Chapter 10: A Breach Of Duty.
Two or three hours after the return of the force to Ludlow, Sir EdmundMortimer returned, having ridden almost without a halt, since bereceived the news of the Welsh incursion. His knights met him in thecourtyard.
"Well, my friends, I hear you have sent the Welsh back again, as fastas they came."
"We cannot say that, Sir Edmund," Sir John Wyncliffe replied. "Sir JohnBurgon went out, with ninety horse; and, coming upon a party of five orsix hundred of them, killed half their number, and put the rest toflight; but their main body left of their own free will, and withoutany urging. 'Tis a pity that they were so hurried, for in anothertwenty-four hours we should have had some four thousand men on themarch against them, besides those who first went on."
"Have they done much damage?"
"There is scarce a house left standing, between the hills on this sideof Llanidloes, and Knighton. From what we can gather, they must haveslain three or four hundred, at least. At first the total was put muchhigher; but, as soon as they retired, many fugitives made their wayinto Knighton; having slipped away in the darkness, when their villageswere attacked, and concealed themselves in the woods, or among therocks."
"There has been fighting up in the north, too," Sir Edmund said. "WhenI got to Ruthyn, I found that Lord Grey was away; but I talked overmatters with his knights. I was to have left on the morning of thefifth day after leaving here, but at night Glendower's men raidedalmost up to the gates of the castle. Their plans were well laid; for,just at midnight, an alarm was given by a sentry on the walls. Everyoneran to arms, the instant the warder's horn was sounded; but when Ireached the top of the walls, fires were bursting out in twenty places.It was not long before the knights rode out, with a hundred and fiftymen-at-arms, but the Welsh were already gone. It seems that they hadlaid an ambuscade round every village and, on the signal being given,fell at once upon the sleeping inhabitants, put all to the sword, firedthe houses; and in ten minutes from the first alarm made off, drivinghorses, cattle, and sheep before them.
"I was with the party, and we rode hard and fast, but we came up withnone of them. Each party must have gone its own way, striking off intothe hills. As soon as we returned to the castle I started, with my fourmen-at-arms, and we have lost no time on the road; especially after therumour reached us that there had been a Welsh raid here, also.
"Now, Sir John Burgon, will you give me an account of the doings ofyour party?"
The knight reported their proceedings, after leaving Ludlow, andconcluded:
"It is like that the story would not have so run, Sir Edmund, had itnot been for the bravery shown by the northern men, under the youngsquire Oswald and his captain, Alwyn. So furiously did the Welsh assailus, in rear, that we should have suffered heavily, indeed, even if wehad not met with a grave disaster; had it not been that this bandcovered our rear, while we charged forward, fighting so stoutly thatthe spot where they posted themselves was thickly covered with dead. Ifound time to look round, now and then, for they made but a poorresistance to our advance. Never did I see stronger fighting.
"I have questioned the men. All say that none fought more bravely thanyoung Oswald, and his uncle gives him warm praise. The lad, however,would have lost his life, had it not been for that stout fellow, whostands half a head above his comrades, and is a very giant in strength.Oswald, himself, told me how it came about," and he repeated theaccount of the incident.
"It was a quick thought, to throw himself and the fellow who held himoff the horse; though it would not have availed him, much, had not thisstout man-at-arms been at hand. Still, in no case could he havedefended himself, single handed, against five of these knaves; thoughdoubtless he would have given a good account of some of them, had nothis arms been held.
"Alwyn said that, three times during the fray, the young esquire savedhis life, by cutting down men who were attacking him from behind, whilehe was occupied by other opponents in front."
"He will make a valiant knight, some day, Sir John. Sir Henry Percywould not have written so strongly about him, had he not good reasonfor feeling that he would not do discredit to his recommendation.
"Well, Sir Knights, you have all merited my thanks, for the manner inwhich you have discharged your duties, during my absence.
"Of course, you were perfectly right, Wyncliffe, in remaining here;until, at any rate, the knights brought in their following from thecountry round. It was important to save Knighton, but vastly more so toprevent their overspreading the whole country; which might, for aughtwe can tell, have been Glendower's object; and it is as well thatHaverstone and Bastow should have remained at Knighton.
"Now, as I have not broken my fast, and have ridden since midnightwithout a stop, I will breakfast; and we can then talk over the plansto be pursued, for there is no disguising the fact that the Welsh areup in arms, and that we have long and heavy work before us.
