THE FLIGHT.
From the solitude and darkness in which I was left at the departure of
Elwig's sacrificial assistants, I could see the mouth of the cavern at
some distance. The opening grew darker and darker as dusk yielded to
night. Presently the gloom became complete, relieved only, from time to
time, by the flickering light that the flames of the fire, kept alive
under the huge brass caldron by the two hags, occasionally cast upon the
grotto's mouth.
I tried to snap my bonds. With my hands and feet free, I would have
endeavored to disarm one of the Franks who guarded the issue, and, sword
in hand, and protected by the darkness of the night, I would have
reached the river bank guided by the sound of the rushing waves. Perhaps
and notwithstanding the orders I gave him, Douarnek might not yet have
rowed back to camp. But all my efforts proved futile against the
bow-strings and the belt that held me fast. A muffled but increasing
rumbling of feet and voices began to announce to me the arrival and
assembling of a large number of people in the neighborhood of the cave.
They must he doubtlessly gathering to witness my execution and listen to
the auguries of the priestess.
I believed there was nothing left to me but to resign myself to my fate.
I turned my last thoughts to my wife and child.
Suddenly, from the thickest of the surrounding darkness I heard the
voice of Elwig two steps behind me. I started with surprise. I was
certain she did not enter by the mouth of the cavern.
"Follow me," she said.
At the same moment her feverish hand seized mine and held it firmly.
"How came you here?" I asked her stupefied, with hope re-rising in my
breast, and endeavoring to walk.
"The cavern has two issues," Elwig answered. "One of them is secret and
known to me only. It is by that entrance that I came in, while the kings
are waiting for me at the other entrance near the caldron. Come! Come!
Take me to the bark where the treasure lies, where you left the
necklaces, bracelets, diadems and other jewels!"
"My legs are tied," I said. "I can hardly put one foot before the
other."
Elwig did not answer, but I could feel that she was cutting with her
knife the leather strap and the bow-strings that bound my arms and legs.
I was free!
"And your brother," I inquired, following close upon her footsteps, "has
he regained consciousness?"
"Neroweg is still dazed, like a bull whom the butcher did not kill
outright. He awaits in his hut the hour of your execution. I am to
notify him in time. He wishes to see you suffer and die. Come, come!"
"The darkness is so intense that I can not see before me."
"Give me your hand."
"Should your brother tire of waiting," I observed as she almost dragged
me along through the windings of the secret issue, "and should he enter
the sacred wood with the other chieftains and not find either you or me
in the cavern, what will happen? Will they not immediately start in
pursuit of us?"
"Only I know this secret issue. When they miss both you and me from the
cave, my brother and the chiefs will believe that I made you descend to
the gods of the nether world. They will be all the more afraid of me.
Come! Come quick!"
While Elwig thus spoke I was following her through so narrow a passage
that I felt myself grazing the rocks on either side. The passage seemed
at first to dip down towards the bowels of the earth, but presently its
ascent became so steep and difficult for my legs, still numb from their
recent ligatures, that it was with difficulty I kept step with the
hurrying priestess. We had been for some time in the maze of the
underground cave when at last I felt the fresh air strike my face. I
imagined we were about to step into the open.
"To-night, after I shall have killed my brother in revenge for his
outrages upon me," Elwig explained to me in abrupt words, "I shall flee
with a king whom I love. He is waiting for us outside. He is strong,
brave and well armed. He will accompany us to your bark. If you deceived
me, Riowag will kill you--do you hear me, Gaul? You will fall under his
axe."
I was little affected by the threat--my hands were free--my only
uneasiness was whether Douarnek and the bark still waited for me.
A moment later we issued out of the cavern. The stars shone so brilliant
in the sky that once out of the wood in which we still were, I was
certain I would be able to see my way before me.
The priestess stopped for a moment and called:
"Riowag!"
"Riowag is here," answered a voice so close to me that I realized the
chief of the black warriors was near enough to be able to touch me.
Nevertheless, it was in vain that I sought to distinguish his black
shape in the dark. It became clearer to me than ever before how, by
rendering themselves undistinguishable in the dark, these men could not
choose but be dangerous foes in a night assault or ambuscade.
"Is it far from here to the river bank?" I asked Riowag. "You must know
the spot where I landed; you were the chief of the band that greeted me
with a volley of arrows."
"No, we have not far to go," Riowag answered.
"Shall we have to cross the camp?" I inquired, perceiving the lights of
the Frankish encampment at a little distance.
Neither of my two guides made any answer. They exchanged a few words in
a low voice, each took me by an arm, and they struck into a path that
led away from the camp. Soon the roar of the rushing waters of the Rhine
reached our ears. We drew rapidly near the shore. Finally from the
height of the embankment on which we stood, I could distinguish a bluish
sheet of water across the darkness--it was the river!
