For a time Richard was thought to be dying; they tenderly put him upon
a hastily constructed litter, enveloped in the remains of their cloaks,
and then returned to Montaubon, where they were received with the
rejoicings of the people. The meeting between Maugis and Yolande was
most affecting; she shed tears of happiness upon his breast, overjoyed
to see again him whom she thought was lost forever.
After a few days of rest, Maugis resolved to punish King Yon, and was
actively making his preparations to do so when a messenger arrived at
the court from his brother-in-law. He was immediately shown into the
presence of Maugis.
“How now!” sternly demanded Maugis of the envoy; “what wouldst thou?”
“My lord,” replied the messenger, “I come to thee from thy sorrowing
and repentant brother-in-law, King Yon. He doth most humbly crave thy
forgiveness and pardon and doth relate to thee his most sorrowful and
unhappy condition. Roland doth hold him captive, and he craves thee to
lay aside thy just resentment and to deliver him from his hands.”
Maugis was silent for a moment and could not resist a sigh at thus
perceiving how the treachery of the King of Acquitaine had served to
punish and degrade him.
“’Tis well,” said Maugis, “the baseness of thy master hath brought to
him its own reward, yet great as my resentment is, I do not recognize
the right of Roland to hold King Yon his prisoner, even though he be my
worthless relative, I shall wrest him from his bonds. Get thee gone!”
Maugis then called a council of his brothers and acquainted them with
his plans. The troops were ordered under arms, and all preparations
were made to go out and attack the enemy at once.
The expedition, headed by Maugis, had proceeded but a short distance
when they came upon Roland, face to face, at the head of a considerable
number of troops. A halt was ordered and Maugis rode forward, lowered
his lance, and said to Roland:
“Brave knight, we have been shedding each other’s blood in a bitter
quarrel, which it is now time to terminate, once for all. Thou art a
relative of Charlemagne, and of mine; I pray thee use thy influence to
pacify the emperor, and on my part I will do all in my power to second
your efforts. We are willing to undertake, as a penance, war against
the infidels, in the name of the Emperor of France, my brothers and I;
I pray thee, then, in behalf of all, to accept my offer.”
Roland, much affected by the frank and manly words of Maugis, replied:
“Brave knight, for myself, I gladly tell thee I would only be too
willing to accede to these requests, but alas! Charlemagne refuses to
hear of peace under any conditions, except that thee and thy brothers
are delivered into his hands.”
“Then it is useless,” responded Maugis; “we will fight until death
before we will ever lower ourselves to commit such a great act of
cowardice.”
Saying this, Maugis lowered his visor, set his lance at rest, and
spurring his horse quickly forward, charged upon Roland. Roland in turn
drew his famous sword and aimed a terrible blow at Maugis, which the
latter received upon his shield, but such was its force the shield flew
to pieces, and Roland stopping, said, smiling at his adversary:
“Good, my cousin, I have taken my revenge on thee for thy rashness; thy
shield is gone, we will now quit.”
“No,” replied Maugis, “if thou hast destroyed my shield for vengeance,
I will punish thee for thy pride.”
This singular combat would have been continued, and with their
followers included, all would have become engaged in a duel to
extermination, if Renaud had not restrained his cousin. On his side
Olivier, the friend of Roland, likewise detained the nephew of
Charlemagne, who, however, had become enraged at the taunt of Maugis
and would listen to nothing, but would throw himself with all his force
upon him.
Things were at this delicate point when in the distance a body of
troops were seen approaching with a slow and measured tread. They
surrounded a man habited in the garb of a monk; the doleful strains of
the _Miserere_ came floating to them borne on the breeze. The nearer
approach of this melancholy procession revealed the fact that the man
in the garb of a monk was no other than King Yon; they were conducting
him to execution. This sight caused Maugis to forget all his resentment
against his brother-in-law. He drew his troops across the road, barring
the progress of the guard, and thundered out the order to them:
“Halt!”
“Stand aside!” responded the commandant of the guard.
“Again I command thee to halt,” cried Maugis; “yield thy prisoner!”
