CHAPTER XX.
When beauty leads the lion in her toils, Such are her charms, he dare not raise his mane, Far less expand the terror of his fangs. So great Alcides made his club a distaff, And spun to please fair Omphale. ANONYMOUS.
Richard, the unsuspicious object of the dark treachery detailed in theclosing part of the last chapter, having effected, for the present atleast, the triumphant union of the Crusading princes in a resolutionto prosecute the war with vigour, had it next at heart to establishtranquillity in his own family; and, now that he could judge moretemperately, to inquire distinctly into the circumstances leading tothe loss of his banner, and the nature and the extent of the connectionbetwixt his kinswoman Edith and the banished adventurer from Scotland.
Accordingly, the Queen and her household were startled with a visitfrom Sir Thomas de Vaux, requesting the present attendance of the LadyCalista of Montfaucon, the Queen's principal bower-woman, upon KingRichard.
"What am I to say, madam?" said the trembling attendant to the Queen,"He will slay us all."
"Nay, fear not, madam," said De Vaux. "His Majesty hath spared the lifeof the Scottish knight, who was the chief offender, and bestowed himupon the Moorish physician. He will not be severe upon a lady, thoughfaulty."
"Devise some cunning tale, wench," said Berengaria. "My husband hath toolittle time to make inquiry into the truth."
"Tell the tale as it really happened," said Edith, "lest I tell it forthee."
"With humble permission of her Majesty," said De Vaux, "I would say LadyEdith adviseth well; for although King Richard is pleased to believewhat it pleases your Grace to tell him, yet I doubt his having the samedeference for the Lady Calista, and in this especial matter."
"The Lord of Gilsland is right," said the Lady Calista, much agitated atthe thoughts of the investigation which was to take place; "and besides,if I had presence of mind enough to forge a plausible story, beshrew meif I think I should have the courage to tell it."
In this candid humour, the Lady Calista was conducted by De Vaux to theKing, and made, as she had proposed, a full confession of the decoy bywhich the unfortunate Knight of the Leopard had been induced to deserthis post; exculpating the Lady Edith, who, she was aware, would notfail to exculpate herself, and laying the full burden on the Queen, hermistress, whose share of the frolic, she well knew, would appear themost venial in the eyes of Coeur de Lion. In truth, Richard was a fond,almost a uxorious husband. The first burst of his wrath had long sincepassed away, and he was not disposed severely to censure what couldnot now be amended. The wily Lady Calista, accustomed from her earliestchildhood to fathom the intrigues of a court, and watch the indicationsof a sovereign's will, hastened back to the Queen with the speed ofa lapwing, charged with the King's commands that she should expecta speedy visit from him; to which the bower-lady added a commentaryfounded on her own observation, tending to show that Richard meant justto preserve so much severity as might bring his royal consort to repentof her frolic, and then to extend to her and all concerned his graciouspardon.
"Sits the wind in that corner, wench?" said the Queen, much relieved bythis intelligence. "Believe me that, great commander as he is, Richardwill find it hard to circumvent us in this matter, and that, as thePyrenean shepherds are wont to say in my native Navarre, Many a onecomes for wool, and goes back shorn."
Having possessed herself of all the information which Calista couldcommunicate, the royal Berengaria arrayed herself in her most becomingdress, and awaited with confidence the arrival of the heroic Richard.
