NOW that he had not only the Countess of Viteau, but her two sons, under
his control and in his power, Michol became very anxious to settle the
matter of the ransom-money which he intended to demand for his
prisoners, as he considered them.
He set one of his new men, who happened to be a truer scribe than Jasto,
at work to write a carefully-worded paper, to be sent to Count de
Barran, and in it he stated the terms on which he would release the
Countess and her sons and retire, with his men, from Viteau.
The Countess, now happy in the possession of her sons, and having the
good news from the King, was very desirous to start immediately for the
castle of the Count de Barran, where she expected the priests from Paris
would soon arrive. She was greatly surprised and disappointed when she
found that Michol would not let her go until the ransoms had been paid;
and the two boys were very angry, and wanted to go down and demand that
Michol should instantly order the gates to be opened to them. But their
mother restrained them. They were now in the power of these robbers, and
they must be prudent.
Michol, having understood that the Countess was not herself prepared to
pay any money, had prudently determined to transact his business with
Barran alone. He was very glad, however, to have her write a letter
requesting the Count to pay the ransoms demanded, promising to return
the money when she again took charge of her estates and business
affairs, and urging him to use all possible haste in settling the matter
with the captain of the _cotereaux_.
This letter, with the one from Michol, was sent to the Count the day
after the arrival of Raymond and Louis at Viteau, and it gave the people
at the castle the first news of the whereabouts of the Countess, and
also relieved them from the new anxiety caused by the departure of the
boys, for whom search was at that time being made.
But while these news gladdened the hearts and relieved the minds of the
Count de Barran and his friends, the terms of Michol's letter vexed them
exceedingly, and threatened to embarrass them very much. The wily robber
knew that there were urgent reasons why the Countess should, as soon as
possible, be at liberty to attend to private affairs, and therefore he
greatly increased the demands he had before determined to make.
Not only did he require the payment of the amount originally fixed as
the ransom for Louis, but he asked a very large sum for the release of
the Countess; quite as much for Raymond's ransom; a smaller sum for
Bernard; and a good price for his so-called services in taking care of
the chateau, and protecting its inmates.
Beside all this, he demanded that Jasto, the man who had deserted him,
should be delivered to him for punishment.
Although Count de Barran was a rich nobleman, the total amount named in
this letter was far more money than he had in his possession at the
time; and far more, too, than the Countess could afford to repay him, if
he had had it to send to Michol. Still, although he was very much
annoyed and provoked by the impudent demands of the robber captain, he
said that there was nothing to be done but to accede to them; for the
Countess must be released, and that instantly. Not only was it
positively necessary for her to be at the castle when the priests from
Paris arrived (for it was not at all likely that they would be willing
to go to Viteau and trust themselves among a gang of thieves), but he
was afraid that, if the terms of Michol were resisted, or even disputed,
he might be provoked to do some injury to the Countess or her sons in
order to hasten the payment of the ransoms. Such conduct was not
uncommon among these thieves. For these reasons, he would endeavor to
raise the money and pay it, as soon as possible.
Sir Charles was very indignant at that portion of the letter relating to
Jasto. He had been very glad to regain his old servant, who had left him
on account of a quarrel with a squire, and who, according to his own
account, had been obliged to join the _cotereaux_ because he could find
nothing else to do; and he stoutly declared that he would not reward
Jasto's good action in bringing Louis to his mother by delivering him to
the vengeance of the scoundrel, Michol.
As this determination would make it useless to send the money to Viteau,
if Michol insisted on the surrender of Jasto, Barran sent a message, in
great haste, to the captain of the _cotereaux_, to inquire if he would
be willing to take a ransom for Jasto, and also to ask if he would
release the Countess and her company on the payment of half of the total
sum demanded, and be content to remain at Viteau until the rest should
be paid.
To this Michol sent a very short answer, in which he declared that he
would accept no terms for the release of his prisoners but the delivery
of Jasto and the payment of the entire sum named in his letter.
The messengers who brought this answer also brought the news of the
fight with the Inquisition people.
