Part 1 (2/2)
”His large black horse does not seem to stumble in the descent.... Where can he be going in such a hurry?”
”Father, the man must have lost his way.”
”Oh, my son, may Teutates hear you! We shall tender our hospitality to the rider. His dress tells he is a stranger. What beautiful stories will he not be able to tell us of his country and his travels!”
”May the divine Ogmi, whose words bind men in golden chains, be propitious to us, father! It is long since any strange story-teller has sat at our hearth.”
”Besides, we have had no news of what is going on elsewhere in Gaul.”
”Unfortunately so!”
”Oh, my son, if I were all-powerful as Hesus, I would have a new story-teller every evening at supper.”
”I would send men traveling everywhere, and have them return and tell their adventures.”
”And if I had the power of Hesus, what wonderful adventures would I not provide for my travelers so as to increase the interest in their stories on their return.”
”Father, the rider is coming close to us!”
”Yes, he reins in because the road is here narrow, and we bar his pa.s.sage with our chariot. Come, Guilhern, the moment is favorable; the pa.s.senger must have lost his way; let us offer him hospitality for to-night. We shall then keep him to-morrow, and perhaps several other days. We shall have done him a good turn, and he will give us the news from Gaul and of the other countries that he has visited.”
”Besides, it will be a great joy to my sister Hena who is to come home to-morrow for the feast of her birthday.”
”Oh, Guilhern, I never thought of the pleasure that my beloved daughter will have listening to the stranger! He must be our guest!”
”That he shall be, father! Indeed, he shall!” answered Guilhern resolutely.
Joel and his son alighted from the chariot, and advanced towards the rider. Once close to him, both were struck with the majesty of the stranger's looks. Nothing haughtier than his eyes, more masculine than his face, more worthy than his bearing. On his forehead and on one cheek were visible the traces of two wounds only freshly healed. To judge by his dauntless appearance, the rider must have been one of those chiefs whom the tribes elect from time to time to lead them in battle. Joel and his son were all the more anxious to have him accept their hospitality.
”Friend traveler,” said Joel, ”night is upon us; you have lost your way; the road you are on leads nowhere but to the desert strands; the tide will soon be was.h.i.+ng over them because the wind is blowing high. To keep on your route by night would be dangerous. Come to my house. You may resume your journey to-morrow.”
”I have not lost my way; I know where I am going to; and I am in a hurry. Turn your oxen aside; make room for me to pa.s.s,” was the brusque answer of the rider, whose forehead was wet with perspiration from the hurry of his course. By his accent he seemed to be from central Gaul, towards the Loire. After having thus addressed Joel, he struck his large black horse with both heels in the flanks and tried to draw still nearer to the oxen that now completely barred his pa.s.sage.
”Friend traveler, did you not hear me?” rejoined Joel. ”I told you that this road led only to the seash.o.r.e, that night was on, and that I offer you my house.”
The stranger, however, beginning to wax angry, replied: ”I do not need your hospitality.... Draw your oxen aside.... Do you not see that the rocks leave me no pa.s.sage either way?... Hurry up; I am in haste--”
”Friend,” said Joel, ”you are a stranger; I am of this country; it is my duty to prevent you from going astray.... I shall do my duty--”
”By Ritha-Gaur, who made himself a blouse out of the beard of the kings he shaved!” cried the stranger, now in towering rage. ”I have traveled a deal since my beard began to grow, have seen many countries, many peoples and many strange customs, but never yet have I come across two fools like these!”
Learning from the mouth of the stranger himself that he had seen many countries, many peoples and many strange customs, Joel and his son, both of whom were pa.s.sionately fond of hearing stories, concluded that many and charming must be the ones the stranger could tell, and they felt all the more desirous of securing such a guest. Accordingly, so far from turning the chariot aside, Joel advanced close to the rider, and said to him with the sweetest voice that he could master, his natural voice being rather rough:
”Friend, you shall go no further! I wish to be respectful to the G.o.ds, above all to Teutates, the G.o.d of travelers, and shall therefore keep you from going astray by making you spend a good night under a good roof, instead of allowing you to wander about the strand, where you would run the risk of being drowned in the rising tide.”
”Take care!” replied the unknown rider carrying his hand to the axe that hung from his belt. ”Take care!... If you do not forthwith turn your oxen aside, I shall make a sacrifice to the G.o.ds, and shall join you to the offering!”
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