THE AMBUSCADE.
It is good to go through the air, with the strength of a brave horse
under one, to know that his strong muscles are stretching with an
enjoyment as keen as his rider's pleasure, to hear the air whistle as
one cuts through it, and to feel the blood fairly dance in the veins.
After those weary weeks of illness, of inaction, and of mental despair
I had passed through, it was as if new life was poured into me, to
know that I was once more in the saddle, with a prospect, however
faint, of regaining all I had lost. As the landscape on each side of
me melted into a green grey streak, it seemed to carry away with it my
suffering; as the true horse answered willingly to the touch of my
spur, I forgot the past, and was once again Ugo di Savelli, with a
spirit as high as the days before the black sorrow fell upon me. To
the left of the road was a broad stretch of springy turf, crossed by a
fairly wide water channel. I could not resist giving the beast a burst
over this, and followed by Jacopo, galloped over it with a free rein.
Both the horses took the jump like bucks, and carried away by the
moment, we held on, until we reached the stony and boulder-covered
incline which led to the valley of the Greve. Here the turf came to a
sudden end, in a line such as the edge of a calm sea makes in a bay,
and then began a steep descent of gravel, and loose stones, whose many
colours of grey, ochre, and brown, were splashed here and there, by
masses of short thick shrubs, which gradually increased in denseness,
until they spread before us, a sea of sombre green, that stretched to
the clear blue line of the Greve. Here on the crest of the slope I
drew bridle, thinking the horses had enough of it for the present, and
that it would be well to husband their strength. Jacopo pulled up
alongside of me, and stooping to pat the neck of his mount said--
"Excellency, the horses are in good condition; they will carry us well
to Leghorn!" He spoke the truth, for although they might have been in
better training, as the few clots of yellowy white foam, on the part
of the reins which had touched their necks showed, still we should
have been content with less, from new and practically untried
purchases, such as we had made, and I congratulated myself mentally on
our luck, for Barabbas himself would have had much to learn from the
horse-dealers of Tuscany. Thinking in this way, I replied:
"Yes, Jacopo, they seem to be a cheap forty crowns' worth, and we have
been cheated as little as possible. As you say, they should carry us
well on our journey, and we can either dispose of them at Leghorn, or
take them on to Rome if necessary."
"If I may speak, excellency, I would advise taking them with us. But
oh, signore, is that not superb?"
With an Italian's inborn love for the beautiful, he pointed to the
view around us, and although not a Florentine, I could feel why it was
that her citizens so loved the City of the Lily. The sun was setting
in opal and rose, and as we turned to give a last look behind, we saw
that this light was reflected from the west, on the great fleecy
masses of clouds that were slumbering in the pure blue of the sky, and
was again thrown back, or rather downwards, on to Florence itself,
bathing in its glow the campaniles of the churches, the grim palace of
the Signory, and the towers of the houses of the nobles. Where the
light did not fall, the shadows were in soft greys, that deepened to a
purple black, and a yellow band marked where the walls clasped the
city like a girdle. To the east, as we looked, the hills of the Prato
Magno rose in a heavy solid outline, with the jagged peaks, trying as
it were to stab at the sky; to the north, covered with a heavy pine
forest, lay Senario, shutting from sight the upper Voldarno, and the
Mugello; whilst, as we faced slowly round by our left, we saw the
silver ribbon of the Arno, and the heights of Monte Orlando, the
landscape being closed in on the west by San Miniato, over whose
cypress crowned heights the sun now hung like a soft ball of fire. As
I gazed upon this, a sadness came upon me, and my mind filled again
with the image of the woman, whom I began to realise that I loved in
spite of all; and I almost laughed in the bitterness of my heart, when
I thought that this burden of a hopeless passion was added to the
weight I already had to bear. I began to fairly despise myself for my
weakness, in that for the moment I felt inclined to turn my horse's
head and ride back to Florence. It was gall to know, that if she but
lifted her finger, I would go back like a beaten dog, and it required
me to summon all my pride to rescue myself at the time. It was such
hopeless folly, such madness, that I began to think I must be little
short of an idiot, and cursed myself with such hearty good will, that
Jacopo, who was always a trifle free with his tongue, began to let it
wag.
