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I cried. "Yes, sir," answered Rudolf Rassendyll's servant. "What the devil do you want?" asked Sapt. "I came to attend on the Count von Tarlenheim, sir." "I did not give you any orders, James." "No, sir. But Mr. Rassendyll told me not to leave you, unless you sent me away. So I made haste to follow you." Then Sapt cried: "Deuce take it, what horse is that?"
It was Rupert Hentzau. "At last!" I cried. For we seemed to have him. He had only his sword in his hand. My men were hot upon him; Sapt and Fritz were running up. I had outstripped them; but if they got close enough to fire, he must die or surrender. "At last!" I cried. "It's the play-actor!" cried he, slashing at my cudgel.
"The colonel and I," he explained, "leave here at six: we ride down to Zenda and return with the guard of honour to fetch the King at eight, and then we all ride together to the station." "Hang that same guard!" growled Sapt. "Oh! it's very civil of my brother to ask the honour for his regiment," said the King. "Come, cousin, you need not start early. Another bottle, man!"
"It is a thing we all do well to remember, my lord," I rejoined. "Even kings, sire," said Rupert, in a moralizing tone; and old Sapt swore softly by my side. "It is true," said I. "How fares my brother, my lord?" "He is better, sire." "I am rejoiced." "He hopes soon to leave for Strelsau, when his health is secured." "He is only convalescent then?"
Perhaps, had Sapt been at Zenda, his powerful influence might have availed to check the impulsive expedition; Bernenstein had no such authority, and could only obey the queen's peremptory orders and pathetic prayers.
"Perfectly, sire," said Sapt, biting his moustache. The king rose with a yawn, and bade the colonel good-night. "He must have some trick I don't know with those dogs," he remarked, as he went out. And "Damn the dogs!" cried Colonel Sapt the moment that the door was shut behind his Majesty. But the colonel was not a man to accept defeat easily.
Then we went ahead again, and had covered some five-and-twenty miles, when Sapt abruptly stopped. "Hark!" he cried. I listened. Away, far behind us, in the still of the evening it was just half-past nine we heard the beat of horses' hoofs. The wind blowing strong behind us, carried the sound. I glanced at Sapt. "Come on!" he cried, and spurred his horse into a gallop.
I, starting after Sapt, took a shorter route, skirting the town to the left, and found myself in the outskirts of the forest at about half-past twelve. I tied my horse up in a thick clump of trees, leaving the revolver in its pocket in the saddle it would be no use to me and, ladder in hand, made my way to the edge of the moat.
The king passed his arm through Rischenheim's, adding to Bernenstein, "Lead the way, Lieutenant; and you, Colonel, come with us." They went out. Sapt stopped and locked the door behind him. "Why do you lock the door, Colonel?" asked the king. "There are some papers in my drawer there, sire." "But why not lock the drawer? "I have lost the key, sire, like the fool I am," said the colonel.
Sapt, less easily turned to either mood, said, "Ay, but let us hear," and raising his voice, called to the huntsmen, who had now arrived in the avenue. One of them, the king's chief huntsman Simon, gorgeous in his uniform of green and gold, came swaggering along, and bowed low to the queen. "Well, Simon, where is the king?" she asked, trying to smile.
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