第18章

Whenshearrived，weheardtoourjoythatallconcernedhaddonetheirworkwell。TheArchbishopwasaboard，andoftheNationalCouncilnotonewasmissing。TheGospodarhurriedthemallintothegreathalloftheCastle，whichhadinthemeantimebeengotready。

I，too，wentwithhim，buttheVoivodinremainedwithout。

Whenallwereseated，heroseandsaid：

"MyLordArchbishop，Vladika，andLordsoftheCouncilall，Ihavedaredtosummonyouinthiswaybecausetimepresses，andthelifeofoneyoualllove——theVoivodeVissarion——isatstake。ThisaudaciousattemptoftheTurkistheoldaggressionunderanewform。Itisanewandmoredaringstepthanevertotrytocaptureyourchiefandhisdaughter，theVoivodin，whomyoulove。Happily，thelatterpartoftheschemeisfrustrated。TheVoivodinissafeandamongstus。

ButtheVoivodeisheldprisoner——if，indeed，hebestillalive。HemustbesomewherenearIlsin——butwhereexactlyweknownotasyet。

Wehaveanexpeditionreadytostartthemomentwereceiveyoursanction——yourcommands。Weshallobeyyourwisheswithourlives。

Butasthematterisinstant，Iwouldventuretoaskonequestion，andoneonly：’ShallwerescuetheVoivodeatanycostthatmaypresentitself？’Iaskthis，forthematterhasnowbecomeaninternationalone，and，ifourenemiesareasearnestasweare，theissueiswar！

Havingsospoken，andwithadignityandforcewhichisinexpressible，hewithdrew；andtheCouncil，havingappointedascribe——themonkCristoferos，whomIhadsuggested——beganitswork。

TheArchbishopspoke：

"LordsoftheCounciloftheBlueMountains，IventuretoaskyouthattheanswertotheGospodarRupertbeaninstant’Yes！’togetherwiththanksandhonourtothatgallantEnglisher，whohasmadeourcausehisown，andwhohassovaliantlyrescuedourbelovedVoivodinfromtheruthlesshandsofourenemies。"ForthwiththeoldestmemberoftheCouncil——NicolosofVolok——rose，and，afterthrowingasearchinglookroundthefacesofall，andseeinggravenodsofassent——fornotawordwasspoken——saidtohimwhoheldthedoor：

"SummontheGospodarRupertforthwith！"WhenRupertentered，hespoketohim：

"GospodarRupert，theCounciloftheBlueMountainshasonlyoneanswertogive：Proceed！RescuetheVoivodeVissarion，whateverthecostmaybe！Youholdhenceforthinyourhandthehandjarofournation，asalready，forwhatyouhavedoneinyourvaliantrescueofourbelovedVoivodin，yourbreastholdstheheartofourpeople。

Proceedatonce！Wegiveyou，Ifear，littletime；butweknowthatsuchisyourownwish。Later，weshallissueformalauthorization，sothatifwarmayensue，ouralliesmayunderstandthatyouhaveactedforthenation，andalsosuchletterscredentialasmayberequiredbyyouinthisexceptionalservice。Theseshallfollowyouwithinanhour。Forourenemieswetakenoaccount。See，wedrawthehandjarthatweofferyou。"Asonemanallinthehalldrewtheirhandjars，whichflashedasablazeoflightning。

Theredidnotseemtobeaninstant’sdelay。TheCouncilbrokeup，anditsmembers，minglingwiththepeoplewithout，tookactivepartinthepreparations。Notmanyminuteshadelapsedwhentheyacht，mannedandarmedandstoredasarranged，wasrushingoutofthecreek。Onthebridge，besideCaptainRooke，stoodtheGospodarRupertandthestill—shroudedformoftheVoivodinTeuta。Imyselfwasonthelowerdeckwiththesoldiers，explainingtocertainofthemthespecialdutieswhichtheymightbecalledontofulfil。I

heldthelistwhichtheGospodarRuperthadpreparedwhilstwewerewaitingfortheyachttoarrivefromGadaar。

