Chapter Nineteen: Before the Walls of Ascalon
When Hassan was dead, at a sign from Saladin a captain of theMameluks named Abdullah unfastened the jewel from the emir'sturban and handed it to Wulf. It was a glorious star-shapedthing, made of great emeralds set round with diamonds, and thecaptain Abdullah, who like all Easterns loved such ornaments,looked at it greedily, and muttered:
"Alas! that an unbeliever should wear the enchanted Star, theancient Luck of the House of Hassan!" a saying that Wulfremembered.
He took the jewel, then turned to Saladin and said, pointing tothe dead body of Hassan:
"Have I your peace, Sultan, after such a deed?"
"Did I not give you and your brother to drink?" asked Saladinwith meaning. "Whoever dies, you are safe. There is but one sinwhich I will not pardon you--you know what it is," and he lookedat them. "As for Hassan, he was my beloved friend and servant,but you slew him in fair fight, and his soul is now in Paradise.None in my army will raise a blood feud against you on thatscore."
Then dismissing the matter with a wave of his hand, he turned toreceive a great body of Christian prisoners that, panting andstumbling like over-driven sheep, were being thrust on towardsthe camp with curses, blows and mockery by the victoriousSaracens.
Among them the brethren rejoiced to see Egbert, the gentle andholy bishop of Nazareth, whom they had thought dead. Also,wounded in many places, his hacked harness hanging about him likea beggar's rags, there was the black-browed Master of theTemplars, who even now could be fierce and insolent.
"So I was right," he mocked in a husky voice, "and here you are,safe with your friends the Saracens, Sir Knights of the visionsand the water-skins--"
"From which you were glad enough to drink just now," said Godwin."Also," he added sadly, "all the vision is not done." Andturning, he looked towards a blazoned tent which with theSultan's great pavilion, and not far behind it, was beingpitched by the Arab camp-setters. The Master saw and rememberedGodwin's vision of the dead Templars.
"Is it there that you mean to murder me, traitor and wizard?" heasked.
Then rage took hold of Godwin and he answered him:
"Were it not for your plight, here and now I would thrust thosewords down your throat, as, should we both live, I yet shall hopeto do. You call us traitors. Is it the work of traitors to havecharged alone through all this host until our horses died beneathus?"--he pointed to where Smoke and Flame lay with glazingeyes--"to have unhorsed Saladin and to have slain this prince insingle combat?" and he turned to the body of the emir Hassan,which his servants were carrying away.
"You speak of me as wizard and murderer," he went on, "becausesome angel brought me a vision which, had you believed it,Templar, would have saved tens of thousands from a bloody death,the Christian kingdom from destruction, and yonder holy thingfrom mockery," and with a shudder he glanced at the Rood whichits captors had set up upon a rock not far away with a deadknight tied to its black arms. "You, Sir Templar, are themurderer who by your madness and ambition have brought ruin onthe cause of Christ, as was foretold by the count Raymond."
"That other traitor who also has escaped," snarled the Master.
Then Saracen guards dragged him away, and they were parted.
By now the pavilion was up and Saladin entered it, saying:
"Bring before me the king of the Franks and prince Arnat, he whois called Reginald of Chatillon."
Then a thought struck him, and he called to Godwin and Wulf,saying:
"Sir Knights, you know our tongue; give up your swords to theofficer--they shall be returned to you--and come, be myinterpreters."
So the brethren followed him into the tent, where presently werebrought the wretched king and the grey-haired Reginald deChatillon, and with them a few other great knights who, even inthe midst of their misery, stared at Godwin and Wulf inwonderment. Saladin read the look, and explained lest theirpresence should be misunderstood:
"King and nobles, be not mistaken. These knights are myprisoners, as you are, and none have shown themselves braverto-day, or done me and mine more damage. Indeed, had it not beenfor my guards, within the hour I should have fallen beneath thesword of Sir Godwin. But as they know Arabic, I have asked themto render my words into your tongue. Do you accept them asinterpreters? If not, others must be found."
