"Mayhappen thou shalt fare a long way to-day," muttered Simon.
But the lad cried out aloud, while his eye glittered and his cheekflushed: "Belike thou hadst well-nigh opened the door thereto lastnight!" And therewith he leapt to his feet and drew his short-sword, andwith three deft strokes sheared asunder an overhanging beech-bough asthick as a man's wrist, that it fell crashing down, and caught Simonamongst the fall of its leafy twigs, while Christopher stood laughingon him, but with a dangerous lofty look in his eyes: then he turned awayquietly toward the horses and mounted his nag, and Simon followed anddid the like, silently; crestfallen he looked, with brooding fiercenessin his face.
So they rode their ways, and spake but little each to each till theycame to where the trees of the wood thinned speedily, and gave out atlast at the foot of a low stony slope but little grassed; and when theyhad ridden up to the brow and could see below, Christopher stretchedout his hand, and said: "Lo thou the Long Pools, fellow wayfarer! and losome of the tramping; horses that woke thee and not me last night."
Forsooth there lay below them a great stretch of grass, which whilesran into mere quagmire, and whiles was sound and better grassed; andthe said plain was seamed by three long shallow pools, with, as it were,grassy causeways between them, grown over here and there with ancientalder trees; but the stony slope whereon they had reined up bent roundthe plain mostly to the east, as though it were the shore of a greatwater; and far away to the south the hills of the forest rose up blue,and not so low at the most, but that they were somewhat higher thanthe crest of the White Horse as ye may see it from the little Berkshirehills above the Thames. Down on the firm greensward there was indeed aherd of wild horses feeding; mallard and coot swam about the waters; thewhimbrel laughed from the bent-sides, and three herons stood on the sideof the causeway seeking a good fishing-stead.
Simon sat a-horseback looking askance from the marish to Christopher,and said nothing a while; then he spake in a low croaking voice, andsaid: "So, little King, we have come to the Long Pools; now I will askthee, hast thou been further southward than this marish land?"
"That have I," said the lad, "a day's journey further; but according tothe tales of men it was at the peril of my life."
Simon seemed as if he had not noted his last word; he said: "Well then,since thou knowest the wild and the wood, knowest thou amidst of thethickets there, two lumps of bare hills, like bowls turned bottom up,that rise above the trees, and on each a tower, and betwixt them a longhouse."
"Save us, Allhallows!" quoth Christopher, "but thou wilt mean the Tofts!Is it so, sir squire?"
"Even so," said Simon.
"And thou knowest what dwellest there, and wouldst have me lead theethither?" said the lad.
"I am so bidden," said Simon; "if thou wilt not do my bidding, seek thousome place to hide thee in from the hand of the Earl Marshal."
Said the youngling: "Knowest thou not Jack of the Tofts and his sevensons, and what he is, and that he dwelleth there?"
Said Simon: "I know of him; yea, and himself I know, and that hedwelleth there; and I wot that men call him an outlaw, and that manyrich men shall lack ere he lacks. What then?"
"This," said Christopher, "that, as all tales tell, he will take my lifeif I ride thither. And," said he, turning to Simon, "this is belike whatthou wouldest with me?" And therewith he drew out his sword, for his bowwas unstrung.
But Simon sat still and let his sword abide, and said, sourly enough:"Thou art a fool to think I am training thee to thy death by him; for Ihave no will to die, and why shall he not slay me also? Now again I sayunto thee, thou hast the choice, either to lead me to the Tofts, whereshall be the deed for thee to do, or to hide thee in some hole, as Isaid afore, from the vengeance of the Lord of Oakenrealm. But as for thysword, thou mayst put it up, for I will not fight with thee, but ratherlet thee go with a string to thy leg, if thou wilt not be wise and do asthy lords ordain for thee."
Christopher sheathed his sword, and a smile came into his face, as ifsome new thought were stirring in him, and he said: "Well, since thouwilt not fight with me, and I but a lad, I will e'en do thy will andthine errand to Jack of the Tofts. Maybe he is not so black as he ispainted, and not all tales told of him are true. But some of them I willtell thee as we ride along."
"And some thereof I know already, O woodland knight," said Simon,as they rode down the bent, and Christopher led on toward the greencauseway betwixt the waters. "Tell me," quoth he, when they had riddenawhile, "is this one of thy tales, how Jack of the Tofts went to theYule feast of a great baron in the guise of a minstrel, and, even asthey bore in the boar's head, smote the said baron on the neck, so thathis head lay by the head of the swine on the Christmas board?"
