The Black Dagger

My name is C;irl Johann Roeckel. 5y birtli and HHLlülialttj f om n örlSe, )üt cosinopolitan in every taste and abit. In my early days I regulariy ollowed the profession of a eourier, as do now occasionly when any of my ld patrons or their friends require uch services, which is rather infreuent, the taste of the trayeling pubic having degenerated into hasty ourneysby express trains, with the onseq uent loss of all enjoyment of he different phases of scenery througfi which the travelers are passing. In he course of my many years' experince, I have been witness to many trange occurrences, have assisted in many a secret and adventurous underaking, and have been subject to many erils. From among such varied exjeriences I give tlu; following strange Ury, suppressing for obvious reasons ,he real ñames of those interested. Many years ago I was engaged as courier to his Excellency the Honorable Frederick Eslington, Ambassador Extraerdinary of His liritnnnic Majesty King George, on a special secret nission toone of the great continental powers. Having fmished his duties and successf ully attained the object of his mission, we started on our homeward journey in the summer of 18 . The period was one to be long remembered from the political exciternent which existed throughout all Europe, almost every Go-i ernment having unsheathed the sword. We had traveled a considerable part of the first stage of our return journey, when his Excellency, who was feeling the fatigues of the ncessant traveling in the heavy, ruinbling carriage, said he sliould stop at thenext town we arrived at, and take rest and refreshment, both of whk-h he was niuch in need of, beside haring important state documenta to transcribe. In due course we arrived at the small town of S , on the conlines of (iermany, where we put up. We stayed a day and a hall there ; and I wás then instructed to liave the carriage and horsesin reatliness to continue our journey. Ilis Excellency meanwhile had completed his writings, to which hehad assiduously applied self ; and tokl me, aait was a ('me aftemoon, he would take a short walk, and on bis return resume nis journey at once ; and i must tlierefore make all necessary preparations. He accordingly left the hotel. But he was neyer geen afterward, nor was anything known of liis late. I waited for upward of an anxiously, and tnen made a close search for Mm, which Icontinned lor severa] days; luit nct a trace oould I discover of my master. A vülager however, living outside the town brought to me at the hotel a pair of overalls, which he stated he had fouöd in a neighboring copse. 1 recognized the garment as belonging to UisExcellency mil at once repaired with the villager to the copse, and closely examined the spot, bnt found no trace or sign of any struggle. FinJing it üsöless to prosecute the search, I at once retiirned to London witli his Excellency's travelling gear, which 1 hauderl to liis family. The Brittsh Government at once, instituted inquiries, as also did his Excellency's family, and large rewards were offered by both, and advertisements widely disseminated foranyinformation reapectingtlie missing Ambassador; but they failfcd one and all to gain any information of, aar the slightest clew to, his fate. A ceftain unount of suspicion attached to me, but it was only momentary, and I at once cleared myself of it, and assisted the istracted wife and her missing husband's family as much as lay iu my power. Well 1 remember the agonies of anxiety and suspense caused to the Ambassador's wife and family by the distressing calamity. Magisterial investigation was made, expsrts were employed.and every endeavor made to penétrate the dark veil of mystery surrouuding the eveut ; but all elTorts were unsuccessf ui. One of his Majesty's Ambaesador's had completely and mysteriously disappeared, without leaving a clew to light up the awful obscurity which enveloped the tragic occurrence. Several years had elapsed since the distressing event, and the memory, the painful memory of it, was beginning to fade from my mind, when I happened to be in Antwerp on a short tour through Belgium with patrons. And, while listlessly strolling by myself on the quay one summer's evening, watohing the passengers disembarking from the newly-arrived steamer, I was accostedby a mean, haggard-looking little man of beggarly appearance, who spoke to me in Fleraisri. "Are you not Her Keckel the courier?" said he. "Yes." replied I. "What do yon want wlth me ? Who are you ?" "I suppose you have quite forgotten me?" said lie. I stared at him keenly. The man's features were somewhat familiar to me, vet 1 was confused in my remem brance of hdw and where I had seen him. 'I do not know you," said I. "Yes, you do, and very well," replied he. "My name is Ludwig Kuhl, and I have frequently driven you the first stage out of Vienna. I did so when you were courier to his Excellency the Hononable Eslington, in the summer of theyear 18 - ." (The courier is remeiubered even when the patrón is forgotten, for it is to us that landlords and their servants look for their eratuities.) I stared at him, and then recognized I the haggard looks. 'Triie," said I; "I f'emember you iww well. IIow goes it witli you'? What do you here in Antvverp 't The old trade, eh?- "Ah.no!" he replied, with a deeplydrawn sigh. "It's a long story, and I can't teil it to you heve in all this noise and bustle. Let us go to a quiet cabaret." I agreed, and in our short walk I revolved in my mind all those cifcumstanees, so dark and impenetrable in their profound mystery, -which had happened years bet'ore. And I remembered how'our postman, Ludvvig Khul, had assisted me in an unavailing search for his Excellency. Soon we reaclied a little cabaret- their name is legión in Antwerp- in one of the back streets near tlie cathedral, and, with a glass of his favorite Boonjekamp in front of him, he seated himself, and told me the following sequel to the mysterious disappearance "You must reraember me, friend," he began, "when I was in a better condition than you see me now ;" and he scanned his wretehed garments, shrugging his shoulders with au impatient air. I nofliled acquiescence. "Well," said lie, "you must alsoknow in your long experience of travel that and particnlarly in Vienna, have their secret club. The postillions had theirs, but it was subject to the rule of the Chief Secret Society. In my younger days, friend, I was iuduced, in an unlucky moment, to emolí myself as a member, and take the oaths of the Secret Society of Postillions. Bitter! y have I repented since, for it is to that circumstance I owe my present deplorable state of mind and position." "But what has that to do with the mysterious case of his Excellency ?" 