The Boy Knight: A Tale of the Crusades

  CHAPTER XVII.

  AN ALPINE STORM.

  The tremendous exertions which King Richard had made told upon him, andattacks of fever succeeded each other at short intervals. This, however,mattered the less, since negotiations were now proceeding between himand Saladin. It was impossible, with the slight means at his disposal,for Richard further to carry on the Crusade alone. Moreover, pressingnews had arrived from his mother in England, urging him to return, ashis brother John was intriguing against him, and had already assumed allbut the kingly title. Saladin was equally desirous of peace. His wildtroops were, for the most part, eager to return to their homes, and thedefeats which they had suffered, and the, to them, miraculous power ofKing Richard's arm, had lowered their spirit and made them eager to beaway. Therefore he consented without difficulty to the terms proposed.By these, the Christians were to surrender Ascalon, but were to keepJaffa, Tyre, and the fortresses along the coast. All hostilities were tobe suspended on both sides for the space of three years, three months,three weeks, three days, and three hours, when Richard hoped to returnagain and to recommence the struggle.

  Between the sultan and King Richard a feeling approaching that offriendship had sprung up during the campaign. Saladin was himself bravein the extreme, and exposed his life as fearlessly as did his Christianrival, and the two valiant leaders recognized the great qualities ofeach other. Several times during the campaign when Richard had been ill,the emir had sent him presents of fruit and other matters, to whichRichard had responded in the same spirit. An interview had taken placebetween them which further cemented their friendship; and when Richardpromised to return again at the end of the truce with a far larger army,and to accomplish the rescue of the holy city, the sultan smiled, andsaid that it appeared that valor alone was not sufficient to conquer inthe Holy Land, but that if Jerusalem were to fall into the hands of theChristians, it could fall into no worthier hands than those ofMalek-Rik.

  So, with many mutual courtesies, the great rivals separated, and soonafter King Richard and the little remnant of his army embarked on boardship, and set sail for England.

  It was on October 11, 1192, that Richard Coeur de Lion left Palestine.Soon after they started a storm suddenly burst upon them, and dispersedthem in various directions. The ship in which Queen Berengaria wascarried arrived safely in Sicily; but that in which King Richard wasborne was missing, and none of his fellow-voyagers knew what had becomeof him. Sir Cuthbert was in the same vessel as the king, and the barkwas driven upon the Island of Corfu. All reached shore in safety, andKing Richard then hired three small vessels, in which he sailed to theport of Zara, whence he hoped to reach the domains of his nephew, Othoof Saxony, the son of his sister Matilda. The king had with him now buttwo of his knights, Baldwin of Bethune, and Cuthbert of Evesham. Cnutwas with his feudal chief--for such Cuthbert had now, by his accessionto the rank of Earl of Evesham, become--and three or four Englisharchers.

  "I fear, my lords," the king said to his knights as he sat in a littleroom in an inn at Zara, "that my plight is a bad one. I am surrounded byenemies, and, alas! I can no longer mount my steed and ride out as atJaffa to do battle with them. My brother, John Lackland, is scheming totake my place upon the throne of England. Philip of France, whose mindis far better at such matters than at setting armies in the field, is inleague with him. The Emperor Henry has laid claim to the throne ofSicily. Leopold of Austria has not forgiven me the blow I struck him inthe face at Ascalon, and the friends of Conrad of Montferat arespreading far and wide the lie that I was the instigator of his murder.Sure never had a poor king so many enemies, and few have ever had sosmall a following as I have now. What think you, my lords? What coursewould you advise that I should adopt? If I can reach Saxony doubtlessOtho will aid me. But hence to Dresden is a long journey indeed. I haveneither credit nor funds to hire a ship to take us by sea. Nor wouldsuch a voyage be a safe one, when so many of my enemies' ships are onthe main. I must needs, I think, go in disguise, for my way lies whollythrough the country of my enemies."

  "Surely," Cuthbert said, "no potentate could for very shame venture todetain your majesty on your way from the Holy Land, where you havewrought such great deeds. Were I in your place, I would at once proclaimmyself, mount my horse, have my banner carried before me, and rideopenly on. You have, too, another claim, namely, that of beingshipwrecked, and even in war-time nations respect those whom the forceof God has thrown upon their shores."