At these words Maugis commanded his troops to charge, and they
threw themselves upon the guard with such fury that they were all
either killed or dispersed, and finally the unfortunate King Yon was
delivered from their hands. He then threw himself at the feet of his
brother-in-law, saying:
“I am not worthy to live in thy presence; the sole grace I can implore
of thee is that I may meet death at thy hands.”
At the sight of Maugis fighting the guardians of King Yon, the troops
on each side all along the line became engaged in a murderous conflict,
and intermingling formed a vast struggling mass, in the midst of which
could be seen the swords rising and falling, at each stroke meeting a
victim. Roland, in the meantime, was not inactive; he wrought upon his
enemy injury equal to that of Maugis.
Richard, who was still weak from his wounds, and fought but little,
became surrounded, and Roland perceiving it, rode toward him, and not
deeming it chivalrous to accept his defiance, ordered him to be taken
alive. Richard defended himself like a lion at bay, but was very soon
buried under a mass of the enemy, hurled from his horse and compelled
to yield. He refused to give his sword to any one but Roland, whom he
considered only worthy to receive it.
It was in the midst of the fight that the sorrowful news of the capture
of Richard was borne to Maugis; it made him furious; he declared he
would at any price secure the liberty of Richard, and he was about to
appoint Alard and Guichard to act in his place, while he proceeded
against the camp of Charlemagne to deliver his brother, but his cousin
Renaud arrested him.
“Thy project is foolish,” said he; “if you take such a step you will
certainly be yourself captured, then what can you do? Listen, I have
myself an account to settle with the emperor, and if Richard has
not already been executed, I will enter the camp of Charlemagne in
disguise, will learn what they intend doing with him, and we can then
know better what steps to take for his rescue.”
“Thy plan is wise,” said Maugis, “and knowing thy discretion, am
assured thou wilt return from thy perilous mission in safety.”
Accordingly, Renaud at once retired, and hastily disguising himself
as a pilgrim, leaning wearily upon a stick, proceeded to the camp
of Charlemagne, whither Richard had been borne. On nearing the camp
he walked very feebly, and assumed such a miserable aspect that all
gates were opened before him; such was the reverence for holiness and
sanctity, that pilgrims from the holy land were held in those days, and
when, at last, he had arrived before the tent of the emperor, and was
ushered into his presence, he said to Charlemagne:
“Pax Vobiscum, great ruler, I have just returned from Jerusalem,
where I prostrated myself before the tomb of our Divine Master,” and
reverently crossing himself he bowed his hooded head upon his breast
and stood silent.
“Most holy man, I give thee greeting,” replied the emperor; “what
commands hast thou for me? Speak, and they are granted thee.”
“Sire,” continued the false monk, “while on my way yesterday by
Balancon, with other pilgrims, traveling the same road, we were set
upon by brigands; all my companions were slain, and I alone, by the
mercy of God, escaped death, and that only because they thought I was
so near death already. At the nearest village I could gain I learned
that the country was being ravaged by the four sons of Aymon, aided
by a certain Renaud, and, from a picture, I am sure it was the latter
who was our assailant, and it was he who brought me to this miserable
state.” Here the pilgrim made another sign of the cross, saluted the
emperor with humility, and begged him for food, as it had been a long
time since he had had what he required.
Renaud acted his part so well that Charlemagne was taken completely off
his guard, and suspicious of nothing, gave orders that the holy father
be well treated as one deserved who possessed such precious information.
Renaud added to the good impression he had produced by a liberal
quantity of prayers and blessings. At this point the camp was aroused
by a blare of trumpets from without; it was Roland who had arrived with
Richard surrounded by a strong guard.
Charlemagne, who had already been warned by Ganelon of the result of
his nephew’s expedition, received him joyfully, and, upon hearing his
story, embraced him. Said he:
“Thou hast done well; let the rebel be delivered to punishment at once.”
At the first sight of the pilgrim, Richard recognized his cousin
Renaud, which had the effect of reassuring him as to his safety.
