Whenthetimewasripe,thespieswerethrownoffmytrack。AnhourlaterAvisEverhardwasnomore。AtthattimeoneFeliceVanVerdighan,accompaniedbytwomaidsandalap—dog,withanothermaidforthelap—dog,*enteredadrawing—roomonaPullman,*（2）andafewminuteslaterwasspeedingwest。
*Thisridiculouspicturewellillustratestheheartlessconductofthemasters。Whilepeoplestarved,lap—dogswerewaiteduponbymaids。ThiswasaseriousmasqueradeonthepartofAvisEverhard。
LifeanddeathandtheCausewereintheissue;thereforethepicturemustbeacceptedasatruepicture。Itaffordsastrikingcommentaryofthetimes。
*（2）Pullman—thedesignationofthemoreluxuriousrailwaycarsoftheperiodandsonamedfromtheinventor。
Thethreemaidswhoaccompaniedmewererevolutionists。TwoweremembersoftheFightingGroups,andthethird,GraceHolbrook,enteredagroupthefollowingyear,andsixmonthslaterwasexecutedbytheIronHeel。Sheitwaswhowaiteduponthedog。Oftheothertwo,BerthaStoledisappearedtwelveyearslater,whileAnnaRoylstonstilllivesandplaysanincreasinglyimportantpartintheRevolution。*
*Despitecontinualandalmostinconceivablehazards,AnnaRoylstonlivedtotheroyalageofninety—one。AsthePococksdefiedtheexecutionersoftheFightingGroups,soshedefiedtheexecutionersoftheIronHeel。Sheboreacharmedlifeandprosperedamiddangersandalarms。SheherselfwasanexecutionerfortheFightingGroups,and,knownastheRedVirgin,shebecameoneoftheinspiredfiguresoftheRevolution。Whenshewasanoldwomanofsixty—ninesheshot\'Bloody\'Halcliffedowninthemidstofhisarmedescortandgotawayunscathed。IntheendshediedpeaceablyofoldageinasecretrefugeoftherevolutionistsintheOzarkmountains。
WithoutadventurewecrossedtheUnitedStatestoCalifornia。WhenthetrainstoppedatSixteenthStreetStation,inOakland,wealighted,andthereFeliceVanVerdighan,withhertwomaids,herlap—dog,andherlap—dog\'smaid,disappearedforever。Themaids,guidedbytrustycomrades,wereledaway。Othercomradestookchargeofme。WithinhalfanhourafterleavingthetrainIwasonboardasmallfishingboatandoutonthewatersofSanFranciscoBay。Thewindsbaffled,andwedriftedaimlesslythegreaterpartofthenight。
ButIsawthelightsofAlcatrazwhereErnestlay,andfoundcomfortinthethoughtofnearnesstohim。Bydawn,whatwiththerowingofthefishermen,wemadetheMarinIslands。Herewelayinhidingallday,andonthefollowingnight,sweptonbyafloodtideandafreshwind,wecrossedSanPabloBayintwohoursandranupPetalumaCreek。
Herehorseswerereadyandanothercomrade,andwithoutdelaywewereawaythroughthestarlight。TothenorthIcouldseetheloomofSonomaMountain,towardwhichwerode。WelefttheoldtownofSonomatotherightandrodeupacanyonthatlaybetweenoutlyingbuttressesofthemountain。Thewagon—roadbecameawood—road,thewood—roadbecameacow—path,andthecow—pathdwindledawayandceasedamongtheuplandpastures。StraightoverSonomaMountainwerode。Itwasthesafestroute。Therewasnoonetomarkourpassing。
Dawncaughtusonthenorthernbrow,andinthegraylightwedroppeddownthroughchaparralintoredwoodcanyonsdeepandwarmwiththebreathofpassingsummer。ItwasoldcountrytomethatIknewandloved,andsoonIbecametheguide。Thehiding—placewasmine。Ihadselectedit。Weletdownthebarsandcrossedanuplandmeadow。
