CHAPTER V.
THE ASSAULT.
The name of the female fiend who then ruled Burgundy pronounced at thatmoment, produced a profound sensation among the assembled colonists.They were amazed, and a vague sense of apprehension ran over theassembly.
"A message from the bishop and the Queen?" repeated Loysik rising andproceeding to the outward gate. "That is strange. The punt is tied everyevening on this side of the river, and the watchers have imperativeorders not to cross the stream at night. The messenger must have taken aboat at Noisan and rowed up the river."
With these thoughts running in his mind the superior of the communityapproached the massive gate bolted from within. Several monks bearingtorches followed the venerable head of their establishment. Ronan, theMaster of the Hounds, and several other colonists also accompaniedLoysik. He made a sign. The heavy gate was unbolted and turned upon itshinges. It exposed to view, brightly lighted by the moon, the archdeaconand Gondowald, the Queen's chamberlain. Behind them the armed men stoodranged in single file, casqued, cuirassed, their bucklers on their arms,lances in hand, and swords by their sides.
"There is some treachery in this," said Loysik in a low voice to Ronan;and turning to one of the monks he asked: "Who is keeping watch to-nightat the lodge of the punt?"
"The two priests--they volunteered to take the places of the twobrothers whose turn it was to mount guard to-night."
"I see it all," replied Loysik with bitterness, and stepping forward headdressed the archdeacon, who had also stepped forward but stopped atthe threshold of the gate together with Gondowald, while their escortof soldiers remained where they were posted.
"Who are you? What do you want?" he demanded.
"My name is Salvien, archdeacon of the church of Chalon and nephew ofthe venerable Sidoine, bishop of this diocese. I am the bearer of ordersfrom your spiritual chief."
"And I, Gondowald, chamberlain of our glorious Queen Brunhild, amcommissioned by her to give the bishop's envoy my own and my men'ssupport."
"Here is a letter for you from my uncle," said the archdeacon handing aparchment to Loysik. "I wish you to inform yourself of its contents."
"My years have made my eyes too weak to read; one of my brothers willread the letter aloud to me."
"The letter may contain secret matters," observed the archdeacon; "Irecommend to you that you have it read in a low voice."
"We keep no secrets here from one another--read aloud, brother."
And Loysik passed the missive to one of the members of the community,who proceeded to do as ordered by his superior.
The letter was to the effect that Sidoine, bishop of Chalon, institutedhis archdeacon Salvien as abbot of the monastery of Charolles, wishingthereby to put an end to the scandals and enormities that for so manyyears afflicted Christianity by the example of this community; the samewas thenceforth to be rigorously subject to the rules of St. Benoit, aswere almost all the other monasteries of Gaul. The lay monks who, bytheir virtue and humble submission to the orders of their new abbot,should merit the favor, the entirely Christian favor, would be allowedto enter the clergy and become Roman monks. Furthermore, by virtue ofthe seventh canon of the council of Orleans, held two years previous (inthe year 611), and which decreed that "the ownership of the domains,lands, vineyards, slaves and cattle, that may be donated to a parish,shall be vested in the bishop," all the goods of the monastery and ofthe colony, which, properly speaking, constitute the parish ofCharolles, were thenceforth to be vested in the bishop of Chalon, whocommissioned his nephew, archdeacon Salvien, to administer said goods.The prelate closed his missive with an order to his beloved son inChrist, Loysik, to proceed upon the spot to the city of Chalon, andthere receive the reproof of his bishop and spiritual father, and humblyundergo the punishment or penance that was to be inflicted upon him.Finally, seeing that it might happen that brother Loysik, listening tosome diabolical suggestion, might commit the enormity of contemning theorders of his spiritual father, the noble Gondowald, chamberlain of theglorious Queen Brunhild, was commissioned by the illustrious princess tocause the orders of the bishop of Chalon to be carried out, by force, ifneed be, through the armed men that he would carry with him.