"If your excellency is so liberal with curses on yourself, methinks
you will have none to spare for your enemies," he said.
"True, Jacopo," I answered, "but the word enemies reminds me, that you
should keep your arquebus ready for instant use, and now I think we
had better jog on."
Jacopo's answer was to unsling his arquebus, which he rested crosswise
on his thigh, and we began to slowly descend the slope towards the
river, the loose gravel crunching under our horses' feet.
"It is loaded," said Jacopo, somewhat irrelevantly, as we came to the
banks of the stream; but I understood he was speaking of his piece.
"It is loaded, excellency," he repeated, "with three balls, which I
have had dipped in holy water, and on each of which I have cut a cross
for luck. I lay my life on it, that if discharged, it will bring down
whatever it is aimed at--saint or sinner."
"Heaven grant that it may be the sinner, Jacopo; but only take care
you are ready to discharge it when the time comes."
"Never fear, signore. Jacopo Jacopi is too old a soldier to be caught
napping," with these words we plunged into the Greve, and after much
careful stepping on the part of the horses, for the animals found
their foothold an uncertain one in the smooth round stones under the
water, we reached the opposite bank, and trotted on with the horses'
noses in a line towards San Miniato. The sun had now sunk behind the
hill, which was so full of memories for me, and although there would
be a moon later on, we had for the present to face a rapidly
increasing darkness.
"By keeping at this pace, excellency," said Jacopo as we trotted on,
"we shall reach the Resa shortly before it gets quite dark, and I
submit that we stop there to feed the horses. As your honour
commanded, I have brought a meal for them, and there was space enough
in the sack for a snack for me, which would do at a pinch for two, if
your excellency would but condescend to taste of it."
"You say well, Jacopo; but I also am an old soldier, and my
saddle-bags are full. A fasting body makes but a faint heart, whether
for man or beast--on the other bank of the Resa then, we shall call a
halt. There is a little light still, enough to increase the pace--so
onwards!"
We broke into a hand gallop, keeping one behind the other, and
following the windings of a cattle track, for I had purposely avoided
the road after receiving the information I had extracted from the
sentry at the San Frediano Gate. It was evident, that the party of
men, followed by Ceci's nephew, had left Florence to carry out some
desperate design. I had been dogged all day by this man, and now he
had galloped off in disguise to join the men who had left Florence
before he had, and amongst whom was his uncle. Ceci's words at our
last interview, and the persistent manner in which I was followed,
left me no room to doubt that I was the object of their attention, and
that it would be necessary to keep well on the alert. I did not
apprehend danger at once, but thought that if an attack were made, it
would be in the narrow valley between the low hills to the north of
Montespertoli, or at Ponte a Elsa, each of which places was
particularly suited for an ambuscade, although of course, considering
their numbers, the attempt might be made anywhere, and openly, without
very much danger. So with another hurried word of warning to Jacopo,
and holding my sword ready, I galloped along, increasing the pace as
much as possible, whenever we went past a clump of trees, and both of
us keeping as sharp a look-out as the light, or rather darkness,
permitted. We avoided the regular ford of the Resa on the
Montespertoli road, crossing higher up in the direction of Montelupo,
and here got a good wetting, for the water was deeper than we
anticipated. Had Ceci and his friends only lain in wait for us at this
point, we should have had no chance. As it happened, however, we had
taken a zig-zag route, which had either thrown them off the track
entirely, or we would meet them further on, either at one of the two
spots mentioned by me, or in some other equally convenient locality.
