The Lady of the Shroud

, benefit the ultimate strategetic ends of Turkey. For were once the Vissarion race at an end, the subjection of the Land of the Blue Mountains might, in their view, be an easier task than it had yet been found to be.

Such, illustrious lady, were the conditions of affairs when the Gospodar Rupert first drew his handjar for the Blue Mountains and what it held most dear.

PALEALOGUE, _Archbishop of the Eastern Church_, _in the Land of the Blue Mountains_.

RUPERT'S JOURNAL--_Continued_.

_July_ 8, 1907.

I wonder if ever in the long, strange history of the world had there cometo any other such glad tidings as came to me--and even then ratherinferentially than directly--from the Archimandrite's answers to myquestioning. Happily I was able to restrain myself, or I should havecreated some strange confusion which might have evoked distrust, andwould certainly have hampered us in our pursuit. For a little I couldhardly accept the truth which wove itself through my brain as the trueinwardness of each fact came home to me and took its place in the wholefabric. But even the most welcome truth has to be accepted some time byeven a doubting heart. My heart, whatever it may have been, was not thena doubting heart, but a very, very grateful one. It was only thesplendid magnitude of the truth which forbade its immediate acceptance.I could have shouted for joy, and only stilled myself by keeping mythoughts fixed on the danger which my wife was in. My wife! My wife!Not a Vampire; not a poor harassed creature doomed to terrible woe, but asplendid woman, brave beyond belief, patriotic in a way which has but fewpeers even in the wide history of bravery! I began to understand thetrue meaning of the strange occurrences that have come into my life.Even the origin and purpose of that first strange visit to my room becameclear. No wonder that the girl could move about the Castle in somysterious a manner. She had lived there all her life, and was familiarwith the secret ways of entrance and exit. I had always believed thatthe place must have been honeycombed with secret passages. No wonderthat she could find a way to the battlements, mysterious to everybodyelse. No wonder that she could meet me at the Flagstaff when she sodesired.

To say that I was in a tumult would be to but faintly express mycondition. I was rapt into a heaven of delight which had no measure inall my adventurous life--the lifting of the veil which showed that mywife--mine--won in all sincerity in the very teeth of appallingdifficulties and dangers--was no Vampire, no corpse, no ghost or phantom,but a real woman of flesh and blood, of affection, and love, and passion.Now at last would my love be crowned indeed when, having rescued her fromthe marauders, I should bear her to my own home, where she would live andreign in peace and comfort and honour, and in love and wifely happinessif I could achieve such a blessing for her--and for myself.

But here a dreadful thought flashed across me, which in an instant turnedmy joy to despair, my throbbing heart to ice:

"As she is a real woman, she is in greater danger than ever in the handsof Turkish ruffians. To them a woman is in any case no more than asheep; and if they cannot bring her to the harem of the Sultan, they maydeem it the next wisest step to kill her. In that way, too, they mightfind a better chance of escape. Once rid of her the party couldseparate, and there might be a chance of some of them finding escape asindividuals that would not exist for a party. But even if they did notkill her, to escape with her would be to condemn her to the worst fate ofall the harem of the Turk! Lifelong misery and despair--however longthat life might be--must be the lot of a Christian woman doomed to such alot. And to her, just happily wedded, and after she had served hercountry in such a noble way as she had done, that dreadful life ofshameful slavery would be a misery beyond belief.

"She must be rescued--and quickly! The marauders must be caught soon,and suddenly, so that they may have neither time nor opportunity to harmher, as they would be certain to do if they have warning of immediatedanger.

"On! on!"

And "on" it was all through that terrible night as well as we couldthrough the forest.

It was a race between the mountaineers and myself as to who should befirst. I understood now the feeling that animated them, and whichsingled them out even from amongst their fiery comrades, when the dangerof the Voivodin became known. These men were no mean contestants even insuch a race, and, strong as I am, it took my utmost effort to keep aheadof them. They were keen as leopards, and as swift. Their lives had beenspent among the mountains, and their hearts and souls on were in thechase. I doubt not that if the death of any one of us could have throughany means effected my wife's release, we should, if necessary, havefought amongst ourselves for the honour.

From the nature of the work before us our party had to keep to the top ofthe hills. We had not only to keep observation on the flying party whomwe followed, and to prevent them making discovery of us, but we had to bealways in a position to receive and answer signals made to us from theCastle, or sent to us from other eminences.

_Letter from Petrof Vlastimir_, _Archimandrite of Spazac_, _to the LadyJanet MacKelpie_, _of Vissarion_.

_Written July_ 8, 1907.

GREAT LADY,

I am asked to write by the Vladika, and have permission of the Archbishop. I have the honour of transmitting to you the record of the pursuit of the Turkish spies who carried off the Voivodin Teuta, of the noble House of Vissarion. The pursuit was undertaken by the Gospodar Rupert, who asked that I would come with his party, since what he was so good as to call my "great knowledge of the country and its people" might serve much. It is true that I have had much knowledge of the Land of the Blue Mountains and its people, amongst which and whom my whole life has been passed. But in such a cause no reason was required. There was not a man in the Blue Mountains who would not have given his life for the Voivodin Teuta, and when they heard that she had not been dead, as they thought, but only in a trance, and that it was she whom the marauders had carried off, they were in a frenzy. So why should I--to whom has been given the great trust of the Monastery of Spazac--hesitate at such a time? For myself, I wanted to hurry on, and to come at once to the fight with my country's foes; and well I knew that the Gospodar Rupert, with a lion's heart meet for his giant body, would press on with a matchless speed. We of the Blue Mountains do not lag when our foes are in front of us; most of all do we of the Eastern Church press on when the Crescent wars against the Cross!

