_CHAPTER XXV_.
_THE CAPTURE_.
"What say you of this adventure?" asked Griffi of the knight, with whoselong strides he could scarcely keep pace; "I know that you are entirelydisinterested in the question."
The knight made no answer. They soon reached a clearing, where a dozensoldiers were sleeping on the ground. The knight's horse was fastenedto a tree by a long strap, which allowed him to graze at his ease.
"Up sleepers!" cried the knight. The soldiers sprang to their feet, andawaited anxiously their leader's instructions.
"Come here, Wido!" he continued, speaking to a broad-shouldered youngman near him.
After Wido had unfastened the horse and tied the strap to thesaddle-bow, Cocco Griffi approached.
"You will surely not kill them?" he said.
"What is that to you?" the knight answered roughly. "And you," headded, turning to one of the troopers, "lead my horse to the road, andwait until you hear my bugle."
"But, noble sir," observed Griffi, "we did not come here to commit anevil action, but to help pass in some provisions for the hungryMilanese. It would be terrible if the convoy, deprived of our support,should fall into Hesso's power. He will cut off the right hands of allthe people in the train, and the provisions will never get to Milan."
"Silence!"
"Silence! yes, silence!" murmured Griffi; "I am to hold my tongue andlet my fellow-citizens die of hunger! Before I announced to you thepresence of this girl, I should have reflected on the folly of which Iwas guilty in speaking of her."
The chief looked at the little man calmly, as if he thought that, afterall, he might be right; and taking out a purse, he handed itsglittering contents to his attendant.
"Here! don't get angry, Cocco! At least you cannot say that you haveever done me a service without receiving a reward for it."
"Great service, worthy reward, upon my word!" said Cocco, weighing thepurse. "I must smother my intelligence, in order to look at things inthe same light as you do. We will see whether our marauders will everreach the city. I am afraid that they are in mortal danger of fallinginto Hesso's clutches!"
The knight ordered his men to follow him as silently as possible, andthey crept forward to where Erwin and the lady were talking withHedwige. Suddenly Hedwige uttered a piercing shriek, and at the samemoment, Rechberg was thrown backwards upon the ground. Wido put hisknee upon his chest, and the other varlets tied him hand and foot, sothat he could not move. Hermengarde had scarcely time to understandwhat had happened, when the Unknown seized her by the arm and draggedher through the wood. Behind them ran Hedwige, screaming with terror,and Gero, who came up to his master's aid, was speedily put in acondition to make no resistance.
Still it was no easy matter to tie up the knight, whose powerful armresisted manfully; and could he have but gained his feet, his swordwould have rendered the success of the attempt at least doubtful.
"Thunder!" exclaimed Wido, "are not eight valiant Lombards a matchfor this German wild boar? Nozi, pass that strap under his leftarm,--good!--now pull tight, comrade! Slip this one more to the right!Come, I think he is well tied up now--we will see whether he can breakthese triple knots. Be careful about the feet too, for you can nevertell when these wild beasts are securely fastened!"
"And now, I think we can let him wriggle, like a fish out of water."
"Wretches, caitiffs, scoundrels!" cried Erwin.
"Hold your tongue!" said one of the soldiers; "it won't untie you, andit is only a useless fatigue. Try to die quietly."
"Is my life threatened?"
"What a question! our master never spares any Germans who fall into hishands. It is a real pleasure for us to cut your throats!"
"Who is your master?"
"Ask him yourself!"
"And the lady!--The villain!--let this bandit but dare to be wanting inrespect!"
"I suppose that you would leave your grave to twist his neck," sneeredWido. "But here comes our master himself, to give you every explanationwhich you may desire."
The Unknown, at the same moment, came up, with his helmet closed;halting in front of Erwin, he stood with arms folded, as thoughdeliberating on his fate.
"Raise your visor, villain, and show me your bandit's face!" saidErwin, furiously.
"It is unnecessary; I am a brave Lombard, who has sworn to free hiscountry of German tyranny. That ought to suffice you."
"And meanwhile you practise a truly Lombard profession,--robbers,assassins, and cheats, that you all are!"
"Spare your words, and listen to me. I have no doubt that what I havedone appears criminal, particularly in the eyes of the noble Count ofRechberg, for whom, in spite of the hatred which I bear his race, Istill have a certain respect, on account of his generous sentiments.Without this consideration, I would have killed you immediately; for Iam bound by a solemn oath to destroy the enemies of Italy, wherever Ican meet them."
