Part 33 (1/2)

”It is well:” said he, ”thou are a good limner; and fever is a great spur to the imagination. One day I lay in a cart-shed with a cracked skull, and saw two hosts manuvre and fight a good hour on eight feet square, the which I did fairly describe to my comrade in due order, only not so gorgeously as thou, for want of book learning.”

”What then you believe me not? when I tell you the arrows whizzed over my head, and the combatants shouted, and--”

”May the foul fiends fly away with me if I believe a word of it.”

Gerard took his arm and quietly pointed to a tree close by.

”Why it looks like--it is--a broad arrow as I live:” and he went close and looked up at it.

”It came out of the battle. I heard it, and saw it.”

”An English arrow.”

”How know you that?”

”Marry, by its length. The English bowmen draw the bow to the ear, others only to the right breast. Hence the English loose a three-foot shaft, and this is one of them, perdition seize them. Well, if this is not glamour there has been a trifle of a battle: and if there has been a battle in so ridiculous a place for a battle as this, why then 'tis no business of mine, for my duke hath no quarrel hereabouts; so let's to bed,” said the professional: and with this he sc.r.a.ped together a heap of leaves, and made Gerard lie on it, his axe by his side: he then lay down beside him with one hand on his arbalest, and drew the bearskin over them, hair inward. They were soon as warm as toast and fast asleep.

But long before the dawn Gerard woke his comrade.

”What shall I do, Denys, I die of famine?”

”Do? why go to sleep again incontinent: qui dort dine.”

”But I tell you I am too hungry to sleep,” snapped Gerard.

”Let us march then,” replied Denys, with paternal indulgence.

He had a brief paroxysm of yawns; then made a small bundle of bears'

ears, rolling them up in a strip of the skin, cut for the purpose; and they took the road.

Gerard leaned on his axe, and, propped by Denys on the other side, hobbled along not without sighs.

”I hate pain,” said Gerard, viciously.

”Therein you show judgment,” replied papa, smoothly.

It was a clear starlight night; and soon the moon rising revealed the end of the wood at no great distance; a pleasant sight, since Dusseldorf they knew was but a short league further.

At the edge of the wood they came upon something so mysterious that they stopped to gaze at it, before going up to it. Two white pillars rose in the air, distant a few paces from each other; and between them stood many figures, that looked like human forms.

”I go no further till I know what this is,” said Gerard, in an agitated whisper; ”are they effigies of the saints, for men to pray to on the road? or live robbers waiting to shoot down honest travellers? nay, living men they cannot be, for they stand on nothing that I see. Oh!

Denys, let us turn back till daybreak: this is no mortal sight.”

Denys halted and peered long and keenly. ”They are men,” said he, at last. Gerard was for turning back all the more.

”But men that will never hurt us, nor we them. Look not to their feet for that they stand on!”

”Where then i' the name of all saints?”

”Look over their heads!” said Denys gravely.