CHAPTER XXVIII.
Heard ye the din of battle bray, Lance to lance, and horse to horse? GRAY.
It had been agreed, on account of the heat of the climate, that thejudicial combat which was the cause of the present assemblage of variousnations at the Diamond of the Desert should take place at one hour aftersunrise. The wide lists, which had been constructed under the inspectionof the Knight of the Leopard, enclosed a space of hard sand, which wasone hundred and twenty yards long by forty in width. They extendedin length from north to south, so as to give both parties the equaladvantage of the rising sun. Saladin's royal seat was erected on thewestern side of the enclosure, just in the centre, where the combatantswere expected to meet in mid encounter. Opposed to this was a gallerywith closed casements, so contrived that the ladies, for whoseaccommodation it was erected, might see the fight without beingthemselves exposed to view. At either extremity of the lists was abarrier, which could be opened or shut at pleasure. Thrones had beenalso erected, but the Archduke, perceiving that his was lower thanKing Richard's, refused to occupy it; and Coeur de Lion, who would havesubmitted to much ere any formality should have interfered with thecombat, readily agreed that the sponsors, as they were called, shouldremain on horseback during the fight. At one extremity of the listswere placed the followers of Richard, and opposed to them were thosewho accompanied the defender Conrade. Around the throne destined forthe Soldan were ranged his splendid Georgian Guards, and the rest of theenclosure was occupied by Christian and Mohammedan spectators.
Long before daybreak the lists were surrounded by even a larger numberof Saracens than Richard had seen on the preceding evening. When thefirst ray of the sun's glorious orb arose above the desert, the sonorouscall, "To prayer--to prayer!" was poured forth by the Soldan himself,and answered by others, whose rank and zeal entitled them to act asmuezzins. It was a striking spectacle to see them all sink to earth,for the purpose of repeating their devotions, with their faces turnedto Mecca. But when they arose from the ground, the sun's rays, nowstrengthening fast, seemed to confirm the Lord of Gilsland's conjectureof the night before. They were flashed back from many a spearhead, forthe pointless lances of the preceding day were certainly no longer such.De Vaux pointed it out to his master, who answered with impatience thathe had perfect confidence in the good faith of the Soldan; but if DeVaux was afraid of his bulky body, he might retire.
Soon after this the noise of timbrels was heard, at the sound of whichthe whole Saracen cavaliers threw themselves from their horses, andprostrated themselves, as if for a second morning prayer. This was togive an opportunity to the Queen, with Edith and her attendants, topass from the pavilion to the gallery intended for them. Fifty guards ofSaladin's seraglio escorted them with naked sabres, whose orders were tocut to pieces whomsoever, were he prince or peasant, should venture togaze on the ladies as they passed, or even presume to raise his headuntil the cessation of the music should make all men aware that theywere lodged in their gallery, not to be gazed on by the curious eye.
This superstitious observance of Oriental reverence to the fair sexcalled forth from Queen Berengaria some criticisms very unfavourableto Saladin and his country. But their den, as the royal fair called it,being securely closed and guarded by their sable attendants, she wasunder the necessity of contenting herself with seeing, and laying asidefor the present the still more exquisite pleasure of being seen.
Meantime the sponsors of both champions went, as was their duty, tosee that they were duly armed and prepared for combat. The Archduke ofAustria was in no hurry to perform this part of the ceremony, havinghad rather an unusually severe debauch upon wine of Shiraz the precedingevening. But the Grand Master of the Temple, more deeply concernedin the event of the combat, was early before the tent of Conradeof Montserrat. To his great surprise, the attendants refused himadmittance.
"Do you not know me, ye knaves?" said the Grand Master, in great anger.
"We do, most valiant and reverend," answered Conrade's squire; "but evenyou may not at present enter--the Marquis is about to confess himself."
"Confess himself!" exclaimed the Templar, in a tone where alarm mingledwith surprise and scorn--"and to whom, I pray thee?"
"My master bid me be secret," said the squire; on which the Grand Masterpushed past him, and entered the tent almost by force.
The Marquis of Montserrat was kneeling at the feet of the hermit ofEngaddi, and in the act of beginning his confession.
"What means this, Marquis?" said the Grand Master; "up, for shame--or,if you must needs confess, am not I here?"
"I have confessed to you too often already," replied Conrade, with apale cheek and a faltering voice. "For God's sake, Grand Master, begone,and let me unfold my conscience to this holy man."
"In what is he holier than I am?" said the Grand Master.--"Hermit,prophet, madman--say, if thou darest, in what thou excellest me?"
"Bold and bad man," replied the hermit, "know that I am like thelatticed window, and the divine light passes through to avail others,though, alas! it helpeth not me. Thou art like the iron stanchions,which neither receive light themselves, nor communicate it to any one."
