"
"The fitter messenger for my purpose.
"The fitter messenger for my purpose.
The Literary World - Seventh Reader
" the latter asked.
"He is [v]negotiating with the Jew, I suppose," replied De Bracy,
coolly; "probably the howls of Isaac have drowned the blast of the
bugle. But we will make the [v]vassals call him. "
They were soon after joined by Front-de-Boeuf, who had only tarried to
give some necessary directions.
"Let us see the cause of this cursed clamor," he said. "Here is a letter
which has just been brought in, and, if I mistake not, it is in Saxon. "
He looked at it, turning it round and round as if he had some hopes of
coming at the meaning by inverting the position of the paper, and then
handed it to De Bracy.
"It may be magic spells for aught I know," said De Bracy, who possessed
his full proportion of the ignorance which characterized the chivalry of
the period.
"Give it to me," said the Templar. "We have that of the priestly
character that we have some knowledge to enlighten our valor. "
"Let us profit by your most reverend knowledge, then," returned De
Bracy. "What says the scroll? "
"It is a formal letter of defiance," answered Bois-Guilbert; "but, by
our Lady of Bethlehem, if it be not a foolish jest, it is the most
extraordinary [v]cartel that ever went across the drawbridge of a
baronial castle. "
"Jest! " exclaimed Front-de-Boeuf. "I would gladly know who dares jest
with me in such a matter! Read it, Sir Brian. "
The Templar accordingly read as follows:
"I, Wamba, the son of Witless, jester to a noble and free-born man,
Cedric of Rotherwood, called the Saxon: and I, Gurth, the son of
Beowulph, the swineherd--"
"Thou art mad! " cried Front-de-Boeuf, interrupting the reader.
"By Saint Luke, it is so set down," answered the Templar. Then, resuming
his task, he went on: "I, Gurth, the son of Beowulph, swineherd unto the
said Cedric, with the assistance of our allies and confederates, who
make common cause with us in this our feud, namely, the good knight,
called for the present the Black Knight, and the stout yeoman, Robert
Locksley, called Cleve-the-wand: Do you, Reginald Front-de-Boeuf, and
your allies and accomplices whomsoever, to wit, that whereas you have,
without cause given or feud declared, wrongfully and by mastery, seized
upon the person of our lord and master, the said Cedric; also upon the
person of a noble and free-born damsel, the Lady Rowena; also upon the
person of a noble and free-born man, Athelstane of Coningsburgh; also
upon the persons of certain free-born men, their vassals; also upon
certain serfs, their born bondsmen; also upon a certain Jew, named
Isaac of York, together with his daughter, and certain horses and mules:
therefore, we require and demand that the said persons be within an hour
after the delivery hereof delivered to us, untouched and unharmed in
body and goods. Failing of which, we do pronounce to you that we hold ye
as robbers and traitors and will wager our bodies against ye in battle
and do our utmost to your destruction. Signed by us upon the eve of
Saint Withold's day, under the great oak in the Hart-hill Walk, the
above being written by a holy man, clerk to God and Saint Dunstan in the
chapel of Copmanhurst. "
The knights heard this uncommon document read from end to end and then
gazed upon each other in silent amazement, as being utterly at a loss to
know what it could portend. De Bracy was the first to break silence by
an uncontrollable fit of laughter, wherein he was joined, though with
more moderation, by the Templar. Front-de-Boeuf, on the contrary, seemed
impatient of their ill-timed [v]jocularity.
"I give you plain warning," he said, "fair sirs, that you had better
consult how to bear yourselves under these circumstances than to give
way to such misplaced merriment. "
"Front-de-Boeuf has not recovered his temper since his overthrow in the
tournament," said De Bracy to the Templar. "He is cowed at the very idea
of a cartel, though it be from a fool and a swineherd. "
"I would thou couldst stand the whole brunt of this adventure thyself,
De Bracy," answered Front-de-Boeuf. "These fellows dared not to have
acted with such inconceivable impudence had they not been supported by
some strong bands. There are enough outlaws in this forest to resent my
protecting the deer. I did but tie one fellow, who was taken red-handed
and in the fact, to the horns of a wild stag, which gored him to death
in five minutes, and I had as many arrows shot at me as were launched in
the tournament. Here, fellow," he added to one of his attendants, "hast
thou sent out to see by what force this precious challenge is to be
supported? "
"There are at least two hundred men assembled in the woods," answered a
squire who was in attendance.
"Here is a proper matter! " said Front-de-Boeuf. "This comes of lending
you the use of my castle. You cannot manage your undertaking quietly,
but you must bring this nest of hornets about my ears! "
"Of hornets? " echoed De Bracy. "Of stingless drones rather--a band of
lazy knaves who take to the wood and destroy the venison rather than
labor for their maintenance. "
"Stingless! " replied Front-de-Boeuf. "Fork-headed shafts of a cloth-yard
in length, and these shot within the breadth of a French crown, are
sting enough. "
"For shame, sir knight! " said the Templar. "Let us summon our people
and sally forth upon them. One knight--ay, one man-at-arms--were enough
for twenty such peasants. "
"Enough, and too much," agreed De Bracy. "I should be ashamed to couch
lance against them. "
"True," answered Front-de-Boeuf, drily, "were they black Turks or Moors,
Sir Templar, or the craven peasants of France, most valiant De Bracy;
but these are English yeomen, over whom we shall have no advantage save
what we may derive from our arms and horses, which will avail us little
in the glades of the forest. Sally, saidst thou? We have scarce men
enough to defend the castle. The best of mine are at York; so is your
band, De Bracy; and we have scarce twenty, besides the handful that were
engaged in this mad business. "
"Thou dost not fear," said the Templar, "that they can assemble in force
sufficient to attempt the castle? "
"Not so, Sir Brian," answered Front-de-Boeuf. "These outlaws have indeed
a daring captain; but without machines, scaling ladders, and experienced
leaders my castle may defy them. "
"Send to thy neighbors," suggested the Templar. "Let them assemble their
people and come to the rescue of three knights, besieged by a jester and
swineherd in the baronial castle of Reginald Front-de-Boeuf! "
"You jest, sir knight," answered the baron; "but to whom shall I send?
My allies are at York, where I should have also been but for this
infernal enterprise. "
"Then send to York and recall our people," said De Bracy. "If these
[v]churls abide the shaking of my standard, I will give them credit for
the boldest outlaws that ever bent bow in greenwood. "
"And who shall bear such a message? " said Front-de-Boeuf. "The knaves
will beset every path and rip the errand out of the man's bosom. I have
it," he added, after pausing for a moment. "Sir Templar, thou canst
write as well as read, and if we can but find writing materials, thou
shalt return an answer to this bold challenge. "
Paper and pen were presently brought, and Bois-Guilbert sat down and
wrote, in the French language, an epistle of the following tenor:
"Sir Reginald Front-de-Boeuf, with his noble and knightly allies and
confederates, receives no defiances at the hands of slaves, bondsmen, or
fugitives. If the person calling himself the Black Knight hath indeed a
claim to the honors of chivalry, he ought to know that he stands
degraded by his present association and has no right to ask reckoning at
the hands of good men of noble blood. Touching the prisoners we have
made, we do in Christian charity require you to send a man of religion
to receive their confession and reconcile them with God; since it is our
fixed intention to execute them this morning before noon, so that their
heads, being placed on the battlements, shall show to all men how
lightly we esteem those who have bestirred themselves in their rescue.
Wherefore, as above, we require you to send a priest to reconcile them
with God, in doing which you shall render them the last earthly
service. "
This letter, being folded, was delivered to the squire, and by him to
the messenger who waited without, as the answer to that which he had
brought.
IV
About one hour afterward a man arrayed in the cowl and frock of a
hermit, and having his knotted cord twisted around his middle, stood
before the portal of the castle of Front-de-Boeuf. The warder demanded
of him his name and errand.
"[v]_Pax vobiscum_," answered the priest, "I am a poor brother of the
[v]Order of St. Francis who come hither to do my office to certain
unhappy prisoners now secured within this castle. "
"Thou art a bold friar," said the warder, "to come hither, where, saving
our own drunken confessor, a rooster of thy feather hath not crowed
these twenty years. "
With these words, he carried to the hall of the castle his unwonted
intelligence that a friar stood before the gate and desired admission.
With no small wonder he received his master's command to admit the holy
man immediately; and, having previously manned the entrance to guard
against surprise, he obeyed, without farther scruple, the order given
him.
"Who and whence art thou, priest? " demanded Front-de-Boeuf.
