They had almost lost count of time, and they hardly knew where theywere, when, late one night, Dora came to a standstill.
The moon was shining, the cold intense, and the snow, which crackledbeneath their feet, lay thick and glittering all around them. It was thesort of night that sends fear into the hearts of all who are compelledto be abroad, and yet are anxious to escape the notice of their fellowmen, for it was as light almost as by day, and the travellers showed uplike a couple of black spots against the white background.
Talabor, muffled in his cloak, was leading Dora by the hand; she had herlarge hood drawn over her head, and the two looked as very a pair oftramps as one could meet with anywhere.
The cold cut through them like a knife, though the night was still--toostill, for there was not wind enough to cover up the track they had leftbehind them. It would be easy to trace them, for the snow was powdery,and in many places they had sunk in it up to their knees.
"I must stop, I am tired out! and I am so deadly sleepy," said Dora, ina broken voice, "I feel numb all over, as if I were paralysed."
She looked ghastly pale, worn, thin, a mere shadow of what she had been;and she had been travelling all day, dragging herself along with thegreatest difficulty.
"Dear lady," said Talabor gently, supporting her trembling figure aswell as he could, "do you see that dark patch under the trees yonder?"
"I can't see so far, Talabor," she stammered.
"I see it plainly," he went on, "and it is a building of some sort, adwelling-house, I think. If you could just manage to get so far, weshould be better sheltered than we are here."
"Let us try," said Dora, summoning all her remaining strength.
"Lean on me," Talabor urged in a tone of encouragement; "we shall bethere in a quarter of an hour; but if you can't walk, you must let mecarry you as I have done before, it is such a little way."
"You are very good, Talabor," said the girl gratefully, and off they setagain.
The building which Talabor had noticed stood on rising ground, on oneside of the valley, and, the snow not being quite so deep on the slope,they were able to get on a little faster. Neither spoke, for what wasthere to talk about? The cold was benumbing, and both were suffering.
Presently Dora felt her knees give way under her, and everything seemedto turn black before her eyes.
"Talabor!" she whispered, holding his arm with both hands, "I--I amdying--you go on yourself and leave me!"
"Leave you!" exclaimed Talabor; and before Dora could say another word,he had thrown back his cloak and picked her up in his arms. She wasalmost fainting, and overpowered by the deadly sleep induced by thecold.
Light as his burthen was, it was a struggle for Talabor to make his waythrough the snow, for he, too, had lost much of his accustomed strengthduring the past weeks of hardship and anxiety. Still, he managed to gostraight on without stumbling or faltering. All about them, for somedistance and in every direction, there were strange prints in the snow,and these he scanned carefully until he had quite assured himself thatthey were not made by human feet.
"No Tartars have been here lately, at all events!" he said, by way ofcheering his companion, as they drew near the gloomy, deserted building,which was not a ruin, but one of the many dwellings plundered by theMongols, and for some reason abandoned without being completelydestroyed.
It was a small, dark place, and its only defences were its outer walls.There was no moat; and it had probably belonged to some noble family oflittle wealth or importance, who had either fled or been murdered. Thegate was lying on the ground, and the snow in the courtyard was almostwaist-deep. Talabor needed all his strength to wade through it and tocarry Dora up the stone steps, which he could only guess at, and had toclear with his foot as he went on.
In the tolerably large room which he first entered all the furniture washalf consumed by fire, and the door burnt off its hinges; themoonlight, which streamed through the open windows, showed bare,blackened walls, and a scene of general desolation.
Spreading his cloak on the bench, which owed its escape from destructionto the fact that it was covered with plaster, he laid Dora down upon it,gathered up some of the broken furniture already half reduced tocharcoal, and soon had a small fire burning. The smoke from it filledthe whole room, but still the warmth revived his companion, who hadknown what it was to spend even worse nights than this one promised tobe; for, when Talabor presently took a piece of burning wood from thefire, that he might explore the building, he found an old sack full ofstraw. The room in which he discovered it opened out of the larger one,and was not quite so desolate looking, for the fire did not seem to havepenetrated so far, and, moreover, it had a large fireplace stillcontaining the remains of charcoal and bones.
