For the next two days, matters went on at the chateau much as usual.
Old Maria was as sedulously attentive as ever, her sole occupation being
apparently the preparation of tempting and strengthening dishes for my
consumption, and the concoction of tonic herbal medicines which she
administered with relentless severity.
The weather continued gloriously fine, enabling me to be in the open air
the greater portion of each day; and although the count was absent, his
beautiful daughter more than supplied his place, as far at least as I
was concerned; so that, what with judicious nursing and nourishment,
plenty of easy exercise in the delicious bracing mountain air, and the
delightful society of Francesca Paoli, I was rapidly gaining both in
health and spirits.
On the second evening after my conversation with Count Lorenzo
respecting the man whom he called Matteo Bartolozzi, Francesca and I
were slowly returning to the house, after a somewhat longer walk than
usual, when we were startled by the sound of a horse approaching at a
rapid gallop behind us. Turning round, we saw that it was the count.
He reined up when alongside of us, and, gaily saluting us, dismounted,
and walked the rest of the distance to the house with us. When we
reached the broad terrace in front of the chateau, he handed over his
still panting horse to one of the servants, and, placing an arm in mine,
dismissed his daughter, saying he had an important communication to make
to me.
The moment that Francesca was fairly out of ear-shot he turned to me and
said,--
"I received about an hour ago an intimation that a party of French
soldiers are on their way here, for the purpose of arresting me, on
suspicion of conspiring with the insurgents against the French
government, and I was also informed that authority had been given to the
officer in command to take me by force, should I refuse to surrender
myself and accompany them quietly. I at once set out to return here,
galloping all the way, and on reaching the cross roads about six miles
from here, I saw approaching along the Ajaccio road a detachment of
infantry, which I have not the least doubt is the party referred to. I
have quite made up my mind not to surrender; it would be simply throwing
away my life to do so with the existing state of feeling of the French
towards us Corsicans. I should doubtless be subjected to the ceremony
of a trial, but it would be quite a mock affair; my doom is probably
already fixed. I shall therefore defend the chateau as long as its
walls will hold together, and I do not quite despair of doing so
successfully, although my garrison will be but a weak one--I do not
suppose I can muster more than twenty people all told, and they by no
means reliable if it comes to a downright hand-to-hand tussle. The
question is, what are we to do with you? Should we fail, and you again
fall into the hands of the French, your fate is sealed, they will
assuredly hang you as a spy on the nearest tree."
"May I venture to ask, count, what are your intentions with regard to
your daughter?" said I.
He turned deadly pale for an instant, then the blood rushed furiously to
his head, his face crimsoned, his eyes sparkled vindictively, and the
veins of his forehead stood out like knotted cords as he hoarsely
ejaculated,--
"The man who lays a hand upon her must pass over my dead body; and let
me tell you, Signor Inglese, I shall not die easily; much French blood
will flow before I fall."
"Unless an unlucky bullet happens to strike you fairly in the forehead,
early in the fight," I suggested.
"And do you imagine that I shall be imbecile enough to expose myself in
so reckless a fashion as to render that probable?" he returned. "No!
If I fight, it will be for life, not for glory, therefore I shall take
every reasonable precaution to protect my life."
"Still," I persisted, "in the excitement of a fight prudence is
sometimes forgotten for a brief space. Would it not be advisable to
take any measures that may be possible to secure a retreat, should such
unhappily become necessary?"
The count made no reply for a full minute, during which we continued to
pace the terrace in the deepening twilight. Then he turned to me and
said,--
"I wonder whether you will understand me if I say, that, as far as _I_
am concerned, retreat is quite impossible. If I once come into
collision with the French, I must either conquer or die; there is, for
me, no middle course."
"Then that settles the question, as far you are concerned," I replied.
"Is it imperative that your daughter should also die, in the event of
our sustaining a defeat?"
"She must either die or fall into the hands of the French," replied the
count sternly; "and with the fate of poor Bell' Demonio fresh in our
memories, neither she nor I would for an instant hesitate as to which
alternative to accept. I would send her away to seek shelter with some
friend, but her presence, if discovered, would only compromise that
friend irretrievably, as well as prove fatal to herself. Besides, to
speak the truth, there is so much treachery existing among us that I
dare not run the risk. If your ship were only within reach, I think I
dare trust Francesca on board her; she would at least be safe from the
French, and I have no doubt your captain would afford her temporary
protection, until other arrangements could be made."
