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1 i^

_»\t__n^i^«^j|^t;i'

THE STRONG ARM

ROBERT BARR

AUTHOR OF
'■Tekla," "In the Midst of Alarms," "A Woman Intervenes," Etc., Etc.

TORONTO:
WILLTAIVI BRIGQS.

1899.

? S g" ^'o s

•s

258924

EK««„acco«lin, to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year one
thousand ei«:ht hundred and ninetynine. by W.tLUM Bn.oo,. at tho
Departnient of Agriculture.

CONTENTS

fAOU

Chapter I. The Beautiful Jailer of Gudenfels i

" II. The Rkvenge of the Outlaw 30

" III. A City of Fear 62

" IV. The Peril of the Emperor 83

" V. The Needle Dagger loi

" VI. The Holy Fehm 128

The Count's Apology 157

Converted 181

An Invitation 199

The Archbishop's Gift 217

Count Konrad's Courtship 231

The Long Ladder 851

•'Gentlemen : the King I " 270

The Hour-Glass a86

The Warrior Maid of San Carlos . . 306

t'hf Ambassador's Pigeons 320

! !

■! I

I 1

THE STRONG ARM

CHAPTER I

THE BEAUTIFUL JAILER OF GUDENFELS

The aged Emir Soldan sat in his tent and smiled ;
the crafty Oriental smile of an experienced man, deeply
grounded in the wisdom of this world. He knew that
there was incipient rebellion in his camp ; that the
young commanders under him thought their leader
was becoming too old for the fray ; caution overmaster-
ing courage. Here were these dogs of unbelievers set-
ting their unhallowed feet on the sacred soil of Syria,
and the Emir, instead of dashing against them, coun-
selled coolness and prudence. Therefore impatience
disintegrated the camp and resentment threatened dis-
cipline. When at last the murmurs could be no longer
ignored the Emir gathered his impetuous young men
together in his tent, and thus addressed them.

" It may well be that I am growing too old for the

active field ; it may be that, having met before this

German boar who leads his herd of swine, I am fearful

of risking my remnant of life against him, but I have

ever been an indulgent general, and am now loath to

let my inaction stand against your chance of distinction.

Go you therefore forth against him, and the man who

brings me this boar's head shall not lack his reward."

THE STRONG ARM

Li I <

The young men loudly cheered thiz decision and
brandished their weapons aloft, while the old man
smiled upon them and added :

" When you are bringing confusion to the camp of
the unbelievers, I shall remain in my tent and meditate
on the sayings of the Prophet, praying him to keep
you a good spear's length from the German's broad
sword, which he is the habit of wielding with his two
hands."

The young Saracens went forth with much shouting,
a gay prancing of the ho js underneath them and a
marvellous flourishing of spears above them, but they
learned more wisdom in their half hour's communion
with the German than the Emir, in a long life of coun-
selling, had been able to bestow upon them. The two-
handed sword they now met for the first time, and the
acquaintance brought little joy to them. Count Her-
bert, the leader of the invaders, did no shouting, but
reserved his breath for other purposes. He spurred his
horse among them, and his foes went down around him
as a thicket melts away before the well-swung axe of
a stalwart woodman. The Saracens had little fear of
death, but mutilation was another thing, for they knew
that they would spend eternity in Paradise, shaped as
they had left this earth, and while a spear's thrust or a
wound from an arrow, or even the gash left by a short
sword may be concealed by celestial robes, how is a
man to comport himself in the Land of the Blest who
is compelled to carry his head under his arm, or who
is split from crown to midriff by an outlandish weapon
that falls irresistible as the wrath of Allah ! Again
and again they threw themselves with disastrous
bravery against the invading horde, and after each
encounter they came back with lessened ranks and a

v.^

I f G t ■ ar •

THE BEAUTIFUL JAILER 3

more chastened spirit than when they had set forth.
When at last, another counsel of war was held, the
young men kept silence and waited for the smiling
Emir to speak.

" If you are satisfied that there are other things to
think of in war than the giving and taking of blows I
am prepared to meet this German, not on his own terms
but on my own. Perhaps, however, you wish to try
conclusions with him again ? "

The deep silence which followed this inquiry seemed
to indicate that no such desire animated the Emir's
listeners, and the old man smiled benignly upon his
audience and went on.

" There must be no more disputing of my authority,
either expressed or by implication. I am now pre-
pared to go forth against him taking with me forty
lancers."

Instantly there was a protest against this ; the num-
ber was inadequate, they said.

" In his fortieth year our Prophet came to a moment-
ous decision," continued the Emir, unheeding the in-
terruption, " and I take a spear with me for every year
of the Prophet's life, trusting that Allah will add to
our number, at the prophet's intervention, should such
an augmentation prove necessary. Get together then
the forty oldest men under my command. Let them
cumber themselves with nothing in the way of offence
except one tall spear each, and see that every man is
provided with water and dates for twenty days* suste-
nance of horse and man in the desert."

The Emir smiled as he placed special emphasis on
the word " oldest," and the young men departed
abashed to obey his orders.

Next morning Count Herbert von Schonburg saw

T!IE STRONG ARM

h I

II :

near his camp by the water-holes a small group of
horsemen standing motionless in the desert, their lances
erect, butt downward, resting on the sand, the little
company looking like an oasis of leafless poplars. The
Count was instantly astride his Arab charger, at the
head of his men, ready to meet whatever came, but on
this occasion the enemy made no effort to bring on a
battle, but remained silent and stationary, differing
greatly from the hordes that had preceded it.

" Well," cried the impatient Count, *' if Mahomet
will not come to the mountain, the mountain for once
will oblige him."

He gave the word to charge, and put spurs to his
horse, causing instant animation in the band of Sar-
acens, who fled before him as rapidly as the Germans
advanced. It is needless to dwell on the project of the
Emir, who simply followed the example of the desert
mirages he had so often witnessed in wonder. Never
did the Germans come within touch of their foes, al-
ways visible, but not to be overtaken. When at last
Count Herbert was convinced that his horses were no
match for the fleet steeds of his opponents he dis-
covered that he and his band were hopelessly lost in
the arid and pathless desert, the spears of the seem-
ingly phantom host ever quivering before him in the
tremulous heated aii against the cloudless horizon.
Now all his energies were bent toward finding the way
that led to the camp by the water-holes, but sense of
locality seeded to have left him, andtne ghostly com-
pany which hung so persistently on his flanks gave no
indication of direction, but merely followed as before
they had fled. One by one the Count's soldiers suc-
cumbed, and when at last the forty spears hedged him
round the Emir approached a prisoner incapable of

THE BEAUTIFUL JAILER

action. The useless sword which hung from his saddle
was taken, and water was given to the exhausted man
and his dying horse.

When the Emir Soldan and his forty followers rode
into camp with their prisoner there was a jubilant
outcry, and the demand was made that the foreign dog
be instantly decapitated, but the Emir smiled and,
holding up his hand, said soothingly :

" Softly, softly, true followers of the only Prophet.
Those who neglected to remove his head while his
good sword guarded it, shall not now possess them-
selves of it, when that sword is in my hands."

And against this there could be no protest, for the
prisoner belonged to the Emir alone, and was to be
dealt with as the captor ordained.

When the Count had recovered speech, and was able
to hold himself as a man should, the Emir summoned
him, and they had a conference together in Soldan's
tent.

" Western barbarian," said the Emir, speaking in
that common tongue made up of languages Asiatic
and European, a strange mixture by means of which
invaders and invaded communicated with each other,
" who are you and from what benighted land do you
come ? "

"lam Count Herbert von Schonburg. My castle
overlooks the Rhine in Germany."

** What is the Rhine? A province of which you are
the ruler ? "

"No, your Highness, it is a river; a lordly stream
that never diminishes, but flows unceasingly between
green vine-clad hills ; would that I had some of the
vintage therefore to cheer me in my captivity and
remove the taste of this brackish water I "

6 THE STRONG ARM

" In the name of the Prophet, then, why did you
leave it ? "

" Indeed, your Highness, I have often asked myself
that question of late and found but insufficient an-
swer."

** If I give you back your sword, which not I, but
the demon Thirst captured from you, will you pledge
me your word that you will draw it no more against
those of my faith, but will return to your own land,
safe escort being afforded you to the great sea where
you can take ship ? "

"As I have fought for ten years, and have come no
nearer Jerusalem than where I now stand, I am con-
tent to give you my word in exchange for my sword,
and the escort you promise."

And thus it came about that Count Herbert von
Schonburg, although still a young man, relinquished
all thought of conquering the Holy Land, and found
himself one evening, after along march, gazing on the
placid bosom of the broad Rhine, which he had not
seen since he bade good-bye to it, a boy of twenty-one,
then as warlike and ambitious, as now he was peace
loving and tired of strife. The very air of the Rhine
valley breathed rest and quiet, and Herbert, with a
deep sigh, welcomed the thought of a life passed in
comforting uneventfulness.