PETROFVLASTIMIR。

FROMRUPERT’SJOURNAL——Continued。

July9，1907。

Wewentataterrificpacedownthecoast，keepingwellinshoresoastoavoid，ifpossible，beingseenfromthesouth。JustnorthofIlsinarockyheadlandjutsout，andthatwasourcover。Onthenorthofthepeninsulaisasmallland—lockedbay，withdeepwater。

Itislargeenoughtotaketheyacht，thoughamuchlargervesselcouldnotsafelyenter。Weranin，andanchoredclosetotheshore，whichhasarockyfrontage——anaturalshelfofrock，whichispracticallythesameasaquay。HerewemetthemenwhohadcomefromIlsinandtheneighbourhoodinanswertooursignallingearlierintheday。TheygaveusthelatestinformationregardingthekidnappingoftheVoivode，andinformedusthateverymaninthatsectionofthecountrywassimplyaflameaboutit。Theyassuredusthatwecouldrelyonthem，notmerelytofighttothedeath，buttokeepsilenceabsolutely。Whilsttheseamen，underthedirectionofRooke，tooktheaeroplaneonshoreandfoundasuitableplaceforit，whereitwashiddenfromcasualview，butfromwhichitcouldbeeasilylaunched，theVladikaandI——and，ofcourse，mywife——werehearingsuchdetailsaswereknownofthedisappearanceofherfather。

Itseemsthathetravelledsecretlyinordertoavoidjustsuchapossibilityashashappened。NooneknewofhiscomingtillhecametoFiume，whencehesentaguardedmessagetotheArchbishop，whichthelatteralonewouldunderstand。ButthisTurkishagentswereevidentlyonhistrackallthetime，anddoubtlesstheBureauofSpieswaskeptwelladvised。HelandedatIlsinfromacoastingsteamerfromRagusatotheLevant。

Fortwodaysbeforehiscomingtherehadbeenquiteanunusualnumberofarrivalsatthelittleport，atwhicharrivalsarerare。Anditturnedoutthatthelittlehotel——theonlyfairlygoodoneinIlsin——

wasalmostfilledup。Indeed，onlyoneroomwasleft，whichtheVoivodetookforthenight。TheinnkeeperdidnotknowtheVoivodeinhisdisguise，butsuspectedwhoitwasfromthedescription。Hedinedquietly，andwenttobed。Hisroomwasattheback，ontheground—floor，lookingoutonthebankofthelittleRiverSilva，whichhererunsintotheharbour。Nodisturbancewasheardinthenight。Lateinthemorning，whentheelderlystrangerhadnotmadehisappearance，inquirywasmadeathisdoor。Hedidnotanswer，sopresentlythelandlordforcedthedoor，andfoundtheroomempty。

Hisluggagewasseeminglyintact，onlytheclotheswhichhehadwornweregone。Astrangethingwasthat，thoughthebedhadbeensleptinandhisclothesweregone，hisnight—clotheswerenottobefound，fromwhichitwasarguedbythelocalauthorities，whentheycametomakeinquiry，thathehadgoneorbeentakenfromtheroominhisnight—gear，andthathisclotheshadbeentakenwithhim。Therewasevidentlysomegrimsuspiciononthepartoftheauthorities，fortheyhadcommandedabsolutesilenceonallinthehouse。Whentheycametomakeinquiryastotheotherguests，itwasfoundthatoneandallhadgoneinthecourseofthemorning，afterpayingtheirbills。Noneofthemhadanyheavyluggage，andtherewasnothingremainingbywhichtheymightbetracedorwhichwouldaffordanycluetotheiridentity。Theauthorities，havingsentaconfidentialreporttotheseatofgovernment，continuedtheirinquiries，andevennowallavailablehandswereatworkontheinvestigation。WhenI

hadsignalledtoVissarion，beforemyarrivalthere，wordhadbeensentthroughthepriesthoodtoenlistintheinvestigationtheservicesofallgoodmen，sothateveryfootofgroundinthatsectionoftheBlueMountainswasbeinginvestigated。Theport—

masterwasassuredbyhiswatchmenthatnovessel，largeorsmall，hadhefttheharbourduringthenight。Theinference，therefore，wasthattheVoivode’scaptorshadmadeinlandwithhim——if，indeed，theywerenotalreadysecretedinornearthetown。

