The King's Esquires; Or, The Jewel of France

  CHAPTER FORTY FOUR.

  THE ESCAPE.

  For a few moments excitement got the better of the grave subtle doctor,and he was within touch of flinging open the door and hurrying Francisout into the grounds. But drawing in a deep breath he was cautious thenext moment as some lurking beast of prey.

  The key was turned by slow degrees without a sound, and the door drawncarefully inward till there was a slight crack, through which the nightwind came in pleasantly to his heated brow, and he paused for quite fiveminutes, listening; then gradually opening more and more, he satisfiedhimself that there were no concealed guards among the bushes, waiting tospring upon him and make him prisoner when he stepped outside.

  His next act was to remove the key to the garden side of the lock. Thisdone, "Now," he whispered, and Francis, who seemed more than ever underhis control, stepped quietly out, followed by Saint Simon; after whichthe door was cautiously locked, and Leoni slipped the key into hispocket.

  There was another pause, which made Saint Simon utter a low deep growl.

  "What is it, boy?" said Leoni.

  "The boat! The boat!" whispered the young man. "We are losing time."

  "Perhaps gaining it, my dear Saint Simon," was the reply. "Youth isrash; age is cautious. Our progress must be slow and sure."

  He took and pressed the young man's hands as he spoke, before leavinghim to take a few strides for observation along the path, and thenreturning, musing to himself that all seemed too easy, and that at anymoment there might be some sudden check to their progress.

  Back once more, he bade his two companions follow, leading them slowlyand cautiously on, sword in one hand, stiletto in the other, asadvance-guard, Saint Simon, similarly prepared, forming the rear; andthen on and on they went downward through the bushes, which ever andagain brushed against their sleeves, and twice over startled andarrested by a sudden dash as of an enemy; but it was nothing worse thana startled bird, blackbird or thrush, roused from its roosting sleep bythe disturbers of its rest.

  And so downward along the winding, well-marked paths, with nothing tohinder their progress, no guards to arrest, and Leoni strong in thebelief that some great check must come, settling in his mind that theencounter would be down by the landing-place when they tried to set freethe boat.

  In this belief when they were nearly there he stopped short, laid hishand upon the King's shoulder to press him aside, and whispered to SaintSimon to join him in the front.

  "There may be watchers there," he said. "Be well on the alert."

  The next minute as they moved forward the head of the stone steps wasreached, lying in the darkness of the clouded night nearly hidden by agreat overhanging willow, whose pensile twigs brushed the roof of thewaterside summer-house supported upon slimy water-worn piles, to one ofwhich the boat-chain was attached, the rusty iron creaking faintlyagainst the ring-bolt as the skiff swung softly to and fro, influencedby the swift stream.

  "Hah!" sighed Leoni to himself. "Fate is with us yet. Who says ourmission is unrighteous?" And a feeling of exultation rose within hisbreast, only to be crushed-down directly after by what seemed to be aheavy weight of misery, beyond which he seemed to see the reproachfuleyes of the King's esquire, sacrificed that he might succeed.

  "Into it and unloose the chain, boy," whispered Leoni, eager by actionto change the current of his thoughts.

  Saint Simon quickly sheathed sword and dagger as he stood on the loweststep and reached out to draw in the boat, into which he stepped, makingthe chain rattle as he drew it through the ring, and his leaden utter animpatient:

  "Hist!"

  The next minute the freed boat was grinding against the step, and Leonisteadied it by planting a foot upon its side.

  "Now, boy," he whispered, "seat yourself, and be ready with the oars--good! Now rest one on the step here and keep the boat steady.--Quick,sir! Step in, and sit down at once."

  The King obeyed without a word, and no sooner was he seated than Leonifollowed, and took his own place between Francis and Saint Simon, whomhe relieved of one of the oars.

  "Push off!" whispered Saint Simon, who held the oar that rested on thesteps.

  "One moment's thought," whispered back Leoni, speaking over his leftshoulder, as he glared around for danger, his ears twitching the whilelike those of some wild animal which felt that there was peril in theair.

  "Now," he said, in a whisper just loud enough for the young man to hear,"if we go upward it is farther into the country, but harder work, for weare against the stream. If we go downward it is towards the capital,and the work will be light, for the stream will bear us on.

  "Yes," he said, after a pause, "if we are pursued and the boat is missedthey will think that we have taken the easier way. No, boy, ours is notime for ease; hard work and safety must be our motto now. Push off androw with me slowly and steadily onward against the stream."

  Saint Simon bore heavily upon his oar and with a thrust sent the boat'shead outward; and directly after, dipping as lightly as they could, theypulled together with a wonderful regularity for such unpractised handsout towards the middle, till a scattered light or two appeared frombeyond the trees, showing where the castle lay.

  And then onward in silence for a few hundred yards along between thedimly seen silent banks of the black river, for the clouds seemed tohave lowered and there was not a star.

  All at once a movement on the part of the King took Leoni's attention,and he drew in his oar, to bend forward and then rise in the boat, forFrancis had sunk slowly sideways, fast asleep; while, with the action ofa careful mother bending over her child, the strange subtle doctorcarefully readjusted his cloak to guard him from the night air, beforeresuming his seat with a sigh, and taking up his oar.

  "A trifle, Saint Simon," he said playfully. "There are times when wehave to protect our master with our swords, but we must not forget suchlittle things as this."

