputation they live in luxury, but of those qualities for which they were formerly respected, and for which they remain respected because folk have more habits than brains! The soldier came forth from a doorway, to where I awaited him in the corridor; and his face was as white as wool. ) To be Continued MICLOOOLK (C@