"That he would, I am certain," I replied eagerly, "I can certainly
venture to promise so much in his behalf. Unfortunately, however, the
`Juno' is now at the north end of the island, and the only safe means--
or rather the _least dangerous_ means of reaching her seems to me to be
by water. I have come to the conclusion that that is the way by which I
shall have to go, and if you felt you could confide Miss Francesca to my
protection, I should be only too happy to have the opportunity to--to--"
"Make love to her on the way, eh?" interrupted the count, with a smile.
"Nay, never blush and look confused, my boy. Do you think that, because
I have not seen much of you for the last few days, I am altogether
blind? I know, just as well as you do, that you two children fancy
yourselves in love with each other; and were you a few years older I
might have somewhat to say in the matter; as it is, you are both too
young for me to take any serious notice of it. However, that is not now
the question. Do you really think you could safely convey my daughter
to the north end of the island, and place her, not on board your ship,
but in the care of her aunt, my brother's wife? You are a seaman, I
know, and are doubtless skilled in your profession; but how would you
proceed? It would be perfect madness to attempt engaging a vessel to
convey you along the coast, the reward for delivering you both over to
the French authorities would be an irresistible temptation to the
fishermen or coasters."
"I should not dream of running so serious a risk," I replied. "My plan
is very simple. I should make for Ajaccio, timing myself to reach the
place about two or three o'clock in the morning, seize the most
promising-looking boat I could find, and make sail in her. The only
difficulty would be with my wounded arm, which is at present quite
useless, but I dare say--"
"If that is your only difficulty," again interrupted the count, "it may
be easily overcome. I would send one of my people with you, a man whom
I can implicitly trust, and who has moreover had some experience on
board the small craft which trade along the coast."
"Not Matteo, I hope?" said I.
"No, not Matteo," replied the count. "You are prejudiced against him,
and would probably refuse to take him. The man I am thinking of is
called Giaccomo--he is one of the under-gardeners."
"I should like to see the man," said I; "but in the meantime had we not
better make what preparations we can to defend the chateau, as well as
to secure a retreat, should such be necessary?"
"By all means," said the count. "Let us first go to the stables, and
arrange the means for your escape, should it be necessary, and then we
will go round the chateau together, and see what can be done in the
matter of defending it."
We turned away and walked round to the stables, in which stood ten fine
horses. These, the count ordered to be removed at once to a place which
he called the Elfin Grotto, giving instructions that the three which
were considered to be the fleetest were to be saddled and bridled ready
for instant use, Francesca's saddle being required for one of them. He
also hunted out Giaccomo--who looked a smart honest fellow enough--and
ordered him to go with the horses to the grotto, holding himself in
readiness for a lengthened journey at a moment's notice, and that he was
to understand he was under my immediate orders, to do whatever I might
require of him.
We then retired to the interior of the chateau, to examine into its
capabilities of defence, and, as much to get her out of the way as for
any other reason, Francesca was directed to prepare a small package of
clothing, such as would serve her for a week or so, her father informing
her that it might be necessary for her to leave the chateau for a short
time, and that in such an event I had undertaken to escort her to a
place of safety.
This done, we made a careful examination of each floor of the building,
beginning with the lowest or ground floor. The chateau was built in the
Italian style of architecture, and consisted of two wings and a lofty
central tower. The windows of the lower floor reached from near the
ceiling right down to the ground, and gave access, by means of a row of
three steps, directly to the rooms from the broad terrace along the
front. These windows were protected by strong solid shutters of oak
which were arranged to be fastened on the inside with three heavy iron
bars, one at the top, one half-way down, and one at the bottom. The
door was a very solid and substantial affair of oak thickly studded with
nails, and was so well provided with massive bolts that I felt confident
of its power to resist anything except artillery. This completed the
defences of the lower floor, so far as the front was concerned. The
back we had very little fear about; a high and solid stone wall
surmounted by a formidable _chevaux-de-frise_ extending for about thirty
yards from each wing, and then stretching back far enough to enclose the
stables and other offices, as well as a spacious kitchen-garden. The
windows of the next two floors were quite unprotected; and the count
therefore gave immediate orders to have all the available beds,
mattresses, cushions, etcetera, piled up along the lower portion of each
window, just high enough to protect a person when kneeling on the floor.
