Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 104 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

Montezuma, the Merciless. meneced, and constantly upheld by the hope that he would meet with success; though there was a dread in his heart that he would fill his dungeon with fresh earth before he could tunnel through to the outer world. The day before Don Felipe had paid him his last visit, Merle had made a discovery, and a most important one for him, and he had watch- ed the walling up of the dungeon with compara- tive indifference. | When the last stone had been set in the death- wall, and the last trowelful of mortar added to smooth it off, Merle had waited to see if it was really the intention of Don Felipe to let him die there; but when he knew that another day had come, by the light from the narrow window, he felt that the cruel Governor had indeed _ con- demned him to death. Having come to this conclusion he moved about his cell collecting his hideous tools, wrap- ped them in his tattered blanket, and then with another bundle, the bread he had sav from day to day, he let himself down into the deep cavity which his patience and energy had e. The rope by which he descended was made from the ticking of his moss mattress, and it was twisted poe braided so that it easily held his weight. For twenty feet he descended, hand-under- hand, before he came to the bottom, and then dragging his bundles upon his back, he stoo down upon his hands and kiiees and pushed for- ward into the tunnel he had dug through the weary hours of the past year. For fully fifty feet he went along, gradually “eo until daylight shone ahead of |} eeighter and brighter grew the dark tunnel, untilhe suddenly arose to a standing position and glanced around him. This was the discovery he had made the day before—the earth and stone had suddenly crum- bled in upon him, and for a moment he had be- lieved he was crushed beneath a echt A wall; but with a superhuman effort he raised himself from beneath the debris, and found that he had penetrated into a e cell, or chamber, the weight of the stone flooring breaking through the crust of earth above him. The place was evidently a store-room, for it was filled with boxes, barrels and jars of pro- visions, to the infinite delight of the poor half- starved man. For a moment, as he straightened himself up among the barrels, that had also sunk in upon him, he felt himself reel with weakness, for he believed he had but little more to do to yin but he recovered control of himself by a mig Wy effort, and set to work hastily to hide the hole he had made and to ptiig ¥ the barrels and boxes over it in such a way that any one com- ing into the place would not ect what had occurred As soon as he had done this, he retraced his way to his cell to await the coming day, which his tally on the leg of his table told him would be the one of Don Felipe’s visit. The reader seen the result of that visit, and how Merle deserted his loathsome dungeon as soon as he dare do so, and sought the cell he had discovered so opportunely by accident. As he entered it for the second time, as on the occasion, he was nearly blinded by the light—for there were two windows, if long nar- row openings in the wall could be called such— so long he lived in almost midnight’ dark- ness. There was an iron door in one end of the cell yee the windows, and w the two_other sides were shelves, filled with boxes, Beneath the windows, and extending some ten feet from the wall, were the barrels and boxes, piled one on the other, that had so nearly crush- ed the poor prisoner, but which strength had enabled him to rise up under, for his constant and arduous work had given him muscles of iron. The second time he entered his Eldorado, Merle quickly arranged a secure hiding-place in a large empty box, and therein deposited his grim working implements, which he had in- reniously made from the human bones, into = sharp knives, and the skulls into scoo ith these skeleton tools he had dug out wag- on-loads of earth, and bad tumneled fully a hundred feet. ‘ The broken wine-bottle, to be used as a scraper. or scoop, when the skulls wore out, the bottle of liquor still intact, a bundle of fresh too the knife he had found on the dish, the day of Don Felipe’s wedding, his coat, much the worse for wear, rope of ticking, ragged blanket, and bundle of stale bread es his household furniture, while his wardrobe consisted of a pair of pants, worn off to the knee, and a belt around his waist in which was stuck a knife—a knife of human bone, that