The Talisman

  CHAPTER II.

  Times of danger have always, and in a peculiar degree, their seasonsof good-will and security; and this was particularly so in the ancientfeudal ages, in which, as the manners of the period had assigned warto be the chief and most worthy occupation of mankind, the intervalsof peace, or rather of truce, were highly relished by those warriors towhom they were seldom granted, and endeared by the very circumstanceswhich rendered them transitory. It is not worth while preserving anypermanent enmity against a foe whom a champion has fought with to-day,and may again stand in bloody opposition to on the next morning. Thetime and situation afforded so much room for the ebullition of violentpassions, that men, unless when peculiarly opposed to each other,or provoked by the recollection of private and individual wrongs,cheerfully enjoyed in each other's society the brief intervals ofpacific intercourse which a warlike life admitted.

  The distinction of religions, nay, the fanatical zeal which animated thefollowers of the Cross and of the Crescent against each other, was muchsoftened by a feeling so natural to generous combatants, and especiallycherished by the spirit of chivalry. This last strong impulse hadextended itself gradually from the Christians to their mortal enemiesthe Saracens, both of Spain and of Palestine. The latter were, indeed,no longer the fanatical savages who had burst from the centre of Arabiandeserts, with the sabre in one hand and the Koran in the other, toinflict death or the faith of Mohammed, or, at the best, slavery andtribute, upon all who dared to oppose the belief of the prophet ofMecca. These alternatives indeed had been offered to the unwarlikeGreeks and Syrians; but in contending with the Western Christians,animated by a zeal as fiery as their own, and possessed of asunconquerable courage, address, and success in arms, the Saracensgradually caught a part of their manners, and especially of thosechivalrous observances which were so well calculated to charm the mindsof a proud and conquering people. They had their tournaments and gamesof chivalry; they had even their knights, or some rank analogous; andabove all, the Saracens observed their plighted faith with an accuracywhich might sometimes put to shame those who owned a better religion.Their truces, whether national or betwixt individuals, were faithfullyobserved; and thus it was that war, in itself perhaps the greatestof evils, yet gave occasion for display of good faith, generosity,clemency, and even kindly affections, which less frequently occur inmore tranquil periods, where the passions of men, experiencing wrongs orentertaining quarrels which cannot be brought to instant decision, areapt to smoulder for a length of time in the bosoms of those who are sounhappy as to be their prey.

  It was under the influence of these milder feelings which soften thehorrors of warfare that the Christian and Saracen, who had so latelydone their best for each other's mutual destruction, rode at a slow pacetowards the fountain of palm-trees to which the Knight of the CouchantLeopard had been tending, when interrupted in mid-passage by hisfleet and dangerous adversary. Each was wrapt for some time in his ownreflections, and took breath after an encounter which had threatened tobe fatal to one or both; and their good horses seemed no less to enjoythe interval of repose.

  That of the Saracen, however, though he had been forced into much themore violent and extended sphere of motion, appeared to have sufferedless from fatigue than the charger of the European knight. The sweathung still clammy on the limbs of the latter, when those of the nobleArab were completely dried by the interval of tranquil exercise, allsaving the foam-flakes which were still visible on his bridle andhousings. The loose soil on which he trod so much augmented the distressof the Christian's horse, heavily loaded by his own armour and theweight of his rider, that the latter jumped from his saddle, and led hischarger along the deep dust of the loamy soil, which was burnt in thesun into a substance more impalpable than the finest sand, and thusgave the faithful horse refreshment at the expense of his own additionaltoil; for, iron-sheathed as he was, he sunk over the mailed shoes atevery step which he placed on a surface so light and unresisting.

  "You are right," said the Saracen--and it was the first word that eitherhad spoken since their truce was concluded; "your strong horse deservesyour care. But what do you in the desert with an animal which sinks overthe fetlock at every step as if he would plant each foot deep as theroot of a date-tree?"

  "Thou speakest rightly, Saracen," said the Christian knight, notdelighted at the tone with which the infidel criticized his favouritesteed--"rightly, according to thy knowledge and observation. But my goodhorse hath ere now borne me, in mine own land, over as wide a lake asthou seest yonder spread out behind us, yet not wet one hair above hishoof."

