? ? ? ? "Follow me," said one of the guard, and, turning, led me across the outer courtyard toward a second buttressed wall.
? ? ? ? Why the apparent ease with which I seemingly deceived them did not rouse my suspicions I know not, unless it was that my mind was still so full of that fleeting glimpse of my beloved princess that there was room in it for naught else. Be that as it may, the fact is that I marched buoyantly behind my guide straight into the jaws of death.
? ? ? ? Afterward I learned that thern spies had been aware of my coming for hours before I reached the hidden fortress.
? ? ? ? The gate had been purposely left ajar to tempt me on. The guards had been schooled well in their part of the conspiracy; and I, more like a schoolboy than a seasoned warrior, ran headlong into the trap.
? ? ? ? At the far side of the outer court a narrow door let into the angle made by one of the buttresses with the wall.
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