THE cavalcade, which started from the castle early the next morning, was
a gay and lively one, for everybody seemed to think that it would soon
return, with happy news.
At the head rode Count de Lannes, and, at his side, Sir Charles de
Villars, a younger knight, visiting at the castle, who had volunteered
his services to help defend the party, should it be attacked on the way.
Next came the three young people, each mounted on a small Arabian horse,
from the castle stables. After them came two women, in attendance on
Agnes; and then followed quite a long line of squires, pages, and
men-at-arms, with servants carrying the heavy armor of the two knights,
all mounted and armed.
It was calculated that the journey to Paris would take about four days,
if they pressed on as fast as the strength of the horses and that of the
young riders would permit; and as it was desirable to be back as soon as
possible, they rode away at a good pace.
Some distance in advance of the whole party were two men-at-arms, whose
duty it was, when passing through forests, or among rocks and hills,
where an enemy might be concealed, to give timely notice of any signs of
danger. The Count de Lannes did not expect any attack from robbers, for
he felt quite sure that the _cotereaux_ who had been in the neighborhood
were all engaged in the occupation of Viteau.
But he did not know as much about the robber bands of Burgundy as he
thought. A short time before, there had come into the country, between
Barran's castle and Viteau, a company of _brabancois_—freebooters of
somewhat higher order than the _cotereaux_, who generally preferred to
be soldiers rather than thieves, but who, in times of peace, when no one
would hire them as soldiers, banded together, stopped travelers on the
highway, and robbed and stole whenever they had a chance. They were
generally better armed and disciplined, and therefore more formidable,
than the _cotereaux_, or the _routiers_, who were robbers of a lower
order than either of the other two.
These _brabancois_, when Michol was making up his force with which to
seize and hold the chateau of Viteau, offered to join him, but he
declined their proposition, believing that he had men enough for his
purpose, and not wishing, in any case, to bring into the chateau a body
of fellows who might, at any time, refuse to obey his rule, and endeavor
to take matters into their own hands.
The captain of the band of _brabancois_, when he found that he would not
be allowed to take part in the ransom speculation at Viteau, moved up
nearer the castle of Barran, and sent one of his men, dressed like a
common varlet or servant, to take service with the Count, as an
assistant in the stables and among the horses. In this occupation he
would learn of the intended departure of any party from the castle, and
could give his leader such information as he could manage to pick up
about the road to be taken, and the strength and richness of the
company.
So it was that, on the night of the day on which the expedition to Paris
was determined upon, and after orders had been given to have the
necessary horses ready early the next morning, this fellow got away from
the castle, and told his captain all he knew about the party—who were to
go and which way they were going.
It was not likely that the company under the charge of Count de Lannes
would carry much money, or valuable baggage of any sort, and, therefore,
the enterprise of waylaying these people on the road did not appear very
attractive to the leader of the robbers, until he heard that Louis, and
Jasto, who was to go with the boy as servant, were to be of the party.
Then he took a great interest in the matter. If he could capture Louis,
he could interfere with Michol in getting the ransom he demanded, and so
force himself, in this way, into partnership with the prudent captain of
the _cotereaux_; and if he could take Jasto, of whose exploits he had
heard, he felt sure that Michol would pay a moderate ransom to get
possession of that traitor to his cause and his companions.
Therefore, principally to capture, if possible, these two important and
perhaps profitable personages, the band of robbers set out before
daylight, and took a good position for their purpose on that road to
Paris.
It was nearly noon when the cavalcade of our friends entered a wide and
lonely forest, where the road was thickly overgrown, on each side, with
bushes and clambering vines. It was an excellent place for an ambuscade,
and here the _brabancois_ were ambuscaded.
Count Hugo de Lannes was a prudent man, and he proceeded slowly, on
entering the forest, giving orders to his scouts to be very careful in
looking out for signs of concealed marauders.
He also called up the men who carried the heavy armor, and he and Sir
Charles proceeded to put on their helmets and their coats of mail, so as
to be ready for anything which might happen during their passage through
the forest.
They were prepared none too soon, for the scouts came riding back, just
as Count Hugo had exchanged his comfortable cap, or bonnet, for his iron
head-covering, with the news that men were certainly concealed in the
woods some hundred yards ahead.
Quickly the two knights, with the assistance of their squires, finished
putting on their armor, and each hung his battle-ax at his saddle-bow.
Their long swords they wore at all times when riding. Then Count Hugo,
turning, gave rapid orders for the disposition of his force.
Part of the men-at-arms, all ready for battle, drew up before the young
travelers, and part took their place in their rear. On either side of
each of the boys, and of Agnes and her women, rode a soldier in mail,
holding his shield partly over the head of his charge. Thus each of
these non-combatants was protected by two shields, and by the bodies of
two mail-clad men, from the arrows which might be showered upon them
should a fight take place.
All these arrangements were rapidly made, for the men of the party were
well-trained soldiers, and then Count Hugo and Sir Charles rode forward
to see what they could see.
