The Boy Knight: A Tale of the Crusades Read online

  CHAPTER X.

  PIRATES.

  It was not possible that a matter of this sort could be entirely hushedup. Not many hours passed before rumors were current of events which hadtaken place, though none knew what those events were.

  There were reports that the tire-woman of the Princess Berengaria had inthe night discovered that her mistress' couch was unoccupied, that shehad found signs of a struggle, and had picked up a dagger on the floor,where it had evidently fallen from the sheath; also it was said that theprincess had returned at daylight escorted by an armed party, and thatshe was unable to obtain entrance to the palace until one of the ladiesof the queen had been fetched down to order the sentries at the gate toallow her to enter.

  This was the news which rumor carried through the camp. Few, however,believed it, and none who could have enlightened them opened their lipsupon the subject.

  It was known, however, that a messenger had come to King Richard early,and that he had at once mounted and ridden off to the bishop's palace.What had happened there none could say, but there were rumors that hisvoice had been heard in furious outbursts of passion. He remained thereuntil the afternoon, when he sent for a number of his principal nobles.

  When these arrived they found him standing on a dais in the principalhall of the palace, and he there formally introduced to them thePrincess Berengaria as his affianced wife. The ceremony of the marriage,he told them, would shortly take place.

  This announcement caused a tremendous stir in both armies. The English,who had never been favorable to the alliance with the French princess,were glad to hear that this was broken off, and were well content thatthe Princess Berengaria should be their future queen, for her beauty,high spirit, and kindness had won all hearts.

  On the part of the French, on the other hand, there was greatindignation, and for some time it was feared that the armies would cometo open blows.

  King Philip, however, although much angered, was politic enough todeprecate any open outbreak. He knew that a dispute now began would notonly at once put a stop to the Crusade, but that it might lead to moreserious consequences at home. The fiery bravery of the English king,backed as it would be by the whole strength of his subjects, mightrender him a very formidable opponent; and the king felt that privategrievances must be laid aside where the good of France was concerned.

  Still the coldness between the armies increased, their camps were movedfurther apart, and during the time that they remained in Sicily therewas but little commerce between the two forces.

  As soon as the winter had broken the French monarch broke up his camp,and in March sailed for the Holy Land.

  The English had expected that the marriage ceremony of the king andPrincess Berengaria would be celebrated before they left Sicily, butthis was not the case. There were high joustings and _fetes_ in honor ofthe princess, but the marriage was delayed. A fortnight after the Frenchhad sailed the English embarked in the two hundred ships which had beenprepared, and sailed also on their way to Acre.

  It must not be supposed that the attempted abduction of the PrincessBerengaria was unimportant in its results to Cuthbert.

  After returning from the palace the king, who had heard from her thedetails of what had taken place, and the names of her rescuers, sent forthe Earl of Evesham. The latter had of course learned from Cuthbert allthat had happened, and had expressed his high approval of his conduct,and his gratification at the result.

  "I learn, Sir Earl," said King Richard, "that it is to you that I amindebted for the rescue of the princess. She tells me that suspectingsome plot you placed a guard around the bishop's palace, with a strongbody on the shore ready to rescue her from the hands of any who mightattempt to take her to sea."

  "It is as you say, sire," replied the earl; "but the whole merit of theaffair rests upon my page, the lad whom you may remember as havingfought with and conquered the French page, and of whose conduct you thenapproved highly. You may also remember that he escaped by some displayof bravery and shrewdness the further attempts to assassinate him, andyour majesty was good enough to make a complaint to King Philip of theconduct of one of his nobles on that head. It seems that some two monthssince the lad in coming through the French camp at night missed his way,and accidentally overheard a few words spoken in a voice which herecognized as that of his enemy. The name of your majesty beingmentioned, he deemed it his duty to listen, and thus discovered that aplot was on foot for carrying off the princess. After consultation withme, we agreed upon the course to be adopted, namely, to place sentriesround the bishop's place and the buildings adjoining, who should followand bring word should she be taken to another place in town, while aband was placed on the shore in readiness to interfere at once toprevent her being carried away by sea. He undertook the management ofall details, having with him a trusty squire who commands my Saxonbowmen."

  "For your own part I thank you, my lord," the king said, "and, believeme, you shall not find Richard ungrateful. As to your page, he appearsbrave and wise beyond his years. Were it not that I think that it wouldnot be good for him, and might attract some envy upon the part ofothers, I would at once make him a knight. He already has my promisethat I will do so on the first occasion when he can show his prowessupon the infidels. Bring him to me to-morrow, when the princess will behere with the Queen of Navarre at a banquet. I would fain thank himbefore her; and, although I have agreed--at the princess' earnestsolicitation--to take no further notice of the matter, and to allow itto pass as if it had not been, yet I cannot forgive the treachery whichhas been used, and without letting all know exactly what has occurredwould fain by my reception of your page let men see that something ofgreat import has happened, of the nature of which I doubt not that rumorwill give some notion."