Next,wewentoveralow,oak—coveredridgeanddescendedintoasmallermeadow。Againweclimbedaridge,thistimeridingunderred—limbedmadronosandmanzanitasofdeeperred。Thefirstraysofthesunstreameduponourbacksasweclimbed。Aflightofquailthrummedoffthroughthethickets。Abigjackrabbitcrossedourpath,leapingswiftlyandsilentlylikeadeer。Andthenadeer,amany—prongedbuck,thesunflashingred—goldfromneckandshoulders,clearedthecrestoftheridgebeforeusandwasgone。
Wefollowedinhiswakeaspace,thendroppeddownazigzagtrailthathedisdainedintoagroupofnobleredwoodsthatstoodaboutapoolofwatermurkywithmineralsfromthemountainside。Ikneweveryinchoftheway。Onceawriterfriendofminehadownedtheranch;buthe,too,hadbecomearevolutionist,thoughmoredisastrouslythanI,forhewasalreadydeadandgone,andnoneknewwherenorhow。Healone,inthedayshehadlived,knewthesecretofthehiding—placeforwhichIwasbound。Hehadboughttheranchforbeauty,andpaidaroundpriceforit,muchtothedisgustofthelocalfarmers。Heusedtotellwithgreatgleehowtheywerewonttoshaketheirheadsmournfullyattheprice,toaccomplishponderouslyabitofmentalarithmetic,andthentosay,\'Butyoucan\'tmakesixpercentonit。\'
Buthewasdeadnow,nordidtheranchdescendtohischildren。Ofallmen,itwasnowthepropertyofMr。Wickson,whoownedthewholeeasternandnorthernslopesofSonomaMountain,runningfromtheSpreckelsestatetothedivideofBennettValley。Outofithehadmadeamagnificentdeerpark,where,overthousandsofacresofsweetslopesandgladesandcanyons,thedeerranalmostinprimitivewildness。Thepeoplewhohadownedthesoilhadbeendrivenaway。A
statehomeforthefeeble—mindedhadalsobeendemolishedtomakeroomforthedeer。
Tocapitall,Wickson\'shuntinglodgewasaquarterofamilefrommyhiding—place。This,insteadofbeingadanger,wasanaddedsecurity。Wewereshelteredundertheveryaegisofoneoftheminoroligarchs。Suspicion,bythenatureofthesituation,wasturnedaside。ThelastplaceintheworldthespiesoftheIronHeelwoulddreamoflookingforme,andforErnestwhenhejoinedme,wasWickson\'sdeer—park。
Wetiedourhorsesamongtheredwoodsatthepool。Fromacachebehindahollowrottinglogmycompanionbroughtoutavarietyofthings,—afifty—poundsackofflour,tinnedfoodsofallsorts,cookingutensils,blankets,acanvastarpaulin,booksandwritingmaterial,agreatbundleofletters,afive—galloncanofkerosene,anoilstove,and,lastandmostimportant,alargecoilofstoutrope。
Solargewasthesupplyofthingsthatanumberoftripswouldbenecessarytocarrythemtotherefuge。
Buttherefugewasverynear。Takingtheropeandleadingtheway,I
passedthroughagladeoftangledvinesandbushesthatranbetweentwowoodedknolls。Thegladeendedabruptlyatthesteepbankofastream。Itwasalittlestream,risingfromsprings,andthehottestsummerneverdrieditup。Oneveryhandweretallwoodedknolls,agroupofthem,withalltheseemingofhavingbeenflungtherefromsomecarelessTitan\'shand。Therewasnobed—rockinthem。Theyrosefromtheirbaseshundredsoffeet,andtheywerecomposedofredvolcanicearth,thefamouswine—soilofSonoma。Throughthesethetinystreamhadcutitsdeepandprecipitouschannel。
Itwasquiteascrambledowntothestreambed,and,onceonthebed,wewentdownstreamperhapsforahundredfeet。Andthenwecametothegreathole。Therewasnowarningoftheexistenceofthehole,norwasitaholeinthecommonsenseoftheword。Onecrawledthroughtight—lockedbriersandbranches,andfoundoneselfontheveryedge,peeringoutanddownthroughagreenscreen。Acoupleofhundredfeetinlengthandwidth,itwashalfofthatindepth。
