Among the Brigands Read online

  CHAPTER XIV.

  _On the Way to Sorrento again.--A mournful Ride.--A despairingSearch.--A fearful Discovery.--The old Virago again.--In aTrap.--Sorrento aroused.--Besieged.--All lost.--A ragingCrowd.--The howling Hag.--Hurried Consultation.--The last forlornHope.--Disguise, Flight, and Concealment._

  So, as I have said, the carriage rolled out from Castellamare,along the road to Sorrento, freighted with its anxious load. Allwere silent. Uncle Moses was weighed down by an anxiety that wastoo deep for words, and sat bent forward with his head buried inhis hands. The boys respected his feelings too much to say anything,and consequently they, too, sat in silence. They were far fromfeeling anything like despair, however, on David's account. Beforethey started, Bob had assured them that "Dave" was "all right,"and would turn up before long somewhere--an assurance which Frankand Clive accepted as a perfectly sound and reliable statement;and so, if they were silent, it was not so much the silence of careor sadness, as of sympathy with Uncle Moses.

  As they went along they met people from time to time, somewayfarers, some in carriages, some in wagons, and some onhorseback. In accordance with the earnest request of UncleMoses, the driver questioned all these without exception, andasked the same question of all.

  "Have you seen anything of a boy about fifteen years old--pale,with dark hair, sallow face, and gray dress?"

  And to this question there was one uniform answer from every one,

  "No."

  And at each fresh answer Uncle Moses would feel more and moredisheartened, and sink into a new abyss of despondency and anxiety.

  Far different was this journey to Sorrento from that former onewhich they had made a few days before. Then they were all together,and every one was filled with joy and enthusiasm. Then no one inthat little party was penetrated with a more profound and heartfeltjoy than David, who, in addition to a boy's delight at novelty,brought forth all that classical glow and fervor which were peculiarlyhis own. And now, where was he? The nearer they drew to Sorrento,the more urgent and pressing did this question become; and as eachone asked it of himself, there was no answer. Gradually thespectacle of the woe of Uncle Moses began to affect the boys, andin spite of Bob's confidence they began to feel an unpleasant fearstealing over them.

  A little way out of Sorrento the driver halted and spoke to UncleMoses.

  He felt a little troubled, he said, about taking the carriage intothe town. He reminded them of the recent uproar of the people, andtheir narrow escape, and warned them that if they were recognizedthey might again be assailed.

  But this warning fell on heedless ears. Uncle Moses was decided togo on. If David was anywhere, he might be in that very town, aprisoner in the hands of those foolish people who took offence atnothing. If they wished to save him, they must go into the verymidst of the people, and gave him from their vengeance.

  At this the driver drove on.

  About a half a mile outside the town they overtook an old woman,and the driver stopped, and put to her the usual question. As thewoman looked up they all recognized her at once.

  She was their old friend, or rather enemy--the virago herself, andno other!

  At the driver's question she stared at them, and at once recognizedthem all. A dark and gloomy expression came over her, and if glancescould have injured them they would have been blasted on the spot.

  She stood there, and after the driver had asked the question sheglared at them for some time in silence, looking from one to theother. Then she stretched forth a long, bony, skinny hand, andshook it at them. Then she burst forth in a long, shrill, venomousstrain of denunciation, of which the boys could not understand oneword; but the meaning of which they could easily conjecture.

  "What does she say?" asked Uncle Moses of the driver.

  "O, nothing," said the driver. "She only does curse; and shesay she will haf vengeance." And once more the driver urgedUncle Moses go back.

  But this appearance of the virago and her threats only roused UncleMoses to fresh determination. He was now confident that David hadbeen seized by the Sorrentonians, and that this woman was, perhaps,the instigator and leader in the act. He urged the driver to talkto her; but the driver assured him that it was useless, that shewas crazy, and that if they wanted to gain information they mustmake inquiries elsewhere.

  They now resumed their progress, and before long entered the town,and reached the hotel. Uncle Moses at once sought the landlord.At the appearance of the carriage and passengers the landlord lookeda little uneasy, and at the inquiry of Uncle Moses he looked stillmore troubled. But as to David he knew nothing whatever.

  "Had he heard of a boy being arrested anywhere?"

  "No--nothing at all."

  "Had he heard of any one being arrested?"

  "No."

  "Had he heard any people making any threats against them?"

  "O, certainly!"--for the whole of the next day there was nothing butthreats against the sacrilegious foreigners; but the feeling hadsubsided since. Still their appearance in Sorrento would undoubtedlyrouse the people again, and the landlord urged them for their ownsakes to hurry away as fast as possible back to Castellamare.

  But Uncle Moses refused to think of this. He was here, and here hewould remain until he had found David. He wanted the landlord tohelp him in this task. Let him go out and mollify the people inany way, and see if he could find anything about the lost boy. Hepromised to pay any sum to the landlord, or anybody else, if theywould only effect his rescue.

  This promise acted powerfully upon the landlord's cupidity, and hethought that at any rate it would be well to try. So he told UncleMoses to wait, and he would see what could be done. He thereuponleft them, and Uncle Moses and the boys walked up stairs to thatsame room in which they had dined before, when the uproar of thepeople reached their ears. Here they sat down and waited in silence.