Hardly had the monk laborer finished reading the missive than Gondowaldadded with a haughty and threatening air:
"I, the chamberlain of the glorious Queen Brunhild, our very excellentand very redoubtable mistress, am commissioned by her to inform you thatif you and yours should have the audacity to disobey the orders of thebishop, as may happen, judging from the insolent murmurs that I havejust heard, I shall have you and the most recalcitrant of your fellowstied to the tails of the horses of my riders, and shall thus take you toChalon, quickening your steps with the shafts of our lances over yourbacks."
In fact, the reading of the bishop's missive was several timesinterrupted by the murmurs of the monk laborers and of the colonists,and these murmurs swelled to such proportions that the intervention ofLoysik became necessary in order to hear the bishop's letter to the end.But when the Frank Gondowald defiantly uttered his insolent threats, thecrowd answered with an explosion of furious cries intermixed with jeersand sneers.
Ronan, the Master of the Hounds and several other old time Vagres werenot among the last to murmur against the usurpatory pretensions of theBishop of Chalon, who proposed to appropriate to himself the goods ofthe monk laborers and the colonists, and trample down their every right.Although age had whitened their heads and paled their faces, the Vagresfelt their old fighting blood boil in their veins. Ever a man of action,Ronan quickly reverted to his early profession and whispered to theMaster of the Hounds:
"Pick out thirty resolute men, take them to the arsenal, arm yourselvesand run to the punt so as to cut off the retreat of the Franks. I shalltake charge of what is to be done here. By the faith of a Vagre, I feelmyself grown younger by fifty years!"
"And I, Ronan, while the insolent missive was being read, and especiallywhen the valet of that infamous Queen dared to threaten us, my handlooked for a sword at my side."
Immediately the two old Vagres started to work among the crowd ofcolonists and monks; they moved hither and thither, whispering in theears of the men whom they were choosing, and each of whom vanishedsuccessively amidst the increasing uproar, that Loysik's firm andsonorous voice was hardly able to dominate as he answered thearchdeacon:
"The Bishop of Chalon has no right to impose upon this community eitherspecial rules or an abbot. We elect our chiefs ourselves and of our freewill, in the same manner that we adopt such rules as we are willing tofollow, provided they be Christian. Such was the former and original lawthat presided at the foundation of all the cloisters of Gaul. Thebishops exercise over us only the spiritual jurisdiction that theyexercise upon all other lay members. We are here the masters of ourgoods and of our persons, by virtue of a charter of the late KingClotaire, which expressly forbids his dukes, counts and bishops toincommode us. You speak of councils. One can find anything he wants inthose councils, good and evil, what is just and what is unjust. Mymemory has not yet left me. This is what the council of 611 says uponthis very subject:
"'We have learned that certain bishops wrongfully establish their ownrelatives or favorites as abbots in monasteries, and procure for theminiquitous advantages, in order to acquire through violence all that canbe extracted from the monastery by the agent whom they have placedthere.'"
The archdeacon bit his lips, and a volley of hisses drowned his voice ashe attempted to make answer.
"That language, the language I have quoted to you as held by thatcouncil of 611, is the language of justice," Loysik proceeded to say;"and I recognize in no council, in no prelate, in no King, in no Popethe right to dispossess honorable and industrious people of their goods,their lands and their freedom, all of which they hold by virtue of theirnatural rights, which are anterior and superior to all authority."
"I say that your monastery is a new Babylon, a modern Gomorrah!" criedthe archdeacon. "The Bishop
of Chalon was so informed; I wished toconvince myself by personal observation. I see women and young girls inthis place which should be consecrated to austerity, to prayer and toseclusion. I see all the evidences of an unclean orgy, which wasdoubtlessly intended to be prolonged until morning--under your own eyes,in this monastery!"
"Enough!" cried Loysik in turn and indignantly. "I, as the head of thiscommunity, forbid you to soil the ears of these wives and young girls,who are here assembled with their families in order peacefully tocelebrate the anniversary of our settlement upon this free soil!"
