The Life And Death Of Richard Yea And Nay Volume 91 - Maurice Hewlett (i wanna iguana read aloud txt) 📗
- Author: Maurice Hewlett
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He Did Send Queen Joan, And Queen Joan's Bed; Moreover, Because She Had
Been Queen Of Sicily, He Sent A Sack Of Gold Coins For Her
Entertainment; But He Did Not Propose To Go Any Further. Richard, Seeing
What Sort Of Courses His Plans Were Likely To Take, Crossed Once More
Into Calabria, Attacked A Fortified Town Which The Sicilians Had
Settled, Turned The Settlers Out, And Established His Sister There With
Jehane, Her Shipload Of Ladies, And A Strong Garrison. Then He Returned
To Messina.
Certainly, He Saw, His Camp There Could Be Of No Long Tenure. The
Grifons, As They Called The Inhabitants, Were About It Like Hornets; Not
A Day Passed Without The Murder Of Some Man Of His, Or An Ambush Which
Cost Him A Score. Thieving Was A Courtesy, Raiding An Amenity In A
Grifon, It Appeared. Richard, Hoping Yet For The Dowry And A Peaceful
Departing, Had Laid A Strict Command That No Harm Should Be Done To Any
One Of Them Unless He Should Be Caught Bloody-Handed. 'Well And Good!'
Writes Milo; 'But This Meant To Say That No Man Might Scratch Himself
For Fear He Should Kill A Louse.' Nature Could Not Endure Such A
Direction, So Richard Then (Whose Own Temper Was None Of The Longest)
Let Himself Go, Fell Upon A Party Of These Brigands, Put Half To The
Sword And Hanged The Other Half In Rows Before The Landward Gate Of
Messina. You Will Say That This Did Not Advance His Treaty With King
Tancred; But In A Sense It Did. When The Messenians Came Out Of Their
Gates To Attack Him In Open Field, It Was Found And Reported By Gaston
Of Béarn, Who Drove Them In With Loss, That William Des Barres And The
Count Of Saint-Pol Had Been With Them, Each Heading A Company Of
Knights. Richard Flew Into A Royal, And An Angevin, Rage. He Swore By
God's Back That He Would Bring The Walls Flat; And So He Did. 'This Is
The Work Of That Little Pale Devil Of France, Then,' He Said. 'A Likely
Beginning, By My Soul! Now Let Me See If I Can Bring Two Kings To Reason
At Once.'
He Used The Argument Of The Long Arm. Bringing Up His Engines From The
Ships, He Pounded The Walls Of Messina To Such Purpose That He Could
Have Walked In Barefoot In Two Or Three Places. King Tancred Came In
Person To Sue For Peace; But Richard Wanted More Than Dowry By This
Time. 'The Peace You Shall Have,' He Said, 'Is The Peace Of God Which
Passeth Understanding, And For Which, I Take It, You Are Not Yet Ready,
Unless You Bring Hither With You Philip Of France.' This The Unfortunate
Tancred Really Could Not Do; But He Did Bring Proxies Of Philip's.
Saint-Pol Came, Des Barres, And The Bishop Of Beauvais With His Russet,
Soldier's Face. King Richard Sat Considering These Worthy Men.
'Ah, Now, Saint-Pol, You Are Playing A Good Part In This Christian
Adventure, I Think!' He Broke Out After A Time. Saint-Pol Squared His
Jaw. 'If I Had Caught You In Your Late Sally, My Friend,' Richard Went
On, 'I Should Have Hanged You On A Tree, Knight Or No Knight. Why, Fool,
Do You Think Your Shameful Brother Worth So Much Treachery? With Him
Before Your Eyes Can You Do No Better? I Hope So. Get You Back, And Tell
King Philip This: He And I Are Vowed To Honesty; But If He Breaks Faith
Again, I Have That In Me Which Shall Break Him. As For You, Bishop Of
Beauvais'--One Saw The Old War-Priest Blink--'I Know Nothing Of Your
Part In This Business, And Am Willing To Think Charitably. If You, An
Old Man, Have Any Of The Grace Of God Left In You, Bestow Some Of It On
Your Master. Teach Him To Serve God As You Serve Him, Beauvais. I Will
Try To Be Content With That.' He Turned To Des Barres, The Finest
Soldier Of The Three. 'William,' He Said More Gently, For He Really
Liked The Man, 'I Hope To Meet You In A Better Field, And Side By Side.
