CHAPTER IV. THE YEOMAN.
We {059}now return to Jaufry, who still wanders on, resolving not tostay for food or sleep before he meets with Taulat; for in his earsincessantly do ring the biting words of Quex: "_Your courage will behigher when you're drunk,_"--and he yet trusts to prove that lord didlie by beating Taulat fasting. Onward he therefore pricked till midnighthour, when he attained a narrow and dark gorge shut in on either side bymountains high. No other passage was there but this one. Sir Jaufry gavehis horse the spur; when, at the very mouth of the defile, before himstood a yeoman, active, of stout build and large of limb, who heldwithin his grasp three pointed darts that were as razors {060}sharp. Alarge knife pended from his girdle, which enclosed an outer garment ofgood form and fashion.
"Halt, knight," he cried; "I'll have a word with thee."
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Jaufry drew rein, and said:
"And what's thy quest, good friend?"
"Thou must give up thy horse and knightly arms; for upon such conditiononly mayst thou pass."
"Indeed," quoth Jaufry; "dost thou mean to say an armed and mountedknight must not pass through this strait?"
"He might do so, but for the toll I've levied."
"To the foul fiend such toll! Never will I give up my horse or arms,till strength's denied me to defend them both."
"An that thou yield'st them not with gentle grace," the yeoman said, "Imust use force to take them."
"And wherefore so? what harm have I e'er wrought thee?'
"Dost thou not wish to pass this gorge, and bilk the toll that's duesave I use force to get it?"
"And what's the force thou'lt use?"
"That {061}thou shalt briefly see; meantime I bid thee 'ware my hand!"
"I will do so," quoth Jaufry.
The yeoman now prepared himself for fight, and seized his dart as thoughin act to strike; but Jaufry, fearing for his horse, awaited not theblow, but gal-loped off amain. As o'er the road he sped, the man letfly the missile with just aim; it hit the shield, and that with forceso great, red fire and flame forth issued at the stroke, which did notpierce it through. The sharpened point curled upwards on the steel, andthe wood flew in shivers.
Sir Jaufry turned his steed at once and bore down on his foe, countingfull surely that the fight was done; but, lo, at that instant he hadleapt aside, and in the act discharged a second dart, which lighted onhis helm; so fierce the stroke, the casque seemed all on fire; yet itresisted, though its lord was stunned.
The yeoman, seeing his second blow had failed, was as a man possessed;so dread his rage as neither to have hurt the knight or broken hisbright arms. Jaufry, whose senses had now back returned, thought only ofhis horse, which he rode here and there to guard it from the blow of thethird dart. Not this, however, was his foe's {062}intent, for he stillthought to take the beast alive; like lightning swift he came, andwhirling round the dart, launched the fell weapon with these haughtywords:
"By Heaven, slave, thou now shalt leave the horse, nor shall thyhauberk, helm, or shield protect thyself!" Jaufry wheeled round hishorse at this stem threat; and as the dart came hissing to its prey, hedeftly bowed him down; it harmed him not, but striking on his mail, torefrom the goodly arms a palm away, then bounded out of view.
"And now," cried Jaufry, the third dart being flung, "my lance's pointshall give me my revenge." With lowered lance he flew towards the man,trusting this time to pierce him through and through; but he was nimbleas a roe or deer, and leapt from place to place to such effect, thatJaufry missed his aim; and as he passed, the yeoman seized a rock andhurled it at the knight, who, but for his shield, must fain have bit theground. The mass in atoms flew; but such the force with which the blowwas struck, it battered-in the shield. Jaufry, enraged at following sucha foe, now doubly maddened at this fresh attack, in wrath exclaimed:
"God, {063}thou all-glorious King! how shall I meet this fiend? Theworld I'll hold not at a denier's price till he doth sue for grace!"
Then wielding his long lance,--
"This time," he loudly to the yeoman cried, "or thou or I shall fall."
The yeoman from his girdle plucked his knife, and made reply:
"Ere that thou leave this spot thou'lt pay the toll!"
"Ay, that will I," quoth Jaufry, "take my promise on't; before we part,thou shalt have toll enough!"
He once again renewed a brisk attack, but still the other dodged; andere that Jaufry could draw-in the rein, with mighty spring upon thehorse he leapt and round Sir Jaufry's body twined his arms.
"Stir not, sir knight," he cried, "unless thou wish for death."
When Jaufry felt himself thus rudely seized, his mind was in a maze, andfor a time incapable of thought. The yeoman held him with such straitembrace he could not stir a limb, while in his ear he hissed his futurefate: how that a prison should his {060}body hold, where tortures,griefs, unheard-of pains, should vex him evermore. Till break of day hisarms were round him clasped; but when the stars were gone, then Jaufrycommuned with himself and said:
"Better to die for God, who made this earth, than let my body be adungeon's prey. We'll see what can be done."
Reflecting thus, he let his lance drop down, and as the yeoman'sright arm pressed him most with energy he clutched it in his grasp; sovigorous the attack, so nerved his strength, he forced the hand to loosethe gleaming knife: then, when he saw the arm was paralysed and droopedinertly down, he fixed with both hands on the yeoman's left, which hethen twisted till he caused such pain, its owner reeled in groaning tothe ground. Dismounting from his horse, Jaufry drew near his foe, wholay quite motionless crying for mercy in his agony.
"By Heaven! which I adore," quoth Jaufry, "ne'er will I pity show towretch like thee."
And at the words he cut off both his feet.
"I prithee, now," he said, "run not, nor leap, nor battle more withknights. Take to another trade; for far too long hath this one been thychoice."
He {065}gathered up his lance and shield, and, mounting on his horse,prepared him quietly to go his way.
