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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Gave Some Hasty Order As He Rode Off; Richard Saw It, And Tasted The
Bitterness Of Folly. 'By God, We Shall Lose Him--Oh, Bemused Hog Of
Burgundy!' He Sent A Man Flying To The Duke; But It Was Too Late.
Saladin Gained The Woods, And With Him His Bodyguard, The Flower Of His
State.
The Mamelukes Also Turned To Fly. To Right, To Left, The Mad Horsemen
Volume 91 Book 2 (The Book Of Nay) Chapter 5 (The Chapter Of Forbidding: How De Gurdun Looked And King Richard Hid His Face) Pg 132Drove--The Black, The Plumed, The Nubians In Yellow, The Turcomans With
Spotted Skins Over Their Mail, The Men Of Syria, Knighthood Of
Egypt--Trampling Underfoot Their Own Kind. But The Steel Chain Held
Most Of These; The Knights Had Bound Horse To Horse: Wide On The Left
The Templars And Hospitallers Fanned Out And Swept All Stragglers Into
The Net. So Within Hoops Of Iron, As It Were, The Slaughter Began,
Silent, Breathless, Wet Work. Here James D'avesnes Was Killed, A Good
Knight; And Here Des Barres Went Down In A Huddle Of Black Men, And Had
Infallibly Perished But That King Richard Himself With His Axe Dug Him
Out. 'Your Pardon, King Of The World,' Sobbed Des Barres, Kissing His
Enemy's Knee. 'Pooh,' Says Richard, 'We Are All Kings Here. Take My
Sword And Get Crowns'; And So He Turned Again Into Battle, And Des
Barres Pressed After Him. That Was The Beginning Of A Firm Friendship
Between The Two. Des Barres Eschewed The Counsels Of Saint-Pol From That
Day.
But There Was Treachery Still Awake And About. When The Rout Was Begun
Richard Reined Up For A Minute, To Breathe His Horse And Watch The Way
Of The Field. He Sat Apart From His Friends, Seeing The Lines Ride By.
All In A Moment Inexplicably, As When In A Race Of The Tide Comes A
Sudden Thwart Gust Of Wind And Changes The Face Of The Day, There Was A
Scurry, A Babble Of Voices, The Stampede Of Men Fighting To Kill: The
Turks With Christians On Their Backs Came Trampling, Struggling
Together. A Sword Glinted Close To Richard--'Death To The Angevin
Devil!' He Heard, And Turning Received In Mid Shield De Gurdun's Sword.
At The Same Moment A Knight Ran Full Tilt Into The Assailant, Knocked
Him Off His Horse, And Himself Reeled, Powerless To Strike. This Was
Des Barres, Paying His Debts. The King Smiled Grimly To See The
Wholesome Treachery, And Gurdun's Dismay At It. 'Gilles, Gilles,' Says
He, 'Be Sure You Get Me Alone In The World When Next You Strike At My
Back. Now Get You Up, Norman, And Fight A Flying Enemy, If You Please. I
Will Await Your Return.' De Gurdun Saluted, But Avoided His Lord's Face,
And Rode After The Turks. Des Barres Stood, Deep-Breathing, By The King.
'Will He Come Back, Sire?' Asked The French Knight.
'Not He,' Said Richard; 'He Is Ashamed Of Himself.' He Added, 'That Is A
Very Honest Man, To Whom I Have Done A Wrong. But Listen To This, Des
Barres; If I Had Not Wronged Him, I Was So Placed That I Should Have
Injured A Most Holy Innocent Soul. Let Be. I Shall Meet De Gurdun Again.
He May Have Me Yet If He Do Not Tire.'
He Had Been Speaking As If To Himself So Far, But Now Turned His
Hawk-Eyes Upon Des Barres. 'Tell Me Now,' He Said, 'Who Gave The Order
To The Rear To Charge, Against My Order?'
'Sire,' Replied Des Barres, 'It Was The Duke Of Burgundy.'
'You Do Not Understand Me,' Said Richard. 'It Came Through The Duke Of
Burgundy's Windpipe. But Who Put It Into His Thick Head?'
Des Barres Looked Troubled. 'Ah, Sire, Must I Answer You?'
Considering Him, King Richard Said, 'No, Des Barres, You Need Not. For
Now I Know Who It Was. Well, He Has Lost Me My Game, And Won A Part Of
His, I Doubt.' Then He Rode Off, Bidding Des Barres Sound The Recall.
'Of The Pagans That Day,' Writes Milo By Hearsay, 'We Made Hecatombs Two
Score Five: Yet The King My Master Took No Pleasure Of That, As I
Gather, Deeming That He Should Have Had Saladin's Head In A Bag. Also We
Gained A Clear Road To Joppa.' So They Did; But Joppa Was A Heap Of
Stones.
Volume 91 Book 2 (The Book Of Nay) Chapter 5 (The Chapter Of Forbidding: How De Gurdun Looked And King Richard Hid His Face) Pg 133They Held A Great Council There. Richard Put Out His Views. There Were
Two Things To Be Done: Repair Joppa And March At Once On Jerusalem,
There To Find And Have Again At Saladin; Or Pursue The Coast Road To
Ascalon And Raise The Siege Of That City. 'I, My Lords, Am For Ascalon,'
Richard Said. 'It Is The Key Of Egypt. While The Soldan Holds Us Cooped
Up In Ascalon He Can Get His Pack-Mules Through. If We Relieve It, After
The Battery We Have Done Him We Can Hold Jerusalem At Our Whim. What Do
You Say To This, Duke Of Burgundy?'