"Prate not to me, but depart from this tent," said the Grand Master;"the Marquis shall not confess this morning, unless it be to me, for Ipart not from his side."
"Is this YOUR pleasure?" said the hermit to Conrade; "for think not Iwill obey that proud man, if you continue to desire my assistance."
"Alas," said Conrade irresolutely, "what would you have me say? Farewellfor a while---we will speak anon."
"O procrastination!" exclaimed the hermit, "thou art asoul-murderer!--Unhappy man, farewell--not for a while, but until weshall both meet no matter where. And for thee," he added, turning to theGrand Master, "TREMBLE!"
"Tremble!" replied the Templar contemptuously, "I cannot if I would."
The hermit heard not his answer, having left the tent.
"Come! to this gear hastily," said the Grand Master, "since thou wiltneeds go through the foolery. Hark thee--I think I know most of thyfrailties by heart, so we may omit the detail, which may be somewhata long one, and begin with the absolution. What signifies counting thespots of dirt that we are about to wash from our hands?"
"Knowing what thou art thyself," said Conrade, "it is blasphemous tospeak of pardoning another."
"That is not according to the canon, Lord Marquis," said the Templar;"thou art more scrupulous than orthodox. The absolution of the wickedpriest is as effectual as if he were himself a saint--otherwise, Godhelp the poor penitent! What wounded man inquires whether the surgeonthat tends his gashes has clean hands or no? Come, shall we to thistoy?"
"No," said Conrade, "I will rather die unconfessed than mock thesacrament."
"Come, noble Marquis," said the Templar, "rouse up your courage, andspeak not thus. In an hour's time thou shalt stand victorious in thelists, or confess thee in thy helmet, like a valiant knight."
"Alas, Grand Master," answered Conrade, "all augurs ill for this affair,the strange discovery by the instinct of a dog--the revival of thisScottish knight, who comes into the lists like a spectre--all betokensevil."
"Pshaw," said the Templar, "I have seen thee bend thy lance boldlyagainst him in sport, and with equal chance of success. Think thou artbut in a tournament, and who bears him better in the tilt-yard thanthou?--Come, squires and armourers, your master must be accoutred forthe field."
The attendants entered accordingly, and began to arm the Marquis.
"What morning is without?" said Conrade.
"The sun rises dimly," answered a squire.
"Thou seest, Grand Master," said Conrade, "nought smiles on us."
"Thou wilt fight the more coolly, my son," answered the Templar; "thankHeaven, that hath tempered the sun of Palestine to suit thine occasion."
Thus jested the Grand Master. But his jests had lost their influence onthe harassed mind of the Marquis, and notwithstanding his attempts toseem gay, his gloom communica
ted itself to the Templar.
"This craven," he thought, "will lose the day in pure faintness andcowardice of heart, which he calls tender conscience. I, whom visionsand auguries shake not---who am firm in my purpose as the living rock--Ishould have fought the combat myself. Would to God the Scot may strikehim dead on the spot; it were next best to his winning the victory. Butcome what will, he must have no other confessor than myself--our sinsare too much in common, and he might confess my share with his own."
While these thoughts passed through his mind, he continued to assist theMarquis in arming, but it was in silence.
The hour at length arrived; the trumpets sounded; the knights rodeinto the lists armed at all points, and mounted like men who were todo battle for a kingdom's honour. They wore their visors up, and ridingaround the lists three times, showed themselves to the spectators. Bothwere goodly persons, and both had noble countenances. But there was anair of manly confidence on the brow of the Scot--a radiancy of hope,which amounted even to cheerfulness; while, although pride and efforthad recalled much of Conrade's natural courage, there lowered still onhis brow a cloud of ominous despondence. Even his steed seemed to treadless lightly and blithely to the trumpet-sound than the noble Arab whichwas bestrode by Sir Kenneth; and the SPRUCH-SPRECHER shook his headwhile he observed that, while the challenger rode around the lists inthe course of the sun--that is, from right to left--the defender madethe same circuit WIDDERSINS--that is, from left to right--which is inmost countries held ominous.
A temporary altar was erected just beneath the gallery occupied by theQueen, and beside it stood the hermit in the dress of his order as aCarmelite friar. Other churchmen were also present. To this altar thechallenger and defender were successively brought forward, conducted bytheir respective sponsors. Dismounting before it, each knight avouchedthe justice of his cause by a solemn oath on the Evangelists, and prayedthat his success might be according to the truth or falsehood of what hethen swore. They also made oath that they came to do battle in knightlyguise, and with the usual weapons, disclaiming the use of spells,charms, or magical devices to incline victory to their side. Thechallenger pronounced his vow with a firm and manly voice, and a boldand cheerful countenance. When the ceremony was finished, the ScottishKnight looked at the gallery, and bent his head to the earth, as if inhonour of those invisible beauties which were enclosed within; then,loaded with armour as he was, sprung to the saddle without the use ofthe stirrup, and made his courser carry him in a succession of caracolesto his station at the eastern extremity of the lists. Conrade alsopresented himself before the altar with boldness enough; but his voiceas he took the oath sounded hollow, as if drowned in his helmet. Thelips with which he appealed to Heaven to adjudge victory to the justquarrel grew white as they uttered the impious mockery. As he turnedto remount his horse, the Grand Master approached him closer, as ifto rectify something about the sitting of his gorget, and whispered,"Coward and fool! recall thy senses, and do me this battle bravely,else, by Heaven, shouldst thou escape him, thou escapest not ME!"
