Dick Merriwell Abroad; Or, The Ban of the Terrible Ten Read online

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  DICK MERRIWELL ABROAD

  Or

  The Ban of the Terrible Ten

  by

  BURT L. STANDISH

  Author of the celebrated "Merriwell" stories, which arethe favorite reading of over half a million up-to-dateAmerican boys. Catalogue sent free upon request.

  Street & Smith, Publishers79-89 Seventh Ave., New York City

  Copyright, 1904 and 1905By Street & Smith

  Dick Merriwell Abroad

  All rights reserved, including that of translationinto foreign languages, including the Scandinavian.

  CONTENTS

  I. THE STORY OF QUEEN MARY. II. THE MEETING AT THE CASTLE. III. AT BEN CLEUCH INN. IV. BUDTHORNE'S STRUGGLE. V. LIKE A BIRD OF EVIL OMEN. VI. BUNOL'S PLOT. VII. DONE BENEATH THE STARS. VIII. BUNOL MAKES HIS DEMAND. IX. THE FIGHT IN THE CASTLE. X. THE HAUNTS OF ROBIN HOOD. XI. THE SPANIARD AGAIN. XII. THE STRUGGLE. XIII. PROFESSOR GUNN'S WILD RIDE. XIV. AN EXCITING CHASE. XV. THE HAUNTED MILL. XVI. SUNSET ON THE GRAND CANAL. XVII. THE RING OF IRON. XVIII. WHEN STEEL MEETS STEEL. XIX. THE BURSTING OF THE DOOR. XX. THE OATH OF TERESA. XXI. THE LAST STROKE. XXII. BEFORE THE PARTHENON. XXIII. FIGHTING BLOOD OF AMERICA. XXIV. MARO AND TYRUS. XXV. TWO ENGLISHMEN. XXVI. WAS IT A MISTAKE? XXVII. THE PURSUIT. XXVIII. DONATUS, THE SULIOTE. XXIX. IN THE CAVE. XXX. OUT OF THE TOILS.

  DICK MERRIWELL ABROAD.

  CHAPTER I.

  THE STORY OF QUEEN MARY.

  "Well, here we are, boys, in Scotland, the land of feuds, of clans, ofWallace, Bruce, Scott, Burns, and of limitless thrilling stories andlegends."

  Professor Zenas Gunn was the speaker. With Dick Merriwell and BradBuckhart, Merriwell's friend and former roommate at the Fardale MilitaryAcademy, as his traveling companions, he had landed at Leith theprevious day, having come by steamer from London. The three were now inEdinburgh, strolling down High Street on their way to visit HolyroodCastle.

  It was nipping cold. There had been a light fall of snow; but the sunwas shining, and the clear air, in strong contrast to the heavy, smokyatmosphere of London, gave them a feeling of lightness and exhilaration.

  Perhaps it is not quite true to say it gave them all such a feeling, forthere was an expression of disappointment on the face of the boy fromTexas, a slight cloud of gloom that nothing seemed to dispel.

  The old professor, however, was in high spirits.

  "While we're here, boys," he said, "we'll visit as many of theinteresting places as possible. Already we have seen Scott's monument,and to-morrow we will make an excursion to Melrose, and visit MelroseAbbey and Abbotsford. Later on, perhaps, we'll run over to Loch Lomondand see Rob Roy's prison and the cottage where Helen MacGregor, RobRoy's wife, was born. At Stirling we'll feast our eyes on the WallaceMonument, which stands on the spot where the great hero defeatedEngland's army of invasion. Think what it will mean to stand on thefield of Bannockburn!

  "The English army, my boys, numbered one hundred thousand, while theScots were less than forty thousand. But Scotland had not forgotten theterrible death of Wallace, who had been captured, carried to London,condemned to die, hanged, cut down while yet alive, to have portions ofhis body burned, and at last to be decapitated, his head being afterwardplaced on a pole on London Bridge. The Scottish army of forty thousandwas led by the successor and avenger of Wallace, Robert Bruce, whoachieved the marvelous object of driving the invaders from the country,fighting on until nowhere did an English foot crush the heather ofScotland.

  "Ah! boys, these tales of heroism are the things to stir one's blood,and make him feel that he might do great, and noble, and heroic thingsshould the opportunity present itself. But in these prosaic, moderntimes men have little chance to become heroes. Now I feel that I, ZenasGunn--had I been given the opportunity--might have become a great leader,a great hero, and my name might have lived in history. I've alwaysregretted the fact that I was born too late to take part in any of thegreat struggles for human liberty. I am naturally a fighter. I thinkthat old rascal, Barnaby Gooch, found out that I possessed the courageof a lion and the ability to fight like blazes. When we return toFardale, boys, he'll find out something else, I promise you that. Yes,sir, he'll find out that he's not the whole thing at that academy."

  "I hope so," muttered Brad. "I certain hope he'll get all that's comingto him."

  "Leave it to me," nodded Zenas. "I'll attend to that in due time. In themeantime, boys, we'll travel and enjoy the things we see while we areeducating ourselves at the same time. Ha! there is Holyrood Palace, oncethe home of that loveliest of women, Mary, Queen of Scots. And there isthe chapel in which she was married to Lord Darnley."

  The grim old castle stood before them, its turrets and towers risingagainst the bleak mountain background in impressive grandeur. There wassnow on the mountains, and this made the outlines of the castle standout sharply and distinctly.