"_Pax vobiscum_," reiterated the priest, with trembling voice. "I am a
poor servant of Saint Francis, who, traveling through this wilderness,
have fallen among thieves, which thieves have sent me unto this castle
in order to do my ghostly office on two persons condemned by your
honorable justice. "
"Ay, right," answered Front-de-Boeuf; "and canst thou tell me, the
number of those banditti? "
"Gallant sir," said the priest, "[v]_nomen illis legio_, their name is
legion. "
"Tell me in plain terms what numbers there are, or, priest, thy cloak
and cord will ill protect thee from my wrath. "
"Alas! " said the friar, "[v]_cor meum eructavit_, that is to say, I was
like to burst with fear! But I conceive they may be--what of yeomen,
what of commons--at least five hundred men. "
"What! " said the Templar, who came into the hall that moment, "muster
the wasps so thick here? It is time to stifle such a mischievous brood. "
Then taking Front-de-Boeuf aside, "Knowest thou the priest? "
"He is a stranger from a distant convent," replied Front-de-Boeuf; "I
know him not. "
"Then trust him not with our purpose in words," urged the Templar. "Let
him carry a written order to De Bracy's company of Free Companions, to
repair instantly to their master's aid. In the meantime, and that the
shaveling may suspect nothing, permit him to go freely about his task of
preparing the Saxon hogs for the slaughter-house. "
"It shall be so," said Front-de-Boeuf. And he forthwith appointed a
domestic to conduct the friar to the apartment where Cedric and
Athelstane were confined.
The natural impatience of Cedric had been rather enhanced than
diminished by his confinement. He walked from one end of the hall to the
other, with the attitude of a man who advances to charge an enemy or
storm the breach of a beleaguered place, sometimes ejaculating to
himself and sometimes addressing Athelstane. The latter stoutly and
[v]stoically awaited the issue of the adventure, digesting in the
meantime, with great composure, the liberal meal which he had made at
noon and not greatly troubling himself about the duration of the
captivity.
"_Pax vobiscum_! " pronounced the priest, entering the apartment. "The
blessing of Saint Dunstan, Saint Dennis, Saint Duthoc, and all other
saints whatsoever, be upon ye and about ye. "
"Enter freely," said Cedric to the friar; "with what intent art thou
come hither? "
"To bid you prepare yourselves for death," was the reply.
"It is impossible! " said Cedric, starting. "Fearless and wicked as they
are, they dare not attempt such open and [v]gratuitous cruelty! "
"Alas! " returned the priest, "to restrain them by their sense of
humanity is the same as to stop a runaway horse with a bridle of silk
thread. Bethink thee, therefore, Cedric, and you also, Athelstane, what
crimes you have committed in the flesh, for this very day will ye be
called to answer at a higher [v]tribunal. "
"Hearest thou this, Athelstane? " said Cedric. "We must rouse up our
hearts to this last action, since better it is we should die like men
than live like slaves. "
"I am ready," answered Athelstane, "to stand the worst of their malice,
and shall walk to my death with as much composure as ever I did to my
dinner. "
"Let us, then, unto our holy [v]gear, father," said Cedric.
"Wait yet a moment, good [v]uncle," said the priest in a voice very
different from his solemn tones of a moment before; "better look before
you leap in the dark. "
"By my faith! " cried Cedric; "I should know that voice. "
"It is that of your trusty slave and jester," answered the priest,
throwing back his cowl and revealing the face of Wamba. "Take a fool's
advice, and you will not be here long. "
"How meanest thou, knave? " demanded the Saxon.
"Even thus," replied Wamba; "take thou this frock and cord and march
quietly out of the castle, leaving me your cloak and girdle to take the
long leap in thy stead. "
"Leave thee in my stead! " exclaimed Cedric, astonished at the proposal;
"why, they would hang thee, my poor knave. "
"E'en let them do as they are permitted," answered Wamba. "I trust--no
disparagement to your birth--that the son of Witless may hang in a chain
with as much gravity as the chain hung upon his ancestor the
[v]alderman. "
"Well, Wamba," said Cedric, "for one thing will I grant thy request. And
that is, if thou wilt make the exchange of garments with Lord Athelstane
instead of me. "
"No," answered Wamba; "there were little reason in that. Good right
there is that the son of Witless should suffer to save the son of
Hereward; but little wisdom there were in his dying for the benefit of
one whose fathers were strangers to his. "
"Villain," cried Cedric, "the fathers of Athelstane were monarchs of
England! "
"They might be whomsoever they pleased," replied Wamba; "but my neck
stands too straight on my shoulders to have it twisted for their sake.
Wherefore, good my master, either take my proffer yourself, or suffer me
to leave this dungeon as free as I entered. "
"Let the old tree wither," persisted Cedric, "so the stately hope of the
forest be preserved. Save the noble Athelstane, my trusty Wamba! It is
the duty of each who has Saxon blood in his veins. Thou and I will abide
together the utmost rage of our oppressors, while he, free and safe,
shall arouse the awakened spirits of our countrymen to avenge us. "
"Not so, father Cedric," said Athelstane, grasping his hand--for, when
roused to think or act, his deeds and sentiments were not unbecoming his
high race--"not so. I would rather remain in this hall a week without
food save the prisoner's stinted loaf, or drink save the prisoner's
measure of water, than embrace the opportunity to escape which the
slave's untaught kindness has [v]purveyed for his master. Go, noble
Cedric. Your presence without may encourage friends to our rescue; your
remaining here would ruin us all. "
"And is there any prospect, then, of rescue from without? " asked Cedric,
looking at the jester.
"Prospect indeed! " echoed Wamba. "Let me tell you that when you fill my
cloak you are wrapped in a general's cassock. Five hundred men are there
without, and I was this morning one of their chief leaders. My fool's
cap was a [v]casque, and my [v]bauble a truncheon. Well, we shall see
what good they will make by exchanging a fool for a wise man. Truly, I
fear they will lose in valor what they may gain in discretion. And so
farewell, master, and be kind to poor Gurth and his dog Fangs; and let
my [v]coxcomb hang in the hall at Rotherwood in memory that I flung away
my life for my master--like a faithful fool! "
The last word came out with a sort of double expression, betwixt jest
and earnest. The tears stood in Cedric's eyes.
"Thy memory shall be preserved," he said, "while fidelity and affection
have honor upon earth. But that I trust I shall find the means of saving
Rowena and thee, Athelstane, and thee also, my poor Wamba, thou shouldst
not overbear me in this matter. "
The exchange of dress was now accomplished, when a sudden doubt struck
Cedric.
"I know no language but my own and a few words of their mincing Norman.
How shall I bear myself like a reverend brother? "
"The spell lies in two words," replied Wamba: "_Pax vobiscum_ will
answer all queries. If you go or come, eat or drink, bless or ban, _Pax
vobiscum_ carries you through it all. It is as useful to a friar as a
broomstick to a witch or a wand to a conjurer. Speak it but thus, in a
deep, grave tone,--_Pax vobiscum_! --it is irresistible. Watch and ward,
knight and squire, foot and horse, it acts as a charm upon them all. I
think, if they bring me out to be hanged to-morrow, as is much to be
doubted they may, I will try its weight. "
"If such prove the case," said his master, "my religious orders are soon
taken. _Pax vobiscum_! I trust I shall remember the password. Noble
Athelstane, farewell; and farewell, my poor boy, whose heart might make
amends for a weaker head. I will save you, or return and die with you.
Farewell. "
"Farewell, noble Cedric," said Athelstane; "remember it is the true part
of a friar to accept refreshment, if you are offered any. "
Thus exhorted, Cedric sallied forth upon his expedition and presently
found himself in the presence of Front-de-Boeuf. The Saxon, with some
difficulty, compelled himself to make obeisance to the haughty baron,
who returned his courtesy with a slight inclination of the head.
"Thy penitents, father," said the latter, "have made a long [v]shrift.
It is the better for them, since it is the last they shall ever make.
Hast thou prepared them for death? "
"I found them," said Cedric, in such French as he could command,
"expecting the worst, from the moment they knew into whose power they
had fallen. "
"How now, sir friar," replied Front-de-Boeuf, "thy speech, me thinks,
smacks of the rude Saxon tongue? "
"I was bred in the convent of Saint Withold of Burton," answered Cedric.
"Ay," said the baron; "it had been better for thee to have been a
Norman, and better for my purpose, too; but need has no choice of
messengers. That Saint Withold's of Burton is a howlet's nest worth the
harrying. The day will soon come that the frock shall protect the Saxon
as little as the mail-coat. "
"God's will be done! " returned Cedric, in a voice tremulous with
passion, which Front-de-Boeuf imputed to fear.
"I see," he said, "thou dreamest already that our men-at-arms are in thy
refectory and thy ale-vaults. But do me one cast of thy holy office and
thou shalt sleep as safe in thy cell as a snail within his shell of
proof. "
"Speak your commands," replied Cedric, with suppressed emotion.