" Conrad," he said to his one follower, " I will en-
camp here for the night. Ride on down the Rhine, I
beg of you, and cross the river where you may, that
you may announce my coming some time before I ar-
rive. My father is an old man, and I am the last of
the race, so I do not wish to come unexpectedly on
him ; therefore break to him with caution the fact that
I am in the neighbourhood, for hearing nothing from

TH£ BEAUTIFUL jAlLEil i

me all these years it is like to happen he believes me
dead."

Conrad rode down the path by the river and dis-
appeared while his master, after seeing to the welfare
of his horse, threw himself down in a thicket and slept
the untroubled sleep of the seasoned soldier. It was
daylight when he was awakened by the tramp of
horses. Starting to his feet, he was confronted by a
grizzled warrior with half a dozen men at his back, and
at first the Count thought himself again a prisoner, but
the friendliness of the ofificer soon set all doubts at
rest.

"Are you Count Herbert von Schonburg?" asked
the intruder.

" Yes. Who are you ? **

** I am Richart, custodian of Castle Gudenfels,
and commander of the small forces possessed by
her Ladyship, Countess von Falkenstein. I have to
acquaint you with the fact that your servant and mes-
senger has been captured. Your castle of hchonburg
is besieged, and Conrad, unaware, rode straight into
custody. This coming to the ears of my lady the
Countess, she directed me to intercept you if possible,
so that you might not share the fate of your servant,
and offer to you the hospitality of Gudenfels Castle
until such time as you had determined what to do in
relation to the siege of your own."

" I give my warmest thanks to the Countess for her
thoughtfulness. " Is her husband the Count then
dead ? "

It is the young Countess von Falkenstein whose
orders I carry. Her father and mother are both dead,
and her Ladyship, their only child, now holds Guden-
fels."

THE STRONG ARM

" What, that little girl ? She was but a child when
I left the Rhine."

" Her Ladyship is a woman of nineteen now."

** And how long has my father been besieged ?"

** Alas ! it grieves me to state that your father, Count
von Schonburg, has also passed away. He has been
dead these two years."

The young man bowed his head and crossed him-
self. For a long time he rode in silence, meditating
upon this unwelcome intelligence, grieved to think
that such a desolate home-coming awaited him.

" Who, then, holds my castle against the besiegers ? "

" The custodian Heinrich has stubbornly stood
siege since the Count, your father, died, saying he car-
ries out the orders of his lord until the return of the
son."

" Ah ! if Heinrich is in command then is the castle
safe," cried the young man, with enthusiasm. " He is
a born warrior and first taught me the use of the broad-
sword. Who besieges us ? The Archbishop of May-
ence ? He was ever a turbulent prelate and held spite
against our house."

Richart shifted uneasily in his saddle, and for the
moment did not answer. Then he said, with hesitation :

" I think the Archbishop regards the siege with
favour, but I know little of the matter. My Lady, the
Countess, will possess you with full information."

Count Herbert looked with astonishment upon the
custodian of Castle Gudenfels. Here was a contest
going on at his very doors, even if on the opposite
side of the river, and yet a veteran knew nothing of
the contest. But they were now at the frowning gates
of Castle Gudenfels, with its lofty square pinnacled
tower, and the curiosity of the young Count was

THE BEAUTIFUL JAILER 9

dimmed by the admiration he felt for this great
stronghold as he gazed upward at it. An instant
later he with his escort passed through the gateway
and stood in the courtyard of the castle. When he
had dismounted the Count said to Richart :

" I have travelled far, and am not in fit state to be
presented to a lady. Indeed, now that I am here, I
dread the meeting. I have seen nothing of women
for ten years, and knew little of them before I left the
Rhine. Take me, I beg of you, to a room where I
may make some preparation other than the camp has
heretofore afforded, and bring me, if you can, a few
garments with which to replenish this faded, torn and
dusty apparel."

"My Lord, you will find everything you wish in the
rooms allotted to you. Surmising your needs, I gave
orders to that effect before I left the castle."

" That was thoughtful of you, Richart, and I shall
not forget it."

The Custodian without replying led his guest up
one stair and then another. The two traversed a long
passage until they came to an open door. Richart
standing aside, bowed low, and entreated his lordship
to enter. Count Herbert passed into a large room from
which a doorway led into a smaller apartment which
the young man saw was fitted as a bedroom. The
rooms hung high over the Rhine, but the view of the
river was impeded by the numerous heavy iron bars
which formed a formidable lattice-work before the
windows. The Count was about to thank his conduc-
tor for providing so sumptuously for him, but, turning,
he was amazed to see Richart outside with breathless
eagerness draw shut the strong door that led to the
passage from which he had entered, and a moment later,

THE STRONG ARM

i :

Herbert heard the ominous sound of stout bolts being
shot into their sockets. He stood for a moment gaz-
ing blankly now at the bolted door, now at the barred
window, and then slowly there came to him the know-
ledge which would have enlightened a more suspicious
man long before — that he was a prisoner in the grim
fortress of Gudenfels. Casting his mind backward over
the events of the morning, he now saw a dozen sinister
warnings that had heretofore escaped him. If a friend-
ly invitation had been intended, what need of the
numerous guard of armed men sent to escort him ?
Why had Richart hesitated when certain questions
were asked him ? Count Herbert paced up and down
the long room, reviewing with clouded brow the events
of the past few hours, beginning with the glorious free-
dom of the open hillside in the early dawn and ending
with these impregnable stone walls that now environed
him. He was a man slow to anger, but resentment
once aroused, burned in his heart with a steady fervour
that was unquenchable. He stopped at last in his
aimless pacing, raised his clinched fist toward the tim-
bered ceiling, and cursed the Countess von Falkenstein.
In his striding to and fro the silence had been broken
by the clank of his sword on the stone floor, and he
now smiled grimly as he realised that they had not
dared to deprive him of his formidable weapon ; they
had caged the lion from the distant desert without
having had the courage to clip his claws. The Count
drew his broadsword and swung it hissing through the
air, measuring its reach with reference to the walls on
either hand, then, satisfying himself that he had free
play, he took up a position before the door and stood
there motionless as the statue of a war-god.

" Now, by the Cross I fought for," he muttered to

THE BEAUTIFUL JAILER

himself, " the first man who sets foot across this thresh-
old enters the chamber of death."

He remained thus, leaning with folded arms on the
hilt of his long sword, whose point rested on the flags
of the floor, and at last his patience was rewarded. He
heard the rattle of the bolts outside, and a tense
eagerness thrilled his stalwart frame. The door came
cautiously inward for a space of perhaps two feet and
was then brought to a stand by the tightening links
of a stout chain, fastened one end to the door, the
other to the outer wall. Through the space that thus
gave a view of the wide outer passage the Count saw
Richart stand with pale face, well back at a safe dis-
tance in the centre of the hall. Two men-^.t-arms
held a position behind their master.

" My Lord," began Richart in trembling voice, " her
Ladyship, the Countess, desires "

" Open the door, you cringing Judas ! " interrupted
the stern command of the count ; " open the door and
set me as free as your villainy found me. I hold no
parley with a traitor."

'* My Lord, I implore you to listen. No harm is
intended you, and my Lady, the Countess, asks of you
a conference touching "

The heavy sword swung in the air and came down
upon the chain with a force that made the stout oaken
door shudder. Scattering sparks cast a momentary
glow of red on the whitened cheeks of the startled on-
lookers. The edge of the sword clove the upper cir-
cumference of an iron link, leaving the severed ends
gleaming like burnished silver, but the chain still held.
Again and again the sword fell, but never twice in the
same spot, anger adding strength to the blows, but
subtracting skill.

THE STRONG ARM

llh

" My Lord ! my Lord ! " beseeched Richart, " restrain
your fury. You cannot escape from this strong castle
even though you sever tlic chain."

" I'll trust my sword for that," muttered the pris-
oner between his set teeth.

There now rang out on the conflict a new voice ;
the voice of a woman, clear and commanding, the
tones instinct with that inborn quality of imperious
authority which expects and usually obtains instant
obedience.

** Close the door, Richart," cried the unseen lady.

The servitor made a motion to obey, but the swoop
of the sword seemed to paralyse him where he stood.
He cast a beseeching look at his mistress, which said
as plainly as words: "You are ordering me to my
death." The Count, his weapon high in mid-air, sud-
denly swerved it from its course, for there appeared
across the opening a woman's hand and arm, white
and shapely, fleecy lace falling away in dainty folds
from the rounded contour of the arm. The small,
firm hand grasped bravely the almost severed
chain and the next instant the door was drawn shut,
the bolts clanking into their places. Count Herbert,
paused, leaning on his sword, gazing bewildered at the
closed door.

