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

by Eugène Sue

  CHAPTER XI

  VICTORIN.

  The son of Victoria the Great was then in his twenty-third year. I toldyou, my son, that several medals were struck on which he figured in theguise of the god Mars beside his mother, who wore on her head a casqueresembling that of the antique Minerva. Indeed, Victorin could haveserved as a model for a statue of the god of war. Tall, supple, robust,with a shape at once elegant and martial, he pleased all eyes. Hisfeatures, imprinted with the rare beauty of his mother's, differed fromthem by an expression of mirthfulness and daring. The openness andgenerosity of his character was clearly visible on his face. On seeinghim, one forgot, despite himself, the defects that marred that manlybeing, too vivacious and too fiery to curb the impulses of his age.Victorin doubtlessly came from a night of pleasure; yet his face lookedas fresh as if he had just left his bed. A felt coif, ornamented with alittle brooch, half covered his black hair, that fell in luxuriantringlets around his virile and browned face. His Gallic blouse, made ofsilken fabric striped white and purple, was held around his waist by asilver-embroidered leather belt, from which hung his curiously chiseledgold hilted sword--a veritable masterpiece of Autun goldsmithing. Uponentering his mother's room followed by Captain Marion, Victorinproceeded straight to her with a mixture of tenderness and respect. Hedropped upon one knee, took and kissed one of her hands, removed hishead-cover, and, reaching up his forehead for her to kiss, said:

  "Greeting to my mother!"

  There was so touching a charm in the young general's features andposture, there on his knee before his mother, that I noticed herhesitate for a second between the desire to embrace the son whom sheadored and the inclination to express her dissatisfaction with him. Shegently pushed Victorin's head back with her hand, and said in a gravevoice while pointing at the cradle that stood near:

  "Embrace your son--you have not seen him since yesterday."

  The young general understood the indirect reproach; he rose sadly,approached the cradle, took up the child in his arms, and embraced himeffusively while his eyes wandered over to his mother, as if to tell herthat he was indemnifying himself for her maternal severity.

  Captain Marion had drawn close to me and said in a low voice:

  "After all, Victorin has a good heart. How he does love his mother! Howhe cherishes his child! He surely is as much attached to them as I am tomy friend Eustace, who constitutes my whole family. What a pity thatthat pest of profligacy" (the good captain hardly ever spoke withoutthrowing in those words) "so frequently has the young man fast in itsclaws!"

  "It is a misfortune! But do you believe Victorin capable of the infamousact that he is charged with in camp?" I inquired from the captain loudenough to be heard by Tetrik, who, speaking with Victoria in a lowvoice, seemed to be reproaching her for her severity towards her son.

  "No, by the devil!" was Marion's quick answer. "I do not believeVictorin capable of such indignities--least way when I see him therebetween his mother and child."

  After carefully placing his child back into the cradle and kissing itsoutstretched hands, the young general said affectionately to theGovernor of Gascony:

  "Greeting to Tetrik! I always love to see among us my mother's wise andfaithful friend."

  And turning towards me:

  "I knew that you had returned, Schanvoch. When I heard the news my heartfilled with joy--with as much joy as I felt apprehension during yourabsence. These Frankish bandits have often shown us how little theyrespect truces and parliamentarians."

  But doubtlessly noticing the sadness that still marked the visage ofVictoria, her son approached her and said with as much frankness astender deference:

  "Listen, mother--before you broach the matter of Captain Marion's andSchanvoch's messages, let me tell you what I have upon my heart; itmight unwrinkle your brow, and I might no longer read on it thedispleasure that afflicts me. Tetrik is a kind relative, Captain Marionis our friend, Schanvoch your brother--I can here speak freely. Admitit, mother, you are annoyed that I spent the night out of the house, areyou not?"

  "Your disorderly conduct grieves me, Victorin--and it grieves me stillmore to see that my voice is no longer heard by you."

  "Mother, I shall make a full confession to you; but I swear that I haveupbraided myself more severely for my weakness than you could have doneyourself. Last evening, faithful to my promise of discussing fully withyou the grave matters that we have in hand, I went home betimes; I haddeclined--Oh! heroically declined an invitation to take supper withthree of the captains of the legions that recently arrived at Mayencefrom Beziers. Vain were all their praises of the kegs of fine old wines,of that country of wine _par excellence_, that they brought with themcarefully stowed away in their war chariots to celebrate their safearrival. I remained unmoved. They then tried to win me over by speakingof two strolling Bohemian songstresses, Kidda and Flora--pardon me,mother, for pronouncing the names of such women before you, buttruthfulness compels me to do so. These Bohemian girls, my tempters saidto me, had recently arrived in Mayence; they described them aswondrously beautiful, frisky as demons, magnificent dancers, and singerslike nightingales! Certes, there was enough to tempt me in such adescription."