"However, it is a matter too serious for us to undertake by ourselves,but is for the king himself to take in hand. A raid can be punished bya counter-raid; but now that Glendower has declared himself sovereignof Wales, and that everything points to the fact that the men of hisnation are all ready to support him, it is a matter that touches hismajesty very closely; and I doubt not that, as soon as he has finishedthis war with the Scots, he will march hither, at the head of his army.
"However, I shall send out a summons to the tenants of all my nephew'sestates, in Herefordshire, and order them to hold themselves inreadiness, should Glendower venture to invade us. But I think not thathe will do so. He knows that these counties bristle with castles, inwhich the people could find refuge; and that, if he undertook tobesiege them, he would speedily lose the best part of his army.
"None of his people have experience of war, and to besiege a strongplace needs machines of all kinds, and of these Glendower has none, noris it likely that he can construct them. Besides, while marching out hewould be exposed to an attack, by the garrisons of these castlessallying out in his rear. Therefore, I think not that he will befoolish enough to undertake any great enterprises; though he may makeraids, and carry off booty and cattle, as he has now done.
"Moreover, I cannot keep the vassals in the field longer than theirfeudal obligations compel them to stay, unless I pay and feed them;which might be done readily enough, for two or three months. But thewar may last for years, and I must reserve my means, and strength, tillthey are urgently needed.
"Lord Grey will doubtless be of my opinion, but is sure to do what hecan to capture Glendower; as he will consider him, not only as an enemyof the king, but as a personal foe. However, powerful as he is, I thinknot that he will venture, alone, to lead an army into the Welsh hills;until he receives assistance from the king."
Two days later, news came that the king, as soon as he heard ofGlendower's proclamation, had sent orders to Lord Grey and Lord Talbot,to punish him.
"They will reach Chester, two days hence," Sir Edmund said. "After theraid they made here, I would gladly take some small share in punishingthis rebel.
"You, Sir John Burgon, have had a full share of honour, by your defeatof him, the other day; therefore, I will send Sir William Bastow.
"Do you, Sir William, take thirty of the best mounted men of thegarrison, together with Lord Percy's troop, and ride to Chester. I willgive you a letter to Lord Talbot, saying that, being anxious to aid inthe punishment of the rebel who has just raided my marches, I have sentyou in all haste, with fifty stout men, to aid him in striking a blow;and, if possible, in effecting Glendower's capture, before he can dofurther harm to the king's loyal subjects."
Half an hour later, the troop mounted. Oswald was in high spirits, forSir Edmund had spoken a few words to him, when telling him of theservice to which he had appointed him.
"I am sending your troop with Sir William Bastow," he said, "chiefly inorder that I may give you another opportunity of distinguishingyourself; and also because I am sure that Percy would be glad that hismen should take part in an
enterprise in which there may be honour, andcredit. Lastly, because I would that my party should do me credit; andthe fighting, the other day, showed me that your followers betterunderstand warfare, of this kind, than do mine."
The troop arrived at Chester the second day after leaving, and restedtheir horses for twenty-four hours. On the arrival of the Earl ofTalbot, and Lord Grey, Sir William Bastow called, at the inn where theyput up, and delivered the letter from Sir Edmund Mortimer.
"'Tis well done of Sir Edmund," the Earl of Talbot said; "and althoughRuthyn lies beyond his government of the marches, he is defending hisown command, by aiding Lord Grey and myself against this presumptuoustraitor. I will gladly take your clump of spears with me, among whomare, I see, a small party of Lord Percy's men-at-arms.
"I hear that Sir Edmund's men inflicted a sharp blow upon the Welsh,near Knighton. I met his messenger, bearing his report to the king, aswe came along; and he gave me the particulars, from which it seems thatthe fight was, for a time, a hard one, and that the Welshmen fought, asthey used to do, with much bravery."
"They did, my lord. I was not with the party that defeated them, havingbeen left at Knighton to aid in the defence there, should the Welshattack the town; but Sir John Burgon, who commanded, said that, in thevillage, they fought as if they cared not for their lives; though theymade scarce any defence, when he fell upon them as they retired, indisorder. The success he gained he attributes, in no small degree, toPercy's little troop; led by their captain, a stout soldier whocommands the garrison of Alnwick, and by a young squire of Sir HenryPercy, who, though but a lad, fought with extreme bravery.