" Ye gods of war ! " he cried ; " never have I seen
before such cool courage as that ! "

For a long time the Count walked up and down the
spacious room, stopping now and then at the window
to peer through the iron grille at the rapid current
of the river far below, the noble stream as typical of
freedom as were the bars that crossed his vision, of
captivity. It seemed that the authorities of the castle
had abandoned all thought of further communication

THE L LAUTIFUL JAILER

with their truculent prisoner. Finally he entered the
inner room and flung himself down, booted and spurred
as he was, upon the couch, and, his sword for a bed-
mate, slept. The day was far spent when he awoke, and
his first sensation was that of gnawing hunger, for he
was a healthy man. His next, that he had heard in
his sleep the cautious drawing of bolts, as if his
enemies purposed to project themselves surreptitiously
in upon him, taking him at a disadvantage. He sat
upright, his sword ready for action, and listened in-
tently. The silence was profound, and as the Count
sat breathless, the stillness seemed to be emphasised
rather than disturbed by a long-drawn sigh which sent
a thrill of superstitious fear through the stalwart frame
of the young man, for he well knew that the Rhine
was infested with spirits animated by evil intentions
toward human beings, and against such spirits his
sword was but as a willow wand. He remembered
with renewed awe that this castle stood only a few
leagues above the Lurlei rocks where a nymph of un-
earthly beauty lured men to their destruction, and the
knight crossed himself as a protection against all such.
Gathering courage from this devout act, and abandon-
ing his useless weapon, he tiptoed to the door that led
to the larger apartment, and there found his worst
anticipations realised. With her back against the
closed outer door stood a Siren of the Rhine, and, as
if to show how futile is the support of the Evil One in
a crisis, her very lips were pallid with fear and her
blue eyes were wide with apprehension, as they met
those of the Count von Schonburg. Her hair, the
colour of ripe yellow wheat, rose from her smooth
white forehead and descended in a thick braid that
almost reached to the floor. She was dressed in the

THE STRONG ARM

humble garb of a serving maiden, the square bit of
lace on her crown of fair hair and the apron she wore,
as spotless as new fallen snow. In her hand she held
a tray which supported a loaf of bread and a huge
flagon brimming with wine. On seeing the Count, her
quick breathing stopped for the moment and she
dropped a low courtesy.

" My Lord," she said, but there came a catch in her
throat, and she could speak no further.

Seeing that he had to deal with no spirit, but with
an inhabitant of the world he knew and did not fear,
there arose a strange exultation in the heart of the
Count as he looked upon this fair representative of his
own country. For ten years he had seen no woman,
and now a sudden sense of what he had lost over-
whelmed him, his own breath coming quicker as the
realisation of this impressed itself upon him. Kc
strode rapidly toward her, and she seemed to shrink
into the wall at his approach, wild fear springing into
her eyes, but he merely took the laden tray from her
trembling hands and placed it upon a bench. Then
raising the flagon to his lips, he drank a full half of
its contents before withdrawing it. A deep sigh of
satisfaction followed, and he said, somewhat shame-
facedly :

" Forgive my hurried greed, maiden, but the thirst
of the desert seems to be in my throat, and the good
wine reminds me that I am a German."

" It was brought for your use," replied the girl, de-
murely, " and I am gratified that it meets your com-
mendation, my Lord."

•' And so also do you, my girl. What is your name
and who are you ? "

" I am called Beatrix, my Lord, a serving-maid of

THE BEAUTIFUL JAILER 15

this castle, tlie dau<;htcr of the woodman Wilhclm,

and, alas ! that it should be so, for the present your
jailer."

*' If I quarrelled as little with my detention, as I see
I am like to do with my keeper, I fear captivity would
hold me long in thrall. Are the men in the castle
such cravens then that they bestow so unwelcome a
task upon a woman ? "

"The men are no cravens, my Lord, but this castle
is at war with yours, and for each man there is a post.
A woman would be less missed if so brave a warrior
as Count von Schonburg thought fit to war upon us."

" But a woman makes war upon me, Beatrix. What
am I to do? Surrender humbly?"

" Brave men have done so before now and will again,
my Lord, where women are concerned. At least,"
added Beatrix, biushing and casting down her eyes,
" I have been so informed."

"And small blame to them," cried the count, with
enthusiasm. *' I swear to you, my girl, that if women
warriors were like the woodman's daughter, I would
cast away all arms except these with which to enclasp
her."

And he stretched out his hands, taking a step nearer,
while she shrank in ala m from him.

" My Lord, I am but an humble messenger, and I
beg of you to listen to what I am asked to say. My
Lady, the Countess, has commissioned me to tell you
that "

A startling malediction of the Countess that ac-
corded ill with the scarlet cross emblazoned on the
young man's breast, interrupted the girl.

" I hold no traffic with the Countess," he cried.
" She has treacherously laid me by the heels, coming

if-T

THE STRONG ARM

! 'I

ii 1

ii;
II

as I did from battling for the Cross that she doubtless
professes to regard as sacred."

" It was because she feared you, my Lord. These
years back talcs of your valour in the Holy Land have
come to the Rhine, and now you return to find your
house at war with hers. What was she to do ? The
chances stood even with only your underling in com-
mand ; judge then what her fate must be with your
strong sword thrown in the balance against her. All's
fair in war, said those who counselled her. What
would you have done in such an extremity, my
Lord?"

" What would I have done ? I would have met my
enemy sword in hand and talked with him or fought
with him as best suited his inclination."

** But a lady cannot meet you, sword in hand, my
Lord."

The Count paused in the walk he had begun when
the injustice of his usage impressed itself once more
upon him. He looked admiringly at the girl.

" That is most true, Beatrix. I had forgotten.
Still, I should not have been met with cozenry. Here
came I from starvation in the wilderness, thirst in the
desert, and from the stress of the battle-field, back to
mine own land with my heart full of yearning love for
it and for all within its boundaries. I came even from
prison, captured in ^air fight, by an untaught heathen,
whose men lay slain by my hand, yet with the nobility
of a true warrior, he asked neither ransom nor hostage,
but handed back my sword, saying, * Go in peace.'
That in a heathen land ! but no sooner does my foot
rest on this Christian soil than I am met by false smiles
and lying tongues, and my welcome to a neighbour's
house is the clank of the inthrust bolt,"

I !

3ubtless

These
nd have
id your
? The
in com-
th your
•. All's

What
ty, my

net my
fought

id, my

I when
more

T^otten.
Here
in the
ack to
)ve for
n from
athen,
obility
)stage,
Deace.*
/ foot
smiles
hour's

TH^ ftEAUttFUL JAiLER

" Oh, it was a shameful act and not to be defended,"
cried the girl, with moist eyes and quivering lip, the
sympathetic reverberation of her voice again arresting
the impatient steps of the young man, causing him to
pause and view her with a feeling that he could not
understand, and which he found some difficulty in
controlling. Suddenly all desire for restraint left
him, he jprang forward, clasped the girl in his arms
and drew her into the middle of the room, where she
could not give the signal that might open the door.

" My Lord! my Lord ! " she cried in terror, strug-
gling without avail to free herself.

'* You said all's fair in war and saying sc, gave but
half the proverb, which adds, all's fair in love as well,
and maiden, nymph of the woodland, so rapidly does
a man learn that which he has never been taught, I
proclaim with confidence that I love thee."

"A dififident and gentle lover you prove yourself!"
she gasped with rising indignation, holding him from
her.

" Indeed, my girl, there was little of diffidence or
gentleness in my warring, and my wooing is like to
have a touch of the same quality. It is useless to
struggle for I have thee firm, so take to yourself some
of that gentleness you recommend to me."

He strove to kiss her, but Beatrix held her head far
from him, her open pal' pressed against the red cross
that glowed upon his breast, keeping him thus at arm's
length.

" Count von Schonburg, what is the treachery of any
other compared with yours ? You came heedlessly
into this castle, suspecting as you say, no danger ; I
came within this room to do you service, knowing my
peril, but trusting to the honour of a true soldier of the

f ii

ill

:li

THE STRONG ARM

'! I

jl !

Cross, and this is my reward ! First tear from your
breast this sacred emblem, valorous assaulter of a
defenceless woman, for it should be worn by none but
stainless gentlemen."

Count Herbert's arms relaxed, and his hands dropped
listless to his sides.

" By my sword," he said, " they taught you invec-
tive in the forest. You are free. Go."

The girl made no motion to profit by her newly
acquired liberty, but stood there, glancing sideways at
him who scowled menacingly at her.

When at last she spoke, she said, shyly :

" I have not yet fulfilled my m.ission."

" Fulfil it then in the fiend's name and begone."

" Will you consent to see my Lady the Countess?*

" No."

" Will you meet an envoy on her behalf ? "

" No."

" Will you promise not to make war upon her if you
are released ? "

" No."

" If, in spite of your boorishness, she sets you free,
what will you do ?"

*' I will rally my followers to my banner, scatter the
forces that surround my castle, then demolish this
prison trap."

*' Am I in truth, to carry such answers to the Count-
ess r

" You are to do as best pleases you, now and for

ever.