Such startling intelligence as this produced a great effect upon the
mind of Barran, as it showed him to what length the robber captain was
willing to go, in order to secure the possession of his prisoners and
the payment of their ransoms; and he set out that very day, accompanied
by his chief seneschal and other attendants, to visit some of his
estates, and also some small towns at no great distance, and there
endeavor to collect the money needed. The Jasto question, he thought,
must be settled as best it could be. His safety must not interfere with
that of the Countess.
As for Count Hugo, he would have nothing to do with this business. He
utterly disapproved of paying the exorbitant sums demanded by Michol, or
indeed any money at all, for the release of a noble lady and her sons,
whom the rascals had no right whatever to hold or to ask ransom for. If
this money should be paid, he said, it would show all the thieves and
outlaws of the country that the nobles of France were willing to pay
them enormous sums for any ladies and high-born children that they might
steal. Heretofore, they expected vengeance if they attempted anything of
the kind, but now they would expect such deeds to make them rich. To be
sure, this case was a peculiar one; but never, he declared, as a knight
of Christendom, would he submit to the vile exactions of a common robber
like Michol.
And little Agnes cried, and wandered about moaning, and wished she was a
man. What she would have done if she had been a man she did not know,
but certainly she could do nothing as a little girl, or even as a
grown-up woman.
Jasto, when he was told what his old master had said in regard to him,
retired into a remote part of the castle where he could not be easily
found, and diligently occupied his time with some writing materials
which he had brought from Paris.
"I must e'en make haste and learn to be a true scribe," he said to
himself, "for if my master finds me out, he may be only too willing to
toss me into the jaws of the _cotereaux_. So, hard will I work at this
alphabet and this little book of words, and keep a sharp eye and ear
open for any change in Sir Charles's mind about his good man Jasto. It
will be a doughty man-at-arms and a vigilant who delivers me to Michol."
Not long after the Count de Barran had started on his money-raising
errand, Count Hugo set out on a little journey to the monastery, a few
miles from Viteau, where the wounded Comines and other disabled members
of the Inquisitorial force were said to be still lying. He wished to
find out whether orders had been received to cease attempts to arrest
the Countess, and also to discover the exact truth, as far as possible,
about the fight with the _cotereaux_ and the strength of Michol's
forces.
As he was going into what might prove a dangerous neighborhood, he took
with him a body of about thirty-five horsemen, all completely clad in
armor, of which there were many suits in the castle, and all well armed.
Some of these men were his own retainers, and others belonged to the
retinue of Sir Charles, who did not accompany his friend, as Count Hugo
thought it well that some knight should remain at the castle, from which
nearly all the visitors had now departed.
When Count Hugo de Lannes reached the monastery, he found that Comines
was too much injured to speak or think about the affair in which he had
been engaged, but he learned from the monks that no recent message had
arrived for Comines, and he also heard how the _cotereaux_ had robbed
him of his clothes and armor, and had even taken, it was supposed, all
his papers of authority from the Inquisition.
From this information, Count Hugo felt sure that the Countess need be
under no fear of trouble from the Inquisitors before the message to
desist from further action should reach them. Comines, although he had
excellent surgical and medical attention from the monks, would not
recover for some time; and none of the other members of his party would
be likely to attempt to carry off a noble lady through a great part of
France, without being able to show any warrant for their proceedings.
It had been late in the day when Count Hugo arrived at the monastery,
and it was quite dark when, after his party had been furnished with a
good supper by the monks, he took leave of his entertainers.
He did not take the straight road back to the castle, but struck off
toward Viteau. His men traveled slowly by the light of the stars. Some
time before they reached the chateau, a halt was ordered by a small
wood; and there Count Hugo had a ladder made.
Two straight young saplings, which were easily selected by the men,
whose eyes were now accustomed to the dim light, were hewn down for the
uprights of the ladder, and slight notches were cut into them at
suitable distances for the rounds. These were made of short, strong
pieces of other saplings, quickly cut into proper lengths, and were
fastened to the uprights by strong leathern thongs, of which one of the
men had brought a number tied to his saddle.
When this rude ladder was finished, one horseman took it by one end,
another took it by the other, and the cavalcade proceeded.
