CHAPTER I.
IN THE HOLLOW TREE.
With a ragged mantle on my back, a crutch in my hand, an iron bandabout my neck, and the white dove on my shoulder, where could I havegone?--even had I wished to leave the forest.
The rags and the crutch were fitting equipment for a beggar; but whatshould I have replied had anyone asked me why I wore the iron band onmy neck? I was disgusted with the world and its wickedness.
Overwhelmed with remorse for the sins I had committed, I resolved tobecome a hermit and do penance--I would remain in the forest and adoptthe rigorous life of an ascetic.
After a brief search I discovered a brook that would supply me withfresh water; hard by its banks an oak tree, many centuries old, with alarge cavity in the trunk, offered the shelter I should require. Icollected moss and dry leaves for my bed; for nourishment there was aplentitude of nuts and wild fruits, and edible fungi. Wild beesfurnished me with sweets.
I bound together two dry branches in form of a cross, set it upbetween two large stones, and performed my daily devotions in front ofit.
During the day I roamed through the forest collecting stores for thewinter; I laid up a supply of dried fruit, nuts, sow-bread andhoney--the last I found in the upper part of my tree-house, where aswarm of bees had taken up their quarters.
Of the raspberries which grew plentifully along the brook, I made asort of conserve, which I packed into boxes made of the bark of pinetrees. All these provisions I stored in my tree-house, which I hadfirmly resolved never to quit.
But one thought disquieted me. If I remained in the forest how could Iperform the good deed Madus had told me was necessary in order to winparadise? If I passed all my days in the hollow tree beside the brook,where no human being ever came near me, how was I to benefit my fellowcreatures? How win the "God will reward you"--the open sesame toparadise? I pondered this over and over until at last an expedientsuggested itself to me, by which I could make known my existence to myfellow-creatures and still remain in my hermitage. I looked about fortwo broad flat stones; these I fastened together at one side with acord made of linden bark and hung them on the lower limb of a tree.With a third stone for a clapper I rang my primitive bell three timesdaily--morn, noon and evening--surely, I said to myself, some one willhear the sound and come to see what is the meaning of it. When thepeople in the neighborhood learn that a devout hermit is living in theforest, they will visit him, and perhaps bestow alms on him.
But, in vain I rang three times every day, no visitors came to myhollow tree, save the fawns that came to drink at the brook, and thewild cats that came to prey on them. Many a time I rescued a youngdeer from the claws of the feline enemy. It was to be regretted thatthe dumb beasts I rescued could not have thanked me for the good deed.One day I returned later than was my wont from collecting moss andferns to protect me from the cold of winter (I had already fashioned adoor of willow withes to keep the snow out of my tree-house). What wasmy surprise to find the door open, and all my provisions gone! Not atrace of the nuts remained but the shells; there was not a vestige ofthe dried fruit; the boxes of raspberry conserve were lying about onthe ground, broken and crushed, as if they had been trodden under footby the marauders. Even the tent-shaped honey-comb in the upper portionof my dwelling was gone, the plundered bees were buzzing angrilyaround the tree outside.
I could hardly refrain from uttering a malediction on the thief whohad despoiled me of my winter store; but I remembered my pious vows,and reproached myself instead: "Shame on you, pious anchorite," Isaid, "were you so wedded to earthly possessions that the loss of themrouses your anger? You were too proud of your store. You were going toplay the sovereign in the wilderness. Others had an equal right tothat which you imagined belonged only to yourself. The truly piousanchorite does not lay up stores for the morrow. He depends on theMaster to supply his needs. He must pay heed to nothing save hisprayers for the wicked, and praises for the Master. You have beenfitly punished for your arrogance." I said further, "Perhaps this hashappened for the best. Who can say but the despoiler prayed that Godmight reward the one who had placed the provisions in the hollow tree.If so be that was the case, it was a fine hunger it took all my storeto appease!"
And again: "Who knows? Perhaps the hungry one is a great prophet--St.Peter himself, maybe. I have heard that that distinguished saintoccasionally visits a poor man, and eats up a winter's supply ofprovisions, only to return it an hundred fold. If so be it was St.Peter then he will return tomorrow and so fill your tree with viandsand treasure you will never again want for anything--and, maybe, hewill also bestow on you a passport that will admit you to paradisewhenever you choose to go!"
Consoling myself with such thoughts, I sounded the bell as usual forvespers; then I drank heartily of brook water, lay down on my softbed, and dreamed until morning, of flying hams and kindred paradisaldelights. At sunrise, I rang the early matin bell; then hurried away,in order not to disturb the prophet when he came to prepare thesurprise for me.
I spent the entire day wandering about the forest, guessing what mybenefactor would bestow on me in return for the nuts, fruits and honeyhe had taken--would it be the widow's oil-cruse with itsnever-failing contents? or, a pair of bread-supplying ravens? or, abarley loaf from Mount Gilead? or, a swarm of those savory locustswhich had served as fare for John the Baptist?
In my rambling I came across a heap of beech-nuts. I hesitated togather them. What need to take the trouble? There would be plenty, andto spare, in the hollow tree. However, I filled my pockets with thenuts, then turned my face homeward.
As I was rather late, I rang for vespers, and told my beads (I hadmade a beautiful rosary of acorns) before going to my hermitage. Adeep growl came from the hollow tree when I approached it.