"Yea," said Christopher, "and how Jack cried out: 'Two heads of swine,one good to eat, one good to burn.' But, my master, thou shalt know thatthis manslaying was not for nought: whereas the Baron of Greenlake haderewhile slain Jack's father in felon wise, where he could strike nostroke for life; and two of his brethren also had he slain, and made thesaid Jack an outlaw, and he all sackless. In the Uttermost March we deemthat he had a case against the baron."
"Hah!" said Simon. "Is this next tale true, that this Jack o' the Toftsslew a good knight before the altar, so that the priest's mass-hacklewas all wet with his blood, whereas the said priest was in the act ofputting the holy body into the open mouth of the said knight?"
Christopher said eagerly: "True was it, by the Rood! and well was itdone, for that same Sir Raoul was an ugly traitor, who had knelt downwhere he died to wed the Body of the Lord to a foul lie in his mouth;whereas the man who knelt beside him he had trained to his destruction,and was even then doing the first deal of his treason by forswearing himthere."
"And that man who knelt with him there," said Simon, "what betid tohim?"
Said Christopher: "He went out of the church with Jack of the Tofts thatminute of the stroke; and to the Tofts he went with him, and abode withhim freely: and a valiant man he was...and is."
"Hah!" said Simon again. "And then there is this: that the seven sonsof Jack of the Tofts bore off perforce four fair maidens of gentle bloodfrom the castle wherein they dwelt, serving a high dame in all honour;and that moreover, they hanged the said dame over the battlements of herown castle. Is this true, fair sir?"
"True is it as the gospel," said Christopher: "yet many say that thehanged dame had somewhat less than her deserts; for a foul & cruel whorehad she been; and had done many to be done to death, and stood by whilethey were pined. And the like had she done with those four damsels, hadthere not been the stout sons of Jack of the Tofts; so that the dearmaidens were somewhat more than willing to be borne away."
Simon grinned: "Well, lad," said he, "I see that thou knowest Jack ofthe Tofts even better than I do; so why in the devil's name thou artloth to lead me to him, I wot not."
Christopher reddened, and held his peace awhile; then he said: "Wellfellow-farer, at least I shall know something of him ere next midnight."
"Yea," said Simon, "and shall we not come to the Tofts beforenightfall?"
"Let us essay it," said Christopher, "and do our best, it yet lackeththree hours of noon." Therewith he spurred on, for the greensward washard under the hooves, and they had yet some way to go before theyshould come amongst the trees and thickets.
Into the said wood they came, and rode all day diligently, but nightfell on them before they saw either house or man or devil; then saidSimon: "Why should we go any further before dawn? Will it not be best tocome to this perilous house by daylight?"
Said Christopher: "There be perils in the wood as well as in the house.If we lie down here, maybe Jack's folk may come upon us sleeping, andsome mischance may befall us. Withal, hereabout be no wild horses towake thee and warn thee of thy foeman anigh. Let us press on; there isa moon, though she be somewhat hidden by clouds, and meseemeth the waylieth clear before me; neither are we a great way from the Tofts."
Then Simon rode close up to Christophe
r, and took his rein and stayedhim, and said to him, as one who prayeth: "Young man, willest thou mydeath?"
"That is as it may be," said Christopher; "willest thou mine?"
Simon held his peace awhile, and Christopher might not see what was inhis face amidst the gathering dusk; but he twitched his rein out of thesquire's hand, as if he would hasten onward; then the squire said: "Nay,I pray thee abide and hear a word of me."
"Speak then," said Christopher, "but hasten, for I hunger, and I wouldwe were in the hall." And therewith he laughed.
Said Simon: "Thus it is: if I go back to my lord and bear no token ofhaving done his errand to Jack of the Tofts, then am I in evil case; andif I come to the Tofts, I wot well that Jack is a man fierce of heart,and ready of hand: now, therefore, I pray thee give me thy word to be mywarrant, so far as thou mayst be, with this woodman and his sons."
