The Firebrand

by S. R. Crockett

  CHAPTER XXX

  PALACE BURGLARS

  The startling announcement of the Sergeant at once set the whole partyin motion. Their suspicions of the morning were cast to the winds, asthe Sergeant and La Giralda in turn related their adventures. Concha,having formerly vouched so strongly for the old gipsy woman, now noddedtriumphantly across to Rollo, who on his part listened intently. AsSergeant Cardono proceeded the young man leaned further and furtherforward, breathing deeply and regularly. The expression on his face wasthat of fierce and keen resolution.

  The Sergeant told all the tale as it had happened, reserving only theidentification of himself with the famous Jose Maria of Ronda, which thegipsies had made on the strength of the red mark about his neck, nowonce more concealed under his military stock. Cardono, however, made nosecret that he was of the blood of Egypt, and set down to this fact allthat he had been able to accomplish. In swift well-chosen words he toldof the fierce little girl with the dark hair and blue eyes, who declaredherself to be the daughter of Munoz, sometime paramour and now reputedhusband of the Queen-Regent--making it clear that she had indeed plannedthe wholesale slaughter, not only of those in the palace, but also ofthe inhabitants of the town of San Ildefonso.

  Then in her turn La Giralda told of her visit to the pavilion, of thelittle Queen, passionate, joyous, kindly natured, absolutely Spanish,till the hearts of her hearers melted to the tale.

  "Our orders are to capture her and her mother the Regent," said Rollo,thoughtfully. "It would therefore serve our purpose but ill if wepermitted these two to be sacrificed to the bloodthirsty fury of a mobof plunderers!"

  "Then the sooner we find ourselves within the gates, the more chance weshall have of saving them both!" said the Sergeant. "Serve out the_puchero_, La Giralda!"

  Concha had taken no part in the discussion. But she had listened withall her ears, and now in the pause that followed she declared herunalterable intention of making one of the party.

  "I also am of Andalucia," she said with calm determination, "there aretwo others of my country here who will answer for me. You cannot leaveme alone, and La Giralda will be needed as guide when once you reach thepalace precincts. I shall not be in the way, I promise you, and if itcomes to gun and pistol, there I think you will not find me wanting!"

  In his heart and though he made several objections, Rollo was gladenough to give way. For with all the unknown dangers of the night beforethem, and the certainty of bloodshed when the gipsies should attack, herelished still less the thought of leaving Concha alone in that pit onthe chill side of Guadarrama.

  "I promise you, Colonel, the maid will be worth her billet," said theSergeant, "or else she is no true Andaluse. To such an one in old days Ihave often trusted----"

  Thus far Cardono had proceeded when suddenly he broke off hisreminiscence, and with a paternal gesture patted Concha's arm as she wasbending over to transfer a second helping of the _puchero_ to his dish.

  The party was now in excellent marching order, well-provisioned,well-fed, rested, and provided with the best and most recentinformation. Even John Mortimer's slow English blood developed somelatent Puritanic fire, and he said, "Hang me if I do not fight for thelittle girl who was willing to pay for the _whole_ of the goat-milk!"

  To fight for a Queen, who at the early age of five was prepared to givea wholesale order like that, appeared to John Mortimer a worthy andlaudable deed of arms. He was free indeed to assist in taking hercaptive, if by so doing he could further the shipping of the Priorato hehimself had paid for. But to make over to a set of thieves and murderersa girl who had about her the makings of a good customer and a woman ofbusiness habits, stirred every chivalric feeling within him.

  The night was so dark that it was resolved that the party should leavetheir horses behind them in the stables of the deserted farm. They couldthen proceed on foot more softly and with more safety to themselves. Tothis La Giralda, knowing that they must return that way, readilyassented. For the thought of the dead woman she had left in thefirst-floor room haunted her, and even in the darkness of the night shecould see the stark outlines of the sheet she had spread over the body.

  So it came to pass that once more horseshoe iron clattered, and therewas a flashing of lights and a noise of voices about the lonely andstricken farmhouse. But only La Giralda gave a thought to the littlegrave in the shady corner of the garden, and only she promised herselfto revisit it when the stern work of the night should be over and thedawn of a calmer morning should have arisen.

  Now, as soon as Sergeant Cardono returned, he placed himself ascompletely as formerly under the orders of Rollo. He was no more JoseMaria the famous gipsy, but Sergeant Cardono of the army of H.M. CarlosQuinto, and Senor Rollo was his colonel. Like a good scout he was readyto advise, but to the full as ready to hold his tongue and obey.