They saw a good deal more than they expected. As they went around a
slight bend in the road, they perceived, a short distance ahead, three
mounted men in armor, drawn up across the road. Behind them were a
number of other men, with spears and pikes. And in the woods, on either
side, were a number of archers, who, though they could not be seen, made
their presence known by a flight of arrows, which rattled briskly on the
armor of our two horsemen, and then fell harmless to the ground.
If this volley and this brave show of force were intended to intimidate
the travelers, and to cause them to fall back in confusion, it did not
have the desired effect.
Turning to their squires, who followed close behind them, the two
knights called for their lances, and when, almost at the same instant,
these trusty weapons were put into their hands, they set them in rest,
and, without a moment's hesitation, charged down upon the three
horsemen.
Count Hugo was an old soldier, and had been in many a battle, where,
fighting on the side of the Crown, he had met in combat some of the
bravest soldiers of France and many of the finest knights of England,
whom King Henry III. had sent over to aid the provinces which were
resisting Queen Blanche; and Sir Charles, although a younger man, had
met and conquered many a stout knight in battle and in tournament.
Therefore, although the _brabancois_ horsemen were good, strong
soldiers, and well armed, and although all three of them put themselves
in readiness to receive the charge of the knights, they could not
withstand or turn aside the well-directed lances of these veteran
warriors, and two of them went down at the first shock, unhorsed and
helpless.
The other man, reining back his horse a little way, charged furiously on
Count Hugo, who was nearest him; but the latter caught the end of his
lance on his shield, and then, dropping his own lance, he seized his
battle-ax, rose in his stirrups, and brought the ponderous weapon down
upon the ironclad head of his assailant, with such a tremendous whang
that he rolled him off his horse at the first crack.
Upon this, both knights were attacked at once by the spearsmen and other
men on foot, but so completely and strongly were the Count and Sir
Charles clad in their steel mail that their opponents found no crevice
or unguarded spot through which their rapidly wielded weapons could
penetrate.
But the knights gave them little time to try the strength of their
armor, for whirling their battle-axes over their heads, and followed by
their squires, they charged through the whole body of the foot-soldiers,
and then, turning, charged back again, driving the _brabancois_ right
and left into the woods.
Meantime, all had not been quiet in the rear. The captain of the
robbers, as soon as he had seen the knights engaged with his picked men,
had come out of the woods with a strong force of his followers on foot,
and had made a vigorous attack on our young travelers and their
attendants.
Here the fighting was general and very lively. Arrows flew; swords,
spears, and shields rattled and banged against each other; horses reared
and plunged; the women screamed, the men shouted, and Raymond and Louis
drew the small swords they wore, and struggled hard to throw themselves
into the middle of the fight.
But this was of no use. Their mailed and mounted guardians pressed them
closely on either side, and protected them from every blow and missile.
Little Agnes was as pale as marble. Every arrow, as it struck against
the shields and armor about her, made her wink and start, but she sat
her horse like a brave girl, and made no outcry, though her women filled
the air with their screams.
There were so many of the _brabancois_, and they directed their attacks
with such energy on the one point, that it seemed for a time as if they
certainly must get possession of one or all of the children. Three men
had pulled aside the horse of Louis's protector on the left, and others
were forcing themselves between the soldier and the boy, with the
evident intention of dragging the latter from his horse.
But the fight at the head of the line was over sooner than the captain
of the robbers expected it would be. His men had scarcely reached
Louis's side when Count Hugo and Sir Charles came charging back.
Straight down each side of the road they came. Their own men, seeing
them come, drew up in a close column along the middle of the road, and
before the _brabancois_ knew what was going to happen, the two knights
were upon them. Standing up in their stirrups, and dealing tremendous
blows with their battle-axes as they dashed along, they rode into the
robbers on each side of the road, cutting them down, or making them
wildly scatter into the woods. As the knights passed, some of the
men-at-arms left their line and, rushing into the woods, drove their
enemies completely off the field.
[Illustration: SIR HUGO AND SIR CHARLES CHARGE THE ROBBERS.]
At least they supposed that this was the case; but, when Count Hugo and
Sir Charles had turned and had ridden back to the young people and the
women, and were anxiously inquiring if any of them had been injured
during the affray, a cry from Louis directed everybody's attention to a
new fight, which was going on at the rear of the line.
"Jasto!" cried Louis. "They are taking Jasto!"
The boy had happened to look back, and saw his friend of the
robber-camp, whose horse had been killed, struggling on foot with four
men, one of whom was the captain of the _brabancois_. They were,
apparently, endeavoring to drag him into the bushes; Jasto, who was a
very stout fellow, was holding back manfully, but the others were too
strong for him, and were forcing him along. No one of the Count's party
was near, except a few men who had charge of the baggage horses, and
these were too busy with their frightened animals to take any notice of
the re-appearance of some of the robbers.
"Help him!" cried Louis. "Don't let them take Jasto away!"
Count Hugo turned, as he heard the boy's cry, but little Agnes was close
by his side, trying to get her arms around his iron neck, and several
horsemen were crowded up near him, so that he could not clearly see what
was going on in the rear. A few of the men-at-arms saw the affair, and
rode toward the scene of the unequal contest, but Jasto would certainly
have been dragged into the thicket before they could have reached him.