of an arm, but carved into almost razor sharpness, and with a point as small as a needle. This was a weapon he had devoted much time in making; it was not to be used in digging out pet: bu had been made for a deadly purpose 1 A pe Batle A giant ee ee oe —_— — ——- — - - - ™ _ ee Fortunate was it for the castle’s Governor that his lucky star kept him out of the cell. “This is.an old store-room, not used now, for the crackers are stale and the salt meat almost unfit to eat; but.it is best for me that it is un- frequented, for I will not be disturbed, and no food will I refuse now. ‘* Let me see what scene these windows over- look,” and Merle climbed upon. the boxes’ until he could see through one of the narrow open- gs. ‘Yes, I am just above the highest water- mark—that accounts for the desertion of this store-room—it was too damp. Well, I won’t complain; it is dry enough for me. Descending from his point. of, observation, Merle sat down to think how he should continue his effort to escape. Suddenly he started, for.a grating sound came at the door, as a key entered, the lock. In dismay Merle sprung to his feet—he had no time to fly to his place of iA among the boxes, and so bounded behind the door and crouched down, his right band clutching his bone knife, his eyes glaring like a wild beast at Siowly the massive, door swung on its rusty hinges, and a tallform entered, It was Lamas—the old jailer. _Without seeing Merle‘he crossed the room, took a small box from a shelf, and.poured the contents out on the stone floor. Tt was a mass of gold, several watches, chains a few Dreioue stones, and rings—the booty of years which he had plundered from his unfor- tunate prisoners. “Ha! ha! Now, old. man, you are rich at last, and you can leave this old’ pile of rocks where you have been little better than a prison- er yourself for thirty long pear and heard = curses and prayers enough to drive you mad, “Ha! ha! it is all over now, and another stands in your shoes. - years pica | a fortune, and the Governor gave me nearly as much gold esterday, for the lieI told abont the dungeon : ing walled up, as 1 have made in all that me. ‘Well, I must hide this treasure now about me some way, and leave this accursed place eat ha!” and again speak f hims and again ing of. himself in the third person, he continued: . ‘What a gay old fellow you will make, with this money to spend! Better go to the United States, in case some of these old Mexican walls have ears, and might find tongues, Ha! ha! old Lamas, you old rogue, life now opens before ou “You mistake, old man; life now ends for you!” The deep voice, coming as though from the depths of a vault, caused the old Mexican to on SUEY in terror, covering his treasure with ands. ‘No, no, you shall not take my gold from Ty hard-earned gold; you shall not have it, Isa - Ke he: man, or devil, whichever you be, I will have your blood. Like lightning. the old man wheeled toward Merle, and wi bony fingers outstretched rushed upon him, a cry of fury on his lips ‘“Who are you? Man or deyil, who are you that have come here to rob me of my gold?” and he paused, confronting Merle, and gazed upon him with savage, searching eyes. For two years he had not seen his prisoner, and he failed to recognize the being he saw be- fore him; the splendidly-dressed, handsome youth. he had turned into fhe death dungeon had n cruelly metamorphosed into a cadaverous, hollow-eyed, marble-faced .man matted hair and beard, and body h dirt-stained. _*T want not your gold, old man, but que life. A saint’s life should not now en be- tween me and freedom,” suid Merle, in his stern, deep tones. “Never! never my gold shall you have. It is not. my life, but my gold Thin want; but I will kill you first,” cried the old_miser and gold-mad man, and he rushed upon Merle, as if to. tear him with his teeth and nails. As before said, he was almost a giant in size and-he felt that he could crush his enemy, and like a wild beast he sprung upon him. Merle rose to meet the attack, and the two a clenched and fell beavily upon the stone oor, A pe one arose to his feet, a grim smile upon is . That one was Merle, and in his hand he held his hideous blade, and it was stained with the life-bleod of Lamas, the jailer, a CHAPTER XIII. METAMORPHOSED. with long alf nude ant Por some moments Merle stood silently look- ing down upon the cruel jailer, u whom terrible retribution had Re as he: #t00d dpon the very threshold of a new existence. An hour before he had turned over his keys Ti to another jailer, eppeinies by the new