Chapter Nine: The Horses Flame and Smoke
On the following morning, when they came into the eating-room ofthe inn, Godwin and Wulf found they were no longer alone in thehouse, for sundry other guests sat there partaking of theirmorning meal. Among them were a grave merchant of Damascus,another from Alexandria in Egypt, a man who seemed to be an Arabchief, a Jew of Jerusalem, and none other than the English traderThomas of Ipswich, their fellow-passenger, who greeted themwarmly.
Truly they seemed a strange and motley set of men. Consideringthem as the young and stately widow Masouda moved from one to theother, talking to each in turn while she attended to their wants,it came into Godwin's mind that they might be spies meeting thereto gain or exchange information, or even to make report to theirhostess, in whose pay perhaps they were. Still if so, of thisthey showed no sign. Indeed, for the most part they spoke inFrench, which all of them understood, on general matters, such asthe heat of the weather, the price of transport animals ormerchandise, and the cities whither they purposed to travel.
The trader Thomas, it appeared, had intended to start forJerusalem that morning with his goods. But the riding mule he hadbought proved to be lame from a prick in the hoof, nor were allhis hired camels come down from the mountains, so that he mustwait a few days, or so he said.
Under these circumstances, he offered the brethren his company intheir ramblings about the town. This they thought it wise not torefuse, although they felt little confidence in the man,believing that it was he who had found out their story and truenames and revealed them to Masouda, either through talkativenessor with a purpose.
However these things might be, this Thomas proved of service tothem, since, although he was but just landed, he seemed to knowall that had passed in Syria since he left it, and all that waspassing then. Thus he told them how Guy of Lusignan had just madehimself king in Jerusalem on the death of the child Baldwin, andhow Raymond of Tripoli refused to acknowledge him and was aboutto be besieged in Tiberias. How Saladin also was gathering agreat host at Damascus to make war upon the Christians, and manyother things, false and true.
In his company, then, and sometimes in that of the other guests--none of whom showed any curiosity concerning them, thoughwhether this was from good manners or for other reasons theycould not be sure--the brethren passed the hours profitablyenough.
It was on the third morning of their stay that their hostessMasouda, with whom as yet they had no further private talk, askedthem if they had not said that they wished to buy horses. Ontheir answering "Yes," she added that she had told a certain manto bring two for them to look at, which were now in the stablebeyond the garden. Thither they went, accompanied by Masouda, tofind a grave Arab, wrapped in a garment of camel's hair andcarrying a spear in his hand, standing at the door of the cavewhich served the purpose of a stable, as is common in the Eastwhere the heat is so great. As they advanced towards him, Masoudasaid:
"If you like the horses, leave me to bargain, and seem tounderstand nothing of my talk."
The Arab, who took no notice of them, saluted Masouda, and saidto her in Arabic:
"Is it then for Franks that I have been ordered to bring the twopriceless ones?"
"What is that to you, my Uncle, Son of the Sand?" she asked. "Letthem be led forth that I may know whether they are those forwhich I sent."
The man turned and called into the door of the cave.
"Flame, come hither!" As he spoke, there was a sound of hoofs,and through the low archway leapt the most beautiful horse thatever their eyes had seen. It was grey in colour, with flowingmane and tail, and on its forehead was a black star; not overtall, but with a barrel-like shape of great strength,small-headed, large-eyed; wide-nostriled, big-boned, but finebeneath the knee, and round-hoofed. Out it sprang snorting; thenseeing its master, the Arab, checked itself and stood still byhim as though it had been turned to stone.
"Come hither, Smoke," called the Arab again, and another horseappeared and ranged itself by the first. In size and shape it wasthe same, but the colour was coal-black and the star upon itsforehead white. Also the eye was more fiery.
"These are the horses," said the Arab, Masouda translating. "Theyare twins, seven years old and never backed until they wererising six, cast at a birth by the swiftest mare in Syria, and ofa pedigree that can be counted for a hundred years."
"Horses indeed!" said Wulf. "Horses indeed! But what is the priceof them?"
Masouda repeated the question in Arabic, whereon the man repliedin the same tongue with a slight shrug of the shoulders.
