THE CAPTURE of Princess Emma von der Tann and Barney Custer was a relatively ****** matter. Open fields spread in all directions about the crossroads at which their car had come to its humiliating stop. There was no cover. To have sought escape by flight, thus in the open, would have been to expose the princess to the fire of the troopers. Barney could not do this. He preferred to surrender and trust to chance to open the way to escape later.
When Captain Ernst Maenck drove up he found the pris-oners disarmed, standing beside the now-useless car. He alighted from his own machine and with a low bow saluted the princess, an ironical smile upon his thin lips. Then he turned his attention toward her companion.
"Who are you?" he demanded gruffly. In the darkness he failed to recognize the American whom he thought dead in Austria.
"A servant of the house of Von der Tann," replied Barney.
"You deserve shooting," growled the officer, "but we'll leave that to Prince Peter and the king. When I tell them the trouble you have caused us--well, God help you."The journey to Blentz was a short one. They had been much nearer that grim fortress than either had guessed. At the outskirts of the town they were challenged by Austrian sentries, through which Maenck passed with ease after the sentinel had summoned an officer. From this man Maenck received the password that would carry them through the line of outposts between the town and the castle--"Slanka-men." Barney, who overheard the word, made a mental note of it.
At last they reached the dreary castle of Peter of Blentz.
In the courtyard Austrian soldiers mingled with the men of the bodyguard of the king of Lutha. Within, the king's offi-cers fraternized with the officers of the emperor. Maenck led his prisoners to the great hall which was filled with officers and officials of both Austria and Lutha.
The king was not there. Maenck learned that he had re-tired to his apartments a few minutes earlier in company with Prince Peter of Blentz and Von Coblich. He sent a servant to announce his return with the Princess von der Tann and a man who had attempted to prevent her being brought to Blentz.
Barney had, as far as possible, kept his face averted from Maenck since they had entered the lighted castle. He hoped to escape recognition, for he knew that if his identity were guessed it might go hard with the princess. As for himself, it might go even harder, but of that he gave scarcely a thought--the safety of the princess was paramount.
After a few minutes of waiting the servant returned with the king's command to fetch the prisoners to his apartments.
The face of the Princess Emma was haggard. For the first time Barney saw signs of fear upon her countenance. With leaden steps they accompanied their guard up the winding stairway to the tower rooms that had been furnished for the king. They were the same in which Emma von der Tann had been imprisoned two years before.
On either side of the doorway stood a soldier of the king's bodyguard. As Captain Maenck approached they saluted.
A servant opened the door and they passed into the room.
Before them were Peter of Blentz and Von Coblich standing beside a table at which Leopold of Lutha was sitting. The eyes of the three men were upon the doorway as the little party entered. The king's face was flushed with wine. He rose as his eyes rested upon the face of the princess.
"Greetings, your highness," he cried with an attempt at cordiality.
The girl looked straight into his eyes, coldly, and then bent her knee in formal curtsy. The king was about to speak again when his eyes wandered to the face of the American.
Instantly his own went white and then scarlet. The eyes of Peter of Blentz followed those of the king, widening in as-tonishment as they rested upon the features of Barney Cus-ter.
"You told me he was dead," shouted the king. "What is the meaning of this, Captain Maenck?"Maenck looked at his male prisoner and staggered back as though struck between the eyes.
"Mein Gott," he exclaimed, "the impostor!"
"You told me he was dead," repeated the king accusingly.
"As God is my judge, your majesty," cried Peter of Blentz, "this man was shot by an Austrian firing squad in Burgova over a week ago.""Sire," exclaimed Maenck, "this is the first sight I have had of the prisoners except in the darkness of the night;until this instant I had not the remotest suspicion of his identity. He told me that he was a servant of the house of Von der Tann.""I told you the truth, then," interjected Barney.
"Silence, you ingrate!" cried the king.
"Ingrate?" repeated Barney. "You have the effrontery to call me an ingrate? You miserable puppy."A silence, menacing in its intensity, fell upon the little assemblage. The king trembled. His rage choked him. The others looked as though they scarce could believe the testi-mony of their own ears. All there, with the possible excep-tion of the king, knew that he deserved even more degrad-ing appellations; but they were Europeans, and to Euro-peans a king is a king--that they can never forget. It had been the inherent suggestion of kingship that had bent the knee of the Princess Emma before the man she despised.
But to the American a king was only what he made him-self. In this instance he was not even a man in the estimation of Barney Custer. Maenck took a step toward the prisoner --a menacing step, for his hand had gone to his sword.
Barney met him with a level look from between narrowed lids. Maenck hesitated, for he was a great coward. Peter of Blentz spoke:
"Sire," he said, "the fellow knows that he is already as good as dead, and so in his bravado he dares affront you.
He has been convicted of spying by the Austrians. He is still a spy. It is unnecessary to repeat the formality of a trial."Leopold at last found his voice, though it trembled and broke as he spoke.