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and coarse and his watery eyes spoke of a life which never wandered very far from the wine pot a gilt harp with many and two of its strings missing was tucked under one of his arms while with the other he at his next to him sat two other men of about the same age one with a of for to his coat gave him a dignity which was evidently dearer to him than his comfort for he still drew it round him in spite of the hot glare of the the other in a dirty suit with a long sweeping had a cunning face with keen twinkling eyes and a beard next to him sat john and beside him three other rough fellows with tangled and hair free from the adjoining arms where small patches of property had been suffered to remain scattered about in the heart of the royal the company was completed by a peasant in a rude dress of with the old fashioned is about his legs and a dressed young ld man with striped cloak jagged at the edges and who looked about bim with high disdain upon his and held a blue to bis nose with one hand while be a busy spoon with the other in the corner a very fat man was lying all upon a and evidently in the last stage of that is the the landlady sitting down beside and pointing with the to the sleeping man that is he who the signs and the tokens and alas that ever i should have been fool enough to trust him now young man what manner of a bird would you suppose a to be that being the proper sign of my why said a is a bird of the same form as an eagle or a i can well remember that learned brother who is deep in all the secrets of nature pointed one out to me as we walked together near ridge a or an eagle and that is of two several colors so any man would say except this barrel of lies he came to me look you saying that if i would furnish him with a of ale wherewith to strengthen himself as he worked and also the and a board he would paint for me a noble which i might hang along with the over my door i poor simple fool gave him the ale and all that he leaving him alone too because he said that a man s mind must be left when he had great work to do when i came back the jar was empty and he lay as you see him with the board in front of him with this sorry device she raised up a which was leaning against the wall and showed a rude painting of a and fowl with long legs and a spotted body was that she asked like the bird which thou hast seen shook bis bead smiling ft no nor any other bird that ever a feather it is most like a plucked which has died of the spotted fever and scarlet too what would the sir or sir of court say if they saw such a thing or perhaps even the king s own majesty himself who often has ridden past this way and who loves his as he loves his sons it would be the of my house the matter is not past mending said i pray you good dame to give me those three pots and the brush and i shall try whether i cannot better this painting dame looked doubtfully at him as if fearing some other but as he made no demand for ale she finally brought the and watched him as he on his background talking the while about the folk round the fire the four forest lads must be soon she said they bide at down a mile or more from here they are who tend to the king s hunt the is called ting will he comes from the north country but for many years he hath gone the round of the forest from to he drinks much and pays little but it would make your ribs to hear him sing the jest of he will sing it when the ale has warmed him who are those next to him t asked much interested he of the fur mantle has a wise and face he is a of and very learned in and and and all manner of he wears as you perceive the of the first physician upon his sleeve may good st thomas of grant that it may be long before either i or mine need his help he is here to night for as are the others except the his neighbor is a tooth drawer that bag at his is full of tbe teeth that he drew at fair i warrant u that there are more sound ones than sorry for he is quick at his work and a trifle dim in the eye the man next him with the red head i have not seen before the four on this side are all workers three of them in the service of the of sir and the other he with the is as i hear a from the who hath run from his master his year and day are well nigh up when he will be a free man and the other asked in a whisper he is surely some very great man for he looks as though he scorned those who were about him the landlady looked at him in a way and shook her head tou have had no great with the world she said or you would have learned that it is the small men and not the great who hold their noses in the air look at those upon my wall and under my each of them	4
his face against danger a straight sword by his side and a painted long bow over his shoulder proclaimed his profession while his of chain mail and his steel cap showed that he was no holiday soldier but one who was even now fresh from the wars a white with the lion of st george in red upon the centre covered his broad breast while a of new plucked at the side of his gave a touch of and grace to his grim war worn ha he cried like an owl in the sudden glare good even to you a woman by my soul and in an instant he had dame around the waist and was kissing her violently his eye to wander upon the maid however he instantly abandoned the mistress and danced off after the other who in confusion up one of the and dropped the heavy trap door upon her he then tamed back and saluted the landlady once more with the utmost relish and satisfaction ia ah c est i curse this of french which will stick to my throat i must wash it out with some good english ale by my there is no drop of french blood in my body and i am a true english by name and i tell you that it my very heart roots to set my feet on the dear old land once more when i came off the at this very day i down on my bones and i kissed the good brown earth as i kiss thee now ma for it was eight long years since i had seen it the very smell of it seemed life to me but where are my six i there en i at the order six men dressed as common marched solemnly into the room each bearing a huge bundle upon his head they formed in military line while the soldier stood in front of them with stem eyes checking off their several number one a french feather bed with the two of white said he here worthy sir answered the first of the laying a great down in the corner number two seven of red turkey cloth and nine of cloth of gold put it down by the other good dame give each of these men a of wine or a jack of ale three a full piece of white velvet with twelve of purple silk thou rascal there is t on the hem thou hast brushed it against some wall not i most worthy sir cried the shrinking away from the fierce eyes of the i say yes dog by the three kings i have seen a man gasp out his breath for less had you gone through the pain and that i have done to earn these things you would be at more care i swear by my ten finger bones that there is not one of them that hath not cost its weight in french blood four an incense boat a of silver a gold and a cope worked in pearl f i found them j t tb church of in the of and i took them away with me lest they fall into the hands of the wicked five a cloak of fur turned up with a gold with stand and cover and a box of rose colored sugar see that you lay them together six a box of three pounds of gold work a pair of boots silver and lastly a store of linen so the is complete here is a apiece and you may go go whither worthy sir asked one of the whither to the devil if ye will what is it to me now ma to supper a pair of cold a of or what you will with a or two of the right i have crowns in my my sweet and i mean to spend them bring in wine while the food is dressing my brave lads you shall each empty a with me here was an offer which the company in an english inn at that or any other date are slow to refuse the were and came back with the white foam dripping over their edges two of the and three of the drank their portions off hurriedly and off together for their homes were distant and the hour late the others however drew closer leaving the place of honor to the right of the to the free handed new comer he had thrown off his steel cap and his and had placed them with his sword his quiver and his painted long bow on the top of his varied heap of plunder in the corner now with his thick and somewhat bowed legs stretched in front of the blaze his green thrown open and a great pot held in his fist he looked the of comfort and of his hard set face had softened and the thick crop of crisp brown curls which had been hidden by his grew low upon his massive neck he might have been forty years of age though hai d toil and harder pleasure had left their grim marks upon his features bad ceased painting his and sat brush in hand staring with open eyes at a type of man so strange and bo unlike any whom he had met men had been good or had been bad in his catalogue but here was a man who was fierce one instant and gentle the next with a curse on his lips and a smile in his eye what was to be made of such a man as that it chanced that the soldier looked up and saw the questioning glance which the young clerk threw upon him he raised his and drank to him with a merry flash of his white teeth a mon i he cried hast surely never seen a man at arms that thou stare	4
so i never have said frankly though i have oft heard talk of their deeds by my cried the other if you were to cross the narrow sea you would find them as thick as bees at a tee hole not shoot a bolt down any street of i warrant but you would pink squire or knight there are more than to be seen i promise you and where got you all those pretty things asked john pointing at the heap in the comer where there is as much more waiting for any brave lad to pick it up where a good man can always earn a good and where he need look upon no man as his but just reach his hand out and help himself aye it is a goodly and a proper life and here i drink to mine old comrades and the saints be with them i a rouse all together under pain of my displeasure to sir and the white company sir and the white company shouted the travellers off their well i it is for me to fill your cups again since you have drained them to my dear lads of the white i mon bring wine and ale how runs the old well drink all together to the gray goose feather and the where the flew he roared out the in a voice and ended with a shout of laughter i trust that i am a better than a said he i have some remembrance of the remarked the running his fingers over the strings hoping that it will give tl ee no offence most holy sir with a vicious snap at and with the kind permit of the company i will even venture upon it many a in the after days seemed to see that scene for all that so many which were stranger and more stirring were soon to upon him the fat r d the listening group the with finger beating in time to the music and the huge of john all thrown into red light and black shadow by the flickering fire in the centre memory was tp lovingly back to it at the time he wi s lost in admiration at the way in which the disguised the loss of his two missing strings ai d tb hearty fashion in which he out his little ballad of the which nm in some such fashion a this what of the bow the bow was made in england of true wood of wood the wood of bows so men who are free love the old tree and the land where the tree grows what of the w d y the cord was made in england a rough cord a cord a cord that love so we ll drain our to the english and the land where the was what of the shaft the shaft was cut in a long shaft a strong shaft aad trim and true bo well drink all together to the gray goose feather and the land where the gray goose flew what of the men r the men were bred in england the the the lads of and fell here s to you and to you i to the hearts that are true and the land where the true hearts dwell well by my i shouted the in high delight many a night have i heard that both in the old war time and after in the days of the white company when black of would lead the and four hundred of the best that ever drew string would come roaring in upon the chorus i have seen old john the same who has led half the company into italy stand laughing in his beard as he heard it until his plates rattled again but to get the full of it ye must yourselves be english and be far off upon an soil whilst the song had been singing dame and the maid had placed a board across two and had laid upon it the knife the spoon the salt the of bread and finally the smoking dish which held the supper the settled himself to it like one who had known what it was to find good food scarce but his tongue still went as merrily as his teeth it passes me he cried how all you fellows can bide scratching your backs at home when there are such doings over the seas look at me what have i to do it is but the eye to the cord the cord to the shaft and the shaft to the mark there is the whole song of it it is but what you do yourselves for pleasure upon a sunday evening at the parish village and the asked a you see what the brings he answered i eat of the best and i drink deep i treat my friend and i ask no friend to treat me i clap a silk gown on my girl s back a knight s lady shall be better and how of all that mon on and how of the heap of trifles that you can see for in yonder comer they are from the south french every one upon whom i have been making war by my i think that i may let my plunder speak for itself it seems indeed to be a goodly service said the tooth drawer t te i yes indeed then there is the chance of a why look you in the affair at some four years back when the companies james of and put his army to the sword there was scarce a man of ours who had not count baron or knight peter who was but a common country newly brought over with the english still under his laid his great hands upon the de who owns half and had five thousand crowns out	4
of him with horse and harness tis true that a french took it all off peter as quick as the frenchman paid it but what then by the of string it would be a bad thing if money was not made to be spent and how better than on eh ma it would indeed be a bad thing if we had not our brave to bring wealth and kindly customs into the country dame on whom the soldier s free and open ways had made a deep impression a ma ch said he with his hand over his heart there is la peeping from behind the door a ma mon but the has a good color there is one thing fair sir said the cambridge student in his voice which i would fain that you would make more clear as i understand it there was a peace made at the town of br some six years back between our most gracious monarch and the king of the this being so it seems most passing strange that yon talk so loudly of war and of when there is no quarrel between the french and us meaning that i lie said t e laying down bis knife may heaven for i the student hastily which means in the latin that are all honorable men i come to you seeking knowledge for it is my trade to learn i fear that you i re yet a to that trade the soldier for there is no child over the water but could answer what you ask then that though there may be peace between our own provinces and the french yet within the of france there is always war for the country is much divided against itself and is by bands of and the rest of them when every man s grip iq on his neighbor s throat and every five of a baron is marching with of drum to whom he will it would be a strange thing if five hundred brave english boys could not pick up a living now that sir john hath gone with the east lads and the into the service of the of to fight against the lord of there are but ten of us left yet i trust that i may be able to bring some back with me to fill the ranks of the white company by the tooth of peter it would be a bad thing if i could not muster many a man who would be ready to strike in under the red flag of st george and the more so if sir of should don more and take the lead of ua ah you would indeed be in luck then a for it is said that setting aside the prince and good old sir john there was not in the whole army a man of such tried courage it is every word of it the answered i have seen him with these two eyes in a stricken field ai d never did i an carry himself mon i yes i ye would not credit it to look at him or to to his soft voice but from the from u down to the to paris and that is clear twenty years there was not or battle but sir was in the heart of it i go now to christ church with a letter to him from sir to ask him if he will take the place of sir john and is the more chance that he will if i bring one or two likely men at my heels what say you wilt leave the to loose a shaft at a nobler the shook his head i hare wife and child at down he i would not leave them for a venture you then young sir asked the nay i am a man of peace said besides i have other work t do i growled the soldier striking his on the board until the dishes danced again what in the name of the devil bath come over the folk why sit ye all by the fireside like round a dead horse when there is man s work to be done within a few short of ye out upon you all a set of and bang backs by my i believe that the men of england are all in france already and that what is left behind ue in the women dressed up in their and john you have lied than once and more twice for which and also because i see much in you to i am sorely tempted to lay you upon your back by my then i have found a man at last shouted the and god you are a better man than i take you for if you can lay me on my back mon i have won the ram more times than there toes to my and for seven long years i have d no man in the company who could make my dusty we have had enough and said john rising and throwing off his i will show you that there are better men left in england than ever went to france cried the his and his over with the keen glance of one who is a judge of manhood i have only once before seen such a body of a man by your leave my friend i should be right sorry to exchange with you and i will allow that there is no man in the company who would pull against you on a rope so let that be a to your pride on the other hand i should judge that you have led a life of ease for some months back and that my muscle is harder than your own i am ready to upon myself against you if you are not thou growled big john i never saw the face yet of the man that i	4
nor what had occurred to him suddenly however a flash of intelligence had come over bis features he rose and staggered for the door ware the ale he said in a hoarse whisper shaking a warning finger at the company oh virgin ware the ale and his hands to bis injury he flitted off into the a shout of laughter in which the joined as merrily as the victor the remaining and tbe two were also ready for the road and the rest of tbe company turned to the blankets which and the maid had laid out for upon tbe floor weary with tbe unwonted of the day was soon in a deep slumber only by fleeting visions of legs cursing beggars black robbers and the many strange folk whom he bad met at the chapter vn how thb at early dawn the country inn was all alive for it was rare indeed that an hour of daylight would be at a time when lighting was so scarce and dear indeed early as it was when dame began to stir it seemed that others could be earlier still for the door was and the learned student of cambridge had taken himself off with a mind which was too intent upon the high things of antiquity to stoop to consider the which he owed for bed and board it was the shrill of the landlady when she found her loss and the of the which had streamed in through the open door that first broke in upon the of the tired once it was not long before the company began to a sleek mule with red was brought round from some neighboring shed for the physician and he away with much dignity upon his road to the tooth drawer and the called for a cup of small ale apiece and started off together for fair the old looking very yellow in the eye and swollen in the face after his the however who had drunk more than any man in the room was as merry as a and having kissed the matron and chased the maid up the ladder once more he went out to the brook and came back with the water dripping from his face and hair my man of peace he cried to whither are you bent this morning to he my brother is there and i go to bide with him for a while i let me have my score good dame i cried she standing with hands in front of the on which had worked the night before say rather what it is i owe to thee good youth aye this is indeed a and with a under its claws as i am a living woman by the of but thy touch is and dainty and see the red eye of it i cried the maid aye and the open and the ruffled wing added john by my cried the it is the very bird itself the young clerk flushed with pleasure at this chorus of praise rude and indeed and yet so much and less than any which he had ever heard from the critical brother or the there was it would seem great kindness as well as great wickedness in this world of which he had heard ao little that was good his hostess would hear nothing of his paying either for bed or for board while the and john placed a hand upon either shoulder and led him off to the board where some smoking fish a dish of and a of milk were laid out for their breakfast i should not be surprised to learn mon said the soldier as he heaped a of the fish upon s of bread that you could read written things since you are so ready with your and it would be shame to the good brothers of if i could not he answered seeing that i have been their clerk this ten years the looked at him with great respect think of that said he and you with not a hair to your face and a skin like a girl i can shoot three hundred and fifty paces with my little there and four hundred and twenty with the great war bow yet i can make nothing of thi ii nor read my own name if you were to set sam up against in the whole company there was only one who could read and he fell down a well at the taking of proves th t the thing is not suited to a soldier though needful to a clerk i can make show at it said big john though i was scarce long enough among the to catch the whole trick of it here then is something to try upon the pulling a square of from the inside of his it was tied securely with a broad band of purple silk and firmly sealed at either end with a large ted seal john long over the inscription upon the back with his brows bent as one who bears up against great mental strain not having read much of late he said i am to say too much about what this may be some might say one thing and some another just as one loves the and a second will not shoot save with the ash to me by the length and the look of it i should judge this to be a verse from one of the the shook his head it is scarce likely he said that sir send me all the way across seas with more than a verse you have clean the this time mon give it to the little one i will my that he makes more sense of it why it is written in the french tongue said alley ne and in a right hand this is how it a le et honorable sir de de tr s	4
fiddle sir de la de grand de de le de tenant les de la justice de la et de la in our speech to the very powerful and honorable knight sir of from his very faithful friend sir captain of the white of grand lord of and to the renowned of who holds the rights of the high justice the middle and the low look at that now i the in triumph that is just what ho would have said i see now that it is even so said john examining the again though i scarce this high middle and low by my hi t you would understand it if you were the low justice means that you may him and the middle that you may torture him and the high that you may him that is about the truth of it but this is the letter which i am to take and since the is clean it is time that we up and were tou come with me mon and as to yon little one where did you say that you ah yes i know this forest country well though i was bom myself in the hundred of in the of hard by the village of i have not a word to say against the men for there are no better comrades or truer in the whole company than some who learned to loose the string in these very parts we shall travel round with you to lad seeing that it is little out of our way i am ready said right pleased at the thought of such company upon the road so am not i i must store my plunder at this inn since the hostess is an honest woman i ma ch i wish to leave with you my gold work my velvet my silk my feather bed my incense boat my my linen and all the rest of it i take only the money in a linen bag and the box of rose colored sugar which is a gift from my to the lady wilt guard my treasure for me it shall be put in the safest good come when you may you shall find it ready for you now there is a true friend cried the taking her hand there is a english land and english women say i and french wine and french plunder i shall be back anon mon i am a lonely man my and i must settle some day when the wars are over and done you and i ah m there is la peeping from behind the door now john the sun is over the trees you must be than this when the blows bows and bills have been waiting this time back said john then we must off adieu ma i the two shall settle the score and buy some ribbons against the next do not forget sam for his heart shall ever be thine alone and thine ma so and may st grant us as good quarters elsewhere the sun had risen over and woods and was shining brightly though the eastern wind had a sharp flavor to it and the leaves were flickering thickly from the trees in the high street of the had to pick their way for the little town was crowded with the and who were attached to the king s hunt the king himself was staying at castle but several of his had been compelled to seek such quarters as they might find in the wooden or and cottages of the village here and there a small peeping from a window marked the night s lodging of knight or baron these coats o arms could be read where a would be and the like most men of his age was well in the common of there is the s head of sir he i saw him last at the at some ten years back when he bore himself like a man he is the master of the king s horse and can sing a right jovial d though in that he cannot come nigh to sir john who is first at the board or in the saddle three on a field that must be one of the by the upon it it should be the second son of old sir who had a bolt through his at the of he having rushed the ere his squire had time to clasp his to his there too is the which is the old device of the de i have served under sir thomas de who was as jolly as a pie and a until he got too fat for his harness so the as the three their way among the stamping horses the busy and the knots of pages and who disputed over the merits of their master s horses and deer hounds as they passed the old church which stood upon a mound at the left hand side of the village street the door was flung open and a stream of wound down the sloping path coming from the morning mass all chattering like a of bent knee and hat at the sight of the open door but ere he had finished an ave his comrades were out of sight round the curve of the path and he had to run to overtake them what he said not one word of prayer before god s own open house how can ye hope for his blessing upon the day hy friend said john i have prayed so much during tiie last two months not only during the day but at and the like when i could scarce keep my head upon my shoulders for nodding that i feel that i have somewhat myself how can a man have too much religion cried earnestly it is the one thing that a man is but a beast as he lives from day to day eating	4
and drinking breathing and sleeping it is only when he raises himself and concerns himself with the immortal spirit within him that he becomes in very truth man ye how sad a thing it would w th w af tbe r be to no em the ft if he not li any and j t pi li tbe college of the in t i that one weak and l ur a i to teach another that which he finds it hard to t prettily i that of the it was a had a good in france read to s a the whole truth of the the upon him in the garden in tn th these of his may have holy h t they were of no great account as at arms there wa one indeed peter smote out like a true man h t he ia he did a i ear which w t np very deed by these j ten had i there with black of j and but one score of picked men of the com p we had held em in play co ld we do no more we had at st filled the false knight sir no full i if h w that h purse the day that ever he came on an errand the clerk smiled at his companion s earnestness had be wished h he s id he could have of from heaven so what need had he of poor bow and a besides y u of his own i who live by the ll perish by the sword and how ld man die better asked the a if i had my wish it would be to fall not mark yon in any m t pf the company but in a stricken field with the great banner waving over us and the red in front amid the shouting of my i and the of the strings but let it i be or bolt that strikes me down for x should think it e to die fr n an ir n ball from er ke pr s weapon is only fitted to scare with its foolish noise and smoke i have heard much even in the quiet of these new and dreadful engines it is said though i can scarce bring myself to believe it that they will send a ball twice as far as a can shoot his shaft and with such force as to break through of proof true enough my lad but while the is thrusting in his dust and dropping his ball and lighting his i can very easily loose six shafts or eight maybe so he hath no great after all yet i will not deny that at the of a town it is well to have good store of i am told that at they made in the wall that a man might put his head into but surely comrades some one who is hurt hath passed along this road before us all along the track there did indeed run a scattered straggling trail of blood marks sometimes in single drops and in other places in broad over the dead leaves or the white flint stones it must be a stricken deer said john nay i am enough to see that no deer hath passed this way this morning and yet the blood is fresh but hark to the sound they stood listening all three with side long heads through the silence of the great forest there came a whistling sound mingled with the most groans and the voice of a man raised in a high kind of song the comrades hurried onward eagerly and the brow of a small rising they saw upon the other side the source from which these strange noises arose a tall man much stooped in the shoulders was walking slowly with head and clasped hands in the centre of the path he was dressed from head to foot in a long white linen doth and a high white cap with a i ed cross printed upon it his own was turned back from his shoulders and the flesh there was a sight to make a man for it was all beaten to a and the blood was into his gown and down upon the ground behind him walked a smaller man with his hair touched with gray who was clad in the same white garb he a long rhyme in the french tongue and at the end of every line he raised a thick cord all jagged with of lead and smote his companion across the shoulders until the blood again even as the three stared however there was a sudden change for the smaller man having finished his song loosened his own gown and handed the to the other who took up the once more and lashed his companion with all the strength of his bare and arm so alternately beating and beaten they made their way through the beautiful woods and under the arches of the fading trees where the calm strength and majesty of nature might serve to rebuke the foolish energies and of mankind such a spectacle was new to john and to but the treated it lightly as a common matter enough these are the beating otherwise called the he i marvel that ye should have come upon none of them before for across the water they are as common as i have heard that there are no english among them but that they are from france italy and en that we may have speech with them as they came up to them could hear the which the was bringing down his heavy whip at the end of each line while the groans of the sufferer formed a sort of dismal chorus it was in old french and ran somewhat in this way or fort en la grant pe et sa qui f ut	4
en la t et ft t sa chair et au de ce fort then at the end of the verse the changed hands and the began anew truly holy fathers said the in french as they came abreast of them you have beaten enough for to day the road is all spotted like a at why should ye yourselves thus c est pour p ch s pour p ch s they looking at the travellers with sad lack lustre eyes and then bent to their bloody work once more without heed to the prayers and which were addressed to them finding all remonstrance useless the three comrades hastened on their way leaving these strange travellers to their dreary task cried the there is a or more of my blood over in france but it was all in hot fight and i should think twice before i drew it drop by drop as these are doing by my our young one here is as white as a cheese what is amiss then mon it is nothing answered my life has been too quiet i am not used to such sights ma foi the other cried i have never yet seen a man who was so stout of speech and yet weak of heart not so friend big john it is not weakness of heart for i know the lad well his heart is as good as thine or mine but he hath more in his than ever you will carry under that tin pot of thine and as a he can see further into things so that they weigh upon him more surely to any man it is a sad sight said ho see these holy men who have done no sin themselves suffering so for the sins of others saints are they if in this age any may merit so high a name i count them not a fly cried john for who is the better for all their and they are like other i when all is done let them leave their backs alone and beat the pride out of their hearts by the three kings there is in what you say remarked the besides if i were le bon it would bring me little joy to see a poor devil cutting the flesh off his bones and i should think that he had but a small opinion of me that he should hope to please me by such work no by my i should look with a more loving eye upon an who never a fallen foe and never feared a hale one doubtless you mean no sin said if your words are wild it is not for me to judge them can you not see that there are other foes in this world besides and as much glory to be gained in conquering them would it not be a proud day for knight or squire if he could overthrow seven in the lists here are we in the lists of life and there come the seven black against us sir pride sir sir lust sir anger sir sir envy and sir let a man lay those seven low and he shall have the prize of the day from the hands of the fairest queen of beauty even from the virgin mother herself it is for this that these men their flesh and to set us an example who would ourselves i say again that they are god s own saints and i bow my head to them and so you shall mon replied the i have not heard a man speak better since old died who was at one time to the white company he was a very man but at the battle of he was through the body by a man at arms for this we had an read against the man when next we saw our holy father at but as we had not his name and knew nothing of him save that he rode a gray i have feared sometimes that the may have settled upon the wrong man your company has been then to bow knee before onr holy father the pope the and centre of asked much e ted perchance yon have yourself set eyes upon his august face twice i saw him said the he was a lean little rat of a man with a on his chin the first time we had five thousand crowns out of him though he made much about it the second time we asked ten thousand but it was three days before we could come to terms and i am of opinion myself that we might have done better by the palace his and came forth as i remember to ask whether we would take seven thousand crowns with his blessing and a or the ten thousand with his solemn ban by bell book and candle we were all of one mind that it was best to have the ten thousand with the curse but in some way they prevailed upon sir john so that we were blessed and against our will perchance it is as well for the company were in need of it about that time the pious was deeply shocked by this involuntarily he glanced up and around to see if there were any trace of those flashes and which in the were wont so often to cut short the loose talk of the the sun streamed down as brightly as ever and the peaceful red path still wound in front of them through the rustling yellow tinted forest nature seemed to be too busy with her own concerns to heed the dignity of an outraged yet he felt a sense of weight and reproach within his breast as if he had himself in giving ear to such words the of twenty years cried out against such license it was not until he had thrown himself down before one	4
of the many crosses and had prayed from his heart both for the and for himself that the dark cloud rolled back again from his spirit chapter vm thb s companions had passed on whilst he was at his but his young blood and the fresh morning air both invited him to a his staff in one hand and his in the other with step and floating locks he along the forest path as active and as graceful as a young deer he had not far to go however for on turning a comer he came on a roadside cottage with a wooden fence work around it where stood big john and the staring at something within as he came up with them he saw that two little lads the one about nine years of age and the other somewhat older were standing on the plot in front of the cottage each holding out a round stick in his left hand with his arm stiff and straight from the shoulder as silent and still as two small statues they were pretty blue eyed yellow haired lads well made and sturdy with skins which spoke of a life here are young from an old bow cried the soldier in great delight this is the proper way to raise children by my i could not have trained them better had i the ordering of it myself what is it then asked john they stand very stiff and i trust that they have not been struck so nay they are training their left arms that they may have a steady grasp of the bow so my own father trained me and six days a week i held out his till my arm was as heavy as lead how long will you hold out until the sun is over the great lime tree good master the elder answered rt what would ye be then nay soldiers they cried both together by the beard of my father but ye are of the true breed why so keen then to be soldiers that we may fight the they answered will send us to fight the and why the my pretty lads we have seen french and spanish no further away than but i doubt that it will be some time before the find their way to these parts oar business is with the the elder for it was the who cut off s string and his aye lads it was that said a deep voice from behind s shoulder looking round the saw a gaunt big man with sunken cheeks and a sallow face who had come up behind them he held up his two hands as he spoke and showed that the and two first fingers had been torn away from each of them ma foi cried who hath served thee in so shameful a fashion it is easy to see friend that you were bom far from the of scotland the with a bitter smile north of there is no man who would not know the of devil the black lord james and how fell you into his hands asked john i am a man of the north country from the town of and the of he ed there was a day when from to there was no better mai than robin yet as you see he hath left me as he hath left many another poor border with no grip for bill or bow yet the king hath given me a living here in the and please god these two lads of mine will pay off a debt that hath been owing over long what is the price of s boys twenty lives they answered and for the half a score when they can bend my war bow and bring down a at a hundred paces i send them to take service under the lord of the and governor of by my soul i would give the rest of my fingers to see the within arrow flight of them may you live to see it i the and hark ye take an old soldier s and lay your bodies to the bow drawing from hip and as much as from arm learn also i pray you to shoot with a dropping shaft for though a may at times be called upon to shoot straight and fast yet it is more often that he has to do with a town guard behind a wall or an with his raised when you cannot hope to do him unless your shaft fall straight upon him from the clouds i have not drawn string for two weeks but i may be able to show ye how such shots should be made he loosened his long bow bis quiver round to the front and then glanced keenly round for a fitting mark there was a yellow and withered stump some way off seen under the drooping branches of a lofty oak the measured the distance with his eye and then drawing three shafts he shot them os with such speed that the first had not reached the mark ere the last was on the string each arrow passed high over the oak and of the three two stuck fair into the stump while the third caught in some wandering puff of wind was driven a foot or two to one side good cried the north to him lads he is a master tour says amen to every word he says by my i said if i am to preach on the whole long day would scarce give me time for my sermon we have in the company who will with a shaft every and joint of a man at arms harness from the clasp of his to the of his but with your friend i mast gather my arrows again for while a shaft costs a penny a poor man leave them sticking in way side	4
we must then on our road again and i hope from my heart that you may train these two young here until they are ready for a even at such a as you speak of leaving the and his brood the struck through the scattered huts of down and out on to the broad rolling heath covered deep in and in where of the half wild black forest pigs were about among the the woods about this point fall away to the left and the right while the road curves upward and the wind sweeps keenly over the swelling the broad of glowed red and yellow against the black soil and a who among them turned her white front and her great questioning eyes toward the gazed in admiration at the beauty of the creature but the s fingers played with his quiver and his eyes with the fell instinct which a man to slaughter t te he growled were this france or even we should have a fresh for our law or no law i have a mind to loose a bolt at her i would break your across my knee first cried john laying his great hand upon the bow what man i am forest bom and i know what comes of it in our own of two have lost their eyes and one his skin for this very thing on my i felt no great love when i first saw you but since then i have conceived over much regard for you to wish to see the s at work upon you it is my trade to risk my skin growled the but none the less he thrust his quiver over his hip again and turned his face to the west as they advanced the path still tended upward run from heath into of and and so back into heath again it was joyful to hear the merry whistle of as they darted from one of to the other now and again a colored stream across their way with overgrown banks where the blue flitted busily from side to side or the gray and pensive swollen with and dignity stood ankle deep among the chattering and loud wood thickly overhead while ever and anon the measured tapping of nature s carpenter the great green sounded from each grove on either side as the path mounted the long sweep of country and expanded sloping down on the one side through yellow forest and brown to the distant smoke of and the blue misty channel which lay alongside the sky line while to the north the woods rolled away grove grove to where in the distance the white spire of stood out hard and clear against the sky to whose days had been spent in the low lying the eager air and the wide free country side gave a sense of life and of the joy of living which made his young blood in his veins even the heavy john was not unmoved by the beauty of their road while the whistled or sang of french love songs in a voice which might have scared the most maiden that ever to i have a liking for that north he remarked presently he hath good power of hatred see by his cheek and eye that he is as bitter as i warm to a man who hath some in his liver ah me i sighed would it not be better if he had some love in his heart i would not say nay to that by my i shall never be said to be traitor to the little king let a man love the sex they are made to be loved les from down to shoe string i am right glad mon to see that the good have trained thee so wisely and so well nay i meant not worldly love but rather that his heart should soften toward those who have wronged him the shook his head a man should love those of his own breed said he but it is not in nature that an english bom man should love a or a frenchman ma foi i you have not seen a drove of on their or you would not speak of loving them i would as soon take himself to my arms i fear mon that they have taught thee but badly at for surely a bishop knows more of what is right and what is ill than an can do and i myself with these very eyes saw the bishop of into a with a battle axe which was a passing strange way of showing him that he loved him scarce saw his way to argue in the face of so decided an opinion on the part of a high of the church you have borne arms against the then he asked why man i first string in battle when i was but a lad younger by two years than you at s cross under the lord later i served the of that very john of whom our friend the same who held the king of to ma foi it is rough and a good school for one who would learn to be hardy and war wise i have heard that the are good men of war said john for and for i have not seen their match the answered they can travel too with bag of meal and to their sword belt so that it is ill to follow them there are scant crops and few in the where a man must reap his grain with in one fist and in the other on the other hand they are the that i have ever seen and cannot so much as aim with the to say of the long bow again they are mostly poor folk even the among them so that there are few who can buy as good a of as that which i	4
am wearing and it is ill for them to stand up against our own knights who carry the price of five scotch farms upon their chest and shoulders man for man with equal weapons they are as worthy am men as could be found in the whole of and the french asked to whom the s light gossip had all the relish that the words of the man of action have for the the french are also very worthy men we have had great good fortune in france and it hath led to much and camp fire talk but i have ever noticed that those who know the most have the least to say about it i have seen fight both in open field in the and the defending of towns or in night and spear their knights and lad are every whit as good as ours and i could pick out a score of those who ride behind du who would hold the lists with sharpened against the best men in the of england on the other hand their common folk are so crushed down with and tax and every manner of cursed that the spirit has passed right out of them it is a plan to teach a man to be a cur in peace and think that he will be a lion in war them like sheep and sheep they will remain if the had not conquered the poor folk it is like enough that we should not have conquered the but they must be sorry folk to bow down to the rich in such a fashion said big john i am but a poor of england myself and yet i know something of liberties privileges customs and the like if these be broken then all men know that it is time to buy arrow heads aye but the men of the law are strong in france as well mb the men of war by my i i hold that a man has more to fear there from the ink pot of the one than from the iron of the other there is ever some cursed in their strong boxes to prove that the rich man should be richer and the poor man poorer it scarce pass in england bat they are quiet folk over the water and what other nations have you seen in your travels good sir asked his young mind for plain facts of life after the long course of speculation and of on which he had been trained i have seen the low in arms and i have to say against him heavy and slow is he by nature and is not to be brought into battle for the sake of a lady s or the of a s string like the blood of the south but ma f oi lay hand on his wool or trifle with his velvet of and out every stout like bees from the tee hole ready to lay on as though it were his one business in life by our lady they have shown the french at and elsewhere that they are as in steel as in it and the men of spain they too are very hardy soldiers the more so as for many hundred years they have had to hard against the cursed followers of the black who have pressed upon them from the south and still as i understand hold the fairer half of the country i had a turn with them upon the sea when they came over to and the good queen with her ladies sat upon the cliffs looking down at us as if it had been or by my it was a sight that was worth the seeing for all that was best in england was out on the water that day we went forth in little ships and came back in great for of fifty tall ships of spain over two score flew the cross of st george ere the sun had set but now i have answered you freely and i it is time that you answered me let things be and plain between us i am a man who shoots straight at his mark you saw the things i had with me at yonder name which you will save only the box of rose colored sugar which i take to the lady and you shall have it if you will but come with me to france nay said i would gladly come with ye to france or where else ye will just to list to your talk and because ye are the only two friends that i have in the whole wide world outside of the but indeed it may not be for my duty is toward my brother seeing that father and mother are dead and he my elder besides when ye talk of taking me to france ye do not conceive how useless i should be to you seeing that neither by training nor by nature am i fitted for the wars and there seems to be but strife in those parts that comes from my fool s talk cried the for being a man of no learning myself my tongue turns to blades and even as my hand does know then that for every in england there are twenty in france for every statue cut shrine screen or what else might please the eye of a learned clerk there are a good hundred to our one at the of i have seen chambers stored with writings though not one man in our company could read them again in and and other towns that i could name there are the great arches and still standing which were built of old by giant men who came from the south can i not see by your brightened eye how you would love to look upon these things come then with me and by these ten finger	4
bones i there is not one of them which you shall not see i should indeed love to look upon them answered but i have come from for a purpose and i must be true to my service even as thou art true to thine you again mon ami that you might do much good yonder since there are three hundred men in the company and none who has ever a word of grace for them and yet the virgin knows that there was never a set of men who were in more need of it the one duty may balance the other your brother hath done without you this many a year and as i gather he hath never walked as far as to see you during all that time so he cannot be in any great need of you besides said john the of is a through the forest from hill to walk he is a drunken perilous as you may find to your cost the more reason that i should strive to mend him there is no need to urge me friends for my own wishes would draw me to france and it would be a joy to me could i go with you but indeed and indeed it cannot be so here i take my leave of you for yonder square tower amongst the trees upon the right must surely be the church of and i may reach it by this path through the woods well be with thee lad cried the pressing to his heart i am quick to love and quick to hate and fore ood i am to part would it not be well said john we should wait here and see what manner of greeting you have from your brother tou may prove to be as welcome as the king s to the village dame nay nay he answered ye must not bide for me for where i go i stay yet it may be as well that you should know whither we go said the we shall now journey south through the woods until we come out upon the road and so onward hoping to night to reach the castle of sir william earl of of which sir is there we shall bide and it is like enough that for a month or more you may find us there ere we are ready for our back to france it was hard indeed for to break away from these two new but hearty friends and so strong was the combat between his conscience and his inclinations that he dared not look round lest his resolution should slip away from him it was not until he was deep among the that he cast a glance backwards when he found that he could still see them through the branches on the road above him the was standing with folded arms his bow from over his shoulder and the sun gleaming brightly upon his head piece and the links of his chain mail beside him stood his giant still clad in the and ill fitting garments of the fuller of with arms and legs shooting out of his scanty garb even as watched them they turned upon their heels and off together upon their way chapter ix how things in wood ths path which the young had now to follow lay through a magnificent forest of the very heaviest timber where the giant of oak and of formed long in every direction shooting up their huge branches to build the majestic arches of nature s own cathedral beneath lay a broad carpet of the and moss over with fallen leaves but yielding pleasantly to the foot of the ti the track which guided him was one so seldom used that in places it lost itself entirely among the grass to as a between the distant tree trunks it was very still hei e in the heart of the the gentle rustle of the branches and the distant of were the only sounds which broke in upon the silence save that once heard afar off a merry call upon a hunting and the shrill of the hounds it was not without some emotion that he looked upon the scene around him for in spite of his secluded life he knew enough of the ancient greatness of his own family to be aware that the time had been when they had held and sway over all that tract of country his father could trace his pure saxon back to that who had held the of and of at the time when the first set foot upon english soil the of the district however and its into a royal had off a large section of his estate while other parts had been as a punishment for his supposed in an saxon rising the fate of the had been typical of that of his descend daring three hundred years their had gradually contracted sometimes through royal or and sometimes through such gifts to the church as that with which s father had opened the doors of abbey to his younger son the of the family had thus but they still retained the old saxon house with a couple of farms and a grove large enough to afford to a hundred pigs de as the old family describe it above all the owner of the soil could still hold his head high as the veritable of that is as holding the land in free with no superior and to no man lower than the king knowing this alley ne felt some little glow of worldly pride as he looked for the first time upon the land with which so many generations of his ancestors had been associated he pushed on the quicker his staff merrily and looking out at every turn of the path for some sign of the old saxon residence he was suddenly arrested however	4
by the appearance of a wild looking fellow armed with a club who sprang out from behind a tree and barred his passage he was a rough powerful peasant with cap and of leather breeches and round legs and feet stand he shouted raising his heavy to enforce the order who are you who walk so freely through the wood whither would you go and what is your errand why should i answer your questions my friend said standing on his guard because your tongue may save your but where have i looked upon your face before no longer ago than last night at the the clerk answered the escaped who had been so as to his wrongs by the virgin yes you were the little clerk who sat bo in the corner and then cried on the what hast in the of any price how can i tell that clerk let me see fool i could pull you limb from limb like a what would you have hast forgot that we are alone far from all men how can your help you lose and life too i will part with neither without a fight a fight a fight cock and new chicken thy fighting days may soon be over asked me in the name of charity i would have given freely cried as it stands not one shall you have with my free will and when i see my brother the of he will raise hue and cry from to from hundred to hundred until you are taken as a common robber and a to the country the sank his club the s brother i he gasped now by the keys of peter i i had rather that hand withered and tongue was ere i had struck or you if you are the s brother you are one of the right side i warrant for all your dress his brother i am replied but even if i were not is that reason why you should me on the king s ground i give not the of an apple for king or for noble cried the passionately have i had from them and ill i shall repay them i am a good friend to my friends and by the virgin i an evil to my foes and therefore the worst of to said but i pray you since you seem to know him to point out to me the shortest path to my brother s house the was about to reply when the clear ringing call of a burst from the wood close behind them and caught sight for an instant of the side and white breast of a swiftly the distant tree trunks a minute later the shaggy a dozen or fourteen of them running on a hot scent with nose to earth and tail in air as they streamed past the silent forest around broke suddenly into loud life with galloping of hoofs of and the short sharp cries of the hunters close behind the pack rode a and a on the and encouraging the leaders in the shrill half french which was the language of and was still gazing after them listening to the loud a i a a with which they called upon their favorite hounds when a group of out through the at the very spot where the and he were standing the one who led was a man between fifty and sixty years of age war worn and weather beaten with a broad thoughtful forehead and eyes which shone brightly from under his fierce and brows his beard thickly with gray forward from his chin and spoke of a passionate nature while the long finely cut face and firm mouth marked the leader of men his figure was erect and and he rode his horse with the careless grace of a man whose life had been spent in the saddle in common garb his face and flashing eye would have marked him as one who was born to rule but now with his silken powdered with golden de lis his velvet mantle lined with the royal and the lions of stamped in silver upon his harness none could fail to recognize the noble edward most warlike and powerful of all the long line of fighting who had ruled the race hat and bowed head at the sight of him but the folded his hands and leaned them upon his looking with little love at the knot of and knights who rode behind the king ha cried edward up for an instant his n powerful black le est y hon loi tu the deer said a hard man who rode at the king s elbow if ye have headed it back it is as much as your ears are worth it passed by the there said pointing and the hounds were hard at its heels it is well cried edward still speaking in french for though he could understand english he had never learned to express himself in so barbarous and a tongue by my faith he continued half turn ing in his saddle to address his escort unless my is sadly at fault it is a of six and the finest that we have roused this journey a golden st to the man who is the first to sound the he shook his bridle as he spoke and thundered away his knights lying low upon their horses and galloping as hard as whip and spur would drive them in the hope of winning the king s prize away they drove down the long green bay horses black and gray clad in every shade of velvet fur or silk with of brazen horn and flash of knife and spear one only lingered the black baron who making a which brought him within arm sweep of the him across the face with his riding whip dog he when a monarch to lower his	4