At any rate, we were safe for the present, and that was something to
be thankful for, even if we were in darkness. So my thoughts ran on,
as we scrambled somehow to the opposite bank of the Resa, and groped
our way up until we felt soft grass under our feet, for we had
dismounted on fording the stream, and led our horses by their bridles
up the steep left bank. Here we called a halt, determined to await the
moon, and Jacopo managed somehow to tether the horses; fastening the
halters to the stump of a tree he discovered by stumbling against, and
on which he wasted some of those curses he was so anxious for me to
reserve for my enemies. After giving the horses their feed, which they
nosed out readily enough, despite the darkness, he joined me where I
sat on the grass trying to dry, and wrapping up the lock of his
arquebus in a woollen cap, which he produced, to keep it from damp, he
took his seat beside me at my invitation.
"It is too dark to eat now, excellency," he said. "I for one, like a
light of some kind, even if it be my Lady Moon, with my meals, and we
have some little time to wait--ill-luck to it! Do you call to mind,
signore, it was just such a night as this when we lay outside the
breach at Arx Sismundea, waiting for the signal rockets?"
"I do, Jacopo."
"Ah, that was a fight! We have had nothing like it since then--not
even Fornovo--but good times are coming, excellency, and maybe we will
see them again."
"How comes it, Jacopo, that with this prospect before you, you left
the army?"
"There was trouble, excellency, big trouble at Siena, and I left to
avoid the attentions of Messer Braccio Fortebraccio, whom your worship
doubtless remembers."
I could get no further explanation from Jacopo, but afterwards found
out that he had fought with and grievously wounded a man who had
spoken disparagingly of me; and fearing lest the swift discipline
which D'Alegres maintained might overtake him, had immediately
deserted, making his way to Florence, where a lucky chance threw him
in my way. I thought it well, at this time, to explain to Jacopo, the
danger I feared of an ambuscade, and he, knowing the road as well as I
did, agreed with me in regard to the spots most likely to be chosen
for the attack.
"Would it not be prudent, excellency, to await daylight, and, keeping
out of the beaten track, avoid these gentlemen?"
"You see, Jacopo," I answered, "we have not time for all this, and
must take some risk. I mean, therefore, to go as far as we can
to-night."
"As your worship desires. It is not that I fear the danger, but I do
not like putting my head in a bag. _Buono!_ There is the moon, and I
already begin to taste my supper, after which, excellency, I have no
care which way we travel, either by broad daylight, or through the
teeth of these brigands."
As he spoke the stars began to pale, and the moon rose slowly above
the horizon. In a few minutes, so bright and clear was the light, that
one may have easily read by it, and I was glad to see, moreover, that
the shifting clouds were gone, and there was every prospect of a fine
night. It was fall-to, now, to our supper, and adding my store to my
faithful follower's supply, I sunk distinctions of rank, and we
enjoyed a meal, with a hearty contentment that had been a stranger to
me for many a day. When the last drop of wine in the bottle was
finished, and we had picked our last bone, Jacopo arose with a sigh.
"Before supper, excellency, I was ready to eat and then fight my way
through an army; now beshrew me, if a sound nap of an hour or so is
not much to my taste!"
I could not forbear smiling, but did not rise to the hint, and when
our horses were saddled again, and every buckle and strap examined
with the minutest care, we mounted and set off. As although we both
well knew the direct road to Leghorn, but were not acquainted with the
district so as to correctly pursue our way by moonlight, I decided to
run the gauntlet of the ambuscade, if there was any, and take the risk
of coming off with a whole skin, to the certainty of losing our track
by chancing short cuts, which might lead to, Heaven alone knew where!
Now that we were once more on the road, we trotted along at a fairish
pace through the silent night. The way led for some distance over an
uneven plain, covered with a multitude of white stones, that shone in
the moonlight like water. The plain gradually narrowed to where it was
intersected by a chain of low hills, and it was in crossing these that
we should have to ride through a narrow gut, and possibly meet our
danger. As we approached the hills, the short, stunted foliage that
tufted the plain, changed to a half-grown forest, in the midst of
which the road wound, and here we halted for a second, whilst Jacopo
examined his piece to see that all was aright, and gingerly blew at
the match thereon, to give the fire a little strength. This being
done, we proceeded with the greatest caution, riding one behind the
other, and going slowly, as we feared a pitfall of some kind among the
trees. Luckily there was none, and at last we got out of the immediate
presence of the forest, and into the gut, where the precipice rose
high on each side of us. All was rock and stone, but the road was
fairly even, a trap could have been seen, and going slow a mistake
here, so we clapped spurs to the horses, and sent them along, and
although momentarily expecting to see the flash of an arquebus, we
were agreeably disappointed, and got out of the passage without mishap
of any kind.