  And Rollo, though new to his position, was not above benefitingcontinually by his wisdom, and as a matter of fact it was the Sergeantwho, in conjunction with La Giralda, led the little expedition down theperilous goat-track by which the old gipsy had followed her flock in themorning. As usual Concha kept her place beside Rollo, with Mortimer andEtienne a little behind, while El Sarria, taciturn but alert as usual,brought up the rear.

  It can hardly be said that they carried with them any extraordinaryelements of success. Indeed, in one respect they were at a manifestdisadvantage. For in an expedition of this kind there ought to be oneleader of dignity, character, and military genius far beyond the others.But among this little band which stole so quietly along themountain-paths of the Guadarrama, beneath the frowning snow-clad brow ofPenalara, there was not one who upon occasion could not have led asimilar forlorn hope. Each member of the party possessed a characterdefinite and easily to be distinguished from all the others. It was anarmy of officers without any privates.

  Still, since our Firebrand, Rollo the Scot, held the nominal leadership,and his quick imperious character made that chieftainship a reality,there was at least a chance that they might bring to a successfulconclusion the complex and difficult task which was before them.

  * * * * *

  They now drew near to the palace, which, as one descends the mountains,is approached first. The town of San Ildefonso lay further to the right,an indistinguishable mass of heaped roofs and turrets without a light orthe vestige of a street apparent in the gloom. It seemed to Rollo astrange thing to think of this stricken town lying there with its deadand dying, its empty tawdry lodgings from which the rich and gay of theCourt had fled so hastily, leaving all save their most preciousbelongings behind, the municipal notices on the door, white crosseschalked on a black ground, while nearer and always nearer approached thefell gipsy rabble intent on plunder and rapine.

  Even more strange, however, seemed the case of the royal palace of LaGranja. Erected at infinite cost after the pattern of Versailles andMarly, the smallness of its scale and the magnificence of its naturalsurroundings caused it infinitely to surpass either of its models ingeneral effect. It had, however, never been intended for defence, norhad the least preparation been made in case of attack. It was doubtlesspresumed that whenever the Court sojourned there, the royal personageswould arrive with such a guard and retinue as, in that lonely place,would make danger a thing to be laughed at.

  But no such series of circumstances as this had ever been thought of;the plague which had fallen so heavily and as it seemed mysteriously andinstantaneously upon the town; the precincts of the palace about to beinvaded by a foe more fell than Frank or Moor; the guards disappearedlike snow in the sun, and the only protection of the lives of theQueen-Regent and her daughter, a band of Carlists sent to capture theirpersons at all hazards.

  Verily the whole situation was remarkably complex.

  The briefest look around convinced Rollo that it would be impossible forso small a party to hold the long range of iron palisades whichsurrounded the palace. These were complete, indeed, but their extent wasfar too great to afford any hope of k
eeping out the gipsies withoutfinding themselves taken in the rear. They must hold La Granja itself,that was clear. There remained, therefore, only the problem of findingentrance.

  Between the porter's lodge and the great gates near the _Colegiata_ theydiscovered a ladder left somewhat carelessly against a wall wherewhitewashing had been going on during the day, some ardent royaltradesman having ventured back, preferring the chance of the plague tothe abandonment of his contract.

  This they at once appropriated, and Rollo and the Sergeant, being thetwo most agile of the company, prepared to mount.

  If the time had been less critical, and a disinterested observer hadbeen available, it would at this moment have been interesting to observethe demeanour of Concha. Feeling that in a manner she was present onsufferance, she could not of course make any objection to the plan ofescalade, nor could she offer to accompany Rollo and the Sergeant, butwith clasped hands and tightly compressed lips she stood beneath,repeating under her breath quick-succeeding prayers for the safety ofone (or both) of the adventurers.

  So patent and eager was her anxiety even in the gloom of the night thatLa Giralda, to whom her agitation was manifest, laid her hand on thegirl's arm and whispered in her ear that she must be brave, a trueAndaluse, and not compromise the expedition by any spoken word.

  Concha turned indignantly upon her, shaking off her restraining hand asshe did so.

  "Do you think I am a fool?" she whispered. "I will do nothing to spoiltheir chances. But oh, Giralda, at any moment he might be shot!"