  "Ah! I see it--I see it clearly approaching, that pest of profligacy--Isee it creeping towards him on its velvet feet, like a wily and hungrytigress!" Marion cried. "How I would like to make those brazen Bohemianshe-devils dance on sheets of red-hot iron! It is only then they wouldsing tunes to suit my ears--"

  "I was even wiser than you, brave Marion," Victorin proceeded to say; "Idid not wish to see and hear them dance and sing in any way; I ranprecipitately away from my tempters to come here--"

  "It is easy to say that; run away?--that pest of profligacy has legs aslong as its arms and teeth!" the captain said. "It surely overtook you,Victorin!"

  "Deign to listen to me, mother," Victorin resumed, seeing myfoster-sister make a gesture of disgust and impatience. "I was only twohundred paces from the house--the night was dark--a woman wrapped in ahooded cloak accosted me."

  "Now they are three!" cried the good captain clasping his hands. "We nowhave the two Bohemian girls reinforced by a hooded woman. Oh,unfortunate Victorin! You have no idea what diabolical snares lie hiddenunder those hoods--my friend Eustace would surely succumb and wind up bybeing hooded himself--but I would flee!"

  "'My father is an old soldier,' the woman said to me," proceededVictorin with his narrative. "'One of his old wounds opened, he isdying; he knew you as a child, Victorin; he does not wish to die withoutonce more pressing the hand of his young general; you will not refusesuch a favor to my dying father, will you?' Such was the tale of theunknown woman; she spoke in accents that went straight to my heart. Whatwould you have done, mother?"

  "Despite my dread of women's hoods, I would have gone and seen the poorold soldier," answered the captain. "Certes, I would have gone, seeingthat my presence would render death sweeter to him."

  "Well, I did what you would have done, Marion. I followed the unknownwoman; we arrived at a rickety house; it was dark; the door opened; myfemale guide seized my hand; led by her, I took a few steps in thedarkness. Suddenly the glare of lights fell upon my eyes and dazed me.The three captains of the Beziers legions and other officers surroundedme. The veiled woman dropped her wraps, and I recognized--"

  "One of the cursed Bohemian girls!" cried the captain. "Ha! I told youso, Victorin! Women's hoods hide frightful things!"

  "Frightful? Alas, no, Marion! I had not the courage to shut my eyes. Iwas immediately surrounded from all sides; the other Bohemian girl ranout of a room and joined my captors. The doors were locked. I wasdragged to a seat of honor at a banquet table. Kidda placed herself atmy right, Flora at my left; and before me, upon a table loaded witheatables, rose one of the kegs of old and divine nectar, as the accursedfellows informed me; and--"

  "And day surprised you in that fresh orgy," said Victoria interruptingher son. "You thus forgot amidst the pleasures of the table anddebauchery the hour that summon
ed you to me! Is that an excuse?"

  "No, dear mother, it is a confession--I was weak--but as truly as Gaulis free, I would have come dutifully home to you, but for the ruse bywhich I was misled and kept away. Will you not be indulgent towards me,mother, this once? I pray you!" saying which Victorin again knelt downbefore my foster-sister. "Be not so severe! I know my faults! Age willcure me! I am still too young, and my blood is still too warm. The ardorof pleasure often carries me away, despite myself--and yet, you know,mother, I would give my life for you--"

  "I believe you--but yet you will not sacrifice to me your insensate andevil passions--"

  "When one sees Victorin so respectful and repentant at his mother'sfeet," I whispered to Marion, "would one think he is the celebratedgeneral, so dreaded by the enemies of Gaul--the general, who, at the ageof twenty-two already has won five great battles?"

  "Victoria," said Tetrik in his kind and insinuating voice, "I also am afather and inclined to indulgence. Besides, in my hours of recreation, Iam a poet, and I wrote an ode to Youth. How could I be severe? I loveVictorin's brilliant qualities so much, that I find it hard to censurehim! Could you be insensible to the tender words of your son? His onlycrime is his youth. As he said, years will cure that--and his affectionfor you, his deference to your wishes will hasten the cure--"

  As the Governor of Gascony was saying these words, a great noise washeard outside of the house, and the cry was soon heard:

  "To arms! To arms!"

