The Casque's Lark; or, Victoria, the Mother of the Camps

by Eugène Sue

  CHAPTER VI.

  THE FLIGHT.

  From the solitude and darkness in which I was left at the departure ofElwig's sacrificial assistants, I could see the mouth of the cavern atsome distance. The opening grew darker and darker as dusk yielded tonight. Presently the gloom became complete, relieved only, from time totime, by the flickering light that the flames of the fire, kept aliveunder the huge brass caldron by the two hags, occasionally cast upon thegrotto's mouth.

  I tried to snap my bonds. With my hands and feet free, I would haveendeavored to disarm one of the Franks who guarded the issue, and, swordin hand, and protected by the darkness of the night, I would havereached the river bank guided by the sound of the rushing waves. Perhapsand notwithstanding the orders I gave him, Douarnek might not yet haverowed back to camp. But all my efforts proved futile against thebow-strings and the belt that held me fast. A muffled but increasingrumbling of feet and voices began to announce to me the arrival andassembling of a large number of people in the neighborhood of the cave.They must he doubtlessly gathering to witness my execution and listen tothe auguries of the priestess.

  I believed there was nothing left to me but to resign myself to my fate.I turned my last thoughts to my wife and child.

  Suddenly, from the thickest of the surrounding darkness I heard thevoice of Elwig two steps behind me. I started with surprise. I wascertain she did not enter by the mouth of the cavern.

  "Follow me," she said.

  At the same moment her feverish hand seized mine and held it firmly.

  "How came you here?" I asked her stupefied, with hope re-rising in mybreast, and endeavoring to walk.

  "The cavern has two issues," Elwig answered. "One of them is secret andknown to me only. It is by that entrance that I came in, while the kingsare waiting for me at the other entrance near the caldron. Come! Come!Take me to the bark where the treasure lies, where you left thenecklaces, bracelets, diadems and other jewels!"

  "My legs are tied," I said. "I can hardly put one foot before theother."

  Elwig did not answer, but I could feel that she was cutting with herknife the leather strap and the bow-strings that bound my arms and legs.I was free!

  "And your brother," I inquired, following close upon her footsteps, "hashe regained consciousness?"

  "Neroweg is still dazed, like a bull whom the butcher did not killoutright. He awaits in his hut the hour of your execution. I am tonotify him in time. He wishes to see you suffer and die. Come, come!"

  "The darkness is so intense that I can not see before me."

  "Give me your hand."

  "Should your brother tire of waiting," I observed as she almost draggedme along through the windings of the secret issue, "and should he enterthe sacred wood with the other chieftains and not find either you or mein the cavern, what will happen? Will they not immediately start inpursuit of us?"

  "Only I know this secret issue. When they miss both you and me from thecave, my brother and the chiefs will believe that I made you descend tothe gods of the nether world. They will be all the more afraid of me.Come! Come quick!"

  While Elwig thus spoke I was following her through so narrow a passagethat I felt myself grazing the rocks on either side. The passage seemedat first to dip down towards the bowels of the earth, but presently itsascent became so steep and difficult for my legs, still numb from theirrecent ligatures, that it was with difficulty I kept step with thehurrying priestess. We had been for some time in the maze of theunderground cave when at last I felt the fresh air strike my face. Iimagined we were about to step into the open.

  "To-night, after I shall have killed my brother in revenge for hisoutrages upon me," Elwig explained to me in abrupt words, "I shall fleewith a king whom I love. He is waiting for us outside. He is strong,brave and well armed. He will accompany us to your bark. If you deceivedme, Riowag will kill you--do you hear me, Gaul? You will fall under hisaxe."

  I was little affected by the threat--my hands were free--my onlyuneasiness was whether Douarnek and the bark still waited for me.

  A moment later we issued out of the cavern. The stars shone so brilliantin the sky that once out of the wood in which we still were, I wascertain I would be able to see my way before me.

  The priestess stopped for a moment and called:

  "Riowag!"

  "Riowag is here," answered a voice so close to me that I realized thechief of the black warriors was near enough to be able to touch me.Nevertheless, it was in vain that I sought to distinguish his blackshape in the dark. It became clearer to me than ever before how, byrendering themselves undistinguishable in the dark, these men could notchoose but be dangerous foes in a night assault or ambuscade.

  "Is it far from here to the river bank?" I asked Riowag. "You must knowthe spot where I landed; you were the chief of the band that greeted mewith a volley of arrows."

  "No, we have not far to go," Riowag answered.

  "Shall we have to cross the camp?" I inquired, perceiving the lights ofthe Frankish encampment at a little distance.

