REVENGE.
After his interview with the king Cuthbert was led to his tent amid the
hearty plaudits of the English troops.
His own comrades flocked round him; the men of the greenwood, headed by
Cnut, were especially jubilant over his victory.
"Who would have thought," said the tall forester, "that the lad who but
a short time ago was a child should now have sustained the honor of the
country? We feel proud of you, Cuthbert; and trust us some day or other
to follow wherever you may lead, and to do some deed which will attain
for you honor and glory, and show that the men of Evesham are as doughty
as any under King Richard's rule."
"You must be wary, Cuthbert," the earl said to him that evening.
"Believe me that you and I have made a foe, who, although he may not
have the power, has certainly the will to injure us to the death. I
marked the eye of Count Jacquelin during the fight, and again when you
were led up to the king. There was hatred and fury in his eye. The page
too, I hear, is his own nephew, and he will be the laughing-stock of the
French camp at having been conquered by one so much younger than
himself. It will be well to keep upon your guard, and not to go out at
night unattended. Keep Cnut near you; he is faithful as a watch-dog, and
would give his life, I am sure, for you. I will myself be also upon my
guard, for it was after all my quarrel, and the fury of this fierce
knight will vent itself upon both of us if the opportunity should come.
I hear but a poor account of him among his confréres. They say he is one
of those disgraces to the name of knight who are but a mixture of robber
and soldier; that he harries all the lands in his neighborhood; and that
he has now only joined the Crusade to avoid the vengeance which the
cries of the oppressed people had invoked from his liege lord. I am told
indeed that the choice was given him to be outlawed, or to join the
Crusades with all the strength he could raise. Naturally he adopted the
latter alternative; but he has the instincts of the robber still, and
will do us an evil turn, if he have the chance."
Two days later the great army broke up its camp and marched south. After
a week's journeying they encamped near a town, and halted there two or
three days in order to collect provisions for the next advance; for the
supplies which they could obtain in the country districts were wholly
insufficient for so great a host of men. Here the armies were to
separate, the French marching to Genoa, the English to Marseilles, the
town at which they were to take ship.
One evening the earl sent Cuthbert with a message to another English
lord, staying in the town at the palace of the bishop, who was a friend
of his.
Cnut accompanied Cuthbert, for he now made a point of seldom letting him
out of his sight. It was light when they reached the bishop's palace,
but here they were delayed for some time, and night had fallen when they
sallied out.
The town was already quiet, for the inhabitants cared not to show
themselves in the streets now that such a large army of fierce men were
in the neighborhood.
The orders indeed of the monarchs were stringent, but discipline there
was but little of, and the soldiery in those days regarded peaceful
citizens as fair game; hence, when they came from the palace the streets
of the city were already hushed and quiet, for the orders of the king
had been peremptory that no men-at-arms, or others except those on duty,
were to be away from their camp after nightfall. This order had been
absolutely necessary, so many were the complaints brought in by country
peasants and farmers of the doings of bands of soldiers.
Cnut and Cuthbert proceeded along the streets unmolested for some
distance. Occasionally a solitary passer-by, with hooded cape, hurried
past. The moon was half full, and her light was welcome indeed, for in
those days the streets were unlighted, and the pavement so bad that
passage through the streets after dark was a matter of difficulty, and
even of danger.
Here and there before some roadside shrine a lamp dimly burned; before
these they paused, and, as good Catholics, Cnut and Cuthbert crossed
themselves. Just as they had passed one of these wayside shrines, a
sudden shout was heard, and a party of eight or ten men sprang out from
a side street and fell upon them.
Cnut and Cuthbert drew their swords and laid about them heartily, but
their assailants were too strong. Cnut was stricken to the ground, and
Cuthbert, seeing that defense was hopeless, took to his heels and ran
for his life. He was already wounded, but happily not so severely as in
any way to disable him.
