The Poniard's Hilt; Or, Karadeucq and Ronan. A Tale of Bagauders and Vagres

by Eugène Sue

  CHAPTER II.

  THE MAHL.

  The tribunal assembles. The count presides over the _mahl_ on his seat;seven leudes, ranked on benches on either side, assist him. Thetorch-bearing slaves stand behind the judges. The judgment seat is welllighted, while the rear of the hall, where the other leudes and warriorsof the burg are grouped, remains in semi-obscurity, brightened, however,from time to time by the reflexion of the fire in the large stove whichthe blacksmith of the stables has lighted and blows into flame. The nineplow-shares are being heated red in the stove. Before the stove, andeven with the ground, is the wide and deep tank filled with water. Theslave charged with larceny stands at the foot of the tribunal with hisarms tied behind his back. He is a young man and looks frightened at thejudges. The accuser, a man of ripe age, contemplates the tribunalconfidently. Agreeable to the usage in such instances, six other slavessurround the two men. They are chosen by the accuser and the accused toaffirm under oath what they believe to be the truth. They are called_conjurators_.

  "To the trial! To the trial!" cries the count. "Mayor, inform the slaveanew of the charge against him."

  "Justin, a cook-slave of our seigneur, the count, happened to be alonein the kitchen; on the kitchen table lay a small silver dish used bydame Godegisele, the noble spouse of our master. Peter, this otherslave, entered the kitchen bringing in some kindling wood. Immediatelyafter his departure, Justin noticed that the silver dish haddisappeared. He immediately announced the theft and accused Peter ofhaving committed it. I told Justin that one of his ears would be cut offif the dish was not found. He answered me that he swore by the salvationof his soul that he told the truth and that the thief was this otherslave."

  "And I repeat it again, seigneur count. If the dish was stolen it couldhave been stolen only by Peter. I swear it upon my share of paradise. Iam innocent. My _conjurators_ are all ready to swear like myself uponthe salvation of their souls."

  "Yes, yes," answered the six slaves in chorus; "we swear that Justin isinnocent of the theft--we swear upon the salvation of our souls, weswear upon our share of paradise."

  "Do you hear, dog?" said Neroweg turning towards Peter. "What have youto say? What became of the silver dish, a precious article that Ibrought from the pillage of the town of Issoire? Will you answer, dog?"

  "Seigneur, I did not steal the dish, I did not even see it on thetable--my _conjurators_ are ready to swear to it, like myself, upon mysalvation--upon my share of paradise--"

  "Yes, yes," put in the six in their turn, the _conjurators_ of theaccused slave. "Peter is innocent; we swear upon our salvation."

  "My dear brother in Christ," said the clerk to the accused slave, "thinkof it. It is a grave sin, theft is, and falsehood is another grave sin.Take care--the Almighty sees and hears you--His hand lies heavy uponthieves and liars--"

  "My good father, I stand in great fear of the Almighty; I follow Hiscommandments as you teach them to us; I support my trials withresignation; I obey my master, the seigneur count, with the submissionthat you order us to the end that we may gain paradise; but I swear Idid not steal the dish."

  "Seigneur count," said Justin, "I swear by the eternal flames that I didnot steal the dish, and only Peter can be the thief--I am innocent."

  "Justin affirms and Peter denies; now I, Neroweg, order that, in orderto ascertain the truth, they be both put to the trial--one to the trialof cold water, the other to the trial of burning irons--"

  "Seigneur count," broke in the clerk, "you order that both the accuserand the accused be subjected to trial. But should the judgment of theAlmighty prove that the accused is guilty, is not the accuser therebydeclared innocent? Why should both be put to the trial at the sametime?"

  "If the accused and the accuser agreed between themselves to steal mydish," replied the count, "and if, in order to remove our suspicions,they mutually accuse each other, the trial will establish whether theyare both guilty or innocent, or whether one is guilty and the otherinnocent."

  "Yes, yes," cried the leudes enjoying by anticipation the spectacle ofhuman suffering; "the double trial!"

  "I am not afraid of the trial!" exclaimed Justin in a firm voice. "Godwill bear witness to my innocence--"

  "And I am quite certain that I did not steal the dish," said Petertrembling, "and yet I am afraid of the trial!"

