Barbarossa; An Historical Novel of the XII Century.
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_CHAPTER IV_.
_THE BATTLE_.
"Bad news! Sire," cried the Count Palatine. "Cinola, your strongfortress on the Adda, is in the hands of the enemy."
Barbarossa sprang to his feet, and gazed with surprise upon the Count.
"Cinola taken!" cried he angrily,--"when--by whom?"
"To-day, by the Milanese; but here is a man who will give full detailsto your Majesty."
And he pointed to a soldier who, until then, had stood at a shortdistance from the group.
"Ah! is that you, Gero?" said Frederic, whose extraordinary memorynever forgot a name or a face. "Tell me at once, everything!"
"The tidings which I bring to your Majesty are most unfortunate. Cinolawas, this morning, surrendered to the Milanese."
"Surrendered?" said the Emperor, angrily.
"Yes, Sire,--surrendered by the base Guelph, the traitor Bonello, towhom your Majesty had intrusted the command of the fortress."
The face of the Emperor grew black with rage.
"What is the strength of the Milanese?" he asked.
"About three hundred men."
"Have they burned the Castle?"
"I am ignorant of that fact, Sire! As soon as the banner of the Guelphswas hoisted over the citadel, I hastened hither. But some time mustelapse before they can sack and burn the place, as their first visitwill doubtless be to the wine-cellars."
"How many Germans were with you in the Castle?"
"Three and a half, your Majesty,--for one of them had lost a leg. Poorfellows! they are in a pitiable condition, for their lives are indanger!"
"Gentlemen," said the Emperor to his knights, who were grouped aroundhim, "we must not lose an instant; this new outrage must be punished atonce!"
The knights looked at each other with astonishment; and even the daringOtho shook his head.
"Sire!" said he, "the Guelphs are too much our superiors in numbers."
"Since when has the Count Otho learned to count his foes?" inquired theEmperor.
"But," observed the Chancellor, whom the sudden resolution of theEmperor had alarmed, "would it not be more prudent to await the arrivalof the German troops?"
"No! the punishment should always follow closely upon the crime. What!these traitors have dared to lay their plans under my very eyes, andyet you speak of waiting!--It would be a public admission of ourweakness."
"To accommodate ourselves to circumstances," replied the Chancellor,"is not weakness, but rather wisdom. The Emperor should not expose hisperson needlessly. Pardon my frankness, Sire; it is your duty not tocourt unnecessary danger."
"Know, my lord," said Frederic, "that on the battlefield, he mosteasily escapes death who braves it most! But, rather death itself, thantame submission to such an outrage as this!"
"Well, then, may Heaven help you!" said Rinaldo, despairingly,--"threehundred against eighty;--the odds are too great;--it is an unpardonablepiece of rashness!"
"Be it so, my lord! But what can three hundred traitors do againsteighty German nobles, fighting for the honor of their name, in thecause of their sovereign? If I had with me only ten loyal knights, Iwould prove to the world, that, in Germany, courage and chivalry arenot mere empty names! Come, gentlemen, to horse!"
"To arms! to arms! Long live the Emperor!" cried the knights, inspiredby the courage of their sovereign.
"Your peaceful calling will render your presence useless in this bloodywork of justice," said the Emperor, turning to his Chancellor. "It willbe better that you should await our return. Stay, ride off immediatelytowards the German troops, who are on their march, and bid the princeshasten their arrival!"
"May God preserve us!" said Rinaldo, perceiving that the Emperor wishedto keep him out of danger. "I am ready to die with my sovereign."
"Your fidelity needs no such act of heroism to prove its value," saidBarbarossa. "Besides, I have by no means decided, as yet, to leave thisworld for another! But a truce to this discussion. Seek the princes,salute them in my name, and bid them march at once upon Milan!"
Rinaldo anxiously watched the tall form of the Emperor through thecrevices of the walls, as his heavy step resounded beneath the archesof the ruined church. The shrill blast of the trumpet assembled theknights who were already in the saddle. Without touching the stirrup,the prince vaulted upon his mail-clad steed, and in a few minutes thelittle band disappeared in the direction of the south-west.
"There goes a man who probably rides to meet his death," said Rinaldoto himself. "His pride despises danger, and yet, though I know thestrength of his arm, some trifling accident may ruin everything. WhilstI seek the princes, the Milanese may exult over his corpse, and Rome,raising again her humbled head, topple down the edifice built up solaboriously!"
The Chancellor started, as a voice addressed him.
"If you are ready, my lord Count, we will set forward," said thesoldier whom Barbarossa had left behind as escort to the minister.
"You should not have weakened the little troop by your absence, foryour lance would be more than ever useful to-day to His Majesty."
"Pshaw!" replied the man, "I have no fears about the result. TheGuelphs never can stand before Count Otho and his brave lances.Besides, Barbarossa leads them, and I never saw his eye flash sofiercely as when he bade me stay with you."
