Historical Romances: Under the Red Robe, Count Hannibal, A Gentleman of France

by Stanley John Weyman

  CHAPTER III.

  BOOT AND SADDLE.

  As was natural, I meditated deeply and far into the night on thedifficulties of the task entrusted to me. I saw that it fell into twoparts: the release of the lady, and her safe conduct to Blois, adistance of sixty leagues. The release I thought it probable I couldeffect single-handed, or with one companion only; but in the troubledcondition of the country at this time, more particularly on both sidesof the Loire, I scarcely saw how I could ensure a lady's safety on theroad northwards unless I had with me at least five swords.

  To get these together at a few hours' notice promised to be no easytask; although the presence of the Court of Navarre had filled St.Jean with a crowd of adventurers. Yet the king's command was urgent,and at some sacrifice, even at some risk, must be obeyed. Pressed bythese considerations, I could think of no better man to begin withthan Fresnoy.

  His character was bad, and he had long forfeited such claim as he hadever possessed--I believe it was a misty one? on the distaff side--togentility. But the same cause which had rendered me destitute--I meanthe death of the Prince of Conde--had stripped him to the last rag;and this, perhaps, inclining me to serve him, I was the more quick tosee his merits. I knew him already for a hardy, reckless man, verycapable of striking a shrewd blow. I gave him credit for being trusty,as long as his duty jumped with his interest.

  Accordingly, as soon as it was light, having fed and groomed the Cid,which was always the first employment of my day, I set out in searchof Fresnoy, and was presently lucky enough to find him taking hismorning draught outside the 'Three Pigeons,' a little inn not far fromthe north gate. It was more than a fortnight since I had set eyes onhim, and the lapse of time had worked so great a change for the worsein him that, forgetting my own shabbiness, I looked at him askance, asdoubting the wisdom of enlisting one who bore so plainly the marks ofpoverty and dissipation. His great face--he was a large man--hadsuffered recent ill-usage, and was swollen and discoloured, one eyebeing as good as closed. He was unshaven, his hair was ill-kempt, hisdoublet unfastened at the throat, and torn and stained besides.Despite the cold--for the morning was sharp and frosty, though freefrom wind--there were half a dozen packmen drinking and squabblingbefore the inn, while the beasts they drove quenched their thirst atthe trough. But these men seemed with one accord to leave him inpossession of the bench at which he sat; nor did I wonder much at thiswhen I saw the morose and savage glance which he shot at me as Iapproached. Whether he read my first impressions in my face, or forsome other reason felt distaste for my company, I could not determine.But, undeterred by his behaviour, I sat down beside him and called forwine.

  He nodded sulkily in answer to my greeting, and cast a half-shamed,half-angry look at me out of the corners of his eyes. 'You need notlook at me as though I were a dog,' he muttered presently. 'You arenot so very spruce yourself, my friend. But I suppose you have grownproud since you got that fat appointment at Court!' And he laughed outloud, so that I confess I was in two minds whether I should not forcethe jest down his ugly throat.

  However I restrained myself, though my cheeks burned. 'You have heardabout it, then,' I said, striving to speak indifferently.

  'Who has not?' he said, laughing with his lips, though his eyes werefar from merry. 'The Sieur de Marsac's appointment! Ha! ha! Why,man----'

  'Enough of it now!' I exclaimed. And I dare say I writhed on my seat.'As far as I am concerned the jest is a stale one, sir, and does notamuse me.'

  'But it amuses me,' he rejoined with a grin.

  'Let it be, nevertheless,' I said; and I think he read a warning in myeyes. 'I have come to speak to you upon another matter.'

  He did not refuse to listen, but threw one leg over the other, andlooking up at the inn-sign began to whistle in a rude, offensivemanner. Still, having an object in view, I controlled myself andcontinued. 'It is this, my friend: money is not very plentiful atpresent with either of us.'

