Fair Margaret

by H. Rider Haggard

  CHAPTER XIII

  THE ADVENTURE OF THE INN

  Peter did not sleep well, for, notwithstanding all the barber'sdressing, his hurt pained him much. Moreover, he was troubled by thethought that Margaret must be sure that both he and her father weredead, and of the sufferings of her sore heart. Whenever he dozed off heseemed to see her awake and weeping, yes, and to hear her sobs andmurmurings of his name. When the first light of dawn crept through thehigh-barred windows, he arose and called Castell, for they could notdress without each other's help. Then they waited until they heard thesound of men talking and of beasts stamping in the courtyard without.Guessing that this was the barber with the mules, they unlocked theirdoor and, finding the servant yawning in the passage, persuaded her tolet them out of the house.

  The barber it was, sure enough, and with him a one-eyed youth mounted ona pony, who, he said, would guide them to Granada. So they returned withhim into the house, where he looked at their wounds, shaking his headover that of Peter, who, he said, ought not to travel so soon. Afterthis came more haggling as to the price of the mules, saddlery,saddle-bags in which they packed their few spare clothes, hire of theguide and his horse, and so forth, since, anxious as they were to getaway, they did not dare to seem to have money to spare.

  At length everything was settled, and as their host, Father Henriques,had not yet appeared, they determined to depart without bidding himfarewell, leaving some money in acknowledgment of his hospitality and asa gift to his church. Whilst they were handing it over to the servant,however, together with a fee for herself, the priest joined them,unshaven, and holding his hand to his tonsured head whilst he explained,what was not true, that he had been celebrating some early Mass in thechurch; then asked whither they were going.

  They told him, and pressed their gift upon him, which he accepted,nothing loth, though its liberality seemed to make him more urgent todelay their departure. They were not fit to travel; the roads were mostunsafe; they would be taken captive by the Moors, and thrown into adungeon with the Christian prisoners; no one could enter Granada withouta passport, he declared, and so forth, to all of which they answeredthat they must go.

  Now he appeared to be much disturbed, and said finally that they wouldbring him into trouble with the Marquis of Morella--how or why, he wouldnot explain, though Peter guessed that it might be lest the marquisshould learn from them that this priest, his chaplain, had beenplundering the ship which he thought sunk, and possessing himself of hisjewels. At length, seeing that the man meant mischief and would stopthem in some fashion if they delayed, they bade him farewell hastily,and, pushing past him, mounted the mules that stood outside and rodeaway with their guide.

  As they went they heard the priest, who now was in a rage, abusing thebarber who had sold them the beasts, and caught the words "Spies,""English senoras," and "Commands of the Marquis," so that they were gladwhen at length they found themselves outside the town, where as yet fewwere stirring, and riding unmolested on the road to Granada.

  This road proved to be no good one, and very hilly; moreover, the muleswere even worse than they had thought, that which Peter rode stumblingcontinually. Now they asked the youth, their guide, how long it wouldtake them to reach Granada; but all he answered them was:

  "_Quien sabe_?" (Who knows?) "It depends upon the will of God."

  An hour later they asked him again, whereon he replied:

  Perhaps to-night, perhaps to-morrow, perhaps never, as there were manythieves about, and if they escaped the thieves they would probably becaptured by the Moors.

  "I think there is one thief very near to us," said Peter in English,looking at this ill-favoured young man, then added in his brokenSpanish, "Friend, if we fall in with robbers or Moors, the first one whodies will be yourself," and he tapped the hilt of his sword.

  The lad uttered a Spanish curse, and turned the head of his pony roundas though he would ride back to Motril, then changed his mind and pushedon a long way in front of them, nor could they come near him again forhours. So hard was the road and so feeble were the mules that,notwithstanding a midday halt to rest them, it was nightfall before theyreached the top of the Sierra, and in the last sunset glow, separatedfrom them by the rich _vega_ or plain, saw the minarets and palaces ofGranada. Now they wished to push on, but their guide swore that it wasimpossible, as in the dark they would fall over precipices whiledescending to the plain. There was a _venta_ or inn near by, he said,where they could sleep, starting again at dawn.

