De Montigni rode on thoughtfully, for a few minutes, not a little
embarrassed how to act. To go to the King seemed absolutely necessary;
and yet he could not but feel, that every step he took was carrying
him farther and farther from the spot where he wished to be. To
present himself at Marzay without attendants or friends, he knew well,
from all the tales that had reached his ears, of the dark proceedings
which took place from time to time in the bosom of the noblest
families of France, might be a most dangerous experiment. Not that he
believed Monsieur de Liancourt would suffer him to receive injury, if
he could help it; but he doubted that the Count would be able to
prevent the schemes of others from taking effect; and he dreaded a
long imprisonment at that particular moment, almost as much as loss of
life. Yet every hour's delay ere he made some effort once more to free
Rose d'Albret, or, at least, to assert his claim to her hand, was
tedious and terrible to him. Turning at length, to the trumpeter who
rode on silently by his side, he inquired, "Well, my friend, where did
you leave the King?"
"At a place called Rosni, I think," replied the man; "not far from the
town of Mantes."
"You think!" said De Montigni; "are you not sure where you left him?"
"One cannot be sure of anything, in this world," replied the trumpeter
dryly; "but that was not what I meant. I intended to say, I think the
place is called Rosni, for I am a stranger in this part of the world.
France is a big country, Monsieur; and I come from a good distance on
the other side of Libourne, so I may well be forgiven for not having
got all these names by heart."
"What rumour did you hear of the King's movements?" asked De Montigni.
"The last noise I heard of his movements," answered the man, "was a
great deal of blowing of horns."
"And pray on what occasion was that?" demanded De Montigni.
"On the occasion of the King going out to hunt," was the reply. "His
Majesty having chased Mayenne, thought fit to run after a braver
beast, though it could scarcely run faster than the other."
"But was there no mention of going to Paris?" said the young nobleman.
"Why, good faith, everybody was talking of it, and nobody doing it,"
replied his dry companion; "but if you must needs know all, Sir, men
whispered in one another's ears that the King's pockets were empty,
and that his financiers kept them so on purpose."
"For what object?" demanded De Montigni.
"To put the money in their own pocket which they kept out of his,"
answered his companion. "Try the thing with your own farmers, Sir, and
you will find the same happen. You will get no money till you go to
fetch it that you may be sure of."
"I hope I shall," answered De Montigni, "for I have much need of it
just now."
"Ah, poor young gentleman," replied the trumpeter; "I am sorry for
you; for those who want money, and don't choose to go and fetch it,
will soon have to ride in holey boots. However, why should a subject
be better off than a king? I have seen our Henry before now, with a
hole in the elbow of his pourpoint; and many a time he has been glad
to dine off pumpkin soup and a lump of black bread."
"Poor fare, assuredly, for a Monarch," said De Montigni musing; "and
yet the want of money may produce worse disasters than that, my
friend,--especially where time is almost life."
"Assuredly, Sir," answered the trumpeter; "but perseverance comes to
the aid of all. I thought I never should have got to Chartres this
morning; for there are all sorts of bands roving the country, who have
no more respect for a trumpet or a flag of truce, than they have for
an old cheese, or a maid's modesty."
De Montigni remained silent for several minutes; but at length he
said, "I wish I could meet with one of those bands you speak of."
"By my faith and honour, Sir," replied his companion with a laugh,
"you may meet with one of them sooner than you would find pleasant.
They are as easy to be found as cow-slips in the spring, but not quite
so fragrant."
"They might answer my purpose, however," said the young Baron. "I
suppose they would take service with any one who would pay them?"
"Ay, that they would," rejoined the trumpeter; "though you might find
some honour amongst them too, notwithstanding all that Monsieur de
Nemours said just now. Your furious Leaguer--unless he were a
gentleman--would not sell himself to the King, for any money; and your
stiff Protestant would not go over to the League for gold and roast
meat. But there are plenty of birds between those two flights, who
care not a straw on which side they appear, so that they fight,
plunder, and get paid."