Whilstwewerereceivingthevariousreports，ahurriedmessagecamethatitwasnowbelievedthatthewholepartywereintheSilentTower。Thiswasawell—chosenplaceforsuchanenterprise。Itwasamassivetowerofimmensestrength，builtasamemorial——andalsoasa"keep"——afteroneofthemassacresoftheinvadingTurks。

ItstoodonthesummitofarockyknollsometenmilesinlandfromthePortofIlsin。Itwasaplaceshunnedasarule，andthecountryallarounditwassoaridanddesolatethattherewerenoresidentsnearit。Asitwaskeptforstateuse，andmightbeserviceableintimeofwar，itwasclosedwithmassiveirondoors，whichwerekeptlockedexceptuponcertainoccasions。ThekeyswereattheseatofgovernmentatPlazac。If，therefore，ithadbeenpossibletotheTurkishmarauderstogainentranceandexit，itmightbeadifficultaswellasadangeroustasktotrytocuttheVoivodeout。Hispresencewiththemwasadangerousmenacetoanyforceattackingthem，fortheywouldholdhislifeasathreat。

IconsultedwiththeVladikaatonceastowhatwasbesttobedone。

Andwedecidedthat，thoughweshouldputacordonofguardsarounditatasafedistancetopreventthemreceivingwarning，weshouldatpresentmakenoattack。

Wemadefurtherinquiryastowhethertherehadbeenanyvesselseenintheneighbourhoodduringthepastfewdays，andwereinformedthatonceortwiceawarshiphadbeenseenonthenearsideofthesouthernhorizon。ThiswasevidentlytheshipwhichRookehadseenonhisrushdownthecoastaftertheabductionoftheVoivodin，andwhichhehadidentifiedasaTurkishvessel。Theglimpsesofherwhichhadbeenhadwereallinfulldaylight——therewasnoproofthatshehadnotstolenupduringthenight—timewithoutlights。ButtheVladikaandIweresatisfiedthattheTurkishvesselwaswatching——

wasinleaguewithbothpartiesofmarauders——andwasintendedtotakeoffanyofthestrangers，ortheirprey，whomightreachIlsinundetected。ItwasevidentlywiththisviewthatthekidnappersofTeutahad，inthefirstinstance，madewithallspeedforthesouth。

Itwasonlywhendisappointedtherethattheyheadedupnorth，seekingindesperationforsomechanceofcrossingtheborder。Thatringofsteelhadsofarwellserveditspurpose。

IsentforRooke，andputthematterbeforehim。Hehadthoughtitoutforhimselftothesameendaswehad。Hisdeductionwas：

"Letuskeepthecordon，andwatchforanysignalfromtheSilentTower。TheTurkswilltirebeforeweshall。IundertaketowatchtheTurkishwarship。DuringthenightIshallrundownsouth，withoutlights，andhavealookather，evenifIhavetowaittillthegreyofthedawntodoso。Shemayseeus；butifshedoesI

shallcrawlawayatsuchpacethatsheshallnotgetanyideaofourspeed。Shewillcertainlycomenearerbeforeadayisover，forbesurethebureauofspiesiskeptadvised，andtheyknowthatwhenthecountryisawakeeachdayincreasesthehazardofthemandtheirplansbeingdiscovered。FromtheircautionIgatherthattheydonotcourtdiscovery；andfromthatthattheydonotwishforanopendeclarationofwar。Ifthisbeso，whyshouldwenotcomeouttothemandforceanissueifneedbe？"

