CHAPTER THE NINETEENTH.
The Varangian and Count Robert, at every risk of discovery, hadremained so near as fully to conjecture, though they could notexpressly overhear, the purport of the conversation.
"He has accepted her challenge!" said the Count of Paris.
"And with apparent willingness," said Hereward.
"O, doubtless, doubtless,"--answered the Crusader; "but he knows notthe skill in war which a woman may attain; for my part, God knows Ihave enough depending upon the issue of this contest, yet such is myconfidence, that I would to God I had more. I vow to our Lady of theBroken Lances, that I desire every furrow of land I possess--everyhonour which I can call my own, from the Countship of Paris, down tothe leather that binds my spur, were dependent and at issue upon thisfair field, between your Caesar, as men term him, and Brenhilda ofAspramonte."
"It is a noble confidence," said the Varangian, "nor durst I say it isa rash one; only I cannot but remember that the Caesar is a strong man,as well as a handsome, expert in the use of arms, and, above all, lessstrictly bound than you esteem yourself by the rules of honour. Thereare many ways in which advantage may be given and taken, which willnot, in the Caesar's estimation, alter the character of the field froman equal one, although it might do so in the opinion of the chivalrousCount of Paris, or even in that of the poor Varangian. But first let meconduct you to some place of safety, for your escape must be soon, ifit is not already, detected. The sounds which we heard intimate thatsome of his confederate plotters have visited the garden on other thanlove affairs. I will guide thee to another avenue than that by which weentered. But you would hardly, I suppose, be pleased to adopt thewisest alternative?"
"And what may that be?" said the Count.
"To give thy purse, though it were thine all, to some poor ferryman towaft thee over the Hellespont, then hasten to carry thy complaint toGodfrey of Bouillon, and what friends thou mayst have among thybrethren crusaders, and determine, as thou easily canst, on asufficient number of them to come back and menace the city with instantwar, unless the Emperor should deliver up thy lady, most unfairly madeprisoner, and prevent, by his authority, this absurd and unnaturalcombat."
"And would you have me, then," said Count Robert, "move the crusadersto break a fairly appointed field of battle? Do you think that Godfreyof Bouillon would turn back upon his pilgrimage for such an unworthypurpose; or that the Countess of Paris would accept as a service, meansof safety which would stain her honour for ever, by breaking anappointment solemnly made on her own challenge?--Never!"
"My judgment is then at fault," said the Varangian, "for I see I canhammer out no expedient which is not, in some extravagant manner oranother, controlled by your foolish notions. Here is a man who has beentrapped into the power of his enemy, that he might not interfere toprevent a base stratagem upon his lady, involving both her life andhonour; yet he thinks it a matter of necessity that he keeps faith asprecisely with these midnight poisoners, as he would had it beenpledged to the most honourable men!"
"Thou say'st a painful truth," said Count Robert; "but my word is theemblem of my faith; and if it pass to a dishonourable or faithless foe,it is imprudently done on my part; but if I break it, being oncepledged, it is a dishonourable action, and the disgrace can never bewashed from my shield."
"Do you mean, then," said the Varangian, "to suffer your wife's honourto remain pledged as it at present is, on the event of an unequalcombat?"
"God and the saints pardon thee such a thought!" said the Count ofParis. "I will go to see this combat with a heart as firm, if not aslight, as any time I ever saw spears splintered. If by the influence ofany accident or treachery,--for fairly, and with such an antagonist,Brenhilda of Aspramonte cannot be overthrown,--I step into the lists,proclaim the Caesar as he is--a villain--show the falsehood of hisconduct from beginning to end,--appeal to every noble heart that hearsme, and then--God show the right!"
Hereward paused, and shook his head. "All this," he said, "might befeasible enough provided the combat were to be fought in the presenceof your own countrymen, or even, by the mass! if the Varangians were tobe guards of the lists. But treachery of every kind is so familiar tothe Greeks, that I question if they would view the conduct of theirCaesar as any thing else than a pardonable and natural stratagem of DanCupid, to be smiled at, rather than subjected to disgrace orpunishment."
"A nation," said Count Robert, "who could smile at such a jest, mayheaven refuse them sympathy at their utmost need, when their sword isbroken in their hand, and their wives and daughters shrieking in therelentless grasp of a barbarous enemy!"
Hereward looked upon his companion, whose flushed cheeks and sparklingeyes bore witness to his enthusiasm.