"_Animo!_ Signore, we are out of this, and to-night will not be bread
for the teeth of these brigands;" and Jacopo, whose horse had carried
him a little in advance,' drew rein to let me come up, as we rode out
of the tail of the pass.
"I hope so, but we are not out of the wood yet," and I pointed to
where a dip in the ground showed there was a small stream, and on the
opposite bank the road again led into forest land.
"And I was just going to beg your worship's leave to troll a catch,"
said Jacopo; and as he uttered these words we plashed into the shallow
stream before us. Almost at this moment my horse neighed shrilly, and
an answering neigh from the wood before us rang out into the night.
_Crack_! _Crack!_ Two red tongues of fire licked out from the darkness
of the trees, we heard the loud report of firearms, and a brace of
balls sang past, unpleasantly close to my head.
"Quick, Jacopo--follow me," and driving my spurs home, the good horse
plunged forwards, topping the bank almost on the instant that the
ambuscaders, who rushed out with a shout, reached it. The man to my
left, who was riding a white horse, pulled up in an unaccountable
manner, and making a point at the one on my sword side, I ran him
through the throat, my blade twisting him clean round in the saddle as
I dashed on. The attacking party, coming at a great pace, were carried
by their horses down the slope into the stream, and before they could
turn I had gained a fair start, and to my joy heard Jacopo swearing as
he galloped behind me.
"_Maldetto!_ I could not fire, signore--you were right in front of
me--but here goes." He turned back in his saddle, and would have let
off his piece had I not shouted out:--
"Hold! hold! till I tell you," and fortunately he heard my words, or
the chances were there would have been a miss with no opportunity of
reloading.
We gained a full hundred yards before the others recovered themselves,
coming after us with yells of anger, and I distinctly heard Ceci's
voice--
"Two hundred crowns for them, dead or alive!"
Now commenced a race for life. We had the start and meant to keep it;
but their horses were the fresher, and it became a mere question of
who could last longest. We made the pace as hot as we could, in the
hope that if we came to close quarters again some of our pursuers
would have tailed behind. For a little time things went well, and I
was beginning to think we should be able to show our friends a clean
pair of heels, when I suddenly felt my horse puffing, stretching his
neck forward and holding on to the bit, in a manner which left no
doubt to my mind that he was done. Jacopo, too, called out--
"We had better fight it out, excellency; my horse is blown."
Before giving a final answer, I slung round in the saddle to see how
the enemy were getting on. The only two who were at our heels was the
man mounted on the white horse, who had pulled aside in so strange a
manner when charging me, and another, whom I could not make out. The
rest were well behind, but riding hard. We could probably account for
these two, and turning back I shouted to Jacopo--
"All right; fight it out."
As I said this my horse stumbled and rolled clean over, killing
himself on the spot, but fortunately throwing me clear of him and
without doing any damage to me. I had just time to scramble to my
feet, when the two foremost of our pursuers were upon us.
Jacopo had been carried some yards on by the speed of his mount, but
as the men came up he turned sharp round in his saddle and fired. The
report was followed by a yell of pain, and the leading horseman fell;
the other, who bestrode the white horse, again sheering off from me.
Here he met with Jacopo, who was coming back at a gallop, and, it
seemed to me, fairly flung himself from his horse, doing this in so
clumsy a manner as to be immediately ridden over by my knave.
