Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 193 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

ee ee ae a a oe a The Man in Red. ‘Then you have four thousand men dis- mounted?’ | ** Yes, sire.” ‘Tell the quartermaster to issue muskets to them. They will have to act as infantry for awhile.” “\ Yes, sire.” ‘‘Tssue muskets also to those who will stay mounted for a week,”’ ‘‘ Yes, sire.” ‘ Keep your good horses together and collect all the forage you can.” ‘* Yes, sire.’ ‘** Don’t charge the Cossacks unless they come within a hundred yards, We cannot afford to waste work in trying to catch them.” ‘‘ Very good, sire.’ Then the emperor recommenced his nervous walk and at last broke out: ‘* After all we have been as badly off—that is Ihave— You were not in Italy in °96, count, ‘were you?’ ** No, sire, I was a boy then.” ‘Yes, yes, I remember. Well, I was then worse off. I had but fifty thousand men, hardly any cavalry, the city of Mantua to be- siege and a bundred thousand Austrians were coming to crush me. But I beat them. We shall get out of Russia, count.” ‘*l am confident of it, sire.” The entperor smiled. The remark seemed to please him. ‘Yes, we shall get out of Russia. But I am displeased with the marshals. The king of Naples is already talking of going home. Home! the imbecile! He could not keep his throne six months if I were not in the Tuileries. Count, I am sick of ingratitude. They owe all to me and they begin already to talk about going home. These men that I have made princes and dukes are thinking of how to make their own peace and keep their titles. Already! what will it be a year hence, when this army is de- had never stroved?”’ Gabriel was amazed. He et heard the emperor speak so frankly to him. ie seemed unconscious that be was king, but was merely uttering his thoughts aloud. The young general ventured to say: ‘There are faithful men left, sire. one, will never desert you.” Tbe emperor smiled again, and he had a rare and beautiful smile. ‘‘] do not think you would. But tell me. I, for You said that you saw to-day that man who. annoyed us before. Wagram and at Fontaine- | bleau. Do you know who he is?” ‘‘No, sire, except that he is French and a Rovalist.” : ‘You are sure you do not know?” Gabriel saw with surprise that the emperor aooked suspiciously at him and answered: “Certainly, sire. I have not the least sus- picion.” “That is well. I fancied that he had told you some lies about me. semblance to a man who hung himself in prison Enghien. He is an impostor and trades on the likeness. B lieve nore he says.” ‘* Certainly not, sire. I must observe, how- ever, that he seems to be in high favor with the ‘Czar for I found bim at Prince Platoff’s head- quarters and he wore a general’s uniform.” “Ay, ay oe 8 replied the emperor. “I will not deny he a good soldier. He was with me at Brienne and was an officer several | He bears a strong re-— has passed the zenith, From this day it will | man could be, who was evidently known to the emperor. e summoned Duroc, and a strict search w made for the secret passages, resulting in the discovery of a door hung with tapestry on the spot where they had seen the apparition. But before they could search further the walls shook under a fearful explosion in the pa- lace at the other wing, and again rose the ter- rible cry they bad heard so often of late: ‘* Fire! fire! fire!” At the same minute a broad red glare shone in at the windows, and they could see the flames leaping out of the lower part of the palace, the wind blowing them straight toward the em- peror, while the soldiers in the court-yard had jumped up and were staring at the spectacle as if paralyzed. he emperor uttered a curse below his breath, the first emotion Gabriel bad ever seen show, but in a moment he was cool again and snatched up his bat from the table. ‘* Order the alarm beaten, Duroc,” be cried. ‘* Get the troops under arms. These savages are burning their own palace to drive us out! Oh. if it were only July!” | They rushed from the palace and not a mo- ment too soon. Officers and men, camp followers and all.the rabble that follows an army came pouring out from the Kremlin and reported the whole place the act of descending the stairs, when he heard a com in the emperor’s room, and the voice of his chief calling: ‘**Roustan! here!” Without a moment’s hesitation the young general rushed back, and there stood, facing the emperor, The Man in Red! : CHAPTER XXIII. ' THE LAST VISIT OF THE MAN IN RED. THERE was no question aboutit. The Man in Red—tall, thin, in