In such conversation De Montigni and his companion rode on for about
an hour and a half, the young nobleman every now and then falling into
a fit of thought, and revolving, with doubt and hesitation, the course
he had to pursue. Lose Rose d'Albret, he was resolved he would not,
without using every effort in his power; and yet he feared that, in
the lawless state to which France had been reduced by long years of
civil contention, she might be driven, if not to wed Chazeul--for that
he believed nothing would induce her to do--at least to take those
monastic vows which would place as impassable a barrier between them.
To his just claims, he knew a deaf ear would be turned by those who
had her in their hands; and no means seemed feasible to deliver her
but force; and yet his heart revolted at the idea of taking arms
against him by whom he had been nurtured and protected in his early
years, and of attacking the dwelling where all his young and happy
days had been passed. Yet "desperate evils," he thought, "require a
desperate remedy; and that which is refused to justice, must be
obtained by force." His mind then again reverted to the means; and, at
length, he settled upon the plan of endeavouring to join the band of
the Commander de Liancourt, of whose death it must be remembered he
was ignorant. He knew that his uncle had been upon the way to join the
King; and though he had not seen him in the fight of Ivry, the old
soldier might well have been there, he thought; for, in the hurry and
confusion of the field, and the disguise which the arms then worn
afforded, two brothers might stand within a few yards of each other,
without the slightest recognition taking place. As he thus meditated,
he turned to his companion and inquired, if he had been at the field
of Ivry.
"To be sure I was," replied the man; "and blew till I thought I should
have burst my cheeks. The first thing that made Mayenne's standard
begin to flap backwards and forwards, was the wind of my trumpet."
"Did you chance to hear of or see the old Commander de Liancourt?"
asked the young nobleman; "and if you did, can you tell me what has
become of him?"
"See him, I did not," said the man, "for he was boxed up in his arms
like a crab in his shell. But when he came up behind the Cornette
Blanche, I asked who he was, and they told me. As to what became of
him, I do not know, for I lost him in the battle."
"Did you hear anything, then, of one Monsieur de Chasseron?" asked De
Montigni.
"No," replied the man; "was he there? I knew his brother very well, if
that will do; he who was killed at Contras."
"No, that will not do," said De Montigni. "It was of a gentleman, who
was with the King the night before this last battle, I spoke."
"I did not see him," answered the trumpeter; and there the
conversation dropped; but scarcely had five minutes passed, before
three horsemen were seen riding towards them at a quick pace. "Now,"
cried the trumpeter, "you may have a chance of beginning your band.
Here come some folks who seem as if they were seeking employment."
"I think I have a chance, indeed," replied the young nobleman with a
smile, as he recognized one of his own servants, at the head of the
party. "If I mistake not, these men will join us at a word."
The next moment the horsemen rode up, and great was their joy to see
the young Baron again; for, besides the man who had been long with him
in Italy, were two of those who had accompanied him and Rose d'Albret
in their flight from Marzay. He now learned that, having heard of his
capture by the Duke of Nemours, and that he had been carried a
prisoner to Chartres, they were riding with all speed towards that
city, in order to offer him their services during his captivity.
But though De Montigni was certainly rejoiced at their coming, his
satisfaction was sadly clouded by the intelligence they brought of his
good uncle's death. Many a question did he ask, and many a long detail
did they give, of the scene which closed the preceding night at the
farm-house on the banks of the Eure; and amongst other facts which
were now communicated to him, was the intention of Estoc, as soon as
he could make his preparations, to carry the body of his dead leader
to the chapel at Marzay.
"He must wait some time before he can set out," added the servant,
"and, if we make haste, we may join him on the way; for I am sure,
Sir, you would like to be present at the good old knight's funeral."
"Undoubtedly," replied De Montigni, "on every account I should wish to
be there. Do you know what road Estoc will take?"
"I cannot tell, Sir," replied the man, "but I should think he would
not be able to march from St. André, before to-morrow morning."
"Then let us direct our course thither, with all speed," said De
Montigni. "Which road ought we to take?"