In The Natural Order Of Things The Duke Would Have Said Nothing. But He
Had Been Filled To The Neck By Saint-Pol. Richard Being For Ascalon, The
Key Of Egypt, The Duke Declared Himself For Jerusalem, 'The Key,' As He
Rather Flatly Said, 'Of The World.' To This Richard Contented Himself
With Replying, That A Key Was Little Worth Unless You Could Open The
Door With It. All The French Stood By Their Leader, Except Des Barres.
He, With Richard's Party, Leaned To The King's Side. But The Duke Of
Burgundy Would Not Budge, Sat Like A Lump. He Would Not Go To Ascalon,
And None Of His Battle Should Go. Richard Cursed All Frenchmen, But Gave
In. The Truth Was, He Dared Not Leave Saint-Pol Behind Him.
They Repaired The Walls And Towers Of Joppa, Garrisoned The Place. Then
Late In The Autumn (Truthfully, Too Late) They Struck Inland Over A
Rolling Grass Country Towards Blanchegarde, A White Castle On A Green
Hill. Moving Slowly And Cautiously, They Pushed On To Ramleh, Thence To
Bêtenoble, Which Is Actually Within Two Days' March Of Jerusalem. The
Month Was October, Mellow Autumn Weather. King Richard, Moved By The
Sacred Influences, The Level Peace Of The Fair Land, Filled Day And
Night With The Thought That He Was On The Threshold Of That Soil Which
Bore The Very Footmarks Of Our Blessed Saviour--King Richard, I Say, Was
In Great Heart. He Had Been Against The Enterprise Thus To Do; He Would
Have Approached From Ascalon; The Enterprise Was Folly. But It Was
Glorious Folly, For Which A Man Might Well Die. He Was Ready To Die,
Though He Hoped And Believed That He Should Not. Saladin, Once Bitten,
Would Be Shy: He Had Been Badly Bitten At Arsûf. Then Came The Bishop Of
Beauvais With Burgundy To His Tent--Saint-Pol Stayed Behind--With
Speeches, Saying That The Winter Season Was At Hand; That It Would Be
More Prudent To Withdraw To Joppa, Or Even To Go Down To Ascalon.
Ascalon Needed Succours, It Seemed. Richard's Heart Stood Still At This
Treachery; Then He Blazed Out In Fury. 'Are We Hare Or Hounds, By
Heaven? Do You Presume--?' He Mastered Himself. 'What Part, Pray, Does
Almighty God Take In These Pastimes Of Yours?'
The Duke Of Burgundy Looked Heavily At The Bishop. The Bishop Said,
'Sire, Ascalon Is Besieged.'
Said Richard, 'You Old Fool, Do You Not Know The Soldan Better Than
That? Or Do You Put Him On A Parity With This Duke? It Was Under Siege
Three Weeks Ago, As You Remember Perfectly Well.'
The Duke Still Looked At The Bishop. Driven Again To Say Something, The
Latter Began--'Sire, Your Words Are Injurious; But I Have Spoken
Advisedly. The Count Of Saint-Pol--'
'Ah,' Said Richard, 'The Count Of Saint-Pol? Now I Begin To Understand
You. Please To Fetch In Your Count Of Saint-Pol.'
Saint-Pol Was Sent For, And He Came, Darkly Smiling, Respectful, But
Aware. King Richard Held His Voice, But Not His Hand, On The Curb. The
Hand Shook A Little.
'Saint-Pol,' He Said, 'The Duke Of Burgundy Refers Me To The Bishop, The
Bishop To You. This Seems The Order Of Command In King Philip's Host.
Volume 91 Book 2 (The Book Of Nay) Chapter 5 (The Chapter Of Forbidding: How De Gurdun Looked And King Richard Hid His Face) Pg 134Between The Three Of You I Conceive To Lie The Honour Of France. Now
Observe Me. Three Weeks Ago I Was For Ascalon, And You For Jerusalem.
Now That I Have Brought You Within Two Days Of Your Desire--Two Days,
Observe--You Are For Ascalon, And I For Jerusalem. What Is The Meaning
Of This?'
'Sire,' Said Saint-Pol, Reasonably, 'It Means That We Believe The Holy
City Impregnable At This Season, Or Untenable; And Ascalon Still
Pregnable.'
The King Put A Hand To The Table. 'It Means Nothing Of The Sort, Man.
You Do Not Believe Ascalon Can Be Taken. It Is Eight Days' Journey, And
Was In Straits A Month Ago. You Make Me Ashamed Of The Men I Am Forced
To Lead. What Faith Have You? What Religion? The Faith Of Your Sick
Master The Runagate! The Religion Of Your White Marquess Of Montferrat!
And I Had Taken You For Men. Foh! You Are Rats.'
This Was Dreadful Hearing: Saint-Pol Bit His Lip, But Made No Other
Answer.
'Sire,' Said The Bishop With Heat, 'My Manhood Has Never Been Reproached
Before. When You Carried War Into My Country In The King Your Father's
Time, I Met You In A Hauberk Of Mail. If I Met Your Grace, Judge If I
Should Fear The Soldan. It Is My Devout Hope To Kiss The Holy Sepulchre
And Touch The Holy Cross, But Before I Die, Not Afterwards.'
'Pish!' Said King Richard.
'Sire,' Beauvais Ventured Again, 'Our Master King Philip Set Us Over His
Host As Foster-Fathers Of His Children. We Dare Not Imperil So Many
Lives Unadvisedly.'
'Unadvisedly!' The King Thundered At Him, Red To The Roots Of His Hair.
'I Withdraw The Word, Sire,' Said The Bishop In A Hurry; 'Yet It Is The
Mature Opinion Of Us All That We Should Seek The Coast For
Winter-Quarters, Not The High Lands. We Claim, At Least, The Duty Of
Choosing For Those Whose Guardians We Are.'
If Richard Had Been Himself Of Two Years Earlier He Would Have Killed
Then And There A Second Count Of
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