"Mount--mount, excellency--mount behind me!" and Jacopo steadied his
horse. But there was no time, and three of the remaining horsemen
dashed up. Two of the horses shied past the body of my animal, but the
third came boldly up, and the rider immediately engaged Jacopo. I
could not give my brave fellow any aid, for my time was fully occupied
in dealing with my own adversaries. Their horses were too fresh, or
not well in hand, by great good luck, and so they could not manage to
come at me together. Seeing this, I made a dash across the road into
the wood--it was but a few feet--and both my adversaries followed,
with the result that the horse of one of them put his foot in a rut,
and stumbling forwards unseated his rider, and the other, in aiming a
cut at me, got his sword entangled for a second in an overhanging
bough. This second was, however, enough for me to give him six inches
of cold steel, and he pulled round and rode off, dropping his sword,
and swinging from side to side in his saddle like a drunken man. The
man who had fallen from his horse was nowhere to be seen. Indeed I did
not look for him, but rushed back to the assistance of Jacopo, and
this time, having opportunity for observing, if only for a twinkling,
saw his opponent was my friend, the sham monk. He, however, had as
quick an eye, and taking in the situation, made a sudden charge at
Jacopo, and as suddenly wheeling his horse to the left, shot past him
and fled on ahead, leaving us masters of the situation.
"Are you hurt, excellency?" called out Jacopo.
"Not in the least. How are you?"
"Nothing but a scratch, excellency, which I received from his
reverence, who, for all his monkish cowl, wields a good weapon."
"Well, jump down and let us see who our friends are, but first let me
look to your wound."
"It is really nothing as I said, signore," and Jacopo sprang lightly
to earth. I did not, however, listen to him, and taking from him his
flint and steel, lighted a piece of dry wood, which I converted into a
torch. With the aid of this and the moonlight, I examined Jacopo's
wound, which after all was but slight, and had just bandaged it up
with my kerchief, when I became aware that the man whom Jacopo had
ridden over, had arisen on his hands and knees, and was crawling off
into the brushwood.
"Steady, friend," I said, and running up to him, gave him a prick with
my sword as a hint to stop. He made a little outcry, but had the good
sense to take the hint, and casting the light of the torch on his
face, I recognised my old acquaintance the ancient Brico.
"So, signore," I said, "I have again to be thankful to you."
Jacopo too came up and recognised the man at a glance.
"_Cappita!_" he burst out, "but it is the ancient Brico! Shall I beat
his brains out, excellency?"
"Mercy, most noble cavalier," exclaimed Brico, "I yield me to ransom."
"Ransom forsooth!" called out Jacopo, "such ransom as a noose will
give you. Prepare to die."
"Be quiet, Jacopo," I said, "the ancient has yielded to ransom, we
will leave him to discuss the terms with the moon. Fetch me the bridle
from my poor horse yonder, and bind this knave firmly."
Jacopo needed no second bidding, and in five minutes the ancient,
securely bound, was sitting like a trussed fowl in the middle of the
road, alternately cursing and weeping.
"Perhaps, excellency, we had better look at the other," and Jacopo
pointed to the man whom he had shot, who lay on his face. "Perchance,"
he added, "he too might turn out an old acquaintance."
We did so, and as we bent over him I saw it was Bernabo Ceci gone to
his last account. He was shot through the heart, and lay quite dead,
with a frown on his forehead, and his teeth clenched in the death
agony. I looked at him in a sad silence which Jacopo broke.
"I never knew a cross-marked bullet to fail, excellency. He is stone
dead."
"May he rest in peace," I answered; "he was a brave man, although my
enemy."
"He is still enough now, your worship--and see! There is his horse
grazing quietly. It will do excellently to replace the lost one."
He ran forward and secured the animal, whilst I had a final look at my
dead beast. His neck was broken, and there was an end of him. Whilst
Jacopo at my request was changing the saddles, I stirred up the
ancient, who had lapsed into silence, and begged the favour of his
informing me to whom I was indebted for the excitement of the night.