'Twas on a Tuesday, early in the morn, that Jaufry held this speech; butas he turned him from his footless foe,--
"I have not yet inquired," he observed, "if thou perchance hold'stknights within thy walls?"
"My lord," the man replied, "full five-and-twenty are there held inchains beyond the mount where stands my dwelling-place."
"O, O!" said Jaufry, "these I must set free; it likes me not that thoushouldst guard such prize." Without delay he hied him to the house,whose massive portals were thrown open wide; and to a dwarf who stoodbefore the gates he cried:
"Where lie the imprison'd knights?"
Replied the dwarf:
"Methinks you're all too rash to venture here. 'Tis more indeed thanrashness,--downright folly. You wake my pity; therefore take advice, andget you gone before my lord returns, save that you covet an ingloriousdeath, or torments even worse."
Jaufry with smiles replied:
"Nay, {066}friend, I want the knights; quickly lead on, that I may breaktheir chains."
"An I mistake not, you will join their ranks ere you deliver them; andI must hold you as a fool distraught, not to have hied you hence; forshould my lord chance meet you by the way, deeply you'll grieve thate'er you ventured here."
"Thy lord will ne'er return; I have deprived him of his nimble feet,and near his end he lies. The knights shall now be free, and thou, myprisoner, their place shalt take, save that thou goest where my biddingsends; then peradventure brief shall be thy thrall."
"Sir knight," the dwarf replied, "since, then, my lord is thus so poorlysped, I, by my faith, will follow your commands, and from great painwill draw those suffering knights, whose language is but moans; thisfeatly will I do, who by constraint and fear was here detained. Truly,to God and you we should give thanks, and joyfully obey what youordain."
"First, then," said Jaufry, "lead me to the knights."
The dwarf most gladly acted as his guide; and pacing on before, c
onveyedhim to a hall where five-and-twenty knights were rudely chained, as eachby turns {067}had been the yeoman's prey. Jaufry on entering made them asalute, to which not one replied; nay, they began to weep, and mutter intheir teeth:
"Accurs'd the day that yeoman was e'er born, who thus hath overcome sogood a knight!"
But Jaufry, as he gaily drew him nigh:
"Why weep, fair knights?" he said, with courtesy. "Go, madman, go," didone of them reply; "for sure thy senses must have left thee quite, toask us why we weep, when walls like these rise up on ev'ry side. Thereis not one of us who doth not grieve to see the yeoman's prisoner inthee. Unhappy was the day that saw thy birth. In person thou art talland fair to view, yet soon like ours will torments be thy lot." QuothJaufry, "Great is God; easy to Him can your deliverance be. Through Himmy sword hath 'venged you on your foe, and now the yeoman lies deprivedof feet. If, then, you see me in this weary spot, 'tis but to break yourchains."
Scarce had the words escaped from out his mouth, when loudly did theycall:
"Happy the day which dawned upon thy birth; for thou hast saved us all,and swept our pain and martyrdom away!"
Then {068}Jaufry bade the dwarf set free the knights; the manikinobeyed, and with a hammer broke in bits their chains. They all arose,and bowed their heads in token of submission, whilst they said:
"Lord, we are thy serfs; do with us as thou please, be it for good orevil, as is fit."
"Good knights," Sir Jaufry said, "whate'er of evil may henceforth betideyou, none shall come from me. All that I ask of you is simply this, thatye betake you to King Arthur's court, and tell him all you know."
"My lord," they all exclaimed, "full willingly shall thy behest be done;but to the service rendered, add one more by telling us thy name."
"Barons," said Jaufry then, "tell him the son of Dovon burst yourchains. Now quickly set ye out; and, mark, my friendship ne'er shall bebestowed, if that ye fail to tell the king each word."
The dwarf meanwhile had gone to seek the arms and fetch the steeds tofurnish forth the knights. Each donned his hauberk, mounted his goodhorse, and then with Jaufry parted from that spot. He led them to thegreat highway, and in their company rode full a league. In passing by,he pointed to the place where, cold and motionless, the yeoman lay: theystayed an instant {069}to observe their foe, then went upon their road.A little further Jaufry got him down, and tightened more his goodlycharger's girths; then, his impatience to fall in with Taulat revivingin full force:
"God speed you, sirs," he said; "I can delay no more; already have Iwasted too much time."
"My lord," replied the knights, as they presented him his shield andlance, "accept again our thanks: where'er we be, the service thou hastdone in this great fight shall widely be proclaimed."
When that the band had watched him out of sight, they went their wayuntil they reached Carlisle. They found King Arthur in his flowery meadwith five-and-twenty of his primest knights. There, kneeling athis feet, one of the troop was spokesman for the rest; and thus hefearlessly and sagely said:
"Sire, so please it the true God, who knoweth all that every creaturedoth, give you good luck, and guard from pain and ill the greatest kingthis world doth now contain!"
"Friend," the good king replied, "God and St. Mary keep thee and thymates! Speak without fear, and tell me what thou wilt."
"Sire, {070}we come to yield ourselves to thee, from Jaufry, Dovon'sson; he hath delivered us from durance vile."
"Good sir, give me at once your tidings. Is't long since you and he haveparted company?"
"We left him, sire, on Tuesday morning last, both safe and sound, ardentand full of strength, tracking a lord with whom he seeks to fight, andto avenge thy cause."
"O Lord, thou glorious Sire," said the king, with joined hands, "grantI may Jaufry see unchecked, unscathed; for, an I hold him not within sixmonths, I'll prize my fortunes as of nothing worth!"
Whilst that the dwarf in turn begins his speech, to tell the king howthis adventure happed, we will go back to follow Jaufry's steps, whostill, unwearied, presses stoutly on.
Jaufry the Knight and the Fair Brunissende: A Tale of the Times of King Arthur Page 7