  "Trust Jose Maria. He hath taken risks far greater than this," said LaGiralda in a low voice, wilfully mistaking her meaning. But Concha,quite unconsoled, did nothing but clasp her hands and quicken hersupplications to the Virgin.

  The ladder was reared against the gilded iron railing and Rollo mounted,immediately dropping lightly down on the further side. The Sergeantfollowed, and presently both were on the ground. At a word from Rollo,El Sarria pushed the ladder over and the two received it and laid italong the parapet in a place where it would remain completely hiddentill wanted.

  The two moved off together in the direction of the porter's lodge, atthe door of which the Sergeant knocked lightly, and then, obtaining noanswer, with more vehemence. A window was lifted and a frightened voiceasked who came there at that time of night.

  The Sergeant answered with some sharpness that they wished for the keyof the great gate.

  Upon this the same old woman who had ushered out La Giralda appearedtrembling at the lattice, and was but little relieved when the Sergeant,putting on his most serious air, informed her that her life was in theutmost danger, and that she must instantly come downstairs, open thegate, and accompany them to the palace.

  "I knew it," quavered the old woman, "I knew it since ever my husbandwent away with the soldiers and left me here alone. I shall be murderedamong you, but my blood will be on his hands. Indeed, sirs, he hathnever treated me well, but spent his wages at the wine tavern, giving mebut a beggarly pittance. Nay, how do I know but he had an intent in thusdeserting me? He hath, and I can prove it, cast eyes of desire on Mariaof the pork-shop, only because she is younger and more comely than I,who had grown old and wrinkled bearing him children and cooking him_ollas_! Aye, and small thanks have I got for either. As indeed I havetold him hundreds of times. Such a man! A pretty fellow to be headporter at a Queen's gate! I declare I will inform her Royal Majesty thisvery night, if I am to go to the palace, that will I!"

  "Come down immediately and let us in, my good woman," said the Sergeant,soothingly. For it appeared as if this torrent of accusation against theabsent might continue to flow for an indefinite period.

  "But how am I to know that you are not the very rogues and thieves ofwhom you tell?" persisted the old lady with some show of reason.

  "Well," said the Sergeant forbearingly, "as to that you must trust us,mother. It is the best you can do. But fear nothing, we will treat yougently as a cat her kitten, and you will come up to the palace with usto show us in what part of it dwell the Queen and her daughter."

  "Nay, not if it be to do harm to my lady and the sweet little maid whothis very day brought a pail of milk to poor old Rebeca the portress,whose husband hath forsaken her for a pork-shop trull. I would ratherdie!"

  Rollo was about to speak, but the Sergeant whispered that the old ladywas now in such good case to admit them, that she might be frighted byhis foreign accent.

  In a few moments the woman could be heard stiffly and grumblinglydescending the stairs, the door was opened, and Rebeca appeared with thekey in her hand.

  "How many are there of your party?" she asked, her poor hand shaking sothat she could scarcely fit the key in the lock, and her voice sunk to aquavering whisper.

  "There are five men of us and two women," said the Sergeant, quickly."Now we are all within, pray give me the key and show us the road to theQueen's apartments."

  "Two women!" grumbled the poor old creature, whose mind appeared to besomewhat unhinged; "that will never suit her Royal Highness the Regent,especially if they are young and well-looking. She loves not such, anymore than I love the hussy of the pork-shop. Though, indeed, my man hathnot the roving eye in his head as her Senor Munoz hath. Ah, the saintshave mercy on all poor deserted women! But what am I saying? If theLady Cristina heard me speak ill of him, she would set my poor old neckin the garrote. Then--crack--all would be over!"

  The party now advanced towards the palace, which in the gloom of astarless night was still entirely hidden from their sight, save as adarker mass set square against the black vault of heaven.

  By this time Concha and La Giralda had taken the trembling portress bythe arms, and were bringing her along in the van, whispering comfort inher ears all the way. The sergeant and Rollo came next, with Mortimerand Etienne behind, a naked blade in the hand of each, for Rollo hadwhispered the word to draw swords. This, however, El Sarria interpretedto mean his faithful Manchegan knife, to which he trusted more than toany sword of Toledo that ever was forged.

  At any other time they could not have advanced a score of yards withoutbeing brought to a stand-still by the challenge of a sentry, the whistleof a rifle bullet, or the simultaneous turning out of the guard. But nowno such danger was to be apprehended. All was still as a graveyardbefore cock-crow.