with pink was all stained with earth and with moss upon one side from shoulder to hem he stood in the shadow of an oak staring at her with parted lips for this woman seemed to him to be the most beautiful and graceful creature that mind could conceive of such had he imagined the angels and such he had tried to paint them in the but here there was something human were it only in the battered hawk and dress which sent a and thrill through his nerves such as no dream of radiant and spirit had ever yet been able to up good quiet mother nature long and still her time and draws to her bosom the most of her children the two walked swiftly across the meadow to the narrow bridge he in front and she a pace or two behind there they paused and stood for a few minutes face to face talking earnestly had read and had heard of love and of lovers such were these doubtless this golden bearded man and the fair with the cold proud face why else should they wander together in the woods or be bo lost in talk by streams and yet as he uncertain whether to advance from the cover or to choose some other path to the house he soon came to doubt the truth of this first conjecture the man stood tall and square the entrance to the bridge and throwing out his hands as he spoke in a wild eager fashion while the deep tones of his stormy voice rose at times into accents of menace and of anger she stood in front of him still her bird but twice she threw a swift questioning glance over her shoulder as one who is in search of aid so moved was the young clerk by these mute appeals that he came forth from the trees and crossed the meadow uncertain what to do and yet to hold back from one who might need his aid so intent were they upon each other that neither took note of his approach until when he was close upon them the man threw his arm roughly round the s waist and drew her toward him she straining her figure away and striking fiercely at him while the hawk screamed with ts and blindly in its mistress s defence bird and maid however had but little chance against their who laughing loudly caught her wrist in one hand while he drew her toward him with the other the best rose has ever the longest thorns said he quiet little one or you may do yourself a hurt must pay saxon toll on saxon land my proud for all your airs and graces you she you base is this your care and your hospitality i would rather wed a from my father s fields leave go i say ah good youth i heaven has sent you make him loose me by the honor of your mother i pray you to stand by me and to make this loose me stand by you i will and that said surely sir you should take shame to hold the against her will the man turned a face upon him which was lion like in its strength and in its wrath with his of golden hair his fierce eyes and his large well marked features he was the most comely man whom had ever seen and yet there was something so sinister and so fell in his expression that child or beast might well have shrunk from him his brows were drawn his cheek flushed and there was a mad sparkle in his eyes which spoke of a wild nature fool he cried holding the woman still to his side though every line of her shrinking figure spoke her do you keep your spoon in your own i you to go on your way lest worse befall you this little has come with me and with me she shall bide liar t cried the woman and stooping her head she suddenly bit fiercely into the broad brown band which held her he whipped it back with an oath while she tore herself free and slipped behind up against him like the who sees the for the above him stand off my land the man said fiercely heedless of the blood which freely from his fingers what have you to do here by your dress you should be one of those cursed clerks who the land like vile rats and into other men s concerns too to fight and too lazy to work by the if i had my will upon ye i should nail you upon the abbey doors as they hang before their holes art neither man nor woman young get thee back to thy fellows ere i lay hands upon you for your foot is on my land and i may you as a common draw latch is this your land then gasped would you dispute it dog would you wish by trick or to me out of these last acres know base bom that you have dared this day to stand in the path of one whose race have been the of kings and the leaders of hosts ere ever this vile crew of robbers came into the or such half blood w bounds as you were let loose to preach that the thief should have his and the honest man should sin if he strove to win back his own tou are the of that am i and the son of the of the pure blood of the by the only daughter of the house of whose forefathers held the white horse banner at the fatal fight where our shield was broken and our sword shivered i tell you clerk that my folk held this land from wood to the road and by the soul of my father it will be	4
a strange thing if i am to be bearded upon the little that is left i say and not with my affair if you leave me now whispered the woman shame forever upon your manhood surely sir said speaking in as and soothing a way as he could if your birth is gentle there is the more reason that your manners should be gentle too i am well persuaded that you did but jest with this lady and that you will now permit her to leave your land either alone or with me as a guide if she should need one through the wood as to birth it does not become me to boast and there is in what you say as to the of clerks but it is none the less true that i am as well bom as you dog cried the furious there is no man in the south who can say as much yet can i said smiling for indeed i also am the son of the of the pure blood of the by the only daughter of of surely dear brother he continued holding out his hand you have a warmer greeting than this for me there are but two boughs left upon this old saxon trunk his elder brother dashed his hand aside with an oath while an expression of malignant hatred passed over his passion drawn features you are the young of then said he i might have known it by the sleek face and the manner too ridden and in spirit to answer a rough word thy father with all his faults had a man s heart and there were few who look him in the eyes on the day of his anger but you look there rat on yonder field where the cows and on that other beyond and on the orchard hard by the church do you know that all these were squeezed out of your dying father by greedy priests to pay for your in the i i the am of my lands that you may and eat bread for which you never yet did hand s turn tou rob me first and now you would come preaching and in search of another field or two for your friends my dogs shall be set upon you but meanwhile stand out of my path and stop me at your peril as he spoke he rushed forward and throwing the lad to one side caught the roman s wrist however as active as a young deer hound sprang to her aid and seized her by the other aim raising his iron shod staff as he did so you may say what you will to me he said between his clenched teeth it may be no better than i deserve but brother or no i swear by my hopes of salvation that i will break your arm if you do not leave hold of the maid there was a ring in his voice and a flash in his eyes which promised that the blow would follow quick at the heels of the word for a moment the blood of the long line of hot headed was too strong for the soft of the doctrine of and mercy he was conscious of a fierce wild thrill through his nerves and throb of mad gladness at his heart as his real human self burst for an instant the bonds of custom and of teaching which had held it so long the sprang back looking to left and to right for some stick or stone which might serve him for weapon but finding none he turned and ran at the top of his speed for the house blowing the while upon a shrill whistle come gasped the woman fly friend ere he come back nay let him come cried i shall not a foot for him or his dogs come come she cried at his arm i know the man he will kill you come for the virgin s sake or for my sake for i cannot go and leave you here come then said he and they ran together to the cover of the woods as they gained the edge of the looking back saw his brother come running out of the house again with the sun gleaming upon his hair and his beard he held something which flashed in his right hand and he stooped at the threshold to the black hound this way the woman whispered in a low voice the bushes to that ash do not me i can run as fast as you i now into the stream right in over ankles to throw the dog oflf though i think it is but a common cur like its master as she spoke she sprang herself into the shallow stream and ran swiftly up the centre of it with the brown water over her feet and her hand outstretched to ward off the clinging branches of or alley ne followed close at her heels with his mind in a whirl at this black welcome and sudden shifting of all his plans and hopes yet grave as were his thoughts they would still turn to wonder as he looked at the twinkling feet of his guide and saw bet figure bend this way and that dipping under boughs springing over stones with a lightness and ease which made it no small task for him to keep up with her at last when he was almost out of breath she suddenly threw herself down upon a bank between two bushes and looked at her own dripping feet and skirt holy mary said she what shall i do mother will keep me to my chamber for a month and make me work at the of the nine bold knights she as last week when i fell into and yet she knows that i cannot abide needle work still standing in the	4
strove to hale me up to it and then ah h h h i she shivered and like one in an fit what is it cried looking about in alarm nothing friend nothing i i was but thinking how i bit into hi a sooner would i bite living oi poisoned snake oh i shall my lips forever but you how brave you were and how quick how meek for yourself and how bold for a stranger if i were a man i should wish to do what you have done it was a thing he answered with a of pleasure at these sweet words of praise but you what will you do there is a great oak near here and i think that will bring the horses there for it is an old of ours then hey for home and no more to day a twelve mile gallop will dry feet and skirt but your father not one word shall i tell him you do not know him but i can tell you he is not a man to as i have him he would me it is true but it is not to him that i shall look for vengeance some day perchance in or in some knight may wish to wear my colors and then i shall tell him that if he does indeed my favor there is wrong and the the of so my knight shall find a venture such as bold knights love and my debt shall be paid and my father none the wiser and one rogue the less in the world say is not that a brave plan nay lady it is a thought which is unworthy of you how can such as you speak of violence and of vengeance are none to be gentle and kind none to be piteous and alas it is a hard cruel world and i would that i had never left my abbey cell to hear such words from your lips is as though i heard an angel of grace preaching the devil s own creed she started from him as a young who first feels the bit for your young sir she said with a little courtesy as i understand your words you are grieved that you ever met me and look upon me as a preaching devil why my father is a bitter man when he is but hath never called me such a name as that it may be his right and duty but it is none of thine so it would be best since you think so lowly of me tbat yon should take this path to the left while i keep on upon this one for it is clear that i can be no fit companion for you so saying with downcast and a dignity which was somewhat by her skirt she swept off down the ruddy track leaving standing staring after her he waited in vain for some backward glance or sign of but she walked on with a rigid neck until her dress was only a white among the leaves then with sunken head and a heavy heart he wearily down the other path with himself for the rude and uncouth tongue which had given offence where so little was intended he had gone some way lost in doubt and in his mind all tremulous with a thousand thoughts and fears and when of a sudden there was a light rustle of the leaves behind him and glancing round there was this graceful swift footed creature treading in his very shadow with her proud head bowed even as his was the picture of humility and repentance i shall not vex you nor even speak she said but i would fain keep with you while we are in the wood nay you cannot vex me he answered all warm again at the very sight of her it was my rough words which vexed you but i have been thrown among men all my life and indeed with all the will i scarce know how to temper my speech to a lady s ear then it cried she quickly say that i was right to wish to have vengeance on the nay i cannot do that he answered gravely then who is and unkind now she cried in triumph how stern and cold you are for one so young i art surely no mere clerk but bishop or cardinal at the least have for staff and for cap well well for your sake i will forgive the and take vengeance on none but on my own wilful self who must needs run into danger s path will that please you sir r there spoke your true self said he and you will find more pleasure in such forgiveness than in any vengeance she shook her head as if by no means assured of it and then with a sudden little cry which had more of surprise than of joy in it here is with the horses down the there came a little green clad page with laughing eyes and long curls floating behind him he sat perched on a high bay horse and held on to the bridle of a spirited black the hides of both glistening from a long run i have sought you everywhere dear lady said he in a voice springing down from his horse and holding the galloped as far as ere i could catch him i trust that you have had nd hurt or he shot a questioning glance at as he spoke no said she thanks to this courteous stranger and now sir she continued springing into her saddle it is not fit that i leave you without a word more clerk or no you have acted this day as becomes a true knight king arthur and all his table could not have done more it may be that as	4
some small return my father or his kin may have power to advance your interest he is not rich but he is honored and hath great friends tell me what is your purpose and see if he may not aid it alas lady i have now no purpose i have but two friends in the world and they have gone to where it is likely i shall join them and where in at the castle which is held by the brave knight sir to the earl of to his surprise she burst out a laughing and her dashed off down the with her page riding behind her not one word did she say but as she vanished amid the trees she half turned in her saddle and a last time be stood half hoping that she might again back to him but the of the had died away and there was no sound in all the woods but the gentle rustle and dropping of the leaves at last he turned away and made his way back to the high road another person from the light hearted boy who had left it a short three hours before x bow john found might follow if he might not return to within the year and if his brother s dogs were to be set upon him if he showed face upon land then indeed he was adrift upon earth north south east and west he might turn where he would but all was equally chill and cheerless the had rolled ten silver crowns in a leaf and hid them away in the bottom of his but that would be a sorry support for twelve long months in all the darkness there was but the one bright spot of the sturdy comrades whom he had left that morning if he could find them again all would be well the afternoon was not very advanced for all that had befallen him when a man is at cock crow much may be done in the day if he walked fast he might yet overtake his friends ere they reached their destination he pushed on therefore now walking and now running as he he bit into a crust which remained from his bread and he washed it down with a draught from a stream it was no easy or light thing to journey through this great forest which was some twenty miles from east to west and a good sixteen from woods in the north to in the south alley ne however had the good fortune to fall in with a axe upon shoulder along in the very direction that he wished to go with his guidance he passed the fringe of walk famous for old ash and through mark ash with its giant trees and on through the groves where the giant was already a great tree but only one of many comely brothers they along together the and with little talk on either side for their thoughts were as far asunder as the poles the peasant s gossip had been of the hunt of the of the gray that had in wood and of the great catch of brought back by the boats of deep the clerk s mind was on his brother on his future above all on this strange fierce melting beautiful woman who had broken so suddenly into his life and as suddenly had passed out of it again so lie and so random his answers that the took to whistling and soon off upon the track to leaving upon the main road down this he pushed as fast as he might hoping at every turn and rise to catch sight of his companions of the morning from ridge to walk the woods grow thick and dense up to the very edges of the track but beyond the country opens up into broad colored with of trees and each other in long low curves up to the dark lines of forest in the distance clouds of insects danced and in the golden autumn light and the air was full of the of the song birds long shot across the path or hung tremulous with wings and gleaming bodies once a white sea eagle screaming high over the traveller s bead and again a flock of brown up from among the and away in their clumsy fashion half running half flying with cry and of wings there were folk too to be met upon the road beggars and and cheery fellows for the most part with a rough jest and homely greeting for each other and for near he came upon five on their way from to rude red faced men who shouted at him in a which he could scarce understand and held out to him a great pot from which they had been drinking nor would they let him pass until he had dipped in and taken a which set him and choking with the tears running down his cheeks further on he met a sturdy black bearded man mounted on a brown horse with a in his right hand and a long two handed sword against his iron by his black robe and the eight pointed cross upon his sleeve recognized him as one of the knights of st john of whose was at he held up two fingers as he passed with a hat and bent knee looking with much reverence at one who had devoted his life to the overthrow of the poor simple lad he had not learned yet that what men are and what men profess to be are very wide asunder and that the knights of st john having come into large of the riches of the were very much too comfortable to think of exchanging their palace for a tent or the of england for the thirsty deserts of yet ignorance may be more precious than	4
his bread while the twain disputed across his knees leaning forward with flushed faces and darting hands in all the heat of argument never had he heard such of philosophy such fine drawn distinctions such cross fire of major and minor proposition attack and question upon answer like a sword on a the the fathers of the church the the the were each sent against the other while the rain still and the dark leaves with the moisture at last the fat man seemed to weary of it for he set to work quietly upon his meal while his opponent as proud as the who is left upon the away in a last long burst of quotation and suddenly however his eyes dropped upon his food and he gave a howl of dismay tou double thief he cried you have eaten my and i without bite or sup since morning that the other was my final my crowning effort or as the have it for since all thoughts are things you have but to think a pair of and then up a of milk wherewith to wash them down a brave piece of reasoning cried the other and i know of but one reply to it on which leaning forward he caught his comrade a rousing across his rosy cheek nay take it not amiss he said since all things are but thoughts then that also is but a thought and may be disregarded this last argument however by no means commended itself to the pupil of who plucked a great stick from the ground and signified his by the over the with it by good fortune the wood was so light and rotten that it went to a thousand but thought it best to leave the twain to settle the matter at their leisure the more so as the sun was shining brightly once more looking back down the pool strewn road he saw the two excited philosophers waving their hands and shouting at each other but their soon became a mere in the distance and a turn in the road hid them from his sight and now after passing walk and the heath the forest began to out into scattered of trees with gleam of and stretch of pasture land between here and there by the stood little knots of and huts with shock haired lounging by the doors and red children in the back among the groves he could see the high ends and roofs of the houses on whose fields these men found employment or more often a thick dark column of smoke marked their position and hinted at the coarse plenty within by these signs knew that he was on the very fringe of the forest and therefore no great way from the sun was lying low in the west and shooting its level rays across the long sweep of rich green country on the white sheep and throwing long shadows from the red who knee deep in the right glad was the traveller to see the high tower of gleaming in the mellow evening light and still when on a comer he his comrades of the morning seated upon a fallen tree they had a flat space before them on which they alternately threw little square pieces of bone and were so intent upon their occupation that they never raised eye as he approached them he observed with astonishment as he drew near that the s bow was on john s back the s sword by john s side and the steel cap laid upon the tree trunk between them de ma shouted looking down at the never had i such cursed luck a on the bones i have not thrown a good main since i left a one and a three en four and three cried john counting on his great fingers that makes seven ho i have thy cap now have at for thy mon he growled i am like to reach in ray shirt then suddenly glancing up by the splendor of heaven here is our now by my ten finger bones this is a rare sight to mine eyes he sprang up and threw his arms round s neck while john no less pleased but more backward and saxon in his habits stood grinning and by the with his newly won steel cap stuck wrong side foremost upon his of red hair hast come to stop cried the patting all over in his delight shall not get away from us again i wish no better said he with a in the eyes at this hearty greeting well said lad i cried big john we three shall to the wars together and the devil may fly away with the of i but your feet and are all hast been in the water or i am the more mistaken i have in answered and then as they on their way he told them the many things that had befallen him his meeting with the his sight of the king his upon his brother with all the tale of the black welcome and of the fair they strode on either side each with an ear toward him but ere he had come to the end of his story the had spun round upon his heel and was hastening back the way they had come breathing loudly through his nose what then asked trotting after him and at his i am back for lad and why in the name of sense to thrust a handful of steel into the what hale a against her will and then loose dogs at his own brother let me go cried laughing there was no done come back friend and so by mingled pushing and entreaties they got his head round for once more yet he walked with his chin upon his shoulder until catching sight of a maiden by a well the smiles came back	4
to his face and peace to his heart but you said there have been changes with you also why should not the workman carry his tools where are bow and sword and cap and why so warlike john it is a game which friend hath been a me and i found him an over apt pupil grumbled the he hath stripped me as though i had fallen into the hands of the but by my you must render them back to me lest you bring upon my mission and i will pay you for them at s prices take them back man and never heed the pay said john i did but wish to learn the feel of them since i am like to have to my own for some years to come ma foi he was bom for a free companion cried he hath the very trick of speech and turn of thought i take them back then and indeed it gives me not to feel my tapping against my but see on this side of the church rises the square and tower of earl s castle and even from here i seem to see on yonder banner the red of the bed upon white aid his eyes but whether or no is more than i could how black is the great tower and how bright the gleam of arms upon the wall see below the flag how it like a star aye it is the steel head piece of the remarked the but we must on if we are to be there before the rises at the for it is likely that sir being so renowned a soldier may keep hard discipline within the walls and let no man enter after so saying he quickened his pace and the three comrades were soon close to the straggling and broad spread town which round the noble church and the frowning castle it chanced on that very evening that sir having before sunset as was his custom and having himself seen that and his two with the thirteen the five my lady s three and the great gray had all their needs supplied had taken his dogs for an evening sixty or seventy of them large and small smooth and shaggy deer hound hound blood hound wolf hound snapping yelling and with score of tongues and waving tails came down the narrow w which leads from the to tb of two with loud and walked deep amid the swarm guiding and behind came sir himself with lady upon his arm the pair walking slowly and as both their age and their condition while they watched with a smile in their eyes the crowd in front of them they paused however at the bridge and leaning their elbows upon the stone work they stood looking down at their own faces in the stream and at the swift flash of against the gravel sir was a slight man of poor stature with soft voice and gentle ways so short was he that his wife who was no very tall woman had the better of him by the breadth of three fingers his sight having been injured in his early wars by a of lime which had been emptied over him when he led the earl of s up the breach at he had contracted something of a stoop with a peering expression of face his age was six and forty but the constant practice of arms together with a life had preserved his activity and endurance so that from a distance he seemed to have the slight limbs and swift e of a boy his face however was of a dull yellow tint with a look which spoke of rough out door doings and the little pointed beard which he wore in deference to the prevailing fashion was and shot with gray his features were small delicate and regular with clear cut nose and eyes which forward from the his dress was simple and yet a hat of bearing in the band the token of our lady of was drawn low upon the left side to hide that ear which had been partly from his head by a man at arms in a camp before his or and trunk were of a purple color with long which hung from either sleeve to below bis his shoes were pf red leather pointed at the toes but not yet prolonged to the extravagant which the succeeding reign was to bring into fashion a gold embroidered belt of encircled his with his arms five roses on a field worked upon the clasp so stood sir upon the bridge of and talked lightly with his lady and had the two alone been seen and the stranger been asked which were the more likely to belong to the bold warrior whose name was loved by the of europe he had assuredly selected the lady s her face was large and square and red with fierce thick brows and the eyes of one who was accustomed to rule taller and broader than her husband her flowing gown of and fur lined could not conceal the gaunt and outlines of her figure it was the age of martial women the deeds of black of of lady and of the of were still fresh in the public mind with such examples before them the wives of the english captains had become as warlike as their mates and ordered the castles in their absence with the prudence and discipline of easy were the of their castle of and little had they to dread from or french while lady mary had the ordering of it yet even in that age it was thought that though a lady might have a soldier s heart it was scarce as well that she should have a soldier s face there were men who said that of all the stem passages and daring	4
deeds by which sir had proved the true temper of his courage not the least was his and winning of so forbidding a dame i tell you my fair lord she was saying that it is no fit training for a and hounds and singing a french or reading the de de as i found her night pretending sleep the artful with the corner of the lit forth from her pillow her father of the that is her answer how shall all this help her when she has castle of her own to keep with a hundred mouths m for beef and beer true my sweet bird true answered the knight picking a from his gold the maid is like the young which heels and for very lust of life give her time dame give time well i know that my father would given me not time but a good across my shoulders ma foi i i know not what the world is coming to young maids may their elders i wonder that do not correct her my fair lord nay my heart s comfort i never raised hand to woman yet it would be a passing strange thing if i began upon my own flesh and blood it was a d hand which cast this lime into mine eyes and though i saw her well have stopped her ere she threw i deemed it unworthy of my to hinder or one of her sex the cried lady her broad right hand i would i had been at the side of her i and bo would i since you would have been the nearer me my own i doubt not that you are right and that s wings need which i may leave in your hands when i am gone for in this peaceful life is not for me e it not for your gracious kindness and loving care i could not abide it a week i that there is talk of warlike muster at once more and by st paul i it would be a new thing if the lions of england and the red pile of were to be seen in the field and the roses of were not waving by their side now woe worth me but i feared it cried she with the color all struck from her face i have noted your absent mind your eye your ti and of old harness consider my sweet lord that you have im already won honor that we have been but little of other that you bear upon your body the of over twenty wounds received in i know not how many bloody have you not done enough for honor and the public cause my lady when our lord the king at three score years and my lord at and ten are and ready to lay lance in rest for england s cause it would ill me to of service done it is that i have received seven and twenty wounds there is the more reason that i should be thankful that i am still long of breath and sound in limb i have also seen some and six great land battles i count with four upon the sea and seven and fifty and i have held two and twenty towns and i have been at the of thirty one surely then it would be bitter shame to me and also to you since my fame is yours that i should now hold back if a man s work is to be done besides you how low is our purse with and ever of empty farms and wasting lands were it not for this which the earl of hath bestowed upon us we could scarce the state which is fitting to our degree therefore my there is the more need that i should turn to where there is good pay to be earned and brave to be won ah my dear lord she with sad weary eyes i thought that at last i had you to mine own self even though your youth had been spent afar from my side yet my voice as i know well should speed you on to glory and renown not hold you back when fame is to be won yet what can i say for all men know that your needs the and not the spur it goes to my heart that you should ride forth now a mere knight bachelor when there is no noble in the land who hath so good a claim to the square save only that you have not the money to it and whose fault is that my sweet bird said he tn no my fair lord but a for how many have you won and yet have scattered the among page and and until in a week yoa had not as as would buy food and it is a most and yet money how can man rise dirt and cried he what matter rise or fall so that duty be done and honor gained or bachelor square or i would not give a for the difference and the less since sir john chosen flower of english chivalry is himself but a humble knight but meanwhile fret not my heart s dove for it is like that there may be no war and we must await the news but here are three strangers and one as i take it a soldier fresh from service it is likely that he may give us word of what is stirring over the water lady glancing up saw in the fading light three companions abreast down the road all gray with dust and stained with travel yet chattering merrily between themselves he in the midst was young and comely with boyish open face and bright gray eyes which glanced from right to left as if he found the world around him both new and pleasing to his right walked	4
a huge red headed man with broad smile and merry twinkle whose clothes seemed to be bursting and at every as if he were some who was breaking bravely from his shell on the other side with his knotted hand upon the young man s shoulder came a stout and brown and with sword at belt and long peeping over his shoulder hard face battered head piece with faded red lion of st george on a ground all proclaimed as plainly as words that he was indeed from the land of war he looked keenly at sir as he approached and then plunging his hand under his he stepped up to him with a rough uncouth bow to the lady its tour said lie but i the i eyes oh you though in i have seen you oftener in steel than in i have string beside you lit la d other places then good i am right glad to you to castle and in the steward s room will foi yourself and to also is known though eyes play tricks with me that i scarce be sure of my own squire rest a while and you shall come to the hall anon and tell us what is passing in for i have heard it is likely that our may flutter to the south of the spanish ere another pass there was talk of it ih the j i saw that the and were as busy as rats in a wheat but t this letter from the knight sir and to you lady he added a pause i bring from this box red sugar of with courteous and greeting which a may make to a fair and noble dame this little speech had cost the blunt much and planning but he might have d his breath lady quite as much absorbed as hei lord in the letter which they held between a hand either com r it out very slowly with drawn bi and muttering lips as it who stood with john a paces back from their saw the lady catch her breath while the laughed to himself see dear heart said he that they will hot leave the old dog in his when the game and what of this white company ah sir you of dogs i cried but there are a pack of who are ready for if they have but a good ti to on sir we have been in the together and i h re m e p a br ve but n ver such a of boys as this they do bnt want you at their head aad who bar the way said sir if they are all like their messenger they are indeed men of whom a leader may be proud your name good sam sir of the ed of and the pe of and this giant behind you he is big john of a forest man who hath now en service in the a proper figure of a man at arms said the little knight man you are chicken yet i warrant him th stronger man see to that great stone from the which hath the bridge four of my l y this day to carry it hence i would that you two could to shame by it though i fear that i you for it is of a grievous weight he pointed as be to a huge rough block which lay by the roadside deep sunken from its own weight in earth tbe approached it rolling back tbe ve pf his but with no very hopeful countenance for indeed it w is a mighty rock john however put him aside with his left hand and stopping over the stone he plucked it single handed from its soft bed and swung it far into the stream there it fell mighty splash one jagged out above the surface the watery and with far good lack i sir and good lack i cried bis la y john stood and wiping the dirt from hi fingers i felt his arms round my ribs said the and they c yet at the of it this other of is t right learned clerk for all that he is so the son pf e brother to the so in n of young man sir sternly if you are of id the same way of thought as your brother you may not pass of mine nay fair sir cried hastily i will be pledge for it that they have no thought in common for this very day his brother hath set his dogs upon him and driven him from his lands and are you too of the white company asked sir hast had small experience of war if i may judge by looks and bearing i would fain to france with my friends here answered but i am a man of peace a reader and clerk that need not hinder sir no fair sir cried the why i myself have served two terms with de he whom they call the arch priest by my i have seen him ere now with s gown to his knees over his in blood in the of the battle ere the last string had he would be down on his four bones among the stricken and have them all and as quick as peas ma foi there were those who wished that he would have less care for their souls and a little more for their bodies it is well to have a learned clerk in every troop said sir by st paul there are men so that they think more of a s pen than of their lady s smile and do their in hopes that they may fill a line in a chronicle or make a to a s romance i remember well that at the siege of there was a little sleek fat clerk of the name of who	4
was so apt at or that no man dare give back a foot from the walls lest he find it all set down in his and sung by every and in the camp but my soul s bird you hear me as though all were decided when i have not yet taken counsel either with you or with my lady mother let us to the chamber while these strangers find such fare as and cellar may furnish id tbe night air strikes chill said the lady and down the road with her hand upon her lord s arm the three comrades dropped behind and followed the lighter for accomplished his mission full of at the humble bearing of so renowned a captain and john load with and which spoke his disappointment and contempt what the man asked in surprise i have been and be he by whom sir the strong by thee sir the false prophet by my cried the though i be not yet i hold converse with the very creature that to him what is amiss then and how have i played you false why marry did you not say and here will be my witness that if i would hie to the wars with you you would place me under a leader who was second to none in all england for yet here you bring me to a of a man and ill nourished with eyes like a owl who must needs take counsel with his mother ere he sword to is that where the shoe cried the and laughed aloud i will ask you what you think of him three months hence if we be all alive for sure i am that s words were interrupted by an extraordinary which broke out that instant some little way down the street in the direction of the there was shouting of men frightened shrieks of women howling and barking of and over all a sullen menacing and terrible hound the comer of the narrow street there came rushing a brace of dogs with tails tucked under their legs and after them a white faced with outstretched hands and wide spread fingers his hair all and his eyes back from one shoulder to the other as though some great terror were at his very heels fly my lady fly he and pi st them like iq t from bo while close behind came a huge ck hear with red tongue from his mouth and a chain behind him to right and left the flew for arch and doorway john caught up the lady as if she had been a feather and sprang with her into an open porch while with a whirl of french oaths plucked at his quiver and tried to his bow all at so strange and unwonted a sight shrunk up against the wall with his eyes fixed upon the creature which bounding along with speed looking the larger in the light its huge jaws with blood and to the ground sir alone unconscious to all appearance of the universal panic walked with step up the centre of the road a silken handkerchief in one hand and his gold box in the other jt the blood cold through s veins to see that they came together the man and the st the creature up with eyes with fear and hate and if l its great i above the knight to him to the earth i e however with eyes up his and the beast twice across the with it ah i he with gentle ou which the bear uncertain and puzzled dropped its fore legs to earth again and back was soon in ropes by the r ward and a crowd of who had been in close pursuit a scared man was the keeper for chained the brute to a stake while he drank a of ale at the inn it had been by stray until in wrath and madness it had plucked loose the chain and smitten or bitten all who came in its path most scared of f u he to that the bad come nigh to harm the lord and lady of the castle who had power to place him in the to have the skin from his yet when he came with bowed head and humble for forgiveness he was met with a handful of small silver from sir whose dame however was less disposed being much in her dignity by the manner in which she had been from her lord s side as they passed through the castle gate john plucked at ay ward s sleeve and the two fell behind i must your pardon comrade said he i was a fool not to know that a little may be the i believe that this man is indeed a leader whom we m y follow r chapter xi how had a flock black was the month of castle though a pair of burning at the further end of the a red glare over the outer and sent a dim ruddy through the rough arch rising and falling with fitful brightness over the door the travellers could discern the of the a on a field on either side by smaller which bore the red roses of the as they passed over the marked the gleam of arms in the to right and left and they had scarce set foot upon the ere a hoarse burst from a and with of and of chain the ponderous bridge swung up into the air drawn by unseen hands at the same instant the huge came rattling down from above and shut off the last fading light of day sir and his lady walked on in deep talk while a fat under steward took charge of the three comrades and led them to the where beef bread and beer were kept ever in readiness for the after a hearty meal and a dip	4
the saints cried is indeed not to be set aside but this is a devil s vow and simple clerk as i i am yet the of the true church when i say that it were mortal sin td fight on such a quarrel what shall two grown men carry malice for years and fly like at each other s throats f no my young clerk no malice black i have not a bitter drop in heart for mine old comrade but the quarrel as he hath told you is still open and unsettled fall not whilst i can stand between cried springing before the it is shame and sin to see two christian englishmen turn swords against each other like the and what is more said john suddenly appearing out of the with the huge board upon which the was rolled if either raise sword i shall him like tide by the black i i shall drive him into the earth like a nail into a door rather than see you do to each other fore god this is a strange way of preaching peace cried black you may find the yourself my friend if you raise your great to me i had as have the castle drop upon my tell me said earnestly with hands outstretched to keep the pair asunder what is the cause of quarrel that we may see whether honorable settlement may not be arrived at the looked down at his feet and then up at the moon he cried the cause of quarrel why mon it was years ago in and how can i bear in mind what was the cause of it there hath it at the end of his tongue not i in replied the other i have had other things to think of there was some sort of over or wine or was it a woman i but you have it cried it was indeed about a woman and the quarrel must go forward for i am still of the same mind as before what of the woman then asked may the strike me if i can call to mind aught about her it was la rose maid at the sign of the at bless her pretty heart i why mon i loved her so did a many i call her to mind now on the very day that we fought over the little she went off with ap a long legged they have a of their own now somewhere on the banks of where the landlord drinks so of the liquor that there is little left for the so ends our then said his sword a v faith c and the more so when she had a jolly and a man at arms to f rom true old lad and it is as well that we can compose our differences for sir had been out at the first dash of steel and he hath sworn that if there be quarrelling in the garrison he would the right hand from the you know him of old and that he is like to be as good as his word yes but there are ale and wine in the and the steward a merry rogue who will not over a or two mon for it is not every day that two old friends come together the old soldiers and john strode off together in all good fellowship had turned to follow them when he felt a touch upon his shoulder and found a young page by his side the lord commands said the boy that you will follow me to the great chamber and await him there but my comrades commands were for you alone followed the messenger to the east end of the where a broad flight of steps led up to the doorway of the main hall the outer wall of which is washed by the waters of the as designed at first no dwelling had been allotted to the lord of the castle and his family but the dark and dismal story of the keep a more civilized or more generation however had refused to be pent up in such a cellar and the hall with its neighboring chambers had been added for their accommodation up the broad steps went still following his boyish guide until at the folding oak doom the latter paused and ushered him into the i ain hall of the castle on the th looked round but seeing no one he to stand his cap in his hand with the greatest interest a chamber which was so different to any to which he was thb days had bj when a nobleman s hall was a barn like l the and eating room of of the castle the had brought back with them experiences of domestic of carpets and of which made them impatient of the hideous and want df privacy which they found in their still however had been the influence of the french war for however well matched the nations might be in martial exercises there be no question but that our neighbors were infinitely superior to us in the arts of peace a stream of returning knights of wounded and of had for a quarter of a continually pouring into england every one of whom exerted an influence in the direction of greater domestic refinement while of french furniture from and other towns had supplied our own with models on which to shape their work hence in most english castles and in castle among the rest chambers were id be found which would to be not wanting either in beauty or in in the great stone fireplace a log fire was and throwing out a ruddy glare which with the four lamps stood at each corner of the room gave a bright and air to the whole above was a wreath work of extending up to the carved and roof while on either side	4
do i would have them live as others and do men s work in the world preaching by their lives rather than their words i would have them come forth from their lonely places mix with the folks feel the pains and the pleasures the cares and the rewards the and the of the common people let them toil and and labor and plough the land and take wives to themselves alas alas cried aghast you have surely sucked this poison from the man of whom i have heard such evil thin i know liim not i have learned it by looking from mine own chamber window and marking these poor of the their weary life their round i have asked myself if the best which can be done with virtue is to shut it within high walls as though it were some savage creature if the good will lock themselves up and if the wicked will still wander free then alas for the world i looked at her in astonishment for her cheek was flushed her eyes gleaming and her whole pose full of eloquence and conviction in an instant she had changed again to her old expression of merriment with mischief wilt do what i ask said she what is it lady oh most clerk a true knight would never have asked but would have vowed upon the instant tis but to bear me out in what i say to my father in what in saying if he ask that it was south of the road that i met you i shall be shut up with the tire women else and have a week of and when i would fain be galloping up walk or little at the y ridge i shall not answer him if he ask not answer i but he will have an answer nay but you must not fail me or it will go ill with me but lady cried poor in great distress how can i say that it was to the south of the road when i know well that it was four miles to the north you will not say it surely you will not too when you know that it is not so oh i weary of your preaching i she cried and swept away with a toss of her beautiful head leaving as cast down and ashamed as though he had himself proposed some infamous thing was back again in an instant however in another of her varying moods look at that my friend i said she if yon had been ap in abbey or in cell this day you could not have taught a maiden to abide by the truth is it not so what avail is the shepherd if he leave his sheep a sorry shepherd said humbly but here is your noble father and you shall see how worthy a pupil i am father i am much to this young clerk who was of service to me and helped me this very morning in woods four miles to the north of uie road where i had no call to be you having ordered it otherwise all this she off in a loud voice and then glanced with questioning eyes at for his approval sir who had entered the room with a silvery haired old lady upon his arm stared aghast at this sudden burst of said he shaking his head it is more hard for me to gain obedience from you than from the ten score drunken who followed me to hush i little one for your fair lady mother will be here anon and there is no need that she should know it we will keep you from the this journey away to your chamber and keep a face for die who is and now fair mother he continued when his daughter had gone sit you here by the fire for your blood runs colder than it did i would have a word with you for i would fain that you should take service under me and here in good time comes my lady without whose counsel it is not my wont to decide aught of import but indeed it was her own thought that yon should come for i have formed a good opinion of you and can see that you are one who may be trusted said the lady ing and in good my dear lord hath need of such a one by his side for he so little of himself that there should be one there to look to his needs meet his wants you liave seen the it were well that you should see the world too ere you make choice for life between them it was for that very reason that my father willed that i should come forth into the world at my twentieth year said then your father was a man of good counsel said she and you cannot carry out his will better than by going on this path where all that is noble and gallant in england will be your companions you can ride asked sir looking at the youth with eyes yes i have ridden much at the abbey yet there is a difference a s hack and a s you can sing and play on and good you can read indifferent well then read this sir pointing upward to one of the many which adorned the wall over the fireplace answered a charged with three dividing three over all on an of the first a a said sir shaking his head solemnly yet it is not amiss for a bred man i trust that you are lowly and serviceable i have served all my life my lord too i have carved two days a week for the brethren a model truly wilt make a squire of but tell me i pray curl hair no my lord but i could learn it is of import	4
the clash of and rolling of drums and shouts of those who went and of those who waited from to the dart there was no port which did not send forth its little fleet gay with and as for a joyous festival thus in the season of the days the might of england put forth on to the waters in the ancient and county of there was no lack of leaders or of soldiers for a service which promised either honor or profit in the north the s head of the and the scarlet fish of the de were waving over a strong body of from and forests de was up in the east and sir john de in the west sir de sir thomas west sir de sir arthur sir walter and stout sir were all marching south with from and while from came sir john sir thomas and sir john with a troop of picked men at arms making for their port at greatest of all the however was that at castle for the name and the fame of sir drew toward him the keenest and spirits all eager to serve under so a leader from the new forest and the forest of from the pleasant country which is watered by the the and the young from the ancient all were pushing for to take service under the banner of the five scarlet roses and now could sir have shown the of land which the laws of rank required he might well hare cut bis into a square banner and taken such a following into the field as would supported the dignity of a but poverty was heavy upon him his land was scant his empty and the very castle which covered him the holding of another sore was his heart when he saw rare and war hardened turned away from his gates for the lack of the money which might and pay them yet the letter which had brought him gave him powers which he was not slow to use in it sir the lieutenant of the white company assured him that there remained in his keeping enough to fit out a hundred and twenty men at arms which joined to the three hundred companions already in france would make a force which any leader might be proud to command carefully and the knight chose out his men from the swarm of many an anxious consultation he held with black sam and other of his more experienced followers as to who should come and who should stay by all saints day however ere the last leaves had fluttered to earth in the and he had filled up his full numbers and under his banner as stout a following of as ever their war bows twenty men at arms too well mounted and equipped formed the cavalry of the party while young peter of and walter ford of the martial sons of martial came at their own cost to wait npon sir and to share with the duties of hia yet even after the there was much to be done ere the party could proceed upon its way for swords and there was no need to take much for they were to be had both better and cheaper in than in with the long bow however it was different indeed might be got in spain bat it was well to take enough and to spare with them then three spare should be for bow with a great store of arrow heads besides the of chain mail the steel caps and the or arm guards which were the proper of the above all the women for miles round were hard at work cutting the white which were the of the company and them with the red lion of st george upon the centre of the breast when all was completed and the muster called in the castle yard the oldest soldier of the french wars was fain to confess that he had never looked upon a better equipped or more warlike body of men from the old knight with his silk sitting his great black war horse in the front of them to john the giant who leaned carelessly upon a huge black bow in the rear of the six score fully half had seen service before while a fair were men who had followed the wars all their and had a hand in those battles which had made the whole world ring with the fame and the wonder of the island six long weeks were taken in these preparations and it was close on ere all was ready for a start nigh two months had been in castle months which were fated to turn the whole current of his life to divert it from that dark and lonely toward which it tended and to guide it into and more channels already he had learned to bless his father for that wise provision which had made him seek to know the world ere he bad ventured to it for it was a different place from that which he had pictured very different from that which he had heard described when the master of the held forth to his charges upon the wolves who for them beyond the peaceful folds of there was cruelty in it doubtless and lust and sin and sorrow but were there not virtues to robust positive virtues which did not shrink from temptation which held their own in all the rough of the world how color hm by contrast appeared the which came from inability to sin the which was attained by flying from the enemy bred as he was had and a mind which was enough to form new and to old ones he could not fail to see that the men with whom he was thrown in contact rough fierce and as they were were yet of deeper nature and of	4
