CHAPTER XL.
END OF THE ARMED PILGRIMAGE.
THE Templar and the English knight after a variety of adventures reachedAcre, having on their way fallen in with Father Yves, whom King Louishad sent on a mission to 'the Old Man of the Mountains'--that remarkablepersonage to whose behests kings bowed, and at whose name princestrembled--and a knight of the noble House of Coucy, who had come fromConstantinople, and whose accounts of the state of the Latin empire ofthe East much increased Bisset's desire to go and offer his sword to theEmperor Baldwin de Courtenay, then struggling desperately to maintainhis throne against Greeks and Turks.
On reaching Acre, however, the ambassadors found that King Louis and thecourt were at Sajecte, and without delay repaired thither to present thegifts sent by Oulagon, and inform him of the unexpected event which hadfrustrated the object of their mission. Louis was deeply grieved at thefailure of his attempt to open the prison doors of the unfortunatecaptives, and with tears bewailed their unhappy fate.
But soon after this, the saint-king found that the case was notdesperate. The Sultan of Damascus went to war with the Mamelukes, andboth parties craved the alliance of the French monarch. Louis,therefore, sent John de Valence to Cairo once more to demand the releaseof the captives, and this time he obtained something like satisfaction.Two hundred knights were immediately set at liberty, and allowed todepart for Acre, which they reached in safety.
At length, however, news came to King Louis, while he was at Sajecte,which compelled him to turn his thoughts towards France, where he wasmuch wanted, and to deliberate on the expediency of returning to his ownkingdom.
When it was known in France that the king was a prisoner in the hands ofthe Saracens, the utmost excitement prevailed throughout the land; andsuddenly among the pastoral population appeared a man bearing a letter,to which he pretended to attach a mysterious importance.
'This,' said he, solemnly, 'I have received from the mother of God; andit commands me to assemble all the Christian shepherds and herdsmen, andto march at their head to deliver the king. Follow me then, and fearnot, for the battle is not to the strong, but reserved for the weak andhumble.'
It appears that this man's eloquence, and the mystery which he affected,fascinated the shepherds and herdsmen of France, and they flocked to himin multitudes; and his followers, having been joined by outlaws andexiles, ere long formed a formidable force, and caused much alarm.
At first, indeed, the queen-mother, Blanche of Castille, naturallyanxious for her son's release, favoured the enterprise. But the priests,aware it might be that the leaders of the movement had ulterior objectsin view, set their faces decidedly against it, and the leaders of theshepherds retaliated by stirring up the populace against the priests,and by the massacre of several ecclesiastics. On hearing this, QueenBlanche changed her policy, took part against the shepherds, causedtheir leader to be beheaded, and their army to be dispersed. Moreover,the populace, who had at first held the shepherds in high honour, beganto suspect them of imposture, and slaughtered them without mercy; andall was still doubt and dismay and confusion, when messengers brought toSajecte news that Queen Blanche had breathed her last.
Louis was profoundly affected when he heard of his mother's death, andmourned sadly for two or three days, without speaking with any one.However, at the end of that time, he was visited by the papal legate,and sent for the Lord of Joinville; and Joinville, who was on the pointof going into a meadow to amuse himself with martial exercises, enteredinto conversation.
'Ah, seneschal,' began the king, mournfully, 'I have lost my mother.'
'Well, sire,' said Joinville, calmly, 'I am not surprised at such anevent, seeing that she was no longer young, and that to all of us deathmust come some time; but, sire, I am surprised that so great a princeshould grieve so outrageously; for you know that the wise man says,"Whatever grief the valiant man may suffer in his mind, he ought not toshow it on his countenance; for he that does so causes pain to hisfriends and pleasure to his enemies."'
'However, seneschal,' said the legate, 'the king is much satisfied withthe good and agreeable services you have rendered him, and earnestlywishes for your honour and advancement. He commands me to tell you, ashe knows it will give you pleasure at heart, that he intends to embarkfor France on this side of Easter.'
'In truth, it does give me pleasure,' said Joinville. 'And I pray thatthe Lord may ever induce the king to act in accordance with his will.'
