Part 10 (2/2)

Still under the excitement of the interrupted battle, s.h.i.+gne ordered her virgins to lay down their weapons, while Anne, with her arms still extended towards Eidiol, cried out:

”Bless this warrior maid! Oh, my father! Thanks to her I have escaped being outraged by the pirates!”

”How sorry I am for having shot that arrow at you!” Guyrion was at the same moment saying to Gaelo, whom he saw endeavoring to extract the arrow that had struck him in the arm. ”I now recognize you, worthy pirate! It was you who opened the doors of our cells in the abbey of St.

Denis!”

Still with his cutla.s.s in his hand and contemplating Simon, who was making wry faces while holding his hand to one side of his bleeding head, ”I also regret to have cut off half the ear of this Northman, but it stuck out clean beyond his casque!” exclaimed Rustic the Gay.

”Another meeting,” cried Simon Large-Ears, shaking his fist at Rustic, ”it is that insolent tongue of yours that I mean to cut out, by the faith of Simon!”

”Why, you are as little of a Northman as myself, honest pirate!”

exclaimed Rustic as he recognized his countryman. ”My regret is then only all the deeper for leaving you in so ridiculous a state. I should have clipped off both your ears. But that can still be done.”

Simon made no answer to the renewed joke. He was kept busy stanching the flow of blood from his wound, which he washed with fresh water that he dipped up from the river with his casque, while his friend Robin Jaws tried to console him saying:

”If we only had here some fire; I would heat the point of my sword red, and would quickly burn your wound dry.”

Shortly after the boarding that was stopped so happily, the grappling irons of the Parisian vessel were removed. Jumping from the _holker_ of the Buckler Maiden on board her own father's vessel, Anne the Sweet related to him, to Guyrion and to Rustic how she had recovered her senses in the midst of the pirates who took her to Rolf just at the moment when the warrior maid stepped into the apartment; how she threw herself at s.h.i.+gne's feet; how s.h.i.+gne, touched with pity, obtained from Rolf the freedom of his prisoner and took her to her own _holker_, where she remained in safety until the unexpected encounter with her father.

Eidiol, in turn, informed Anne that, enraged at seeing her in the hands of the Northmans, and knowing from experience that they were in the habit of expediting some light craft ahead of the main fleet, he placed himself in ambush behind the breakwater of the port of Greve, determined to wreak vengeance for the death of Martha upon all the pirates whom he could seize, and to keep their chiefs alive in order to exchange them for Anne.

The two _holkers_, as well as the Parisian vessel, thereupon proceeded jointly towards Paris, and disembarked all their crews upon the river bank at a little distance from the ramparts. There the Northmans were to await the return of s.h.i.+gne and Gaelo, who were charged with carrying the will of Rolf to the Count of Paris.

At a point of the river bank whence the road led inland toward the city, which could not be entered save by one of the bridges, both of which were defended by towers, Eidiol said to Gaelo:

”In order to reach the palace of the Count of Paris in safety both you and your female companion should throw over your armor the hooded great-coats of two of our skippers. Your quality of messengers from Rolf might not be respected by the count's soldiers. You are both brave. But what will bravery boot if you find yourselves two against a hundred? I shall lead you as far as the palace. Once arrived there, you can demand to see one of Rothbert's officers and he will enable you to carry out your mission.”

”I accept your offer, brave skipper,” answered Gaelo after exchanging a few words in a low voice with s.h.i.+gne. ”I am anxious to succeed in the mission that I am charged with. We wish to arrive as promptly as possible before the count.”

”Moreover,” added Guyrion addressing the pirate, ”I see by the way you carry your arm that you suffer greatly from the wound I gave you. The iron head of my arrow has remained in the wound. Step into our house before you proceed to the palace. We shall dress your wound. Although my mother's death is due to the Northmans, I may not forget that it was you who delivered me, together with my companions and my father, from the prison of the abbey, and that it is your friend who saved my sister from the pollution of Rolf. Our grat.i.tude is due you.”

”I accept your proposal,” answered the young man.

The Beautiful s.h.i.+gne and Gaelo threw over themselves the great-coats of two of the skippers, left the river bank behind them, climbed the bluff and took the road to the bridge. Towards the north the bright glare of a fire struggled on the horizon with the light of the sinking sun. As they drew nearer to the city, an ever louder tumult struck their ears, until presently they found themselves in the midst of a mob of slaves that was hurrying under the leaders.h.i.+p of several clericals towards the gate of the tower over the bridge, and taking to the city for safe-keeping the treasures of sanctuaries that had been set on fire by bands of revolted serfs. The docile serfs, whom the priests had in charge, bore on their backs big cases filled with corn, altar ornaments of gold and silver, statues of precious metals, ma.s.sive shrines that glistened with precious stones and some of which required seven serfs to carry. The priests marched near the reliquaries, either moaning with grief, or frantically e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.n.g. maledictions on the invaders and their seconders, the revolted serfs. Among the serfs themselves, some joined in the lamentations of the priests, but less anxious to mount the ramparts and do battle with the Northmans, they answered the pressing urgings of the clericals with the submissive exclamation: ”The will of G.o.d be done!”

Within the city the emissaries of the Count of Paris were no more successful in evoking the martial ardor of the people. In vain did the count's men gallop through the city and call out: ”To arms, villeins! To arms, towns-folk! To the ramparts!” But villeins and towns-folk hurried into their own frame houses and barricaded the doors.

After traversing several tortuous streets, Eidiol and his suite arrived at the door of the skipper's house. Guyrion opened it, and Gaelo, s.h.i.+gne, Rustic, Anne and her father were speedily gathered together in the apartment on the lower floor, whose shutters they prudently closed.

”Light a lamp, sister,” said Guyrion, ”and let me have a cup with water, some lint and oil;” and addressing Gaelo, while Anne fetched the materials required for dressing the Northman's wound, ”roll up your armlet; I shall extract the arrowhead; after the wound is washed with cold water and covered with lint saturated in aromatic oil, you will feel relieved.”

Gaelo removed his armor, rolled up the sleeve of his reindeer jacket, and left his bleeding arm bare. In himself trying to extract the arrow from his wound, the pirate had broken the shaft, leaving the sharp arrowhead imbedded under the flesh. The operation of extraction was thereby rendered more difficult. Nevertheless, Eidiol succeeded in taking hold of a portion of the shaft that still obtruded above the flesh, and by dint of no little dexterity finally drew out the arrowhead itself. Greatly pained during the operation, Gaelo felt relieved when the missile was at last extracted. Before placing the lint on the wound, the old skipper moistened a piece of cloth in water and was about to wash away the clotted blood that covered almost all the upper arm, when he uttered a cry of surprise, took a step back, gazed anxiously upon Gaelo and exclaimed with intense curiosity:

”Who burnt into your arm these two Gallic words: '_Brenn_--_Karnak_'--that I see here? Speak, young man!”

”My father; he burnt the inscription into my arm shortly after my birth.”

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