"He is here!" I exclaimed joyfully. "He is waiting to see me. That heis no ordinary person I can tell by his voice!"
I crept on hands and knees toward the tree, and peeped into thecavity. The next instant I was on my feet, hurling a million_donnerwetters_ at the shaggy bear, whose monstrous body quite filledthe only apartment of my dwelling.
I forgot that I was an anchorite, and cursed the brute roundly--
"_Votum violatum_," dictated the chair. "Broken vow--blasphemy!_Capite plectetur._"
"By my faith!" interposed the prince with considerable emphasis. "Iwould have sworn too! _Qui bene distinguit, bene docet._ How goes theparagraph relating to blasphemy? 'He that curses his fellowman'--andso forth. But, it doesn't say anything about punishment for him whocurses his 'fellow-bear.' You see, therefore, that the _votum ruptum_does not fit this crime, for it was not the prisoner who broke the vowof the anchorite, but the bear; consequently bruin is the delinquent."
"Very good," assented the chair. "Then the bear is the guilty party:_ursus comburatur_! The robbery of the temple follows: I am curious tohear how the prisoner will clear himself of that! That he willaccomplish it I am willing to wager my head!"
What was I to do? continued Hugo, when the mayor had concluded hisremark. My house was occupied by a tenant who would not let me shareit with him. I had nowhere else to go. I could not find anotherhermitage. If I could not be a hermit, I could become abeggar--begging was also a way to gain a livelihood, and I possessedthe necessary equipment for it.
In Poland, no one who can say: "Give me bread," needs die of hunger.The iron band on my neck might, after all, be of advantage to me; itwould give me a sort of superiority over other mendicants. If I wereasked how I came by it, I should say that it had been forged on myneck by the Saracens, who took me captive when I was in the Holy Land,and because I had made my escape through a miracle, I continued towear the band as a penance.
The good people to whom I told this story believed it; it brought memany a groschen and carried me comfortably across Poland.
I had no sooner crossed into Brandenburg (I was on my way to mynative city, where I intended taking up the trade of my father, anhonest and respectable tanner) than I was surrounded by a crowd ofpeople--not a
charitably disposed crowd, but inquisitive.
They wanted to know where I came from, where was I going, who and whatwas I and how I dared to have the impertinence to beg in their city.
I replied that I was a pilgrim from the Holy Land; and that instead ofthinking it an impertinence for me to beg from them, they ought toconsider it a distinction to have in their community a mendicant withan iron collar around his neck.
But the Brandenburgers are inclined to believe themselves more cleverthan the rest of the world. The bailiff seized me, dragged me to themarket place, where he proceeded to question me for the benefit of thewhole city.
"Who are you?" he inquired.
"I am hungry," I said in reply.
"Where do you come from?"
"From Jerusalem."
"Don't you attempt to deceive me, sirrah! I know the way to Jerusalem.Through what provinces did you journey?"
"Through Marcomannia, and Scythia; through Bess Arabia, and ArabiaPetraea; through Bactria, and Mesopotamia; and now I come direct fromCaramania--"
"Stop, stop! You are saying what is not true," interrupted thebailiff. "Praise be to God! we Brandenburgers have maps, and know howto get to foreign countries. The way to Palestine is throughZingaria, Paflagonia, Cappadocia, and cinnamon-scented India.
"Well," I explained, "I did travel through those countries too, but itwas at night, when I couldn't see to read their names on theguide-boards."
"And what means that iron band on your neck?"
"That, your honor, was fastened about my neck by the black sultan,Zagachrist, who held me captive fifty-two years and three days."
"You are not yet thirty years old."
"No, in this part of the world I am not; but in Abyssinia, where thesun is so hot, the days contract to such an extent, that one of youryears here would be six there."
"What an unconscionable liar you are!" exclaimed the bailiff. "Heatdoes not contract. On the contrary, it expands, which accounts for thedays being longer in summer than in winter. We Brandenburgers knowthat very well."
He seized me by the collar, to drag me to prison, but I held back, andsaid in a loud voice--loud enough for the crowd to hear:
"I tell you I am right; heat does contract. Just you sit on a hotstove and see if your leather breeches don't shrivel up under you."
The crowd was on my side; but that trial in the market-place mighthave resulted disastrously for me, had not a knight just then chancedto ride that way. He wore on his head a plumed helmet; his body wasprotected by a coat of mail. From his shoulders hung a crimson mantle,on which was embroidered a large white cross. A heart-shaped shieldswung from the pommel of his saddle.
My eyes were at once attracted to this shield, on which were theensigns armorial: a mounted knight like himself, and on the same horsea ragged pilgrim of a like pattern with myself.
"Ho, ho!" here interrupted the chair in triumph. "You may have beenable to hoodwink the Brandenburg bailiff, but you can't do the samewith me! You needn't try to make this court believe you saw anyonewearing the coat-of-arms of an order that was abolished in the 14thcentury."
"I know very well, your honor, that the order of the Templars wasabolished at the time you mention, but a portion of them took refugein Brandenburg, where the order exists to this day under the name of'Dornenritter.'"
Having made this explanation, Hugo continued his confession:
At sight of the Templar a great commotion arose among the peoplecrowding the market-place; the women pressed toward him to kiss thehem of his mantle, in their enthusiasm almost dragging him from thesaddle. The knight had red hair, and a long beard of the same fieryhue.