  When Castell said that they did not wish to go to an inn, he answeredthat they must, since they had eaten what food they had, and here onthe road there was no fodder for the beasts. So, reluctantly enough,they consented, knowing that unless they were fed the mules would nevercarry them to Granada, whereon the guide, pointing out the house tothem, a lonely place in a valley about a hundred yards from the road,said that he would go on to make arrangements, and galloped off.

  As they approached this hostelry, which was surrounded by a rough wallfor purposes of defence, they saw the one-eyed youth engaged in earnestconversation with a fat, ill-favoured man who had a great knife stuck inhis girdle. Advancing to them, bowing, this man said that he was thehost, and, in reply to their request for food and a room, told them thatthey could have both.

  They rode into the courtyard, whereon the inn-keeper locked the door inthe wall behind them, explaining that it was to keep out robbers, andadding that they were fortunate to be where they could sleep quitesafely. Then a Moor came and led away their mule to the stable, andthey accompanied the landlord into the sitting-room, a long, lowapartment furnished with tables and benches, on which sat severalrough-looking fellows, drinking wine. Here the host suddenly demandedpayment in advance, saying that he did not trust strangers. Peter wouldhave argued with him; but Castell, thinking it best to comply,unbuttoned his garments to get at his money, for he had no loose coin inhis pocket, having paid away the last at Motril.

  His right hand being still helpless, this he did with his left, and soawkwardly that the small doubloon he took hold of slipped from hisfingers and fell on to the floor. Forgetting that he had not re-fastenedthe belt, he bent down to pick it up, whereon a number of gold pieces ofvarious sorts, perhaps twenty of them, fell out and rolled hither andthither on the ground. Peter, watching, saw the landlord and the othermen in the room exchange a quick and significant glance. They rose,however, and assisted to find the money, which the host returned toCastell, remarking with an unpleasant smile, that if he had known thathis guests were so rich he would have charged them more for theiraccommodation.

  "Of your good heart I pray you not," answered Castell, "for that is allour worldly goods," and even as he spoke another gold piece, this time alarge doubloon, which had remained in his clothing, slipped tothe floor.

  "Of course, Senor," the host replied as he picked this up also andhanded it back politely, "but shake yourself, there may still be a coinor two in your doublet." Castell did so, whereon the gold in his belt,loosened by what had fallen out, rattled audibly, and the audiencesmiled again, while the host congratulated him on the fact that he wasin an honest house, and not wandering on the mountains, which were thehome of so many bad men.

  Having pocketed his money with the best grace he could, and buckled hisbelt beneath his robe, Castell and Peter sat down at a table a littleapart, and asked if they could have some supper. The host assented, andcalled to the Moorish servant to bring food, then sat down also, andbegan to put questions to them, of a sort which showed that their guidehad already told all their story.

  "How did you learn of our shipwreck?" asked Castell by way of answer.

  "How? Why, from the people of the marquis, who stopped here to drink acup of wine when he passed to Granada yesterday with his company and twosenoras. He said that the _San Antonio_ had sunk, but told us nothing ofyour being left aboard of her."

  "Then forgive us, friend, if we, whose business is of no interest toyou, copy his discretion, as we are weary and would rest."
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  "Certainly, Senors--certainly," replied the man; "I go to hasten yoursupper, and to fetch you a flask of the wine of Granada worthy of yourdegree," and he left them.

  A while later their food came--good meat enough of its sort--and with itthe wine in an earthenware jug, which, as he filled their horn mugs, thehost said he had poured out of the flask himself that the crust of itmight not slip. Castell thanked him, and asked him to drink a cup totheir good journey; but he declined, answering that it was a fast daywith him, on which he was sworn to touch only water. Now Peter, who hadsaid nothing all this time, but noted much, just touched the wine withhis lips, and smacked them as though in approbation while he whisperedin English to Castell:

  "Drink it not; it is drugged!"

  "What says your son?" asked the host.

