XV
JOURNEYS END IN LOVERS' MEETING
Roland slept until the sun was about an hour high over the westernhills. He found the captain waiting patiently for him to awake, and thenthat useful martinet instantly set his crew at tying up the bales whichhad been torn open, placing them once more in the hold. He was about todo the same with the weapons captured from Furstenberg, but Greuselstepped forward, and asked him to put pikes, battle-axes, and the longswords into the cabin.
Roland nodded his approval, saying:
"They may prove useful instruments in case of an attack on the barge.Our own swords are just a trifle short for adding interest to anassault."
When once more the hatches were down, and the deck clear, supper wasserved. Shortly after sunset, Roland told the captain to cast off,directing him to keep to the eastern shore, passing between what mightbe called the marine Castle of Pfalz and the village of Caub, with thestrictest silence he could enjoin upon his crew. Pfalz stands upon arock in the Rhine, a short distance up the river from Caub, while abovethat village on the hill behind are situated the strong, square towersof Gutenfels.
"Don't you intend to pay a call upon Pfalzgrafenstein?" asked Ebearhard."It is notoriously the most pestilent robber's nest between Mayence andCologne."
"No," said Roland. "On this occasion Pfalz shall escape. You see,Ebearhard, on our first trip down the Rhine it is not my intention tofight if I can avoid conflict. The plan which proved successful with thefour castles we have visited is impossible so far as Pfalz is concerned.If we attempted to enter this waterschloss by stealth, we would bediscovered by those levying contributions on the barge. There is nocover to conceal us, so I shall give Pfalz the go-by, and alsoGutenfels, because the latter is not a robber castle, but is owned bythe Count Palatine, a true gentleman and no thief. The next object ofour attentions will be Schonburg, on the western side of the river, nearOberwesel."
As the grotesque, hexagonal bulk of the Pfalz, with its numerous juttingcorners and turrets, and over all the pentagonal tower, appeared dimlyin the center of the Rhine, under the clear stars, the captain orderedhis men to lie flat on the deck, himself following their example. Rolandand his company were already seated in the cabin, and the great barge,lying so low in the water as to be almost invisible with its blackpaint, floated noiseless as a dream down the swift current.
Without the slightest warning came a shock, and every man on the lockerswas flung to the floor of the cabin, with cries of dismay, for too wellthey recognized the preliminary to their disasters of the night before.Roland sprang up on deck, and found the boat swinging round broadside tothe current, which had swept it so near to the Castle that at first itseemed to have struck against one of the outlying rocks. The fantasticform of the Pfalz hung over them, looking like some weird building seenin a nightmare, its sharp, pointed pinnacles outlined against thestarlit sky.
The captain, muttering sonorous German oaths, ordered his men to thesweeps, but Roland saw at once that they were too close to the ledge ofrock for any chance of escape. He hurried down into the cabin.
"Every man his sword, and follow me as silently as possible!"
Up on deck again, Roland said to the captain:
"Let your rowers help the chain to bring the barge alongside, but whenthe robbers appear, pretend to be getting away, although you mustinstantly obey them when ordered to cease your efforts."
The prow of the boat ground against the solid rock, jammed in betweenthe stout chain and the low cliff. Roland was the first to springashore, and the rest nimbly followed him. With every motion of the bargethe bell inside the Castle rang, and now they could hear the bestirringof the garrison, and clashing of metal, although the single door of thePfalz had not yet been opened. This door stood six feet above theplateau of rock, and could be entered or quitted only by means of aladder.
Roland led his men to a place of effective concealment along the westernwall of the Pfalz, only just in time, for as he peered round the corner,his men standing back against the wall to the rear, he saw the flash oftorches from the now-open door, and the placing of a stout ladder at asteep angle between the threshold and the floor of rock below. Most ofthe garrison, however, did not wait for this convenience, but leapedimpetuously from doorway to rock. Others slid down the ladder, and allrushed headlong towards the barge, which made its presence known by thegrinding of its side against the rock, and also by the despairing ordersof the captain, and the hurrying footsteps of his men on deck.
More leisurely down the ladder came two officers, followed by one whomRoland recognized as lord of the Castle, Pfalzgraf Hermann von Stahleck,a namesake and relative of the Laughing Baron of Furstenberg, and quiteas ruthless a robber as he.
"Cease your efforts at the prow," shouted the Pfalzgraf to the captainwhen he had descended the ladder, "and concentrate your force at thestern, swinging your boat round broadside on to the landing."
The captain obeyed, and presently the boat lay in such position as thenobleman desired. Now there was a great commotion as, at a word from thePfalzgraf, the garrison fell on the barge, and began to wrench off thehatches, a task which they well knew how to perform.
"Follow as quietly as possible," whispered Roland to the two lieutenantsbehind him, who, under their breath, passed on word to the men. Rolandran nimbly up the ladder. No guard was set where none had ever beenneeded before. Greusel was the last to ascend, then the ladder waspulled up, and the massive door swung shut, bolted and chained.
The invaders found torches stuck here and there along the wall, and thepicturesque courtyard, with its irregular balconies and stairways,seemed, in the flickering light, more spacious than was actually thecase.
Although for the moment in safety, Roland experienced a sense ofimprisonment as he gazed round the narrow limits of this enclosure. Hehad endeavored to count the number of men who followed the Pfalzgraf,but their impetuosity in seeking the barge prevented an accurateestimate, although he knew there were more than double the force thatobeyed him, and therefore it would be suicidal to lead his untrainedcoterie against the seasoned warriors of Stahleck.
