The Lady of the Shroud - Bram Stoker (phonics reader txt) 📗

and with compressible Kitson aeroplanes.

I don’t suppose that there is anything quite like her in the world.

 

The crew are worthy of her. I can’t imagine where Rooke picked up

such a splendid lot of men. They are nearly all man-of-warsmen; of

various nationalities, but mostly British. All young men—the oldest

of them hasn’t got into the forties—and, so far as I can learn, all

experts of one kind or another in some special subject of warfare.

It will go hard with me, but I shall keep them together.

 

How I got through the rest of the day I know not. I tried hard not

to create any domestic trouble by my manner, lest Aunt Janet should,

after her lurid dream or vision of last night, attach some new

importance to it. I think I succeeded, for she did not, so far as I

could tell, take any special notice of me. We parted as usual at

half-past ten, and I came here and made this entry in my journal. I

am more restless than ever to-night, and no wonder. I would give

anything to be able to pay a visit to St. Sava’s, and see my wife

again—if it were only sleeping in her tomb. But I dare not do even

that, lest she should come to see me here, and I should miss her. So

I have done what I can. The glass door to the Terrace is open, so

that she can enter at once if she comes. The fire is lit, and the

room is warm. There is food ready in case she should care for it. I

have plenty of light in the room, so that through the aperture where

I have not fully drawn the curtain there may be light to guide her.

 

Oh, how the time drags! The clock has struck midnight. One, two!

Thank goodness, it will shortly be dawn, and the activity of the day

may begin! Work may again prove, in a way, to be an anodyne. In the

meantime I must write on, lest despair overwhelm me.

 

Once during the night I thought I heard a footstep outside. I rushed

to the window and looked out, but there was nothing to see, no sound

to hear. That was a little after one o’clock. I feared to go

outside, lest that should alarm her; so I came back to my table. I

could not write, but I sat as if writing for a while. But I could

not stand it, so rose and walked about the room. As I walked I felt

that my Lady—it gives me a pang every time I remember that I do not

know even her name—was not quite so far away from me. It made my

heart beat to think that it might mean that she was coming to me.

Could not I as well as Aunt Janet have a little Second Sight! I went

towards the window, and, standing behind the curtain, listened. Far

away I thought I heard a cry, and ran out on the Terrace; but there

was no sound to be heard, and no sign of any living thing anywhere;

so I took it for granted that it was the cry of some night bird, and

came back to my room, and wrote at my journal till I was calm. I

think my nerves must be getting out of order, when every sound of the

night seems to have a special meaning for me.

 

RUPERT’S JOURNAL—Continued.

July 7, 1907

 

When the grey of the morning came, I gave up hope of my wife

appearing, and made up my mind that, so soon as I could get away

without exciting Aunt Janet’s attention, I would go to St. Sava’s. I

always eat a good breakfast, and did I forgo it altogether, it would

be sure to excite her curiosity—a thing I do not wish at present.

As there was still time to wait, I lay down on my bed as I was, and—

such is the way of Fate—shortly fell asleep.

 

I was awakened by a terrific clattering at my door. When I opened it

I found a little group of servants, very apologetic at awaking me

without instructions. The chief of them explained that a young

priest had come from the Vladika with a message so urgent that he

insisted on seeing me immediately at all hazards. I came out at

once, and found him in the hall of the Castle, standing before the

great fire, which was always lit in the early morning. He had a

letter in his hand, but before giving it to me he said:

 

“I am sent by the Vladika, who pressed on me that I was not to lose a

single instant in seeing you; that time is of golden price—nay,

beyond price. This letter, amongst other things, vouches for me. A

terrible misfortune has occurred. The daughter of our leader has

disappeared during last night—the same, he commanded me to remind

you, that he spoke of at the meeting when he would not let the

mountaineers fire their guns. No sign of her can be found, and it is

believed that she has been carried off by the emissaries of the

Sultan of Turkey, who once before brought our nations to the verge of

war by demanding her as a wife. I was also to say that the Vladika

Plamenac would have come himself, but that it was necessary that he

should at once consult with the Archbishop, Stevan Palealogue, as to

what step is best to take in this dire calamity. He has sent out a

search-party under the Archimandrite of Spazac, Petrof Vlastimir, who

is to come on here with any news he can get, as you have command of

the signalling, and can best spread the news. He knows that you,

Gospodar, are in your great heart one of our compatriots, and that

you have already proved your friendship by many efforts to strengthen

our hands for war. And as a great compatriot, he calls on you to aid

us in our need.” He then handed me the letter, and stood by

respectfully whilst I broke the seal and read it. It was written in

great haste, and signed by the Vladika.