"Be not foolish. You know this is no question of price, for theyare beyond price. Say what you will."
"He says," said Masouda, "that it is a hundred gold pieces forthe pair. Can you pay as much?"
The brethren looked at each other. The sum was large.
"Such horses have saved men's lives ere now," added Masouda, "andI do not think that I can ask him to take less, seeing that, didhe but know it, in Jerusalem they could be sold for thrice asmuch. But if you wish, I could lend you money, since doubtlessyou have jewels or other articles of value you could give assecurity--that ring in your breast, for instance, Peter."
"We have the gold itself," answered Wulf, who would have paid tohis last piece for those horses.
"They buy," said Masouda.
"They buy, but can they ride?" asked the Arab. "These horses arenot for children or pilgrims. Unless they can ride well theyshall not have them--no, not even if you ask it of me."
Godwin said that he thought so--at least, they would try. Thenthe Arab, leaving the horses standing there, went into thestable, and with the help of two of the inn servants, brought outbridles and saddles unlike any they had seen. They were butthickly-quilted pads stretching far back upon the horses' loins,with strong hide girths strapped with wool and chased stirrupsfashioned like half hoofs. The bits also were only snaffleswithout curbs.
When all was ready and the stirrups had been let down to thelength they desired, the Arab motioned to them to mount. As theyprepared to do so, however, he spoke some word, and suddenlythose meek, quiet horses were turned into two devils, whichreared up on their hind legs and threatened them with their teethand their front hoofs, that were shod with thin plates of iron.Godwin stood wondering, but Wulf, who was angry at the trick, gotbehind the horses, and watching his chance, put his hands uponthe flanks of the stallion named Smoke, and with one spring leaptinto the saddle. Masouda smiled, and even the Arab muttered"Good," while Smoke, feeling himself backed, came to the groundagain and became quiet as a sheep. Then the Arab spoke to thehorse Flame, and Godwin was allowed to vault into the saddlealso.
"Where shall we go?" he asked.
Masouda said they would show them, and, accompanied by her andthe Arab, they walked the horses until they were quite clear ofthe town, to find themselves on a road that had the sea to theleft, and to the right a stretch of flat land, some of itcultivated, above which rose the steep and stony sides of hills.Here on this road the brethren trotted and cantered the horses toand fro, till they began to be at home in their strange saddleswho from childhood had ridden barebacked in the Essex marshes,and to learn what pressure on the bit was needed to check or turnthem. When they came back to where the pair stood, Masouda saidthat if they were not afraid the seller wished to show them thatthe horses were both strong and swift.
"We fear no ride that he dares to take himself," answered Wulfangrily, whereon the Arab smiled grimly and said something in alow voice to Masouda. Then, placing his hand upon Smoke's flank,he leapt up behind Wulf, the horse never stirring.
"Say, Peter, are you minded to take a companion for this ride?"asked Masouda; and as she spoke a strange look came into hereyes, a wild look that was new to the brethren.
"Surely," answered Godwin, "but where is the companion?"
Her reply was to do as the Arab had done, and seating herselfstraddle-legged behind Godwin, to clasp him around the middle.
"Truly you look a pretty pilgrim now, brother,
" said Wulf,laughing aloud, while even the grave Arab smiled and Godwinmuttered between his teeth the old proverb "Woman on croup, devilon bow." But aloud he said, "I am indeed honoured; yet, friendMasouda, if harm should come of this, do not blame me."
"No harm will come--to you, friend Peter; and I have been solong cooped in an inn that I, who am desert-born, wish for agallop on the mountains with a good horse beneath me and a braveknight in front. Listen, you brethren; you say you do not fear;then leave your bridles loose, and where'er we go and whate'er wemeet seek not to check or turn the horses Flame and Smoke. Now,Son of the Sand, we will test these nags of which you sing soloud a song. Away, and let the ride be fast and far!"
"On your head be it then, daughter," answered the old Arab."Pray Allah that these Franks can sit a horse!"