But If Face To Face Again, William,' And He Lifted His Hand, 'Beware Of
Volume 91 Book 2 (The Book Of Nay) Chapter 1 (The Chaffer Called Mate Grifon) Pg 104Me.'
None Of Them Had A Word To Say, But With Troubled Faces Left The
Presence; Which Shows (To Some Men's Thinking) That Richard's Strength
Lay In His Cause. That Was Not The Opinion Of Des Barres, Nor Is It
Mine. Meeting Them Afterwards, When He Made A Pact Of Friendship And
Alliance With Tancred, And Renewed That Which He Had Had With Philip, He
Showed Them A Perfectly Open Countenance. Nevertheless, He Took
Possession Of Messina, As He Had Said He Would, And Built A Great Tower
Upon The Wall, Which He Called Mate-Grifon. Then He Sent For His Sister
And Jehane, And Kept A Royal Christmas In The Conquered City.
Trouble Was Not Over. There Were Constant Strifes Between Nation And
Nation, Man And Man. Winter Storms Delayed The Queen-Mother; Richard
Fretted And Fumed At The Wasting Of His Force, But Saw Not The Worst Of
The Matter. If Vice Was Eating His Army, Jealousy Was Eating Philip's
Sour Little Heart, And Rage That Of Saint-Pol. Saint-Pol, With Gurdun To
Back Him, Had Determined To Kill The English King; With Them Went, Or
Was Ready To Go, Des Barres. He Was Not Such A Steady Hater By Any
Means. Some Men Seek Temptation, Others Fall Under It; Des Barres Was Of
This Kind.
Of Temptation There Was A Plenty, Since Richard Was The Most Fearless Of
Men. When He Had Forgiven An Injury It Did Not Exist For Him Any More.
He Was Glad To See Des Barres, Glad To Play, Talk, Grumble, Or Swear
With Him--A Most Excellent Enemy. One Day, Idling Home From A Hawking
Match, He Got Tilting With The Frenchman, With Reeds For Lances. Neither
Seemed In Earnest Until Richard's Horse Slipped On A Loose Stone And
Threw Him. This Was Near The Gate. You Should Have Seen The Change In
Des Barres. 'Hue! Hue! Passavant!' He Yelled, Possessed With The Devil
Of Destruction; And Came Pounding At Richard As If He Would Ride Over
Him. At The Battle-Cry A Swarm Of Fellows--Frenchmen And
Brabanters--Came Out And About With Pikes. Richard Was On His Feet By
That Time, Perfectly Advised What Was Astir. He Was Alone, But He Had A
Sword. This He Drew, And Took A Stride Or Two Towards Des Barres, Who
Had Pulled Up Short Of Him, And Was Panting. The Pikemen, Who Might Have
Hacked Him To Pieces, Paused For Another Word. A Second Of Time Passed
Without It, And Richard Knew He Was Safe. He Went Up To Des Barres.
'Learn, Des Barres,' He Said, 'That I Allow No Cries About My Head Save
Those For Saint George.'
'Sire,' Said Des Barres, 'I Am No Man Of Yours.'
'It Is Truly Said,' Replied Richard, 'But I Will Dub You One'; And He
Smote Him With The Flat Of His Sword Across The Cheek. The Blood Leapt
After The Sword.
'Soul Of A Virgin!' Cried Des Barres, White As Cloth, Except For The
Broad Weal On His Face.
'Your Soul Against Mine, Graceless Dog,' Said The King. 'Another Word
And I Pull You Down.' Just Then Who Should Come Riding Out Of The Gate
But Gilles De Gurdun, Armed Cap-A-Pie?