  "Your companion, my dear son in Christ, sets you the example of a piousreliance upon divine justice, knowing the Eternal only condemns theguilty."

  "Alas, good father!" said Peter to the clerk, "think of it, if the trialshould turn out against me!"

  "My son, it will be a proof that you did steal the dish."

  "But no--no--I did not commit the theft."

  "In that case, my son, you need have no fear of the judgment of God. Hisjustice is infallible."

  "Oh, good father, I hope you are right!"

  "Speak not thus, my dear son. This law is holy, it is the Salic Law, thelaw of the Salian Franks, our conquerors. It is placed under protectionby our Lord Jesus Christ. I shall read to you the preamble of the lawin the name of which you are to be subjected to trial:

  "'The illustrious nation of the Franks, founded by God, strong in war,wise in council, of noble stature, of singular whiteness and beauty,bold, agile and mighty in battle, has recently been converted to theCatholic faith, which it practices pure and free from the defilement ofany heresy; the said illustrious nation has prepared and dictated theSalic Law through the medium of the oldest members who then governed thenation. The _gast_ of Wiso, the _gast_ of Bodo, the _gast_ of Salo, the_gast_ of Wido, who inhabit the places called Salo-Heim, Bodo-Heim,Wiso-Heim and Wido-Heim met during three _mahls_, carefully discussedand adopted this law.

  "'Long live he who loves the Franks! May Christ uphold their empire! MayHeaven enlighten their chiefs and fill them with grace! May He protectthe army, may He fortify the faith, may He grant peace and happiness tothose who govern them under the auspices of our Lord Jesus Christ.Amen.'"

  "Clerk, we have had words enough!" put in the count. "The accused shallbe put to the trial of the cold water--let his right hand be bound tohis left foot, and let him be thrown into the tank head foremost. If hefloats the judgment of God condemns him; he will then be pronouncedguilty and shall to-morrow suffer punishment. If he sinks to the bottom,the judgment of God will have absolved him."

  At a sign of Neroweg several of his men seized the Gallic slave, anddespite the resistance that he offered and his supplications, they tiedhis right hand to his left foot.

  "Alas," moaned the wretched man, "what a terrible law that law is, goodfather! What a fate is mine! If I remain at the bottom of the tank Ishall drown, however innocent I may be! And if I float, I shall besentenced and executed as a thief!"

  "The judgment of the Eternal, my dear son, can never go wrong."

  Already the Franks were raising the slave in their arms and were aboutto cast him into the tank when the clerk cried out:

  "And the consecration of the water!"

  And stepping towards the slave who moaned aloud, the clerk placed uponthe Gaul's lips a silver cross that he carried around his neck and said:

  "Kiss this cross, my dear son."

  The young slave devoutly kissed the symbol of the death of the Friend ofthe sorrowful, while the clerk pronounced aloud the formula adopted bythe Church:

  "Oh, thou who art about to undergo the trial of cold water, I adjurethee, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the name of the Father,the Son and the Holy Ghost, in the name of the indivisible Trinity, inthe name of all the angels, archangels, principalities, powers anddominions, virtues, thrones, cherubim and seraphim, if thou art guilty,that this water may reject thee, without any sorcery preventing it fromso doing; and Thou Lord Jesus Christ, give us such a sign of Thy majestythat if this man has committed the crime, he be rejected by this waterto the praise and the glory of Thy holy name, and to the end that allmay recognize that Thou art God. And you, water! Water created by theomnipotent Father for the needs of ma
n, I adjure you, in the name of theindivisible Trinity which allowed the people of Israel to cross the RedSea, dry-footed, I adjure you, water, to refuse to accept this body ifhe has eased his shoulders of the burden of good works. I so order you,water, confident in the virtue of God alone in whose name I demandobedience from you. Amen."

  The consecration being finished by the clerk, the Franks raised overtheir heads the Gallic slave who screamed and struggled to free himself,and hurled him violently into the center of the tank amidst the loudguffaw of the count and the witnessing Franks.

