CHAPTER XI
The Mediaeval City
THE sun was high in the heavens when the three comrades awoke.Throwing back the flap of the tent, Reeves slipped out. The othertents had been struck, and were already strapped to the backs ofsmall, heavily-limbed horses, while seated on the ground were thefive men who had challenged the trio on the previous night. They haddivested themselves of their armour, and were engaged in polishingthe closely interlocked rings of their hauberks.
The Englishman could not help noticing that, although their limbswere powerfully built, and their muscles stood out like lumps ofpolished stone, their feet were small and well-formed.
"Good morrow, stranger," they exclaimed courteously, when they sawthat Reeves was astir; and the correspondent, not to be outdone,courteously replied.
"You asked Walter, our servant, questions concerning us," said he whohad been the spokesman overnight. "We will tell you as much as isexpedient. For the rest you must wait till you have seen Sir Jehan.What would you ask?
"We are of the State of Croixilia," he replied, in answer to Reeves'squestion. "Concerning its history you may learn much later--if it beour lord's will. At this moment we are expecting an attack from ourhereditary enemies, the infidel Arabs of the tribes that are known asthe Kharili. For that purpose we have been keeping watch and ward onthe eastern borders of our territory, This day our relief arrives,and we are free to return to the city for another month."
"What is the name of your city?"
"It is called Charleton, after Sir Charles de Wyke, who led ourancestors hither. But tell me how are worked these weapons that theinfidels use. Beforetimes we have seen several, which have beencaptured in fight, and though they did us grievous harm in spite ofthe hauberk and helm, we could not find how they were shot, havingneither Spring nor cord, even as our crossbows have."
"That I can explain," replied Reeves; but in spite of his careful andpractical instruction the Croixilian seemed unable to grasp theprinciple of powder and shot.
"I would rather place my faith in an honest longbow than in thatevil-smelling and thundering tube," remarked the latter, covering hisears as the correspondent discharged one of the flintlocks. "It wasthat noise we heard in the night, and we were fully expecting a hordeof these men of Kharili to pour upon our outpost."
"We were beset by a lion."
"It wants indeed courage to cross the lion country at night," repliedthe man meditatively. "Even when we go thither--and that israrely--twenty men with bows can scarce drive them off."
"These gave us confidence," said Reeves, tapping the stock of themusket. "And here, too, is a weapon that, though small, would piercea hauberk like an arrow shot through yonder tent."
"Have a care!" exclaimed the Croixilian. "Tell it not to ouroverlord, Sir Jehan, or his anger will be aroused. He loves bravemen, but the boaster he abhors."
"I do not boast," replied Reeves calmly. "If you will but place yourcoat of mail in front of that shield, I will prove my words."
"Try him, Garth!" exclaimed the others.
Without a word the man placed the hauberk against the trunk of a palmtree, propping it up by means of a pear-shaped shield, and motionedto the correspondent to perform his promise.
The buckler was of heavy wood, nearly an inch thick, and strengthenedwith plates of iron; while the mail was made of links of steel.
"Put the armour in front of the shield, Rags," said Reeves, as hethrew out his ten notched cartridges and recharged with two pointednickel bullets.
Standing at less than ten yards' distance, the correspondent raisedhis weapon and, without apparently taking aim, pressed the trigger.There was a faint flash, a sharp crack, and a very thin wreath ofsmoke.
"You have failed!" exclaimed the man Garth. "Your arrow, or whateveryou call it, has not even struck the hauberk."
"If you were inside it you wouldn't be alive now," replied Reeves,striding over to the palm tree. "See!"
The look of incredulity on the faces of the Croixilian soldiersturned to one of blank astonishment when they saw that a link in bothback and front of the hauberk had been severed as if with a coldchisel, while a small circular hole marked the passage of the bulletinto the shield. Turning the buckler round, a jagged gash, caused bythe bullet flattening against the steel, was disclosed. Pulling outhis dagger, Reeves probed the tree trunk, and presently extracted thedistorted lump of nickel and lead.
"By St. George, I crave your pardon, stranger!" exclaimed Garth."This passes my understanding. Mail is useless against the weapon.But now you must break your fast, for it is a good five leagues tothe city."
"Doesn't it seem wonderful?" remarked Gerald, as the three sat downto breakfast. "We have suddenly dropped back into the Middle Ages.Why haven't these fellows made progress, the same as the rest of theworld?"
"Possibly they have--after a fashion," replied Reeves; "only, yousee, their rate of progress has been slower. I should put it down towant of intercourse with other nations; consequently a sort ofnational stagnation has ensued. That is evident by the disbeliefexpressed by the man Garth, who seems quite a decent sort of fellowin spite of it."
"I wonder how they will swallow yarns about railways, aeroplanes,submarines, and wireless telegraphy, for example?" said Hugh.