** I am but a simple serving-maid, and know nothing
of high questions of state, yet it seems to me such
replies do not oil prison bolts, and believe me, I grieve
to see you thus detained."

THE BEAUTIFU)\ JAILER

rom your
ter of a
none but

dropped

)U invec-

:;r newly
evvays at

t>ne."
ntess ? *■

ir if you

ou freCj

ttcr the
ish this

Count-

and for

lothing

le such

grieve

" I am grateful for your confederation. Is your
embassy completed ? "

The girl, her eyes on the stone t'^or, paused long
before replying, then said, giving n>^ warning of a
change of subject, and still not raising her eyes to his :

" You took me by surprise ; I am not used to being
handled roughly ; you forget the distance between
your station and mine, you be ng a noble of the Em-
pire, and I but a serving-maid ; if, in my anger, I spoke
in a manner unbecoming one so humble, I do beseech
that your Lordship pardon me."

" Now by the Cross to which you appealed, how
long will you stand chattering there? Think you I
am mu.de of adamant, and not of flesh and blood ? My
garments are tattered at best, I would in woman's com-
pany they were finer, and this cross of Genoa red
hangs to my tunic, but by a few frail threads. Be-
ware, therefore, that I tear it not from my breast as
you advised, and cast it from me."

Beatrix lifted one frightened glance to the young
man's face and saw standing on his brow great drops
of sweat. His right hand grasped the upper portion
of the velvet cross, partly detached from his doublet,
and he looked loweringly upon her. Swiftly she smote
the door twice with her hand and instantly the portal
opened as far as the chain would allow it. Count
Herbert noticed that in the interval, three other chains
had been added to the one that formerly had baffled
his sword. The girl, like a woodland pigeon, darted
underneath the lower chain, and although the prisoner
took a rapid step forward, the door, with greater speed,
closed and was bolted.

The Count had requested the girl to be gone, and
surely should have been contented now that she had

Ill

^-T

THE STRONG ARM

i 1

1 ,1

li-^

withdrawn herself, yet so shifty a thing is human na-
ture, that no sooner were his commands obeyed than
he began to bewail their fulfilment. He accused him-
self of being a double fool, first, for not holding her
when he had her ; and secondly, having allowed her to
depart, he bemoaned the fact that he had acted rudely
to her, and thus had probably made her return impos-
sible. His prison seemed inexpressibly dreary lacking
her presence. Once or twice he called out her name,
but the echoing empty walls alone replied.

For the first time in his life the heavy sleep of the
camp deserted him, and in his dreams he pursued a
phantom woman, who continually dissolved in his
grasp, now laughingly, now in anger.

The morning found him deeply depressed, and he
thought the unaccustomed restraints of a prison were
having their effect on the spirits of a man heretofore
free. He sat silently on the bench watching the door.

At last, to his great joy, he heard the rattle of bolts
being withdrawn. The door opened slowly to the
small extent allowed by the chains, but no one entered
and the Count sat still, concealed from the view of
whoever stood without.

" My Lord Count," came the sweet tones of the girl
and the listener with joy, fancied he detected in it a
suggestion of apprehension, doubtless caused by the
fact that the room seemed deserted. '* My Lord
Count, I have brought your breakfast ; will you not
come and receive it ? "

Herbert rose slowly and came within range of his
jailer's vision. The girl stood in the hall, a repast that
would have tempted an epicure arrayed on the wooden
trencher she held in her hands.

" Beatrix, come in," he said.

'H U-

THE BEAUTIFUL JAILER

man na-
''ed than
5ed him-
ding her
d her to
1 rudely
1 impos-
lacking
r name,

3 of the

rsued a

in his

and he
)n were
etofore
e door,
•f bolts
to the
mtered
'lew of

:he girl
in it a
by the
Lord
)u not

of his
5t that
ooden

" I fear that in stooping, some po'-tion of this burden
may fall. Will you not take the trencher? "

The young man stepped to the opening and, taking
the tray from her, placed it on the bench as he had
previously done ; then repeated his invitation.

" You were displeased with my company before, my
Lord, and I am loath again to offend."

" Beatrix, I beg you to enter. I have something to
say to you."

" Stout chains bar not words, my Lord. Speak and
I shall listen."

" What I have to say, is for your ear alone.**

"Then are the conditions perfect for such converse,
my Lord. No guard stands within this hall."

The Count sighed deeply, turned and sat again on
the bench, burying his face in his hands. The maiden
having given excellent reasons why she should not
enter, thus satisfying her sense of logic, now set logic
at defiance, slipped under the lowest chain and stood
within the room, and, so that there might be no ac-
cusation that she did things by halves, closed the door
leaning her back against it. The knight looked up at
her. and saw that she too had rested but indifferently.
Her lovely eyes half veiled., showed traces of weeping,
and there was a wistful expression in her face that
touched him tenderly, and made him long for her ;
nevertheless he kept a rigid government upon himself,
and sat there regarding her, she flushing slightly under
his scrutiny, not daring to return his ardent gaze.

" Beatrix," he said slowly, " I have acted towards
you like a boor and a ruffian, as indeed I am ; but let
this plead for me, that I have ever been used to the
roughness of the camp, bereft of gentler influences. J
ask your forgiveness."

THE STRONG ARM

I'llll ''i'

" There is nothing to forgive. You are a noble of
the Empire, and I but a lowly serving-maid."

" Nay, that cuts me to the heai ., and is my bitterest
condemnation. A true man were courteous to high
and low alike. Now, indeed, you overwhelm me with
shame, maiden of the Woodlands."

" Such was not my intention, my Lord. I hold you
truly noble in nature as well as in rank, otherwise I
stood not here."

** Beatrix, does any woodlander come from the forest
to the castle walls and there give signal intended for
you alone? "

" Oh, no, my Lord."

" Perhaps you have kindly preference for some one
within this stronghold ? "

" You forget, my Lord, that the castle is ruled by
a lady, and that the preference you indicate would
accord ill with her womanly government."

" In truth I know little of woman's rule, but given
such, I suppose the case would stand as you say. The
Countess then frowns upon lovers* meetings."

** How could it be otherwise ?"

" Have you told her of — of yesterday ? "

"You mean of your refusal to come to terms with
her? Yes, my Lord."

" I mean nothing of the kind, Beatrix."

" No one outside this room has been told aught to your
disadvantage, my Lord," said the girl blushing rose-red.

" Then she suspects nothing ? "

" Suspects nothing of what, my Lord ? "

" That I love you, Beatrix."

The girl caught her breath, and seemed about to fly,
but gathering courage, remained, and said speaking
hurriedly and in some gonfusion ;

THE BEAUTIFUL JAILER

»ble of

" As I did not suspect it myself I see not how my
Lady should have made any such surmise, but indeed
it may be so, for she chided me bitterly for remaining
so long with you, and made me weep with her keen
censure ; yet am I here now against her express wish
and command, but that is because of my strong sym-
pathy for you and my belief that the Countess has
wrongfully treated you."

" I care nothing for the opinion of that harridan, ex-
cept that it may bring harsh usage to you ; but
Beatrix, I have told you bluntly of my love for you,
answer me as honestly."

" My Lord, you spoke just nowof a woodlander "

"Ah, there is one then. Indeed, I feared as much,
for there can be none on all the Rhine as beautiful or
as good as you."

** There are many woodlanders, my Lord, and many
women more beautiful than I. What I was about to
say was that I would rather be the wife of the poorest
forester, and lived in the roughest hut on the hillside,
than dwell otherwise in the grandest castle on the
Rhine.

" Surely, surely. But you shall dwell in my castle
of Schonburg as my most honoured wife, if you but
will it so."

** Then, my Lord, I must bid you beware of what
you propose. Your wife must be chosen from the
highest in the land, and not from the lowliest. It is
not fitting that you should endeavour to raise a serving-
maid to the position of Countess von Schonburg.
You would lose caste among your equals, and bring
unhappiness upon us both."

Count Herbert grasped his sword and lifting it,
cried angrily ;

THE STRONG ARM

ii i

" By the Cross I serve, the man wh* refuses to greet
my wife as he would greet the Empress, shall feel the
weight of this blade."

" You cannot kill a whisper with a sword, my Lord."

" I can kill the whisperer."

" That can you not, my Lord, for the whisperer will
be a woman."

" Then out upon them, we will have no traflfic with
them. I have lived too long away from the petty re-
strictions of civilisation to be bound down by them now,
for I come from a region where a man's sword and not
his rank preserved his life." As he spoke he again
raised his huge weapon aloft, but now held it by the
blade so that it stood out against the bright window
like a black cross of iron, and his voice rang forth
defiantly : " With that blade I won my honour ; by the
symbol of its hilt I hope to obtain my soul's salvation,
on both united I swear to be to you a true lover and
a loyal husband."

