Chapter 9: An Important Mission.
"We have made an excellent haul," Francois said as, while awaitingthe answer to their signal, they looked down the list of names."Among the gentlemen are several connected with some of the mostimportant Catholic families of Poitou. The more shame to them, forbeing engaged in so rascally a business; though when the court andthe king, Lorraine and the Guises, set the example of persecution,one can scarcely blame the lesser gentry, who wish to ingratiatethemselves with the authorities, for doing the same.
"Of the citizens we have got one of the magistrates, and four orfive other prominent men; whom I know, by reputation, as havingbeen among the foremost to stir up the people against theHuguenots. These fellows I could hang up with pleasure, and woulddo so, were it not that we need them to exchange for our friends.
"Then we have got thirty priests. The names of two of them I knowas popular preachers who, after the last peace was made, denouncedthe king and his mother as Ahab and Jezebel, for making terms withus. They, too, were it not for their sacred office, I could stringup without having any weight upon my conscience.
"Ah! There is the white flag. Let us ride forward."
The gates remained closed, and they rode up to within a hundredyards of them. In a few minutes several persons made theirappearance on the wall over the gateway, and they then advanced towithin twenty paces of the gate.
Then one from the wall said:
"I am John De Luc, royal commissioner of this town. This is thereverend bishop of the town. This is the maire, and these themagistrates. To whom am I speaking?"
"I am the Count Francois de Laville," Francois replied; "and I nowrepresent the gentlemen who have come hither, with a large body oftroops, to protect those of our faith from persecution andmassacre. We arrived too late to save all, but not to punish; asthe ruffians of your town have learned, to their cost. Some two orthree hundred of them came out to slay, and have been slain.
"The following persons are in our hands," and he read the list ofthe prisoners. "I now give you notice that unless, within one hourof the present time, all those of the reformed faith whom you havethrown into prison, together with all others who wish to leave, arepermitted to issue from this gate, free and unharmed, and carryingwith them what portion of their worldly goods they may wish to take,I will hang up the whole of the prisoners in my hands--gentlemen,citizens, and priests--to the trees of that wood, a quarter of amile away. Let it be understood that the terms are to be carriedout to the letter. Proclamation must be made through your streetsthat all of the reformed faith are free to depart, taking with themtheir wives and families, and such valuables and goods as they maychoose. I shall question those who come out, and if I find that anyhave been detained against their will, or if the news has not beenso proclaimed that all can take advantage of it, I shall not releasethe prisoners.
"If these terms are not accepted, my officers will first hang theprisoners, then they will ravage the country round; and will thenproceed to besiege the city and, when they capture it, takevengeance for the innocent blood that has been shed within itswalls. You best know what is the strength of your garrison, andwhether you can successfully resist an assault by the troops of theAdmiral.
"I will give you ten minutes to deliberate. Unless by the end ofthat time you accept the conditions offered, it will go hard withthose in our hands."
"Impious youth," the bishop, who was in full pontificals, said,"you would never dare to hang priests."
"As the gentlemen of your party have thought it no sin to put todeath scores of our ministers, and as I found these most holypersons hounding on a mob to massacre, I shall certainly feel nocompunction, whatever, in executing the orders of my leader, tohang them with the other malefactors," Francois replied; "andmethinks that you will benefit these holy men more, by advisingthose with you to agree to the conditions which I offer, than bywasting your breath in controversy with me."
There was a hasty conversation between those on the wall, and itwas not long before they came to an agreement. De Luc feared thathe should incur the enmity of several powerful families, if he lefttheir relatives for execution. The citizens were equally anxious tosave their fellows; and were, moreover, scared at the threat of theneighbourhood being laid waste, and the town attacked, by thisunknown force that had appeared before it. They had heard vaguerumours of the arrival of the prince and Admiral, with a largeforce, at La Rochelle; but it might well be that he had turnedaside on his journey, at the news of the occurrences at Niort. Thebishop was equally anxious to rescue the priests, for he felt thathe might be blamed for their death by his ecclesiastical superiors.
Their consultation over, de Luc turned to the Count.
"Do you give me your solemn assurance and word, as a noble ofFrance, that upon our performing our part of the condition, theprisoners in your hands shall be restored unharmed?"
