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The second morning after the defeat of the routiers, and
the death of Matthieu de Montmesnil, broke fair and cloudless;
there had been a smart hoar frost on the preceding night, and,
although the sun was already high in the heavens, the crystal
fretwork of the rime still glittered on the fern and briers,
bright as a warrior's mail; the air was clear and sharp, and
full of that invigorating freshness which is even more agreeable
to the senses of a healthful frame than the luxurious stillness
of a summer day, and all the forest, in which our scene still
lies, was alive with the gay notes of a thousand tiny warblers.

Faint, however, was the impression produced by the bright
sunshine, or the bracing gale, or the continued melody with
which the woods were vocal, on the spirits of the stout champion,
Hugues de Coucy, as he rode onward through the woody
passes, attended only by the page Ermold, deep sorrow brooding
on his bold lineaments and broad, fair brow. He was
sheathed once again from head to foot in his own splendid
panoply, which had been won back from the robbers, perfect
and uninjured; he backed, too, as before, the beautiful gray
Arab Termagant; but the three stout and valiant soldiers,
who had so lately followed him in all the pride and power of
noble manhood, now lay beneath the frozen earth, cold, voiceless,
deaf — even to the soul-stirring trumpets! and for the
superb charger, clad like its rider in complete war array, and
like him panting for the shock of battle, a slow and sober
mule, heavily laden with the demipique and bardings of the
slain destrier, plodded along with drooping crest and dogged

[figure description] Page 050.[end figure description]

air, shrewdly exercising the patience of the young fiery page
who led him by the rein, with many an execration at the slow
gait from which neither blows nor caresses could compel him.
No word spoke Hugues, except at times a call to Ermold, “in
God's name to scourge on that lazy garron, else should night
fall and find them in the forest.” Thus passed the morning,
dully and wearily indeed; but as the sun reached the zenith,
the travellers gained the summit of a long sandy hill, whence
they might see the woodlands melting, as it were, gradually
into cultivated fields; and beyond these a wide tract of fertile
champaign, intersected by many broad streams of water, all
gleaming gayly to the sunlight; and in the middle ground of
the picture the tall Gothic steeples and grotesque towers,
which marked a city of the middle ages, shooting up into the
thin clear air, above the crowded roofs of Brussels.

“Soh! Ermold,” exclaimed the knight, halting, as he spoke,
to allow the boy to draw up abreast of him, “here, then, at
length is Brussels; and look you — to spare time which of
God's truth we do lack sorely — I with all speed shall gallop
forward; come on as best thou may, thou'lt find me at the
Lion d'Or, in the Place d'Armes. I must purvey myself a destrier,
and thee a coat of plate; an' if thou art to be hereafter
mine esquire, and fain I would, if it be possible, pick up some
two or three strong varlets to ride with us, till such time as my
brother Hubert bring up my loading with the broad banner of
our house. We must be on our route again forthwith, so we
would save the Chatelaine de Vermeuil an onslaught from
these cursed routiers, of which they spoke unguarded and unheeding,
the while I lay their captive.”

“Fear me not, my good lord,” replied the youth, coloring
high with pleasure, “I will make no delay on the road, and
shall be up, I warrant me, at the Golden Lion, ere you be
ready to set onward!”

[figure description] Page 051.[end figure description]

The knight bowed his head in answer, and slackened the
rein of his fiery horse, which tarried not for any farther signal,
but darted away like an arrow shot from the long-bow of
an English archer, over rough and smooth, up the long steep
ascent, and down the headlong hill, at the same long unvarying
gallop. Not once, no, not for a moment, did he lag or
falter; not once did he suffer the reins to fall loose from his
rider's hand, but straining eagerly against the bit, swept forward
with a regular and gentle motion, like that of a bird
through the air, and within half an hour stood, without a pant
of his deep lungs, or a foam-spot on his housings, before the
barbican and moated walls of Brussels.