When they had translated this, the king said that he acceptedthem, adding to Godwin:
"Would that I had also accepted you two nights gone as aninterpreter of the will of Heaven!"
The Sultan bade his captains be seated, and seeing their terriblethirst, commanded slaves to bring a great bowl of sherbet made ofrose-water cooled with snow, and with his own hand gave it toking Guy. He drank in great gulps, then passed the bowl toReginald de Chatillon, whereon Saladin cried out to Godwin:
"Say to the king it is he and not I who gives this man to drink.There is no bond of salt between me and the prince Arnat."
Godwin translated, sorrowfully enough, and Reginald, who knew thehabits of the Saracens, answered:
"No need to explain, Sir Knight, those words are mydeath-warrant. Well, I never expected less."
Then Saladin spoke again.
"Prince Arnat, you strove to take the holy city of Mecca and todesecrate the tomb of the Prophet, and then I swore to kill you.Again, when in a time of peace a caravan came from Egypt andpassed by Esh-Shobek, where you were, forgetting your oath, youfell upon them and slew them. They asked for mercy in the name ofAllah, saying that there was truce between Saracen and Frank. Butyou mocked them, telling them to seek aid from Mahomet, in whomthey trusted. Then for the second time I swore to kill you. Yet Igive you one more chance. Will you subscribe the Koran andembrace the faith of Islam? Or will you die?"
Now the lips of Reginald turned pale, and for a moment he swayedupon his seat. Then his courage came back to him, and he answeredin a strong voice:
"Sultan, I will have none of your mercy at such a price, nor do Ibow the knee to your dog of a false prophet, who perish in thefaith of Christ, and, being weary of the world, am content to goto Him."
Saladin sprang to his feet, his very beard bristling with wrath,and drawing his sabre, shouted aloud:
"You scorn Mahomet! Behold! I avenge Mahomet upon you! Take himaway!" And he struck him with the flat of his scimitar.
Then Mameluks leapt upon the prince. Dragging him to the entranceof the tent, they forced him to his knees and there beheaded himin sight of the soldiers and of the other prisoners.
Thus, bravely enough, died Reginald de Chatillon, whom theSaracens called prince Arnat. In the hush that followed thisterrible deed king Guy said to Godwin:
"Ask the Sultan if it is my turn next."
"Nay," answered Saladin; "kings do not kill kings, but thattruce-breaker has met with no more than his deserts."
Then came a scene still more dreadful. Saladin went to the doorof his tent, and standing over the body of Reginald, bade themparade the captive Templars and Hospitallers before him. Theywere brought to the number of over two hundred, for it was easyto distinguish them by the red and white crosses on theirbreasts.
"These also are faith-breakers," he shouted, "and of theirunclean tribes will I rid the world. Ho! my emirs and doctors ofthe law," and he turned to the great crowd of his captains abouthim, "take each of you one of them and kill him."
Now the emirs hung back, for though fanatics they were brave, andloved not this slaughter of defenceless men, and even theMameluks murmured aloud.
But Saladin cried again:
"They are worthy of death, and he who disobeys my command shallhimself be slain."
"Sultan," said Godwin, "we cannot witness such a crime; we askthat we may die with them."
"Nay," he answered; "you have eaten of my salt, and to kill youwould be murder. Get you to the tent of the princess of Baalbecyonder, for there you will see nothing of the death of theseFranks, your fellow-worshippers."
So the brethren turned, and led by a Mameluk, fled aghast for thefirst tim
e in their lives, past the long lines of Templars andHospitallers, who in the last red light of the dying day kneltupon the sand and prayed, while the emirs came up to kill them.
They entered the tent, none forbidding them, and at the end of itsaw two women crouched together on some cushions, who rose,clinging to each other. Then the women saw also and sprangforward with a cry of joy, saying:
"So you live--you live!"
"Ay, Rosamund," answered Godwin, "to see this shame--would Godthat we did not--whilst others die. They murder the knights ofthe holy Orders. To your knees and pray for their passing souls."