"We could not do better than follow the one we are upon," answered the
man who had served him as a guide towards Dreux. "A high road is
always better than a by-one, when we have nothing to fear; and the
country between this and Nogent Le Roy, is quite clear of the enemy."
"By my faith, I do not know that," replied the trumpeter. "I know I
was obliged to go round two miles, to get out of the way of a party
all decked out with crosses of Lorraine."
"Nonsense, nonsense," cried the servant; "if we did meet twenty or
thirty of them, they would run at the very sight of us. Every village
that we passed, was mounting the white scarf; and a flood of loyalty
has overflowed the land, which threatens to wash the League out of
France."
Without farther debate, De Montigni led the way on upon the road they
were travelling, anxious, if possible, to reach Aunet that night. But
mortal man is destined to meet with impediments in whatever course he
may pursue, and many were those which delayed the young nobleman in
his progress. The roads were heavy, his horse, and the horses of his
followers, wearied by marching during several preceding days; and it
was found necessary to halt for an hour at Nogent, in order to refresh
them.
It was a beautiful evening in the spring, however, when they once more
resumed their way; and the interval of their halt was not ill employed
by De Montigni, in writing a letter to the King, expressing his
gratitude for the monarch's condescension and kindness, informing him
of the motives which led him to Marzay, and promising to rejoin him,
accompanied by all the force he could muster, with as little delay as
possible. This epistle he placed in the hands of the trumpeter, who
was to quit them when they turned towards Annet; but, in the meantime,
the good man rode on by the young gentleman's side, entertaining him,
or at least striving to do so, by his quaint observations on all the
circumstances of the time.
Thus proceeding, they had advanced to a spot three or four miles from
Nogent, where they paused to consider of their further course on the
brow of a little eminence, from which two cross roads were seen
branching to the right and left. Although, as the servant had stated,
they had found the whole country rapidly resuming its loyalty, as a
consequence of the King's success, yet they had learned at Nogent,
that the town of Dreux still held out stiffly for the League; and that
to attempt the passage under its walls, might be dangerous.
The hill, on which they stood, commanded a wide view over the
undulating plain below; and clothing the side of the descent, was a
thick low wood already beginning to grow red with the first promise of
the spring. About a mile in advance, rose the tower of an old château,
even then partially decayed, and of which nothing is now to be found,
but one ruined wall rising on the top of a tree-covered mound, which
the reader, if he ever travels from Versailles to Dreux, towards the
hour of sunset, may see on his left hand, with the light streaming in
a long bright ray through the solitary window which time has spared.
When I saw it, all the building and the wood below were in deep
shadow, except where that solitary beam fell, lighting up one
particular track, like some sweet memory in the shady expanse of
past-by years.
A little way down the road, when the young Royalist and his followers
reached the brow of the hill, from behind a clump of trees which
projected somewhat further than the rest, rose a thin column of pale
bluish smoke; and the trumpeter, touching De Montigni's arm, pointed
it out to him, saying, "Now, Sir, if you wish to increase your band,
here's the opportunity. I will wager my trumpet against a cow-herd's
horn, that under those trees there is a party of good gentlemen
boiling their pot, and not knowing how to fill it to-morrow."
"The more I can gain, the better," replied De Montigni; "but I have
little time to spare. How many men had Monsieur Estoc with him?" he
continued, turning to his servant.
"Fifteen or twenty, I think," replied the man. "I did not count them,
but there could not well be less."
"We must have more," said De Montigni; "many more, if it be possible
to find them. Let us try what we can do here;" and, somewhat rashly
and inconsiderately, he rode down the hill, without further
examination. At the first sound of his horse's feet, the figure of a
man armed in cuirass and steel cap, came out from behind the trees, as
if on the watch; and the young nobleman could see him turn round and
speak to some persons behind; and when De Montigni had reached the
spot itself, he found four others seated round a fire, apparently
engaged in the very peaceable occupation of eating their soup out of a
large earthen pot, which stood amongst the ashes. The two parties were
equal in number; and the strangers showed no hostile colours, nor,
indeed, any alarm; so that De Montigni imagined there could be no risk
in pausing for a few moments to talk with them.
