HOW THE WHOLE PARTY COME TO GRIEF, AND ARE CARRIED AWAY CAPTIVE

It was, in truth, a strange and startling sight that met Ashby’s eyes as he looked out of the window.  The train had been stopped in the middle of a plain, where the road ran along an embankment about three feet high.  A crowd of armed men were here, gathered about the locomotive, and already forming lines along each side of the train.  All looked shabby, none had any pretensions to uniforms, and their appearance was not sufficiently picturesque for brigands.  In fact, they looked like a gang of goatherds who had just taken to brigandage.

“A hard lot,” muttered Ashby to himself.

Soon the tatterdemalions reached the spot, and extended their lines on both sides to the end of the train.  At every window they shouted, “Back! back!  Be quiet, and no harm will be done!” Shouting such words as these, they aimed their guns so recklessly and with such furious gestures at the windows, that the passengers all shrank back, not only into their seats, but even into their boots.

The lines of armed men thus stood guarding the train, while the passengers cowered inside.  After a time a cry was heard from some one who was passing along, and who, as he passed, kept shouting into each carriage,

“This train has been stopped in the name of his Majesty King Charles.  All passengers are ordered to come out forthwith.  Arms and weapons of all kinds must be left behind.  Resistance will be punished with death.  God save the King!”

After this the guards came and opened all the doors, and the passengers stepped forth in obedience to orders.  Of these there were about a hundred altogether, and each one remained on the spot where he alighted, and was forbidden to move in any direction.  From where Ashby stood he could see the whole crowd ­the prisoners and their captors.  He saw a group alighting from a carriage a little ahead.  First came Harry Rivers, stepping out quite gayly, as though it was a picnic.  On reaching the ground, he turned and assisted the ladies to descend.  This he did by the simple yet pleasing process of lifting them down bodily ­first Katie, then Dolores.  At this sight Ashby gnashed his teeth with jealous rage.  Then came Russell, whom, it is perhaps unnecessary to state, Harry did not lift down.  Nor did that gallant and chivalrous youth venture to lift down Mrs. Russell, being at that particular moment engaged in conversation with Katie.

Dolores, having descended, stood apart, and her dark-glancing eyes, as they wandered searchingly about, fell full upon Ashby.  It was a glance full of that same deep, earnest meaning which he had noticed in the morning; and so she stood looking at him, too far away to speak, while Ashby looked at her also.  After a time Harry’s roving eyes rested upon his friend, and with a laugh he drew Katie’s attention to him.  At this Katie looked, and smiled brightly, and nodded her pretty little head half a dozen times.  To Ashby this seemed like mockery.  Katie, he saw, could very well bear this separation, which was so painful to himself, and could laugh and be happy with others, and could, perhaps, jest about his own melancholy face.  So Ashby bowed sulkily, and turned away his head.

It was rather a novelty ­this sort of thing.  Brigands in every age had stopped travellers, but then they had always been in coaches or carriages, on horseback or on foot.  Never before had they tried to stop a railway train.  And yet in the progress of civilization the world had to come to this.  The manners of man easily accommodate themselves to the inventions of man, and highway robbery can be done as easily on a railroad as on a carriage road.  Nevertheless, these particular men who stopped this particular train were not brigands:  on the contrary, they were soldiers, forming part of the army of one who called himself King of Spain ­in short, Carlists.

The passengers were now ordered to come forward for examination, one by one.  Here, on a little knoll, on one side of the locomotive, stood the leader of the band.  He was a stout, thick-set man, with dark hair and bushy beard.  Around him were a score or so of armed men.  The rest of the band stood guarding the train.  One by one the passengers came forward.  Each one was then ordered to hand over all the money, jewellery, watches, or other valuables which he possessed.  This was to be a contribution to his Royal Majesty King Charles, who was in sore need of such contributions from all his loving and loyal subjects, in order to carry on the war against the rebels who were resisting him.  Against such a command as this there could be no protest, and from it no appeal.  No one offered to do either.  Gold, silver, copper, dirty paper-money, watches, rings, brooches, pins, bracelets, trinkets of male and female use, were thrown promiscuously down into a large basket which stood at the feet of the Carlist chief, who loftily disdained searching any one, assuring them that he trusted to their honor as Spaniards.