The savage tone in which this was whispered perhaps completed theconfusion of the Marquis's nerves, for he stumbled as he made to horse;and though he recovered his feet, sprung to the saddle with his usualagility, and displayed his address in horsemanship as he assumed hisposition opposite to the challenger's, yet the accident did not escapethose who were on the watch for omens which might predict the fate ofthe day.
The priests, after a solemn prayer that God would show the rightfulquarrel, departed from the lists. The trumpets of the challenger thenrung a flourish, and a herald-at-arms proclaimed at the eastern end ofthe lists--"Here stands a good knight, Sir Kenneth of Scotland, championfor the royal King Richard of England, who accuseth Conrade, Marquis ofMontserrat, of foul treason and dishonour done to the said King."
When the words Kenneth of Scotland announced the name and characterof the champion, hitherto scarce generally known, a loud and cheerfulacclaim burst from the followers of King Richard, and hardly,notwithstanding repeated commands of silence, suffered the reply ofthe defendant to be heard. He, of course, avouched his innocence,and offered his body for battle. The esquires of the combatants nowapproached, and delivered to each his shield and lance, assisting tohang the former around his neck, that his two hands might remain free,one for the management of the bridle, the other to direct the lance.
The shield of the Scot displayed his old bearing, the leopard, butwith the addition of a collar and broken chain, in allusion to his latecaptivity. The shield of the Marquis bore, in reference to his title,a serrated and rocky mountain. Each shook his lance aloft, as if toascertain the weight and toughness of the unwieldy weapon, and then laidit in the rest. The sponsors, heralds, and squires now retired to thebarriers, and the combatants sat opposite to each other, face to face,with couched lance and closed visor, the human form so completelyenclosed, that they looked more like statues of molten iron thanbeings of flesh and blood. The silence of suspense was now general.Men breathed thicker, and their very souls seemed seated in their eyes;while not a sound was to be heard save the snorting and pawing of thegood steeds, who, sensible of what was about to happen, were impatientto dash into career. They stood thus for perhaps three minutes, when,at a signal given by the Soldan, a hundred instruments rent the air withtheir brazen clamours, and each champion striking his horse with thespurs, and slacking the rein, the horses started into full gallop,and the knights met in mid space with a shock like a thunderbolt. Thevictory was not in doubt--no, not one moment. Conrade, indeed, showedhimself a practised warrior; for he struck his antagonist knightly inthe midst of his shield, bearing his lance so straight and true thatit shivered into splinters from the steel spear-head up to the verygauntlet. The horse of Sir Kenneth recoiled two or three yards and fellon his haunches; but the rider easily raised him with hand and rein.But for Conrade there was no recovery. Sir Kenneth's lance had piercedthrough the shield, through a plated corselet of Milan steel, through aSECRET, or coat of linked mail, worn beneath the corselet, had woundedhim deep in the bosom, and borne him from his saddle, leaving thetruncheon of the lance fixed in his wound. The sponsors, heralds, andSaladin himself, descending from his throne, crowded around the woundedman; while Sir Kenneth, who had drawn his sword ere yet he discoveredhis antagonist was totally helpless, now commanded him to avow hisguilt. The helmet was hastily unclosed, and the wounded man, gazingwildly on the skies, replied, "What would you more? God hath decidedjustly--I am guilty; but there are worse traitors in the camp than I. Inpity to my soul, let me have a confessor!"
He revived as he uttered these words.
"The talisman--the powerful remedy, royal brother!" said King Richard toSaladin.
"The traitor," answered the Soldan, "is more fit to be dragged from thelists to the gallows by the heels, than to profit by its virtues. Andsome such fate is in his look," he added, after gazing fixedly upon thewounded man; "for though his wound may be cured, yet Azrael's seal is onthe wretch's brow."
"Nevertheless," said Richard, "I pray you do for him what you may, thathe may at least have time for confession. Slay not soul and body! To himone half hour of time may be worth more, by ten thousandfold, than thelife of the oldest patriarch."
"My royal brother's wish shall be obeyed," said Saladin.--"Slaves, bearthis wounded man to our tent."