Seeing that it was speed, and speed alone, which now could save him, he
flung aside his belt and scabbard as he ran, and with rapid steps flew
along the streets, not knowing whither he went, and striving only to
keep ahead of his pursuers. They, more incumbered by arms and armor,
were unable to keep up with the flying footsteps of a lad clothed in the
light attire of a page; but Cuthbert felt that the blood running from
his wound was weakening him fast, and that unless he could gain some
refuge his course must speedily come to an end. Happily he saw at some
little distance ahead of him a man standing by a door. Just as he
arrived the door opened, and a glow of light from within fell on the
road, showing that the person entering was a monk.
Without a moment's hesitation Cuthbert rushed through the door, shouting
"Sanctuary!" and sank almost fainting on the ground.
The monks, accustomed to wild pursuits and scenes of outrage in those
warlike days, hastily closed the door, barring it securely. In a moment
there was a rush of men against it from without.
One of the monks opened a lattice above the door.
"What mean you," he said, "by this outrage? Know ye not that this is the
Monastery of St. John, and that it is sacrilege to lay a hand of
violence even against its postern? Begone," he said, "or we'll lodge a
complaint before the king."
The assailants, nothing daunted, continued to batter at the door; but at
this moment the monks, aroused from their beds, hastened to the spot,
and seizing bill and sword--for in those days even monks were obliged at
times to depend upon carnal weapons--they opened the door, and flung
themselves upon the assailants with such force that the latter,
surprised and discomfited, were forced to make a hasty retreat.
The doors were then again barred, and Cuthbert was carried up to a cell
in the building, where the leech of the monastery speedily examined his
wound, and pronounced that although his life was not in danger by it, he
was greatly weakened by the loss of blood, that the wound was a serious
one and that it would be some time before the patient would recover.
[Illustration: THE DOORS WERE AGAIN BARRED, AND CUTHBERT WAS CARRIED TO
A CELL.]
It was two days before Cuthbert was sufficiently restored to be able to
speak. His first question to the monk was as to his whereabouts, and how
long he had been there. Upon being answered, he entreated that a
messenger might be dispatched to the camp of the Earl of Evesham, to beg
that a litter might be sent for him, and to inquire what had become of
Cnut, whom he had last seen stricken down.
The monk replied, "My son, I grieve to tell you that your request cannot
be complied with. The army moved away yesternoon, and is now some
twenty-five miles distant. There is nothing for you but patience, and
when restored you can follow the army, and rejoin your master before he
embarks at Marseilles. But how is it that a lad so young as you can have
incurred the enmity of those who sought your life? For it is clear from
the pertinacity with which they urged their attack that their object was
not plunder, of which indeed they would get but little from you, but to
take your life."
Cuthbert recounted the circumstances which had led to the feud of the
Count of Brabant against him, for he doubted not that this truculent
knight was at the bottom of the attack.
"After what has happened," the monk said, "you will need have caution
when you leave here. The place where you have taken refuge is known to
them, and should this wild noble persist in his desire for vengeance
against you, he will doubtless leave some of his ruffians to watch the
monastery. We will keep a lookout, and note if any strangers are to be
seen near the gates; if we find that it is so, we shall consider what is
best to be done. We could of course appeal to the mayor for protection
against them, and could even have the strangers ejected from the town or
cast into prison; but it is not likely that we should succeed in
capturing more than the fellow who may be placed on the lookout, and the
danger would be in no wise lessened to yourself. But there is time to
talk over this matter before you leave. It will be another fortnight at
least before you will be able to pursue your journey."
Cuthbert gained strength more rapidly than the monk had expected. He was
generously fed, and this and his good constitution soon enabled him to
recover from the loss of blood; and at the end of five days he expressed
his hope that he could on the following day pursue his journey. The monk
who attended him shook his head.
