The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 105: what you’re looking at

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

THE BRONZE STATUE. in defence of their homes and children. ering Kara Ali and the other mi- nisters to be thrown into prison, Ildi- rim at once adopted energetic means forthe defence of the city. He armed all the male adult population ; and with out waiting until the invaders had ad : | : brought fire and sword into the subur- | ban villages, he marched forth at the head of a strong band to intercept their progress. ‘A ganguinary conflict took within a few leagues of the capitul. The combat began at sunrise, and ,the fertile plains were soon covered with the dead and dying. The rivulets, blushing at man’s ferocity, flowed with a crimson tide; and the hues of the richest peony were excelled by the pur- ple blood that deluged the fairest gar- lace | 103 him—vainly, I say, did they implore him to save his life by flight. He command- ed them to leave him to his fate, and they departed, their souls full of sorrow and bitterness. Then, finding himself ‘alone, the unhappy Ildirim gave free vent to the anguish which was rending his heart; and, beating his breast and tearing his hair, he burst forth into the most passionate lamentations. ‘+¢Oh ! this is heaven's judgment upon me for my crimes!” he exclaimed, 1m a piercing tone. “ ‘l‘wo years of dissipa- tion and folly are to be expiated by the defeat and ruin which have accumulat-| 'ed in a few hours, and which will pre- . . | dens, and carried the traces of slaugh- ' —to change disgrace intotriumph! AI- ter amidst the parterres of flowers.— The sun glowed like a ball of fire in the | over-arching canopy of spotless azure ; and its sultry rays beat maddeningly upon the toiling combatants. . Noon came and passed, and still the fight ragedon. Havoc and destruction knew no pause; death and desolation sought no interval of rest. And foremost in the ranks of battle was Ildirim the king, performing prodigies of valor; now en- couraging his troops to storm -some strong position—then leading an attack against the serried phalanx of the ene- my ; now thundering through the plain at the head of his chosen guard of horse —-then climbing an ascent, amidst showers of galling arrows, to dislodge a detachment of the invading army. But scarcely was an advantage gained when Mansour poure’ fresh troops upon Il dirim’s gallant band ; countless locusts did the enemy's co- | shoulder, horts spring from the neighboring woods, and crowd down from the adjacent | 1 heights; and when the orb of day was swathing the western horizon in purple, and orange, and crimson, and gold, the beams of that glorious sunset played upon the broken lines and shattered ranks of Ildirim’s retreating force! ‘ Yes, the youthful king saw his army : : —————— ——— —_= . : : ; ; : ' | prayers : sently be crowned with death! Insen- sate wretch that [ have been! miserable outeast from heaven’s favor that | am! Oh! to retrieve the fortunes of this ter- rible day—to convert defeat into victory mighty,God, is it impossible to do all this? or wilt thou suffer me to perish n shame and infamy, and leave the once adoring millions to curse and ab- hor my memory? Yes, thou Eternal Power !”’ he cried in a frantic tone. ex- tending his arms wildly towards heaven at the same time: **thee I invoke to succor me in this hour of my bitter an- guish, thine aid I implore to turn back the tide of invasion which now rolls on towards my defenceless capital! Atlas, alas! no miracle is vouchsafed—my remain unheard. God -has abandoned me,’ screamed forth the ‘wretched king, ‘‘and in my despair do [ call upon thee, O Satan /” ‘The words thus uttered with fren- zied tone and maniac gesture were still | ringing in the air. when Ildirim felt a like showers of| heavy hand laid { suddenly upon his as he knelt in the anguish of his soul at the foot of the tree. Cast- ing up his looks, he beheid a tall dark form standing by his side ; and the eyes which shone forth from the swarthy ‘countenance that was bending over him, “nings. routed in every quarter, and flying in all | directions; but, determined to perish rather than carry into the capital the tidings of his own disgrace and his country’s ruin, he threw himself from his horse, fell wearied and stricken with to wait there until the invaders should come up and put him todeath. Vainly did the few retainers who accom : - : | the fe grief at the foot of a tree, and resolved | ‘ing the last words that had fallen from his lips, he shuddered with a cold and panied | violent convulsion, for a sudden intu- appeared to gleam with subdued light- The sun had set by this time, and a deep obscurity had fallen upon the battle-field; but the face of thts be- ing, irradiated with the glow of its own baleful eyes, was plainly visible; and atures would have been beautiful had they not been terrible. A strange, profound, and mysterious feeling smote the soul of Iidirim the king, as he gazed upon this awful form: and, remember- comicbooks.com