Then his sombre eyes seemed to take fire, and gripping theencircling saddle girth, he uttered some word of command, atwhich the stallions threw up their heads and began to move at along, swinging gallop towards the mountains a mile away. At firstthey went over cultivated land off which the crops had beenalready cut, taking two or three ditches and a low wall in theirstride so smoothly that the brethren felt as though they wereseated upon swallows. Then came a space of sandy sward, half amile or more, where their pace quickened, after which they beganto breast the long slope of a hill, picking their way amongst itsstones like cats.
Ever steeper it grew, till in places it was so sheer that Godwinmust clutch the mane of Flame, and Masouda must cling close toGodwin's middle to save themselves from slipping off behind. Yet,notwithstanding the double weights they bore, those gallantsteeds never seemed to falter or to tire. At one spot theyplunged through a mountain stream. Godwin noted that not fiftyyards to their right this stream fell over a little precipicecutting its way between cliffs which were full eighteen feet frombank to bank, and thought to himself that had they struck itlower down, that ride must have ended. Beyond the stream lay ahundred yards or so of level ground, and above it still steepercountry, up which they pushed their way through bushes, till atlength they came to the top of the mountain and saw the plainthey had left lying two miles or more below them.
"These horses climb hills like goats," Wulf said; "but one thingis certain: we must lead them down."
Now on the top of the mountain was a stretch of land almost flatand stoneless, over which they cantered forward, gathering speedas the horses recovered their wind till the pace grew fast.Suddenly the stallions threw themselves on to their haunches andstopped, as well they might, for they were on the verge of achasm, at whose far foot a river brawled in foam. For a momentthey stood; then, at some word from the Arab, wheeled round, and,bearing to the left, began to gallop back across the tableland,until they approached the edge of the mountainside, where thebrethren thought that they would stop.
But Masouda cried to the Arab, and the Arab cried to the horses,and Wulf cried to Godwin in the English tongue, "Show no fear,brother. Where they go, we can go."
"Pray God that the girths may hold," answered Godwin, leaningback against the breast of Masouda behind him. As he spoke theybegan to descend the hill, slowly at first, afterwards faster andyet more fast, till they rushed downwards like a whirlwind.
How did those horses keep their footing? They never knew, andcertainly none that were bred in England could have done so. Yetnever falling, never stumbling even, on they sped, taking greatrocks in their stride, till at length they reached the levelpiece of land above the stream, or rather above the cleft fulleighteen feet in width at the foot of which that stream ran.Godwin saw and turned cold. Were these folk mad that they wouldput double-laden horses at such a jump? If they hung back, ifthey missed their stride, if they caught hoof or sprang short,swift death was their portion.
But the old Arab seated behind Wulf only shouted aloud, andMasouda only tightened her round arms about Godwin's middle andlaughed in his ear. The horses heard the shout, and seeming tosee what was before them, stretched out their long necks andrushed forward over the flat ground.
Now they were on the edge of the terrible place, and, like a manin a dream, Godwin noted the sharp, sheer lips of the cliff, thegulf between them, and the white foam of the stream a score ofyards beneath. Then he felt the brave horse Flame gather itselftogether and next instant fly into the air like a bird.Also--and was this dream indeed, or even as they sped over thathorrible pit did he feel a woman's lips pressed upon his cheek?He was not sure. Who could have been at such a time, with deathbeneath them? Perchance it was the wind that kissed him, or alock of her loose hair which struck across his face.
Indeed, at the moment he thought of other things than women'slips--those of the black and yawning gulf, for instance.
They swooped through the air, the white foam vanished, they weresafe. No; the hind feet of Flame had missed their footing, theyfell, they were lost. A struggle. How tight those arms clungabout him. How close that face was pressed against his own. Lo!it was over. They were speeding down the hill, and alongside ofthe grey horse Flame raced the black horse Smoke. Wulf on itsback, with eyes that seemed to be starting from his head, wasshouting, "A D'Arcy! A D'Arcy!" and behind him, turban gone, andwhite burnous floating like a pennon on the air, the grim-visagedArab, who also shouted.
Swifter and yet swifter. Did ever horses gallop so fast? Swifterand yet swifter, till the air sang past them and the groundseemed to fly away beneath. The slope was done. They were on theflat; the flat was past, they were in the fields; the fields wereleft behind; and, behold! side by side, with hanging heads andpanting flanks, the horses Smoke and Flame stood still upon theroad, their sweating hides dyed red in the light of the sinkingsun.