Talabor lighted another fire here, drew the sack into one corner, andhurried back to Dora, who was now dozing a little, with the light fromthe crackling fire shining on her face. How deadly pale, how wasted itwas!
Talabor stood looking at her for a moment, wondering whether after allhe should be able to save a life which every day was making moreprecious to him.
He piled more wood on the fire, and tried to rub a little warmth intohis own numb hands. It was the most bitter night of all theirwanderings, and the cold pierced his very bones. Tired out as he was,heavy with drowsiness, he kept going from one fire to the other, as hewanted to take Dora into the smaller room when she awoke, for it was notonly a degree warmer, but also free from smoke, and had a door whichwould shut.
She opened her eyes about midnight, and seemed to be all the better forher two hours' sleep. Talabor had kept her so carefully covered, and hadreplenished the fire so diligently that her healthy young blood hadbegun to flow again, and, not for the first time, he had saved her fromthe more serious consequences of her exposure and fatigue.
"Talabor!" she said, raising herself a little, "I have been asleep!thank you so much! Now you must rest; you must, indeed, for if yourstrength fails, it will be all over with us both."
"Oh, I am accustomed to sleeping with one eye open, as the Tartars dowhen they are on horseback. It does just as well for me; but you, dearlady, must rest for at least a few hours longer, and after that I willhave a real sleep too."
"A few hours!"
"Yes, here in the next room, where I have found a royal bed of straw,and there is a good fire and no smoke."
By this time the smaller room really had some warmth in it, in spite ofthe empty window frames; and the sack of straw was a most luxuriouscouch in Dora's eyes.
"What a splendid bed, Talabor!" said she, gratefully; "but before I liedown, one question--it sounds a very earthly one, though you have beenan angel to me but--have we anything to eat? I am shamefully hungry!"
"To be sure we have!" said Talabor, opening his knapsack, and producinga piece of venison baked on the bare coals. "All we want is salt andbread, and something to drink, but there is plenty of snow!"
"Let us be thankful for what God gives us! Our good home-made bread!what a long time it is since we tasted it!"
"We shall again in time!" said Talabor confidently, as he handed Dorathe one knife and the cold meat.
"Talabor," said Dora presently, "I am afraid we have come far out of ourway."
"I am afraid so too," he answered, "but I don't think we could help it.There has been little to guide us but burnt villages and ruinedchurch-towers. And then, when we have come upon recent traces of theTartars, we have had to take any way we could, and sometimes to turnback and hide in the forest for safety. How far south we have come I canhardly guess, but we are too much to the east, I fancy."
"You have saved me at all events, over and over again: from wild beastsby night, from horrible men by day, from fire, smoke, everything! Ishall tell my father what a good, faithful Talabor you have been! Andnow I am really not very sleepy, and I should so like to see yourest--you know you are my only protector now in all the wide world, andyou must take care of yourself for me!"
"You must have just a little mo
re rest yourself first, dear mistress,and then I will have a sleep."
"You promise faithfully? Then shake hands upon it, for you have deceivedme before now, you bad fellow!"
But when next Dora opened her eyes, the moon had set; it was quite dark;the fire had gone out, and the cold was more biting than ever.
"Talabor!" she cried, alarmed and bewildered, for she could not see astep before her.
"I'm here!" he exclaimed, starting up from the bare floor, on which hehad been lying near the hearth, and rubbing his eyes as he did so.
"I have been asleep," he said, greatly displeased with himself. "I wasoverpowered somehow, and our fire is out! Never mind, we will soon haveanother!" and he set to work again with flint and steel. But when thefire was once more blazing, and both were a little thawed, Talabor wouldnot hear of any more sleep.
