1 to
innyest not accomplish it. others more
able, or perchance more w 'i 1 1 i : jt . inn y be
IoiiikI, ami that right speedily ; the reve
nue of I'cutivais's I'ishoprie miylit serve
a Prime's t urn ! Sec that thou lose them
not!" And ho swept proudly from the
chamber, leaving tlu; astounded church
ni in to plot, new schemes, to we ave more
subtle meshes for tin; life of the innocent.
Xor did it occupy that crafty mind Ion.:
time, nor did it need d:.'ep counsel ! Th"
sentence of the church decreed, thai she
should never more don arm, orninscu
li.ie atji.c ! The !isho;'s eye !!.c hed as
il limited on that article. " i hi !" he
muttered Here then, we have her o:i
tliehip! Auschn, wiial ho ! Let tiieni
hid (iapard hither the warden of the
Sorceress and let us be alone ;''
lie came : and with clo-d doors they
sate in conclave the highest odieer, save
one, of holy church ; the lo.vcst. and most
truculant official of slate policy ! Far
heard not, nor eye saw, the secrets of that
meeting ; hut on the morrow, when the
first glimpse of sickly daylight fell through
the tunnelled window of her dungeon,
the maiden's female garb was rone, and
by the pallet bed lay morion and corselet,
cuishos, and greaves, and sword her own
bright. azure panoply! At the first mo
ment, ancient recollection tilled her whole
soul with ululness! Joy, triumph, exul
tation, throbbed in her burning veins ;
and the tears that rained down full and
frequent, tarnishing 'the polished surface,
were tears of gratitude and momentary
t li j: p o l v n k sian.
bii
.vs.
Then came the cold reaction the
soul-sickening terror the prophetic, sense
of danger the certainty of treachery !
She donned them not she rose not from
her wretched couch, though herMimbs
were cramped, and her very bones were
sore with lying on the hard and knotted
pallet. Xoon came, and her guards en
tered ; but it was in vain that she besought
them, as they would not slaughter a poor
maiden slaughter her soul and body
to render back the onlv vestments she
might wear in safety.
" 'Tis but another miracle, Fair Joan ;"
sneered the grim warden. ; h't Kather
ine of Fierbois hath returned the sword,
she gave thee erst lor victory. Tcte
Dieii, 'tis well she left thee not tire destrier,
to boot of spurs, and espaldron, else
wouldst ihou have won through wall of
stone and grate of iron! Don them,
then, holy Maiden, don the Saint's gift,
and fear not ; she will preserve thee !"
And, with a hoarse and chuckling
laugh the churl laid down the scanty meal
his cruelty vouchsafed her, and departed!
Thus three days passed away ; her
prayers for fitting raiment we re unheed
ed, or, if heeded, scoMcd at. Meantime
the chill air of the dungeon paralyzed her
as she lay, with scanty covering, cramped
limbs and curdling blood, on the straw
mattress that alone was interposed be
tween her delicate frame? and the damp
rock-hewn pavement. On the third day
she rose ; she donned the fatal armor
all save the helm and falchion- she might
not otherwise enjoy the wretched liberty
of moving to and fro, across the dungeon
floor. Scarce hud she fastened the last
rivet, when the door flew open ! A doz
en men-at-arms rushed in, and dragged
her to the chamber of the council ! The
board was spread with all the glittering
mockery of judgment the brass-bound
volumes of the law ; the crosier of the
church; the mace of state; tlu; two
edged blade of justice, and the pointless
sword of Mercy! The Judges were in
session waiting the moment when ne
cessity should force her to do on the fa
tal urmor! From without the clang of
nxc and hammer might be heard, framing
the pile for execution, prepared already
ere. the sentence was pronounced on that
(loomed victim, condemned before her
trial.
" Lo ! there my Lords," cried Cuu-
chon, as she entered, dragged like a lamb
to the slaughter. Lo ! there, my Lords !
What m-cd of further trial? Fven now
she bears the interdicted arms, obtained
as they must be by sorcery ! Sentence,'
my Lords ; a judgment !"'
And with one consent, they cried a-
loud, corrupt and venal Frenchmen.!
Judgment ; a sentence !' I
Then rose n.-aiu the Hishop, and the!
lest of gain twinkled in his d"fp .'rim eye. I
mid hi lip cuiled with an ill-dbsembh d ;
smile, as he pronounced the rh.al jtuL
:..( i;l of the Church. ' j
; ' J an oi L'ouiremi sorcT''s. np.os-'
tate. herelie! Liar, idolater, Lh'spdi. n- r '
of thy find! The Church hath cast thee-
from her bo-om, excommunicati d and
'accurst ! Thou art delivered to the arm
of secular justice. And may the tempo
ral (lames which shall, this hour, consume
thy moriul body, pieserve thy soul from
Jires everlasting! Her doom is said;
hence with her, to the fagot !'