more service in the world than the ox eyed brethren who rose and ate and slept from year s end to year s end in their own narrow circle of existence was a good man but how was he better than this kindly knight who lived as simple a life held as lofty and an ideal of duty and did with all his fearless heart whatever came to his hand to do in turning from the service of the one to that of the other could not feel that he was lowering his aims in life true that this gentle and thoughtful nature from the grim work of war yet in those days of martial orders and there was no gulf fixed the priest and the soldier tlie man of and the man of the sword might without scandal be united in the same individual why then should he a mere clerk have scruples when so fair a chance lay in his way of carrying out the spirit as well as the letter of his father s provision much struggle it cost him anxious spirit and midnight praying with many a doubt and a but the issue was that ere he had been thi ee days in castle he had taken service under sir and had accepted horse and harness the same to be paid for out of his share of the profits of the expedition henceforth for seven hours a day he strove in the yard to himself to be a worthy squire to so worthy a knight young and active with all the pent energies from years of pure and healthy living it was not long before he could manage his horse and his weapon well enough to earn an nod from critical men at arms or to hold his own against and ford his fellow but were there no other considerations which swayed him from the toward the world so complex is the human spirit that it can itself scarce discern the deep springs which it to action to had been opened now a side of life of which he had been as innocent as a child but one which was of such deep that it could not fail to influence him in choosing his path a woman in had been the and of what was dangerous and evil a whence spread all that was to be dreaded and avoided so was their presence that a true might not raise his eyes to their face or touch their finger tips under ban of church and fear of deadly sin here day after day for an hour after and for an hour before he found himself in close communion with three maidens all young all fair and all therefore doubly dangerous from the stand point yet he found that in their presence he was conscious of a quick sympathy a pleasant ease a ready response to all that was most gentle and best in himself which filled his soul with a vague and new found joy and yet the lady was no easy pupil to handle an older and more world wise man might have been puzzled by her varying moods her sudden prejudices her quick resentment at all and did a subject interest her was there space in it for either romance or imagination she would fly through it with her subtle active mind leaving her two fellow students and even her teacher toiling behind her on the other hand were there dull patience needed with steady toil and strain of no single fact could by any driving be fixed in her mind might talk to her of the stories of old gods and heroes of gallant deeds and lofty aims or he might hold forth upon moon and stars and let his fancy wander over the hidden secrets of the universe and he would have a listener with flushed cheeks and eloquent eyes who could repeat after him the very words which had fallen from his lips but when it came to an the counting of figures and reckoning of away would go her thoughts to horse and and a eye and face would warn the teacher that he had lost his hold upon his scholar then he had but to bring out the old romance book from the with cover of and gold letters upon a purple ground to her mind back to the paths of learning at times too when the wild fit was upon her she would break into and rebel openly against s gentle firmness yet he would quietly on with his taking no heed to her until suddenly she would be conquered by his patience and break into a hundred times stronger than her fault demanded it chanced however that on one of these mornings when the evil mood was upon her the young tire woman thinking to please her mistress began also to toss her head and make to the teacher s questions in an instant the lady had turned upon her two blazing eyes and a face was with anger you would dare said she you would dare the frightened tire woman tried to excuse but my fair lady she stammered what have i done i have said no more than i heard you would e repeated the lady in a choking voice you a baggage a foolish lack brain with no thought above the of and he so kindly and and long suffering you would ha you may well flee the room she had spoken with a rising voice and a clasping and opening of her long white fingers so that it was no marvel that ere the speech was over the of were round th door and the click of her sobs to be heard dying swiftly away down the corridor stared open eyed at this who had sprung so suddenly to his i there is no need for such anger he said mildly the	4
she with the same look not give a name to it and thou so skilled in t nay save that she seems well you that it is but three days ere you will all be gone and castle be as dull as the is there not enough there to cloud a lady s brow in yes he answered i had forgot that she is about to lose her father her father cried the tire woman with a little of laughter oh simple simple and she was off down the passage like arrow from bow while stood gazing after her hope and doubt scarce daring to put faith in the meaning which seemed to her words chapter how thb company set to the st s day bad and had gone and it was in the season of when the oxen are driven in to the slaughter that the white company was ready for its journey loud shrieked the brazen from keep and from gate way and merry was the rattle of the war drum as the men gathered in the outer with to light them for the had not yet broken from the window of the looked down upon the strange scene the circles of yellow flickering light the lines of stem and bearded faces the quick of arms and the lean heads of the horses in front stood the ten deep with a fringe of under officers who paced hither and thither the ranks with or short rebuke behind were the little of steel clad their raised with long drooping down the shafts so silent and still were they that they might have been metal statues were it not for the occasional quick impatient stamp of their or the rattle of against as they tossed and strained a spear s length in front of them sat the spare and long figure of black the man his fierce deep lined face framed in steel and the silk marked with the five scarlet roses over his right shoulder all round in the edge of the circle of the light stood the castle servants the soldiers who were to form the garrison and little knots of women who sobbed in their and called to their name saints to watch over the or will or who had turned his hand to the work of war the squire was leaning forward g ing at the stirring and martial when he heard a short gasp at his shoulder and there was the with her hand to her heart leaning up against the wall slender and fair like a half lily her face was turned away from him but he could see by the sharp of her breath that she was weeping bitterly alas alas he cried all at the sight why is it that you are so sad lady f it is the sight of these men she answered and to think how many of them go and how few are like to find their way back i have seen it before when i was a little maid in the year of the prince s great battle i remember then how they in the even as they do now and my lady mother holding me in her arms at this very window that i might see the show please god yon will see them all back ere another year be out said he she shook her head looking round at him with flushed cheeks and eyes which sparkled in the lamp light oh but i hate myself for being a woman she cried with a stamp of her little foot what can i do that is good here i must bide and talk and and spin and spin and and talk ever the same dull with nothing at the end of it and now you are going too who could carry my thoughts out of these gray walls and raise my mind above and what can i do i am of no more use or value than that broken bow you are of such value to me he cried in a whirl of hot passionate words all else has become naught tou are my heart my life my one and only thought oh i cannot live without you i cannot leave you without a word of love all is changed to me since i have known you i am poor and lowly and all unworthy but if great love may weigh down such defects then mine may do it give me but one word of hope to take to the wars with me but one ah you shrink you shudder my wild words have frightened you she opened her lips and twice no sound came from them at last she spoke in a hard and measured voice as one who dare not trust herself to speak too freely this is over sudden she said it is not so long since the world was nothing to you you have changed once perchance you may change again cruel he cried who hath changed me and then your brother she continued with a little laugh his question this hath become a family custom amongst the nay i am sorry i did not mean a but indeed this hath come suddenly upon me and i scarce know what to say say some word of hope however distant some kind word that i may cherish in my heart nay it were a cruel kindness and you have been too good and true a friend to me that i should use you there cannot be a closer link between us it is madness to think of it were there no other reasons it is enough that my father and your brother would both cry out against it my brother what has he to do with it and your father come was it not you who would have me act fairly to all men and to my father amongst them	4
you say truly he cried you say truly but you do not reject me you give me some ray of hope i do not ask pledge or promise say only that i am not hateful to you that on some happier day i may hear kinder words from you her eyes softened upon him and a kind answer was on her lips when a hoarse shout with the clatter of arms and stamping of rose up from the below at the sound her face set her eyes sparkled and she stood with flushed cheek and head thrown back a woman s body but a soul of fire my father bath gone down she cried your place by his side nay look not at me it is no time for win my father s love and all may follow it is when the brave soldier hath done his that he hopes for his reward farewell and may god be with you i she held out her white slim hand to him but as he bent his lips over it she away and was one leaving in his hand the very green veil for poor peter had in vain again the hoarse out from below and he heard the of the rising pressing the veil to his lips he thrust it into the bosom of his and rushed as fast as feet could bear him to arm himself and join the muster the raw morning had broken ere the hot ale was served round and the last farewell spoken a cold wind blew up from the sea and ragged clouds drifted swiftly across the sky the stood huddled about the bridge of the women pulling tight their and the men themselves in their while down the winding path from the castle came the van of the little army their feet on the hard frozen road first came black with his banner a lean and powerful gray as hard and and war wise as himself after him riding three abreast were nine men at arms all picked soldiers who had followed the french before and knew the of as they knew the downs of their native they were armed to the teeth with lance sword and with square at the upper right hand corner to serve as a spear rest for defence each man wore a coat of strengthened at the shoulder elbow and upper arm with slips of steel and knee pieces were also of leather backed by steel and their and shoes were of iron plates so with of arms and clatter of hoofs they rode across the bridge of while the shouted for the flag of the five roses and its gallant guard close at tbe heels of the horses came two bearded and their round on their backs and their long yellow bows the most deadly weapon that the wit of man had yet devised thrusting forth from behind their shoulders from each man s hung sword or axe according to his humor and over the right hip there out tbe quiver with its of goose pigeon and feathers behind the strode two blowing upon and two in colored clothes after them came twenty seven horses carrying tent poles cloth spare arms spurs cooking bags of nails and the hundred other things which experience had shown to be needful in a and hostile country a white mule with red led by a carried sir s own and table comforts then came two score more ten more men at arms and finally a rear guard of twenty with big john towering in the front rank and the ay ward marching by his side his battered harness and faded in strange contrast with the and shining of his companions a quick cross fire of greetings and questions and rough west saxon flew from rank to rank or were about the marching and tbe gazing crowd i cried as he the figure of the village no more of thy nut brown mon we leave it behind us by st paul no i cried the other you take it with you devil a drop have you left in the great it was time for you to go if your is i warrant your purse is full shouted john see that you lay in good store of the best for our home coming see that you keep your throat whole for the drinking of it cried a voice and the crowd laughed at the rough if you will warrant the beer i will warrant the throat said john e up the ranks cried en i ah by my finger there ie my sweet from the mill ma foi she is beautiful adieu mary ma oh i mon est k brace your belt man and swing your shoulders as a free companion should by my i your will be as dirty as mine ere yon clap eyes on head again the company had marched to the turn of the road ere sir rode out from the gate way mounted on his great black war horse whose ponderous on the wooden echoed loudly from the l arch which it sir was still in his dr ss of peace with flat velvet cap of maintenance and curling feather clasped in a golden to his three riding behind him it looked as though he bore the bird s egg as well as its feather for the back of his bald shone like a globe of ivory he bore no save the long and heavy sword which hung at his saddle bow but carried in front of him the high ford the heavy ash spear with swallow tail while was with the shield the lady rode her at her lord s bridle arm for she would see him as far as the edge of the forest and ever and anon she turned her hard lined face up wistfully to him and ran a questioning eye	4
to him yon bar my path at year peril i have known the king s enemies claim to ride in his name said sir the foul may beneath a garment of light we must have some sign or warrant of your mission then i must a passage cried the stranger with his shoulder round and his hand upon his i am not to be stopped on the king s service by every should you be a gentleman of and sir i shall be very to go further into the matter with you if not i have three very worthy any one of whom would take the thing upon himself and debate it with you in a very honorable way the man from one to the other and his hand stole away from his sword tou ask me for a sign he said here is a sign for yon since you must have one as he spoke he whirled the covering from the object in front of him and showed to their horror that it was a newly severed human leg by god s tooth i he continued with a brutal laugh you ask me if i am a man of and it is even so for i am officer to the s court at this leg is to hang at milton and the other is already at as a sign to all men of what comes of being over fond of cried sir pass on the other side of the road fellow and let us have the wind of you we shall trot our horses my friends across this pleasant valley for by our lady a breath of ood s fresh air is right welcome after such a sight we hoped to a said he presently but we a crow ma foi i but there are men whose hearts are than a s hide for me i have played the old game of war since ever i had hair on my chin and i have seen ten thousand brave men in one m day with their to the but i swear by him who made me that i abide the work of the and yet my fair lord said there has from what i hear been of such devil s work in france too much too much i he answered but i have ever observed that the foremost in the field are they who would to a prisoner by st paul it is not they who carry the breach who are wont to sack the town but the who come crowding in when a way has been cleared for them but what is this among the trees it is a shrine of our lady said and a blind beggar who lives by the of those who worship there a shrine cried the knight then let ns put up an pulling off his cap and clasping his hands he in a shrill voice qui ad et ad a strange figure he seemed to his three perched on his huge horse with his eyes and the wintry sun upon his bald head it is a noble prayer he remarked putting on his hat again and it was taught to me by the noble himself but how it with you father that i should have upon you seeing that i am m self like one who looks through a horn window while his have the clear crystal yet by st paul there is a stride between the man who hath a horn and him who is walled in on every hand alas fair sir cried the blind old man i have not seen the blessed blue of heaven this two score years since a flash burned the sight out of my head you have been blind to much that is goodly and fair sir but you have also been spared much that is sorry and foul this very hour our eyes have been shocked with that which would have left you unmoved but by st paul we must on or our company will think that they have lost their captain somewhat early in the venture throw the man my and let us go lingering behind him of the lady s counsel and reduced the noble gift which the knight had so freely bestowed to a single penny which the beggar with many blessings thrust away into his then his the young squire rode at the top of his speed after his companions and overtook them just at the spot where the trees fringe off into the and the straggling hamlet of lies scattered on either side of the winding and deeply track the company was already well nigh through the village but as the knight and his closed up upon them they heard the of a voice followed by a roar of deep laughter from the ranks of the another minute brought them up with the rear guard where every man marched with his beard on his shoulder and a face which was with merriment by the side of the column walked a huge red headed with his hands thrown out in argument and while close at his heels followed a little wrinkled woman who poured forth a shrill of abuse varied by an occasional from her stick given with au the force of her body though she might have been beating one of the forest trees for all the effect that she seemed likely to produce i trust said sir gravely as he rode up that this doth not mean that any violence hath been offered to women if such a thing happened i tell you that the man shall hang though he were the best that ever wore nay my fair lord answered with a grin it is violence which is offered to a man he comes from and this is his mother who hath come forth to welcome him you she was howling with a blow between each catch of	4
her breath you over long good f or naught i will teach thee i will thee aye by my faith mother said john looking back at her from the tail of bis eye i go to france as an to give blows and to take them to france cried the old dame bide here with me and i shall warrant you more blows than you ai e like to get in france if blows be what you seek you need not go further than by my the good dame speaks truth said it seems to be the very home of them what have you to say you dean shaved cried the fiery dame turning upon the can i not speak with my own son but you must let your tongue a soldier and never a hair on his face i have seen a better soldier with for food and clothes for harness stand to it cried the amid a fresh burst of laughter do not her comrade said big john she hath a proper spirit for her years and cannot abide to be it is kindly and homely to me to hear her voice and to feel that she is behind me but i must leave you now mother for the way is over rough for your feet but i will bring you back a silken gown if there be one in france or spain and i will bring a silver penny so good bye to you and have you in his keeping up the little woman he lifted her lightly to his lips and then taking his place in the ranks again marched on with the laughing company that was ever his way she cried appealing to sir who up his and listened with the courtesy he would on his own road for all that i could do to change first he must be a and all because a was wise enough to turn her back on him then he a crew and must needs off to the wars and me with no one to bait the fire if i be out or tend the cow if i be home yet i have been a good mother to him three a day have i broke across his s and he takes no more than you have seen him to day doubt not that he will come back to yoa both safe and prosperous my fair dame sir meanwhile it me that as i have already given my purse to a beggar up the road i nay my lord said i still have some remaining then i pray you to give them to this very worthy woman he on as he spoke while having two more pence left the old dame standing by the cottage of with her shrill voice raised in blessings instead of there were two cross roads before they reached the ford and at each of them sir pulled up his horse and waited with many a and his neck this way and tliat to see if fortune would send him a venture cross roads had as he explained been rare places for spear and in his youth it was no uncommon thing for a to abide for weeks at such a point holding gentle debate with all comers to his own advancement and the great honor of his lady the times were changed however and the forest tracks wound away from them deserted and silent with no of war horse or of which might herald the approach of an adversary so that sir rode on his way at the river they through the ford and lay in the meadows on the further side to eat the bread and salt meat which they carried upon the horses then ere the sun was on the slope of the heavens they had up again and were swinging merrily upon their way two hundred feet moving like two there is a third cross road where the track from runs down to the old fishing village of s deep down as they came abreast of it there walked two men the one a pace or two behind the other the could not but pull up their horses to look at them for a stranger pair were never seen together the first was a man with cruel cunning eyes and a shock of tangled red hair bearing in his hands a small he held high so that all men might see it he seemed to be in the last extremity of fright with a face the color of clay and his limbs all as one who hath an behind him with his toe ever upon the other s heels there walked a very stem black bearded man with a hard eye and a set mouth he bore over his shoulder a great knotted stick with three jagged nails in the head of it and from time to time he whirled it up in the air with a quivering arm as though he could scarce hold back from dashing his companion s brains out so in silence they walked under the spread of the branches on the grass grown path from by st paul the knight but this is a passing strange sight and perchance some very perilous and honorable venture may arise from it i pray yon to ride up to them and to ask them the cause of it there was no need however for him to move for the twain came swiftly toward them until they were within a spear s length when the man with the ci sat himself down sullenly upon a of grass by the while the other stood beside him with his great still hanging over his head so intent was he that he raised his eyes neither to knight nor but kept them ever fixed with a savage glare upon his comrade i pray you friend said sir to tell us who you	4
are and why you follow this man with such bitter enmity so long as i am within the pale of the king s law the stranger answered i cannot see why i should render account to every passing you are no very shrewd fellow the knight for if it be within the law for you to threaten him with your club then it is also lawful to threaten you with my sword the man with the cross was down in an instant on his knees upon the ground with hands clasped above him and his face with hope for dear christ s sake my a fair lord he cried in a i have at my belt a bag with a hundred rose and i will give it to you freely if yoa will but pass your sword through this man s body how you foul exclaimed sir hotly do you think that a s arm is to be bought like a s ware by st paul i have little doubt that this fellow hath some very good cause to hold you in hatred indeed my fair sir you speak he with the club while the other seated himself once more by the for this man is peter a very noted draw latch and who has wrought much evil for many years in the parts about it was but the other day upon the feast of the blessed and that he my younger brother william in forest for which by the black thorn of i i shall have his heart s blood though i walked behind him to the further end of earth but if this be indeed so asked sir why is it that you have come with him so far through the forest because i am an honest englishman and will take no more than the law allows for when the deed was done this foul and base wretch fled to the at st cross and i as you may think after him with all the the prior however hath so ordered that while he holds this cross no man may lay hand upon him without the ban of the church which heaven from me or mine yet if for an instant he lay the cross aside or if he fail to journey to s deep where it is ordered that he shall take ship to parts or if he take not the first ship or if until the ship be ready he walk not every day into the sea as far as his then he becomes an and i shall forthwith dash out his brains at this the man on the ground up at him like a rat while the other clenched his teeth and shook his club and looked down at him with murder in his eyes knight and gazed from rogue to but as it was a matter which none mend they no longer but rode npon their way looking back saw that the murderer had drawn bread and cheese from his and was silently it with the protecting cross still to his breast while the other black and grim stood in the road and threw his dark shadow him r chapter xv how the yellow forth that night the company slept at st s in the great and ground well known both to and to john for they were almost within sight of the abbey of a strange thrill it gave to the young squire to see the well remembered white dress once more and to hear the measured of the deep bell at early dawn they passed across the broad reed men horses and baggage in the and so on the fresh morning air past to the down they came of a sudden full in sight of the old a cluster of houses a trail of blue smoke and a of to right and left the long blue curve of the in a of foam upon the yellow beach some way out from the town a line of and other small craft were rolling lazily on the gentle swell further out still lay a great merchant ship high ended deep painted of a yellow and towering above the fishing boats like a swan among by st paul said the knight our good merchant of hath not played us false for i can see our ship down yonder he said that she would be of great size and of a yellow shade by my yes muttered she is yellow as a s and would carry as many men as there are in a it is well remarked for my fair lord that we are not the only ones who are waiting a passage to mine eye catches at times a flash i and sparkle from among yonder which never came from s jacket or the of a i can also see it said his eyes with his hand and i can see men at arms in yonder boats which the vessel and the shore but that we are very welcome hei e for already they come forth to meet us a tumultuous crowd of citizens and women had indeed out from the northern gate approached them up the side of the waving hands and dancing with joy as though a great fear had been rolled back from their minds at their head rode a very large and solemn man with a long chin and a drooping lip he wore a fur round his neck and a heavy gold chain over it with a which in front of him welcome most and noble lord he cried his bonnet to black i have heard of your s deeds and in they might be expected from your s face and bearing is there any small matter in which i may oblige you since you ask me said the man at arm i would take it kindly if you could spare a link or two	4
of the chain which hangs round your neck what the chain cried the other in horror the ancient chain of the of this is but a sorry jest sir what the plague did you ask me for then said but if it is sir with whom you would speak that is he upon the black horse the mayor of gazed with amazement on the mild face and slender frame of the famous warrior your pardon my very gracious lord he cried you see in me the mayor and chief magistrate of the ancient and powerful town of i bid you very heartily welcome and the more so as you are come at a moment when we are sore put to it for defence ha cried sir up his ears yes my lord for the town being very and the walls as old as the town it follows that they are very ancient too but there is a certain and who with a called commonly known as beard hath been a mighty upon these indeed my lord they are very cruel and black hearted men and and if they should come to the ancient and powerful town of then then good bye to the ancient and powerful town of ford whose lightness of tongue could at times rise above his awe of sir the knight however was too much intent upon the matter in hand to give heed to the of his squire have you then cause he asked to think that these men are about to venture an attempt upon you they have come in two great answered the mayor with two bank of oars on either side and great store of engines of war and of men at arms at and at they have murdered and yesterday morning they were at and we saw the smoke from the burning to day they lie at their ease near and we fear much lest they come upon us and do us a mischief we cannot said sir riding toward the town with the mayor upon his left side the prince us at and we may not be behind the general muster yet i will promise you that on our way we shall find time to pass and to prevail upon these to leave you in peace we are much to you cried the mayor but i cannot see my lord how without a war ship you may venture against these men with your however you might well hold the town and do them great if they attempt to land there is a very proper out yonder said sir it would be a very strange thing if any ship were not a war ship when it had such men as these upon her decks m we shall do as i say and that no later than this very day my lord said a rough haired dark man who walked by the knight s other with his head to catch all that he was saying by your leave i have no doubt that you are skilled in fighting and the of but by my soul you will find it another thing upon the sea i am the master of this yellow and my name is gk i have sailed since i was as high as this staff and i have fought against these and against the as well as the scotch the the spanish and the i tell you sir that my ship is over light and for such work and it will but end in our having our throats cut or being sold as slaves to the heathen i also have experienced one or two gentle and honorable upon the sea sir and i am right to have so fair a task before us i think good master that you and i may win great in this matter and i can see very readily that you are a brave and stout man i like it not said the other in ood s name i like it not and yet is not the man to stand back when his fellows are for pressing forward by my soul be it sink or swim i shall turn her into bay and if good master of like not my handling of his ship then he may find another master they were dose by the old north gate of the little town and half turning in his saddle looked back at the crowd who followed the and men had broken their ranks and were with the and citizens whose laughing faces and hearty gestures the weight of care from which this welcome arrival had relieved them here and there among the moving throng of dark and of white were scattered of scarlet or blue tb or of the women with a fishing on either arm was constancy alternately to her on the right and her on the left while big john in the rear with a little maiden upon his great shoulder her soft white arm curled round his shining so the throng moved on until at the yery gate it was brought to a stand by a fat man who came darting forth from the town with rage in feature of his face how now sir mayor he roared in a voice like a bull how now sir mayor how of the and the by our lady my sweet sir cried the mayor i have had so much to think of with these wicked so close upon us that it had quite gone out of my head words words i shouted the other furiously am i to be put off with words i say to you again how of the my fair sir you flutter me cried the mayor i am a peaceful and i am not wont to be so shouted at upon so small a matter small shrieked the other small i and ask me to your table to partake of the dainty of	4
the town and when i come a barren welcome and a bare board i where is my spear bearer nay sir sir cried sir laughing let your anger be appeased since instead of this dish you come upon an old friend and comrade by st martin of shouted the fat knight his wrath all changed in an instant to joy if it is not my dear little game of the ah my sweet i am right glad to see you what days we have seen together aye by my faith i cried sir with sparkling eyes we have seen some men and we have shown our in some noble by st paul i we ave had great joys in france and sorrows also the other i have some sad memories of the land can you recall that which us at nay i cannot call to mind that we ever so much as drew sword at the place man man i cried sir your mind still runs on but blades and hast no space in thy frame for the softer joys ah even now i can scarce speak of it unmoved so noble a pie such tender and sugar in the instead of salt you were by my side that day as were sir and the lord of i remember it said sir laughing and how you the cook down the street and spoke of setting fire to the inn by st paul most worthy mayor my old friend is a perilous man and i you that you com pose your difference with him on such terms as you may the and shall be ready within the hour the mayor i had asked sir to do my humble board the honor to partake at it of the dainty upon which we take some little pride but in this alarm of hath cast such a shadow on my wits that i am like one but i trust sir that you will also partake of none with me i have over to do sir answered for we must be aboard horse and ra n as early as we may how many do you muster sir three and forty the forty are drunk and the three are but indifferent sober i have them all safe upon the ship they had best find their wits again for i shall have work for every man of them ere the sun set it is my intention if it seems good to you to try a venture against these and they carry and certain very noble from the aboard of ships from sir we may come to great profit through the business pray you master that when you go on board you pour a ul of sea water over any of my whom you may see there leaving the knight and the mayor of sir led the company straight down to the water s edge where long lines of flat swiftly bore them to their vessel horse after horse was by main force up from the and after and plunging in empty air was dropped into the deep waist of the yellow where rows of stood ready for their safe keeping englishmen in those days were skilled and prompt in such matters for it was not so long before that edward had embarked as many as fifty thousand men in the port of with their horses and their baggage all in the space of f our hours so urgent was sir on the shore and so prompt was on the that sir had scarce swallowed his last ere the peal of trumpet and of announced that all was ready and the anchor drawn in the last boat which left the shore the two sat together in the sheets a strange contrast to one another while under the feet of the was a litter of huge stones which sir had ordered to be carried to the these once aboard the ship set her broad purple in color with a golden st bearing christ upon his shoulder in the centre of it the breeze blew the sail over the vessel and away she plunged through the smooth blue amid the of the on her and the shouting of the black crowd who fringed the yellow beach to the left lay the green island of with its long low hills peeping over each other s shoulders to the sky line to the right the wooded coast as far as eye could reach above a heaven with a wintry sun down upon them and enough of frost to set the breath a smoking by st paul said sir as he stood upon the and looked on either side of him it is a land which is very well worth fighting for and it were pity to go to for what may be had at home did you spy a crooked man upon the nay i nothing grumbled sir for i was down with a stuck in my and an on tasted of on the board behind me i saw him my fair lord said an old man with one shoulder higher than the other tis a sign of good fortune sir our path was also crossed by a woman and by a priest so all should be well with us what say you i cannot tell my fair lord the of old were a very wise people yet they placed their faith in such matters so too did the and divers other ancient who were for their learning yet of the many at all there can be no manner of doubt about it said sir i can well remember that in one day it on the left out of a sky we knew that ill would come of it nor had we long to wait only thirteen days after a of prime was carried from my very tent door by the wolves and on the same day two of old	4
could not fail to bring them up with any vessel which trusted to sails alone and bluff the english long black and swift the like two fierce lean wolves which have seen a and walk past their shall we turn my fair lord or shall we carry on asked the master looking behind him with anxious eyes nay we must carry on and play the part of the helpless merchant but your they will see that we have two knights with us yet it would not be to a knight s honor or good name to lower bis let them be and they will think that we are a wine ship for or that we bear the wool of some of the ma foi but they are very swift the upon us like two on a is there not some symbol or device upon their sails that on the right said appears to have the head of an upon it tis the of the cried a seaman i have seen it before when he us at he is a large and strong man with no for man woman or beast they say that he hath the strength of six and he hath the crimes of six upon his soul see now to the poor souls who swing at end of his yard arm at each end of the yard there did indeed hang the dark figure of a man and with hideous of its limbs at every plunge and of the by st paul said sir and by the help of st and our lady it will be a very strange thing if our black headed friend does not himself swing thence ere he be many hours older but what is that upon the other it is the red cross of this beard is a very noted captain and it is his boast that there are no and no in the world who can compare with those who serve the that we shall prove said gk but it would be weu ere they close with us to raise up the and as a screen against their he shouted a hoarse order and his worked swiftly and silently the and them the three ship s were at sir command carried into the waist and tied to the mast with twenty feet of cable between each under the care of four sight others were stationed with leather water bags to any fire arrows which might come aboard while others were tent ap the mast to lie along the yard and drop stones or shoot arrows as the occasion served let them be supplied with all that is heavy and in the ship said sir then we must send them up sir ford the knight looked at him with a face which struck the smile from his lips no squire of mine he said shall ever make jest of a knight and yet he added his eyes softening i know that it is but a boy s mirth with no sting in it i should ill do my part toward your father if i did not teach you to your they will lay us aboard on either quarter my lord cried the master see how they stretch out from each other i the hath a or a upon the see they bend to the i they are about to loose it cried the knight pick your three and see if you cannot do something to hinder their aim they are within long arrow flight seventeen score paces said the running his eye backward and forward by my ten finger bones it would be a strange thing if we could not a mark at that distance here of long let us show the that they have english to deal with the three named stood at the further end of the themselves with feet widely spread and bows drawn until the heads of the cloth yard arrows were level with the centre of the you are the said standing by them with shaft upon string do you take the rogue with the red you two bring down the man with the head piece and i will hold myself ready if you miss ma foi they are about to loose her shoot on or you will be too late the throng of had cleared away from the great wooden leaving two of their number to discharge it one in a scarlet cap bent over it the jagged rock which was balanced on the spoon shaped end of the long wooden the other held the of the rope which would release the catch and send the through the air so for an instant they showing hard and clear against the white sail behind them the next had fallen across the stone with an w between his ribs and the other struck in the leg and in the throat was and npon the ground as he backward he had the spring and the huge beam of wood swinging round with tremendous force cast the corpse of his comrade so close to the english ship that its and distorted limbs her very stem as to the stone it glanced off and fell between the vessels a roar of cheering and of laughter broke from the rough and at the sight answered by a yell of rage from their lie low cried with his left hand they will learn wisdom they are bringing forward shield and we shall have some pebbles about our ears ere long chapter xvi how the yellow the two the three vessels had been sweeping swiftly westward the still well to the front although the were slowly drawing in upon either quarter to the left was a hard sky line unbroken by a sail the island already lay like a cloud behind them while right in front was st s head with in the distance stood by the looking backwards the fresh wind full in	4
his teeth the crisp winter air on his face and blowing his yellow curls from under his his cheeks were flushed and his eyes shining for the blood of a hundred fighting saxon ancestors was beginning to stir in his veins what was that he asked as a hissing sharp drawn voice seemed to whisper in his ear the smiled and pointed with his foot to where a short heavy cross bow quarrel stuck quivering in the boards at the same instant the man stumbled forward upon his and lay lifeless upon the deck a blood stained feather out from his back as stooped to raise him the air seemed to be alive with the sharp of the and he could hear them on the deck like apples at a raise two more by the said sir quietly and another man to the cried the keep them in play with ten of your men the knight continued and let ten of sir s do as much for the i have no mind as yet to how them how much they have to fear from us ten picked shots under stood in line across tbe broad deck and it was a lesson to the young who had seen nothing of war to note how orderly and how cool were these old soldiers how quick the command and how prompt the carrying out ten moving like one their comrades crouched beneath the with many a rough jest and many a scrap of criticism or advice higher higher i put thy body into it will i forget not the wind i so ran the muttered chorus while high above it rose the sharp of the strings the hiss of the shafts and the short draw your arrow kick your arrow shoot wholly together i from the and now both were at work from the but so covered and protected that save at the moment of discharge no glimpse could be caught of them a huge brown rock from the sang over their heads and plunged sullenly into the slope of a wave another from the into the waist broke the back of a horse and its way through the side of the vessel two others flying together tore a great gap in the st upon the sail and brushed three of sir s men at arms from the the master looked at the knight with a troubled face they keep their distance from us said he our is over good and they will not close what defence can we make against the stones i think i may trick them the knight answered cheerfully and passed his order to the instantly five of them threw up their hands and fell prostrate upon the deck one had already been slain by a bolt so that there were but four upon their feet that should give them heart said sir the which crept along on either side with a slow measured swing of their great oars the water and foaming under their sharp stems they still hold aloof cried then down with two shouted their leader that will do ma foi but thej come to oar like to the to arms men i the behind me and the round the stand fast with the in the waist and be for a cast now blow out the trumpets and may ood s be with the honest men as he spoke a roar of voices and a roll of drums came from either and the water was lashed into spray by the hurried beat of a hundred down they one on the right one on the left the sides and black with men and with weapons in heavy clusters they hung upon the all ready for a spring faces white faces brown faces yellow and faces black fair fierce from the and fiery from the states of all hues and countries and marked solely by the common stamp of a wild beast ferocity up on either side with oars trailing to save them from snapping they poured in a living torrent with horrid yell and shrill upon the but yet was the cry and still the scream when there rose up from the shadow of those silent the long lines of the english and the arrows in a deadly among the unprepared masses upon the decks from the higher sides of the the could shoot straight down at a range which was so short as to enable a cloth yard shaft to pierce through mail coats or to a shield though it were an inch thick of wood one moment saw the s crowded with rushing figures waving arms faces the next it was a blood with bodies piled three deep upon each other the living behind the dead to shelter themselves from that sudden storm blast of death on either side the whom sir had chosen for the purpose had cast their over the side of the so that the three vessels locked in an iron grip heavily forward upon the swell m and now set in a fell and fierce fight one of a thousand of which no has spoken and no poet sung through all the centuries and over all those southern waters nameless men have fought in nameless places their sole monument a protected coast and an foi e and aft the had cleared the decks but from either side the s had poured down into the waist where the and were pushed back and so mingled with their foes that it was impossible for their comrades above to draw string to help them it was a wild chaos where and sword rose and fell while englishman and italian staggered and on a deck which was with bodies and slippery with blood the of blows the cries of the stricken the short deep shout of the and the fierce of the rose together in a tumult while the breath of the	4
panting men went up in the wintry air like the smoke from a furnace the giant t te towering above his fellows and clad fi om head to foot in plate of proof led on his waving a huge in the air with which he struck to the deck every man who opposed him on the other side beard a dwarf in height but of great breadth of shoulder and length of arm had cut a road almost to the mast with three score men at arms close at his heels between these two formidable the were being slowly more closely together until they stood back to back under the mast with the raging upon every of them but help was close at hand sir with his men at arms had down from the while sir with his three black john and a score more threw themselves from the and hurled themselves into the of the fight as in duty bound kept his eyes ever on his lord and pressed forward close at his heels often had he heard of sir s and skill with all weapons but all the tales that had reached his ears fell far short of the real quickness and coolness of the man it was as if the devil was in him for he sprang here and sprang there now thrusting and now cutting catching blows on his shield turning them with his blade stooping under the swing of an axe springing over the sweep of a sword so swift and so that the man who himself for a blow at him might find him six paces off ere he could bring it down three had fallen before him and he had wounded beard in the neck when the giant sprang at him from the side with a blow from his deadly sir stooped to avoid it and at the same instant turned a thrust from the but his foot slipping in a pool of blood he fell heavily to the ground sprang in front of the but his sword was shattered and he himself beaten to the ground by a second blow from the ponderous weapon ere the chief could repeat it however john s iron grip fell upon his wrist and he found that for once he was in the hands of a stronger man than himself fiercely he strove to his weapon but john bent his arm slowly back until with a sharp crack like a breaking it turned limp in his grasp and the dropped from the fingers in vain he tried to pluck it up with the other hand back and back still his bent him until with a roar of pain and of fury the giant his full length upon the boards while the glimmer of a knife before the bars of his warned him that short would be his if he moved and by the loss of their leader the had given back and were now streaming over the on to their own dropping a dozen at a time on to her deck but the anchor still held them in its crooked and sir with fifty men was hard upon their heels now too the had room to draw their bows once more and great stones from the yard of the came thundering and crashing among the here and there they rushed with wild screams and curses under the sail crouching behind into comers like when the are upon them as helpless and as hopeless they were stem days and if the honest soldier too poor for a had no prospect of mercy upon the battle field what was there for the enemies of human kind taken in the very deed with proofs of their crimes still swinging upon their yard arm but the fight had taken a new and a strange turn upon the other side beard and his men had given slowly back hard pressed by sir black and the guard foot by foot the italian had retreated his running blood at every joint his shield split his crest his voice fallen away to a mere gasping and yet he faced his with courage dashing in springing back sure footed steady handed with a point which seemed to menace three at once beaten back on to the deck of his own vessel and closely followed by a dozen englishmen he disengaged himself from them ran swiftly down the deck sprang back into the once more cut the rope which held the anchor and was back in an instant among his at the same time the sailors thrust with their oars against the side of the and a rapidly appeared between the two vessels by st george i cried ford we are cut off from sir he is lost gasped come let us spring for it the two youths jumped with all their strength to reach the departing ford s feet reached the edge of the and his hand clutching a rope he swung himself on board fell short in among the oars and bounded off into the sea staggering to the side was about to himself after him but john dragged him back by the tou can scarce stand lad far less jump said see how the blood from your my place is by the flag i cried vainly struggling to break om the other s hold bide here man you would need wings ere yon could reach sir s side the vessels were indeed so far apart now that the could use the full sweep of their oars and draw away rapidly from the my god but it is a noble fight i shouted big john clapping his hands they have cleared the and they spring into the waist well struck my lord well struck see to black how he storms among the but this beard is a gallant warrior he his men upon the he hath slain an ha my lord is upon him	4
were level with the waves and again shooting up with a motion until every and rope stood out hard against the sky on the left the low lying land stretched in a dim haze rising here and there into a darker which marked the higher and the land of france s eyes shone as he gazed upon it the land of france i the very words sounded as the call of a in the ears of the youth of england the land where their fathers had the home of chivalry and of deeds the country of gallant men of women of buildings of the wise the polished and the there it lay so still and gray beneath the drifting the home of things noble and of things shameful the theatre where a new name be made or an old one from his bosom to his lips came the veil and he breathed a vow that if and good will could raise him to his lady s side then death alone should hold him back from her his thoughts were still in the woods of and the old of castle when the hoarse voice of the brought them back once more to the bay of by my young sir he said you are as long in the face as the devil at a and i cannot marvel at it for i have sailed these waters since i was as high as this and yet i never saw more sure promise of an evil night nay i had other things upon my mind the squire answered and so has eveiy man cried in an injured voice let tlie see to it it is the master s affair put it all upon good master never bad i so much care since first i blew trumpet and showed at the west gate of what is then for the man s words were as j as the weather ami s here am i with but half my and a hole in the ship where that twenty stone struck us big enough to fit the fat widow of through it is well enough on this but i would have you tell me what i am to do on the other we are like to hate salt water upon us until we be found like the in an s barrels what says sir to it he is below picking out the coat of his mother s uncle me not with such small matters i was all that i could get from him then there is sir them in oil with a dressing of he and then swore at me because i had not been the cook thought i mad master sober man so away forward to the and alas but they were worse than the others would they not help you then they sat and at a board liim that they call and the gi eat red headed man who snapped the s arm bone and the black man from and a score of others rattling their in an s for want of a box the ship can scarce last much longer my masters i that is your business old swine s head i cried the black le t says a five a four and the main shouted the big man with a voice like the of a sail hark to them now young sir and say if i speak not as he spoke there sounded high above the shriek of the gale and the straining of the a gust of oaths with a roar of deep mirth from the in the can i be of avail asked say the word and the thing is done if two hands may do it nay nay your i can see is still and i faith head would you have had your not stood your friend all that may be done is already carried out for we have stuffed the with sails and it without and within yet when we hale our and the sheet our lives will hang upon the breach remaining blocked see how yonder upon us through the mist we must tack within three arrow flights or we may find a rock through now st be praised here is sir with whom i may confer i that you will pardon me said the knight clutching his way along the i would not show lack of courtesy toward a worthy man but i was deep in a matter of some weight concerning which i should be glad of your it touches the question of or in the coat of mine uncle sir john of who took unto wife the widow of sir henry of the case has been much by and kings of arms but how is it with you master enough my fair lord the must go about anon and i know not how we may keep the water out of her go call sir i said sir and presently the knight made his way all down the slippery deck by my soul master this passes all patience i he cried if this ship of yours must needs dance and like a at a then i pray you that you will put me into one of these i had but sat down to a of and a of as is my use about this hour when there comes a and i find my wine over my legs and the in my lap and then as i stoop to it there comes another cursed and there is a of stuck fast to the of my neck at this moment i have two pages after it from side to side like hounds behind a never did living pig more lightly but you have sent for me sir i would fain have your sir for master hath fears that when we there may come danger from the hole in our side then do not	4
sir hastily and fair sir i must hasten back to see how my have with the nay but this will scarce suffice cried the if we do not we shall be upon the rocks within the hour then said sir there is my and now sir i must at this instant however a startled shout rang out from two upon the rocks they into the air with their rocks beneath our very bows through the belly of a great black wave not one hundred paces to the front of them there thrust forth a huge jagged mass of brown stone which spray as though it were some crouching monster while a dull menacing boom and roar filled the air i screamed flinging himself upon the long pole which served as a cut the haul her over lay her two courses to the wind i over swung the great boom and the trembled and quivered within five spear of the she can scarce draw clear cried e with his eyes from the sail to the line of foam may the holy stand by us and the thrice if there be such peril sir sir it would be very and fitting that we should show our i pray you that you will com my bearer to put my banner and sound the trumpets cried sir in i am in the keeping of james of to whose shrine i shall make pilgrimage and in whose honor i vow that i will eat a each year upon his feast day mon but the waves i how is it with us now master d we draw i wo draw i cried with his eyes still fixed upon tbe foam which under the of the side ah holy mother be with us now as he spoke the along the edge of the and a long white curling sheet of wood was off from her side from waist to by a horn of the at the same instant she lay suddenly over the sail drew full and she plunged amid the of the and the the virgin be praised i cried the wiping his brow for this shall bell swing and candle bum when i see water once more cheerily my hearts i pull on the by my soul i would rather have a dry death sir though i i have eaten so many fish that it were but justice that the fish should eat me now i must back to the cabin for i have matters there which my attention nay sir you had best bide with us and still show your sir answered for if i understand the matter aright we have but turned from one danger to the other master cried the rushing aft the water comes in upon us the waves have driven in the sail wherewith we strove to stop the hole as he spoke the came on to the and the to avoid the torrent which poured through the huge into the waist high above the roar of the wind and the clash of the sea rose tbe shrill half human cries of the horses as they found the water rising rapidly around them stop it from without i cried seizing tbe end of the wet sail with which the gap had been speedily my hearts or we are gone i swiftly they ropes to the comers and then rushing forward to the bows they lowered them under the and drew them tight in such a way that the sail should cover the outer face of the gap the force of tbe rush of water was by this obstacle but it still from every side of it at the sides the horses were the belly aud in the centre a man from the could scarce touch the deck with a seven foot spear the lay lower in the water and the waves freely over the weather i fear that we can scarce bide upon this tack cried and yet the other will drive us on the rocks might we not haul down sail and for better times suggested sir nay we should drift upon the rocks thirty years have i been on the sea and never yet in greater straits we are iu the hands of the saints of whom cried sir i look more particularly to st james of who hath already us this day and on whose feast i vow that i shall eat a second if he will but a second time the had to aud the coast was but a line two vague shadows in the showed where the rolled and tossed upon the great atlantic looked wistfully in their direction if they would but lie closer we might find safety even should the founder you will bear me out with good master of that i have done all that a might it would be well that you should and sir for by the black it is like enough that we shall have to swim for it nay said the little knight t would be scarce fitting that a should throw off his harness for the fear of every puff of wind and of water i would rather that my company should gather round me here on the where we might abide together whatever god might be pleased to send but master for all that my sight is none of the best it is not the first time that i have seen that upon the left the seaman shaded his eyes i ith his hand and earnestly the haze of spray suddenly he threw up his arms and shouted aloud in his joy tis the point of la he cried i had not thought that we were as far as the lies before us and once over the bar and under shelter of the tour de all will be well with us again my hearts and bring her to try with the the sail swung round	4