He ordered Greusel to take with him six men, and search the Castle,bringing into the courtyard whomsoever they might find; also to discoverwhether any window existed that looked out upon the easternlanding-place. The remainder of his men he grouped at the door, undercommand of Ebearhard.
"I fear, Ebearhard," he said, "that I boasted prematurely in thinkinggood luck would attend me now that I lead what appears to be an obedientfollowing. Here we are in a trap, and unless we can escape throughrat-holes, I admit that I fail to see for the moment how we are to getsafely afloat again."
"We are in better fettle than the Pfalzgraf and his men outside,"returned Ebearhard, "because this fortress is doubtless well suppliedwith provisions, and is considered impregnable, while the Pfalzgraf'simpetuous chaps, who did not know enough to stay in comfortable quarterswhen they had them, are without shelter and without food. You havecertainly done the best you could in the circumstances, and for thosecircumstances you are free of blame, since, not being a wizard, youcould scarcely know of the chain."
"Indeed, Ebearhard, it is just in that respect I blame myself,neglecting your own good example, who discovered the chain atFurstenberg. This trap is a new invention, and, so far as I know, hasnever before been attempted on the Rhine. I might have remembered thatStahleck here is cousin to the Red Margrave, who likely has told him ofthe device. Indeed, the chances are that Stahleck himself was thecontriver of the chain, for he seems a man of much more craft andintelligence than that huge, laughing animal farther up the river. Ishould have ordered the captain to tie up against the eastern bank, andthen sent some men in a small boat to learn if the way was clear. No,Ebearhard, I blame myself for this muddle, and, through anxiety to passthe Pfalz, I have landed myself and my men within its walls. I must pacethis courtyard for a time, and ponder what next to do. Go you,Ebearhard, with the men to the door. Allow no talking or noise. Listeninten
tly, and report to me if you hear anything. You see, Ebearhard, thedevil of it is that Stahleck, like his cousin with Cologne, swearsallegiance to the Archbishop of Mayence, and here am I, after destroyingthe fief of one Archbishop, securely snared in the fief of another. Ifear their Lordships' next meeting with me will not pass off so amicablyas did the last."
"_Next_ meeting?" cried Ebearhard in astonishment; "have you ever metthe Archbishops?"
Roland gasped, realizing that his absorption in one subject had nearlycaused him to betray his momentous secret.
"Ah, I remember," continued Ebearhard. "It was on account of theArchbishop's presence in Bonn that you returned from that town whenfirst you journeyed up the Rhine."
"Yes," said Roland, with relief.
"It seems to me," went on Ebearhard consolingly, "that even if we maynot leave the Castle, at least the Pfalzgraf cannot penetrate into thestronghold, therefore we are safe enough."
"Not so, Ebearhard," replied his chief. "The Pfalzgraf has the barge,remember, and it can carry his whole force to Caub or elsewhere,returning with ample provisions and siege instruments that will batterin the door despite all we can do. Nevertheless, let us keep up ourhearts. Get you to the gate, Ebearhard. I must have time to think beforeGreusel returns."
Alone, with bent head, he paced back and forwards across the courtyardunder the wavering light of the torches. Very speedily he concluded thatno plan could be formed until Greusel made his report regarding theintricacies of the Castle.
"My luck is against me! My luck is against me!" he said aloud tohimself, as if the sound of his own voice might suggest some way out ofthe difficulty.
"Luck always turns against a thief and a marauder," said a sweet andclear voice behind him; "and how can it be otherwise, when thegallows-tree stands at the end of his journey."
Roland stopped in his walk, and turned abruptly towards the sound. Hesaw standing there, just descended from the stairway at her back, onequite evidently a lady; not more than eighteen, perhaps, butnevertheless with a flash of defiance in her somber eyes, which werebent fearlessly upon him. The two tirewomen accompanying her shranktimorously to the background, palpably panic-stricken, and ready tofaint with fright.
"Ah, Madam, how came you here?" cried Roland, ignoring her insultingwords, too much surprised by her beauty of face and form to think ofaught else.
"I came here, because your bully upstairs hammered at my door and bademe open, which I would not do, defying him to break it down if he hadthe power. It so happened that he possessed the power, and used it."
"I deeply regret that you should have been disturbed, Madam. Mylieutenant erred through over-zeal, and I ask your pardon for theoffense."
The girl laughed.
"Why, sir, you are the politest of pirates, but, indeed, your lieutenantseems a harsh man. Without even removing his bonnet, he commanded me tobetake myself to the courtyard and report to his chief, which obedientlyI have done."
"I did not guess that women inhabited this robber's nest. My lieutenantis searching for men in hiding, so please accept my assurance that youwill suffer no further annoyance. You are surely not alone in thishouse?"
"Oh no. Her ladyship the Pfalzgraf's wife, and her entourage, havesought shelter in another part of the Castle, and presently they willall troop down here, prisoners to your most ungallant subordinate; thatis, should their doors prove no stouter than mine, or if your furiousmen have not dislocated their shoulders."
"How came you to be absent from her ladyship's party?"
"Because, urbane pirate captain, I am an unwilling prisoner in thisstronghold, being an obstreperous person, who refused to obey mysuperiors; those set in authority over me. Consequently am I immured inthis dismal dungeon of the water-rats, and thus, youthful pirate, Iwelcome even so red-handed an outlaw as yourself."
"Then are we in like case, my lady of midnight beauty, for I, too, am aprisoner in Pfalzgrafenstein, and, when you came, was cogitating someplan of escape. Therefore, rebellious maiden, the sword of thisred-handed freebooter is most completely at your service," and thespeaker once more doffed his bonnet with a gallant sweep that caused theplume to kiss the flagstones at his feet, and he bowed low to the bravegirl who had shown no fear of him.