"I would advise you not to spring these upon them all at once,"replied Reeves dryly. "They might need ocular demonstration--thenwhere would you be? But hurry up with your breakfast; they arewaiting for us before they make a start."
Soon the cavalcade began its homeward journey, the soldiers ridinghorses rather higher than those on which the baggage was packed,while the three Englishmen were provided with steeds resembling thoseridden by the Croixilians. Reeves noticed that the saddle was verysimilar in construction to those used by the Arabs, but the stirrupswere more after the style of Europe. Also he remarked that all themen wore a copper cross, which was affixed to the breast of thehauberk after the coat of mail had been donned.
The oasis extended for nearly a mile, giving place to a broad anddeep ravine through which a river flowed with extreme violence,leaping over ledges and foaming betwixt jagged rocks in a manner thatrendered it impossible for a horseman to cross.
"Whence comes this river?" asked Reeves.
"From the sand beyond the plain of Zachor," replied Garth. "It gushesup from a large lake; but there are men who say that it tunnelsunderground from the great desert of the north. Many of us havejourneyed thither, but none have found these words to be true."
"We found a Croixilian lying dead in the sand close to the river ofwhich you speak," said the correspondent. "See! here is his dagger."
Garth took the weapon and examined it carefully.
"Certain it is that this belonged to one of us," he exclaimed. "Seethe sign of the Knights of St. Peter, an Order to which all of ushere present belong."
"How long ago did the man die?" asked Reeves.
"That I cannot say. For years past we have journeyed into the desert,and many of us have not returned."
"Why did they go?" asked Hugh, who was able to follow theconversation with tolerable ease.
"To seek a sign," replied the man briefly, and in a manner thatshowed that he was unwilling to enlighten his listeners further onthe matter. "But here we turn aside. Were it a clear day we might beable to perceive the city from this hill; but ere we cross the riverwe must needs travel a long distance down the valley."
Between the river and the rocks that rose steeply on the north sideof the valley ran a broad path, which ages ago had doubtless beenformed by the action of the water, showing that the stream had beenfar greater than it was now. The cliffs, jagged and showing signs ofvolcanic agency on their higher parts, were smooth and rounded attheir bases; while on the stiff mud that formed the floor of thevalley tropical vegetation grew profusely.
"This river, if properly held, ought to keep back your enemies, theArabs," observed Reeves.
"And would do so if it encircled Croixilia," replied their guide."From this si
de we fear no foes, but from the east and from the westthe infidels frequently appear in vast numbers."
"And where does the river flow to?" asked the Englishman.
"That also I cannot tell you," was the reply. "Away to the south formore than fifty leagues we have followed its course, but----"
The man stopped hesitatingly, as if speaking of some mystery; then,setting spur to his horse, he cantered on ahead to join the horsemenwho were leading the cavalcade, leaving the three comrades to theirown companionship.
Presently the cliffs on either side of the river began to converge,till they formed a gate or narrow pass barely fifty yards in width.Here the path plunged abruptly into a natural tunnel, where, in thesudden contrast from the glare of the sun, the Englishmen were unableto see a yard ahead.
"Pull up till we get used to the gloom," exclaimed Reeves, "or weshall be banging our heads against the solid rock."
Apparently the Croixilians realized the difficulty in which theirguests were placed, for three of them dismounted and took the reinsof the horses the Englishmen were riding. At length, after fiftyyards or more had been traversed, a small, semicircular disk of whitewas observed in the distance. It was the end of the tunnel.
Five minutes later Reeves and his companions were blinking in thesunshine. They found themselves on the borders of an open plain, theriver merging into a large lake that, although apparently not morethan a mile in width, extended as far as the eye could reach. On theopposite side was a small stone fort, with loopholes fashioned in theform of a cross, like those for the use of crossbowmen in feudalcastles.
Winding his horn, one of the escort blew a loud blast, and presentlya boat shot out from behind a low stone quay. In it were four menwith fair complexions, and, as they ran the boat ashore and leaptout, Reeves noticed that they, too, wore a device on the rightbreasts of their grey tunics, only instead of a cross this was theletter T.
Into the boat the travellers with their baggage made their way, thehorses having to swim across; and, urged by the powerful strokes ofthe rowers, the craft shot out for the opposite shore.
During the voyage the cross-bearing men held well aloof from the Twearers, who, for their part, maintained a submissive silence. Reeveswould have liked to ask questions, but the silence seemed contagious,and he held his tongue.
"Follow us carefully, riding one behind another," cautioned Garth, asthe cavalcade resumed its way. "One step to the right hand or to theleft means death."
The three comrades instantly complied, wondering what could be thereason for the extraordinary caution, for the land was flat, andcomposed, as far as they could see, of hard, sun-baked clay, with nosign of a path or beaten track of any description.