"Well, my men," he said, "you seem to be out of employ."
"No, Monsieur," replied one of them, "I think we are very well
employed. I wish we were sure of such good occupation to-morrow;" and
he laughed as he carried a spoonful of soup to his mouth.
"Perhaps I may be able to furnish it to you," rejoined De Montigni,
"if you are willing to take service with me."
The man gazed at him for a moment, and then ran his eye over the young
gentleman's companions, pausing for a little, at the figure of the
trumpeter, and the royal arms which hung upon his instrument of music.
"We are no way scrupulous, Sir," he said, "all that we require, is
good pay down on the day, and a gallant leader, not too particular."
"Good pay you shall have," replied De Montigni, "and that exactly
discharged. But I must have obedience to my commands, and no grumbling
at plenty of work."
"I see no reason why it should not be a bargain," rejoined the other;
"I suppose you are raising a band, Sir?"
"I am," answered De Montigni, "or rather I am seeking to add to a band
already raised, but somewhat scanty."
"How many have you got; and how many do you want?" was the next
question.
"I have about twenty at command," said the young nobleman, "and wish
to treble that number at the least."
"For whose service?" demanded another of the soldiers, rising, in
which action he was followed by the rest.
De Montigni paused for a moment, ere he replied, and then said, "For
my own in the first place, and then for the King's. But I should think
to you, my men, it would not make much difference on whose side you
fought, so that you exercise your calling."
"Perhaps not," answered the other; and, turning to his companions,
they all spoke together in a low tone for a minute or two. The one who
had taken the principal part in the conversation, then advanced closer
to De Montigni, inquiring what pay he would give them, if they agreed
to do as he wished. But his eye was upon their movements, for there
had been something in the tone in which the last few questions had
been asked, which seemed to him suspicious; and now perceiving that
the other four sauntered leisurely towards a tree, against which their
short lances or pikes had been resting, he turned towards his
followers, he exclaiming aloud, "Your hands upon your pistols!"
"Why, what are you afraid of?" asked the soldier, in a scoffing tone;
but at the same instant, De Montigni's servant shouted, "There are
horse upon the hill, Sir! Ride on, ride on!"
The young nobleman turned his rein; but the soldier who was before
him, made a sudden spring towards him, and endeavoured to seize his
bridle; while the four others cast themselves across the road with
their pikes levelled.
The young gentleman, however, was quicker than his antagonist. His
sword was out of the sheath in an instant; and before the man, crying
"Yield to the Holy League," could grasp his bridle, he dealt him a
blow upon the steel cap that made him stagger. A second brought him to
his knee; and a third would most likely have dispatched him; but there
was no time to be lost; a considerable body of cavalry were coming
down at a quick pace; and, heading his men, De Montigni charged the
pikemen on the road, who wavered a little at the sight of the
maltreatment their comrade had received. Had they stood firm, they
might have detained their opponents, till the horse from above had
joined them; but a pistol shot from one of the young Baron's
followers, stretched the foremost on the ground; and the others gave
way at once.
"Quick, Sir, quick!" cried the man who had guided De Montigni from
Marzay. "They have green scarfs! We must gallop for our lives!" and,
setting spurs to their horses, the whole party rode down the hill at
full speed.
It was now a complete flight and pursuit; for the cavalry from above
hurried on their horses, with voice and spur; and the royal trumpeter
put his instrument to his mouth, and blew a long loud blast, but
without ever pausing in his headlong speed. On, on the Royalist party
went riding for life and liberty; but the others came quicker still
behind them; and near the foot of the hill, the trumpeter's horse made
a false step, stumbled, and rolled over with his rider.
"Spur, Sir, spur!" cried the guide, seeing his leader inclined to
pause. "This way, this way! We shall distance them among the narrow
roads. They are too many to follow fast."
But De Montigni's horse was still fatigued; and the bad state of the
by-ways to the right, into which they now struck, made the beast
labour and stumble continually. As the man had supposed, a number of
the pursuers were quickly left behind; but still some ten or twelve
followed; and it soon became evident to the young Baron's party that
they must ere long be overtaken.