"He is with me now. Sir Henry places great trust in him, and wrote mostwarmly, concerning him, to Sir Edmund Mortimer."
"We are just going to supper, sir," the earl said. "I hope that youwill join us. And I pray you, tell me where this young squire islodging, that I may send for him, at once; as I would fain learn, fromhis lips, some closer account of the fighting, which may be of utilityto us, in our adventure."
Oswald arrived just as supper was brought in, and was introduced to theearl, and Lord Grey, by Sir William Bastow.
"Sit down with us, young sir," the earl said, kindly. "You are anesquire, I hear, of my good friend Sir Henry Percy. As you eat, I prayyou tell me about this fight with the Welsh. Sir Edmund himself was notin command, I hear."
"No, my lord, he was away at the time, having ridden to Ruthyn, to holdcouncil with Lord Grey."
"Ah! I had not heard that he had been there," Earl Grey said.
"He arrived the day before the Welsh raid on your estate, sir. Findingthat you were absent, he intended to return home the next morning; butthe matter delayed him, for a day, as he rode out with your knights topunish the marauders; who, however, made off before they could beovertaken."
"When you see him, I pray you give him my thanks, for so doing; andnow, tell us what happened."
"Sir William Bastow can better inform you, sir, of what took placeuntil we rode away from Knighton; where he remained, with Sir PhilipHaverstone, to take command of the townspeople, in case the Welshshould arrive before strong aid should come."
Sir William then related the measures that had been decided upon, andthe steps taken to call out the levies; and how he and his brotherknights had ridden to Knighton, with the intent to hinder, as far aspossible, the Welsh advance; until the footmen could reach the town, tobe followed, shortly afterwards, by the troops that would come in fromthe castles of Radnor.
Oswald then continued the story, and gave an account of the fight inthe village, and the manner in which the Welsh were attacked, whileretiring with their booty, and completely routed.
"Their tactics have in nowise changed, then," the earl said, "since thedays of Griffith and Llewellyn. Against a direct charge they wereunable to stand; but they attacked, with fury, whenever there was anopportunity of fighting under circumstances when our weight anddiscipline gave us little advantage. I hear, from Sir William Bastow,that your little band covered the rear of Sir John Burgon's troop, andsucceeded in keeping them at bay, until he had broken the resistance infront, and carried off a small party of villagers who were stilldefending themselves."
"That was so, my lord. Our men were all accustomed to border warfare;and had for the most part, before entering Percy's service, been oftenengaged in border forays; and had taken to soldiering after their ownhomes had been burnt, and their cattle driven off, by Scottish raiders.Therefore they were accustomed to fight each for himself, instead of inclose order. Their horses, too, bred on the moors, are far more activeand nimble than are the heavier horses of the south; and enter heartand soul into a fray, kicking and plunging and striking with theirforelegs at any who approach to assail their riders. Thus it was thatthey were able to hold the Welsh carles at bay, far better than menotherwise trained and mounted would have been. Another thing is, thatin these Border conflicts each man is accustomed to keep his eye on hisneighbour; and, if he sees him hard pressed, to give him aid. Thereforeit is not surprising that, while the men slew many of the Welsh, theythemselves escaped with but a few cuts from blows and hatchets."
"But you yourself were unhorsed, Sir William tells me, and were ingreat peril. How did that come about?"
"Both my unhorsing, sir, and my rescue, were the result of what I justsaid, our habit of keeping an eye on our neighbours. A Welshman was onthe point of attacking Captain Alwyn, when he was engaged with twoothers in front. I struck the man down but, as I did so, a Welshmansprang on to my horse, behind, and pinned my arms to my side; whilefour others rushed at me."
He then related how he had thrown himself and his assailant off hishorse, and had been saved by Roger.
"It was a good device, and quickly carried into effect," Earl Talbotsaid; "though it was well that the man-at-arms next to you was watchingyou, just as you had watched his captain; else it must have gone hardwith you. It is evident that, if you continue as you have begun, youwill turn out a right valiant knight.
"Your narrative is useful, and I see that, when we fall in with theWelsh, it will be necessary to have a picked body of men-at-arms, whoseduty shall be to cover the rear of the main attack; for it seems thatthis is the real point of danger. Should we come into conflict withthem, I will assign to you a body of men-at-arms, who with Percy's menshall, under your command, fulfil that duty. This would at once be ofsignal benefit to us, and will give you another opportunity ofdistinguishing yourself, and winning your spurs when the time comes."