 

“Come with us now in our nation’s peril. Help us to rescue what we

most adore, and henceforth we shall hold you in our hearts. You

shall learn how the men of the Blue Mountains can love faith and

valour. Come!”

 

This was a task indeed—a duty worthy of any man. It thrilled me to

the core to know that the men of the Blue Mountains had called on me

in their dire need. It woke all the fighting instinct of my Viking

forbears, and I vowed in my heart that they should be satisfied with

my work. I called to me the corps of signallers who were in the

house, and led them to the Castle roof, taking with me the young

messenger-priest.

 

“Come with me,” I said to him, “and see how I answer the Vladika’s

command.”

 

The National flag was run up—the established signal that the nation

was in need. Instantly on every summit near and far was seen the

flutter of an answering flag. Quickly followed the signal that

commanded the call to arms.

 

One by one I gave the signallers orders in quick succession, for the

plan of search unfolded itself to me as I went on. The arms of the

semaphore whirled in a way that made the young priest stare. One by

one, as they took their orders, the signallers seemed to catch fire.

Instinctively they understood the plan, and worked like demigods.

They knew that so widespread a movement had its best chance in

rapidity and in unity of action.

 

From the forest which lay in sight of the Castle came a wild

cheering, which seemed to interpret the former stillness of the

hills. It was good to feel that those who saw the signals—types of

many—were ready. I saw the look of expectation on the face of the

messenger-priest, and rejoiced at the glow that came as I turned to

him to speak. Of course, he wanted to know something of what was

going on. I saw the flashing of my own eyes reflected in his as I

spoke:

 

“Tell the Vladika that within a minute of his message being read the

Land of the Blue Mountains was awake. The mountaineers are already

marching, and before the sun is high there will be a line of guards

within hail of each other round the whole frontier—from Angusa to

Ilsin; from Ilsin to Bajana; from Bajana to Ispazar; from Ispazar to

Volok; from Volok to Tatra; from Tatra to Domitan; from Domitan to

Gravaja; and from Gravaja back to Angusa. The line is double. The

old men keep guard on the line, and the young men advance. These

will close in at the advancing line, so that nothing can escape them.

They will cover mountain-top and forest depth, and will close in

finally on the Castle here, which they can behold from afar. My own

yacht is here, and will sweep the coast from end to end. It is the

fastest boat afloat, and armed against a squadron. Here will all

signals come. In an hour where we stand will be a signal bureau,

where trained eyes will watch night and day till the lost one has

been found and the outrage has been avenged. The robbers are even

now within a ring of steel, and cannot escape.”

 

The young priest, all on fire, sprang on the battlements and shouted

to the crowd, which was massing round the Castle in the gardens far

below. The forest was giving up its units till they seemed like the

nucleus of an army. The men cheered lustily, till the sound swung

high up to us like the roaring of a winter sea. With bared heads

they were crying:

 

“God and the Blue Mountains! God and the Blue Mountains!”

 

I ran down to them as quickly as I could, and began to issue their

instructions. Within a time to be computed by minutes the whole

number, organized by sections, had started to scour the neighbouring

mountains. At first they had only understood the call to arms for

general safety. But when they learned that the daughter of a chief

had been captured, they simply went mad. From something which the

messenger first said, but which I could not catch or did not

understand, the blow seemed to have for them some sort of personal

significance which wrought them to a frenzy.

 

When the bulk of the men had disappeared, I took with me a few of my

own men and several of the mountaineers whom I had asked to remain,

and together we went to the hidden ravine which I knew. We found the

place empty; but there were unmistakable signs that a party of men

had been encamped there for several days. Some of our men, who were

skilled in woodcraft and in signs generally, agreed that there must

have been some twenty of them. As they could not find any trail

either coming to or going from the place, they came to the conclusion

that they must have come separately from different directions and

gathered there, and that they must have departed in something of the

same mysterious way.

 

However, this was, at any rate, some sort of a beginning, and the men

separated, having agreed amongst themselves to make a wide cast round

the place in the search for tracks. Whoever should find a trail was

to follow with at least one comrade, and when there was any definite

news, it was to be signalled to the Castle.

 

I myself