1 asked of him somewhat impatiently. "Much more than you imagine or eau ever know, friend," replied he sententiously wagging his head. He paused for a moment. " Well, I teil you," continued he, "though you must break my story with your inquiring comments. Firstly, then, you must know that I was on the establishment of Herr Spultzen, the carriage-master and stable-keeper from whom his Exeellency and the Honorable Esleton hired liis traveling carriage and horses for his return journey. It was known to the Chief Secret Society that his Exeellency was in possession of important papers, and it was also known that he was on the point of starting with them for England. "The chief commander had important reasons for obtaining these papers, or copies of them, and of one in particular above all others, by fair means or foul; and what the chief says is to be done is done invariably at any cost. The committee had ballotted for the person who must execute their orders, and their choice had fallen on me as postilion, and the more hkely to effect a successf ui result. By virtue of uiy oath 1 was bound to obey, or I should have suffered a secret death, by assassination probably. I need not teil vou tny instructions; but a ful fate awaited you in the eyent of you or liis Excellency obstructing our wishes. In every town through whieh we passed there were eaiisssaries of the Chief Society to assíst me, so great is its organization; and when I received your instructions to pull up at the next town, which, if you reraember. wasS , I knevv the wishes of the chief commander would be effectually carried out. Tlie Undlord of the hotel yoa stayed at and the liead hostler were known to me as meinbers of the Chief Society, and there were other residents in the town also members whom I did not know. So you see, my friend. how his Excellency and you were encoinpassed in a net from which their was no escape," and he chuckled to himself as lie said it. "Now, you remember hovv his Kxcellency was alwuys engaged in writing his dispatches and documenta. Well. there was consequenüy great difficulty in getting a view of the papers without adopting foul means, and time was of great importance to the ehief commander." 'What!" I exclaimed, ingreat aston ishment, my hair alniost on end with t he suddenness of the confession ;" what ! Do you mean to teil me. Cari Jolmim Koeckel, that you inurdered his Excellency in cold blood?" "Not exactly that, friend," he quietly replied. "When his Excellency went tor that short walk, the nead hostler also went for a stroll in the same direct ion. A short distanee f rom the town the hostler met a friend, also a member, and they quickly bound and gagged his Excellency, and carried him to the cellar of the latter's house, where they kept him secretly until afterthe excitement of the disappearance and search had subsidei1., when he was aken to Viennain the involuntary (i isfuiM of a dangerous lunatic peasant, and afterward " And he made a significant sign indicative of strangulation. "The papers were abstracted by the landlord, and handed to me, and I in turn handed them to the chief Gommander personally. Nothing was ever said about the missing documenta, f you recollect, because only one other lerson beside nis Excellency and the :hief commander knew of them, and ie dared not say what they were." "But how," asked I, "was everythiug kept so quietly, as the British Government made a great stir over the matter, and large rewards were oflered?" Vp11," replied he, "those to whotn the matter was referred were mostly members of tlie Chief Society, which, you must remember, numbered in its roll members of all nmks and stations. "The pair of overalls fonnd in the copse sonie days af ter the disappearance were purposely placed there to ead and encouxage the belief that his Excellency had been robbed and then murdered." 'But you do not account for being n Antwerp now," said I. 'Well, friend," continued he, and he drew himself closer to me and spoke in a very low tone, "well, the chief commander, in eonseuuence of tlie stir made by both tlie British and our !overnment, and fearingdisclosures on account of the large rewards offered.took effective steps to prevent it by ordering the deaths of those concerned in the tragedy. The landlord of the hotel, however, suddenly decamped to America - wherehe will be tracked, never fear - after hearing of the deaths of the hostler and his friend, who were found stabbed in their beds ; and I escaped here, by circuitous routes, and I have remained in hiding ever since. But I am already known and discovered, and I go daily in fear of my life. "The sign of the Black Dagger here" - and he tore open his vest and shirt, disclosing the print oí a dagger on his breast, "is known to all members of the Secret Society. My deathvvarrant has long ago been signed, and I amstudiously watched.l feelcertain. Even now - " And he suddenly stopped, casting a cautious g'.ance around the room, and polntèd to a stranger who was silently smoking and drinking, to all appearanee engrossed in their enjoyment. "I must leave you," he said in a hurried. hoarse whisper. "Uood-bye friend :" and he crept out of the cabaret quickly. The next morning. Ludwig Kuhl s body was found floating in the canal, near its entrance to the Scheldt, pierced in the breast by a short dagger, with the device in Germán on its flat black handle, "Wewait."