"Do not so," said the Templar, who had hitherto stood gloomily lookingon in silence. "The royal Duke of Austria and myself will not permitthis unhappy Christian prince to be delivered over to the Saracens, thatthey may try their spells upon him. We are his sponsors, and demand thathe be assigned to our care."
"That is, you refuse the certain means offered to recover him?" saidRichard.
"Not so," said the Grand Master, recollecting himself. "If the Soldanuseth lawful medicines, he may attend the patient in my tent."
"Do so, I pray thee, good brother," said Richard to Saladin, "though thepermission be ungraciously yielded.--But now to a more glorious work.Sound, trumpets--
shout, England--in honour of England's champion!"
Drum, clarion, trumpet, and cymbal rung forth at once, and the deep andregular shout, which for ages has been the English acclamation, soundedamidst the shrill and irregular yells of the Arabs, like the diapason ofthe organ amid the howling of a storm. There was silence at length.
"Brave Knight of the Leopard," resumed Coeur de Lion, "thou hast shownthat the Ethiopian may change his skin, and the leopard his spots,though clerks quote Scripture for the impossibility. Yet I have more tosay to you when I have conducted you to the presence of the ladies, thebest judges and best rewarders of deeds of chivalry."
The Knight of the Leopard bowed assent.
"And thou, princely Saladin, wilt also attend them. I promise thee ourQueen will not think herself welcome, if she lacks the opportunity tothank her royal host for her most princely reception."
Saladin bent his head gracefully, but declined the invitation.
"I must attend the wounded man," he said. "The leech leaves not hispatient more than the champion the lists, even if he be summoned to abower like those of Paradise. And further, royal Richard, know that theblood of the East flows not so temperately in the presence of beauty asthat of your land. What saith the Book itself?--Her eye is as the edgeof the sword of the Prophet, who shall look upon it? He that would notbe burnt avoideth to tread on hot embers--wise men spread not the flaxbefore a flickering torch. He, saith the sage, who hath forfeited atreasure, doth not wisely to turn back his head to gaze at it."
Richard, it may be believed, respected the motives of delicacy whichflowed from manners so different from his own, and urged his request nofurther.
"At noon," said the Soldan, as he departed, "I trust ye will all accepta collation under the black camel-skin tent of a chief of Kurdistan."
The same invitation was circulated among the Christians, comprehendingall those of sufficient importance to be admitted to sit at a feast madefor princes.
"Hark!" said Richard, "the timbrels announce that our Queen and herattendants are leaving their gallery--and see, the turbans sink on theground, as if struck down by a destroying angel. All lie prostrate, asif the glance of an Arab's eye could sully the lustre of a lady'scheek! Come, we will to the pavilion, and lead our conqueror thither intriumph. How I pity that noble Soldan, who knows but of love as it isknown to those of inferior nature!"
Blondel tuned his harp to his boldest measure, to welcome theintroduction of the victor into the pavilion of Queen Berengaria. Heentered, supported on either side by his sponsors, Richard and ThomasLongsword, and knelt gracefully down before the Queen, though more thanhalf the homage was silently rendered to Edith, who sat on her righthand.
"Unarm him, my mistresses," said the King, whose delight was in theexecution of such chivalrous usages; "let Beauty honour Chivalry! Undohis spurs, Berengaria; Queen though thou be, thou owest him what marksof favour thou canst give.--Unlace his helmet, Edith;--by this handthou shalt, wert thou the proudest Plantagenet of the line, and he thepoorest knight on earth!"
Both ladies obeyed the royal commands--Berengaria with bustlingassiduity, as anxious to gratify her husband's humour, and Edithblushing and growing pale alternately, as, slowly and awkwardly, sheundid, with Longsword's assistance, the fastenings which secured thehelmet to the gorget.
"And what expect you from beneath this iron shell?" said Richard, as theremoval of the casque gave to view the noble countenance of Sir Kenneth,his face glowing with recent exertion, and not less so with presentemotion. "What think ye of him, gallants and beauties?" said Richard."Doth he resemble an Ethiopian slave, or doth he present the face of anobscure and nameless adventurer? No, by my good sword! Here terminatehis various disguises. He hath knelt down before you unknown, save byhis worth; he arises equally distinguished by birth and by fortune. Theadventurous knight, Kenneth, arises David, Earl of Huntingdon, PrinceRoyal of Scotland!"
There was a general exclamation of surprise, and Edith dropped from herhand the helmet which she had just received.
"Yes, my masters," said the King, "it is even so. Ye know how Scotlanddeceived us when she proposed to send this valiant Earl, with a boldcompany of her best and noblest, to aid our arms in this conquest ofPalestine, but failed to comply with her engagements. This noble youth,under whom the Scottish Crusaders were to have been arrayed, thoughtfoul scorn that his arm should be withheld from the holy warfare,and joined us at Sicily with a small train of devoted and faithfulattendants, which was augmented by many of his countrymen to whom therank of their leader was unknown. The confidants of the Royal Prince hadall, save one old follower, fallen by death, when his secret, buttoo well kept, had nearly occasioned my cutting off, in a Scottishadventurer, one of the noblest hopes of Europe.--Why did you not mentionyour rank, noble Huntingdon, when endangered by my hasty and passionatesentence? Was it that you thought Richard capable of abusing theadvantage I possessed over the heir of a King whom I have so often foundhostile?"