The grand staircase, which was the only one accessible from the front
entrance, was also strongly barricaded in three or four places, a sort
of breastwork being constructed on the first landing, behind which the
defenders might shelter themselves from the fire of an attacking party
below. This done, nothing remained but to collect the arms and
ammunition, muster the attendants, and await the development of events.
We had not very long to wait. Evening had closed down upon us and
deepened into night during the progress of our preparations, and the
count and I were watching from one of the windows the exquisitely
beautiful spectacle afforded by a clear moonrise, when we observed some
moving objects among the deep shadows cast by the trees of the distant
avenue, and, once or twice, the cold gleam of steel where the mellow
rays of the moon penetrated through the overarching branches. Presently
a small group of figures emerged from the shadows of the trees and
approached along the central drive which led up to the broad expanse of
flower-beds beyond the terrace. As they came nearer, we perceived that
they consisted of an officer in the uniform of one of the French
regiments of foot, a couple of files of men, and a bugler.
"Come," said the count to me, as soon as we had clearly made out the
character of our visitors, "let us go down and see what this gentleman
has to say."
We made our way down the staircase--passing through openings which had
been purposely left in the barricades, but which could be effectually
closed in less than a minute--and accompanied by half-a-dozen of the
most resolute and trusty of the count's people, armed with musket and
dagger, emerged through the great door upon the terrace, the steps
leading to which the Frenchmen were just ascending. They were allowed
to fairly reach the terrace, a distance of some thirty yards or so then
intervening between us and them, when the count stepped forward, and,
raising his hand, cried in French, in an authoritative voice,--
"Halt! I allow no body of armed men to approach my chateau any nearer
than the spot where you now stand, without my first receiving an
explanation of the reason for their presence. The officer in command
may, however, come forward and state his business; but I warn you that,
if the rest attempt to approach, my men will at once fire upon you."
The Frenchmen halted, and the officer, after apparently giving his men
some brief instructions in a low tone of voice, advanced towards us,
raising his shako as he joined us, and saying,--
"Have I the honour to address Count Lorenzo di Paoli?"
"I am the individual whom you name," replied the count. "To what
circumstance am I indebted for the honour of this somewhat extraordinary
visit?"
"I am instructed by General Lefevre, the officer in command of the
forces now stationed at Ajaccio, to request your immediate attendance
before him in reference to a matter closely affecting your own honour,"
replied the Frenchman.
"As I have not the advantage of General Lefevre's acquaintance, and
cannot conceive what interest he can possibly have in any matter
relating to my honour, you may go back to him, sir, and tell him I
positively decline to accede to his request, which--to say the least of
it--is a very singular one to make to a Corsican noble."
"I regret to say that the general, anticipating the possibility of your
refusal, has ordered me, in such a case, to arrest you. It is a
disagreeable necessity, which I would much rather have avoided; but you
leave me no alternative. Count Lorenzo di Paoli, I arrest you in the
name of the National Assembly, on a charge of conspiracy," answered the
Frenchman, stepping forward and attempting to lay his hand on the
count's shoulder.
"Stand back, sir!" cried Count Lorenzo, stepping back a pace and
levelling a pistol at the officer's head. "I am fully acquainted with
your general's designs against me; and I decline to walk into the trap
which he has set for me. I repudiate and defy his authority, which I
will resist to the death; and you may go back and tell him so."
"Ha! say you so?" exclaimed the Frenchman. "Rash man, you will soon
feel the power of the authority which you have so arrogantly defied, for
I may inform you that I have at hand a party strong enough to _compel_
your submission; and my orders are, not to return to Ajaccio without
you."
"Then go, sir, and bring up your party," retorted the count scornfully;
"and we will endeavour to give you such a reception as shall teach your
general to beware how he attempts to molest a Corsican noble for the
future."
The French officer bowed, raised his shako, and somewhat hastily
retired, withdrawing his men from the terrace directly he joined them;
and we stood watching them down the drive, until, having reached a point
about midway between the terrace and the avenue, and well out of musket-
shot, the little party halted; a bugle-call was sounded; and we saw a
large body of men deploy into line beneath the trees and advance along
the drive at the double.
We then retreated to the interior of the chateau, carefully locking and
barring the great door behind us; and, closing the barriers on the grand
staircase as we ascended, made the best of our way to the principal
floor, from whence we had decided to conduct the defence in the first
instance.
