The Strange Story of Rab Ráby

  CHAPTER XLI.

  Up till now, Raby had been rigidly fettered, in that his right hand hadbeen fastened to his left foot, while another chain had bound his lefthand to his right foot. Now as an addition to this came the wholeequipment involved in "heavy irons." Two chains, consisting of six ironrings linked together, weighing in all about a quarter of a hundredweight, were now produced for the prisoner.

  These fetters were no longer fastened, as the lighter ones had been,with a padlock, but were to be rivetted on an anvil, so that they couldonly be sawn asunder when taken off.

  For the operation the prisoner was led into the yard of the AssemblyHouse, much to the excitement of the townspeople who gathered to witnessso unusual a spectacle, including all the women-folk. They were aghastat seeing a young and richly clad gentleman being loaded with heavyirons. In such a scene the crowd is on the side of the criminal, andthey were now.

  When they saw Raby forced to sit down on the paving-stones, and heardhim groan with pain as his already fettered ankle received the firststroke of the heavy hammer on the anvil, a cry burst from thebystanders, and they could not restrain their indignation.

  "Poor fellow! What has he done to deserve it?" they asked, and the womenwept freely. One of them took off her kerchief, and, kneeling downbeside him, was fain to bind it round the ankle-bone, so that the ironshould not cut it too severely, but the gaoler sternly thrust her away.

  "What do condemned criminals want with that sort of thing, you stupid?Away with you and your silly feelings. Would you have his fetters linedwith velvet? He'll soon get accustomed to them, I'll warrant you."

  And he brutally tore the kerchief off Raby's ankle.

  When at last the work was done, the prisoner had to rise. But this waseasier said than done, for with his fettered hands and feet, he wasalmost powerless to move. Small wonder he fell back in the attempt.

  Janosics laughed aloud.

  But it is no laughing matter when a man in irons tries to walk.

  Meantime, the women became more sympathetic than ever with the prisoner,and openly railed at the heydukes.

  "You murderers! It is a sin and a shame to treat him thus! And such apretty gentleman too! If we were only men we would soon teach yougaolers to mend your manners. Why you are worse than the Turksthemselves."

  "Drive the women out of the yard," cried Janosics furiously, "and thenlet us be getting on, for the cage is ready for the bird."

  And some of the heydukes promptly drove out the women, while the restlooked after Raby. In one of them, who helped him to rise, Rabyrecognised the man who had brought him the pitcher with the false bottomwhen he was in prison. The man also evidently pitied him in hisstumbling efforts to drag one foot before the other, and showed him howhe could best do it by carefully measuring each step forward. But thepain of the irons which had already begun to cut into his flesh, waswell-nigh unbearable, and it was with the greatest difficulty hestaggered to the cell prepared for him--a small damp dark hole with alittle grated orifice for air through which the falling snow wasdrifting.

  No stove warmed the frozen depths of his dungeon, but there was a hugestake in the wall to which was affixed an iron chain: to this thefetters of the prisoner were made fast, so that he could stir no furtherthan the small tether it allowed, and had to lie or crouch day and nightin the heap of straw, which was his only bed. An earthen pitcher and awooden bowl held respectively the drinking water and black bread whichwere to last him a week, for having provided them, they needed not totrouble further for some days about the inmate of the cell. And therewas no pitcher this time with a false bottom!

  Now Raby was to know what it meant to be a captive indeed.