  Neither of my two guides made any answer. They exchanged a few words ina low voice, each took me by an arm, and they struck into a path thatled away from the camp. Soon the roar of the rushing waters of the Rhinereached our ears. We drew rapidly near the shore. Finally from theheight of the embankment on which we stood, I could distinguish a bluishsheet of water across the darkness--it was the river!

  "We shall now ascend the beach about two hundred feet," said Riowag; "weshall then be at the spot where you reached land under our arrows. Yourbark must be only a little distance from there. If you deceived us yourblood will redden the beach, and the waters of the Rhine will wash awayyour corpse."

  "Can we call out from the bank without being heard by the outposts ofthe camp?" I asked the Frank.

  "The wind blows off shore," Riowag answered with the sagacity of asavage. "You can freely raise your voice and call; you will not be heardat the camp, and your voice will surely travel to the middle of thestream."

  Riowag walked a few steps further and then stopped.

  "It is here," he said, "where you reached land; your bark must beanchored near by. I am a professional night warrior, and am able to seethrough the dark, but I can not distinguish your bark."

  "Oh! You deceived us! You deceived us!" murmured Elwig in a subduedvoice. "You will die for it!"

  "It may be," I observed, "that, after having waited for me in vain, thebark may have just left its anchorage. The wind will carry my voice far;I shall call."

  Saying this I raised our battle cry of rally, well known to Douarnek.

  Only the sound of the waves made answer.

  Doubtlessly Douarnek had followed my orders and rowed back to camp atsunset.

  I uttered our war cry a second time and louder than the first.

  Again the only response was the rushing of the waves.

  Meaning to gain time and prepare myself for defense, I said to Elwig:"The wind blows off shore; it carries my voice to the river; but itblows back the voices that may have answered my signal. Let us listen!"

  While I spoke I strained my eyes to peer through the dark and discoverthe weapons that Riowag was armed with. In his belt he carried a dagger;in his hand his short, broad sword. Although he and his beloved wereclose to me, one on each side, I could elude them with a bound, plungeinto the river, and escape by swimming. I was watching for myopportunity when suddenly the distant and rhythmic sound of oars reachedmy ears. My call was heard by Douarnek.

  In the measure that the decisive instant approached, the suspense anduneasiness of Elwig and her companion increased. To kill me would be torenounce the possession of the treasure, which, I had clearly told them,my soldiers would deliver only at my orders. But again, to allow thelatter to disembark would be to furnish me with auxiliaries and rendermine the stronger side. Elwig no doubt began to realize that her greedhad carried her too far. Seeing the bark draw nearer she said to me ingreat excitement:

  "The sacredness of the Galli
c word is proverbial. You owe your life tome. I hope you did not deceive me with a false promise."

  That priestess of the nether world, the incestuous and blood-thirstymonster, who had meant to cut out my tongue in order to make sure of mysilence, and who calmly contemplated adding fratricide to her othercrimes, had saved my life moved thereto only by base greed.Nevertheless, I could not remain insensible to her appeal to Gallicfaith. I almost regretted the lie I had uttered, however excusable itmight be in view of the treachery that the Frankish warriors hadpracticed towards me. At that critical moment I was, however, bound toconsider my own safety only. I jumped at Riowag, and after a violentstruggle in which Elwig did not venture to take a hand, out of fear thatshe might wound her lover while seeking to strike me, I succeeded indisarming the warrior. Soon as that was done I threw myself into aposture of defense with the sword in my hand and cried:

  "No, I have no treasure for you, Elwig, but if you fear to return toyour brother, follow me. Victoria will treat you kindly; you will not bea prisoner; I give you my word; you may rely upon the faith of a Gaul."

  Both the priestess and Riowag refused to listen; breaking out into wildimprecations they made a furious rush at me. In the tussle that ensued Ikilled the black warrior at the moment when he sought to stab me withhis dagger, and I was wounded in the hand in the attempt to wrench theknife from Elwig's grasp. I had just succeeded and thrown the weaponinto the water when, attracted by the noise of the struggle, Douarnekand one of the soldiers leaped upon the shore to hasten to my help.

  "Schanvoch," Douarnek said quickly to me, "we did not follow your ordersand row back at sunset. We remained at our anchorage, resolved to waitfor you until morning. But thinking that you might issue at some otherspot than where you landed, we rowed up and down along the shore. Whenwe saw you this morning surrounded by those black devils, our firstimpulse was to row straight to the bank and suffer death beside you. ButI recalled your orders, and we considered that for us to be killed wasto cut off your retreat. But here you are, hale and sound. Now take myadvice and let us return quickly to camp. These skinners of human bodiesare ill neighbors to dwell among."

  While Douarnek was speaking to me, Elwig threw herself upon the corpseof Riowag and rent the air with roars of rage interspersed with sobs.However detestable the creature was, her paroxysm of grief touched myheart. I was about to address her when Douarnek cried:

  "Schanvoch, look at the torches approaching yonder!"