"I thank you greatly, my lord, and trust that I may so bear myself asto merit your approbation."
The next morning the force mounted, at daybreak. It consisted of twohundred horse, that the earl had brought with him; and which was to bejoined, at Chirk, by a hundred and fifty of Lord Grey's men fromRuthyn, orders having been already sent on for them to hold themselvesin readiness. This was to be done quietly, and without stir, as wordwould be sure to be sent to Glendower, were it to be known in the townthat preparations had been made for an expedition. They were to startfrom the castle at ten o'clock at night, when the town would be wrappedin sleep, and would arrive at Chirk before daybreak.
On arriving at the castle, it was found that the troops from Ruthyn hadduly come in. They were received by the seneschal of William Beauchamp,Lord of Abergavenny. Chirk Castle had passed through many hands, havingbeen several times granted to royal favourites; being a fine building,standing on a lofty eminence, which afforded a view of no less thanseventeen counties. It was square and massive, with five flankingtowers, and its vast strength was calculated to defy the utmost effortsof the Welsh to capture it. It was but a short distance thence to thevalley of the Dee, in which was the estate of Glendower, extending forsome eight miles north, into what is now the neighbourhood ofLlangollen.
As one of the detachments had arrived before daybreak, and the othertwo hours after dark, it was improbable that their advent had beennoticed; and, at the request of the knight who commanded the troop fromRuthyn, the gates of the cas
tle had been kept closed all day, no onebeing allowed to enter or leave.
At daybreak the next morning, the whole force sallied out.Three-quarters of an hour later, they dashed down into the valley at apoint about half a mile distant from Glendower's dwelling.
This was a very large and stately building. Near it stood a guest houseand a church, and all the appurtenances of a man of high rank. It wascalled Sycharth. Here Glendower maintained an almost princelyhospitality; for, in addition to this estate, he possessed others inSouth Wales.
More especially bards were welcomed here. Some resided for months;others, who simply paused on their rambles through the country,remained but for a few days; but all were received with marked honourby Glendower, who was well aware of the important services that theycould render him. Indeed, it was on them that he relied, to no smallextent, to arouse the feelings of the populace; and his hospitality waswell repaid by the songs they sung, in hall and cottage, in his praise;and by their prophecies that he was destined to restore the ancientglories of the country.
The house was surrounded by a moat and wall, but had otherwise nodefensive works; as, for a hundred years, the English and Welsh haddwelt peaceably, side by side. Many of the castles were, indeed, heldby Welshmen, and there were few garrisons but had a considerableproportion of Welsh in their ranks.
It was singular that Glendower should, after his defiance of the king,and the raids that had lately been made, have continued to dwell in aspot so open to attack, and within striking distance of the three greatcastles of Ruthyn, Chirk, and Holt. Certain it is that he kept nogarrison that would suffice to offer a stout defence against a strongband, although the precaution was taken of keeping a watchman, nightand day, in one of the turrets. The sound of his horn was heard by thehorsemen, as soon as they began to descend the hill.
"A pest on the knave!" Lord Grey exclaimed. "He will slip through ourfingers, yet."
It was scarce a minute later when a mounted man was seen to dash out,at full speed, from the other side of the building. He was evidentlywell mounted; and although the pursuit was hotly kept up, for twomiles, he gained the forest while they were still a quarter of a milebehind him, and was lost to view; for although they beat the wood forsome distance, they could find no traces of him.
When passing by the house, a detachment of a hundred men were orderedto surround it, and to suffer none to enter or leave it. On the returnof the pursuing party the house was entered, and ransacked from end toend. The male retainers found in it were ruthlessly killed. Thefurniture, which showed at once the good taste and wealth of the owner,was smashed into pieces, the hangings torn down, and the whole placedismantled. Only two female attendants were found, and these weresuffered, by Earl Talbot's orders, to go free.
"This is evidently the ladies' bower, when they happen to be here,"Lord Grey said; as, an hour later, he entered a room in one of theturrets, which had been already plundered by the soldiers. "'Tis a pitythat we did not find one or two of Glendower's daughters here. Theywould have been invaluable as hostages.
"We were too hasty, Talbot. We should have closely questioned some ofthe men, or those two women, and should have found means to learnwhether they were staying here. It may be that it was so, and that theyare, even now, concealed in some secret hiding place, hard by."