"Archdeacon, we have had a surfeit of words," put in Gondowaldhaughtily. "To what purpose reason with these dogs--have you not my menhere, ready to enforce obedience?"
"I wish to make one last effort to open the eyes of these unhappy blindpeople," answered the archdeacon. "This unworthy Loysik keeps them underhis infernal magic. All of you who hear my voice, tremble if you resistthe orders of our bishop!"
"Salvien," said Loysik, "these words are idle, your threats will beunavailing before our firm resolution to uphold the justice of ourcause. We reject you as abbot of this monastery. These monk laborers andthe inhabitants of this colony owe no one an account of their goods.This useless debate is wearisome; let us put an end to it. The door ofthis monastery is open to those who present themselves as friends, butit closes in the face of those who present themselves as enemies ormasters, in the name of iniquitous pretensions. Withdraw from thesepremises!"
"Be gone, archdeacon of the devil!" yelled several voices. "Try not todisturb our celebration! You might be sorry for it!"
"Rebellion! Threats!" cried the archdeacon, and stepping aside to makeroom for the Frankish warriors to enter the courtyard, he added:"Gondowald, carry out the Queen's orders!"
"But for your delays, her orders would long ago have been executed!Forward, my soldiers; bind the old monk, and exterminate the plebs if itoffers resistance!"
"Forward, my boys! Down with these Franks, and long live old Gaul!"
Whose voice was that? It was the voice of old Ronan, close upon whoseheels followed about thirty monk laborers and colonists, all picked men,resolute and strong, and fully armed with lances, axes and swords. Thesedoughty men had noiselessly passed out of the precincts of the monasterythrough the yard of the stables and rounded the outside buildings tillthey reached a corner of the wall that surrounded the main building.There they halted, silent and in ambush, until the moment whenGondowald summoned his soldiers. Ronan's men immediately andunexpectedly fell thereupon on the Franks. At the same moment andaccompanied by an equally determined, strong and well armed body of men,Gregory was seen issuing from the interior buildings of the monastery,pushed his way through the crowd that now filled the courtyard andadvanced in good order upon the enemy. The archdeacon, Gondowald and thetwenty soldiers that constituted his escort, found themselves suddenlysurrounded by over sixty determined men, in justice to whom be it saidall of them were animated with evil intentions towards the Franks. Thelatter were not long in perceiving the hopelessness of their situationand the feelings entertained towards them. They offered no seriousresistance; after a few passes they surrendered. Despite, however, therapidity with which the manoeuvre was executed, Gondowald, who in hisfirst impulse of surprise and rage had raised his sword over Loysik'shead and wounded one of the monks who covered the aged superior with hisbody--Gondowald, for all that he rejoiced in the office of chamberlainto the glorious Queen Brunhild, was thrown to the ground and soundlydrubbed before his disarmed men. Thanks to Loysik's intervention, noblood flowed in the rapid melee other than that of the monk who wasslightly wounded by Gondowald. As a matter of precaution, the noblechamberlain was bound fast and handcuffed with the identical rope andmanacles that, with a foresight for which old Ronan felt duly grateful,he had intended for Loysik.
"In the name of the Holy Roman and Apostolic Church, I excommunicate youall!" cried the archdeacon livid with rage. "Anathema upon whosoevershould dare to lift a sacrilegious hand against a priest of the Church,an anointed of the Lord!"
"Tempt me not, archdeacon of Satan! By the faith of a Vagre, old as Iam, I have a good mind to deserve your anathema by letting loose uponyour sacred back a shower of blows with the scabbard of my sword."
"Ronan, Ronan, no violence!" said Loysik. "These strangers came here asenemies; they were the first to shed blood; you have disarmed them; thatwas just--"
"And their arms will enrich our arsenal," Ronan broke in saying. "Come,boys, gather in that goodly harvest of iron. By my faith, we shall nowbe armed like royal warriors!"