once more and the battered and torn and well nigh water staggered in for this haven of refuge a bluff cape to the north and a long spit to the south marked the mouth of the noble river with a low lying island of sand in the centre all and by the of the a line of broken water traced the dangerous bar which in clear day and weather has cracked the back of many a tall ship there is a channel said which was shown to me by the prince s own pilot mark yonder tree upon the bank and see the tower which rises behind it if these two be held in a line even as we hold them now it may be done though our ship draws two good more than when she put forth god speed you master cried sir twice have we come out of peril and now for the third time i commend me to the blessed james of to whom i vow nay nay old friend whispered sir you are like to bring a judgment upon us with these vows which no living man could accomplish have i not already heard you vow to eat two in one day and now you would venture upon a third i pray you that you will order the company to lie down cried who had taken the and was gazing ahead with a fixed eye in three minutes we shall either be lost or in safety and lay flat upon the deck waiting in stolid silence for whatever fate might come bent his weight upon the and to see under the sail sir and sir stood erect with hands crossed in front of the down the great into the narrow channel which was the to safety on either bow roared the shallow bar right ahead one small lane of black water marked the pilot s course but true was the eye and firm the hand which guided a dull came from beneath the vessel quivered and shook at the waist at the quarter and behind sounded that grim roaring of the waters and with a the yellow was over the bar and swiftly up the broad and tranquil of the r losing put upon his it was on the morning of friday the eight and twentieth day of november two days before the feast of st that the and her two prisoners after a weary up the and the dropped anchor at last in front of the noble city of with wonder and admiration leaning over the gazed at the forest of the swarm of boats darting hither and thither on the bosom of the broad stream and the gray shaped city which stretched with many a tower and along the western shore never had he in his quiet life seen so great a town nor was there in the whole of england save london alone one which might match it in size or in wealth here the of all the fair countries which are watered by the and the the of the south the skins of the of the to be borne away to or in exchange for the and of england here too dwelt those famous and who had made the steel the most upon earth and could give a temper to lance or to sword which might mean dear life to its owner could see the smoke of their up in the clear morning air the storm had died down now to a gentle breeze which to his ears the long drawn stirring calls which sounded from the ancient v mon i said coming up to where he stood thou art a squire now and like enough to win the golden spurs while i am still the master and master i shall bide i dare scarce wag my tongue so freely with you as when we together past else i might be your guide now for indeed i know every in as a knows his nay said laying his hand npon the sleeve of his companion s you cannot think me so as to throw aside an old friend because i have had some small share of good fortune i take it unkind that you should have thought such evil of me nay mon twas but a flight shot to see if the wind blew steady though i were a rogue to doubt it why had i not met you at the inn who can say where i had now been i had not gone to castle nor become squire to sir nor he paused abruptly and flushed to his hair but the was too busy with his own thoughts to notice his young companion s embarrassment it was a good that of the he remarked by my ten finger bones when i hang bow on nail and change my for a i might do than take over the dame and her business i thought said that you were to some one at to three answered to three i fear i may not go back to i might chance to see in i have ever done in but mark you now yonder lofty in the centre which stands back from the river and hath a broad banner upon the summit see the rising sun flashes full upon it and on the golden lions tis the royal banner of england crossed by the prince s there he dwells in the abbey of st where he hath kept his court these back beside it is the of the same saint who hath the town under his very special care and how of yon gray on the left f tis the of st michael as that upon the right is of st there too above the of yonder yoa see the towers of st and of mark also the mighty which are pierced by the three water gates and sixteen others to the	4
side and how is it good that there comes so much music from the town i seem to hear a hundred trumpets all calling in chorus it would be strange else seeing that all the great lords of england and of are within the walls and each would have his blow as loud as his neighbor lest it might be that his dignity had been ma foi i they make as much as a scotch army where every man fills himself with cakes and sits up all night to blow upon the pipe see all along the banks how the pages water the horses and there beyond the town how they gallop them over the plain i for every horse you see a knight hath in the town for as i learn the men at arms and have already gone forward to i trust said sir coming upon deck that the men are ready for the land tell them that the boats will be for them within the hour the raised his hand in salute and hastened forward in the meantime sir i had followed his brother knight and the two paced the together sir in his colored velvet suit with flat cap of the same adorned in front with the lady s glove and round with a curling feather the knight on the other hand was clad in the very latest mode with court pie and of olive green picked out witli pink and jagged at the edges a red or cap with long hanging sat on the back of his black curled head while his gold shoes were twisted up d la as if the toes were shooting forth a which might hope in time to itself around his massive leg once more sir said sir looking with sparkling eyes do we find ourselves at the gate of honor the door which hath so often led us to au that is and worthy there flies the prince s banner and it would be well that we haste ashore and pay our to him the boats already swarm from the bank there is a goodly near the west gate which is for the of remarked sir we might take the edge of our hunger off ere we seek the prince for though his tables are gay with and silver he is no man himself and hath no sympathy for those who are his his his before the lad not treason where none is meant i have seen him smile in his quiet way because i had looked for the fourth time toward the carving squire and indeed to watch him with a little of bread or his cup of thrice watered wine is enough to make a man feel shame at his own hunger yet war and glory my good friend though well enough in their way will not serve to such a belt as my waist how read you that coat which hangs over yonder asked sir a bend between it is a northern coat i have seen it in the train of the from the there is not one of these vessels which hath not knight or baron aboard i would mine eyes were better how read you this upon the left and a of six ha it is the sign of the and there beyond i see the red and silver of the of who like myself are of close behind us is the cross of the gallant william and beside it the bloody of the with the of the of by st paul it would be a very strange thing if so noble a company were to gather without some notable deed of arms arising from it and here is our boat sir so it seems best to me that we should go to the abbey with our leaving master to have own in the the horses both of knights and were speedily lowered into a broad lighter and reached the shore almost as soon as their masters sir bent his knee devoutly as he put foot on land and taking a small black patch from his bosom he bound it tightly over his left eye may the blessed george and the memory of my sweet lady love raise high in my t he and as a token i vow that i will not take this patch from mine eye until i have seen something of this country of spain and done such a small deed as it lies in me to do and this i swear upon the cross of my sword and upon the glove of my lady in truth you take me back twenty years sir as they mounted and rode slowly through the water gate after i deem that the french thought that we were an army of the blind for there was scarce a man who had not closed an eye for the greater love and honor of his lady yet it goes hard with you that you should one side when with both open you can scarce tell a horse from a mule in truth friend i think that yon step over the line of reason in this matter sir said the little knight shortly i would have you to understand that blind as i am i can yet see the path of honor very clearly and that that is a road upon which i do not another man s guidance by my soul said sir you are as as this morning if you are bent upon a quarrel with me i must leave you to your humor and drop into the d or here for i marked a pass the door who bare a smoking dish which had a most excellent smell cried his comrade laying his hand upon his knee we have known each other over long to fall out like two raw pages at their first you must come with me first to the prince	4
and then back to the though sure i am that it would grieve his heart that any gentle should turn from his board to a tavern but is not that my lord who waves to us ha my fair lord ood and our lady be with you i and there is sir robert robert i am right glad to see yon the two knights walked their horses abreast while and ford with john who was squire to sir kept some paces behind them a spear s length in front of black and of the a lean silent man had been te those parts before and sat his horse with a rigid neck but the two young gazed eagerly to right or left and plucked each other s sleeves to call attention to the many strange things on every side of them see to the brave cried see to the noble set forth and the costly and oh ford see to where the sits with the and the ink horns and the rolls of as white as the saw man ever the like before nay man there are finer in answered ford whose father had taken him to london on occasion of one of the i have seen a silver smith s there which would serve to buy either side of this street but mark these houses how they thrust forth upon the top and see to the coats of arms at every window and banner or pens on the roof and the churches cried the at was a noble pile but it was cold and bare by one of these with their and their and their ti as though some great of stone had curled and over the walls and hark to the speech of the folk i said ford was ever such a hissing and i wonder that they have not wit to learn english now that they have come under the english crown by richard of there are fair faces amongst them see the with the brown out on you that you would rather gaze upon dead stone than on living flesh it was little wonder that the and ornament not only of church and of stall but of every private house as should have impressed itself upon the young the town was now at the height of its fortunes besides its trade and its other causes had combined to pour wealth into it war which had wrought evil upon bo many fair cities around had brought but good to this one as her french sisters decayed she increased for here from north and from east and from south came the plunder to be sold and the money to be spent through all her sixteen gates there had set for many years a double tide of empty handed soldiers hurrying and of enriched and laden bands who brought their spoils home the prince s court too with its swarm of noble and wealthy knights many of whom in imitation of their master had brought their ladies and children from england all helped to swell the of the now with this fresh of and food and lodgings were scarce to be had and the prince was hurrying forward his forces to in to relieve the over crowding of his capital in front of the and abbey of st s was a large square crowded with priests soldiers women and who made it their common centre for and gossip amid the knots of noisy and many small parties of mounted knights and their way toward the prince s quarters where the huge iron doors were thrown back to show that he held audience within two score stood about the and beat back from time to time with their bow the inquisitive and chattering crowd who round the two knights in full with raised and closed sat their horses on either side while in the centre with two pages to tend upon him there stood a noble faced man in flowing purple gown who pricked off upon a sheet of the style and title of each them in their order and giving to the place and facility his rank demanded his long white beard and searching eyes imparted to him an air of dignity which was increased by his like and the with triple which his office it is sir william de the prince s own herald and whispered sir as they pulled up amid the line of knights who awaited admission it with the man who should venture to deceive him he hath by the name of every knight of france or of england and all the tree of his family with his marriages and i know not what beside we may leave our horses here with the and push forward with our following sir s counsel they pressed on upon foot until they were close to the prince s secretary who was in high debate with a young and knight who was bent upon making his way past him said the king at arms it is in my mind young sir that you have not been presented before nay it is but a day since i set foot in but i feared lest the prince should think it strange that i had not waited upon him the prince hath other things to think upon sir william de but if you be a you must be a of and indeed i see now that your coat is and i am a of the other answered with some uneasiness of manner then must you be sir for i learn that when old sir died he came in for the arms and the name the war and the profit sir is my brother and i am arthur the second son said the youth in and in cried the king at arms with scornful eyes and pray sir second son where is the mark which should mark your rank dare you to wear	4
your brother s coat without the which should stamp as his away to your lodgings and come not nigh the prince until the hath placed the true charge upon your shield as the youth withdrew in confusion sir william s keen eye out the five red roses from amid the over and cloud of which faced him hai he cried are charges here which are above the roses of and the s head of may stand back in peace but by my faith they are not to be held back in war welcome sir sir i will be glad to his very heart roots when he sees you this way my fair tour are doubtless worthy the fame of the masters down this passage sir ha one of the old strain of i doubt not and ford they are of a south saxon stock and of good there are in and in and also as i have heard upon the borders so my fair and i shall see that you are shortly admitted he had finished his professional by flinging open a folding door and the party into a broad hall which was filled with a great number of people who were waiting like themselves for an audience the room was very spacious lighted on one side by three arched and windows while opposite was a huge fireplace in which a pile of was blazing men many of the company had crowded round the flames for the weather was bitterly cold but the two knights seated themselves upon a with their standing behind them looking down the room marked that both floor and ceiling were of the richest oak the latter by twelve beams which were adorned at either end by the lilies and the lions of the royal arms on the further side was a small door on each side of which stood men at arms from time to time an elderly man in black with rounded shoulders and a long white in his hand came softly forth from this inner room and beckoned to one or other of the company who cap and followed him the two knights were deep in talk when became aware of a remarkable individual who was walking round the room in their as he passed each knot of every head turned to look after him and it was evident from the bows and respectful on all sides that the interest which he excited was not due merely to his strange personal appearance he was tall and as straight as a lance though of a great age for his hair which curled from under his black velvet cap of maintenance was as white as the new fallen snow yet from the swing of his stride and spring of his step it was clear that he had not yet lost the fire and activity of his youth his fierce hawk like face was clean shaven like that of a priest save for a long thin of white which drooped down half way to his shoulder that he had been handsome might be easily judged from his high nose and clear cut chin but his features had been so distorted by the and of old wounds and by the loss of one eye which had been torn from the that there was little left to remind one of the dashing young knight who had been fifty years ago the fairest as well as tlie of the english chivalry yet what knight was there in that hall of st s who would not have gladly laid down youth beauty and all that he possessed to win the fame of this man for who could be named with the knight the wise the warrior the hero of cr of of of and of as many other battles as there were years to his life ha my little heart of gold he cried darting forward suddenly and throwing his arms round sir i heard that you were here and have been seeking you my fair and dear lord said the knight returning the warrior s embrace i have indeed come back to you for where else shall i go that i may learn to be a gentle and a hardy knight by my said with a smile mt is very fitting that we should be companions for since you s hare tied np your eyes and i have had the to lose one of we have but a pair between us ah sir you were on the blind side of me and i saw you not a wise woman hath made prophecy that this blind side will one day be the death of me we shall go in to the prince anon but in truth he hath much upon his hands for what with and the king of and the king of who is no two days of the same mind and the who are all for terms like so many he hath an uneasy part to play but how left you the lady she was well my fair lord and sent her service and greetings to you i am ever her knight and slave and your journey i trust that it was pleasant as heart could wish we had sight of two and even came to have some slight with them ever in way sir john we must hear the tale anon but i deem it best that ye should leave your and come with me for pressed the prince may be i am very sure that he would be to keep two old comrades in arms upon the further side of the door follow close behind me and i will old sir william though i can scarce promise to roll forth your style and rank as is his wont so saying he led the way to the inner chamber the two companions treading close at his heels and nodding to right and left as they caught sight	4
of familiar faces among the crowd chapter xix how was at the of st s the s room although of no great size was fitted np with all the state and which the fame and power of its owner demanded a high at the farther end was in by a broad of scarlet velvet with silver de lis and supported at either corner by silver rods this was approached by four steps with the same material while all round were scattered rich cushions oriental and costly of fur the which the of could furnish draped the walls whereon the battles of were set forth with the warriors in plate of proof with crest and lance and as the artists of the day were wont to them a few rich settles and carved and decorated with glazed leather of the sort termed or completed the furniture of the apartment save that at one side of the there stood a lofty perch upon which a cast of three solemn sat and as silent and motionless as the royal who stood beside them in the centre of the were two very high chairs wit which arched forward over the heads of the occupants the whole covered with light blue silk thickly powdered with golden stars on that to the right sat a very tall and well formed man with red hair a livid face and a cold blue eye which had in it something peculiarly sinister and menacing he back in a careless position and yawned repeatedly as if heartily weary of the proceedings stooping from time to time to a shaggy spanish which lay stretched at his feet on the other throne there was perched bolt upright with as though he felt himself to be upon his good behavior a little round faced person who smiled and to every one whose eye he chanced to meet between and a little in front of them on a humble or stool sat a slim dark young man whose quiet attire and modest manner would scarce proclaim him to be the most noted prince in europe a of dark blue cloth with and of gold seemed but a sombre and plain attire amidst the wealth of silk and and gilt of with which he was surrounded he sat with his two hands clasped round his knee his head slightly bent and an expression of impatience and of trouble upon his clear well features behind the there stood two men in purple gowns with clean shaven faces and half a dozen other high and office of below on either side of the steps were forty or fifty knights and ranged in a triple row to the right and the left with a clear passage in the centre there sits the prince whispered sir john as they entered he on the right is whom we are about to put upon the spanish the other is don james whom we purpose with the aid of god to help to his throne in now follow me and take it not to heart if he be a little short in his speech for indeed his mind is full of many very concerns the prince however had already observed their entrance and springing to his feet he had advanced with a winning smile and the light of welcome in his eyes we do not need your good offices as herald here sir john said he in a low but clear voice these knights are very well known to me welcome to sir and sir nay keep your knee for my sweet father at i would have your hands my friends we are like to give you some work to do ere you see the downs of once more you aught of spain sir my save that i have heard men say that i there is a dish named an which is prepared there though i hi ve never heen dear in my mind as to whether it was but a as is to be found in the or whether there is some as or which is peculiar to spain tour sir shall soon be resolved answered the prince laughing heartily as did many of the who surrounded them his majesty here will doubtless order that you have this dish hotly when we are all safely in i will have a hotly dish for some folk i know of answered don with a cold smile but my friend sir can fight right with out either bite or sup remarked the prince did i not see him at when for two days we had not more than a crust of bread and a cup of foul water yet carrying himself most with my own eyes i saw him in the sweep the head from a knight of with one blow of his sword the rogue got between me and the nearest french muttered sir amid a fresh from those who were near enough to catch his words how many have you in your train asked the assuming a graver mien i have forty men at arms said sir and i have one hundred and a score of but there are three hundred men who wait for me on this side of the water upon the borders of and who are they sir they are a free company and they are called the white company to the astonishment of the knight his words provoked a burst of merriment from the round in which the two kings and the prince were fain to join sir mildly from one to the other until at last perceiving a stout black bearded knight at his elbow whose laugh rang somewhat louder than the others he touched him lightly upon the sleeve my fair sir he whispered there id some small vow of which i may relieve you might we not have some honorable debate upon the matter gentle courtesy may perhaps grant me an exchange of nay	4
nay sir cried the prince fasten not the offence upon sir robert for we are one and all in the same mire truth to say our ears have just been vexed by the doings of the same company and i have even now made vow to hang the man who held the rank of captain over it i little thought to him among the of my own chosen but the vow is now naught for as you have never seen your company it would be a act to blame you for their doings my said sir it is a very small matter that i should be hanged the manner of death is somewhat more than i had hoped for on the other hand it would be a very grievous thing that you the prince of england and the flower of should make a vow whether in ignorance or no and fail to bring to it fulfilment vex not your mind on that the prince answered smiling we have had a citizen from here this very day who told us such a tale of sack and murder and that it moved our blood but our wrath was turned upon the man who was in authority over them and not on him who had never set eyes upon them my dear and honored master cried in great anxiety i fear me much that in your gentleness of heart you are straining this vow which you have taken if there be so much as a shadow of a doubt as to the form of it it were a thousand times best peace peace i cried the prince impatiently i am very well able to look to my own vows and their performance we hope to see you both in the banquet hall anon meanwhile you will attend upon us with our train he bowed and sir by the sleeve led them both away to the back of the press of why little he whispered you are very eager to have your neck in a by my soul bad you asked as much from our new ally don he had not you between friends there is over much of the in him and too little of the prince but indeed this white company is a rough band and may take some handling ere you find yourself safe in your i doubt not with the help of st paul that i shall bring them to some order sir answered but there are many faces here which are new to me though others have been before me since first i waited upon my dear master sir walter i pray you to tell me sir john who are these priests upon the the one is the of and the other the bishop of and the dark knight with gray beard by my he seems to be a man of much wisdom and he is sir william who with my unworthy self is the chief of the prince he being high steward and i the of and the knights upon the right beside don they are of spain who have followed him in his exile the one at his elbow is de who is as brave and true a man as heart could wish in front to the right are the lords you may well tell them by their clouded brows for there hath been some ill will of late the prince and them the tall and man is the de whom i doubt not that you know for a knight never laid lance in rest that heavy faced who his skirts and whispers in his ear is lord de known also as the butcher he it is who up strife and forever blows the dying embers into flame the man with the upon his cheek is tlie lord and his two brothers stand behind him with the lord lord de lord de sir d the de la and others further back are knights from and with the sir d angle that is he in the rose with the and the knights upon this side they are all englishmen some of the household and others who like yourself are captains of companies there is lord sir and sir with sir walter sir thomas and sir thomas who is the brother of the high steward mark well the with the high nose and beard who hath placed his hand upon the shoulder of the dark hard faced in the stained ay by st paul i observed sir they both bear the print of their upon their they are men who breathe in a camp than a court there are many of us who do that said and the head of the court is i dare warrant among them but of these two men the one is sir and the other is sir robert sir and sir their necks to have a clearer view of these famous warriors the one a chosen leader of free companies the other a man who by his and energy had raised himself from the lowest ranks until he was second only to himself in the esteem of the array he hath no light hand in war hath sir robert said if he passes through a country you may tell it for some years to come i have heard that in the north it is still the use to call a house which hath but the two ends left without walls or roof a i have often heard of him said sir and i have hoped to be so far honored as to run a course with him but hark sir john what is amiss with the prince while had been conversing with the two knights a continuous stream of had been ushered in seeking to sell their swords and merchants over some grievance a ship detained for the of troops or a of sweet wine which had the bottom knocked out by a	4
troop of thirsty a few words from the prince disposed of each case and if the liked not the judgment a quick glance from the prince s dark eyes sent him to the door with the grievance all gone out of him the young ruler had sat upon his stool with the two behind him but of a sudden a dark shadow passed over liis face and he sprang to his feet in one of those of passion which were the single blot upon his noble and generous character how now don martin de la he cried how now what message do you bring to us from our brother of the new comer to whom this abrupt had been addressed was a tall and exceedingly handsome who had just been ushered into the apartment his cheek and black hair spoke of the fiery south and he wore his long black cloak across his chest and over his shoulders in a graceful sweeping fashion which was neither english nor french with stately steps and many profound bows he advanced to the foot of the before replying to the prince s question mj powerful and illustrious master he began charles king of earl of count of champagne who also himself of beam sends his love and greetings to his dear cousin ed ward the prince of wales governor of grand commander of don martin the prince who had been beating the ground with his foot impatiently during this stately we already know our cousin s titles and style and we know our own to the point man and at once are the passes open to us or does your master go back from his word pledged to me at no later than last it would ill become my gracious master to go from promise given he does but ask some delay and certain conditions and conditions i is he speaking to the prince of england or is it to the of some town conditions i he may find much to mend in his own condition ere long the passes are then closed to us nay sir they are open then nay if you would but enough enough don martin cried the prince it is a sorry sight to see so true a knight pleading in so false a cause we know the doings of our cousin charles we know that while with the right hand he takes our fifty thousand crowns for the holding of the passes open he hath his left outstretched to henry of or to the king of france all ready to take as many more for the keeping them closed i know our good charles and by my blessed name saint the he shall learn that i know him he sets his kingdom up to the best like some selling a horse he is my lord cried don martin i cannot stand here to hear such words of my master did they come from other lips i should know better how to answer them don frowned and curled his lip but the prince smiled his approbation your bearing and your words don martin are such as i should have looked for in you he remarked you will tell the king your master that he hath been paid his and that if he holds to his promise he hath my word for it that no shall come to his people nor to their houses or gear if however we have not his leave i shall come close at the heels of this message without his leave and bearing a key with me which shall open all that he may close he stooped and whispered to sir robert and sir who smiled as men well pleased and hastened from the room d our cousin charles has had experience of our friendship the prince continued and now by the saints he shall feel a touch of our displeasure i send now a message to our cousin charles which his whole kingdom may read let him take heed lest worse befall him where is my lord ha sir john i commend this worthy knight to your care you will see that he hath and such a purse of gold as may his charges for indeed it is great honor to any court to have within it so noble and gentle a how say you he asked turning to the spanish while the herald of was conducted from the chamber by the old warrior it is not our custom in spain to reward in a messenger don answered patting the head of his yet we have all heard the to which your royal generosity runs in yes cried the king of who should know it better than we said don bitterly since we have had to fly to you in our trouble as to the natural protector of all who are weak nay nay as brothers to a brother cried the prince with sparkling eyes we doubt not with the help of to see you very soon restored to those from which you have been so thrust when that happy day comes said p then spain shall be to you as and be your project what it may you may ever count on every troop and every ship over which flies the banner of and added the other upon every aid which the wealth and power of can bestow touching the hundred thousand crowns in which i stand your continued carelessly it can no doubt not a word not a word cried the prince it is not now when you are in grief that i would vex your mind with such base and sordid matters i have said once and forever that i am yours with every bow string of my army and every in my ah here is indeed a mirror of chivalry said don i think sir since the prince s is stretched so far that we may make further	4
how much more then is it proper to test those of our comrades in arms i should draw out if it may be done murmured in s ear the man is a noted and far above your strength came however of that sturdy saxon blood which is very slowly heated but once up not easily to be cooled the hint of danger which threw out was the one thing needed to his resolution i came here at the of my master he said and i looked on every man here as an englishman and a friend this gentleman hath shown me a rough welcome and if i have answered him in the same spirit he has but himself to thank i will pick the glove up but i shall abide by what i have done unless he first my pardon for what he hath said and done shrugged his shoulders you have done what you could to save him he said we had best settle at once so say i cried the council will not break up until the banquet a gray haired squire tou bi ve clear two hours and the the yard is empty at this hour nay it must not be within the grounds of the court or it may go bard with all if it come to the ears of the prince but there is a quiet spot near the river said one youth we have but to pass the abbey grounds along the wall past the church of st and so down the des ap then cried shortly and the whole assembly out into the open air save only those whom the special orders of their masters held to their posts these crowded to the small and their necks after the throng as far as they could catch a of them close to the bank of the there lay a little tract of green with the high wall of a prior s garden upon one side and an orchard with a thick of apple trees upon the other the river ran deep and swift up to the steep bank but there were few boats upon it and the ships were far out in the centre of the stream here the two drew their swords and threw off their for neither had any the with its stately etiquette had not yet come into but rough and sudden were as common as they must ever be when hot headed youth goes abroad with a weapon to its waist in such as well as in the formal sports of the had won a name for strength and dexterity which had caused to utter his well meant warning on the other band bad used his weapons in con exercise and practice for every day for many months and being by nature quick of eye and prompt of hand he might now as no mean a strangely opposed pair they appeared as they approached each other dark and stout and stiff with hairy chest and arms a model of and grace with bis hair and bis skin as fair as a woman s an unequal fight it seemed to most but there were a few and they the most experienced who saw something in the youth s steady gray eye and wary step which left the issue open hold hold cried ere blow had been struck this gentleman hath a two handed sword a good foot longer than that of our friend take mine said ford nay friends he answered i understand the weight and balance of mine own to work sir for our lord may need us s great sword was indeed a mighty in his favor he stood with his feet close together his knees bent outward ready for a dash inward or a spring out the weapon he held straight up in front of him with blade erect so that he might either bring it down with a swinging blow or by a turn of the heavy blade he might guard his own head and body a further protection lay in the broad and powerful guard which crossed the and which was furnished with a deep and narrow in which an expert might catch his s blade and by a quick turn of his wrist might snap it across on the other hand must trust for his defence to his quick eye and active foot for his sword though keen as a could make it was of a light and graceful build with a narrow sloping and a steel well knew his advantage and lost little time in putting it to use as his opponent walked toward him he suddenly bounded forward and sent in a whistling cut i which would have severed the other in twain had he not sprung lightly back from it so close was it that the point a in the edge of his linen quick as a sprang in with a thrust bat who was as active as he was strong had already recovered himself and turned it aside with a movement of his heavy blade again he in a blow which made the spectators hold their breath and again very quickly and swiftly slid from under it and sent two lightning which the other could scarce so close were they to each other that had no time to spring back from the next out which beat down his sword and his forehead sending the blood streaming into his eyes and down his cheeks he sprang out beyond sword sweep and the pair stood breathing heavily while the crowd of young their applause bravely struck on both sides cried you have both won honor from this meeting and it would be sin and shame to let it go further you have done enough said you have carried yourself well cried several of the older for my part i have no wish to this young man said wiping his brow does this	4
gentleman my pardon for having used me asked nay not i then stand on your guard sir with a clatter and clash the two blades met once more pressing in so as to keep within the full sweep of the heavy blade while as continually sprang back to have space for one of his fatal cuts a three parts blow drew blood from s left shoulder but at the same moment he wounded slightly upon the next instant however his blade had slipped into the fatal there was a p sound with a upon the ground and he found a piece of steel fifteen inches long was all that remained to him of his weapon your life is in my hands cried with a bitter smile nay nay he makes submission broke in several another sword cried ford nay sir said that is not the custom throw down your i cried never i said do you my pardon sir you are mad to ask it then on guard again cried the young and sprang in with a fire and a fury which more than made up for the of his weapon it had not escaped him that his opponent was breathing in short hoarse like a man who is dizzy with fatigue now was the time for the living and the more limb to show their back and back gave ever seeking time for a last cut on and on came his jagged point now at his f s face now at his throat now at his chest still and thrusting to pass the line of steel which covered him yet his experienced knew well that such efforts could not be long sustained let him for one instant and his death blow had come he must flesh and blood could not stand the strain already the were less fierce the foot less ready although there was no of the spirit in the steady gray eyes cunning and wary from years of fighting knew that his chance had come he brushed aside the frail weapon which was opposed to him whirled up his great blade sprang back to get the fairer sweep and vanished into the waters of the so intent had the both and spectators been on the matter in hand that all thought of the steep bank and swift still stream had gone from their minds it was not until giving back before the other s fiery rush was upon the very brink that a general cry warned him of his danger that last spring which he hoped would have brought the fight to a bloody end carried him clear of the edge and he found himself in an instant eight feet deep in the ice cold stream once and twice his gasping face and clutching fingers broke up through the still green water sweeping outward in the of the current in vain were sword and linked together thrown out to him by his companions had dropped his shattered sword and was standing trembling in every limb with his rage all changed in an instant to pity o the third time the drowning man to the surface his hands fall df green water plants his eyes turned in despair to the shore their glance fell upon and he could not withstand the mute appeal which he read in them in an instant he too was in the striking out with powerful strokes for his late yet the current was swift and strong and good as he was it was no easy task which had set himself to clutch at and to seize him by the hair was the work of a few seconds but to hold his head above water and to make their way out of the current was another matter for a hundred strokes he did not seem to an inch then at last amid a shout of joy and praise from the bank they slowly drew clear into more water at the instant that a rope made of a dozen linked together by the was thrown by ford into their very hands three from eager arms and the two dripping and pale were dragged up the bank and lay panting upon the grass john was the first to come to himself for although he had been longer in the he had done nothing during that fierce battle with the current he staggered to his feet and looked down upon his had raised himself upon his elbow and was smiling faintly at the of and of praise which broke from the around him i am much to you sir said though in no very friendly voice i should have been in the river now but for you for i was bom in which is but a dry county and there are few who swim in those parts i ask no thanks answered shortly me your hand to rise ford the river has been my enemy said but it hath been a good friend to you for it hath saved your life this day tliat is as it may be returned but all is now well over hai comb and no dome of it which is more than i had at one time for our young friend here hath very fairly and honestly earned his right to be of the honorable of the of here is your alas for toy poor sword which lies at the bottom of the said the squire here is your cried throw it over shoulders that you may have at least one dry and now away back to the abbey said several one sit s cried who was leaning on ford s shoulder with the sword which he had picked up still clutched in his right hand my ears may be somewhat by the water and perchance what has been said has escaped me but i have not yet this gentleman ct ave pardon for the insult which he put upon	4
me in the hall what do you still pursue the quarrel asked and why not sir i am slow to take up such things but once i shall follow it while i have life or breath ma foi you have not too much of either for you are as white as marble said take my sir and let it drop for you have come very well out from it nay said this quarrel is none of my making but now that i am here i swear to you that i shall never leave this spot until i have that which i have come for so ask my pardon sir or choose another and to it again the young squire was deadly white from his exertions both on the land and in the water and stained with a of blood on his white shoulder and another on his brow there was still in his whole pose and set of face the trace of an resolution his opponent s and more material mind before the fire and intensity of a higher spiritual nature i had not thought that you had taken it so amiss said s he awkwardly it was but such a jest su we play upon other and if you must have it so i am sorry for it then i am sorry too warmly and here is my hand upon it and the none meat horn has blown three times as they all streamed in chattering groups from the ground i know not what the prince s will say or think by my master ford your friend here is in need of a cup of wine for he hath drunk deeply of water i had not thought from his fair face that he had stood to this matter so faith said ford this air of hath turned our dove into a game cook a or more courteous youth never came out of his master also as i understand is a very mild and gentleman remarked yet i do not think that they are either of them men with whom it is very safe to trifle chapter xxi how his head the table at the abbey of st s at was on a very scale while the prince held his court there here first after the meagre fare of and the board of the lady learned the to which luxury and refinement might be pushed boasted with the feathers all carefully replaced so that the bird lay upon the dish even as it had in life heads with the gilded and the mouth lined with silver foil in the shape of the twelve and a great which formed an exact model of the king s new castle at these were a few of the strange dishes which faced him an had brought him a change of clothes from the and he had already with the of youth shaken off the troubles and of the morning a page from the inner hall had come with word that their master intended to drink wine at the lodgings of the lord that night and that he desired his to sleep at the hotel of the half moon on the des thither they both set out in the twilight after the long course of tricks and glee singing with which the principal meal was concluded a thin rain was falling as the two youths with their over their heads made their way on foot through the streets of the old town leaving their horses in the royal stables an occasional oil lamp at the corner of a street or in the of some wealthy threw a faint glimmer over the shining stones and the varied crowd who in spite of the weather and flowed along every highway in those scattered circles of dim radiance might be been the whole busy of life in a wealthy and martial city here passed the faced swollen with prosperity his sweeping dark flat velvet cap broad leather belt and dangling all speaking of comfort and of wealth behind him his serving her blue over her head and one hand thrust forth to bear the which threw a golden bar of light along her master s path behind them a group of half drunken speaking a dialect which their own countrymen could scarce comprehend their marked with the which showed that they had come over in the train of the north country the glanced back at their fierce faces and quickened his step while the girl pulled her closer i her for there was a meaning in their wild eyes as they stared at the purse and the maiden which men of all tongues could understand then came of the guard women of the camp english pages with their fair skins and blue wondering eyes lounging men at arms loud serving men from the river rude of the m and and of the court all and pushing in an ever changing many colored stream while english french and the varied of and filled the air with their from time to time the throng would be burst asunder and a lady s horse litter would trot past toward the abbey or there would come a knot of torch bearing walking in front of baron or english knight as he sought his lodgings after the palace clatter of hoofs of weapons shouts from the drunken and high laughter of women they fell rose up like the mist from a marsh out of the crowded streets of the dim lit one couple out of the moving throng especially engaged the attention of the two young the more so ab they were going in their own direction and in of them tbey consisted of a man and a girl the former very tall with rounded shoulders a limp of one foot and a large s t object covered with dark cloth under his arm his companion was young and straight with a	4
quick elastic step and graceful bearing though so in a black mantle that little could be seen of her face save a flash of dark eyes and a curve of hair tlie tall man leaned heavily upon her to take the weight off his tender foot while he held his burden himself and the wall it to his side and thrusting forward his companion to act as a whenever tlie pressure of the crowd threatened to bear him away the evident anxiety of the man the appearance of his attendant and the joint care with which they defended their concealed possession excited the interest of the two young englishmen who walked within hand touch of them courage child they heard the tall man exclaim in strange french if we can win another sixty paces we are safe hold it safe father the other answered in the same soft dialect we have no cause for fear verily they are and cried the m n howling drunken i forty more paces and i swear to the holy patron of all learned that i will never set foot over my door again until the whole swarm are safely in their camp of or wherever else they curse with their presence twenty more paces my treasure i ah my god how they push and get in their way put your little elbow bravely out i set your shoulders against them girl why should you give way to these mad ah we are ruined and destroyed the crowd had in front so that the lame man and the girl had come to a stand several half drunken english attracted as the had been by their singular appearance were facing toward them and at them through the dim ui by the three kings cried one here is an old to have bo goodly a i use the leg that god hath given yon man and do not bear so heavily upon the twenty devils with him shouted another what how man i are brave to go while an old man uses one as a walking staff come with me my honey bird cried a third at the girl s mantle nay with me my heart s desire said the first by st george i our life is short and we should be merry while we may may i never see bridge again if she is not a right i what hath the old under his arm cried one of the others he it to him as the devil the let us see old bag of bones let us see what it is that you have under your arm i they crowded in upon him while he ignorant of their language could but clutch the girl with one hand and the parcel with the other looking wildly about in search of help nay lads nay i cried ford pushing back the nearest this is but conduct keep your hands off or it will be the worse for you keep your tongue still or it will be the worse for you shouted the most drunken of the who are you to spoil sport a raw squire new landed said another by st thomas of i we are at the of our master but we are not to be ordered by every babe whose mother hath sent him as far as ob gentlemen cried the girl in broken french for dear christ s sake stand by us and do not let these men do us an injury have no fears lady answered we shall see that all is well with you take your hand from the girl s wrist you north country rogue hold to her j p id a great black man m at ana whose steel in the dusk keep your hands from your you two for that was my trade before you were born and by gk d s soul i will drive a handful of steel through you if you move a finger i thank god i said suddenly as he in the lamp light a shook of blazing red hair fringed a steel cap high above the heads of the crowd here is john and too help us comrades for there is wrong done to this maid and to the old man mon said the old pushing his way through the crowd with the huge at his heels what is all this then by the of string i i think that you will have some work upon your hands if you are to right all the wrongs that you may see upon this side of the water it is not to be thought that a troop of with the wine in their ears will be so soft spoken as so many young clerks in an orchard when you have been a year with the company you will think less of such matters but what is in this here the with his is coming and some of you may find yourselves in the stretch neck if you take not heed why it is old sam of the white company shouted the man at arms why hath come upon thee i can call to mind the day when you were as roaring a blade as ever called himself a free companion by my soul from to who was there who would kiss a or cut a throat as readily as of wood s company like enough peter said and by my i i may not have changed so much but it was ever a fair loose and a clear mark with me the must be willing or the man must be standing up against me else by these ten finger bones i either were safe enough for me a glance at s resolute face and at the huge shoulders of john had convinced the that there was little to be got by violence the girl and the old n n began to on in the crowd	4
without their tor venturing to stop them ford and followed slowly behind but caught the latter by the shoulder by my i said he i hear that you have done great things at the abbey to day but i pray you to have a care for it was i who brought you into the company and it would be a black day for me if aught were to befall you nay i will have a care thrust not forward into danger too much mon in a little time your wrist will be stronger and your cut more shrewd there will be some of us at the rose de to night which is two doors from the hotel of the half moon so if you would drain a cup with a few you will be right welcome promised to be there if his duties would allow and then slipping through the crowd he rejoined ford who was standing in talk with the two strangers who had now reached their own brave young cried the tall man throwing his arms round how can we thank you enough for taking our parts against those horrible drunken what should we have done without you my would have been dragged away and my head would have been shivered into a thousand fragments nay i scarce think they would have you so said in surprise ho ho cried he with a high laugh it is not the head upon my shoulders that i think of no it is the head under my arm which you have preserved perhaps the would to come under our roof father said the maiden if we bide here who knows that some fresh tumult may not break out well said i well said my girl i pray you to honor my unworthy roof so far a light i ther ve five steps up now two more so i mr here we are at last in safety di i i would not have given ten for my head when those children of the devil were pushing us against the wall you have been a brave girl and it was better that you should be pulled and pushed than that my head should be broken yes indeed father said she earnestly but those english take a a hun and a mix them together and add a then take this creature and make him drunk and you have an my god i were ever such people upon earth what place is free from them i hear that they swarm in italy even as they swarm here everywhere you will find them except in heaven dear father cried still supporting the angry old man as he up the curved stair you must not forget that these good who have preserved us are also english ah yes my pardon into my room here there are some who might find some pleasure in these paintings but i learn that the art of war is the only art which is held in honor in your island the low oak room into which he conducted them was brilliantly lit by four scented against the walls upon the table on the floor and in every part of the chamber were gi eat sheets of glass painted in the most brilliant colors ford and around them in for never had they seen such magnificent works of art you like them then the lame artist cried in answer to the look of pleasure and of surprise in their faces there are then some of you who have a taste for such trifling i could not have believed it exclaimed wliat color what outlines see to this of the holy ford could you not yourself pick up one of these stones which lie to tiie hand of the wicked s and see this with tlie cross its by my faith i have never seen a better one at the forest of and the green of this grass how bright and clear why all the painting that i have seen is but child s play beside this this worthy gentleman must be one of those great painters of whom i have oft heard brother speak at the dark face of the artist shone with pleasure at the unaffected delight of the two young englishmen his daughter had thrown off her mantle and disclosed a face of the finest and most delicate italian beauty which soon drew ford s eyes from the pictures in front of him however continued with little cries of admiration to turn from the walls to the table and yet again to the walls what think you of this young sir asked the painter tearing off the cloth which concealed the flat object which he had borne beneath his arm it was a leaf shaped sheet of glass bearing upon it a face with a round it so delicately and of so perfect a tint that it might have been indeed a human face which gazed with sad and thoughtful eyes upon the young squire he clapped his hands with that thrill of joy which true art will ever give to a true artist it is great i he cried it is wonderful but i marvel sir that you should have risked a work of such beauty and value by bearing it at night through so a crowd i have indeed been rash said the artist some wine from the had it not been for you i tremble to think of what might have come of it see to the skin tint it is not to be replaced for paint as you will it is not once in a hundred times that it is not either burned too brown in the furnace or else the color will not hold and you get but a sickly white there you can see the very veins and the throb of the blood yes if it had broken my heart would have	4