A few minutes were consumed in parleying with the captain
of the burgher-guard, who was on duty at the gates; but this ended,
no farther interruption occurred. So that before he had been
an hour absent from the page, the knight was installed in the best
chamber of the Lion d'Or, as a well-remembered and muchhonored
guest, with a cold capon, and a flagon of Burgundy
wine mulled with spices, at his elbow, the jolly landlord assuring
him that he had sent for a maquignon, who would speedily
furnish him forthwith a charger, such as Duke Philip would
himself, God prosper him, be proud to mount in battle; and
that by good luck, the Herr Jacob Vanderneer, deacon of the
armorer's guild, was taking his nooning down below when his
worship dismounted, and that he had departed homeward in
some heat to load his journeyman with harness for the good
knight's inspection.

For once no mighty discrepance occurred between the
promise and performance; for scarcely was Sir Hugues' appetite
appeased, before the tramping of horses in the court,
under the windows, summoned him from his seat to inspect
the dealer's cattle. This worthy, stimulated by the hope of
high prices, and pretty well satisfied, by the great reputation

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of the count of Tankarville for an accomplished cavalier, that
any of the ordinary tricks of the trade would be on this occasion
thrown away, had brought out in the first instance the
flower of his stables, resolving merely to atone for this deviation
from ordinary rules by demanding at least twice the value
of each particular animal. There were, indeed, several finelooking
beasts among the dozen or fifteen which were paraded
to and fro by the grooms on the pavements; but one especially
caught the baron's eye as fully capable of supplying the
place of his lost Andalusian. It was a tall and powerful black
horse, with a white spot on the face, and one white foot behind;
and, as the practised judgment of Sir Hugues at once
determined, had no small intermixture of Barbary or Arab
blood with the best Flemish strain. The price demanded for
this charger, although after he had nearly kicked out the
brains of one groom, and had actually pulled a second out of
his saddle with his teeth, and shaken him as a terrier-dog
would a rat, the dealer admitted him to be a vicious devil —
which trait, however, he affected to consider as an advantage,
rather than the reverse to one so famed for horsemanship as
the sieur de Coucy — was even for that age stupendous.
Without seeming, however, to consider this, Hugues ordered
the black horse to be set aside, and proceeded to select a
second by no means inferior in blood or beauty, though somewhat
slighter made and lower than the first, which he judged
fit to carry Ermold in his new character of esquire. While
he was yet engaged in examining the chestnut, the landlord
touched him on the shoulder and presented three tall fellows,
whom he declared to be honest lads, well known to himself
two of whom had seen some service, and were eager to be
admitted to the preferment of following a lord so famous. The
first of these, him who had never served, the knight at once
rejected; and then, after asking a few questions of the others,

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he desired the taller of the two, who was likewise the older
soldier, to jump up on the black horse, bare-backed as he was,
and ride him round the yard. The grooms laughed aloud at
the coolness with which the baron gave this order, as though
it were the easiest thing in the world, and the maquignon,
who was acquainted with the aspirant, cried out, “Have a
care! have a care, Giles! for he's as full of tricks, ay! and
as stubborn as a fiend.”

“And if he be the fiend himself, I care not, Master Andrew,”
answered the fellow; “for the foul fiend had to carry Master
Michael Scott, as men say, the Scottish magician, across the
seas from Salamanca to St. Andrew's, and I trow Master Scott
could hardly back a destrier with a free lance of Flanders.”

And with the words he strode up to the black charger, and
laying his hand on the mane, sprang, almost as it seemed without
an effort, to his back. In an instant the fierce brute reared
bolt upright, and positively leaped endlong into the air, alighting
on the pavement with such violence that sparks of fire
flashed from the stones under the dint of his hoofs; and scarce
had he alighted before he fell into a succession of plunges,
kicking and lounging to and fro like a very devil, but all to no
avail; for the trooper sat him as though he had been a portion
of the animal, till, having run through all the changes of its
vice, it became quiet for a few seconds' space, when he dismounted,
and walked back to his place with a well-satisfied
smile on his countenance, not in the least out of breath or discomposed
by his late exertion.