So they knelt down and prayed till the tumult died away, and theyknew that all was done.
"Oh, my cousins," said Rosamund, as she staggered to her feet atlength, "what a hell of wickedness and bloodshed is this in whichwe dwell! Save me from it if you love me--I beseech you save me!"
"We will do our best," they answered; "but let us talk no more ofthese things which are the decree of God--lest we should go mad.Tell us your story."
But Rosamund had little to tell, except that she had been welltreated, and always kept by the person of the Sultan, marching toand fro with his army, for he awaited the fulfilment of his dreamconcerning her. Then they told her all that had chanced to them;also of the vision of Godwin and its dreadful accomplishment, andof the death of Hassan beneath the sword of Wulf. At that storyRosamund wept and shrank from him a little, for though it wasthis prince who had stolen her from her home, she loved Hassan.Yet when Wulf said humbly:
"The fault is not mine; it was so fated. Would that I had diedinstead of this Saracen!"
Rosamund answered: "No, no; I am proud that you should haveconquered."
But Wulf shook his head, and said:
"I am not proud. Although weary with that awful battle, I wasstill the younger and stronger man, though at first he well-nighmastered me by his skill and quickness. At least we partedfriends. Look, he gave me this," and he showed her the greatemerald badge which the dying prince had given him.
Masouda, who all this while had sat very quiet, came forward andlooked at it.
"Do you know," she asked, "that this jewel is very famous, notonly for its value, but because it is said to have belonged toone of the children of the prophet, and to bring good fortune toits owner?"
Wulf smiled.
"It brought little to poor Hassan but now, when my grandsire'ssword shore the Damascus steel as though it were wet clay."
"And sent him swift to Paradise, where he would be, at the handsof a gallant foe," answered Masouda. "Nay, all his life this emirwas happy and beloved, by his sovereign, his wives, his fellowsand his servants, nor do I think that he would have desiredanother end whose wish was to die in battle with the Franks. Atleast there is scarce a soldier in the Sultan's army who wouldnot give all he has for yonder trinket, which is knownthroughout the land as the Star of Hassan. So beware, Sir Wulf,lest you be robbed or murdered, although you have eaten the saltof Salah-ed-din."
"I remember the captain Abdullah looking at it greedily andlamenting that the Luck of the House of Hassan should pass to anunbeliever," said Wulf. "Well, enough of this jewel and itsdangers; I think Godwin has words to say."
"Yes," said Godwin. "We are here in your tent through thekindness of Saladin, who did not wish us to witness the death ofour comrades, but to-morrow we shall be separated again. Now ifyou are to escape--"
"I will escape! I must escape, even if I am recaptured and diefor it," broke in Rosamund passionately.
"Speak low," said Masouda. "I saw the eunuch Mesrour pass thedoor of the tent, and he is a spy--they all are spies."
"If you are to escape," repeated Godwin in a whisper, "it must bewithin the next few weeks while the army is on the march. Therisk is great to all of us--even to you, and we have no plan.But, Masouda, you are clever; make one, and tell it to us."
She lifted her head to speak, when suddenly a shadow fell uponthem. It was that of the head eunuch, Mesrour, a fat,cunning-faced man, with a cringing air. Low he bowed before them,saying:
"Your pardon, O Princess. A messenger has come from Salah-ed-dindemanding the presence of these knights at the banquet that hehas made ready for his noble prisoners."
"We obey," said Godwin, and rising they bowed to Rosamund and toMasouda, then turned to go, leaving the star jewel where they hadbeen seated.
Very skilfully Mesrour covered it with a fold of his robe, andunder shelter of the fold slipped down his hand and grasped it,not knowing that although she seemed to be turned away, Masoudawas watching him out of the corner of her eye. Waiting till thebrethren reached the tent door, she called out:
"Sir Wulf, are you already weary of the enchanted Star ofFortune, or would you bequeath it to us?"
Now Wulf came back, saying heavily:
"I forgot the thing--who would not at such a time? Where is it? Ileft it on the cushion."