  "He says that it is delicious, but suddenly he has remembered what I tooforgot, that the doctor at Motril forbade us to touch wine for fear lestwe should worsen the hurts that we had in the shipwreck. Well, let itnot be wasted. Give it to your friends. We must be content with thinnerstuff." And taking up a jug of water that stood upon the table, hefilled an empty cup with it and drank, then passed it to Peter, whilethe host looked at them sourly.

  Then, as though by an afterthought, Castell rose and politely presentedthe jug of wine and the two filled mugs to the men who were sitting at atable close by, saying that it was a pity that they should not have thebenefit of such fine liquor. One of these fellows, as it chanced, wastheir own guide, who had come in from tending the mules. They took themugs readily enough, and two of them tossed off their contents, whereon,with a smothered oath, the landlord snatched away the jug andvanished with it.

  Castell and Peter went on with their meal, for they saw their neighbourseating of the same dish, as did the landlord also, who had returned,and, it seemed to Peter, was watching the two men who had drunk thewine with an anxious eye. Presently one of these rose from the tableand, going to a bench on the other side of the room, flung himself downupon it and became quite silent, while their one-eyed guide stretchedout his arms and fell face forward so that his head rested on an emptyplate, where he remained apparently insensible. The host sprang up andstood irresolute, and Castell, rising, said that evidently the poor ladwas sleepy after his long ride, and as they were the same, would he beso courteous as to show them to their room?

  He assented readily, indeed it was clear that he wished to be rid ofthem, for the other men were staring at the guide and their companion,and muttering amongst themselves.

  "This way, Senors," he said, and led them to the end of the place wherea broad step-ladder stood. Going up it, a lamp in his hand, he opened atrap-door and called to them to follow him, which Castell did. Peter,however, first turned and said good-night to the company who werewatching them; at the same moment, as though by accident orthoughtlessly, half drawing his sword from its scabbard. Then he toowent up the ladder, and found himself with the others in an attic.

  It was a bare place, the only furniture in it being two chairs and tworough wooden bedsteads without heads to them, mere trestles indeed, thatstood about three feet apart against a boarded partition which appearedto divide this room from some other attic beyond. Also, there was a holein the wall immediately beneath the eaves of the house that served thepurpose of a window, over which a sack was nailed. "We are poor folk,"said the landlord as they glanced round this comfortless garret, "butmany great people have slept well here, as doubtless you will also," andhe turned to descend the ladder.

  "It will serve," answered Castell; "but, friend, tell your men to leavethe stable open, as we start at dawn, and be so good as to give methat lamp."

  "I cannot spare the lamp," he grunted sulkily, with his foot already onthe first step.

  Peter strode to him and grasped his arm with one hand, while with theother he seized the lamp. The man cursed, and began to fumble at hisbelt, as though for a knife, whereon Peter, putting out his strength,twisted his arm so fiercely that in his pain he loosed the lamp, whichremained in Peter's hand. The inn-keeper made a grab at it, missed hisfooting and rolled down the ladder, falling heavily on the floor below.

  Watching from above, to their relief they saw him pick himself up, andheard him begin to revile them, shaking his fist and vowing vengeance.Then Peter shut down the trap-door. It was ill fitted, so that the edgeof it stood up above the flooring, also the bolt that fastened it hadbeen removed, although the staples in which it used to work remained.Peter looked round for some stick or piece of wood to pass through thesestaples, but could find nothing. Then he bethought him of a short lengthof cord that he had in his pocket, which served to tie one of thesaddle-bags in its place on his mule. This he fastened from one stapleto the other, so that the trap-door could not be lifted more than aninch or two.

  Reflecting that this might be done, and the cord cut with a knifepassed through the opening, he took one of the chairs and stood it sothat two of its legs rested on the edge of the trap-door and the othertwo upon the boarding of the floor. Then he said to Castell:

  "We are snared birds; but they must get into the cage before they wringour necks. That wine was poisoned, and, if they can, they will murder usfor our money--or because they have been told to do so by the guide. Wehad best keep awake to-night."