He arrived, and found himself in the situation of a prince entering anoffending province, in the confidence that his business will only be toinflict rebuke, and receive submission, when he unexpectedly finds it ina state of complete defiance and insurrection. Berengaria well knewthe power of her charms and the extent of Richard's affection, andfelt assured that she could make her own terms good, now that the firsttremendous explosion of his anger had expended itself without mischief.Far from listening to the King's intended rebuke, as what the levityof her conduct had justly deserved, she extenuated, nay, defended as aharmless frolic, that which she was accused of. She denied, indeed,with many a pretty form of negation, that she had directed Nectabanusabsolutely to entice the knight farther than the brink of the Mount onwhich he kept watch--and, indeed, this was so far true, that she had notdesigned Sir Kenneth to be introduced into her tent--and then, eloquentin urging her own defence, the Queen was far more so in pressing uponRichard the charge of unkindness, in refusing her so poor a boon as thelife of an unfortunate knight, who, by her thoughtless prank, had beenbrought within the danger of martial law. She wept and sobbed while sheenlarged on her husband's obduracy on this score, as a rigour which hadthreatened to make her unhappy for life, whenever she should reflectthat she had given, unthinkingly, the remote cause for such a tragedy.The vision of the slaughtered victim would have haunted her dreams--nay,for aught she knew, since such things often happened, his actual spectremight have stood by her waking couch. To all this misery of the mind wasshe exposed by the severity of one who, while he pretended to dote uponher slightest glance, would not forego one act of poor revenge, thoughthe issue was to render her miserable.
All this flow of female eloquence was accompanied with the usualarguments of tears and sighs, and uttered with such tone and action asseemed to show that the Queen's resentment arose neither from pride norsullenness, but from feelings hurt at finding her consequence with herhusband less than she had expected to possess.
The good King Richard was considerably embarrassed. He tried in vainto reason with one whose very jealousy of his affection rendered herincapable of listening to argument, nor could he bring himself to usethe restraint of lawful authority to a creature so beautiful in themidst of her unreasonable displeasure. He was therefore reduced to thedefensive, endeavoured gently to chide her suspicions and soothe herdispleasure, and recalled to her mind that she need not look back uponthe past with recollections either of remorse or supernatural fear,since Sir Kenneth was alive and well, and had been bestowed by him uponthe great Arabian physician, who, doubtless, of all men, knew best howto keep him living. But this seemed the unkindest cut of all, andthe Queen's sorrow was renewed at the idea of a Saracen--amediciner--obtaining a boon for which, with bare head and on bendedknee, she had petitioned her husband in vain. At this new chargeRichard's patience began rather to give way, and he said, in a serioustone of voice, "Berengaria, the physician saved my life. If it is ofvalue in your eyes, you will not grudge him a higher recompense than theonly one I could prevail on him to accept."
The Queen was satisfied she had urged her coquettish displeasure to theverge of safety.
"My Richard," she said, "why brought you not that sage to me, thatEngland's Queen might show how she esteemed him who could save fromextinction the lamp of chivalry, the glory of England, and the light ofpoor Berengaria's life and hope?"
In a word, the matrimonial dispute was ended; but, that some penaltymight be paid to justice, both King and Queen accorded in laying thewhole blame on the agent Nectabanus, who (the Queen being by this timewell weary of the poor dwarf's humour) was, with his royal consortGuenevra, sentenced to be banished from the Court; and the unlucky dwarfonly escaped a supplementary whipping, from the Queen's assurances thathe had already sustained personal chastisement. It was decreed furtherthat, as an envoy was shortly to be dispatched to Saladin, acquaintinghim with the resolution of the Council to resume hostilities so soon asthe truce was ended, and as Richard proposed to send a valuable presentto the Soldan, in acknowledgment of the high benefit he had derived fromthe services of El Hakim, the two unhappy creatures should be added toit as curiosities, which, from their extremely grotesque appearance, andthe shattered state of their intellect, were gifts that might well passbetween sovereign and sovereign.
Richard had that day yet another female encounter to sustain; buthe advanced to it with comparative indifference, for Edith,
thoughbeautiful and highly esteemed by her royal relative--nay, although shehad from his unjust suspicions actually sustained the injury of whichBerengaria only affected to complain--still was neither Richard's wifenor mistress, and he feared her reproaches less, although founded inreason, than those of the Queen, though unjust and fantastical. Havingrequested to speak with her apart, he was ushered into her apartment,adjoining that of the Queen, whose two female Coptish slaves remained ontheir knees in the most remote corner during the interview. A thin blackveil extended its ample folds over the tall and graceful form of thehigh-born maiden, and she wore not upon her person any female ornamentof what kind soever. She arose and made a low reverence when Richardentered, resumed her seat at his command, and, when he sat down besideher, waited, without uttering a syllable, until he should communicatehis pleasure.