"I do," Francois replied. "I pledge my honour that, as soon as Ifind that the whole of those of our religion have left the townpeaceably, the prisoners shall be permitted to return, unharmed inany way."
"Then we accept the terms. All those of the reformed religion inthe town, whether at present in prison or in their homes, who maydesire to leave, will be permitted to pass. As soon as you retire,the gate shall be opened."
Francois and his party fell back a quarter of a mile. In a shorttime, people began to issue in twos and threes from the gate. Manybore heavy bundles on their backs, and were accompanied by womenand children, all similarly laden. A few had with them carts, piledup with household goods.
From the first who came, Francois learned that the conditions hadbeen carried out; the proclamation being made in every street, atthe sound of the trumpet, that all who held the reformed religionwere free to depart, and that they might take with them such goodsas they could carry, or take in carts. At first it had been thoughtthat this was but a trap, to get the Huguenots to revealthemselves; but the reports of those who had returned, discomfited,to the town, that there was a great Huguenot force outside, andthat many people of consideration had been taken prisoners, gavethem courage; and some of the leading citizens went round, to everyhouse where persons suspected of being Huguenots were living, tourge them to leave, telling them that a treaty had been madesecuring them their safety. Before the hour had passed, more thanfive hundred men, women, and children had left the town.
As all agreed that no impediment had been placed in their way, butthat upon the contrary, every person even suspected as havingHuguenot leanings had been urged to go, Francois and Philip feltassured that, at any rate, all who wished to leave had had theopportunity of doing so. They waited ten minutes over the hour; andthen, seeing that no more came forth, they ordered the prisoners tobe unbound, and allowed to depart for the city.
As the fugitives had come along they were told that the Prince ofConde, with a strong force, had entered La Rochelle; and wereadvised to make for that city, where they would find safety andwelcome. Those, however, who preferred to go to Laville, wereassured that they would be welcomed and cared for, there, until anopportunity arose for their being sent, under escort, to LaRochelle. The greater portion decided to make, at once, for theHuguenot city.
"I think, Philip, you had better take forty of the men, to act as arearguard to these poor people, till you are within sight of LaRochelle. The fellows whom we have let free will tell, on theirreturn to the town, that we are but a small party; and it ispossible they may send out parties in pursuit."
"I don't think it is likely. The townspeople have been too roughlyhandled to care about running any risks. They have no very largebody of men-at-arms in the town. Still, if they do pursue, it willbe by the road to La Rochelle, for that is the one they will thinkthat most of the fugitives will take.
"Had we not better divide the troop equally, Francois?"
"No, I think not. They will imagine we shall all be going by thatroad; and that, moreover, some of the other gentlemen of our faithmay be coming to meet us, with their retainers. Twenty
will beample for me. Do you take the rest."
Two hours later, Philip saw a cloud of dust rising from the road inhis rear. He hurried on with the fugitives in front of him until,half an hour later, they came to a bridge over a stream. This wasonly wide enough for four horsemen to cross abreast, and here hetook up his station.
In a few minutes, a number of horsemen approached. They were ridingwithout order or regularity, intent only on overtaking their prey.Seeing the disorder in which they came, Philip advanced from thebridge, formed up his men in two lines, and then charged at fullgallop.
The men-at-arms tried to rein in their horses and form in orderbut, before they could do so, the Huguenots burst down upon them.The horses of the Catholics, exhausted with the speed at which theyhad been ridden, were unable to withstand the shock; and they andtheir riders went down before it. A panic seized those in the rearand, turning quickly, they fled in all directions, leaving somethirty of their number dead on the ground. Philip would not permithis followers to pursue.
"They outnumber us four times," he said; "and if we scatter, theymay turn and fall upon us. Our horses have done a long day's work,and deserve rest. We will halt here at the bridge. They are notlikely to disturb us, but if they do, we can make a stoutresistance here.
"Do you ride on, Jacques, and tell the fugitives that they canpress forward as far as they like, and then halt for the night. Wewill take care that they are not molested, and will ride on andovertake them, in the morning."
The night passed quietly and, late the following evening, the partywere in sight of La Rochelle. Philip had intended to turn at thispoint, where all danger to the fugitives was over, and to start onhis journey back. But the hour was late, and he would have found itdifficult to obtain food and forage, without pressing the horses.He therefore determined to pass the night at La Rochelle, as hecould take the last news, thence, back to Laville.