  Before I could say any more he turned on me savagely, and with a loudoath thrust his bloated face, flushed with passion, close to mine.'Now look here, M. de Marsac! he cried violently, 'once for all, it isno good! I have not got the money, and I cannot pay it. I said afortnight ago, when you lent it, that you should have it this week.Well,' slapping his hand on the bench, 'I have not got it, and it isno good beginning upon me. You cannot have it, and that is flat!'

  'Damn the money!' I cried.

  'What?' he exclaimed, scarcely believing his ears.

  'Let the money be!' I repeated fiercely. 'Do you hear? I have not comeabout it. I am here to offer you work--good, well-paid work--if youwill enlist with me and play me fair, Fresnoy.'

  'Play fair!' he cried with an oath.

  'There, there,' I said, 'I am willing to let bygones be bygones if youare. The point is, that I have an adventure on hand, and, wantinghelp, can pay you for it.'

  He looked at me cunningly, his eye travelling over each rent and darnin my doublet. 'I will help you fast enough,' he said at last. 'But Ishould like to see the money first.'

  'You shall,' I answered.

  'Then I am with you, my friend. Count on me till death!' he cried,rising and laying his hand in mine with a boisterous frankness whichdid not deceive me into trusting him far. 'And now, whose is theaffair, and what is it?'

  'The affair is mine,' I said coldly. 'It is to carry off a lady.'

  He whistled and looked me over again, an impudent leer in his eyes. 'Alady?' he exclaimed. 'Umph! I could understand a young spark going infor such--but that's your affair. Who is it?'

  'That is my affair, too,' I answered coolly, disgusted by the man'svenality and meanness, and fully persuaded that I must trust him nofarther than the length of my sword. 'All I want you to do, M.Fresnoy,' I continued stiffly, 'is to place yourself at my disposaland under my orders for ten days. I will find you a horse and payyou--the enterprise is a hazardous one, and I take that intoaccount--two gold crowns a day, and ten more if we succeed in reachinga place of safety.'

  'Such a place as----'

  'Never mind that,' I replied. 'The question is, do you accept?'

  He looked down sullenly, and I could see he was greatly angered by mydetermination to keep the matter to myself. 'Am I to know no more thanthat?' he asked, digging the point of his scabbard again and againinto the ground.

  'No more,' I answered firmly. 'I am bent on a desperate attempt tomend my fortunes before they fall as low as yours; and that is as muchas I mean to tell living man. If you are loth to risk your life withyour eyes shut, say so, and I will go to someone else.'

  But he was not in a position, as I well knew, to refuse such an offer,and presently he accepted it with a fresh semblance of heartiness. Itold him I should want four troopers to escort us, and these heoffered to procure, saying that he knew just the knaves to suit me. Ibade him hire two only, however, being too wise to put myselfaltogether in his hands; and then, having given him money to buyhimself a horse--I made it a term that the men should bring theirown--and named a rendezvous for the first hour after noon, I partedfrom him and went rather sadly away.

  For I began to see that the king had not underrated the dangers of anenterprise on which none but desperate men and such as were down inthe world could be expected to embark. Seeing this, and also a thingwhich followed clearly from it--that I should have as much to fearfrom my own company as from the enemy--I looked forward with littlehope to a journey during every day and every hour of which I must beara growing weight of fear and responsibility.

  It was too late to turn back, however, and I went about mypreparations, if with little cheerfulness, at least with steadfastpurpose. I had my sword ground and my pistols put in order by thecutler over whom I lodged, and who performed this last office for mewith the same goodwill which had characterised all his dealings withme. I sought out and hired a couple of stout fellows whom I believedto be indifferently honest, but who possessed the advantage of havinghorses; and besides bought two l
ed horses myself for mademoiselle andher woman. Such other equipments as were absolutely necessary Ipurchased, reducing my stock of money in this way to two hundred andten crowns. How to dispose of this sum so that it might be safe andyet at my command was a question which greatly exercised me. In theend I had recourse to my friend the cutler, who suggested hiding ahundred crowns of it in my cap, and deftly contrived a place for thepurpose. This, the cap being lined with steel, was a matter of nogreat difficulty. A second hundred I sewed up in the stuffing of mysaddle, placing the remainder in my pouch for present necessities.