"Thou mightst, under ordinary circumstances, quit us to-morrow, for thou
art well enough to take part in the ordinary pursuits of a page; but to
journey is a different thing. You may have all sorts of hardships to
endure; you may have even to trust for your life to your speed and
endurance; and it would be madness for you to go until your strength is
fully established. I regret to tell you that we have ascertained beyond
a doubt that the monastery is closely watched. We have sent some of the
acolytes out, dressed in the garbs of monks, and attended by one of our
elder brethren; and in, each case, a monk who followed at a distance of
fifty yards was able to perceive that they were watched. The town is
full of rough men, the hangers-on of the army; some, indeed, are
followers of laggard knights, but the greater portion are men who merely
pursue the army with a view to gain by its necessities, to buy plunder
from the soldiers, and to rob, and, if necessary, to murder should there
be a hope of obtaining gold. Among these men your enemies would have
little difficulty in recruiting any number, and no appeal that we could
make to the mayor would protect you from them when you have left the
walls. We must trust to our ingenuity in smuggling you out. After that,
it is upon your own strength and shrewdness that you must rely for an
escape from any snares that may be laid for you. You will see, then,
that at least another three or four days are needed before you can set
forth. Your countrymen are so far away that a matter of a few days will
make but little difference. They will in any case be delayed for a long
time at Marseilles before they embark; and whether you leave now or a
month hence, you would be equally in time to join them before their
embarkation--that is, supposing that you make your way through the
snares which beset you."
Cuthbert saw the justice of the reasoning, and it was another week
before he announced himself as feeling absolutely restored to strength
again, and capable of bearing as much exertion as he could have done
before his attack.
A long consultation was held with the prior and a monk who had acted as
his leech, as to the best plan of getting Cuthbert beyond the walls of
the city. Many schemes were proposed and rejected. Every monk who
ventured beyond the walls had been closely scrutinized, and one or two
of short stature had even been jostled in the streets, so as to throw
back their hoods and expose a sight of their faces. It was clear, then,
that it would be dangerous to trust to a disguise. Cuthbert proposed
that he should leave at night, trusting solely to their directions as to
the turnings he should take to bring him to the city walls, and that,
taking a rope, he should there let himself down, and make the best of
his way forward. This, however, the monks would not consent to, assuring
him that the watch was so strictly kept round the monastery that he
would inevitably be seen.
"No," the prior said, "the method, whatever it is, must be as open as
possible; and though I cannot at this moment hit upon a plan, I will
think it over to-night, and putting my ideas with those of Father Jerome
here, and the sacristan, who has a shrewd head, it will be hard if we
cannot between us contrive some plan to evade the watch of those robber
villains who beset the convent."
The next morning, when the prior came in to see Cuthbert, the latter
said: "Good father, I have determined not to endeavor to make off in
disguise. I doubt not that your wit could contrive some means by which I
should get clear of the walls without observation from the scouts of
this villain noble. But once in the country, I should have neither horse
nor armor, and should have hard work indeed to make my way down through
France, even though none of my enemies were on my track. I will
therefore, if it please you, go down boldly to the mayor and claim a
protection and escort. If he will but grant me a few men-at-arms for one
day's ride from the town, I can choose my own route, and riding out in
mail, can then take my chance of finding my way down to Marseilles."
"I will go down with you, my son," the prior said, "to the mayor. Two of
my monks shall accompany us; and assuredly no insult will be offered to
you in the street thus accompanied." Shortly afterward Cuthbert started
as arranged, and soon arrived at the house of the mayor, Sir John de
Cahors.
Upon the prior making known to this knight whom he had brought with him
the mayor exclaimed:
"_Peste!_ young gentleman; you have caused us no small trouble and
concern. We have had ridings to and fro concerning you, and furious
messages from your fiery king. When in the morning a tall, stalwart
knave dressed in green was found, slashed about in various places, lying
on the pavement, the townsmen, not knowing who he was, but finding that
he still breathed, carried him to the English camp, and he was claimed
as a follower of the Earl of Evesham. There was great wrath and anger
over this; and an hour later the earl himself came down and stated that
his page was missing, and that there was reason to believe that he had
been foully murdered, as he had accompanied the man found wounded.
