THE STORY OF ST. EVERMAIRE: A COUNTRY PAGEANT
Once upon a time there was a good man called St. Evermaire, who went
on a pilgrimage to a part of Belgium called the Hesbaye, which is near
the River Meuse. As he and his companions were journeying along, they
came, when it was growing dark one evening, to a great wood. Being
afraid of losing their way, they went to a village to ask for shelter.
This village belonged to a fierce robber, called Hacco, and it was at
his door that the pilgrims knocked. The door was opened by Hacco's
wife, who received them kindly, but told them that her husband was a
robber, and that, though he was away from home, it would not be safe
for them to remain there long. So very early next morning, as soon as
it was light, they went into the wood, and lay down to sleep beside a
fountain among the trees.
They had scarcely gone when Hacco, who had been out all night looking
for people to rob, came home. When he heard about the strangers who
had just left, he flew into a terrible rage, and went to look for
them. He soon found them fast asleep in the wood, and killed them.
Then he tore off their clothes, and left their bodies lying on the
ground.
After a little time some huntsmen found the dead pilgrims, and dug a
grave for them. But these people, noticing that the face of one dead
man shone brightly, and feeling sure that he must be some very holy
person, buried him in a grave by himself. This was St. Evermaire.
The wood was many years later cut down, and a village called Russon
was built near the place where Hacco murdered the pilgrims. The first
priest of this village discovered the grave of St. Evermaire, whose
bones were placed in a tomb in the church of Russon; but they were
afterwards laid to rest in a chapel which was built on purpose to
receive them. This chapel stands in a grove of beech-trees, on a
meadow surrounded by a hedge, in one corner of which there is a
fountain whose water is said to be a cure for ague. It is supposed to
be on the very spot where the pilgrims were killed. Over the altar in
the chapel is a painting of the murder. There are also statues of the
Virgin Mary and of St. Evermaire, and a gilded case, which contains
the bones of the saint.
[Illustration: A CHÂTEAU IN THE LESSE VALLEY.]
On May Day there is a procession from Russon to this chapel. First two
vergers come out of the village church, dressed in "tights," and
covered from their ankles to their necks with ivy-leaves. They wear
pointed caps on their heads, and brandish huge clubs, with which
they threaten the country people, who roar with laughter at the faces
they make. Seven men are dressed up to represent St. Evermaire and his
companions. The saint himself wears a tunic of coarse brown cloth,
girt about with a leather belt, from which hang a string of beads and
a pilgrim's bottle, a short cloak of ox-hide, and a round hat; but the
other pilgrims have just black coats and breeches, with white
stockings. They are followed by about fifty men on horseback, dressed
up as Hacco and his band of robbers.
This strange-looking procession goes to the chapel, where there is
service, the vergers in their ivy-leaves assisting at the altar; and
the moment the Benediction has been said, the whole congregation
rushes out to the meadow. The pilgrims stand in a circle near the
fountain, where they sing a quaint old country hymn.
In the meantime Hacco and his band gallop about outside the meadow;
but when the pilgrims have done singing, they enter it, and ride round
and round several times. Then the pilgrims go near the chapel, and a
short conversation is sung between them and Hacco, they imploring
mercy, and he abusing them for trespassing on his lands. At last Hacco
becomes impatient, draws his sword, and advances upon the pilgrims,
declaring in a voice of thunder that he is about to kill them.
At this point the spectators are expected to weep; but all of a
sudden the youngest pilgrim takes to his heels, and scampers away as
fast as ever he can. Hacco and the robbers run after him, scrambling
about among bushes and trees, as if they were playing at
hide-and-seek. The spectators laugh and clap their hands, and the
village children scream with delight. Hacco fires a pistol at the
runaway, but misses, on which everybody cheers. Then he fires again,
and the pilgrim tumbles down, and is killed with an arrow by one of
the robbers, who picks him up, throws him across the back of a horse
and brings him back to the meadow.
During this chase the other pilgrims have thrown themselves, as if in
despair, on the grass, where presently Hacco and his followers proceed
to kill them. But by this time all the actors are tired and thirsty;
so St. Evermaire and his friends rise up, and the whole company of
robbers and pilgrims walk off, and swill beer together for the rest of
the day. So ends the rustic pageant of Russon.