  The Saracen looked at him with as much surprise as his manners permittedhim to testify, which was only expressed by a slight approach to adisdainful smile, that hardly curled perceptibly the broad, thickmoustache which enveloped his upper lip.

  "It is justly spoken," he said, instantly composing himself to his usualserene gravity; "List to a Frank, and hear a fable."

  "Thou art not courteous, misbeliever," replied the Crusader, "to doubtthe word of a dubbed knight; and were it not that thou speakest inignorance, and not in malice, our truce had its ending ere it is wellbegun. Thinkest thou I tell thee an untruth when I say that I, one offive hundred horsemen, armed in complete mail, have ridden--ay, andridden for miles, upon water as solid as the crystal, and ten times lessbrittle?"

  "What wouldst thou tell me?" answered the Moslem. "Yonder inland seathou dost point at is peculiar in this, that, by the especial curse ofGod, it suffereth nothing to sink in its waves, but wafts them away, andcasts them on its margin; but neither the Dead Sea, nor any of theseven oceans which environ the earth, will endure on their surface thepressure of a horse's foot, more than the Red Sea endured to sustain theadvance of Pharaoh and his host."

  "You speak truth after your knowledge, Saracen," said the Christianknight; "and yet, trust me, I fable not, according to mine. Heat, inthis climate, converts the soil into something almost as unstableas water; and in my land cold often converts the water itself intoa substance as hard as rock. Let us speak of this no longer, forthe thoughts of the calm, clear, blue refulgence of a winter's lake,glimmering to stars and moonbeam, aggravate the horrors of this fierydesert, where, methinks, the very air which we breathe is like thevapour of a fiery furnace seven times heated."

  The Saracen looked on him with some attention, as if to discover inwhat sense he was to understand words which, to him, must have appearedeither to contain something of mystery or of imposition. At length heseemed determined in what manner to receive the language of his newcompanion.

  "You are," he said, "of a nation that loves to laugh, and you make sportwith yourselves, and with others, by telling what is impossible, andreporting what never chanced. Thou art one of the knights of France, whohold it for glee and pastime to GAB, as they term it, of exploits thatare beyond human power. [Gaber. This French word signified a sort ofsport much used among the French chivalry, which consisted in vyingwith each other in making the most romantic gasconades. The verb and themeaning are retained in Scottish.] I were wrong to challenge, for thetime, the privilege of thy speech, since boasting is more natural tothee than truth."

  "I am not of their land, neither of their fashion," said the Knight,"which is, as thou well sayest, to GAB of that which they dare notundertake--or, undertaking, cannot perfect. But in this I have imitatedtheir folly, brave Saracen, that in talking to thee of what thou canstnot comprehend, I have, even in speaking most simple truth, fullyincurred the character of a braggart in thy eyes; so, I pray you, let mywords pass."

  They had now arrived at the knot of palm-trees and the fountain whichwelled out from beneath their shade in sparkling profusion.

  We have spoken of a moment of truce in the midst of war; and this, aspot of beauty in the midst of a sterile desert, was scarce less dearto the imagination. It was a scene which, perhaps, would elsewhere havedeserved little notice; but as the single speck, in a boundlesshorizon, which promised the refreshment of shade and living water, theseblessings, h
eld cheap where they are common, rendered the fountain andits neighbourhood a little paradise. Some generous or charitable hand,ere yet the evil days of Palestine began, had walled in and arched overthe fountain, to preserve it from being absorbed in the earth, or chokedby the flitting clouds of dust with which the least breath of windcovered the desert. The arch was now broken, and partly ruinous; but itstill so far projected over and covered in the fountain that it excludedthe sun in a great measure from its waters, which, hardly touched by astraggling beam, while all around was blazing, lay in a steady repose,alike delightful to the eye and the imagination. Stealing from under thearch, they were first received in a marble basin, much defaced indeed,but still cheering the eye, by showing that the place was ancientlyconsidered as a station, that the hand of man had been there and thatman's accommodation had been in some measure attended to. The thirstyand weary traveller was reminded by these signs that others had sufferedsimilar difficulties, reposed in the same spot, and, doubtless, foundtheir way in safety to a more fertile country. Again, the scarce visiblecurrent which escaped from the basin served to nourish the few treeswhich surrounded the fountain, and where it sunk into the ground anddisappeared, its refreshing presence was acknowledged by a carpet ofvelvet verdure.