WhenTeutaandIgotachancetobealone，wediscussedthesituationineveryphase。Thepoorgirlwasinadreadfulstateofanxietyregardingherfather’ssafety。Atfirstshewashardlyabletospeak，oreventothink，coherently。Herutterancewaschoked，andherreasoningpalsiedwithindignation。Butpresentlythefightingbloodofherracerestoredherfaculties，andthenherwoman’squickwitwasworththereasoningofacampfullofmen。Seeingthatshewasallonfirewiththesubject，Isatstillandwaited，takingcarenottointerrupther。Forquitealongtimeshesatstill，whilstthecomingnightthickened。Whenshespoke，thewholeplanofaction，basedonsubtlethinking，hadmappeditselfoutinhermind：

"Wemustactquickly。Everyhourincreasestherisktomyfather。"

Herehervoicebrokeforaninstant；butsherecoveredherselfandwenton：

"Ifyougototheship，Imustnotgowithyou。Itwouldnotdoformetobeseen。TheCaptaindoubtlessknowsofbothattempts：thattocarrymeoffaswellasthatagainstmyfather。Asyetheisinignoranceofwhathashappened。Youandyourpartyofbrave，loyalmendidtheirworksowellthatnonewscouldgoforth。Solong，therefore，asthenavalCaptainisignorant，hemustdelaytillthelast。ButifhesawmehewouldknowthatTHATbranchoftheventurehadmiscarried。Hewouldgatherfromourbeingherethatwehadnewsofmyfather’scapture，andashewouldknowthatthemarauderswouldfailunlesstheywererelievedbyforce，hewouldorderthecaptivetobeslain。"

"Yes，dear，to—morrowyouhad，perhaps，betterseetheCaptain，butto—nightwemusttrytorescuemyfather。HereIthinkIseeaway。

Youhaveyouraeroplane。PleasetakemewithyouintotheSilentTower。"

"Notforaworldofchrysolite！"saidI，horrified。Shetookmyhandandheldittightwhilstshewenton：

"Dear，Iknow，Iknow！Besatisfied。Butitistheonlyway。Youcan，Iknow，getthere，andinthedark。Butifyouweretogoinit，itwouldgivewarningtotheenemies，andbesides，myfatherwouldnotunderstand。Remember，hedoesnotknowyou；hehasneverseenyou，anddoesnot，Isuppose，evenknowasyetofyourexistence。Buthewouldknowmeatonce，andinanydress。YoucanmanagetolowermeintotheTowerbyaropefromtheaeroplane。TheTurksasyetdonotknowofourpursuit，anddoubtlessrely，atalleventsinpart，onthestrengthandsecurityoftheTower。Thereforetheirguardwillbelessactivethanitwouldatfirstorlateron。

Ishallpostfatherinalldetails，andweshallbereadyquickly。

Now，dear，letusthinkouttheschemetogether。Letyourman’switandexperiencehelpmyignorance，andweshallsavemyfather！"

HowcouldIhaveresistedsuchpleading——evenhaditnotseemedwise？

Butwiseitwas；andI，whoknewwhattheaeroplanecoulddoundermyownguidance，sawatoncethepracticalitiesofthescheme。Ofcoursetherewasadreadfulriskincaseanythingshouldgowrong。

Butweareatpresentlivinginaworldofrisks——andherfather’slifewasatstake。SoItookmydearwifeinmyarms，andtoldherthatmymindwashersforthis，asmysoulandbodyalreadywere。

