Intense excitement prevailed in the community when the day for the
tournament arrived. The governor of the State was expected to be present
with his military staff, the adjutant-general, and other distinguished
personages. It was anticipated that the array of beauty would be
immense; and, for a week anterior to the eventful day, each fair maiden
had held frequent consultations with her mirror, in order to ascertain
whether there was a probability that she might have the high honor of
being crowned Queen of Love and Beauty by some valorous and victorious
knight.
Tom Seddon and the Professor had arrived on the preceding evening from
Bella Vista. Tom was now supremely happy, for Ida Somers had temporarily
escaped from the supervision of her cynical uncle, and was the guest of
the Widow Wild. The Professor told Toney that when Tom heard that Ida
had gone to Mapleton to attend the tournament, he could hardly content
himself to wait for the next train, but wanted to be off like a pyrite
of iron after the magnet; and that, when on the cars, he was continually
complaining of the sluggishness of the iron horse, which failed to go
faster than twenty miles in an hour.
Tom escorted the beautiful Ida to the ground, who bestowed on her
escort many a smile, and furtively glanced at his face, radiant with
happiness, and came to the conclusion that Tom was a very handsome
fellow; but would not for the world have permitted anybody to know that
such was her decided opinion.
Toney walked behind Ida and Tom, with Rosabel by his side, while the
Professor had the Widow Wild under his protection. They were soon
comfortably seated, and cast their eyes around to survey the scene
before them.
"Who are those military gentlemen standing in a line in front of their
horses?" said Rosabel to Toney.
"Those are the knights," said Toney. "The big man on the right is
Richard."
"Who is Richard?" asked Rosabel.
"Richard the Lion-hearted," said Toney.
"Why, he looks like Mr. Pate," said Ida.
"Richard and Pate are one and the same person to-day," said Toney. "M.
T. Pate is now Richard Plantagenet, Miss Somers; and if he should prove
victorious in the lists he may crown you Queen of Love and Beauty."
Tom Seddon was silent, but he gazed at Richard with a look of savage
ferocity, which reminded the Professor of the expression of his
countenance just after he had been bled by Doctor Bull.
"The knight standing next to Mr. Pate, who is he?" asked Rosabel.
"Ivanhoe," said Toney.
"It is Mr. Wiggins," said Ida.
"Formerly Mr. Wiggins, now the son of Cedric,--the disinherited knight,
the valiant Ivanhoe."
"And the little man whose head hardly reaches to his horse's mane? How
in the world will he ever mount?" said Rosabel.
"Oh, never fear. His esquire will help him on his horse. He is a Knight
Templar," said Toney.
"What is his name?" said Rosabel.
"Brian de Bois Guilbert," said Toney.
"It is Little Love," said Tom Seddon.
"And the one next to him is Dove," said the widow.
"Formerly Dove, but now Athelstane the Saxon," said Toney. "He is a
knight of great prowess, and has royal blood in his veins."
"And the other little man standing in front of the black horse, who is
he?" asked Rosabel.
"Why, that is Bliss," said the widow.
"No longer Bliss," said Toney, "but the accomplished and gallant Maurice
de Bracy."
"And Ned Botts and Sam Perch," said the widow, "who have they become?"
"Those two gentlemen," said Toney, "have selected their designations
from localities to which they are strongly attached and desire to honor
by their valorous deeds of knighthood. Mr. Botts, who formerly resided
in a village where each householder was required by an immemorial custom
to keep at least six of the canine species, whose barking and howling at
night were supposed to be good for persons afflicted with typhoid fever,
calls himself the Knight of Cunopolis."
"Cunopolis!" said Ida. "Oh, what a pretty name!"
"It is composed of two Greek words," said the Professor.
"What is the signification?" asked Rosabel.
"Dog Town," said the Professor.
"Dog Town! Oh, horrid!" said Ida.
"Mr. Botts is the Knight of Cunopolis, or Dog Town," said Toney.
"And Perch?" asked the widow.
"The father of that young man," said Toney, "had heard that N. P.