"Follow me through this passage, then, that I may dismiss thee by the
postern. "
As he strode on his way before the supposed friar, Front-de-Boeuf thus
schooled him in the part which he desired he should act.
"Thou seest, sir friar, yon herd of Saxon swine who have dared to
environ this castle of Torquilstone. Tell them whatever thou hast a mind
of the weakness of this [v]fortalice, or aught else that can detain
them before it for twenty-four hours. Meantime bear this scroll--but
soft--canst thou read, sir priest? "
"Not a jot I," answered Cedric, "save on my [v]breviary; and then I know
the characters because I have the holy service by heart, praised be
Saint Withold!
"
"The fitter messenger for my purpose. Carry thou this scroll to the
castle of Philip de [v]Malvoisin; say it cometh from me and is written
by the Templar, Brian de Bois-Guilbert, and that I pray him to send it
to York with all speed man and horse can make. Meanwhile, tell him to
doubt nothing he shall find us whole and sound behind our battlement.
Shame on it, that we should be compelled to hide thus by a pack of
runagates who are wont to fly even at the flash of our pennons and the
tramp of our horses! I say to thee, priest, contrive some cast of thine
art to keep the knaves where they are until our friends bring up their
lances. "
With these words, Front-de-Boeuf led the way to a postern where, passing
the moat on a single plank, they reached a small barbican, or exterior
defense, which communicated with the open field by a well-fortified
sally-port.
"Begone, then; and if thou wilt do mine errand, and return hither when
it is done, thou shalt see Saxon flesh cheap as ever was hog's in the
shambles of Sheffield. And, hark thee! thou seemest to be a jolly
confessor--come hither after the onslaught and thou shalt have as much
good wine as would drench thy whole convent. "
"Assuredly we shall meet again," answered Cedric.
"Something in the hand the whilst," continued the Norman; and, as they
parted at the postern door, he thrust in Cedric's reluctant hand a gold
[v]byzant, adding, "Remember, I will flay off both cowl and skin if thou
failest in thy purpose. "
The supposed priest passed out of the door without further words.
Front-de-Boeuf turned back within the castle.
"Ho! Giles jailer," he called, "let them bring Cedric of Rotherwood
before me, and the other churl, his companion--him I mean of
Coningsburgh--Athelstane there, or what call they him? Their very names
are an encumbrance to a Norman knight's mouth, and have, as it were, a
flavor of bacon. Give me a stoop of wine, as jolly Prince John would
say, that I may wash away the relish. Place it in the armory, and
thither lead the prisoners. "
His commands were obeyed; and upon entering that Gothic apartment, hung
with many spoils won by his own valor and that of his father, he found a
flagon of wine on a massive oaken table, and the two Saxon captives
under the guard of four of his dependants. Front-de-Boeuf took a long
draught of wine and then addressed his prisoners, for the imperfect
light prevented his perceiving that the more important of them had
escaped.
"Gallants of England," said Front-de-Boeuf, "how relish ye your
entertainment at Torquilstone? Faith and Saint Dennis, an ye pay not a
rich ransom, I will hang ye up by the feet from the iron bars of these
windows till the kites and hooded crows have made skeletons of you!
Speak out, ye Saxon dogs, what bid ye for your worthless lives? What say
you, you of Rotherwood? "
"Not a [v]doit I," answered poor Wamba, "and for hanging up by the feet,
my brain has been topsy-turvy ever since the [v]biggin was bound first
around my head; so turning me upside down may peradventure restore it
again. "
"Hah! " cried Front-de-Boeuf, "what have we here? "
And with the back of his hand he struck Cedric's cap from the head of
the jester, and throwing open his collar, discovered the fatal badge of
servitude, the silver collar round his neck.
"Giles--Clement--dogs and varlets! " called the furious Norman, "what
villain have you brought me here? "
"I think I can tell you," said De Bracy, who just entered the apartment.
"This is Cedric's clown. "
"Go," ordered Front-de-Boeuf; "fetch me the right Cedric hither, and I
pardon your error for once--the rather that you but mistook a fool for
a Saxon [v]franklin. "
"Ay, but," said Wamba, "your chivalrous excellency will find there are
more fools than franklins among us. "
"What means this knave? " said Front-de-Boeuf, looking toward his
followers, who, lingering and loath, faltered forth their belief that if
this were not Cedric who was there in presence, they knew not what was
become of him.
"Heavens! " exclaimed De Bracy. "He must have escaped in the monk's
garments! "
"Fiends! " echoed Front-de-Boeuf. "It was then the boar of Rotherwood
whom I ushered to the postern and dismissed with my own hands! And
thou," he said to Wamba, "whose folly could over-reach the wisdom of
idiots yet more gross than thyself. I will give thee holy orders, I will
shave thy crown for thee! Here, let them tear the scalp from his head
and pitch him headlong from the battlements. Thy trade is to jest: canst
thou jest now? "
"You deal with me better than your word, noble knight," whimpered forth
poor Wamba, whose habits of [v]buffoonery were not to be overcome even
by the immediate prospect of death; "if you give me the red cap you
propose, out of a simple monk you will make a [v]cardinal. "
"The poor wretch," said De Bracy, "is resolved to die in his vocation. "
The next moment would have been Wamba's last but for an unexpected
interruption. A hoarse shout, raised by many voices, bore to the inmates
of the hall the tidings that the besiegers were advancing to the attack.
There was a moment's silence in the hall, which was broken by De Bracy.
"To the battlements," he said; "let us see what these knaves do
without. "
So saying, he opened a latticed window which led to a sort of projecting
balcony, and immediately called to those in the apartment, "Saint
Dennis, it is time to stir! They bring forward [v]mantelets and
[v]pavisses, and the archers muster on the skirts of the wood like a
dark cloud before a hail-storm. "
Front-de-Boeuf also looked out upon the field and immediately snatched
his bugle. After winding a long and loud blast, he commanded his men to
their posts on the walls.
"De Bracy, look to the eastern side, where the walls are lowest. Noble
Bois-Guilbert, thy trade hath well taught thee how to attack and defend,
so look thou to the western side. I myself will take post at the
barbican. Our numbers are few, but activity and courage may supply that
defect, since we have only to do with rascal clowns. "
The Templar had in the meantime been looking out on the proceedings of
the besiegers with deeper attention than Front-de-Boeuf or his giddy
companion.
"By the faith of mine order," he said, "these men approach with more
touch of discipline than could have been judged, however they come by
it. See ye how dexterously they avail themselves of every cover which a
tree or bush affords and avoid exposing themselves to the shot of our
cross-bows? I spy neither banner nor pennon, and yet I will gage my
golden chain that they are led by some noble knight or gentleman
skillful in the practice of wars. "
"I espy him," said De Bracy; "I see the waving of a knight's crest and
the gleam of his armor. See yon tall man in the black mail who is busied
marshaling the farther troop of the rascally yeomen. By Saint Dennis, I
hold him to be the knight who did so well in the tournament at Ashby. "
The demonstrations of the enemy's approach cut off all farther
discourse. The Templar and De Bracy repaired to their posts and, at the
head of the few followers they were able to muster, awaited with calm
determination the threatened assault, while Front-de-Boeuf went to see
that all was secure in the besieged fortress.
V
In the meantime, the wounded Wilfred of Ivanhoe had been gradually
recovering his strength. Taken into her litter by Rebecca when his own
father hesitated to succor him, the young knight had lain in a stupor
through all the experiences of the journey and the capture of Cedric's
party by the Normans. De Bracy, who, bad as he was, was not without some
[v]compunction, on finding the occupant of the litter to be Ivanhoe, had
placed the invalid under the charge of two of his squires, who were
directed to state to any inquirers that he was a wounded comrade. This
explanation was now accordingly returned by these men to Front-de-Boeuf,
when, in going the round of the castle, he questioned them why they did
not make for the battlements upon the alarm of the attack.
"A wounded comrade! " he exclaimed in great wrath and astonishment. "No
wonder that churls and yeomen wax so presumptuous as even to lay leaguer
before castles, and that clowns and swineherds send defiances to nobles,
since men-at-arms have turned sick men's nurses. To the battlements, ye
loitering villains! " he cried, raising his [v]stentorian voice till the
arches rang again; "to the battlements, or I will splinter your bones
with this truncheon. "
The men, who, like most of their description, were fond of enterprise
and detested inaction, went joyfully to the scene of danger, and the
care of Ivanhoe fell to Rebecca, who occupied a neighboring apartment
and who was not kept in close confinement.
The beautiful young Jewess rejoined the knight, whom she had so signally
befriended, at the moment of the beginning of the attack on the castle.
Ivanhoe, already much better and chafing at his enforced inaction,
resembled the war-horse who scenteth the battle afar.