  In this delightful spot the two warriors halted, and each, after his ownfashion, proceeded to relieve his horse from saddle, bit, and rein,and permitted the animals to drink at the basin, ere they refreshedthemselves from the fountain head, which arose under the vault. Theythen suffered the steeds to go loose, confident that their interest, aswell as their domesticated habits, would prevent their straying from thepure water and fresh grass.

  Christian and Saracen next sat down together on the turf, and producedeach the small allowance of store which they carried for their ownrefreshment. Yet, ere they severally proceeded to their scanty meal,they eyed each other with that curiosity which the close and doubtfulconflict in which they had been so lately engaged was calculated toinspire. Each was desirous to measure the strength, and form someestimate of the character, of an adversary so formidable; and each wascompelled to acknowledge that, had he fallen in the conflict, it hadbeen by a noble hand.

  The champions formed a striking contrast to each other in person andfeatures, and might have formed no inaccurate representatives of theirdifferent nations. The Frank seemed a powerful man, built after theancient Gothic cast of form, with light brown hair, which, on theremoval of his helmet, was seen to curl thick and profusely over hishead. His features had acquired, from the hot climate, a hue much darkerthan those parts of his neck which were less frequently exposed to view,or than was warranted by his full and well-opened blue eye, the colourof his hair, and of the moustaches which thickly shaded his upperlip, while his chin was carefully divested of beard, after the Normanfashion. His nose was Grecian and well formed; his mouth rather largein proportion, but filled with well-set, strong, and beautifully whiteteeth; his head small, and set upon the neck with much grace. His agecould not exceed thirty, but if the effects of toil and climate wereallowed for, might be three or four years under that period. His formwas tall, powerful, and athletic, like that of a man whose strengthmight, in later life, become unwieldy, but which was hitherto unitedwith lightness and activity. His hands, when he withdrew the mailedgloves, were long, fair, and well-proportioned; the wrist-bonespeculiarly large and strong; and the arms remarkably well-shaped andbrawny. A military hardihood and careless frankness of expressioncharacterized his language and his motions; and his voice had the toneof one more accustomed to command than to obey, and who was in the habitof expressing his sentiments aloud and boldly, whenever he was calledupon to announce them.

  The Saracen Emir formed a marked and striking contrast with the WesternCrusader. His stature was indeed above the middle size, but he was atleast three inches shorter than the European, whose size approached thegigantic. His slender limbs and long, spare hands and arms, though wellproportioned to his person, and suited to the style of his countenance,did not at first aspect promise the display of vigour and elasticitywhich the Emir had lately exhibited. But on looking more closely, hislimbs, where exposed to view, seemed divested of all that was fleshy orcumbersome; so that nothing being left but bone, brawn, and sinew, itwas a frame fitted for exertion and fatigue, far beyond that of a bulkychampion, whose strength and size are counterbalanced by weight, andwho is exhausted by his own exertions. The countenance of the Saracennaturally bore a general national resemblance to the Eastern tribe fromwhom he descended, and was as unlike as possible to the exaggeratedterms in which the minstrels of the day were wont to represent theinfidel champions, and the fabulous description which a sister art stillpresents as the Saracen's Head upon signposts. His features were small,well-formed, and delicate, though deeply embrowned by the Eastern sun,and terminated by a flowing and curled black beard, which seemed trimmedwith peculiar care. The nose was straight and regular, the eyes keen,deep-set, black, and glowing, and his teeth equalled in beauty the ivoryof his deserts. The person and proportions of the Saracen, in short,stretched on the turf near to his powerful antagonist, might have beencompared to his sheeny and crescent-formed sabre, with its narrow andlight but bright and keen Damascus blade, contrasted with the long andponderous Gothic war-sword which was flung unbuckled on the same sod.The Emir was in the very flower of his age, and might perhaps have beentermed eminently beautiful, but for the narrowness of his forehead andsomething of too much thinness and sharpness of feature, or at leastwhat might have seemed such in a European estimate of beauty.

  The manners of the Eastern warrior were grave, graceful, and decorous;indicating, however, in some particulars, the habitual restraint whichmen of warm and choleric tempers often set as a guard upon their nativeimpetuosity of disposition, and at the same time a sense of his owndignity, which seemed to impose a certain formality of behaviour in himwho entertained it.