  A small rain was falling in the streets when, a little after noon, Istarted with my two knaves behind me and made for the north gate. Somany were moving this way and the other that we passed unnoticed, andmight have done so had we numbered six swords instead of three. Whenwe reached the rendezvous, a mile beyond the gate, we found Fresnoyalready there, taking shelter in the lee of a big holly-tree. He hadfour horsemen with him, and on our appearance rode forward to meet us,crying heartily, 'Welcome, M. le Capitaine!'

  'Welcome, certainly,' I answered, pulling the Cid up sharply, andholding off from him. 'But who are these, M. Fresnoy?' and I pointedwith my riding-cane to his four companions.

  He tried to pass the matter off with a laugh. 'Oh! these?' he said.'That is soon explained. The Evangelists would not be divided, so Ibrought them all--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John--thinking it likelyyou might fail to secure your men. And I will warrant them for four asgallant boys as you will ever find behind you!'

  They were certainly four as arrant ruffians as I had ever seen beforeme, and I saw I must not hesitate. 'Two or none, M. Fresnoy,' I saidfirmly. 'I gave you a commission for two, and two I will take--Matthewand Mark, or Luke and John, as you please.'

  ''Tis a pity to break the party,' said he, scowling.

  'If that be all,' I retorted, 'one of my men is called John. And wewill dub the other Luke, if that will mend the matter.'

  'The Prince of Conde,' he muttered sullenly, 'employed these men.'

  'The Prince of Conde employed some queer people sometimes, M.Fresnoy,' I answered, looking him straight between the eyes, 'as weall must. A truce to this, if you please. We will take Matthew andMark. The other two be good enough to dismiss.'

  He seemed to waver for a moment, as if he had a mind to disobey, butin the end, thinking better of it, he bade the men return; and as Icomplimented each of them with a piece of silver, they went off, aftersome swearing, in tolerably good humour. Thereon Fresnoy was fortaking the road at once, but having no mind to be followed, I gave theword to wait until the two were out of sight.

  I think, as we sat our horses in the rain, the holly-bush not beinglarge enough to shelter us all, we were as sorry a band as ever setout to rescue a lady; nor was it without pain that I looked round andsaw myself reduced to command such people. There was scarcely onewhole un-patched garment among us, and three of my squires had but aspur apiece. To make up for this deficiency we mustered two blackeyes, Fresnoy's included, and a broken nose. Matthew's nag lacked atail, and, more remarkable still, its rider, as I presentlydiscovered, was stone-deaf; while Mark's sword was innocent of ascabbard, and his bridle was plain rope. One thing, indeed, I observedwith pleasure. The two men who had come with me looked askance at thetwo who had come with Fresnoy, and these returned the stare withinterest. On this division and on the length of my sword I based allmy hopes of safety and of something more. On it I was about to stake,not my own life only--which was no great thing, seeing what myprospects were--but the life and honour of a woman, young, helpless,and as yet unknown to me.

  Weighed down as I was by these considerations, I had to bear theadditional burden of hiding my fears and suspicions under a cheerfuldemeanour. I made a short speech to my following, who one and allresponded by swearing to stand by me to the death. I then gave theword, and we started, Fresnoy and I leading the way, Luke and Johnwith the led horses following, and the other two bringing up the rear.

  The rain continuing to fall and the country in this part being drearyand monotonous, even in fair weather, I felt my spirits sink stilllower as the day advanced. The responsibility I was going to incurassumed more serious proportions each time I scanned my following;while Fresnoy, plying me with perpetual questions respecting my plans,was as uneasy a companion as my worst enemy could have wished me.

  'Come!' he grumbled presently, when we had covered four leagues or so,'you have not told me yet, sieur, where we stay to-night. You aretravelling so slowly that----'

  'I am saving the horses,' I answered shortly. 'We shall do a long dayto-morrow.'