Renaud, on his part, succeeded in learning the plans of the execution,
and where it was to take place, then he quietly withdrew, hastened
to Montaubon and gave the order summoning all to arms as quickly as
possible. This being accomplished, he prepared to lead them to the
place of execution, and took the troops around by a circuitous route
to the appointed place, hiding them in the woods nearby, and enjoining
every one to preserve the utmost silence.
On the arrival of Richard at the camp, Charlemagne immediately
assembled his council. Said he:
“At last one of the rebellious sons of Aymon has been delivered into my
hands; it has been at a fearful cost of blood and treasure. They have
defied and insulted me. I should be illy fitted to be a ruler did I not
make a most forcible example of this rebellious subject, therefore do
I decide to hang him as near the château on the mountain as possible,
that it may give the execution an imposing effect. Let the affair
proceed at once.”
Now arose a difficulty to find an executioner. There was a secret
admiration for the brave sons of Aymon throughout the camp. This was
revealed when no one would volunteer to fill the office. At last a
person of the court of bad reputation, one Des Rives by name, who
had already made himself conspicuous by his questionable exploits,
presented himself for the task, hoping by means of this low action to
gain favor in the eyes of the emperor, and Charlemagne at once accepted
him.
Faithful to his past, and at the cost of his honor, Des Rives then
approached Richard and read him the sentence of death. Then he mounted
Richard upon a mule, and brought him before the tent of Charlemagne,
further humiliating him by taunts and jeers.
At all times in France men have fought solely for the desire to
conquer, and rarely for the hate of their enemies, therefore the
conduct of the cowardly and villainous Des Rives so much affected the
assembled knights and soldiers that many a stern eye shed tears to
see the treatment suffered by a man so renowned for his bravery and
nobility of character.
The troops of the escort now surrounded him and conducted him away to
the place of execution. All along the road Richard watched anxiously
to see if he could see some friendly face that would give to him the
promise of a rescue, but seeing none, he commenced to despair, and
made the resolve to accept his fate, asking for a priest to assist
him in his last moments. This Des Rives refused, but Oger, who formed
part of the escort, became indignant and roundly denounced the
dastardly nephew of Foulques de Morillon, for he, himself, was honest
and upright, and would have granted the request; he was even about to
see that it was done, when at this instant they were set upon by the
soldiers of Maugis and taken completely by surprise.
The cowardly Des Rives then threw himself at the feet of his prisoner
and abjectly protested that he had only acted in the manner he had done
at the command of his superiors, that he was even forced into doing so
upon the penalty of his life. Strange drift of circumstances it was,
that he, the executioner, should thus supplicate to Richard as if he
himself were the condemned.
Meanwhile, Alard and Guichard had hemmed in the imperial troops, but
not before Oger, Turpin and Olivier had made their escape, leaving
Ganelon and Pinabel, the low companions of Des Rives, to extricate
themselves the best they could.
Renaud, who had captured Des Rives, would have then and there slain
him, but Maugis dissuaded him. Then being made aware how Des Rives had
volunteered to perform a cowardly action so unworthy of knighthood,
he ordered him to prepare himself for his final punishment. In vain
the coward threw himself at his feet and begged for mercy. Maugis
was unpitying, and Des Rives was forthwith strung from the very
gibbet that was destined for Richard. Before re-entering the fortress
Maugis wished to see his Cousin Oger, but found he had returned to
the imperial camp. Then Richard, so recently freed, smarting from
the indignities offered him, volunteered to make a sortie into the
camp of his unsuspecting enemies, and penetrate even to the tent of
Charlemagne. Maugis, thinking this possible, consented, and gave him an
escort of five hundred men, and he also hung about his brother’s neck
his own horn, at a signal from which he promised to come to his rescue,
if necessary, with the main body of his troops.