With swift motion the girl covered her face with
her hands and Herbert saw the crystal drops trickle
between her fingers. For long she could not speak
and then mastering her emotion, she said brokenly ;

" I cannot accept, I cannot now accept. I can take no
advantage of a helpless prisoner. At midnight I shall
come and set you free, thus my act may atone for the
great wrong of your imprisonment ; atone partially if
not wholly. When you are at liberty, if you wish to
forget your words, which I can never do, then am I
amply repaid that my poor presence called them forth.
If you remember them, and demand of the Countess
that I stand as hostage for peace, she is scarce likely to
deny you, for she loves not war. But know that
nothing you have said is to be held against you, for I

THE BEAUTIFUL JAILER

greet
el the

.ord."

r will

would have you leave this castle as free as when you
entered it. And now, my Lord, farewell."

Before the unready man could make motion to pre-
vent her, she had opened the door and was gone, leav-
ing it open, thus compelling the prisoner to be his
own jailer and close it, for he had no wish now to
leave the castle alone when he had been promised
such guidance.

The night seemed to Count Herbert the longest he
had ever spent, as he sat on the bench, listening for
the withdrawing of the bolts, if indeed they were in
their sockets, which he doubted. At last the door
was pushed softly open, and bending under the chain,
he stood in the outside hall, peering through the
darkness, to catch sight of his conductor. A great
window of stained glass occupied the southern end of the
hall, and against it fell the rays of the full moon now
high in the heavens, filling the dim and lofty apart-
ment with a coloured radiance resembling his visions of
the half tones of fairyland. Like a shadow stood the
cloaked figure of the girl, who timidly placed her
small hand in his great palm, and that touch gave a
thrill of reality to the mysticism of the time and the
place. He grasped it closely, fearing it might fade
away from him as it had done in his dream. She led
him silently by another way from that by which he
had entered, and together they passed through a small
doorway that communicated with a narrow circular
stair which wound round and round downwards until
they came to another door at the bottom, which
let them out in the moonlight at the foot of a
turret.

" Beatrix," whispered the young man, " I am not
going to demand you of the Countess, J ghall not be

It!"

ill

II (

THE STRONG ARM

indebted to her for my wife. You must come with
me now."

" No, no," cried the girl shrinking from him, " I
cannot go with you thus surreptitiously, and no one
but you and me must ever learn that I led you
from the castle. You shall come for me as a lord
should for his lady, as if he thought her worthy of
him."

" Indeed, that do I. Worthy ? It is I who am un-
worthy, but made more worthy I hope in that you
care for me."

From where they stood the knight saw the moon-
light fall on his own castle of Schonburg, the rays
seeming to transform the grey stone into the whitest
of marble, the four towers standing outlined against
the blue of the cloudless sky. The silver river of ro-
mance, flowed silently at its feet reflecting again the
snowy purity of the reality in an inverted quivering
watery vision. All the young man's affection for the
home he had not seen for years seemed to blend with
his love for the girl standing there in the moonlight.
Gently he drew her to him, and kissed her unresisting
lips.

" Woodland maiden," he said tenderly, " here at the
edge of the forest is your rightful home and not in
this grim castle, and here will I woo thee again, being
now a free man."

" Indeed," said the girl with a laugh in which a sob
and a sigh intermingled, *' it is but scanty freedom I
have brought to you ; an exchange of silken fetters
for iron chains."

His arms still around her, he unloosed the ribbon
that held in thrall the thick braid of golden hair, and
parting the clustering strands speedily encompassed

^i ;_

THE BEAUTIFUL JAILER

m, "I
no one
you
a lord
thv of

her in a cloak of misty fragrance that seemed as un-
substantial as the moonlight that glittered through its
meshes. He stood back the better to admire the
picture he seemed to have created.

" My darling," he cried, " you are no woodland
woman, but the very spirit of the forest herself. You
are so beautiful, I dare not leave you here to the mer-
cies of this demon, who, finding me gone, may revenge
herself on you. If before she dared to censure you,
what may she not do now that you have set me free ?
Curse her that she stands for a moment between my
love and me."

He raised his clenched fist and shook It at the tower
above him, and seemed about to break forth in new
maledictions against the lady, when Beatrix, clasping
her hands cried in terror :

" No, no, Herbert, you have said enough. How can
you pretend to love me when implacable hatred lies so
near to your affection. You must forgive the Countess.
Oh, Herbert, Herbert, what more could I do to atone ?
I have withdrawn my forces from around your castle ;
I have set you free and your path to Schonburg lies
unobstructed. Even now your underling, thinking
himself victorious, is preparing an expedition against
me, and nothing but your word stands between me
and instant attack. Ponder, I beseech of you, on my
position. War, not of my seeking, was bequeathed
to me, and a woman who cannot fight must trust to
her advisers, and thus may do what her own heart re-
volts against. They told me that if I made you pris-
oner I could stop the war, and thus I consented to that
act of treachery for which you so justly condemn me."

" Beatrix," cried her amazed lover, "what madness
has come over you ? "

THE STRONG ARM

" No madness touched mc, Herbert, until I met ycu,
and 1 sometimes think that you have brought back
with you the eastern sorcery of which I have heard —
at least such may perhaps make excuse for my un-
maidenly behaviour. Herbert, I am Beatrix of Guden-
fels, Countess von Falkenstein, who is and ever will
be, if you refuse to pardon her, a most unhappy
woman."

*• No woodland maiden, but the Countess ! The
Countess von Falkenstein!" murmured her lover
more to himself than to his eager listener, the lines on
his perplexed brow showing that he was endeavouring
to adjust the real and the ideal in his slow brain.

" A Countess, Herbert, who will joyfully exchange
the privileges of her station for the dear preference
shown to the serving-maid."

A smile came to the lips of Von Schonburg as he
held out his hands, in which the Countess placed her
own.

" My Lady Beatrix," he said, " how can I refuse my
pardon for the first encroachment on my liberty, now
that you have made me your prisoner for life ? "

" Indeed, my captured lord," cried the girl, " you are
but now coming to a true sense of your predicament.
I marvelled that you felt so resentful about the first
offence, when the second was so much more serious.
Am I then forgiven for both?"

It seemed that she was, and the Count insisted on re-
turning to his captivity, and coming forth the next day,
freed by her commands, whereupon, in the presence
of all her vassals, he swore allegiance to her with such
deference that her advisers said to her that she must
now see they had been right in counselling his imprison-
ITjcut. rdson, they said, had 3^ wonderfully (^uietin^^

THE BEAUTI^'UL JAILER

effect upon even the most truculent, the Count being
quickly subdued when he saw his sword-play had but
little effect on the chain. The Countess graciously
acknowledged that events had indeed proved the
wisdom of their course, and said it was not to be won-
dered at that men should know the disposition of
a turbulent man, better than an inexperienced woman
could know it.

And thus was the feud between Gudenfels and Schon-
burg happily ended, and Count Herbert came from
the Crusades to find two castles waiting for him in-
stead of one as he had expected, with what he had
reason to prize above everything else, a wife as well.

'.i

i ,

i'l

CHAPTER II

THE REVENGE OF THE OUTLAW

The position of Count Herbert when, at the age of
thirty-one he took up his residence in the ancient castle
of his line, was a most enviable one. His marriage with
Beatrix, Countess v on Falkenstein, had added the lustre
of a ruling family to the prestige of his own, and the re-
nown of his valour in the East had lost nothing in transit
from the shores of the Mediterranean to the banks of
the Rhine. The Counts of Schonburg had ever been
the most conservative in counsel and the most radical
in the fray, and thus Herbert on returning, found him-
self, without seeking the honour, regarded by common
consent as leader of the nobility whose castles bordered
the renowned river. The Emperor, as was usually the
case when these imperial figure-heads were elected by
the three archbishops and their four colleagues, was a
nonentity, who made no attempt to govern a turbulent
land that so many were willing to govern for him. His
majesty left sword and sceptre to those who cared for
such baubles, and employed himself in banding to-
gether the most notable company of mei.stersingcrs that
Germany had ever listened to. But although harmony
reigned in Frankfort, the capital, there was much lack
of it along the Rhine, and the man with the swiftest
and heaviest sword, usually accumulated the greatest
amount of property, movable and othenvise.