“Well ridden, Giles,” exclaimed the knight, “exceedingly
well ridden; now an' thou listest to follow faithfully my banner,
thou mayest do well in these wars.”

“So please you, beau sire,” answered the man, “I'll do my
best for it; and little doubt to win your favor, if honest bearing
and stout blows will win it!”

[figure description] Page 054.[end figure description]

“That they will, that they will, good fellow,” answered Sir
Hugues; “never thou fear it! and thou, sir, wilt thou brook the
trial, and mount black Sathanas there?” he continued, turning
to the younger man.

“I will, Sir Hugues, I will,” he answered humbly; “for I
am not afraid; though, to say truth, a man may ride well, and
yet not be a match for yon black devil. But I will risk a fall
for it. No man shall say Francon Van Voorhis sought service
with the count of Tankarville, and when he might have gained,
lost it for lack of heart.”

As he finished speaking, he too crossed the yard, and succeeded
in mounting the formidable horse, which immediately
resorted to its old tricks, displaying no small degree of activity
and skill in controlling the first plunges. As if, however, he
had been but irritated by his rider's efforts to subdue him, snorting
and foaming till his black, glossy limbs were spotted as if
with snow-flakes, the mighty horse dashed to and fro, scattering
the grooms like sheep, and at length freeing his head by a
violent effort, and yerking out his heels a dozen times in succession,
hurled the youth Francon from his back, like a quoit
from the arm of a strong player. Luckily for the man, he fell
upon a heap of horse-litter, which had been swept out from the
inn-stables, else had he never moved limb any more! as it
was, he was sorely bruised; yet as he rose, lame and limping,
and shook the straws from his doublet, he laughed cheerfully,
and said: “Better luck next time, sieur horse, thou mayest
unseat me, but the fiend's in't if thou canst scare me.” And
he made as if he would have tried his fortune again; for he
offered to eatch the horse, which was careering furiously about
the court, no one daring to approach it; but as he did so, “That
will do, that will do, my lad,” cried the knight, “for one day,
at the least. Thou hast done well, and wilt do better yet, I
warrant me, ere thou hast followed the Coucy's banner a

[figure description] Page 055.[end figure description]

twelve-month. Get thee in with thy fellow Giles; and mine host,
give them each a quart of Rhenish, and that presently. We
must to horse ere long — but now to conquer this swart demon,
which must be done at once, if we would have him useful.”
And instantly as the horse darted past him, he snatched the
halter with his right hand, and brought him up with a jerk that
threw him, for a moment, on his haunches; then, all armed as
he was in the heaviest panoply of the day, he vaulted to his
bare back at a single bound, and plunged the rowels of his
gilded spurs up to the head in his flanks. For a few moments
the struggle was tremendous; at first it seemed as if no human
power or skill could have controlled the frantic efforts of the
furious stallion; but as the knight sat firm, baffling each successive
plunge, and answering every kick with a corresponding
motion of his armed heels, it soon became evident that he must
be the master of the day; for, after a while, every plunge was
weaker than that which preceded it, and anon quite baffled and
subdued, panting and blown — the proud war-horse stood still.
Then the knight wheeled him round, and walked him to and fro,
and patted his high crest, drawing off the mailed gauntlet from his
hand; and again pricking him gently with the spur, put him
through all his paces, and passaged him around the court, winding
him to and fro with the least touch of the rein, as gently
as a lady's jennet. Then he dismounted, and standing by his
head, caressed him quietly for a few moments, and then walked
away toward the stables of the inn, the conquered destrier following
as peaceably behind him, as though he had been the
tamest cart-jade in the city. While this strange scene had
been in progress, Ermold de Clermont arrived at the inn-gates,
mounted as we have described him, on the bay Arab, and leading
the mule loaded with the bard and housings of the baron's
horse; and stood in silence looking on the good knight's prowess,
till the black stallion was completely vanquished. Then

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he stepped up to Hugues, and took the bridle of his destrier,
and transmitted to the grooms of the hostlery, his lord's commands
to clean and rub down his new purchase thoroughly,
and arm him with the full horse-armor and housings, as speedily
as might be.

