The Lady of the Shroud, Bram Stoker [most life changing books .txt] 📗

When they have descended to the level of the valley—path

or no path—let them advance cautiously and secretly, keeping their

guns in readiness. But they must not fire till need. Remember, my

brothers,” said, turning to those who stepped out a pace or two to

the left, “that the first shot gives the warning which will be the

signal for the Voivodin’s death. These men will not hesitate. You

must judge yourselves of the time to shoot. The others of us will

move to the right and try to find a path on that side. If the valley

be indeed a pocket between the cliffs, we must find a way down that

is not a path!”

 

As he spoke thus there was a blaze in his eyes that betokened no good

to aught that might stand in his way. I ran by his side as we moved

to the right.

 

It was as he surmised about the cliff. When we got a little on our

way we saw how the rocky formation trended to our right, till,

finally, with a wide curve, it came round to the other side.

 

It was a fearful valley that, with its narrow girth and its towering

walls that seemed to topple over. On the farther side from us the

great trees that clothed the slope of the mountain over it grew down

to the very edge of the rock, so that their spreading branches hung

far over the chasm. And, so far as we could understand, the same

condition existed on our own side. Below us the valley was dark even

in the daylight. We could best tell the movement of the flying

marauders by the flashes of the white shroud of their captive in the

midst of them.

 

From where we were grouped, amid the great tree-trunks on the very

brow of the cliff, we could, when our eyes were accustomed to the

shadow, see them quite well. In great haste, and half dragging, half

carrying the Voivodin, they crossed the open space and took refuge in

a little grassy alcove surrounded, save for its tortuous entrance, by

undergrowth. From the valley level it was manifestly impossible to

see them, though we from our altitude could see over the stunted

undergrowth. When within the glade, they took their hands from her.

She, shuddering instinctively, withdrew to a remote corner of the

dell.

 

And then, oh, shame on their manhood!—Turks and heathens though they

were—we could see that they had submitted her to the indignity of

gagging her and binding her hands!

 

Our Voivodin Teuta bound! To one and all of us it was like lashing

us across the face. I heard the Gospodar’s teeth grind again. But

once more he schooled himself to calmness ere he said:

 

“It is, perhaps, as well, great though the indignity be. They are

seeking their own doom, which is coming quickly … Moreover, they

are thwarting their own base plans. Now that she is bound they will

trust to their binding, so that they will delay their murderous

alternative to the very last moment. Such is our chance of rescuing

her alive!”

 

For a few moments he stood as still as a stone, as though revolving

something in his mind whilst he watched. I could see that some grim

resolution was forming in his mind, for his eyes ranged to the top of

the trees above cliff, and down again, very slowly this time, as

though measuring and studying the detail of what was in front of him.

Then he spoke:

 

“They are in hopes that the other pursuing party may not come across

them. To know that, they are waiting. If those others do not come

up the valley, they will proceed on their way. They will return up

the path the way they came. There we can wait them, charge into the

middle of them when she is opposite, and cut down those around her.

Then the others will open fire, and we shall be rid of them!

 

Whilst he was speaking, two of the men of our party, who I knew to be

good sharpshooters, and who had just before lain on their faces and

had steadied their rifles to shoot, rose to their feet.

 

“Command us, Gospodar!” they said simply, as they stood to attention.

“Shall we go to the head of the ravine road and there take hiding?”

He thought for perhaps a minute, whilst we all stood as silent as

images. I could hear our hearts beating. Then he said:

 

“No, not yet. There is time for that yet. They will not—cannot

stir or make plans in any way till they know whether the other party

is coming towards them or not. From our height here we can see what

course the others are taking long before those villains do. Then we

can make our plans and be ready in time.

 

We waited many minutes, but could see no further signs the other

pursuing party. These had evidently adopted greater caution in their

movements as they came closer to where they expected to find the

enemy. The marauders began to grow anxious. Even at our distance we

could gather as much from their attitude and movements.

 

Presently, when the suspense of their ignorance grew too much for

them, they drew to the entrance of the glade, which was the farthest

place to which, without exposing themselves to anyone who might come

to the valley, they could withdraw from their captive. Here they

consulted together. We could follow from their gestures what they

were saying, for as they did not wish their prisoner to hear, their

gesticulation was enlightening to us as to each other. Our people,

like all mountaineers, have good eyes, and the Gospodar is himself an

eagle in this as in other ways. Three men stood back from the rest.