"I _have_ slept!" he said, still indignant with himself. "For the firsttime in my life I have slept at my post, slept on duty--I deserve thestocks!"
"And you are not sleepy still?"
"No!" and then he suddenly jumped up from the floor, on which he had butjust thrown himself.
"What is it?" asked Dora nervously, and she, too, started up.
"Nothing! nothing--I think," he answered, taking up his bow and quiveras he spoke.
"I hear some noise, I'm sure I do," said Dora, listening intently. "Whatcan it be? Quick! we must put out the fire!"
At that moment, just in front of the house, and, as it seemed to both,close by, there was a long-drawn howl.
"It's wolves, not Tartars," said Talabor, much relieved.
"Oh! then make haste and fasten the door!"
"They won't come in here," said Talabor, as he put the door to. It hadbeen left uninjured by the fire, but its locks and bolts were all toorusty to be of the smallest use. There was a heavy little oak tablewhich had survived the rest of the furniture, however, and this Talaborpushed up against it, saying, "The fire is our best protection againstsuch visitors as these; but dawn is not far off now, and perhaps itwould be better not to wait for it before we move on. I should not careto have them taking up their quarters in the yard."
"What are you going to do?" exclaimed Dora, in alarm, "surely you arenot going to provoke them?"
"No! and if I should annoy one of them, he will not be able to do muchharm after it!"
"I forbid you to do anything rash! You are not to risk your life,Talabor. You are to sit still here, if you don't want to make me angry."
Dora's vehemence was charming, but Talabor never did anything withoutreflection; and he was not going to have her life imperilled by anyill-timed submission on his own part.
"You may be quite easy," he said, "I am not going to stir from here, andthey are not going to come in either!"
The wolves meantime had been drawing nearer and nearer, to judge bytheir howls. Perhaps they had scented the smoke, and expected to findthe dead bodies of men or cattle, as they commonly did in every burningvillage in those days.
Talabor was standing at the window, bow in hand, when he presently drewback with a hasty movement.
"Quick!" he said in an undertone. "We must put out the fire!"
Dora rushed to it and began scattering and beating it out with a pieceof wood.
"What is it?" she whispered; and Talabor whispered back, "I saw someonethat I don't like the look of!" Then, holding up his forefinger, headded, "Perhaps there are only one or two; don't be afraid."
These few words, intended to be re-assuring, did not do much to allayDora's fears, and she went up to Talabor, who was back at the windowagain, now that the fire was put out. Trembling, she stood beside him,while her cold hand fumbled in her pouch for the dagger which shecarried with her.
It cannot be denied that at that moment, in spite of all her highspirit, Dora was terrified.
Thanks to the snow and the stars, Talabor could see clearly enough whatwas going on outside; and this is what he saw: two muffled figureshurrying towards the house, by the very same path which he himself hadtrodden only a short time before; tracking him by his deep footprints inall probability.
But a few moments after he had told Dora to put out the fire, one of thetwo figures, an unmistakable Tartar, was overtaken by the wolves, andthere began one of those desperate conflicts between man and beast,which more often than not ended in the defeat of the former, firearmsnot being as yet in existence.
"Here! Help! Father!" shouted the one attacked. He had beaten down onewolf, with a sort of club, and was trying his utmost to defend himselfagainst two others. At this appeal, made, by-the-bye, in the purestMagyar, the man in front hurried back to the help of his son.
"Surely he spoke Magyar!" whispered Dora.
"There are only two of them, at all events," was Talabor's answer, thatfact being much the more reassuring of the two in his eyes, for he hadheard, during their wanderings, that there were more "Tartar-Magyars"in the world than Libor the clerk.
He fitted an arrow to his bow, as he spoke, and added, in an undertone,"They are coming, and the wolves after them! but there are only two,nothing to be afraid of; trust me to manage them!"
In fact the two men were already floundering in the courtyard, and closeat their heels rushed the whole pack, disappearing now and again in thedeep snow, then lifting up their shaggy heads out of it, while they keptup an incessant chorus of howls.
