yonder tree upon the bank, and see
the tower which rises behind it. if these two be held in a line,
even as we hold them now, it may be done, though our ship draws
two good ells more than when she put forth."
"god speed you, master hawtayne!" cried sir oliver. "twice have
we come scathless out of peril, and now for the third time i
commend me to the blessed james of compostella, to whom i vow----
"
"nay, nay, old friend," whispered sir nigel. "you are like to
bring a judgment upon us with these vows, which no living man
could accomplish. have i not already heard you vow to eat two
carp in one day, and now you would venture upon a third?"
"i pray you that you will order the company to lie down," cried
hawtayne, who had taken the tiller and was gazing ahead with a
fixed eye. "in three minutes we shall either be lost or in
safety."
archers and seamen lay flat upon the deck, waiting in stolid
silence for whatever fate might come. hawtayne bent his weight
upon the tiller, and crouched to see under the bellying sail.
sir oliver and sir nigel stood erect with hands crossed in front
of the poop. down swooped the great cog into the narrow channel
which was the portal to safety. on either bow roared the shallow
bar. right ahead one small lane of black swirling water marked
the pilot's course. but true was the eye and firm the hand which
guided. a dull scraping came from beneath, the vessel quivered
and shook, at the waist, at the quarter, and behind sounded that
grim roaring of the waters, and with a plunge the yellow cog was
over the bar and speeding swiftly up the broad and tranquil
estuary of the gironde.
chapter xviii.
how sir nigel loring put a patch upon his eye.
it was on the morning of friday, the eight-and twentieth day of
november, two days before the feast of st. andrew, that the cog
and her two prisoners, after a weary tacking up the girondo and
the garonne, dropped anchor at last in front of the noble city of
bordeaux. with wonder and admiration, alleyne, leaning over the
bulwarks, gazed at the forest of masts, the swarm of boats
darting hither and thither on the bosom of the broad curving
stream, and the gray crescent-shaped city which stretched with
many a tower and minaret along the western shore. never had he
in his quiet life seen so great a town, nor was there in the
whole of england, save london alone, one which might match it in
size or in wealth. here came the merchandise of all the fair
countries which are watered by the garonne and the dordogne--the
cloths of the south, the skins of guienne, the wines of the
medoc--to be borne away to hull, exeter, dartmouth, bristol or
chester, in exchange for the wools and woolfels of england. here
too dwelt those famous smelters and welders who had made the
bordeaux steel the most trusty upon earth, and could give a
temper to lance or to sword which might mean dear life to its
owner. alleyne could see the smoke of their forges reeking up
in the clear morning air. the storm had died down now to a
gentle breeze, which wafted to his ears the long-drawn stirring
bugle-calls which sounded from the ancient ramparts.
"hola, mon petit!" said aylward, coming up to where he stood.
"thou art a squire now, and like enough to win the golden spurs,
while i am still the master-bowman, and master-bowman i shall
bide. i dare scarce wag my tongue so freely with you as when we
tramped together past wilverley chase, else i might be your guide
now, for indeed i know every house in bordeaux as a friar knows
the beads on his rosary."
"nay, aylward," said alleyne, laying his hand upon the sleeve of
his companion's frayed jerkin, "you cannot think me so thrall as
to throw aside an old friend because i have had some small share
of good fortune. i take it unkind that you should have thought
such evil of me."
"nay, mon gar. 'twas but a flight shot to see if the wind blew
steady, though i were a rogue to doubt it."
"why, had i not met you, aylward, at the lynhurst inn, who can
say where i had now been! certes, i had not gone to twynham
castle, nor become squire to sir nigel, nor met----" he paused
abruptly and flushed to his hair, but the bowman was too busy
with his own thoughts to notice his young companion's
embarrassment.
"it was a good hostel, that of the 'pied merlin,' " he remarked.
"by my ten finger bones! when i hang bow on nail and change my
brigandine for a tunic, i might do worse than take over the dame
and her business."
"i thought," said alleyne, "that you were betrothed to some one
at christchurch."
"to three," aylward answered moodily, "to three. i fear i may
not go back to christchurch. i might chance to see hotter
service in hampshire than i have ever done in gascony. but mark
you now yonder lofty turret in the centre, which stands ba
本文链接:
http://m.picdg.com/38_38017/5748633.html