The grip loosened from about Godwin's middle. It had been close;on Masouda's round and naked arms were the prints of the steelshirt beneath his tunic, for she slipped to the ground and stoodlooking at them. Then she smiled one of her slow, thrillingsmiles, gasped and said: "You ride well, pilgrim Peter, andpilgrim John rides well also, and these are good horses; and, oh!that ride was worth the riding, even though death had been itsend. Son of the Sand, my Uncle, what say you?"
"That I grow old for such gallops--two on one horse, withnothing to win."
"Nothing to win?" said Masouda. "I am not so sure!" and shelooked at Godwin. "Well, you have sold your horses to pilgrimswho can ride, and they have proved them, and I have had a changefrom my cooking in the inn, to which I must now get me backagain."
Wulf wiped the sweat from his brow, shook his head, and muttered:
"I always heard the East was full of madmen and devils; now Iknow that it is true."
But Godwin said nothing.
They led the horses back to the inn, where the brethren groomedthem down under the direction of the Arab, that the gallantbeasts might get used to them, which, after carrying them uponthat fearful ride, they did readily enough. Then they fed themwith chopped barley, ear and straw together, and gave them waterto drink that had stood in the sun all day to warm, in which theArab mixed flour and some white wine.
Next morning at the dawn they rose to see how Flame and Smokefared after that journey. Entering the stable, they heard thesound of a man weeping, and hidden in the shadow, saw by the lowlight of the morning that it was the old Arab, who stood with hisback to them, an arm around the neck of each horse, which hekissed from time to time. Moreover, he talked aloud in his owntongue to them, calling them his children, and saying that ratherwould he sell his wife and his sister to the Franks.
"But," he added, "she has spoken--why, I know not--and I mustobey. Well, at least they are gallant men and worthy of suchsteeds. Half I hoped that you and the three of us and my nieceMasouda, the woman with the secret face and eyes that have lookedon fear, might perish in the cleft of the stream; but it was notwilled of Allah. So farewell, Flame, and farewell, Smoke,children of the desert, who are swifter than arrows, for nevermore shall I ride you in battle. Well, at least I have others ofyour matchless blood."
Then Godwin touched Wulf on the shoulder, and they c
rept awayfrom the stable without the Arab knowing that they had beenthere, for it seemed shameful to pry upon his grief. When theyreached their room again Godwin asked Wulf:
"Why does this man sell us those noble steeds?"
"Because his niece Masouda has bid him so to do," he answered.
"And why has she bidden him?"
"Ah!" replied Wulf. "He called her 'the woman with the secretface and eyes that have looked on fear,' didn't he? Well, forreasons that have to do with his family perhaps, or with hersecrets, or us, with whom she plays some game of which we knowneither the beginning nor the end. But, Brother Godwin, you arewiser than I. Why do you ask me these riddles? For my part, I donot wish to trouble my head about them. All I know is that thegame is a brave one, and I mean to go through with it, especiallyas I believe that this playing will lead us to Rosamund."
"May it lead us nowhere worse," answered Godwin with somethinglike a groan, for he remembered that dream of his which hedreamed in mid-air between the edges of black rock with thebubbling foam beneath.
But to Wulf he said nothing of this dream.
When the sun was fully up they prepared to go out again, takingwith them the gold to pay the Arab; but on opening the door oftheir room they met Masouda, apparently about to knock upon it.
"Whither go you, friends Peter and John, and so early?" sheasked, looking at them with a smile upon her beautiful face thatwas so thrilling and seemed to hide so much mystery.
Godwin thought to himself that it was like another smile, that onthe face of the woman-headed, stone sphinx which they had seenset up in the market place of Beirut.
"To visit our horses and pay your uncle, the Arab, his money,"answered Wulf.
"Indeed! I thought I saw you do the first an hour ago, and as forthe second, it is useless; Son of the Sand has gone."
"Gone! With the horses?"
"Nay, he has left them behind."
"Did you pay him, then, lady?" asked Godwin.
It was easy to see that Masouda was pleased at this courteousword, for her voice, which in general seemed a little hard,softened as she answered, for the first time giving him his owntitle.