At that word Christopher brake out a-laughing loudly, till all the duskwood rang with the merry sound of his fresh voice; at last he said:"Well, well, thou art but a craven to be a secret murderer: the Lord Godwould have had an easy bargain of Cain, had he been such as thou. Comeon, and do thine errand to Jack of the Tofts, and I will hold theeharmless, so far as I may. Though, sooth to say, I guessed what thineerrand was, after the horses waked thee and put a naked sword in thinehand last night. Marry! I had no inkling of it when we left the Castleyesterday morning, but deemed thy lord needed me to do him some service.Come on then! or rather go thou on before me a pace; there, where thouseest the glimmer betwixt the beech-trees yonder; if thou goest astray,I am anigh thee for a guide. And I say that we shall not go far withouttidings."
Simon went on perforce, as he was bidden, and they rode thus a whileslowly, Christopher now and then crying, as they went: "To the right,squire! To the left! Straight on now!" and so on. But suddenly theyheard voices, and it was as if the wood had all burst out into fire, sobright a light shone out. Christopher shouted, and hastened on to passSimon, going quite close to his right side thereby, and as he did so, hesaw steel flashing in his hand, and turned sidling to guard him, butere he could do aught Simon drave a broad dagger into his side, and thenturned about and fled the way they had come, so far as he knew how.
Christopher fell from his horse at once as the stroke came home, butstraightway therewith were there men with torches round about him, adozen of them; men tall and wild-looking in the firelight; and oneof them, a slim young man with long red hair falling all about hisshoulders, knelt down by him, while the others held his horse and gathis feet out of the stirrups.
The red-head laid his hand on his breast, and raised his head up tillthe light of a torch fell on it, and then he cried out: "Masters, herehath been a felon; the man hath been sticked, and the deed hath to dowith us; for lo you, this is none other than little Christopher of theUttermost March, who stumbled on the Tofts last Yule, and with whom wewere so merry together. Here, thou Robert of Maisey, do thy leechdom onhim if he be yet living; but if he be dead, or dieth of his hurt, thendo I take the feud on me, to follow it to the utmost against the slayer;even I, David the Red, though I be the youngest of the sons of Jack ofthe Tofts. For this man I meant should be my fellow in field and fell,ganging and galloping, in hall and high-place, in cot and in choir,before woman and warrior, and priest and proud-prince. Now thou Robert,how does he?"
Said the man who had looked to Christopher's wound, and had put asidehis coat and shirt: "He is sore hurt, but meseemeth not deadly. Nay,belike he may live as long as thou, or longer, whereas thou wilt ever beshoving thy red head and lank body wheresoever knocks are going."
David rose with a sigh of one who is lightened of a load, and said:"Well Robert, when thou hast bound his wound let us have him into thehouse: Ho lads! there is light enough to cut some boughs and make alitter for him. But, ho again! has no one gone after the felon to takehim?"
Robert grinned up from his job with the hurt man: "Nay, King David,"said he, "it is mostly thy business; mayhappen thou wilt lay thy heelson thy neck and after him."
The red-head stamped on the ground, and half drew his sax, and shovedit back again unto the sheath, and then said angrily: "I marvel at thee,Robert, that thou didst not send a man or two at once after the felon:how may I leave my comrade and sweet board-fellow lying hurt in thewild-wood? Art thou growing over old for our woodland ways, whereinloitering bringeth louting?"
Robert chuckled and said: "I thought thou wouldst take the fly in thymouth, foster-son: if the felon escape Ralph Longshanks and AnthonyGreen, then hath he the devil's luck; and they be after him."
"That is well," said the young man, "though I would I were with them."And therewith he walked up and down impatiently, while the others weregetting ready the litter of boughs.
At last it was done, and Christopher laid thereon, and they all wenton together through the woodland path, the torches still flaring aboutthem. Presently they came out into a clearing of the wood, and lo,looming great and black before them against the sky, where the moon hadnow broken out of the clouds somewhat, the masses of the tofts, and atthe top of the northernmost of them a light in the upper window of atall square tower. Withal the yellow-litten windows of a long houseshowed on the plain below the tofts; but little else of the house mightbe seen, save that, as they drew near, the walls brake out in doubtfullight here and there as the torches smote them.