"Take those soldiers and their chief into one of the halls of themonastery," Loysik ordered. "They are to be kept locked up; armed monksshall mount guard at the doors and windows. We shall later decide uponwhat is to be done."
"To dare hold me a prisoner, me, an officer of Queen Brunhild'shousehold!" cried Gondowald grinding his teeth and struggling to freehimself from his bonds. "Oh, you will pay dearly for such audacity,insolent monk! The Queen will take revenge for me upon your old hide!"
"Queen Brunhild has acted in defiance of law and justice by sendinghither armed men to support with force the message of the Bishop ofChalon. She did wrong, even if his pretensions were as just as they areiniquitous," Loysik answered Gondowald; and turning to his monks heproceeded: "Take away those men; above all guard against any injurybeing done to them; if they need food, let them be supplied. Let usprove ourselves merciful."
The monks led away the Frankish soldiers and their chief, the latter ofwhom had to be carried in their arms, seeing that he wrathfully refusedto walk. This being done, Loysik said to the archdeacon, who snarled outof breath with rage like a fox caught in a trap:
"Salvien, before aught else I must insure the safety and tranquility ofthis colony and community. I am, consequently, compelled to order you toremain a prisoner in this monastery. Fear not; you will be treated withconsideration; your prison will be the precinct of the monastery. Withinthree or four days at the latest--when I shall be back here--you willbe set free to return to Chalon."
After the archdeacon was removed from their presence, Ronan said toLoysik:
"Brother, you spoke of your return; are you going away? Where to?"
"Yes; I depart this instant. I am going to Chalon, to speak with thebishop and the Queen."
"What, Loysik!" cried Ronan with painful anxiety. "You leave us? Youpropose to face Brunhild? Do you forget that that name spells'Implacable Vengeance,' Loysik? You would be running to your perdition!No--no! You shall not undertake such a journey!"
The monk laborers as well as the rest of the colonists shared theapprehensions of Ronan, and began to ply Loysik with tender and pressingentreaties, in order to draw him from his foolhardy project. The oldmonk was not to be moved. While one of the brothers who was to accompanyhim hastily made the preparations for the journey, he repaired to hisown cell in order to take the charter of King Clotaire, which he keptthere. Ronan and his family followed Loysik, still seeking to dissuadehim from his project. He answered them sadly:
"Our situation is beset with perils. Not the fate of the monastery alonebut of the whole colony is at stake. You could easily prevail over ahandful of soldiers; but we cannot think of resisting Brunhild by force.To attempt any such thing would be to invite the utter ruin of theValley, the slaughter of its inhabitants and slavery for the survivors.Clotaire's charter establishes our rights; but what is law or right toBrunhild?"
"But that being so, what do you purpose to do at Chalon, in the very denof the she-wolf?"
"To demand justice of her!"
"But you just said yourself 'What is law or justice to Brunhild!'"
"She sports with justice as she does with the lives of her men; and yetI entertain some slight hope. I wish you to keep the archdeacon and hissoldiers prisoners--first, because in their fury they certainly wouldhave me waylaid and killed on the road; I cling to life in order to leadto a successful issue the business that I now have in hand; secondly,because, rath
er than have the archdeacon and the chamberlain precede mein making the report of to-night's occurrence, I prefer myself to informthe bishop and Brunhild of the resistance that we offered."
"But, brother, suppose justice is refused you; suppose the implacableQueen orders you to be slain--as she has done with so many other victimsof her injustice!"