broken tt too it is for the window of the of st and we had gone my little and i to see if it was indeed of the size for the night had fallen ere we finished and what we do save carry it home as best we might bat young sir you speak as if you too knew something of the art so little that i dare speak of it in presence answered i have been bred and it was no very great matter to handle the better than my brother there are brush and paper said the old artist i do not give you glass for that is another matter and takes much skill in the mixing of colors now i pray you to show me a touch of your art i thank you i the glasses and fill them to the brim a seat while ford in his french was conversing with in her italian french the old man was carefully examining his precious head to see that no scratch had been left upon its surface when he glanced up again had with a few bold strokes of the brush tinted in a woman s face and neck upon the white sheet in front of him exclaimed the old artist standing with his head on one side you have power yes you have power it is the face of an angel i it is the face of the lady i cried ford even more astonished why on my faith it is not unlike her said in some confusion ah i a portrait so much the better young man i am the son of and say again that you have power further i say that if you will stay with me i will teach you all the secrets of the glass s mystery the and their which will into the glass and which will not the furnace and the trick and method you shall know i would be right glad to under a master said but i am sworn to follow my lord while this war lasts war i war i cries the old italian ever this talk of war and the men that you hold to be great what are they have i not heard their names soldiers i ab per we have men in italy who are in very truth great you pull down you but they build up they restore ah if you could but see my own dear the the of the high with the mellow throb of her bells upon the warm italian air i those are the works of great men and i have seen them with my own eyes these very eyes which look upon you i have seen men whose very colors i am not worthy to mix and i have seen the aged and he in turn was pupil to before whom there was no art in italy for the were brought to paint the chapel of the at ah there are the real great men whose names will be held in honor when your soldiers are shown to have been the enemies of human kind faith sir said ford there is something to say for the soldiers also for unless they be defended how are all these gentlemen whom you have mentioned to preserve the pictures which they have painted and all these said have you indeed done them all and where are they to go yes they are all from my hand some are as you see upon one sheet and some are in many pieces which may fasten together there are some who do but paint upon the glass and then by placing another sheet of glass upon the top and it they keep the air from their painting yet i hold that the true art of my craft lies as much in the furnace as in the brush see this rose window which is from the model of the church of the holy at and this other of the finding of the which is for the of the abbey time waa when none bat my countrymen could do these things but there is of and others in france who are very worthy workmen but ah there is that ever shrieking brazen tongue which will not let us forget for one short hour that it is the arm of the savage and not the hand of the master which rules over the world a stern clear call had sounded close at hand to summon some following together for the night it is a sign to us as well said ford i would fain stay here forever amid all these beautiful things staring hard at the blushing as lie spoke but we must be back at our lord s ere he reach it amid renewed thanks and with promises to come again the two bade their leave of the old italian and his daughter the streets were clearer now and the rain had stopped so they made their way quickly from the du in which their new friends dwelt to the des ap where the of the half moon was situated how thb held at ths mon i saw you ever so lovely a face cried ford as they hurried along together so pure so peaceful and so beautiful in yes and the hue of the skin the most perfect that ever i saw marked you also how the hair curled round the brow it was wonder fine those eyes too i cried ford how clear and how tender simple and yet so full of thought if there was a weakness it was in the chin said nay i saw none it was well curved it is true most so and yet what then find flaw in the sun well you ford would not more power and expression have been put into the face by a long and noble beard holy virgin	4
i cried ford the man is a beard on the face of little i i who spoke of who spoke of aught else it was the picture of st man of which i have been you are indeed cried ford laughing a hun and with all the other hard names which the old man called us how could you think so much of a of when there was such a picture painted by the good god himself in the room with you but who ib this if it please said an across to them and others would be right glad to see yon they are within here he bade me say to you that the lord will not need your service to night as he sleeps with the lord by my faith said ford we do not need a guide to lead us to their presence as he spoke there came a roar of singing from the tavern upon the right with shouts of laughter and stamping of feet passing under a low door and down a stone passage they found themselves in a long narrow hall lit up by a pair of bias ing one at either end of straw had been thrown down along the walls and on them were some twenty or thirty all of the company their steel caps and thrown oft their open and their great limbs on the clay floor at every man s elbow stood his black of beer while at the further end a with its end knocked in promised an abundant supply for the future behind the on a half circle of boxes and rude settles sat john black and three or four other leading men of the together with the master who had left his yellow in the river to have a last rouse with his friends of the company ford and took their seats between and black without their entrance checking in any degree the which was going on ale cried the or shall it be wine nay but ye must have the one or the other here thou limb of the devil bring a of the oldest and see that you do not shake it hast heard the news cried both the that we are to have a brave a aye lads for the de hath sworn that he will find five knights from this side of the water who will ride over any five englishmen who threw leg over saddle and hath taken up the challenge and the prince hath promised a golden for the man who carries himself best and all the court is in a oyer it why should the knights have all the sport f growled john could they not set up five for the honor of and of or five men at arms said black but who are the english knights asked there are three hundred and forty one in the town said ward and i hear that three hundred and forty and have already been sent in the only one missing being sir john who is in his bed with the sickness and cannot set foot to ground i have heard of it from one of the of the guard cried a from among the straw i hear that the prince wishes to break a lance but that would not hear of it for the game is likely to be a rough one then there is nay the prince would not permit it he is to be of the lists with sir william and the due d the english will be the lord sir thomas sir thomas wake sir william and our own very good lord and leader for him and god be with him cried several it is honor to draw string in his service so you may well say said by my ten finger bones if you march behind the of the five roses you are like to see all that a good would wish to see ha i yes you laugh but by my t you may not laugh when ou find yourselves where he will take you for you can never tell what strange vow be may not have sworn to i see that he has a patch over his eye even as he had at there will come of that patch or i am the more mistaken how chanced it at good master asked one of the younger leaning upon his elbows with his eyes fixed upon the old s aye tell us of it cried john here is to old shouted at the further end of the room waving their in the air ask him i said modestly nodding toward he saw more than i did and yet by the holy nails there was not very much that i did not see either ah yes said shaking his head it was a great day i never hope to see such another there were some fine who drew their last shaft that day we shall never see better men by my no there was little and and who broke the neck of the mon what men they were take them how you would at long or short rounds or better never a over their but the fight the fight cried several patiently let me fill my jack first boys for it is a thirsty tale it was at the first fall of the leaf that the prince set forth and he passed through and and and in the maids are kind but the are sour in it is the women that are sour but the are rich however is a very good land for for wine and women are all that heart could wish in i got nothing save a broken but at i had a great good fortune for i had a golden from the for which i afterward got nine from the in the olive from thence we went to where i had a of	4
colored silk and a very fine pair of shoes with of silk and drops of silver from a stall asked one of the young from a man s feet lad i bad reason to that be not need them again seeing that a thirty inch shaft had in bis back and what then on we went some six thousand of us we to and there again a very great thing a battle nay nay a greater thing than that there is little to be gained out of battle unless one have the fortune to win a at i and three upon a house which all others had passed and we had the profit of it to ourselves for myself i had a fine feather bed a thing which you will not see in a long day s journey in england tou have seen it and you john tou will bear me out that it is a noble bed we put it on a s mule and bore it after the army it was in my mind that i would lay it by until i came to start house of mine own and i have it now in a very safe place near but the battle the battle cried several amid a burst of laughter i come to it my young war well then the king of france had followed us with fifty thousand men and he made great haste to catch us but when he had us he scarce knew what to do with us for we were so drawn up among hedges and that they could not come nigh us save by one lane on both sides were men at arms and knights behind and in the centre the baggage with my feather bed upon a s mule three hundred knights came straight for it and indeed they were very brave men but such a drift of arrows met them that few came back then came the and they also fought very bravely so that one or two broke through the and came as far as the feather bed but all to no purpose then out rides our own little with the patch over his eye and my lord with his four and a few others of like and after them went the prince and and then the d whole throng of us with axe and sword for we had shot away our arrows ma foi it was a foolish thing for we came forth from the hedges and there was naught to guard the baggage had they ridden round behind us but all went well with us and the king was taken and little and i fell in with a with twelve of wine for the king s own table and by my i if you asked me what happened after that i cannot answer you nor can little either and next day by my faith we did not long but we back to where we came in safety with the king of france and also the feather bed i sold my spoil for as many gold pieces as i could hold in my and for seven days i lit twelve wax candles upon the altar of st for if you forget the blessed when things are well with you they are very likely to for get you when you have need of them i have a score of one hundred and nineteen pounds of wax against the holy and as he was a very just man i doubt not that i shall have full weight and measure when i have most need of it tell me master cried a fresh faced at the further end of the room what was this great battle about why you jack fool what would it be about save who should wear the crown of france i thought that it might be as to who should have this feather bed of thine if i come down to you i may lay my belt across your shoulders ward answered amid a general shout of laughter but it is time young chickens went to when they dare against their elders it is late nay let us have another song is of will as good a aa any man in the company nay we have one here who is second to none said laying his hand upon big john s shoulder i have heard him on the with a voice like the wave upon the shore i pray you friend to give us the bells of milton or if you will the s maid john drew the back of his hand across his mouth fixed his eyes upon the ceiling and forth in a voice which made the the south land ballad for which he had been asked the he hath gone to the s maid she at home but she is cold and and staid and who may win the s maid there came a knight of high renown in and on knee full long he prayed he might not win the s maid there came a squire so his dress was rich his words were fair he sweetly sang he played he could not win the s maid there came a wonder fine with velvet cap and for all his ships for all his trade he could not buy the s maid there came an bold and true with guard and of his purse was light his alas the s maid oh some have laughed and some have and some have the country side but off they ride through wood and the and the s maid a roar of delight from his audience with stamping of feet and beating of black against the ground showed how thoroughly the song was to their taste while john modestly retired into a pot which he drained in four f ant i bang that in ale ere i ever thought to be an myself he fill	4
up your cried black thrusting his own into the open in front of him here is a last cup to the white company and every brave boy who walks behind the roses of to the wood the and the s wing said an old gray headed to a gentle loose and the king of spain for a mark at fourteen score cried another to a bloody war shouted a fourth many to go and few to come with the most gold to the best steel added a fifth and a last cup to the maids of our heart i cried a steady hand and a true eye boys so let two be a s portion with shout and jest and snatch of song they streamed from the room and all was peaceful once more in the rose de chapter how england held the lists at t was the excitement through town and district when it was learned that on the third wednesday in advent there would be held a passage at arms in which five knights of england would hold the lists against all comers the great of and famous soldiers the national character of the contest and the fact that this was a last trial of arms before what promised to be an and bloody war all united to make the event one of the most notable and brilliant that had ever seen on the eve of the contest the in from the whole district of m and the fields beyond the walls were with the tents of those who could fin no warmer lodgings from the distant camp of too and from st st and all the cluster of flourishing towns which look upon as mother there thronged an stream of and of all upon the great city by the morning of the day on which the courses were to be run not less than eighty thousand people had assembled round the lists and along the low grassy ridge which looks down upon the scene of the encounter it was as may well be imagined no easy matter among so many noted to choose out five on either side who should have over their fellows a score of secondary had nearly arisen from the and bad blood created by the selection and it was only the influence of the prince and the efforts of the older which kept the peace among so many eager and fiery soldiers not till the day before the were the finally hung out for the of the ladies and the so that all men might know the names of the and have the opportunity to prefer any charge against them should there be stain upon them which should them from taking part in so honorable a ceremony sir and sir robert had not yet returned from their into the of so that the english party were deprived of two of their most famous yet there remained so many good names that and to whom tlie selection had been referred had many an earnest consultation in which every feat of arms and failure or success of each candidate was weighed and balanced against the rival claims of his com lord of e the hero of and of who was held to be the second lance in the army were easily fixed upon then of the younger men sir thomas of sir thomas wake of and sir william of were finally selected to the honor of england on the other side were the de and the de with the free companion sir d the lord of and von of the order the older soldiers among the english shook their heads as they looked upon the of these famous warriors for they were all men who had spent their lives upon the saddle and bravery and strength can avail little against experience and wisdom of war by my faith sir john said the prince as he rode through the winding streets on his way to the lists i should have been glad to a lance to day you have seen me hold a spear since i had strength to lift one and should know best whether i do not merit a place among this honorable company there is no better seat and no truer lance said but if i may say so without fear of offence it were not fitting that you should join in thin debate and why sir john it is not for yon to take part with against english or with english against seeing that you are lord of both we are not too well loved by the now and it is but the golden link of your which holds us together if that be snapped i know not what would follow snapped sir john cried the prince with an angry sparkle in his dark eyes what manner of talk is this you speak as though the of our people were a thing which might be thrown off or on like a s with a sorry hack one uses whip and spur said but with a horse of blood and spirit a good is gentle and soothing rather than forcing these folk are strange people and you must hold their love even as you have it now for you will get from their kindness what all the in your army could not from them you are over grave to day john the prince answered we may keep such questions for our council chamber but how now my brothers of spain and of what think you of this challenge i look to see some handsome said don who rode with the king of upon the right of the prince while was on the left by st james of but these would bear some see to the and velvet that the bear upon their backs by my if they were my subjects they would be glad enough to wear and leather ei e	4
i had done with them but it is best to let the wool grow long ere you it it is our pride the prince answered coldly that we rule over and not slaves every man to his own humor said carelessly there is a sweet face at yonder window i don i pray you to mark the house and to haye the maid brought to us at the abbey nay brother nay the prince impatiently i have had to tell you more than once that things are not ordered in this way in a thousand dear friend the answered for a flush of anger had sprung to the dark cheek of the english prince you make my exile so like a home that i forget at times that i am not in very truth back in every land hath indeed its own ways and manners but i promise you edward that when you are my guest in or you shall not in vain for any s daughter on whom you may to cast your eye your talk said the prince still more coldly is not such as i love to hear from your lips i have no taste for such as you speak of and i have sworn that my name shall be coupled with that of no woman save my ever dear wife ever the mirror of true chivalry exclaimed while james of frightened at the stern countenance of their all powerful protector plucked hard at the mantle of his brother exile have a care cousin he whispered for the sake of the virgin have a care i for you have him fear not the other answered in the same low tone if i miss one stoop i will strike him on the next mark me else fair cousin he continued turning to the prince these be rare men at arms and it would be hard indeed to match them they have far but they have never yet found their match nor ever will i doubt not i feel myself to be back upon my throne when i look at them but tell me dear what shall we do next when we have driven this henry from the kingdom which he hath we shall then compel the king of to place our good friend and brother james of upon the throne noble and generous prince cried the little monarch that done said king glancing ont of the corners of bis eyes at the young conqueror we shall unite the forces of england of of spain and of it would be shame to us if we did not do some great deed with such forces ready to our hand you say truly brother cried the prince his eyes at the thought that we could not do any thing more pleasing to our lady than to drive the heathen out of the country i am with you edward as true as to blade but by st james we shall not let these mock us from over the sea we must take ship and thrust them from africa by heaven yes i cried the prince and it is the dream of my heart that our english shall wave upon the mount of and the lions and lilies float over the holy city and why not dear tour have cleared a path to paris and why not to once there you might rest nay there is more to be done cried the prince carried away by the ambitious dream there is still the city of to be taken and war to be against the of and beyond him again there is tribute to be from the of and from the kingdom of ha john what say you can we not go as far eastward as richard of the lion heart old john will bide at home said the rugged soldier by my soul as long as i am of i will find enough to do in guarding the which you have to me it would be a day for the king of france when he heard that the seas lay between him and us by my soul john i said the prince i have never known you turn before the hound is not always the first at the the old knight answered nay my true bet rt i have tried you too often not to d know but by mj soul i haye not seen so dense a throng the day that we brought king john down it was indeed an enormous which the whole vast plain from the line of to the river bank from the northern gate the prince and his companions looked down at a dark sea of heads brightened here and there by the colored of the women or by the sparkling head pieces of and men at in the centre of this vast assemblage the lists seemed but a narrow strip of green marked out with and while a gleam of white with a flutter of at either end showed where the were pitched which served as the dressing rooms of the a path had been off from the city gate to the stands which had been erected for the court and the nobility down this amid the shouts of the enormous multitude the prince with his two attendant kings his high officers of state and his long train of lords and ladies and soldiers with toss of and flash of jewel of silk and of gold as rich and gallant a show as heart could wish the head of the had reached the lists ere the rear had come clear of the city gate for the fairest and the had assembled from all the broad lands which are watered by the and the here rode dark from the sunny south fiery soldiers from graceful of or and gallant young englishmen from beyond the seas here too were the beautiful of the with eyes which out flashed	4
performed in widely countries they had never before been able to cross a course between such men would have been enough in itself to cause the keenest interest apart from its being the crisis which would decide who should be the of the day for a moment they waited the german sombre and collected sir quivering in every fibre with eagerness and fiery resolution then amid a long drawn breath from the spectators the glove d fell from the hand and the two steel met like a thunder in front of the royal the though he for an instant before the thrust of the englishman struck his opponent so fairly upon the that the burst the flew to pieces and sir galloped on down the list with his bald head in the sunshine a thousand waving and tossing caps announced that the first bout had fallen to the popular party the knight was not a man to be by a reverse he back to his and was out in a few with another the second course was so equal that the keenest judges could not discern any each struck fire from the other s shield and each endured the shock as though to the horse beneath him in the final bout however sir struck his opponent with so true an aim that the point of the lance caught between the bars of his and tore the front of his out while the somewhat low and half stunned by the shock had the misfortune to strike his adversary upon the a breach of the rules of the yard by which he not only sacrificed his chances of success but would also have his horse and his had the english knight chosen to claim them a roar of applause from the english soldiers with an ominous silence from the vast crowd who pressed round the announced that the balance of victory lay with the already the ten had assembled in front of the prince to receive his when a harsh call from the further end of the lists drew all eyes to a new and unexpected arrival chapter xxiv bow a champion the east the lists were as has already been explained situated upon the plain near the river upon those great occasions when the ground in front of the abbey of st s was deemed to be too small to contain the crowd on the eastern side of this plain the country side upward thick with vines in summer but now with the brown bare over the gently rising plain curved the white road which leads inland usually with travellers but now with scarce a living form upon it so completely had the lists drained all the district of its inhabitants strange it was to see so vast a of people and then to look upon that broad white empty highway which wound away bleak and deserted until it itself to a bare streak against the shortly after the contest had begun any one looking from the lists along this road might have remarked far away in the extreme distance two brilliant and sparkling points which glittered and in the bright of the winter s sun within an hour these points had become clearer and nearer until they might be seen to come from the reflection from the head pieces of two who were riding at the top of their speed in the direction of another half hour had brought them so close that every point of their bearing and could be discerned the was a knight in full mounted upon a brown horse with a white blaze upon breast and forehead he was a short man of great breadth of shoulder with closed and no upon his simple white or plain black shield the other who was evidently his squire and attendant was save for the upon his head but bore in his right hand a long and heavy spear which belonged to his master in his left hand the squire held not only the reins of his own horse but those of a great war horse fully trotted along at his side thus the three horses and their two rode swiftly to the lists and it was the of the trumpet sounded by the squire as his lord rode into the which had broken in upon the and drawn away the attention and interest of the spectators ha john cried the prince his neck who is this and what is it that he desires on my word replied with the utmost surprise upon his face it is my opinion that he is a frenchman a frenchman repeated don and how can you tell that my lord when he has neither crest nor by his which is at elbow and at shoulder than any of or of england italian he might be e his more but i will swear that those plates were this and here comes his squire however and we shall hear what strange fortune hath brought him over the as he spoke the attendant up the grassy and pulling up his in front of the royal stand blew a second upon his he was a raw man with black beard and a bearing having sounded his call he thrust the into his belt and pushing his way the groups of english and knights he up within a spear s length of the royal party i come he shouted in a hoarse thick voice with a strong accent as squire and herald from my master who is a very of arms and a to the great and powerful monarch king of the french my master has heard that there is here and prospect of honorable advancement so h has come to ask that some english will for the love of his lady to run a course with sharpened with him or to meet him with sword or dagger he bade me say however that he would	4
s spear into my arm or my leg or where it pleased him best to put it and i would dash out his brains with my by my ten finger bones old john said i would give my feather bed to see you at a spear running this is a most and gentle sport which you have devised so it seems to me said john or again one might seize the other round the middle pluck him off his horse and bear him to the there to hold him to good cried amid a roar of laughter from all the round by thomas of we shall make a camp of thee and thou shalt draw up rules for our but john who is it that you would in this and pleasing fashion what mean you why john so strong and strange a must fight f the brightness of his lady s eyes or the curve of her e e lash even as sir does for the lady i know not about that said the big scratching his head in perplexity since mary hath played me false i can scarce fight for her yet any woman will serve there is my mother then said john she was at much pains at my and by my soul i i will the curve of her eye lashes for it my very heart root to think of but who is here it is sir william he is a man but i fear that he is scarce firm enough upon the saddle to bear the thrust of such a as this stranger promises to be s words were speedily justified for even as he spoke tbe two knights met in the centre of the lists struck his opponent a shrewd blow upon the but was met with so frightful a thrust that he whirled out of his saddle and rolled over and over upon the ground sir thomas met with little better success for his shield was split liis torn and he himself wounded slightly in the side lord and the unknown knight struck each other fairly upon the but while the stranger sat as firm and rigid as ever upon his the englishman was bent back to his horse s by the weight of the blow and had galloped half way down the lists ere he could recover himself sir thomas wake was beaten to the ground with a battle axe that being the weapon which he had selected and had to be carried to his these rapid gained one after the other over four celebrated warriors worked the crowd up to a pitch of wonder and admiration of applause from the english soldiers as well as from the citizens and showed how far the love of brave and deeds could rise above the of race by my soul john cried the prince with his cheek flushed and his eyes shining this is a man of good courage and great i could not have thought that there was any single arm upon earth which could have these four he is indeed as i have said a knight from whom much honor is to be gained but the lower edge of the sun is wet and it will be beneath the sea ere long here is sir on foot and with his sword said the prince i have heard that he is a fine the finest in your army answered yet i doubt not that he will need all his skill this day as he spoke the two advanced from either end in full with their two handed swords sloping over their shoulders the stranger walked heavily and with a measured stride while the english knight advanced as briskly as though there was no iron shell to weigh down the freedom of his limbs at four paces distance they stopped eyed each other for a moment and then in an instant fell to work with a clatter and as if two sturdy were busy upon their up and down went the long shining blades round and round they in curves of glimmering light crossing meeting with flash of sparks at every here and there bounded sir his head erect his fluttering in the air while his dark opponent sent in crashing blow upon blow following fiercely up with cut and with thrust but never once getting past the practised blade of the skilled the crowd roared with delight as sir would stoop his head to avoid a blow or by some slight movement of his body allow some terrible thrust to glance past him suddenly however his time came the frenchman whirling up his sword showed for an instant a his shoulder piece and the which guarded his upper arm in dashed sir and out again so swiftly that the eye could not follow the quick play of his blade but a of blood from the stranger s shoulder and a rapidly red upon his white showed where the thrust had taken effect the wound was however but a slight one and the frenchman was about to renew his when at a sign from the prince threw down his b ton and the of the lists struck up the weapons and brought the contest to an end it were time to check it said the prince smiling for sir is too good a man for me to lose and by the five holy wounds if one of those cuts came home i should have fears for our champion what think you i think edward that the little man was very well able to take care of himself for my part i should wish to see so well matched a pair fight on while a drop of blood remained in their veins we must have speech with him such a man must not go from my court without rest or sup bring him hither and if the lord hath re a have a said	4
sir kindly the higher the the greater the fall hawk not at that which may be beyond thy flight my i know little of the ways and of the world cried bat i fain ask your upon the matter tou have known my father and my kin is not my family one of good standing and beyond all question and yet you warn me that i must not place my love too high were yours then by st paul i i cannot think that any family in the land would not be proud to take you among them seeing that you come of so old a strain but while the lives ha by my soul i if this is not sir s step i am the more mistaken as he spoke a heavy foot fall was heard without and the knight flung open the door and strode into the room why my little said he i have come across to tell you that i live above the s in the de la tour and that there is a in the oven and two of the right on the table by st james a blind man might find the place for one has but to get in the wind from it and follow the smell put on your cloak then and come for sir walter and sir robert with one or two others are awaiting us nay i cannot be with you for i must to this day to but i have heard that your company is to come with my forty to if you will take charge of them for i will go to with none save my two and two then when i have found the rest of my company i shall lead them to we set forth this morning then i must back to my said sir yon will find q at i doubt not unless the prince throw me into prison for he is very against me and why because i have sent my and defiance to sir john and to sir william to in gk d s name why have you done this because he and the other have used me and how because they have passed me over in choosing those who should for england yourself and i pass for you are mature men but who are wake and and by my soul i was for my food into a camp kettle when they were howling for their is a man of my weight and substance to be thrown aside for the first three half grown lads who have learned the trick of the yard but hark ye i think of sending my also to the prince i you are mad not i i faith i care not a whether he be prince or no by st james i see that your squire s eyes are starting from his head like a well friend we are all three men of and not lightly to be at has he at you then yes old sir s heart is still stout said one of his court else had it been out of keeping with the rest of him the prince this very day i will send him my and defiance nay nay my dear said sir laying his hand upon his angry f s arm there is naught in this for it was but saying that you were a strong and robust man who had need of a good and as to and you that if when you yourself were young the older had ever been preferred how would you then have had the chance to earn the good name and fame which you now bear f you do not ride as chapter xxv how to castle on the morning after the when went as was his custom into his master s chamber to wait upon him in his dressing and to curl his hair he found him already up and very busily at work he sat at a table by the window a deer hound on one side of him and a on the other his feet tucked away under the on which he sat and his tongue in his cheek with the air of a man who is much perplexed a sheet of lay upon the board in front of him and he held a pen in his hand with which he had been in a rude hand so many were the however and so numerous the and that he had at last given it up in despair and sat with his single uncovered eye cocked upward at the ceiling as one who waits upon inspiration by st paul he cried as entered you are the man who will stand by me in this matter i have been in sore need of you god be with you my fair lord he answered i trust that you have taken no from all that you have gone through yesterday nay i feel the for it it has my joints which were somewhat stiff from these years of peace i trust that thou very carefully note and mark the bearing and carriage of this knight of france for it is time now when you are young that you should see all that is best and mould your own actions in accordance this was a man from whom much honor might be gained and i have seldom met any one for whom i have conceived so much love and esteem could i but learn his name i should send you to bim with my that we might have further occasion to watch his goodly of arms it is said my fair lord that none know his name save only the lord and that he is under not to speak it so ran the gossip at the table be he who he might he was a very hardy gentleman but i haye a task here which is harder to me	4
than aught that was set before me yesterday can i help you my lord that indeed you can i have been writing my greet to my sweet wife for i hear that a messenger goes from the prince to within the week and he would gladly take a packet for me i pray you to cast your eyes upon what i have written and see if they are such words as my lady will understand my fingers as you can see are more used to iron and leather than to the drawing of strokes and turning of letters what then is there aught amiss that you should stare so it is this first word my lord in what tongue were you pleased to write in english for my lady talks it more than she doth french this is no english word my lord here are four t s and never a letter them by st paul i it seemed strange to my eye when i wrote it said sir they up together like a of we must break their ranks and set them further apart the word is that now i will read it to you and you shall write it out fair for we leave this day and it would be a great joy to me to think that the lady had word from me sat down as ordered with a pen in his hand and a fresh sheet of while sir slowly out his letter running his forefinger on from word to word that my heart is with thee my dear is what thine own heart will assure thee of all is well with us here save that hath the on his and hath scarce yet got clear of his from being four days on ship board and the more so because the sea was very high and we were like to founder on account of a hole in her side which was made by a stone cast at us by certain sea who may the saints have in their keeping for they have gone from amongst us as has young and two score and who would be the more welcome here as there is like to be a very fine war with much honor and all hopes of advancement for which i go to gather my company together who are now at where they and destroy yet i hope that by god s help i may be able to show that i am their master even as my sweet lady i am thy servant how of that continued sir at his squire with an expression of some pride upon his face have i not told her all that hath befallen us you have said much my fair lord and yet if i may say so it is somewhat crowded together so that my lady can scarce follow it were it in shorter periods nay it boots not you them as long as they are all there at the muster let my lady have the words and she will place them in such order as pleases her best but i would have you add what it would please her to know that will i said and bent to the task my fair lady and mistress he wrote god hath had us in his keeping and my lord is well and in good cheer he hath won much honor at the before the prince when he alone was able to make it good against a very man from france touching the there is enough and to spare until we reach my fair lady i send my humble regards you that you will give the same to your daughter the may the holy saints have you both in their is ever the prayer of thy servant c s that ib very fairly set forth said sir l nodding his bald head as each sentence was read to him and for if there be any dear friend to whom you would fain give greeting i can send it for thee within this packet e is none said sadly have you no then none save my brother ha i had forgot that there was ill blood you but are there none in all england who love thee none that i e say so and none whom you love nay i will not say that said sir shook his head and softly to himself i see how it is with you he said have i not noted your frequent sighs and vacant eye is she fair she is indeed cried from his heart all ling at this sudden turn of the talk and good as an angel and yet she loves you not nay i cannot say that she loves another then you have hopes i could not live else then must you strive to be worthy of her love be brave and pure fearless to the strong and humble to the weak and so whether this love prosper or no you will have fitted yourself to be honored by a maiden s love which is in the highest which a true knight can hope for indeed my lord i do so strive said but she is so sweet so dainty and of so noble a spirit that i fear me that i shall never be worthy of her by thinking so you become worthy is she then of noble birth she is my lord faltered of a house f yes have a have a i said sir kindly the higher the the greater the fall hawk not at that which may be beyond thy flight my lord i know little of the ways and of the world cried bat i would fain ask your upon the matter you have known my father and my kin is not my family one of good standing and f beyond all question and yet you warn me that i must not place my love	4
too high were yours then by st paul i cannot think that any family in the land would not be proud to take you among them seeing that you come of so old a strain but while the lives ha by my soul t if this is not sir s step i am the more mistaken as he spoke a heavy foot fall was heard without and the knight flung open the door and strode into the room why my little said he i have come across to tell you that i live above the s in the de la tour and that there is a in the oven and two of the right on the table by st james i a blind man might find the place for one has but to get in the wind from it and follow the smell put on your cloak then and come for sir walter and sir robert with one or two others are awaiting us nay i cannot be with you for i must to this day to but i have heard that your company is to come with my forty to if you will take charge of them for i will go to with none save my two and two then when i have found the rest of my company i shall lead them to we set forth this morning then i must back to my said sir you will find at i doubt not unless the prince throw me into prison for he is very against me and why f because i have sent my and defiance to sir john and to sir william to in god s name why have you done this f because he and the other have used me and how because they have passed me over in choosing those who should for england yourself and i could pass for you are mature men but who are wake and and by my soul i was for my food into a camp kettle when they were howling for their is a man of my weight and substance to be thrown aside for the first three half grown lads who have learned the trick of the yard f but hark ye i think of sending my also to the prince you are mad i not i i faith i care not a whether he be prince or no by st james i i see that your squire s eyes are starting from his head like a well friend we are all three men of and not lightly to be at has he at you then yes old sir s heart is still stout said one of his court else had it been out of keeping with the rest of him the prince this very day i will send him my and defiance nay nay my dear said sir laying his hand upon his angry friend s arm there is naught in this for it was but saying that you were a strong and robust man who had need of a good and as to and you that if when you yourself were young the older had ever been preferred how would you then have had the chance to earn the good name and fame which you now bear you do not ride as light as you did and i ride lighter by the weight of my hair but it would be an ill thing if in the evening of oar lives we showed that our hearts were less and loyal than of old if such a knight as sir may turn against his own prince for the sake of a light word then where are we to look for steadfast faith and constancy ah my dear little it is easy to sit in the sunshine and preach to the man in the shadow yet you could ever win me over to your side with that soft voice of yours let us think no more of it then but holy mother i i had forgot the and it will be as as come lest the foul get the better of me again for one hour then for we march at mid day tell ward that he is to come with me to and to choose one for his comrade the rest will to when the prince starts which will be before the feast of the have ready at mid day with my lance and place my harness on the with these brief directions the two old soldiers strode off together while hastened to get all in order for their journey chapter xxvi how the comrades it was a bright winter s day when the little party set off from on their to where the missing half of their company had last been heard of sir and ford had ridden on in advance the knight upon his while his great war horse trotted beside his squire two hours later followed for he had the tavern reckoning to settle and many r duties which fell to him as squire of the body with him came and john armed as of old but mounted for their journey upon a pair of clumsy heavy headed and but of great endurance and capable of along all day even when between tlie knees of the huge who turned the scale at pounds they took with them the which carried in s the wardrobe and table furniture of sir for the knight though nor e was very dainty in small matters and loved however bare the board or hard the life that his should still be white and his spoon of silver there had been frost during the night and the white hard road rang loud under their irons as they through the east gate of the town along the same broad highway which the unknown french champion had traversed on the day of the the three rode abreast with his eyes cast down	4
and his mind for his thoughts were busy with the conversation which he had had with sir in the morning had he done well to say so much or had he not done better to have said more what would the knight have said had he confessed to hb love for the lady would he i i him off in disgrace or might he him as having abused the shelter of his roof it had been ready upon his tongue to tell him all when sir had broken in upon them perchance sir with his love of all the dying of chivalry might have contrived some strange ordeal or feat of arms by which his love should be put to the test smiled as he wondered what fantastic and wondrous deed would be from him whatever it was he was ready for it whether it were to hold the lists in the court of the king of to carry a to the of or to serve a term against the wild heathen of sir had said that his birth was high enough for any lady if his fortune could but be often had curled his lip at the craving for land or for gold which blinded man to the higher and more lasting issues of life now it seemed as if it were only by this same land and gold that he might hope to reach his heart s desire but then again the of was no friend to the of castle it might happen that should he riches by some happy fortune of war this hold the two families aloof even if loved him he knew her too well to think that she would wed him without the blessing of her father dark and was it all but hope high in youth and it ever fluttered over all the turmoil of his thoughts like a white amid the shock of if had enough to over as he rode through the bare plains of his two companions were more busy with the present and less thoughtful of the future rode for half a mile with his chin upon his shoulder looking back at a white which fluttered out of the window of a high house which peeped over the corner of the when at last a dip of the road hid it from his view he cooked his steel cap shrugged his broad shoulders and rode on with laughter in his eyes and his weather beaten face all with pleasant memories john also rode in silence but his s eyes wandered slowly from one side of the road to the other aud he stared and pondered and nodded like a traveller who makes his notes and them up for the by the he broke oat suddenly his with his great red hand i knew that there was something a missing but i not bring to my mind what it was what was it then asked coming with a start out of his why it is the roared john with a shout of laughter the country is all scraped as clear as a s but indeed i cannot think much of the folk in these parts why do they not get to work and dig up these long rows of black and crooked which i see on every hand a of would think shame to have such litter upon his soil thou foolish old john you should know better since i have heard that the of could squeeze a good cup of wine from their own grapes know then that if these rows were dug up the wealth of the country would be gone and there would be dry throats and gaping mouths in england for in three months time these black roots will blossom and shoot and and from them will come many a good ship load of m and which will cross the narrow seas but see the little church in the hollow and the folk who cluster in the churchyard by my it is a burial and there is a passing bell he pulled off his steel cap as he spoke and crossed himself with a ed prayer for the repose of the dead there too remarked as they rode on again that which seems to the eye to be dead is still full of the sap of life even as the vines were thus god hath written himself and his laws very on all that is around us if our poor dull eyes and souls could but read what he hath set before us ha mon i cried tlie you take me back to the days when you were dew as sweet a little as ever his way out of a egg i had feared that in gaining our young we had lost our soft spoken clerk in truth i have noted much change in you since we came from castle surely it would be strange else seeing that i have lived in a world so new to me yet i trust that there are many things in which i have not changed if i have turned to serve an earthly master and to carry arms for an earthly king it would be an ill thing if i were to lose all thought of the great high king and master of all whose unworthy servant i was ere ever i left tou john are also from the but i that you do not feel that you have deserted the old service in taking on the new i am a slow man said john and in when i try to think about such matters it casts a gloom upon me yet i do not look upon myself as a worse man in an s than i was in a white if that be what you mean you have but changed from one white company to the other but by these ten finger bones it is a passing strange	4
thing to me to that it was but in the last fall of the leaf that we walked from together he so gentle and and you john like a great red over grown and now here you are as a squire and as an as ever passed down the highway from while i am still the same old with never a change save that i have a few more sins on my soul and a few less crowns in my but i have never yet heard john what the reason was why you should come out of there were seven reasons said john thoughtfully the first of them was that they threw me out ma foi to the devil with the other six that is enough for me and for thee also i can see that they are wise and discreet folk at ah mon what haye you in the it is worthy sir answered the peasant maid who stood by the door of a cottage with a in her hand would it please you that i should bring you out three horns of it f nay ma but here is a two piece for thy kindly tongue and for the sight of thy pretty face ma f oi but she has a mine i have a mind to bide and speak with her nay nay ward cried sir will await us and he in haste true true adieu ma ch mon her mother is a well grown woman also see where she by the ma f oi the fruit is ever the sweeter bon ma dame god have you in his keeping said sir where he would await us at or he said that we could not pass him seeing that there is but the one road aye and it is a road that i know as i know the parish the thirty times have i it forward and backward and by the of string i am wont o come back this way more laden than i went i have carried all that i had into france in a and it hath taken four to carry it back again god s on the man who turned his hand to the making of war but e down in the is the church of and you may see the inn where three grow beyond the let us on for a of wine would us upon our way the highway had lain through the swelling country which stretched away to the north and east in gentle curves with many a peeping spire and tower and cluster of village houses all clear out and hard in the bright wintry air to their right stretched the blue running swiftly with boats and dotted over its broad bosom on the other side lay a strip of and beyond it the desolate and sandy region of the all tangled with faded and heath and stretching away in unbroken gloom to the blue hills which lay low upon the sky line behind them might still be seen the broad of the with the high towers of st and st shooting up from the plain in front amid lines of lay the of gray walls white houses and a feather of blue smoke this is the d or said as they pulled up their horses at a straggling what ho there i he continued beating upon the door with the of his sword hark hither and a on your lazy limbs ha i as red in the nose as ever three of the wine of the country for the air i pray you to take note of this door for i have a tale concerning it tell me friend said to the red faced inn keeper has a knight and a squire passed this way within the hour nay sir it would be two hours back was he a small man weak in the eyes with a want of hair and speaks very quiet when he is most to be feared the same the squire answered but i how you should know how he speaks when he is in wrath for he is very gentle minded with those who are beneath him praise to the saints i it was not i who him said the fat who then it was young de of who chanced to be here and made game of the englishman seeing that he was but a small man and hath a face which is full of peace but indeed this good knight was a very quiet and patient man for he saw that the de was still young and spoke from an empty head so he sat his horse and his wine even as you are doing now all heedless of his tongue and what then well it chanced that the de having said this and that for the laughter of the cried out at last about the glove that the knight wore in his asking if it was the custom in for a man to wear a great s glove in his cap i have never seen a man get off his horse as quick as did that stranger englishman ere the words were past the other s lips he was beside him his face nigh touching and his breath hot upon his cheeks i think young sir he softly looking into the other s eyes that now that i am nearer you will very clearly see that the glove is not an s glove perchance not said the de with a lip nor is it large but very small the englishman less large than i had thought said the other looking down for the knight s gaze was heavy upon his eyelids and in every way such a glove as might be worn by the fairest and sweetest lady in england the englishman it may be so said the de turning his face from him i am myself weak	4
in the eyes and have often taken one thing for another the knight as he sprang back into his saddle and rode off leaving the de biting his nails before my door ha by the five wounds many men of war have drunk my wine but never one who was more to my fancy than this little englishman by my he is our master and such men as we do not serve under a but here are four and god be with you en for we have a long road before us at a brisk trot the three friends left and its wine house behind them riding without a halt past st and on by over the river at the further side the road winds through la and with the river still gleaming upon the and the e up upon either s side john and rode silent on either side but every inn farm or castle brought back to some remembrance of love or plunder with which to the way there is the smoke from on the further side of he there were three sisters yonder the daughters of a and by these ten finger bones a man might ride for a long june day and never set eyes upon such maidens there was tall and grave and and gay and the dark with eyes that went through you like a arrow i lingered there as long as four days and was to them all for it seemed shame to set one above her sisters and might make ill blood in the family yet for all my care things were not merry in the house and i thought it well to come away there too is the mill of le old le who owned it was a right good comrade and had ever a seat and a crust for a weary he was a man who wrought hard at all that he turned his hand to but he heated himself in grinding bones to mix with his flour and so through over diligence he brought a fever upon himself and died tell me said what was amiss with the door of yonder inn that you should ask me to observe it i yes i had well nigh forgot what saw you on yonder door i saw a square hole through which doubtless the host may peep he ts not too sure of those who knock and saw you naught else i marked that beneath this hole there was a deep cut in the door as if a great nail had been driven in and naught else no had you looked more closely you might have seen th there was a stain upon the wood the first time that i ever heard my comrade black was in front of that door i heard him once again when he a witli teeth he being and the a dagger and why did laugh in front of the john im m is a hard and perilous man when he hath the bitter drop in him and by my i he was born for war for there is little sweetness or rest in him this the d or was kept in the old days by one who had a hard and a harder heart it was said that many and many an coming from the wars had been with wine with in it until he and had then been stripped of all by this then on the morrow if he made complaint this wicked would throw him out upon the road or beat him for he was a man and had many stout in his this chanced to come to s ears when we were at together and he would ha e it that we should ride to with a good cord and give this gk ur al such a as he forth we rode then but when we came to the d or had had word of our coming and its purpose so that the door was barred nor was there any way into the house let us in good master gk cried let us in good master cried i but no word could we get through the hole in the door save that be would draw an arrow upon us unless we went on our way well master at last this is but a sorry welcome seeing that we have ridden o far just to shake you by the hand shake me by the hand without coming in said and how that asked by passing in your hand through the hole said he nay my hand is wounded and of such a that i cannot pass it in that need not hinder said who was hot to be rid of us pass in your left hand but i have some thing for thee said what then he asked there was an who slept here last week of the name of of we have d had many here said his conscience hath been heavy within him because he owes you a debt of fourteen having drunk wine for which he hath never paid for the of his soul he asked me to pay the money to you as i passed now this was very greedy for money so he thrust forth his hand for the but had his dagger ready and he pinned his hand to the door i have paid the englishman s debt i he and so rode away laughing so that he could scarce sit his horse leaving mine host still nailed to his door such is the story of the hole which you have marked and of the upon the wood i have heard that from that time english have been better treated in the of but what have we here by the it appears to be a very holy man said and by the he hath some strange wares cried john what are these bits of stone	4