Richard, whose custom it was to be familiar with Edith, as theirrelationship authorized, felt this reception chilling, and opened theconversation with some embarrassment.
"Our fair cousin," he at length said, "is angry with us; and we own thatstrong circumstances have induced us, without cause, to suspect herof conduct alien to what we have ever known in her course of life. Butwhile we walk in this misty valley of humanity, men will mistake shadowsfor substances. Can my fair cousin not forgive her somewhat vehementkinsman Richard?"
"Who can refuse forgiveness to RICHARD," answered Edith, "providedRichard can obtain pardon of the KING?"
"Come, my kinswoman," replied Coeur de Lion, "this is all too solemn.By Our Lady, such a melancholy countenance, and this ample sable veil,might make men think thou wert a new-made widow, or had lost a betrothedlover, at least. Cheer up! Thou hast heard, doubtless, that there is noreal cause for woe; why, then, keep up the form of mourning?"
"For the departed honour of Plantagenet--for the glory which hath leftmy father's house."
Richard frowned. "Departed honour! glory which hath left our house!" herepeated angrily. "But my cousin Edith is privileged. I have judged hertoo hastily; she has therefore a right to deem of me too harshly. Buttell me at least in what I have faulted."
"Plantagenet," said Edith, "should have either pardoned an offence, orpunished it. It misbecomes him to assign free men, Christians, andbrave knights, to the fetters of the infidels. It becomes him not tocompromise and barter, or to grunt life under the forfeiture of liberty.To have doomed the unfortunate to death might have been severity, buthad a show of justice; to condemn him to slavery and exile was barefacedtyranny."
"I see, my fair cousin," said Richard, "you are of those pretty ones whothink an absent lover as bad as none, or as a dead one. Be patient; halfa score of light horsemen may yet follow and redeem the error, if thygallant have in keeping any secret which might render his death moreconvenient than his banishment."
"Peace with thy scurrile jests!" answered Edith, colouring deeply."Think, rather, that for the indulgence of thy mood thou hast loppedfrom this great enterprise one goodly limb, deprived the Cross of one ofits most brave supporters, and placed a servant of the true God in thehands of the heathen; hast given, too, to minds as suspicious as thouhast shown thine own in this matter, some right to say that RichardCoeur de Lion banished the bravest soldier in his camp lest his name inbattle might match his own."
"I--I!" exclaimed Richard, now indeed greatly moved--"am I one to bejealous of renown? I would he were here to profess such an equality! Iwould waive my rank and my crown, and meet him, manlike, in the lists,that it might appear whether Richard Plantagenet had room to fear or toenvy the prowess of mortal man. Come, Edith, thou think'st not as thousayest. Let not anger or grief for the absence of thy lover make theeunjust to thy kinsman, who, notwithstanding all thy techiness, valuesthy good report as high as that of any one living."
"The absence of my lover?" said the Lady Edith, "But yes, he may bewell termed my lover, who hath paid so dear for the title. Unworthy as Imight be of such homage, I was to him like a light, leading him forwardin the noble path of chivalry; but that I forgot my rank, or that hepresumed beyond his, is false, were a king to speak it."
"My fair cousin," said Richard, "do not put words in my mouth which Ihave not spoken. I said not you had graced this man beyond the favourwhich a good knight may earn, even from a princess, whatever be hisnative condition. But, by Our Lady, I know something of thislove-gear. It begins with mute respect and distant reverence; but whenopportunities occur, familiarity increases, and so--But it skills nottalking with one who thinks herself wiser than all the world."