Possiblybecauseofsomefaultthathadoccurredwhentheknollswereflungtogether,andcertainlyhelpedbyfreakisherosion,theholehadbeenscoopedoutinthecourseofcenturiesbythewashofwater。Nowheredidtherawearthappear。Allwasgarmentedbyvegetation,fromtinymaiden—hairandgold—backfernstomightyredwoodandDouglasspruces。Thesegreattreesevensprangoutfromthewallsofthehole。Someleanedoveratanglesasgreatasforty—fivedegrees,thoughthemajoritytoweredstraightupfromthesoftandalmostperpendicularearthwalls。
Itwasaperfecthiding—place。Nooneevercamethere,noteventhevillageboysofGlenEllen。Hadthisholeexistedinthebedofacanyonamilelong,orseveralmileslong,itwouldhavebeenwellknown。Butthiswasnocanyon。Frombeginningtoendthelengthofthestreamwasnomorethanfivehundredyards。Threehundredyardsabovetheholethestreamtookitsriseinaspringatthefootofaflatmeadow。Ahundredyardsbelowtheholethestreamranoutintoopencountry,joiningthemainstreamandflowingacrossrollingandgrass—coveredland。
Mycompaniontookaturnoftheropearoundatree,andwithmefastontheotherendloweredaway。InnotimeIwasonthebottom。Andinbutashortwhilehehadcarriedallthearticlesfromthecacheandloweredthemdowntome。Hehauledtheropeupandhidit,andbeforehewentawaycalleddowntomeacheerfulparting。
BeforeIgoonIwanttosayawordforthiscomrade,JohnCarlson,ahumblefigureoftheRevolution,oneofthecountlessfaithfulonesintheranks。HeworkedforWickson,inthestablesnearthehuntinglodge。Infact,itwasonWickson\'shorsesthatwehadriddenoverSonomaMountain。FornearlytwentyyearsnowJohnCarlsonhasbeencustodianoftherefuge。Nothoughtofdisloyalty,Iamsure,haseverenteredhismindduringallthattime。Tobetrayhistrustwouldhavebeeninhismindathingundreamed。Hewasphlegmatic,stolidtosuchadegreethatonecouldnotbutwonderhowtheRevolutionhadanymeaningtohimatall。Andyetloveoffreedomglowedsombrelyandsteadilyinhisdimsoul。Inwaysitwasindeedgoodthathewasnotflightyandimaginative。Heneverlosthishead。Hecouldobeyorders,andhewasneithercuriousnorgarrulous。OnceIaskedhowitwasthathewasarevolutionist。
\'WhenIwasayoungmanIwasasoldier,\'washisanswer。\'ItwasinGermany。Thereallyoungmenmustbeinthearmy。SoIwasinthearmy。Therewasanothersoldierthere,ayoungman,too。Hisfatherwaswhatyoucallanagitator,andhisfatherwasinjailforlesemajesty—whatyoucallspeakingthetruthabouttheEmperor。Andtheyoungman,theson,talkedwithmemuchaboutpeople,andwork,andtherobberyofthepeoplebythecapitalists。Hemademeseethingsinnewways,andIbecameasocialist。Histalkwasverytrueandgood,andIhaveneverforgotten。WhenIcametotheUnitedStatesI
huntedupthesocialists。Ibecameamemberofasection—thatwasinthedayoftheS。L。P。Thenlater,whenthesplitcame,IjoinedthelocaloftheS。P。IwasworkinginaliverystableinSanFranciscothen。ThatwasbeforetheEarthquake。Ihavepaidmyduesfortwenty—twoyears。Iamyetamember,andIyetpaymydues,thoughitisverysecretnow。Iwillalwayspaymydues,andwhenthecooperativecommonwealthcomes,Iwillbeglad。\'