  This haughty feeling of superiority was perhaps equally entertained byhis new European acquaintance, but the effect was different; and thesame feeling, which dictated to the Christian knight a bold, blunt, andsomewhat careless bearing, as one too conscious of his own importanceto be anxious about the opinions of others, appeared to prescribe to theSaracen a style of courtesy more studiously and formally observant ofceremony. Both were courteous; but the courtesy of the Christian seemedto flow rather from a good humoured sense of what was due to others;that of the Moslem, from a high feeling of what was to be expected fromhimself.

  The provision which each had made for his refreshment was simple, butthe meal of the Saracen was abstemious. A handful of dates and a morselof coarse barley-bread sufficed to relieve the hunger of the latter,whose education had habituated them to the fare of the desert, although,since their Syrian conquests, the Arabian simplicity of life frequentlygave place to the most unbounded profusion of luxury. A few draughtsfrom the lovely fountain by which they reposed completed his meal. Thatof the Christian, though coarse, was more genial. Dried hog's flesh, theabomination of the Moslemah, was the chief part of his repast; and hisdrink, derived from a leathern bottle, contained something better thanpure element. He fed with more display of appetite, and drank with moreappearance of satisfaction, than the Saracen judged it becoming to showin the performance of a mere bodily function; and, doubtless, the secretcontempt which each entertained for the other, as the follower of afalse religion, was considerably increased by the marked difference oftheir diet and manners. But each had found the weight of his opponent'sarm, and the mutual respect which the bold struggle had created wassufficient to subdue other and inferior considerations. Yet the Saracencould not help remarking the circumstances which displeased him in theChristian's conduct and manners; and, after he had witnessed for sometime in silence the keen appetite which protracted the knight's banquetlong after his own was concluded, he thus addressed him:--

  "Valiant Nazarene, is it fitting that one who can fight like a manshould feed like a dog or a wolf? Even a misbelieving Jew would shudderat the food whi
ch you seem to eat with as much relish as if it werefruit from the trees of Paradise."

  "Valiant Saracen," answered the Christian, looking up with some surpriseat the accusation thus unexpectedly brought, "know thou that I exercisemy Christian freedom in using that which is forbidden to the Jews,being, as they esteem themselves, under the bondage of the old law ofMoses. We, Saracen, be it known to thee, have a better warrant forwhat we do--Ave Maria!--be we thankful." And, as if in defiance ofhis companion's scruples, he concluded a short Latin grace with a longdraught from the leathern bottle.

  "That, too, you call a part of your liberty," said the Saracen; "andas you feed like the brutes, so you degrade yourself to the bestialcondition by drinking a poisonous liquor which even they refuse!"

  "Know, foolish Saracen," replied the Christian, without hesitation,"that thou blasphemest the gifts of God, even with the blasphemy of thyfather Ishmael. The juice of the grape is given to him that will use itwisely, as that which cheers the heart of man after toil, refreshes himin sickness, and comforts him in sorrow. He who so enjoyeth it may thankGod for his winecup as for his daily bread; and he who abuseth the giftof Heaven is not a greater fool in his intoxication than thou in thineabstinence."

  The keen eye of the Saracen kindled at this sarcasm, and his hand soughtthe hilt of his poniard. It was but a momentary thought, however, anddied away in the recollection of the powerful champion with whom hehad to deal, and the desperate grapple, the impression of which stillthrobbed in his limbs and veins; and he contented himself with pursuingthe contest in colloquy, as more convenient for the time.

  "Thy words" he said, "O Nazarene, might create anger, did not thyignorance raise compassion. Seest thou not, O thou more blind than anywho asks alms at the door of the Mosque, that the liberty thou dostboast of is restrained even in that which is dearest to man's happinessand to his household; and that thy law, if thou dost practise it, bindsthee in marriage to one single mate, be she sick or healthy, be shefruitful or barren, bring she comfort and joy, or clamour and strife,to thy table and to thy bed? This, Nazarene, I do indeed call slavery;whereas, to the faithful, hath the Prophet assigned upon earth thepatriarchal privileges of Abraham our father, and of Solomon, the wisestof mankind, having given us here a succession of beauty at our pleasure,and beyond the grave the black-eyed houris of Paradise."