He at once called up several of his men, and set them to search everyroom in the turret, for some sign of an entrance to a secret chamber;but although the walls were all tapped, and the floors examined, stoneby stone, no clue was found to such an entrance, if it existed.
The house, which was built entirely of stone, offered no facilities fordestroying it by fire. The doors were all hewn down; the gates in thewall taken off their hinges, and thrown into the moat, being toomassive to be destroyed by the arms of the soldiers. The outlyingbuildings were all burned down, the vineyard rooted up, and the waterturned out of the fish pond. Then, greatly vexed at their failure toseize Glendower himself, the two nobles rode back to Chirk; leaving ahundred men, of whom the band from Ludlow formed part, under two ofEarl Talbot's knights, to retain possession of the house, until itshould be decided whether it should be levelled stone by stone; or leftstanding, to go, with the estate, to whomsoever the king might assignit.
By Lord Grey's advice, sentries were posted outside the walls, fromnightfall till daybreak, to prevent any risk of surprise by Glendower,whose spies might take him word that the main body of the assailantshad left. One of the great halls had been left untouched, to serve forthe use of the garrison; and as an abundance of victuals were found inthe house, and the cellar was well stocked with wines, it was but ashort time before the garrison made themselves thoroughly comfortable.
As soon as it became dark, twenty men were placed on watch. Oswald,with his party, were to take the third watch, at midnight; andMortimer's men-at-arms the second. The captain of each band was toplace the men, at such points as he might select. Alwyn talked thematter over with his nephew.
"It seems to me," the former said, "that there is but a small chance ofanyone trying to leave the castle; and at any rate, if they did so, itwould scarcely be over the wall, for a splash in the moat would at oncebetray them. Moreover, I love not killing in cold blood, and should anypoor fellows be stowed away somewhere, I should be willing enough tolet them go free."
"I agree with you altogether, Alwyn," Oswald, who had not heard thetalk between Grey and Talbot, concerning Glendower's daughters, repliedheartily. "I would have gladly saved the men who were killed today. Itis one thing to slay in battle, but to slaughter unresisting men goesaltogether against my grain."
"Then as we are agreed on that, Oswald, I should say that we had bestplace the greater portion of our men well away from the wall. We canleave two at the gate, and set two others to march round and round themoat. I should say we had best plant the others, in pairs, a quarter ofa mile round the house. It is vastly more important to preventGlendower from recapturing his house, by surprise, than it is to takeprisoners two or three fellows making their escape."
"I agree with you, Alwyn."
Accordingly, when they filed out from the gate, four were posted asAlwyn had suggested. The rest were disposed, in pairs, in a circle at adistance round the house.
"I will keep watch with Roger," Oswald said. "'Tis some time since Ihave had an opportunity for a talk with him. I will take the next post,if you like. The wood comes closer to the house, there, than at anyother point; and there are patches, behind which an enemy might creepup. My eyes and ears are both good; and as for Roger, if he lifts thatmighty voice of his in tones of alarm, it will reach the ears of allthe others, and be the signal for them to run back to the gate, at thetop of their speed."
"Very well, Oswald. I shall walk round the ground, and see that all arevigilant. We know not where Glendower's men were lying. It may hap theywere twenty miles away, but even so he would have had plenty of time tohave brought them up, by now. I don't think there is much chance of anyof our men being surprised; most of them having, in their time, been soused to midnight rides across moor and hill, and so accustomed to seein the dark that, crafty as the Welshmen may be, I do not think thereis a chance of their getting within a hundred yards of any of ourposts, without being seen; especially as the moon is still half full."
"Do you think that there is any chance of our being disturbed, MasterOswald?" Roger said, as they took up their post under a low, stuntedtree.
"I do not think so. If Glendower's spies have told him that the mainbody, of those who surprised him this morning, have returned to Chirk;he may be sure that enough have been left, to hold the placesuccessfully against him and his wild followers, till assistance canreach us; and he would have nothing to gain by recapturing his house,for he could not hold it long against the force assembled at Chirk.Besides, he must know, well enough, that if he is to fightsuccessfully, it must be in the woods. Whether he has studied the blackart, or no, there is little doubt that he has turned his attentiongreatly to military matters, and that he i
s a foe who is not to bedespised. He is playing a deep game, and will give us a deal oftrouble, unless I am greatly mistaken, before we have done with him."
"I hear all sorts of strange stories of his powers, Master Oswald."