  Saying this Douarnek pointed in the direction of the Frankish camp.Luminous streaks were seen rapidly approaching through the dark.

  "Your flight has been discovered, Elwig," I said to her, and sought totear her from her lover's corpse, which she held clasped in a closeembrace and over which she moaned piteously. "Your brother has startedin your pursuit--you have not a minute to lose--come!--come!--or you arelost!"

  "Schanvoch," Douarnek said to me as I vainly sought to drag away Elwig,who seemed not to hear me and sobbed aloud, "the torches are carried byarmed horsemen! Listen to the clanging of their weapons! Listen to thetramp of their horses! They cannot be further than six bow shots! Ibeached the bark in order to reach you all the quicker! We shall havebarely time to put it afloat! Would you have us all killed? If that isyour purpose, say so, and we shall die like brave men; but if you meanto flee, it is high time that you move!"

  "It is your brother! It is death that is approaching!" I once more criedto Elwig, whom I could not bring myself to abandon without one moreeffort to save her. After all, she did save my life. A minute later andshe would be lost.

  Seeing, however, that the priestess did not answer me, I cried toDouarnek:

  "Give me a hand--let us take her away by force!"

  It was impossible to tear Elwig from the corpse of Riowag; she held itin a convulsive embrace; the only alternative left was to carry offboth bodies. We tried it, but soon gave up the attempt.

  In the meantime the Frankish horsemen were approaching so rapidly thatthe light of their resinous torches projected itself as far as thebeach. It was too late to save Elwig. Our bark was with difficultypushed off; I took the rudder; Douarnek and the two remaining soldiersbent vigorously to their oars.

  We were still within easy bowshot from the shore when, by the light ofthe torches that the troops carried, we saw the first hurrying Frankishhorsemen ride up. At their head I recognized Neroweg, the TerribleEagle, distinguishable by his colossal stature. He was closely followedby several other horsemen, all shouting with concentrated rage. Nerowegdrove his horse up to the animal's neck into the river. His companionsdid the same, while they brandished their long lances with one hand andwith the other their torches, whose ruddy reflections lighted far thewaters of the river and fell upon our swiftly speeding bark.

  Seated near the rudder, my back was turned to the bank and I remarkedsadly to Douarnek:

  "The miserable creature is killed by this time."

  And propelled by the three vigorous oarsmen, our bark shot through thewater.

  "Is that a man, a woman, or a demon that is following us?" criedDouarnek a moment later, dropping his oar and rising on his feet inorder to look at the track that our bark left behind, and that waslighted by the glimmer of the distant torches that the Frankish horsemencontinued to brandish even after they gave up the pursuit.

  I also rose to my feet and looked in the same direction. A second laterI cried:

  "Stop! Do not row! It is she! It is Elwig! Douarnek, hand me an oar! Ishall reach it to her! She seems to be exhausted!"

  So said, so done. Fleeing from her brother and certain death, thepriestess had thrown herself into the water and must have swam after uswith extraordinary vigor. She seized the extremity of the oar with aconvulsive grasp; two strokes of the oars backed the bark to her; andaided by one of the soldiers I was able to draw Elwig on board.

  "Blessed be the gods!" I cried. "I would always have reproached myselffor your death."

  The priestess made no answer; she let herself down on the bench of oneof the oarsmen, and shrinking into a heap with her face between herknees, remained ominously silent. The oarsmen rowed vigorously on, andfrom time to time I looked back at the receding river bank. The torchesof the Frankish horsemen glimmered fitfully, luminous spots through thehaze of the night and the vapors that rose from the river. The end ofour passage drew near; we began to distinguish the lights of our ownencampment on the opposite bank. Several times I addressed Elwig, butreceived no answer. I threw over her shoulders and her clothes, wet withthe chilly waters of the Rhine, the thick night cloak of one of thesoldiers. In doing this I touched one of her arms; it was feverishlywarm. A stranger to all that happened in the bark, the woman did notemerge from her savage silence. As I jumped ashore I said to Neroweg'ssister:

  "I shall take you to-morrow to Victoria. Until then I tender you thehospitality of my house. My wife and her sister will treat you like afriend."

  She made me a sign to lead the way, and she followed. Douarnek thenapproached me and said in a low voice:

  "If you take my advice, Schanvoch, after the she-devil, who I know notfor what reason swam after you, has dried and warmed herself at yourhearth, you will lock her up safely until morning. She might otherwisestrangle your wife and child during the night. There is nothing morewily and ferocious than these Frankish women."

  "It will be a wise precaution to take," I answered Douarnek.

  And accompanied by Elwig, who, somber and silent, followed me like aspecter, I proceeded homeward.