Sir Charles, however, was sitting on his horse, on the outside of the
group around the children, and when he heard the alarm and saw the
struggle, he immediately galloped to the rear. He did not know who Jasto
was, but he saw that one man was contending with four others, whom he
perceived, by their appearance and arms, to be members of the robber
band. As he rode, he put his hand on his long sword to draw it, but he
instantly saw that, if he struck at any one in that twisting and
writhing knot of men, he would be as likely to kill the Count's follower
as one of the robbers; and so he dashed up, and seized Jasto by the
collar with his mailed hand. Then, reining in his horse vigorously, he
suddenly backed. The jerk he gave in this way was so powerful that it
almost pulled Jasto out of the hands of his captors. He was so far
released, indeed, that, had the right hand of Sir Charles been free, he
would have been able to cut down the robbers.
But as he still held Jasto in his iron grasp, and prepared to back
again, the robber captain, seeing that, in a moment, his captive would
be torn from him, and infuriated by the idea that he would lose
everything, even the chance of some ransom-money from the captain of the
_cotereaux_, drew from his belt a great, heavy knife, almost as long as
a sword and very broad, and with this terrible weapon aimed a blow at
Jasto's head.
"Traitor!" he cried. "If I can't take you, you can take that!"
But Jasto did not take anything of the kind; for, at the instant that
the robber made the blow, two arrows from the archers, who were coming
up, and who saw that the only chance of saving Jasto was a quick shot,
struck the robber captain in the side of the head, and the knife dropped
harmlessly by Jasto's side, while the robber fell back dead. Instantly
the other _brabancois_ took to their heels, and Sir Charles released the
red and panting Jasto.
"Heigho!" cried the knight. "Surely I cannot mistake that round face and
those stout legs! This must be Jasto; my old follower and man of
learning! Why, good letter writer, I knew not what had become of you,
and I have often missed you sorely."
Jasto recognized his old master, and, indeed, he had recognized him as
soon as he had seen him in Barran's castle, but he had not wished to
make himself known, fearing that Sir Charles might interfere in some way
with his plan of demanding a reward for the return of Louis. Now, he
would have spoken, but he was too much exhausted and out of breath to
say a word. He merely panted and bobbed his head, and tried to look
grateful for his deliverance.
"No need of speaking now," said the knight, laughing. "When the breath
comes back into your body, I will see you again, and hear your story.
And, I doubt not, I shall soon have need to call on you to use your pen
and ink for me. If we stay long in Paris, I surely shall so need you."
But now orders were given to form into line and move onward, and Sir
Charles galloped up to his place by Count Hugo. The order of marching
was taken up as before, and the party, leaving the dead and wounded
_brabancois_ to be cared for by their companions, who were doubtless
hiding in the forest near by, rode cautiously on until they cleared the
woods, and then they proceeded on their way as rapidly and comfortably
as possible. But few of the men-at-arms had been wounded, and none
seriously.
The two boys and Agnes were in high good spirits as they galloped along.
Agnes was proud of her father's bravery and warlike deeds, and Raymond
and his brother were as excited and exultant as if they had won a
victory themselves. Louis would have ridden back to see if his friend
Jasto had been injured, but this was not allowed. He was told that the
man was safe and sound, and had to be satisfied with that assurance.
As for Jasto himself, he rode silently among the baggage men, having
been given a horse captured from the _brabancois_.
For once in his life, he was thoroughly ashamed of himself, and two
things weighed upon his mind. In the midst of his struggles with the
robbers, and when he had felt certain that they would overpower him and
take him back to Michol, by whom he would be cruelly punished and
perhaps slain, he had heard that shrill young voice calling for help for
Jasto.
"And yet," he said to himself, "I am following that boy about and
keeping in his company, solely that I may, some day, have the chance of
claiming pay for freeing him from the _cotereaux_, to which bad company
I should have gone back this day if it had not been for him. For had he
not called for help none would have come to me. I owe him my freedom
now, and as he is worth surely twice as much as I am, I will charge his
friends but half the sum I had intended. And I shall think about the
other half. But a poor man must not let his gratitude hinder his
fortune. I shall think of that too.
"But as for Sir Charles, who has saved my life to-day, and who was ever
of old a good master to me, I shall never deceive him more. I shall
either tell him boldly that I can not write a letter any more than he
can himself, or I shall learn to read and write. And that last is what I
shall surely do, if I can find monk or clerk to teach me and he ask not
more pay than I have money."
With these comforting resolutions Jasto's face brightened up, and
raising his head, as if he felt like a man again, he left the company of
the baggage, and rode forward among the men-at-arms.
That night our travelers rested in a village, and the next day they came
to the river Yonne, along the banks of which their road lay for a great
part of the rest of their journey.
They passed through Sens, a large town, in which there lived a bishop,
to whom their errand might have been made known had not there been
reason to fear that such an application might injure the cause of the
Countess more than it would benefit it, and then they crossed the Seine
and passed through Melun and several small towns and villages; and, late
in the afternoon of the fourth day, they rode into Paris, with dusty
clothes and tired horses, but with hearts full of hope.
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