Among the truculent nobles who terrorised the
30

THE REVENGE OF THE OUTLAW 31

country side, none was held in greater awe than Baron
von Wicthoff, whose Schloss occupied a promontory
some distance up the stream from Castle Schonburg, on
the same side of the river. Public opinion condemned
the Baron, not because he exacted tribute from the
merchants who sailed down the Rhine, for such col-
lections were universally regarded as a legitimate source
of revenue, out because he was in the habit of killing
the goose that laid the goMen egg, which action was
looked upon with disfavour by the se who resided be-
tween Schloss Wiethoff and Cologne, as interfering with
their right to exist, for a merchant, although well-
plucked, is still of advantage to those in whose hands
he falls, if life and some of his goods are left to him.
Whereas, when cleft from scalp to midriff by the Baron's
^ong swoid, he became of no value either to himself or
to others. While many nobles were satisfied with levy-
ing a scant five or ten per cent on a voyager's belong-
ings, the Barcn rarely rested contented until he had
acquired the full hundred, and, the merchant object-
ing, von Wiethoff would usually order him hanged or
decapitated, although at times when he was in good
humour he was wont to confer honour upon the trading
classes by despatching the grumbling seller of goods
with his own weapon, which created less joy in the
commercial community than the Baron seemed to ex-
pect. Thus navigation on the swift current of the
Rhine began to languish, for there was little profit in
the transit of goods from Mayence to Cologne if the
whole consignment tood in jeopardy and the owner's
life as well, so the merchants got into the habit of carry-
ing their gear overland on the backs of mules, thus put-
ting the nobility to great inconvenience in scouring the
forests, endeavouring to intercept the caravans. The

■1,

IV:

THE STRONG ARM

nobility, with that stern sense of justice which hasevef
characterised the higher classes, placed the blame of
this diversion of traffic from its natural channel, not
upon the merchants but upon the Baron, where un-
doubtedly it rightly belonged, and although, when they
came upon an overland company which was seeking to
avoid them, they gathered in an extra percentage of the
goods to repay in a measure the greater difficulty they
had in their woodland search, they always informed the
merchants with much politeness, that, when river traffic
was resumed, they would be pleased to revert to the
original exaction, which the traders, not without reason
pointed out was of little avail to them as long as
Baron von Wiethoff was permitted to confiscate the
whole.

In their endeavours to resuscitate the navigation
interests of the Rhine, several expeditions had been
formed against the Baron, but his castle was strong,
and there were so many conflicting interests among
those who attacked him that he had always come out
victorious, and after each onslaught the merchants
suffered more severely than before.

Affairs were in this unsatisfactory condition when
Count Herbert of Schonburg returned from the Holy
Land, the fame of his deeds upon him, and married
Beatrix of Gudenfels. Although the nobles of the
Upper Rhine held aloof from all contest with the
savage Baron of Schloss Wiethoff, his exactions not
interfering with their incomes, many of those further
down the river offered their services to Count Herbert,
if he would consent to lead them against the Baron, but
the Count pleaded that he was still a stranger in his own
country, having so recently returned from his ten con-
tentious years in Syria, therefore he begged time to

I I "

■■m.;« » •>■■?■•.■. »

THE REVENGE OF THE OUTLAW 33

study the novel conditions confronting him before
giving an answer to their proposal.

The Count learned that the previous attacks made
upon Schloss Wiethoff had been conducted with but
iiidifferent generalship, and that failure liad been richly
earned by desertions from the attacking force, each
noble thinking himself justified in withdrawing himself
and his men, when offended, or when the conduct of
affairs displeased him, so von Schonburg informed the
second deputation which waited on him, that he was
more accustomed to depend on himself than on the aid
of others, and that if any quarrel arose between Castle
Schonburg and Schloss Wiethoff, the Count would en-
deavour to settle the dispute with his ov/n sword, which
ri'ply greatly encouraged the Baron when he heard of
it, for he wished to try conclusions with the newcomer,
and made no secret of his disbelief in the lattcr's Sara-
cenic exploits, saying the Count had returned when
there was none left of the band he took with him, and
had, therefore, with much wisdom, left himself free
from contradiction.

There was some disappointment up and down the
Rhine when time passed and the Count made no war-
like move. It was well known that the Countess was
much averse 10 war, notwithstanding the fact that she
was indebted to war for her stalwart husband, and her
peaceful nature was held to excuse the non-combative
life lived by the Count, althouMi there were others who
gave it as their opinion that the Count was really afraid
of the ^>aron, who daily became more and more obnox-
ious as there seemed to be less and less to fear. Such
boldness did the I^aron achieve that he even organised
a slight raid upon the estate of Gudenfels which be-
longed to the Count's wife, but still Herbert of Schon-

'H.

THE STRONG ARM

burg did not venture from the security of his castle,
greatly to the disappointment and the disgust of his
neighbours, for there are on earth no people who love
a fight more dearly than do those who reside along the
banks of the placid Rhine.

At last an heir was born to Castle Schonburg, and
the rejoicings throughout all the district governed by
the Count were general and enthusiastic. Bonfires were
lit on the heights and the noble river glowed red under
the illumination at night. The boy who had arrived
at the castle was said to give promise of having all the
beauty of his mother and all the strength of his father,
which was admitted by everybody to be a desirable
combination, although some shook their heads and said
they hoped that with strength there v/ould come greater
courage than the Count appeared to possess. Never-
theless, the Count had still some who believed in him,
notwithstanding his long period of inaction, and these
said that on the night the boy was born, and word was
brought to him in the great hall that mother and child
were well, the cloud that had its habitual resting-place on
the Count's brow lifted and his lordship took down from
its place his great broadsword, rubbed from its blade the
dust and the rust that had collected, swung the huge
weapon hissing through the air, and heaved a deep sigh,
as one who had come to the end of a period of restraint.

The boy was just one month old on the night that
there was a thunderous knocking at the gate of Schloss
Wicthoff. The Baron hastily buckled on his armour and
was soon at the head of his men eager to repel the in-
vader. In a marvellously short space of time there was
a contest in progress at the gates which would have de-
lighted the heart of the most quarrelsome noble from
Mayence to Cologne. The attacking party which ap-

THE REVENGE OF THE OUTLAW 35

peared in large force before the gate, attempted to
batter in the oal<en leaves of the portal, but the Baron
was always picpared for such visitors, and the heavy
timbers that were heaved against the oak made little
impression, while von Wiethoff roared defiance from
the top of the wall that surrounded the castle and what
was more to the purpose, showered down stones and
arrows on the besiegers, grievously thinning their ranks.
The Baron, with creditable ingenuit}^ had constructed
above the inside of the gate a scaffolding, on the top of
which was piled a mountain of huge stones. This
scaffold was arranged in such a way that a man pulling
a lever caused it to collapse, thus piling the stones in-
stantly against the inside of the gate, rendering it im-
pregnable against assault by battering rams. The Baron
was always jubilant when his neighbours attempted
to force the gate, for he was afforded much amusement
at small expense to himself, and he cared little for the
damage the front door received, as he had built his
castle not for ornament but for his own protection.
He was a man with an amazing vocabulary, and a. he
stood on the wall shaking his mailed fist at the in-
truders he poured forth upon them invective more
personal than complimentary.

While thus engaged, rejoicing over the repulse of the
besiegers, for the attack was evidently losing its vigour,
he was amazed to note a sudden illumination of the
forest-covered hill which he was facing. The attacking
party rallied with a yell when the light struck them,
and the Baron, looking hastily over his shoulder to
learn the source of the ruddy glow on the trees, saw
with dismay that his castle was on fire and that Count
Herbert followed by his men had possession of the
battlements to the rear, while the courtyard swarmed

V (

THE STRONG ARM

with soldiers, who had evidently scaled the low wall
along the river front from rafts or boats.

" Surrender ! " cried Count Herbert, advancing along
the wall. ** Your castle is taken, and will be a heap of
ruins within the hour."

" Then may you be buried beneath them," roared the
Baron, springing to the attack.

Although the Baron was a younger man than his
antagonist, it was soon proven that his sword play was
not equal to that of the Count, and the broadsword
fight on the battlements in the light of the flaming
stronghold, was of short duration, watched breathlessly
as it was by men of both parties above and below.
Twice the Baron's guard was broken, and the third time,
such was the terrific impact of iron on iron, that the
Baron's weapon was struck from his benumbed hands
and fell glittering through the air to the ground out-
side the walls. The Count paused in his onslaught,
refraining from striking a disarmed man, but again de-
manding his submission. The Baron cast one glance
at his burning house, saw that it was doomed, then,
with a movement as reckless as it was unexpected, took
the terrific leap from the wall top to the ground, alight-
ing on his feet near his fallen sword which he speedily
recovered. For an instant the Count hovered on the
brink to follow him, but the swift thought of his wife
and child restrained him, and he feared a broken limb
in the fall, leaving him thus at the mercy of his enemy.
The moment for decision was short enough, but the
years of regret for this hesitation were many and long.
There were a hundred men before the walls to inter-
cept the Baron, and it seemed useless to jeopardise life
or limb in taking the leap, so the Count contented him-
self by giving the loud command :

THE REVENGE OF THE OUTLAW 37

*' Seize that man and bind him."

It was an order easy to give and easy to obey had
there been a dozen men below as brave as their captain,
or even one as brave, as s'alwart and as skilful; but the
Baron struck sturdily around him and mowed his way
through the throng as effectually as a reaper with a
sickle clears a path for himself in the standing corn.
Before Herbert realised what was happening, the Baron
was safe in the obscurity of the forest.

