CHAPTER XV.
A HERMIT'S TALE.
The next day he discovered on his excursions plenty of eatable berrieson the bushes; and now that he had no longer fear of hunger he resolvedto stay for some little time, until his wounds, which had festeredbadly, had recovered, before making an attempt to rejoin the Christianarmy.
One day when employed in gathering berries he was surprised by meeting awild-looking figure, who appeared suddenly from one of the caves. It wasthat of a very old man, with an extremely long white beard flowing tohis waist; his hair, which was utterly unkempt, fell to the same point.He was thin to an extraordinary extent, and Cuthbert wondered how a mancould have been reduced to such a state of starvation, with so plentifula supply of fruit and berries at hand.
The old man looked at Cuthbert attentively, and then made the sign ofthe cross. Cuthbert gave a cry of joy, and repeated the sign. The oldman at once came down from his cavern, and looked at him with surpriseand astonishment, and then addressed him in the French language.
"Are you a Christian truly; and if so, whence do you come?"
Cuthbert at once explained that he had been taken prisoner when withKing Richard's army, and had effected his escape. He also told the oldman that he had been remaining for the last four days in a cave higherup the stream. The hermit--for he was one--beckoned him to follow him,and Cuthbert found himself in a cave precisely similar to that which hehimself inhabited. There were no signs of comfort of any kind; abed-place made of great stones stood in one corner, and Cuthbert,remembering the comforts of his own grassy couch, shuddered at thethought of the intense discomfort of such a sleeping-place. In anothercorner was an altar, upon which stood a rough crucifix, before which thehermit knelt at once in prayer, Cuthbert following his example. Risingagain, the hermit motioned to him to sit down, and then began aconversation with him.
It was so long since the hermit had spoken to any living being that hehad almost lost the use of his tongue, and his sentences were slow andill-formed. However, Cuthbert was able to understand him, and he togather the drift of what Cuthbert told him. The old man then showed himthat by touching a stone in the corner of his cave the apparently solidrock opened, and revealed an entrance into an inner cave, which was litby a ray of light which penetrated from above.
"This," he said, "was made centuries ago, and was intended as a refugefrom the persecutors of that day. The caves were then almost allinhabited by hermits, and although many recked not of their lives, andwere quite ready to meet death through the knife of the infidel, othersclung to existence, and preferred to pass many years of penance on earthfor the sake of atoning for their sins before called upon to appearbefore their Maker. If you are pursued it will be safer for you to takeup your abode here. I am known to all the inhabitants of this country,who look upon me as mad, and respect me accordingly. None ever interferewith me, or with the two or three other hermits, the remains of what wasonce almost an army, who now alone survive. I can offer you nohospitality beyond that of a refuge; but there is water in the riverbelow, fruits and berries in abundance on the shrubs. What would youhave more?"
Cuthbert accepted the invitation with thanks; for he thought that evenat the worst the presence of this holy man would be a protection to himfrom any Arabs who might discover him.
For three or four days he resided with the hermit, who, although hestretched his long lean body upon the hard stones of his bed, and passedmany hours of the night kneeling on the stone floor in front of hisaltar, yet had no objection to Cuthbert making himself as comfortable ashe could under the circumstances.
At the end of the fourth day Cuthbert asked him how long he had beenthere, and how he came to take up his abode in so desolate and fearsomea place. The hermit was silent for a time, and then said:
"It is long indeed since my thoughts have gone back to the day when Iwas of the world. I know not whether it would not be a sin to recallthem; but I will think the matter over to-night, and if it appears to methat you may derive good from my narrative, I will relate it to youto-morrow."
