CHAPTER 6
A boy's life is of a very flexible sort. It takes but a little while forit to shape itself to any new surroundings in which it may be thrown, tomake itself new friends, to settle itself to new habits; and so it wasthat Myles fell directly into the ways of the lads of Devlen. On hisfirst morning, as he washed his face and hands with the other squiresand pages in a great tank of water in the armory court-yard, hepresently found himself splashing and dashing with the others, laughingand shouting as loud as any, and calling some by their Christian namesas though he had known them for years instead of overnight. Duringchapel he watched with sympathetic delight the covert pranks of theyoungsters during the half-hour that Father Emmanuel droned his Latin,and with his dagger point he carved his own name among the many cutdeep into the back of the bench before him. When, after breakfast, thesquires poured like school-boys into the great armory to answer to theroll-call for daily exercise, he came storming in with the rest, beatingthe lad in front of him with his cap.
Boys are very keen to feel the influence of a forceful character. A ladwith a strong will is quick to reach his proper level as a greater orlesser leader among the others, and Myles was of just the masterfulnature to make his individuality felt among the Devlen squires. He wasquick enough to yield obedience upon all occasions to proper authority,but would never bend an inch to the usurpation of tyranny. In the schoolat St. Mary's Priory at Crosbey-Dale he would submit without a murmur oroffer of resistance to chastisement by old Father Ambrose, theregular teacher; but once, when the fat old monk was sick, and a greatlong-legged strapping young friar, who had temporarily taken his place,undertook to administer punishment, Myles, with a wrestling trip, flunghim sprawling backward over a bench into the midst of a shoal of smallboys amid a hubbub of riotous confusion. He had been flogged soundlyfor it under the supervision of Prior Edward himself; but so soon ashis punishment was over, he assured the prior very seriously that shouldlike occasion again happen he would act in the same manner, flogging orno flogging.
It was this bold, outspoken spirit that gained him at once friends andenemies at Devlen, and though it first showed itself in what was but alittle matter, nevertheless it set a mark upon him that singled him outfrom the rest, and, although he did not suspect it at the time, calledto him the attention of Sir James Lee himself, who regarded him as a ladof free and frank spirit.
The first morning after the roll-call in the armory, as Walter Blunt,the head bachelor, rolled up the slip of parchment, and the temporarysilence burst forth into redoubled noise and confusion, each lad arminghimself from a row of racks that stood along the wall, he beckoned Mylesto him.
"My Lord himself hath spoken to Sir James Lee concerning thee," said he."Sir James maintaineth that he will not enter thee into the body tillthou hast first practised for a while at the pels, and shown what thoucanst do at broadsword. Hast ever fought at the pel?"
"Aye," answered Myles, "and that every day of my life sin I becameesquire four years ago, saving only Sundays and holy days."
"With shield and broadsword?"
"Sometimes," said Myles, "and sometimes with the short sword."
"Sir James would have thee come to the tilt-yard this morn; he himselfwill take thee in hand to try what thou canst do. Thou mayst take thearms upon yonder rack, and use them until otherwise bidden. Thou seestthat the number painted above it on the wall is seventeen; that will bethy number for the nonce."
So Myles armed himself from his rack as the others were doing fromtheirs. The armor was rude and heavy, used to accustom the body to theweight of the iron plates rather than for any defence. It consisted ofa cuirass, or breastplate of iron, opening at the side with hinges, andcatching with hooks and eyes; epauliers, or shoulder-plates; arm-platesand leg-pieces; and a bascinet, or open-faced helmet. A great triangularshield covered with leather and studded with bosses of iron, and a heavybroadsword, pointed and dulled at the edges, completed the equipment.
The practice at the pels which Myles was bidden to attend comprised thechief exercise of the day with the esquires of young cadet soldiers ofthat time, and in it they learned not only all the strokes, cuts, andthrusts of sword-play then in vogue, but also toughness, endurance, andelastic quickness. The pels themselves consisted of upright posts ofash or oak, about five feet six inches in height, and in girth somewhatthicker than a man's thigh. They were firmly planted in the ground, andupon them the strokes of the broadsword were directed.
At Devlen the pels stood just back of the open and covered tiltingcourts and the archery ranges, and thither those lads not upon householdduty were marched every morning excepting Fridays and Sundays, and werethere exercised under the direction of Sir James Lee and two assistants.The whole company was divided into two, sometimes into three parties,each of which took its turn at the exercise, delivering at the wordof command the various strokes, feints, attacks, and retreats as theinstructors ordered.
After five minutes of this mock battle the perspiration began to pourdown the faces, and the breath to come thick and short; but it was notuntil the lads could absolutely endure no more that the order was givento rest, and they were allowed to fling themselves panting upon theground, while another company took its place at the triple row of posts.
As Myles struck and hacked at the pel assigned to him, Sir James Leestood beside him watching him in grim silence. The lad did his best toshow the knight all that he knew of upper cut, under cut, thrust, andback-hand stroke, but it did not seem to him that Sir James was verywell satisfied with his skill.
"Thou fightest like a clodpole," said the old man. "Ha, that strokewas but ill-recovered. Strike me it again, and get thou in guard morequickly."
Myles repeated the stroke.
"Pest!" cried Sir James. "Thou art too slow by a week. Here, strike thouthe blow at me."
Myles hesitated. Sir James held a stout staff in his hand, but otherwisehe was unarmed.
"Strike, I say!" said Sir James. "What stayest thou for? Art afeard?"
It was Myles's answer that set the seal of individuality upon him."Nay," said he, boldly, "I am not afeard. I fear not thee nor any man!"So saying, he delivered the stroke at Sir James with might and main. Itwas met with a jarring blow that made his wrist and arm tingle, and thenext instant he received a stroke upon the bascinet that caused his earsto ring and the sparks to dance and fly before his eyes.
"Pardee!" said Sir James, grimly. "An I had had a mace in my hand, Iwould have knocked thy cockerel brains out that time. Thou mayst takethat blow for answering me so pertly. And now we are quits. Now strikeme the stroke again an thou art not afeard."
Myles's eyes watered in spite of himself, and he shut the lids tight towink the dimness away. Nevertheless he spoke up undauntedly as before."Aye, marry, will I strike it again," said he; and this time he wasable to recover guard quickly enough to turn Sir James's blow with hisshield, instead of receiving it upon his head.
"So!" said Sir James. "Now mind thee of this, that when thou strikestthat lower cut at the legs, recover thyself more quickly. Now, then,strike me it at the pel."
Gascoyne and other of the lads who were just then lying stretched outupon the grass beneath, a tree at the edge of the open court where stoodthe pels, were interested spectators of the whole scene. Not one of themin their memory had heard Sir James so answered face to face as Myleshad answered him, and, after all, perhaps the lad himself would nothave done so had he been longer a resident in the squires' quarters atDevlen.
"By 'r Lady! thou art a cool blade, Myles," said Gascoyne, as theymarched back to the armory again. "Never heard I one bespeak Sir Jamesas thou hast done this day."
"And, after all," said another of the young squires, "old Bruin was notso ill-pleased, methinks. That was a shrewd blow he fetched thee on thecrown, Falworth. Marry, I would not have had it on my own skull for asilver penny."