And soon after Louis, with his queen and his knights and nobles,returned to Acre, and made preparations for his departure.
It happened that when John de Valence and his associates went to Cairo,to treat for the release of the French captives, and also for theremains of some of the French warriors who fell at Mansourah, theSaracens suddenly reminded him of the Earl of Salisbury.
'I wonder,' said an emir, 'that you Christians, who venerate the ashesof the dead, make no inquiry for the bones of that most illustrious andnoble-born William, to whom you give the name of Longsword; whereas we,seeing that he was slain in battle and on account of his illustriousqualities, have treated his remains with all respect.'
On hearing this, the ambassadors were somewhat confused.
'How,' asked they, one of another, 'can we disparage this man, becausehe was an Englishman, when even the Saracens accord the honour due tohis nobility of soul?'
Accordingly, the Crusaders requested that Salisbury's bones might begiven to them; they carried them to Acre, where they were laid, withmuch respect, in the church of the Holy Cross.
It was on the afternoon of the day when the burial took place thatBisset, who had been maturing his project of repairing toConstantinople, entered his lodgings, and took Walter Espec by one handand Guy Muschamp by the other.
'Boys,' said he, 'this crusade, as I foresaw, has resulted in naughtsave disaster, and, as fighting men, it behoves us to consider whitherwe are now to carry our swords. For my part, I am resolved to turn thegifts of the Tartar warrior into money, and make without delay forConstantinople, and fight for the Latin Emperor. Are you willing toaccompany me and share my fortunes, or must we part?'
'In truth, sir knight,' replied Walter, frankly, 'I sigh for the greenfields and the oak forests of my native land; and, therefore, I wouldfain embark with the army of King Louis, and return to Europe.'
'As you will, sir squire,' said Bisset, a little mortified: 'albeit, Icannot but deem that you are not moved so much by the desire to visityour native land, as to be near to a certain noble demoiselle, on whosegratitude you have some claims. Well, on my life, I blame you not; forat your age I might have felt as you do, and, mayhap, lived to repent mydelusion. But, be it known to you that, as matters stand, the Sultan ofDamascus has intimated that he will permit any of the pilgrims to visitJerusalem. Now, have you the courage--for courage will be needed--toenter the Holy City, held as it is by fierce Saracens, and kneel at theHoly Sepulchre?'
'By Holy Katherine, sir knight!' exclaimed Walter, bluntly, 'you musthold me excused. Happy, indeed, should I deem myself in the privilege ofkneeling at the Holy Sepulchre, even at the cost of much labour andfatigue. But these are not the days of Godfrey and the Baldwins; and Icare not to trust to the tender mercies of Bibars Bendocdar and hisMameluke myrmidons. I will not needlessly put my head again into thelion's mouth.'
'And what say you on the point, my gay and puissant warrior?' askedBisset, turning to Guy Muschamp.
'Oh,' answered Guy, merrily, 'as says the good Walter, so say I, neitherto Jerusalem nor to Constantinople do I go. I have a father and motherand kindred at home, whose faces I long to see. Wherefore, I go toEngland, and to no other place.'
Walter Espec sighed, as he was in the habit of doing, at the mention ofkindred, and gave himself up to painful reminiscences.
'Sir knight,' said he, addressing Bisset, after a long silence, 'deemyou that my lost brother can be in the hands of him who is known as theOld Man of the Mountains?'
'What!' exclaimed Bisset, 'rearing as an as
sassin? The saintsforefend!'
'It is strange,' said Walter, after a pause, 'that I have begun to hopebetter things; for, as I lay asleep last night, methought I saw him inthe flesh, and that he looked high and brave, and that he told me howthe blessed Katherine had preserved him from evil.'
'May your dream be realised ere we depart from this holy land, goodWalter!' said Guy, with sympathy.
'Amen,' added Bisset, earnestly. 'More unlikely things have come topass.'
And, in truth, such a result was not altogether impossible; for at thatmoment Walter Espec and Osbert Espec were both within the walls of Acre.But Walter was preparing to embark for Europe; and Osbert was on the eveof setting out for the castle of Kakhow, not to return for many days.But the stars had decreed that they were to meet.