It was evening. The heat of the sun had passed and the night breeze blewthrough the wide, cool chamber in which I sat with Martina, whom thesoldiers, in their rude fashion, called "Olaf's Brown Dog." For brownwas her colouring, and she led me from place to place as dogs aretrained to lead blind men. Yet against her the roughest of them neversaid an evil word; not from fear, but because they knew that none couldbe said.
Martina was talking, she who always loved to talk, if not of one thing,then of another.
"God-son," she said, "although you are a great grumbler, I tell you thatin my judgment you were born under a lucky star, or saint, call it whichyou will. For instance, when you were walking up and down that Hall ofthe Pit in the palace at Constantinople, which I always dream of now ifI sup too late----"
"And your spirit, or double, or whatever you call it, was kindly leadingme round the edge of the death-trap," I interrupted.
"----and my spirit, or double, making itself useful for once, was doingwhat you say, well, who would have thought that before so very long youwould be the governor, much beloved, of the rich and prosperous islandof Lesbos; still the commander, much beloved, of troops, many of themyour own countrymen, and, although you are blind, the Imperial generalwho has dealt the Moslems one of the worst defeats they have sufferedfor a long while."
"Jodd and the others did that," I answered. "I only sat here and madethe plans."
"Jodd!" she exclaimed with contempt. "Jodd has no more head for plansthan a doorpost! Although it is true," she added with a softening of thevoice, "that he is a good man to lean on at a pinch, and a very terriblefighter; also one who can keep such brain as God gave him cool in thehour of terror, as Irene knows well enough. Yet it was you, Olaf, noteven I, but you, who remembered that the Northmen are seafolk born, andturned all those trading vessels into war-galleys and hid them in thelittle bays with a few of your people in command of each. It was you whosuffered the Moslem fleet to sail unmolested into the Mitylene harbours,pretending and giving notice that the only defence would be by land.Then, after they were at anchor and beginning to disembark, it was youwho fell on them at the dawn and sank and slew till none remained savethose of their army who were taken prisoners or spared for ransom. Yes,and you commanded our ships in person; and at night who is a bettercaptain than a blind man? Oh! you did well, very well; and you are richwith Irene's lands, and sit here in comfort and in honour, with the bestof health save for your blindness, and I repeat that you were born undera lucky star--or saint."
"Not altogether so, Martina," I answered with a sigh.
"Ah!" she replied, "man can never be content. As usual, you are thinkingof that Egyptian, I mean of the lady Heliodore, of whom, of course,it is quite right that you should think. Well, it is true that we haveheard nothing of her. Still, that does not mean that we may not hear.Perhaps Jodd has learned something from those prisoners. Hark! hecomes."
As she spoke I heard the guards salute without and Jodd's heavy step atthe door of the chamber.
"Greeting, General," he said presently. "I bring you good news. Themessengers to the Sultan Harun have returned with the ransom. Also thisCaliph sends a writing signed by himself and his ministers, in which heswears by God and His Prophet that in consideration of our giving up ourprisoners, among whom, it seems, are some great men, neither he nor hissuccessors will attempt any new attack upon Lesbos for thirty years.The interpreter will read it to you to-morrow, and you can send youranswering letters with the prisoners."
"Seeing that these heathen are so many and we are so few, we couldscarcely look for better terms," I said, "as I hope they will think atConstantinople. At least the prisoners shall sail when all is in order.Now for another matter. Have you inquired as to the Bishop Barnabas andthe Egyptian Prince Magas and his daughter?"
"Aye, General, this very day. I found that among the prisoners werethree of the commoner sort who have served in Egypt and left that landnot three months ago. Of these men two have never heard of the bishop orthe others. The third, however, who was wounded in the fight, had sometidings."
"What tidings, Jodd?"
"None that are good, General. The bishop, he says, was killed by Moslemsa while ago, or so he had been told."
"God rest him. But the others, Jodd, what of the others?"
"This. It seems that the Copt, as he called him, Magas, returned from along journey, as we know he did, and raised an insurrection somewhere inthe south of Egypt, far up the Nile. An expedition was sent against him,under one Musa, the Governor of Egypt, and there was much fighting,in which this prisoner took part. The end of it was that the Coptswho fought with Magas were conquered with slaughter, Magas himself wasslain, for he would not fly, and his daughter, the lady Heliodore, wastaken prisoner with some other Coptic women."
"And then?" I gasped.
"Then, General, she was brought before the Emir Musa, who, noting herbeauty, proposed to make her his slave. At her prayer, however, being,as the prisoner said, a merciful man, he gave her a week to mourn herfather before she entered his harem. Still, the worst," he went onhurriedly, "did not happen. Before that week was done, as the Moslemforce was marching down the Nile, she stabbed the eunuch who was incharge of her and escaped."
"I thank God," I said. "But, Jodd, how is the man sure that she wasHeliodore?"
"Thus: All knew her to be the daughter of Magas, one whom the Egyptiansheld in honour. Moreover, among the Moslem soldiers she was named 'theLady of the Shells,' because of a certain necklace she wore, which youwill remember."
"What more?" I asked.
"Only that the Emir Musa was very angry at her loss and because of itcaused certain soldiers to be beaten on the feet. Moreover, he haltedhis army and offered a reward for her. For two days they hunted, evensearching some tombs where it was thought she might have hidden, butthere found nothing but the dead. Then the Emir returned down the Nile,and that is the end of the story."
"Send this prisoner to me at once, Jodd, with an interpreter. I wouldquestion him myself."
"I fear he is not fit to come, General."
"Then I will go to him. Lead me, Martina."
"If so, you must go far, General, for he died an hour ago, and hiscompanions are making him ready for burial."
"Jodd," I said angrily, "those men have been in our hands for weeks.How comes it that you did not discover these things before? You had myorders."
"Because, General, until they knew that they were to go free noneof these prisoners would tell us anything. However closely they werequestioned, they said that it was against their oath, and that firstthey would die. A long while ago I asked this very man of Egypt, and hevowed that he had never been there."
"Be comforted, Olaf," broke in Martina, "for what more could he havetold you?"
"Nothing, perchance," I answered; "yet I should have gained many days oftime. Know that I go to Egypt to search for Heliodore."
"Be comforted again," said Martina. "This you could not have done untilthe peace was signed; it would have been against your oath and duty."
"That is so," I answered heavily.
The Wanderer's Necklace Page 43