"Very well; but is it the act of a brave man to attack a defencelessgirl? Shame upon you!"
"Silence!" said the Unknown, interrupting him. "I deliver the lady ofCastellamare from the power of those who are unworthy to possess such atreasure! The thoughtlessness of youth, perhaps a feeling of gratitudeinduced her, in her father's absence, to leave the castle and visit thetyrant's court. The lady shall remain under my protection until I canrestore her to that of her father."
The Count stared at this man who, at all events, reassured him ofHermengarde's safety from all insult or danger.
"But by what right do you interfere in the matter," he said.
"It matters not; the right is mine, and I use it. Hermengarde hasbegged me to spare your life, and although I almost hate her for therequest, I have consented; you are free.--Your gray head," continuedthe Lombard, turning to Gero, "assures me of your discretion; so listenattentively, for your master's sake, to what I am about to say. In anhour's time, you may untie him; we shall then have reached Milan, andit will be impossible to follow me. But take care not to let yourselfbe touched by his entreaties, for if he should pursue, I shall considermyself freed from my promise, and he shall die. Will you swear to obeyme?"
"With all my heart," answered Gero; "and literally too!--Not to pleaseyou, but on my master's account."
"You are an honest fellow," said the knight. And drawing his poniard,he cut the ropes which bound the squire.
"By all the saints of paradise!" cried Erwin; "since you still havesome chivalrous feelings left, will you accept my challenge?"
"With pleasure, when and where you will!"
"Whither can I send it?" asked Rechberg, eagerly.
"What use is there of all these formalities when your Emperor violatesevery law, whether human or divine. Present yourself, under a flag oftruce, at the gate of St. Ambrose; you will find me there."
"I thank you," said the Count. "Be prepared tomorrow at early dawn."
"You will find the horses where you left them," added the Unknown. "Youhave stolen nothing, I trust," he continued, turning to his followers,who had listened with curiosity to the dialogue.
"For whom do you take us, my lord?" replied Wido. "But this glove whichI see here, scarcely will fit the hand of a German boar, so I concludeit is not his property."
"Ah! give it to me," said the Unknown; "it belongs to Hermengarde. Ifour combat should be prevented by any accident, you can alwaysrecognize your enemy by this glove which he will wear on his helmet.Yes, I will bear this in her honor and as a defiance to you."
At these words he signed to his men to follow him, and soon the troopdisappeared in the recesses of the forest.
"What a strange person!" said Erwin; "he is a singular mixture of anhonest man and a highway robber.
"Yes," replied Gero; "but there is a preponderance of the robber. Hisloyalty seems to me like a drop of wine in a cask of water. My lord, Idon't like to see you stretched thus on the ground, so I will lift youupon your feet."
"Cut these ropes, and I will
lift myself up."
"Excuse me, my lord Count, but I cannot; for I fear that you will makea bad use of your liberty, and pursue the bandits."
Gero, after some trouble, managed to get his master on his feet, andthen went to look for the horses. In the interval, Rechberg reflectedupon the change which had taken place in his position, and which hadseemingly blasted his hopes. It was all over, he thought; Hermengardewas in the power of one who seemed to have certain claims to her; butGero's return put an end to his meditations.
"Decidedly, they were not robbers. I have found the horses where I leftthem," said the soldier; "and now I have tied them up close by, readyfor us to mount when the hour is up."
"You say they were not robbers, Gero?"
"Well, not ordinary robbers; for if they had been, these gold rings onyour baldric and your horses too, would have disappeared."
"Hasten, my good fellow, and cut these ropes at once; you would leaveme a prisoner forever, it seems!"
"The hour is not quite up yet, Count; be patient a little while longer.Does the time really appear so wearisome?"
"Even if I would, it is impossible for me to pursue the bandit now. Doyou not perceive how dark it grows?"
"Pray have a little patience, my dear lord. I am dreaming of yourtriumph of to-morrow; be assured that I will select the strongest lanceand the best tempered coat-of-mail in your armory."
"You think, then, that he will meet me?"
"Most certainly; he has too proud an air to be a disloyal knight."
"But who is he? It is strange, but it seems as though I had alreadyheard his voice."
"Do not worry your brain by guessing, Count; you will know his facesoon enough."
"You are right. Never before have I experienced so much curiosity tosee an adversary raise his visor!"
"And now, my lord, allow me to untie you;--how tightly the villainshave drawn these knots!"
"Do you think so? And yet I felt nothing.--Quickly, now, Gero; whereare the horses?"