"Yes; but you see, Roger, the spirits who, as they say, serve him,cannot be of much use; or they would have warned him of the coming ofTalbot, and we should not have taken him unawares, this morning."
"That is true enough," Roger said, in a tone of relief. "For my part, Iam not greatly alarmed at spirits. The good abbot used to threaten methat I should be carried off by them, unless I mended my ways; but Ialways slept soundly enough, and never saw aught to frighten me. Theyused to say that the spirits of some of the dead monks used to walk inthe convent garden, but though my cell looked down upon it, and I haveoften stood there by the hour, never did I see anything to frighten me.
"If the Welsh do come, what are we to do, master--fight them?"
"By no means, Roger. Our duty is to watch, and not to fight. You mustlift up your voice, and shout as loud as you can, and then we must runto the gate. There we can make a fight, till the rest join us. But,whatever you do, do not shout until I tell you. A false alarm wouldraise the whole garrison; and, if naught came of it, would make us alaughing stock."
While they were talking, both were keeping a close lookout on theground in front of them, and also to the right and left, for thewatches were two hundred yards apart, and they had to make sure that noparty of the enemy slipped unseen between them. Suddenly Roger pluckedOswald's sleeve, and said in a whisper:
"Unless my eyes deceive me, master, I saw two dark figures flit fromthat clump of bushes, some forty yards away, to those next to them.There they go again!"
"I see them, Roger. It may be that they are spies, who have crept upclose. Let us give chase to them."
"Shall I shout, master?"
"No, no. This is not an attack. Stoop as low as you can or, if theylook back, they will see that great figure of yours, and be off likehares. Run as softly as you can."
Stooping low, they set off at a run and, being certain that the figureswere making straight for the forest, they did not pause to get anotherglimpse of them, but ran straight on. They had gone some seventy oreighty yards, when they heard a stifled exclamation; and then, withoutfurther attempt at concealment, two figures rose from a bush twentyyards ahead, and fled for the forest. There was no more occasion forstooping and, at the top of their speed, Oswald and Roger pursued thefugitives.
These ran fast, but Oswald, who had outpaced his heavier companion,came up to them when within fifty yards of the edge of the forest; and,passing them, drew his sword and faced them.
"Surrender," he said, "or I will cut you down."
Instead of the fierce spring that he had anticipated, the two figuresstopped suddenly, exchanged a word in Welsh, and then dropped theircloaks. To Oswald's astonishment, two young women stood before him.They evidently belonged to the upper class. Both were richly dressed.They wore heavy gold chains round their necks, and bracelets of thesame metal; set, as Oswald noticed by the reflection of the moon, withjewels. They had also brooches, and their girdles were held in withmassive gold clasps.
By this time Roger had come up, and stood staring with astonishment.
"Take these, good fellows," the girl said in English, as she began tounfasten her necklace. "Take these, and let us go. They will make yourich."
"I am an esquire of Sir Henry Percy," Oswald said, "and I rob notwomen. By your appearance, I should judge you to be daughters ofGlendower."
"It would be useless to deny it," one of the girls said, proudly.
"Why do you come spying here?" Oswald said. "Surely, among yourfather's warriors, others better suited for such work might have beenfound."
"We were not spying," the girl replied. "We have lain hidden all day,and were but making our escape."
"How can that be, madam? We had a guard all round the castle, and knowthat none can have escaped."
"Being an esquire, you are a gentleman, sir, and will not disclose whatI am about to tell you; though, indeed, now that our father's house isin your hands, it boots not much whether the secret is known. There isa secret passage from the castle that opens into these bushes, and itwas through that that we issued out; having been in hiding all day, inthe secret chamber from which it leads.
"Well, sir, we are your prisoners; and shall, I suppose, be sent toLondon, there to be held until our father is in the usurper's hands,which will not be, believe me, for years yet."
Oswald was silent. The two girls, some seventeen or eighteen years ofage, both possessed singular beauty they had inherited from theirfather; and bore themselves with an air of fearlessness that won hisadmiration. He was still but a lad and, thinking of the years thesefair girls might pass in a prison, he felt a deep pity for them. Hedrew Roger aside.
"What think you, Roger? Must we send these fair young girls to prison?"
"In faith, I know not, master. Having been shut up many a time in acell, I have a sort of fellow feeling for prisoners; and indeed, twofairer maidens I have never seen. Our orders were to look afterWelshmen, and see that they did not attack us. No word was said ofWelsh women. And besides, they were running away, and not thinking ofattacking us."