; Steadfastly she gazed on the face of
;lhe speaker, and her eye closed not. nor
did her lip pale, as she heard that doom,
jthe most appalling, that flesh can not en
dure. j ' Ve have conquered," she said slowlv
,but firmly ye have prevailed, and V
! shall perish. Hut think not that ve lutnii
me: lor c but send me to my glory !
'Ami believe not, vain that ye are, and
.senseless-, believe not that, in destroying'
jnse, ye can subdue my country. The
jfnvs, that shall shrivel up this weak and'
worthless carcase, shall but illume a blaze,
j of vengeance in every Frenchman's henrt
j that will never waste, nor wink, nor wea
ji v, till Fiance again be free ! This dealh
I f mine shall cost thousands hundreds'
of thousands of the best lives of Ihitain !
! Living, have I conquered your best war-'
riots .hcreto'ore ! Dead, will 1 vanquish;
jtliem hereafter! Dead, will I drive ve i
out of Fans, Normandy, Cuienne. Dead,
will I save my king, and liberate my coun
try! Lead on, assassins lead me to the
pile! the flesh is weak and fearful; yet
it trembles not. nor falters, so does the
seirit nine for lilwi t I"
I Who shall describe; the scene that fol
lowed; or. if described, who would pc
i ruse a record so disgraceful to Filmland.
I to France, to Human Nature ? Kngland, !
from coward policy, condemned to igno
! minions anguish a captive foe ! France,
I baser and more cruel yet, abandoned with
out one dibit, one oiler of ransom, on.e
; stroke for rescue, a savior and a friend !
and human nature witnessed the fell deed,
i pitying perhaps in silence, but coudemn
,iug not, much less opposing the "decree? of
murd'T, sanctioned, as it was, and sanc
tified by the assent of Holy Church.
It is enough ! She perished perish
ed, as she had lived, undauntedly and no
bly. Her fame, which they would have
destroyed, lives when tin; very titles of
her judges are forgotten ! The place of
iher torture is yet branded with her name !
; Her dying prophecy has been fulfilled!
A century had not elapsed, ere Paris,
j Normandy, (luienne were free from Lng
jland's yoke; and every battle-field of
France hath recked, from that day down
wards to red Waterloo, with blood of
j Kngland. poured forth like water on the
valleys of her hereditary foe.
I The Maiden perished, and the terror
stricken soldiery, who gazed on her un
murmuring agonies beheld or fancied
it hey beheld a saintly light, paler but
brighter than the lurid glare of the fagots,
circling her dark locks and lovely fea
tures ; they imagined that her spirit vis
dblo to mortal eyes soared upward, dove
dike on white pinions, into the viewless
heaven and they shuddered, when they
I found, amid the cinders of the pile, that
heart which had defied their bravest, un-
7
scathed by fire, and ominous to them of
fearful retribution ! II. W. H.
THE POLYNESIAN.
SATURDAY, KK15. s20,
COM M UN tc: A TED.
KIAXA,
a tali: or iiau am.
TWO IILNIUU.II A Nil Hi TV VI. A IIS SINCE.
(Amiint fit lioni I'iic L5).
CliAl'll'.tt v.
We must now return to where we left AI
vircz. The attack had been so promptly re
pelled that with the exception of the capture
of Kiana unci Julia, the enuiiy had little lea
son to boa .1 of their success. On the suc
ceeding morning all was bustle and prepara
tion ; runnels w ere dispatched oer the couu
I r - to MSM mble the warriors, at the head et
whom Alvire. determined to march at once
into Poinalo's territories, and if too late to
rescue the prisoners, deeply to avenge their
;ate. Although his fears led him to picture
to himself the most horrible of deaths as their
lot, yet he gave way to no vain grief, hut
formed all his plans with prudence, and pre
pared to execute them with vigor and promp
titude. The news of the loss of their beloved chief
had spread like wildlhe, and the warriors
netded no second summons, to induce them
to join the standard of Alvire., who selected
from their niunher fifteen hundred of the
m .st able and valiant, to accompany him on
the expedition. Losing no time, he marshall
ed them in order for battle, and immediately
et forward, amid the applauding shouts of
the multitude, and the favorable prognosti
cations of the priists. As they wound in
lontT and regular tiles around the hills that
skilled the town, they made a gallant show;
and the w ild notes of their music reverberat
ing among the rocks, broke upon the ear of
I he lileuer with a startling ell'cet. Kach
petty chief headed ids own retainers, forming
a separate company, hearing an appropriate
banner, and the flags or tokens of their pro
tecting deity. Hut the pride of the array
was the body guard of Kiana, composed of
the noblest and most warlike of the youth of
the nation, to the number of two hundred.