  "Never yet did otter, leaping from a willow tree after a carp, make sobeautiful a plunge," exclaimed the good seigneur count holding hissides; he was laughing so heartily. The witnessing Franks also laughedand roared, and crowded around the tank saying to one another:

  "He will float--the scamp!"

  "He will not float--he is not guilty!"

  "How he beats the water!"

  "And that gurgling sound--glou--glou--glou!"

  "Sounds like a bottle that is emptying itself--"

  "There he comes to the surface!"

  "No, he sinks again!"

  Presently the slave rose and succeeded in keeping himself for a momenton the surface. His face was livid and distorted, his hair streaming,his eyes rolling back like the eyes of a man who has escaped drowning bysome desperate effort. He beat the water with the only arm that was freeand cried:

  "Help! I drown! Help!"

  In his fright the innocent fellow forgot that the life which he imploredwas reserved for the cruel punishment meted out to thieves, seeing the_judgment of God_ would have convicted him as such. The young man waspulled half dead out of the tank; as he lay on the floor the Franksderived increased pleasure from his contortions, and the expression ofhis purplish face, on which the stamp of terror was still visible.

  "My son, my son, I warned you before," said the clerk in threateningaccents. "Theft is a grave crime! And falsehood is another grave crime!Here you lie--guilty of both! The sacred judgment of the Lord has, inHis infallible and divine truth, pronounced you guilty."

  "Go to, miserable thief!" said to him one of his _conjurators_ whofeared to share the punishment of Peter. "You assured us of yourinnocence, we trusted your word, and you deceived us--the judgment ofGod has condemned you! Go to, infamous fellow--we shall gladly give ahand in your execution!"

  "I am innocent! I am innocent!"

  "And what about the judgment of God, blasphemer!" cried Justin, theaccuser.

  "Alas, I am nevertheless innocent--I did not steal the dish!"

  "Hold your tongue, impious criminal! The trial that I shall now undergowith blind faith in the justice of the Lord will furnish further proofof your guilt!" retorted Justin.

  "Good! Good, my dear son! Step aside from the miserable liar, thief andblasphemer! Your innocence will be quickly established; your piety willhave its reward."

  "Oh, I know it, good father! I long for the trial! May the holy name ofGod be glorified!"

  "That dog, whom the judgment of our omnipotent Lord has pronouncedguilty, shall receive condign punishment. Now let us pass to the trialof the red-hot irons. Although the first trial has proved to us theguilt of that slave, there is nothing as yet to prove that the otherfellow is innocent. They may be both accomplices in the theft of mysilver dish."

  "Oh, my noble seigneur, I am in no fear!" cried the cook, his facebeaming with celestial confidence. "I bless the name of God for Hishaving reserved to me the opportunity to bear witness to my profoundfaith in our holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic religion, and to triumpha second time over the accusations of the wicked. I know, O Lord, that,faithful to your commandments, I shall triumph with humility."

  With the believer impatiently awaiting the new triumph of his innocence,the clerk proceeded, agreeable to the usage, to consecrate and adjurethe red-hot irons in the brasier, just as he had conjured the water inthe tank. He ordered the red-hot irons with the same solemn invocationsthat they respect the soles of the slave's feet if he was innocent, andto burn him to the bone if he was guilty of having robbed his seigneur.

  The conjuration being done, the stable blacksmiths drew forth from thestove, with the aid of long tongs, the nine red-hot plow-shares thatthey held in readiness, and laid them down in a row flat upon the stonefloor at a distance of two or three inches from one another. Ranged inthat order, they presented a strange aspect--an enormous red-hotgridiron.

  "Quick!" said the count. "The irons must not be allowed to cool off."

  "What a jig will not the cub dance on that row of burning irons, if hewas in the plot with the other thief to steal your dish!"

  "And yet what a wondrous miracle is about to be accomplished if the cookis really innocent!" remarked another leude with impatient curiosity."To walk over red-hot plow-shares without burning one's feet! It takesthe God of the Christians to accomplish such a miracle!"

  Such was the curiosity of the Franks that their cruel wish to see theslave dance upon the red-hot irons struggled strongly against the wishto witness a wonderful miracle. Hardly was the last plow-share ranged inits place upon the floor than Neroweg, fearing to have them cool off,called out impatiently to Justin:

  "Quick! Quick! Walk over them!"