"In that event the iniquity will be accomplished. In that event, iftheir purpose is not only to subject your goods and persons to thetyranny and exactions of the Church, but also to despoil you forcibly ofthe soil and the liberty that you have reconquered and which a royalcharter guarantees to you, in that event you will be forced to take asupreme resolution. Call together a solemn council, as our fathers ofyore were in the habit of doing whenever the safety of the land was inperil. Let the mothers and wives take part in that council, as was theancient custom of Gaul, because the fate of their husbands and childrenis to be determined upon. You will then with calmness, wisdom andfirmness decide upon one of these three alternatives--the only ones,alas! left to you: Whether to submit to the pretensions of the Bishop ofChalon, and accept a disguised servitude that will soon transform ourfree Valley into a domain of the Church, to be exploited for hisbenefit; whether you will bow before the will of the Queen if shetramples your rights under foot, tears up the charter of Clotaire, anddeclares our Valley a domain of the royal fisc, which will mean to youspoliation, misery, slavery and shame; or, finally, whether, strong inyour own right, but certain of being crushed by superior numbers, tomake protest against the royal or episcopal iniquity by a heroicdefense, and bury yourselves and your families under the ruins of yourhomes. You will have to decide upon one of these three measures."
"All of us, without exception, men, women and children, will know how tofight and die like our ancestors, Loysik! And perhaps it may happen thatthe bloody lesson and example may shake the surrounding populations fromtheir torpor. But, brother--brother--to think of your starting alone,and alone confronting a danger that I cannot share with you!"
"Come, Ronan, no weakness. See to it that all the fortified posts of theValley be occupied as was done fifty years ago at the time of theinvasion of Burgundy by Chram. The old military experience that you andthe Master of the Hounds have acquired will now be of great service. Forthe rest, there will be no fear of any attack during the next four orfive days. It will take me two days to reach Chalon, and an equally longtime for the Queen's troops to reach the Valley, in the event of herresolving upon violence. Until the moment of my arrival at Chalon, boththe bishop and Brunhild will be in the dark as to whether their orderswere enforced or not. They can receive no tidings seeing that thearchdeacon and the chamberlain, together with their troops, remainprisoners in the Valley and under safe surveillance."
"And in case of need they will serve as hostages."
"It is the law of war. If the insane bishop, if the implacable Queenwish war, we must also keep as prisoners the two priests, the infamoushypocrites, who treacherously brought the archdeacon into the Valley."
"I overheard the monks argue upon the lesson that they should administerto the two spies--they spoke of a strapping."
"I expressly forbid any act of violence towards the two priests!" saidLoysik in a tone of severe reproof, addressing two monk laborers whohappened to be at the time in the cell. "Those clerks are but thecreatures of the bishop; they merely obeyed his orders. I repeat it--noviolence, my children!"
"Good father Loysik, seeing you so order it, no harm shall be donethem."
Heartrending was the leave-taking between Loysik and both theinhabitants of the colony and the members of the community. Many tearsflowed; many childish hands clung to the monk's robe. Vain were therecurring entreaties not to depart on his errand. He took his leave,accompanied as far as the punt by Ronan and his family. At the landingof the punt they found the Master of the Hounds and his posse readyposted to cut off the retreat of the Franks. As he took his post, theMaster of the Hounds noticed on the other side of the river a number ofslaves guarding the mounts of the warriors and the archdeacon's baggage.The Master of the Hounds considered it prudent to seize both men andanimals. Leaving one-half of his companions at the lodge, he crossed theriver at the head of the rest. The slaves offered no resistance, andthree trips sufficed to transport the men, the animals and the wagons tothe opposite shore. Loysik approved the manoeuvre of the Master of theHounds. Seeing that neither the archdeacon nor Gondowald returned, theslaves might have run back to Chalon and given the alarm. It wasimportant to the project upon which the monk was bent that the recentoccurrences at the monastery remained a secret. Considering his advancedage and the long road that he had to travel, Loysik decided to use thearchdeacon's mule for the journey. The animal was re-embarked on thepunt, which Ronan and his son Gregory decided themselves to take to theother shore, so as to remain a few minutes longer with Loysik. The crafttouched ground; the old monk laborer embraced Ronan and his son oncemore, mounted his mule, and, accompanied by a young brother of thecommunity, who followed him on foot, took the road to Chalon-on-the-Saone,the residence of the redoubted Queen Brunhild.
PART II.
THE CASTLE OF BRUNHILD