The streets of the town presented a busy aspect. Parties ofHuguenot gentlemen and their retainers were constantly arriving,and fugitive villagers had come in from a wide extent of country.Large numbers of men were working at the walls of the town. Theharbour was full of small craft. Lines of carts brought inprovisions from the surrounding country, and large numbers of oxen,sheep, and goats were being driven in.
"As we shall start for Laville in the morning," Philip said to hismen, "it is not worth while to trouble to get quarters; and indeed,I should say, from the appearance of the place, that every house isalready crowded from basement to roof. Therefore we will bivouacdown by the shore, where I see there are many companies alreadybestowed."
As soon as they had picketed their horses, a party were sent off,to purchase provisions for the troop and forage for their horses;and when he had seen that the arrangements were complete, Philiptold Pierre to follow him, and went up to the castle, where Condeand Coligny, with their families, were lodged. He was greetedwarmly by several of the gentlemen who had stopped at the chateau,a few days before.
The story of the fugitives from Niort had already spread throughthe town, and Philip was eagerly questioned about it. Just as hewas about to tell the story, Conde and the Admiral came out, froman inner room, into the large anteroom where they were talking.
"Ah! Here is the young count's cousin, Monsieur Fletcher," theAdmiral said. "Now we shall hear about this affair of Niort, ofwhich we have received half a dozen different versions, in the lasthour. Is the count himself here?"
"No, sir. He returned to Laville, escorting the fugitives who wentthither; while he sent me, with the larger portion of the troop, toprotect the passage hither of the main body."
"But it was reported to me that the troop with which you enteredwas but forty strong. I hear you fought a battle on the way. Didyou lose many men there?"
"None, sir. Indeed I am glad to say that, beyond a few triflingwounds, the whole matter has been carried out without any loss tothe party that rode from Laville."
"How strong were they altogether, monsieur?"
"Sixty, sir."
"Then where did you join the force that, as we hear, cut up thetownspeople of Niort as they were massacring our people in thevillages round, and afterwards obtained from the town the freedomof those who had been cast into prison, and permission for allHuguenots to leave the town?"
"There was no other force, sir. We had just the sixty men fromLaville, commanded by my cousin Francois. When the news arrived ofthe doings at Niort, there was no time to send round to gather ourfriends; so we mounted the men-at-arms at the chateau and rode withall speed, and were but just in time. Had we delayed another halfhour, to gather a larger force, we should have been too late."
"Tell us all about it," the prince said.
"This seems to have been a gallant and well-managed affair,Admiral."
Philip related the whole circumstances of the affair; how thetownspeople had been heavily punished, and the chief men taken ashostages, and the peasants compelled to assist to convey theproperty of the Huguenots to Laville; also the subsequentnegotiations, and the escape of all the Huguenots from Niort; andhow the troop under him had smartly repulsed, with the loss of overthirty men, the men-at-arms from the city.
"A gallant enterprise," the prince said. "What think you, Admiral?"
"I think, indeed, that this young gentleman and his cousin, theyoung Count of Laville, have shown singular prudence andforethought, as well as courage. The matter could not have beenbetter managed, had it been planned by any of our oldest heads.That they should, at the head of their little bodies ofmen-at-arms, have dispersed the cowardly mob of Niort, is what wemay believe that any brave gentleman would have done; but theirdevice of taking the priests and the other leaders as hostages,their boldness in summoning the authorities of Niort, under thethreat of hanging the hostages and capturing the town, is indeedmost excellent and commendable. I heard that the number offugitives from Niort was nearly six hundred, and besides thesethere were, I suppose, those from the villages."
"About two hundred set out from the villages, sir."
"Eight hundred souls. You hear that, gentlemen? Eight hundred soulshave been rescued, from torture and death, by the bravery andprudence of these two young gentlemen, who are in years but youths.Let it be a lesson, to us all, of what can be done by men engagedin a good work, and placing their trust in God. There is not one ofus but might have felt proud to have been the means of doing sogreat and good a work, with so small a force; and to have savedeight hundred lives, without the loss of a single one; to saynothing of the sharp lesson given to the city mobs, that the workof massacre may sometimes recoil upon those who undertake it.