Tartar-Magyars might be enemies, but wolves certainly were, thoughtTalabor, as he let fly his arrow and stretched the foremost wolf uponthe ground, just as it was in the act of seizing one of the Tartars.
Apparently the fugitives had not heard the twang of the bow-string, foras soon as they caught sight of the open door, they hurried towards itwith the one idea of escaping their pursuers, so it seemed.
But when Talabor again took aim, and a second wolf tumbled over, one ofthe men looked up, saw the arrow sticking in the wolf's back, and criedout, as if thunderstruck, "Tartars! per amorem Dei patris!" (Tartars!for the love of God!) And having so said, he stopped short, irresolute,as not knowing which of the two dangers threatening him it were betterto grapple with.
Talabor heard the exclamation, and, whether or no he understood morethan the first word, at least he knew that it was uttered in Latin. Thefugitives must surely be ecclesiastics, who had adopted the Tartar dressmerely for safety's sake.
"Hungari, non Tartari--We are Hungarians, not Tartars!" he replied inthe same language, leaning from the window as he shouted the words.Whereupon that one of the "Tartars" who had spoken before called outagain, as if in answer, "Amici! Friends," and turned upon the wolves,two of which had been so daring as to follow him and his companion evenup the steps. The nearer of the two he attacked with his short club; buthis comrade, who had been hurrying after him, slipped and fell down, andthe other wolf at once rushed upon him and began tearing away at hiscowl.
Talabor meanwhile, being completely reassured by the word "Amici,"turned to Dora saying, "Glory to God, we are saved! They are good men,monks, as much wanderers as ourselves!"
He pulled the table away from the door, snatched a brand from the stillsmouldering fire, waved it to and fro till it burst into flame, and thenrushed out with it through the hall into the entry, where the learnA"done of the two supposed Tartars was hammering away at the head of thehuge wolf which had got hold of his friend, whose rough outer garment itwas worrying in a most determined manner. The rest of the pack, abouttwenty, seemed not at all concerned at the loss of their four companionslying outstretched in the snow, for they were drawing nearer and nearerto the entry, and were lifting up their heads as if desirous of joiningin the fray going on within, while they howled up and down the scalewith all their might.
But the moment Talabor appeared with his flaming torch they were cowed,turned tail, and tumbled, rather than ran, down the steps in a panic.Head over heels they rushed towards the gate, some of the hindmostgetting their tails singed as they fled.
Meantime the two strangers seeing the enemy thus put to flight, tookcourage, and
thought apparently to complete the rout, for they rushedoff after the retreating wolves and were for pursuing them even beyondthe gate, when they were checked by a shout from Talabor, who called tothem to stop.
They stood still, up to their waists in snow, and looked at him,wondering and half doubting who and what he might be.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Magyars! infelices captivi--Unfortunate captives," answered the learnA"done.
"We are Magyars!" said the other in Hungarian.
"If you are Magyars, follow me," said Talabor, and the strangers obeyed.
It was dark no longer, but still it was difficult to judge of the men bytheir looks, for they wore the rough Tartar hoods over their heads, andthe one who had been mauled by the wolf had his hanging about his facein lappets and ribbons.
Talabor could see just so much as this, that neither was very young,that both were wasted to the last degree, and that they were as begrimedas if they had been hung up to dry in the smoke for some weeks.
"Come along, come along!" he said, for he was anxious to get back toDora, and to make up the fire again. Should he take them into, thewarmer inner room, or keep them in the other until he knew more aboutthem? He was still undecided what to do when a sudden exclamation fromone of the wanderers, followed by the fervent words, "Glory be toJesus!" startled him.
More startled still was he to hear from Dora the response, "For ever andever!" and to see her clinging to the begrimed "Tartar."
"Father Roger! Father Roger!" she exclaimed tremulously, and for themoment could say no more.