THE HUNTED BEAST
Such a piece of audacity could not be overlooked.
That a robber horseman should in the middle of the nineteenth century
and within the confines of a civilized state take it into his head to
attack, in broad daylight, post wagons defended by a strong escort of
regular soldiers--was a thing unheard of.
The news spread like lightning through the six confederated counties and
everyone seized his sword and musket. So old Gerzson Satrakovics whom
everybody had laughed at, was right after all. It was universally agreed
that a stop must be put to this sort of thing once for all. There was no
waiting now for the meetings of Quarter Sessions. The lord-lieutenants
of the counties proclaimed the _statarium_,[47] called out the
_banderia_[48] and gathered together the county _pandurs_[49] and the
militia, in order by their combined efforts, to extirpate the evil
without having recourse to the assistance of the military--a measure
always repugnant to the freedom-loving Magyars.
[Footnote 47: A decree authorizing summary procedure.]
[Footnote 48: Mounted gentry.]
[Footnote 49: Police.]
Squire Gerzson was elected the leader of this vast hunt, whose area
extended over hundreds of square miles, by all the six counties
concerned--it was generally felt that this was but due to him for the
neglect of his warnings--and Mr. Gerzson proved on this occasion that if
he was not a great strategist, at any rate he was a great beater up of
game. His plan was to occupy all the mountain roads and passes leading
out of the six counties with armed bands of militia, while at the same
time he himself advanced slowly along the highroads with his
gentlemen-volunteers joining hands together from place to place. Between
various groups of the volunteers were regular lines of _pandurs_ who had
to thoroughly scour all the forests they came to. The encircling network
of this gigantic army of beaters grew narrower and narrower day by day
and was to converge towards a fixed point which Squire Gerzson said he
would more definitely indicate later on.
Moreover there was a flying column admitted to the full confidence of
its leader, whose duty it was to appear suddenly and unexpectedly in all
parts of the closely environed region, in order to head off anything
like a definite plan of defence on the part of the adventurers and track
them down more easily. The leadership of this special corps was
entrusted to young Szilard Vamhidy, upon whose ingenuity, determination
and ability Squire Gerzson professed to place the utmost reliance.
As soon as he had received this important charge, Szilard took horse
and set off at the head of his four and twenty _pandurs_. First of all
he went in the direction of the Alps of Bihár and along a narrow
mountain path and through a melancholy, uncanny, region with not a
living plant by the wayside and not a morsel of moss on the naked rock.
No sound is to be heard there but the eternal sighing of the wind, and
in the dizzy depths below the traveller sees nothing but dense, dreary
forests crowding one upon another with the Alpine eagles circling and
screaming above them.
It was just the place for a hunted band of robbers to turn upon their
pursuers for a last life and death struggle,--here where even the bodies
of the slain would never be found. For not once in two years does a
wanderer chance to come this way, and long before that time the wolves
and the vultures will have dispersed the bones of the fallen.
Yet this time the robber bands did not fall in with their pursuers, a
sufficient proof that Szilard's plan was skilfully laid and
unanticipated. For had Fatia Negra had any idea of his design, it is
absolutely inconceivable that he would not have laid in wait for him on
this spectre-haunted path, where ten resolute men could have held a
whole army at bay.
For hours Szilard's long troop of horsemen pursued their way along
without meeting a soul. Late in the afternoon they came upon the first
shepherd's hut. The herdsman himself was out in the forest with his
flocks; there was nobody at home but a lame dog which barked at them.
In the evening they met a mounted countryman carrying maize to be ground
at the mill, him they took along with them as guide.
After that they travelled all night long, passing through Skeritora and
Nyigsa, till they came to the cataract of Vidra, which they reached at
dawn of day.
The houses of these Alpine villages are so far apart that next
neighbours cannot even see each other's dwellings, as there is at least
half a league between them. This circumstance and the night-season
favoured Szilard's plans. They could surround each house, one by one,
without the inhabitants of the other houses being aware of what had
happened in the first ones.--A fruitless labour for they found nothing
of a suspicious nature.
Tired out, the band, early in the morning, reached the house beneath the
waterfall; here they felt the need of halting. Szilárd put some
questions to the guide and then dismissed him, commanding him to return
to Skeritora.