  'Yours looks fit for a week of days,' he sneered, with an evil look atmy Sardinian, which was, indeed, in better case than its master. 'Itis sleek enough, any way!'

  'It is as good as it looks,' I answered, a little nettled by his tone.

  'There is a better here,' he responded.

  'I don't see it,' I said. I had already eyed the nags all round, andassured myself that, ugly and blemished as they were, they were up totheir work. But I had discerned no special merit among them. I lookedthem over again now, and came to the same conclusion--that, except theled horses, which I had chosen with some care, there was nothing amongthem to vie with the Cid, either in speed or looks. I told Fresnoy so.

  'Would you like to try?' he said tauntingly.

  I laughed, adding, 'If you think I am going to tire our horses byracing them, with such work as we have before us, you are mistaken,Fresnoy. I am not a boy, you know.'

  'There need be no question of racing,' he answered more quietly. 'Youhave only to get on that rat-tailed bay of Matthew's to feel its pacesand say I am right.'

  I looked at the bay, a bald-faced, fiddle-headed horse, and saw that,with no signs of breeding, it was still a big-boned animal with goodshoulders and powerful hips. I thought it possible Fresnoy might beright, and if so, and the bay's manners were tolerable, it might dofor mademoiselle better than the horse I had chosen. At any rate, ifwe had a fast horse among us, it was well to know the fact, so biddingMatthew change with me, and be careful of the Cid, I mounted the bay,and soon discovered that its paces were easy and promised speed, whileits manners seemed as good as even a timid rider could desire.

  Our road at the time lay across a flat desolate heath, dotted here andthere with thorn-bushes; the track being broken and stony, extendedmore than a score of yards in width, through travellers straying tothis side and that to escape the worst places. Fresnoy and I, inmaking the change, had fallen slightly behind the other three, andwere riding abreast of Matthew on the Cid.

  'Well,' he said, 'was I not right?'

  'In part,' I answered. 'The horse is better than its looks.'

  'Like many others,' he rejoined, a spark of resentment in histone--'men as well as horses, M. de Marsac. But what do you say? Shallwe canter on a little and overtake the others?'

  Thinking it well to do so, I assented readily, and we startedtogether. We had ridden, however, no more than a hundred yards, and Iwas only beginning to extend the bay, when Fresnoy, slightly drawingrein, turned in his saddle and looked back. The next moment he cried,'Hallo! what is this? Those fellows are not following us, are they?'

  I turned sharply to look. At that moment, without falter or warning,the bay horse went down under me as if shot dead, throwing me half adozen yards over its head; and that so suddenly that I had no time toraise my arms, but, falling heavily on my head and shoulder, lostconsciousness.

  I have had many falls, but no other to vie with that in utterunexpectedness. When I recovered my senses I found myself leaning,giddy and sick, against the bole of an old thorn-tree. Fresnoy andMatthew supported me on either side, and asked me how I found myself;while the other three men, their forms black against the stormyevening sky, sat their horses a few paces in front of me. I was toomuch dazed at first to see more, and this only in a mechanicalfashion; but gradually, my brain grew clearer, and I advanced fromwondering who the strangers round me were to recognising them, and
finally to remembering what had happened to me.

  'Is the horse hurt?' I muttered as soon as I could speak.

  'Not a whit,' Fresnoy answered, chuckling, or I was much mistaken. 'Iam afraid you came off the worse of the two, captain.'

  He exchanged a look with the men on horseback as he spoke, and in adull fashion I fancied I saw them smile. One even laughed, and anotherturned in his saddle as if to hide his face. I had a vague generalsense that there was some joke on foot in which I had no part. But Iwas too much shaken at the moment to be curious, and gratefullyaccepted the offer of one of the men to fetch me a little water. Whilehe was away the rest stood round me, the same look of ill-concealeddrollery on their faces. Fresnoy alone talked, speaking volubly of theaccident, pouring out expressions of sympathy and cursing the road,the horse, and the wintry light until the water came; when, muchrefreshed by the draught, I managed to climb to the Cid's saddle andplod slowly onwards with them.