AndIcheeredherbysayingthatIthoughtitmightbedone。

IsentforRooke，andtoldhimofthenewadventure，andhequiteagreedwithmeinthewisdomofit。IthentoldhimthathewouldhavetogoandinterviewtheCaptainoftheTurkishwarshipinthemorning，ifIdidnotturnup。"IamgoingtoseetheVladika，"I

said。"HewillleadourowntroopsintheattackontheSilentTower。Butitwillrestwithyoutodealwiththewarship。AsktheCaptaintowhomorwhatnationtheshipbelongs。Heissuretorefusetotell。Insuchcasementiontohimthatifhefliesnonation’sflag，hisvesselisapirateship，andthatyou，whoareincommandofthenavyoftheBlueMountains，willdealwithhimasapirateisdealtwith——noquarter，nomercy。Hewilltemporize，andperhapstryabluff；butwhenthingsgetseriouswithhimhewilllandaforce，ortryto，andmayevenpreparetoshellthetown。Hewillthreatento，atanyrate。Insuchcasedealwithhimasyouthinkbest，orasneartoitasyoucan。"Heanswered：

"Ishallcarryoutyourwisheswithmylife。Itisarighteoustask。

Notthatanythingofthatsortwouldeverstandinmyway。Ifheattacksournation，eitherasaTurkorapirate，Ishallwipehimout。Weshallseewhatourownlittlepacketcando。Moreover，anyofthemarauderswhohaveenteredtheBlueMountains，fromseaorotherwise，shallnevergetoutbysea！Itakeitthatweofmycontingentshallcovertheattackingparty。ItwillbeasorrytimeforusallifthathappenswithoutourseeingyouandtheVoivodin；

forinsuchcaseweshallunderstandtheworst！"Ironashewas，themantrembled。

"Thatisso，Rooke，"Isaid。"Wearetakingadesperatechance，weknow。Butthecaseisdesperate！Butweallhaveourdutytodo，whateverhappens。Oursandyoursisstern；butwhenwehavedoneit，theresultwillbethatlifewillbeeasierforothers——forthosethatareleft。"

Beforeheleft，IaskedhimtosenduptomethreesuitsoftheMastermanbullet—proofclothesofwhichwehadasupplyontheyacht。

"TwoarefortheVoivodinandmyself，"Isaid；"thethirdisfortheVoivodetoputon。TheVoivodinwilltakeitwithherwhenshedescendsfromtheaeroplaneintotheTower。"

WhilstanydaylightwasleftIwentouttosurveytheground。Mywifewantedtocomewithme，butIwouldnotlether。"No，"saidI；

"youwillhaveatthebestafearfultaxonyourstrengthandyournerves。Youwillwanttobeasfreshasispossiblewhenyougetontheaeroplane。"Likeagoodwife，sheobeyed，andlaydowntorestinthelittletentprovidedforher。

Itookwithmealocalmanwhoknewtheground，andwhowastrustedtobesilent。WemadealongdetourwhenwehadgotasneartheSilentToweraswecouldwithoutbeingnoticed。Imadenotesfrommycompassastodirections，andtookgoodnoticeofanythingthatcouldpossiblyserveasalandmark。BythetimewegothomeIwasprettywellsatisfiedthatifallshouldgowellIcouldeasilysailovertheTowerinthedark。ThenIhadatalkwithmywife，andgaveherfullinstructions：

"WhenwearriveovertheTower，"Isaid，"Ishallloweryouwithalongrope。Youwillhaveaparceloffoodandspiritforyourfatherincaseheisfatiguedorfaint；and，ofcourse，thebullet—proofsuit，whichhemustputonatonce。Youwillalsohaveashortropewithabeltateitherend——oneforyourfather，theotherforyou。

WhenIturntheaeroplaneandcomebackagain，youwillhavereadytheringwhichliesmidwaybetweenthebelts。Thisyouwillcatchintothehookattheendoftheloweredrope。Whenallissecure，andIhavepulledyoubothupbythewindlasssoastoclearthetop，Ishallthrowoutballastwhichweshallcarryonpurpose，andawaywego！Iamsorryitmustbesouncomfortableforyouboth，butthereisnootherway。WhenwegetwellclearoftheTower，Ishalltakeyoubothupontheplatform。Ifnecessary，Ishalldescendtodoit——andthenweshallsteerforIlsin。"