"We shall now ascend the beach about two hundred feet," said Riowag; "we
shall then be at the spot where you reached land under our arrows. Your
bark must be only a little distance from there. If you deceived us your
blood will redden the beach, and the waters of the Rhine will wash away
your corpse."
"Can we call out from the bank without being heard by the outposts of
the camp?" I asked the Frank.
"The wind blows off shore," Riowag answered with the sagacity of a
savage. "You can freely raise your voice and call; you will not be heard
at the camp, and your voice will surely travel to the middle of the
stream."
Riowag walked a few steps further and then stopped.
"It is here," he said, "where you reached land; your bark must be
anchored near by. I am a professional night warrior, and am able to see
through the dark, but I can not distinguish your bark."
"Oh! You deceived us! You deceived us!" murmured Elwig in a subdued
voice. "You will die for it!"
"It may be," I observed, "that, after having waited for me in vain, the
bark may have just left its anchorage. The wind will carry my voice far;
I shall call."
Saying this I raised our battle cry of rally, well known to Douarnek.
Only the sound of the waves made answer.
Doubtlessly Douarnek had followed my orders and rowed back to camp at
sunset.
I uttered our war cry a second time and louder than the first.
Again the only response was the rushing of the waves.
Meaning to gain time and prepare myself for defense, I said to Elwig:
"The wind blows off shore; it carries my voice to the river; but it
blows back the voices that may have answered my signal. Let us listen!"
While I spoke I strained my eyes to peer through the dark and discover
the weapons that Riowag was armed with. In his belt he carried a dagger;
in his hand his short, broad sword. Although he and his beloved were
close to me, one on each side, I could elude them with a bound, plunge
into the river, and escape by swimming. I was watching for my
opportunity when suddenly the distant and rhythmic sound of oars reached
my ears. My call was heard by Douarnek.
In the measure that the decisive instant approached, the suspense and
uneasiness of Elwig and her companion increased. To kill me would be to
renounce the possession of the treasure, which, I had clearly told them,
my soldiers would deliver only at my orders. But again, to allow the
latter to disembark would be to furnish me with auxiliaries and render
mine the stronger side. Elwig no doubt began to realize that her greed
had carried her too far. Seeing the bark draw nearer she said to me in
great excitement:
"The sacredness of the Gallic word is proverbial. You owe your life to
me. I hope you did not deceive me with a false promise."
That priestess of the nether world, the incestuous and blood-thirsty
monster, who had meant to cut out my tongue in order to make sure of my
silence, and who calmly contemplated adding fratricide to her other
crimes, had saved my life moved thereto only by base greed.
Nevertheless, I could not remain insensible to her appeal to Gallic
faith. I almost regretted the lie I had uttered, however excusable it
might be in view of the treachery that the Frankish warriors had
practiced towards me. At that critical moment I was, however, bound to
consider my own safety only. I jumped at Riowag, and after a violent
struggle in which Elwig did not venture to take a hand, out of fear that
she might wound her lover while seeking to strike me, I succeeded in
disarming the warrior. Soon as that was done I threw myself into a
posture of defense with the sword in my hand and cried:
"No, I have no treasure for you, Elwig, but if you fear to return to
your brother, follow me. Victoria will treat you kindly; you will not be
a prisoner; I give you my word; you may rely upon the faith of a Gaul."
Both the priestess and Riowag refused to listen; breaking out into wild
imprecations they made a furious rush at me. In the tussle that ensued I
killed the black warrior at the moment when he sought to stab me with
his dagger, and I was wounded in the hand in the attempt to wrench the
knife from Elwig's grasp. I had just succeeded and thrown the weapon
into the water when, attracted by the noise of the struggle, Douarnek
and one of the soldiers leaped upon the shore to hasten to my help.
"Schanvoch," Douarnek said quickly to me, "we did not follow your orders
and row back at sunset. We remained at our anchorage, resolved to wait
for you until morning. But thinking that you might issue at some other
spot than where you landed, we rowed up and down along the shore. When
we saw you this morning surrounded by those black devils, our first
impulse was to row straight to the bank and suffer death beside you. But
I recalled your orders, and we considered that for us to be killed was
to cut off your retreat. But here you are, hale and sound. Now take my
advice and let us return quickly to camp. These skinners of human bodies
are ill neighbors to dwell among."
While Douarnek was speaking to me, Elwig threw herself upon the corpse
of Riowag and rent the air with roars of rage interspersed with sobs.
However detestable the creature was, her paroxysm of grief touched my
heart. I was about to address her when Douarnek cried:
"Schanvoch, look at the torches approaching yonder!"