"There is the red monk," said the bailiff to me. "Do you try to makehim believe you have been in Palestine? He has been there twice--onceby land and once by sea--and he has slaughtered more than two hundredheathen and liberated thousands of pilgrims from slavery. Talk tohim; he will know how to question you."
I was in a fix, and no mistake. The knight would be sure at once todetect the errors of my geography.
He rode quite close to me, passed his hand over his long beard andexamined me from head to foot with his keen eyes.
"Can you prove to me that you come from the Holy Land?" he asked in avoice so stern and deep-toned it made me start and tremble.
But a lucky thought came to me; I had a convincing proof under myarm--the old Turk's crutch, the shaft of which was closely wound withbrass wire in a fanciful pattern.
"Will you examine this, Sir Knight?" I said in reply--holding thecrutch toward him. "You, who are familiar with the Arabic characters,will find here a record of my wanderings--the entire history of mywretched captivity, and miraculous deliverance."
It was the knight's turn to start and tremble. I saw at once from hiscountenance, that he knew no more about Arabic than--ah--than yourhonor, and that he was afraid I might betray him, and prove to themultitude that he had never trod the sacred soil of the Holy Land. Thehand he extended for the crutch trembled, but he preserved a boldfront, as he turned the brass-bound shaft around and around in hisfingers, and pretended to decipher the oriental characters. Afterseveral minutes, he returned the crutch to me and said in animpressive tone:
"This is indeed Arabic--or, rather, Saracenic, the language ofTurcomania. Your crutch, devout pilgrim, testifies to the truth ofeverything you have told these good people. Come with me to my castle,where you will be a welcome and honored guest."
Before he had quite concluded this speech, the bailiff had losthimself in the crowd--he was nowhere to be seen.
I was hoisted to the shoulders of a pair of sturdy citizens, and,accompanied by the shouting multitude, borne in triumph to theTemplars' castle, situated on a moat-encircled hill, a little distancefrom the city.
Here, I was committed to the care of the guards on duty; they strippedme of my rags; lifted me into a vat of water, scrubbed me thoroughly,combed and shaved my head, and then put on me a scarlet habit ofcoarse cloth, which, to judge from its ample proportions, must oncehave garbed the form of a brother whose conditions of life had beenmore fortunate than mine.
Attired thus, I was conducted to the refectory, where the red-beardedknight and twelve of his companions were assembled.
"_Quadraginta tonitrua_, lad, you please me well!" exclaimed thered-bearded knight, who seemed to be the leader. "Never, in all mylife, have I ever heard so glib a tongue at lying as yours! You muststop here with us. The devil has taken our sacristan--that's his habityou've got on--he died of small-pox yesterday."
You may imagine my feelings when I heard that I was wearing thegarment of a man that had succumbed to so loathsome a disease!
I made bold to say that I had never learned the duties requisite tothe office of a sacristan.
"_Per septem archidiabolos!_" merrily exclaimed the knight. "I believeyou. But, we will instruct you--never fear!"
Here he noticed the iron band on my neck and added: "Ha, _Lucifer tecorripiat_! Why do you wear that curious band around your neck?"
In reply I stammered something about a solemn vow, whereupon theentire company burst into hearty laughter.
"_Ut Belsebub te submergat in paludes inferni, trifurcifer!_" bawledthe red knight. "Either you wear the band in pursuance of avow--solemn or otherwise--or it was forged on your neck in punishmentfor a theft. If the former, then continue to wear it to the end ofyour days; if the latter, then we have an armorer who will relieve youof it in short order."
To this I made answer:
"Though I wear the iron band because of a solemn vow, the Sir Knightsmay believe it is in punishment for a theft."
The merry company laughed again, and the armorer was summoned at onceto relieve me of the uncomfortable collar.
BAPHOMET.
I now believed I had ultimately attained what I most desired--acomfortable position in a religious house, where I might pass theremainder of my days in peace, and free from care. I should have nofurther need to trouble about providing for food and drink, and thew
here to lay my head. My duties were light; I had to ring the bell forprayers three times daily; keep clean the church vessels, and takecare of all the vestments. All my time not occupied with these simpletasks, I was permitted to devote to pious contemplation. I soon wonthe confidence of Knight Elias, the red-bearded superior. I was namedEliezer. It had taken me six months and more to beg my way throughPoland, consequently, Passion week began soon after my arrival at theTemplars' castle. I was apprehensive that I should not be ableadequately to perform the duties requisite for my office during thesolemn season, as I was not yet sufficiently familiar with the RomanCatholic service, having only lately become a neophite. But, when Iconfided my doubts to Knight Elias, he replied encouragingly:
"Don't you worry, Frater Eliezer, every night during the coming weekwe shall rehearse scenes from the 'Passion Play,' which will make youfamiliar with the services expected of you."
This assurance gave me confidence, and I looked forward withimpatience to Maundy-Thursday, as on the evening of that day thepreparations for the devotional ceremonies were to begin.
Maundy-Thursday arrived. In the evening, after I had closed and lockedthe gates after vespers, Knight Elias bade me take a lamp, go to thechapel, and wait there until the clock struck the hour of midnight,when I should hear three taps on the door of the crypt. I was to openthe door without delay, receive with becoming respect the guests whowould appear, and obey every order they might give me. I did notbetray the astonishment I felt on receiving this very singular behest.I never was what may be termed "faint-hearted." I dare say because mycuriosity always was superior to my timidity; and I confess I was mostcurious to see what manner of guests would come out of the crypt.