"Try the hand of Mesrour," said Masouda, whereat with a verycrooked smile the eunuch produced it, and said:
"I wished to show you, Sir Knight, that you must be careful withsuch gems as these, especially in a camp where there are manydishonest persons."
"I thank you," answered Wulf as he took it; "you have shown me."Then, followed by the sound of Masouda's mocking laughter, theyleft the tent.
The Sultan's messenger led them forward, across ground strewnwith the bodies of the murdered Templars and Hospitallers, lyingas Godwin had seen them in his dream on the mountain top nearNazareth. Over one of these corpses Godwin stumbled in thegloom, so heavily, that he fell to his knees. He searched theface in the starlight, to find it was that of a knight of theHospitallers of whom he had made a friend at Jerusalem--a verygood and gentle Frenchman, who had abandoned high station andlarge lands to join the order for the love of Christ andcharity. Such was his reward on earth--to be struck down in coldblood, like an ox by its butcher. Then, muttering a prayer forthe repose of this knight's soul, Godwin rose and, filled withhorror, followed on to the royal pavilion, wondering why suchthings were.
Of all the strange feasts that they ever ate the brethren foundthis the strangest and the most sad. Saladin was seated at thehead of the table with guards and officers standing behind him,and as each dish was brought he tasted it and no more, to showthat it was not poisoned. Not far from him sat the king ofJerusalem and his brother, and all down the board great captivenobles, to the number of fifty or more. Sorry spectacles werethese gallant knights in their hewn and blood-stained armour,pale-faced, too, with eyes set wide in horror at the dread deedsthey had just seen done. Yet they ate, and ate ravenously, fornow that their thirst was satisfied, they were mad with hunger.Thirty thousand Christians lay dead on the Horn and plain ofHattin; the kingdom of Jerusalem was destroyed, and its king aprisoner. The holy Rood was taken as a trophy. Two hundredknights of the sacred Orders lay within a few score of yards ofthem, butchered cruelly by those very emirs and doctors of thelaw who stood grave and silent behind their master's seat, at theexpress command of that merciless master. Defeated, shamed,bereaved--yet they ate, and, being human, could take comfort fromthe thought that having eaten, by the law of the Arabs, at leasttheir lives were safe.
Saladin called Godwin and Wulf to him that they might interpretfor him, and gave them food, and they also ate who were compelledto it by hunger.
"Have you seen your cousin, the princess?" he asked; "and howfound you her?" he asked presently.
Then, remembering over what he had fallen outside her tent, andlooking at those miserable feasters, anger took hold of Godwin,and he answered boldly:
"Sire, we found her sick with the sights and sounds of war andmurder; shamed to know also that her uncle, the conqueringsovereign of the East, had slaughtered two hundred unarmed men."
Wulf trembled at his words, but Saladin listened and showed noanger.
"Doubtless," he answered, "she thinks me cruel, and you alsothink me cruel--a despot who delights in the death of hisenemies. Yet it is not so, for I desire peace and to sav
e life,not to destroy it. It is you Christians who for hard upon ahundred years have drenched these sands with blood, because yousay that you wish to possess the land where your prophet livedand died more than eleven centuries ago. How many Saracens haveyou slain? Hundreds of thousands of them. Moreover, with youpeace is no peace. Those Orders that I destroyed tonight havebroken it a score of times. Well, I will bear no more. Allah hasgiven me and my army the victory, and I will take your cities anddrive the Franks back into the sea. Let them seek their own landsand worship God there after their own fashion, and leave the Eastin quiet.
"Now, Sir Godwin, tell these captives for me that tomorrow I sendthose of them who are unwounded to Damascus, there to awaitransom while I besiege Jerusalem and the other Christian cities.Let them have no fear; I have emptied the cup of my anger; nomore of them shall die, and a priest of their faith, the bishopof Nazareth, shall stay with their sick in my army to minister tothem after their own rites."
So Godwin rose and told them, and they answered not a word, whohad lost all hope and courage.
Afterwards he asked whether he and his brother were also to besent to Damascus.