"Whenallissafe，ourmenwillattacktheTower。Wemustletthemdoit，fortheyexpectit。Afewmenintheclothesandarmswhichwetookfromyourcaptorswillbepursuedbysomeofours。Itisallarranged。TheywillasktheTurkstoadmitthem，andifthelatterhavenotlearnedofyourfather’sescape，perhapstheywilldoso。

Oncein，ourmenwilltrytoopenthegate。Thechancesareagainstthem，poorfellows！buttheyareallvolunteers，andwilldiefighting。Iftheywinout，greatglorywillbetheirs。"

"Themoondoesnotriseto—nighttilljustbeforemidnight，sowehaveplentyoftime。Weshallstartfromhereatten。Ifallbewell，IshallplaceyouintheTowerwithyourfatherinlessthanaquarter—hourfromthat。Afewminuteswillsufficetoclothehiminbullet—proofandgetonhisbelt。IshallnotbeawayfromtheTowermorethanaveryfewminutes，and，pleaseGod，longbeforeelevenweshallbesafe。ThentheTowercanbewoninanattackbyourmountaineers。Perhaps，whenthegunsareheardontheshipofwar——

forthereissuretobefiring——theCaptainmaytrytolandashoreparty。ButRookewillstandintheway，andifIknowthemanandTheLady，weshallnotbetroubledwithmanyTurksto—night。BymidnightyouandyourfathercanbeonthewaytoVissarion。IcaninterviewthenavalCaptaininthemorning。"

Mywife’smarvellouscourageandself—possessionstoodtoher。Athalfanhourbeforethetimefixedshewasreadyforouradventure。

Shehadimprovedtheschemeinonedetail。Shehadputonherownbeltandcoiledtheroperoundherwaist，sotheonlydelaywouldbeinbringingherfather’sbelt。Shewouldkeepthebullet—proofdressintendedtobehisstrappedinapacketonherback，sothatifoccasionshouldbefavourablehewouldnotwanttoputitontillheandsheshouldhavereachedtheplatformoftheaeroplane。Insuchcase，IshouldnotsteerawayfromtheToweratall，butwouldpassslowlyacrossitandtakeupthecaptiveandhisbravedaughterbeforeleaving。IhadlearnedfromlocalsourcesthattheTowerwasinseveralstories。Entrancewasbythefoot，wherethegreatiron—

claddoorwas；thencameliving—roomsandstorage，andanopenspaceatthetop。Thiswouldprobablybethoughtthebestplacefortheprisoner，foritwasdeep—sunkwithinthemassivewalls，whereinwasnoloopholeofanykind。This，ifitshouldsohappen，wouldbethedispositionofthingsbestforourplan。TheguardswouldatthistimebeallinsidetheTower——probablyresting，mostofthem——sothatitwaspossiblethatnoonemightnoticethecomingoftheairship。

Iwasafraidtothinkthatallmightturnoutsowell，forinsuchcaseourtaskwouldbeasimpleenoughone，andwouldinallhumanprobabilitybecrownedwithsuccess。

Atteno’clockwestarted。Teutadidnotshowthesmallestsignoffearorevenuneasiness，thoughthiswasthefirsttimeshehadevenseenanaeroplaneatwork。Sheprovedtobeanadmirablepassengerforanairship。Shestayedquitestill，holdingherselfrigidlyinthepositionarranged，bythecordswhichIhadfixedforher。

WhenIhadtruedmycoursebythelandmarksandwiththecompasslitbytheTinymyelectriclightinthedarkbox，Ihadtimetolookaboutme。AllseemedquitedarkwhereverIlooked——toland，orsea，orsky。Butdarknessisrelative，andthougheachquarterandspotlookeddarkinturn，therewasnotsuchabsolutedarknessasawhole。

