Produced by Shaun Pinder, Sonya Schermann, and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (Thisfile was produced from images generously made availableby The Internet Archive)
Transcriber's Notes
When italics were used in the original book, the corresponding text hasbeen surrounded by _underscores_.
Some presumed punctuation errors have been corrected.
Under the Flag of France
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BERTRAND DEFENDS THE JESTER]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under the Flag of France
A Tale of Bertrand du Guesclin
BY
DAVID KER
Author of "Among the Dark Mountains," etc.
_ILLUSTRATED BY STANLEY L. WOOD_
BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED LONDON GLASGOW DUBLIN BOMBAY 1908
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TO MY NIECES MARGARET AND MARY KER THIS TALE IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED
PREFACE
I must plead guilty to having, for the purposes of the story, placed myhero's castle (which unhappily no longer exists) much nearer to Rennesthan it actually was; but the chief events of his life are given herevery much as I found them in the old French chronicles.
DAVID KER.
CONTENTS
CHAP. Page
I. THE BROKEN BOUGH 1
II. FACING A MONSTER 7
III. A MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE 16
IV. BERTRAND'S DREAM 29
V. A TIMELY RESCUE 37
VI. MIGHTY TO STRIKE 51
VII. A STRANGE TALE 67
VIII. LANCE TO LANCE 79
IX. INTO THE DRAGON'S JAWS 93
X. THE WAGES OF JUDAS 103
XI. A MIDNIGHT BATTLE 110
XII. CROWNING AN ENEMY 126
XIII. A RED STAIN 133
XIV. THE BLACK DEATH 140
XV. A NIGHT ALARM 148
XVI. THE BOLDEST DEED OF ALL 161
XVII. THE HAUNTED CIRCLE 168
XVIII. A PHANTOM WARRIOR 177
XIX. IN A ROBBER CAMP 189
XX. DOOMED 194
XXI. THE BLACK WOLF 206
XXII. A CLEVER STRATAGEM 215
XXIII. POSSESSED SWINE 222
XXIV. THROUGH THE DARKNESS 235
XXV. A CASE OF CONSCIENCE 246
XXVI. CRESCENT AND CROSS 259
XXVII. AN ASTOUNDING REVELATION 268
XXVIII. PLOT AND COUNTER-PLOT 276
XXIX. TREACHERY 283
XXX. A VILLAGE FESTIVAL 299
XXXI. A STRANGE MEETING 313
XXXII. NEWS OF AN OLD FRIEND 326
XXXIII. THE LAST SUNSET 337
ILLUSTRATIONS
Page
BERTRAND DEFENDS THE JESTER _Frontispiece_ 61
BERTRAND GRAPPLES WITH THE WOLF 9
THE BLACK CHAMPION CONQUERS 88
"THE BLACK KNIGHT TURNED LIKE A HUNTED LION" 163
"THE SHOUTING ASSAILANTS BURST IN" 220
"HE STARED AT HIS FOE'S REVEALED FACE" 266