  "I fear me, Sir Cuthbert," Sir Baldwin said, "that you overrate thechivalry of our master's enemies. Had we been thrown on the shores ofFrance, Philip perhaps would hesitate to lay hands upon the king; butthese petty German princelings have no idea of the observances of truechivalry. They are coarse and brutal in their ways; and though inoutward form following the usage of knighthood, they have never beenpenetrated with its spirit. If the friends of Conrad of Montferat layhands upon King Richard I fear that no scruples will prevent them fromusing their advantage to the utmost. Even their emperor I would nottrust. The course which you advise would no doubt be in accordance withthe spirit of King Richard; but it would be madness for him to judgeother people's spirit by his own, and it would be rushing into thelion's den to proclaim himself here. I should recommend, if I mightventure to do so, that his majesty should assume a false name, and thatwe should travel in small parties so as to attract no attention, eachmaking his way to Saxony as best he may."

  There was silence for a minute or two, and then the king with a sighsaid:

  "I fear that you are right, Sir Baldwin, and that there is no chivalryamong these swinish German lords. You shall accompany me. Not, SirCuthbert," he observed kindly, noticing a look of disappointment uponthe face of the young knight, "that I estimate your fidelity one whitlower than that of my brave friend; but he is the elder and the moreversed in European travel, and may manage to bring matters throughbetter than you would do. You will have dangers enough to encounteryourself, more even than I shall, for your brave follower, Cnut, canspeak no language but his own, and your archers will be hard to pass asany other than what they are. You must be my messenger to England,should you arrive there without me. Tell my mother and wife where youleft me, and that, if I do not come home I have fallen into the handsof one or other of my bitter foes. Bid them bestir themselves to holdEngland for me against my brother John, and, if needs be, to move thesovereigns of Europe to free me from the hands of my enemies. Should aransom be needed, I think that my people of England will not grudgetheir goods for their king."

  The following day the king bade farewell to his faithful followers,giving his hand to kiss, not only to Sir Cuthbert, but to Cnut and hisarchers.

  "You have done me brave service," he said, "and I trust may yet haveoccasion to do it again. These are bad times when Richard of England hasnaught wherewith to reward his friends. But," he said, taking a goldchain from his neck and breaking it with his strong fingers into fivefragments, "that is for you, Cnut, and for your four archers, inremembrance of King Richard."

  The men, albeit hardened by many scenes of warfare, yet shed tearsplenteously at parting with the king.

  "We had better," Cuthbert said to them when they were alone, "delay herefor a few days. If we are taken, the news that some Englishmen have beencaptured making their way north from Zara will spread rapidly, and maycause the enemies of Richard to be on the lookout for him, suspectingthat the ship which bore us may also have carried him; for the news thathe is missing will spread rapidly through Europe, and will set all hisenemies on the alert."

  In accordance with this plan they delayed for another ten days at Zara,and then, hiring a small boat, were landed some thirty miles furtheralong the coast. Cuthbert had obtained for Cnut the dress of a palmer,as in this he would pass almost unquestioned, and his silence might beaccounted for on the ground that he had taken a vow of silence. Hehimself had placed on his coat armor a red cross, instead of the whitecross borne by the English knights, and would now pass as a Frenchknight. Similar changes were made in th
e dress of his followers, and hedetermined to pass as a French noble who had been wrecked on his wayhome, and who was returning through Germany to France. The difficultiesin his own case would not be serious, as his French would pass musteranywhere in Germany. The greatest difficulty would be with hisattendants; but he saw no way of avoiding this.

  Cuthbert's object, when with his little party he separated from KingRichard, was to make his way to Verona, thence cross by Trent intoBavaria, and so to journey to Saxony. Fortunately he had at the stormingof Acre become possessed of a valuable jewel, and this he now sold, andpurchased a charger for himself. He had little fear of any trouble inpassing through the north of Italy, for this was neutral ground, whereknights of all nations met, and where, neither as an English nor aFrench Crusader, would he attract either comment or attention.

  It was a slow journey across the northern plains, as of course he had toaccommodate his pace to that of his men. Cnut and the archers hadgrumbled much at the change of the color of the cross upon theirjerkins; and, as Cnut said, would have been willing to run greaterperils under their true colors than to affect to belong to any othernationality. On their way they passed through Padua, and there stopped afew days. Cuthbert could but feel, in looking at the splendor of thisItalian city, the courteous manner of its people, and the university,which was even then famous, how far in advance were those stately citiesof Italy to Western Europe. His followers were as much surprised ashimself at the splendors of the city. Here they experienced no troubleor annoyance whatever, for to the cities of Italy knights of allnations resorted, learned men came to study, philosophers to dispute,and as these brought their attendants with them, you might in thestreets of Padua and its sister cities hear every language in Europespoken.