  "Go, my dear son; fear naught!" added the clerk.

  "Oh, I am not afraid, good father," answered the cook in a voice ofinspired exaltation; and crossing his arms over his breast, he cried outfervently: "Lord God, Thou readest in the hearts of men; Thou hastalready borne witness to my innocence--give in favor of Thy servant anew proof of Thy infallible justice--order the burning irons to be assoft under my feet as if I trod upon a carpet of moss and flowers!"

  And, his face beaming with serenity, and his eyes raised heavenward, theGallic slave moved with firm steps towards the gridiron of red-hotplow-shares. During the short interval that elapsed before the accusedexposed himself to the _judgment of God_, the count, his clerk and allthe witnessing Franks seemed impressed by the slave's imperturbableconfidence; they looked at one another; and Neroweg said in a low voiceto the leudes that sat beside him:

  "The cook must be truly innocent of the theft."

  "Proceed! March on, my son in God!" cried the clerk at the moment whenJustin was raising his foot over the first plow-share. "The justice ofthe Eternal is infallible. You said it--it is over a carpet of moss andflowers that your feet are to walk."

  But our fervent Catholic had barely touched the red-hot iron with hisfeet when he emitted a frightful shriek. So intensely unbearable was thepain that he tripped and fell down forward on his knees and hands. As hethus tumbled over the red-hot plow-shares he gave himself fresh and deepburns all over his body, until, driven crazy, he made a desperate boundclean over the implements of his torture, and, roaring with pain, rolleddown over the floor ten paces away, near where his companion Peter lay,tied hand and foot.

  "Glory to the judgment of the Lord!" cried the leudes in chorus, struckwith admiration. "Glory to Christ!"

  "Did I not tell you so?" remarked the count complacently. "The twothieves were both in the plot to steal my silver dish. The ears of bothshall be cropped to-morrow, and they shall be both put on the rack untilthey reveal the place where they hid the dish--"

  "Hold your tongue, count!" cried Justin roaring with pain and rage. "Theonly thieves and plunderers around are yourself and your men. Had Istolen the dish, I would only have robbed a thief--but I did not takeit--as truly as I here renounce the infamous religion that wrongly findsme guilty!"

  "Wretch! Blasphemer of our holy religion! I order in the name of God--"

  "Hold your tongue, too, priest--you shall no longer dupe me. Youralleged religion is but a lie and a fraud; it bears false witnessagainst the innocent. Oh, how I suffer--how I suffer!"

  "Your sufferings are but foretastes of the tortures that you willundergo in hell, where you will burn everlastingly, you sacrilegiousthief! Oh, seigneur count, if this impious and audacious wretchcontinues to blaspheme, we shall not be able to
conjure away themisfortunes that he will draw upon your house."

  Terrified at the sacrilegious utterances of the Gallic slave; pale,trembling and shuddering at the thought that, attracted by the dreadfulblasphemies of the condemned man, the devil might suddenly appear inperson, take possession of the malefactor and carry him straight tohell, Neroweg thundered to the blacksmith at the stove:

  "Are the tongs still in the brasier and red-hot?"

  "Yes, seigneur, to command."

  "The accursed fellow shall no longer blaspheme and place my burg indanger of being visited by the devil. Let the sacrilegious criminal beseized, and his tongue be burned out with the red-hot tongs. Tell me,clerk, do you believe the Lord will be pacified if I inflict thatpunishment upon the slave?"

  "I believe, seigneur count, that there is no punishment too terrible forthis accursed man who has renounced his religion, and called its holypriests impostors."

  "Clerk, shall I have him quartered in order to be all the surer that thedevils will be conjured away from my burg?"

  "The first punishment that you mentioned will suffice--the accursed manwill have been punished in the member that sinned--his criminal andblasphemous tongue; it will thereafter utter no more blasphemies."

  The tongue of the Gallic slave was burned and pulled out with red-hottongs. The count went back to the banquet hall with his leudes, andthere proceeded to drink himself drunk before retiring to his wife inthe women's apartment.