The Corsican Brothers Part 6

"And so you have arranged everything?"

"I am afraid so."

"And we shall see the chief of one of these two parties this evening, no doubt?"

"Just so; last night I saw the other."

"Are we going to see an Orlandi or a Colona?"

"An Orlandi."

"Is it far from here?"

"In the ruins of the Castle of Vicentello d'Istria."

"Ah! yes--they told me those ruins were close by."

"Yes, they are about a league from here."

"So in three-quarters of an hour we shall be there?"

"Yes, in about that time."

"Lucien," said Madame de Franchi, "remember you speak for yourself.

For a mountaineer as you are it is scarcely three-quarters of an hour distance, but recollect that our guest may not be able to proceed so quickly."

"That is true; we had better allow ourselves an hour and a half at least."

"In that case you have no time to lose," said Madame de Franchi, as she glanced at the clock.

"Mother," said Lucien as he rose, "you will excuse our leaving you, will you not?"

She extended her hand to him, and the young man kissed it with the same respect as he had previously done.

Then turning to me, Lucien said--

"If you prefer to finish your supper quietly, and to smoke your cigar afterwards----"

"No, no!" I cried; "hang it, you have promised me a bandit, and I must have one."

"Well, then, let us take our guns and be off."

I bowed respectfully to Madame de Franchi, and we left the room, preceded by Griffo, who carried a light.

Our preparations did not occupy us very long.

I clasped a travelling belt round my waist, from which was suspended a sort of hunting-knife, and in the folds of which I carried powder and ball.

Lucien soon re-appeared with his cartridge case, and carrying a double-barrelled Manton, and a sort of peaked cap, woven for him by some Penelope of Sullacaro.

"Shall I go with your Excellency?" asked Griffo.

"No, it will be useless," replied Lucien; "but you may as well loose Diamond, as we might put up a pheasant, and the moon is so clear we should be able to shoot as well as in daylight."

An instant afterwards a great spaniel bounded out, and jumped joyously around its master.

We had not gone many paces from the house when Lucien turned round and said--

"By-the-by, Griffo, tell them if they hear any shots on the mountain that it is we who have fired them."

"Very well, your Excellency."

"If we did not take some such precautions," said Lucien, "they would think that hostilities had recommenced, and we should soon hear our shots echoing in the streets of Sullacaro. A little farther on you will see a footpath to the right that will lead us directly up the mountain."

CHAPTER VI.

ALTHOUGH it was only the beginning of the month of March the weather was beautiful, and we should have said that it was hot, had it not been for a refres.h.i.+ng breeze which carried with it a savour of the sea.

The moon was rising brilliantly behind Mount Cagna, and the cascades of light were falling upon the southern slope which separates Corsica into two parts, and in a measure forms two different nations, which are always at war, or at least, detest one another heartily.

As we mounted we could see the gorge in which the Tavaro was buried in profound darkness, impossible to penetrate, but we could view the calm Mediterranean, like a vast steel mirror extending into the horizon.

There are certain noises one hears only at night, for during the day they are overcome by other sounds, or it may be they awake only with the darkness, and these produced not upon Lucien, who was familiar with them, but upon me, who was a stranger to them, curious sensations of surprise, and awoke in me a powerful interest in all that I saw.

When we reached the place where the path united with another--one going up the mountain direct, and the other to the right, Lucien turned to me and said--

"Are you anything of a mountaineer?"

"Yes, a little, as far as walking goes."

"You are likely to get giddy, then."

"I am afraid so. The precipice has an irresistible attraction for me."

"Then we had better take this foot-path where there are no precipices, but merely rough walking."

"I am quite equal to that."

"Very well, then, we have three-quarters of an hour's walk before us."

"Let us take the path."

Lucien then went first, and crossed through a little oak wood, into which I followed him.

Diamond trotted fifty or sixty paces away, beating right and left, and occasionally coming back to us, wagging his tail as much as to inform us that we might trust to him and continue our route in safety.