"If I could but drag myself to yonder window," he said, "that I might
see how this brave game is like to go--if I could strike but a single
blow for our deliverance! It is in vain; I am alike nerveless and
weaponless! "
"Fret not thyself, noble knight," answered Rebecca, "the sounds have
ceased of a sudden. It may be they join not battle. "
"Thou knowest naught of it," returned Wilfred, impatiently; "this dead
pause only shows that the men are at their posts on the walls and expect
an instant attack. What we have heard was but the distant muttering of
the storm, which will burst anon in all its fury. Could I but reach
yonder window! "
"Thou wilt injure thyself by the attempt, noble knight," replied the
attendant. Then she added, "I myself will stand at the lattice and
describe to you as I can what passes without. "
"You must not; you shall not! " exclaimed Ivanhoe. "Each lattice will
soon be a mark for the archers; some random shaft may strike you. At
least cover thy body with yonder ancient buckler and show as little of
thyself as may be. "
Availing herself of the protection of the large, ancient shield, which
she placed against the lower part of the window, Rebecca, with
tolerable security, could witness part of what was passing without the
castle and report to Ivanhoe the preparations being made for the
storming. From where she stood she had a full view of the outwork likely
to be the first object of the assault. It was a fortification of no
great height or strength, intended to protect the postern-gate through
which Cedric had been recently dismissed by Front-de-Boeuf. The castle
moat divided this species of barbican from the rest of the fortress, so
that, in case of its being taken, it was easy to cut off the
communication with the main building by withdrawing the temporary
bridge. In the outwork was a sally-port corresponding to the postern of
the castle, and the whole was surrounded by a strong palisade. From the
mustering of the assailants in a direction nearly opposite the outwork,
it seemed plain that this point had been selected for attack.
Rebecca communicated this to Ivanhoe, and added, "The skirts of the wood
seem lined with archers, although only a few are advanced from its dark
shadow. "
"Under what banner? " asked Ivanhoe.
"Under no ensign of war which I can observe," answered Rebecca.
"A singular novelty," muttered the knight, "to advance to storm such a
castle without pennon or banner displayed! Seest thou who they are that
act as leaders? Or, are all of them but stout yeomen? "
"A knight clad in sable armor is the most conspicuous," she replied; "he
alone is armed from head to foot, and he seems to assume the direction
of all around him. "
"Seem there no other leaders? " demanded the anxious inquirer.
"None of mark and distinction that I can behold from this station," said
Rebecca. "They appear even now preparing to attack. God of Zion protect
us! What a dreadful sight! Those who advance first bear huge shields and
defenses made of plank; the others follow, bending their bows as they
come on. They raise their bows! God of Moses, forgive the creatures thou
hast made! "
Her description was suddenly interrupted by the signal for assault,
which was the blast of a shrill bugle, at once answered by a flourish of
the Norman trumpets from the battlements. The shouts of both parties
augmented the fearful din, the assailants crying, "Saint George for
merry England! " and the Normans answering them with cries of
"[v]_Beauseant! Beauseant! _"
It was not, however, by clamor that the contest was to be decided, and
the desperate efforts of the assailants were met by an equally vigorous
defense on the part of the besieged. The archers, trained by their
woodland pastimes to the most effective use of the longbow, shot so
rapidly and accurately that no point at which a defender could show the
least part of his person escaped their [v]cloth-yard shafts. By this
heavy discharge, which continued as thick and sharp as hail, two or
three of the garrison were slain and several others wounded. But,
confident in their armor of proof and in the cover which their situation
afforded, the followers of Front-de-Boeuf, and his allies, showed an
obstinacy in defense proportioned to the fury of the attack, replying
with the discharge of their large cross-bows to the close and continued
shower of arrows. As the assailants were necessarily but indifferently
protected, they received more damage than they did.
"And I must lie here like a bedridden monk," exclaimed Ivanhoe, "while
the game that gives me freedom or death is played out by the hands of
others! Look from the window once again, kind maiden, but beware that
you are not marked by the archers beneath--look out once more and tell
me if they yet advance to the storm. "
With patient courage, Rebecca again took post at the lattice.
"What dost thou see? " demanded the wounded knight.
"Nothing but the cloud of arrows flying so thick as to dazzle mine eyes
and hide the bowmen who shoot them. "
"That cannot endure," remarked Ivanhoe. "If they press not on to carry
the castle by pure force of arms, the archery may avail but little
against stone walls and bulwarks. Look for the sable knight and see how
he bears himself, for as the leader is, so will his followers be. "
"I see him not," said Rebecca.
"Foul craven! " exclaimed Ivanhoe; "does he blench from the helm when the
wind blows highest? "
"He blenches not! he blenches not! " cried Rebecca. "I see him now; he
heads a body of men close under the outer barrier of the barbican. They
pull down the piles and palisades; they hew down the barriers with axes.
His high black plume floats over the throng, like a raven over the field
of the slain. They have made a breach in the barriers--they rush
in--they are thrust back! Front-de-Boeuf heads the defenders; I see his
gigantic form above the press. They throng again to the breach, and the
pass is disputed hand to hand, and man to man. Have mercy, God! "
She turned her head from the lattice, as if unable longer to endure a
sight so terrible.
"Look forth again, Rebecca," urged Ivanhoe, mistaking the cause of her
retiring; "the archery must in some degree have ceased, since they are
now fighting hand to hand. Look again; there is less danger. "
Rebecca again looked forth and almost immediately exclaimed: "Holy
prophets of the law! Front-de-Boeuf and the Black Knight fight hand to
hand in the breach, amid the roar of their followers, who watch the
progress of the strife. " She then uttered a loud shriek, "He is down! he
is down! "
"Who is down? " cried Ivanhoe; "tell me which has fallen? "
"The Black Knight," answered Rebecca, faintly; then shouted with joyful
eagerness, "But no--the name of the Lord of Hosts be blessed! --he is on
foot again and fights as if there were twenty men's strength in his
single arm. His sword is broken--he snatches an ax from a yeoman--he
presses Front-de-Boeuf with blow on blow. The giant stoops and totters
like an oak under the steel of a woodsman--he falls--he falls! "
"Front-de-Boeuf? " exclaimed Ivanhoe.
"Front-de-Boeuf! " answered the Jewess. "His men rush to the rescue,
headed by the haughty Templar--their united force compels the champion
to pause--they drag Front-de-Boeuf within the walls. "
"The assailants have won the barriers, have they not? " Ivanhoe eagerly
queried.
"They have! they have! " answered Rebecca; "and they press the besieged
hard on the outer wall. Some plant ladders, some swarm like bees and
endeavor to ascend upon the shoulders of each other. Down go stones,
beams, and trunks of trees on their heads, and as fast as they bear the
wounded to the rear, fresh men supply their places. Great God! hast thou
given men thine own image, that it should be thus cruelly defaced by the
hands of their brethren! "
"Think not of that," said Ivanhoe. "This is no time for such thoughts.
Who yield--who push their way? "
"The ladders are thrown down," replied Rebecca, shuddering; "the
soldiers lie groveling under them like crushed reptiles; the besieged
have the better. "
"Saint George strike for us! " exclaimed the knight; "do the false yeomen
give way? "
"No," exclaimed Rebecca, "they bear themselves right yeomanly--the Black
Knight approaches the postern with his huge ax--the thundering blows he
deals you may hear above all the din of the battle. Stones and beams are
hailed down on the bold champion--he regards them no more than if they
were thistle-down or feathers! "
"By Saint John of Acre," cried Ivanhoe, raising himself joyfully on his
couch, "methought there was but one man in England that might do such a
deed! "
"The postern-gate shakes," continued Rebecca; "it crashes--it is
splintered by his blows--they rush in--the outwork is won! Oh, God! they
hurl the defenders from the battlements--they throw them into the
moat--men, if ye indeed be men, spare them that can resist no longer! "
"The bridge--the bridge which communicates with the castle--have they
won that pass? "
"No," replied Rebecca. "The Templar has destroyed the plank on which
they crossed--few of the defenders escaped with him into the castle--the
shrieks and cries you hear tell the fate of the others! Alas! I see it
is more difficult to look on victory than on battle. "
"What do they now, maiden? " asked Ivanhoe. "Look forth yet again; this
is no time to faint at bloodshed. "
"It is over for the time," answered Rebecca. "Our friends strengthen
themselves within the outwork which they have mastered; it affords them
so good a shelter from the foeman's shot that the garrison only bestow a
few bolts on it from interval to interval, as if to disquiet rather than
to injure them. "
"Our friends," said Wilfred, "will surely not abandon an enterprise so
gloriously begun and so happily attained. Oh, no! I will put my faith in
the good knight whose ax hath rent heart-of-oak and bars of iron. "
VI
During the interval of quiet which followed the first success of the
besiegers, the Black Knight was employed in causing to be constructed a
sort of floating bridge, or long raft, by means of which he hoped to
cross the moat in despite of the resistance of the enemy.