The countenance of the two troopers, who had not yet gone,
having waited to see how their new lord rode, evinced
how vastly he had risen in their estimation; and the elder of
the two kneeled down before him, as he returned from the
stables and said, “Hear me swear, beau sire, never to swerve
or falter, never to turn back from the deadliest brunt of battle,
never to draw the rein or sheath the sword, so long as you are
in the field before me; for here I vow myself your man, through
weal and wo for ever, in life and unto death! For if I leave
thy side, while thou art in the field and fighting, or if I die not
on thy body when thou liest under shield, full knightly, then
may my patron-saint desert me in mine utmost need; may good
Saint Peter lock heaven's gate against me; and hell receive
my soul! For sure thou art the noblest knight, the stoutest
leader, the completest champion, that couches spear in Christendom!”

The other, as he perceived his fellow's action, and heard
the vow which he uttered, threw himself on his knees beside
him and stretching out his arms, cried with a loud voice: “Me!
me! — me too! good knight; hear me, for I swear likewise” —
and all the while the big tears rolled down his sunburnt cheek,
and he sobbed audibly, so deeply did he feel the responsibility
of the service which he was undertaking; till, as Giles finished
his speech, he uttered a loud “amen! on my soul be the oath—
amen!”

A bright gleaming smile played over the animated features
of the knight, as he listened to the fervent exclamations, and
looked upon the agitated countenances of his followers; for

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he was in truth well satisfied; knowing that in minds of low
and grovelling order there, are no springs of such enthusiasm,
and arguing thence that these his newly chosen men-at-arms
were moulded of the right metal for making chivalrous and
gallant soldiers.

“Well spoken, both of ye,” he answered, “well spoken, and
I thank ye for it; and if ye be true followers to the Coucy, trust
well that he to you will be true lord and loyal; and for the rest
of God's truth, I have seen some service, and, so the good
saints prosper me, shall see more ere I die; and if ye list to
lay lance in the rest among the foremost, ye shall not long lack
opportunity, nor, it may be, advancement. Go in now, go in
and refresh ye; and that done, we will fit ye with good plate-coats,
and tough lances, and we will ride forth this same night
upon adventure. But hold! hold! I would see your judgment
in this same article of horseflesh — choose, each of ye a charger
out of the lot before ye, and if your choosing like me, why
I will stand the upshot.”

With many thanks, the soldiers turned to the grateful task,
proceeding to the business with so much alacrity and readiness
as proved them, in their own estimation at the least,
masters of the art. It was not, however, till after much chaffering
with the maquignon, and much consultation with each
other, and much more examination than the knight had judged
necessary before choosing his own destrier, that they pitched
upon two powerful and well-bred horses, which meeting Sir
Hugues' approbation, were set apart with those which he had
already selected.

This matter of the horses having been thus satisfactorily arranged,
it remained only to equip them and their riders with
their necessary arms and housings; and scarcely had the hostlers
led away the chargers to get them fitted at the saddler's
with their steel-plated demipique and chainwork bridles, before

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the deacon of the armorers reappeared, accompanied by four
or five stout serving-men, dividing among them the different
pieces of two complete suits of armor, suited as nearly as might
be guessed to the page Ermold; on trial, however, one of the
two proved quite too large; while the other, which fitted perfectly,
was pronounced by the knight to be of too splendid a
fashion for his esquire, being all engrailed with damasking of
silver.