close scarlet garments—stood there, smiling sardonically on the emperor, who held in his band a smoking pistol, which he had just fired, while Roustan, bis dark face blue with fear, had drawn his saber, and seemed as if hesitating to advance and not daring to do so. The emperor turned at the sound of Gabriel’s | step and pointed to The Man in Red, saying, im- | periously: | ** Arrest that man.” | Gabriel drew his sword and advanced firmly | on The Man in Red, who said not a word. ‘You are my prisoner,” said the young man, and as he spoke he reached out to grasp the other. He saw that it was not the general of whom he had known, Tie face was different. Besides, the general was clean shaven, and this — wore a long pointed mustache and chin tuft. There was but.a single lamp in the room at | the time, and The Man in Red stood beside it. in flames no one knew how. And then, just as Gabriel thought he had | The strong odor of burning pitch and tar grasped the other, the lamp went out, the room | showed bow the c nflagration had spread so rap- became dark, the young general foundempty idly and even while they looked the whole mass air before him, and Roustan cried out: of the huge building was wrapped in flames, ‘* Allah Akbar! It is Eblis!” casting a glare over the city of Moscow and For, even while the darkness was deepest, showing the streets full of troops silent and or- they saw a bluish glow in aspot onthe further derly enough now under the pressure of this un- wall of the room, thirty feet away, and there known terror against which no one could guard. stood The Man in Red again, smiling at themin, The emperor mounted his horse and rode the same evil fashion. _ through the streets followed by his numerous As for Roustan, the Mameluke was complete-_ staff to encourage the troops but the shouts of ly unnerved, and even Gabriel couldn’t helpa | ‘‘ Vive l’Empereur ” were few and faint. Even certain shudder, but the emperor cried Satcale: the soldiers realized that his star was waning. ‘*Knough ofthismummery. Youhavecome. | They had fought hard for months and this What do you want?” was their reward: a barren victory and a heap The bluish light illuminated that marble face, of ashes. and Gabriel could see that it wasfullofanger All that long night no one in Moscow had and grim impatience. any rest, and the flames continued to spread, Then they heard a voice from the center of | The Kremlin burnt so fiercely that no a the ajparition in the wall speak out: was made to save it, but fires kept bursting out ‘*T have come, as [ said I would. Thy star in fresh quarters all over the city and no one could find out how they began. There would be heard an explosion in a cellar where no one had been seen for days and the whole house would bl ze up in a way that cesar it must have been prepared bitore- rand, The burning of the Kremlin seemed to be the signal for that of Moscow. Hurriedly the baggage-wagons and artillery were ordered out of the city and the rumbling _ of the long trains sounded like thunder as they went; while the roar of the flames, the hoarse voices of officers giving orders, the shouts of the excited men in all the languages of the Em- pire, made a Babel of confusion. And in the midst of all this came a great ex- losion among the burning ruins of the Krem- im, as the flames reached a secret magazine of powder, and the soldiers in the streets started a panic and began to run for the gates, shouting **Sauve qui f)” In the midst of this wild stampede Gabriel, Count of Friedland, looked with pride on his own division of cuirassiers. wane to the sunset. I have come to warn thee, | Restore the King of France, and thou mayest yet die with bonor.” The empercr laughed scornfully. ‘*When I was General Bonaparte I refused the offer. The Emperor of the French knows _ no King of France. If thou hast nothing more to say, go, or I call the guard.” The apparition leughed in afswer, and his laugh seemed an echo of the other. ‘I defy you. You defy me, Hitherto you have conquered. Now it is my turn, I know | your tactics. You do not know mine yet; but you shall feel them in France.” | The light faded away, and all was dark again, when Gabriel said to himseif, balf-aloud: ‘* Who can this be?” | Low as the words were spoken, an answer came back from the darkness: ‘** Look and see.” Then the light burst out again, and Gabriel bebeld a tall, thin man in the uniform of twenty years before, when the generals of the at the time of the execution of the Duke of | years before I graduated. He was afterward