Icouldtellthedifference，forinstance，betweenlandandsea，nomatterhowfaroffwemightbefromeither。Lookingupward，theskywasdark；yettherewaslightenoughtosee，andevendistinguishbroadeffects。IhadnodifficultyindistinguishingtheTowertowardswhichweweremoving，andthat，afterall，wasthemainthing。Wedriftedslowly，veryslowly，astheairwasstill，andI

onlyusedtheminimumpressurenecessaryfortheengine。IthinkI

nowunderstoodforthefirsttimetheextraordinaryvalueoftheenginewithwhichmyKitsonwasequipped。Itwasnoiseless，itwaspracticallyofnoweight，anditallowedthemachinetoprogressaseasilyastheold—fashionedballoonusedtodriftbeforeabreeze。

Teuta，whohadnaturallyveryfinesight，seemedtoseeevenbetterthanIdid，foraswedrewnearertotheTower，anditsround，opentopbegantoarticulateitself，shecommencedtoprepareforherpartofthetask。Sheitwaswhouncoiledthelongdrag—ropereadyforherlowering。WewereproceedingsogentlythatsheaswellasIhadhopesthatImightbeabletoactuallybalancethemachineonthetopofthecurvingwall——athingmanifestlyimpossibleonastraightsurface，thoughitmighthavebeenpossibleonanangle。

Onwecrept——on，andon！TherewasnosignoflightabouttheTower，andnotthefaintestsoundtobeheardtillwewerealmostclosetothelineoftherisingwall；thenweheardasoundofsomethinglikemirth，butmuffledbydistanceandthickwalls。Fromitwetookfreshheart，forittoldusthatourenemiesweregatheredinthelowerchambers。IfonlytheVoivodeshouldbeontheupperstage，allwouldbewell。

Slowly，almostinchbyinch，andwithasuspensethatwasagonizing，wecrossedsometwentyorthirtyfeetabovethetopofthewall。I

couldseeaswecamenearthejaggedlineofwhitepatcheswheretheheadsofthemassacredTurksplacedthereonspikesinolddaysseemedtogivestilltheirgrimwarning。Seeingthattheymadeinthemselvesadifficultyoflandingonthewall，Ideflectedtheplanesothat，aswecreptoverthewall，wemight，iftheybecamedisplaced，brushthemtotheoutsideofthewall。Afewsecondsmore，andIwasabletobringthemachinetorestwiththefrontoftheplatformjuttingoutbeyondtheTowerwall。HereIanchoredherforeandaftwithclampswhichhadbeenalreadyprepared。

WhilstIwasdoingsoTeutahadleanedovertheinneredgeoftheplatform，andwhisperedassoftlyasthesighofagentlebreeze"Hist！hist！"Theanswercameinasimilarsoundfromsometwentyfeetbelowus，andweknewthattheprisonerwasalone。Forthwith，havingfixedthehookoftheropeintheringtowhichwasattachedherbelt，Iloweredmywife。Herfatherevidentlyknewherwhisper，andwasready。ThehollowTower——asmoothcylinderwithin——sentupthevoicesfromitfaintaswerethewhispers：

"Father，itisI——Teuta！"

"Mychild，mybravedaughter！"

"Quick，father；strapthebeltroundyou。Seethatitissecure。Wehavetobeliftedintotheairifnecessary。Holdtogether。ItwillbeeasierforRuperttoliftustotheairship。"

"Rupert？"

"Yes；Ishallexplainlater。Quick，quick！Thereisnotamomenttolose。Heisenormouslystrong，andcanliftustogether；butwemusthelphimbybeingstill，sohewon’thavetousethewindlass，whichmightcreak。"Asshespokeshejerkedslightlyattherope，whichwasourpreconcertedsignalthatIwastolift。Iwasafraidthewindlassmightcreak，andherthoughtfulhintdecidedme。Ibentmybacktothetask，andinafewsecondstheywereontheplatformonwhichthey，atTeuta’ssuggestion，layflat，oneateachsideofmyseat，soastokeepthebestbalancepossible。