Lefttomyself,Iproceededtocookbreakfastontheoilstoveandtopreparemyhome。Often,intheearlymorning,orintheeveningafterdark,Carlsonwouldstealdowntotherefugeandworkforacoupleofhours。Atfirstmyhomewasthetarpaulin。Later,asmalltentwasputup。Andstilllater,whenwebecameassuredoftheperfectsecurityoftheplace,asmallhousewaserected。Thishousewascompletelyhiddenfromanychanceeyethatmightpeerdownfromtheedgeofthehole。Thelushvegetationofthatshelteredspotmakeanaturalshield。Also,thehousewasbuiltagainsttheperpendicularwall;andinthewallitself,shoredbystrongtimbers,welldrainedandventilated,weexcavatedtwosmallrooms。
Oh,believeme,wehadmanycomforts。WhenBiedenbach,theGermanterrorist,hidwithussometimelater,heinstalledasmoke—consumingdevicethatenabledustositbycracklingwoodfiresonwinternights。
AndhereImustsayawordforthatgentle—souledterrorist,thanwhomthereisnocomradeintheRevolutionmorefearfullymisunderstood。ComradeBiedenbachdidnotbetraytheCause。Norwasheexecutedbythecomradesasiscommonlysupposed。ThiscanardwascirculatedbythecreaturesoftheOligarchy。ComradeBiedenbachwasabsent—minded,forgetful。Hewasshotbyoneofourlookoutsatthecave—refugeatCarmel,throughfailureonhisparttorememberthesecretsignals。Itwasallasadmistake。AndthathebetrayedhisFightingGroupisanabsolutelie。Notruer,moreloyalmaneverlaboredfortheCause。*
*Searchaswemaythroughallthematerialofthosetimesthathascomedowntous,wecanfindnoclewtotheBiedenbachherereferredto。NomentionismadeofhimanywheresaveintheEverhardManuscript。
FornineteenyearsnowtherefugethatIselectedhadbeenalmostcontinuouslyoccupied,andinallthattime,withoneexception,ithasneverbeendiscoveredbyanoutsider。AndyetitwasonlyaquarterofamilefromWickson\'shunting—lodge,andashortmilefromthevillageofGlenEllen。Iwasable,always,tohearthemorningandeveningtrainsarriveanddepart,andIusedtosetmywatchbythewhistleatthebrickyards。*
*IfthecurioustravellerwillturnsouthfromGlenEllen,hewillfindhimselfonaboulevardthatisidenticalwiththeoldcountryroadsevencenturiesago。AquarterofamilefromGlenEllen,afterthesecondbridgeispassed,totherightwillbenoticedabarrancathatrunslikeascaracrosstherollinglandtowardagroupofwoodedknolls。ThebarrancaisthesiteoftheancientrightofwaythatinthetimeofprivatepropertyinlandranacrosstheholdingofoneChauvet,aFrenchpioneerofCaliforniawhocamefromhisnativecountryinthefableddaysofgold。ThewoodedknollsarethesameknollsreferredtobyAvisEverhard。
TheGreatEarthquakeof2368A。D。brokeoffthesideofoneoftheseknollsandtoppleditintotheholewheretheEverhardsmadetheirrefuge。SincethefindingoftheManuscriptexcavationshavebeenmade,andthehouse,thetwocaverooms,andalltheaccumulatedrubbishoflongoccupancyhavebeenbroughttolight。Manyvaluablerelicshavebeenfound,amongwhich,curioustorelate,isthesmoke—consumingdeviceofBiedenbach\'smentionedinthenarrative。
StudentsinterestedinsuchmattersshouldreadthebrochureofArnoldBenthamsoontobepublished。
AmilenorthwestfromthewoodedknollsbringsonetothesiteofWakeRobinLodgeatthejunctionofWild—WaterandSonomaCreeks。Itmaybenoticed,inpassing,thatWild—WaterwasoriginallycalledGrahamCreekandwassonamedontheearlylocalmaps。Butthelaternamesticks。ItwasatWakeRobinLodgethatAvisEverhardlaterlivedforshortperiods,when,disguisedasanagent—provocateuroftheIronHeel,shewasenabledtoplaywithimpunityherpartamongmenandevents。TheofficialpermissiontooccupyWakeRobinLodgeisstillontherecords,signedbynolessamanthanWickson,theminoroligarchoftheManuscript。