We took with us no gear or hamper of any kind; no coverings except what we stood in; no food--nothing but our handjars and our rifles, with a sufficiency of ammunition. Before starting, the Gospodar gave hurried orders by signal from the Castle to have food and ammunition sent to us (as we might signal) by the nearest hamlet.

It was high noon when we started, only ten strong--for our leader would take none but approved runners who could shoot straight and use the handjar as it should be used. So as we went light, we expected to go fast. By this time we knew from the reports signalled to Vissarion that the enemies were chosen men of no despicable prowess.

The Keeper of the Green Flag of Islam is well served, and as though the Turk is an infidel and a dog, he is sometimes brave and strong. Indeed, except when he passes the confines of the Blue Mountains, he has been known to do stirring deeds. But as none who have dared to wander in amongst our hills ever return to their own land, we may not know of how they speak at home of their battles here. Still, these men were evidently not to be despised; and our Gospodar, who is a wise man as well as a valiant, warned us to be prudent, and not to despise our foes over much. We did as he counselled, and in proof we only took ten men, as we had only twenty against us. But then there was at stake much beyond life, and we took no risks. So, as the great clock at Vissarion clanged of noon, the eight fastest runners of the Blue Mountains, together with the Gospodar Rupert and myself, swept out on our journey. It had been signalled to us that the course which the marauders had as yet taken in their flight was a zigzag one, running eccentrically at all sorts of angles in all sorts of directions. But our leader had marked out a course where we might intercept our foes across the main line of their flight; and till we had reached that region we paused not a second, but went as fast as we could all night long. Indeed, it was amongst us a race as was the Olympic race of

old Greece, each one vying with his fellows, though not in jealous emulation, but in high spirit, to best serve his country and the Voivodin Teuta. Foremost amongst us went the Gospodar, bearing himself as a Paladin of old, his mighty form pausing for no obstacle. Perpetually did he urge us on. He would not stop or pause for a moment, but often as he and I ran together--for, lady, in my youth I was the fleetest of all in the race, and even that now can head a battalion when duty calls--he would ask me certain questions as to the Lady Teuta and of the strange manner of her reputed death, as it was gradually unfolded in my answers to his questioning. And as each new phase of knowledge came to him, he would rush on as one possessed of fiends: whereat our mountaineers, who seem to respect even fiends for their thoroughness, would strive to keep pace with him till they too seemed worked into diabolic possession. And I myself, left alone in the calmness of sacerdotal office, forgot even that. With surging ears and eyes that saw blood, I rushed along with best of them.

Then truly the spirit of a great captain showed itself in the Gospodar, for when others were charged with fury he began to force himself into calm, so that out of his present self-command and the memory of his exalted position came a worthy strategy and thought for every contingency that might arise. So that when some new direction was required for our guidance, there was no hesitation in its coming. We, nine men of varying kinds, all felt that we had a master; and so, being willing to limit ourselves to strict obedience, we were free to use such thoughts as well as such powers as we had to the best advantage of the doing.

We came across the trail of the flying marauders on the second morning after the abduction, a little before noon. It was easy enough to see, for by this time the miscreants were all together, and our people, who were woodlanders, were able to tell much of the party that passed. These were evidently in a terrified hurry, for they had taken no precautions such as are necessary baffle pursuit, and all of which take time. Our foresters said that two went ahead and two behind. In the centre went the mass, moving close together, as though surrounding their prisoner. We caught not even a single glimpse her--could not have, they encompassed her so closely. But our foresters saw other than the mass; the ground that had been passed was before them. They knew that the prisoner had gone unwillingly--nay, more: one of them said as he rose from his knees, where he had been examining of the ground:

"The misbegotten dogs have been urging her on with their yataghans! There are drops of blood, though there are no blood-marks on her feet."

Whereupon the Gospodar flamed with passion. His teeth ground together, and with a deep-breathed "On, on!" he sprang off again, handjar in hand, on the track.

Before long we saw the party in the distance. They this were far below us in a deep valley, although the track of their going passed away to the right hand. They were making for the base of the great cliff, which rose before us all. Their reason was twofold, as we soon knew. Far off down the valley which they were crossing we saw signs of persons coming in haste, who must be of the search party coming from the north. Though the trees hid them, we could not mistake the signs. I was myself forester enough to have no doubt. Again, it was evident that the young Voivodin could travel no longer at the dreadful pace at which they had been going. Those blood-marks told their own tale! They meant to make a last stand here in case they should be discovered.

Then it was that he, who amongst us all had been most fierce and most bent on rapid pursuit, became the most the calm. Raising his hand for silence--though, God knows, we were and had been silent enough during that long rush through the forest--he said, in a low, keen whisper which cut the silence like a knife:

"My friends, the time is come for action. God be thanked, who has now brought us face to face with our foes! But we must be careful here--not on our own account, for we wish nothing more than to rush on and conquer or die--but for the sake of her whom you love, and whom I, too, love. She is in danger from anything which may give warning to those fiends. If they know or even suspect for an instant that we are near, they will murder her . . . "

Here his voice broke for an instant with the extremity of his passion or the depth of his feeling--I hardly know which; I think both acted on him.