When the guide had mounted, the _pandur_ sergeant observed to Szilard:
"I fancy, your honour, that that rascal does not mean to return to
Skeritora, but as soon as he is out of sight will turn back and give the
alarm beforehand in all the districts on our line of march."
"I fancy so too."
"But then every suspected person will get wind of the whole affair and
have time to bolt."
"That is just what I want. The trouble is at present that they lie so
still."
And with that he ordered half of his _pandurs_ to lie down and sleep and
the other half to remain awake and so relieve each other every three
hours. So the _pandurs_ rested till midday and then the sergeant began
to urge Szilard to set off again or else they would arrive too late.
"It is too early yet," replied Szilard, and he spent a good half of the
afternoon there doing nothing. Only then did he take horse again,
complaining to everyone how much yesterday's ride had taken it out of
him, and asking everybody he met on the road, coming or going, where the
next village lay?--how to get to it?--and in what direction the highroad
lay?
The old _pandurs_ naturally began murmuring among themselves. "Oh!" said
they, "if he keeps on blurting out his whole line of route like this, we
shall only have the empty nests of the robbers to thresh out for our
trouble."
"And this chap thinks, forsooth, that he will capture Fatia Negra!"
growled the veteran sergeant.
But no sooner did they get beyond the fenced fields than Szilard
suddenly turned his horse's head and leading the way to the other side
of the mountain-stream, cut his way through the forest, ordering his
comrades to hurry after him as speedily as possible. What he was aiming
at, nobody had the least idea. If he meant to lose his way in the forest
he was setting about the best way to do it.
Suddenly he ordered his followers to dismount and lead their horses by
their bridles up to the top of the mountain. The old sergeant now
guessed what he was after, but did not approve of it.
"There is no path for a horse up this mountain," said he.
"Silence, sir! I know what I am about. Follow me!"
And so, for a good half hour, cursing their leader bitterly beneath
their breaths, they painfully struggled after him up the dangerous path
and then, suddenly, a marvellous sight met their gaze. An immense cavern
gaped open before them through which, as through a tunnel, they could
reach the valley on the other side. This was the so-called "Roman Gate."
Many believe that the Romans dug this passage through the mountain, but
this marvellous piece of workmanship has been carried out on too vast a
scale for anybody else but Nature to be its architect; it is possible,
however, that the Romans may have used this passage for their campaigns.
And now the _pandurs_ understood the plan of their young leader and were
ready to follow him blindly through fire and water.
In another half hour they had passed through the "Roman Gate" and
reached the valley beyond, and by next morning Vamhidy had lit down
like a thunderbolt from the sky where nobody expected him.
By the evening he had run down eight persons who were under very strong
suspicion. After dusk the same day he sent the following letter to
Gerzson by one of his men: "I feel certain I hold the thread of the
whole conspiracy in my hands. We are on their track."
At nightfall he encamped in a lonely mill, which he chose because, in
case of necessity, it could easily be defended. He had reasons for
thinking that he might be attacked in the night.
The mill was built over a rushing mountain-stream so that the stream
shot through and under the building, over the wheels. In front, three
sluices confined within the basin the collected flood of water which was
here very deep. A broad, thick board, laid across three stout piles,
formed the bridge which connected the foot-path sloping down from the
forest, with the foot-path on the opposite side.
Towards evening his pickets came and told Vamhidy that a blind beggar
wanted to speak to him and in secret, so that nobody could hear.
Szilard ordered the blind man to be led in. He seemed to be a muscular,
athletic fellow with broad shoulders and a huge body--what a pity he was
blind.
"Domnule, are we quite alone?" inquired the blind man when he stood
before Vamhidy.
"We are quite by ourselves; what is it you want, my good fellow?"
"Thank you, sir, for calling me a good fellow, for I _was_ good for
something once upon a time, and will be so again. I am the famous Juon
Tare whose eyes were burnt out in the Lucsia Cavern when they wanted to
catch Fatia Negra, and the monster set the whole cavern on fire. I want
the head of Fatia Negra. I am after that head now and when I get it all
my woe will cease. Do you want that head Domnule?--I can tell you where
it is."
"Well?"
"Have you pluck enough not to be afraid of him, Domnule?"
"I am afraid of nothing."
"And yet many brave men fall back at the sight of that black face, which
never changes, which is just like steel and which they fancy neither
sword nor bullet can hurt; but my nails have torn his body and I have
seen his blood flow."
