four pitchers, and signed his companion to
take up his share. The latter stooping low,
obeyed, and at the instant turned a summerset
across them. Before he was well on his feet
again, Schobry, who had helped him across
the pitchers with a sudden kick, had crossed
the chasm, and drawn after him the bridge.
The shouts of the betrayed re-echoed through
the winding vaults, and, before Schobry
reached the cavern's mouth, a ball from the
corporal's carbine whizzed near his head.
As to the outside sentinels, they had been
gagged, pinioned, and carried off by the
banditti long before.

The next thing to be done was to prevent
the carts from travelling back to their starting-
point, and giving an alarm. Schobry,
therefore, walked back to them, and was met
by the two police-officers in charge of the
waggon-train and several of the drivers, who
eagerly inquired what the report of firearms
signified? The answer was: "The
object for which I brought the party here
has been attained; we are now going across
country to Nagy-Sölöpschek with our prisoners.
The special-commissary and I have therefore
resolved that you should go there by the
road, and wait in the town for us. You are
afterwards to give your horses plenty of
corn and twenty-four hours' rest. There will
also be allowed to each man one florin a
day beyond the pay agreed for." As Schobry
had been seen by all these men to direct
everything concerning the expedition, no
doubt was raised as to his authority, and
there was the less murmur in yielding to it,
because he confirmed it by giving to the elder
policeman a small bag of zwanzigers on
account of subsistence-money. Now, the town
of Nagy-Sölöpschek was fully nine German
miles off, and it was plain that no alarm
could be raised at head-quarters for the next
four days, during which time the special-
commissary and his retinue would have an ample
opportunity of sleeping otf their wine, and
laying in their rheumatism. Whether they
would have any food left, or any torch-light
by which to seek for the fatal tank, were
considerations that did not trouble the planner of
this vagabond's revenge. It was not, however,
his purpose that the imperial and royal
functionaries and their troop should die of hunger
or despair; so he wrote, on the third day, by
a village-post, to say that the whole party had
joined Schobry's band, and was inhabiting the
famous cave. The consternation of authorities
may be conceived. Three companies of
regular-infantry were sent to capture the
police, and in that manner they were rescued.
This jest proved serious in its results. Estafettes
galloped in all directions; such vigorous
measures were adopted both in villages and
towns, danger grew imminent. Under the
urgent necessity of removing as far as
possible from the scene of his exploits, Schobry
went to Sirmia, in a close carriage, accompanied
by two of his most faithful followers,
attired as servants. He is said to have buried,
on this occasion, a sum of six thousand four
hundred ducats, and jewellery of great value,
somewhere near Voukovar. His first notion
was, to cross the Saava, and take refuge in
Servia until he could escape to a seaport, for
he was convinced that his old trade was
broken up.

The vigilance of quarantine establishments,
and of the military police on the frontier,
were, however, greatly to be dreaded, and he
had also a strong disinclination to renounce
his country.

While he was revolving such considerations
in his mind, hundreds of functionaries
were at work spinning out schemes for his
destruction; and the most inveterate of these
was the special-commissary whom he had
exposed to ridicule. Yet this official had not
been greatly to blame. It was to the vanity
of a superior authority that the discomfiture
was due. That officer had received an
anonymous letter (the preparatory portion of
the hoax) to say that, within a certain time,
a party irritated against Schobry would offer
the local authorities of a place named to
deliver the redoubtable bandit into their
hands; and he hastened to tell this beforehand,
and as reliable information, lest the
provincial subordinate should subsequently
take credit for original action in the case.
Schobry knew very well that the Austrians
like a sneak, and would put more faith in a
little underhand meanness of tale-bearing
than in any information offered to them in
more manly form.

It seemed that the small corporal really
had ventured to hint his suspicions; but the
commissary checked the expression of them
by saying, "I know who and what he is,
quite well." The corporal was, of course, no
way behind the commissary in zeal for
revenge.

Now in a small garrison town of the
Austrian military frontier, there was an
imperial-royal lieutenant of infantry between
twenty and five-and-twenty years old, with a
monthly stipend of twenty-six florins (paid in
bank or state-paper, which is usually at a
heavy discount), less certain deductions.
There was the daughter of a small employé,
endowed only with good looks, household
knowledge, and an inordinate love of dress
and ornaments. Let her be called Julia
Petravits, daughter of the worthy post-officer
at Semlin, who himself enjoyed a salary of
eight hundred florins a-year for the discharge
of his troublesome duties, and for the support
of his mother, wife, and seven children.
Two such persons are liable to suffer
disappointment in the means of marrying, and
upon this head it is needful to explain a
certain Austrian military regulation. No
Austrian lieutenant in the regular army can
receive the imperial permission to marry,
unless he, his betrothed, or others on their
behalf, can deposit a sum equal to about six