Rinaldo mounted his horse and, accompanied by the soldier, rode swiftlytowards the north.
Meanwhile the Emperor pushed forward. His knights rode behind him instern silence, but with a look of grim determination upon their bronzedfaces, and naught was heard, save the clatter of their horses' hoofs,and the rattle and clank of their armor. Barbarossa was carefullyexamining the distant limits of the plain, where could be seen what atfirst seemed only dark moving shadows; soon, however, the gleam ofhelmets and lances was distinctly visible, and even the heavy step oftroops on the march could be distinctly heard. Barbarossa hesitated fora moment, as if in doubt what course to pursue, when Count Othoapproached.
"I think I know those troops," said he. "As we were leaving the ruins,I saw several horsemen, on yonder hills, riding towards Milan. They aredoubtless the enemy's videttes, who are carrying to the conquerors ofCinola the tidings of our advance."
"Gero," said the Emperor, "you are the least heavily armed. Rideforward and see what is the strength of that detachment; I want to knowif they have any infantry in the rear, and whether there are anylancers posted in the wood, to take us in flank."
The trooper galloped off. The other soldiers at once dismounted to drawtheir saddle-girths and prepare for the fight, and the drinking-cup,which passed freely from hand to hand, contributed greatly to increasetheir courage.
Barbarossa took no refreshment, but he carefully reconnoitred theground. Not an inequality of its surface, not a stream or marsh escapedhis eye. On the right was a little wood, which might serve the enemy tomask his movements, and as the ground on which he stood was slightlyelevated, he determined to await the enemy there, in order to givegreater impetus to the charge of his own troopers.
Gero soon returned, followed at a distance by several of the enemy'shorsemen, thrown out as scouts.
"The Guelphs are moving in three columns--in the centre is about twohundred Infantry. The wings are much weaker. I could see nothing in thewoods."
"The Milanese seem very confident," said the rough soldier Goswin;"they think that five Lombards are at least equal to one German, and soneglect their tactics. Ah! well! I killed twenty of them at Lodiwithout dinting my sabre, and am rather curious to see how many I canexterminate to-day, and not turn its edge."
"Yes," added Frederic, with a laugh; "and these good people havesurnamed you, in consequence, 'The Lombard-eater.' You are in luckto-day, Master Goswin, for you will have enough to satisfy even yourappetite.--But to work, gentlemen! The enemy will not leave us muchlonger the choice of the attack, so we must give him something to do."
He divided the escort into three columns, giving the
right wing toCount Otho, the left to the knight of Goswin, and reserving to himselfthe command of the centre. The Lombard tactics were usually to kill thehorses of the knights, who, dismounted and in heavy armor, would thenbecome comparatively less dangerous; but the monarch understood thedanger.
The Milanese advanced about a hundred yards, and then halted. Unlikethe stern silence of their adversaries, they shouted, and sang, andclashed their weapons as if to prove that they felt assured of victory.
Barbarossa rode along the front of his little band, which calmlyawaited the attack:--
"Valiant friends," said he, "have faith in your good cause! You drawthe sword against treachery and rebellion! Trust in God; it is he whochastises the perjurer! Confide in the strength of your good rightarms, and show to the world, that you are worthy to bear the nameof Germans! Let St. Michael, the patron of our country, be yourrallying-cry! Couch your lances! Forward, Charge!"
"Saint Michael, Saint Michael for the Emperor!" rang through theirranks, as they dashed upon the foe.
The Milanese cavalry, with a savage yell, advanced to meet theirenemies, while their infantry, in close column, awaited the shock ofthe German horse. Soon the clash of arms and the wild cries of thecombatants proclaimed that they were fighting hand to hand. Barbarossawas everywhere in the thickest of the _melee_; the Milanese leader fellbefore his lance, and then the Emperor, sword in hand, broke throughthe enemy's centre. Soon each knight had stretched an adversary on theground. The ranks of the infantry first faltered, and then gave way,and many a foot-soldier found death beneath the hoofs of the tramplingchargers, as he vainly endeavored to pierce the serried line of Germansteel. Still the Lombards fought stubbornly, and the hope ofterminating at one blow the slavery of their country, animated them todesperate efforts. Their bravest champions had fallen beneath theEmperor's sword, and still, to the cry of "Death to the tyrant!" theyfought on. Suddenly Frederic's horse was pierced by a pike-thrust,and fell heavily upon him. Crushed under his steed, the Emperor waswell-nigh powerless, and the blows of his enemies rained upon hisarmor.
A cry of triumph revealed to the Germans the danger of their sovereign.Erwin broke through the Lombard ranks, and for an instant devertedtheir attention to himself. Other knights came up. Erwin, unhorsed, washolding his buckler above the Emperor's head. Suddenly the cry of "St.Michael to the rescue" rang above the din of the battle, and Otho, atthe head of his brave lancers, charged the foe. The fight was over, andsoon the Milanese infantry were fleeing, broken and in disorder, acrossthe plain.