"Say where he is!"
"Close at hand."
"In which direction?"
"Ah! Domnule!" sighed Juon Tare, "how can I answer that, I who can see
neither heaven nor earth?"
"Then how do you know that he is hard by?"
"Ah, Domnule, I can recognize him by his voice, and if I do not hear him
speak, I can recognize the sound of his footsteps when I hear him draw
nigh. Nobody else has his trick of walking. Sometimes he goes as softly
as a spectre so that only the ears of a blind man can detect his
footfall and at other times he tramps as if the whole earth beneath him
were hollow and it resounds at every step. Oh, I have often heard him
approaching when he was still far, far away."
"But do you know anything certain about him?"
"I will tell you everything, Domnule, beginning at the beginning. You
see that I am blind, a blind beggar, for begging is my trade. So long as
my wife was alive, I had no need to turn beggar, for she worked for me
and kept me. But she died. After that I would gladly have died of
hunger, but she left me a little son, a child but two years old and I go
a begging for him. Above the brook here on the King's highway is a stone
bridge built by the county. Early in the morning my little son is wont
to lead me hither and then returns to the village, little mite as he is
the wife of the scrivener looks after him, and in the evening he comes
and fetches me home again. Whatever is given me by charitable wayfarers
I share with my poor hostess, who is poorer than any beggar. Yesterday
something happened. It was this. I was sitting outside there at the end
of the bridge and as I had not heard a human voice about me for a long
time and it was extremely hot, slumber weighed heavily upon me. I
struggled hard against it but it was too much for me. I was afraid that
if I fell across the road a cart might go over me. So I laid myself down
under the arch of the bridge. I knew the place well for I had often
sheltered there from the storm. Suddenly I was awakened by those
familiar footsteps. They passed across the bridge over my head. I will
take my oath that it was he. He stood still in the middle of the bridge.
Shortly afterwards I heard the sound of many more footsteps coming, some
from the left and some from the right. Men were coming in all directions
towards the bridge, and there in the middle of it they stood; I counted
them--there were four and twenty of them."
Szilard now began to listen attentively.
"Then he spoke. Oh, even if I had had the light of both my eyes, I could
not have seen him so plainly before me as I saw him in my blindness when
I heard him speak. It was indeed he, at the very first word I recognized
him; but when I tell you what he said, then you also will recognize him
Domnule. Those four and twenty men are a sworn confederacy. It was a
secret plot they were hatching at that place, where nobody could
surprise them, as it is girt about with woods on every side. He called
his companions here to tell them of the measures that were being taken
against them. He told them they had no need to fear all that the six
counties were doing but that the little band which was zig-zagging
through the whole district was greatly to be feared. It was the cause of
all the mischief and must be put out of the way. But his comrades made
no reply. They grumbled and muttered among themselves and at last they
said that this would be a difficult thing to do. They all said they
would not tackle the _pandurs_ because they were better shots than any
robber and were used to hunting and all its wiles. In vain were all the
assurances of Fatia Negra; they said they meant to hide away as best
they could. 'Then hide and be d----d to you,' said their leader, 'I will
tackle them single-handed. I'll seek them out and show you that they too
are but mortal men.' Those were his last words to them; they scattered
again, to the right and left, and I heard their departing footsteps over
my head. But believe me, sir, Fatia Negra will try to do what he said."
"What! come and attack us?--alone, against so many?"
"You do not believe what I say, sir, but so it will be."
"Nay, my good fellow, but are you quite certain you did not dream it
all?"
"Domnule, in the first moment of my amazement that is what I fancied
myself. How can a blind man know whether he is awake or dreaming. I
therefore drew forth my pocket-knife and with the point of it I cut a
cross in my left arm. Look, sir, there it is!"
Juon tucked up the wide shirt sleeve from his herculean arm and Szilard
was astonished to see the half healed and cross-like scar--it had been
a deep gash.
"So now, sir," pursued Juon, "you can see that I am not dreaming. Watch
well, for Fatia Negra will come. Not to-night for he awaits you on the
road by which you came. But to-morrow he will know that you have dodged
him by going through the 'Roman Gate' and to-morrow night you can safely
reckon upon him."
Szilard charged Juon not to say a word to anybody about what he had told
him and promised him a reward if what he had said really came to pass.