  Upon the following day, therefore, Cuthbert to his confusion foundhimself the center of the royal circle. The king expressed himself tohim in the most gracious manner, patting him on the shoulder, and saidthat he would be one day one of the best and bravest of his knights. Theprincess and the Queen of Navarre gave him their hands to kiss, andsomewhat overwhelmed, he withdrew from the royal presence, the center ofattention, and, in some minds, of envy.

  Cnut too did not pass unrewarded.

  His majesty, finding that Cnut was of gentle Saxon blood, gave him agold chain in token of his favor, and distributed a heavy purse amongthe men who had followed him.

  When the British fleet, numbering two hundred ships, set sail fromSicily, it was a grand and martial sight. From the masts were the colorsof England and those of the nobles who commanded; while the pennons ofthe knights, the bright plumes and mantles, the flash of armor and armsmade the decks alive with light and color.

  The king's ship advanced in the van, and round him were the vesselscontaining his principal followers. The Queen of Navarre and thePrincess Berengaria were with the fleet. Strains of music rose from thewaters, and never were the circumstances of war exhibited in a morepicturesque form.

  For two days the expedition sailed on, and then a change of a sudden anddisastrous kind took place.

  "What is all this bustle about?" Cuthbert said to Cnut. "The sailors arerunning up the ladders, all seems confusion."

  "Methinks," said Cnut, "that we are about to have a storm. A few minutesago scarce a cloud was to be seen; now that bank over there has risenhalfway up the sky. The sailors are accustomed to these treacherousseas, and the warnings which we have not noticed have no doubt beenclear enough to them."

  With great rapidity the sails of the fleet came down, and in fiveminutes its whole aspect was changed; but quickly as the sailors haddone their work, the storm was even more rapid in its progress. Some ofthe ships whose crews were slower or less skillful than the others werecaught by the gale before they could get their sails snug, and the greatsheets of white canvas were blown from the bolt-ropes as if made ofpaper, and a blackness which could almost be felt covered the sea, theonly light being that given by the frothing waters. There was no longerany thought of order. Ea
ch ship had to shift for herself; and eachcaptain to do his best to save those under his charge, without thoughtof what might befall the others.

  In the ship which carried the Earl of Evesham's contingent, order anddiscipline prevailed. The earl's voice had been heard at the first puffof wind, shouting to the men to go below, save a few who might be of useto haul at ropes. His standard was lowered, the bright flags removedfrom the sides of the ship, the shields which were hanging over thebulwarks were hurriedly taken below, and when the gale smote them theship was trim, and in readiness to receive it. A few square yards ofsail alone were all that the captain had thought it prudent to keepspread, and in a minute from the time she was struck the lofty hulk wastearing along through the waters at a tremendous speed. Four of the besthands were placed at the helm; and here the captain took his post.

  The danger was now that in the darkness they might run against one oftheir consorts. Even in the war of the elements they could hear fromtime to time crashes as of vessels striking against each other, withshouts and cries. Once or twice from the darkness ships emerged, closeon one hand or the other; but the steadiness of the captain in each casesaved the ship from collision.

  As the storm continued these glimpses of other vessels became more andmore rare, and the ship being a very fast sailer, the captain indulgedthe hope that he was now clear of the rest of the fleet.

  He now attempted to lie-to to the storm, but the wind was too strong.The ships in those days, too, were so high out of the water, and offeredin themselves such a target to the wind, that it was useless to adoptany other maneuver than to run before it.

  For two days and nights the tempest raged.

  "What think you," the earl said to the captain, "of our position? Whereare we, and where will the course upon which we are running take us?"

  "I cannot say with certainty," the captain said, "for the wind hasshifted several times. I had hoped to gain the shelter of Rhodes, but ashift of wind bore us away from there, and I much fear that from thedirection in which we have been running we must be very nigh on thecoast of Africa."

  "_Peste!_" the earl said. "That would indeed be a speedy end to ourCrusade. These Moors are pirates and cutthroats to a man; and evenshould we avoid the risk of being dashed to pieces, we should end ourlives as slaves to one of these black infidels."

  Three hours later the captain's prophecies turned out right. Breakerswere seen in various points in front, and with the greatest difficultythe vessel was steered through an opening between them; but in anotherfew minutes she struck heavily, one of her masts went over the side, andshe lay fast and immovable. Fortunately, the outside bank of sand actedas a sort of breakwater; had she struck upon this the good ship wouldhave gone to pieces instantly; but although the waves still struck herwith considerable force, the captain had good hope that she would notbreak up. Darkness came on; the tempest seemed to lull. As there was noimmediate danger, and all were exhausted by the tossing which they hadreceived during the last forty-eight hours, the crew of the Rose sleptsoundly.

  In the morning the sun rose brilliantly, and there was no sign of thegreat storm which had scattered the fleet of England. The shore was tobe seen at a distance of some four miles. It was low and sandy, withlofty mountains in the distance. Far inland a white town with minaretand dome could be seen.

  "Know you where we are?" the earl asked.

  "As far as I can tell," the captain said, "we have been driven up thebay called the Little Syrtis--a place full of shoals and shallows, andabounding with pirates of the worst kind."