cashiered for peculation, and in revenge turned against the republic. He trades on his likeness republic wore long bair, clubbed in cues, huge _ three-cornered and tri-colored sashes, over blue coats turned up with red. The face was the face of the general he had The emperor stopped short. known, but the quaint old-fashioned costume ‘‘Never mind, now. If ever you see him again, shoot him down.” altered it entirely. Gabriel started. Yet it was this figure, real or pictured, that Sire, shoot him?” spoke out: ‘* You do not know me; he does. Bonaparte, remember me amid the ashes of the Brienne, where once we walked together. Farewell. Thou shalt see me once more,” “When?” asked the emperor, firmly. ‘‘On the day of thy death,” was the solemn answer. , Then the light faded away again, and all was i ‘*T said so. I give you the order.” And the emperor’s voice had a hard, pitiless accent that made the.young general shudder. He turned pale, and said: ‘Sire, I must tell you something. I owe that man my life. We once fought, and he over- came me. If there is to be shooting, he has the right to take my life, which he spared,” The emperor frowned angrily. 1. ** What is all this? Where did this happen?” The emperor struck a light from the tinder- “At Fontainbleau, sire. I discovered a series | box on the table, and lit the lamp, which they of secret passages and found him in a place I | found overturned, but not empty, on the table. cannot name without forfeiting my honor. He ‘‘Call in Duroc,” he said, sharply, to the gave me my life on condition that I kept the young general. ‘‘Tbere are secret passages secret, promising never to use it to hurt your | here. We can find them out yet, and catch this majesty.” ; mountebank. Did you recognize the likeness?” he emperor looked as black as a thunder- He still looked suspiciously at Gabriel, and cloud, and bis voice sounded like the growl of the Jatter innocently replied: distant thunder as he said to Gabriel: ‘‘ How could I, sire, when I never saw a gen- ‘‘l am sorry tohear it. Ithought youaman. | eral officer in those days but Moreau and I find you only a child. You can go, sir. Mar- | Hoche?” shal Ney, Prince of the Moskwa, will give you ‘‘ And have you seen no portraits?” asked the our orders.” emperor. ‘‘Come, you must bave a suspicion Gabriel, deeply mortified, bowed low and left | whom he is trying to personate, The likeness the room. is very strong, I admit : Roustan started up as he crossed the ante- ‘Indeed, no, sire.” room, and half drew his saber; but, as soon as| ‘Then call Duroc.” he siw who it was, the Mameluke said Gabriel noticed that the tones of his voice had ‘Excuse, count. Good-night.” an accent of relief as he gave the order, and Gabriel passed out into the hall, and was in wondered more than ever who this mysterious Se ——_ bats, voluminous neck-cloths | They had bivouacked in a square near the Kremlin, and stood patiently by their horses, the red glare lighting up their brazen belmets and bright cuirasses, like so many statues, wait- 17 ing orders. And they had a long time to weit, | for it became impossible to check the unreason- ing panic that seized the soldiers before morning dawned, and when the daylight came the once flourishing city of Moscow was a waste of smok- ing ruins, with here and there a blackened house standing up like a blasted tree, tottering to its fall, while the camp-followers alone roamed through the streets, picking up anything that they could find and searching eagerly for the articles of jewelry which they knew bad abound- ed in Moscow before it was taken, and most of which the soldiers had packed into their knap- sacks. And not till Men did an order come to Gabriel, in the shape of an aide-de-camp: ‘* The prince of Mosk wa’s compliments, and he wishes you to take out your division to support the pickets. The Russians are advancing again. You are to cover the rear guard.” The retreat from Moscow bad begun at last. CHAPTER XXIV. THE ENVOY. THREE months have passed away and the relics of the Grand Army are collected on Prus- Sian soil. Of all the proud host of cavalry that entered Russia in 1812, only one regiment remains in- tact, diminished to three slender squadrons, but as firm as ever—the grim old Death’s Head Cuirassiers. The rest are scattered to the four winds, part dead, part in hospitals, part in Rus- sian prisons. . - The eagles have taken their last flight to the Gomicbooks (E@) ag i | ; | ; m —— a i ee + <7. ee — ee ~ — en ee ee Oo eee ee ee cee EM, 8 . +. ee we SS ET LEMS Em8e > « = * - ~ ~~ A od ——