  Victoria, who was seated, quickly rose to her feet, together withVictorin.

  "They cry to arms!" repeated Captain Marion anxiously, and listened.

  "The Franks must have broken the truce!" I cried in turn. "Yesterday oneof their chiefs threatened me with a speedy attack upon our camp; I didnot believe they would put their threat so quickly into action."

  "A truce is never broken before its expiration, without notice is givenin advance," observed Tetrik.

  "The Franks are barbarians; they are capable of any act of treachery,"cried Victoria rushing to the door.

  It opened before an officer covered with dust, and so breathless that hecould not at first utter a word.

  "Do you not belong to the post of the camp's vanguard, four leaguesfrom here?" the young general asked the officer; he knew personally allthe officers of the army. "What has happened?"

  "A large number of rafts, loaded with troops and towed by barks, hove insight towards the middle of the Rhine, when, upon orders of thecommander of the post, I rode hither at full speed to bring the news toyou, Victorin. By this hour the Frankish hordes must have disembarked.The post that I left is too weak to resist a whole army, and must havefallen back upon the camp. While crossing the camp I cried to arms! Thelegions and cohorts are forming in all haste."

  "It is the barbarians' answer to the message that Schanvoch took tothem," said the Mother of the Camps to Victorin.

  "What answer did the Franks give you?" the young general asked me.

  "Neroweg, one of the principal kings of their army, rejected all idea ofpeace," I said to Victorin. "The barbarians are set upon invading Gauland subjugating us. I threatened their chief with a war ofextermination. He answered me insolently that the sun would not rise sixtimes before he would fall upon our camp, set fire to our tents, pillageour baggage and carry off Victoria the Great--"

  "If they are on the march upon us, we have not a minute to spare!" criedTetrik in a fright addressing the young general, who, calm andcollected, with his arms crossed over his chest, was reflecting insilence. "We must act, and act quickly!"

  "Before acting," answered Victorin, "we must reflect."

  "But," replied the governor, "suppose the Franks move with forcedmarches upon the camp?"

  "So much the better!" Victorin said impatiently. "So much the better! Weshall let them draw near to us!"

  Victorin's answer astonished Tetrik, and I must admit, I would myselfhave been astonished and even alarmed at hearing the young general speakof temporizing in the presence of an imminent attack, had I not hadinnumerable proofs of his unerring judgment. His mother made a sign tothe governor not to disturb her son in his meditation upon the plan ofbattle, which, undoubtedly, he was revolving in his mind, and said toMarion:

  "You arrived this morning from your trip to the inhabitants on the otherside of the Rhine, who are so often pillaged by these barbarians. Whatis the plan of those tribes?"

  "Too weak to act single-handed, they are ready to join us at the firstcall. Fires, that we are to light either by day or night on the hill ofBerak, will give them the signal. There will be men on the watch forthem. The moment the signal is given they will start on the march. Oneof our best captains shall head a troop of picked soldiers across theriver and effect a junction with them, while the bulk of our army shallsimultaneously operate upon this side."

  "The plan is excellent, Captain Marion," observed Victoria approvingly."Especially at this juncture, such an alliance is of great service tous. Your eyes have, as usual, seen rightly."

  "If one has good eyes, he must seek to put them to the best usepossible," the captain answered with his wonted affability. "That iswhat I said to my friend Eustace."

  "What friend is that?" asked Victoria. "Whom do you refer to?"

  "I refer to a soldier--my old companion at the anvil. I took him withme on the journey that I am now back from. Thus, instead of ruminatingover my little projects all to myself, I uttered them aloud to my friendEustace. He is discreet; by no means a fool; true enough, he is aspeevish as the devil, and he often grumbles at me, whereat I profit nota little."

  "I am aware of your friendship for that soldier," replied Victoria."Your affection does you honor."

  "To love an old friend is a simple and natural matter. I said to him:'Do you see, Eustace, one day or other those Frankish skinners willundertake a decisive attack upon us. In order to protect their retreat,they will leave a body of reserve to protect their camp and wagons. Thatreserve will not be too large a morsel for our allied tribes to swallow,especially if they are reinforced by a picked legion in command of oneof our own captains. So that if those skinners are beaten on this sideof the Rhine, their retreat will be cut off on the other side of theriver.' What I then foresaw is coming about to-day. The Franks areattacking us; I think we should forthwith send word to the alliedtribes, and follow that with some picked troops, commanded by a captainof energy, prudence and skill--"

  "That captain will be yourself, Marion," Victoria quickly put ininterrupting the captain.