"He is [v]negotiating with the Jew, I suppose," replied De Bracy,
coolly; "probably the howls of Isaac have drowned the blast of the
bugle. But we will make the [v]vassals call him. "
They were soon after joined by Front-de-Boeuf, who had only tarried to
give some necessary directions.
"Let us see the cause of this cursed clamor," he said. "Here is a letter
which has just been brought in, and, if I mistake not, it is in Saxon. "
He looked at it, turning it round and round as if he had some hopes of
coming at the meaning by inverting the position of the paper, and then
handed it to De Bracy.
"It may be magic spells for aught I know," said De Bracy, who possessed
his full proportion of the ignorance which characterized the chivalry of
the period.
"Give it to me," said the Templar. "We have that of the priestly
character that we have some knowledge to enlighten our valor. "
"Let us profit by your most reverend knowledge, then," returned De
Bracy. "What says the scroll? "
"It is a formal letter of defiance," answered Bois-Guilbert; "but, by
our Lady of Bethlehem, if it be not a foolish jest, it is the most
extraordinary [v]cartel that ever went across the drawbridge of a
baronial castle. "
"Jest! " exclaimed Front-de-Boeuf. "I would gladly know who dares jest
with me in such a matter! Read it, Sir Brian. "
The Templar accordingly read as follows:
"I, Wamba, the son of Witless, jester to a noble and free-born man,
Cedric of Rotherwood, called the Saxon: and I, Gurth, the son of
Beowulph, the swineherd--"
"Thou art mad! " cried Front-de-Boeuf, interrupting the reader.
"By Saint Luke, it is so set down," answered the Templar. Then, resuming
his task, he went on: "I, Gurth, the son of Beowulph, swineherd unto the
said Cedric, with the assistance of our allies and confederates, who
make common cause with us in this our feud, namely, the good knight,
called for the present the Black Knight, and the stout yeoman, Robert
Locksley, called Cleve-the-wand: Do you, Reginald Front-de-Boeuf, and
your allies and accomplices whomsoever, to wit, that whereas you have,
without cause given or feud declared, wrongfully and by mastery, seized
upon the person of our lord and master, the said Cedric; also upon the
person of a noble and free-born damsel, the Lady Rowena; also upon the
person of a noble and free-born man, Athelstane of Coningsburgh; also
upon the persons of certain free-born men, their vassals; also upon
certain serfs, their born bondsmen; also upon a certain Jew, named
Isaac of York, together with his daughter, and certain horses and mules:
therefore, we require and demand that the said persons be within an hour
after the delivery hereof delivered to us, untouched and unharmed in
body and goods. Failing of which, we do pronounce to you that we hold ye
as robbers and traitors and will wager our bodies against ye in battle
and do our utmost to your destruction. Signed by us upon the eve of
Saint Withold's day, under the great oak in the Hart-hill Walk, the
above being written by a holy man, clerk to God and Saint Dunstan in the
chapel of Copmanhurst. "
The knights heard this uncommon document read from end to end and then
gazed upon each other in silent amazement, as being utterly at a loss to
know what it could portend. De Bracy was the first to break silence by
an uncontrollable fit of laughter, wherein he was joined, though with
more moderation, by the Templar. Front-de-Boeuf, on the contrary, seemed
impatient of their ill-timed [v]jocularity.
"I give you plain warning," he said, "fair sirs, that you had better
consult how to bear yourselves under these circumstances than to give
way to such misplaced merriment. "
"Front-de-Boeuf has not recovered his temper since his overthrow in the
tournament," said De Bracy to the Templar. "He is cowed at the very idea
of a cartel, though it be from a fool and a swineherd. "
"I would thou couldst stand the whole brunt of this adventure thyself,
De Bracy," answered Front-de-Boeuf. "These fellows dared not to have
acted with such inconceivable impudence had they not been supported by
some strong bands. There are enough outlaws in this forest to resent my
protecting the deer. I did but tie one fellow, who was taken red-handed
and in the fact, to the horns of a wild stag, which gored him to death
in five minutes, and I had as many arrows shot at me as were launched in
the tournament. Here, fellow," he added to one of his attendants, "hast
thou sent out to see by what force this precious challenge is to be
supported? "
"There are at least two hundred men assembled in the woods," answered a
squire who was in attendance.
"Here is a proper matter! " said Front-de-Boeuf. "This comes of lending
you the use of my castle. You cannot manage your undertaking quietly,
but you must bring this nest of hornets about my ears! "
"Of hornets? " echoed De Bracy. "Of stingless drones rather--a band of
lazy knaves who take to the wood and destroy the venison rather than
labor for their maintenance. "
"Stingless! " replied Front-de-Boeuf. "Fork-headed shafts of a cloth-yard
in length, and these shot within the breadth of a French crown, are
sting enough. "
"For shame, sir knight! " said the Templar. "Let us summon our people
and sally forth upon them. One knight--ay, one man-at-arms--were enough
for twenty such peasants. "
"Enough, and too much," agreed De Bracy. "I should be ashamed to couch
lance against them. "
"True," answered Front-de-Boeuf, drily, "were they black Turks or Moors,
Sir Templar, or the craven peasants of France, most valiant De Bracy;
but these are English yeomen, over whom we shall have no advantage save
what we may derive from our arms and horses, which will avail us little
in the glades of the forest. Sally, saidst thou? We have scarce men
enough to defend the castle. The best of mine are at York; so is your
band, De Bracy; and we have scarce twenty, besides the handful that were
engaged in this mad business. "
"Thou dost not fear," said the Templar, "that they can assemble in force
sufficient to attempt the castle? "
"Not so, Sir Brian," answered Front-de-Boeuf. "These outlaws have indeed
a daring captain; but without machines, scaling ladders, and experienced
leaders my castle may defy them. "
"Send to thy neighbors," suggested the Templar. "Let them assemble their
people and come to the rescue of three knights, besieged by a jester and
swineherd in the baronial castle of Reginald Front-de-Boeuf! "
"You jest, sir knight," answered the baron; "but to whom shall I send?
My allies are at York, where I should have also been but for this
infernal enterprise. "
"Then send to York and recall our people," said De Bracy. "If these
[v]churls abide the shaking of my standard, I will give them credit for
the boldest outlaws that ever bent bow in greenwood. "
"And who shall bear such a message? " said Front-de-Boeuf. "The knaves
will beset every path and rip the errand out of the man's bosom. I have
it," he added, after pausing for a moment. "Sir Templar, thou canst
write as well as read, and if we can but find writing materials, thou
shalt return an answer to this bold challenge. "
Paper and pen were presently brought, and Bois-Guilbert sat down and
wrote, in the French language, an epistle of the following tenor:
"Sir Reginald Front-de-Boeuf, with his noble and knightly allies and
confederates, receives no defiances at the hands of slaves, bondsmen, or
fugitives. If the person calling himself the Black Knight hath indeed a
claim to the honors of chivalry, he ought to know that he stands
degraded by his present association and has no right to ask reckoning at
the hands of good men of noble blood. Touching the prisoners we have
made, we do in Christian charity require you to send a man of religion
to receive their confession and reconcile them with God; since it is our
fixed intention to execute them this morning before noon, so that their
heads, being placed on the battlements, shall show to all men how
lightly we esteem those who have bestirred themselves in their rescue.
Wherefore, as above, we require you to send a priest to reconcile them
with God, in doing which you shall render them the last earthly
service. "
This letter, being folded, was delivered to the squire, and by him to
the messenger who waited without, as the answer to that which he had
brought.
IV
About one hour afterward a man arrayed in the cowl and frock of a
hermit, and having his knotted cord twisted around his middle, stood
before the portal of the castle of Front-de-Boeuf. The warder demanded
of him his name and errand.
"[v]_Pax vobiscum_," answered the priest, "I am a poor brother of the
[v]Order of St. Francis who come hither to do my office to certain
unhappy prisoners now secured within this castle. "
"Thou art a bold friar," said the warder, "to come hither, where, saving
our own drunken confessor, a rooster of thy feather hath not crowed
these twenty years. "
With these words, he carried to the hall of the castle his unwonted
intelligence that a friar stood before the gate and desired admission.
With no small wonder he received his master's command to admit the holy
man immediately; and, having previously manned the entrance to guard
against surprise, he obeyed, without farther scruple, the order given
him.
"Who and whence art thou, priest? " demanded Front-de-Boeuf.