Fortunately the bulk of the armies had marched away at early dawn, and
the earl had only remained behind in consequence of the absence of his
followers. I assured the angry Englishman that I would have a thorough
search made in the town; and although in no way satisfied, he rode off
after his king with all his force, carrying with him the long-limbed man
whom we had picked up. Two days after a message came back from King
Richard himself, saying that unless this missing page were discovered,
or if, he being killed, his murderers were not brought to justice and
punished, he would assuredly on his return from the Holy Land burn the
town over our ears. Your king is not a man who minces matters. However,
threatened men live long, especially when the person who threatens is
starting for a journey, from which, as like as not, he may never return.
However, I have had diligent search made for you. All the houses of bad
repute have been examined and their inhabitants questioned. But there
are so many camp-followers and other rabble at present in the town that
a hundred men might disappear without our being able to obtain a clew. I
doubted not indeed that your body had been thrown in the river, and
that we should never hear more of you. I am right glad that you have
been restored; not indeed from any fear of the threats of the king your
master, but because, from what the Earl of Evesham said, you were a lad
likely to come to great fame and honor. The earl left in my charge your
horse, and the armor which he said you wore at a tournament lately, in
case we should hear aught of you."
Cuthbert gave an exclamation of pleasure. His purse contained but a few
pieces of silver, and being without arms except for his short dagger, or
means of locomotion, the difficulties of the journey down to Marseilles
had sorely puzzled him. But with his good horse between his knees, and
his suit of Milan armor on his back, he thought that he might make his
way through any dangers which threatened him.
The prior now told the knight that circumstances had occurred which
showed that it was known to the assailants of Cuthbert that he had taken
refuge in the convent, over which a strict watch had been kept by
Cuthbert's enemies.
"If I could find the varlets I would hang them over the gates of the
town," the knight said wrathfully. "But as at the present moment there
are nearly as many rogues as honest men in the place it would be a
wholesale hanging indeed to insure getting hold of the right people.
Moreover, it is not probable that another attempt upon his life will be
made inside our walls; and doubtless the main body of this gang are
somewhere without, intending to assault him when he continues his
journey, and they have left but a spy or two here to inform them as to
his movements. I will give you any aid in my power, young sir. The army
is by this time nigh Marseilles, and, sooth to say, I have no body of
men-at-arms whom I could send as your escort for so long a distance. I
have but a small body here, and they are needed, and sorely, too, to
keep order within the walls."
"I thought, sir," Cuthbert said, "that if you could lend me a party of
say four men-at-arms to ride with me for the first day I could then
trust to myself, especially if you could procure me one honest man to
act as guide and companion. Doubtless they suppose that I should travel
by the main road south; but by going the first day's journey either east
or west, and then striking some southward road, I should get a fair
start of them, throw all their plans out, and perchance reach Marseilles
without interruption."
The knight willingly agreed to furnish four men-at-arms, and a
trustworthy guide who would at least take him as far south as Avignon.
"I will," he said, "tell the men-at-arms off to-night. They shall be at
the western gate at daybreak, with the pass permitting them to ride
through. The guide shall be at the convent door half an hour earlier. I
will send up to-night your armor and horse. Here is a purse which the
Earl of Evesham also left for your use. Is there aught else I can do for
you?"
"Nothing, sir," Cuthbert said; "and if I regain the army in safety I
shall have pleasure in reporting to King Richard how kindly and
courteously you have treated me."
The arrangements were carried out.
An hour before daybreak Cuthbert was aroused, donned his armor and steel
casque, drank a flask of wine, and ate a manchet of bread which the
prior himself brought him, and then, with a cordial adieu to the kind
monks, issued forth.
The guide had just reached the gate, and together they trotted down the
narrow streets to the west gate of the city, where four men-at-arms were
awaiting them.
The gates were at once opened, and Cuthbert and his little troop sallied
forth.