HOW THE WHOLE PARTY COME TO GRIEF, AND ARE CARRIED AWAY CAPTIVE.
It was, in truth, a strange and startling sight that met Ashby's eyes
as he looked out of the window. The train had been stopped in the
middle of a plain, where the road ran along an embankment about three
feet high. A crowd of armed men were here, gathered about the
locomotive, and already forming lines along each side of the train.
All looked shabby, none had any pretensions to uniforms, and their
appearance was not sufficiently picturesque for brigands. In fact,
they looked like a gang of goatherds who had just taken to
brigandage.
"A hard lot," muttered Ashby to himself.
Soon the tatterdemalions reached the spot, and extended their lines
on both sides to the end of the train. At every window they shouted,
"Back! back! Be quiet, and no harm will be done!" Shouting such words
as these, they aimed their guns so recklessly and with such furious
gestures at the windows, that the passengers all shrank back, not
only into their seats, but even into their boots.
The lines of armed men thus stood guarding the train, while the
passengers cowered inside. After a time a cry was heard from some one
who was passing along, and who, as he passed, kept shouting into each
carriage,
"This train has been stopped in the name of his Majesty King Charles.
All passengers are ordered to come out forthwith. Arms and weapons of
all kinds must be left behind. Resistance will be punished with
death. God save the King!"
After this the guards came and opened all the doors, and the
passengers stepped forth in obedience to orders. Of these there were
about a hundred altogether, and each one remained on the spot where
he alighted, and was forbidden to move in any direction. From where
Ashby stood he could see the whole crowd--the prisoners and their
captors. He saw a group alighting from a carriage a little ahead.
First came Harry Rivers, stepping out quite gayly, as though it was a
picnic. On reaching the ground, he turned and assisted the ladies to
descend. This he did by the simple yet pleasing process of lifting
them down bodily--first Katie, then Dolores. At this sight Ashby
gnashed his teeth with jealous rage. Then came Russell, whom, it is
perhaps unnecessary to state, Harry did not lift down. Nor did that
gallant and chivalrous youth venture to lift down Mrs. Russell, being
at that particular moment engaged in conversation with Katie.
Dolores, having descended, stood apart, and her dark-glancing eyes,
as they wandered searchingly about, fell full upon Ashby. It was a
glance full of that same deep, earnest meaning which he had noticed
in the morning; and so she stood looking at him, too far away to
speak, while Ashby looked at her also. After a time Harry's roving
eyes rested upon his friend, and with a laugh he drew Katie's
attention to him. At this Katie looked, and smiled brightly, and
nodded her pretty little head half a dozen times. To Ashby this
seemed like mockery. Katie, he saw, could very well bear this
separation, which was so painful to himself, and could laugh and be
happy with others, and could, perhaps, jest about his own melancholy
face. So Ashby bowed sulkily, and turned away his head.
It was rather a novelty--this sort of thing. Brigands in every age
had stopped travellers, but then they had always been in coaches or
carriages, on horseback or on foot. Never before had they tried to
stop a railway train. And yet in the progress of civilization the
world had to come to this. The manners of man easily accommodate
themselves to the inventions of man, and highway robbery can be done
as easily on a railroad as on a carriage road. Nevertheless, these
particular men who stopped this particular train were not brigands:
on the contrary, they were soldiers, forming part of the army of one
who called himself King of Spain--in short, Carlists.
The passengers were now ordered to come forward for examination, one
by one. Here, on a little knoll, on one side of the locomotive, stood
the leader of the band. He was a stout, thick-set man, with dark hair
and bushy beard. Around him were a score or so of armed men. The rest
of the band stood guarding the train. One by one the passengers came
forward. Each one was then ordered to hand over all the money,
jewellery, watches, or other valuables which he possessed. This was
to be a contribution to his Royal Majesty King Charles, who was in
sore need of such contributions from all his loving and loyal
subjects, in order to carry on the war against the rebels who were
resisting him. Against such a command as this there could be no
protest, and from it no appeal. No one offered to do either. Gold,
silver, copper, dirty paper-money, watches, rings, brooches, pins,
bracelets, trinkets of male and female use, were thrown promiscuously
down into a large basket which stood at the feet of the Carlist
chief, who loftily disdained searching any one, assuring them that he
trusted to their honor as Spaniards.