Willis, while residing in Wyoming Valley, had named his place Glenmary
in compliment to his wife, and in honor of his own wife has named his
place Glenbetsy. So Perch is the valorous Knight of Glenbetsy."
"Glenmary is a very beautiful name," said Ida.
"And so is Glenbetsy," said the Professor.
"Tastes may differ," said Toney.
"Mr. Belton," said the widow, "what is Barney Bates doing there--holding
that horse?"
"He is esquire to Richard Plantagenet," said Toney. "Each one of those
boys is esquire to a gallant knight, and holds his horse until the
champion is ready to mount."
"Barney is a bad boy," said the widow.
"Indeed, he is a bad boy!" said Rosabel.
"The only harm I ever knew Barney to do," said Toney, "was to turn a
tavern-keeper's sign upside down, and when Boniface came out in the
morning, he beheld an Irishman standing on his head before the door
trying to read the letters which were inverted."
"He tied bells to my horse's tail," said the widow.
"He did worse than that," said Rosabel.
"What was it?" said Toney.
"Why," said Rosabel, "some pious people were engaged in holding a
prayer-meeting, and he tied a bundle of firecrackers behind an unlucky
cur and applied a torch."
"Oh, I recollect!" said Toney, laughing. "The demented dog ran into the
midst of the meeting, carrying terror and confusion wherever he went.
The worthy minister said that he saw the hand of Satan in this trick;
and ever since that time Barney has been supposed, by good people, to
act by the instigation of that great designer of mischief."
"That boy will play some trick on those knights," said the widow.
"Why, mother," said Rosabel, "how can he? They have him right before
their eyes."
"Never mind," said the widow. "Mark what I say. Barney will play some
trick on the knights."
"Look yonder!" exclaimed Tom Seddon.
"Oh, splendid!" cried Ida.
"Who is he?" asked Rosabel.
"The governor of the State," said Toney.
"What a noble horse he is riding!" said Rosabel.
"And what a beautiful uniform he has on!" said Ida.
"Who is the fat man riding on his right?" asked Rosabel.
"The adjutant-general," said Toney.
"And these other gentlemen?" asked Ida.
"His military staff," said Toney.
The governor and his staff, in gorgeous uniforms and magnificently
mounted, rode over the ground, and halting in front of the knights, who
were standing in a line, each by the side of his steed, his Excellency
addressed them in a brief but eloquent and impressive speech. He told
them that this was a great occasion, and that the eyes of fair women and
brave men were fixed upon them; and urged them to comport themselves as
chivalrous and valiant knights. His Excellency, amidst loud applause,
then retired to the extremity of the lists, where he gracefully sat on
his horse, a few paces in advance of his staff, with the
adjutant-general on his right.
The valiant champions now proceeded to mount. It devolved on Richard to
make the first tilt at the ring. The Marshal blew a trumpet, and
exclaimed, in a loud voice, "_Preux chevaliers! faites vous devoirs!_"
Richard leveled his pole and was about to make an impetuous charge at
the ring, when Old Whitey began to kick up behind, and becoming
unmanageable, ran off in the direction of the governor and his staff.
Richard still held his pole horizontally, and had not his Excellency
skillfully handled his horse, he would have been hurled from his saddle.
As it was, the unfortunate adjutant-general received the shock. The end
of the pole struck him fair on the breast, and down he went in the dust;
for who could withstand the terrible charge of Richard the Lion-hearted?
Having unhorsed the adjutant-general, on went the indomitable Richard,
scattering the crowds, until he suddenly left the lists, and was seen
dashing down the road, with his pole still poised, and his horse kicking
up his heels and casting clouds of dust behind him.
Just then Ida uttered a shriek as Love was thrown over the head of his
horse and fell at her feet.
"Pick Love up!" exclaimed the widow.
"Oh--oh--oh, mercy!" screamed Rosabel, as Bliss came charging towards
her; and his horse, rearing and kicking, hurled the rider over his head
and almost deposited Bliss in the young lady's lap.
"Look out for Dove, ladies!" exclaimed Toney, as Dove took flight from
the back of his horse and fell at the feet of the fair candidates for
the crown.