CHAPTERNINETEEN。
Transformation。
\'YOUMUSTMAKEYOURSELFoveragain,\'Ernestwrotetome。\'Youmustceasetobe。Youmustbecomeanotherwoman—andnotmerelyintheclothesyouwear,butinsideyourskinundertheclothes。YoumustmakeyourselfoveragainsothatevenIwouldnotknowyou—yourvoice,yourgestures,yourmannerisms,yourcarriage,yourwalk,everything。\'
ThiscommandIobeyed。EverydayIpractisedforhoursinburyingforevertheoldAvisEverhardbeneaththeskinofanotherwomanwhomI
maycallmyotherself。Itwasonlybylongpracticethatsuchresultscouldbeobtained。InthemeredetailofvoiceintonationI
practisedalmostperpetuallytillthevoiceofmynewselfbecamefixed,automatic。Itwasthisautomaticassumptionofarolethatwasconsideredimperative。Onemustbecomesoadeptastodeceiveoneself。Itwaslikelearninganewlanguage,saytheFrench。AtfirstspeechinFrenchisself—conscious,amatterofthewill。ThestudentthinksinEnglishandthentransmutesintoFrench,orreadsinFrenchbuttransmutesintoEnglishbeforehecanunderstand。Thenlater,becomingfirmlygrounded,automatic,thestudentreads,writes,andthinksinFrench,withoutanyrecoursetoEnglishatall。
Andsowithourdisguises。Itwasnecessaryforustopractiseuntilourassumedrolesbecamereal;untiltobeouroriginalselveswouldrequireawatchfulandstrongexerciseofwill。Ofcourse,atfirst,muchwasmereblunderingexperiment。Wewerecreatinganewart,andwehadmuchtodiscover。Buttheworkwasgoingoneverywhere;mastersintheartweredeveloping,andafundoftricksandexpedientswasbeingaccumulated。Thisfundbecameasortoftext—bookthatwaspassedon,apartofthecurriculum,asitwere,oftheschoolofRevolution。*
*Disguisedidbecomeaveritableartduringthatperiod。Therevolutionistsmaintainedschoolsofactinginalltheirrefuges。Theyscornedaccessories,suchaswigsandbeards,falseeyebrows,andsuchaidsofthetheatricalactors。Thegameofrevolutionwasagameoflifeanddeath,andmereaccessoriesweretraps。Disguisehadtobefundamental,intrinsic,partandparcelofone\'sbeing,secondnature。
TheRedVirginisreportedtohavebeenoneofthemostadeptintheart,towhichmustbeascribedherlongandsuccessfulcareer。
Itwasatthistimethatmyfatherdisappeared。Hisletters,whichhadcometomeregularly,ceased。HenolongerappearedatourPellStreetquarters。Ourcomradessoughthimeverywhere。Throughoursecretserviceweransackedeveryprisonintheland。Buthewaslostascompletelyasiftheearthhadswallowedhimup,andtothisdaynoclewtohisendhasbeendiscovered。*
*Disappearancewasoneofthehorrorsofthetime。Asamotif,insongandstory,itconstantlycropsup。Itwasaninevitableconcomitantofthesubterraneanwarfarethatragedthroughthosethreecenturies。Thisphenomenonwasalmostascommonintheoligarchclassandthelaborcastes,asitwasintheranksoftherevolutionists。Withoutwarning,withouttrace,menandwomen,andevenchildren,disappearedandwereseennomore,theirendshroudedinmystery。