That night nothing happened, and till the afternoon of the next day he
lingered idly at the mill. Towards midday they heard in the forest a
loud barking of dogs; the miller said it was no doubt the lord of the
manor hunting bears.
"He chooses a very inopportune time," growled Vamhidy, "he will scare
_my_ game away."
The hunters were not long in issuing from the forest, they seemed to
have lost the track of the bear.
Vamhidy sent word to the gentlemen that he would be much obliged to them
if they would postpone their amusement to some more convenient season as
business of a graver sort was going on here. Word was at once brought
back that the company was quite ready to do as he said. The dogs were
quickly leashed again, the beaters recalled by signals and the whole
hunt came straight towards the mill. A few moments later Vamhidy
recognized in the leader of the hunt--Leonard Hátszegi.
It was an unwelcome surprise on both sides, but Hátszegi was the first
to recover himself, and he greeted him with as radiant a countenance as
if he had never had any cause of quarrel with him.
"We both of us seem to be on a hunting expedition your honour!" said he.
"Mine is an official pursuit."
"And mine pure pastime. Had I known you would have taken this road, I
should certainly not have engaged in such a mal-apropos diversion. But
it is over now, we are all going back. My bear may run--how about
yours?"
"No sign of him yet."
"Well, I could regale you with no end of interesting anecdotes
concerning the hunted adventurer, for I have had more than one famous
_rencontre_ with him myself. If it were only worth your while to pay us
a visit at Hidvár I could promise you the heartiest reception--not only
on my own part but also on the part of my wife."
"I am much obliged to your lordship," replied Vamhidy cooly, "but I am
bound by instructions from which I cannot depart. It is not pleasure
that brings me hither. Besides I have got a sure clue at last which I
must follow up and I know not whither it may lead me."
"Bravo! So you are on his track at last, eh! Take care my friend it is
not a false clue. These rascals are very crafty."
"It is a real clue that I have discovered. You must know that before the
confiscated gold captured in the Lucsia Cavern was sent to Vienna, every
coin of it was marked with a little cross, a very simple official
precaution, but it has proved very useful to us. Now I have come upon
these marked ducats among the people here. They themselves, I believe,
are innocent and can give the name of the persons from whom they
received them; and so, by tracing the various intermediaries, we shall
come at last, upon the original dispensers of these ducats. I can
imagine how Fatia Negra will laugh when he hears that the soldiers of
six counties are hunting for him in the depths of the forests and
tapping every rotten tree-stump in search of him while he is sitting
comfortably in some large theatre and eyeing the ballet-dancers through
his opera glass; but he will be very much surprised when, one fine day,
without any preliminary siege-operations we shall tap at his own door
and enquire: 'Is Fatia Negra at home?'"
Hátszegi laughed heartily.
"Not a bad idea, upon my honour! I myself am inclined to think that the
worthy highwayman will be sooner found in a coffee house than in a
forest. I only regret that I did not mark my own coins so that I might
recognize them again."
And so laughing and whistling, he returned to his party which appeared
to consist of mere dependents and gave them his orders.
"Unpack the horses and get lunch ready," said he, "we will not go any
further."
Then he turned again to Vamhidy.
"Since we are obliged to capitulate to superior force, would you be so
good as to pick out with me a nice, round, shadowy spot in the forest
where we may encamp and share with each other our provisions which have
thus become the spoils of war?"
"Thank you, my lord," replied Vamhidy coldly, "but I have already had my
lunch."
His lunch, by the way, had consisted of a maize cake baked in the ashes.
"Then won't you allow your men to drink my health in a glass of wine,
since they are actually on my domains?"
"My _pandurs_ are not allowed to drink; they have to remain sober. They
must not leave the mill without my leave and your lordship must not camp
out here although the mill is your property. For just now I am
'verbiro,'[50] here with the right to open and close every door as I may
think fit."
[Footnote 50: A magistrate with the power of life and death in his
hands.]
"Then I shall know how to respect your authority. All the same, I do not
withdraw my offer. My castle and every house and shanty on my estate is
at your disposal and if you should not find me at home at Hidvár, as I
have to be off early to-morrow morning to Szeb, my wife will be
delighted to see you."
And with that he threw his gun across his shoulder and tripped away with
well bred nonchalance across the field, and, calling to his party to
follow him, disappeared in the depths of the forest from which he had
just emerged.