"I see," he said, "you are resolved, and I know that your resolutioncan in justice be called by no other name than an act of heroic folly:--What then? it is long since life has been bitter to the Varangianexile. Morn has raised him from a joyless bed, which night has seen himlie down upon, wearied with wielding a mercenary weapon in the wars ofstrangers. He has longed to lay down his life in an honourable cause,and this is one in which the extremity and very essence of honour isimplicated. It tallies also with my scheme of saving the Emperor, whichwill be greatly facilitated by the downfall of his ungratefulson-in-law." Then addressing himself to the Count, he continued, "Well,Sir Count, as thou art the person principally concerned, I am willingto yield to thy reasoning in this affair; but I hope you will permit meto mingle with your resolution some advices of a more everyday and lessfantastic nature. For example, thy escape from the dungeons of theBlacquernal must soon be generally known. In prudence, indeed, I myselfmust be the first to communicate it, since otherwise the suspicion willfall on me--Where do you think of concealing yourself? for assuredlythe search will be close and general."
"For that," said the Count of Paris, "I must be indebted to thysuggestion, with thanks for every lie which thou findest thyselfobliged to make, to contrive, and produce in my behalf, entreating theeonly to render them as few as possible, they being a coin which Imyself never fabricate."
"Sir knight," answered Hereward, "let me begin first by saying, that noknight that ever belted sword is more a slave to truth, when truth isobserved towards him, than the poor soldier who talks to thee; but whenthe game depends not upon fair play, but upon lulling men'scautiousness asleep by falsehood, and drugging their senses by opiatedraughts, they who would scruple at no means of deceiving me, canhardly expect that I, who am paid in such base money, should passnothing on my part but what is lawful and genuine. For the present thoumust remain concealed within my poor apartment, in the barracks of theVarangians, which is the last place where they will think of seekingfor thee. Take this, my upper cloak, and follow me; and now that we areabout to leave these gardens, thou mayst follow me unsuspected as asentinel attending his officer; for, take it along with you, nobleCount, that we Varangians are a sort of persons upon whom the Greekscare not to look very long or fixedly."
They now reached the gate where they had been admitted by the negress,and Hereward, who was intrusted with the power, it seems, of lettinghimself out of the philosopher's premises, though not of enteringwithout assistance from the portress, took out a key which turned thelock on the garden side, so that they soon found themselves at liberty.They then proceeded by by-paths through the city, Hereward leading theway, and the Count following, without speech or remonstrance, untilthey stood before the portal of the barracks of the Varangians.
"Make haste," said the sentinel who was on duty, "dinner is alreadybegun." The communication sounded joyfully in the ears of Hereward, whowas much afraid that his companion might have been stopt and examined.By a side passage he reached his own quarters, and introduced the Countinto a small room, the sleeping chamber of his squire, where heapologized for leaving him for some time; and, going out, locked thedoor, for fear, as he said, of intrusion.
The demon of suspicion was not very likely to molest a mind so franklyconstituted as that of Co
unt Robert, and yet the last action ofHereward did not fail to occasion some painful reflections.
"This man," he said, "had needs be true, for I have reposed in him amighty trust, which few hirelings in his situation would honourablydischarge. What is to prevent him to report to the principal officer ofhis watch, that the Frank prisoner, Robert, Count of Paris, whose wifestands engaged for so desperate a combat with the Caesar, has escaped,indeed, this morning, from the prisons of the Blacquernal, but hassuffered himself to be trepanned at noon, and is again a captive in thebarracks of the Varangian Guard?---what means of defence are mine, wereI discovered to these mercenaries?--What man could do, by the favour ofour Lady of the Broken Lances, I have not failed to achieve. I haveslain a tiger in single combat--I have killed one warder, and conqueredthe desperate and gigantic creature by whom he was supported. I havehad terms enough at command to bring over this Varangian to my side, inappearance at least; yet all this does not encourage me to hope that Icould long keep at bay ten or a dozen such men as these beef-fed knavesappear to be, led in upon me by a fellow of thewes and sinews such asthose of my late companion.--Yet for shame, Robert! such thoughts areunworthy a descendant of Charlemagne. When wert thou wont so curiouslyto count thine enemies, and when wert thou wont to be suspicious, sincehe, whose bosom may truly boast itself incapable of fraud, ought inhonesty to be the last to expect it in another? The Varangian's look isopen, his coolness in danger is striking, his speech is more frank andready than ever was that of a traitor. If he is false, there is nofaith in the hand of nature, for truth, sincerity, and courage arewritten upon his forehead."
While Count Robert was thus reflecting upon his condition, andcombating the thick-coming doubts and suspicions which itsuncertainties gave rise to, he began to be sensible that he had noteaten for many hours; and amidst many doubts and fears of a more heroicnature, he half entertained a lurking suspicion, that they meant to lethunger undermine his strength before they adventured into the apartmentto deal with him.
