Therewith he was gone and Osberne entered the town after his fellows,
and the Baron of Deepdale was brought to Sir Medard in the great
tower. There they would have served him with all honour, but he was
not yet come out of that trance; so they laid him to rest in Sir
Medard's own bed, and had warders both within the chamber and without;
and Osberne sat talking with Sir Medard in the said chamber till dawn
was, when the Baron awoke really and fairly, and called for drink. And
Sir Medard brought it unto him with his own hand, and the Baron stared
at him and said: "Art thou of the service tonight? I know thee not."
Quoth Sir Medard: "And yet we have been near enough together ere this,
Lord Baron; thou shouldst know me, meseems." The Baron looked hard on
him and then round about the chamber, and cried out: "Holy Mary! 't is
Medard the carle-leader. Where am I, and where is the evil beast of a
minstrel? Hath he beguiled me?" Said Medard: "Lord, at this present
thou art in a chamber of my poor house in Eastcheaping. Doubtless
tomorrow, after we have had some talk together, thou and I and the
Porte, thou mayst go back home to Deepdale, or abide here to see how
we can feast, we carle-warriors, and to be holden in all honour."
Now came forth Stephen the Eater and said: "Lord, lo here the evil
beast of a minstrel who hath verily beguiled thee; but, Baron, it is
to thy gain and not thy loss. For tomorrow shall the war be ended, and
thou shalt be free to go back again to the fair women of Deepdale whom
thou lovest so much, and shalt save they men-at-arms, and thy weapons
and tents and timber, and victuals and drink a great heap; and all
this I deem, and more maybe, wouldst thou have lost hadst thou gone on
sitting perversely before Eastcheaping all for nought. So I will not
say pardon me, but make friends with me rather for being good to me."
And therewith he reached out his great hand to the Baron; but Osberne
drew him back by the girdle, and chid him for mocking a captive, while
the Baron turned his face to the wall and covered up his head with the
bed-clothes.
But ye may judge if there were riding and running in the leaguer next
morning when they could find the Baron nowhere; and one said this and
the other that; and he cried Kill and slay, and he cried Flee ere we
all come to like end; and great was the doubt and the turmoil. Amidst
of which comes Sir Medard on to the battlement of the north-west
tower, and beside him a squire bearing a white banner, and a herald
with a trumpet, which herald presently blew a loud blast, but such an
one as sounded not of war but of parley. So when the captains and
leaders heard the said blast and saw the white banner of peace, they
deemed that new tidings were toward, and a half score of them crossed
over their dyke bearing a white banner with them, and came close under
the tower whereon stood Sir Medard; and the chiefest of them, an old
hoar man and very wise, hight Sir Degore, stood before the others all
unhelmed and said: "Is it Sir Medard that standeth up there?"
"Yea verily," said the Knight; "and what art thou? Art thou a leader
of the host that sitteth about us?" Said the other: "I am Sir Degore,
of whom thou wilt have heard; under my lord the Baron of Deepdale I am
the leader of this host, and I have come to ask what thou wouldst of
us." Said Sir Medard: "I would see the Baron of Deepdale."
"He is sick this morning," said Sir Degore, "and may not rise; but if
thou wouldst render the town and the castle unto him, it is all one,
thou mayst make me serve thy turn; I know his mind full well."
Sir Medard laughed: "Nay," said he, "we will wait for that till we may
see the Baron himself. But tell me, Sir Knight, what is all this stir
and hubbub in thine host this morning?"
Said Sir Degore, without tarrying the word one moment: "There is a
great aid and refreshment come to us out of the East country, both of
victual and men, and our folk be welcoming the men and sharing the
victual."
"There is nothing in this, then, that we have heard, that ye cannot
find your Duke, and are seeking him up and down?"
"Nay, nothing," said the greybeard, wagging his head. But the folk
that were with him look on each other and thought within themselves
how wise the old man was. And Sir Medard spake when he might for his
laughter: "Sir, thy lord did well to make thee captain under him, for
thou art a wise and ready liar. But so it is that thou speakest with
one who knoweth the tale better than thou. Ho ye, bring forward my
lord."