Then came the turn of the Russell party. First the Paterfamilias
disgorged. It was a well-filled wallet, and Russell flung it down
without a word. His watch followed. Then came some trinkets from the
ladies; then Harry's purse and watch. After this they were about to
move away to where the other passengers had gone, but the Carlist
chief stopped them.
[Illustration: "The Two Friends Were Comfortably Seated In The Rooms
Of Harry Rivers."]
[Illustration: The Capture Of The Train.]
"By the command of his Most Gracious Majesty King Charles," said he,
"you are to be detained."
"May I inquire for what cause?" asked Harry.
"Because you are foreigners," said the Carlist chief.
Harry translated this to Russell, whose face assumed a sickly pallor.
To him this was terrible.
The Carlist chief then directed them where to go, and two of the band
led them to the spot.
Other Spaniards now followed, and deposited their superfluous cash in
peace, without being detained. Then came the priest. He threw down a
very lean wallet. No notice was taken of him, and he followed the
others. These were all gathered in a group, and though conversation
had not been prohibited, they were all quite silent, as was perhaps
natural. Among them was Lopez, who had come there among the first. He
stood there silent, watchful, and attentive. He regarded the Russell
party in particular, and marked their arrest.
It was now Ashby's turn. He came up and threw down his purse and
watch. The Carlist chief scrutinized him carefully, and then said,
"Senor, you, being a foreigner, are to be detained for a future
examination."
"May I join the other foreigners?" asked Ashby.
The Carlist chief shook his head.
"Pardon me, senor, but His Majesty has issued strict orders, which
must be obeyed. Each foreigner must be examined by himself. The
regulations are very stringent."
With this he directed one of his men to lead the prisoner away; and
Ashby, who for a moment had hoped that he would be able to join the
Russell party, now, to his great chagrin, found himself led away to
another place too distant to allow of any communication with his
friends.
The mere fact of this arrest was not so bad to Ashby, since the
others were in the same case precisely; but in this continued
separation from them he found material for fresh suspicion and
renewed jealousy. Katie seemed to him to be altogether too bright,
and lively, and joyous. He could see that she was laughing and
talking with Harry quite merrily. This separation, which brought
sorrow to him, evidently brought joy to her. Was she, then, after
all, a mere shallow flirt? Had all her love been feigned? Was it
possible that she could so soon forget? With these thoughts, and
others like them, this idiotic youth persisted in tormenting himself.
At length the examination was ended, and at its close the Carlist
chief improved the occasion by addressing a few words to the
Spaniards. He reminded them that Don Carlos was their rightful king;
that this contribution was no more than his due; that they, one and
all, ought to cherish a lively affection for his sacred person; that
they ought to continue this good work which they had begun by sending
more; and that the king would be graciously pleased to accept
whatever they might contribute. In his own person the gallant
chieftain thanked them, and also in the name of His Majesty, for
their generous contributions. Finally, he informed them that His
Majesty, in his boundless pity and compassion, had graciously
permitted them to resume their journey. The only exception to this
permission was that of a few foreigners, who were detained, lest
there might be spies among them. Against gentry of this sort, His
Majesty's government had to be particularly on their guard. The
country was swarming with them. They generally pretended to be news
correspondents, but in reality they were paid agents of the enemy. If
any such should be caught, they would be shown no mercy.
With this address he dismissed the Spanish portion of the passengers,
who hastily re-entered the train. The English prisoners were allowed
to retain their luggage. Accompanied by some Carlists, they chose out
what they thought needful, and this was set aside. Russell took
nearly all of his. Meanwhile others of the band went through the
train, and helped themselves to whatever seemed useful. Among the
things thus selected as useful were the mail-bags, which, like the
foreigners, were taken away for further examination.
After this the obstructions were removed from the road, the engine
started, the train went on its way, and the prisoners saw it no more.