Saladin replied, "No; he would keep them for awhile tointerpret, then they might go their ways without ransom."
On the morrow, accordingly, the captives were sent to Damascus,and that day Saladin took the castle of Tiberias, setting atliberty Eschiva, the wife of Raymond, and her children. Then hemoved on to Acre, which he took, relieving four thousand Moslemcaptives, and so on to other towns, all of which fell before him,till at length he came to Ascalon, which he besieged in form,setting up his mangonels against its walls.
The night was dark outside of Ascalon, save when the flashes oflightning in the storm that rolled down from the mountains to thesea lit it up, showing the thousands of white tents set round thecity, the walls and the sentries who watched upon them, thefeathery palms that stood against the sky, the mighty,snow-crowned range of Lebanon, and encircling all the blackbreast of the troubled ocean. In a little open space of thegarden of an empty house that stood without the walls, a man anda woman were talking, both of them wrapped in dark cloaks. Theywere Godwin and Masouda.
"Well," said Godwin eagerly, "is all ready?"
She nodded and answered:
"At length, all. To-morrow afternoon an assault will be made uponAscalon, but even if it is taken the camp will not be moved thatnight. There will be great confusion, and Abdullah, who issomewhat sick, will be the captain of the guard over theprincess's tent. He will allow the soldiers to slip away toassist in the sack of the city, nor will they betray him. Atsunset but one eunuch will be on watch--Mesrour; and I will findmeans to put him to sleep. Abdullah will bring the princess tothis garden disguised as his young son, and there you two and Ishall meet them."
"What then?" asked Godwin.
"Do you remember the old Arab who brought you the horses Flameand Smoke, and took no payment for them, he who was named Son ofthe Sand? Well, as you know, he is my uncle, and he has morehorses of that breed. I have seen him, and he is well pleased atthe tale of Flame and Smoke and the knights who rode them, andmore particularly at the way in which they came to their end,which he says has brought credit to their ancient blood. At thefoot of this garden is a cave, which was once a sepulchre. Therewe shall find the horses--four of them--and with them my uncle,Son of the Sand, and by the morning light we will be a hundredmiles away and lie hid with his tribe until we can slip to thecoast and board a Christian ship. Does it please you?"
"Very well; but what is Abdullah's price?"
"One only--the enchanted star, the Luck of the House of Hassan;for nothing else will he take such risks. Will Sir Wulf give it?"
"Surely," answered Godwin with a laugh.
"Good. Then it must be done to-night. When I return I will sendAbdullah to your tent. Fear not; if he takes the jewel he willgive the price, since otherwise he thinks it will bring him illfortune."
"Does the lady Rosamund know?" asked Godwin again.
She shook her head.
"Nay, she is mad to escape; she thinks of little else all daylong. But what is the use of telling her till the time comes? Thefewer in such a plot the better, and if anything goes wrong, itis well that she should be innocent, for then--"
"Then death, and farewell to all things," said Godwin; "norindeed should I grieve to say them good-bye. But, Masouda, yourun great peril. Tell me now, honestly, why do you do this?"
As he spoke the lightning flashed and showed her face as shestood there against a background of green leaves and red lilyflowers. There was a strange look upon it--a look that madeGodwin feel afraid, he knew not of what.
"Why did I take you into my inn yonder in Beirut when you werethe pilgrims Peter and John? Why did I find you the best horsesin Syria and guide you to the Al-je-bal? Why did I often daredeath by torment for you there? Why did I save the three of you?And why, for all this weary while, have I--who, after all, amnobly born--become the mock of soldiers and the tire-woman of theprincess of Baalbec?
"Shall I answer?" she went on, laughing. "Doubtless in thebeginning because I was the agent of Sinan, charged to betraysuch knights as you are into his hands, and afterwards because myheart was filled with pity and love for--the lady Rosamund."
Again the lightning flashed, and this time that strange look hadspread from Masouda's face to the face of Godwin.