"I did you not that injustice, royal Richard," answered the Earl ofHuntingdon; "but my pride brooked not that I should avow myself Princeof Scotland in order to save my life, endangered for default of loyalty.And, moreover, I had made my vow to preserve my rank unknown till theCrusade should be accomplished; nor did I mention it save IN ARTICULOMORTIS, and under the seal of confession, to yonder reverend hermit."
"It was the knowledge of that secret, then, which made the good man sourgent with me to recall my severe sentence?" said Richard. "Well didhe say that, had this good knight fallen by my mandate, I should havewished the deed undone though it had cost me a limb. A limb! I shouldhave wished it undone had it cost me my life---since the world wouldhave said that Richard had abused the condition in which the heir ofScotland had placed himself by his confidence in his generosity."
"Yet, may we know of your Grace by what strange and happy chance thisriddle was at length read?" said the Queen Berengaria.
"Letters were brought to us from England," said the King, "in whichwe learned, among other unpleasant news, that the King of Scotland hadseized upon three of our nobles, when on a pilgrimage to Saint Ninian,and alleged, as a cause, that his heir, being supposed to be fighting inthe ranks of the Teutonic Knights against the heathen of Borussia, was,in fact, in our camp, and in our power; and, therefore, William proposedto hold these nobles as hostages for his safety. This gave me the firstlight on the real rank of the Knight of the Leopard; and my suspicionswere confirmed by De Vaux, who, on his return from Ascalon, brought backwith him the Earl of Huntingdon's sole attendant, a thick-skulled slave,who had gone thirty miles to unfold to De Vaux a secret he should havetold to me."
"Old Strauchan must be excused," said the Lord of Gilsland. "He knewfrom experience that my heart is somewhat softer than if I wrote myselfPlantagenet."
"Thy heart soft? thou commodity of old iron and Cumberland flint, thatthou art!" exclaimed the King.--"It is we Plantagenets who boast softand feeling hearts. Edith," turning to his cousin with an expressionwhich called the blood into her cheek, "give me thy hand, my faircousin, and, Prince of Scotland, thine."
"Forbear, my lord," said Edith, hanging back, and endeavouring to hideher confusion under an attempt to rally her royal kinsman's credulity."Remember you not that my hand was to be the signal of converting tothe Christian faith the Saracen and Arab, Saladin and all his turbanedhost?"
"Ay, but the wind of prophecy hath chopped about, and sits now inanother corner," replied Richard.
"Mock not, lest your bonds be made strong," said the hermit steppingforward. "The heavenly host write nothing but truth in their brilliantrecords. It is man's eyes which are too weak to read their charactersaright. Know, that when Saladin and Kenneth of Scotland slept in mygrotto, I read in the stars that there rested under my roof a prince,the natural foe of Richard, with whom the fate of Edith Plantagenet wasto be united. Could I doubt that this must be the Soldan, whose rankwas well known to me, as he often visited my cell to converse on therevolutions of the heavenly bodies? Again,
the lights of the firmamentproclaimed that this prince, the husband of Edith Plantagenet, shouldbe a Christian; and I--weak and wild interpreter!--argued thence theconversion of the noble Saladin, whose good qualities seemed often toincline him towards the better faith. The sense of my weakness hathhumbled me to the dust; but in the dust I have found comfort! I have notread aright the fate of others--who can assure me but that I mayhave miscalculated mine own? God will not have us break into Hiscouncil-house, or spy out His hidden mysteries. We must wait His timewith watching and prayer--with fear and with hope. I came hither thestern seer--the proud prophet--skilled, as I thought, to instructprinces, and gifted even with supernatural powers, but burdened witha weight which I deemed no shoulders but mine could have borne. Butmy bands have been broken! I go hence humble in mine ignorance,penitent--and not hopeless."
With these words he withdrew from the assembly; and it is recorded thatfrom that period his frenzy fits seldom occurred, and his penances wereof a milder character, and accompanied with better hopes of the future.So much is there of self-opinion, even in insanity, that the convictionof his having entertained and expressed an unfounded prediction with somuch vehemence seemed to operate like loss of blood on the human frame,to modify and lower the fever of the brain.
It is needless to follow into further particulars the conferences at theroyal tent, or to inquire whether David, Earl of Huntingdon, was as mutein the presence of Edith Plantagenet as when he was bound to act underthe character of an obscure and nameless adventurer. It may be wellbelieved that he there expressed with suitable earnestness the passionto which he had so often before found it difficult to give words.