"My kinsman's counsels I willingly listen to, when they are such," saidEdith, "as convey no insult to my rank and character."
"Kings, my fair cousin, do not counsel, but rather command," saidRichard.
"Soldans do indeed command," said Edith, "but it is because they haveslaves to govern."
"Come, you might learn to lay aside this scorn of Soldanrie, when youhold so high of a Scot," said the King. "I hold Saladin to be truer tohis word than this William of Scotland, who must needs be called aLion, forsooth; he hath foully faulted towards me in failing to send theauxiliary aid he promised. Let me tell thee, Edith, thou mayest live toprefer a true Turk to a false Scot."
"No--never!" answered Edith--"not should Richard himself embrace thefalse religion, which he crossed the seas to expel from Palestine."
"Thou wilt have the last word," said Richard, "and thou shalt have it.Even think of me what thou wilt, pretty Edith. I shall not forget thatwe are near and dear cousins."
So saying, he took his leave in fair fashion, but very little satisfiedwith the result of his visit.
It was the fourth day after Sir Kenneth had been dismissed from thecamp, and King Richard sat in his pavilion, enjoying an evening breezefrom the west, which, with unusual coolness on her wings, seemedbreathed from merry England for the refreshment of her adventurousMonarch, as he was gradually recovering the full strength which wasnecessary to carry on his gigantic projects. There was no one withhim, De Vaux having been sent to Ascalon to bring up reinforcements andsupplies of military munition, and most of his other attendants beingoccupied in different departments, all preparing for the re-openingof hostilities, and for a grand preparatory review of the army of theCrusaders, which was to take place the next day. The King sat listeningto the busy hum among the soldiery, the clatter from the forges, wherehorseshoes were preparing, and from the tents of the armourers, who wererepairing harness. The voice of the soldiers, too, as they passedand repassed, was loud and cheerful, carrying with its very tone anassurance of high and excited courage, and an omen of approachingvictory. While Richard's ear drank in these sounds with delight, andwhile he yielded himself to the visions of conquest and of glory whichthey suggested, an equerry told him that a messenger from Saladin waitedwithout.
"Admit him instantly," said the King, "and with due honour, Josceline."
The English knight accordingly introduced a person, apparently of nohigher rank than a Nubian slave, whose appearance was neverthelesshighly interesting. He was of superb stature and nobly formed, and hiscommanding features, although almost jet-black, showed nothing of negrodescent. He wore over his coal-black locks a milk-white turban, and overhis shoulders a short mantle of the same colour, open in front and atthe sleeves, under which appeared a doublet of dressed leopard's skinreaching within a handbreadth of the knee. The rest of his muscularlimbs, both legs and arms, were bare, excepting that he had sandalson his feet, and wore a collar and bracelets of silver. A straightbroadsword, with a handle of box-wood and a sheath covered withsnakeskin, was suspended from his waist. In his right hand he held ashort javelin, with a broad, bright steel head, of a span in length, andin his left he led by a leash of twisted silk and gold a large and noblestaghound.
The messenger prostrated himself, at the same time partially uncoveringhis shoulders, in sign of humiliation, and having touched the earth withhis forehead, arose so far as to rest on one knee, while he deliveredto the King a silken napkin, enclosing another of cloth of gold,within
which was a letter from Saladin in the original Arabic, with atranslation into Norman-English, which may be modernized thus:--
"Saladin, King of Kings, to Melech Ric, the Lion of England. Whereas, weare informed by thy last message that thou hast chosen war rather thanpeace, and our enmity rather than our friendship, we account thee asone blinded in this matter, and trust shortly to convince thee of thineerror, by the help of our invincible forces of the thousand tribes, whenMohammed, the Prophet of God, and Allah, the God of the Prophet, shalljudge the controversy betwixt us. In what remains, we make noble accountof thee, and of the gifts which thou hast sent us, and of the twodwarfs, singular in their deformity as Ysop, and mirthful as the lute ofIsaack. And in requital of these tokens from the treasure-house of thybounty, behold we have sent thee a Nubian slave, named Zohauk, of whomjudge not by his complexion, according to the foolish ones of the earth,in respect the dark-rinded fruit hath the most exquisite flavour.Know that he is strong to execute the will of his master, as Rustan ofZablestan; also he is wise to give counsel when thou shalt learn to holdcommunication with him, for the Lord of Speech hath been stricken withsilence betwixt the ivory walls of his palace. We commend him to thycare, hoping the hour may not be distant when he may render thee goodservice. And herewith we bid thee farewell; trusting that our mostholy Prophet may yet call thee to a sight of the truth, failing whichillumination, our desire is for the speedy restoration of thy royalhealth, that Allah may judge between thee and us in a plain field ofbattle."