The Count of Schonburgwasnot a man to do things
by halves, even though upon the occasion of this at-
tack he allowed the Baron to slip through his fingers.
When the ruins of the Schloss cooled, he caused them
to be removed and flung stone by stone into the river,
leaving not a vestige of the castle that had so long been
a terror to the district, holding that if the lair were de-
stroyed the wolf would not return. In this the Count
proved but partly right. Baron von Wiethoff re-
nounced his order, and became an outlaw, gathering
round him in the forest all the turbulent characters not
in regular service elsewhere, publishing along the Rhine
by means of prisoners he took and then released that as
the nobility seemed to object to his preying upon the
merchants, he would endeavour to amend his ways and
would harry instead such castles as fell into his hands.
Thus Baron von Wiethoff became known as the Out-
law of the Hundsruck, and being as intrepid as he was
merciless, soon made the Rhenish nobility withdraw
attention from other people's quarrels in order to be-
stow strict surveillance upon their own. It is possible
that if the dwellers along the river h, \ realised at first
the kind of neighbour that had been produced by burn-
ing out the Baron, they might, by combination have
hunted him down in the widespread forests of the

THE STRONG ARM

> I

Hundsruck, but as the years went on, the Outlaw ac-
quired such knowledge of the interminable mazes of this
wilderness, that it is doubtful whether all the troops in
the Empire could have brought his band to bay. The
outlaws always fled before a superior force, and always
massacred an inferior one, and like the lightning, no
man could predict where the next stroke would fall.
On one occasion he even threatened the walled town of
Coblentz, and the citizens compounded with him, say-
ing they had no quarrel with any but the surrounding
nobles, which expression the thrifty burghers regretted
when Count Herbert marched his men through their
streets and for every coin they had paid the Outlaw,
exacted ten.

The boy of Castle Schonburg was three years old,
when he was allowed to play on the battlements, sport-
ing with a wooden sword and imagining himself as great
a warrior as his father had ever been. He was a brave
little fellow whom nothing could frighten but the
stories his nurse told him of the gnomes and goblins
who infested the Rhine, and he longed for the time
when he would be a man and wear a real sword. One
day just before he had completed his fourth year, a man
came slinking out of the forest to the foot of the wall,
for the watch was now slack as the Outlaw had not been
heard of for months, and then was far away in the
direction of Mayence. The nurse was holding a most
absorbing conversation with the man-at-arms, who
should, instead, have been pacing up and down the
terrace while she should have been watching her charge.
The man outside gave a low whistle which attracted the
attention of the child and then beckoned him to come
further along the wall until he had passed the west
tower.

THE REVENGE OF THE OUTLAW 30

"Well, little coward," said the man, " I did not think
you would have the courage to come so far away from
the women."

" I am not a coward," answered the lad, stoutly,
" and I do not care about the women at lilV

" Your father was a coward."

" He is not. He is the bravest man in the world."

" He did not dare to jump off the wall after the
Baron."

" He will cut the Baron in pieces if he ever comes
near our castle."

" Yet he dared not jump as the Baron did."

" The Baron was afraid of my father ; that's why he
jumped."

" Not so. It was your father who feared to follow
him, though he had a sword and the Baron had none.
You are all cowards in Castle Schonburg. I don't be-
lieve you have the courage to jump even though I held
out my arms to catch you, but if you do I will give you
the sword I wear."

The little boy had climbed on the parapet, and now
stood hovering on the brink of the precipice, his childish
heart palpitating through fear of the chasm before him>
yet beneath its beatings was an insistent command to
prove his impugned courage. For some moments there
was deep silence, the man below gazing aloft and hold-
ing up his hands. At last he lowered his outstretched
arms and said in a sneering tone :

" Good-bye, craven son of a craven race. You dare
not jump."

The lad, with a cry of despair, precipitated himself
into the empty air and came fluttering down like a
wounded bird, to fall insensible into the arms that for
the moment saved him from death or mutilation. An

'!!,

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THE STRONG ARM

instant later there was a shriek from the negligent
nurse, and the man-at-arms ran along the battlements,
a bolt on his cross-bow which he feared to launch at
the flying abductor, for in the speeding of it he might
slay the heir of Schonburg. By the time the castle was
aroused and the gates thrown open to pour forth
searchers, the man had disappeared into the forest, and
in its depths all trace of young Wilhelm was lost.
Some days after, the Count von Schonburg came upon
the deserted camp of the outlaws, and found there evi-
dences, not necessary to be here set down, that his son
had been murdered. Imposing secrecy on his followers,
so that the Countess might still retain her unshaken be-
lief that not even an outlaw would harm a little child,
the Count returned to his castle to make preparations
for a complete and final campaign of extinction against
the scourge of the Hundsruck, but the Outlaw had
withdrawn his men far from the scene of his latest
successful exploit and the Count never came up with
him.

Years passed on and the silver came quickly to
Count Herbert's hair, he attributing the change to the
hardships endured in the East, but all knowing well
the cause sprang from his belief in his son's death.
The rapid procession of years made little impression
on the beauty of the Countess, who, although grieving
for the absence of her boy, never regarded him as lost
but always looked for his return. " If he were dead,"
she often said to her husband, " I should know it in my
heart ; I should know the day, the hour and the
moment."

This belief the Count strove to encourage, although
none knew better than he how baseless it was. Beatrix,
with a mother's fondness, kept little Wilhelm's room

THE REVENGE OF THE OUTLAW 41

as it had been when he left it, his toys in their places,
and his bed prepared for him, allowing no one else to
share the task she had allotted to herself. She seemed
to keep no count of the years, nor to realise that if her
son returned he would return as a young man and not
as a child. To the mind of Beatrix he seemed always
her boy of four.

When seventeen years had elapsed after the abduc-
tion of the heir of Schonburg, there came a rumour that
the Outlaw of Hundsruck was again at his depredations
in the neighbourhood of Coblentz. He was at this time
a man of forty-two, and if he imagined that the long
interval had led to any forgetting on the part of the
Count von Schonburg, a most unpleasant surprise
awaited him. The Count divided his forces equally
between his two castles of Schonburg and Gudenfels
situated on the west bank and the east bank respect-
ively. If either castle were attacked, arrangements
were made for getting word to the other, when the
men in that other would cross the Rhine and fall upon
the rear of the invaders, hemming them ^.hus between
two fires. The Count therefore awaited with compla-
cency whatever assault the Outlaw cared to deliver.

It was expected that the attack would be made in
the night, which was the usual time selected for these
surprise parties that kept life from stagnating along the
Rhine, but to the amazement of the Count the onslaught
came in broad daylight, which seemed to indicate
that the Outlaw had gathered boldness with years.
The Count from the battlements scanned his opponents
and saw that they were led, not by the Outlaw in
person, but by a young man who evidently held his
life lightly, so recklessly did he risk it. He was ever
in the thick of the fray, dealing sword strokes with a

U ]

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THE STRONG ARM

lavish generosity which soon kindled a deep respect for
him in the breasts of his adversaries. The Count had
not waited for the battering in of his gates but had sent
out his men to meet the enemy in the open, whicli was
rash generalship, had he not known that the men of
Gudenfels were hurrying round to the rear of the out-
laws. Crossbowmen lined the battlements ready to
cover the retreat of the defenders of the castle, should
they meet a reverse, but now they stood in silence,
holding their shafts, for in the mcl^e there was a danger
of destroying friend as well as foe. But in spite of the
superb leadership of the young captain, the outlaws,
seemingly panic-stricken, when there was no particular
reason, deserted their commander in a body and fled in
spite of his frantic efforts to rally them. The young
man found himself surrounded, and, after a brave
defence, overpowered. When the Gudenfels men came
up, there was none to oppose them, the leader of the
enemy being within the gates of Schonburg, bound,
bleeding and a prisoner. The attacking outlaws were
nowhere to be seen.

The youthful captive, unkempt as he was, appeared
in the great hall of the castle before its grey-headed
commander, seated in his chair of state.

"You are the leader of this unwarranted incursion?"
said the Count, sternly, as he looked upon the pinioned
lad.

" Warranted or unwarranted, I was the leader."

" Who are you ? "

" I am Wilhelm, only son of the Outlaw of Hunds-
ruck."

" The only son," murmured the Count, more to him-
self than to his auditors, the lines hardening round his
firm mouth. For some moments there was a deep

THE REVENGE OF THE OUTLAW 43

silence in the large room, then the Count spoke in a
voice that had no touch of mercy in it :

" You will be taken to a dungeon and your wounds
cared for. Seven days from now, at this hour, you
will appear again before me, at which time just sentence
will be passed upon you, after I hear what you have to
say in your own defence."

" You may hear that now, my Lord. I besieged your
castle and would perhaps have taken it, had I not a
pack of cowardly dogs at my heels. I am now in your
power, and although you talk glibly of justice, I know
well what I may expect at your hands. Your delay of
a week is the mere pretence of a hypocrite, who wishes
to give colour of legality to an act already decided upon.
I do not fear you now, and shall not fear you then, so
spare your physicians unnecessary trouble, and give the
word to your executioner."