Straightway came two squires, who led a lean dark man between them,
unarmed and clad in a long furred black gown. He took off his hat, and
thereupon Sir Degore and all they below knew him for their lord. He
spake at once and said: "Sir Degore and ye others, my lords and
captains, can ye hear me?"
"Yea, lord," said Sir Degore.
Then said the Baron: "This then is my word and commandment, that ye
give leave to all our folk-in-arms to depart each one to his own
house, and to bear away with him his weapons and armour and three
horses if he be of the knighthood, and one if he be of the sergeantry;
but the others, archers and villeins, may take one horse between three
to bear their baggage and ease them on the journey. But the flour and
wheat and wine, and all the neat and sheep, ye shall leave behind; for
the folk of this country-side and the good town have occasion for
them. But as to mine own matters which are of mine own person, as arms
and raiment and jewels and the like, ye shall bring them unto me here
in the good town, where I am minded to abide two or three days that I
may hold counsel about weighty matters with the Porte and the
Burgreve. Moreover, I would have thee, Sir Degore, and a five of my
counsellors and a half score of my servants, come hither to me to
abide with me for my aid and service while I tarry in Eastcheaping.
Now this is my will and pleasure, and I shall be no wiser later on;
wherefore do thou, Sir Degore, go straightway and tell my will to the
captains and sergeants and the knights, so that the hosts may
presently break up."
Ye may deem how Sir Degore and the other Deepdalers were abashed when
they knew that their lord was a captive in the hands of the foemen;
yet they seemed to think that the terms of the good town were not so
hard as might have been looked for, since they had gotten this so
great advantage.
Now Sir Degore spake and said: "Sir Medard, wilt thou suffer me to
come to thee, so that I may speak with my lord privily?" "To what
end," said Sir Medard, "since thou hast heard thy lord's commandment?
wilt thou not obey him?" "Yea," said Degore, "if I have heard his last
word; nevertheless were I fain to come up and speak with him." "Come
up then," said Sir Medard; "yet I must warn thee that it may be easier
for thee to come in to Eastcheaping today than to go out therefrom.
Moreover, bethink ye if ye dally how it would be were we to open our
gates and fall upon you with all ours, and ye disarrayed and
leaderless."
Therewith he gave word to open the postern to Sir Degore, who entered
and was brought to the top of the tower, and there he went up to the
Baron and bent the knee to him and might not refrain his tears; but
the Baron laughed, yet somewhat hardly. So they two went aside into an
ingle of the tower toward the town, while sir Medard and his stood
aloof a while. Then turned back Sir Degore to them of Eastcheaping,
and said: "Sir Medard, I pray thee leave to depart to my host, that I
may do after the bidding of my lord."
"Yea, go," said Sir Medard; "yet I would have thee remember that I
pray for a long life for the Baron of Deepdale, since he hath become
so good a friend to our town, and that thou wilt be in the wrong if
thou do aught to shorten it."
So Degore went his ways, and he and those counsellors and leaders went
back sadly to the leaguer, and fell to work to undo all they had done
the six months past. And it was no long time ere the stout men-at-arms
of Deepdale began to flow away from before Eastcheaping, and the men
of the town held good watch all the while; and ere it was evening,
divers bands of them went out-of-gates in good order to see that none
of the Deepdalers abode in array in the leaguer, and found nothing
there which they had cause to dread. And they took much spoil of that
which the Baron's host must needs leave behind. Meanwhile, Sir Medard
and his made what cheer they might to the Baron; and Sir Medard showed
Osberne unto him, and told him all the tale of the wolves and the
slaying of Hardcastle, and did him to wit that much of the valiancy
which they of Eastcheaping had shown in the war came of this lad of
Wethermel. And the Baron marvelled, and looked upon Osberne and said:
"Well, lad, if ever thou art hard bestead, come thou to Deepdale, and
we shall find somewhat for thee to do; and I bid thee thrive hale and
well!"
Howbeit Sir Medard told not to the Baron that Osberne had been one of
them that bore him off the last night. Yet somehow he came to know it
in time to come; I wot not through whom or how.