ir would have been most serious;
but a wild boar, as he knew, could not climb into a loft. For among
the intelligence which David and Clive had managed to communicate,
was the very reassuring fact that the boar could not get at them,
as the loft was only reached by a ladder. The return to Albano
was in every way satisfactory to his feelings, for he saw that this
was the only way of delivering the boys, who could not be rescued
without some more formidable arms than their own unassisted strength.

In a short time they were back in Albano, and soon the news flew
about the town. In accordance with the invariable rule, the story
was considerably enlarged as it passed from mouth to mouth, so that
by the time it reached the last person that heard it,--a poor old
bed-ridden priest, by the way,--it had grown to the following highly
respectable dimensions:--

Two wealthy English milors had gone into the Alban tunnel in search
of adventures. While down there they had discovered the lair of a
wild boar, and had killed the young, the old ones being away. They
had then made good their retreat, carrying their slaughtered victims
with them. The wild boar had returned with the wild sow, and both,
scenting their young pigs' blood in the air, had given chase to
the murderers. These last had fled in frantic haste, and had just
succeeded in finding a refuge in the old windmill, and in climbing
into the upper loft as the infuriated animals came up. Seeing the
legs of the murderers just vanishing up into the hole, one of the
beasts had leaped madly upward, and had bitten off a portion of
the calf of the leg of one of them. Then, in sullen vengeance, the
two fierce animals took up their station there, one in the chamber
below, the other in front of the door, to guard their prey, and
effect their destruction. They had already been there a week. One
of the prisoners had died from the effects of his terrible wound,
and the other was now dying of starvation. Fortunately, Brother
Antonio (the guide) had been told about this in a vision the night
before, had visited the surviving milor, had talked with him from
a safe distance, had seen the terrible animals, and had now come
to Albano to get help towards releasing the unhappy survivor.

From the above it may readily be conjectured that the call for
help was not made in vain. The sufferings of the imprisoned
captive excited universal sympathy, and the presence of the wild
boars in so close proxi