“Ermold shall go with you,” he said, “good master armorer,
and I will trust to you to fit him forth becomingly, let the harness
be of plate — bright steel, but without ornament; if it be
of Alnayn rivet, or from a Milan forge, so much the better.
A close casque of the old fashion, with a fixed avantaille — and
see there be gusset of good mail, hooked firmly to the corslet
rim, and upper edge of the brassards, to guard the oxter from
arrow-shot or thrust of some sharp weapon, when the right
arm is raised. Dost mark me, ha? And ye, good fellows, go
with him likewise; fit them, I pray you, both, with your best
harness of burnished Flanders iron, complete — dost understand! —
complete from head to foot, steelboot and taslet, brassard,
vant-brace, and corslet, and see here! none of your open
morion or bacinets, but good stout cerveilleres, with beaver and
mailhood. That done, I will entreat you to commend them to
a leatherworker's, where they may get them each a cassock
of dressed hide to wear above their mail; white, mark you,
Ermold, and laid down on the seams with lace, and see ye
that the suits be of one pattern, that ye look orderly and near,
not loose, irregular companion. Furnish them, likewise, thou,
Herr Jacob, with double-handed swords, and dudgeon daggers
of a hand's breadth, and a good battle-axe apiece of ten pounds
weight or better. Now hurry, my men, hurry! for by the Lord
that lives the day is waning. Now, Vandenkopf,” he added,
turning to the landlord, “go in and speak with me, for I must

[figure description] Page 059.[end figure description]

needs draw a bill on Master Morillon of Bruges, or if it like
your money-changers, better on the intendant of my estates of
Tankarville, to pay for these same steeds and harness!”

This would have been at that day, in any other state of
Europe, a task of no small difficulty, but even at an earlier date
than that of which we write, the intelligent and industrious
Flemings had been in the habit of using something analogous
to bills of exchange; the invention of which is variously attributed
to the Jews, the merchants of the low country, and the
traders of the Italian republics; and to one so famous as Hugues
de Coucy, there would have been no difficulty in raising even
a larger sum than he required among the opulent goldsmiths
and jewellers, who were in those days the bankers of Brussels.

The sun was still high above the western horizon, although
it was long past noon, so rapidly had De Coucy's men, eager
to gain the good opinion of a lord at the same time so liberal,
and, if report spoke true, so strict in the maintenance of discipline,
got through the task allotted to them, when the baron's
party issued forth by a different gate from that which had
admitted him, into the great plain beyond the city-walls.
They were not, perhaps, in all respects so complete a train
as that which had accompanied the baron previous to his
encounter with the Red Bastard, and his confederates,
but they afforded, notwithstanding, a noble spectacle; for the
horses were picked beasts, and the new men-at-arms tall, well-made
fellows, and good riders, bearing themselves erect and
proudly in their saddles beautifully equipped, and managing
their own chargers with ease and skill, while each led a spare
horse, the two Arabs before-mentioned, lightly equipped, and
loaded with spare armor and a few staves for lances. The
young esquire — for to that honorable station by dint of gallantry,
bold zeal, and approved fidelity, Ermold de Clermont
was now fairly inducted — wore his beaver up as he caracoled

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gayly behind his liege lord, his whole face radiant, and his
eyes lightning with enthusiastic pleasure; so that no one
could doubt for a moment that his young high spirit would
effect far more than could be expected from his slender frame
and juvenile appearance.

They had not ridden far before the knight made a sign to
him; and when he rode up to him, desired him to relieve the
man-at-arms called Giles, of the horse he was leading, and
send him forward, as he would speak with him for a few
moments. The exchange was effected in a minute, and with
a deep obeisance the trooper trotted sharply up to his lord's
side.

“So, Giles,” the knight began, “Master Vandenkopf tells
me thou art a thorough guide for all this Netherlandish country.
Is it so, good fellow?”

“Nearly so, beau sire,” the man answered; “all on this
French frontier I do know foot by foot; and on the northern side
there are, I do believe, few better guides than I up to the Elbe
at least, and on the Rhine as far as to Cologne, so please
you.”

“Well, it does please me wondrous well! Now, sir,
where lies the chateau de Verneuil? How strong is it, and
how manned? Nigh to what town or hamlet, and what
chance of mustering men about it?”