We shall best see how far these doubts were deserved by Hereward, orhow far they were unjust, by following his course after he left hisbarrack-room. Snatching a morsel of dinner, which he ate with anaffectation of great hunger, but, in fact, that his attention to hisfood might be a pretence for dispensing with disagreeable questions, orwith conversation of any kind, he pleaded duty, and immediately leavinghis comrades, directed his course to the lodgings of Achilles Tatius,which were a part of the same building. A Syrian slave, who opened thedoor, after a deep reverence to Hereward, whom he knew as a favouriteattendant of the Acolyte, said to him that his master was gone forth,but had desired him to say, that if he wished to see him, he would findhim at the Philosopher's Gardens, so called, as belonging to the sageAgelastes.
Hereward turned about instantly, and availing himself of his knowledgeof Constantinople to thread its streets in the shortest time possible,at length stood alone before the door in the garden-wall, at which heand the Count of Paris had previously been admitted in the earlier partof the day. The same negress appeared at the same private signal, andwhen he asked for Achilles Tatius, she replied, with some sharpness,"Since you were here this morning, I marvel you did not meet him, orthat, having business with him, you did not stay till he arrived. SureI am, that not long after you entered the garden the Acolyte wasenquiring for you."
"It skills not, old woman" said the Varangian; "I communicate thereason of my motions to my commander, but not to thee." He entered thegarden accordingly, and avoiding the twilight path that led to theBower of Love,--so was the pavilion named in which he had overheard thedialogue between the Caesar and the Countess of Paris,--he arrivedbefore a simple garden-house, whose humble and modest front seemed toannounce that it was the abode of philosophy and learning. Here,passing before the windows, he made some little noise, expecting toattract the attention either of Achilles Tatius, or his accompliceAgelastes, as chance should determine. It was the first who heard, andwho replied. The door opened; a lofty plume stooped itself, that itsowner might cross the threshold, and the stately form of AchillesTatius entered the gardens. "What now," he said, "our trusty sentinel?what hast thou, at this time of day, come to report to us? Thou art ourgood friend, and highly esteemed soldier, and well we wot thine errandmust be of importance, since thou hast brought it thyself, and at anhour so unusual."
"Pray Heaven," said Hereward, "that the news I have brought deserve awelcome."
"Speak them instantly," said the Acolyte, "good or bad; thou speakestto a man to whom fear is unknown." But his eye, which quailed as helooked on the soldier--his colour, which went and came--his hands,which busied themselves in an uncertain manner in adjusting the belt ofhis sword,--all argued a state of mind very different from that whichhis tone of defiance would fain have implied. "Courage," he said, "mytrusty soldier! speak the news to me. I can bear the worst thou hast totell."
"In a word, then," said the Varangian, "your Valour directed me thismorning to play the office of master of the rounds upon those dungeonsof the Blacquernal palace, where last night the boisterous Count Robertof Paris was incarcerated"--
"I remember well," said Achilles Tatius.--"What then?"
"As I reposed me," said Hereward, "in an apartment above the vaults, Iheard cries from beneath, of a kind which attracted my attention. Ihastened to examine, and my surprise was extreme, when looking downinto the dungeon, though I could see nothing distinctly, yet, by thewailing and whimpering sounds, I conceived that the Man of the Forest,the animal called Sylvan, whom our soldiers have so far indoctrinatedin our Saxon tongue as to make him useful in the wards of the prison,was bemoaning himself on account of some violent injury. Descendingwith a torch, I found the bed on which the prisoner had been let downburnt to cinders; the tiger which had been chained within a spring ofit, with its skull broken to pieces; the creature called Sylvan,prostrate, and writhing under great pain and terror, and no prisonerwhatever in the dungeon. There were marks that all the fastenings hadbeen withdrawn by a Mytilenian soldier, companion of my watch, when hevisited the dungeon at the usual hour; and as, in my anxious search, Iat length found his dead body, slain apparently by a stab in thethroat, I was obliged to believe that while I was examining the cell,he, this Count Robert, with whose daring life the adventure is wellconsistent, had escaped into the upper air, by means, doubtless, of theladder and trap-door by which I had descended."
"And wherefore didst thou not instantly call treason, and raise the hueand cry?" demanded the Acolyte.
"I dared not venture to do so," replied the Varangian, "till I hadinstructions from your Valour. The alarming cry of treason, and thevarious rumours likely at this moment to ensue, might have involved asearch so close, as perchance would have discovered matters in whichthe Acolyte himself would have been rendered subject to suspicion."
"Thou art right," said Achilles Tatius, in a whisper: "and yet it willbe necessary that we do not pretend any longer to conceal the flight ofthis important prisoner, if we would not pass for being hisaccomplices. Where thinkest thou this unhappy fugitive can have takenrefuge?"
"That I was in hopes of learning from your Valour's greater wisdom,"said Hereward.
"Thinkest thou not," said Achilles, "that he may have crossed theHellespont, in order to rejoin his own countrymen and adherents?"
"It is much to be dreaded," said Hereward. "Undoubtedly, if the Countlistened to the advice of any one who knew the face of the country,such would be the very counsel he would receive."
