CHAPTER THE SIXTEENTH.
"Hail to you, my gallant friends!" said the Knight of the Tomb to hiscompanions, who seemed to welcome him with the eagerness of men engagedin the same perilous undertaking. "The winter has passed over, thefestival of Palm Sunday is come, and as surely as the ice and snow ofthis season shall not remain to chill the earth through the ensuingsummer, so surely we, in a few hours, keep our word to those southernbraggarts, who think their language of boasting and malice has as muchforce over our Scottish bosoms, as the blast possesses over the autumnfruits; but it is not so. While we choose to remain concealed, they mayas vainly seek to descry us, as a housewife would search for the needleshe has dropped among the withered foliage of yon gigantic oak. Yet afew hours, and the lost needle shall become the exterminating sword ofthe Genius of Scotland, avenging ten thousand injuries, and especiallythe life of the gallant Lord Douglas, cruelly done to death as an exilefrom his native country."
An exclamation between a yell and a groan burst from the assembledretainers of Douglas, upon being reminded of the recent death of theirchieftain; while they seemed at the same time sensible of the necessityof making little noise, lest they should give the alarm to some of thenumerous English parties which were then traversing different parts ofthe forest. The acclamation, so cautiously uttered, had scarce diedaway in silence, when the Knight of the Tomb, or, to call him by hisproper name, Sir James Douglas, again addressed his handful of faithfulfollowers.
"One effort, my friends, may yet be made to end our strife with theSouthron without bloodshed. Fate has within a few hours thrown into mypower the young heiress of Berkely, for whose sake it is said Sir Johnde Walton keeps with such obstinacy the castle which is mine byinheritance. Is there one among you who dare go, as the honourableescort of Augusta de Berkely, bearing a letter, explaining the terms onwhich I am willing to restore her to her lover, to freedom, and to herEnglish lordships?"
"If there is none other," said a tall man, dressed in the tatteredattire of a woodsman, and being, in fact, no other than the veryMichael Turnbull, who had already given so extraordinary a proof of hisundaunted manhood, "I will gladly be the person who will be the lady'shenchman on this expedition."
"Thou art never wanting," said the Douglas, "where a manly deed is tobe done; but remember, this lady must pledge to us her word and oaththat she will hold herself our faithful prisoner, rescue or no rescue;that she will consider herself as pledged for the life, freedom, andfair usage of Michael Turnbull; and that if Sir John de Walton refusemy terms, she must hold herself obliged to return with Turnbull to ourpresence, in order to be disposed of at our pleasure."
There was much in these conditions, which struck the Lady Augusta withnatural doubt and horror; nevertheless, strange as it may seem, thedeclaration of the Douglas gave a species of decision to her situation,which might have otherwise been unattainable; and from the high opinionwhich she entertained of the Douglas's chivalry, she could not bringherself to think, that any part which he might play in the approachingdrama would be other than that which a perfect good knight would, underall circumstances, maintain towards his enemy. Even with respect to DeWalton, she felt herself relieved of a painful difficulty. The idea ofher being discovered by the knight himself, in a male disguise, hadpreyed upon her spirits; and she felt as if guilty of a departure fromthe laws of womanhood, in having extended her favour towards him beyondmaidenly limits; a step, too, which might tend to lessen her in theeyes of the lover for whom she had hazarded so much.
"The heart, she said, is lightly prized, That is but lightly won; And Long shall mourn the heartless man, That leaves his love too soon."
On the other hand, to be brought before him as a prisoner, was indeed acircumstance equally perplexing as unpleasing, but it was one which wasbeyond her control, and the Douglas, into whose hands she had fallen,appeared to her to represent the deity in the play, whose entrance wasalmost sufficient to bring its perplexities to a conclusion; shetherefore not unwillingly submitted to take what oaths and promiseswere required by the party in whose hands she found herself, andaccordingly engaged to be a true prisoner, whatever might occur.Meantime she strictly obeyed the directions of those who had hermotions at command, devoutly praying that circumstances, in themselvesso adverse, might nevertheless work together for the safety of herlover and her own freedom.
A pause ensued, during which a slight repast was placed before the LadyAugusta, who was well-nigh exhausted with the fatigues of her journey.
Douglas and his partisans, meanwhile, whispered together, as ifunwilling she should hear their conference; while, to purchase theirgood-will, if possible, she studiously avoided every appearance oflistening.
After some conversation, Turnbull, who appeared to consider the lady aspeculiarly his charge, said to her in a harsh voice, "Do not fear,lady; no wrong shall be done you; nevertheless, you must be content fora space to be blindfolded."
She submitted to this in silent terror; and the trooper, wrapping partof a mantle round her head, did not assist her to remount her palfrey,but lent her his arm to support her in this blinded state.