"Why do you call me 'lady,' Sir Godwin D'Arcy, who am but aninn-keeper, for whom sometimes men find hard names? Well,perhaps I was a lady once before I became an inn-keeper; but nowI am--the widow Masouda, as you are the pilgrim Peter. Still, Ithank you for this--bad guess of yours." Then stepping back afoot or two towards the door, which she had closed behind her,she made him a curtsey so full of dignity and grace that any whosaw it must be sure that, wherever she might dwell, Masouda wasnot bred in inns.
Godwin returned the bow, doffing his cap. Their eyes met and inhers he learned that he had no treachery to fear from this woman,whatever else he might have to fear. Indeed, from that moment,however black and doubtful seemed the road, he would have trustedhis life to her; for this was the message written there, amessage which she meant that he should read. Yet at his heart hefelt terribly afraid.
Wulf, who saw something of all this and guessed more, also wasafraid. He wondered what Rosamund would have thought of it, ifshe had seen that strange and turbulent look in the eyes of thiswoman who had been a lady and was an inn-keeper; of one whom mencalled Spy, and daughter of Satan, and child of Al-je-bal. To hisfancy that look was like a flash of lightning upon a dark night,which for a second illumines some magical, unguessed landscape,after which comes the night again, blacker than before.
Now the widow Masouda was saying in her usual somewhat hardvoice:
"No; I did not pay him. At the last he would take no money; but,having passed it, neither would he break his word to knights whoride so well and boldly. So I made a bargain with him on behalfof both of you, which I expect that you will keep, since my goodfaith is pledged, and this Arab is a chief and my kinsman. It isthis, that if you and these horses should live, and the timecomes when you have no more need of them, you will cause it to becried in the market-place of whatever town is nearest to you, bythe voice of the public crier, that for six days they stand to bereturned to him who lent them. Then if he comes not they can besold, which must not be sold or given away to any one withoutthis proclamation. Do you consent?"
"Ay," answered both of them, but Wulf added: "Only we should liketo know why the Arab, Son-of-the-Sand, who is your kinsman,trusts his glorious horses to us in this fashion."
"Your breakfast is served, my guests," answered Masouda in tonesthat rang like the clash of metal, so steely were they. WhereonWulf shook his head and followed her into the eating-room, whichwas now empty again as it had been on the afternoon of theirarrival.
Most of that day they spent with their horses. In the evening,this time unaccompanied by Masouda, they rode out for a littleway, though rather doubtfully, since they were not sure thatthese beasts which seemed to be almost human would not take thebits between their teeth and rush with them back to the desertwhence they came. But although from time to time they lookedabout them for their master, the Arab, whinnying as they looked,this they did not do, or show vice of any kind; indeed, twoIadies' palfreys could not have been more quiet. So the brethrenbrought them home again, groomed, fed and fondled them, whilethey pricked their ears, sniffing them all over, as though theyknew that these were their new lords and wished to make friendsof them.
The morrow was a Sunday, and, attended by Masouda's slave,without whom she would not suffer them to walk in the town, thebrethren went to mass in the big church which once had been amosque, wearing pilgrim's robes over their mail.
"Do you not accompany us, who are of the faith?" asked Wulf.
"Nay," answered Masouda, "I am in no mood to make confession.This day I count my beads at home."
So they went alone, and mingling with a crowd of humble personsat the back of the church, which was large and dim, watched theknights and priests of various nations struggling for precedenceof place beneath the dome. Also they heard the bishop of the townpreach a sermon from which they learnt much. He spoke at lengthof the great coming war with Saladin, whom he named Anti-Christ.Moreover, he prayed them all to compose their differences andprepare for that awful struggle, lest in the end the Cross oftheir Master should be trampled under foot of the Saracen, Hissoldiers slain, His fanes desecrated, and His people slaughteredor driven into the sea--words of warning that were received inheavy silence.
"Four full days have gone by. Let us ask our hostess if she hasany news for us," said Wulf as they walked back to the inn.
"Ay, we will ask her," answered Godwin.
As it chanced, there was no need, for when they entered theirchamber they found Masouda standing in the centre of it,apparently lost in thought.