we well know how poor a pay it is for the wondrous things which you sell us pride down cried the pilgrim still beating upon his chest can i not bend myself then to take this sorry sum which is offered me for that which has cost me the labors of a life give me the here are the precious relics and oh i pray you that you will handle them softly and with reverence else had i rather left my unworthy bones here by the with caps and eager hands the comrades took their new and precious possessions and pressed onward upon their journey leaving the aged still seated under the cherry tree they rode in silence each with his treasure in his hand glancing at it from time to time and scarcely able to believe that chance had made them sole owners of relics of such and worth that every abbey and church in would have bid eagerly for their possession so they full of this good fortune until opposite the town of le where john s horse cast a shoe and they were glad to find a smith who might set the matter to rights to him the good hap which had befallen them but the smith when his eyes lit upon the relics leaned up against his and laughed with his hand to his side until the tears down his why masters he this man is a or of false relics and was here in this not two hours ago this nail that he hath sold you was taken from my nail box and as to the wood and the stones you will see a heap of both outside from which he hath filled his nay nay cried this was a holy man who had to and acquired a by running from the house of to the mount of i know not about that said the smith but i know that a man with a gray s hat and gown was here no very long time ago and that he sat on yonder stump and ate a cold and drank a of wine then he begged from me one of my nails and filling his with stones he went upon his way look at these nails and see if they are not the same as that which he has sold you now may god save us cried all aghast is there no end then to the wickedness of human kind he so humble so aged so to take our money and yet a villain and a cheat whom can we trust or believe i will after him said flinging himself into the saddle come we may catch him ere john s horse be shod away they galloped together and ere long they saw the old gray walking slowly along in front of them he turned however at the sound of their hoofs and it was clear that his blindness was a cheat like all the rest of him for he ran swiftly through a field and so into a wood where none could follow him they hurled their relics after him and so rode back to the blacksmith s the poorer both in pocket and in faith chapter how club foot was passed into b it was evening before the three comrades came into there they found sir and ford safely lodged at the sign of the b ton where they on good fare and slept between sheets it chanced however that a knight of sir d was staying there on his way back from where he had served a term with the knights under the land master of the of he and sir sat late in high converse as to and the of cities with many tales of warlike men and deeds then their talk turned to and the stranger knight drew forth a upon which he played the of the north singing the while in a high cracked voice of and and and all the strength and beauty of the land of to this sir answered with the of sir and of sir and so through the long winter night they sat by the wood fire answering each other s songs until the joined in their concert yet with scarce an hour of rest sir was as and bright as ever as they set forth after breakfast upon their way this sir is a very worthy man said he to his as they rode from the b ton he hath a very strong desire to advance himself and would have entered upon some small debate with me had he not chanced to have his arm bone broken by the kick of a horse i have conceived a great love for him and i have promised him that when his bone is mended i will exchange with him bat we mast keep to this road upon the left nay my fair lord the road to is over the river and so through and the true my good but i have learned from this worthy knight who hath the that there is a company of who are burning and in the country round i have little doubt from what be says that they are those whom we seek by my i it is like enough by all accounts they had been so long at that there would be little there worth the taking then a they have already been in the south they come north to the country of the we shall follow the lot until we come to and then cross the into si id sir by st paul as we are but a small band it i very likely that we may have some very honorable and pleasing adventure for i bear that there is little peace upon french border all they rode a i nd winding road barred with the shadows of sir rode in front of his while the two	4
followed behind with the mule between them they had left and the far to the south and rode by the tranquil lot which blue and placid through a gently rolling country could not but mark that whereas in there had been many and few castles there were now many cities and few houses on either hand gray walls and squares grim keeps peeped out at every few miles from amid the forests while the few villages which they passed were all round with rude walls which spoke of the constant fear and sudden of a wild frontier land twice during the morning there came bands of down upon them from the black of with t im a to came md what ir errand bands pf armed men along and tbe w of laden g carried of tbe were guarded by armed or by ai hired for the tbe peace of bath not made much change in these sir for the country ii with free companions and men tender between tbe wood and the mark the town of a d beyond it is the land of france but here is a man by the and as he hath two horses and a squire i make little doubt that be is a i pray yon to him gi from me and to ask him for his titles coat it may be that i can relieve him of some vow or perchance be hath a lady whom be would wish to advance my fair lord said these are not horses and a squire but and a the man is a for he hath a great bundle beside bim god s blessing on your honest english voice the stranger up his ears at tbe sound of s words never have i heard music that was so to mine ear come lad throw tbe over i s back i my heart was nigh broke for it seemed that i had left all that was english behind me and that i would never set eyes upon market square again he was a tall middle aged man with a ruddy face a brown beard shot with gray and a broad hat set at the back of his head servant as as himself but gaunt and raw swung the on the back of one mule while the mounted upon the other and rode to join the party it was easy to see as he approached from tbe quality of his dress and the richness of his that h was a n n of some wealth and position sir knight said he my name is david and i am a and of the good town of where i live five doors from the of our i lady as all men know on the banks of i have here my of which i carry to woe worth the day that ever i started on such an errand i your gracious protection upon the way for me my servant and my for i have already had many perilous passages and have now learned that club foot the robber knight of is out upon the road in front of me i agree to give you one rose noble if you bring me safe to the inn of the angel in the same to be repaid to me or my if any harm come to me or my goods by st paul i answered sir i should be a sorry knight if i asked pay for standing by a in a strange land you may ride with me and welcome master and your may follow with my god s upon thy cried the stranger should you come to you may have cause to remember that you have been of service to it is not very far to for surely i see the cathedral towers against the sky line but i have heard much of this club foot and the more i hear the less do i wish to look upon his face oh but i am sick and weary of it all and i would give half that i am worth to see my good dame sitting in peace beside me and to hear the bells of town your words are strange to me sir for you have the appearance of a stout man and i see you wear a sword by your side yet it is not my trade answered the merchant i doubt not that if i set you down in my shop at you might scarce tell from f and know little difference between the velvet of and the three piled cloth of there you might well turn to me for help but here on a lone road side with thick woods and robber i turn to you for it is the business to which you have been reared there is in what you say master y said sir and i trust that we may come upon this foot for i have heard that he is a very stout and skilful soldier and a man from whom much honor is to be gained he is a bloody robber said the and i wish i saw him kicking at the end of a it is such men as he sir remarked who give the true knight honorable deeds to do whereby he may advance himself it is such men as he retorted who are like rats in a wheat or in a a harm and a to all peaceful and honest men yet if the dangers of the road weigh so heavily upon you master it is a great marvel to me that you should venture so far from home and sometimes sir knight it is a marvel to myself but i am a man who may and but when i have set my face to do a thing i will not turn my back upon it until it be done there is one at who will send me wine	4
for my cloth so to i will go though all the robber knights of were to line the roads like yonder stoutly spoken master but how have you hitherto as a lamb in a land of wolves five times we have had to beg and pray ere we could pass twice i have paid toll to the of the road three times we have had to draw and once at la r we stood over our and i and we laid about us for as long as a man might chant a one rogue and two others by ood s we are men of peace but we are free english not to be either in our country or abroad neither lord baron knight or shall have as much as a strike of of mine whilst i have strength to wag this sword and a passing strange sword it is sir what make you of these black lines which are drawn across the i cannot tell what are my fair lord nor can i said ford the to himself it was a thought of mine own said he for the sword was made by thomas the who is to my second daughter know then that the is one cloth yard in length marked according to feet and inches to me as a measuring it is also of the exact weight of two pounds so that i may use it in the balance by st paul sir it is very clear to me that the sword is like good apt either for war or for peace but i doubt not that even in england you have had much to suffer from the hands of robbers and it was only last sir knight that i was left for dead near reading as i to fair yet i had the up at the court of pie powder and they will harm no more peaceful you travel much then to fair and s in london town the rest of the year you may ever find me five doors from the church of our lady where i would from my heart that i was at this moment for there is no air like air and no water like the nor can all the of france compare with the beer of old sam who keeps the cow but out and here is an evil fruit which hangs upon this chestnut tree as he spoke they had ridden round a curve of the road and upon a great tree which shot one strong brown branch across their path from the centre of this branch there hung a man with his head at a horrid to his body and his toes just touching the ground he was naked save for a linen and pair of drawers beside him on a green bank sat a small man with a solemn and a great bundle of papers of all colors thrusting forth from the which lay beside him he was very d d with rob s a scarlet and wide hanging sleeves lined with colored silk a great gold chain hung round his and rings glittered from every finger of his hands on his lap lie had a little pile of gold and silver which he was dropping coin by coin into a plump which hung from his may the saints be with you good travellers he shouted as the party rode up may the four watch over you may the twelve bear you up may the army of direct your feet and lead you to eternal bliss for these good wishes i said sir i perceive master that this man who hangs here is by mark of foot the very robber knight of whom we have spoken but there id a pinned upon his breast and i pray you to read it the dead robber swung slowly to and fro in the wintry wind a fixed smile upon his face and his eyes still glaring down the highway of which he had so long been the terror on a sheet of upon his breast was printed in rude characters par du sen de et de r de du et tr s prince de et d ne pas i e pas ke d pas he took a sorry time in dying said the man who sat beside him he could stretch one toe to the ground and bear himself up so that i thought he would never have done now at last however he is safely in paradise and bo i may on upon my earthly way he mounted ai be spoke a white mule which bad been b tho all with of gold and silver bells and rode onward with sir s party how know then that he is in paradise asked sir all things are possible to god bat without a miracle i should scarce expect to find the soul of club foot amongst the just i know that he is there because i have just passed him in there answered the stranger rubbing his hands together in placid satisfaction it is my holy mission to be a or i am the unworthy servant and of him who holds the keys a heart and ten to holy mother church may off but he hath a pardon of the first degree with a twenty five so that i doubt if he will so much as feel a of i came up even as the s were tying him up and i gave him my that i would bide with him until he had passed there were two leaden crowns among the silver but i would not for that stand in the way of his salvation by st paul said sir if you have indeed this power to open and to shut the gates of hope then indeed you stand high above mankind but if you do but claim to have it and yet have it not then it seems	4
to me master clerk that you may yourself find the gate barred when you shall ask small of faith small of faith i cried the ah sir yet walks upon earth and yet no words of doubt can bring anger to mine heart or a bitter word to my lip for am i not a poor unworthy in the cause of gentleness and peace of all these which i bear every one is stamped and signed by our holy father the and centre of which of them asked sir ha ha i cried the shaking a forefinger thou be deep in the secrets of mother church know then that i have both in my who bold with shall have s pardon while i have s for the or he who is in doubt may have both so that come what may he shall be secure i pray you that you will buy one for war is bloody work and the end is sudden with little time for thought or or you sir for you seem to me to be a man who would do ill to trust to your own merits this to the of who had listened to him with a frowning brow and a lip when i sell my cloth he he who may weigh and feel and handle these goods which you sell are not to be seen nor is there any proof that you hold them if mortal man might control god s mercy it would be one of a lofty and god like life and not one who is out with rings and chains and like a pleasure at a thou wicked and man cried the clerk dost thou dare to raise thy voice against the unworthy servant of mother church unworthy enough i david i would have you to know clerk that i am a free english and that i dare say my mind to our father the pope himself let alone such a s as you born and foul mouthed cried the you of holy things to which your s mind can never rise keep silence lest i call a curse upon you silence yourself roared the other foul bird i we found thee by the gallows like a crow a fine life thou hast of it with thy and thy the last few shillings from the of dying men a fig for thy curse bide here if you will take my for we will make england too hot for such as you when master has the ordering of it thou vile thief it is you and such as you who bring an evil name upon the many who lead a pure and a holy life thou outside the door of heaven art more like to be inside the door of hell at this crowning insult the with a face with rage up a quivering hand and began latin upon the angry the latter however not a man to be by words for be up his ell measure sword and the with it the latter unable to escape f the shower of blows set spurs to his male and rode for his life with hie enemy thundering behind him at sight of his master s sudden departure the set after him with the pack mule beside him so that the four away down the road together they swept round a curve and their was but a in the die sir and in at one another while ford burst out a laughing i said the knight this david must be one of those ds about whom father of the had so much to say he seemed to be no bad man from what i have seen of him i have heard that bath many in nor answered by st paul i have no great love for them sir i am a man who am slow to change and if you take away from me the faith that i have been taught it would be long ere i could learn one to set in its it is but a here and a there yet it may bring the tree down in time on the other hand i cannot but think it shame that a man should turn ood s mercy on and off as a doth wine with a nor is it said part of the of that mother church of which he had so much to lay there was in what the said of it then by st paul they may settle it them sir for me i serve ood the king and my lady and so long as i can keep the path of honor i am well content my creed shall ever be that of s ce c est command au chapter how the came oyer the of passing the party away from the main road and leaving the river to the north of them followed a smaller track which wound over a vast and desolate plain this path led them amid and woods until it brought them out into a with a broad stream swiftly down the centre of it through this the horses their way and on the farther shore sir announced to them that they were now within the borders of the land of france for some miles they still followed the same lonely track which led them through a dense wood and then out curved down to an open rolling country such as they had traversed between and if it were grim and desolate upon the english border however what can describe the hideous of this ten times tract of france the whole face of the country was and over with the black of burned farm and the gray gaunt ends of what had been broken fences crumbling walls with stones the shattered arches of bridges look where you might the signs of ruin and met the eye here and there only on the sky	4
line the of a castle or the graceful of church or of showed where the forces of the sword or of the spirit had preserved some small of security in this universal flood of misery and in silence the little party rode along the narrow and irregular track their hearts weighed down by this far stretching land of despair it was indeed a stricken and a country and a man might have ridden from in the north to the of nor ever seen a smiling village or a from time to time as they advanced they saw strange lean figures and scratching amid the weeds and who on sight of the band of threw up their arms and in among the as shy and as swift as wild animals more than once however they came on families crouching by the who were too weak from hunger and disease to fly so that they could but sit like on a with panting and terror in their eyes so gaunt were these poor folk so worn and spent with bent and knotted frames and sullen hopeless faces that it made the young englishmen heart sick to look upon them indeed it seemed as though all hope and light had gone so far from them that it was not to be brought back for when sir threw down a handful of silver among them there came no softening of their lined faces but they clutched at the peering at him and with their animal jaws here and there amid the the travellers saw the rude bundle of sticks which served them as a home more like a fowl s nest than the dwelling place of man yet why should they build and strive when the first adventurer who passed would set torch to their and when their own lord would from them with blows and curses the last fruits of their toil they sat at the lowest depth of human misery and a bitter comfort to their souls as they realized that they could go no lower yet they had still the human gift of speech and would take council among themselves in their glaring with eyes and pointing with thin fingers at the great wide spread which ate like a into the life of the country side when such men who are beyond hope and fear begin in their dim minds to see the source of their woes it may be an evil time for those who have wronged them the weak man becomes strong when he has nothing for then only can he feel the wild mad thrill of despair high and strong the lowly and weak the hut but god help the and his lady when the men of the set their hands to the work of revenge through such country did the party ride for eight or it might be nine miles until the sun began to slope down in the west and their shadows to stream down the road in front of them wary and careful they must be with watchful eyes to the right and the left for this was no man s land and their only ts were those that hung from their frenchman and englishman and al and free companion wandered and struggled over the whole of the accursed district so bare and cheerless was the outlook and so few and poor the dwellings that sir began to have fears as to whether he might find food and quarters for his little troop it was a relief to him therefore when their narrow track opened out upon a larger road and they saw some little way down it a square white house with a great bunch of hung out at the end of a stick from one of the upper windows by st paul said he i am right glad for i had feared that we might have neither nor hide on and tell this that an english knight with his party will lodge with him this night set spurs to his horse and reached the inn door a long bow shot before his companions neither nor could be seen so he pushed open the door and called loudly for the landlord three times he shouted but receiving no reply he opened an inner door and advanced into the chief guest room of the a very cheerful wood fire was and in an open grate at the further end of the apartment at one side of this fire in a high backed oak chair sat a lady her face turned toward the door the played over her features and thought that he had never seen such power such dignity and strength upon a woman s face she might have been five and thirty years of age with nose firm and yet sensitive month dark eyebrows and deep set eyes which shone and sparkled with a shifting brilliancy beautiful as she was it was not her beauty which impressed itself upon the it was her strength her power the sense of wisdom which hung over the broad white brow the decision which lay in the square jaw and delicately chin a of pearls sparkled amid her black hair with a of silver flowing back from it over her shoulders a black mantle was round her and she leaned back in her chair as one who is fresh from a journey in the opposite corner there sat a very and man clad in a black trimmed with with a black velvet cap with curling white feather cocked upon the side of his head a of red wine stood at his elbow and he seemed to be very much at his ease for his feet were stuck up on a stool and between his he held a dish full of nuts these he cracked between his strong white teeth and in a leisurely way casting the shells into the blaze as gazed in	4
at him he turned his face half round and cocked an eye at him over his shoulder it seemed to the young englishman that he had never seen so hideous a face for the eyes were of the green the nose was broken and driven inward while the whole countenance was and with wounds the voice too when he spoke was as deep and r s the growl of a beast of prey young man said he i know not who you may be and i am not much inclined to myself but if it were not that i am bent upon taking my ease i swear by the sword of that i would lay my dog whip across your shoulders for daring to fill the air with these taken at this speech scarce knowing how to answer it in the presence of the lady stood with his hand upon the handle of the door while sir and his companion dismounted at the sound of ti these fresh voices and of the tongue m which they spoke the stranger his dish of nuts down upon the floor and himself to call for the landlord until the whole house re echoed with his with an face the white host came running at his call his hands shaking and his hair with apprehension for the sake of god he whispered as he passed speak him fair and do not rouse him for the love of the virgin he mild with him who is this then asked sir was about to explain when a fresh roar from the stranger interrupted him thou villain he shouted mid i not ask yon when i brought my lady here whether your inn was clean you did did i not very particularly ask you whether there were any in it you did and you answered me that there were not and yet ere i have been here an hour i find englishmen crawling about within it where are we to be free from this race can a frenchman upon french land not sit down in a french without having his ears pained by the of their hideous talk send them packing or it may be the worse for them and for you i will i will cried the frightened host and from the room while the soft soothing voice of a woman was heard with her furious companion indeed gentlemen you had best go said mine host it is but six to where there are very good quarters at he sign of the lion nay answered sir i cannot go until i have seen more of this person for he appears to be a man from whom much is to be hoped what is his name and title s it is not for my lips to name it unless by his desire but i beg and pray you gentlemen that you will go from my house for i know not what may come of it if his rage should gain the mastery of him by st sir this is certainly a man whom it is worth far to know go tell him that a humble knight of england would make his further honorable acquaintance not from any presumption pride or ill will but for the advancement of chivalry and the glory of our ladies him greeting from sir and say that the glove which i bear in my cap belongs to the most and lovely of her sex whom i am ready to against any lady whose claim he might be desirous of advancing the landlord was hesitating whether to carry this message or no when the door of the inner room was flung open and the stranger bounded out like a from his den his hair and his face with anger still here he dogs of england must ye be lashed hence my sword he turned to seize his weapon but as he did so his gaze fell upon the of sir s shield and he stood staring while the fire in his strange green eyes softened into a sly and humorous twinkle cried he it is my little of i should remember that coat seeing that it is but three days since i looked upon it in the lists by ah i sir sir i you owe me a return for this and he touched his right arm which was round just under the shoulder with a silken but the surprise of the stranger at the sight of sir was as nothing compared with the astonishment and the delight which shone upon the face of the knight of as he looked upon the strange face of the frenchman twice he opened his mouth and twice he peered again as though to assure himself that his eyes had not played him a trick hi he gasped at last du by saint shouted the french soldier with a hoarse roar of laughter it is well that i should with my down for he that has once seen my face does not need to be told my name it is indeed i sir and here is my hand i i give you my word that there are but three englishmen in this world whom i would touch save with the sharp edge of the sword the prince is one the second and you the third for i have heard much that is good of you i am growing aged and am somewhat spent in the wars sir but i can lay by my sword now with an easy mind for i can say that i have crossed swords with him who hath the heart and the strongest arm of all this great kingdom of france i have longed for it i have dreamed of it and now i can scarce bring my mind to understand that this great honor hath indeed been mine by the virgin of you have given me cause to be very certain of it	4
said du with a gleam of his white teeth and perhaps most honored sir it would please you to continue the debate perhaps you would condescend to go farther into the matter god he knows that i am unworthy of such honor yet i can show my four and sixty and i have been present at some and during these twenty years your fame is very well known to me and i shall ask my lady to enter your name upon my said sir there are many who wish to advance themselves and who bide their turn for i refuse no man who comes on such an errand at present it may not be for mine arm is stiff from this small touch and i would fain do you full honor when we cross swords again come in with me and let your come also that my sweet the lady may say that she hath seen so and gentle a knight into the chamber they went in all peace and where the lady sat like on throne for each in to be presented to her to say the stout heart of sir which little for the wrath of her iron like was somewhat shaken bj the calm cold face of his stately dame for twenty years of camp life had left him more at ease in the lists than in a lady s he him too as he looked at her set lips and deep set questioning eyes that he had heard strange tales of this same lady du was it not she who was said to lay hands upon the sick and raise them from their when the had spent their last had she not the future and were there not times when in the loneliness of her chamber she was heard to hold converse with some being upon whom mortal eye never rested some dark familiar who passed where doors were barred and windows high sir sunk his eye and marked a cross on the side of his leg as he greeted this dangerous dame and yet ere five minutes had passed he was hers and not he only but bis two young as well the mind had gone out of them and they could but look at this woman and listen to the words which fell from her lips words which thrilled through their nerves and stirred their souls like the battle call of a often in peaceful after days was to think of that scene of the inn of the shadows of evening bad fallen and the corners of the long low wood room were draped in darkness the wood fire threw out a circle of red flickering light which played over the little group of and showed up every line and shadow upon their faces sir sat with elbows upon knees and chin upon hands his patch still covering one eye but his other shining like a star while the ruddy light gleamed upon his smooth white bead ford was seated at bis left his lips parted his eyes staring and a of deep color on either cheek his limbs all rigid as one who fears to move on the other side the famous french captain leaned back in his chair a litter of nut upon bis lap his huge head half buried in a cushion while his eyes wandered with an amused gleam from his dame to the staring englishman then last of all that pale clear cut face that sweet clear voice with its high thrilling talk of the of glory of the of life of the pain of joys and of the joy which lies in all pains which lead to a noble end still as the shadows deepened she spoke of and virtue of loyalty honor and fame and they sat drinking in her words while the fire burned down and the red ash turned to gray by the i cried du at last it is time that we spoke of what we are to do this night for i cannot think that in this there are fit quarters for an honorable company sir gave a long sigh as he came back from the dreams of chivalry and into which this strange woman s words had him i care not where i sleep said he but these are indeed somewhat rude lodgings for this fair lady what contents my lord contents me she i perceive sir that you are under vow she added glancing at his covered eye it is my purpose to attempt some small deed he answered and the glove is it your lady s it is indeed my sweet wife s who is doubtless proud of you say rather i of her he quickly he knows that i am not worthy to be her humble servant it is easy lady for a man to ride forth in the light of day and do his when all men have eyes for him but in a woman s heart there is a strength and truth which asks no praise and can but be known to him whose treasure it is the lady smiled across at her husband you have often told me that there were very gentle knights among the english she d aye aye said he but to horse sir you and yours and we shall seek the of sir de which is two miles on this side of he is of and mine old war companion he would have a welcome for you sir but indeed he might look at one who comes without permit over the by the virgin when he that you have come to draw away these he will be very to look upon your face here are ten gold pieces what is over and above your reckoning you may take off from your charges to the next knight who comes this way come then for it grows late and the horses	4
to the all the time that it was well there was peace and that he had slain more englishmen than there were to his our good old john could scarce lay his tongue to french enough to answer him so he must needs reach out his great hand to him and place him very gently where you saw him but we must on for i can scarce hear their hoofs i think that i can see them yet said ford peering down the road i yes now they ride forth from the shadow and yonder dark is the castle of en i or sir may reach the gates before us but hark what sound is that as he spoke the hoarse blast of a horn was heard from some woods upon the right an answering call rung forth upon their left and hard upon it two others from behind them they are the horns of though why they blow them so late i cannot tell let us on then said ford and the whole party setting their spurs to their horses soon found themselves at the castle of where the had already been lowered and the raised in response to the summons of du chapter how thb blessed of sight came to the sm of and lord of was a fierce and renowned soldier who had grown gray in the english wars as lord of the and guardian of an exposed country side there was little rest for him even in times of so called peace and his whole life was spent in and upon the late comers free companions and who wandered over his province at times he would come back in triumph and a dozen swinging from the summit of his keep would warn evil that there was still a law in the land at others his were not so happy and he and his troop would spur it over the with clatter of hoofs hard at their heels and whistle of arrows about their ears hard he was of hand and harder of heart hated by his foes and yet not loved by those whom he protected for twice he had been taken prisoner and twice his had been wrung by dint of blows and out of the starving and ruined farmers wolves or watch dogs it was hard to say from which the sheep had most to fear the castle of was harsh and stem as its master a broad moat a high outer wall at the comers with a great black keep towering above all so it lay before them in the moonlight by the light of two through the narrow shaped at either side of the ponderous gate they caught a glimpse of the glitter of fierce eyes and of the gleam of the weapons of the guard the sight of the two headed eagle of du however was a into any in france and ere they had passed the gate the old border knight came running forward with hands to greet his famous was he less glad to see sir when the englishman s errand was explained to him for these had been a sore thorn in his side and had two which he had sent against them a happy day it would be for the of when he should learn that the last bow was oyer the the material for a feast was ever at hand in days when if there was grim want in the cottage there was at least rude plenty in the castle within an hour the guests were seated around a board which under the great and joints of meat varied by those more dainty dishes in which the french the and the the lady a bright and laughter loving dame sat upon the t of her warlike with the lady upon the right beneath sat du and sir with sir of the order of the and sir a wandering knight from the kingdom of these with alley ne and ford four french and the castle made the company who sat together that night and made good cheer in the castle of the great fire in the grate the slept upon their the rough deer hounds with expectant eyes crouched upon the floor close at the elbows of the guests stood the little pages the laugh and jest round and all was harmony and comfort little they of the men who crouched in their rags along the fringe of the forest and looked up with wild and haggard eyes at the rich warm glow which shot a golden bar of light from the high windows of the castle supper over the tables were cleared away as by magic and and arranged round the blazing fire for there was a bitter in the air the lady had sunk back in her chair and her long s dark lashes drooped low over her sparkling eyes glancing at her noted that her breath came quick and short and that her cheeks had to a lily white da eyed her keenly from time to time and passed his broad brown fingers his curly black hair with the air of a man who is perplexed in his mind these folk here said the knight of they do not seem too well fed ah i cried the lord of you would scarce credit it and yet it is that when i was taken at it was all that my wife and my could do to raise the money from them for my the dogs would rather have of a rack or the for an hour than pay out a for their own father and lord there is not one of them but hath an old full of gold pieces hid away in a snug corner why do they not buy food then asked sir by st paul i it seemed to me that their bones were breaking through their skin it is their	4
and grumbling which makes them thin we have a saying here sir that if you he will pat you but if you pat him he will you doubtless you find it so in england ma f oi no i said sir i have two englishmen of this class in my train who are at this instant i make little doubt as full of your wine as any in your cellar he who them might come by such a pat as he would be likely to remember i cannot understand it the for the english knights and whom i have met were not men to brook the insolence of the perchance my fair lord the poor folk are sweeter and of a better countenance in england laughed the lady mon you cannot conceive to yourself how ugly they are without hair without teeth all twisted and bent for me i cannot think how the good to make such people i cannot bear it i and so my goes ever before me with a to drive them from my path they have souls fair lady they have souls murmured the a white haired man with a weary patient face so i have heard you tell them said the lord of the castle for myself father though i am a true son of holy church yet i think that you were better employed in saying your mass and in teaching the children of my arms than in going over the to put ideas in these folks heads which would never have been there but for you i have heard that you have said to them that their souls ate as good as ours and that it is likely that in another life they may stand as high as the oldest blood of for my i believe that there are so many worthy knights and gallant gentlemen in heaven who know how such things should be arranged that there is little fear that we shall find ourselves mixed up with and tell your beads father and con your but do not come between me and those whom the king has given to me god help them cried the old priest a higher king than yours has given them to me and i tell you here in your own castle hall sir de that yon have deeply in your dealings with these poor folk and that the hour will come and may even now be at hand when god s hand will be heavy upon you for what yon have done he rose as he spoke and walked slowly from the room take him cried the french knight now what is a man to do with a priest sir for one can neither him like a man nor him like a woman ah sir knows the naughty one cried the lady have we not all heard how he went to and fifty thousand crowns out of the pope ma f oi i s id ir ni el looking with a mixture of horror and admiration at du did not your heart sink within you were you not smitten with fears have you not felt a curse hang over you i have not observed it said the frenchman carelessly but by saint this of yours seems to me to be a worthy man and you should give heed to his words for though i care nothing for the curse of a bad pope it would be a grief to me to have aught but a blessing from a good priest hark to that my fair lord cried the lady take heed i pray thee for i do not wish to have a cast over me nor a of the limbs i remember that once before you father and my said that i lost more hair in seven days than ever before in a month if that be sign of sin then by st paul i have much upon my soul said sir amid a general laugh but in very truth sir if i may venture a word of counsel i should advise that you make your peace with this good man he shall have four silver said the and yet i would that he would leave the folk alone you cannot conceive in your mind how stubborn and they are and pigs are full of reason beside them god he knows that i have had great patience with them it was but last week that having to raise some money i called up to the castle who as all men know has a of gold pieces hidden away in some hollow tree i give you my word that i did not so much as lay a upon his back but after speaking with him and telling him how needful the money was to me i left him for the night to think over the matter in my what think you that the dog did why in the morning we found that he had made a rope from of his and had hung himself to the bar of the window for me i conceive such q i d the lady and there was le as fair a maiden as eye could see but as bad and bitter as the rest of them when young de was here last be looked kindly upon the girl and even spoke of taking her into his service what does she do with her dog of a father why they tie themselves together and leap into the pool where the water is five length deep i give you my word that it was a great grief to young and it was days ere he could cast it from his mind but how can one serve people who are so foolish and so ungrateful while the of had been the evil doings of his tenants had been unable to take his eyes from the face of the lady she bad lain back	4
in her chair with drooping eye and a face so that he had feared at first that her journey had weighed heavily upon her and that the strength was out of her of a sudden however there came a change for a dash of bright color up on to either cheek and her were slowly raised again upon eyes which sparkled with such a lustre as had never seen in human eyes before while their gaze was fixed intently not upon the company but on the dark which draped the wall so transformed and so ethereal was her expression that in his dream of or of had never pictured so sweet so womanly and yet so wise a face glancing at du saw that he was also watching his wife closely and from the of his features and the beads upon his brick colored brow it was easy to see that he was deeply agitated by the change which he marked in her how is it with you lady he asked at last in a tremulous voice her eyes remained fixed intently upon the wall and there was a long pause ere she answered him her voice too which had been so clear and ringing was now low and as th t of who speaks from a distance an k wed with m ae the hour of has to me l ld we it i ne it he his his with the perplexed and i know in what words to make it dear to yon and to fair wife and to sir and to these other stranger knights my is a one and to word of than to op a matter as this of which i can myself little thi i know that my wife is of a tory race whom god hath in his wisdom endowed with powers so that was known ere i first saw her at yet these powers are need for good and they are the gift of and not of the which is the difference white magic and black perchance it would be as well that we should send for father said sir it would be best that he should come cried the and bring with him a of holy water added the knight of not so gentlemen answered sir it is not needful that this priest should be called and it is in my mind that in asking for this ye cast some slight shadow or upon the good name of my wife as though it were doubtful whether her power came to her from or below if ye have indeed such a doubt i pray that you will say so that may discuss the matter in a fitting way for myself said sir i have heard such words fall from the lips of this lady that i am of opinion that there is no woman save only one who can be in any way compared to her in beauty and in goodness should any gentleman think otherwise i should deem it great honor to run a small course with him or debate the matter in whatever way might be most pleasing to him it would ill become me to cast a upon a lady who is both my guest and the wife of my comrade in arms aid the of i have perceived also that on her mantle there is marked a silver cross which is surely sign enough that there is naught of evil in these strange powers which you say that she possesses this argument of the s appealed so powerfully to the and to the that they at once intimated that their objections had been entirely overcome while even the lady who had sat shivering and crossing herself ceased to glances at the door and allowed her fears to turn to curiosity among the gifts which have been ed to my wife said du is the wondrous one of seeing into the future but it very seldom upon her and goes as quickly for none can command it the blessed hour of sight as she hath named it has come but thrice since i have known her and i can for it that all that she hath told me was true for on the evening of the battle of she said that the morrow would be an ill day for me and for charles of ere the sun had sunk again he was dead and i the prisoner of sir john yet it is not every question that she can answer but only those i cried the lady in the same muttering far away voice the blessed hour passes use it while you may i will my sweet tell me then what fortune comes upon me danger deadly pressing danger which upon you and you know it not the french soldier burst into a laugh and his green eyes with amusement at what time during these twenty years would not that have been a true word he cried danger is the air that i breathe but is this so very close here now close upon you the words came out in broken speech while the lady s fair face was d and drawn like that of one who looks upon a horror which strikes the words from her lips da gazed round the room at the the the the the with its silver and the half circle of friendly wondering faces there was an utter stillness save for the sharp breathing of the lady and for the gentle of the wind outside to their ears the distant call upon a s horn the danger may bide said he his broad shoulders and now tell us what will come of this war in spain i can see little she answered straining her eyes and her brow as one who would fain clear her sight there are mountains and dry plains and flash of arms and	4
he was disturbed by a gentle creaking of his own door as though some one were pushing cautiously against it and immediately afterward he heard the soft of footsteps upon the stair which led to the room above followed by a confused noise and a muffled groan sat up on his couch with all his nerves in a uncertain whether these sounds might come from a simple cause some sick and visiting perhaps or whether they might have a more sinister meaning but what danger could threaten them here in this strong castle under the care of famous warriors with high walls and a broad moat around them who was there that could injure them he had well nigh persuaded himself that his fears were a foolish fancy when his eyes fell upon that which sent the blood cold to his heart and left him gasping with hands clutching at the right in front of him was the broad window of the chamber with the moon shining brightly through it for an instant something had obscured the light and now a head was up and down outside the face looking in at him and swinging slowly from one side of the window to the other even in that dim light there could be no those features drawn distorted and they were still those of the young fellow squire who had sat so recently upon his own couch with a cry of horror sprang from his bed and rushed to the while the two aroused by the sound their weapons and stared about them in bewilderment one glance was enough to show that his fears were but too true murdered with a e of wounds upon him and a rope round his neck his poor a sharp and then a second one brought them to the head of a short stair from which they looked straight down upon the scene of the uproar a square oak hall lay beneath them from which opened the doors of the principal guest chambers this hall was as light as day for burned in numerous upon the walls throwing strange shadows from the or heads which ornamented them at the very foot of the stair close to the open door of their chamber lay the and his wife she with her head from her shoulders he thrust through with a sharpened stake which still from either side of his body three of the castle lay dead beside them all torn and as though a pack of wolves had been upon them in front of the central guest chamber stood du and sir half clad and with the mad joy of battle gleaming in their eyes their heads were thrown back their lips compressed their blood stained swords poised over their right shoulders and their left feet thrown out three dead men lay huddled together in front of them while a fourth with the blood from a severed vessel lay back with knees breathing in farther back all panting together like the wind in a tree there stood a group of fierce wild creatures bare armed and bare legged gaunt with deep set eyes and wild beast faces with their flashing teeth their hair their mad and they seemed to more like from the pit than men of flesh and blood even as he looked they broke into a hoarse yell and dashed once more upon the two knights themselves madly upon their sword points clutching biting tearing careless of wounds if they could but drag the two soldiers to earth sir was thrown down by the sheer weight of them and sir with his was swinging round his heavy sword to clear a space for him to rise when the whistle of two long english arrows and the rush of the squire and the two english s down s the the tide of the combat the gave the knights rushed forward and in a very few moments the hall was cleared and john had hurled the last of the wild men down the steep steps which led from the end of it do not follow them cried we are lost if we scatter for myself i care not a though it is a poor thing to one s end at the hands of i but i have my dear lady here who most by no means be risked we have breathing space now and i would ask you sir what it is that you would counsel by st paul answered sir i can by no means understand what hath befallen us save that i have been up by your battle cry and rushing forth found myself in the midst of this small and alas for the lady and the what dogs are they have done this bloody deed they are the the men of the they have the castle though i know not how it hath come to pass look from this window into the by heaven cried sir it is as bright as day with the the gates stand open and there are three thousand of them within the walls see how they rush and scream and wave i what is it that they thrust out through the door my god it is a man and they pluck him limb from limb like hounds on a wolf now another and yet another they hold the whole castle for i see their faces at the windows see there are some with great bundles on their backs it is dried wood from the forest they pile them against the walls and set them in a blaze who is this who tries to check them by saint it is the good priest who for them in the hall he he he what would ye raise hands against those who have you ah the butcher has struck him he is down i they stamp him under their the f tear off his gown	4
and w ve it in he air d s bow how the flames up the walls are there none left to rally round us with a hundred men we might hold our own oh for my company cried sir k but where he is murdered my fair lord the saints receive him may he rest in peace but here come some at last who may give us counsel for amid these passages it is ill to stir without a guide as he spoke a french squire and the knight down the steps the latter bleeding from a cut across his forehead all is lost he cried the castle is taken and on fire the is slain and there is naught left for us on the contrary sir there is much left to us for there is a very honorable before us and a fair lady for whom to give our lives there are many ways in which a man might die but none better than this tou can tell us said du to the french squire how came these men into the castle and what can we count upon by saint if we come not quickly to some counsel we shall be burned like young in a nest the squire a dark slender spoke firmly and quickly as one who was trained to swift action there is a passage under the earth into the castle said he and through it some of the made their way casting open the gates for the others they have had help from within the walls and the men at arms were heavy with wine they must have been slain in their beds for these devils crept from room to room with soft step and ready knife sir the was struck down with an axe as he rushed before us from his sleeping chamber save only ourselves i do not think there are any left alive what then would you counsel that we make for the keep it is unused save in time m of war and the key hangs from my poor lord and master a belt there are two keys there it is the larger once there we might hold the narrow stair and at least as the walls are of a greater thickness it would be longer ere they could bum them could we but carry the lady across the all might be well with us nay the lady hath seen something of the work of war said coming forth as white as grave and as unmoved as ever i would not be a to yon my dear and gallant friends rest assured of this that if all else fail i have always a here drawing a small silver from her bosom which sets me beyond the fear of these vile and blood stained wretches cried du i have always loved you and now by our lady of i love you more than ever did i not know that your hand will be as ready as your words i would myself turn my last blow upon you ere you should fall into their hands lead on a new golden shall shine in the of if we come through with it the attention of the had been drawn away from murder to plunder and all over the castle might be heard their cries and of delight as they dragged forth the rich the silver and the carved furniture down in the half clad wretches their bare limbs all with blood about with upon their heads or with the lady s silken gowns round their and trailing on the ground behind them of choice wine had been rolled out from the and starving in hand off which de set aside for noble and royal guests others with of bacon and joints of dried meat upon the ends of their held them up to the blaze or tore at them with their teeth yet all order had not been lost among them for some of the better armed stood together in a silent group leaning upon their rude weapons and looking up at the fire which had spread so rapidly as to involve one whole side of the castle already could hear the and roaring of the flames while the air was heavy with heat and full of the of burning wood r how men held the keep of the guidance of the french squire the party passed down two narrow the first was empty but at the head of the second stood a peasant who started off at the sight of them yelling loudly to his comrades stop him or we are undone cried du and had started to run when ay ward s great war bow like a harp string and the man fell forward upon his face with limbs and clutching fingers within ve paces of where he lay a narrow and little used door led out into the from beyond it came such a of and screaming horrible oaths and yet more horrible laughter that the heart might have shrunk from casting down the frail barrier which faced them make straight for the keep said du in a sharp stern whisper the two in front the lady in the centre a squire on either side while we three knights shall bide behind and beat back those who press upon us so now open the door and god have us in his holy keeping for a few moments it seemed that their object would be attained without danger so swift and so silent had been their movements they were half way across the ere the frantic howling made a movement to stop them the few who threw themselves in their way were or brushed aside while the were beaten back by the ready weapons of the three they fought their way to the door of the keep and faced round upon the mob while the squire thrust the great key	4