“It lies some ten leagues hence northwesterly, in the very
thicket of the forest, not very far from Tirlemont and Hannut;
at least those are the nearest places to it. There be a few
small tenures round about it, and a little, oh, a very little village
at the hill-foot. Then, as for its strength, it is but
one square keep, with a few out-buildings in a court-yard, surrounded
by a low wall, with some half-dozen turrets at the
angles. The present seigneur has, indeed, dug a new moat,
and filled it from a neighboring rivulet, and built a low

[figure description] Page 061.[end figure description]

barbacan over against the gate — but the Lord love you! it has no
strength at all. Why, twenty men might carry it, and as for
help, there is no help to be got nigher than Hannut, and that
must be four leagues. I have heard, too, that the sieur de
Floris — he is the chatelain, you know, sir — has ridden
thence some months ago to join the English queen at Mirepoix,
where she is waiting, as they say, her bad son, John's
arrival. I do believe there are but scant ten spears in the
chateau, and no better captain than the young lady!”

“And they will be attacked at daybreak, to-morrow, by forty
routiers at least, under that ruffian, Talebard!”

“Ha! Talebardin,” said the man, “and the Red Bastard, I
will warrant it, and like enough the gray priest, too! Well, beau
seigneur, however you may know it, of this be sure, if they do
attack the chateau, then they will carry it, most surely.”

“No, no! good fellow! the Red Bastard will couch lance
no more, nor the gray brother either, nor shall they carry the
chateau so readily.”

The trooper looked bewildered for a few seconds, as if he
were at a loss to comprehend De Coucy's meaning; and then
taking courage, asked, “How, my lord? — how shall they no
more couch lance when it is their trade alway?”

“Because my spear-point went in at his gorget-joint, and
came out through his back-piece, yesternoon — the Red Bastard's
I would say! — and as for the gray brother, my good
companion and true friend — a saint in heaven now — Mathieu
de Montmesnil slew him in the same hour beside the headless
cross.”

“Pardieu!” exclaimed the soldier, “but this shall be glad
news for Brussels. They have harassed its merchants sorely
these past years; and now, seigneur —”

“And now,” returned Hugues, “thou must guide me, as
straight as thou canst ride, to the chateau of Verneuil. I vow

[figure description] Page 062.[end figure description]

to Heaven and good St. Paul, if we get thither ere they reach
the castle, they shall not win it scatheless. Is she so young,
this lady chatelaine — is she so young, Giles Ivernois?”

“Scarce eighteen years, beau sire, I've heard them tell!
She was but wed last Shrovetide. The sieur de Floris
brought her home from some place in France or Languedoc.
Her name, methinks, was De Navailles — Gabrielle de Navailles!”

“Ha! Tête de Dieu! Gabrielle de Navailles!” exclaimed
the knight, a deep red flush crossing his brow, and passing
instantly away, so as to leave him paler than before. “Ha! is
it so? So much the more need then of speed to rescue her,” he
added, muttering to himself in a low voice. “Well, guide me
thither straightway, and with all warrantable haste to boot.
I would be there by midnight.”

“And it is now four afternoon, I trow,” replied the trooper,
gazing toward the sun, the lower limb of which was already
sinking into the topmost boughs of the tall forest-trees. “We
must ride hard, then, beau sire; but we'll be there ere midnight,
my head on't. I fain would counter blows with Talebard. I
knew him long since when he was an honest man and a brave
soldier, as now he is a foul thief and accursed murderer. I
fain would counter blows with him. He is a stout lance, and
a valorous — a right good man-at-arms. Yet it should go hard
with me but I would match him. There were great los to be
won and glory, and no small guerdon either. Why, his head
now is worth forty pounds of silver well weighed out; and
under such a leader as monseigneur, I fear not we could win
it. Well! we will reach Verneuil ere midnight, or I'll die
for't.”

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