They mounted and left the wood, as speedily as the obscurity wouldpermit; but before reaching the camp, Rechberg was obliged to witness ascene rendered still more horrible by the darkness. He had scarcelyadvanced a hundred yards, when his attention was arrested by theclashing of arms and the shouts of strife. Always curious to recognizehis enemy, he drew up his horse to listen, for he imagined that theremust be some connection between this nocturnal combat and the Unknown,whose escape he hoped had been prevented by some of the German patrols.As he advanced as rapidly as prudence and the darkness permitted, thenoise ceased and he perceived, by the light of a dozen torches, a troopof heavily laden mules, whose drivers, with downcast eyes and manacledhands, were marching between two files of armed men.
"It is Hesso and his bloodhounds," cried Gero; "I know his gruffvoice!"
"Captain Hesso," said Rechberg, when they had gotten nearer, "I heardthe noise of your skirmish, as I was returning to camp, and was aboutto come to your assistance."
"I scarcely needed it, my lord."
"You have made a valuable capture, it seems!"
"Yes," answered Hesso; "twenty mules, and eight Milanese. One got away,and three were killed, so that four will escape punishment."
"Was there no escort?" inquired Erwin, as he rode by the headsman'sside.
"No, not this time, although usually one comes out from Milan; butto-day it failed."
Thinking that the Unknown and his soldiers had probably been detailedfor that duty, Erwin determined to question the prisoners, in the hopeof discovering the name of his adversary.
"We must invent some other punishment," resumed Hesso. "They don't carefor mutilation; one of them told me the other day, that Milan wouldgive him a golden hand to replace the one that I had cut off. If theEmperor wants to starve them out, he will have to hang every one whotries to bring even a handful of peas into the town."
"Death is the punishment for a repetition of the offence, I believe?"asked the knight.
"Yes; but they are very careful not to be caught at that! They are sowell paid for mutilation that they are not tempted to risk their lives.But they do not seem to care for their hands at all, and I am kept busyall day long in intercepting their convoys.--I suppose that, while I amstopping this one, another has got into the city."
By this time, they had reached the line of tents occupied by Hesso andhis assistants--about thirty paces in front of the main camp. In thecentre stood a gallows, and, near by, a heavy block stained with blood,to which the unfortunate prisoners were led.
"Do you mean to carry their sentence into effect at once?" asked Erwin.
"Certainly! These birds are a useless encumbrance in camp; as soon asthey have left their hands with me, they can go where they please. Suchis the law!" replied Hesso, who had taken off his doublet, and stood,with his shirt-sleeves rolled up to the elbows, before the fatal block.
One of the prisoners came up; his pale and suffering expressionpainfully affected the Count, who could not bear the sight of thisbarbarous tragedy, which to Hesso was a mere pastime.
"Bring up your contribution," said the headsman; "what a face thescoundrel has! he trembles, and his teeth chatter with fear."
A dull sound was heard, followed by a plaintive groan.
"One!" said the executioner, as he threw the hand on one side; "lookwhat a baby-paw it is!"
The assistants joined in their chiefs laugh, as they saw the mutilatedwretch faint with pain.
"Never mind!" said Hesso, coolly; "if he bleeds to death, we shall besure that he won't try this business again."
"One moment, sir! Will you allow me a moment's conversation with theprisoners?" asked Erwin.
"What for?" was the reply, and the headsman stared angrily at theCount.
"As you have yourself told me, the besieged are in the habit of sendingout to escort these convoys; perhaps I may gain some useful informationwhich will decide the Emperor to adopt some more energetic measures!"
"Three!" cried Hesso.
And at the same time was heard the cry of pain and a brutal laugh.
"More energetic measures are well enough, but you will get noinformation.--Four!"
"But it is worth trying."
"Five!"--and a bloody hand fell at Erwin's feet.
"It will be labor in vain; you don't know these bandits; all they arefit for, is to lie and steal!--Seven!--And besides, it is too latenow,--here is the last--Eight!--It is all over. Long live the Emperor!"said Hesso.
Among the victims, some had fainted with pain, others had stillstrength enough to bind up their bleeding arms.
"Have you no orders to dress their wounds?" asked Erwin. "The Emperorhas prescribed their punishment, but he does not wish the poor wretchesto bleed to death."
"You are right," was the reply. "Where is that quack Lutold? Come herewith your plasters, old man."
And while the surgeon, thanks to the interference of the young Count,discharged his duty, Rechberg and his squire took their way to theImperial camp.
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