The King's Esquires Part 24

"No deep wounds; but p.r.i.c.k and make them dance till they reach the window and leap out. I'll tackle this boy."

The next moment there was the harsh, grating, rasping, hissing sound of steel edge against steel.

"Back, boy!" raged out Francis. "Let me punish this English _canaille_."

"No, sir," whispered Leoni sharply. "They are three. Let your servants finish this."

"Here's for you!" shouted one of Sir Robert's companions, and they made for the King and his two followers; but they were hindered from crossing swords by Sir Robert, who, stepping back to avoid a sharp thrust delivered by Denis, felt his foot slip upon the wine-moistened polished oaken boards, and in saving himself he came in contact with the table, driving it heavily in his comrades' way, so that the two parties were separated, the centre of the room being taken up by Denis and his adversary.

"The unlucky boy!" muttered the King angrily. "Leoni, he is no match for that English bull."

"No, sir," said the doctor coolly, as he stood watchful with his blade advanced; "but he can fence a little. Give me place, and I'll see that he does not come to harm."

Seeing that their adversaries were disposed to hold their hands until the couple engaged had finished their encounter, Sir Robert's two companions stood waiting for their turn till the unequal match was finished; for unequal it was, Denis being pressed hard in the fierce onslaught made by the strong-armed bully, who kept on thrusting and driving the boy sideways as, lithe and agile, he avoided or parried every thrust. At last his fate seemed sealed, for his arm was growing weak and his defence being beaten down, when with a quick movement and just in the nick of time Leoni made a sudden dart forward and turned aside a very awkward thrust.

"Ah! Coward!" roared the English officer. "Two to one! Here, boys, come on!"

The command was unnecessary, for Leoni's action was imitated at once by Sir Robert's followers, who sprang forward, to have their blades engaged at once by Saint Simon and the King.

Then in a general _melee_ the swords gritted and twined and seemed like flas.h.i.+ng serpents in deadly fray, while those who grasped them came in contact with and were hindered by the furniture of the by no means extensive room.

The floor was made slippery by the wine which bedewed the boards, but before the encounter had lasted a minute there were other drops which added to the peril; for Denis's thin blade had pa.s.sed along the fles.h.i.+est part of the English captain's ribs, and raging now with pa.s.sion and pain as he felt the sting, he fought furiously, forcing Leoni to do more than guard the boy, whose strength was utterly failing; and interposing now, he literally took the Englishman's blade to his own, beat upon it heavily, and the next moment sent it flying through the open window, out of which he was to have been made to jump.

Uttering a yell of fury, Sir Robert s.n.a.t.c.hed the dagger from his waist, and regardless of the danger, sprang with a yell at Denis, when the door was suddenly flung open and an officer of halberdiers stepped in, backed up by about a dozen followers, whose approach had been unheard, while about a score more could be seen forming up through the window, their great steal spears with their battle-axe blades glittering in the ruddy evening sun.

As if moved by one impulse, everyone within the room lowered his blade, while the King, taking in his position at a glance, and placing his own interpretation thereon, e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed angrily the one word:

"Trapped!"

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

WHAT DENIS THOUGHT.

"Sir Robert! Gentlemen!" cried the officer in command of the halberdiers. "What does this mean?"

"Can't you see?" growled Sir Robert angrily. "Fighting. Chastising a pack of insolent musicians, dancing masters, or whatever they are, who insulted us."

"It is not true!" cried Denis angrily; and as he spoke Carrbroke, who had received warning from one of the inn servants of the fight that was going on, shouldered his way in through the halberdiers. "These men, whoever they are--they cannot be gentlemen--"

"What!" roared Sir Robert.

"--insulted my master and these members of his suite," continued Denis, gazing defiantly at the English captain. "We were standing on our defence."

"The boy lies," cried Sir Robert.

"No: Sir Robert lies," cried Carrbroke hotly. "Captain Bowman, these gentlemen were my father's guests last night--yes, Sir Robert, my father's guests, and you must have insulted them, or they would not have drawn."