The last stroke of twelve was followed by three raps on the cryptdoor. I hastened to open it, and was amazed to find the stairwayleading to the tomb brilliantly lighted, and mounting it were a halfdozen or more female forms, clad in antique costumes--such as are seenonly in the canvases adorning the walls of churches and royal palaces.
All the women were highly rouged and powdered; one had her eyebrowspenciled with black; another with minium, and another had hers tintedwith gold. All carried in their hands gaily colored wax tapers. Theywere not in the least like the ghosts I had expected to see; and I wasnot in the least frightened of them either!
Young blood coursed through my veins then, and it flowed more swiftlywhen my eyes rested on the beautiful visitors--even though they weredenizens of another world!
The ghosts saw at once that it was not the old sacristan who hadadmitted them; and believed it necessary to introduce themselves. Thefirst one said:
"I am Jezebel, wife of King Ahab. Fetch the baptismal basin, I want toperform my ablutions."
The second announced:
"I am Salome, daughter of Herodias. Bring me the golden ciborium."
The third said:
"I am Bathsheba. Bring the sacred oil, I want some for my hair."
The fourth:
"I am Delilah. Bring a chalice, I want a drink."
The fifth:
"I am Ashtoreth. Bring the censer, I want some perfume."
"I am Tamar," announced the sixth. "Bring a lachrymatory, I want tofill it with my tears."
There were seven in the company. The seventh had on her head a crown,and was clad in a robe of gold-brocade with a long train. "I amMylitta, Queen of Sheba," she announced in a voice that sounded like asweet-toned bell. "Bring me the pyx."
Now, although the rest of the orders had confounded me with theirimpiety, I had obeyed them, because I had been commanded to do so.This last, however, made me hesitate; I could not lay sacrilegioushands on so holy a vessel.
I shuddered, and looked with horrified eyes at the commanding phantom.Suddenly, she lifted her arm, and gave me a sound blow on the back, atthe same time screaming:
"Don't you hear me, dolt? I want the pyx." Feeling convinced thatfurther hesitation to obey this visitant from another world would notbe well for me, I went to the altar, and with a violently tremblinghand lifted the sacred vessel from its accustomed place and broughtit to the lady.
"Now, follow us," she commanded; and the procession from the cryptpassed on, I following in the rear, out of the chapel, up a windingstaircase, to a part of the castle I had not yet been in. We halted infront of a gilded iron door; it opened in response to three raps, andI saw into a long, magnificently furnished saloon. There were nowindows in it; a mysterious radiance shone from the niches in thewalk, which were hung with gold-embroidered silk.
As we crossed the threshold, a heavy curtain across the further end ofthe saloon parted, and several male figures, garbed in old-timecostumes--Turkish, Roman, Persian, Chaldean and Egyptian--came to meetthe women, who greeted them thus:
"Welcome, Ahasuerus!"
"Baal greets you, Nebuchadnezzar!"
"Osiris, bless you, Pharaoh!" and so on, to Herod, Pilate, Nero,Sardanapalus--in all of whom I recognized my sir knights. Myred-bearded patron answered to the name of Judas Iscariot. It was adistinguished company!
The greetings between the knights and the ladies ever, my patronturned toward me. I was standing near the door--and said:
"Malchus, come hither."
I looked around to see who Malchus might be, but finding no one nearme, guessed that I too had been given a name suitable for theoccasion--that of the chief priests' servant, who lifted his handagainst the Savior.
My patron's next words assured me that I had guessed correctly:
"If your ears have really been cut off, Malchus--which they must havebeen, since you can't hear, we must ask Ben Hanotzri to fasten them toyour head again!"
I had not yet learned to whom they alluded when they mentioned thatname.
After his last speech to me, my patron took my hand and led me up tothe knight they called Nebuchadnezzar. He had strings of costly pearlswound in his beard and hair--as one sees in ancient Persian statues,and pictures.
"What has Malchus done that he deserves to be admitted to the serviceof Baphomet?" he inquired.
My patron answered for me:
"He has been a heretic, an atheist, a thief, a murderer, acounterfeiter, an adulterer--"
"The very man for us!" interrupted Nebuchadnezzar--and then Iunderstood why my welcome to the conventual residence had been socordial!
I was asked to take off my monk's habit, and given the dress of aRoman lictor, in which character my first task was to remove the lidfrom a sarcophagus that stood in a niche in the wall.
I was horrified when I saw that it contained a wax image of ourSavior, as He descended from the cross, with the five gaping wounds inHis body, and the crown of thorns on His head.
The knights gathered about the sarcophagus, and began a discussion, towhich I listened with fear and trembling. They spoke in Latin, and asI am quite familiar with the language I understood every word.
One of the knights asserted, that Christ was an eon of the God-father,Jaldabaoth, who had sent Him to the earth, as the Messiah of thePneumatici, and to vanquish his, Jaldabaoth's, arch-enemy,Ophiomorpho; that Christ, having failed for want of courage toaccomplish the task, Jaldabaoth had allowed Him to be crucified inpunishment; all of which was satisfactorily proved by Valentinus, theGnostic. Another of the knights insisted, that Christ was an imposter,as was verified by Basilides of Alexandria, and Bardesane; and thatHis true name was Ben Jonah Hanotzri.
