Jack Harkaway and His Son's Escape from the Brigands of Greece Part 22

The effort should be made all the same.

They walked up to the porter's lodge beside the gates, where an eager crowd had a.s.sembled for a glimpse of the prisoners.

"And do you open those gates to admit the prisoners?" asked the visitor innocently.

"No, sir," replied the governor; "this little side door is all we open.

Now watch how it is done. This bar, which is like a lever, stops the door, and renders it immovable, now--hah!"

The fallacy of his words was shown ere they were fairly uttered.

The visitor whistled in a very peculiar way.

And there was a sudden silent rush at the door in question.

The bar, immovable as it was, fell before that desperate onslaught, and the door was carried off its hinges.

The ragged and miserable-looking mob turned like magic into a crowd of armed desperadoes. And in they pressed.

On they came, tearing down the gates and das.h.i.+ng every thing before them.

The poor gatekeeper was trampled under foot, and the warders and governor got hustled and cruelly handled.

The mob of armed invaders made for Mathias and his companion, and bore them bodily outside the gates.

The brigands then wrenched off the handcuffs.

Once outside the gates, a horse was found waiting.

Suddenly there was a loud cry heard.

"The soldiers--the soldiers!"

The whole of the guard-room had turned out.

A charge was made, and it looked as though the rescue of Mathias were likely to cost them dear.

Cries of defiance and rage were heard.

Just when matters were at the worst for the robber band, a deafening explosion was heard, that shook the solid building to its base.

The soldiers turned back and re-formed at their officer's command.

Then it was that the brigands, headed by the sham visitor, Tomaso, found their chance.

Up till now, the retreat had been cut off by the unpleasant appearance of the military.

"There goes the powder keg under the water gate," cried Tomaso. "Lose not a moment. Follow me."

A desperate rush was made, and the brigands got clear of the prison.

The soldiers were divided into two lots, one party being sent in pursuit, the other remaining to guard the prison.

The roll-call of the prisoners made this discovery.

"How many prisoners have escaped?" inquired the governor.

"Three absentees, your excellency," said the head man of the prison.

"One is an Italian, calling himself Toro; another an Englishman, calling himself Hunston; and the third, the brigand chief Mathias."

CHAPTER VIII.

A DEEP-LAID PLOT.

The news of the escape, or rescue--call it what you will--of the three desperadoes soon became known.

Emily and Mrs. Harvey were much alarmed.

The dogged obstinacy with which attempt after attempt was made by the villains made them imagine they were unsafe in such a lonely place.

Accordingly, a grand consultation was held, the result of which was that the Prince of Limbi was sent into the town to take rooms for the whole party at one of the two hotels the place could boast of.

And the next day they all quitted the villa.

The hotel in which our friends had secured apartments was a large straggling building, right at the extremity of the ill-built street which formed the chief part of the town.

Mr. Mole had been very particular when they went there in his inquiries about the brigands.

Would the party be quite safe from molestation?

The urbane proprietor, with many low bows, a.s.sured his excellency the Englishman that there was not the slightest possibility of their being molested.

The other male members of the party really troubled themselves very little about the brigands.

By ten o'clock, the day after the masquerade, hardly a person was stirring in the town.

A casual observer would have said there was literally no one to be seen. But hus.h.!.+

Soft, cautious footsteps may be heard, and anyone whose eyes are accustomed to the gloom might have seen three figures creeping quietly down the street on the side opposite the hotel.

Right over against that building they paused.

"That is the place" said one of the three, a giant almost in size.

"Curse them! they always manage to get comfortable quarters, while I am an outcast," said another, who spoke like an Englishman.

"Death, gentlemen! what better quarters can you desire than my cave, in which you have spent several pleasant evenings?"