'Here, My Lord,' Said Des Barres, Clearing His Throat, 'Comes A
Gentleman Who Has Sought Your Grace With Better Cause Than Mine.'
'Who Is Your Gentleman?' Richard Asked Him.
'It Is De Gurdun, Sire, A Norman Knight Whose Name Should Be Familiar.'
'I Know Him Perfectly,' Said Richard. He Turned To One Of The
Volume 91 Book 2 (The Book Of Nay) Chapter 1 (The Chaffer Called Mate Grifon) Pg 105Bystanders, Saying, 'Fetch That Gentleman To Me.' The Man Ran Nimbly To
Meet De Gurdun.
Des Barres, Watching Narrowly, Saw Gilles Start, Saw Him Look, Almost
Saw The Bracing Of His Nerves. What Exactly Followed Was Curious. Gilles
Moved His Horse Forward Slowly. King Richard, Standing In Leather
Doublet And Plumed Cap, Waited For Him, His Arms Folded. Des Barres On
Horseback, An Enemy; The Bystanders, Tattered, Savage, High-Fed Men,
Enemies Also; In Front The Most Implacable Enemy Of All.
When De Gurdun Was Within Spear-Reach He Stopped His Horse And Sat
Looking At The King. Richard Returned The Look; It Was An Eyeing Match,
Soon Over. Gurdun Swung Off The Horse, Threw The Rein To A Soldier, And
Tried Footing It. The Steady Duel Of The Eyes Continued Until Gilles Was
Actually Within Sword's Distance. Here He Stopped Once More; Finally
Gave A Queer Little Grunt, And Went Down On One Knee. Des Barres Sighed
As He Eased His Heart. The Tension Had Been Terrible.
Richard Said, 'De Gurdun, Stand Up And Answer Me. You Seek My Life, As I
Understand. Is It So?'
Sir Gilles Began To Stammer. 'No Man Has Loved The Law--No Knight Ever
Loved Lady--' And So On; But Richard Cut Him Short.
'Answer Me, Man,' He Said, In A Voice Which Was Nearly As Dry As His
Father's, 'Do You Wish For My Life?'
'King,' Said Gilles, His Great Emotion Lending Him Dignity, 'If I Do, Is
It A Strange Matter? You Have Had My Father's And Brother's. You Have
Mine In Your Hand. You Corrupted And Then Stole My Beloved. Are These No
Griefs?'
Richard Grew Impatient; He Could Never Bear Waiting.
'Do You Wish My Life?' He Asked Again. Gilles Was Overwrought. 'By God
On High, But I Do Wish It!' He Cried Out, Almost Whimpering.
King Richard Threw Down His Sword. 'Take It Then, You Fool,' He Said.
'You Talk Too Much.'
A Silence Fell Upon The Party, So Profound That The Cicala In The Dry
Hedge Shrilled To Pierce The Ear. Richard Stood Like A Stock, With Des
Barres Gaping At Him. Gurdun Was All Of A Tremble, But Swung His Sword
About In His Sword-Hand. After A While He Took A Deep Breath, A Fumbling
Step Forward; And Des Barres, Leaning Out Over The Saddle, Caught Him By
The Surcoat.
'Drop That Man, Des Barres,' Said Richard, Without Moving His Eyes From
The Norman. Des Barres Obeyed; And As The Silence Resumed Gilles Began
Twitching His Sword Again. When A Lizard Rustled In The Grass A Man
Started As If Shot.
Gilles Gave Over First, Threw His Sword Away With A Sob. 'God Ha' Mercy,
I Cannot! I Cannot!' He Fretted, And Stood Blinking The Tears From His
Eyes. Richard Picked Up His Weapon And Returned It To Him. 'You Are
Brave Enough, My Friend,' He Said, 'For Better Work. Go And Do Better In
Syria.'
'There Is No Better Work For Me, Sir,' Said Gurdun, 'Unless You Can
Justify Yourself.'
'I Never Justify Myself,' Said Richard. 'Give Me My Sword.' De Gurdun
Gave It Him. Richard Sheathed It, Went To His Horse, Mounted, Rode Away
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