The next day Cuthbert did not renew the request, leaving it to thehermit to speak should he think fit. It was not until the evening thathe alluded to the subject; and then taking his seat on a bank near theedge of the river, he motioned to Cuthbert to sit beside him, and began:
"My father was a peer of France, and I was brought up at the court.Although it may seem strange to you, looking upon this withered frame,sixty-five years back I was as bold and comely a knight as rode in thetrain of the king, for I am now past ninety, and for sixty years I haveresided here. I was a favorite of the king's, and he loaded me withwealth and honor. He, too, was young, and I joined with him in the madcarousals and feastings of the court. My father resided for the mostpart at one of his castles in the country, and I, an only son, was leftmuch to myself. I need not tell you that I was as wild and as wicked asall those around me; that I thought little of God, and feared neitherHim nor man.
"It chanced that one of the nobles--I need not mention his name--whosecastle lay in the same province as that of my father, had a lovelydaughter, who, being an only child, would be his heiress. She wasconsidered one of the best matches in France, and reports of herexceeding beauty had reached the court. Although my allowance from myfather, and from the estates which the king had given me personally,should have been more than enough for my utmost wants, gambling andriotous living swallowed up my revenue faster than it came in, and I wasconstantly harassed by debt.
"Talking one night at supper with a number of bold companions as to themeans we should take for restoring our wasted fortunes, some said injest that the best plan would be for one of us to marry the beauty ofDauphiny. I at once said that I would be the man to do it; the idea wasa wild one, and a roar of laughter greeted my words. Her father wasknown to be a stern and rigid man, and it was certain that he would notconsent to give his daughter to a spendthrift young noble like myself.When the laughter had subsided I repeated my intention gravely, andoffered to wager large sums with all around the table that I wouldsucceed.
"On the morrow I packed up a few of my belongings, put in my valise thedress of a wandering troubadour, and taking with me only a trustyservant, started for Dauphiny. It would be tedious to tell you themeans I resorted to to obtain the affections of the heiress. I had beenwell instructed in music and could play on the lute, and knew by heartlarge numbers of ballads, and could myself, in case of necessity, stringverses together with tolerable ease. As a troubadour I arrived at thecastle gate, and craved permission to enter to amuse its occupants.Troubadours then, as now, were in high esteem in the south, and I was atonce made a welcome guest.
"Days passed, and weeks; still I lingered at the castle, my heart beingnow as much interested as my pride in the wager which I had undertaken.Suffice it to say that my songs, and perhaps my appearance--for I cannotbe accused of vanity now in saying nature had been bountiful to me--wonmy way to her heart. Troubadours were licensed folk, and even in herfather's presence there was naught unseemly in my singing songs of love.While he took them as the mere compliments of a troubadour, the lady, Isaw, read them as serious effusions of my heart.
"It was only occasionally that we met alone; but ere long she confessedthat she loved me. Without telling her my real name, I disclosed to herthat I was of her own rank and that I had entered upon the disguise Iwore in order to win her love. She was romantic, and was flattered by mydevotion. I owned to her that hitherto I had been wild and reckless; andshe told me at once that her father destined her for the son of an oldfriend of his, to whom it appeared she had been affianced while still ababy. She was positive that nothing would move her father. For the manshe was to marry she entertained no kind of affection, and indeed hadnever seen him, as she had been brought up in a convent to the age offifteen; and just before she had returned thence he had gone to finishhis education at Padua.
"She trembled when I proposed flight; but I assured her that I wascertain of the protection of the king, and that he
would, I was sure,when the marriage was once celebrated, use his influence with her fatherto obtain his forgiveness.
"The preparations for her flight were not long in making. I purchased afleet horse in addition to my own, and ordered my servant to bring it toa point a short distance from the castle gate. I had procured a longrope with which to lower her down from her lattice to the moat below,which was at present dry, intending myself to slide after her. The nightchosen was one when I knew that the count was to have guests, and Ithought that they would probably, as is the custom, drink heavily, andthat there would be less fear of any watch being kept.