Our dispositions for the defence of the chateau were simple in the
extreme. We had only the front of the house to defend, the sides and
rear being protected by the high wall before referred to; we therefore
divided our little garrison into two parties, one to each wing of the
building; the count heading one party, and confiding the direction of
the other to me. As our plans were complete, the count and I separated
on reaching the gallery at the head of the staircase, he going to that
part of the building which he had undertaken to defend; and I making the
best of my way to my own command.
On entering the saloon where my party was stationed, I at once went to
the nearest window to reconnoitre. The moon was by this time riding
high in the unclouded ether, flooding the scene with the soft effulgence
of her silvery beams, and rendering every object which was not obscured
by the black shadows of the trees as distinct as though it had been
daylight. Her brilliant disc was invisible from the front windows of
the chateau, she having by this time passed somewhat to the rear of the
building; and this of course gave us a very decided advantage, inasmuch
as it rendered it difficult for the attacking party to distinguish us at
the windows, while they were exposed in the full radiance of the
brilliant moonlight.
When I reached the window, the main body of the French had just joined
the smaller party, and had been halted. They presented a formidable
array, numbering, in my estimation, quite a hundred, all armed with
musket and bayonet; and I thought I detected among them a small party of
grenadiers. Three or four individuals, apparently officers, were
standing a little distance apart from the rest, and appeared to be
consulting together. They remained thus for about five minutes, when
their bugler sounded a parley; and one of the officers, separating
himself from the rest, advanced alone towards the chateau, displaying a
white handkerchief attached to his sword-point. On seeing this, Count
Lorenzo threw open the window immediately over the door, and stepped out
upon the balcony, also exhibiting a white handkerchief. The officer
continued to approach until he was within easy speaking distance, when
he halted, and exclaimed,--
"Once more, Count Lorenzo di Paoli, I call upon you to surrender
yourself. Resistance, as you must see, from the force under my command,
will be quite useless, and can only result in a needless effusion of
blood, which I assure you will be visited with the severest retribution.
Not on you alone, but also on all those who may be taken in arms with
you, will this retribution descend; for your own sake, therefore, and
for the sake of the misguided men who are being tempted by your rashness
to their _own_ destruction, I ask you again, and for the last time, to
yield without further resistance."
"I have but one answer to make to your appeal, sir," replied the count,
"and it is this. I positively refuse to place myself in the power of
those who have again and again proved themselves completely devoid of
the principles of honour and justice. And I here and now throw off my
allegiance to a country the government of which is in the hands of
regicides and wholesale murderers, and declare myself to be in active
sympathy with the Corsican patriots."
"Enough, sir, and more than enough," haughtily returned the Frenchman.
"On your head must rest the responsibility for whatever bloodshed may
now ensue."
And turning on his heel, he disdainfully snatched the handkerchief from
his sword-point and strode resentfully away. He had, during this brief
colloquy, been covered by the muskets of the entire party under my
command; and at its conclusion, though I promptly interfered, I was
barely in time to prevent a volley being fired upon him. I learned
afterwards that the count, knowing the temper and feeling of his people,
had, before going out on the balcony, given the most positive orders to
those under his command that, whatever the issue of the interview might
be, the officer was to be allowed to retire unmolested.
The attack commenced immediately upon the French officer rejoining his
command, the entire force advancing at a rapid double, in order to place
themselves as speedily as possible under the cover afforded by the steep
slope which divided the flower-garden from the broad terrace in front of
the chateau. The rush was made, and the cover gained in less than a
couple of minutes; but our coolest and steadiest marksmen had already
been stationed at the windows, with orders to select an individual mark
and to make every shot tell; the result was that, almost immediately
upon the troops getting in motion, an irregular fire broke out upon them
from the chateau; and short as was the time occupied in making their
rush, they left some ten or eleven of their number prostrate behind
them.
The Frenchmen by no means intended letting us have things all our own
way, however, for directly they were safe under the shelter of the slope
they crept up it, and, shielding themselves as well as they could behind
the massive stone balustrades bounding the terrace, opened upon us a
galling and continuous fire. This fire grew hotter and hotter, until
the rattle of musketry all along the front of the terrace became
continuous; the bullets pattering in showers through every window, and,
in spite of our hastily arranged bulwarks, wounding more or less
severely many of our people; while the terrace itself was obscured by a
thick curtain of fleecy smoke.