And the missive was sanctioned by the signature and seal of the Soldan.
Richard surveyed the Nubian in silence as he stood before him, his looksbent upon the ground, his arms folded on his bosom, with the appearanceof a black marble statue of the most exquisite workmanship, waitinglife from the touch of a Prometheus. The King of England, who, as it wasemphatically said of his successor Henry the Eighth, loved to look uponA MAN, was well pleased with the thews, sinews, and symmetry of him whomhe now surveyed, and questioned him in the lingua franca, "Art thou apagan?"
The slave shook his head, and raising his finger to his brow, crossedhimself in token of his Christianity, then resumed his posture ofmotionless humility.
"A Nubian Christian, doubtless," said Richard, "and mutilated of theorgan of speech by these heathen dogs?"
The mute again slowly shook his head, in token of negative, pointed withhis forefinger to Heaven, and then laid it upon his own lips.
"I understand thee," said Richard; "thou dost suffer under theinfliction of God, not by the cruelty of man. Canst thou clean an armourand belt, and buckle it in time of need?"
The mute nodded, and stepping towards the coat of mail, which hung withthe shield and helmet of the chivalrous monarch upon the pillar of thetent, he handled it with such nicety of address as sufficiently to showthat he fully understood the business of an armour-bearer.
"Thou art an apt, and wilt doubtless be a useful knave. Thou shalt waitin my chamber, and on my person," said the King, "to show how much Ivalue the gift of the royal Soldan. If thou hast no tongue, it followsthou canst carry no tales, neither provoke me to be sudden by any unfitreply."
The Nubian again prostrated himself till his brow touched the earth,then stood erect, at some paces distant, as waiting for his new master'scommands.
"Nay, thou shalt commence thy office presently," said Richard, "for Isee a speck of rust darkening on that shield; and when I shake it inthe face of Saladin, it should be bright and unsullied as the Soldan'shonour and mine own."
A horn was winded without, and presently Sir Henry Neville enteredwith a packet of dispatches. "From England, my lord," he said, as hedelivered it.
"From England--our own England!" repeated Richard, in a tone ofmelancholy enthusiasm. "Alas! they little think how hard their Sovereignhas been beset by sickness and sorrow--faint friends and forwardenemies." Then opening the dispatches, he said hastily, "Ha! this comesfrom no peaceful land--they too have their feuds. Neville, begone; Imust peruse these tidings alone, and at leisure."
Neville withdrew accordingly, and Richard was soon absorbed in themelancholy details which had been conveyed to him from England,concerning the factions that were tearing to pieces his nativedominions--the disunion of his brothers John and Geoffrey, and thequarrels of both with the High Justiciary Longchamp, Bishop of Ely--theoppressions practised by the nobles upon the peasantry, and rebellion ofthe latter against their masters, which had produced everywhere scenesof discord, and in some instances the effusion of blood. Details ofincidents mortifying to his pride, and derogatory from his authority,were intermingled with the earnest advice of his wisest and mostattached counsellors that he should presently return to England, ashis presence offered the only hope of saving the Kingdom from all thehorrors of civil discord, of which France and Scotland were likely toavail themselves. Filled with the most painful anxiety, Richard read,and again read, the ill-omened letters; compared the intelligence whichsome of them contained with the same facts as differently stated inothers; and soon became totally insensible to whatever was passingaround him, although seated, for the sake of coolness, close to theentrance of his tent, and having the curtains withdrawn, so that hecould see and be seen by the guards and others who were stationedwithout.
