Angelo in French, asking him whether he could bear to see an unoffending
foreigner treated with wanton violation of law. The soldiers bellowed at
their captive, and Angelo sent a stupid shrug after him. They rounded a
bend of the road. Angelo tightened the buckle at his waist.

'Now I trust you,' he said to Jacopo. 'Follow the length of five miles
over the pass: if you don't see me then, you have your liberty, tongue
and all.'

With that he doubled his arms and set forth at a steady run, leaving
his companions to speculate on his powers of endurance. They did so
complacently enough, until Jacopo backed him for a distance and Johann
betted against him, when behold them at intervals taking a sharp trot to
keep him in view.

CHAPTER XXVI

THE DUEL IN THE PASS

Meanwhile Captain Weisspriess had not been idle. Standing at a blunt
angle of the ways converging upon Vittoria's presumed destination, he
had roused up the gendarmerie along the routes to Meran by Trent on one
side, and Bormio on the other; and he soon came to the conclusion that
she had rejected the valley of the Adige for the Valtelline, whence he
supposed that she would be tempted either to cross the Stelvio or one of
the passes into Southernmost Tyrol. He was led to think that she would
certainly bear upon Switzerland, by a course of reasoning connected
with Angelo Guidascarpi, who, fleeing under the cross of blood, might
be calculated on to push for the mountains of the Republic; and he might
judging by the hazards--conduct the lady thither, to enjoy the fruits of
crime and love in security. The captain, when he had discovered Angelo's
crest and name on the betraying handkerchief, had no doubts concerning
the nature of their intimacy, and he was spurred by a new and thrice
eager desire to capture the couple--the criminal for the purposes of
justice, and the other because he had pledged his notable reputation
in the chase of her. The conscience of this man's vanity was extremely
active. He had engaged to conquer the stubborn girl, and he thought it
possible that he might take a mistress from the patriot ranks, with a
loud ha! ha! at revolutionists, and some triumph over his comrades. And
besides, he was the favourite of Countess Anna of Lenkenstein, who yet
refused to bring her estates to him; she dared to trifle; she also was a
woman who required rude lessons. Weisspriess, a poor soldier bearing
the heritage of lusty appetites, had an eye on his fo