"I have come to speak with you," she said, looking up. "Do youstill wish to visit the Sheik Al-je-bal?"
They answered "Yes."
"Good. I have leave for you to go; but I counsel you not to go,since it is dangerous. Let us be open with one another. I knowyour object. I knew it an hour before ever you set foot upon thisshore, and that is why you were brought to my house. You wouldseek the help of the lord Sinan against Salah-ed-din, from whomyou hope to rescue a certain great lady of his blood who is yourkinswoman and whom both of you--desire in marriage. You see, Ihave learned that also. Well, this land is full of spies, whotravel to and from Europe and make report of all things to thosewho pay them enough. For instance--I can say it, as you will notsee him again--the trader Thomas, with whom you stayed in thishouse, is such a spy. To him your story has been passed on byother spies in England, and he passed it on to me."
"Are then you a spy also, as the porter called you?" asked Wulfoutright.
"I am what I am," she answered coldly. "Perhaps I also have swornoaths and serve as you serve. Who my master is or why I do so isnaught to you. But I like you well, and we have ridden together--a wild ride. Therefore I warn you, though perhaps I should notsay so much, that the lord Al-je-bal is one who takes payment forwhat he gives, and that this business may cost you your lives."
"You warned us against Saladin also," said Godwin, "so what isleft to us if we may dare a visit to neither?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "To take service under one of thegreat Frankish lords and wait a chance that will never come. Or,better still, to sew some cockle shells into your hats, go homeas holy men who have made the pilgrimage, marry the richest wivesthat you can find, and forget Masouda the widow, and Al-je-baland Salah-ed-din and the lady about whom he has dreamed a dream.Only then," she added in a changed voice, "remember, you mustleave the horses Flame and Smoke behind you."
"We wish to ride those horses," said Wulf lightly, and Godwinturned on her with anger in his eyes.
"You seem to know our story," he said, "and the mission to whichwe are sworn. What sort of knights do you think us, then, thatyou offer us counsel which is fitter for those spies from whomyou learn your tidings? You talk of our lives. Well, we hold ourlives in trust, and when they are asked of us we will yield themup, having done all that we may do."
"Well spoken," answered Masouda. "Ill should I have thought ofyou had you said otherwise. But why would you go to Al-je-bal?"
"Because our uncle at his death bade us so to do without fail,and having no other counsel we will take that of his spirit, letcome what may."
"Well spoken again! Then to Al-je-bal you shall go, and let comewhat come may--to all three of us!"
"To all three of us?" said Wulf. "What, then, is your part inthis matter?"
"I do not know, but perhaps more than you think. At least, I mustbe your guide."
"Do you mean to betray us?" asked Wulf bluntly.
She drew herself up and looked him in the eyes till he grew red,then said:
"Ask your brother if he thinks that I mean to betray you. No; Imean to save you, if I can, and it comes into my mind that beforeall is done you will need saving, who speak so roughly to thosewho would befriend you. Nay, answer not; it is not strange thatyou should doubt. Pilgrims to the fearful shrine of Al-je-bal, ifit pleases you, we will ride at nightfall. Do not trouble aboutfood and such matters. I will make preparation, but we go aloneand secretly. Take only your arms and what garments you may need;the rest I will store, and for it give you my receipt. Now I goto make things ready. See, I pray of you, that the horses Flameand Smoke are saddled by sunset."
At sundown, accordingly, the brethren stood waiting in theirroom. They were fully armed beneath their rough pilgrims' robes,even to the bucklers which had been hidden in their baggage. Alsothe saddle-bags of carpet which Masouda had given them werepacked with such things as they must take, the rest having beenhanded over to her keeping.
Presently the door opened, and a young man stood before themclothed in the rough camel-hair garment, or burnous, which iscommon in the East.
"What do you want?" asked Godwin.
"I want you, brothers Peter and John," was the reply, and theysaw that the slim young man was Masouda. "What! you Englishinnocents, do you not know a woman through a camel-hair cloak?"she added as she led the way to the stable. "Well, so much thebetter, for it shows that my disguise is good. Henceforth bepleased to forget the widow Masouda and, until we reach the landof Al-je-bal, to remember that I am your servant, a halfbreedfrom Jaffa named David, of no religion--or of all."
