'Stay a minute,' replied the sentinel, 'and you need not have the trouble, for the horses will be sent round to the outer stables, then the gates will be shut, and I can leave my post.' 'I don't mind the trouble, comrade,' said Ludovico, 'you will do such another good turn for me, some time.Go--go, and fetch the wine; the rogues, that are just come in, will drink it all else.'
The soldier hesitated, and then called aloud to the people in the second court, to know why they did not send out the horses, that the gates might be shut; but they were too much engaged, to attend to him, even if they had heard his voice.
'Aye--aye,' said Ludovico, 'they know better than that; they are sharing it all among them; if you wait till the horses come out, you must wait till the wine is drunk.I have had my share already, but, since you do not care about yours, I see no reason why I should not have that too.'
'Hold, hold, not so fast,' cried the sentinel, 'do watch then, for a moment: I'll be with you presently.'
'Don't hurry yourself,' said Ludovico, coolly, 'I have kept guard before now.But you may leave me your trombone,* that, if the castle should be attacked, you know, I may be able to defend the pass, like a hero.'
(* A kind of blunderbuss.[A.R.])
'There, my good fellow,' returned the soldier, 'there, take it--it has seen service, though it could do little in defending the castle.
I'll tell you a good story, though, about this same trombone.'
'You'll tell it better when you have had the wine,' said Ludovico.
'There! they are coming out from the court already.'
'I'll have the wine, though,' said the sentinel, running off.'Iwon't keep you a minute.'
'Take your time, I am in no haste,' replied Ludovico, who was already hurrying across the court, when the soldier came back.'Whither so fast, friend--whither so fast?' said the latter.'What! is this the way you keep watch! I must stand to my post myself, I see.'
'Aye, well,' replied Ludovico, 'you have saved me the trouble of following you further, for I wanted to tell you, if you have a mind to drink the Tuscany wine, you must go to Sebastian, he is dealing it out; the other that Federico has, is not worth having.But you are not likely to have any, I see, for they are all coming out.'
'By St.Peter! so they are,' said the soldier, and again ran off, while Ludovico, once more at liberty, hastened to the door of the passage, where Emily was sinking under the anxiety this long discourse had occasioned; but, on his telling them the court was clear, they followed him to the gates, without waiting another instant, yet not before he had seized two horses, that had strayed from the second court, and were picking a scanty meal among the grass, which grew between the pavement of the first.
They passed, without interruption, the dreadful gates, and took the road that led down among the woods, Emily, Monsieur Du Pont and Annette on foot, and Ludovico, who was mounted on one horse, leading the other.Having reached them, they stopped, while Emily and Annette were placed on horseback with their two protectors, when, Ludovico leading the way, they set off as fast as the broken road, and the feeble light, which a rising moon threw among the foliage, would permit.
Emily was so much astonished by this sudden departure, that she scarcely dared to believe herself awake; and she yet much doubted whether this adventure would terminate in escape,--a doubt, which had too much probability to justify it; for, before they quitted the woods, they heard shouts in the wind, and, on emerging from them, saw lights moving quickly near the castle above.Du Pont whipped his horse, and with some difficulty compelled him to go faster.
'Ah! poor beast,' said Ludovico, 'he is weary enough;--he has been out all day; but, Signor, we must fly for it, now; for yonder are lights coming this way.'
Having given his own horse a lash, they now both set off on a full gallop; and, when they again looked back, the lights were so distant as scarcely to be discerned, and the voices were sunk into silence.
The travellers then abated their pace, and, consulting whither they should direct their course, it was determined they should descend into Tuscany, and endeavour to reach the Mediterranean, where they could readily embark for France.Thither Du Pont meant to attend Emily, if he should learn, that the regiment he had accompanied into Italy, was returned to his native country.
They were now in the road, which Emily had travelled with Ugo and Bertrand; but Ludovico, who was the only one of the party, acquainted with the passes of these mountains, said, that, a little further on, a bye-road, branching from this, would lead them down into Tuscany with very little difficulty; and that, at a few leagues distance, was a small town, where necessaries could be procured for their journey.
'But, I hope,' added he, 'we shall meet with no straggling parties of banditti; some of them are abroad, I know.However, I have got a good trombone, which will be of some service, if we should encounter any of those brave spirits.You have no arms, Signor?' 'Yes,'
replied Du Pont, 'I have the villain's stilletto, who would have stabbed me--but let us rejoice in our escape from Udolpho, nor torment ourselves with looking out for dangers, that may never arrive.'