Reaching Viteau,—which they did not approach by the front, but on the
southern side,—the horses were tied at some distance from the
court-yard, and left in charge of several of the soldiers, while the
other men, carrying the ladder, quietly made their way to the side-wall
of the court. There had been a moat on the outside of this wall, but
after the wars were over, and the Count de Viteau had died, this moat
had been allowed to go dry, and so Count Hugo and his men were able to
walk up to the wall and set their ladder against it. The Count, with
three or four followers, then got over the wall, and when they were in
the court-yard they cautiously moved toward the great gate. They
encountered no one, for, although the _cotereaux_ preserved moderately
good discipline, they did not keep a very strict guard at night,
expecting no attack from any quarter.
Arriving at the gate, the Count found there one sentry fast asleep. This
fellow was quickly seized and bound, with a scarf over his mouth; and
the gate being opened, the remainder of the Count's force, which had
been ordered around to the front, was noiselessly admitted.
The whole body then proceeded to the chateau, where a dim light could be
seen shining through a wide crack at the door of the principal entrance.
This crack, which was between the edge of the door and its casement,
showed that one bolt was the only fastening which the robbers had
thought it necessary to use in securing this entrance; and when the
Count had made himself certain of this fact, he signaled to a tall man
who carried a great battle-ax, apparently brought for use in a case like
this, and motioned to him to use his weapon on the fastening of the
door.
Two tremendous blows, which resounded through the house, shattered the
bolt, and the door was immediately dashed open.
Count Hugo, who had carefully made all his plans, rushed in, with four
men at his heels, and hurried up the stair-way which led to the
apartments of the Countess and her sons. There were hanging-lamps in the
halls, and he knew the house quite well.
At the top of the stairs he encountered Bernard, who slept outside of
the door of his mistress's apartments, and who, aroused by the noise and
seeing five armed men coming up the stairs, had sprung to his feet and
seized his sword, prepared to do his best for the defense of the
Countess and her boys. But when Count Hugo raised his visor and spoke to
him, the brave but frightened squire immediately recognized him as a
friend.
"Stay here!" cried the Count, "with these four men. Guard the stair-way.
Let no one go up or down!" And, with these words, he dashed alone down
into the great hallway, where the sounds of fighting and of calls to
arms were heard, and threw himself into the combat that was going on
between his men and a dozen or so of the robbers who had rushed to the
door-way when they heard the noise of the ax.
But there was not much fighting inside the chateau. Most of the
_cotereaux_ lodged in the lower part of the house approached from the
outside by various doors, or in the outhouses and stables, and the
court-yard was now filled with these, hastily armed to repel the
intruders.
The robbers in the hallway were soon forced into this court-yard, and
into the midst of the _cotereaux_ Count Hugo, with the whole body of his
followers, now boldly plunged. Such attacks as these, made by one or two
knights with a few attendants against a much greater force, were very
popular in those days of chivalry. For, whether the rash onslaught were
successful or not, the glory was the same. And if the safety or honor of
a lady happened to be concerned, the unequal combat was the more
attractive to the knights. For a lady in those days was often the cause
of a knight's fiercest battles and the subject of nearly all his songs.
These combats, however, were not always quite so unequal as they seemed,
for a knight clad from head to foot in armor was more than equal to
three or four soldiers not so well guarded by steel plates and rings.
The Count's men, as has been said before, each wore a complete suit of
armor, while the _cotereaux_, although much better protected in this way
than most men of their class, were none of them completely dressed in
mail. This, with the darkness of the night and the suddenness of the
combat, gave the attacking party great advantage.
As they had been instructed, the Count's men scattered themselves among
their opponents, shouting the battle-cry of De Lannes, and striking
furiously right and left. This gave the _cotereaux_ the idea that their
enemies were in much greater number than they really were,—and half a
dozen of these mailed warriors sometimes banding together and rushing
through the throng gave the idea of re-enforcements,—while the horses
outside, hearing the noises of clattering steel and the cries of the
combatants, neighed and snorted, and their attendants shouted, making
the robbers suppose there were other forces beyond the walls.
The Countess and her sons were, of course, quickly aroused by the din
and turmoil below, and Raymond and Louis rushed to the door, where they
were met by Bernard, who told them all he knew, and that was that Count
Hugo de Lannes had come to the chateau with a lot of soldiers and was
fighting the _cotereaux_.