They stacked their rifles so that they could seize them easily. Then

they drew their scimitars, and stood ready, as though on guard.

 

These were evidently the appointed murderers. Well they knew their

work; for though they stood in a desert place with none within long

distance except the pursuing party, of whose approach they would have

good notice, they stood so close to their prisoner that no marksman

in the world—now or that ever had been; not William Tell himself—

could have harmed any of them without at least endangering her. Two

of them turned the Voivodin round so that her face was towards the

precipice—in which position she could not see what was going on—

whilst he who was evidently leader of the gang explained, in gesture,

that the others were going to spy upon the pursuing party. When they

had located them he, or one of his men, would come out of the opening

of the wood wherein they had had evidence of them, and hold up his

hand.

 

That was to be the signal for the cutting of the victim’s throat—

such being the chosen method (villainous even for heathen murderers)

of her death. There was not one of our men who did not grind his

teeth when we witnessed the grim action, only too expressive, of the

Turk as he drew his right hand, clenched as though he held a yataghan

in it, across his throat.

 

At the opening of the glade all the spying party halted whilst the

leader appointed to each his place of entry of the wood, the front of

which extended in an almost straight across the valley from cliff to

cliff.

 

The men, stooping low when in the open, and taking instant advantage

of every little obstacle on the ground, seemed to fade like spectres

with incredible swiftness across the level mead, and were swallowed

up in the wood.

 

When they had disappeared the Gospodar Rupert revealed to us the

details of the plan of action which he had revolving in his mind. He

motioned us to follow him: we threaded a way between the tree-trunks, keeping all the while on the very edge of the cliff, so that

the space below was all visible to us. When we had got round the

curve sufficiently to see the whole of the wood on the valley level,

without losing sight of the Voivodin and her appointed assassins, we

halted under his direction. There was an added advantage of this

point over the other, for we could see directly the rising of the

hill-road, up which farther side ran the continuation of the mountain

path which the marauders had followed. It was somewhere on that path

that the other pursuing party had hoped to intercept the fugitives.

The Gospodar spoke quickly, though in a voice of command which true

soldiers love to hear:

 

“Brothers, the time has come when we can strike a blow for Teuta and

the Land. Do you two, marksmen, take position here facing the wood.”

The two men here lay down and got their rifles ready. “Divide the

frontage of the wood between you; arrange between yourselves the

limits of your positions. The very instant one of the marauders

appears, cover him; drop him before he emerges from the wood. Even

then still watch and treat similarly whoever else may take his place.

Do this if they come singly till not a man is left. Remember,

brothers, that brave hearts alone will not suffice at this grim

crisis. In this hour the best safety of the Voivodin is in the calm

spirit and the steady eye!” Then he turned to the rest of us, and

spoke to me:

 

“Archimandrite of Plazac, you who are interpreter to God of the

prayers of so many souls, my own hour has come. If I do not return,

convey my love to my Aunt Janet—Miss MacKelpie, at Vissarion. There

is but one thing left to us if we wish to save the Voivodin. Do you,

when the time comes, take these men and join the watcher at the top

of the ravine road. When the shots are fired, do you out handjar,

and rush the ravine and across the valley. Brothers, you may be in

time to avenge the Voivodin, if you cannot save her. For me there

must be a quicker way, and to it I go. As there is not, and will not

be, time to traverse the path, I must take a quicker way. Nature

finds me a path that man has made it necessary for me to travel. See

that giant beech-tree that towers above the glade where the Voivodin

is held? There is my path! When you from here have marked the

return of the spies, give me a signal with your hat—do not use a

handkerchief, as others might see its white, and take warning. Then

rush that ravine. I shall take that as the signal for my descent by

the leafy road. If I can do naught else, I can crush the murderers

with my falling weight, even if I have to kill her too. At least we

shall die together—and free. Lay us together in the tomb at St.

Sava’s. Farewell, if it be the last!”

 

He threw down the scabbard in which he carried his handjar, adjusted

the naked weapon in his belt behind his back, and was gone!

 

We who were not watching the wood kept our eyes fixed on the great

beech-tree, and with new interest noticed the long trailing branches

which hung low, and swayed even in the gentle breeze. For a few

minutes, which seemed amazingly long, we saw no sign of him. Then,

high up on one of the great branches which stood clear of obscuring

leaves, we saw something crawling flat against the bark. He was well

out on the branch, hanging far over the precipice. He was looking

over at us, and