  They did not have to wait very long. It was not more than a quarterof an hour, or twenty minutes, when hurried footsteps were heard,and the landlord rushed in, followed by the driver. Both wereagitated and disturbed. At the same instant an outcry arose fromwithout, and a tumult of eager and excited voices burst upon theirears. The landlord clasped his hands, and stood listening. Thedriver rushed to Uncle Moses, and cried,--

  "Dey haf come!--de people! You are lost!"

  At this Uncle Moses and the boys started to their feet aghast,and Frank rushed to the window, and standing so as to be as littleobserved as possible, he looked out.

  In the street in front he saw an excited crowd, which was not solarge as it had been on that former memorable occasion, but whichpromised to be so before another quarter of an hour, for peoplewere running up every minute, and adding to the uproar. The criesgrew louder and louder, and though Frank could not understandthe words, he perceived plainly enough that they were fiercecries of anger and vengeance. And there, conspicuous among thiscrowd, was that identical old woman--that villanous old virago,who had caused all the former trouble, and seemed now bent uponthe full accomplishment of her furious purpose. Dancing, howling,shrieking, she stood close by the door of the hotel, which wasnow shut and barred, and shook her fists at the building, andyelled out curses at those within, and called upon her fellowcitizens to break into the hotel, and seize the sacrilegious andbarbarous foreigners. Frank was a bold boy, but this sight wastoo much for him. His heart sank within him, and he involuntarilyshrank back farther out of sight.

  Soon the people outside began to throw at the party within somethingharder than words. Stones came flying through the open windows,and one of these missiles came very close to the head of UncleMoses. The landlord rushed forward, and closed all the shutters,and barred them, while the boys gathered around Uncle Moses asthough to protect him from those savage assailants without.

  "What shall we do?" asked Frank of the driver.

  The driver shrugged his shoulders.

  "Can't we drive through them as we did before?"

  "Dey have put a guard at de gate. Dey prepare dis time--an not letus g
o."

  "Isn't there any back way?" asked Frank, once more, of the landlord,who now rejoined them, after having barred all the windows.

  "Dere is; but de people are on de guard."

  "Are there no soldiers about--no police? Can't some one go and gethelp?"

  The landlord shook his head despondingly.

  "But there must be some way of getting rid of the mob," said Frank,impatiently. "Can't you explain that it was all a mistake?"

  The landlord sighed.

  "I haf try," he said, in a doleful voice. "And dey say I mus putyou out of de house. Dat I can not do--so I sall haf to soffaire.Listen!" And at that moment the crash of glass below interruptedhim, and formed a striking commentary on his remarks. "Dey villbreak de vindow," said he, "an dey vill try to break de door; butI haf barricade as well as I can."

  "Are we at all safe?" asked Frank.

  The landlord shook his head.

  "Not mooch. If dey get enrage enough, dey break in, and den"--asignificant shrug ended the sentence.

  "Have you any arms--fire-arms?" asked Frank, after a thoughtfulpause.

  "I haf a small shot gun."

  "Give me that," interrupted Frank.

  "But I haf no powdaire," said the landlord.

  At this Frank turned away in despair.

  "Can't we get to some other room than this?" he asked of the driver."Isn't there a place where we can have some chance of defendingourselves?"

  The driver had been silent for some time, and buried in thought.He did not hear Frank's words, but as he spoke, he looked earnestlyat him, and said,--

  "I haf a plan. It may be no good--but it is de only one."

  "Ah," asked Frank, eagerly, "what is that?"

  "You must all disguise."

  "Disguise?"

  "Yes--female dress. I sall try to get some."

  "But they would recognize us all the same."

  "No--de plan is dis. You all disguise--stay below--I sall sit inde carriage; de horses are all ready now. Ef de people do breakin, dey will all rush up stair to here. You sall be down stairin de stable. De moment de crowd come, I will haf de gates opened.You sall spring in--an den I whip up, an make a fly for life.You ond'stan?"

  The driver spoke hurriedly. Frank understood him, and at onceapproved. At this the driver went off to get the landlord to procurefemale dresses. That worthy hurried away, and soon returned withabout twenty gowns, bonnets, and petticoats. These he threw uponthe floor, and implored them to make haste, for the people outsidewere talking of getting a beam to batter in the door. He had imploredthem not to, but they scorned his prayers.

  Upon this the boys began to put on the dresses, disguising themselvesas well as they could. It was very clumsy work, and they were veryuncertain about the proper way of fastening them; but the driverand the landlord assisted them. The dresses were those of Italianpeasant women, and required no very elaborate adjustment. Somecoarse bonnets, of an antique type, were stuck on their heads, andserved to conceal their short hair and faces.

  With Uncle Moses they had very much trouble. At first he refusedpositively, and only consented when he was assured that the safetyof the boys depended upon his disguise. So he yielded reluctantly,and allowed the driver to officiate as lady's maid.

  No sooner was this task concluded, than the landlord and driverhurried them down stairs, and through a passage-way into the barn.Outside, in the court-yard, was the carriage, with the horses ready.The hostler was sent to the gate to fling it open at the driver'ssignal, and the landlord, stimulated by a promise from Uncle Mosesof a large reward hi case of his rescue, returned to the hotel, tooperate upon the crowd from that quarter.