Page 12 of Men of Iron


  CHAPTER 12

  Thus it was that Myles, with an eye to open war with the bachelors,gathered a following to his support. It was some little while beforematters were brought to a crisis--a week or ten days. Perhaps even Myleshad no great desire to hasten matters. He knew that whenever war wasdeclared, he himself would have to bear the brunt of the battle, andeven the bravest man hesitates before deliberately thrusting himselfinto a fight.

  One morning Myles and Gascoyne and Wilkes sat under the shade of twotrees, between which was a board nailed to the trunks, making a rudebench--always a favorite lounging-place for the lads in idle moments.Myles was polishing his bascinet with lard and wood-ashes, rubbing themetal with a piece of leather, and wiping it clean with a fustian rag.The other two, who had just been relieved from household duty, lay atlength idly looking on.

  Just then one of the smaller pages, a boy of twelve or thirteen, by nameRobin Ingoldsby, crossed the court. He had been crying; his face was redand blubbered, and his body was still shaken with convulsive sniffs.

  Myles looked up. "Come hither, Robin," he called from where he sat."What is to do?"

  The little fellow came slowly up to where the three rested in the shade."Mowbray beat me with a strap," said he, rubbing his sleeve across hiseyes, and catching his breath at the recollection.

  "Beat thee, didst say?" said Myles, drawing his brows together. "Why didhe beat thee?"

  "Because," said Robin, "I tarried overlong in fetching a pot of beerfrom the buttery for him and Wyatt." Then, with a boy's sudden and easyquickness in forgetting past troubles, "Tell me, Falworth," said he,"when wilt thou give me that knife thou promised me--the one thou breakthe blade of yesterday?"

  "I know not," said Myles, bluntly, vexed that the boy did not takethe disgrace of his beating more to heart. "Some time soon, mayhap. Methinks thou shouldst think more of thy beating than of a broken knife.Now get thee gone to thy business."

  The youngster lingered for a moment or two watching Myles at his work."What is that on the leather scrap, Falworth?" said he, curiously.

  "Lard and ashes," said Myles, testily. "Get thee gone, I say, or Iwill crack thy head for thee;" and he picked up a block of wood, with athreatening gesture.

  The youngster made a hideous grimace, and then scurried away, duckinghis head, lest in spite of Myles's well-known good-nature the blockshould come whizzing after him.

  "Hear ye that now!" cried Myles, flinging down the block again andturning to his two friends. "Beaten with straps because, forsooth, hewould not fetch and carry quickly enough to please the haste of thesebachelors. Oh, this passeth patience, and I for one will bear it nolonger."

  "Nay, Myles," said Gascoyne, soothingly, "the little imp is as lazy as adormouse and as mischievous as a monkey. I'll warrant the hiding was hisdue, and that more of the like would do him good."

  "Why, how dost thou talk, Francis!" said Myles, turning upon himindignantly. "Thou knowest that thou likest to see the boy beaten nomore than I." Then, after a meditative pause, "How many, think ye, wemuster of our company of the Rose today?"

  Wilkes looked doubtfully at Gascoyne. "There be only seventeen of ushere now," said he at last. "Brinton and Lambourne are away to RobyCastle in Lord George's train, and will not be back till Saturday next.And Watt Newton is in the infirmary.

  "Seventeen be'st enou," said Myles, grimly. "Let us get together thisafternoon, such as may, in the Brutus Tower, for I, as I did say, willno longer suffer these vile bachelors."

  Gascoyne and Wilkes exchanged looks, and then the former blew a longwhistle.

  So that afternoon a gloomy set of young faces were gathered together inthe Eyry--fifteen of the Knights of the Rose--and all knew why they wereassembled. The talk which followed was conducted mostly by Myles. Headdressed the others with a straightforward vim and earnestness, but theresponse was only half-hearted, and when at last, having heated himselfup with his own fire, he sat down, puffing out his red cheeks andglaring round, a space of silence followed, the lads looked doubtfullyat one another. Myles felt the chill of their silence strike coldly onhis enthusiasm, and it vexed him.

  "What wouldst thou do, Falworth?" said one of the knights, at last."Wouldst have us open a quarrel with the bachelors?"

  "Nay," said Myles, gruffly. "I had thought that ye would all lend me ahand in a pitched battle but now I see that ye ha' no stomach for that.Ne'theless, I tell ye plainly I will not submit longer to the bachelors.So now I will ask ye not to take any venture upon yourselves, but onlythis: that ye will stand by me when I do my fighting, and not let fiveor seven of them fall upon me at once.

  "There is Walter Blunt; he is parlous strong," said one of the others,after a time of silence. "Methinks he could conquer any two of us."

  "Nay," said Myles; "ye do fear him too greatly. I tell ye I fear not tostand up to try battle with him and will do so, too, if the need arise.Only say ye that ye will stand by my back."

  "Marry," said Gascoyne, quaintly, "an thou wilt dare take the heavy endupon thee, I for one am willing to stand by and see that thou have thyfill of fighting."

  "I too will stand thee by, Myles," said Edmund Wilkes.

  "And I, and I, and I," said others, chiming in.

  Those who would still have held back were carried along by the stream,and so it was settled that if the need should arise for Myles to doa bit of fighting, the others should stand by to see that he had fairplay.

  "When thinkest thou that thou wilt take thy stand against them, Myles?"asked Wilkes.

  Myles hesitated a moment. "To-morrow," said he, grimly.

  Several of the lads whistled softly.

  Gascoyne was prepared for an early opening of the war, but perhaps notfor such an early opening as this. "By 'r Lady, Myles, thou art hungryfor brawling," said he.