"Our good friend De la Noue has, more than once, spoken very highlyto the prince and myself respecting the young count, and this youngEnglish gentleman; and they certainly have more than borne out hiscommendations."
"And more than that," the prince put in, "I myself in no smalldegree owe my life to them; for when I was pinned down by my horse,at Saint Denis, they were among the foremost of those who rushed tomy rescue. Busy as I was, I had time to mark well how stoutly andvaliantly they fought.
"Moreover, Monsieur D'Arblay has spoken to me in the highest termsof both of them, but especially of Monsieur Fletcher; who, as hedeclared, saved his life and that of the Count de Laville, byobtaining their release from the dungeons of Toulouse, by some suchdevice as that he has used at Niort.
"And now, gentlemen, supper is served. Let us go in at once. Wemust have already tried the patience of our good hosts, who aredoing their best to entertain us right royally; and whom I hope torelieve of part of the burden, in a very few days.
"Monsieur Fletcher, you shall sit between the Admiral and myself;for you have told us your story but briefly, and afterwards I wouldfain question you farther, as to that affair at Toulouse."
The two nobles, indeed, inquired very minutely into all theincidents of the fight. By closely questioning him, they learnedthat the idea of forcing the peasants to lend their horses andcarts, to convey the Huguenot villagers' goo
ds to Laville, was hisown, and occurred to him just as he was about to start from thefirst village he entered.
"The success of military operations," the Admiral said, "dependsgreatly upon details. It is one thing to lay out a general plan;another to think, amid the bustle and excitement of action, of thedetails upon which success so largely depends; and your thought ofmaking the men, who were about to join in the slaughter of theirfellow villagers, the means of conveying their goods and chattelsto a place of safety, is one that shows that your head is cool, andable to think and plan in moments when most men would be carriedaway by the excitement of the occasion. I am pleased with you, sir;and shall feel that, if I have any matter on hand demandingdiscretion and prudence, as well as bravery, I can, in spite ofyour years, confidently intrust you with it.
"Are you thinking of returning tomorrow to Laville?"
"I was intending to do so, sir. It may be that the people of Niortmay endeavour to revenge the stroke that we have dealt them, andthe forty men with me are necessary for the defence of thechateau."
"I do not think there is any fear of an attack from Niort," theAdmiral said. "They will know, well enough, that our people areflocking here from all parts; and will be thinking of defence,rather than of attack, knowing that, while we are almost withinstriking distance, the royal army is not in a condition, as yet, tomarch from Paris.
"Where are you resting for the night?"
"My troops are down by the shore, sir. Seeing how full the townwas, I thought it was not worth while to look for quarters; andintended to sleep down there among them, in readiness for an earlystart."
"Then, after supper, I would that you go down to them, and tellthem not to be surprised if you do not join them till morning. Thenreturn hither for the night. It may be that we may want to speak toyou again."
Late in the evening a page came to Philip and, saying that theprince wished to speak with him, conducted him to a smallapartment, where he found Conde and the Admiral.
"We have a mission with which we would intrust you, if you arewilling to undertake it," the Admiral said. "It is a dangerous one,and demands prudence and resource, as well as courage. It seems tothe prince and myself that you possess these qualities; and youryouth may enable you to carry out the mission, perhaps, more easilythan another would do.
"It is no less than to carry a letter, from the prince and myself,to the Queen of Navarre. She is at present at Nerac. Agents ofCatharine have been trying to persuade her to go with her son toParis; but fortunately, she discovered that there was a plot toseize her, and the young prince her son, at the same time that wewere to be entrapped in Burgundy. De Lossy, who was charged withthe mission of seizing her at Tarbes, was fortunately taken ill;and she has made her way safely up to Nerac.
"All Guyenne swarms with her enemies. D'Escars and four thousandCatholics lie scattered along from Perigueux to Bordeaux, and otherbands lie between Perigueux and Tulle. If once past those dangers,her course is barred at Angouleme, Cognac, and Saintes.
"I want her to know that I will meet her on the Charente. I do notsay that I shall be able to take those three towns, but I willbesiege them; and she will find me outside one of them, if I cannotget inside. It is all important that she should know this, so thatshe may judge whither to direct her course, when once safely acrossthe river Dronne and out of Guyenne.