So came they to a deep porch, where they quenched all the torches saveone, and entered a great hall through it, David and two other tall youngmen going first, and Robert Maisey going beside the bier. The said hallwas lighted with candles, but not very brightly, save at the upper end;but amidmost a flickering heap of logs sent a thin line of blue smoke upto the luffer. There were some sixty folk in the hall, scattered aboutthe end-long tables, a good few of whom were women, well grown andcomely enough, so far as could be seen under the scanty candle-light.At the high-table, withal, were sitting both men and women, and as theydrew near to the greater light of it, there could be seen in the chiefseat a man, past middle age, tall, wide-shouldered and thin-flanked,with a short peaked beard and close-cut grizzled hair; he was high ofcheekbones, thin-faced, with grey eyes, both big and gentle-looking; hewas clad in a green coat welted with gold. Beside him sat a woman, talland big-made, but very fair of face, though she were little younger,belike, than the man. Out from these two sat four men and four women,man by man and woman by woman, on either side of the high-seat. Of thesaid men, one was of long red hair as David, and like to him inall wise, but older; the others were of like fashion to him in thehigh-seat. Shortly to say it, his sons they were, as David and the twoyoung men with him. The four women who sat with these men were all fairand young, and one of them, she who drank out of the red-head's cup, sofair, and with such a pleasant slim grace, that her like were not easyto be found.
Again, to shorten the tale, there in the hall before Christopher, wholay unwotting, were Jack of the Tofts and his seven sons, and the fourwives of four of the same, whom they had won from the Wailful Castle,when they, with their father, put an end to the evil woman, and thegreat she-tyrant of the Land betwixt the Wood and the River.
Now when David and his were come up to the dais, they stayed them,and their father spake from his high-seat and said: "What is to do, yethree? and what catch have ye?"
Said David: "I would fain hope 'tis the catch of a life that or I love;for here is come thy guest of last Yule, even little Christopher, whowrestled with thee and threw thee after thou hadst thrown all of us, andhe lying along and hurt, smitten down by a felon hard on our very doors.What will ye do with him?"
"What," said Jack of the Tofts, "but tend him and heal him and cherishhim. And when he is well, then we shall see. But where is the felon whosmote him?"
Said David: "He fled away a-horseback ere we came to the field of deed,and Anthony Green and Ralph Longshanks are gone after him, and belike,will take him."
"Mayhappen not," said the master. "Now, forsooth, I have an inkling ofwhat this may mean; whereas there can be but one m
an whose businessmay be the taking of our little guest's life. But let all be till hebe healed and may tell us his tale; and, if he telleth it as I deemhe will, then shall we seek further tidings. Meanwhile, if ye take thefelon, keep him heedfully till I may see him; for then may I have a truetale out of him, even before Christopher is hale again."
So therewith David and Robert, with two or three others, broughtChristopher to a chamber, and did what leechdoms to him they might;but Jack of the Tofts, and his sons and their fair wives, and his otherfolk, made merry in the hall of the Tofts.
CHAPTER IX. SQUIRE SIMON COMES BACK TO OAKENHAM. THE EARL MARSHAL TAKENTO KING IN OAKENREALM.
Now as to Squire Simon, whether the devil helped him, or his luck, orwere it his own cunning and his, horse's stoutness, we wot not; but inany case he fell not in with Ralph Longshanks and Anthony Green, butrode as far and as fast as his horse would go, and then lay down in thewild-wood; and on the morrow arose and went his ways, and came in theeven to the Castle of the Uttermost March, and went on thence the morrowafter on a fresh horse to Oakenham. There he made no delay but wentstraight to the High House, and had privy speech of the Earl Marshal;and him he told how he had smitten Christopher, and, as he deemed, slainhim. The Earl Marshal looked on him grimly and said: "Where is the ringthen?"
"I have it not," said Simon. "How might I light down to take it, whenthe seven sons were hard on us?" And therewith he told him all the tale,and how he had risen to slay Christopher the even before; and how he hadfound out after that the youngling had become guest and fosterling ofthe folk of the Tofts; and how warily Christopher had ridden, so thathe, Simon, had had to do his best at the last moment. "And now, Lord,"quoth he, "I see that it will be my luck to have grudging of thee, oreven worse it may be; yea, or thou wilt be presently telling me thatI am a liar and never struck the stroke: but I warrant me that bythis time Jack of the Tofts knoweth better, for I left my knife in theyoungling's breast, and belike he wotteth of my weapons. Well, then, ifthou wilt be quit of me, thou hast but to forbear upholding me againstthe Toft folk, and then am I gone without any to-do of thee."
Child Christopher and Goldilind the Fair Page 3