into the lock my god he cried it is the wrong key i the wrong key i fool that i i this is the key of the gate the other opens the keep i must for it he with some wild intention of i his steps but at the instant a great jagged rock hurled by a peasant struck him full upon the ear and he dropped senseless to the ground this is key enough for me john picking up the huge stone and it against the door with all the strength of his body the lock shivered the wood smashed the stone flew into five but the iron still held the door iii its position bending down he thrust his great under it and with a heave raised the whole mass of wood and iron from its hinges for a it and swayed and then outward buried him in its ruin while his comrades rushed into the dark which led to safety up the steps cried du now round friends and beat them back the mob of had in upon their heels but the two blades in europe upon that narrow stair and four of their dropped upon the threshold the others gave arid gathered in a half circle round the open door their teeth and shaking their clenched hands at the the body of the french squire had been dragged out by them and to pieces three or four others had pulled john from under the door when he suddenly bounded to his feet and clutching one in either hand dashed them together with such force that they fell senseless across each other upon the ground with a kick and a blow be freed himself from two others who clung to him and ill a moment he was within the with his comrades yet their position was a desperate one the from had been assembled for this deed of e and not than six thousand were within or ai the walls of the of ill armed and half starved they were desperate men to whom danger had lost all fears for what was death that they should it to cling to a life as theirs the castle was theirs and the roaring flames were through the windows and flickering high above the on two sides of the from either side they were sweeping down from room to room and from to in the direction of the keep faced by an army and in by fire were six men and one woman but some of them were men so trained to danger and so wise in war that even now the combat was less unequal than it seemed courage and resource were in by desperation and numbers while the great yellow sheets of flame threw their lurid glare over the scene of death there is but space for two upon a step to give free play to our sword arms said du do you stand with me upon the lowest france and england will fight together this night sir i pray you to stand behind us with this young squire the may go higher yet and shoot over our heads i would that we had our harness often have i heard my dear sir john say that a knight should never even when a guest be parted from it yet it will be more honor to us if we come well out of it we have a since we see them against the light and they can scarce see us it seems to me that they muster for an if we can but keep them in play said the it is likely that these may bring us if there be any true men in the country you my fair lord said to sir that we have never injured these men nor have we cause of quarrel against them would it not be well if but for the lady s sake to speak them fair and see if we cannot come to honorable terms with them not so by st paul cried sir it does not accord with mine honor nor shall it ever be said that i a knight of england was ready to hold with men who have slain a fair lady and a holy priest d as well bold with a pack of wolves said the french captain ha dame da saint saint as he thundered forth his the who had been gathering before the black arch of the rushed in madly in a desperate effort to carry the staircase their leaders were a small man dark in the face with his beard done up in two and another larger man very bowed in the shoulders with a huge club studded with sharp nails in his hand the first had not taken three steps ere an arrow from ward s bow struck him full in the chest and he fell and across the threshold the other rushed onward and breaking between du and sir he dashed out the brains of the with a single blow of his clumsy weapon with three swords through him he still struggled on and had almost won his way through them ere he fell dead upon the stair close at his heels came a hundred furious who flung themselves again and again against the five swords which confronted them it was cut and and as quick as eye could see or hand act the door was piled with bodies and the stone floor was slippery with blood the deep shout of du the hard hissing breath of the pressing multitude the clatter of steel the of falling bodies and the screams of the stricken made up such a as came often in after years to break upon s sleep slowly and sullenly at last the throng drew off with many a fierce backward glance while eleven of their number lay huddled in front of the stair which they had failed to	4
for support saw great stones burning beams of wood and bodies past them through the air when they staggered to their feet once more the whole keep had settled down upon one side so that they could scarce keep their footing upon the sloping platform gazing over the edge they looked down upon s the horrible destruction which had been caused by the explosion for forty yards round the the ground was black with screaming figures who struggled np and hurled themselves down again tossing this way and that with fire bursting from their tattered clothing beyond this circle of death their comrades bewildered and amazed away from this black tower and from these invincible men who were most to be dreaded when hope was from their hearts a sally du a sally i cried sir by st paul they are in two minds and a bold rush may turn them he drew his sword as he spoke and darted down the winding stairs closely followed by his four comrades ere he was at the first floor however he threw up his arms and stopped mon he said we are lost men what then cried those behind him the wall hath fallen in the stair is blocked and the fire still below by st paul friends we have fought a very honorable fight and may say in that we have done our but i think that we may now go back to the lady and say our for we have played our parts in this world and it is time that we made ready for another the pass was blocked by huge stones in wild confusion over each other with the blue choking smoke up through the the explosion had blown in the wall and cut off the only path by which they could descend pent in a hundred feet from earth with a raging under them and a multitude all round who for their blood it seemed indeed as though no men had ever come through such peril with their lives slowly they made their way back to the summit but as they came out upon it the lady darted forward and caught her husband by the wrist said she hush and listen i i have ard the of men all singing r ih k ef range tongue they stood and silent but no sound up to them save the roar of th flames and the of their enemies it cannot be lady said da this night hath you your senses play f what men are there in this country who would sing in a strange tongue h i leaping suddenly into air with waving hands and joyous face i thought i h ard it ere we went down and now i hear it again we saved by these bones we ai e saved it is the marching of the white company hush i with forefinger and head he stood listening suddenly there came swelling up a d p chorus fi om out of the never did choice or dainty of or more sweetly in the ears than did the rough saxon to the six who strained their ears the keep we ll drink all together to the gray goose feather and the land where the gray goose ha by my p shouted it is the dear old bow song of the company hei e come two hundred tight lads as ever a shaft over their thumb nails hark id the dogs how they and dearer swelling up out of the night the gay what of the bow t the bow was made in england of true wood of wood the wood of english bows t or men who ai e free love the old tree and the land where the tree growl of the men the men were bred in the the the lads of and fell here s to jou and to you to the hearts that are true and the land where the true hearts they very joyfully said du though v going o f it is their wont when there is work to be done by st pa l sir it is in my that come too late for of s how are to down from this there th y come the he of gold i cried see they move out f the sow they the meadow they ve on the further of the moat m i a es ho ward ye a fair lady and two l nt i done f to death who in a deep voice below who is this who with an tongue it is i old lad it is ard of tlie company and here is your captain sir and four others all laid out to be ii e s c x e n e i i did think that it wai he style of speech of old said the voice amid i from the ranks wherever there are going there is in the heart of it but who are these ill block the pi th tp your can i wh t you d re look ns in th eyes out i words lads give fl t of them waste your shafts such run there was little fight left in the however still dazed by the explosion amazed at their own losses and by the arrival of the in i very few they were in full flight for their brush wood homes leaving the morning to rise s r and blood stained ruin where it had left the night before the magnificent castle of the of already the white lines in the east were deepening into pink as the gathered round the keep and took counsel how to rescue the had we a rope said there is one side which is not yet on fire down which we might slip but how to get a rope it is an old trick h i i	4
on this side of the water he might have attempted something upon us i think that it would be well that we should cross said sir it were pity to this worthy should he desire to try some small feat of arms nay there is no ford nearer than answered the old he is on his way to and short will be the of any who come into his hands for he is a man of short speech it was he and the of who hung peter of the company last for which by the black of they shall hang themselves if ever they come into our power but here are our comrades sir and h re s our camp as he spoke the forest pathway along which they opened out into a green which down toward the river high trees it on three sides with a thick of between their trunks at the further end of this forest clearing there stood forty or fifty huts built very neatly from wood and clay with the blue smoke curling out from the roofs a dozen horses and around the while a number of about some shooting at marks while others built up great wooden fires in the open and hung their cooking above them at the sight of their returning comrades there was a shout of welcome and a who had been his behind the camp came down to them he was a brisk man very richly clad with a round clean shaven face and very black eyes which danced and sparkled with excitement sir i he cried sir at last by my soul we have awaited you this month past right welcome sir i you have had my letter it was that which brought me here said sir but indeed sir it is a great wonder to me that you did not yourself lead these for surely they could have found no better leader none none by the virgin of l he cried speaking in the strange thick speech which turns every v into aft but you know what these of yours are sir they will not be led by any save their own blood and race there is no persuading them not even i of master of the high justice the middle and the low could gain their favor they must needs hold a council and put their two hundred thick heads together and then there comes this fellow and another as their to say that they will unless an englishman of good name be set over them there are many of them as i understand who come from some great forest which lies in or i cannot lay my tongue to the name your dwelling is in those parts and o their thoughts turned to you as their leader but we had hoped that you would bring a hundred men with you they are already at where we shall join them said sir but let the men break their fast and we shall then take counsel what to do come into my hut said sir it is but poor fare that i can lay before you milk cheese wine and bacon yet your squire and yourself will doubtless excuse it this is my house where the flies before the door a small residence to contain the lord of sir sat silent and at his meal while to the tongue of the and to his talk of the glories of his own estate his success in love and his triumphs in war and now that you are here sir he said at last i have many fine all ready for us i have heard that is of no great strength and that there are two hundred thousand crowns in the castle at also there is a who is in my pay and who will throw us a rope any dark night from his house by the town wall i promise you that you shall your arms elbow deep among good silver pieces ere the nights are again for on every hand of us are fair women rich wine and good plunder as much as heart could wish i have other plans answered sir for i have come hither to lead these to the help of the prince our master who may have sore need of them ere he set upon the throne of spain it is my purpose to start this very day for upon the where he hath now pitched his camp the face of the darkened and his eyes flashed with resentment for me he said i care little for this war and i find the life which i lead a very joyous and pleasant one i will not go to nay think again sir said sir gently for you yer h th p of i t j i loyal knight barely you will not hold back now when hath need of you i will go to the other shouted but your your oath of i gay that i will not go then sir i must lead the company without you if they will follow cried the with a sneer these are not hired slaves but free who will do nothing save by their own good wills in very my lord they are ill men to trifle with and it were easier to pluck a bone from a hungry bear than to lead a out of a land of plenty and of pleasure then i pray you to gather them together said sir and i will tell them what is in my mind for if i am their leader they must to and if i am not then i know not what i am doing m have my horse ready for by st paul come what may i must be upon the homeward road ere mid day a blast upon the summoned the to counsel and they gathered in little knots	4
and groups around a great fallen tree which lay the sir sprang lightly the trunk and stood with eye and firm lips looking down at the ring of warlike faces they tell me said he that ye have grown so fond of ease and plunder and high living that ye are not to be moved from this pleasant country but by st paul i will believe no such thing of you for i can readily see that you are all very men who would scorn to live here in peace when your prince hath so great a venture before him ye have chosen me as a leader and a leader i will be if ye come with me to spain and i vow to you that my of the five roses shall if ood give me strength and life be ever where there is most honor to be gained but if it be your wish to and in these glory and renown for vile gold and ill gotten riches then ye must find another leader for i have lived in honor and in honor i that i sh ii if there he forest men or men among ye i them to say whether they will follow the banner of here s a man for you i cried a young with a of set in his and a lad from shouted and from milton and from i and from i and a little one from shouted a fellow who beneath a tree by my lads i cried jumping upon the fallen trunk i think that we could not look the girls in the eyes if we let the prince cross the mountains and did not pull string to clear a path for him it is very well in time of to lead such a life as we have had together but now the war banner is in the wind once more and by these ten finger bones if he go alone old will walk beside it these words from a man so popular as decided many of the and a shout of approval burst from his audience far be it from me said sir to persuade you against this worthy or against sir yet we have been together in many and perchance it may not be amiss if i say to you what i think upon the matter peace for the little i cried the let every man have his word shoot straight for mark lad and fair play for all you then said sir that you go a hard rule with neither freedom nor pleasure and for what for sixpence a day at the most while now you may walk across the country and stretch out either hand to gather in whatever have a mind for t do we not hear of our comrades who have gone with sir john hawk wood to italy in one night they have held to h hundred of the richest of they before a great and the base forth with the keys and then they make great spoil or if it please them better they take so many horse loads of silver as a composition and so they journey on from state to state rich and free and feared by all now is not that the proper life for a soldier the proper life for a robber roared john in his thundering and yet there is much in what the says said a fellow in a weather stained and i for one would rather prosper in italy than starve in spain tou were always a cur and a traitor mark cried by my if yon will stand forth and draw your sword i will warrant you that you will see neither one nor the other nay said sir we cannot mend the matter by sir i think that what you have said does you little honor and if my words you i am ever ready to go deeper into the matter with you but you shall have such men as will follow you and you may go where you will so that you come not with us let all who love their prince and country stand fast while those who think more of a well lined purse step forth upon the further side thirteen with hung heads and faces stepped forward with mark and ranged themselves behind sir amid the and of comrades they marched off together to the s hut while the main body broke up their meeting and set cheerily to work packing their possessions their weapons and preparing for the march which lay before them over the and the through the vast of past the swift flowing and so down the long valley of the there was many a long league to be crossed ere they could join themselves to that dark war cloud which was drifting slowly southward to the line of snowy peaks beyond which the banner of england had never yet been seen chapter how thb passed the whole vast plain of and of is an arid and expanse in winter save where the swift flowing and her snow fed the the and the run down to the sea of south of the the jagged line of mountains which fringe the sky line send out long granite claws running down into the and dividing them into or stretches of valley grow into hills and hills into mountains each range its neighbor until they up in the giant chain which raises its and peaks white and dazzling against the pale blue wintry sky a quiet land is this a land where the slow moving with his flat cap his red and his his scanty farm or drives his lean flock to their hill side pastures it is the country of the wolf and the of the brown bear and the a land of bare rock and of rushing water yet here it was that the will	4
of a great prince had now assembled a gallant army so that from the to the passes of the barren valleys and wind swept were with soldiers and loud with the shouting of orders and the of horses for the of war had been flung to the wind once more and over those glistening peaks was the highway along which honor pointed in an age when men had chosen her as their guide and now all was ready for the enterprise from to st du port the country was with the white tents of and english all eager for the advance from all sides the free had in until not less than twelve thousand of these troops were along the of from england had arrived the prince s brother the of with hundred knights in his train and a strong company of above all an heir to the throne had been born in and the prince might leave bis with an easy mind for all was well with mother and with child the keys of the mountain passes still lay in the bands of the and charles of who had and both with the english and with the spanish taking money from the one side to hold them open and from the other to keep them sealed the hand of edward however had shattered all the schemes and of the neither entreaty nor remonstrance came from the english prince but sir passed silently over the border with his company and the walls of the two cities of and de la warned the monarch that there were other besides gold aud that he was dealing with a man to whom it was to lie his price was paid his objections silenced and the mountain lay open to the from the feast of the there was and until in the first week of february three days after the white joined the army the word was given for a general advance through the of at five in the cold winter s morning the were blowing in the hamlet of st du port and by six sir company three hundred strong were on their way for the pushing swiftly in the dim light up the steep road for it was the prince s order that they should be the first to pass through and that they should remain on guard at the further end until the whole army had emerged from the mountains day was already breaking in the east and the of the great peaks had turned rosy red while the valleys still lay in the shadow when they found themselves with the cliffs on band the long pass stretching way before them sir rode his great black war horse f t the head of bis dressed in fall with black his banner behind him while at hit bridle arm carried his shield and his well spear a and happy man was the knight many a time he turned in his saddle to look at the long column of who swung swiftly along behind him by st paul said he this pass is a very perilous place and i would that the king of had held it against us for it would have been a very honorable venture had it fallen to us to win a passage i have beard the sing of one sir who was slain by the in these very parts if it please you my fair lord said black i know something of these parts for i have twice served a term the king of there is i of yonder where you see the roof among the trees and there it was that sir was slain village upon the left is and i know a therein where the right wine of on is to be bought if it would please to a morning cup there is smoke yonder upon the right that is a village named les and i know a there also where the wine is of the best it is said that the hath a buried treasure and i doubt not my fair lord that if you grant me leave i could prevail upon him to tell us where he hath hid it nay nay said sir i pray you to forget these free companion tricks h i see that you stare ab ut you and in good these mountains must indeed to one who hath but seen or the hill the broken rugged road bad along the of low hills with wooded on either side of it over which peeped the mountains the distant peak of the south and the vast which high above them and its shadow from left to right across the valley from where they now stood they could look forward down a long vista of woods and jagged strewn wilderness all white with snow to where the pass opened out upon the beyond behind them they could still catch a glimpse of the gray plains of and could see her rivers gleaming like of silver in the sunshine as far as eye could see from among the rocky and the of the pine woods there came the quick twinkle and glitter of steel while the wind brought with it sudden distant bursts of martial music from the great host which rolled by every road and toward the ow pass of on the cliffs on either side might also be seen the flash of arms and the waving of where the force of looked down upon the army of strangers who passed through their by st paul said sir up at them i think that we have much to hope for from these for they cluster very thickly upon our pass word to the men that they their bows for i have no doubt that there are some very worthy gentlemen yonder who may give us some opportunity for honorable advancement i hear that the prince hath the king of	4
as said and it is said that he hath sworn to put him to death if there be any attack upon us it was not so that war was made when good king edward first turned his hand to it said sir sadly ah i i fear that you will never live to see such things for the minds of men are more set upon money and gain than of old by st paul it was a noble sight when two great armies would draw together upon a certain day and all who had a vow would ride forth to discharge themselves of it what noble spear have i not seen and even in a humble way had a part in when would run a course for the of their souls and for the love of their ladies never a bad word have i for the french for though i have ridden twenty times up to their array i have never yet failed to find some very gentle and worthy knight or squire who was willing to do what he might to enable me to attempt some small feat of arms then when all had been satisfied the two armies would come to hand strokes and fight right merrily until one or other had the by st paul i it was not our wont in those days to pay gold for the opening of passes nor would we hold a king as lest his people come to with us in good if the war is to be carried out in such a fashion then it is grief to me that i ever came away from castle for i would not have left my sweet lady had i not thought that there were deeds of arms to be done but surely my fair lord said you have done some great of arms since we left the lady i cannot call any to mind answered sir there was the taking of the sea and the holding of the keep against the nay nay said the knight these were not of arms but mere and the chances of travel by st paul if it were not that these hills are over steep for i would ride to these of and see if there were not some among them who would help me to take this patch from mine eye it is a sad sight to me to see this very fine pass which my own company here could hold against an army and yet to ride through it with as little profit as though it were the lane from my to the all morning sir rode in a very ill humor with his company behind him it was a march over broken ground and through snow which came often as high as the knee yet ere the sun had begun to sink they had reached the spot where the opens out on to the of and could see the towers of up against the southern sky line here the company were in a scattered mountain hamlet aod spent the day looking down npon the poured with gleam of and of standards through the ow pass mon said himself upon a by his side this is indeed a sight upon which it is good to look and a man might go far ere he would see so many brave men and fine horses by my t our little lord is because we have come peacefully through the passes but i will warrant him that we have fighting ere we turn our faces northward again it is said that there are four score thousand men behind the king of spain with du and all the beat of france who have sworn to shed their a blood ere this come again to the throne yet our own army is a great one said nay there are but seven and twenty thousand men hath persuaded the prince to leave many behind and indeed i think that he is right for e is little food and less water in these parts for which we are bound a man without his meat or a without his is like a wet bow string fit for little but mon here comes and bis company and there is many a and among which show that the best blood of england is riding under his while had been speaking a strong column of had through the pass beneath them they were followed by a banner bearer who held high the scarlet upon a silver field which proclaimed the presence of the famous warrior he rode himself within a spear of his standard clad from neck to foot in steel but draped in the long linen gown or which destined to be the cause of his death his was carried behind him by his body squire and his head was covered by a small purple cap from under which bis white hair curled downward to his shoulder with his long like nose and his single gleaming eye which shone brightly from under a thick of brow seemed to to have of the look of some fierce old bird of prey for a moment he smiled as bis lit upon the of the e roses waving from the hamlet but his se lay for and he rode oil aft r the close at his heels came sixteen all chosen from the highest families and behind them rode twelve hundred english knights with gleam of steel and tossing of their harness their long straight swords their and the beat of their s like the lo deep roar of the sea upon the shore behind them marched six hundred and bearing the of the followed by the famous lord himself with the four of of of and of who had all won such glory at two hundred heavily armed cavalry rode behind the standard while close at their heels came the duke of with a train with	4
is the best of all the cross bow companies and it was he who brought down the de at i fear that your man will come by little honor with him i have seen shoot this twenty years and i will not from it how say you old war hound will you not have a flight shot or two with this tut tut i said the old my day is past and it is for the younger ones to hold what we have gained i take it of thee that thou call all eyes thus upon a broken who could once shoot a fair shaft let me feel that bow it is a scotch bow i see for the upper is without and the lower within by the black it is a good piece of well well strung well and very joyful to the feel i think even now that i might hit any large and goodly mark with a bow like this turn thy quiver to me i love an ash arrow pierced with wood for a shaft by my i and so do i cried these three winged shafts are such so i see comrade it has been my wont to choose a saddle backed feather for a dead shaft and a swine backed for a smooth i will take the two of them ah t i lad the eye grows and tbe hand firm as the years pass are you not said the who had with ill the slow and of his i will a with yon or try long or said did to my mind the long bow is better than the but it may be ill for me to prove it so i think the other with a sneer he drew his from his and it to the he drew back the powerful double cord it had into the catch then from his quiver he drew a short thick quarrel which placed the utmost e upon the word had spread of what as going and the rivals already not only by the english of the company but by hundreds of and m n at from th of and la to the latter of which the there is a mark yonder on the hill said he j you can it m see something answered i his eyes with his hand j but it is a very long a fair a fair shoot stand aside lest you find a bolt through td comrade i take no and i the of watching shaft ad he he raised his to his and wa about to pull the a g gray heavily into w the brow of the hill and then soaring up the ail to ass the valley its shrill and piercing cries drew all npon it and it came nearer a dark spot which l above it resolved itself into a l hich h v ed over its head from time to time and watching chance of closing with its clumsy er the tt b birds all absorbed in own the m i p far tl p l s iu q it tip il they i ot a im pa es from b r bis if to the sky ap e the short deep of his powerful g struck tl e where its wing meets tl p body and the n a last flutter falling wounded and fl the earth a from tl e cross bo e b t t that th bo t struck it ip old stood with arrow on string ip l d sh ff through the body t be f the other from bis belt be ent it some few f e the earth witb so e ap im tb l il ap ns the for the second time ere it d ground a deep t of delight burst rs at this double f at i with joy t l is round the old and embrace w h such vigor that their mail again ah i be you shall b ve a with me what then old dog pot tb hawk thee but b ye ob to my heart it is a pretty pf if ell string said with a twinkle in liis set even an old bo might nd the o out witb like this you b ve done very well i th i in a surly voice but it scenes to have pot yet ho yourself ip be a better i i h ve struck th t t i ud by t b three po p it would ill me to e a p for i have b f things of your skill i di bi t wish tp show tb t tbe long ow d do that u not not with ve re o speed ere tb bird to b in that you have said the cross by st james i it is now my turn to show you where my weapon has the better of you i pray you to draw a with all your strength down the valley that we may see the length of y shoot that is a very strong of yours said shaking his head as he glanced at the thick arch and powerful strings of his rival s i have little doubt that you can me and yet i have seen who could send a cloth yard arrow further than you could speed a quarrel so i have heard remarked the and yet it is a strange thing that these wondrous are never where i chance to be pace out the distances with a at every five score and do you stand at the fifth to carry back my to me a line was measured down the valley and drawing an arrow to the very head sent it whistling over the row of bravely drawn a rare shoot i shouted the it is well up to the fourth mark by my i it is	4
over it cried ay ward i can see where they have stooped to gather up the shaft we shall hear anon said quietly and presently a young came running to say that the arrow had fallen twenty paces beyond the fourth four hundred paces and a score cried black i faith it is a very long flight wood and steel may do more than flesh and blood the stepped forward with a smile of conscious triumph and the cord of his weapon a shout burst from his comrades as they watched the swift and lofty flight of the heavy bolt over the fourth groaned by my i think that it is well up to the fifth it is over the fifth i cried a loudly and a comrade came running with waving arms to say that the bolt had pitched eight paces beyond the mark of the five hundred s which weapon hath the now cried the proudly about with shouldered amid the applause of his companions you can me said gently or any other man who ever bent a long bow cried his victorious adversary nay not so fast said a huge whose mighty shoulders and red head high above the throng of his comrades i must have a word with yon ere you crow so loudly where is ray little by dick of it will be a strange thing if i cannot that thing of thine which to my eyes is more like a rat trap than a bow will you try another or do you stand by your last five hundred and eight paces will serve my turn answered the looking at this new opponent tut john whispered you never were a why must you thrust your spoon into this dish easy and slow there are very many things which i cannot do but there are also one or two which i have the trick of it is in my mind that i can beat this shoot if my bow will but hold together go on old babe of the woods have at it cried the laughing by my soul you may grin cried john but i learned how to make the long shoot from old miller of he took up a great black bow as he spoke and sitting down upon the ground he placed his two feet on either end of the with an arrow fitted he then pulled the string toward him with both hands until the head of the shaft was level with the wood the great bow and groaned and the cord with the who is this fool s head stands in the way of my shoot said he up his neck from the ground he stands on the further side ef mj the so he has little well the saints him d though i think he is over near to th d a he spoke he raised his two feet with the how upon their and his cord with a deep rich might be heard across the valley tb in the distance fell flat upon his face and then up again began to run in the opposite direction well shot old lad it is indeed ov r his head cried the hon exclaimed the who ever saw such a shoot it is but a trick john many a time hav i won a of ale by covering a mi e ip flights down chase it fell a hundred and thirty paces beyond the fifth m shouted an in t he distance six hundred and pieces i mon b t that is a shoot and yet it says nothing for your weapon mon for it was by into a that you did it y my there is truth in that and now friend i will myself show you of the long bow i pray you to speed a bolt f shield with all your force it is pi inch elm with bull s hide over it i scarce shot as many shafts at the man of though i found a better mark there than a of bull s hide put wh t ii this englishman the shield not one from me nd s blind man could it up bis string to the pitch ap his at the shield who had drawn an his quiver carefully the of it it at the same mark run he fetch me the shield long were the faces of the englishmen and d of the s bo as was carried toward them in the was the driven deep y into th there was neither sign nor trace of the cloth yard shaft by tjie e c the this at least there is no which is the of i the tr er i hat it h y missed the shield englishman ts a bit i a bit r turning round he round clear hole in the wood at the back of it my shaft has passed it de i the one w i h goes through is more to be feared than that on the stamped h p foot and was about to make some reply hen came riding up to the crowd pf rs sir will be here he and it is wish to speak the in an instant order and method t ol p of general confusion bows caps and js were caught np the grass a long cleared the c all strangers while the main body fell into four under and file leaders in front and either so they stood silent and s when their l der came riding toward then face shining and his whole small figure swelling wit i the news h bore great honor has been done to us men cried he for of all the army the prince has chosen that we should ride onward into the lands of spain to spy npon enemies yet as there are m ny pf us ai d a the service m y not	4
be to the liking of all i pr y that those ill forward th ranks who the if ill to follow there s a rustle among the when si l up at them po man rd f but the lines of men a s before sir at them in amazement and a look of the deepest sorrow his face that i should have lived to see the day i he cried what not one my fair lord whispered they have all stepped forward ah by st paul i i see how it is with them i could not think that they would desert me we start at dawn to morrow and ye are to have the horses of sir robert s company be ready i pray ye at early a of delight burst from the as they broke their ranks and ran hither and thither and cheering like boys who have news of a holiday sir gazed after them with a smiling face when a heavy hand fell upon his shoulder what ho i my knight of said a voice you are oflf to i hear and by the holy fish of you must take me under your banner what sir cried sir i had heard that you were come into camp and had hoped to see you glad and proud shall i be to have you with me i have a most particular and reason for wishing to said the sturdy knight i can well believe it returned sir i have met no man who is quicker to follow where honor leads nay it is not for honor that i go for what then for yes for the rascal have cleared every hen from the country side it was this very morning that my squire bis horse in riding round in quest of one for we have a bag of and to eat with them never have i seen such as this of ours not a shall we see until we are in front of them so i shall leave my to the care of the and i shall hie south with you with my at my i know you over well said sir shaking his head and the two old soldiers rode off together to their chapter how at an to the south of in the kingdom of there stretched a high table land rising into bare hills brown or gray in color and strewn with of granite on the side of the great mountains there had been running streams meadows forests and little villages here on the contrary were nothing but naked rocks poor pasture and savage gloomy or this wild country with mountain torrents dashing and foaming between their rugged sides the clatter of waters the scream of the eagle and the howling of wolves were the only sounds which broke upon the silence in that dreary and region through this wild country it was that sir and his company pushed their way riding at times through vast where the brown cliffs shot up on either side of them and the sky was but a long winding blue between the lines of box which fringed the lips of the or again leading their horses along the narrow and rocky paths worn by the upon the edges of the chasm where under their very elbows they could see the white streak which marked the gave which a thousand feet below them so for two days they pushed their way through the wild places of past over the rapid through until upon a winter s evening the mountains fell away from in front of then and they saw the broad blue its double line of and of villages the of were aroused that night by rough voices speaking in a strange tongue and are morning sir and m h d the and i ere the land of spain all the next day they lay in a pine wood ii ar to the town of r their horses and taking ds to they should do sit had with him sir william sir old sir the scotch knight the earl of and sir richard accounted among the ill the army with sixty m n at ind three hundred and twenty ai had been sent out in the morning and returned after nightfall to i ay that the king of spain was fourteen off in the direction of having with him twenty horse forty five thousand foot a wood had been lit round this the the glare beating their rugged faces while the hardy and amid the horses while they their scanty provisions for my part said sir i am of o that we hav already done that which we have come for for do we not now know where the king is and how great a following he hath which was the end of our ti ue answered sir william but i hate come on this venture because it is a long time since i have broken a in war and shall not go back i have run a course with of spain let those go back who will but i must see more of these st ere i turn will not you sir william returned sit and yet as old soldier and one who hath seen of war i cannot but think that it is an ill thing for four men to find an army of on the one and a broad river yet said sir richard we cannot for bt of go back a blow nor for the honor of either cried the earl of by st i wish that i may never set eyes upon the water of again if i pluck my horse s ere i have seen this camp of theirs by st paul you have spoken very well said sir and i have always heard that there were very worthy gentlemen among the and fine to be had upon their	4
border you sir that we have this news from the lips of common who can scarce tell us as much of the enemy and of his forces as the prince would wish you are the leader in this venture sir the other answered and i do but ride under your banner yet i would fain have your and counsel sir but touching what you say of the river we can take heed that we shall not have it at the back of us for the prince hath now advanced to and thence to so that if we come upon their camp from the further side we can make good our retreat what then would you propose asked sir shaking his head as one who is but half convinced that we ride forward ere the news reach them that we have crossed the river in this way we may have sight of their army and perchance even find occasion for some small deed against them so be it then said sir and the rest of the council having approved a scanty meal was hurriedly snatched and the advance resumed under the cover of the darkness all night they led their horses stumbling and groping through wild and rugged valleys following the guidance of a frightened peasant who was by the wrist to black s leather with the early dawn they found themselves in a black with others sloping away from it on either side and the bare brown rising in long bleak all round them if it please you fair lord said black this man hath us and since there is no tree upon which we may hang him it might be well to him over yonder the peasant reading the soldier s meaning in his fierce eyes and harsh accents dropped upon his knees screaming loudly for mercy how comes it dog asked sir william in spanish where is this camp to which yon swore that you would lead us by the sweet virgin by the blessed mother of god cried the trembling peasant i swear to you that in the darkness i have myself lost the path over the with him shouted half a dozen voices but ere the could drag him from the rocks to which he clung sir had ridden up and called upon them to stop how is this said he as long as the prince doth me the honor to this venture to me it is for me only to give orders and by st paul i shall be right to go very deeply into the matter with any one to whom my words may give offence how say you sir william or you my lord of or you sir nay nay cried sir william this base peasant is too small a matter for old comrades to quarrel over but he hath betrayed us and he hath a dog s death hark ye fellow said sir we give you one more chance to find the path we are about to gain much honor sir william in this enterprise and it would be a sorry thing if the first blood shed were that of an unworthy let us say our morning and it may chance that ere we finish he may strike upon the track with bowed heads and steel caps in hand the stood at their horses heads while sir repeated the the ave and the long did bear the scene in mind the of knights in their dull leaden the of sir the features of the the shilling of sir with the dense ring of hard bearded faces and the long n heads of the horses all and by the cliffs scarce had the last deep amen broken from the when ib an there rose the of a hundred with the deep rolling of drums and the of all sounding together in one ar nights and sprang to arms convinced that some great host i as ut on them but the guide dropped upon his knees and thanked heaven for we have found them he cried this its their call if ye will but to follow me i will set before you ere a might tell his beads as he spoke he scrambled down of the and ng over a lo ridge at the further end h led a valley ith a stream down the centre of and a v ry thick growth of elder of box either pushing their way through the dense they looked out upon a scene which their beat harder and their breath come faster in front of them there lay a broad plain watered by two winding streams and covered with grass stretching away to here in the the towers of up the light blue morning sky over all this vast meadow there lay a great of tents thousands upon thousands of them laid out in streets in squares like a well ordered high silken or colored shooting up from the d df dwellings marked where th great of and displayed their standards i the white roofs as far as eye could reach the waving of and with flash of gold and glow of colors proclaimed that all the chivalry of were in the plain them far ib the centre of the a huge t of red and white silk with the royal arms of mi ing from the that the gallant henry lay there in the midst of his s as the english peeping out from behind their screen looked down upon this wondrous sight hey see that the vast army in front of them was already the first pink light of the rising sun glittered upon the steel caps and of dense masses of and of cross who and marched in the spaces which had been left for their exercise a thousand columns of smoke up into the pure morning air where the were piled and the camp already in the open plain clouds of	4
ball s cried sir impatiently bring the man here by st paul i it is the first time that we have met for if i mistake not it is don who was once at the prince s court it is indeed i said the spanish knight speaking in the french tongue and i pray you to pass your sword through my heart how can i live i a of after being dragged from my horse by the base bands of a common fret not for that answered sir for ip had be not pulled you down a dozen cloth yard shafts had crossed each other in your body by st james i it were better so than to be by bis touch answered the with bis black sparkling with rage and hatred i trust that i am now tbe prisoner of some honorable knight or gentleman you are the prisoner of tbe man who took yon i t answered sir and i may tell you that better men than either you or i have found a before now prisoners in the hands of of what then does he demand asked th big john scratched his red head and in delight when tbe question was to him tell him said be that i shall have ten cows a bull top if it be but a little one also a dress blue for mother and a red one for with five acres of past land two and fine new likewise a small house with for the cows and thirty six of beer for the thirsty weather tut tut cried sir laughing all these things may be had for money and i don that fire thousand crowns is not too much for so renowned a knight it shall be duly paid him for da s we must keep you with us and i must leave al o to use your shield your and your horse my harness is yours by the law of arms said the gloomily i do ask the loan of it i have need of it this day but it be duly to you set guards with on string at either end of the pass for it may happen that some other may visit us ere the time be come all day the little band of englishmen lay in the sheltered looking down upon the vast host of their unconscious enemies shortly after midday a great uproar of shouting and ing broke in the camp with of men and calling of up the rocks the companions saw a long rolling cloud of dust the whole eastern sky line with the of and the flutter of which announced the approach of a large body of cavalry for a wild hope came upon them that perhaps the had swiftly than had been planned that he had crossed the and that this was his sweeping to the surely i see the red pile of at the head of yonder cried sir richard his eyes with his hand not so answered sir who had watched the approaching host with a darkening face it is even as i feared that is the double eagle of du you say very truly cried the earl of d these are the of france for i can see the of the d with that of the lord of and of and of many another from and by st paul i am very glad of it said sir of these i know nothing but the french are very worthy gentlemen and will do what they can for our advancement there are at the least four thousand of them and all men at arms cried sir william see there is himself beside his banner and there is king henry who rides to welcome him now they all turn and come into the camp together as he spoke the vast throng of and of across the plain with arms and tossing all day long the sound of and rejoicing from the crowded camp swelled up to the ears of the englishmen and they could see the soldiers of the two nations throwing themselves into each others arms and dancing hand in hand round the blazing fires the sun had sunk behind a cloud bank in the west before sir at last gave word that the men should resume their arms and have their horses ready he had himself thrown off his and had dressed himself from head to foot in the harness of the captured sir william said he it is my intention to attempt a small deed and i ask you therefore that you will lead this upon the camp for me i will ride into their camp with my squire and two i pray you to watch me and to ride forth when i am come among the tents you will leave twenty men behind here as we planned this morning and you will ride back here after you have ventured as far as seems good to you i will do as you order but what is it that you propose to do you will see anon and indeed it is but a trifling matter you will come with me and lead a spare horse by the bridle i will have the two who rode with as through france for they are men and of stout heart let them ride behind us and let them leave their bows here among the bushes for it is not my wish that they should know that we are englishmen say no word to any whom we may meet and if any speak to you pass on as though you heard them not are you ready i am ready my fair lord said and i and i cried and john then the rest i leave to your wisdom sir william and if god sends us fortune we shall meet you again in this ere it be dark so saying sir mounted the	4
white horse of the spanish and rode quietly forth from his concealment with his three companions behind him leading his master s own by the bridle so many small parties of french and spanish horse were sweeping hither and thither that the small band attracted little notice and making its way at a gentle trot across the plain they came as far as the camp without challenge or on and on they pushed past the endless lines of tents amid the dense of and of until the huge royal stretched in front of them they were close upon it when of a sudden there broke out a wild from a distant portion of the camp with screams and war cries and all the wild tumult of battle at the sound soldiers came rushing from their tents knights shouted loudly for their and there was a mad turmoil on every hand of bewildered men and plunging horses at the royal tent a crowd of dressed servants ran hither and thither in helpless panic for the guard of soldiers who were stationed there had already ridden off in the direction of the alarm a arms on either side of the doorway were the sole of the royal dwelling i have come for the king whispered sir and by st paul he must back with us or i must bide here and sprang from their horses and flew at the two who were down an instant by so furious and ted an attack sir dashed into the royal tent and was followed by john as soon as the horses had been secured from within wild and the clash of steel and then the two emerged once more their swords and with blood while john bore his shoulder the senseless body of a man whose gay coat adorned with the lions and towers of proclaimed him to belong to the royal house a crowd of white faced and pages at heels those behind pushing forward while the foremost shrank back from the fierce faces and weapons of the the senseless body was thrown across the spare horse the four sprang to their and away they with loose reins and busy spurs through the camp but confusion and disorder still among the for sir william and his men bad swept through half their camp leaving a long litter of the dead and the dying to mark their course who were their and to tell their english enemies from their newly the knights rode wildly hither and thither in fury the mad turmoil the mixture of races and the fading light were all in favor of the four who alone knew their own purpose among the vast uncertain multitude t ice ere reached open ground they had to break their way through small bodies of horse and once there came a whistle of arrows and singing of stones about their ears but still dashing onward they shot out from among the tents and found their own comrades retreating for th mountains at no very great distance from them another are minutes of wild galloping over the and they were all back in their while their fell before the rolling of drums and of trumpets which seemed to p ol that the whole army of the prince about to from the mountain passes by my soul cried leaving a boiled ham over his head i hate by something which i may eat with my i had a hard fight for it for there were three of them with their mouths open and the knives in their hands all sitting round the table i rushed in upon them how say you sir william will you not try the of the spanish swine though we have but the water to wash it down later sir answered the old soldier wiping his face we must further into the mountains ere we be in safety but what have we here it is a prisoner whom i have taken and in as he came from the royal tent and wears the royal arms upon his i trust that he is the king of spain the king of spain cried the companions crowding round in amazement nay sir said peering at the prisoner through the uncertain light i have twice seen henry of and this man in no way him then by the light of heaven i will ride back for him cried sir nay nay the camp is in arms and it would be rank madness who are you fellow he added in spanish and how is it that you dare to wear the arms of the prisoner was but recovering the consciousness which had been squeezed from him by the grip of john if it please you he answered i and nine others are the body of the king and must ever wear his arms so as to shield him from even such perils as have threatened him this night the king is at the tent of the brave du where he will sup to night but i am a of don and though i be no king i am yet ready to pay a fitting price for my by st paul i will not touch your gold cried sir go back to your master and give him greeting from sir of castle telling him that i hoped to make his better acquaintance this night and that if i have disordered his tent it was but in mj eagerness to know so and courteous a knight spur on comrades i for we must cover many a league ere we can venture to light fire or to i had hoped to ride without this patch to night but it seems that i must carry it yet a little longer chapter bow took the patch his it was a cold bleak morning in the beginning of march and the mist was drifting in dense rolling clouds through the passes of the mountains	4
the company who had passed the night in a sheltered were already some crowding round the blazing fires and others or leaping over each other s backs for their limbs were chilled and the air biting here and there through the dense haze which surrounded them there loomed out huge and of rock while high above the sea of there up one gigantic peak with the pink glow of the early sunshine upon its head the ground was wet the rocks dripping the grass and sparkling with beads of moisture yet the camp was loud with laughter and merriment for a messenger had ridden in from the prince with words of heart stirring praise for what they had done and with orders that they should still bide in the of the army round one of the fires were clustered four or five of the leading men of the cleaning the from their weapons and glancing impatiently from time to time at a great pot which smoked over the blaze there was cross legged in his shirt while he away at his chain mail whistling loudly the while on one side of him sat old who was busy in the feathers of some arrows to his liking and on the other john who lay with his great limbs all and his balanced upon his uplifted foot black of crouched amid the rocks an ballad to himself i while he his sword upon a flat stone which lay his knees while beside him sat and the silent squire of sir holding out their chilled hands toward the cast on another john and stir the with thy sword growled looking anxiously for the twentieth time at the pot by my cried now that john hath come by this great he will scarce abide the fare of poor lads how say you when you see once more there will be no penny ale and fat bacon but and baked day of the seven i know not about that said john kicking his up into the air and catching it in his hand i do but know that whether the be ready or no i am about to dip this into it it and it cried pushing his hard lined face through the smoke in an instant the pot had been plucked from the blaze and its contents had been up in half a dozen steel head pieces which were balanced their owners knees while with spoon and with of bi they devoured their morning meal it is ill weather for bows remarked john at last when with a long sigh he had drained the la t drop from his my strings are as limp as a cow s tail this morning you should rub them with water you remember that it was than this on the morning of cr and yet i cannot call to mind that there was aught amiss w ith our strings it is in my thoughts said black still grinding his sword that we may have need of your strings ere i dreamed of the red cow last night and what is this red cow asked i know not young sir but i can only say that on the v of and on the eve of cr and on tbe eve of i dreamed of a red cow and now the dream ha come upon me again so i am now setting a very keen to my blade well said old war dog cried by my i pray that your dream may come true for the hath not set us out here to drink or to gather one more fight and i am ready to hang up my bow marry a wife and take to the fire comer but how now robin who is it that you seek f the lord your attendance in his tent aid a to the rose and proceeded to the where he nd the knight seated upon a cushion with his legs ip front of him and a broad ribbon of laid across his knees over which he was with frown ing brows and lips it came this morning by the prince s messenger said lie and was brought from england by sir john who is new come from what make you of this upon the outer side it is fairly and clearly written answered and it to sir knight of castle by the hand of the servant of god at the of so i read it said sir now i pray you to read what is set forth within turned to the letter and as his eyes rested upon it his face pale and a cry of surprise and grief burst from his lips what then asked the knight peering up at him anxiously there is amiss with the lady mary or with the i it is my brother my poor unhappy brother cried with his hand to his brow he is dead by st paul i have never heard that he had shown go much love for you that you should mourn him so he was my brother the only or kin that i bad upon earth he had cause to be bitter against me for his land was given to the abbey for my alas alas and i raised my staff against him when last we met i he has been slain and slain i fear amidst crime and violence ha said sir read on i pray you god be with thee my honored lord and have thee in his holy keeping the lady hath asked me to set down in writing what hath befallen at and all that concerns the death of thy ill neighbor the of for when ye had left us this evil man gathered around him all and men until they were come to such a force that they and scattered the king s men who went against them then coming forth from the woods	4