"_Pax vobiscum_," reiterated the priest, with trembling voice. "I am a
poor servant of Saint Francis, who, traveling through this wilderness,
have fallen among thieves, which thieves have sent me unto this castle
in order to do my ghostly office on two persons condemned by your
honorable justice. "
"Ay, right," answered Front-de-Boeuf; "and canst thou tell me, the
number of those banditti? "
"Gallant sir," said the priest, "[v]_nomen illis legio_, their name is
legion. "
"Tell me in plain terms what numbers there are, or, priest, thy cloak
and cord will ill protect thee from my wrath. "
"Alas! " said the friar, "[v]_cor meum eructavit_, that is to say, I was
like to burst with fear! But I conceive they may be--what of yeomen,
what of commons--at least five hundred men. "
"What! " said the Templar, who came into the hall that moment, "muster
the wasps so thick here? It is time to stifle such a mischievous brood. "
Then taking Front-de-Boeuf aside, "Knowest thou the priest? "
"He is a stranger from a distant convent," replied Front-de-Boeuf; "I
know him not. "
"Then trust him not with our purpose in words," urged the Templar. "Let
him carry a written order to De Bracy's company of Free Companions, to
repair instantly to their master's aid. In the meantime, and that the
shaveling may suspect nothing, permit him to go freely about his task of
preparing the Saxon hogs for the slaughter-house. "
"It shall be so," said Front-de-Boeuf. And he forthwith appointed a
domestic to conduct the friar to the apartment where Cedric and
Athelstane were confined.
The natural impatience of Cedric had been rather enhanced than
diminished by his confinement. He walked from one end of the hall to the
other, with the attitude of a man who advances to charge an enemy or
storm the breach of a beleaguered place, sometimes ejaculating to
himself and sometimes addressing Athelstane. The latter stoutly and
[v]stoically awaited the issue of the adventure, digesting in the
meantime, with great composure, the liberal meal which he had made at
noon and not greatly troubling himself about the duration of the
captivity.
"_Pax vobiscum_! " pronounced the priest, entering the apartment. "The
blessing of Saint Dunstan, Saint Dennis, Saint Duthoc, and all other
saints whatsoever, be upon ye and about ye. "
"Enter freely," said Cedric to the friar; "with what intent art thou
come hither? "
"To bid you prepare yourselves for death," was the reply.
"It is impossible! " said Cedric, starting. "Fearless and wicked as they
are, they dare not attempt such open and [v]gratuitous cruelty! "
"Alas! " returned the priest, "to restrain them by their sense of
humanity is the same as to stop a runaway horse with a bridle of silk
thread. Bethink thee, therefore, Cedric, and you also, Athelstane, what
crimes you have committed in the flesh, for this very day will ye be
called to answer at a higher [v]tribunal. "
"Hearest thou this, Athelstane? " said Cedric. "We must rouse up our
hearts to this last action, since better it is we should die like men
than live like slaves. "
"I am ready," answered Athelstane, "to stand the worst of their malice,
and shall walk to my death with as much composure as ever I did to my
dinner. "
"Let us, then, unto our holy [v]gear, father," said Cedric.
"Wait yet a moment, good [v]uncle," said the priest in a voice very
different from his solemn tones of a moment before; "better look before
you leap in the dark. "
"By my faith! " cried Cedric; "I should know that voice. "
"It is that of your trusty slave and jester," answered the priest,
throwing back his cowl and revealing the face of Wamba. "Take a fool's
advice, and you will not be here long. "
"How meanest thou, knave? " demanded the Saxon.
"Even thus," replied Wamba; "take thou this frock and cord and march
quietly out of the castle, leaving me your cloak and girdle to take the
long leap in thy stead. "
"Leave thee in my stead! " exclaimed Cedric, astonished at the proposal;
"why, they would hang thee, my poor knave. "
"E'en let them do as they are permitted," answered Wamba. "I trust--no
disparagement to your birth--that the son of Witless may hang in a chain
with as much gravity as the chain hung upon his ancestor the
[v]alderman. "
"Well, Wamba," said Cedric, "for one thing will I grant thy request. And
that is, if thou wilt make the exchange of garments with Lord Athelstane
instead of me. "
"No," answered Wamba; "there were little reason in that. Good right
there is that the son of Witless should suffer to save the son of
Hereward; but little wisdom there were in his dying for the benefit of
one whose fathers were strangers to his. "
"Villain," cried Cedric, "the fathers of Athelstane were monarchs of
England! "
"They might be whomsoever they pleased," replied Wamba; "but my neck
stands too straight on my shoulders to have it twisted for their sake.
Wherefore, good my master, either take my proffer yourself, or suffer me
to leave this dungeon as free as I entered. "
"Let the old tree wither," persisted Cedric, "so the stately hope of the
forest be preserved. Save the noble Athelstane, my trusty Wamba! It is
the duty of each who has Saxon blood in his veins. Thou and I will abide
together the utmost rage of our oppressors, while he, free and safe,
shall arouse the awakened spirits of our countrymen to avenge us. "
"Not so, father Cedric," said Athelstane, grasping his hand--for, when
roused to think or act, his deeds and sentiments were not unbecoming his
high race--"not so. I would rather remain in this hall a week without
food save the prisoner's stinted loaf, or drink save the prisoner's
measure of water, than embrace the opportunity to escape which the
slave's untaught kindness has [v]purveyed for his master. Go, noble
Cedric. Your presence without may encourage friends to our rescue; your
remaining here would ruin us all. "
"And is there any prospect, then, of rescue from without? " asked Cedric,
looking at the jester.
"Prospect indeed! " echoed Wamba. "Let me tell you that when you fill my
cloak you are wrapped in a general's cassock. Five hundred men are there
without, and I was this morning one of their chief leaders. My fool's
cap was a [v]casque, and my [v]bauble a truncheon. Well, we shall see
what good they will make by exchanging a fool for a wise man. Truly, I
fear they will lose in valor what they may gain in discretion. And so
farewell, master, and be kind to poor Gurth and his dog Fangs; and let
my [v]coxcomb hang in the hall at Rotherwood in memory that I flung away
my life for my master--like a faithful fool! "
The last word came out with a sort of double expression, betwixt jest
and earnest. The tears stood in Cedric's eyes.
"Thy memory shall be preserved," he said, "while fidelity and affection
have honor upon earth. But that I trust I shall find the means of saving
Rowena and thee, Athelstane, and thee also, my poor Wamba, thou shouldst
not overbear me in this matter. "
The exchange of dress was now accomplished, when a sudden doubt struck
Cedric.
"I know no language but my own and a few words of their mincing Norman.
How shall I bear myself like a reverend brother? "
"The spell lies in two words," replied Wamba: "_Pax vobiscum_ will
answer all queries. If you go or come, eat or drink, bless or ban, _Pax
vobiscum_ carries you through it all. It is as useful to a friar as a
broomstick to a witch or a wand to a conjurer. Speak it but thus, in a
deep, grave tone,--_Pax vobiscum_! --it is irresistible. Watch and ward,
knight and squire, foot and horse, it acts as a charm upon them all. I
think, if they bring me out to be hanged to-morrow, as is much to be
doubted they may, I will try its weight. "
"If such prove the case," said his master, "my religious orders are soon
taken. _Pax vobiscum_! I trust I shall remember the password. Noble
Athelstane, farewell; and farewell, my poor boy, whose heart might make
amends for a weaker head. I will save you, or return and die with you.
Farewell. "
"Farewell, noble Cedric," said Athelstane; "remember it is the true part
of a friar to accept refreshment, if you are offered any. "
Thus exhorted, Cedric sallied forth upon his expedition and presently
found himself in the presence of Front-de-Boeuf. The Saxon, with some
difficulty, compelled himself to make obeisance to the haughty baron,
who returned his courtesy with a slight inclination of the head.
"Thy penitents, father," said the latter, "have made a long [v]shrift.
It is the better for them, since it is the last they shall ever make.
Hast thou prepared them for death? "
"I found them," said Cedric, in such French as he could command,
"expecting the worst, from the moment they knew into whose power they
had fallen. "
"How now, sir friar," replied Front-de-Boeuf, "thy speech, me thinks,
smacks of the rude Saxon tongue? "
"I was bred in the convent of Saint Withold of Burton," answered Cedric.
"Ay," said the baron; "it had been better for thee to have been a
Norman, and better for my purpose, too; but need has no choice of
messengers. That Saint Withold's of Burton is a howlet's nest worth the
harrying. The day will soon come that the frock shall protect the Saxon
as little as the mail-coat. "
"God's will be done! " returned Cedric, in a voice tremulous with
passion, which Front-de-Boeuf imputed to fear.
"I see," he said, "thou dreamest already that our men-at-arms are in thy
refectory and thy ale-vaults. But do me one cast of thy holy office and
thou shalt sleep as safe in thy cell as a snail within his shell of
proof. "
"Speak your commands," replied Cedric, with suppressed emotion.
"Follow me through this passage, then, that I may dismiss thee by the
postern. "
As he strode on his way before the supposed friar, Front-de-Boeuf thus
schooled him in the part which he desired he should act.