"I dare not send a written despatch for, were it to fall into thehands of the Catholics, they would at once strengthen the garrisonsof the town on the Charente; and would keep so keen a watch, inthat direction, that it would be impossible for the queen to pass.I will give you a ring, a gift from the queen herself, in tokenthat you are my messenger, and that she can place every confidencein you.
"I will leave to you the choice of how you will proceed. You cantake some of your men-at-arms with you, and try to make your waythrough with a sudden dash; but as the bridges and fords will bestrongly watched, I think that it will be much wiser for you to goin disguise, either with or without a companion. Certainty is ofmore importance than speed. I found a communication here, sent bythe queen before she started to the authorities of the town, sayingthat she should try to make her way to them; and she knew that theprince and myself would also come here, if we found our personalsafety menaced in Burgundy. She foresaw that her difficulties wouldbe great; and requested that, if we arrived here, we would send herword as to our movements, in order that she might accommodate hersto them.
"I have chosen you for several reasons, one being, as I have toldyou, that I see you are quick at forming a judgment, and cool indanger. The second is that you will not be known to any of theenemy whom you may meet on your way. Most of the Huguenots herecome from the neighbouring provinces, and would almost certainly berecognized, by Catholics from the same neighbourhood. Of course youunderstand that, if suspicion should fall upon you of being amessenger from this place, you will have but a short shrift."
"I am quite ready to do my best, sir, to carry out your mission.Personally I would rather ride fast, with half a dozen men-at-arms;but doubtless, as you say, the other would be the surest way. Iwill take with me my servant, who is shrewd and full of resourcesand, being a native of these parts, could pass as a countrymananywhere. My horses and my four men I will leave here, until myreturn. The troop will, of course, start in the morning forLaville."
"We have another destination for them," the prince said. "Amessenger rode yesterday to Laville, to bid the young count start,the day after tomorrow, with every man he can raise, to join mebefore Niort; for which place I set out, tomorrow at midday. Ofcourse we had no idea that he had already come to blows with thatcity; but we resolved to make its capture our first enterprise,seeing that it blocks the principal road from Paris hither, and isindeed a natural outpost of La Rochelle. Niort taken, we shall pushon and capture Parthenay, which still further blocks the road, andwhose possession will keep a door open for our friends fromBrittany, Normandy, and the north. When those places are securedand garrisoned, we can then set about clearing out the Catholicsfrom the towns to the south."
"Very well, sir. Then I will give orders to them that they are toaccompany your force tomorrow, and join the count before Niort."
"Here is a large map of the country you will have to traverse. Youhad best take it into the next room, and study it carefully;especially the course and direction of the rivers, and the pointsof crossing. It would be shorter, perhaps, if you could have goneby boat south to Arcachon and thence made your way to Nerac; butthere are wide dunes to be crossed, and pine forests to betraversed, where a stranger might well die of hunger and thirst.The people, too, are wild and savage, and look upon strangers withgreat suspicion; and would probably have no compunction in cuttingyour throat. Moreover, the Catholics have a flotilla at the mouthof the Gironde, and there would be difficulty and danger inpassing.
"You will, of course, make all speed that you can. I shallpresently see some of the council of the town and, if they tell methat a boat can take you down the coast as far as the Seudre, someten miles north of the mouth of the Gironde, you will avoid thedifficulty of crossing the Boutonne at Saint Jean d'Angely, and theCharente at Saintes or Cognac. It would save you a quarter of yourjourney. I expect them shortly, so that by the time you havestudied the map, I shall be able to tell you more."
An hour later, Philip was again summoned. To his surprise, he foundMaitre Bertram with the prince.
"Our good friend here tells me that he is already acquainted withyou, Monsieur Fletcher. He will house you for tonight, and atdaybreak put you on board a small coasting vessel, which will carryyou down to the mouth of the Seudre. He will also procure for youwhatever disguises you may require, for yourself and yourattendant.
"He has relations with traders in many of the towns. Some of theseare openly of our faith, others are time servers, or are not yetsufficiently convinced to dare persecution and death for its sake.He will give you the names of some of these; and you may, at apush, be able to find shelter with them, obtain a guide, or receive
other assistance.
"Here is the ring. Hide it carefully on the way for, were yousearched, a ring of this value would be considered a proof that youwere not what you seemed.