On and on they rode, for more than two miles, in a perfectly straightline. Reeves noticed, however, that the direction was maintained bykeeping a solitary tree in line with a peculiarly-shaped crag, bothbeing a long distance from the river.
Suddenly Garth, who was leading, stopped and dismounted. Grasping hisshort spear, and treading cautiously, he stuck it into the ground. Itwas like driving a sharp knife through a pie crust. The soil offereda temporary resistance, and then the spear-haft sank, almost as faras the hand that held it, without the faintest effort.
With a gesture of annoyance the Croixilian withdrew the weapon anddrove it in at a different spot, this time with more caution. Herethe soil was firm, and the spearhead had to be forced home.
Remounting, Garth now directed his course almost at right angles tothe former path, the rest of the party following him closely. As thelast man passed the spear he withdrew it, dismounting for the purposeof stamping down the hole in the earth. Gerald was the only one ofthe three Englishmen who witnessed this act, which was performed withstealth, and he resolved to tell Reeves about it at the firstopportunity.
But the correspondent kept his eyes well in front of him, striving todetect some leading marks for the new direction. Presently he gavevent to a gentle chuckle. Garth was keeping the left side of animmense baobab tree in line with a small cleft in the cliffs thatbordered the treacherous plain on three sides.
"Now, sirs, you are free to ride together," exclaimed the Croixilian,as he wheeled and rode past, towards the men forming the rearguard,in order to recover his spear. Though they were still on thesun-baked plain, Reeves had no hesitation in taking advantage of thepermission. The idea of treachery seemed out of the question. Had theCroixilians wished to take advantage of them, they would have done soere this; but Reeves could not help wondering where the soft crustended and the firm ground began, since there were no signs that therewas such a place.
"We should have been properly sold if we had attempted to cross theplain on our own account," said Hugh.
"I shouldn't have attempted it," rejoined Reeves. "Stick to the riverwould have been my plan."
"I hope we won't have to find our way back by ourselves," remarkedGerald. "I saw that the fellow who picked up Garth's spear seemedmighty careful to cover up his tracks."
"How?" asked the correspondent, and Gerald told him.
"H'm! Perhaps the caution was necessary, though not on our account,"he observed. "However, I think I can find the path if we are put toit. But here is another remarkable freak of nature."
He pointed to the gap in the cliffs, which now assumed the appearanceof the letter Z turned slightly askew. Hitherto a portion of this hadbeen hidden by the great baobab, but now the opening of the gorge wasfully revealed.
"Don't make a noise, as you value your lives!" exclaimed Garth, whoagain returned to lead the cavalcade. "A shout would bring rocksabout your heads."
Owing to the peculiar formation of the gorge, it was impossible fordirect light to enter from above, but the gloom was by no means sointense as in the tunnel on the other side of the river. The floor,too, was composed of soft sand, so that the horses' hoofs made littleor no noise. Here and there the travellers had to avoid huge bouldersthat had fallen from above, showing that the Croixilian's caution hadnot been unnecessary. Throughout the length of this formidable passthe path ran steeply for more than a mile; then the walls of rockbegan to diverge, so that the sunlight streamed uninterruptedly uponthe ground.
"The danger is now past, sirs," said Garth, "although this pass isstill some distance in length."
Presently the horn was again blown, and in response a long-drawn notecame from the extremity of the narrow way, and the Englishmen sawthat nearly a dozen men were awaiting the little cavalcade.
THE CITY OF CHARLETON]
"What news, my brother?" asked one of them, as the parties cametogether.
"Great news!" replied Garth.
"Of the accursed Moslems?"
"No; of these," he replied, pointing to Reeves and his companions.
The guardians of the pass were for the most part bowmen, clad inquilted coats; while two wore hauberks, and were evidently men ofauthority. All of them bore the distinctive sign of the copper cross.
"We must away, Gaston," said Garth, after they had conversed asidefor some moments. "Sir Jehan will be right glad to see these," and heindicated his newly-found companions.
On breasting the next hill the lads gave an exclamation of surprise,and involuntarily reined in their steeds to take in the scene thatlay before them.
Less than a mile away was a large town, perched on a steep crag. Itwas the city they had seen in the mirage.
"Yonder lies Charleton," exclaimed Garth proudly, pointing to thecollection of battle-merited walls and towers. "Have you ever seenthe like?"
"I have seen larger, but none so fair," replied Reeves, with agallantry of which he had hitherto thought himself incapable.
"Yonder is the Mound of Pharamond, on which is built the palace ofour overlord, Sir Jehan. To the left are the twin towers of St.George and St. Michael, which were all but overthrown when last thevile followers of the false prophet surged against our walls. Faith!I trust such times will not occur again, though it seems as if we maysoon be called upon to defend our gates o
nce more."