  "I think so," answered Castell anxiously. "Listen, they are talking downbelow."

  Talking they were, as though they debated something, but after a whilethe sound of voices died away. When all was silent they hunted round theattic, but could find nothing that was unusual to such places. Peterlooked at the window-hole, and, as it was large enough for a man to passthrough, tried to drag one of the beds beneath it, thinking that if anysuch attempt were made, he who lay thereon would have the thief at hismercy, only to find, however, that these were screwed to the floor andimmovable. As there was nothing more that they could do, they went andsat upon these beds, their bare swords in their hands, and waited a longwhile, but nothing happened.

  At length the lamp, which had been flickering feebly for some time, wentout, lacking oil, and except for the light which crept through thewindow-place, for now they had torn away the sacking that hung over it,they were in darkness.

  A little while later they heard the sound of a horse's hoofs, and thedoor of the house open and shut, after which there was more talkingbelow, and mingling with it a new voice which Peter seemed to remember.

  "I have it," he whispered to Castell. "Here is our late host, FatherHenriques, come to see how his guests are faring."

  Another half-hour and the waning moon rose, throwing a beam of lightinto their chamber; also they heard horse's hoofs again. Going to thewindow, Peter looked out of it and saw the horse, a fine beast, beingheld by the landlord, then a man came and mounted it and, at some remarkof his, turned his face upwards towards their window. It was that ofFather Henriques.

  The two whispered together for a while till the priest blessed thelandlord in Latin words and rode away, and again they heard the door ofthe house close.

  "He is off to Granada, to warn Morella his master of our coming," saidCastell, as they reseated themselves upon the beds.

  "To warn Morella that we shall never come, perhaps; but we will beat himyet," replied Peter.

  The night wore on, and Castell, who was very weary, sank back upon thebolster and began to doze, when suddenly the chair that was set upon thetrap-door fell over with a great clatter, and he sprang up, asking whatthat noise might be.

  "Only a rat," answered Peter, who saw no good in telling him thetruth--namely, that thieves or murderers had tried to open thetrap-door.

  Then he crept down the room, felt the cord, to find that it was stilluncut, and replaced the chair where it had been. This done, Peter cameback to the bed and threw himself down upon it as though he wouldslumber, though never was he more wide awake. The weariness of Castellhad overcome him again, however, for he snored at his side.

  For a long while nothing further happened, although once the ray ofmoonlight was cu
t off, and for an instant Peter thought that he saw aface at the window. If so, it vanished and returned no more. Now frombehind their heads came faint sounds, like those of stifled breathing,like those of naked feet; then a slight creaking and scratching in thewall--a mouse's tooth might have caused it--and suddenly, right in thatray of moonlight, a cruel-looking knife and a naked arm projectedthrough the panelling.

  The knife flickered for a second over the breast of the sleeping Castellas though it were a living thing that chose the spot where it wouldstrike. One second--only one--for the next Peter had drawn himself up,and with a sweep of the sword which lay unscabbarded at his side, hadshorn that arm off above the elbow, just where it projected from thepanelling.

  "What was that?" asked Castell again, as something fell upon him.

  "A snake," answered Peter, "a poisonous snake. Wake up now, and look."

  Castell obeyed, staring in silence at the horrible arm which stillclasped the great knife, while from beyond the panelling there came astifled groan, then a sound as of a heavy body stumbling away.

  "Come," said Peter, "let us be going, unless we would stop here forever. That fellow will soon be back to seek his arm."

  "Going! How?" asked Castell.

  "There seems to be but one road, and that a rough one, through thewindow and over the wall," answered Peter. "Ah! there they come; Ithought so." And as he spoke they heard the sound of men scrambling upthe ladder.

  They ran to the window-place and looked out, but there seemed to be noone below, and it was not more than twelve feet from the ground. Peterhelped Castell through it, then, holding his sound arm with both hisown, lowered him as far as he could, and let go. He dropped on to hisfeet, fell to the ground, then rose again, unhurt. Peter was about tofollow him when he heard the chair tumble over again, and, lookinground, saw the trap-door open, to fall back with a crash. They hadcut the cord!