SixlonelymonthsIspentintherefuge,buttheywerenotidlemonths。Ourorganizationwentonapace,andthereweremountainsofworkalwayswaitingtobedone。Ernestandhisfellow—leaders,fromtheirprisons,decidedwhatshouldbedone;anditremainedforusontheoutsidetodoit。Therewastheorganizationofthemouth—to—mouthpropaganda;theorganization,withallitsramifications,ofourspysystem;theestablishmentofoursecretprinting—presses;andtheestablishmentofourundergroundrailways,whichmeanttheknittingtogetherofallourmyriadsofplacesofrefuge,andtheformationofnewrefugeswherelinksweremissinginthechainsweranoveralltheland。
SoIsay,theworkwasneverdone。Attheendofsixmonthsmylonelinesswasbrokenbythearrivaloftwocomrades。Theywereyounggirls,bravesoulsandpassionateloversofliberty:LoraPeterson,whodisappearedin1922,andKateBierce,wholatermarriedDuBois,*andwhoisstillwithuswitheyesliftedtoto—morrow\'ssun,thatheraldsinthenewage。
*DuBois,thepresentlibrarianofArdis,isalinealdescendantofthisrevolutionarypair。
Thetwogirlsarrivedinaflurryofexcitement,danger,andsuddendeath。InthecrewofthefishingboatthatconveyedthemacrossSanPabloBaywasaspy。AcreatureoftheIronHeel,hehadsuccessfullymasqueradedasarevolutionistandpenetrateddeepintothesecretsofourorganization。Withoutdoubthewasonmytrail,forwehadlongsincelearnedthatmydisappearancehadbeencauseofdeepconcerntothesecretserviceoftheOligarchy。Luckily,astheoutcomeproved,hehadnotdivulgedhisdiscoveriestoanyone。Hehadevidentlydelayedreporting,preferringtowaituntilhehadbroughtthingstoasuccessfulconclusionbydiscoveringmyhiding—placeandcapturingme。Hisinformationdiedwithhim。Undersomepretext,afterthegirlshadlandedatPetalumaCreekandtakentothehorses,hemanagedtogetawayfromtheboat。
PartwayupSonomaMountain,JohnCarlsonletthegirlsgoon,leadinghishorse,whilehewentbackonfoot。Hissuspicionshadbeenaroused。Hecapturedthespy,andastowhatthenhappened,Carlsongaveusafairidea。
\'Ifixedhim,\'wasCarlson\'sunimaginativewayofdescribingtheaffair。\'Ifixedhim,\'herepeated,whileasombrelightburntinhiseyes,andhishuge,toil—distortedhandsopenedandclosedeloquently。\'Hemadenonoise。Ihidhim,andtonightIwillgobackandburyhimdeep。\'
DuringthatperiodIusedtomarvelatmyownmetamorphosis。Attimesitseemedimpossible,eitherthatIhadeverlivedaplacid,peacefullifeinacollegetown,orelsethatIhadbecomearevolutionistinuredtoscenesofviolenceanddeath。Oneortheothercouldnotbe。Onewasreal,theotherwasadream,butwhichwaswhich？Wasthispresentlifeofarevolutionist,hidinginahole,anightmare？orwasIarevolutionistwhohadsomewhere,somehow,dreamedthatinsomeformerexistenceIhavelivedinBerkeleyandneverknownoflifemoreviolentthanteasanddances,debatingsocieties,andlecturesrooms？ButthenIsupposethiswasacommonexperienceofallofuswhohadralliedundertheredbannerofthebrotherhoodofman。
Ioftenrememberedfiguresfromthatotherlife,and,curiouslyenough,theyappearedanddisappeared,nowandagain,inmynewlife。TherewasBishopMorehouse。Invainwesearchedforhimafterourorganizationhaddeveloped。Hehadbeentransferredfromasylumtoasylum。WetracedhimfromthestatehospitalfortheinsaneatNapatotheoneinStockton,andfromtheretotheoneintheSantaClaraValleycalledAgnews,andtherethetrailceased。Therewasnorecordofhisdeath。Insomewayhemusthaveescaped。LittledidI
dreamoftheawfulmannerinwhichIwastoseehimonceagain—thefleetingglimpseofhiminthewhirlwindcarnageoftheChicagoCommune。