They wore (jieciau shaped helmets, wrought
externally with small yellow feathers, ami
crowned by graceful crests of like color,
which gave them a highly martial appear
ance. Cloaks, covered w ith the same mate
rial, upon a hame of fine net-work, fringed
with red feathers, hung gracefully from their
shoulders, and in the bright sun-light shone
like garments of gold; their arms were beau
tifully polidicd, and the handles of their
weapons covered with a resinous gum made
from the bread-fruit, that they might adhere
more firmly to the hearer's grasp. When
in battle they formed a compact body with
spears presented, not unlike the ancient pha
lanx, and completely invulnerable to the de
sultory attacks of their ruder foo. Their su
perior discipline and equipments it must be
allowed, were mainly owing to the instruc
tions of their kadcr Alvire, who having
served for a time in the wars of his natiye
land, now found full scope for his profes
sional acquirements among his adopted coun
trymen. But we will dwell no longer upon the details
of their inarch. On the evening of the same
day that 'Fmnale arrived at his fortress, they
encamped in a hollow, but a few miles dis
tant, having advancd thus far undiscovered,
owing to the surroundini' country having
been deserted by the inhabitants, who had
flocked .to the temple tube present nt the
coining festival. The multitude there as
scinbhd, srew impatient towards the close
of day, for the commencement of those rites
which were to be to them the signal of un
bounded license; and also thirsting for blood
compc Ih d the priests, long before the ap
pointed time, to lead forth the ir victims to
the saciificial stone. With their limbs
bound, and wreaths of flowers upon their
heads, they were laid upon their backs and
strangled, the priest first repeating a f,
'prayer in which he otto red thcai t, u,
idol. Their heads were then cut tl and )
'ced upon poles at the several entrain.!
the temple, w hile their bodies were toriili,
from limb; the spurting blood was d,u
Jwith yells of exultation by the now U!ir.
jKtruined mob, and the mangled ineial,, .rlf
jricdotl'to grace the horrid bamput,,,
were about to commence, which were ,,
like the orgies of ghouls, than created
lings. Awa flowed in plenteous si i earns, ;.
adding to their madness, a spectacle ..f ,
i;;ge debauchery and savage iiceiitin
ensued, w hich none but. demons jj!(.
st ives could have t quailed. We will y.
i . ; . . . : . .i i i . . t '
our rcatici s toe i eeu.u, um h i uie past in
her veil over the scene. Vet if we tair, I,
lieve the confessions of many a grey-In
but now converted heathen, such wirff,,
inon even to later days. On ocrusion 1(
this, every feature of humanity wuse;;;
side, and the base passions rioted in lu.
crime. Can any one regret tiiatasvy.
which has given support to such c!o!-i
at last like an aged trunk encirc led liy
sitical vines, been choked by their ciiiljia,
and now lies rotting on the ground ?
J'oinale's strong desiie for personal r.
venge proved the safety of Kiana and Jul
tie had been closely confined in a m,;,
building, w here he was watched bv sum'
the immediate retainers of Foinale, who h,,
ever were barely aide to preserve him
the fury of the in b, that culled lou:'ir!
dood. A promise to reserve him no Ion
than the morrow quieted them.
Julia was concealed in a house in the v
Inge, and for the present safe. Sorrow L;
made sad inroads upon her fiur chocks, a I
she had scarcely tasted food since her tv
tare. Still the occasional flashing of I,
dark eyes, told of the lofty spirit oflicrra
while a mother's anxiety could he traced
her melancholy features.
Towaids night Kiana's guard, unable !
ger tti resist the temptation, one by one (i
serted their posts and mixed with the rev
lers. The fatigue and excitement wliidii
had experienced now began to affect In
and he fell into a restless sleep, lie I
not long closed his eyes, when a slight N
on the shoulder started him, and looking
he met Liliha's gaze. A motion to lu?ik
arrested the expression of joyful snip
which rose to his lips. His bonds wete
cut, and she beckoned him to follow lit r
silence. Karly on the morninor succeeJi
the attack, this loving creature had foil '.
close upon the heels of the retreating pan
and dogged them to their fort. She bad
word by a faithful attendant to Alvire, h
to direct his march. 'After he had nirair-
ed, she stole forward in the dark, having
guised herself as one of the opposite
and entered the temple. iotwitl:stai:i
the glare from the torches and fires of i
revellers, she was able to make her oltsen
lions undetected. If a suspicious j;!ai
w ere cast towards her she joined some part
and for the moment was the wildcat in
dance or song. Fortunately for hr 1
fumes of the awa had operated so powerful'
that their senses were not particularly acu'
and what might at any other time liavo ?
traded suspicion, now passed unnoticed'
As she walked by one of the gates, a fo
ot light revealed the ghastly heads a!
her, and she trembled in every joint, n1
thought arose, that they might be all that r
mained of those she was risking her lift'
save. Another look relieved her npprt'hf"
sions, and drawing a deep breath she
ried by. Hearing the name of Kiniw i"(
tioned, she strolled carelessly toward '
group, who were discussing the event'
the late attack, some of whom were hi '
JlUard; from their nntwnranttnn kIic leaf'
the place of his confinement, and that J"
was in the villago beneath. Watching111
vorahle opportunity, she passed them. s:
soon fou ml his prison. To enter it, (
thatched building) was an easy matt'