Adventure Magazine Cover — page 161: what you’re looking at

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

The Way of Sinners “He shall come!” says I. “By God, he shall come! Ere now, he hath made over- tures for a joining of our bands; he would oblige me, and bring this about. He hath a grudge against the duke; he will enjoy the paying of it. Moreover, ’tis not every day that a castle goes a-begging. With our two bands and this place in our hands, we shall be such condottiert as never were be- fore in the world!” “And then—?” “With that power in my hands,” says I, in a low voice, ‘‘and thee beside me, my love, my soul—” Ah me! What with planning the future, and safe- guarding the present by replying as well as might be to the duke’s assaults, we thought little of Matteo Scarlatti, until the mes- senger returned and said he would not come. The day of this evil news had been a des- perate hard one; the hardest we had had, or were to have, in the whole defense of the castle. For at its dawning, Alessandro had drawn up all his artillery as near our main gate as might be, and begun to bombard it with hollow balls, gun-powder filled, com- parable to those I had taught my cavalry to throw, but much bigger; and against this bombardment, I knew neither bridge, port- cullis, gate, or bags of earth would stand forever; while our own guns were out- ranged. One thing alone was to be done, and we did it; while yet the gates stood, I drew up four companies of my infantry in the courtyard, in column facing the gate, and with a score of cavalrymen at their head; another company cleared away the earthen blockade; and then, the gates being opened, the portcullis raised, and the bridge lowered as suddenly as might be, I led a charge on the guns, of which we spoiled all but two by hammering of nails into their touch-holes, at a loss of but seventeen killed, and perhaps fifty wounded. I do not complain of this affair, though sure that last bomb which caused most of our casualties might have had the troop roster Inside it, so cleverly did it pick out and slay my best men; I was never unwill- ing to pay the price of a necessary success, and the accomplishment of this sortie was cheap bought; but I was in no mood, that evening, to receive news that all effort, this included, had been vain, and that we were doomed to surrender, after all our I55 agonies, as surely as if we had opened the gates at the first demand. The messenger saw this in my eye, and stammered as that other messenger had stammered, long ago, telling me the news concerning Stella. “He doth refuse us flatly?” I demanded, scarce believing what I heard. “Y-yes, your Honor.” The man looked as if he had something in his mind which he would not, or dared not, tell. “Without condition? Did he not ask money? Did he assign no reason for re- fusal?”’ “He spoke not of money, Captain.” “Of what did he speak, then?” The fellow fidgeted, and would evidently have been anywhere else than before me. He made no answer. “Reply, dog!” Even so, he swallowed a dozen words for every one he spake. “The Captain Scarlatti—’” he began; and stopped. “WellP”’ “Said that formerly your honor had re- fused alliance—in a manner—in a manner— insulting.” Now I remembered Uccello’s returning of Scarlatti’s letter on that occasion in the south; it had indeed been insulting, and in no manner either. The memory of it made made me bite my lip. “Abr And so—r” “He said he would not come unless—”’ If there was an unless in the case, there was also hope. “Unless what? Speak, fellow!” “Unless your Honor in person would come to him, and in person beg assistance in the humblest way. Your pardon, Cap- tain. I told the Captain Scarlatti your Honor would not do so.”’ ‘“‘Curse your impudence,”’ I roared at the messenger, ‘““who appointed thee herald and plenipotentiary? What did he say to that?” “He said, begging your Honor’s pardon, that he was well aware on’t, and that was why he had set the condition.” Aye, the old fox! That was Scarlatti to an inch; there was never his like, in nego- tiation; with a case hopelessly in the wrong, he would so evoke the past, present, or future, as ever to gain the victory, and to put his adversary in fault. Here was an example of his ability; for at that time COmiclbooks.c©