The Count of Monte Cristo

KAPITEL 37. The Catacombs of Saint Sebastian

This chapter follows the Count of Monte Cristo and Franz as they mount a rapid night rescue mission to retrieve Franz’s friend Viscount Albert de Morcerf, who has been abducted and held for ransom in the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian by a band of brigands led by Luigi Vampa. After securing Albert’s release through a confrontation with Vampa, the group returns to the nighttime ballroom where Albert had been attending earlier.

Carriage Prepared for Night Rescue

The Count of Monte Cristo arranges for a carriage to be prepared for the rescue mission, ordering that pistols be removed from the holsters and that the mute servant Ali will drive in place of the regular coachman. After confirming Franz remains fully resolved to accompany him, the pair head downstairs with Peppino, find the waiting carriage, and set off at a rapid pace.

Departure for Saint Sebastian’s Catacombs

Ali drives the carriage along the pre-determined route: down the Corso, across the Campo Vaccino, and up the Strada San Gregorio, heading toward the gates of Saint Sebastian.

Passage Through Rome’s City Gates

At the city gates, the porter initially raises obstacles to their late-night passage, but the Count of Monte Cristo produces an official permit from the governor of Rome authorizing travel into or out of the city at any hour. The portcullis is raised, the porter is paid a louis for his trouble, and the group proceeds on their way.

Arrival at the Catacombs Entrance

The carriage travels the ancient Appian Way, which is lined with tombs; Franz occasionally spots what appear to be sentinels among the ruins, who retreat at signals from Peppino. The group alights near the Baths of Caracalla, where the count tells Franz they will reach the catacombs in ten minutes. He gives Peppino quiet instructions, and Peppino departs with a torch along a narrow Campagna path, vanishing into tall red undergrowth.

Traversal of Catacomb Tunnels

Franz and the count follow Peppino’s path to a small valley, where they meet a bandit lookout accompanying Peppino. The group proceeds to a narrow crevice hidden behind a clump of bushes and rocks that opens into a gradually widening catacomb passage. After stooping to navigate 150 paces of tight tunnel, they are halted by a sentry’s challenge; Peppino vouches for the pair, and they descend 20 steps into a mortuary chamber with five corridors radiating out like star points, lined with stacked burial niches. A faint light glows from one distant corridor, and the count leads the quiet, torch-extinguished Franz toward it, passing through three arcades into a large square chamber lined with similar niches, where they discover a camp of resting bandits.

Meeting Bandit Chief Luigi Vampa

In the large chamber, bandit chief Luigi Vampa is seated with his back turned, reading a book, surrounded by resting brigands with a sentinel posted at a dark grotto. The count silently approaches Vampa, but the sentinel spots the movement and challenges the pair, prompting all bandits to level their carbines at the count. The count calmly addresses Vampa, who recognizes him, apologizes for failing to notice his arrival, orders his men to lower their weapons, and greets the count with respect.

Confrontation Over Albert’s Abduction

The count confronts Vampa over the abduction of Viscount Albert de Morcerf, noting Vampa violated their prior agreement to spare the count and his associates by kidnapping Albert, placing a ransom on him as if he were a complete stranger, even though Albert is the count’s friend and fellow resident of their hotel. Vampa is horrified and remorseful, berating his men for failing to inform him of Albert’s connection to the count, and insisting he would never have targeted Albert had he known the truth.

Finding Albert in His Prison Cell

Franz asks where Albert is being held, and Vampa directs him to the grotto guarded by the sentinel. The sentinel reports Albert has not moved in the past hour, and Vampa opens the grotto door to reveal Albert, wrapped in a cloak lent by one of the bandits, sleeping soundly in a corner of his small prison cell.