Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 96: what you’re looking at

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

JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. 83 ————————————— rn 00 EE EE eee eee SS you might by some very possible accident have had an instrument fitted for the purpose about your person, and which had escaped their notice when they rifled your pockets. But what did plunge them into the utmost perplexity, was the evident knowledge you had obtained of the where- abouts of the stables and the place where Miss Sackville was confined. Suspicion fell upon no one: but Marco Uberti chafed, and swore, and gave vent to the most violent rage when the flight was discovered. It is on this account that he himself now keeps the keys of the chambers in which the prisoners are confined.” “Phere are the old gentleman and the two ladies—the valet and the maid—are there not?” I “WYes—the carriage too, and the four horses: but the postilions are sent about their business. Whatsoever the travellers had worth taking about their persons or in their boxes, has been seized upon by the uuscrupulous brigand-chief: but in other respects, as I just now assured you, their treatment has been strictly compatible with pro- priety. The two ladies and the maid are in one chamber—the old gentleman and his valet in another.” At this moment the sudden galloping of horses broke upon our ears; and Volterra exclaimed, “The banditti! I must leave you!” * But the pass-word ?” I ejaculated eagerly. Volterra mentioned some word—I caught it not —I cried out to him that I had failed to compre- hend it—but his horse was dashing away from the spot with the speed of the whirlwind, and ina moment he was lost to my view. Nothing could exceed the poignancy of my disappointment, amounting almost at the instant to anguish and despair, at this sudden failure of one of the most vitally important details of my enterprise: but I had little leisure for bitter reflection, inasmuch as within a minute after Volterra had thus abruptly dashed away from me, I was overtaken and surrounded by half-a-dozen of the banditti who had thus galloped upon me from behind. All attempt at resistance was useless against such a number; and even if I had discharged both my pistols with effect, it would only have been at the instantaneous sacrifice of my own life. The rob- bers, perceiving that I remained quiet, offered me no personal violence: nor indeed was a hand laid upon me—and I ejaculated the words, “ Marco Uberti! Marco Uberti!” Then my eyes swept hastily round upon the ferocious group of horsemen, whose appearance was horribly picturesque, so to speak, in the flood of moonlight: but I did not recognise the terrible leader of the band amongst them. One of them addressed me in Italian; and I answered in French, “ If any person knows the language which I am now speaking, let him discourse with me.” “{ am your man for that purpose!” said an in- dividual, also speaking in French, and whom I recognised to be the fellow who had acted as inter- preter between Marco Uberti and myself when I was a prisoner in the hut: I therefore concluded him to be Philippo. “IT demand,” I said, still speaking in the French language, and all along disguising my voice some- what, ‘‘ to be conducted into the presence of your redoubtable chief Mareo Uberti: for I have busi- EO ness to transact with him—and I am delegated by an Englishman named Lanover.” “ Ho! ho!” cried Philippo, “this alters the question. You, then, perhaps, are an English- man ?—though you look more like a Corsican or a Spaniard for that matter.” “ Yes—I am an Englishman,” I answered, but still in the French language, as I of course was not presumed to know that my querist was con- versant with my native tongue. “So you come on the part of Mr. Lanover ?” resumed the latter, now changing the language of his speech to the English one. “Of course you are able to give the pass-word P” “The pass-word?”’ I repeated, as if with an abstracted air. “Tobe sure! Mr. Lanover men- tioned the pass-word to me—but it has eseaped my memory. For the life of me I cannot think of it at this moment !” “Indeed it will be for the life of you if you do not recollect it,’ responded Philippo with brutal eurtness. “ Lanover is too shrewd and sensible a man to depute as his agent any mad-brained reckless fellow who was likely to let slip so im- portant a thing as the pass-word out of his memory. Depend upon it the Captain ”—mean- ing Marco Uberti—“ will treat you as a spy, and your neck will become acquainted with a noose before you are many hours older.” Philippo then conferred with his eomrades for a few moments; and I perceived that they all bent ferocious looks of suspicion and distrust upon me: but as [I sate upon my horse in their midst, I studied to preserve the calm demeanour of confi- dence. I was nevertheless afraid lest they might determine on dealing summarily in regard to me without taking me before their chief at all. “Conduct me into the presence of Marco Uberti,” I said to Philippo; “and I will soon convince him that I am no spy—but on the contrary, that which I represent myself to be.” “Well, we will take you to the Captain,” an- swered Philippo; “but af you are wise you will do your best in the interval to recollect the pass- word: for no earthly proof which you can furnish will counterbalance the omission of this indis- pensable formality. Ah, by the bye! were we right in our conjecture that you had a companion with you, and that he dashed away a few minutes before we came up?” “‘No,’ TL answered. “I was alone, as you found me.” Philippo said something in Italian to his com- rades, several of whom gave utterance to angry and vehement ejaculations; and Philippo, again addressing me, observed in a stern voice, “ You are deceiving us! One and all caught the sounds of a horse dashing away into youn defile; and if our own steeds were not jaded, some of us would have sped in pursuit. Matters are growing worse and worse for you; because if you came with honourable intentions, your fellow-traveller must have been equally straightforward—and where- fore, then, should he have run away? But if you are a couple of spies, it is easy to conceive how your comrade was suddenly smitten with fear— while you, endowed with a bolder hardihood, re- mained to brave it out. However, it is for the Captain to decide.” The party now moved onward—I remaining in GIOoks