The earth seemed to sink from under my feet as I listened to thisblasphemous disputation. Though I am a wicked sinner, my reverence forall things holy is boundless. I held my hands over my ears to shut outthe horrible words, but I could not help but hear some of them.
The third knight maintained that the whole story of Jesus Christ was amyth--He had never been born--had never died. The entire legend was anemblem, a symbol that, like Brahma, and Isis, had never possessed amaterial body; and that all images of Him were idols, like those whichrepresented Basal, or Dagon.
I imagined that blasphemy could go no further; but the fourth kni
ghtconvinced me that even hyperbole may possess a superlative.
The fourth speaker was Nebuchadnezzar; _he_ declared he could provefrom the Scriptures, that Jesus Christ was that Demiurge, who torturesmankind with laws; renders unhappy and wretched the dwellers on earth;prohibits all things that are pleasant and agreeable to the senses;commands man to do what is good for his fellows, though nature's lawsprompt him to do that which is best for himself--be it good or evilfor his neighbor. Consequently, it was the plain duty of everysentient being to defy this Demiurge, to disobey the laws promulgatedby him; to practice, instead of refrain from: cheating, robbery,murder, forgery, intemperance, gluttony, debauchery; and that whoeverit was that had imposed on mankind the yoke of bondage, the so-calledvirtues--were he eon, Demiurge, Ben Jonah Hanotzri, or Jesus Christ,deserved persecution, scourging, and crucifixion. "Who then," hedemanded in concluding his sacrilegious harangue, "is the trueMessiah?"
"Baphomet! Baphomet!" shouted the entire company of knights and ladiesas with one voice.
Nebuchadnezzar then beat with his fists on a large tam-tam, upon whichthe curtain at the end of the saloon was drawn back, revealing aplatform on which were two statues, life-size. The one on the rightwas Baphomet, with the two faces, one masculine, the other feminine. Ahuge serpent was wound twelve times about the statue; on each of therings thus formed was engraved one of the twelve signs of the zodiac.One hand held the sun; the other the moon; the feet rested on aglobe, that rested in turn on the back of a crocodile.
The other statue represented Mylitta. She was seated on a wild boar; acrown of gleaming rubies and carbuncles adorned her brow. The knightsand ladies, one after the other, approached the statues, kissed theshoulders of Baphomet, then the knees of Mylitta.
After this ceremony, they joined hands, forming a circle around theimages, and began to dance to a song they chanted in a tongue unknownto me. Before the dance began, I was told to fill all the sacredvessels with the wine contained in several large jars near theentrance. This was drank from time to time in toasts to Baphomet andhis companion image.
If my horror was great, my curiosity was greater. I mastered theformer feeling, in order to see what would be the end of thesacrilegious orgy.
The wine jars were soon emptied, and I was ordered by Iscariot torefill them in the cellar. On my return to the saloon, I found thecompany seated around the table; when I approached the Queen of Shebato refill the chalice, from which she was drinking, she said to me:
"Malchus, this crown of mine is so heavy; go down to the chapel andfetch me the one from the head of the woman of Nazareth."
I went cold from crown to sole at this request.
There was in the chapel a beautiful image of our Lady, with a crown ofpearls and diamonds on her head--the gift of a pious princess. To thisimage the devout folk of the surrounding region made pilgrimages onholy days; and it was covered with all manner of costly gifts from thegrateful believers. And this was the "Woman of Nazareth," whose crownI was ordered to fetch for the shameless wanton.
"Didn't you hear the lady's order?" bawled my rufous-bearded patron,thumping the table with his mailed fist. "Go at once to the chapel andfetch the crown."
If I had refused to obey I should have been killed; but I almostfainted with horror while performing the errand. When I returned withthe jeweled crown to the hall of the worship of Baphomet, the demon oflicentious revelry had been loosed; the women, as well as the men,were dancing with wild abandon. The Queen of Sheba snatched the crownfrom my hand, adjusted it on her dishevelled locks, then returned tothe Phrygian dance, led by herself and Nebuchadnezzar; her hair stoodalmost straight out from her head, as she whirled around and around,so swiftly, that she and her partner seemed but one form with twofaces--like Baphomet whom they worshipped. After all had indulged inthe frantic revelry until they sank exhausted to the divans scatteredabout the hall, I was ordered to collect the sacred vessels and returnthem to the chapel, and then to go to my rest.
"He must drink with me before he goes," cried Ashtoreth.
"Here, Malchus!" she unloosed from her girdle a flask, and held it tomy lips. The flask was an exquisite piece of workmanship; it was madeof chased gold and richly set with Turkish fire opals.
"This wine, Malchus," continued the lady, "is the juice of the grapeplanted by Noah. The stone jar in which it has been preserved for somany centuries stands beside the sarcophagus of my grand-motherSemiramis, in Nineveh--drink, it will do you good."
On my hesitating, she suddenly flung her arm around my neck, drew myhead close to her own, took a good pull from the flask, then pressedher lips to mine, and forced me to swallow the wine from her mouth.
Never have I tasted a sweeter, a more intoxicating, more stupefyingliquor!
"Now drink," commanded the heathen queen, placing the flask in myhand. I put it to my lips; but perceived at once that the wine had adifferent taste from that I had received from her mouth. It wasbitter, and had a peculiar bouquet. I took only one swallow; butpretended to send several more after the first one.