* * * * *
And now it was evening and the heavens were full of stars and Szilard
began to gaze at the stars and as he did so he forgot all about the
official burdens that weighed so heavily upon his shoulders, all about
Fatia Negra and the robbers. He fancied that his eyes encountered among
the stars the eyes of "another" whom slumber and happiness had deserted
just as they had deserted him.
How close to each other chance had brought them once more! He had only
to accept her husband's invitation in order to meet her face to face.
What would they not have to say to one another?
The night was quite still, the whole region was dumb save for the
gurgling of the water rushing through the sluices. The _pandurs_ were
snoring in the living room, for they were allowed to sleep till two
o'clock. Only Vamhidy kept watch with a single _pandur_ who was guarding
the prisoners in the cellar.
"The Lord God bless thee!" a hushed voice suddenly resounded from among
the brown bushes and Szilard distinguished by the light of the rising
moon a tall dark shape approaching the mill path. It was blind Juon.
"How did you know anyone was here?" enquired Szilard suspiciously.
"I heard you sigh, sir, once or twice and I knew you were awake for I
warned you beforehand to watch--to-night he will be upon you."
"Who?"
"Who? Why Fatia Negra."
"So you think he will be bold enough?"
"I know that he is already on the way."
"And where were you just now?"
"I was working in the mill-ditch."
"At night! What were you doing there?"
"I have removed the supporting beam underneath the bridge leading across
the reservoir! It was a hard bit of work but I had the strength to do
it."
"Why did you do that?"
"Because he will come from the opposite side and immediately he steps on
the middle of the bridge the plank will give way beneath him and he will
fall into the water like a mouse in a trap."
"What is the good of that, he will only swim out again."
"Yes, but his pistols will then be full of water and he will be unable
to use them against you."
Szilard began to perceive that he had a most determined ally with all
sorts of ideas in his head that had never occurred to himself.
"But surely, my poor fellow, you do not imagine that anybody will be
mad enough to face so many armed men alone."
"I don't know, sir, but I also do not know whether you yourself may not
be alone among so many armed men, for I hear snoring among the very
guard you told off to watch the cellar."
Szilard was startled. He immediately hastened to the place indicated and
there, sure enough, he saw the sentry stretched at full length across
the cellar door. He angrily hastened to arouse him and seized the
sleeper by the arm; but all his efforts were powerless to awake the
fellow,--he might just as well have been dead.
"Try to wake the others, sir," said Juon.
The pandurs lay in long rows stretched out upon the straw in the meal
magazine.
Szilard spoke to them, first gently, then loudly, and at last angrily,
calling them by name, one after the other; but not one of them awoke. He
tore the sleepers away from their places, but they were not aware of it;
as soon as he let them go they rolled back again into their former
positions.
"What has happened?" cried the confounded Szilard.
"There must be a traitor among them, sir, a hireling of Fatia Negra; he
has his hirelings everywhere, in forests, in palaces, in dungeons, in
barracks, everywhere. And this traitor has mingled thorn-apple juice in
the drink of his comrades and they will now sleep on for a night and a
day. The traitor himself is pretending to sleep along with his fellows
but he is only awaiting the arrival of Fatia Negra and then up he will
get and release the captives. It was an artful dodge, your honour!"
Szilard felt a tremor running through all his limbs.
"You see, sir, you are here alone, but Fatia Negra is never alone. But
so far no great harm has been done. We will make him to be alone also.
We cannot find out just now which of the four and twenty is a traitor.
But we will bind the whole four and twenty hand and foot, and then the
traitor also will be helpless."
Szilard began to perceive that this blind man was right in everything.
His words must be listened to, for the danger was close at hand, there
was no time for hesitation. So he quickly routed up all the halters in
the mill and they set to work.
The blind giant laid the pandurs one by one across his knee and placing
their hands behind their backs crosswise held them towards Szilard, who
bound them fast. Three and twenty of them felt nothing of all this and
the four and twentieth who did feel it thought it just as well to go on
feigning slumber, for had it been discovered that he was awake one grip
of those enormous fists would have made of him a sleeper indeed--for
ever more.
"Is your sword sharp, sir?" enquired the blind man when this piece of
work was done.
"Yes, and I have pistols likewise."