  "Now, by His name that I most reverence in heaven," said the Christian,"and by hers whom I most worship on earth, thou art but a blinded anda bewildered infidel!--That diamond signet which thou wearest on thyfinger, thou holdest it, doubtless, as of inestimable value?"

  "Balsora and Bagdad cannot show the like," replied the Saracen; "butwhat avails it to our purpose?"

  "Much," replied the Frank, "as thou shalt thyself confess. Take mywar-axe and dash the stone into twenty shivers: would each fragment beas valuable as the original gem, or would they, all collected, bear thetenth part of its estimation?"

  "That is a child's question," answered the Saracen; "the fragments ofsuch a stone would not equal the entire jewel in the degree of hundredsto one."

  "Saracen," replied the Christian warrior, "the love which a true knightbinds on one only, fair and faithful, is the gem entire; the affectionthou flingest among thy enslaved wives and half-wedded slaves isworthless, comparatively, as the sparkling shivers of the brokendiamond."

  "Now, by the Holy Caaba," said the Emir, "thou art a madman who hugshis chain of iron as if it were of gold! Look more closely. This ringof mine would lose half its beauty were not the signet encircled andenchased with these lesser brilliants, which grace it and set it off.The central diamond is man, firm and entire, his value depending onhimself alone; and this circle of lesser jewels are women, borrowinghis lustre, which he deals out to them as best suits his pleasure orhis convenience. Take the central stone from the signet, and thediamond itself remains as valuable as ever, while the lesser gems arecomparatively of little value. And this is the true reading of thyparable; for what sayeth the poet Mansour: 'It is the favour of manwhich giveth beauty and comeliness to woman, as the stream glitters nolonger when the sun ceaseth to shine.'"

  "Saracen," replied the Crusader, "thou speakest like one who never sawa woman worthy the affection of a soldier. Believe me, couldst thoulook upon those of Europe, to whom, after Heaven, we of the order ofknighthood vow fealty and devotion, thou wouldst loathe for ever thepoor sensual slaves who form thy haram. The beauty of our fair onesgives point to our spears and edge to our swords; their words are ourlaw; and as soon will a lamp shed lustre when unkindled, as a knightdistinguish himself by feats of arms, having no mistress of hisaffection."

  "I have heard of this frenzy among the warriors of the West," said theEmir, "and have ever accounted it one of the accompanying symptoms ofthat insanity which brings you hither to obtain possession of an emptysepulchre. But yet, methinks, so highly have the Franks whom I have metwith extolled the beauty of their women, I could be well contented tobehold with mine own eyes those charms which can transform such bravewarriors into the tools of their pleasure."

  "Brave Saracen," said the Knight, "if I were not on a pilgrimage to theHoly Sepulchre, it should be my pride to conduct you, on assurance ofsafety, to the camp of Richard of England, than whom none knows betterhow to do honour to a noble foe; and though I be poor and unattendedyet have I interest to secure for thee, or any such as thou seemest, notsafety only, but respect and esteem. There shouldst thou see severalof the fairest beauties of France and Britain form a small circle, thebrilliancy of which exceeds ten-thousandfold the lustre of mines ofdiamonds such as thine."

  "Now, by the corner-stone of the Caaba!" said the Saracen, "I willaccept thy invitation as freely as it is given, if thou wilt postponethy present intent; and, credit me, brave Nazarene, it were better forthyself to turn back thy horse's head towards the camp of thy people,for to travel towards Jerusalem without a passport is but a wilfulcasting-away of thy life."

  "I have a pass," answered the Knight, producing a parchment, "UnderSaladin's hand and signet."

  The Saracen bent his head to the dust as he recognized the seal andhandwriting of the renowned Soldan of Egypt and Syria; and having kissedthe paper with profound respect, he pressed it to his forehead, thenreturned it to the Christian, saying, "Rash Frank, thou hast sinnedagainst thine own blood and mine, for not showing this to me when wemet."

  "You came with levelled spear," said the Knight. "Had a troop ofSaracens so assailed me, it might have stood with my honour to haveshown the Soldan's pass, but never to one man."

  "And yet one man," said the Saracen haughtily, "was enough to interruptyour journey."

  "True, brave Moslem," replied the Christian; "but there are few such asthou art. Such falcons fly not in flocks; or, if they do, they pouncenot in numbers upon one."