"Masouda," he said in a whisper, "oh! think me no vain fool, butsince it is best perhaps that both should know full surely, tellme, is it as I have sometimes--"
"Feared?" broke in Masouda with her little mocking laugh. "SirGodwin, it is so. What does your faith teach--the faith in whichI was bred, and lost, but that now is mine again--because it isyours? That men and women are free, or so some read it. Well, itor they are wrong. We are not free. Was I free when first I sawyour eyes in Beirut, the eyes for which I had been watching allmy life, and something came from you to me, and I--the cast-offplaything of Sinan--loved you, loved you, loved you--to my owndoom? Yes, and rejoiced that it was so, and still rejoice that itis so, and would choose no other fate, because in that love Ilearned that there is a meaning in this life, and that there isan answer to it in lives to be, otherwhere if not here. Nay,speak not. I know your oath, nor would I tempt you to itsbreaking. But, Sir Godwin, a woman such as the lady Rosamundcannot love two men," and as she spoke Masouda strove to searchhis face while the shaft went home.
But Godwin showed neither surprise nor pain.
"So you know what I have known for long," he said, "so long thatmy sorrow is lost in the hope of my brother's joy. Moreover, itis well that she should have chosen the better knight."
"Sometimes," said Masouda reflectively, "sometimes I have watchedthe lady Rosamund, and said to myself, 'What do you lack? You arebeautiful, you are highborn, you are learned, you are brave, andyou are good.' Then I have answered, 'You lack wisdom and truesight, else you would not have chosen Wulf when you might havetaken Godwin. Or perchance your eyes are blinded also.'"
"Speak not thus of one who is my better in all things, I prayyou," said Godwin in a vexed voice.
"By which you mean, whose arm is perhaps a little stronger, andwho at a pinch could cut down a few more Saracens. Well, it takesmore than strength to make a man--you must add spirit."
"Masouda," went on Godwin, taking no note of her words, "althoughwe may guess her mind, our lady has said nothing yet. Also Wulfmay fall, and then I fill his place as best I can. I am no freeman, Masouda."
"The love-sick are never free," she answered.
"I have no right to love the woman who loves my brother; to herare due my friendship and my reverence--no more."
"She has not declared that she loves your brother; we may guesswrongly in this matter. They are your words--not mine."
"And we may guess rightly. What then?"
"Then," answered Masouda, "there are many knightly Orders, ormonasteries, for those who desire such places--as you do in yourheart. Nay, talk no more of all these
things that may or may notbe. Back to your tent, Sir Godwin, where I will send Abdullah toyou to receive the jewel. So, farewell, farewell."
He took her outstretched hand, hesitated a moment, then lifted itto his lips, and went. It was cold as that of a corpse, and fellagainst her side again like the hand of a corpse. Masouda shrankback among the flowers of the garden as though to hide herselffrom him and all the world. When he had gone a few paces, eightor ten perhaps, Godwin turned and glanced behind him, and at thatmoment there came a great blaze of lightning. In its fierce andfiery glare he saw Masouda standing with outstretched arms, pale,upturned face, closed eyes, and parted lips. Illumined by theghastly sheen of the levin her face looked like that of one newdead, and the tall red lilies which climbed up her dark,pall-like robe to her throat--yes, they looked like streams offresh-shed blood.
Godwin shuddered a little and went his way, but as she slidthence into the black, embracing night, Masouda said to herself:
"Had I played a little more upon his gentleness and pity, I thinkthat he would have offered me his heart--after Rosamund had donewith it and in payment for my services. Nay, not his heart, forhe has none on earth, but his hand and loyalty. And, beinghonourable, he would have kept his promise, and I, who havepassed through the harem of Al-je-bal, might yet have become thelady D'Arcy, and so lived out my life and nursed his babes. Nay,Sir Godwin; when you love me--not before; and you will never loveme--until I am dead."
Snatching a bloom of the lilies into her hand, the hand that hehad kissed, Masouda pressed it convulsively against her breast,till the red juice ran from the crushed flower and stained herlike a wound. Then she glided away, and was lost in the storm andthe darkness.