"The guests arrived just at nightfall. I had feigned illness, and keptmy room. From time to time I heard through the windows of the banquetinghall bursts of laughter. These gradually ceased; and at last when allwas still I, after waiting some time, stole from my room with a rope inmy hand to the apartment occupied by her. A slight tap at the door, asarranged, was at once answered, and I found her ready cloaked andprepared for the enterprise. She trembled from head to foot, but Icheered her to the best of my power, and at last she was in readiness tobe lowered. The window was at a considerable height from the ground; butthe rope was a long one, and I had no fear of its reaching the bottom.Fastening it round her waist, I began to lower her from the window.
"The night was a windy one, and she swung backward and forward as shewent down. By what chance it was I know not--for I had examined the ropeand found it secure--but methinks in swaying backward and forward itmay have caught a sharp stone, maybe it was a punishment from Heavenupon me for robbing a father of his child--but suddenly I felt there wasno longer a weight on my arms. A fearful shriek rang through the air,and, looking out, I saw far below a white figure stretched senseless inthe mud!
"For a minute I stood paralyzed. But the cry had aroused others, and,turning round, I saw a man at the door with a drawn sword. Wild withgrief and despair, and thinking, not of making my escape, or ofconcealing my part in what had happened, but rushing without aninstant's delay to the body of her I loved so well, I drew my sword, andlike a madman rushed upon him who barred the door. The combat was briefbut furious, and nerved by the madness of despair I broke down his guardand ran him through the body. As he fell back, his face came in the fulllight of the moon, which streamed through the open door of the passage,and to my utter horror and bewilderment I saw that I had slain myfather.
"What happened after that night I know not. I believe that I made myescape from the castle and rushed round to the body of her whose life Ihad destroyed, and that there finding her dead, I ran wildly across thecountry. When I came to my senses months had passed, and I was theinmate of an asylum for men bereaved of their senses, kept by noblemonks. Here for two years I remained, the world believing that I wasdead. None knew that the troubadour whose love had cost the lady herlife, who had slain the guest of her father, and had then disappeared,was the unhappy son of that guest. My friends in Paris when they heardof the tragedy of course associated it with me, but they all keptsilent. The monks, to whom I confessed the whole story, were shockedindeed, but consoled me in my grief and despair by the assurance thathowever greatly I had sinned, the death of the lady had been accidental,and that if I were a parricide it was at least unintentionally.
"My repentance was deep and sincere; and after awhile, under anothername, I joined the army of the Crusaders, to expiate my sin by warringfor the holy sepulcher. I fought as men fight who have no wish to live;but while all around me fell by sword and disease, death kept aloof fromme. When the Crusade had failed I determined to turn forever from theworld, and to devote my life to prayer and penance; and so casting asidemy armor I made my way here, and took up my abode in a cave in thisvalley, where at that time were many thousands of other hermits--for theSaracens, while they gained much money from fines and exactions frompilgrims who came to Jerusalem, and fought stoutly against those whosought to capture that city, were in the main tolerant, and offered nohindrance to the community of men whom they looked upon as mad.
"Here, my son, for more than sixty years have I prayed, with muchfasting and penance. I trust now that the end is nearly at hand, andthat my long life of mortification may be deemed to have obliterated theevil deeds which I did in my youth. Let my fate be a warning to you.Walk steadily in the right way; indulge not in feasting and evilcompanionship; and above all, do not enter upon evil deeds, the end ofwhich no man can see."
The hermit was silent, and Cuthbert, seeing that his thoughts had againreferred to the past, wandered away, and left him sitting by the riverside. Some hours later he returned and found the hermit kneeling beforethe altar; and the next morning the latter said:
"I presume, my son, you do not wish to remain here as a hermit, as Ihave done? Methinks it were well that we made our arrangements for yourreturn to the Christian host, who will, I hope, ere long be at the gatesof Jerusalem."
"I should like nothing better," Cuthbert said. "But ignorant as I am ofthe nature of the country, it seems to be nigh impossible to penetratethrough the hosts of the Saracens to reach the camp of King Richard."