  "I? Very well! I know the country. My plan is quite simple. While theFranks are marching upon us, I shall cross the Rhine, and there burntheir wagons and cut the reserve to pieces. Let Victorin deliver battleon our side of the river; the Franks will then try to re-cross theRhine; there they will find me and my friend Eustace ready to meet themwith something else than a glad hand to help them disembark. And theirhopes will be dashed when they learn that camp, reserves and wagons haveall gone up in flames."

  "Marion," replied my foster-sister after having carefully listened tothe captain, "victory is certain if you carry out the plan with yourcustomary bravery and coolness."

  "I have great good hopes. My friend Eustace said to me in a more thanusually querulous voice: 'Your plan is not so very stupid; it is not sovery stupid.' I know from experience that the approval of Eustace hasalways brought me good luck."

  "Victoria," Tetrik approached saying in a low voice and no longer ableto control his uneasiness, "I am not a man of war. I repose completeconfidence in the military genius of your son. But an enemy twice asstrong as ourselves is drawing nearer by the minute--and Victorin, stillabsorbed in his meditations, decides nothing, orders nothing!"

  "He told you rightly that before acting, one must think," answeredVictoria. "The power of calm reflection, at the moment of danger, is thesign of a wise and prudent captain. Would it not be folly to run blindlyahead of danger?"

  Suddenly Victorin clapped his hands, leaped to his mother's neck,embraced her
and cried:

  "Mother--Hesus inspires me. Not one of the barbarians who crossed theriver will escape, and the peace of Gaul will be assured for many years.Your project is excellent, Captain Marion; it fits in with my own planof battle, as if we had jointly conceived it!"

  "What! Did you hear me?" asked the astonished captain. "I thought youwere wrapped up in your own thoughts!"

  "However absorbed a lover may seem to be, he always overhears what issaid of his sweetheart, my brave Marion," was Victorin's mirthfulanswer. "My sovereign mistress is war!"

  "Again that pest of profligacy!" Captain Marion whispered to me. "Alack!It pursues him even in his thoughts of battle!"

  "Marion," remarked Victorin, "we have on this side of the Rhine twohundred and ten barks of war propelled by six oars--have we?"

  "About that number, and well equipped!"

  "Fifty of them will suffice for you to transport the reinforcement ofpicked troops that you are to take to our allies. The remaining hundredand sixty, manned by ten soldier oarsmen provided with axes, besidestwenty picked archers, will hold themselves ready to descend the Rhineas far as the promontory of Herfel, where they will wait for furtherinstructions. Issue this order to the captain of the flotilla before youembark."

  "It shall be done--rely upon me!"

  "Carry out your plan, brave Marion, from point to point. Cut theFrankish reserve to pieces, burn their camp and wagons. Ours is the dayif I succeed in forcing the barbarians to retreat," said Victorin.

  "And you will, Victorin! I shall run for my friend, Eustace, and carryout your orders."

  Before leaving the room Captain Marion drew his sword, presented thehilt to the Mother of the Camps and making the military salute, said:

  "Touch this sword with your hand if you please, Victoria--it will be agood augury for the day."

  "Go, brave and good Marion," answered the Mother of the Camps returningthe weapon after she had clasped the hilt with a virile hand; "go, Hesusis with Gaul!"

  "Our battle cry shall be, 'Victoria!' and it will resound from one bankof the river to the other," Marion exclaimed with exaltation; andleaving precipitately he added: "I shall run for my friend Eustace, andthen to our barks! to our barks!"

  As Marion was rushing out of the room, several chiefs of legions andcohorts, having learned of the landing of the Franks from the officerwho brought the tidings to the camp--tidings that rapidly spread amongthe soldiers--hastened to Victorin in order to receive the orders oftheir general.

  "Place yourselves at the head of your detachments," he said to them,"and march to the parade ground. I shall join you there and assign youyour posts in battle. I wish first to confer with my mother."

  "We well know your valor and military genius," answered the oldest ofthe chiefs of the cohorts, a robust old man with a white beard. "Yourmother, the angel of Gaul, watches by your side; we shall await yourorders confident of victory."

  "Mother," said the young general in touching accents, "your pardon, herebefore all, and a kiss from you will give me the needed courage for thisday of bloody battle!"

  "The excesses of my son have often saddened my heart, as they have thehearts of you all who have known him since his earliest days," saidVictoria to the chiefs of the cohorts; "I hope you will forgive him as Ido."