  "Thou dost us but justice," said the Saracen, evidently gratified bythe compliment, as he had been touched by the implied scorn of theEuropean's previous boast; "from us thou shouldst have had no wrong. Butwell was it for me that I failed to slay thee, with the safeguard ofthe king of kings upon thy person. Certain it were, that the cord or thesabre had justly avenged such guilt."

  "I am glad to hear that its influence shall be availing to me," said theKnight; "for I have heard that the road is infested with robber-tribes,who regard nothing in comparison of an opportunity of plunder."

  "The truth has been told to thee, brave Christian," said the Saracen;"but I swear to thee, by the turban of the Prophet, that shouldst thoumiscarry in any haunt of such villains, I will myself undertake thyrevenge with five thousand horse. I will slay every male of them, andsend their women into such distant captivity that the name of theirtribe shall never again be heard within five hundred miles of Damascus.I will sow with salt the foundations of their village, and there shallnever live thing dwell there, even from that time forward."

  "I had rather the trouble which you design for yourself were in revengeof some other more important person than of me, noble Emir," replied theKnight; "but
my vow is recorded in heaven, for good or for evil, and Imust be indebted to you for pointing me out the way to my resting-placefor this evening."

  "That," said the Saracen, "must be under the black covering of myfather's tent."

  "This night," answered the Christian, "I must pass in prayer andpenitence with a holy man, Theodorick of Engaddi, who dwells amongstthese wilds, and spends his life in the service of God."

  "I will at least see you safe thither," said the Saracen.

  "That would be pleasant convoy for me," said the Christian; "yet mightendanger the future security of the good father; for the cruel hand ofyour people has been red with the blood of the servants of the Lord, andtherefore do we come hither in plate and mail, with sword and lance, toopen the road to the Holy Sepulchre, and protect the chosen saints andanchorites who yet dwell in this land of promise and of miracle."

  "Nazarene," said the Moslem, "in this the Greeks and Syrians have muchbelied us, seeing we do but after the word of Abubeker Alwakel, thesuccessor of the Prophet, and, after him, the first commander of truebelievers. 'Go forth,' he said, 'Yezed Ben Sophian,' when he sent thatrenowned general to take Syria from the infidels; 'quit yourselves likemen in battle, but slay neither the aged, the infirm, the women, nor thechildren. Waste not the land, neither destroy corn and fruit-trees; theyare the gifts of Allah. Keep faith when you have made any covenant,even if it be to your own harm. If ye find holy men labouring with theirhands, and serving God in the desert, hurt them not, neither destroytheir dwellings. But when you find them with shaven crowns, they are ofthe synagogue of Satan! Smite with the sabre, slay, cease not tillthey become believers or tributaries.' As the Caliph, companion of theProphet, hath told us, so have we done, and those whom our justice hassmitten are but the priests of Satan. But unto the good men who, withoutstirring up nation against nation, worship sincerely in the faith ofIssa Ben Mariam, we are a shadow and a shield; and such being he whomyou seek, even though the light of the Prophet hath not reached him,from me he will only have love, favour, and regard."

  "The anchorite whom I would now visit," said the warlike pilgrim, "is, Ihave heard, no priest; but were he of that anointed and sacred order, Iwould prove with my good lance, against paynim and infidel--"

  "Let us not defy each other, brother," interrupted the Saracen; "weshall find, either of us, enough of Franks or of Moslemah on whom toexercise both sword and lance. This Theodorick is protected both by Turkand Arab; and, though one of strange conditions at intervals, yet, onthe whole, he bears himself so well as the follower of his own prophet,that he merits the protection of him who was sent--"

  "Now, by Our Lady, Saracen," exclaimed the Christian, "if thou darestname in the same breath the camel-driver of Mecca with--"

  An electrical shock of passion thrilled through the form of the Emir;but it was only momentary, and the calmness of his reply had bothdignity and reason in it, when he said, "Slander not him whom thouknowest not--the rather that we venerate the founder of thy religion,while we condemn the doctrine which your priests have spun from it. Iwill myself guide thee to the cavern of the hermit, which, methinks,without my help, thou wouldst find it a hard matter to reach. And,on the way, let us leave to mollahs and to monks to dispute about thedivinity of our faith, and speak on themes which belong to youthfulwarriors--upon battles, upon beautiful women, upon sharp swords, andupon bright armour."