"Gracious heavens! look yonder!" cried the widow.
All eyes were turned in the direction indicated.
The other knights, emulating the example of their illustrious leader,
were charging the governor's staff. The Knight of Cunopolis headed the
onset; and after dismounting two captains and one colonel, the three
valorous knights, with an amazing clatter of hoofs, went off after
Richard the Lion-hearted.
His Excellency was astounded at this novel manner of conducting a
tournament; but, being admirably mounted and fond of excitement, he
galloped off with a portion of his staff in pursuit of the fugitive
knights. About a mile on the road his horse leaped over Ivanhoe, who had
sought repose on the bosom of his mother earth. Farther on the valorous
Knight of Glenbetsy was seen floundering among the frogs in a pond of
water. They now came in sight of the Knight of Cunopolis, who was going
along at a furious speed, still carrying his pole in his hand, when down
went his horse in a gully. Leaving one of his staff to assist the fallen
hero, on went his Excellency in pursuit of Richard the Lion-hearted.
Reaching the top of an eminence, he beheld Richard on his white charger
riding along at a terrific speed. His Excellency, who was a famous
fox-hunter, now stood in his stirrups and shouted, "Tallyho! tallyho!"
and then applied whip and spur with redoubled vigor.
They soon crossed a stream which formed the boundary of two counties.
Richard was now hidden from their view by an angle in the road; and when
their panting and foam-covered horses had galloped another mile, they
beheld him lying on the ground by the side of his gallant charger. Old
Whitey had fallen, thoroughly exhausted; and Richard, dismounted at
last, now lay in the road, gasping for breath, but still grasping his
long pole.
When he had been restored to consciousness, his Excellency complimented
him on his admirable horsemanship, and said that the chase had afforded
him fully as much enjoyment as he had ever found in the most exciting
fox-hunt.
In the afternoon of the same day, as Rosabel and Ida were seated on the
porch of the Widow Wild's mansion, in company with Toney and Tom, they
beheld, on the road leading to Mapleton, a procession of people on
horseback following a carriage, in which were seated a Caucasian and an
African.
"What is that?" said Rosabel. "It looks like a funeral."
"Nothing like a funeral," said Toney, who had applied an opera-glass to
his eye.
"What can it be?" asked Rosabel.
"A triumphal procession in honor of Richard Plantagenet," said Toney.
"The governor and his staff are conducting him back to the town.
Richard's chariot is driven by an Ethiopian, and another African is
leading his white charger, which seems much exhausted."
"I do wonder what made those horses run away with the knights?" said
Rosabel.
"We have made the discovery," said the widow, coming on the porch in
company with the Professor. "It was just as I had predicted. That Barney
Bates was at the bottom of the mischief."
"What did he do?" asked Rosabel.
"Why," said the Professor, "in anticipation of the tournament, Barney
had procured pieces of leather perforated by a number of long and sharp
tacks, the points of which were carefully covered by other pieces of
thinner leather, so arranged that it required the weight of the rider to
cause the tacks to pierce through. Bates had seduced the other boys from
their allegiance to their respective knights, and under each saddle was
one of these cruel instruments of torture, ready to give the steed great
agony as soon as the valiant knight had mounted."
"And that caused the horses to kick up and run off?" said Ida.
"That was undoubtedly the cause of their extraordinary excitement," said
the Professor.
"I wonder what has become of Love?" said Ida.
"He fell at your feet," said Toney.
"And Bliss?" said Rosabel.
"Bliss endeavored to bestow himself on you," said Toney.
"Indeed, he was very near falling in Rosabel's lap," said the widow.
"And what did they do with Dove?" asked Ida.
"Ladies," said the Professor, "I have made inquiry, and can answer your
questions. Those three gallant knights were carried from the lists to
the town. No bones had been broken, but their nerves were terribly
shattered. They were conducted to a chamber in the hotel, and strong
tonics brought from the bar and skillfully administered by the landlord.
At this very moment, Love, Dove, and Bliss are snugly sleeping in the
same bed, and probably dreaming of future fields of glory."