"We had better turn and fight it out," said De Montigni; "my horse is
failing. They cannot force us in this lane."
"No, no, Sir!" cried the guide, "let us on to the old château, at
least. If we find the gate open, we can make it good against them; and
they dare not stay long before it.--'Tis close at hand!"
"On, then!" cried De Montigni; and touching his charger with the spur
once more, they were soon at the foot of the little rise, not more
than a hundred yards in length, which led to the building.
Seeing their intention, the pursuers took to their fire-arms, and a
pistol-ball or two whizzed amongst them. One struck the guide upon the
shoulder; but he was covered with a good buff coat, and the distance
was too great for the shot to have any serious effect. The gates stood
wide open; the court-yard was covered with grass--the windows closed;
and, in a few minutes, the whole of the fugitives were in the court.
De Montigni sprang to the ground, and endeavoured to close the gates;
but a pile of rubbish had accumulated against them, and only one valve
would swing upon its hinges. Those who followed, were within fifty
yards when one of the men, who had ridden on up to the house,
exclaimed, "Here, Sir, here, this door is open;" and, casting loose
his rein, the young nobleman sprang across the court, up the steps,
and into the vacant and desolate hall, just as the enemy poured in
through the gates. Two of De Montigni's men led their horses up, and
into the building; but the third was so closely pursued, that he was
obliged to abandon his beast; and the heavy door was only just closed
when the Leaguers were on the steps.
"Quick! run round and see that every door and window is fast!"
exclaimed the young Baron to his little party: "On that depends our
safety;" and he himself setting the example, hurried from room to
room, and from passage to passage, while those without seemed to hold
a consultation together; and some hammered violently against the
wood-work with the but-end of their large pistols, and strove to force
the staples, by their united strength. Two doors at the back were
found open, but were soon secured; and though some of the windows were
not closed, and indeed, were without either their glass or frames, yet
they were too high from the ground to be reached from without, without
the aid of ladders.
In about five minutes, De Montigni and his men were once more
assembled in the hall, and their little council was soon held.
"They will never venture to stay long," cried one.
"And they cannot force us here without axes or hammers," exclaimed
another.
"We must not let them try," answered De Montigni, "who has got powder
and ball? My pistol is unloaded."
"I have," said one, "but it is a scanty stock;" and he approached his
horse, which stood panting with a drooping head and heavy eye in the
midst of the hall.
"I have a good supply," cried the servant. "Thanks to Monsieur Estoc.
He said I might want it;" and taking his master's pistol he charged it
with powder and ball.
"Now follow to the windows above," said De Montigni; "you Ralph, and
you Martin. Let the other stay here, and watch through that key-hole."
Thus saying, he led the way up the stairs--which entered, at the other
end of the hall--to the rooms above the doorway; the windows of which
were wide open and without any defence. The sill, however, was itself
breast high; and creeping, with his loaded pistol in his hand, towards
the casement which, he calculated, was immediately above the steps, De
Montigni looked out into the court. A greater number of the Leaguers
had by this time come up; and the open space contained at least twenty
men. In the centre of the court, was a group of five or six,
surrounding the poor trumpeter, who was remonstrating loudly against
the stopping of a flag of truce, but apparently in vain; for they had
stripped him of the pouch he carried under his arm, and one of them
was busily reading the very letter to the King, which De Montigni had
written at Nogent. Closer to the château, were several others; and
one, wearing a gay green scarf, was standing behind a man who, bending
down his head, was looking through the large key-hole of the door. The
young nobleman beckoned to his men, who had remained a step or two
behind, to come quietly up; and as they advanced, bending low to avoid
being seen, he whispered to them to follow his example; and then
singling out the Leaguer of the green scarf, he levelled his pistol
and fired.
The man instantly fell back, and rolled down the steps into the court,
and the two servants discharging their weapons at the same time, cast
the group in the centre into marvellous confusion, severely wounding
two of those who composed it.