The hour of noon now approached, and Saladin waited to receive thePrinces of Christendom in a tent, which, but for its large size,differed little from that of the ordinary shelter of the common Kurdman,or Arab; yet beneath its ample and sable covering was prepared a banquetafter the most gorgeous fashion of the East, extended upon carpets ofthe richest stuffs, with cushions laid for the guests. But we cannotstop to describe the cloth of gold and silver--the superb embroidery inarabesque--the shawls of Kashmere and the muslins of India, which werehere unfolded in all their splendour; far less to tell the differentsweetmeats, ragouts edged with rice coloured in various manners, withall the other niceties of Eastern cookery. Lambs roasted whole, andgame and poultry dressed in pilaus, were piled in vessels of gold, andsilver, and porcelain, and intermixed with large mazers of sherbet,cooled in snow and ice from the caverns of Mount Lebanon. A magnificentpile of cushions at the head of the banquet seemed prepared for themaster of the feast, and such dignitaries as he might call to share thatplace of distinction; while from the roof of the tent in all quarters,but over this seat of eminence in particular, waved many a banner andpennon, the trophies of battles won and kingdoms overthrown. But amongstand above them all, a long lance displayed a shroud, the bannerof Death, with this impressive inscription--"SALADIN, KING OFKINGS--SALADIN, VICTOR OF VICTORS--SALADIN MUST DIE." Amid thesepreparations, the slaves who had arranged the refreshments stoodwith drooped heads and folded arms, mute and motionless as monumentalstatuary, or as automata, which waited the touch of the artist to putthem in motion.
Expecting the approach of his princely guests, the Soldan, imbued, asmost were, with the superstitions of his time, paused over a horoscopeand corresponding scroll, which had been sent to him by the hermit ofEngaddi when he departed from the camp.
"Strange and mysterious science," he muttered to himself, "which,pretending to draw the curtain of futurity, misleads those whom it seemsto guide, and darkens the scene which it pretends to illuminate! Whowould not have said that I was that enemy most dangerous to Richard,whose enmity was to be ended by marriage with his kinswoman? Yet it nowappears that a union betwixt this gallant Earl and the lady will bringabout friendship betwixt Richard and Scotland, an enemy more dangerousthan I, as a wildcat in a chamber is more to be dreaded than a lionin a distant desert. But then," he continued to mutter tohimself, "the combination intimates that this husband was to beChristian.--Christian!" he repeated, after a pause. "That gave theinsane fanatic star-gazer hopes that I might renounce my faith! But me,the faithful follower of our Prophet--me it should have undeceived.Lie there, mysterious scroll," he added, thrusting it under the pile ofcushions; "strange are thy bodements and fatal, since, even when true inthemselves, they work upon those who attempt to decipher their meaningall the effects of falsehood.--How now! what means this intrusion?"
He spoke to the dwarf Nectabanus, who rushed into the tent fearfullyagitated, with each strange and disproportioned feature wrenched byhorror into still more extravagant ugliness--his mouth open, his eyesstaring, his hands, with their shrivelled and deformed fingers, wildlyexpanded.
"What now?" said the Soldan sternly.
"ACCIPE HOC!" groaned out the dwarf.
"Ha! sayest thou?" answered Saladin.
"ACCIPE HOC!" replied the panic-struck creature, unconscious,perhaps, that he repeated the same words as before.
"Hence, I am in no vein for foolery," said the Emperor.
"Nor am I further fool," said the dwarf, "than to make my folly help outmy wits to earn my bread, poor, helpless wretch! Hear, hear me, greatSoldan!"
"Nay, if thou hast actual wrong to complain of," said Saladin, "fool orwise, thou art entitled to the ear of a King. Retire hither with me;"and he led him into the inner tent.
Whatever their conference related to, it was soon broken off by thefanfare of the trumpets announcing the arrival of the various Christianprinces, whom Saladin welcomed to his tent with a royal courtesy wellbecoming their rank and his own; but chiefly he saluted the young Earlof Huntingdon, and generously congratulated him upon prospects whichseemed to have interfered with and overclouded those which he hadhimself entertained.
"But think not," said the Soldan, "thou noble youth, that the Princeof Scotland is more welcome to Saladin than was Kenneth to the solitaryIlderim when they met in the desert, or the distressed Ethiop to theHakim Adonbec. A brave and generous disposition like thine hath a valueindependent of condition and birth, as the cool draught, which I hereproffer thee, is as delicious from an earthen vessel as from a goblet ofgold."
The Earl of Huntingdon made a suitable reply, gratefully acknowledgingthe various important services he had received from the generous Soldan;but when he had pledged Saladin in the bowl of sherbet which the Soldanhad proffered to him, he could not help remarking with a smile, "Thebrave cavalier Ilderim knew not of the formation of ice, but themunificent Soldan cools his sherbet with snow."