"This is insufferable," cried Sir Robert.

"Yes," said the captain of the escort coldly; "quite; and I am afraid, Sir Robert, that when his Majesty hears of the treatment which his guests, whom I have been ordered to escort into the palace, have received, I shall have another duty to perform."

"What do you mean?" cried Sir Robert insolently.

"Your arrest, sir, and that of your friends. I am afraid his Majesty is getting tired of your brawling and overbearing ways."

"What!" cried Sir Robert fiercely, as he clapped his hand again to the dagger he had sheathed.

"I see you have lost your sword," said the officer contemptuously, "and spared me the trouble of disarming you for drawing within the precincts of the Court. Take my advice, sir--not that of a friend, but of one who has his duty to do towards keeping order here. Take your friends away and consult with them as to what steps you should take before his Majesty hears of this outrage. Monsieur le Comte," he continued, turning to Francis, "in his Majesty's name, let me apologise for what must have been a grievous mistake on the part of one of the King's officers. I am commanded to escort you and your followers into the palace, where his Majesty will receive you at once."

Francis bowed, and the halberdiers formed up ready for the visitors to pa.s.s between their ranks, while Leoni, who looked calm and saturnine as ever, bent forward and whispered a word or two to the King.

"My faith, yes!" he cried, and he turned to the Captain of the Guard.

"But, as you see, we are travel-stained and hot with this encounter; we ought to have some minutes to prepare."

"His Majesty knows that you have been travelling, sir, and will not notice that you have been making some pa.s.ses in your defence. My master, sir, is impatient, and as he expects you, if I might advise I would say, let me lead you there at once."

The King bowed and stepped forward directly, closely followed by his suite, and pa.s.sed out to the front of the hostelry, where a little crowd had gathered, attracted by the exciting incident that had taken place.

The next minute, with about a dozen of the halberdiers to clear the way, the rest behind, the order was loudly given, and the little procession moved towards the great gate of the castle on the hill, the Captain of the Guard marching with drawn sword respectfully by the travellers'

side.

Rather breathless still, the King remained silent, while Denis could not refrain from glancing back, to see his late adversary standing at the inn-door in the act of taking a wine-cup from the hands of the host.

The next moment the figures of the halberdiers shut him from sight, while the boy heard his royal master's next words, uttered in a low tone to Leoni.

"It's wonderfully like being prisoners, doctor," he whispered; "and mind this, if we do not get free again you'll have to pay the forfeit. Ah, there you are, my young esquire! I'd half forgotten you. Well and bravely fought. Yesterday, as it were, I looked upon you as a page; you are now my esquire indeed. By my sword, the fighting we have had already on this English soil has made quite a fire-eater of you. Why, Leoni, I feel as ready as can be now to enter into the lion's den. Not get out again! Tchah! With followers like these, who's going to stand against us? _Vive la France_!"

"_Vive la France, Monsieur le Comte_," said Leoni, in a low meaning tone. "If I might say so, I should think his Majesty King Francis would feel proud of the bearer of his letter, if he could know how bravely one of his n.o.bles kept up the credit of his court of braves."

"I hope he would, Leoni," said the King, laughing to himself, and he looked sharply upward as the halberdiers' footsteps echoed from the grey stone walls of the arched entrance to the courtyard. "A n.o.ble-looking castle. May I ask, monsieur the captain, what building that is to our left--the chapel of the palace?"

"Yes, sir, and the great hall," replied the Captain of the Guard.

Then uttering a sharp order, the advance-guard bore off to the left.

"His Majesty awaits you, sir, in the ante-chamber. We turn in here for your reception in the hall."

"Hah!" said Francis, and he looked at Denis as he spoke. "Well, boy,"

he said, in a low tone, "are you wondering what Henry of England will think when he sees the Comte?"

"No, sir," replied the boy sharply.

"What then?"

"Will the Comte excuse me saying?" said the boy, turning furiously red.

"No, he will not," said the King sharply. "Out with it at once! What were you thinking?"