Itookofftheclamps，liftedthebagsofballasttothetopofthewall，sothatthereshouldbenosoundoffalling，andstartedtheengine。Themachinemovedforwardafewinches，sothatittiltedtowardstheoutsideofthewall。Ithrewmyweightonthefrontpartoftheplatform，andwecommencedourdownwardfallatasharpangle。

Asecondenlargedtheangle，andwithoutfurtheradoweslidawayintothedarkness。Then，ascendingaswewent，whentheenginebegantoworkatitsstrength，weturned，andpresentlymadestraightforIlsin。

Thejourneywasshort——notmanyminutes。Italmostseemedasifnotimewhateverhadelapsedtillwesawbelowusthegleamoflights，andbythemsawagreatbodyofmengatheredinmilitaryarray。Weslackenedanddescended。Thecrowdkeptdeathlysilence，butwhenwewereamongstthemweneedednotellingthatitwasnotduetolackofheartorabsenceofjoy。Thepressureoftheirhandsastheysurroundedus，andthedevotionwithwhichtheykissedthehandsandfeetofboththeVoivodeandhisdaughter，wereevidenceenoughforme，evenhadInothadmyownshareoftheirgratefulrejoicing。

Inthemidstofitallthelow，sternvoiceofRooke，whohadburstawaytothefrontbesidetheVladika，said：

"NowisthetimetoattacktheTower。Forward，brothers，butinsilence。Lettherenotbeasoundtillyouarenearthegate；thenplayyourlittlecomedyoftheescapingmarauders。And’twillbenocomedyforthemintheTower。Theyachtisallreadyforthemorning，Mr。SentLeger，incaseIdonotcomeoutofthescrimmageifthebluejacketsarrive。Insuchcaseyouwillhavetohandleheryourself。Godkeepyou，myLady；andyou，too，Voivode！Forward！"

Inaghostlysilencethegrimlittlearmymovedforwards。RookeandthemenwithhimdisappearedintothedarknessinthedirectionoftheharbourofIlsin。

FROMTHESCRIPTOFTHEVOIVODE，PETERVISSARION，July7，1907。

Ihadlittleidea，whenIstartedonmyhomewardjourney，thatitwouldhavesuchastrangetermination。EvenI，whoeversincemyboyhoodhavelivedinawhirlofadventure，intrigue，ordiplomacy——

whicheveritmaybecalled——statecraft，andwar，hadreasontobesurprised。IcertainlythoughtthatwhenIlockedmyselfintomyroominthehotelatIlsinthatIwouldhaveatlastaspell，howevershort，ofquiet。AllthetimeofmyprolongednegotiationswiththevariousnationalitiesIhadtobeattension；so，too，onmyhomewardjourney，lestsomethingatthelastmomentshouldhappenadverselytomymission。ButwhenIwassafeonmyownLandoftheBlueMountains，andlaidmyheadonmypillow，whereonlyfriendscouldbearoundme，IthoughtImightforgetcare。

Buttowakewitharudehandovermymouth，andtofeelmyselfgraspedtightbysomanyhandsthatIcouldnotmovealimb，wasadreadfulshock。Allafterthatwaslikeadreadfuldream。IwasrolledinagreatrugsotightlythatIcouldhardlybreathe，letalonecryout。Liftedbymanyhandsthroughthewindow，whichI

couldhearwassoftlyopenedandshutforthepurpose，andcarriedtoaboat。Againliftedintosomesortoflitter，onwhichIwasbornealongdistance，butwithconsiderablerapidity。Againliftedoutanddraggedthroughadoorwayopenedonpurpose——Icouldheartheclangasitwasshutbehindme。Thentherugwasremoved，andI

foundmyself，stillinmynight—gear，inthemidstofaringofmen。

Thereweretwoscoreofthem，allTurks，allstrong—looking，resolutemen，armedtotheteeth。Myclothes，whichhadbeentakenfrommyroom，werethrowndownbesideme，andIwastoldtodress。AstheTurksweregoingfromtheroom——shapedlikeavault——wherewethenwere，thelastofthem，whoseemedtobesomesortofofficer，said：