"Wouldst thou have an Arab or a Kurdman as wise as a Hakim?" said theSoldan. "He who does on a disguise must make the sentiments of his heartand the learning of his head accord with the dress which he assumes.I desired to see how a brave and single-hearted cavalier of Frangistanwould conduct himself in debate with such a chief as I then seemed; andI questioned the truth of a well-known fact, to know by what argumentsthou wouldst support thy assertion."
While they were speaking, the Archduke of Austria, who stood a littleapart, was struck with the mention of iced sherbet, and took withpleasure and some bluntness the deep goblet, as the Earl of Huntingdonwas about to replace it.
"Most delicious!" he exclaimed, after a deep draught, which the heat ofthe weather, and the feverishness following the debauch of the precedingday, had rendered doubly acceptable. He sighed as he handed the cup tothe Grand Master of the Templars. Saladin made a sign to the dwarf, whoadvanced and pronounced, with a harsh voice, the words, ACCIPE HOC! TheTemplar started, like a steed who sees a lion under a bush beside thepathway; yet instantly recovered, and to hide, perhaps, his confusion,raised the goblet to his lips. But those lips never touched thatgoblet's rim. The sabre of Saladin left its sheath as lightning leavesthe cloud. It was waved in the air, and the head of the Grand Masterrolled to the extremity of the tent, while the trunk remained for asecond standing, with the goblet still clenched in its grasp, then fell,the liquor mingling with the blood tha
t spurted from the veins.
There was a general exclamation of treason, and Austria, nearest towhom Saladin stood with the bloody sabre in his hand, started back asif apprehensive that his turn was to come next. Richard and others laidhand on their swords.
"Fear nothing, noble Austria," said Saladin, as composedly as if nothinghad happened,--"nor you, royal England, be wroth at what you have seen.Not for his manifold treasons--not for the attempt which, as maybe vouched by his own squire, he instigated against King Richard'slife--not that he pursued the Prince of Scotland and myself in thedesert, reducing us to save our lives by the speed of our horses--notthat he had stirred up the Maronites to attack us upon this veryoccasion, had I not brought up unexpectedly so many Arabs as renderedthe scheme abortive--not for any or all of these crimes does he now liethere, although each were deserving such a doom--but because, scarcehalf an hour ere he polluted our presence, as the simoom empoisonsthe atmosphere, he poniarded his comrade and accomplice, Conrade ofMontserrat, lest he should confess the infamous plots in which they hadboth been engaged."
"How! Conrade murdered?--And by the Grand Master, his sponsor and mostintimate friend!" exclaimed Richard. "Noble Soldan, I would not doubtthee; yet this must be proved, otherwise--"
"There stands the evidence," said Saladin, pointing to the terrifieddwarf. "Allah, who sends the fire-fly to illuminate the night season,can discover secret crimes by the most contemptible means."
The Soldan proceeded to tell the dwarf's story, which amounted to this.In his foolish curiosity, or, as he partly confessed, with some thoughtsof pilfering, Nectabanus had strayed into the tent of Conrade, which hadbeen deserted by his attendants, some of whom had left the encampmentto carry the news of his defeat to his brother, and others were availingthemselves of the means which Saladin had supplied for revelling. Thewounded man slept under the influence of Saladin's wonderful talisman,so that the dwarf had opportunity to pry about at pleasure until he wasfrightened into concealment by the sound of a heavy step. He skulkedbehind a curtain, yet could see the motions, and hear the words, of theGrand Master, who entered, and carefully secured the covering of thepavilion behind him. His victim started from sleep, and it would appearthat he instantly suspected the purpose of his old associate, for it wasin a tone of alarm that he demanded wherefore he disturbed him.
"I come to confess and to absolve thee," answered the Grand Master.
Of their further speech the terrified dwarf remembered little, save thatConrade implored the Grand Master not to break a wounded reed, and thatthe Templar struck him to the heart with a Turkish dagger, with thewords ACCIPE HOC!--words which long afterwards haunted the terrifiedimagination of the concealed witness.
"I verified the tale," said Saladin, "by causing the body to beexamined; and I made this unhappy being, whom Allah hath made thediscoverer of the crime, repeat in your own presence the words which themurderer spoke; and you yourselves saw the effect which they producedupon his conscience!"
The Soldan paused, and the King of England broke silence.
"If this be true, as I doubt not, we have witnessed a great act ofjustice, though it bore a different aspect. But wherefore in thispresence? wherefore with thine own hand?"
"I had designed otherwise," said Saladin. "But had I not hastened hisdoom, it had been altogether averted, since, if I had permitted him totaste of my cup, as he was about to do, how could I, without incurringthe brand of inhospitality, have done him to death as he deserved? Hadhe murdered my father, and afterwards partaken of my food and my bowl,not a hair of his head could have been injured by me. But enough ofhim--let his carcass and his memory be removed from amongst us."