  "Ah!" ejaculated Saint Simon, with a groan.

  "Why, what's the matter, boy? You don't resent having to row the nightthrough like some poor slave?"

  "No, no. I was thinking about poor Denis. Doctor, don't think me weak.I loved that boy."

  "Say love," cried Leoni warmly. "Bah, man! Henry may be a tyrant, buthe could not be so base as to hurt a boy like that. Row for our liveswhile I prophesy what I believe in spite of bitter despairing thoughts.We shall live to see our brave young companion safe again."

  "Bravo, doctor! Your medicine has given me heart. Row? Yes. I can doit now till my arms refuse to stir." And on the boat glided, keptcloser to the shore where the eddies played and the full force of thestream was missed.

  And then on and on hour after hour, with a few intervals of rest wherethe waters whispered and they made fast to some overhanging bough andspent the minutes thinking that horsemen might be near, scouring thecountry where they could approach the banks on either side to cut offthe fugitives, though not a sound was heard.

  And so on till day broke and they made fast amongst the trees in themost secluded place they came to, not daring to expose themselves wherethey might be seen.

  They had no trouble with the King, for, weak with his wound and halfstupefied by the drug Leoni had administered, he slept on hour afterhour through the pleasant morning and through the heat of noon, hisresting-place quite cool beneath the shadowing trees and with his browfanned by the soft summer breeze. He did not even stir when, kneelingin the boat, Leoni moistened and drew off the bandages to dress hiswound, washing them in the stream and drying them in a patch where thehot sun heated the bows of the boat, but still slept on as if restfuland comforted by the chirurgeon's skilful hands.

  "Better or worse?" whispered Saint Simon, while the task was inprogress.

  "Better, boy, and healing fast. He will sleep for hours yet, and wakenquite himself towards evening; but then," added the doctor, with a sigh,"we have another difficulty to face, if we are not taken."

  "Ah! What's that?" cried Saint Simon quickly, and Leoni
smiledsardonically, making his companion wince at the peculiar look in hiseyes.

  "I was thinking, boy," he said, "of how you are going to spread thewhite napkins and the silver cups for our master's banquet, for he willbe hungry, ravenous, after his long fast. You see, he may be displeasedto find the banquet cold."

  Saint Simon stared at him with open eyes and mouth.

  "Why, you are laughing at me," he said.

  "Well, why not?" replied Leoni. "Surely, after all my slavery of brain,when success shines down upon me I have a right to smile."

  "Success!" cried Saint Simon bitterly. "Why, you have failed."

  "Hah!" said Leoni, with a peculiar smile; and then after a short pause,"Well, boy, what are we to do for food? This water is beautifullylimpid and clear to quench our thirst, but it will not appease hunger."

  "I'll go ashore at the first hostelry we see, and buy what we want,"replied Saint Simon.

  "And expose us to fresh capture? No, boy; we have had enough ofhostelries. Every one within reach of the river will be searched. Weshall have to fast till we are far enough to venture ashore."

  "And the King?" said Saint Simon.

  Leoni looked at him curiously, and slowly placed his hand within hisbreast to draw out the little golden flask, which he tapped with hisfinger-nails.

  "Three parts gone," he said; "but enough left for the Comte's use. Afew drops will quell his hunger; double the quantity will make him sleepin peace. When you can bear your fast no longer, you shall have a fewdrops in water if you are a good boy."

  "Bah!" growled Saint Simon. "I can bear hunger like a man."

  The day glided by in perfect peace, the two rowers resting from the pastnight's labours, and the King sleeping as quietly as a child; while fromtime to time as Saint Simon glanced at him sadly, thinking of how he andLeoni had been the cause of all the trouble to his friend, he could nothelp a growing feeling of admiration within his breast as he saw howable the doctor's ministrations were, as shown by the way in which hehad treated his master's serious wound.

  It was during one of these musing fits, when he was wondering, to usethe homely phrase, how Denis was getting on, that Leoni, after a longsilence, spoke out decisively.

  "We will wait till it is dark," he said. "It will not be long now--andthen row on through the night. It looks so clear that I expect we shallhave the moon to help us on our way. To-morrow morning we shall beobliged to risk landing somewhere on the left bank, and then make ourway due south, walking till the King is weary--of course after one of ushas bought food of some kind, for he will never walk without. Hah!" hecontinued, as he bent over the sleeping King and carefully examined hisface. "He is dreaming a good deal now."

  "How do you know?" asked Saint Simon.

  "By the motion of his eyes."

  "Why, they are shut, sir."

  "Yes, but look how they are turning about beneath his lids. He is goingthrough some imaginary scene--hunting perhaps."

  Singularly enough, as the doctor spoke in a whisper, Francis proved thecorrectness of Leoni's surmise, for he exclaimed:

  "Yon bosky piece--quick! Lay on the hounds!"

  Leoni drew back with a smile, and met Saint Simon's wondering eyes.

  "Yes," he said; "he is getting to the end of his deep sleep. It willnot be long before he wakes, and I should say just at dark. Ah, good!It is lightening in the east. Yonder comes the moon. We will start atonce; but I must cover him again. The mist is rising in the meadows,and it promises a damp night."

  As he spoke he bent over the King to draw his cloak about shoulder andthroat; but at the first touch of his hands the King started up andcaught them fast.