Deeper in the shadow of the pavilion, and busied with the task his newmaster had imposed, sat the Nubian slave, with his back rather turnedtowards the King. He had finished adjusting and cleaning the hauberk andbrigandine, and was now busily employed on a broad pavesse, or buckler,of unusual size, and covered with steel-plating, which Richard oftenused in reconnoitring, or actually storming fortified places, as a moreeffectual protection against missile weapons than the narrow triangularshield used on horseback. This pavesse bore neither the royal lionsof England, nor any other device, to attract the observation ofthe defenders of the walls against which it was advanced; the care,therefore, of the armourer was addressed to causing its surface to shineas bright as crystal, in which he seemed to be peculiarly successful.Beyond the Nubian, and scarce visible from without, lay the large dog,which might be termed his brother slave, and which, as if he felt awedby being transferred to a royal owner, was couched close to the side ofthe mute, with head and ears on the ground, and his limbs and tail drawnclose around and under him.
While the Monarch and his new attendant were thus occupied, anotheractor crept upon the scene, and mingled among the group of Englishyeomen, about a score of whom, respecting the unusually pensive postureand close occupation of their Sovereign, were, contrary to their wont,keeping a silent guard in front of his tent. It was not, however, morevigilant than usual. Some were playing at games of hazard with smallpebbles, others spoke together in whispers of the approaching day ofbattle, and several lay asleep, their bulky limbs folded in their greenmantles.
Amid these careless warders glided the puny form of a little old Turk,poorly dressed like a marabout or santon of the desert--a sort ofenthusiasts, who sometimes ventured into the camp of the Crusaders,though treated always with contumely, and often with violence. Indeed,the luxury and profligate indulgence of the Christian leaders hadoccasioned a motley concourse in their tents of musicians, courtesans,Jewish merchants, Copts, Turks, and all the varied refuse of the Easternnations; so that the caftan and turban, though to drive both fromthe Holy Land was the professed object of the expedition, were,nevertheless, neither an uncommon nor an alarming sight in the camp ofthe Crusaders. When, however, the little insignificant figure we havedescribed approached so nigh as to receive some interruption from thewarders, he dashed his dusky green turban from his head, showed that hisbeard and eyebrows were shaved like those of a professed buffoon, andthat the expression of his fantastic and writhen features, as well asof his little black eyes, which glittered like jet, was that of a crazedimagination.
"Dance, marabout," cried the soldiers, acquainted with the manners ofthese wandering enthusiasts, "dance, or we will scourge thee with ourbow-strings till thou spin as never top did under schoolboy's lash."
Thus shouted the reckless warders, as much delighted at having a subjectto tease as a child when he catches a butterfly, or a schoolboy upondiscovering a bird's nest.
The marabout, as if happy to do their behests, bounded from the earth,and spun his giddy round before them with singular agility, which, whencontrasted with his slight and wasted figure, and diminutive appearance,made him resemble a withered leaf twirled round and round at thepleasure of the winter's breeze. His single lock of hair streamedupwards from his bald and shaven head, as if some genie upheld him byit; and indeed it seemed as if supernatural art were necessary to theexecution of the wild, whirling dance, in which scarce the tiptoe ofthe performer was seen to touch the ground. Amid the vagaries of hisperformance he flew here and there, from one spot to another, stillapproaching, however, though almost imperceptibly, to the entrance ofthe royal tent; so that, when at length he sunk exhausted on the earth,after two or three bounds still higher than those which he had yetexecuted, he was not above thirty yards from the King's person.