"The danger, then, of his return at the head of a vengeful body ofFranks," said the Acolyte, "is not so immediate as I apprehended atfirst, for the Emperor gave positive orders that the boats and galleyswhich yesterday transported the crusaders to the shores of Asia shouldrecross the strait, and bring back no single one of them from the stepupon their journey on which he had so far furthered them.--Besides,they all,--their leaders, that is to say,--made their vows beforecrossing, that they would not turn back so much as a foot's pace, nowthat they had set actu
ally forth on the road to Palestine."
"So, therefore," said Hereward, "one of the two propositions isunquestionable; either Count Robert is on the eastern side of thestrait, having no means of returning with his brethren to avenge theusage he has received, and may therefore be securely set, atdefiance,--or else he lurks somewhere in Constantinople, without afriend or ally to take his part, or encourage him openly to state hissupposed wrongs; in either case, there can, I think, be no tact inconveying to the palace the news that he has freed himself, since itwould only alarm the court, and afford the Emperor ground for manysuspicions.--But it is not for an ignorant barbarian like me toprescribe a course of conduct to your valour and wisdom, and methinksthe sage Agelastes were a fitter counsellor than such as I am."
"No, no, no," said the Acolyte, in a hurried whisper; "the philosopherand I are right good friends, sworn good friends, very especially boundtogether; but should it come to this, that one of us must needs throwbefore the footstool of the Emperor the head of the other, I think thouwouldst not advise that I, whose hairs have not a trace of silver,should be the last in making the offering; therefore we will saynothing of this mishap, but give thee full power, and the highestcharge to seek for Count Robert of Paris, be he dead or alive, tosecure him within the dungeons set apart for the discipline of our owncorps, and when thou hast done so, to bring me notice. I may make himmy friend in many ways, by extricating his wife from danger by the axesof my Varangians. What is there in this metropolis that they have tooppose them?"
"When raised in a just cause," answered Hereward, "nothing."
"Hah!--say'st thou?" said the Acolyte; "how meanest thou by that?--butI know--Thou art scrupulous about having the just and lawful command ofthy officer in every action in which thou art engaged, and, thinking inthat dutiful and soldierlike manner, it is my duty as thine Acolyte tosee thy scruples satisfied. A warrant shalt thou have, with fullpowers, to seek for and imprison this foreign Count of whom we havebeen speaking--And, hark thee, my excellent friend," he continued, withsome hesitation, "I think thou hadst better begone, and begin, orrather continue thy search. It is unnecessary to inform our friendAgelastes of what has happened, until his advice be more needful thanas yet it is on the occasion. Home--home to the barracks; I willaccount to him for thy appearance here, if he be curious on thesubject, which, as a suspicious old man, he is likely to be. Go to thebarracks, and act as if thou hadst a warrant in every respect full andample. I will provide thee with one when I come back to my quarters."
The Varangian turned hastily homewards.
"Now, is it not," he said, "a strange thing, and enough to make a man arogue for life--to observe how the devil encourages young beginners infalsehood! I have told a greater lie--at least I have suppressed moretruth--than on any occasion before in my whole life--and what is theconsequence? Why, my commander throws almost at my head a warrantsufficient to guarantee and protect me in all I have done, or proposeto do! If the foul fiend were thus regular in protecting his votaries,methinks they would have little reason to complain of him, or bettermen to be astonished at their number. But a time comes, they say, whenhe seldom fails to desert them. Therefore, get thee behind me, Satan!If I have seemed to be thy servant for a short time, it is but with anhonest and Christian purpose."
As he entertained these thoughts, he looked back upon the path, and wasstartled at an apparition of a creature of a much greater size, and astranger shape than human, covered, all but the face, with a reddishdun fur; his expression an ugly, and yet a sad melancholy; a cloth waswrapped round one hand, and an air of pain and languor bespokesuffering from a wound. So much was Hereward pre-occupied with his ownreflections, that at first he thought his imagination had actuallyraised the devil; but after a sudden start of surprise, he recognisedhis acquaintance Sylvan. "Hah! old friend," he said, "I am happy thouhast made thy escape to a place where them wilt find plenty of fruit tosupport thee. Take my advice--keep out of the way of discovery--Keepthy friend's counsel."
The Man of the Wood uttered a chattering noise in return to thisaddress.
"I understand thee," said Hereward, "thou wilt tell no tales, thousayest; and faith, I will trust thee rather than the better part of myown two-legged race, who are eternally circumventing or murdering eachother."
A minute after the creature was out of sight, Hereward heard the shriekof a female, and a voice which cried for help. The accents must havebeen uncommonly interesting to the Varangian, since, forgetting his owndangerous situation, he immediately turned and flew to the suppliant'sassistance.