"Oh, I merely wish to persuade you that you must fight with me,"answered the fisherman coldly, as he offered him a cartridge."And now," he added, in an excited tone, "say your prayers, my lord; for Iwarn you, you will die by my hand; justice must be done."The prince carefully examined the powder and shot, made sure that his rifle was in good condition; loaded it, and, eager to make an end, took aim at the fisherman; but, either because he had been so much disturbed by his opponent's terrible tale, or, because the grass was wet from the storm, at the moment when he put forward his left foot to steady his shot, he slipped, lost his balance and fell on one knee.He fired into the air.
"That does not count, my lord," cried Gabriel instantly, and handed him a second charge.
At the noise of the report Solomon had appeared at the window, and, understanding what was going on, had lifted his hands to heaven, in order to address to God a dumb and fervent prayer.Eligi uttered a frightful inprecation, and hastily reloaded his rifle; but, struck by the calm confidence of the young man, who stood motionless before him, and by the old man, who, impassive and undisturbed, seemed to be conjuring God in the name of a father's authority, disconcerted by his fall, his knees shaking and his arm jarred, he felt the chills of death running in his veins.Attempting, nevertheless, to master his emotion, he took aim a second time; the bullet whistled by the fisherman's ear and buried itself in the stem of a poplar.
The prince, with the energy of despair, seized the barrel of his weapon in both hands; but Gabriel was coming forward with his axe, a terrible foe, and his first stroke carried away the butt of the rifle.He was still hesitating, however, to kill a defenceless man, when two armed servants appeared at the end of the pathway.Gabriel did not see them coming; but at the moment when they would have seized him by the shoulders, Solomon uttered a cry and rushed to his son's assistance.
"Help, Numa! help, Bonaroux! Death to the ruffians! They want to murder me.""You lie, Prince of Brancaleone!" cried Gabriel, and with one blow of the axe he cleft his skull.
The two bravoes who were coming to their master's assistance, when they saw him fall, took flight; Solomon and his son went up to Nisida's room.The young girl had just shaken off her heavy slumber;a slight perspiration moistened her brow, and she opened her eyes slowly to the dawning day.
"Why are you looking at me in that way, father?" she said, her mind still wandering a littler and she passed her hand over her forehead.
The old man embraced her tenderly.
"You have just passed through a great danger, my poor Nisida," said he; "arise, and let us give thanks to the Madonna."Then all three, kneeling before the sacred image of the Virgin, began to recite litanies.But at that very instant a noise of arms sounded in the enclosure, the house was surrounded by soldiers, and a lieutenant of gendarmes, seizing Gabriel, said in a loud voice, "In the name of the law, I arrest you for the murder that you have just committed upon the person of his excellency and illustrious lordship, the Prince of Brancaleone."Nisida, struck by these words, remained pale and motionless like a marble statue kneeling on a tomb; Gabriel was already preparing to make an unreasoning resistance, when a gesture from his father stopped him.
"Signor tenente," said the old man, addressing himself to the officer, "my son killed the prince in lawful defence, for the latter had scaled our house and made his way in at night and with arms in his hand.The proofs are before your eyes.Here is a ladder set up against the window; and here," he proceeded, picking up the two pieces of the broken blade, "is a dagger with the Brancaleone arms.
However, we do not refuse to follow you."The last words of the fisherman were drowned by cries of "Down with the sbirri! down with the gendarmes!" which were repeated in every direction.The whole island was up in arms, and the fisher-folk would have suffered themselves to be cut up to the last man before allowing a single hair of Solomon or of his son to be touched; but the old man appeared upon his threshold, and, stretching out his arm with a calm and grave movement that quieted the anger of the crowd, he said, "Thanks, my children; the law must be respected.I shall be able, alone, to defend the innocence of my son before the judges."Hardly three months have elapsed since the day upon which we first beheld the old fisherman of Nisida sitting before the door of his dwelling, irradiated by all the happiness that he had succeeded in creating around him, reigning like a king, on his throne of rock, and blessing his two children, the most beautiful creatures in the island.Now the whole existence of this man, who was once so happy and so much envied, is changed.The smiling cottage, that hung over the gulf like a swan over a transparent lake, is sad and desolate;the little enclosure, with its hedges of lilac and hawthorn, where joyous groups used to come and sit at the close of day, is silent and deserted.No human sound dares to trouble the mourning of this saddened solitude.Only towards evening the waves of the sea, compassionating such great misfortunes, come to murmur plaintive notes upon the beach.
Gabriel has been condemned.The news of the high-born Prince of Brancaleone's death, so young, so handsome, and so universally adored, not only fluttered the aristocracy of Naples, but excited profound indignation in all classes of people.He was mourned by everybody, and a unanimous cry for vengeance was raised against the murderer.
The authorities opened the inquiry with alarming promptness.The magistrates whom their office called to judge this deplorable affair displayed, however, the most irreproachable integrity.No consideration outside their duty, no deference due to so noble and powerful a family, could shake the convictions of their conscience.