"Give him water," said one yeoman; "they always crave a drink aftertheir merry-go-round."
"Aha, water, sayest thou, Long Allen?" exclaimed another archer, with amost scornful emphasis on the despised element; "how wouldst like suchbeverage thyself, after such a morrice dancing?"
"The devil a water-drop he gets here," said a third. "We will teachthe light-footed old infidel to be a good Christian, and drink wine ofCyprus."
"Ay, ay," said a fourth; "and in case he be restive, fetch thou DickHunter's horn, that he drenches his mare withal."
A circle was instantly formed around the prostrate and exhausteddervise, and while one tall yeoman raised his feeble form from theground, another presented to him a huge flagon of wine. Incapable ofspeech, the old man shook his head, and waved away from him with hishand the liquor forbidden by the Prophet. But his tormentors were notthus to be appeased.
"The horn, the horn!" exclaimed one. "Little difference between a Turkand a Turkish horse, and we will use him conforming."
"By Saint George, you will choke him!" said Long Allen; "and besides, itis a sin to throw away upon a heathen dog as much wine as would serve agood Christian for a treble night-cap."
"Thou knowest not the nature of these Turks and pagans, Long Allen,"replied Henry Woodstall. "I tell thee, man, that this flagon of Cypruswill set his brains a-spinning, just in the opposite direction that theywent whirling in the dancing, and so bring him, as it were, to himselfagain. Choke? He will no more choke on it than Ben's black bitch on thepound of butter."
"And for grudging it," said Tomalin Blacklees, "why shouldst thou grudgethe poor paynim devil a drop of drink on earth, since thou knowest heis not to have a drop to cool the tip of his tongue through a longeternity?"
"That were hard laws, look ye," said Long Allen, "only for being a Turk,as his father was before him. Had he been Christian turned heathen, Igrant you the hottest corner had been good winter quarters for him."
"Hold thy peace, Long Allen," said Henry Woodstall. "I tell thee thattongue of thine is not the shortest limb about thee, and I prophesy thatit will bring thee into disgrace with Father Francis, as once about theblack-eyed Syrian wench. But here comes the horn. Be active a bit,man, wilt thou, and just force open his teeth with the haft of thydudgeon-dagger."
"Hold, hold--he is conformable," said Tomalin; "see, see, he signs forthe goblet--give him room, boys! OOP SEY ES, quoth the Dutchman--downit goes like lamb's-wool! Nay, they are true topers when once theybegin--your Turk never coughs in his cup, or stints in his liquoring."
In fact, the dervise, or whatever he was, drank--or at least seemed todrink--the large flagon to the very bottom at a single pull; and whenhe took it from his lips after the whole contents were exhausted, onlyuttered, with a deep sigh, the words, ALLAH KERIM, or God is merciful.There was a laugh among the yeomen who witnessed this pottle-deeppotation, so obstreperous as to rouse and disturb the King, who, raisinghis finger, said angrily, "How, knaves, no respect, no observance?"
All were at once hushed into silence, well acquainted with the temper ofRichard, which at some times admitted of much military familiarity, andat others exacted the most precise respect, although the latter humourwas of much more rare occurrence. Hastening to a more reverent distancefrom the royal person, they attempted to drag along with them themarabout, who, exhausted apparently by previous fatigue, or overpoweredby the potent draught he had just swallowed, resisted being moved fromthe spot, both with struggles and groans.
"Leave him still, ye fools," whispered Long Allen to his mates; "bySaint Christopher, you will make our Dickon go beside himself, and weshall have his dagger presently fly at our costards. Leave him alone; inless than a minute he will sleep like a dormouse."
At the same moment the Monarch darted another impatient glance to thespot, and all retreated in haste, leaving the dervise on the ground,unable, as it seemed, to stir a single limb or joint of his body. In amoment afterward all was as still and quiet as it had been before theintrusion.