  From Padua they journeyed to Verona, marveling greatly at the richnessof the country. The footmen, however, grumbled at the flatness of theplain, and said that it was as bad as marching in the Holy Land. Ontheir right, however, the slopes of the Alps, thickly clad with forests,reached down nearly to the road, and Cuthbert assured them that theywould have plenty of climbing before they had done. At Verona theytarried again, and wondered much at the great amphitheater, then almostperfect. Cuthbert related to Cnut and the archers how men had there beenset to fight while the great stone benches round were thronged with menand women looking on at their death struggles, and said that notunfrequently British captives were brought hither and made to contend inthe arena. The honest fellows were full of indignation and horror at thethought of men killing themselves to give sport to others. They wereused to hard knocks, and thought but little of their life, and wouldhave betaken themselves to their bows and bills without hesitation incase of a quarrel. But to fight in cold blood for amusement seemed tothem very terrible.

  Cuthbert would then have traveled on to Milan, at that time next to Romethe richest city in Europe, but he longed to be back in England, and wasthe more anxious as he knew that King Richard would be passing throughgreat dangers, and he hoped to meet him at the court of Saxony. Hismoney, too, was fast running out, and he found that it would be beyondhis slender means to extend his journey so far. At Verona, then, theyturned their back on the broad plains of Lombardy, and entered thevalley of the Trent.

  So far no observation whatever had been excited by the passage of theEnglish knight. So many Crusaders were upon their way home, many ingrievous plight, that the somewhat shabby retinue passed unnoticed. Butthey were now leaving Italy, and entering a country where German wasspoken. Trent, in those days an important city, was then, and is still,the meeting place of Italy and Germany. Both tongues are here spoken;but while the Italian perhaps preponderates, the customs, manners, andmode of thought of the people belong to those of the mountaineers of theTyrol rather than of the dwellers on the plains.

  "You are choosing a stormy time," the landlord of the hostelry wherethey put up said to Cuthbert. "The winter is now at hand, and stormssweep across the passes with terrible violence. You had better, at thelast village you come to in the valley, obtain the services of a guide,for should a snowstorm come on when you are crossing, the path will belost, and nothing will remain but a miserable death. By daylight theroad is good. It has been cut with much trouble, and loaded mules canpass over without difficulty. Poles have been erected at short distancesto mark the way when the snow covers it. But when the snowstorms sweepacross the mountains it is impossible to see ten paces before you, andif the traveler leaves the path he is lost."

  "But I suppose," Cuthbert said, "that even in winter travelers passover?"

  "They do," the host said. "The road is as open in winter as in summer,although, of course, the dangers are greater. Still, there is nothing toprevent vigorous men from crossing over when the storms come on. Now,too, with the snow already lying in the upper forests, the wolves areabroad, and should you be attacked by one of those herds, you will findit hard work to defend your lives. Much has been done to render theroad safe. At the distance of every league stone houses have beenerected, where travelers can find shelter either from the storm or fromthe attacks of wolves or bears, for these, too, abound in the forests,and in summer there is fine hunting among them. You are, as I see,returning from the Holy Land, an are therefore used to heat rather thancold, so I should advise you before you leave this city to buy somerough cloaks to shield you from the cold. You can obtain them for yourfollowers very cheaply, made of the mountain goat or of sheepskins, andeven those of bearskin well dressed are by no means dear."

  Obtaining the address of a merchant who kept these things, Cuthbertproceeded thither; and purchased five cloaks of goatskin with hoods topull over their heads for his followers while for himself he obtainedone of rather finer material.

  Another two days' journey brought them to the foot of the steep ascent,and here they hired the services of a guide. The ascent was long anddifficult, and in spite of the praises which the host had bestowed uponthe road, it was so steep that Cuthbert was, for the most part, obligedto walk, leading his steed, whose feet slipped on the smooth rock, andas in many places a false step would have thrown them down many hundredsof feet into the valley below, Cuthbert judged it safer to trust himselfto his own feet. He disincumbered himself of his helmet and gorget, andplaced these upon the horse's back. At nightfall they had attained avery considerable height, and stopped at one of the small refuges ofwhich the landlord had spoken.

  "I like not the look of the weather," the guide said in the morning--atleast that was what Cuthbert judged him to say, for he could speak noword of the man's language. His actions, however, as he looked towardthe sky, and shook his head, spoke for themselves, and Cuthbert, feelinghis own powerlessness in a situation so novel to him, felt seriousmisgivings at the prospect.

  The scenery was now very wild. On all sides crags and mountain topscovered with snow glistened in the sun. The woods near the path werefree of snow; but higher up they rose black above the white ground. Thewind blew keenly, and all rejoiced in the warm cloaks which they hadobtained; for even with the protection of these they had found the coldbitter during the night.