"You may keep the flask as a remembrance," said the lady when I handedit back to her. She flung it among the church vessels I had collectedtogether in the baptismal basin, the better to carry them back to thechapel.
I hurried from the saloon with my precious burden; carefully washedall the vessels through three waters; then restored them to theirproper places in the chapel. When I had reverently placed the crown onour Lady's head, I knelt at her feet, and penitently kissed the hem ofher robe.
"Now what shall I do with this thing?" I inquired of myself, surveyingthe wine-flask in my hand. "Where shall I hide it for safe-keeping?It is worth a deal of money. It would bring me enough to buy an acreof ground, or a mill with five wheels. I'll just fasten it securely,here under my lictor's cuirass for the present." I did so; then,without heeding where I was, I lay down, and almost immediately fellinto a deep, dreamless sleep.
I don't know how long I slept; I was roused by some one shaking mevigorously, and crying: "Wake up! wake up!"
"Yes, yes, Iscariot," I muttered sleepily, "I'll get up directly."
"O, Trifurcifer!" exclaimed a familiar voice; "the wretch calls meIscariot! Just wait, you drunken rogue! I'll sober you!"
The thorough drenching I received from the large can of water thrownover me, brought me to my senses.
"Well, my pious Silenus!" growled the knight. "You are a fine fellowto set on guard, aren't you? I order you to keep watch outside thedoor of the crypt until midnight, and find you the next morning lyinginside the cellar door, with your mouth under an open faucet. We wereobliged to carry you up here--not knowing whether you were alive ordead."
"Where--where is the costly flask Ashtoreth gave me?" I asked, feelingin vain about my body for the souvenir bestowed on me by the heathenqueen. There was neither flask nor leather cuirass, only the oldcoarse habit I had inherited from my predecessor in office.
"Come--come," angrily exclaimed the knight, shaking me again. "Stopdreaming, and hasten to the chapel; it is time to ring the bell formass."
I could hardly bring myself to believe that it was only a dream--itseemed so real, but I could find no trace of midnight revelryanywhere--indeed, I could not find the winding staircase, which I hadascended from the chapel to the hall of the worship of Baphomet. Andyet I doubted.
The chapel was filled at mass with devout worshippers. A solemn scenewas when the knights, garbed in coarse gray habits, and bare-footed,crept on hands and knees to the stone coffin, in which lay a waxenimage of our Lord. They kissed the marble steps leading to theplatform on which the coffin stood, and when I saw them gather aboutthe holy image, my dream seemed so real that, in my excitement, Iwould have cried in a loud voice to the kneeling congregation:
"People! Christians! rise--rise! do not kneel in the presence of theseblasphemers!" had not the white dove on my shoulder pressed her wingsagainst my lips.
Then the rich tones of the organ filled the chapel; and the women'svoices chanting the "Mi
serere" sounded so familiar--exactly like thoseI had heard in my dream, singing bacchanalian songs--that I said tomyself: "That is Ashtoreth's voice--that is Delilah's, and thatdeep-toned contralto is Jezebel's!" Again I saw the singers emergefrom the crypt and move toward the winding stair-case. Ah! it was adream after all! There was no winding staircase. Where I had seen theopen door, which gave egress to it, was a blank wall; and against itthe massive marble monument of the grand master, Arminius, who wasrepresented by a recumbent knight in full pontificals, with handsdevoutly crossed on his breast.
Yes, it was only a dream!
My heart was relieved of a heavy weight. It was such a relief to feelcertain that I had not taken the jeweled crown from our blessed Lady'shead; and that the Queen of Sheba had not worn it while dancing inadoration of an idol.
When the services were concluded, and I approached the image of ourLady, to replenish the oil in the perpetual lamp at her feet, thedoubts as to my having dreamed the scenes of the bacchanalian revelrycame back in full force; some one had been tampering with the jeweledcrown on the head of the sacred image--it had been turned around!
There was a pearl in front of the diadem, and a ruby in the back--bothas large as a hazel-nut. Today, the ruby gleamed like a coal of fire,where always before the radiance of the pearl had vied with the purewhiteness of the waxen brow. The crown had been reversed--I had notdreamed after all!
This day was, as I have mentioned before, Good Friday--the day ofuniversal fasting. The knights' observance of the day was so rigidthat they would not even administer to a dying novice the medicinesnecessary to alleviate his suffering, because they were composed ofmanna and hydromel, both of which, containing nutriment, wereconsidered food. Even I fasted the entire day--of a necessity,though, for there was nothing served in the refectory!
My elastic conscience would have permitted me to partake--sparingly,of course!--of food; and I regretted that I had not possessed theforethought to lay aside from the banquet of the preceding night (ifit really had not been a dream) the legs of a three thousand-year-oldquail!
But, had I done so, they would doubtless have vanished with the prettyflask given me by the heathen queen. When I made my duty-rounds asusual on Good Friday evening, I found my red-bearded patron waitingfor me in the sacristy. He said to me:
"This evening, Malchus, you will watch as before at the door of thecrypt--but see that you stop there, and keep awake! Don't let me findyou again in the cellar tomorrow morning."
I said to myself: "I shall be very sure not to go to sleep this time!"
The guests arrived earlier this evening. The clock in the tower hadnot yet ceased striking eleven, when the three knocks sounded on thecrypt door.