Then came the turn of the Russell party.  First the Paterfamilias disgorged.  It was a well-filled wallet, and Russell flung it down without a word.  His watch followed.  Then came some trinkets from the ladies; then Harry’s purse and watch.  After this they were about to move away to where the other passengers had gone, but the Carlist chief stopped them.

“By the command of his Most Gracious Majesty King Charles,” said he, “you are to be detained.”

“May I inquire for what cause?” asked Harry.

“Because you are foreigners,” said the Carlist chief.

Harry translated this to Russell, whose face assumed a sickly pallor.  To him this was terrible.

The Carlist chief then directed them where to go, and two of the band led them to the spot.

Other Spaniards now followed, and deposited their superfluous cash in peace, without being detained.  Then came the priest.  He threw down a very lean wallet.  No notice was taken of him, and he followed the others.  These were all gathered in a group, and though conversation had not been prohibited, they were all quite silent, as was perhaps natural.  Among them was Lopez, who had come there among the first.  He stood there silent, watchful, and attentive.  He regarded the Russell party in particular, and marked their arrest.

It was now Ashby’s turn.  He came up and threw down his purse and watch.  The Carlist chief scrutinized him carefully, and then said,

“Senor, you, being a foreigner, are to be detained for a future examination.”

“May I join the other foreigners?” asked Ashby.

The Carlist chief shook his head.

“Pardon me, senor, but His Majesty has issued strict orders, which must be obeyed.  Each foreigner must be examined by himself.  The regulations are very stringent.”

With this he directed one of his men to lead the prisoner away; and Ashby, who for a moment had hoped that he would be able to join the Russell party, now, to his great chagrin, found himself led away to another place too distant to allow of any communication with his friends.

The mere fact of this arrest was not so bad to Ashby, since the others were in the same case precisely; but in this continued separation from them he found material for fresh suspicion and renewed jealousy.  Katie seemed to him to be altogether too bright, and lively, and joyous.  He could see that she was laughing and talking with Harry quite merrily.  This separation, which brought sorrow to him, evidently brought joy to her.  Was she, then, after all, a mere shallow flirt?  Had all her love been feigned?  Was it possible that she could so soon forget?  With these thoughts, and others like them, this idiotic youth persisted in tormenting himself.

At length the examination was ended, and at its close the Carlist chief improved the occasion by addressing a few words to the Spaniards.  He reminded them that Don Carlos was their rightful king; that this contribution was no more than his due; that they, one and all, ought to cherish a lively affection for his sacred person; that they ought to continue this good work which they had begun by sending more; and that the king would be graciously pleased to accept whatever they might contribute.  In his own person the gallant chieftain thanked them, and also in the name of His Majesty, for their generous contributions.  Finally, he informed them that His Majesty, in his boundless pity and compassion, had graciously permitted them to resume their journey.  The only exception to this permission was that of a few foreigners, who were detained, lest there might be spies among them.  Against gentry of this sort, His Majesty’s government had to be particularly on their guard.  The country was swarming with them.  They generally pretended to be news correspondents, but in reality they were paid agents of the enemy.  If any such should be caught, they would be shown no mercy.

With this address he dismissed the Spanish portion of the passengers, who hastily re-entered the train.  The English prisoners were allowed to retain their luggage.  Accompanied by some Carlists, they chose out what they thought needful, and this was set aside.  Russell took nearly all of his.  Meanwhile others of the band went through the train, and helped themselves to whatever seemed useful.  Among the things thus selected as useful were the mail-bags, which, like the foreigners, were taken away for further examination.

After this the obstructions were removed from the road, the engine started, the train went on its way, and the prisoners saw it no more.