"You quite understand my message. I pray the queen to trust to nopromises but, using all care to avoid those who would stop her, tocome north as speedily as possible, before the toils close roundher; and you will assure her that she will find me on the Charente,and that I shall have either taken Cognac, or be occupied inbesieging it."
"If I fail, sir, it shall be from no lack of prudence on my part;and I hope to prove myself worthy of the high honour that theprince and yourself have done me, in selecting me for the mission."
"Farewell then," the Admiral said. "I trust that, in ten days'time, I shall meet you at Cognac. I have arranged with MaitreBertram, who will furnish you with the funds necessary for yourexpedition."
Philip bowed deeply to the two nobles, and retired with themerchant. He had directed Pierre to remain among the lackeys at thefoot of the grand staircase, as he would be required presently; andas he passed through, he beckoned to him to follow.
"You have seen my horses comfortably stabled, Pierre?"
"It was done an hour since, monsieur."
"And my four men understand that they are to remain here, in chargeof them, until I return?"
"Yes, sir. Their own horses are also bestowed here, and mine."
"Very well. We sleep tonight at Maitre Bertram's."
"I am right glad to hear it, sir; for truly this castle is fullfrom the top to the bottom, and I love not to sleep in a crowd."
"You still have Pierre with you?" the merchant said.
"Yes, and he has turned out an excellent servant. It was afortunate day, for me, when I insisted on taking him in spite ofyour warning. He is a merry varlet, and yet knows when to joke, andwhen to hold his peace. He is an excellent forager--"
"Ah! That I warrant he is," Maitre Bertram put in;
"--And can cook a dinner or a supper with any man in the army. Iwould not part with him on any consideration."
"A fellow of that sort, Master Fletcher, is sure to turn out eithera rogue or a handy fellow. I am glad to hear that he has proved thelatter.
"Here we are at the house. At ordinary times we should all be abedand asleep at this hour, but the place is turned upside down sincethe prince and the Admiral arrived; for every citizen has taken inas many men as his house will hold. I have four gentlemen andtwenty of their retainers lodging here; but I will take you to myown den, where we can talk undisturbed; for there is much to sayand to arrange, as to this expedition of yours, in which there ismore peril than I should like to encounter. However, that is youraffair. You have undertaken it, and there is nought for me to do,save to try and make it as successful as possible.
"You have already been studying the map, I hear, and know somethingof the route. I have a good map myself, and we will follow the waytogether upon it. It would be as well to see whether your rascalknows anything of the country. In some of his wanderings, he mayhave gone south."
"I will question him," Philip said and, reopening the door of theroom, he told Pierre, whom he had bidden follow him upstairs, toenter.
"I am going down into Gascony, Pierre. It matters not, at present,upon what venture. I am going to start tomorrow at daylight, in acraft of Maitre Bertram's, which will land me ten miles this sidethe mouth of the Gironde; by which, as you will see, I avoid havingto cross the Charente, where the bridges are all in the hands ofthe Catholics. I am going in disguise, and I propose taking youwith me."
"It is all one to me, sir. Where you go, I am ready to follow you.I have been at Bordeaux, but no farther south.
"I don't know whether you think that three would be too many. Yourmen are all Gascons, and one or other of them might know the partof the country you wish to travel."
"I had not thought of it," Philip said; "but the idea is a goodone. It would depend greatly upon our disguises."
"Do you travel as a man-at-arms, or as a countryman, or a pedlar,or maybe as a priest, sir?"
"Not as a priest, assuredly," Philip laughed. "I am too young forthat."
"Too young to be in full orders, but not too young to be atheological student: one going from a theological seminary, atBordeaux, to be initiated at Perigueux, or further south to Agen."
Philip shook his head.
"I should be found out by the first priest who questioned me."
"Then, sir, we might go with sacks of ware on our backs, astravelling pedlars; or, on the other hand, we might be on our wayto take service under the Catholic leaders. If so, we might carrysteel caps and swords, which methinks would suit you better thaneither a priest's cowl or a pedlar's pack.
"In that case there might well be three of us, or even four. Two ofyour men-at-arms would go as old soldiers, and you and I as youngrelations of theirs, anxious to turn our hands to soldiering. Oncein Gascony, their dialect would help us rarely, and our storyshould pass without difficulty; and even on the way it would not bewithout its use, for the story that they have been living near LaRochelle but, owing to the concourse of Huguenots, could no longerstay there; and were therefore making south to see, in the firstplace, their friends at home; and then to take service, under someCatholic lord, would sound likely enough."