The ancient beauties did not think it necessary to introducethemselves as before, but they gave me the same orders for the sacredvessels.
When I moved toward the altar, in obedience to the Queen of Sheba'sbehest, she called after me: "Don't look back, Malchus; if you doSatan will fly away with you!"
I did not look backward; I had no need. When I held the gold lid ofthe chalice in front of me, it served the same purpose as a mirror,and in it I saw Jezebel walk up to the Arminius monument, lay her handagainst the head of the recumbent statue, and thrust it to one side,whereupon the entire mass of marble swung noiselessly forward,revealing an opening in the wall through which I saw a windingstaircase.
Pretending not to have seen anything, or to notice anything unusual inthe opening in the wall, I followed the ladies up the stair with thearticles they bade me bring after them.
The long table in Baphomet's hall was again loaded with all sorts ofeatables: baked meats, pastry, sweets, fruits. "Meats!" I exclaimed tomyself, "meats on Good Friday, when all Christians, even theCalvinists, fast and read their prayer-books to find consolation fortheir souls and forgetfulness for their stomachs!" And what a feast itwas! One might well have believed that hosts and guests had not eatenanything for two or three thousand years! Had I been endowed with thehands of an Aegeon I could not have supplied the viands and wine asrapidly as the hungry and thirsty revelers demanded them of me. Iseemed to be continually running to, or returning from, thewine-cellar.
Similar scenes to those enacted the preceding night followed thebanquet; only with variations one would hardly believe the human mindcapable of inventing.
The Queen of Sheba was even more reckless and abandoned than before;she ordered me to bring her the mantle from the shoulders of the"Woman of Nazareth." I hesitated again to perform the sacrilegiouserrand, but a sound blow on my back from Iscariot's fist sent mehurrying to the chapel.
When I returned with the mantle the queen was in need of it, for shewas not to be distinguished from the nude goddess on the back of thewild boar. I was so ashamed for her, I could not lift my eyes when Ihanded her the mantle. Ashtoreth laughed heartily at me, andexclaimed:
"Here, Malchus, I will drink to Baphomet from this flask; then youshall drink to me."
She drank first, then handed the flask to me; it was the same one shehad presented to me the night before.
I had learned something since then! I knew there were trick flaskswith two compartments, which might contain two different kinds ofliquor without becoming mixed. If the neck of the flask were turned tothe right, one of the compartments would be opened; the contents ofthe other would flow, were the neck turned to the left.
When the heathen queen placed the flask to her lips I had watched herclosely, and had seen that her wrist turned slightly to the right.This movement I took good care to copy when I drank, and, as I hadguessed, the wine was deliciously sweet.
I took a good, long pull before removing the flask from my lips.
"Very good wine, isn't it?" observed Ashtoreth.
"A trifle bitter," I replied, making a wry face, upon which shefilliped my nose with her finger, and exclaimed, laughingly:
"You don't know what is good, Malchus! The wine in this flask is someof that left from the marriage feast at Cana. You may keep this flask,too; put it with the one I gave you last night."
This remark set the entire blasphemous crew into a roar of merriment.
"You may remove these vessels now," said Nebuchadnezzar, when thelaughter had subsided, "and fetch us some _spiritus vini_."
I removed the unclean church vessels and brought from the cellar alarge stone jug of _spiritus vini_. The simple juice of the grape wasnot strong enough for the drunken demons; they wanted the more fierybrandy.
An idea came into my head as I was going to the cellar. The _spiritusvini_ was made in Russia; the mouths of the jugs containing it weresealed so skillfully that only those persons who understood the secretcould remove the cork. I had learned this secret while with thehaidemaken.
I opened the jug in the cellar, poured out some of the brandy, andfilled it up with the drugged wine in the flask intended for me. ThenI sealed up the jug and took it to the banquet hall.
"Did you drink any of it?" demanded the knight whom the rest calledHerod, when I set the jug on the table.
"I swear by Baphomet I did not!" I replied truthfully.
"Then open the jug," commanded Pilate.
I made believe to pull and tug and twist the cork--I could not removeit from the neck. At last Ahab snatched the jug impatiently from myhands, and after trying in vain for several moments to accomplishwhat I had failed to do, he set it in a silver basin and struck at theneck with his sword. The jug was broken, of course, and the liquorfilled the basin. Then, Bathsheba and Tamar flung into it figs,raisins and orange peel; Delilah took a lighted taper from thecandelabra and set fire to the huge dish of crambamboli; at the samemoment all the other lights in the hall were extinguished.
Nebuchadnezzar now began to ladle out the burning liquor into gobletswhich he passed to the rest of the company. The flame dispensing king,with his four horns, the fire-sipping forms around him, their facesblanched to a death-like pallor by the green-blue light of the burningbrandy, formed a group that excelled in hideousness every il
lustrationI had yet seen of the _danse macabre_.
I fled in horror and disgust from the infernal orgy, fully convincedthat I was not dreaming this time. I was determined to make my escapefrom the abode of demons and idol worshippers.
I said to myself: "If these human beings--that they are not phantoms Iam convinced--came to the castle through the crypt, then I, anotherhuman being, may go out the way they entered."