"That is all very well, Roger, but I cannot deceive myself. There is nodoubt that it is our duty to take these two maidens prisoners, but myheart aches at the thought that they might pass years of their lives ina prison. They are not responsible for their father's misdeeds andambition, and it may be that, if they are restored, Glendower may beinduced to treat those who fall into his hands mercifully. None butourselves know of this, and no one need ever know.
"I will risk it, anyhow," he said after a short pause. "I know that Iam not doing my duty in letting them go; and that, were it ever known,I should lose all chance of further advancement, if indeed I did notlose my life. However, it need never be known, and my conscience wouldsorely trouble me, whenever I thought of them shut up in one of KingHenry's prisons."
He turned to the girls again.
"Think you, ladies," he asked, "that were you in the king's hands, yourfather would make terms and submit himself?"
"Certainly not," the one who had spoken before said. "He has otherchildren--sons and daughters--and he would not dream of abandoning hisrights, and betraying his country, to obtain the liberty of two of us."
"In that case, then, your imprisonment would in no degree stop thiswar, or bring about a renewal of peace between the two countries?"
"Certainly not; and as for us, we would strangle ourselves in prison,did we think that any thought of us would turn our father from hisnoble purpose."
"Then in that case," Oswald said quietly, "it is clear that yourcaptivity would do nought to bring about peace, or to allay thetroubles that have now begun. Therefore I will take on me to let yougo, though in so doing I may be failing somewhat in my duty. Onlypromise me that, in the future, you will use what influence you maypossess with your father, to obtain kind treatment for prisoners whomay fall into his hands."
The expression of haughty defiance, that they had hitherto worn, fadedfrom the girls' faces.
"We shall never forget your kindness, sir," one said, in a low voice."We thank you, with all our hearts; not so much for our own sake, asfor our father's. He has been cruelly ill used. He has much to troublehim, and although I know that our captivity would not turn him from hispurpose, it could not but greatly grieve and trouble him, and he hasalready troubles enough on his shoulders.
"Will you accept one of these jewels, as a token only of our gratitudefor your kindness, shown this night to us?"
"Thanks, lady, but no gift will I take. I am failing in my duty, but atleast it shall not be said that I received aught for doing so."
"Then at least--" the girl began, turning to Roger.
"No, lady," the man-at-arms said. "I am neither knight nor esquire, buta simple soldier; but I take no presents for saving two maidens fromcapt
ure and captivity. I have been a monk all my life, though now aman-at-arms. Never before have I had an opportunity of doing aught ofkindness for a woman, and I am glad that the chance has fallen in myway."
"May I ask the name of one who has done us such kindness?" the girlsaid, turning to Oswald.
"It were best not, lady. It is a service that might cost me my head,were it to be bruited about. 'Tis best, then, that even you should notknow it. I doubt not that you would preserve the secret; but you wouldperhaps mention it to your father, and it were best that it were knownto none."
The girls were silent for a minute.
"Sir," the elder said, after exchanging a word or two with her sister,"we would ask a boon of you. The successes in a war are not always onone side. My sister and I will think often of one who has so greatlybefriended us; and were you, by any accident of war, to fall into theWelsh hands, and should evil befall you, it would be a deep grief tous. We pray you then, sir, to accept this little gold necklet. Itsvalue is small, indeed, but it was given to me when a child by myfather. My name and his are engraved on the clasp. Should you, at anytime of stress, send this to my father; right sure am I that, onrecognizing it, he would treat as dear friends those who have done somuch for his daughters. I pray you to accept it, and to wear it alwaysround your neck or wrist; and if it should never prove useful to you,it will at least recall us to your thoughts."
"I cannot be so churlish, lady, as to refuse your token so offered; andthough I hope that it will not be needful to use it as you say--for,indeed, I expect to return very shortly to my lord in Northumberland--itwill be a pleasant remembrance of the service that a good fortune hasenabled me to render, to two fair maidens. Be assured that I shall everkeep your necklet, for the sake of the givers.
"And now, farewell! We must be back at our post, for the captain of theguard will be going his round, and we might be missed."
"We shall never forget you, sir. May the blessing of God fall on you,for your kind deed!"
"May all good fortune attend you!" Oswald answered; and then, withRoger, he made his way back to his post; while the girls hurried on,and entered the forest.