they laid siege to the castle and for two days they us in and shot hard against us with such numbers as were a marvel to see yet the lady held the place stoutly and on the second day the was slain by his own men as some think bo that we were delivered from their hands for which praise be to all the saints and more especially to the holy upon whose feast it came to pass the lady and the lady thy fair daughter are in good health and so also am i save for an of the toe joint which hath been sent me for my sins may all the saints preserve thee it was the vision of the lady said sir after a pause marked you not how she said that the leader was one with a yellow beard and how he fell before the gate but how came it that this woman to whom all things are as crystal and who hath not said one word which has not come to pass was yet so led astray as to say that your thoughts turned to castle even more than mine own my fair lord said with a flush on his weather stained cheeks lady may have spoken when she said it for castle is in mj heart by day and in my dreams by night ha cried sir with a glance tes my fair lord for indeed i love your daughter the lady and unworthy as i am i would yet give my heart s blood to serve her by st paul said the knight coldly his eyebrows you aim high in this matter our blood is very old and mine also is very old answered the squire and the lady is our single child all our name and lands centre upon her alas that i should say it but i also am now the only and why have i not heard this from you before in i think that you have used me ill nay my fair lord say not so for i know not whether your daughter loves me and there is no pledge between us sir pondered a few moments and then burst out a laughing by st paul said he i know not why i should mix in the matter for i have ever found that the lady was very well able to look to her own affairs since first she could stamp her little foot she hath ever been able to get that for which she and if she set her heart on thee and thou on her i do not think that this spanish king with his three score thousand men could hold you apart yet this i will say that i would see you a full knight ere you go to my daughter with words of love i have ever said that a brave lance should wed her and by my soul if god spare you i think that you will yourself well but enough of such trifles for we have our work before us and it will be time to speak of this matter when we see the white cliffs of england once more to sir william i pray you and ask him to come hither for it is time that we were marching there is no pass at the further end of the valley and it is a perilous place should an enemy upon us delivered his message and then wandered forth g from the for his mind was all in a whirl with unexpected with his talk with sir sitting upon a with his brow resting upon his hands he thought of his brother of their quarrel of the lady in her riding dress of the gray old castle of the proud pale face in tbe and of the last fiery words with which she had sped him on his way then he was but a bred lad unknown and now be was himself of the head of an old stock and the lord of an estate which if reduced from its former size was still ample to preserve the dignity of his family further he had become a man of experience was counted brave among brave men had won the esteem and confidence of her father and above all had been listened to by him when he told him the secret of his love as to the gaining of in such stirring times it was no great matter for a brave squire of gentle birth to to that honor he would leave his bones among these spanish or he would do some deed which would call the eyes of men upon him was still seated on the rock his an his joys drifting swiftly over his mind like the shadow of clouds upon a meadow when of a sudden he became conscious of a low deep sound which came up to bim through the fog close behind him he could hear the murmur of the the occasional bursts of hoarse laughter and the and stamping of their horses behind it all however came that low pitched deep toned hum which seemed to come from every quarter and to fill the whole air in the old days he remembered to have heard such a sound when he had walked out one windy night at and had listened to the long waves breaking upon the shore here however was neither wind nor sea and yet the dull murmur rose ever louder and stronger out of the heart of the rolling sea of he and ran to the camp shouting an alarm at the top of his voice it waa but a hundred paces and yet ere he bad crossed m it every his horse d head and tbe group of knights were out and listening intently to tbe ominous sound it is a great body of said sir william felt n and they are	4
riding swiftly they must be the prince s sir richard for they from the north nay said the of mt is not so certain for the peasant with whom we spoke last night said that it was that the spanish king s brother bad ridden six thousand chosen men to beat up the prince s camp it may be that on their backward road they have come this way by st paul cried sir i think that it is even as you say for that same peasant had a sour face and a shifting eye as who bore us little good will i doubt not that he has brought the e upon us but the mist us said sir we have yet time to ride through the further end of the pass were we a troop of mountain we might do so answered sir but it ii not to be passed by a company of if these be indeed don and his men then we must bide where we are and do what we may to make them the day that they found us in path well spoken william sir in high delight if there be so many as has been said then there will be much honor to be gained from them and every hope of advancement but the sound has ceased and i fear that they have gone some other way or they have c me to the mouth of the and are their ranks hush and for they are no great way from us the company stood peering into the dense fog wreath amidst a silence so profound that the dripping of the water from the rocks and the breathing of the horses grew loud upon the ear suddenly from out the sea of mist the shrill bound of a by a long blast upon a it ib a spanish call my fair lord said black it is used by their and when the beast hath not fled but is still in its by my faith said sir smiling if they are in a humor for we may promise them some sport ere they sound the over us but there is a hill in the centre of the on which we might take our stand i marked it y night said and no better spot could be found for our purpose for it is very steep at the back it is but a bow shot to the left and indeed i can see the shadow of it the whole company leading their horses passed across to the small hill which loomed in front of them out of the mist it was indeed admirably designed for defence for it down in front all jagged and strewn while it fell away behind in a sheer cliff of a hundred feet or more on the summit was a small with a stretch across of a hundred paces and a depth of half as much again the horses i said sir we have no space for them and if we hold our own we shall have horses and to spare when this day s work is done nay keep yours my fair for we may have work for them let your men form a on either side of the ridge sir and you my lord i give you the right wing and the left to you sir and to you sir richard i and sir william will hold the centre with our men at arms now order the ranks and fling wide the for our souls are s and our bodies the king s and our swords for st george and for england sir had scarcely spoken when the mist seemed to thin in the valley and to away into long ragged clouds which from the edges of the cliffs the in which they had was a mere shaped among the three quarters of a mile deep with a small rugged rising upon which they stood at the further end and the brown it in on three sides as the mist parted and the sun broke through it gleamed and with dazzling brightness upon the and head pieces of a vast body of who stretched across the from one cliff to the other and extended backward until their rear guard were far out upon the plain beyond line after line and rank after rank they choked the neck of the valley with a long vista of tossing twinkling waving and streaming while the and of the lent a constant motion and to the glittering many colored mass a yell of exultation and a of waving steel through the length and breadth of their column announced that they could at last see their enemies while the swelling notes of a hundred and drums mixed with the clash of broke forth into a proud peal of martial triumph strange it was to these gallant and sparkling of spain to look upon this handful of men upon the hill the thin lines of the knot of knights and men at arms with and from long service and to learn that these were indeed the soldiers whose fame and had been the camp fire talk of every army in very still and silent they stood leaning upon their bows while their leaders took counsel together in front of them no of rose from their stem ranks but in the centre waved the of england on the right the of the company with the roses of and on the left over three score of there floated the red banner of with the heads of the gravely and they stood beneath the morning sun waiting for the of their by st paul i said sir gazing with eye down the valley there appear to be some very worthy people among them what is this golden banner upon the left it il the of the knights of answered and the other upon the right it marks the	4
knights of and i see by his flag that their grand master rides at their head there too is the banner of amid yonder sparkling which heads the main battle there are six thousand men at arms with ten of as far as i may judge their numbers there are among them my fair lord remarked black i can see the of de de saint and many others who struck in against us for charles of tou are right said sir william for i can also see them is much spanish also if i but read it don you know the arms of your own land who they who have done us this honor the spanish prisoner looked with eyes u ion the deep and ranks of his countrymen by st james said he if ye fall this day ye fall by no mean hands for the flower of the of ride under the banner of don with the chivalry of and i see the of ca with the two great orders and the of france and of if you will take my you will come to a composition with them for they will give you such terms as you liave given me nay by st paul it were pity if so many men drawn together and no little deed of arms to come of it ha i william they advance upon us and by my soul i it is a sight that is worth coming over the seas to see as he spoke the two wings of the spanish host of the knights of on the one side and of upon the other came swiftly down the valley while the main body followed more slowly behind five hundred paces from the english the two great bodies of horse other wi sweeping round in a retired in feigned confusion toward their centre in wars bad tbe tempted the from their places of strength by such pretended rights but there were men upon the bill to whom every and trick of war were as their daily trade and practice again and even nearer came the rd and again with cry of fear and stooping bodies they oft to right and left but the english still stood stolid and observant among their the a bow from the hill and with waving and shouts their enemies to while two forward from the glittering walked their horses slowly between the two with and in rest like tbe in a by st paul i cried sir with his one eye glowing like an these appear to be two very worthy and gentlemen i do not call to mind i b ve seen any people who seemed of so great a heart and high of enterprise we have our horses sir william shall we not relieve of any vow which they may have upon their souls s reply was to bound upon his and to urge it down tbe slope while sir followed not three behind bim it was a i course rocky and yet the two knights choosing their men dashed onward at the top of their speed while tbe gallant flew as swiftly to meet them the one to whom found himself opposed was a tall with a s head upon his shield while sir s man was and with plain steel harness and a pink and white bound round bis the first struck on the with si oh force as to split it from side to f but sir william s lance through the which the s throat and he fell screaming hoarsely to the ground carried away by the and n of fight the english knight never rein but charged straight on into the array of the knights of long time the silent ranks upon the hill could see a and deep down in the heart of the spanish column with a circle of and flashing blades here and there tossed the white of the english rising and falling like the foam upon a wave with the fierce gleam and sparkle ever round it until at last it had sunk from view and another brave man had turned from war to peace sir meanwhile had found a worthy of his steel for his opponent was none other than the picked lance of the knights of who had won fame in a hundred bloody with the of so fierce was their meeting that their shivered up to the very grasp and the horses reared backward until it seemed that they must crash down upon their with they both swung round in a long curve and then out their swords they lashed at each other like two upon an the spun round each other biting and striking while the two blades wheeled and and in of dazzling light cut and thrust followed so swiftly upon each other that the eye could not follow them until at last coming to they cast their arms round each other and rolled off their to the ground the heavier threw himself upon his enemy and him down beneath him raised his sword to him while a shout of triumph rose from the ranks of his countrymen but the fatal blow never fell for even as his arm quivered before descending the gave a shudder and himself rolled heavily over upon his side with the blood from his and from the of his sir sprang to his feet with his bloody dagger in his left hand and gazed down upon his adversary but that fatal and sudden in the vital spot which the had exposed by raising his arm had proved instantly mortal the englishman leaped upon his horse and made for the hill at the very instant that a yell of rage from a thousand and the of a score of announced the spanish but the were ready and eager for the encounter with feet firmly planted their sleeves rolled back to give free play to their muscles	4
their long yellow in their left hands and their quiver to the front they had waited in the four deep formation which gave strength to their array and yet permitted every man to draw his arrow freely without harm to those in front and had been engaged in throwing light of grass into the air to the wind force and a hoarse whisper passed down the ranks from the file leaders to the men with scraps of advice and do not shoot outside the fifteen score paces dried we may need all our shafts ere we have done with them better to than to added better to strike the rear guard than to feather a shaft in the earth loose quick and sharp when they come added another let it be the eye to the string the string to the shaft and the shaft to the mark by our lady their advance and we must hold our ground now if ever we are to see water again standing with his sword drawn amidst the saw a long toss and heave of the glittering then the front ranks began to slowly forward to trot to to gallop and in an instant the whole vast array was onward line after line the air full of the thunder of their cries the ground shaking with the beat of their hoofs the valley choked with the rushing torrent of steel by the waving the and the fluttering on they swept over the level and up to the slope ere they met the blinding storm of the english arrows down went whole in a whirl of mad plunging and kicking bewildered men falling rising staggering on or while ever new lines of through the gap and urged their up the fatal slope all round him could hear the stem short orders of the master while the air was filled with the keen of the strings and the and of the shafts right across the foot of the hill there had sprung up a long of struggling horses and stricken men which ever grew and heightened fresh poured on the attack one young knight on a gray leaped over his fallen comrades and galloped swiftly up the hill shrieking loudly upon st james ere he fell within a spear length of the english line with the feathers of arrows thrusting out from every and joint of his so for five long minutes the gallant of spain and of france strove ever and again to force a passage until the wailing note of a called them back and they rode slowly out of bow shot leaving their best and their in the ghastly blood heap behind them but there was little rest for the while the knights bad charged them in front the had crept upon either flank and had gained a footing upon the and behind the rocks a storm of stones broke suddenly upon the who drawn up in lines upon the exposed summit offered a fair mark to their hidden foes the old was struck i the temple and fell dead without a groan while fifteen of his and six of the men at arms were struck down at the same moment the others lay on their faces to avoid the deadly while at each side of the a fringe of exchanged shots with the and cross among the rocks at those who bad up the cliffs and bursting into laughter and cheers when a well aimed shaft brought one of their down from his lofty perch i think said sir across to the little that we should all better had we our none meat for the sun is high in the heaven by st paul sir the patch from his eye i that i am clear of my vow for this spanish knight was a person from whom much honor n be won b was a worthy gentleman of good courage and great and it me that be should have come by a i as to what you say of food it is not to be thought of for w have nothing with us upon the bill cried sir hurrying up with consternation upon his face ay ward tells me that re are not ten score arrows left in all their see t they are springing from their horses and cutting their that they may rush upon us might we not even now make a retreat my soul will retreat from my body first cried the little knight here i am and here i bide while gives me strength to lift a sword and so say i shouted sir throwing bis high into the air and catching it again by the handle to your arms men i roared sir shoot while you may and then out sword and let us live or di together t chapter how the was then from the hill in the rugged valley a sound as had not been heard in those parts before nor was again until the streams which amid the rocks had been frozen by over four hundred and by as many returning springs deep and full and strong it thundered down the the fierce battle call of a warrior race the last stem welcome to should join with them in that world old game where the stake is death thrice it swelled forth and thrice it sank away echoing and amidst the then with set faces the company rose up among the storm of stones and looked down upon the thousands who sped swiftly up the slope against them horse and had been set aside but on foot with sword and battle axe their broad in front of them the chivalry of spain rushed to the attack and now arose a struggle so fell so long so sustained that even now the memory of it is handed down amongst the and the ill is still pointed out by fathers to their children as the	4
de los where the men from across the sea fought the great fight with the knights of the south the last arrow was quickly shot nor could the their stones so close were friend and foe from side to side stretched the thin line of the english lightly armed and quick footed while against it and raged the pressing throng of fiery and gallant the of crossing sword blades the dull of heavy blows the panting and gasping of weary and wounded men all rose together in a wild long drawn note which swelled upward to the ears of the wondering who looked down from the edges of the cliffs upon the swaying turmoil of the battle beneath them back and forward the banner now borne up the slope by the i and weight of the now pushing downward again as sir and black with their men at arms flung themselves madly into the at his lord s right hand found himself swept hither and thither in the desperate struggle exchanging savage one instant with a spanish and the next torn away by the whirl of men and dashed up against some new to the right sir john and the of the company fought furiously the knights of who were led up the hill by their prior a great deep man who wore a brown habit over his suit of mail three he in three giant strokes but sir flung his arms round him and the two staggering and straining backward and fell locked in each other s grasp over the edge of the steep cliff which the hill in vain his knights and against the thin line which barred their path the sword of and the great axe of john gleamed in the of the battle and huge jagged pieces of rock hurled by the strong arms of the and hurled amidst their ranks slowly they gave back down the hill the still hanging upon their skirts with a long litter of and twisted figures to mark the course which they had taken at the same instant the upon the left led on by the scotch earl had charged out from among the rocks which sheltered them and by the fury of their had driven the in front of them in headlong flight down the hill in the centre only things seemed to be going ill with the black was down dying as he would wish to have died like a grim old wolf in its with a ring of his slain around him twice sir had been and bad over bim until be bad staggered to bis feet once more lay senseless stunned by a blow from a and of tbe arms lay upon tbe ground around bim sir s was broken bis crest bis eat and and tbe torn from bis yet be sprang and witb foot and ready band engaging two and a t tbe same instant stooping in springing still by bis side witb a of men tbe fierce tide up against yet it would ill witb bad not tbe from side closed in upon tbe of tbe and pressed very slowly and foot by foot down tbe long slope until tbey were on tbe plain once more fellows were already for a assault but terrible indeed was tbe cost at tbe last bad been of tbe and seventy men bad tbe crest one and seventy two were left standing many of were sorely wounded and weak from loss of blood sir sir sir black a and fifty and forty seven men bad fallen while tbe pitiless of stones was already and once more about ears every instant to reduce numbers sir looked about bim at bis shattered ranks and bis face flushed witb pride by st paul i be cried i in many a little but never one that i would be more to missed than this but you are wounded it is answered bis squire the blood which from a sword cut across bis forehead these gentlemen of spain seem to be most courteous and worthy people see that they are already to continue this debate witb us form up tbe two deep instead of four by my faith some very men have gone from among us you are a soldier for all that your shoulder has never felt nor your heels worn the gold spurs do you take charge of the right i will hold the centre and you my lord of the left ho for sir ay ward i cried a rough voice the and a roar of laughter greeted their new leader by my said the old i never thought to lead a wing in a stricken field stand close for by these finger i we must play the man this day come hither said sir walking back to the edge of the cliff which formed the rear of their position and you he continued to the squire of sir do you also come here the two hurried across to him and the three stood looking down into the rocky which lay a hundred and fifty feet beneath them the prince must hear of how things are with us said the knight another we may withstand but they are many and we are few so that the time must come when we no longer form line across the hill yet if help were brought us we might hold the crest until it comes see yonder horses which stray among the rocks beneath us i see them my fair lord and see yonder path which winds along the hill upon the further end of the valley i see it were you on those horses and riding up yonder track steep and rough as it is i think that ye might gain the valley beyond then on to the prince and tell him how we fare but fair lord how can we hope to reach the horses asked	4
ye cannot go round to them for they would be upon ye ere ye could come to them think ye that ye have heart enough to down this cliff had we but a rope i there is one here it is but one hundred feet long and for the rest ye must trust to god and to your fingers can you try it with all my heart my dear lord but how can i leave you in such a strait nay it is to serve me that ye go and you the silent squire said nothing but he took up the rope and having examined it he tied one end firmly round a projecting rock then he cast off his and while followed his example tell or or should the prince have gone forward cried sir now may god speed ye for ye are brave and worthy men it was indeed a task which might make the heart of the sink within him the thin cord dangling down the face of the brown cliff seemed from above to reach little more than half way down it beyond stretched the rugged rock wet and shiny with a green here and there thrusting out from it but little sign of ridge or far below the jagged points of the up dark and menacing thrice with all his strength upon the cord and then lowered himself over the edge while a hundred anxious faces peered over at him as he slowly downward to the end of the rope twice he stretched out his foot and twice he failed to reach the point at which he aimed but even as he swung himself for a third effort a stone from a like a from amid the rocks and struck him full upon the side of his head his grasp relaxed his feet slipped and in an instant he was a crushed and corpse upon the sharp beneath him if i have no better fortune said leading sir aside i pray you my dear lord that you will q ive my humble service to the lady and say to her that i was ever her true servant and unworthy the old knight said no word but he put a hand on either shoulder and kissed his squire with the tears shining in his eyes sprang to the rope and sliding swiftly down soon found himself at its extremity from above it seemed as though rope and cliff were touching but now when swinging a hundred feet down the squire found that he could scarce reach the face of the rock with his foot and that it was as smooth as glass with no resting place where a mouse could stand some three feet lower however his eye lit upon a long jagged crack which downward and this he must reach if he would save not only his own poor life but that of the eight score men above him yet it were madness to spring for that narrow with but the wet smooth rock to cling to he swung for a moment full of thought and even as he hung there another of the stones sang through his curls and struck a from the face of the cliff he a few feet drew up the loose end after him his belt held on with knee and with elbow while he the long tough belt to the end of the cord then lowering himself as far as he could go he swung backward and forward until his hand reached the crack when he left the rope and clung to the face of the cliff another stone struck him on the side and he heard a sound like a breaking stick with a keen pain which shot through his chest yet it was no time now to think of pain or ache there were his lord and his eight score comrades and they must be plucked from the jaws of death on he with his hands shuffling down the long sloping crack sometimes bearing all his weight upon his arms at others finding some small shelf or on which to rest his foot would he never pass over that fifty feet he dared not look down and could but slowly onward his face to the cliff his fingers clutching his feet and feeling for a support every vein and crack and of that of stamped upon his memory at last however his foot upon a broad resting and be to a downward god i ho bad the highest of those fatal upon his had fallen dow be from to rock until his feet were on tho ground and be had his hand stretched out for the home s rein when a stone struck him on the bead and be dropped senseless upon the ground an evil blow it was for but a worse one still for him who it the spanish seeing the youth lie and judging from his dress that he waa no common man rushed forward to plunder him knowing well that the above him had expended their last shaft he was still three paces however from his victim s side when john upon the above plucked up a and it for an instant dropped it with fatal aim upon the beneath it upon his shoulder and hurled him crushed and screaming to the ground while recalled to his senses by these shrill cries in his very ear staggered on to his feet and gazed wildly about him his eyes fell upon the horses upon the scanty pasture and in an instant all had come back to him his mission his comrades the need for haste he was dizzy sick faint but he must not die and he must not for his life meant many lives that day in an instant he was in his saddle and down the valley loud rang the swift s hoofs over rock and while the fire from the	4
silent figures look to the brave squire for i fear that he will never see the rise again chapter of thb to it was a bright july after thai fatal fight in the spanish a heaven a green rolling plain below with and with sheep the sun was yet low in the heaven and the red cows stood in the long shadow of the elms the and gazing with great vacant eyes at two who were it down the long white road which dipped and curved away back to where the towers and beneath the flat hill marked the old town of of the one was young graceful and fair clad in plain and of blue doth which served to show his active and well knit figure a velvet cap was drawn forward to keep the glare from his eyes and he rode with lips compressed and anxious face as one who has much care upon his mind as he was and peaceful as was his dress the dainty golden spurs which upon his heels proclaimed his while a long upon his brow and a upon his temple gave a manly grace to bis refined and delicate countenance his comrade was a large red headed man upon a great black horse with a huge canvas bag from his which and with every movement of his his broad brown face was lighted up by a continual smile and he looked slowly from side to side with eyes which and shone with delight well might john rejoice for was he not back in his native had he not don s five thousand crowns against his knee and s all was he himself s ss now to sir the young of lately by the sword of the black prince himself and esteemed by the whole army as one of the most rising of the soldiers of england for the last stand of the company had been told throughout wherever a brave deed of arms was loved and honors had flowed in upon the few who had survived it for two months had wavered death and life with a broken and a shattered head yet youth and strength and a life were all his side and he awoke from his long delirium to find that the war was over that the and their had been crushed at and that the prince had himself heard the tale of his ride for and had come in person to his bedside to touch his shoulder with his sword and to that so brave and true a man should die if he could not live in the order of chivalry the instant that he could set foot to ground had started in search of his lord but no word could he hear of bim dead or alive and he had come home now sad hearted in the hope of raising money upon his estates and so start ing upon his quest once more landing at london he had hurried on with a mind full of care for he had heard no word from since the note which had announced bis brother s death by the cried john looking around him where have we seen since we left such noble cows such sheep grass so green or a man so drunk as yonder rogue who lies in the gap of the hedge ah john answered wearily it is well for you but i never thought that my home coming would be so a one my heart is heavy for my dear lord and for and i know not how i may break the news to the lady mary and to the lady if they have not yet ba of it john gave a groan which made the horses shy it is indeed a black business said he but be not sad for i sh l give half these crowns to my old mother and half m will i add to the money yoa have and so we shall buy that yellow wherein we sailed to and in it we shall go forth and seek sir smiled but shook his head were he alive we have had word of him ere now but what is this town before us why it is cried john see the tower of the old gray church and the long stretch of the but here sits a very holy man and i shall give him a crown for his prayers three large stones formed a rough cot by the roadside and beside it in the sun sat the with clay colored face dull eyes and long withered hands with crossed ankles and sunken head he sat as though all his life had passed out of him with the beads slipping slowly through his thin yellow fingers behind him lay the narrow cell clay and damp and sordid beyond it there lay amid the trees the and hut of a the door open and the single room exposed to the view the man ruddy and yellow haired stood leaning upon the wherewith he had been at work upon the garden patch from behind him came the ripple of a happy woman s laughter and two young darted forth from the hut bare legged and while the mother stepping out laid her hand upon her husband s arm and watched the of the children the frowned at the noise which broke upon his prayers but his brow relaxed as be looked upon the broad silver piece which john held out to him there lies the image of our past and of our future cried as they rode on upon their way now which is better to till god s earth to have happy faces round one s knee and to and be loved or to sit forever moaning over one s own soul like a mother over a sick babe i know not about that said john for it casts a great cloud over me when i	4
think of such matters but i k d know that my crown was well spent for the man had the look of a very holy person as to the other there was holy him that i could see and it would be cheaper for me to pray for myself than to give a crown to one who spent his days in digging for ere could answer there swung round the curve of the road a lady s carriage drawn by three horses abreast with a upon the outer one very fine and rich it was with beams painted and gilt wheels and carved in strange figures and over all an arched cover of red and white beneath its shade there sat a stout and elderly lady in a pink c te leaning back among a pile of cushions and out her eyebrows with a small pair of silver none could seem more safe and secure and at her ease than this lady yet here also was a symbol of human life for in an even as aside to let the carriage pass a wheel flew out from among its fellows and over it all carving and gilt in one wild heap with the horses plunging the shouting and the lady screaming from within in an instant and john were on foot and had lifted her forth all in a shake with fear but little the worse for her now woe worth me she cried and ill fall on michael of for i told him that the pin was loose and yet he must needs me like the that he is i trust that you have taken no hurt my fair lady said conducting her to the bank upon which john had already placed a cushion nay i have had no though i have lost my silver now lack a day did god ever put breath into such a fool as michael of but i am much to you gentle soldiers ye are as one may readily see i am myself a soldier s daughter she added casting a somewhat glance at john and my heart ever goes oat to a brave man we are indeed from spain from spain say you ah i it was an ill and sorry thing that so many should throw away the lives that heaven gave them in it is bad for those who fall but worse for those who bide behind i have but now bid farewell to one who hath lost all in this cruel war and how that lady she is a young of these parts and she goes now into a it is not a year since she was the fairest maid from to and now it was more than i could abide to wait at to see her put the white veil upon her face for she was made for a wife and not for the did you ever gentle sir hear of a body of men called the white company over yonder surely so cried both the comrades her father was the leader of it and her lover served under him as squire news hath come that not one of the company was left alive and so poor lamb she hath lady cried with catching breath is it the lady of whom you speak it is in and in a did then the thought of her father s death so move her her father cried the lady smiling nay is a good daughter but i think it was this young golden haired squire of whom i have heard who has made her turn her back upon the world and i stand talking here cried wildly come john come i to his horse he swung himself into the saddle and was off down the road in a rolling cloud of dust as fast as his good could bear him great had been the rejoicing amid the when the lady had admission into their order for was she not sole child and of the old knight with ns and which she could bring to he great long and earnest had been the of the gaunt lady in which she had the young to turn forever from the world and to rest her bruised heart under the broad and peaceful shelter of the church and now when all was settled and when and lady superior had had their will it was but fitting that some pomp and show should mark the glad occasion hence was it that the good of were all in the streets that gay flags and flowers brightened the path from the to the church and that a long procession wound up to the old arched door leading up the bride to these spiritual there was lay sister with the high gold and the three incense and the two and twenty in white who cast flowers upon either side of them and sang sweetly the while then with four attendants came the her drooping head with white blossoms and behind the and her council of older who were already counting in their minds whether their own could manage the farms of or whether a would be needed beneath him to draw the utmost from these new possessions which this young was about to bring them but alas for plots and plans when love and youth and nature and above all fortune are arrayed against them who is this travel stained youth who dares to ride so madly through the lines of staring why does he fling himself from his horse and stare so strangely about him see how he has rushed through the thrust aside lay sister scattered the twenty who sang so sweetly and he stands before the with his hands outstretched and his face shining and the light of love in his gray eyes her foot is on the very of the church and yet he bars the way and she she thinks	4
i have missed you very much since your return to america my dear for you are the one man upon this earth to whom i have ever been able to open my whole mind i don t know why it is for now that i come to think of it i have never enjoyed very much of your confidence in return but that may be my fault perhaps you don t find me sympathetic even though i have every wish to be i can only say that i find you intensely so and perhaps i presume too much upon the fact but no every instinct in my nature tells me that i don t bore you by my confidences can you remember at the university you never were in the set and so it is possible that you don t anyway i ll take the letters it for granted that you don t and explain it all from the beginning tm sure that you would know his photograph however for the reason that he was the and looking man of our year physically he was a fine one of the and most determined forwards that i have ever known though he played so savage a game that he was never given his cap he was well grown five foot nine perhaps with square shoulders an chest and a quick way of walking he had a round strong head with short black hair his face was wonderfully ugly but it was the of character which is as attractive as beauty his jaw and eyebrows were and rough his nose and red shot his eyes small and near set light blue in colour and capable of assuming a very genial and also an exceedingly expression a slight moustache covered his upper lip and his teeth were yellow strong and add to this that he seldom wore collar or that his throat was the colour and texture of the bark of a scotch fir and that he had a voice and the letters daily a laugh like a bull s then you have some idea if you can piece all these in your mind of the outward james but the inner man after all was what was most worth noting i don t pretend to know what genius is s definition always seemed to me to be a very crisp and clear statement of what it is not far from its being an infinite capacity for taking pains its leading characteristic as far as i have ever been able to observe it has been that it allows the possessor of it to attain results by a sort of instinct which other men could only reach by hard work in this sense was the greatest genius that i have ever known he never seemed to work and yet he took the prize over the heads of all the ten hour a day men that might not count for much for he was quite capable of all day and then reading desperately all night but start a subject of your own for him and then see his originality and strength talk about and he would catch up a pencil and on the back of an old envelope from his pocket he would sketch out some novel contrivance for piercing a ship s and the letters getting at her side which might no doubt involve some impossibility but which would at least be quite plausible and new then as he drew his eyebrows would contract his small eyes would gleam with excitement his lips would be pressed together and he would end by on the paper with his open hand and shouting in his exultation you would think that his one mission in life was to invent but next instant if you were to express surprise as to how it was that the egyptian workmen elevated the stones to the top of the out would come the pencil and envelope and he would a scheme for doing that with equal energy and conviction this ingenuity was joined to an extremely sanguine nature as he paced up and down in his quick stepping fashion after one of these flights of invention he would take out for it receive you as his partner in the enterprise have it adopted in every country see all conceivable of it count up his probable sketch out the novel methods in which he would invest his gains and finally retire with the most gigantic fortune that has ever been and you the letters would be swept along by his words and would be carried every foot of the way with him so that it would come as quite a shock to you when you suddenly fell back to earth again and found yourself the city street a poor student with s under your arm and hardly the price of your luncheon in your pocket i read over what i have written but i can see that i give you no real insight into the cleverness of his views upon medicine were most but i that if things fulfil their promise i may have a good deal to say about them in the with his brilliant and unusual gifts his fine record his strange way of dressing his hat on the back of his head and his throat bare his thundering voice and his ugly powerful face he had quite the most marked individuality of any man that i have ever known now you will think me rather about this man but as it looks as if his life might become with mine it is a subject of immediate interest to me and i am writing all this for the purpose of my own half faded impressions as well as in the hope of amusing the letters and interesting you so i must just give you one or two other points which may make his character more clear to you	4
he had a dash of the heroic in him on one occasion he was placed in such a position that he must choose between a lady or springing out of a third floor window without a moment s hesitation he hurled himself out of the window as luck would have it he fell through a large laurel bush on to a garden plot which was soft with rain and so escaped with a shaking and a if i have to say anything that gives a bad impression of the man put that upon the other side he was fond of rough horse play but it was better to avoid it with him for you could never tell what it might lead to his temper was nothing less than infernal i have seen him in the rooms begin to with a fellow and then in an instant the fun would go out of his face his little eyes would gleam with fury and the two would be rolling worrying each other like dogs below the table he would be dragged off panting and speechless with fury with his hair straight up like a fighting s the letters this side of his character would be used sometimes i remember that an address which was being given to us by an eminent london was much interrupted by a man in the front row who amused himself by remarks the appealed to his audience at last these are gentlemen said he will no one free me from this annoyance hold your tongue you sir on the front bench cried in his bull s perhaps you ll make me said the fellow turning a contemptuous face over his shoulder closed his note book and began to walk down on the tops of the to the delight of the three hundred spectators it was fine to see the deliberate way in which he picked his way among the ink bottles as he sprang down from the last bench on to the floor his opponent struck him a blow full in the face got his grip on him however and rushed him backwards out of the class room what he did with him i don t know but there was a noise like the delivery of a ton of coals and the champion of law and y the letters order returned with the air of a man who had done his work one of his eyes looked like an over ripe but we gave him three cheers as he made his way back to his seat then we went on with the dangers of he was not a man who drank hard but a little drink would have a very great effect upon him then it was that the ideas would from his brain each more fantastic and ingenious than the last and if ever he did get beyond the he would do the most amazing things sometimes it was the fighting instinct that would possess him sometimes the preaching and sometimes the comic or they might come in succession each other so rapidly as to his companions brought all kinds of queer little peculiarities with it one of them was that he could walk or run perfectly straight but that there always came a time when he unconsciously returned upon his tracks and his steps again this had a strange effect sometimes as in the instance which i am about to tell you the letters g very sober to outward seeming but in a frenzy within he went down to the station one night and stooping to the pigeon hole he asked the ticket clerk in the voice whether he could tell him how far it was to london the official put forward his face to reply when drove his fist through the little hole with the force of a the clerk flew backwards off his stool and his yell of pain and indignation brought some police and railway men to his assistance they pursued but he as active and as fit as a them all and vanished into the darkness down the long straight street the had stopped and were gathered in a knot talking the matter over when looking up they saw to their amazement the man whom they were after running at the top of his speed in their direction his little peculiarity had asserted itself you see and he had unconsciously turned in his flight they tripped him up flung themselves upon him and after a long and desperate struggle dragged him to the police station he was charged before the magistrate next morning but made such a brilliant speech lo the letters from the dock in his own defence that he carried the court with him and escaped with a fine at his invitation the witnesses and the police after him to the nearest hotel and the affair ended in universal well now if after all these illustrations i have failed to give you some notion of the man able interesting i must despair of ever doing so fu suppose however that i have not failed and i will proceed to tell you my most patient of something of my personal relations with when i first made a casual acquaintance with him he was a bachelor at the end of a long however he met me in the street and told me in his loud shoulder way that he had just been married at his invitation i went up with him then and there to see his wife and as we walked he told me the history of his wedding which was as extraordinary as everything else he did i won t tell it to you here my dear for i feel that i have down too many side the letters n streets already but it was a most bustling business in which the of a into her room and the of s hair played prominent parts of the latter	4
he was never quite able to get rid of its traces and from this time forward there was added to his other peculiarities the fact that when the sunlight struck upon his hair at certain angles it turned it all and well i went up to his lodgings with him and was introduced to mrs she was a timid little sweet faced grey eyed woman quiet and gentle you had only to see the way in which she looked at him to understand that she was absolutely under his control and that do what he might or say what he might it would always be the best thing to her she could be obstinate too in a gentle sort of way but her obstinacy lay always in the direction of up his sayings and doings this however i was only to find out afterwards and at that my first visit she impressed me as being one of the sweetest little women that i had ever known they were living in the most singular style the letters in a of four small rooms over a s shop there was a kitchen a bedroom a sitting room and a fourth room which insisted upon regarding as a most apartment and a of disease though i am convinced that it was nothing more than the smell of from below which had given him the idea at any rate with his usual energy he had not only locked the room up but had paper over all the cracks of the door to prevent the imaginary from spreading the furniture was the possible there were i remember only two chairs in the sitting room so that when a guest came and i think i was the only one used to upon a pile of yearly volumes of the british medical journal in the corner i can see him now himself up from his lowly seat and about the room roaring and striking with his hands while his little wife sat in the corner listening to him with love and admiration in her eyes what did we care any one of the three of us where we sat or how we lived when youth hot in our veins and our souls were the letters all with the possibilities of life i still look upon those evenings in the bare room amid the smell of the cheese as being among the happiest that i have known i was a frequent visitor to the for the pleasure that i got was made the sweeter by the pleasure which i hoped that i gave they knew no one and desired to know no one so that i seemed to be the only link that bound them to the world i even ventured to interfere in the details of their little had a at the time that all the diseases of were due to the of the open air life of our ancestors and as a he kept his windows open day and night as his wife was obviously fragile and yet would have died before she would have uttered a word of complaint i took it upon myself to point out to him that the cough from which she suffered was hardly to be cured so long as she spent her life in a draught he savagely at me for my interference and i thought we were on the verge of a quarrel but it blew over and he became more considerate in the matter of the letters our evening occupations just about that time were of a most extraordinary character you are aware that there is a substance called matter which is deposited in the of the body during the course of certain diseases what this may be and how it is formed has been a cause for much among had strong views upon the subject holding that the matter was really the same thing as the which is by the liver but it is one thing to have an idea and another to be able to prove it above all we wanted some matter with which to experiment but fortune favoured us in the most way the professor of had come into possession of a magnificent specimen of the condition with pride he exhibited the organ to us in the class room before ordering his assistant to remove it to the ice chest preparatory to its being used for work in the practical class saw his chance and acted on the instant slipping out of the he threw open the ice chest rolled his round the dreadful glistening mass closed the letters the chest again and walked quietly away i have no doubt that to this day the disappearance of that liver is one of the most inexplicable mysteries in the career of our professor that evening and for many evenings to come we worked upon our liver for our experiments it was necessary to subject it all to great heat in an endeavour to separate the substance from the matter with our limited the only way we could think of was to cut it into fine pieces and cook it in a pan so night after night the curious spectacle might have been seen of a beautiful young woman and two very earnest young men busily engaged in making these grim nothing came of all our work for though considered that he had absolutely established his case and wrote long to the medical papers upon the subject he was never apt at stating his views with his pen and he left i am sure a very confused idea on the minds of his readers as to what it was that he was driving at again as he was a mere the letters student without any letters after his name he got scant attention and i never heard that he gained over a single at the end of the year we both passed our and became duly	4
qualified medical men the vanished away and i never heard any more of them for he was a man who himself upon never writing a letter his father had formerly a very large and practice in the west of scotland but he died some years ago i had a vague idea founded upon some chance remark of his that had gone to see whether the family name might still stand him in good stead there as for me i began as you will remember that i explained in my last by acting as assistant in my father s practice you know however that at its best it is not worth more than a year with no room for this is not large enough to keep two of us at work then again there are times when i can see that my religious opinions annoy the dear old man on the whole and for every reason i think that it would be better if i were out of this i applied for several lines and i the letters for at least a dozen house but there is as much competition for a miserable post with a hundred a year as if it were the of india as a rule i simply get my returned without any comment which is the sort of thing that teaches a man humility of course it is very pleasant to live with the and my little brother paul is a regular i am teaching him and you should see him put his tiny fists up and counter with his right he got me under the jaw this evening and i had to ask for eggs for supper and all this brings me up to the present time and the latest news it is that i had a from this after nine months silence it was dated from the town where i had suspected that he had settled and it said simply come at once i have urgent need of you of course i shall go by the first train to morrow it may mean anything or nothing in my heart of hearts i hope and believe that old sees an opening for me either as his partner or in some other way i always believed that he the letters would turn up and make my fortune as well as his own he knows that if i am not very quick or brilliant i am fairly steady and so that s what been working up to all along that to morrow i go to join and that it looks as if there was to be an opening for me at last i gave you a sketch of him and his ways so that you may take an interest in the development of my fortune which you could not do if you did not know something of the man who is holding out his hand to me yesterday was my birthday and i was two and twenty years of age for two and twenty years have i swung around the sun and in all seriousness without a touch of levity and from the bottom of my soul i assure you that i have at the present moment the very idea as to whence i have come from whither i am going or what i am here for it is not for want of inquiry or from indifference i have mastered the principles of several they have all shocked me by the violence which i should have to do to my reason to accept the of any one of them their are usually excellent so are the of the common law of england the letters but the scheme of creation upon which those are built well it really is to me the most astonishing thing that i have seen in my short earthly pilgrimage that so many able men deep philosophers lawyers and clear headed men of the world should accept such an explanation of the facts of life in the face of their apparent my own poor little opinion would not dare to do more than at the back of my soul were it not that i take courage when i reflect that the equally eminent lawyers and philosophers of rome and greece were all agreed that had numerous wives and was fond of a glass of good wine mind my dear i do not wish to run down your view or that of any other man we who claim should be the first to extend it to others i am only indicating my own position as i have often done before and i know your reply so well can t i hear your grave voice saying have faith your conscience allows you to well mine won t allow me i see so clearly that faith is not a virtue but a vice it is a goat which has been with the sheep if a man deliberately shut his physical eyes and re the letters to use them you would be as quick as any one in seeing that it was and a treason to nature and yet you would counsel a man to shut that far more precious gift the reason and to refuse to use it in the most intimate question of life the reason cannot help in such a matter you reply i answer that to say so is to give up a battle before it is fought my reason shall help me and when it can help no longer i shall do without help it s late and the fire s out and tm shivering and you tm very sure are heartily weary of my gossip and my so adieu until my next ii home loth april well my dear here i am again in your it s not a fortnight since i wrote you that great long letter and yet you see i have news enough to make another formidable they say that	4

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