"Thou seest, sir friar, yon herd of Saxon swine who have dared to
environ this castle of Torquilstone. Tell them whatever thou hast a mind
of the weakness of this [v]fortalice, or aught else that can detain
them before it for twenty-four hours. Meantime bear this scroll--but
soft--canst thou read, sir priest? "
"Not a jot I," answered Cedric, "save on my [v]breviary; and then I know
the characters because I have the holy service by heart, praised be
Saint Withold!
"
"The fitter messenger for my purpose. Carry thou this scroll to the
castle of Philip de [v]Malvoisin; say it cometh from me and is written
by the Templar, Brian de Bois-Guilbert, and that I pray him to send it
to York with all speed man and horse can make. Meanwhile, tell him to
doubt nothing he shall find us whole and sound behind our battlement.
Shame on it, that we should be compelled to hide thus by a pack of
runagates who are wont to fly even at the flash of our pennons and the
tramp of our horses! I say to thee, priest, contrive some cast of thine
art to keep the knaves where they are until our friends bring up their
lances. "
With these words, Front-de-Boeuf led the way to a postern where, passing
the moat on a single plank, they reached a small barbican, or exterior
defense, which communicated with the open field by a well-fortified
sally-port.
"Begone, then; and if thou wilt do mine errand, and return hither when
it is done, thou shalt see Saxon flesh cheap as ever was hog's in the
shambles of Sheffield. And, hark thee! thou seemest to be a jolly
confessor--come hither after the onslaught and thou shalt have as much
good wine as would drench thy whole convent. "
"Assuredly we shall meet again," answered Cedric.
"Something in the hand the whilst," continued the Norman; and, as they
parted at the postern door, he thrust in Cedric's reluctant hand a gold
[v]byzant, adding, "Remember, I will flay off both cowl and skin if thou
failest in thy purpose. "
The supposed priest passed out of the door without further words.
Front-de-Boeuf turned back within the castle.
"Ho! Giles jailer," he called, "let them bring Cedric of Rotherwood
before me, and the other churl, his companion--him I mean of
Coningsburgh--Athelstane there, or what call they him? Their very names
are an encumbrance to a Norman knight's mouth, and have, as it were, a
flavor of bacon. Give me a stoop of wine, as jolly Prince John would
say, that I may wash away the relish. Place it in the armory, and
thither lead the prisoners. "
His commands were obeyed; and upon entering that Gothic apartment, hung
with many spoils won by his own valor and that of his father, he found a
flagon of wine on a massive oaken table, and the two Saxon captives
under the guard of four of his dependants. Front-de-Boeuf took a long
draught of wine and then addressed his prisoners, for the imperfect
light prevented his perceiving that the more important of them had
escaped.
"Gallants of England," said Front-de-Boeuf, "how relish ye your
entertainment at Torquilstone? Faith and Saint Dennis, an ye pay not a
rich ransom, I will hang ye up by the feet from the iron bars of these
windows till the kites and hooded crows have made skeletons of you!
Speak out, ye Saxon dogs, what bid ye for your worthless lives? What say
you, you of Rotherwood? "
"Not a [v]doit I," answered poor Wamba, "and for hanging up by the feet,
my brain has been topsy-turvy ever since the [v]biggin was bound first
around my head; so turning me upside down may peradventure restore it
again. "
"Hah! " cried Front-de-Boeuf, "what have we here? "
And with the back of his hand he struck Cedric's cap from the head of
the jester, and throwing open his collar, discovered the fatal badge of
servitude, the silver collar round his neck.
"Giles--Clement--dogs and varlets! " called the furious Norman, "what
villain have you brought me here? "
"I think I can tell you," said De Bracy, who just entered the apartment.
"This is Cedric's clown. "
"Go," ordered Front-de-Boeuf; "fetch me the right Cedric hither, and I
pardon your error for once--the rather that you but mistook a fool for
a Saxon [v]franklin. "
"Ay, but," said Wamba, "your chivalrous excellency will find there are
more fools than franklins among us. "
"What means this knave? " said Front-de-Boeuf, looking toward his
followers, who, lingering and loath, faltered forth their belief that if
this were not Cedric who was there in presence, they knew not what was
become of him.
"Heavens! " exclaimed De Bracy. "He must have escaped in the monk's
garments! "
"Fiends! " echoed Front-de-Boeuf. "It was then the boar of Rotherwood
whom I ushered to the postern and dismissed with my own hands! And
thou," he said to Wamba, "whose folly could over-reach the wisdom of
idiots yet more gross than thyself. I will give thee holy orders, I will
shave thy crown for thee! Here, let them tear the scalp from his head
and pitch him headlong from the battlements. Thy trade is to jest: canst
thou jest now? "
"You deal with me better than your word, noble knight," whimpered forth
poor Wamba, whose habits of [v]buffoonery were not to be overcome even
by the immediate prospect of death; "if you give me the red cap you
propose, out of a simple monk you will make a [v]cardinal. "
"The poor wretch," said De Bracy, "is resolved to die in his vocation. "
The next moment would have been Wamba's last but for an unexpected
interruption. A hoarse shout, raised by many voices, bore to the inmates
of the hall the tidings that the besiegers were advancing to the attack.
There was a moment's silence in the hall, which was broken by De Bracy.
"To the battlements," he said; "let us see what these knaves do
without. "
So saying, he opened a latticed window which led to a sort of projecting
balcony, and immediately called to those in the apartment, "Saint
Dennis, it is time to stir! They bring forward [v]mantelets and
[v]pavisses, and the archers muster on the skirts of the wood like a
dark cloud before a hail-storm. "
Front-de-Boeuf also looked out upon the field and immediately snatched
his bugle. After winding a long and loud blast, he commanded his men to
their posts on the walls.
"De Bracy, look to the eastern side, where the walls are lowest. Noble
Bois-Guilbert, thy trade hath well taught thee how to attack and defend,
so look thou to the western side. I myself will take post at the
barbican. Our numbers are few, but activity and courage may supply that
defect, since we have only to do with rascal clowns. "
The Templar had in the meantime been looking out on the proceedings of
the besiegers with deeper attention than Front-de-Boeuf or his giddy
companion.
"By the faith of mine order," he said, "these men approach with more
touch of discipline than could have been judged, however they come by
it. See ye how dexterously they avail themselves of every cover which a
tree or bush affords and avoid exposing themselves to the shot of our
cross-bows? I spy neither banner nor pennon, and yet I will gage my
golden chain that they are led by some noble knight or gentleman
skillful in the practice of wars. "
"I espy him," said De Bracy; "I see the waving of a knight's crest and
the gleam of his armor. See yon tall man in the black mail who is busied
marshaling the farther troop of the rascally yeomen. By Saint Dennis, I
hold him to be the knight who did so well in the tournament at Ashby. "
The demonstrations of the enemy's approach cut off all farther
discourse. The Templar and De Bracy repaired to their posts and, at the
head of the few followers they were able to muster, awaited with calm
determination the threatened assault, while Front-de-Boeuf went to see
that all was secure in the besieged fortress.
V
In the meantime, the wounded Wilfred of Ivanhoe had been gradually
recovering his strength. Taken into her litter by Rebecca when his own
father hesitated to succor him, the young knight had lain in a stupor
through all the experiences of the journey and the capture of Cedric's
party by the Normans. De Bracy, who, bad as he was, was not without some
[v]compunction, on finding the occupant of the litter to be Ivanhoe, had
placed the invalid under the charge of two of his squires, who were
directed to state to any inquirers that he was a wounded comrade. This
explanation was now accordingly returned by these men to Front-de-Boeuf,
when, in going the round of the castle, he questioned them why they did
not make for the battlements upon the alarm of the attack.
"A wounded comrade! " he exclaimed in great wrath and astonishment. "No
wonder that churls and yeomen wax so presumptuous as even to lay leaguer
before castles, and that clowns and swineherds send defiances to nobles,
since men-at-arms have turned sick men's nurses. To the battlements, ye
loitering villains! " he cried, raising his [v]stentorian voice till the
arches rang again; "to the battlements, or I will splinter your bones
with this truncheon. "
The men, who, like most of their description, were fond of enterprise
and detested inaction, went joyfully to the scene of danger, and the
care of Ivanhoe fell to Rebecca, who occupied a neighboring apartment
and who was not kept in close confinement.
The beautiful young Jewess rejoined the knight, whom she had so signally
befriended, at the moment of the beginning of the attack on the castle.
Ivanhoe, already much better and chafing at his enforced inaction,
resembled the war-horse who scenteth the battle afar.