This had lasted for perhaps five minutes, when from my loophole of
observation I descried dimly in the midst of the smoky canopy, some
half-a-dozen indistinct forms hurriedly crossing the terrace toward the
great entrance door of the chateau. I immediately directed the
attention of my party to these men, ordering them to concentrate the
whole of their fire upon them, and stop their advance, if possible, at
all hazards. We were just in time. An almost simultaneous volley rang
out, just as the men were getting so near the walls that they could not
be aimed at without complete exposure on the part of the marksmen, and
every one of them fell. A few seconds afterwards a series of sharp
explosions took place, which told us that these men had been the bearers
of grenades or petards with which to blow open the door. But our
success had not been obtained without its price; for three of our men
were shot dead, and one more so seriously wounded that he had to retire
from the combat, in consequence of the way in which our men had been
obliged to expose themselves, in order to cover the grenadiers with
their muskets.
Meanwhile, the curtain of smoke which veiled the terrace was every
moment growing more dense, and in a few minutes from the fall of the
grenadiers it had become so thick that it was quite impossible to see
what was going on outside at a distance of more than twenty feet from
the windows. The fire was maintained as furiously as ever, but the
bullets no longer flew so thickly about our ears; a clear indication
that our antagonists were as much blinded as we were, and were aiming
pretty much at random; as it was of the utmost importance to economise
our ammunition as much as possible, I therefore directed my party to
cease firing for a time, until the smoke should have cleared away a
little, or, at all events, only to fire when they could descry an object
at which to aim. I then went across to the other wing, to suggest to
the count the adoption of a similar plan, and had just reached his side
when a violent explosion occurred below us, accompanied by a sound of
splitting and rending of timber, and a heavy crash.
"To the landing! to the landing, every man of you!" shouted the count.
"They have blown down the door, and nothing can now prevent their
entering the house. But keep cool and steady, my men, and we may yet
successfully defend the staircase. Ah! I was just about to seek you!"
he exclaimed, as his eye fell upon me. "You must fly at once; do not
delay another instant, I beg of you. You will find Francesca in the
music saloon, she will be your guide to the grotto; and as soon as you
have reached it, mount and ride for your lives. Take care of her,
Ralph, as you would that your own sister should be cared for; and may
God be your shield and defence in every danger! Now go; there is no
time for further parley; but you know all that I would have you do, and
you know where to seek for the friends with whom I wish you to place
Francesca. God bless you, my dear boy, and farewell until we meet
again; I have already said farewell to my daughter."
He wrung my hand convulsively, and releasing it, fairly pushed me away
from him along the corridor which led to the music saloon.
As I hurried away a loud shout arose from the hall below, accompanied by
a sound as of axes and bars crashing into the barricade at the foot of
the staircase; then a rattling volley of musketry rang out from the
gallery, followed by loud shrieks and agonised groans, fierce oaths, and
yells of defiance; an answering volley from below, followed by more
shrieks and one or two heavy falls; and as I rapidly increased my
distance from the scene of action the varied sounds merged into a fierce
and whirling din, such as might have arisen had Pandemonium opened its
adamantine gates, and poured out upon the hapless chateau a legion of
destroying fiends. On entering the saloon I found Francesca on her
knees, ready equipped for a journey, and with a small gold crucifix in
her hands, which she had removed from her neck. As I entered the
apartment she rose to her feet, and, hastily replacing the jewel, came
up to me, and, placing her hands in mine, exclaimed with quivering
lips,--
"Oh! Ralph dearest, what is the meaning of all this dreadful strife,
and why have they attacked the chateau?"
"I will tell you as soon as we are out of the reach of immediate
danger," I replied; "at present we have no time for anything but action,
so, if you are ready, we will proceed at once."
"I am quite ready," she answered; "but I feel very undecided what to do.
My father told me to prepare for a journey, and to be ready to leave
the chateau with you at any moment, but do you think I should be
justified in doing so, now that he is in such dreadful peril?"
"The peril is by no means as great as you appear to think," said I, "and
your compliance with your father's instructions will relieve him of a
very serious embarrassment; so let us not linger another moment, I
entreat you."
The suggestion that her presence might possibly prove embarrassing to
her father at once decided her, and, placing her hand in mine, she said
simply, "I am ready; let us go," and moved to the door of the apartment.
We passed down the entire length of the corridor, and presently reached
the head of a staircase leading to the rear portion of the house, and
ordinarily used exclusively by the servants. Descending this, we
traversed a short passage at its foot, and finally emerged through a
door into the garden at the rear. A path closely bordered with
mulberry-trees led down through the centre of this garden, passing down
which we eventually reached a rustic building ordinarily used as a
tool-house. Entering this, Francesca turned to me and said,--
"Now, Ralph, there is a secret door in that back wall, but I have never
been through it, so I do not know its exact position. But it is opened
by pressing a spring, the head of which is formed like an ordinary nail-
head, differing from the others only in that it projects a little more
from the woodwork than the others. Do you think you can find it?"