The Countess knew not what to think of this most unexpected occurrence,
and hastily dressed herself to be ready for whatever might happen, while
the two boys, throwing on their clothes and seizing their swords,
endeavored to rush down-stairs and join in the conflict. But this
Bernard and the men on the stair-way prevented, and the boys were
obliged to be contented with listening to the sounds of battle and with
seeing what little they could discern from the upper windows.
Meanwhile, the struggle raged fiercely below, the crowd of combatants
surging from one side to the other of the court. It was not long,
however, before the _cotereaux_ began to be demoralized by the fierce
and wild attacks of their mailed antagonists. Michol had been killed,
and there was no one to command and rally them. Some of them, being hard
pressed and finding the great gate open, rushed wildly through and were
lost in the outer darkness; and before long the main body of the
_cotereaux_, finding that many of their companions were retreating
through the gate, were seized with a panic and a desire to fly while
they had the opportunity.
[Illustration: THE ROBBERS IN THE HALLWAY WERE SOON FORCED INTO THE
COURT-YARD.]
A great rush was therefore soon made for the gate, out of which the
_cotereaux_ pushed and crowded—even carrying with them in their rush
some of the Count's men who were fighting in their midst.
This flight was precisely what Count Hugo had wished to bring about. It
would have been impossible for him to conquer and subdue so many men
with his small number of followers. But he had purposely left the great
gate open, and hoped by this sudden and determined onslaught in the dark
to throw the _cotereaux_ into disorder, and thus be able to drive them
from the chateau.
Accordingly, he massed his men as quickly as he could, and, making a
circuit of the court, drove before him every straggling _coterel_, and
then, following the retreating robbers through the gates, pursued their
straggling forces through bushes and fields as far as they could be
seen. Then calling his men together, and ordering the horses to be
brought into the court-yard, Count Hugo hastened back to the chateau,
and the great gate was shut and bolted behind them. With torch and
lantern every part of the chateau was now searched, and none of the
_cotereaux_, excepting the killed and wounded, having been found
therein, the Count pronounced his victory complete, and proceeded up the
stairs to the apartments of the Countess.
Day had now dawned, and the victorious Count Hugo was received by the
boys and their mother with the greatest thankfulness and delight.
Bernard had already told them of the rout of the _cotereaux_, but they
could not understand why the attack had been made, when they had
expected a peaceful settlement of the affair by the payment of the
ransoms.
But when the Count explained the matter to them, and told the Countess
what an enormous sum the robber captain had demanded for their release,
and told Louis that the surrender and probable execution of Jasto was
included in the terms, they did not wonder when he went on to say that
his mind could not endure the idea of submitting to such outrageous and
unjustifiable demands from a common thief of the roads, and that he had
therefore resolved to strike a bold stroke to give them their liberty
without payment or cowardly submission. It is true that if this attack
had failed the safety of the Countess and her boys would have been
endangered; but as it did not fail, nothing was said upon this point.
But the Count gave them little time for thanks or wonderment. As soon as
the necessary preparations could be made and the signs of conflict
removed from the court-yard, he sent the Countess and her party
rejoicing on their way to the castle of Barran. Although the _cotereaux_
had not actually pillaged the chateau, it was impossible for such rude
and disorderly men to live there for any length of time without causing
a good deal of injury to the house and surroundings, making Viteau an
unfit place for a lady to reside in.
Accordingly, with a few of the Count's men-at-arms as an escort,—for no
danger was now apprehended on the road,—the Countess went to the castle,
not, as before, flying wildly from her pursuers, but journeying
pleasantly along in company with her sons and attendants. Bernard, who
now no longer feared to leave his mistress, remained behind to attend to
the renovation and repairs of the chateau, and to make it fit for the
return of its mistress. None of Count Hugo's men had been killed and but
few injured in the fight, for they had protected themselves in the
darkness from attack from each other by continually shouting the
battle-cry of De Lannes, and the _cotereaux_ had not been able to make
much impression upon their heavy armor.
The Count now determined, with the main body of his soldiers, to follow
up the attack upon the _cotereaux_—to penetrate, if possible, to their
camp, and to destroy it entirely, and to drive the remnant of this band
of thieves from the forests about Viteau.
Therefore he also remained at the chateau, which he intended making his
basis of operations in the projected campaign of extermination against
the remaining _cotereaux_.
------------------------------------------------------------------------