The body was carried away, and the marks of the slaughter obliteratedor concealed with such ready dexterity, as showed that the case was notaltogether so uncommon as to paralyze the assistants and officers ofSaladin's household.
But the Christian princes felt that the scene which they had beheldweighed heavily on their spirits, and although, at the courteousinvitation of the Soldan, they assumed their seats at the banquet, yetit was with the silence of doubt and amazement. The spirits of Richardalone surmounted all cause for suspicion or embarrassment. Yet he tooseemed to ruminate on some proposition, as if he were desirous of makingit in the most insinuating and acceptable manner which was possible.At length he drank off a large bowl of wine, and addressing the Soldan,desired to know whether it was not true that he had honoured the Earl ofHuntingdon with a personal encounter.
Saladin answered with a smile that he had proved his horse and hisweapons with the heir of Scotland, as cavaliers are wont to do with eachother when they meet in the desert; and modestly added that, though thecombat was not entirely decisive, he had not on his part much reason topride himself on the event. The Scot, on the other hand, disclaimed theattributed superiority, and wished to assign it to the Soldan.
"Enough of honour thou hast had in the encounter," said Richard, "and Ienvy thee more for that than for the smiles of Edith Plantagenet, thoughone of them might reward a bloody day's work.--But what say you, nobleprinces? Is it fitting that such a royal ring of chivalry should breakup without something being done for future times to speak of? What isthe overthrow and death of a traitor to such a fair garland of honouras is here assembled, and which ought not to part without witnessingsomething more worthy of their regard?--How say you, princely Soldan?What if we two should now, and before this fair company, decide thelong-contended question for this land of Palestine, and end at oncethese tedious wars? Yonder are the lists ready, nor can Paynimrie everhope a better champion than thou. I, unless worthier offers, will laydown my gauntlet in behalf of Christendom, and in all love and honour wewill do mortal battle for the possession of Jerusalem."
There was a deep pause for the Soldan's answer. His cheek and browcoloured highly, and it was the opinion of many present that hehesitated whether he should accept the challenge. At length he said,"Fighting for the Holy City against those whom we regard as idolatersand worshippers of stocks and stones and graven images, I might confidethat Allah would strengthen my arm; or if I fell beneath the sword ofthe Melech Ric, I could not pass to Paradise by a more glorious death.But Allah has already given Jerusalem to the true believers, and itwere a tempting the God of the Prophet to peril, upon my own personalstrength and skill, that which I hold securely by the superiority of myforces."
"If not for Jerusalem, then," said Richard, in the tone of one who wouldentreat a favour of an intimate friend, "yet, for the love of honour,let us run at least three courses with grinded lances?"
"Even this," said Saladin, half smiling at Coeur de Lion's affectionateearnestness for the combat--"even this I may not lawfully do. The masterplaces the shepherd over the flock not for the shepherd's own sake, butfor the sake of the sheep. Had I a son to hold the sceptre when I fell,I might have had the liberty, as I have the will, to brave this boldencounter; but your own Scripture saith that when the herdsman issmitten, the sheep are scattered."
"Thou hast had all the fortune," said Richard, turning to the Earl ofHuntingdon with a sigh. "I would have given the best year in my life forthat one half hour beside the Diamond of the Desert!"
The chivalrous extravagance of Richard awakened the spirits of theassembly, and when at length they arose to depart Saladin advanced andtook Coeur de Lion by the hand.
"Noble King of England," he said, "we now part, never to meet again.That your league is dissolved, no more to be reunited, and thatyour native forces are far too few to enable you to prosecute yourenterprise, is as well known to me as to yourself. I may not yield youup that Jerusalem which you so much desire to hold--it is to us, as toyou, a Holy City. But whatever other terms Richard demands of Saladinshall be as willingly yielded as yonder fountain yields its waters. Ayand the same should be as frankly afforded by Saladin if Richard stoodin the desert with but two archers in his train!"
The next day saw Richard's return to his own camp, and in a shortspace afterwards the young Earl of Huntingdon w
as espoused by EdithPlantagenet. The Soldan sent, as a nuptial present on this occasion, thecelebrated TALISMAN. But though many cures were wrought by means of itin Europe, none equalled in success and celebrity those which the Soldanachieved. It is still in existence, having been bequeathed by the Earlof Huntingdon to a brave knight of Scotland, Sir Simon of the Lee, inwhose ancient and highly honoured family it is still preserved;and although charmed stones have been dismissed from the modernPharmacopoeia, its virtues are still applied to for stopping blood, andin cases of canine madness.
Our Story closes here, as the terms on which Richard relinquished hisconquests are to be found in every history of the period.
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