Gov. ernor, and had told him that the lately-built wall ended the tier of water cells. Then he had gone to the deserted store-room, where for years he had hoarded his. ill-gotten treasure—gone to meet his death. Like a very thief he had slipped into the vacant cell, watching his chance that noone should see him, and there he had met his doom. The gold.and trinkets, of which he had robbed his prisoners, lay still on the stone pave, and se sir stooped over and gathered all. up, saying, quietly: “These riches may pay my way out of here; a good deal of the gol is mine anyhow, and much more was paid him by Felipe Cosala, upon my life ; my conscienee will not trouble me for taking it. “I dislike to shed blood; but the old man’s destiny led him to fall by my hand, Now to see where I am.” Merle stepped to the iron door and. cautiously opened it. e key was still in the heavy lock, and, by a window in the ceiling, it. was seen that the storeroom opened into along corridor, with doors n either side. At the further end of the passage was a heavy door of iron; but there was no appearance of present occupation. ‘* This tier of cells is deserted for some.reason ; perhaps there are not enough prisoners on hand to fill them; and strange, too, where Felipe Co- sala has been Governor for two years! ‘* Well, so much the better for me. I will-re- connoiter further.” So saying Merle stole from the store-room, and, step by step, crept along the corridor to ward .the further end, his ears alert for the wee sound, and. his bone blade in hand. ddenly he .stopped. Voices reached his ear, and they came from the first room. on. the left, nearest the iron door that opened from the corridor. Nearer and nearer he epprnachen, until he saw that the door of the cell was ajar and the pe es in the lock. ‘ouching down close to the door, Merle de- termined to. play eavesdropper, for he felt that — his. critical position would excuse ana Act which under other circumstances, his feelings would revolt against. | A moment he listened and then he discovered that there were not two voices in conversation, as be. bed believed at first, but one person talk- oud. t could it mean? He was now confident that the entire tier of cells was deserted, and yet bere was. one ajar, and some one within. His hearing, rendered most sensitive by the long silence that had brooded around him in his dun caught the words: m4 | “TI do not know what to do, for if I report him dead they will discover that he is not the man that was assigned to the dark cell—nay worse, they will see that it is the man whom { reported as having died im his dungeon ive years ago, when instead I moved him to deserted tier and buried another prisoner in jhis place. “Tf it were known, I would lose my life, that is certain; but then, I could not. see Bon Mo lez die here; he had been too kind tome mine in years gone by, and if hedid sipbnee the Government, it might not have been a crime. ‘‘ When I brought him here I thought’twas.to save his life, as in time he could have worked his way out; but alas! his health was. gone; and here he lies, poor fellow, dead in prison, ., ‘Now I must bring him here, end fas ends the career of the poor Don M —died in.a dungeon, and the. Castle de Uloa his mont ‘Bless me! how glad I am that old I has gone, He watched me like a hawk, and several times, when seeing me come from _— a tier, has asked me what I wanted ere “Well, he has gone, now, and the new Goy- ernor has given me this whole wing of the castle over which to be chief jailer. Now I will try and solye the mystery of that vaswog (Fey to that, Lamas says, the .Governor had walled up because it leaks, ‘Strange the sea should beat in there, when only at highest tide, and in easterly. gales, do the waves even dash that. high, poor devil has been walled in to die, by that accursed old Lamas and the Governor Cosala.” “Senor, you speak the truth!” As the deep voice fell on his ears the man turned in Saag. It face as white as a grave- cloth—his form trembling violently. He was a man of fifty years of age, with iron- gray hair and beard—of small stature, yet wiry and a face that was ee and determined, ye’ held a kindly look in the eyes He was dressed in the castle uniform, and his leathern belt and rows of keys proved ‘him to be = head athe . fe is wo as he ran on garrulously to - self, for he had believed no living being any- where near him, had told that he had a. seeret, and one that would cost him his life’ He had befriended one who had ed him im the past and who had been brought to a dun GOmiiecooo (C _ ‘S