  The figure of a man holding a knife appeared in the faint light,followed by the head of another man. Now it was too late for him to getthrough the window-place safely; if he attempted it he would be stabbedin the back. So, grasping his sword with both hands, Peter leapt at thatman, aiming a great stroke at his shadowy mass. It fell upon himsomewhere, for down he went and lay quite still. By now the second manhad his knee upon the edge of flooring. Peter thrust him through, and hesank backwards on to the heads of others who were following him,sweeping the ladder with his weight, so that all of them tumbled in aheap at its foot, save one who hung to the edge of the trap frame by hishands. Peter slammed its door to, crushing them so that he loosed hisgrip, with a howl. Then, as he had nothing else, he dragged the body ofthe dead man on to it and left him there.

  Next he rushed to the window, sheathing his sword as he ran, scrambledthrough it, and, hanging by his arms, let himself drop, coming to theground safely, for he was very agile, and in the excitement of the frayforgot the hurt to his head and shoulder.

  "Where now?" asked Castell, as he stood by him panting.

  "To the stable for the mules. No, it is useless; we have no time tosaddle them, and the outer gate is locked. The wall--the wall--we mustclimb it! They will be after us in a minute."

  They ran thither and found that, though ten feet high, fortunately thiswall was built of rough stone, which gave an easy foothold. Peterscrambled up first, then, lying across its top, stretched down his handto Castell, and with difficulty--for the man was heavy andcrippled--dragged him to his side. Just then they heard a voice fromtheir garret shout:

  "The English devils have gone! Get to the door and cut them off."

  "Come on," said Peter. So together they climbed, or rather fell, downthe wall on to a mass of prickly-pear bush, which broke the shock buttore them so sorely in a score of places that they could have shriekedwith the pain. Somehow they freed themselves, and, bleeding all over,broke from that accursed bush, struggling up the bank of the ditch inwhich it grew, ran for the road, and along it towards Granada.

  Before they had gone a hundred yards they heard shoutings, and guessedthat they were being followed. Just here the road crossed a ravine fullof boulders and rough scrubby growth, whereas beyond it was bare andopen. Peter seized Castell and dragged him up this ravine till they cameto a place where, behind a great stone, there was a kind of hole, filledwith bushes and tall, dead grass, into which they plunged and hidthemselves.

  "Draw your sword," he said to Castell. "If they find us, we will die aswell as we can."

  He obeyed, holding it in his left hand.

  They heard the robbers run along the road; then, seeing that they hadmissed their victims, these returned again, five or six of them, andfell to searching the ravine. But the light was very bad, for here therays of the moon did not penetrate, and they could find nothing.Presently two of them halted within five paces of them and began totalk, saying that the swine must still be hidden in the yard, or perhapshad doubled back for Motril.

  "I don't know where they are hidden," answered the other man; "but thisis a poor business. Fat Pedro's arm is cut clean off, and I expect hewill bleed to death, while two of the other fellows are dead or dying,for that long-legged Englishman hits hard, to say nothing of those whodrank the drugged wine, and look as though they would never wake. Yes, apoor business to get a few doubloons and please a priest, but oh! if Ihad the hogs here I----" And he hissed out a horrible threat. "Meanwhilewe had best lie up at the mouth of this place in case they should stillbe hidden here."

  Peter heard him and listened. All the other men had gone, running backalong the road. His blood was up, and the thorn pricks stung him sorely.Saying no word, out of his lair he came with that terrible sword ofhis aloft.

  The men caught sight of him, and gave a gasp of fear. It was the lastsound that one of them ever made. Then the other turned and ran like ahare. This was he who had uttered the threat.

  "Stop!" whispered Peter, as he overtook him--"stop, and do what youpromised."

  The brute turned, and asked for mercy, but got none.

  "It was needful," said Peter to Castell presently; "you heard--they weregoing to wait for us."

  "I do not think that they will try to murder any more Englishmen at thatinn," panted Castell, as he ran along beside him.