Jackson,whohadlosthisarmintheSierraMillsandwhohadbeenthecauseofmyownconversionintoarevolutionist,Ineversawagain;butweallknewwhathedidbeforehedied。Heneverjoinedtherevolutionists。Embitteredbyhisfate,broodingoverhiswrongs,hebecameananarchist—notaphilosophicanarchist,butamereanimal,madwithhateandlustforrevenge。Andwellherevengedhimself。
Evadingtheguards,inthenighttimewhileallwereasleep,heblewthePertonwaithepalaceintoatoms。Notasoulescaped,noteventheguards。Andinprison,whileawaitingtrial,hesuffocatedhimselfunderhisblankets。
Dr。HammerfieldandDr。BallingfordachievedquitedifferentfatesfromthatofJackson。Theyhavebeenfaithfultotheirsalt,andtheyhavebeencorrespondinglyrewardedwithecclesiasticalpalaceswhereintheydwellatpeacewiththeworld。BothareapologistsfortheOligarchy。Bothhavegrownveryfat。\'Dr。Hammerfield,\'asErnestoncesaid,\'hassucceededinmodifyinghismetaphysicssoastogiveGod\'ssanctiontotheIronHeel,andalsotoincludemuchworshipofbeautyandtoreducetoaninvisiblewraiththegaseousvertebratedescribedbyHaeckel—thedifferencebetweenDr。
HammerfieldandDr。BallingfordbeingthatthelatterhasmadetheGodoftheoligarchsalittlemoregaseousandalittlelessvertebrate。\'
PeterDonnelly,thescabforemanattheSierraMillswhomI
encounteredwhileinvestigatingthecaseofJackson,wasasurprisetoallofus。In1918Iwaspresentatameetingofthe\'FriscoReds。
OfallourFightingGroupsthisonewasthemostformidable,ferocious,andmerciless。Itwasreallynotapartofourorganization。Itsmemberswerefanatics,madmen。Wedarednotencouragesuchaspirit。Ontheotherhand,thoughtheydidnotbelongtous,weremainedonfriendlytermswiththem。Itwasamatterofvitalimportancethatbroughtmetherethatnight。I,aloneinthemidstofascoreofmen,wastheonlypersonunmasked。Afterthebusinessthatbroughtmetherewastransacted,Iwasledawaybyoneofthem。Inadarkpassagethisguidestruckamatch,and,holdingitclosetohisface,slippedbackhismask。ForamomentIgazeduponthepassion—wroughtfeaturesofPeterDonnelly。Thenthematchwentout。
\'Ijustwantedyoutoknowitwasme,\'hesaidinthedarkness。
\'D\'yourememberDallas,thesuperintendent？\'
Inoddedatrecollectionofthevulpine—facesuperintendentoftheSierraMills。
\'Well,Igothimfirst,\'Donnellysaidwithpride。\'\'TwasafterthatIjoinedtheReds。\'
\'Buthowcomesitthatyouarehere？\'Iqueried。\'Yourwifeandchildren？\'
\'Dead,\'heanswered。\'That\'swhy。No,\'hewentonhastily,\'\'tisnotrevengeforthem。Theydiedeasilyintheirbeds—sickness,yousee,onetimeandanother。Theytiedmyarmswhiletheylived。Andnowthatthey\'regone,\'tisrevengeformyblastedmanhoodI\'mafter。IwasoncePeterDonnelly,thescabforeman。Butto—nightI\'mNumber27ofthe\'FriscoReds。Comeonnow,andI\'llgetyououtofthis。\'
MoreIheardofhimafterward。Inhisownwayhehadtoldthetruthwhenhesaidallweredead。Butonelived,Timothy,andhimhisfatherconsidereddeadbecausehehadtakenservicewiththeIronHeelintheMercenaries。*Amemberofthe\'FriscoRedspledgedhimselftotwelveannualexecutions。Thepenaltyforfailurewasdeath。Amemberwhofailedtocompletehisnumbercommittedsuicide。