  "I like not this country," Cnut said. "We grumbled at the heat ofPalestine, but I had rather march across the sand there than in thisinhospitable frozen region. The woods look as if they might containspecters. There is a silence which seems to be unnatural, and mycourage, like the warmth of my body, is methinks oozing out from myfingers."

  Cuthbert laughed.

  "I have no doubt that your courage would come again much quicker thanthe warmth, Cnut, if there were any occasion for it. A brisk walk willset you all right again, and banish these uneasy fancies. To-night weshall be at the highest point, and to-morrow begin to descend towardGermany."

  All day the men kept steadily on. The guide from time to time lookedapprehensively at the sky; and although in the earlier part of the dayCuthbert's inexperienced eye saw nothing to cause the slightestuneasiness, toward the afternoon the scene changed. Light clouds beganto gather on the top of all the hills and to shut the mount
ain peaksentirely from view. The wind moaned between the gorges and occasionallyswept along in such sudden gusts that they could with difficulty retaintheir feet. The sky became gradually overcast, and frequently lightspecks of snow, so small as to be scarcely perceptible, were drivenalong on the blast, making their faces smart by the force with whichthey struck them.

  "It scarcely needs our guide's face," Cuthbert said, "to tell us that astorm is at hand, and that our position is a dangerous one. As for me, Iown that I feel better pleased now that the wind is blowing, and thesilence is broken, than at the dead stillness which prevailed thismorning. After all, methinks that a snowstorm cannot be more dreadedthan a sandstorm, and we have faced those before now."

  Faster and faster the snow came down, until at last the whole air seemedfull of it, and it was with difficulty that they could stagger forward.Where the path led across open places the wind swept away the snow asfast as it fell, but in the hollows the track was already covered; andfeeling the difficulty of facing the blinding gale, Cuthbert nowunderstood the urgency with which his host had insisted upon the dangerof losing the track. Not a word was spoken among the party as theyplodded along. The guide kept ahead, using the greatest caution whereverthe path was obliterated by the snow, sometimes even sounding with hisiron-shod staff to be sure that they were upon the level rock. In spiteof his warm cloak Cuthbert felt that he was becoming chilled to thebone. His horse could with difficulty keep his feet; and Cnut and thearchers lagged behind.

  "You must keep together, lads," he shouted. "I have heard that in thesemountains when sleepiness overpowers the traveler, death is at hand.Therefore, come what may, we must struggle on."

  Many times the gale was so violent that they were obliged to pause andtake shelter under the side of a rock or precipice until the fury of theblast had passed; and Cuthbert eagerly looked out for the next refuge.At last they reached it, and the guide at once entered. It was not thatin which he had intended to pass the night, for this lay still higher;but it would have been madness to attempt to go further in the face ofsuch a gale. He signed to Cuthbert that it was necessary at once tocollect firewood, and he himself proceeded to light some brands whichhad been left by previous travelers. Cuthbert gave directions to Cnutand the archers; and these, feeling that life depended upon a good firebeing kept up, set to with a will, cutting down shrubs and branchesgrowing in the vicinity of the hut. In half an hour a huge fire blazedin the refuge; and as the warmth thawed their limbs, their tongues wereunloosened, and a feeling of comfort again prevailed.

  "If this be mountaineering, my lord," Cnut said, "I trust that neveragain may it be my fortune to venture among the hills. How long, Iwonder, do the storms last here? I was grumbling all the way up the hillat the load of provisions which the guide insisted that each of usshould bring with him. As it was to be but a three days' journey beforewe reached a village on the other side, I wondered why he insisted uponour taking food enough to last us at least for a week. But I understandnow, and thank him for his foresight; for if this storm goes on we areassuredly prisoners here for so long as it may continue."

  The horse had to be brought into the hut, for it would have been deathfor it to have remained outside.

  "What is that?" Cnut said presently, as a distant howl was heard betweenthe lulls of the storm. The guide muttered some word which Cuthbert didnot understand. But he said to Cnut, "I doubt not that it is wolves.Thank God that we are safe within this refuge, for here not even themost ravenous beasts could make their way."

  "Pooh!" Cnut said contemptuously. "Wolves are no bigger than dogs. Ihave heard my grandfather say that he shot one in the forest, and thatit was no bigger than a hound. We should make short work of them."

  "I know not," Cuthbert said. "I have heard tales of these animals whichshow that they must be formidable opponents. They hunt in great packs,and are so furious that they will attack parties of travelers; many ofthese have perished miserably, horses and men, and nothing but theirswords and portions of their saddles have remained to tell where thebattle was fought."