De Montigni instantly retreated from the room to charge again; but, as
soon as he had reached the passage beyond, the man who had accompanied
him from Marzay, whispered in his ear, "Do you know who they are?
Pardi, that was a good shot of yours, Sir!--you knocked over the
Bailli de Chazeul. We shall have to fight for our lives, however, if
they know who you are; for doubtless orders have been sent to bring
you in, dead or alive."
"The Bailli de Chazeul!" repeated De Montigni in surprise. "Ay, I
remember Monsieur de Nemours mentioned he had been sent to Mayenne's
force. But we must act, not talk. I should be sorry to believe my
cousin would give any commands contrary to the rights of blood; but if
he have done so, the more need of gallant defence; and here we can
surely maintain ourselves till help arrives."
"Oh, yes!" answered the man in a confident tone; "they can neither
force nor starve us, while we have these good doors for our defence,
and two horses to eat."
Without further consultation, De Montigni returned to the window with
the same precautions as before; but he found that the whole party of
Leaguers had retired to the other side of the court, and were gathered
together round the wounded men. The air was now growing grey with
twilight; and even if he could have seen to take a just aim, the
distance was too great to afford a chance of doing any damage to the
enemy. The eyes of several of those below were turned towards the
windows; and, catching a glance of a man's head, raised somewhat above
the stone work, one of them exclaimed, "There! there!" loud enough for
the sound to reach his ears. The next thing he expected was a volley;
but the moment after a man advanced waving a white handkerchief, and
crying "Truce! truce!"
De Montigni was silent, till the Leaguer coming nearer demanded, "Is
the Baron de Montigni amongst you?--nay, we know he is!"
"Well," answered the young nobleman, raising his head, "what if he
be!"
"Then let him surrender to the Holy Catholic League," replied the man,
"and take quarter."
"If you be really of the Roman Catholic League," replied the young
nobleman, "you have nought to do but to retire; for Monsieur de
Montigni is furnished with a pass from the Duke of Nemours. But if you
be plunderers and marauders, as I strongly suspect, keep your
distance, for you cannot force us here, and the attempt will cost you
dear, as you must have learned by this time."
The man retired a step or two, and after consulting for a minute with
those behind, he again came forward, saying, "If you have got a pass,
Monsieur de Montigni, come down and show it."
"Will any three amongst you, being gentlemen, be hostages that the
pass shall be respected?" demanded De Montigni, "otherwise I open not
the doors."
"Mark you, Monsieur le Baron," cried another who seemed to be of a
superior rank, advancing from behind, and speaking in an angry tone.
"You had better surrender, for we are resolved to have you; and though
we have not tools to-night, we will watch you well, and force your
gates to-morrow morning. We will give you till day-break to consider;
but if you yield not with the first ray of the sun, we will pile up
the doors with faggots and burn you out."
"Long ere to-morrow morning our friends will be here," replied De
Montigni; "and you will be caught in your own trap. So do as you list
gentlemen, but think not to deceive us, for we will keep good watch
too."
"We know better, we know better," answered the last speaker. "The
Bearnois is at Mantes, his forces dispersing, and he himself going on
to Meulan. So we shall rest quiet enough, and to-morrow will see you
our prisoner, or roasted like an egg in the ashes. You have wounded
one of our best men, I fear, to death; and you shall not escape us;
but if you surrender to-night you shall have good quarter."
"That I will never," cried De Montigni; "and if one of you be wounded
to death, many another shall fall before you place the faggots that
you talk of; and so no more; for if you come nearer I will fire."
The spokesman of the Leaguers retiring slowly, seemed to consult for a
few minutes with the rest; and then, carrying away two in their arms,
while another walked supported by one of his companions, the whole
body retreated from the court; but by the remaining light they might
be seen to halt just beyond the walls; and one small party was
observed to detach itself to the right and a second to the left, as if
to guard the other sides of the building. A single horseman, too, rode
off in the direction of the hill from which they had come down in
pursuit; and it was evident that their present intention was to keep
their word of remaining before the château all night.