"Test them, sir, for I suspect they have been tampered with."
"What?"
"If ever, sir, you have pursued some wild beast, a bear or a buffalo,
for instance, you know the rule surely: never rely upon any weapon which
has not been freshly loaded by your own hand. Let us take the loading
out of your pistols. It won't do to fire them off for we are lying in
wait for big game and at such times one must keep very quiet."
Szilard hearkened to the warning and drew the loading out of both his
well charged pistols. It is usual when the powder is taken out to blow
down the barrel and as he did so now he remarked that something was
wrong. The ramrod encountered some soft substance which he drew forth.
Juon smelt it and pronounced it to be the wax of wild bees.
"You see, sir, you will not be able to discharge this pistol, for the
touch holes are so plugged up that it will take you some hours to
thoroughly clean them."
"At any rate I have still the firearms of my pandurs."
"Let us examine them also, sir!"
They did so forthwith and found that they too had been utterly ruined.
And all this must have been done while Szilard had been sitting outside
and his men had been sleeping!
"Then your sword is sharp, sir, eh?" enquired the blind man, "for I
hear the footsteps of Fatia Negra."
The sensitive ears of the blind man "scented" so to speak the well known
footfalls while they were still approaching on the distant forest paths.
The young man felt an involuntary shudder run through his body as the
moment drew near when he would have to face the hunted foe. The magical
mysteriousness which enveloped his pursuer; the marvellous audacity
which ensured the success of all his projects; his gigantic bodily
strength--all these things were sufficient to make any man's heart beat
more quickly at the prospect of encountering Black-Mask in a life and
death struggle at a lonely place.
But Szilard was resolved to see the business through. The strong will
peculiar to men of his nature broke down his fear. He had no business to
tremble, it was not permitted to him to fear. He who has a sword in his
hand is never alone--a sword is also a man.
The blind man trembled in his stead. He feared for him. When Szilard
returned with his naked sword, the blind man passed his finger along its
edge from end to end to test its sharpness.
"A good sword, a very good sword, Domnule. Fear him not, but when he
scrambles out of the water, rush upon him and strike at his neck. Do not
aim at his body for this accursed one wears a coat of mail so that no
weapon can pierce him. If he comes to close quarters, do not defend
yourself but slash away at him, you may perhaps be wounded, but if you
stand on the defensive, he will kill you. If he gets too much for you,
call out and I will rush in and strangle him with my naked hands. Oh,
what would I not give now for the sight of my two eyes."
And the blind man began to weep bitterly.
"That man killed my wife and blinded me and now when I hear him
approach, when I hear him coming towards me all alone I cannot see him.
I cannot rush in and close with him. Be valiant, Domnule, and God be
with you. May the soul of my Mariora direct the edge of your sword and
darken his eyes. Hearken!--is not that he approaching!"
And it was actually he. The tall elegant figure was descending the
moonlight rocks with a light, elastic tread, dressed from head to foot
in a black atlas mantle. Szilard saw him drawing nearer and nearer, step
by step, to the mill behind a pillar of whose verandah he himself was
concealed expectant.
At the very moment when he perceived this figure, his former terror gave
way before a strange, resolute fury which now filled his heart, a
feeling familiar only to those whose blood is set boiling whenever they
are suddenly confronted by a pressing danger. He feared the man no
longer, he burned to encounter him.
Blind Juon stood beside him and pressed his hand. They both of them
began to listen intently, nature itself was as still as if the wind
also would listen. Nothing was audible but the dull measured tramp of
the approaching footsteps.
The black shape now footed the bridge; with a confident gait he
approached the middle of it, another step and the bridge gave way
beneath him and with an involuntary cry the man in black plunged into
the water.
"Now, sir, rush in!" whispered Juon to Szilard. But the latter could not
help thinking at that moment that it was an act of cowardice to attack a
man when he could not defend himself, even though that man was a robber,
so he allowed him to scramble out onto the other side.
The black mantle had fallen from the shoulders of Fatia Negra into the
water and there he now stood before Szilard with his wet clothes
clinging closely to his body like a statue of Antinous, a shape of
athletic beauty.
In his girdle were a couple of pistols, in all probability rendered
useless by the water and a long Arab yataghan almost as long as an
ordinary sword but without the usual cruciform hilt.
Szilard barred the way.