By means of a more direct route, Richard and his company were enabled
to arrive at the camp of the emperor before the fugitives of Des Rives’
escort could arrive. Stationing his troops at some little distance
away, mounted on the horse of Des Rives, disguised by his armor, and
holding in his hand the banner of the traitor, Richard penetrated
boldly into the camp as far as the tent of the emperor, who, mistaking
him for the villain, had no doubt but that the execution had been
accomplished. Naimes, who had remained at the camp, did not doubt that
it was really Des Rives. Oger, Turpin, and Olivier, who had retreated
when Maugis surrounded the imperial escort, thought it might be
Pinabel, who, having escaped, was returning. A perfect storm of insult
was then hurled at the head of the supposed Des Rives. In a paroxysm of
rage, Oger rushed forward, grasped the bridle of his horse, drew his
sword and threatened him with death. It was in vain Charlemagne tried
to calm him, and Richard was finally forced to speak, saying, as he
raised the visor of his helmet:
“All is well, my dear cousin; it is not the coward Des Rives whom you
address; it is your cousin, who once more exposes his life to render to
you his thanks for the great service you would have rendered him.”
Transported with joy, Oger was hastening to embrace him, when
Charlemagne interposed himself between them; flying into violent rage,
he pushed his horse against that of Richard, and he aimed at Richard a
violent blow with his sword, which the latter succeeded in parrying,
then put himself on the defensive. Now, thoroughly furious, the emperor
cried:
“Montjoie!” in stentorian tone.
At the sound of this famous war-cry, the camp was aroused, and the
imperial soldiers came rushing toward the tent, but Richard had by this
time given the signal from his horn and his nine hundred men came upon
the scene, precipitately to the rescue.
The _mêlée_ then became general; all the pent-up hatreds and passions
and prejudices came uppermost. By chance, Charlemagne and Maugis met
and charged upon each other with fury, and with such force that they
unhorsed each other; then, sword in hand, they renewed the action on
foot, without either gaining any advantage; the great warrior emperor,
whose arms were celebrated as being invincible, little accustomed to
meeting such sturdy resistance, manifested his astonishment aloud. At
the sound of his well-known voice, Maugis, who had not recognized the
emperor, his face being concealed by his visor, immediately lowered his
sword, approached and kneeled before him to the earth.
“Sire!” said he humbly, “accord me a truce and I will engage my
knightly word you will never again have cause of complaint against me,
only I ask not to have any of my privileges taken from me, except by
due legal process.”
“Who art thou?” demanded the astonished emperor; “to whom am I asked to
give my word?”
“I am Maugis,” responded the knight, “and I ask you for pardon for
me and mine, assuring you it is not the fear of being conquered that
causes me to make this supplication; it is because I desire to enter
into good relations with you and to once more put to your service my
courage and my sword.”
It was not without a certain reluctance that the emperor consented to
talk with a man whom he detested, but at the same time admired.
“I will grant thee peace, only on one condition,” he sternly replied.
“Sire, if thou wouldst but name it.”
“That condition is,” responded the emperor; “thou shalt deliver up to
me thy cousin Renaud.”
“But, sire,” said Maugis pleadingly, “even did I not love my cousin I
could not be so lost to honor as to deliver him up, even if it were to
redeem my own brother from death.”
“Then I will promise nothing,” thundered the emperor, “but war, and war
all the time. Defend thyself,” he shouted, “I will, at least, permit
thee to fight with me.”
Saying this, Charlemagne rushed upon Maugis and struck him such a
terrible blow with his sword that the shield of Maugis was shivered.
Transported with rage, Maugis, in his turn, threw himself upon the
emperor, and dragging him from his horse, held him in a herculean
grasp, in his left hand, while with his right he fought all who came to
the rescue of his prey. At this juncture Roland came up and attacked
Maugis so fiercely that to defend himself he was obliged to set loose
his royal prisoner. Then, freeing himself to fight, he turned upon
Roland and, seconded by his brothers, forced him to take flight to save
himself from being captured. Furious to have been compelled to yield to
the emperor, Maugis sounded the retreat, and with his troops returned
to the château in good order.
His blood now thoroughly aroused, on the morning of the next day Maugis
took three thousand men with him and again directed a movement against
the camp of Charlemagne, resolved this time to penetrate to his very
tent and master him.
