The Argosy, Vol. XXV, No. 3 — page 68: what you’re looking at

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

452 THE ARGOSY. ‘“Excellency, we shall hear of him tonight—now, for yonder he has lighted us a lamp.”’ | We had ridden into a deep glen of the mountains ; into a glen bordered by a thick cluster of trees which arched their leaves above us and hid the starlit sky from our eyes. Beyond the glen, and through the vista of leaves, the lower slopes of the Pyrenées were to be seen ; and over those again, the peaks of the mighty mountains which stand sentinels of the frontier. To the hills, forest clad and golden in the moonlight, the gipsy pointed when she said that her master had set up a lamp for us; and when I looked at them, I saw what she meant. For there, standing upon the very edge of a grassy precipice, was a majestic castle ; and from every one of its lower win- dows tongues of flame were leaping. Terrible in the silence of the night was this appalling beacon. EHven as we sat spellbound; the rushing fire began to lick the outstanding turrets and to burst up above walls which had defied the centuries. JI could hear the shrieks of women and of men; could see the terrified inhabitants huddled together helpless and awe struck on the terrace of the house. The crackle of the fire, heard above the hush of the forest, was as the roar of a mountain torrent. Soon all the sky was blood red and quivering. We could dis- tinguish the howling of dogs, the ringing of bells, the tramp of feet. Our horses began to plunge and rear so that we drove them out of the glen with difficulty ; and when we stood again in the open, we were not three hundred paces from the burning building and could see the lights of Jaca twinkling on the road before us. Everywhere now the country was awaking. From the town itself there came a great press of people all running toward the burning chateau. I saw priests directing their followers; guards upon horseback ; rogues ripe for pillage ; women drawn by curiosity from their beds. Shouting, running, praying to God and the Virgin, the crowd began to approach us. Then, and it was a thing surpassing any wonder of which my companion had spoken, I beheld this great throng fall suddenly upon its knees, and the hush of night fell again upon the mountains. . What miracle had been wrought? What hand had stayed them? What vision had they seen? ‘The questions scarce were uttered when the answer was given to me. High upon the hills above, riding out, in fact, from the gates of the burning chateau, there issued a troop of horsemen, whose white pelisses were opening to the breeze, whose plumes waved like the wings of birds, whose glittering swords shone in the moonlight as swords of gold. One hundred, two hundred, I know not how many—a superb company, their superb habiliments glowing in that strange light as with an ornament of _ jewels—they rode on headlong, with cries that resounded through the glens of the mountains, in a gallop that was terrifying, irresistible, a thing to thrill the heart. One long minute, I saw them ; I heard the shrill voices of the peasants, I beheld the terror of the guards, the frenzy of the priests. Then the vision passed. The hussars disappeared into the forest. Only the burning castle, with its heart of lurid flame and its crest of sullen smoke, stood up to tell me that these things had been in truth ana not in dreams. . Eomicbooks (ee)