In the stable the horses stood saddled, and near to themanother--a good Arab--and two laden Cyprian mules, but noattendant was to be seen. They brought them out and mounted,Masouda riding like a man and leading the mules, of which thehead of one was tied to the tail of the other. Five minutes laterthey were clear of Beirut, and through the solemn twilight hush,followed the road whereon they had tried the horses, towards theDog River, three leagues away, which Masouda said they wouldreach by moonrise.
Soon it grew very dark, and she rode alongside of them to showthem the path, but they did not talk much. Wulf asked her whowould take care of the inn while she was absent, to which sheanswered sharply that the inn would take care of itself, and nomore. Picking their way along the stony road at a slow amble,they crossed the bed of two streams then almost dry, till atlength they heard running water sounding above that of the slowwash of the sea to their left, and Masouda bade them halt. Sothey waited, until presently the moon rose in a clear sky,revealing a wide river in front, the pale ocean a hundred feetbeneath them to the left, and to the right great mountains, alongthe face of which their path was cut. So bright was it thatGodwin could see strange shapes carven on the sheer face of therock, and beneath them writing which he could not read.
"What are these?" he asked Masouda.
"The tablets of kings," she answered, "whose names are written inyour holy book, who ruled Syria and Egypt thousands of years ago.They were great in their day when they took this land, greatereven than Salah-ed-din, and now these seals which they set uponthis rock are all that is left of them."
Godwin and Wulf stared at the weather-worn sculptures, and in thesilence of that moonlit place there arose in their minds a visionof the mighty armies of different tongues and peoples who hadstood in their pride on this road and looked upon yonder riverand the great stone wolf that guarded it, which wolf, so said thelegend, howled at the approach of foes. But now he howled nomore, for he lay headless beneath the waters, and there he liesto this day. Well, they were dead, everyone of them, and eventheir deeds were forgotten; and oh! how small the thought of itmade them feel, these two young men bent upon a desperate questin a strange and dangerous land. Masouda read what was passing intheir hearts, and as they came to the brink of the river, pointedto the bubbles that chased each other towards the sea, burstingand forming again before their eyes.
"Such are we," she said briefly; "but the ocean is always yonder,and the river is always here, and of fresh bubbles there willalways be a plenty. So dance on life's water while you may, inthe sunlight, in the moonlight, beneath the storm, beneath thestars, for ocean calls and bubbles burst. Now follow me, for Iknow the ford, and at this season the stream is not deep. PilgrimPeter, ride you at my side in case I should be washed from thesaddle; and pilgrim John, come you behind, and if they hang back,prick the mules with your sword point."
Thus, then, they entered the river, which many might have fearedto do at night, and, although once or twice the water rose totheir saddles and the mules were stubborn in the swift stream, inthe end gained the further bank in safety. Thence they pursuedtheir path through mountains till at length the sun rose and theyfound themselves in a lonely land where no one was to be seen.Here they halted in a grove of oaks, off-saddled their animals,tethered and fed them with barley which they had brought upon amule, and ate of the food that Masouda had provided. Then, havingsecured the beasts, they lay down to sleep, all three of them,since Masouda said that here there was nothing to fear; and beingweary, slept on till the heat of noon was past, when once morethey fed the horses and mules, and having dined themselves, setforward upon their way.
Now their road--if road it could be called, for they could seenone--ran ever upwards through rough, mountainous country, whereseemed to dwell neither man nor beast. At sunset they haltedagain, and at moonrise went forward till the night turnedtowards morning, when they came to a place where was a littlecave.
Before they reached this spot of a sudden the silence of thoselonely hills was broken by a sound of roaring, not very near tothem, but so loud and so long that it echoed and reechoed fromthe cliff. At it the horses Flame and Smoke pricked their earsand trembled, while the mules strove to break away and run back.
"What is that?" asked Wulf, who had never heard its like.
"Lions," answered Masouda. "We draw near the country where thereare many of them, and therefore shall do well to halt presently,since it is best to pass through that land in daylight."