Saying this Douarnek pointed in the direction of the Frankish camp.
Luminous streaks were seen rapidly approaching through the dark.
"Your flight has been discovered, Elwig," I said to her, and sought to
tear her from her lover's corpse, which she held clasped in a close
embrace and over which she moaned piteously. "Your brother has started
in your pursuit--you have not a minute to lose--come!--come!--or you are
lost!"
"Schanvoch," Douarnek said to me as I vainly sought to drag away Elwig,
who seemed not to hear me and sobbed aloud, "the torches are carried by
armed horsemen! Listen to the clanging of their weapons! Listen to the
tramp of their horses! They cannot be further than six bow shots! I
beached the bark in order to reach you all the quicker! We shall have
barely time to put it afloat! Would you have us all killed? If that is
your purpose, say so, and we shall die like brave men; but if you mean
to flee, it is high time that you move!"
"It is your brother! It is death that is approaching!" I once more cried
to Elwig, whom I could not bring myself to abandon without one more
effort to save her. After all, she did save my life. A minute later and
she would be lost.
Seeing, however, that the priestess did not answer me, I cried to
Douarnek:
"Give me a hand--let us take her away by force!"
It was impossible to tear Elwig from the corpse of Riowag; she held it
in a convulsive embrace; the only alternative left was to carry off
both bodies. We tried it, but soon gave up the attempt.
In the meantime the Frankish horsemen were approaching so rapidly that
the light of their resinous torches projected itself as far as the
beach. It was too late to save Elwig. Our bark was with difficulty
pushed off; I took the rudder; Douarnek and the two remaining soldiers
bent vigorously to their oars.
We were still within easy bowshot from the shore when, by the light of
the torches that the troops carried, we saw the first hurrying Frankish
horsemen ride up. At their head I recognized Neroweg, the Terrible
Eagle, distinguishable by his colossal stature. He was closely followed
by several other horsemen, all shouting with concentrated rage. Neroweg
drove his horse up to the animal's neck into the river. His companions
did the same, while they brandished their long lances with one hand and
with the other their torches, whose ruddy reflections lighted far the
waters of the river and fell upon our swiftly speeding bark.
Seated near the rudder, my back was turned to the bank and I remarked
sadly to Douarnek:
"The miserable creature is killed by this time."
And propelled by the three vigorous oarsmen, our bark shot through the
water.
"Is that a man, a woman, or a demon that is following us?" cried
Douarnek a moment later, dropping his oar and rising on his feet in
order to look at the track that our bark left behind, and that was
lighted by the glimmer of the distant torches that the Frankish horsemen
continued to brandish even after they gave up the pursuit.
I also rose to my feet and looked in the same direction. A second later
I cried:
"Stop! Do not row! It is she! It is Elwig! Douarnek, hand me an oar! I
shall reach it to her! She seems to be exhausted!"
So said, so done. Fleeing from her brother and certain death, the
priestess had thrown herself into the water and must have swam after us
with extraordinary vigor. She seized the extremity of the oar with a
convulsive grasp; two strokes of the oars backed the bark to her; and
aided by one of the soldiers I was able to draw Elwig on board.
"Blessed be the gods!" I cried. "I would always have reproached myself
for your death."
The priestess made no answer; she let herself down on the bench of one
of the oarsmen, and shrinking into a heap with her face between her
knees, remained ominously silent. The oarsmen rowed vigorously on, and
from time to time I looked back at the receding river bank. The torches
of the Frankish horsemen glimmered fitfully, luminous spots through the
haze of the night and the vapors that rose from the river. The end of
our passage drew near; we began to distinguish the lights of our own
encampment on the opposite bank. Several times I addressed Elwig, but
received no answer. I threw over her shoulders and her clothes, wet with
the chilly waters of the Rhine, the thick night cloak of one of the
soldiers. In doing this I touched one of her arms; it was feverishly
warm. A stranger to all that happened in the bark, the woman did not
emerge from her savage silence. As I jumped ashore I said to Neroweg's
sister:
"I shall take you to-morrow to Victoria. Until then I tender you the
hospitality of my house. My wife and her sister will treat you like a
friend."
She made me a sign to lead the way, and she followed. Douarnek then
approached me and said in a low voice:
"If you take my advice, Schanvoch, after the she-devil, who I know not
for what reason swam after you, has dried and warmed herself at your
hearth, you will lock her up safely until morning. She might otherwise
strangle your wife and child during the night. There is nothing more
wily and ferocious than these Frankish women."
"It will be a wise precaution to take," I answered Douarnek.
And accompanied by Elwig, who, somber and silent, followed me like a
specter, I proceeded homeward.