"I don't know that we can contrive a better scheme than that,Maitre Bertram. What do you think?"
"It promises well," the trader agreed.
"Do you know what part of Gascony these men come from, Pierre?"
"They come from near Dax."
"That matters little," Philip said, "seeing that it is only to thesouth of Guyenne that we are bound. Still, they will probably havetraversed the province often; and in any case there should be notrouble in finding our way, seeing that Agen lies on the Garonne,and we shall only have to keep near the river, all the way from thepoint where we are landed. Our great difficulty will be in crossingthe Dordogne, the Dronne, and the Lot, all of which we are likelyto find guarded."
"If you can manage to cross the Garonne here, near Langon," themerchant said, placing his finger on the map, "you would avoid thetwo last rivers and, by keeping west of Bazas, you would be able toreach Nerac without difficulty. You have to cross somewhere, and itmight be as easy there as at Agen."
"That is so," Philip agreed. "At any rate, we will try there first.
"I don't know which of the men I had best take with me. They areall shrewd fellows, as Gascons generally are, so I don't know howto make my choice."
"I don't think there is much difference, sir," Pierre said. "I haveseen enough of them to know, at least, that they are all honestfellows."
"I would let them decide the matter for themselves," Philip said."Some might like to go, and some to stay behind. If I chose two,the others might consider themselves slighted.
"Do you know where they have bestowed themselves, Pierre?"
"Down in the stables with the horses, sir. I could pretty well putmy hand on them, in the dark."
"Well, go and fetch them hither, then. Say nothing about thebusiness on which they are required."
In a quarter of an hour Pierre returned, with the four men. Philipexplained to them, briefly, that he wanted two of them to journeywith him, on a mission of some danger, through Guyenne.
"I have sent for you all," he said, "in order that you mightarrange among yourselves which two shall go. Therefore do yousettle the matter, and if you cannot agree, then cast lots andleave it to fortune. Only, as you are two sets of brothers, thesehad best either go or stay together; therefore if you cast lots doit not singly, but two against two."
"We may as well do it at once, Monsieur Philip," Eustace said. "Iknow, beforehand, that we would all choose to follow you; thereforeif you will put two papers into my steel cap, one with my name, andone with Jacques', Pierre shall draw. If he takes out the one withmy name, then I and Henri will go with you. If he draws Jacques,then he and Roger shall go."
This was done, and Jacques and Roger w
on.
"You will have plenty to do, while we are away," Philip said toEustace. "There will be seven horses to look after, including mychargers."
"How long are you likely to be away, sir?"
"I may return in ten days. I may be away three weeks. Should anyevil chance befall us, you will take the horses over to Laville andhand them over to my cousin; who will, I am sure, gladly take youand Henri into his service.
"As we leave here at daybreak, you, Jacques, and your brother Rogerhad better wrap yourselves up in your cloaks, and lie down in thehall below. I would that we could, in the morning, procure clothesfor you, older and more worn than those you have on. You are goingas men who have formerly served; but have since been living in avillage, tilling the land, just as you were when you first joinedme."
"Then we have the very clothes ready to hand," Jacques said. "Whenwe joined you, we left ours with a friend in the town, to hold forus. There is no saying how long military service may last and, asour clothes were serviceable, we laid them by. We can go round andget them, the first thing in the morning; leaving these we wear inhis care, until we return."
"That will do well; but you must be up early, for it is importantwe should make our start as soon as possible."
"I also have my old clothes held in keeping for me, by one whoworked in the stable with me," Pierre said. "A man who is going tothe war can always find others ready to take charge of whatever hemay leave behind, knowing full well that the chances are that hewill never return to claim them."
"That simplifies matters," Maitre Bertram said. "There remains onlyyour dress, Monsieur Philip; and I shall have no difficulty ingetting, from my own knaves, a doublet, cloak, and other things tosuit you. I have plenty of steel caps and swords, in my warehouse."
"You had best leave your breast pieces here," Philip said to themen. "The number of those who carry them is small, and it will beenough to have steel caps and swords. We are going to walk fast andfar, and the less weight we carry, the better."