"The matter is difficult and not without danger," the hermit said. "Asto the nature of the country, I myself know but little, for my dealingswith the natives have been few and simple. There are, however, severalChristian communities dwelling among the heathen. They are poor, and areforced to live in little-frequented localities. Their Christianity maybe suspected by their neighbors, but as they do no man harm, and carryon their worship in secret, they are little interfered with. There isone community among the hills between this and Jerusalem, and I can giveyou instructions for reaching this, together with a token which willsecure you hospitality there, and they will no doubt do their best toforward you to another station. When you approach the flat country wherethe armies are maneuvering you must doubtless trust to yourself; but asfar as the slopes extend, methinks that our friends will be able to passyou without great difficulty."
Cuthbert's heart rose greatly at the prospect of once again enteringupon an active life, and the next evening, with many thanks for hiskindness, he knelt before the aged hermit to receive his blessing.
With the instructions given him he had no difficulty in making his waythrough the mountains, until after some five hours' walk he foundhimself at a little village situated in a narrow valley.
Going to the door of the principal hut he knocked, and upon enteringshowed the owner--who opened the door--a rosette of peculiar beads andrepeated the name of Father Anselm. The peasant at once recognized itand bade Cuthbert welcome. He knew but a few words of French, althoughdoubtless his ancestors had been of European extraction. In the morninghe furnished Cuthbert with the sheepskin and short tunic which formedthe dress of a shepherd, and dyeing his limbs and face a deep brown hehimself started with Cuthbert on his journey to the next Christiancommunity.
This was a small one consisting of two huts only, built almost on thesummit of a mountain, the inhabitants living partly on the milk andcheese of their goats and partly upon the scanty vegetables which grewaround the huts.
His welcome was as cordial as that of the night before; and the nextmorning, his former guide taking leave of him, the peasant in whosehouse he had slept again conducted him forward to another community.This was the last station and stood in a narrow gorge on the face of thehills looking down over the plain, beyond which in the far distance afaint line of blue sea was visible.
This community was far more prosperous and well-to-do than those atwhich the previous nights had been passed. The head of the villageappeared to be a personage of some importance; and although clinging insecret to his Christian faith, he and his belongings had so far adoptedthe usages of the Mussulmen that apparently no thought of theirChristianity entered into the minds of the authorities. He was the ownerof two or three horses and of some extensive vineyards and olivegrounds. He was also able to speak French with some degree of fluency.
At considerable length he explained to Cuthbert the exact position oft
he Christian army, which had moved some distance along the coast sinceCuthbert had left it. It was, he said, exposed to constant attacks bythe Saracens, who harassed it in every way, and permitted it no repose.He said that the high hopes which had been raised by the defeat of theSaracens at Azotus had now fallen, and that it was feared the Christianswould not be able to force their way forward to Jerusalem. The greatportion of their animals had died, and the country was so eaten up bythe Saracen hosts that an advance upon Jerusalem without a large baggagetrain was next to impossible; and indeed if the Christians were toarrive before that city, they could effect nothing without the aid ofthe heavy machines necessary for battering the walls or effecting anescalade.
Cuthbert was vastly grieved when he heard of the probable failure of theexpedition, and he burned with eagerness to take his part again in thedangers and difficulties which beset the Christian army. His hostpointed out to him the extreme difficulty and danger of his crossing theenemy's lines, but at the same time offered to do all in his power toassist him. After two days' stay at the village, and discussing the prosand cons of all possible plans, it was decided that the best chance layin a bold effort. The host placed at his disposal one of his horses,together with such clothes as would enable him to ride as an Arab chiefof rank and station; a long lance was furnished him, a short and heavymace, and scimitar; a bag of dates was hung at the saddlebow; and withthe sincerest thanks to his protector, and with a promise that shouldthe Christian host win their way to Jerusalem the steed should bereturned with ample payment, Cuthbert started on his journey.