  Saying this she clasped her son passionately to her heart.

  "Infamous calumnies against Victorin have floated about the camp," theold captain proceeded to say. "We gave them no credence; but, lessenlightened than ourselves, the soldier is ever hasty in censure as heis in praise. Follow the instructions of your august mother, Victorin,and no longer offer a handle to calumny. We shall wait for your orderson the parade ground; rely upon us, as we do upon you."

  "You speak to me like a father," answered Victorin deeply moved by thesimple and dignified words of the old captain. "I shall hearken to yourwords as a son; your old experience guided me on the field of battlewhen I was still a child; your example made me the soldier that I am;to-day and always I shall strive to approve myself worthy of you and ofmy mother--worthy of Gaul--"

  "It is your duty, seeing that we glory in you and her," rejoined the oldcaptain; and addressing Victoria: "Will the army not see you before wemarch to battle? To the soldiers and to us your presence always is agood omen--and your good words fire our courage."

  "I shall accompany my son as far as the parade ground--let the battleand triumph follow! Once the Roman eagles circled over our enslavednation! The Gallic cock drove them away! And it will again drive awaythis cloud of birds of prey that seek to swoop down upon our Gaul!"cried the Mother of the Camps in so proud and superb a transport that,at the moment, I believed I saw before me the goddess of our land and ofliberty. "By Hesus, shall the barbarous Franks conquer us? Before thathappens neither a lance, nor a sword, nor a scythe, nor a club, nor astone can have been left in Gaul! By Hesus! We shall triumph over thebarbarian Franks!"

  At these brave words, the chiefs of the legions, sharing the enthusiasmof Victoria, spontaneously drew their swords, struck them against oneanother, and cried in chorus the war cry that they had more than onceintoned:

  "By the iron of our swords, Victoria, we swear to you that Gaul shallremain free!--or you will never see us again!"

  "Yes, by your beloved and august name, Victoria, we shall fight to thelast drop of our blood."

  And all left the room crying:

  "To arms, our legions!"

  "To arms, our cohorts!"

  During the whole scene, in which the military genius of Victorin, histender deference for his mother, the controlling influence that both sheand he exercised over the chiefs of the army were displayed, I more thanonce cast a covert look at the Governor of Gascony, who had withdrawninto a corner of the room. Was it fear at the approach of the Franks?Was it secret rage at witnessing how idle were his calumnies againstVictorin?--because, despite the blandness and skilfulness of hisdefense, my suspicions were not lulled to sleep--I know not; but hislivid and disturbed face grew by degrees more horrid to behold.Doubtlessly, evil thoughts and impulses, that he meant to keepconcealed, came to the surface in that moment. Immediately after thedeparture of the chiefs, and as the Mother of the Camps turned to speakwith the governor, the latter strove to resume his customary mask ofmildness. Making an effort to smile he said to Victoria:

  "You and your son are endowed with a sort of magic power. According tomy feeble understanding nothing can be more alarming than this march ofthe Frankish army upon our camp, while neither of you seem to beparticularly concerned, and you deliberate as calmly as if the battlewas to be to-morrow. And yet, I must confess, the tranquility that youdisplay under such circumstances inspires me with blind confidence."

  "There is nothing more natural than our tranquility," replied Victorin."I have calculated the time that it will take the Franks to cross theRhine and disembark their troops, form their columns and arrive at aplace that they are forced to cross. To hasten my movements would be amistake, a grave strategic error. Delay serves my purposes well."

  Victorin thereupon turned to me:

  "Schanvoch, go and put on your armor; I shall have orders for you afterI shall have conferred with my mother."

  "You will join me here, before proceeding to the parade ground,"Victoria said to me. "I also have some recommendations to make to you."

  "I almost forgot to notify you of an important thing," said I. "Thesister of one of the Frankish kings feared that her brother would puther to death, and fled the camp of the barbarians. She accompanied me toours."

  "The woman can serve as a hostage," remarked Tetrik. "It is a valuablecapture. She should be kept a prisoner."

  "No," I answered the governor. "I promised the woman that she would befree in the Gallic camp, and I assured her of Victoria's protection."

  "I shall keep the promise that you made," replied my foster-sister."Where is the woman?"

  "At my house."

  "Have her sent to me after the departure of our troops. I wish to seeher." />
  I left the room together with the Governor of Gascony. As I stepped outseveral bards and druids, who, adhering to our ancient custom, alwaysmarched at the head of the armies in order to encourage the troops withtheir songs, stepped in to confer with Victoria and Victorin.