So sudden was their movement, and so unanticipated, that by a furious
charge he was able to penetrate to the very portal of the royal
pavilion. Maugis surmounted it and with one stroke of the sword severed
the golden eagle at its apex, and descended to the earth safely, where
he was met by his cousin Renaud, and together they secured their prize.
The four sons of Aymon were, in the meantime, surrounded by a multitude
of confused imperial soldiers, whom they threw down and slew without
pity.
Thinking this a favorable moment, Renaud alone retired from the fight
to secure a hiding place for the golden eagle, and returned hastily,
only to find that the brothers had gone. He next encountered Olivier
and Roland, but turning his horse and evading their strokes, he took
flight, not realizing how close a pursuit was following him. Near
Belancon, he thought to rest, when suddenly he found himself in the
midst of a troop who were pursuing him with desperation. Impatient with
a pursuit so incessant, Renaud turned and made a terrible charge upon
the leader of his enemies, who, however, did not await his onslaught,
but met him halfway, and with a stroke of his lance wounded the
intrepid Renaud, throwing him from his horse. Renaud, half-stunned,
arose and vigorously defended himself, and with such great energy that
Olivier cried out to him:
“Yield, brave knight, you court inevitable death; it were a pity to
hide such courage and such valor in the obscurity of death.”
[Illustration: YE OLDE CITIE OF MOUZON.]
“Who art thou,” exclaimed Renaud, “who summons me to surrender, and who
fights so fiercely?”
“I am Olivier, and to place yourself in my power is no disgrace;
therefore yield, I pray you.”
“I accept,” replied Renaud; “but on one condition, and that is, that,
if I give myself up, it be agreed I am your prisoner and your prisoner
only; it being well understood that no matter what order you may
receive, or what importance the person is who gives it, you are not to
deliver me up; this is the sole condition I impose.”
“I give thee my knightly word,” said Olivier.
“I know you well, Olivier,” continued Renaud, “and I was certain in
advance what your reply would be. Know me now, I am Renaud, and you may
understand why I make these conditions, as Charlemagne is my bitter
enemy.”
Olivier took Renaud to his camp, helped him off with his armor, bathed
his wounds, and placed him in his own bed.
When the news of the capture of Renaud reached the ears of the emperor,
he sent an officer to Olivier, commanding him to deliver his prisoner.
Olivier, though loyally anxious to obey the orders of his sovereign,
was restrained by the conditions Renaud had made when he surrendered
himself; he therefore hastened to the emperor to explain.
“Sire,” said Olivier, “I have given my word not to yield my prisoner,
and thou knowest I am a man who never violates his promise.”
“S’death!” cried Charlemagne in a rage; “knowest thou, sir, that the
first duty of a knight is to submit without restrictions to the orders
of his king, and that all other oaths are as nothing before the oath of
fidelity to his master.”
After Olivier had retired, the emperor bethought him that he had a
means whereby the scruples of Olivier might be overcome. He accordingly
ordered Roland, the Archbishop Turpin, and the Duke de Naimes, to take
Renaud from Olivier by force, thinking Olivier would accept this as
releasing him from his word, inasmuch as Renaud would be taken from
him by compulsion. Olivier, however, thought otherwise when the three
envoys appeared at his tent, demanding Renaud; he drew his sword, and
swore he would kill any man who endeavored to execute that order, even
if he were the bravest in the army.
Renaud, who had overheard all this contention, not being willing that
Olivier should meet with disgrace on his account, then came forward and
said:
“Sir knights, I place myself in your hands, and hereby disengage
Olivier of his word.”
“I also disengage thee of thine,” cried Olivier, not to be outdone in
generosity; “you may take your liberty,” continued he, “because you are
my prisoner and mine only, and no person here has any right to you.”
Charlemagne was furious; he ordered the rearrest of Renaud at once, and
ordered him to be brought into his presence. Said he:
“I shall recognize no pledges made to thee, prepare to die; nothing
shall save you, now that you are in my power. I vow to you a death of
the most frightful and degrading kind.”
Having said this, the emperor gave an order for his heralds to go
forward under the walls of Montaubon and announce to Maugis the
punishment of his cousin.