  "Stand here a few minutes boys," invited the old professor. "Before weenter the castle, which will open to admit visitors at eleven o'clock,let's brush up a little on the romantic and pathetic history of QueenMary. I've always taken the liveliest interest in the story of hercareer. You know that first she was married to Francis II. and lived inFrance. After Francis died she returned to Scotland where she wasimmediately surrounded by a throng of royal suitors. Out of them all sheselected that handsome, egotistical, vain, selfish young reprobate, LordDarnley, which was a frightful mistake, for in a short time he began totreat her with discourtesy and absolute brutality, drinking to excessand behaving in a manner that made him generally detested at court."

  "But I have read that Queen Mary transferred her affection to an Italianmusician named Rizzio," said Dick.

  "Hum! haw! Haw! hum!" coughed the professor. "A slander invented by thescheming noblemen about her who wished to rob her of her power in orderto advance their own selfish ends. It is doubtful if they made Darnleyhimself believe it, but they told him it would advance him, and he fellinto the trap."

  "But historians say Rizzio was very handsome."

  "Some do, and some say he was very plain and uncomely. It is impossibleto tell which story is true; but beyond doubt he was a splendid singer.It was his voice that first attracted Mary. One winter's day, while atmass, she heard a rich, sonorous voice of great sweetness and powerringing through the aisles. In answer to her inquiries concerning thesinger, they told her it was Rizzio, private secretary to the ambassadorfrom Savoy. Mary's taste in music was of the finest, and she becamegreatly interested. There is a famous painting by David Neil, whichshows the queen standing on the palace steps and regarding Rizzio, whohas fallen asleep, mandolin by his side, near at hand. In this picturehe is represented as being very handsome; but artists, like poets, takelicense with facts."

  "Is there any question as to the great friendliness that sprang upbetween them?" asked Dick.

  "Oh, undoubtedly they became friends," nodded Gunn; "and in thisfriendship the scheming noblemen who surrounded the queen saw theiropportunity. They did their best to arouse the jealousy of Darnley,filling his ears with lies. Darnley was still little more than a boy,and he easily became a tool in the hands of the schemers, who planned tomurder Rizzio in Mary's presence, hoping perhaps that the terriblespectacle and the shock might kill her, which would leave Darnley inapparent power, but really powerless in the hands of the scoundrels whocontrolled him."

  "Fine business for the countrymen of Wallace
and Bruce!" growledBuckhart.

  "In those times the nobility seemed very corrupt, in Scotland, as wellas other countries. This band of reprobates carried out their bloodyplot. They hid in Mary's bedroom, where they awaited their time. Marywas at supper with three friends in her library. One of the three wasRizzio. In the midst of it Darnley entered the room, took a seat besidethe queen, put his arm about her and gave her the kiss of Judas. Thenthe murderous plotters suddenly appeared in the room, their weaponsdrawn. Instantly Rizzio started up, his face growing ghastly, for heknew his hour had come. He appealed to Mary, who answered that the kingwould never permit him to be slain in her presence.

  "But Darnley attempted to hold her, and one of the ruffians placed aloaded pistol at her breast, while the others fell on Rizzio. In despairthe doomed man caught at Mary's dress, for he was unarmed and could notmake resistance. The assassins slashed at him with their gleamingweapons, and in the struggle the table with its dishes was overturned.Its lights were upset and extinguished, but some of the invaders hadbrought torches and by the flaring light the bloody work went on. AsRizzio's clutch on Mary's dress relaxed she fainted. He was then draggedout into a narrow passage, where he was stabbed until his shrieks becamehushed by death. They say the stain of his blood still remains on theoaken floor, and undoubtedly it will be pointed out to us to-day."

  "It's a great thing, professor, to visit such spots," said Dick. "I'llnever forget this bit of history after seeing and visiting the castlewhere it all took place."

  "The finest way in the world to learn history is to visit historicspots," nodded the old pedagogue. "I suppose you both remember the restof Mary's story. The dastardly noblemen made her their prisoner,carrying her to captivity in a grim old castle on Lochleven. She wasremoved in the night, placed on a horse and compelled to ride at fullgallop for several hours. When the castle prison was reached her brutalguards compelled her, under threat of death, to sign an abdication ofthe throne in favor of her son, at the same time naming one of theplotters, the Earl of Murray, regent, until the boy should come of age.Then she was left there, crushed and heartbroken."

  "But she escaped," cried Dick.

  "Yes, through the assistance of George Douglas, the son of her jailer,who had become so enamored of the sad and beautiful captive that heswore to save her, even though it cost him his life. One Sunday night asthe queen sat in her window, gazing out on the placid bosom of the lake,she saw a boat silently approaching. In the boat was Douglas and hisyounger brother, who contrived to get hold of the castle key while therest of the Douglas family were at supper. Without delay the daringyouths locked the family in and hastened to set Mary free, rowing heracross the lake and throwing the keys into the water.

  "Mary assembled her followers, who hastened to flock to her support; butin a battle with the army of the regent, the Earl of Murray, shesuffered defeat and again became a fugitive. For some time she remainedhidden in Dundrennan Abbey, undecided what course to pursue. Some of herfriends advised her to flee to France, but she decided to trust to thesupposed friendship of her cousin, Elizabeth, Queen of England, and shefled across the English frontier. This was a fatal mistake, forElizabeth had been her constant foe, fearing her claim to the Englishthrone, and she was again cast into captivity. In the end she wasfalsely convicted of a conspiracy to assassinate Elizabeth, who waspersuaded to sign her death warrant. When she was led to the block herexecutioners fell on their knees and asked forgiveness for the duty theywere compelled to perform, which she freely gave, then entreated thewomen attending her not to weep, as she was glad to leave the world.Twenty years later her son was sovereign of both England and Scotland;and to-day the bodies of Mary and Elizabeth lie side by side beneath thesame cathedral roof."