For an instant Fatia Negra was taken aback by his antagonist's
unexpected wariness and courage, but the next moment his drawn yataghan
flashed in his hand and the second flash was the clash of the contending
weapons.
And now happened what happens hundreds and thousands of times in actual
life. At the very first onset Fatia Negra, the notorious, the
practised, the invincible swordsman was disarmed by a young civilian who
had never, perhaps, held a naked sword in his hand before and possessed
no advantage over his opponent save the courage of an honest man as
opposed to the effrontery of a malefactor--a marvel indeed!
Both of them had lunged at the same time, neither of them had parried,
Szilard's sword cut through his adversary's wrist and at the same
instant Fatia Negra's yataghan fell from his hand.
The wounded robber set up a howl like a wild beast and Juon, lurking
beneath the verandah of the mill responded with another howl of joy that
sounded like an echo. The blind man had recognized that Fatia Negra was
in danger and at once rushed out upon him.
The disarmed adventurer lost his presence of mind along with his sword.
His right hand suddenly sank helpless to his side and his stout heart
was seized with a sort of paralysis. He perceived that this was the man
sent by fate to announce to him that his last hour was at hand. He
turned and fled toward the forest.
Szilard rushed after him.
"Take care," screamed blind Juon. But none heeded him. Fatia Negra flew
away before his enemy. At first he left him far behind, but gradually
the continuous loss of blood began to weaken him and it also occurred to
him that even if he succeeded in distancing his adversary, he would
still leave a trail of blood behind him. To complete his confusion the
moon made the whole region as light as day. He was forced to sit down on
a tree stump to tie up his wounded hand; at least he would stop the flow
of blood and make the trail more difficult to follow.
While with the help of his left hand and his teeth he was binding up his
useless right hand, his pursuer overtook him.
"Fatia Negra--surrender!"
The only reply the adventurer gave was to try to fire his pistols and
finding them only flash in the pan he hurled them one after the other at
his enemy's head. Szilard then had practical experience of the rumor
that Fatia Negra could throw very well even with his left hand,--had he
not leaped aside at the nick of time the pistols would have dashed his
brains out.
Then up Fatia Negra started to his feet again and fled away still
further. The pursuer and the pursued now sped along with pretty equal
energy, though the loss of blood continued to weaken the robber. Yet he
made one desperate effort to scale the steep side of the mountain. An
ordinary man could rarely breast such an ascent, yet he tried it. But he
soon found that even thus he could not shake off his enemy. He remained
indeed some hundreds of paces behind but he could not dodge out of his
sight in the now open glade.
On the brow of the hill the adventurer stopped to pant and surveyed the
undulating thickly wooded hills stretching away on every side of him.
He drew a silver whistle from his bosom and gave with it three
penetrating signals which re-echoed from among the distant mountains.
But it was only an echo, only the note of the whistle that he heard, he
waited in vain for anything else. All his accomplices had evidently
hidden away.
And again the pursuer overtook him. He waited till he was only two paces
off and then he seized a stone weighing half a hundred weight and hurled
it at him--the tree trunk behind which Szilard had taken refuge bent
beneath the blow. Then Fatia Negra fled down towards the valley.
It was a desperate way for him to take, for down hill his adversary
could cover the ground as quickly as he could; the distance between them
was never more than ten paces, the wound the robber had received began
to enervate his whole body, and he was not long in finding out that the
hurling of missiles is a very profitless mode of warfare when you have
only one hand at your disposal.
Panting hard he fled on further seeking refuge. And now he took to
zigzagging through the wood in the hope of dodging his pursuer if only
for an instant as a flying fox is wont to do when he is already nearing
his hole whose entrance he does not wish to betray to his pursuer.
A little further on a stout quickset hedge barred their way. Fatia Negra
burst through it and Szilard followed in the gap that he had made.
Suddenly a hunting lodge came in view--at least the antlers on the top
of the porch and above the windows suggested that that was what it was
intended for.
One of the windows looking out upon the forest stood open. Fatia Negra
suddenly stopped short, waited till his adversary was close up to him
and then shaking his fist at him sprang through the open window.
Vamhidy did not hesitate a moment about following the adventurer into
the house. He forced his way through the window and found himself in a
dark corridor at the extreme end of which the footsteps of the hunted
adventurer were still resounding. And after him he ran straightway.