I ran my hand over the boarding, and soon encountered what would have
seemed to any one unacquainted with the secret merely an ill-driven
nail. Pressing firmly upon this, it yielded; a cleverly-concealed door
opened and revealed a very narrow passage-like space between the wooden
partition and the solid stone boundary-wall of the garden. Entering
this and turning my back upon the open door, in accordance with
Francesca's directions, and feeling cautiously before me with my feet, I
found myself standing at the head of a flight of stone steps. These I
cautiously descended, Francesca following closely behind me after
closing the secret door in her rear, and in a _few_ seconds we found
ourselves at the foot of the steps, and standing in an arched tunnel
apparently about six feet high and as many feet wide. We then moved
cautiously but rapidly forward, hand-in-hand, meeting with no difficulty
or inconvenience during our passage, excepting such as arose from the
mephitic atmosphere. This, however, was in itself sufficiently trying,
and I was heartily glad when, after the lapse of nearly a quarter of an
hour, we suddenly experienced a delicious whiff of cool pure night-air,
and immediately afterwards emerged from the confined tunnel-like passage
into a moderately spacious cavern, through the foliage at the mouth of
which a broad patch of the luminous star-lighted sky was visible.
"Who goes there?" ejaculated a voice from a mass of deep shadow on one
side of the cave.
I recognised Giaccomo's voice, and at once replied, adding an inquiry as
to whether he had detected any signs of the presence of the enemy in the
neighbourhood of the cavern.
"None whatever, signor," he replied. "I have seen nothing all the time
I have been here, and have heard nothing except the sound of distant
firing in the direction of the chateau."
"Then let us be off at once," said I. "The sooner we get into the main
road the less likelihood will there be of our meeting with molestation."
Without more ado Francesca was accordingly assisted by Giaccomo to
mount, my wounded arm precluding me from seizing that coveted privilege,
after which the Corsican and I sprang into our saddles, and the
cavalcade moved forth into the dazzling moonlight, taking our way over
the short springy turf in a direction which enabled us to keep the
chateau between us and the French, being cautious at the same time to
keep as much as possible within the shadow of the trees. After
travelling in this way for about a couple of miles, the chateau became
entirely concealed from view by the intervening trees (though the sound
of brisk firing could still be distinctly heard); I therefore sent
Giaccomo to the front as guide, with instructions to shape such a course
as would take us out upon the high road to Ajaccio, and ranged my own
horse up alongside that of Francesca, who had behaved with admirable
coolness and courage throughout the adventure, but seemed keenly
distressed at the necessity which forced her from her father's side at a
time of such peculiar peril to him. This feeling I at once set myself
to combat, making as light as possible of the peril, and stating that
the attack upon the chateau was merely a wanton outrage on the part of
the French, inflicted by way of retaliation in consequence of the
count's refusal to obey a discourteous summons from their general at
Ajaccio. I was successful beyond my utmost hopes, my fair companion
deriving from my representations a comfort and reassurance which I
scarcely intended, but which I certainly had not the heart to take away
again, so that by the time we reached Ajaccio--which we did without
adventure of any kind--she had grown to regard the whole affair with a
very tolerable amount of equanimity.
After striking the high road we performed the remainder of the journey
at a foot-pace, our object being to reach the town by about one o'clock
in the morning, by which time Giaccomo assured me the entire inhabitants
of the place would be in bed and fast asleep.
On reaching that point in the road where I had taken leave of Rawlings,
the "Juno's" sailing-master, we dismounted, and turning the horses'
heads homeward, after adjusting their bridles so that they would not be
likely to trail on the ground or entangle their feet, Giaccomo
administered to each of the animals a smart stroke across the flank with
his riding whip, which sent them off at a rattling gallop back along the
road we had come, the man assuring me that they would be certain to keep
on steadily until they again found themselves at their stable door at
the chateau. We did this so as to avoid the necessity of attracting
attention to ourselves by seeking stabling for them in the town at that
late hour. When our steeds were fairly out of sight we resumed our way,
and walked leisurely into Ajaccio, which we safely reached just about
the time we had previously fixed upon as most desirable for our arrival.