  It is hard, in better and wiser days, when things are beginning to betraced to their causes, to give any idea of the effect of the firstappearance of Black Cholera among a population at once so simple and sosuperstitious as that of rural Spain. The inhabitants of the greattowns, the Cristino armies in the field, the country-folk of allopinions were universally persuaded that the dread disease was caused bythe monks in revenge for the despites offered to them; especially by thehated Jesuits, who were supposed to have thrown black cats alive intorivers and wells in order to produce disease by means of witchcraft anddiabolical agency.

  So universal was this belief that so soon as the plague broke out in anycity or town the neighbouring monasteries were immediately plundered,and the priors and brethren either put to death or compelled to flee fortheir lives.

  Some such panic as this had stampeded the troops stationed in and aboutthe little town of San Ildefonso, when the first cases of cholera provedfatal little more than a week before. A part of these had rushed away toplunder the rich monastery of El Parral a few miles off, lying in thehollow beneath Segovia. Others, breaking up into parties of from a dozento a hundred, had betaken themselves over the mountains in the directionof Madrid.

  So the Queen-Regent and the handsome Senor Munoz remained perforce at LaGranja, for the two-fold reason that the palace of Madrid was reportedto be in the hands of a rebellious mob, and that the disbanding troopshad removed with them every sort and kind of conveyance, robbed thestables of the horses, and plundered the military armoury of everyuseful weapon.

  They had not, however, meddled with the treasures of the palace, noroffered any indignity to the Queen-Regent, or to any of the inmates ofLa Granja. But as
the Sergeant well knew, not thus would these betreated by the roving bands of gipsies, who in a few hours would bestorming about the defenceless walls. No resource of oriental torture,no refinement of barbarity would be omitted to compel the Queen and herconsort to give up the treasures without which it was well known thatthey never travelled. Obviously, therefore, there was no time to belost.

  They went swiftly round the angle of the palace, their feet making nosound on the clean delicious sward of those lawns which make the placesuch a marvel in the midst of tawny, dusty, burnt-up Spain. In a briefspace the party arrived unnoted and unchecked under the wall of thenorthern part.

  Lights still burnt in two or three windows on the second floor, thoughall was dark on the face which the palace turned towards the south andthe town of San Ildefonso.

  "These are the windows of the rooms occupied by my lady theQueen-Regent," whispered the portress, Rebeca, pointing upwards; "butpromise me to commit no murder or do any hurt to the little maid."

  "Be quiet, woman," muttered Rollo, more roughly than was his wont; "weare come to save both of them from worse than death. Sergeant Cardono,bring the ladder!"

  The Sergeant disappeared, and it was not many seconds before he was backagain adjusting its hooks to the side of an iron balcony in front of oneof the lighted rooms. Almost before he had finished Rollo would havemounted, impetuously as was his custom, but the Sergeant held him backby the arm.

  "I crave your forgiveness," he whispered, "but if you will pardon mesaying so, I have much more experience in such matters than you. Permitme in this single case to precede you! We know not what or whom we maymeet with above!"

  Nevertheless, though the Sergeant mounted first, Rollo followed soclosely that his hands upon the rounds of the ladder were more than oncein danger of being trodden upon by the Sergeant's half-boots.

  Presently they stood together on the iron balcony and peered within. Atall dark man leaned against an elaborately carved mantelpieceindolently stroking his glossy black whiskers. A lady arrayed in adressing-gown of pink silk reaching to her feet was seated on a chair,and submitting restlessly enough to the hands of her maid, who wasarranging her hair for the night, in the intervals of a violent butsomewhat one-sided quarrel which was proceeding between the pair.

  Every few moments the lady would start from her seat and with her eyesflashing fire she would advance towards the indolent dandy by themantelpiece as if with purpose of personal assault. At such seasons thestout old Abigail instantly remitted her attentions and stood perfectlywell trained and motionless, with the brush and comb in her hand, tillit pleased her lady to sit down again.

  All the while the gentleman said no word, but watched the development ofthe scene with the utmost composure, passing his beautiful white fingersthrough his whiskers and moustache after the fashion of a comb. Thelady's anger waxed higher and higher, and with it her voice also rose inan equal ratio. What the end would have been it is difficult toprophesy, for the Sergeant, realising that time was passing quickly,produced an instrument with a broad flat blade bent at an acute angle tothe handle, and inserting it sharply into the crack of the Frenchwindow, opened it with a click which must have been distinctly audiblewithin, even in the height of the lady's argument.