I took my lamp, descended to the crypt, and discovered that one of thememorials, which lined the walls, had been shoved to one side. Anexamination of this memento to a deceased knight revealed that it wasnot a slab of marble, but a sheet of tin painted to imitate the moresolid material. Nor was the niche it covered a tomb, but the outletto a narrow stairway that ascended in steep spirals from the crypt,opposite to the one which descended to it from the chapel.
"I took my lamp, descended to the crypt"]
I mounted seventeen steps, when further progress was barred by astatue--that of Saint Sebastian. The heroic martyr was representedbound to a tree, his body filled with arrows, as he had appeared whenbeing tortured to death by the commands of the godless Diocletian.
I had seen this statue often enough by day in the reception-hall ofthe castle; then it stood in its niche face toward the room; here, atthe head of the secret stairway from the crypt, it stood with its facealso toward me. "Surely," said I to myself, "St. Sebastian must knowsomething about the secret outlet."
And he did.
I began to examine the niche; then the statue. I noticed that three ofthe arrows in the breast were brass, and that the one in the middlewas brighter than the other two, as if it had been taken hold offrequently. I mounted the pedestal, and, with one arm around the saintto steady myself, I tried to turn the brighter arrow. After a little,it yielded to the pressure of my hand, and the statue, as well as theniche, began to turn slowly on an unseen axis, and in a few moments Isaw the starlit sky above me.
Then I turned the arrow in the opposite direction, and found myselfreturned to my prison. I had solved the mystery of the phantoms'appearance in the chapel! I returned to the chapel and examined themechanism concealed under the Arminius monument. What would be theresult, I asked myself, if I turned the head of the grand master backto its proper position?
I did so, and the monument swung back to its place, concealing theentrance to the hall of Baphomet.
By this time the blasphemers in the hall were sound asleep, and heavenalone knew when they would waken! And when they did, they would not beable to get out of their Satan's temple, for it had neither door norwindows.
No one would know what had become of them--whither they had gone. Whenthey found a way out of their prison--if ever--I should be far enoughaway over mountain and valley!
I sketched a rapid plan of escape: I would go to the Archbishop ofAix-la-Chapelle and lay information against the knights of Baphomet;and, in order to gain credence for my story, I would take with me thedesecrated church vessels. No devout Christian should drink again fromthe chalice defiled by the lips of Salome and Delilah; should have hisoffspring christened from the basin polluted by Nebuchadnezzar; shouldreceive the holy water from the aspergill, defiled by being used tostir the infernal mixture concocted by Tamar and Bathsheba; not one ofthe vessels should be used again, until they had been thoroughlycleansed and re-consecrated by the proper authorities.
"A most praiseworthy determination! You proved yourself a trueChristian!" exclaimed the prince, deeply incensed by the impiety ofthe _dornenritter_, the mere hearing of whose licentious conduct madea godly man feel the need of absolution. "You did what any honest andrespectable Christian would have done in your place!"
"Didn't I say so?" in triumph exclaimed the mayor, beating the tablewith his staff. "Didn't I say the rascal would talk himself out of thechurch robbery? Instead of sentencing him for the crime, he iscommended for it."
Hereupon the prince and the mayor became involved in so animated adispute that each sprang from his chair and begun to pound with hisfists on the table with such vigor that the candle-sticks, ink-hornand sand-box danced quite a lively jig.
The argument continued until his highness suddenly remembered what wasbecoming to his dignity; then he rapped the court to order andannounced that the hearing was adjourned until the next day.
* * * * *
The following morning Hugo resumed his confession:
I found a stout leather bag in the sacristy, into which I put all thechurch vessels of gold and silver which had been defiled in thebacchanalian orgies. I did not forget the Virgin's diadem, either.
My left shoulder ached dreadfully under the heavy load, but, becausethe white dove I told you about was perched on the other shoulder, Iwould not shift the bag from side to side, which would have made iteasier to carry. The revolving Saint Sebastian enabled me to escapefrom the castle, but I still had a high bastion to scale. I found therope ladder by means of which the women had climbed over, and verysoon I was on the high road, travelling as swiftly as I could for theheavy bag, toward the harbor--
"Hold!" interrupted the chair, "I've caught you at last! If what youhave told us is true, why didn't you go at once with the bag of churchproperty to the burgomaster of the city, and tell him of yourdiscovery at the castle? The impious revellers might have been takeninto custody that same night."
"Yes--yes--" the prince made haste to add, "why didn't you do that,instead of thinking it necessary to escape on a ship?"
"I believe I can explain my action to the satisfaction of thehigh-born gentlemen," deferentially responded the prisoner. "You willunderstand at once why I wanted to take a ship, when I tell you thename of the city. It was Stettin. It was in possession, at that time,of Gustavus Adolphus, whose heretic generals cared very little whetherthe Blessed Virgin or Baphomet were worshipped in the Catholicchurches, which had already been desecrated more than once bythemselves. Indeed, the relations between the knights and the hereticswas most friendly, because the former had joined forces with theSwedes, and had fought bravely against the imperial beleaguerers. Theywere loyal comrades in arms with the heretics. That is why I deemed itwiser to escape from the city--"
"And you were right--quite right!" with unmistakable approval in histone, commented the prince. "The Swedish heretics were not the properauthorities to settle so sacred and important a matter. The _furtumsacrosanctorum_ may be stricken from the list of indictments."
"As may all that follow!" growled the mayor into his beard. "Now weshall hear how this innocent criminal disposes of the _homicidium_!"
PART V.
THE HOMICIDE.