Brico at first would not answer, but an inch of steel removed his
sulkiness, and he told me all that I believe he knew, which was to the
effect that he and some others had been hired by a great Florentine
called Strozzi, to stop me at all hazards on my journey to Rome, and
that the party was commanded by Ceci, who was to pay them two hundred
crowns for their trouble. More he evidently did not know, and
disregarding all his entreaties to loosen him, we rode off, wishing
him a good night. Nevertheless I am afraid he suffered considerable
discomfort.
"That rascal monk," said Jacopo as we jogged along, "has gone on ahead
of us, and to-morrow, perhaps, will rouse the country in advance of
us."
"Never fear, Jacopo," I answered, "he is no monk, as I well know, and
his only chance was to escape as he did. He will hark back soon enough
to Florence. Such hawks as he do not fly far from their eyries."
And in this I proved to be right, and the library scribe was never
seen by me again.
So we kept to our way, deciding to rest by day on the banks of the
Evola, to which we came in the early morning. Here we concealed our
horses in the forest which fringed the banks, and the tireless Jacopo,
leaving me to watch the cattle, proceeded on foot to a small hamlet he
knew of, returning in about an hour with the materials for a
substantial meal, and a small skin of wine. In order not to be taken
by surprise by the neighing of our horses, which would assuredly
discover us if other riders passed, we hobbled them in a secure place,
and sought a safe retreat for ourselves, almost half way up the low
hill which bounded the river at the point where we halted. Here we
spent a restful day, the only incident being the passing of a fine
body of men-at-arms across the Evola. From the double-headed lion on
their standard I perceived they were part of the _condotta_ of
Colleoni, a devoted adherent of the Borgia, and it was fortunate that
we did not meet them or it would have gone hard with us, for I was
known personally to Colleoni and most of his officers, the free-lance
having changed sides after Fornovo, ostensibly because he said it was
against his conscience to war with the Pope; but in reality being
bribed by an immediate present of a fief in the Campagna, and the
promise of the lordship of Bergamo, which, although his son obtained
it, he himself never enjoyed. So much for the two-headed lion which
crossed our path as we lay hidden in the shade of the trees. Our
horses also being actively employed in cropping the rich turf in the
hollow where they were tethered, behaved themselves excellently, with
the result that the long line of men-at-arms passed on and out of
sight, without doing us any harm.
In this manner we continued our journey, halting by day and travelling
by night, and finally reached Leghorn in safety. Here we took passage
in a ship bound for Rome; but were compelled to wait two days in
Leghorn, as the master was not ready to sail at once. At last, all
things being arranged, we got our horses and ourselves aboard, and put
out to sea with a fair wind. The master of the ship had sailed with
Messer Columbus to the New World, and lost no time in giving us the
history of his adventures, which were in truth marvellous beyond
imagination. I listened with a smooth face, and the good man no doubt
thought that I believed his stories. In this, however, he was
mistaken, nevertheless they were diverting in the extreme. Jacopo was
overcome by the sickness of the sea, and flung himself down in a
corner on the deck of the ship from which spot nothing would induce
him to move. At every lurch he threw out a prayer which ended in a
groan, and so great was his distress, that as he afterwards stated, he
would have sold his soul to Satan for a paul, if only to obtain an
hour's relief. As for me, I was well, having had some experience of
the ocean before, when employed by the Most Serene Republic for
service against the Turk, and found contentment in the master's
stories, and in pacing up and down watching such things as came under
my view. I had plenty of opportunity for reflection on the voyage, and
came to the conclusion that on delivering my letter to the Cardinal at
Rome, I would seek out Bayard if he were there, lay my story before
him, and beseech his help to enable me to recover myself.
At last, one fine day, we reached Ostia, and there disembarked after
bidding farewell to the master, and set out on our way to Rome. Jacopo
recovered his spirits as his foot touched land, and though the
ruddiness of his cheek had paled a little, he was quite himself again
by the time we crossed the Stagno di Ostia. Finally we came in full
view of the Eternal City, and towards the afternoon, having pressed
along at a good pace, our jaded horses brought us before the Gate of
St. Paul.