  "Think you that the ship has suffered injury?"

  "Whether she has done so or not," the captain said, "I fear greatlythat she is fast in the sand, and even the lightening of all her cargowill scarce get her off; but we must try at least."

  "It is little time that we shall have to try, Master Captain," Cuthbert,who was standing close, said. "Me thinks those two long ships which areputting out from that town will have something to say to that."

  "It is too true," the captain said. "Those are the galleys of theMoorish corsairs. They are thirty or forty oars, draw but little water,and will be here like the wind."

  "What do you advise?" asked the earl. "The falconets which you have uponthe poop can make but a poor resistance to boats that can row around us,and are no doubt furnished with heavy metal. They will quickly perceivethat we are aground and defenseless, and will be able to plump theirshot into us until they have knocked the good ship to pieces. However,we will fight to the last. It shall not be said that the Earl of Eveshamwas taken by infidel dogs and sold as a slave, without striking a blowin his defense."

  Cuthbert stood watching the corsairs, which were now rowing toward themat all speed.

  "Methinks, my lord," he said presently, "if I might venture to give anopinion, that we might yet trick the infidel."

  "As how, Cuthbert?" the earl said. "Speak out; you know that I havegreat faith in your sagacity."

  "I think, sir," the page said, "that did we send all your men below,leaving only the crew of the vessel on deck, they would take us for amerchant ship which has been wrecked here, and exercise but little carehow they approach us. The men on deck might make a show of firing onceor twice with the falconets. The pirates, disdaining such a foe, wouldrow alongside. Once there, we might fasten one or both to our side withgrapnels, and then, methinks, that English bill and bow will render usmore than a match for Moorish pirates, and one of these craft canscarcely carry more men than we have. I should propose to take one ofthem by force, and drive the pirates overboard; take possession of, ifpossible, or beat off her consort; and then take the most valuablestores from the ship and make our way as best we can to the north."

  "Well thought of!" exclaimed the earl cordially. "You have indeedimagined a plan which promises well. What think you, captain?"

  "I think, my lord," the Genoese said, "that the plan is an excellentone, and promises every success. If your men will all go below, holdingtheir arms in readiness for the signal, mine shall prepare grapnels andropes, and the first of these craft which comes alongside they will lashso securely to the Rose that I warrant me she gets not away."

  These preparations were soon made.

  The soldiers, who at first had been filled with apprehension at thethought of slavery among the infidels, were now delighted at theprospect of a struggle ending in escape.

  The archers prepared their bows and arrows, and stood behind theportholes in readiness to pour a volley into the enemy; the men-at-armsgrasped their pikes and swords; while above, the sailors moved hitherand thither as if making preparations for defense, but in realitypreparing the grapnels and ropes.

  One of the pirates was faster than the other, and soon coming withinreach, opened fire upon the Rose with a heavy cannon, which she carriedin her bow.

  The crew of the Rose replied with their falconets and sakers from thepoop.

  The corsair at first did not keep her course direct for the ship, butrowed once or twice round her, firing as she did so. Then, apparentlysatisfied that no great precaution need be observed with a feebly-mannedship in so great a strait as the Rose, they set up a wild cry of"Allah!" and rowed toward her.

  In two minutes the corsair was alongside of the Rose, and the fiercecrew were climbing up her sides. As she came alongside the sailors castgrapnels into her rigging, and fastened her to the Rose; and then a loudshout of "Hurrah for England!" was heard; the ports opened, and a volleyof arrows was poured upon the astonished corsair; and from the deckabove the assailants were thrown back into the galley, and a swarm ofheavily armed men leaped down from the ship upon them.

  Taken by surprise, and indeed outnumbered, the resistance of thecorsairs was but slight. In a close fierce _melee_ like this thelight-armed Moors had but little chance with the mail-clad English,whose heavy swords and axes clove their defenses at a blow. The fightlasted but three minutes, and then the last of the corsairs wasoverboard.

  The men who rowed the galley had uttered the most pierc
ing cries whilethis conflict had been raging. They were unable to take any part in it,had they been disposed to do so, for they were all slaves chained to theoars.

  Scarcely had the conflict ended when the other galley arrived upon thescene; but seeing what had happened, and that her consort had falleninto the hands of the English, she at once turned her head, and rowedback rapidly to the town from which she had come.

  Among the slaves who rowed the galley were many white men, and theircries of joy at their liberation greatly affected those who had thusunexpectedly rescued them. Hammers were soon brought into requisition,the shackles struck off them, and a scene of affecting joy took place.The slaves were of all nationalities, but Italians and Spaniards, Frenchand Greeks formed the principal part. There was no time, however, to belost; the arms and munitions of war were hastily removed from the Rose,together with the most valuable of the stores.

  The galley-slaves again took their places, and this time willingly, atthe oars, the places of the weakest being supplied by the English,whose want of skill was made up by the alacrity with which they threwtheir strength into the work; and in an hour from the time that thegalley had arrived alongside of the Rose, her head was turned north, andwith sixty oars she was rowing at all speed for the mouth of the bay.