So when they came to the cave, having heard no more of the lion,or lions, they unsaddled there, purposing to put the horses intoit, where they would be safe from the attack of any such raveningbeast. But when they tried to do this, Smoke and Flame spread outtheir nostrils, and setting their feet firm before th
em, refusedto enter the place, about which there was an evil smell.
"Perhaps jackals have been here," said Masouda. "Let us tetherthem all in the open."
This then they did, building a fire in front of them with drywood that lay about in plenty, for here grew sombre cedar trees.The brethren sat by this fire; but, the night being hot, Masoudalaid herself down about fifteen paces away under a cedar tree,which grew almost in front of the mouth of the cave, and slept,being tired with long riding. Wulf slept also, since Godwin hadagreed to keep watch for the first part of the night.
For an hour or more he sat close by the horses, and noted thatthey fed uneasily and would not lie down. Soon, however, he waslost in his own thoughts, and, as he heard no more of the lions,fell to wondering over the strangeness of their journey and ofwhat the end of it might be. He wondered also about Masouda, whoshe was, how she came to know so much, why she befriended them ifshe really was a friend, and other things--for instance, of thatleap over the sunken stream; and whether--no, surely he had beenmistaken, her eyes had never looked at him like that. Why, he wassleeping at his post, and the eyes in the darkness yonder werenot those of a woman. Women's eyes were not green and gold; theydid not grow large, then lessen and vanish away.
Godwin sprang to his feet. As he thought, they were no eyes. Hehad dreamed, that was all. So he took cedar boughs and threw themon to the fire, where soon they flared gloriously, which done hesat himself down again close to Wulf, who was lost in heavyslumber.
The night was very still and the silence so deep that it pressedupon him like a weight. He could bear it no longer, and rising,began to walk up and down in front of the cave, drawing his swordand holding it in his hand as sentries do. Masouda lay upon theground, with her head pillowed on a saddle-bag, and the moonlightfell through the cedar boughs upon her face. Godwin stopped tolook at it, and wondered that he had never noted before howbeautiful she was. Perhaps it was but the soft and silvery lightwhich clothed those delicate features with so much mystery andcharm. She might be dead, not sleeping; but even as he thoughtthis, life came into her face, colour stole up beneath the pale,olive-hued skin, the red lips opened, seeming to mutter somewords, and she stretched out her rounded arms as though to claspa vision of her dream.
Godwin turned aside; it seemed not right to watch her thus,although in truth he had only come to know that she was safe. Hewent back to the fire, and lifting a cedar bough, which blazedlike a torch in his left hand, was about to lay it down again onthe centre of the flame, when suddenly he heard the sharp andterrible cry of a woman in an agony of pain or fear, and at thesame moment the horses and mules began to plunge and snort. In aninstant, the blazing bough still in his hand, he was back by thecave, and lo! there before him, the form of Masouda, hanging fromits jaws, stood a great yellow beast, which, although he hadnever seen its like, he knew must be a lioness. It was headingfor the cave, then catching sight of him, turned and bounded awayin the direction of the fire, purposing to reenter the woodbeyond.
But the woman in its mouth cumbered it, and running swiftly,Godwin came face to face with the brute just opposite the fire.He hurled the burning bough at it, whereon it dropped Masouda,and rearing itself straight upon its hind legs, stretched out itsclaws, and seemed about to fall on him. For this Godwin did notwait. He was afraid, indeed, who had never before fought lions,but he knew that he must do or die. Therefore he charged straightat it, and with all the strength of his strong arm drove his longsword into the yellow breast, till it seemed to him that thesteel vanished and he could see nothing but the hilt.
Then a shock, a sound of furious snarling, and down he went toearth beneath a soft and heavy weight, and there his senses lefthim.
When they came back again something soft was still upon his face;but this proved to be only the hand of Masouda, who bathed hisbrow with a cloth dipped in water, while Wulf chafed his hands.Godwin sat up, and in the light of the new risen sun, saw a deadlioness lying before him, its breast still transfixed with hisown sword.
"So I saved you," he said faintly.
"Yes, you saved me," answered Masouda, and kneeling down shekissed his feet; then rising again, with her long, soft hairwiped away the blood that was running from a wound in his arm.