  'A bad beginning,' Fresnoy said presently, stealing a sly glance at meas we jogged along side by side, Chize half a league before us, anddarkness not far off.

  By this time, however, I was myself again, save for a little hummingin the head, and, shrugging my shoulders, I told him so. 'All's wellthat ends well,' I added. 'Not that it was a pleasant fall, or that Iwish to have such another.'

  'No, I should think not,' he answered. His face was turned from me,but I fancied I heard him snigger.

  Something, which may have been a vague suspicion, led me a momentlater to put my hand into my pouch. Then I understood. I understoodtoo well. The sharp surprise of the discovery was such thatinvoluntarily I drove my spurs into the Cid, and the horse sprangforward.

  'What is the matter?' Fresnoy asked.

  'The matter?' I echoed, my hand still at my belt, feeling--feelinghopelessly.

  'Yes, what is it?' he asked, a brazen smile on his rascally face.

  I looked at him, my brow as red as fire. 'Oh! nothing--nothing,' Isaid. 'Let us trot on.'

  In truth I had discovered that, taking advantage of my helplessness,the scoundrels had robbed me, while I lay insensible, of every goldcrown in my purse! Nor was this all, or the worst, for I saw at oncethat in doing so they had effected something which was a thousandfoldmore ominous and formidable--established against me that secretunderstanding which it was my especial aim to prevent, and on theabsence of which I had been counting. Nay, I saw that for my very lifeI had only my friend the cutler and my own prudence to thank, seeingthat these rogues would certainly have murdered me without scruple hadthey succeeded in finding the bulk of my money. Baffled in this, whilestill persuaded that I had other resources, they had stopped short ofthat villany--or this memoir had never been written. They had kindlypermitted me to live until a more favourable opportunity of enrichingthemselves at my expense should put them in possession of my lastcrown!

  Though I was sufficiently master of myself to refrain from complaintswhich I felt must be useless, and from menaces which it has never beenmy habit to utter unless I had also the power to put them intoexecution, it must not be imagined that I did not, as I rode on byFresnoy's side, feel my position acutely or see how absurd a figure Icut in my dual character of leader and dupe. Indeed, the reflectionthat, being in this perilous position, I was about to stake another'ssafety as well as my own, made me feel the need of a few minutes'thought so urgent that I determined to gain them, even at the risk ofleaving my men at liberty to plot further mischief. Coming almostimmediately afterwards within sight of the turrets of the Chateau ofChize, I told Fresnoy that we should lie the night at the village; andbade him take the men on and secure quarters at the inn. Attackedinstantly by suspicion and curiosity, he demurred stoutly to leavingme, and might have persisted in his refusal had I not pulled up, andclearly shown him that I would have my own way in this case or come toan open breach. He shrank, as I expected, from the latter alternative,and, bidding me a sullen adieu, trotted on with his troop. I waiteduntil they were out of sight, and then, turning the Cid's head,crossed a small brook which divided the road from the chase, andchoosing a ride which seemed to pierce the wood in the direction ofthe Chateau, proceeded down it, keeping a sharp look-out on eitherhand.

  It was then, my thoughts turning to the lady who was now so near, andwho, noble, rich, and a stranger, seemed, as I approached her, not theleast formidable of the embarrassments before me--it was then that Imade a discovery which sent a cold shiver through my frame, and in amoment swept all memory of my paltry ten crowns from my head. Tencrowns! Alas! I had lost that which was worth all my crowns puttogether--the broken coin which the King of Navarre had entrusted tome, and which formed my sole credential, my only means of persuadingMademoiselle de la Vire that I came from him. I had put it in mypouch, and of course, though the loss of it only came home to my mindnow, it had disappeared with the rest.

  I drew rein and sat for some time motionless, the image of despair.The wind which stirred the naked boughs overhead, and whirled the deadleaves in volleys past my feet, and died away at last among thewhispering bracken, met nowhere with wretchedness greater, I believe,than was mine at that moment.