Jack Harkaway and His Son's Escape from the Brigands of Greece Part 104

"I know."

"Yes, my girl," said Harkaway; "we know--but there is yet time to save them. Come on, to the prison."

They all left precipitately, and in a very brief s.p.a.ce of time they were at the prison and the brigands respited.

As young Jack said, they had earned the full penalty of the law.

But they would not have it upon their consciences that these lawless ruffians should suffer for a crime which they had not committed.

"There is one strange fact about this," said the governor of the prison to Harkaway, "and that is, that one of the prisoners has taken the liberty of respiting himself."

"Which one?"

"The Englishman Hunston."

"What, Hunston escaped!"

"Impossible."

"Indeed it is not."

"But how?--when? Why Hunston any more than the others?"

"We can only give a guess," said the governor, "but it is a good one.

His gaoler has disappeared with him; the rest is not a difficult matter to guess."

It was quite true.

Hunston, Harkaway's old schoolfellow and bitter foe, had once more contrived to elude justice.

Both had disappeared--prisoner and gaoler with him.

"I'm sorry for that," said Harkaway, "for it would have been a good thing to take care of that double-dyed traitor, but no matter, we shall have nothing to fear from him now; we have had enough of this place."

"Are we, then, to leave Greece, dad?"

"Yes, all our preparations are made, and in a few days, we will weigh anchor and get away from romantic Greece, and its precious scoundrels and brigands."

CHAPTER x.x.xVIII.

THE LAST OF THE BRIGAND BAND--HUNSTON'S PERIL--HIS WANDERINGS-- STARVATION IN THE MIDST OF PLENTY--ON THE LANDING STAGE AT NIGHT--AN ADVENTURE.

And what of the band?

Where was it?

The fear-stricken few remaining of this once formidable host hid themselves in the recesses of the mountains, lurking, like thieves and miscreants as they were, in retired nooks and crannies.

And so their lives grew wretched.

Their famous recruit, Geoffrey, who was such a famous hand at bringing in plunder every day, disappeared.

And with him disappeared all the booty he had brought them.

Altogether, therefore, this Geoffrey was not so much of an advantage to them as they had at first supposed.

And with the disappearance of Geoffrey, the sham brigand, we have to chronicle the sudden return of our old friend, d.i.c.k Harvey, to his beloved Harkaways.

And what of Toro, the giant brigand?

He was completely lost sight of for awhile.

No one knew what had become of him.

Hunston's first care on getting free from the prison was to get into the mountain fastnesses, in search of his old comrade, Toro.

But he could not discover the least trace of his old comrade.

He skulked about at night and fled to sleep in the mountains by day, shrinking at the echo of his own footfalls--starting at his own shadow.

"My curses light upon the Harkaways one and all," was the speech ever upon his tongue; "they have been my bane--my curse through life."

He resolved to get away from this place.

Yes; he would fly.

But how?

Here was he well-nigh starving in the midst of plenty, possessed of a sum of money which was a small fortune in that land, and yet he dare not change or part with it.

This life grew unendurable, and he resolved at all hazards to change it.

Yes; he would get away from this place at once.

Soon after dusk, he ventured, well disguised, into the town and down to the water side, and lolling about, he soon chanced to hear something which greatly interested him.

A group of French sailors were smoking, and gossiping upon a subject which caught his attention as soon as he heard a name mentioned.

Harkaway.

"Yes; Mr. Harkaway and friends are going away tomorrow," said one of the sailors, who appeared to be a petty officer.

"I shall come down and see the ladies go on board," said one of the sailors.