"If I could but drag myself to yonder window," he said, "that I might
see how this brave game is like to go--if I could strike but a single
blow for our deliverance! It is in vain; I am alike nerveless and
weaponless! "
"Fret not thyself, noble knight," answered Rebecca, "the sounds have
ceased of a sudden. It may be they join not battle. "
"Thou knowest naught of it," returned Wilfred, impatiently; "this dead
pause only shows that the men are at their posts on the walls and expect
an instant attack. What we have heard was but the distant muttering of
the storm, which will burst anon in all its fury. Could I but reach
yonder window! "
"Thou wilt injure thyself by the attempt, noble knight," replied the
attendant. Then she added, "I myself will stand at the lattice and
describe to you as I can what passes without. "
"You must not; you shall not! " exclaimed Ivanhoe. "Each lattice will
soon be a mark for the archers; some random shaft may strike you. At
least cover thy body with yonder ancient buckler and show as little of
thyself as may be. "
Availing herself of the protection of the large, ancient shield, which
she placed against the lower part of the window, Rebecca, with
tolerable security, could witness part of what was passing without the
castle and report to Ivanhoe the preparations being made for the
storming. From where she stood she had a full view of the outwork likely
to be the first object of the assault. It was a fortification of no
great height or strength, intended to protect the postern-gate through
which Cedric had been recently dismissed by Front-de-Boeuf. The castle
moat divided this species of barbican from the rest of the fortress, so
that, in case of its being taken, it was easy to cut off the
communication with the main building by withdrawing the temporary
bridge. In the outwork was a sally-port corresponding to the postern of
the castle, and the whole was surrounded by a strong palisade. From the
mustering of the assailants in a direction nearly opposite the outwork,
it seemed plain that this point had been selected for attack.
Rebecca communicated this to Ivanhoe, and added, "The skirts of the wood
seem lined with archers, although only a few are advanced from its dark
shadow. "
"Under what banner? " asked Ivanhoe.
"Under no ensign of war which I can observe," answered Rebecca.
"A singular novelty," muttered the knight, "to advance to storm such a
castle without pennon or banner displayed! Seest thou who they are that
act as leaders? Or, are all of them but stout yeomen? "
"A knight clad in sable armor is the most conspicuous," she replied; "he
alone is armed from head to foot, and he seems to assume the direction
of all around him. "
"Seem there no other leaders? " demanded the anxious inquirer.
"None of mark and distinction that I can behold from this station," said
Rebecca. "They appear even now preparing to attack. God of Zion protect
us! What a dreadful sight! Those who advance first bear huge shields and
defenses made of plank; the others follow, bending their bows as they
come on. They raise their bows! God of Moses, forgive the creatures thou
hast made! "
Her description was suddenly interrupted by the signal for assault,
which was the blast of a shrill bugle, at once answered by a flourish of
the Norman trumpets from the battlements. The shouts of both parties
augmented the fearful din, the assailants crying, "Saint George for
merry England! " and the Normans answering them with cries of
"[v]_Beauseant! Beauseant! _"
It was not, however, by clamor that the contest was to be decided, and
the desperate efforts of the assailants were met by an equally vigorous
defense on the part of the besieged. The archers, trained by their
woodland pastimes to the most effective use of the longbow, shot so
rapidly and accurately that no point at which a defender could show the
least part of his person escaped their [v]cloth-yard shafts. By this
heavy discharge, which continued as thick and sharp as hail, two or
three of the garrison were slain and several others wounded. But,
confident in their armor of proof and in the cover which their situation
afforded, the followers of Front-de-Boeuf, and his allies, showed an
obstinacy in defense proportioned to the fury of the attack, replying
with the discharge of their large cross-bows to the close and continued
shower of arrows. As the assailants were necessarily but indifferently
protected, they received more damage than they did.
"And I must lie here like a bedridden monk," exclaimed Ivanhoe, "while
the game that gives me freedom or death is played out by the hands of
others! Look from the window once again, kind maiden, but beware that
you are not marked by the archers beneath--look out once more and tell
me if they yet advance to the storm. "
With patient courage, Rebecca again took post at the lattice.
"What dost thou see? " demanded the wounded knight.
"Nothing but the cloud of arrows flying so thick as to dazzle mine eyes
and hide the bowmen who shoot them. "
"That cannot endure," remarked Ivanhoe. "If they press not on to carry
the castle by pure force of arms, the archery may avail but little
against stone walls and bulwarks. Look for the sable knight and see how
he bears himself, for as the leader is, so will his followers be. "
"I see him not," said Rebecca.
"Foul craven! " exclaimed Ivanhoe; "does he blench from the helm when the
wind blows highest? "
"He blenches not! he blenches not! " cried Rebecca. "I see him now; he
heads a body of men close under the outer barrier of the barbican. They
pull down the piles and palisades; they hew down the barriers with axes.
His high black plume floats over the throng, like a raven over the field
of the slain. They have made a breach in the barriers--they rush
in--they are thrust back! Front-de-Boeuf heads the defenders; I see his
gigantic form above the press. They throng again to the breach, and the
pass is disputed hand to hand, and man to man. Have mercy, God! "
She turned her head from the lattice, as if unable longer to endure a
sight so terrible.
"Look forth again, Rebecca," urged Ivanhoe, mistaking the cause of her
retiring; "the archery must in some degree have ceased, since they are
now fighting hand to hand. Look again; there is less danger. "
Rebecca again looked forth and almost immediately exclaimed: "Holy
prophets of the law! Front-de-Boeuf and the Black Knight fight hand to
hand in the breach, amid the roar of their followers, who watch the
progress of the strife. " She then uttered a loud shriek, "He is down! he
is down! "
"Who is down? " cried Ivanhoe; "tell me which has fallen? "
"The Black Knight," answered Rebecca, faintly; then shouted with joyful
eagerness, "But no--the name of the Lord of Hosts be blessed! --he is on
foot again and fights as if there were twenty men's strength in his
single arm. His sword is broken--he snatches an ax from a yeoman--he
presses Front-de-Boeuf with blow on blow. The giant stoops and totters
like an oak under the steel of a woodsman--he falls--he falls! "
"Front-de-Boeuf? " exclaimed Ivanhoe.
"Front-de-Boeuf! " answered the Jewess. "His men rush to the rescue,
headed by the haughty Templar--their united force compels the champion
to pause--they drag Front-de-Boeuf within the walls. "
"The assailants have won the barriers, have they not? " Ivanhoe eagerly
queried.
"They have! they have! " answered Rebecca; "and they press the besieged
hard on the outer wall. Some plant ladders, some swarm like bees and
endeavor to ascend upon the shoulders of each other. Down go stones,
beams, and trunks of trees on their heads, and as fast as they bear the
wounded to the rear, fresh men supply their places. Great God! hast thou
given men thine own image, that it should be thus cruelly defaced by the
hands of their brethren! "
"Think not of that," said Ivanhoe. "This is no time for such thoughts.
Who yield--who push their way? "
"The ladders are thrown down," replied Rebecca, shuddering; "the
soldiers lie groveling under them like crushed reptiles; the besieged
have the better. "
"Saint George strike for us! " exclaimed the knight; "do the false yeomen
give way? "
"No," exclaimed Rebecca, "they bear themselves right yeomanly--the Black
Knight approaches the postern with his huge ax--the thundering blows he
deals you may hear above all the din of the battle. Stones and beams are
hailed down on the bold champion--he regards them no more than if they
were thistle-down or feathers! "
"By Saint John of Acre," cried Ivanhoe, raising himself joyfully on his
couch, "methought there was but one man in England that might do such a
deed! "
"The postern-gate shakes," continued Rebecca; "it crashes--it is
splintered by his blows--they rush in--the outwork is won! Oh, God! they
hurl the defenders from the battlements--they throw them into the
moat--men, if ye indeed be men, spare them that can resist no longer! "
"The bridge--the bridge which communicates with the castle--have they
won that pass? "
"No," replied Rebecca. "The Templar has destroyed the plank on which
they crossed--few of the defenders escaped with him into the castle--the
shrieks and cries you hear tell the fate of the others! Alas! I see it
is more difficult to look on victory than on battle. "
"What do they now, maiden? " asked Ivanhoe. "Look forth yet again; this
is no time to faint at bloodshed. "
"It is over for the time," answered Rebecca. "Our friends strengthen
themselves within the outwork which they have mastered; it affords them
so good a shelter from the foeman's shot that the garrison only bestow a
few bolts on it from interval to interval, as if to disquiet rather than
to injure them. "
"Our friends," said Wilfred, "will surely not abandon an enterprise so
gloriously begun and so happily attained. Oh, no! I will put my faith in
the good knight whose ax hath rent heart-of-oak and bars of iron. "
VI
During the interval of quiet which followed the first success of the
besiegers, the Black Knight was employed in causing to be constructed a
sort of floating bridge, or long raft, by means of which he hoped to
cross the moat in despite of the resistance of the enemy.