Theseexecutionswerenothaphazard。ThisgroupofmadmenmetfrequentlyandpassedwholesalejudgmentsuponoffendingmembersandservitorsoftheOligarchy。Theexecutionswereafterwardapportionedbylot。
*Inadditiontothelaborcastes,therearoseanothercaste,themilitary。Astandingarmyofprofessionalsoldierswascreated,officeredbymembersoftheOligarchyandknownastheMercenaries。
Thisinstitutiontooktheplaceofthemilitia,whichhadprovedimpracticableunderthenewregime。OutsidetheregularsecretserviceoftheIronHeel,therewasfurtherestablishedasecretserviceoftheMercenaries,thislatterformingaconnectinglinkbetweenthepoliceandthemilitary。
Infact,thebusinessthatbroughtmetherethenightofmyvisitwassuchatrial。Oneofourowncomrades,whoforyearshadsuccessfullymaintainedhimselfinaclericalpositioninthelocalbureauofthesecretserviceoftheIronHeel,hadfallenunderthebanofthe\'FriscoRedsandwasbeingtried。Ofcoursehewasnotpresent,andofcoursehisjudgesdidnotknowthathewasoneofourmen。Mymissionhadbeentotestifytohisidentityandloyalty。
Itmaybewonderedhowwecametoknowoftheaffairatall。Theexplanationissimple。Oneofoursecretagentswasamemberofthe\'FriscoReds。Itwasnecessaryforustokeepaneyeonfriendaswellasfoe,andthisgroupofmadmenwasnottoounimportanttoescapeoursurveillance。
ButtoreturntoPeterDonnellyandhisson。AllwentwellwithDonnellyuntil,inthefollowingyear,hefoundamongthesheafofexecutionsthatfelltohimthenameofTimothyDonnelly。Thenitwasthatthatclannishness,whichwashistosoextraordinaryadegree,asserteditself。Tosavehisson,hebetrayedhiscomrades。Inthishewaspartiallyblocked,butadozenofthe\'FriscoRedswereexecuted,andthegroupwaswell—nighdestroyed。Inretaliation,thesurvivorsmetedouttoDonnellythedeathhehadearnedbyhistreason。
NordidTimothyDonnellylongsurvive。The\'FriscoRedspledgedthemselvestohisexecution。EveryeffortwasmadebytheOligarchytosavehim。Hewastransferredfromonepartofthecountrytoanother。ThreeoftheRedslosttheirlivesinvaineffortstogethim。TheGroupwascomposedonlyofmen。Intheendtheyfellbackonawoman,oneofourcomrades,andnoneotherthanAnnaRoylston。
OurInnerCircleforbadeher,butshehadeverawillofherownanddisdaineddiscipline。Furthermore,shewasageniusandlovable,andwecouldneverdisciplineheranyway。Sheisinaclassbyherselfandnotamenabletotheordinarystandardsoftherevolutionists。
Despiteourrefusaltograntpermissiontodothedeed,shewentonwithit。NowAnnaRoylstonwasafascinatingwoman。Allshehadtodowastobeckonamantoher。Shebroketheheartsofscoresofouryoungcomrades,andscoresofothersshecaptured,andbytheirheart—stringsledintoourorganization。Yetshesteadfastlyrefusedtomarry。Shedearlylovedchildren,butsheheldthatachildofherownwouldclaimherfromtheCause,andthatitwastheCausetowhichherlifewasdevoted。
ItwasaneasytaskforAnnaRoylstontowinTimothyDonnelly。Herconsciencedidnottroubleher,foratthatverytimeoccurredtheNashvilleMassacre,whentheMercenaries,Donnellyincommand,literallymurderedeighthundredweaversofthatcity。ButshedidnotkillDonnelly。Sheturnedhimover,aprisoner,tothe\'FriscoReds。
Thishappenedonlylastyear,andnowshehadbeenrenamed。Therevolutionistseverywherearecallingherthe\'RedVirgin。\'*
*ItwasnotuntiltheSecondRevoltwascrushed,thatthe\'FriscoRedsflourishedagain。AndfortwogenerationstheGroupflourished。