" Take him away, attend to his wounds, and guard
him strictly. Seven days from now when I call for
him, see to it that you can produce him."

Elsa, niece of the Outlaw, watched anxiously for the
return of her cousin from the long prepared for expe-
dition. She had the utmost confidence in his bravery
and the most earnest belief in his success, yet she
watched for the home-coming of the warriors with an
anxious heart. Perhaps a messenger would arrive
telling of the capture of the castle ; perhaps all would
return with news of defeat, but for whpt actually hap-
pened the girl was entirely unprepared. That the
whole company, practically unscathed, should march
into camp with the astounding news that their leader
had been captured and that they had retreated without
striking a blow on his behalf, seemed to her so mon-
strous, that her first thought was fear of the retribution

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THE STRONG ARM

which would fall on the deserters when her uncle real-
ised the full import of the tidings. She looked with ap-
prehension at his forbidding face and was amazed to see
something almost approaching a smile part his thin lips.

" The attack has failed, then. I fear I sent out a
leader incompetent and too young. We must make
haste to remove our camp or the victorious Count, em-
boldened by success, may carry the war into the forest."
With this amazing proclamation the Outlaw turned and
walked to his hut followed by his niece, bewildered as
one entangled in the mazes of a dream. When they
were alone together, the girl spoke.

*' Uncle, has madness overcome you ?"

" I was never saner than now, nor happier, for years
of waiting are approaching their culmination."

" Has, then, all valour left your heart ?"

" Your question will be answered when next I lead
my band."

** When next you lead it ? Where will you lead it ? "

" Probably in the vicinity of Mayence, toward which
place we are about to journey."

*' Is it possible that you retreat from here without
attempting the rescue of your son, now in the hands
of your lifelong enemy ? "

" All thi- re possible in an existence like ours.

The bo^ assault the castle ; he has failed and

has all . Himself to be taken. It is the fortune of

war ana I shall not waste a man in attempting his
rescue."

Elsa stood for a moment gazing^ in dismay at her
uncle, whose shifty eyes evaded all encounter with hers,
then she strode to the wall, took down a sword and
turned without a word to the door. The Outlaw sprang
between her and the exit.

THE REVENGE OF THE OUTLAW 45

" What are you about to do ? " he cried.

" I am about to rally all who arc not cowards round
me, then at their head, I shall attack Castle Schonburg
and set Wilhelm free or share his fate."

The Outlaw stood for a few moments, his back against
the door of the hut, gazing in sullen anger at the girl,
seemingly at a loss to know how she should be dealt
with. At last his brow cleared and he spoke :

** Is your interest in Wilhelm due entirely to the fact
that you are cousins ? "

A quick flush overspread the girl's fair cheeks with
colour and her eyes sought the floor of the hut. The
point of the sword she held lowered until it rested on
the stone flags, and she swayed slightly, leaning against
its hilt, while the keen eyes of her uncle regarded her
critically. She said in a voice little above a whisper,
contrasting strongly with her determined tone of a
moment before :

'* My interest is due to our relationship alone."

" Has no word of love passed between you ? "

" Oh, no, no. Why do you ask me such a question ? "

" Because on the answer given depends whether or
not I shall entrust you with knowledge regarding him.
Swear to n e by the Three Kings of Cologne that you
will tell to none what I will now impart to you."

" I swear," said Elsa, raising her right hand, and
holding aloft the sword with it.

" Wilhelm is not my son, nor is he kin to either of
us, but is the heir of the greatest enemy of our house.
Count Herbert of Schonburg. I lured him from his
father's home as a child and now send him back as a
man. Some time later I shall acquaint the Count with
the fact that the young man he captured is his only
son."

h !

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1 1

THE STRONG ARM

The girl looked at her uncle, her eyes wide with
horror.

" It is your purpose then that the father shall exe-
cute his own son ? "

The Outlaw shrugged his shoulders.

" The result lies not Vv'ith me, but with the Count.
He was once a crusader and the teaching of his master
is to the effect that the measure he metes to others,
the same shall be acted to him, if I remember aright
the tenets of his faith. Count Herbert wreaking
vengeance upon my supposed son, is really bringing
destruction upon his own, which seems but justice. If
he show mercy to me and mine, he is bestowing the
blessed balm thereof on himself and his house. In
this imperfect world, few events are ordered with such
admirable equity as the capture of young Lord Wilhelm,
by that haughty and bloodthirsty warrior, his father.
Let us then await with patience the outcome, taking
care not to interfere with the designs of Providence."

" The design comes not from God but from the evil
one himself."

" It is within the power of the Deity to overturn
even the best plans of the fiend, if it be His will. Let
us see to it that we do not intervene between two such
ghostly potentates, remembering that we are but puny
creatures, liable to err."

" The plot is of your making, secretly held, all these
years, with unrelenting malignity. The devil himself
is not wicked enough to send an innocent, loyal lad to
his doom in his own mother's house, with his father as
his executioner. Oh, uncle, uncle, repent and make
reparation before it is too late."

" Let the Count repent and make reparation. I have
now nothing to do with the matter. As I have said, if

THE REVENGE OF THE OUTLAW 47

evil

the Count is merciful, he is like to be glad of it later
in his life ; if he is revengeful, visiting the sin of the
father on the son, innocent, I think you called him,
then he deserves what his own hand deals out to him-
self. But we have talked too much already. I ask
you to remember your oath, for I have told you this
so that you will not bring ridicule upon me by a
womanish appeal to my own men, who would but
laugh at you in any case and think me a dotard in
allowing women overmuch to say in the camp. Get
you back to your women, for we move camp instantly.
Even if I were to relent, as you term it, the time is
past, for Wilhelm is either dangling from the walls of
Castle Schonburg or he is pardoned, and all that we
could do would be of little avail. Prepare you then
instantly for our journey."

Elsa, with a sigh, went slowly to the women's quar-
ters, her oath, the most terrible tiiat may be taken on
the Rhine, weighing heavily upon her. Resolving not
to break it, yet determined in some way to save Wil-
helm, the girl spent the first part of the journey in
revolving plans of escape, for she found as the caval-
cade progressed that her uncle did not trust entirely to
the binding qualities of the oath she had taken, but
had her closely watched as well. As the expedition
progressed farther and farther south in the direction of
Mayence, vigilance was relaxed, and on the evening of
the second day, when a camp had been selected for the
night, Elsa escaped and hurried eastward through the
forest until she came to the Rhine, which was to be
her guide to the castle of Schonburg. The windings
of the river made the return longer than the direct
journey through the wilderness had been, and in addi-
tion to this, Elsa was compelled to circumambulate

vu.

■fv,

M I

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THE STRONG ARM

the numerous castles, climbing the hills to avoid them,
fearing capture and delay, so it was not until the sun
was deciuiing on the sixth day after the assault on the
castle that she stood, weary and tattered and unkempt,
before the closed gates of Schonburg, and beat fcjbiy
with iier small hand against the oak, crying for admit-
tance. The guard of the gate, seeing through the small
lattice but a single dishevelled woman standing there,
anticipating treachery, refused to open the little door
in the large leaf until his captain was summoned, who,
after some parley, allowed the girl to enter the court-
yard.

" What do you want ? " asked the captain, curtly.

She asked instead of answered :

" Is your prisoner still alive ? "

" The son of the Outlaw ? Yes, but he would be a
confident prophet who would predict as much for him
at this hour to-morrow."

" Take me, I beg of you, to the Countess."

" That is as it may be. Who are you and what is
your business with her ? "

" I shall reveal myself to her Ladyship, and to her
will state the object of my coming."

" Your object is plain enough. You are some tat-
terdemalion of the forest come to beg the life of your
lover, who hangs to-morrow, or I am a heathen Sara-
cen.

" I do beseech you, tell the Countess that a miserable
woman craves permission to speak with her."

What success might have attended her petition is un-
certain, but the problem was solved by the appearance
of the Countess herself on the terrace above them,
which ran the length of the castle on its western side.
The lady leaned over the parapet and watched with

THE REVENGE OF THE OUTLAW 4^

evident curiosity the strange scene in the courtyard
below, the captain and his men in a ring around the
maiden of the forest, who occupying the centre of the
circle, peered now in one face, now in another, as if
searching for some trace of sympathy in the stolid
countenances of the warriors all about her. Before
the captain could reply, his lady addressed him.

" Whom have you there, Conrad ? "

It seemed iis if the unready captain would get no
word said, for again before he had made answer the
girl spoke to the Countess.

'* I do implore your Ladyship to grant me speech with
you."

The Countess looked down doubtfully upon the sup-
plicant, evidently prejudiced by her rags and wildly
straying hair. The captain cleared his throat and
opened his mouth, but the girl eagerly forestalled him.

" Turn me not away, my Lady, because I come in un-
handsome guise, for I have travelled far through forest
and over rock, climbing hills and skirting the river's
brink to be where I am. The reluctant wilderness, im-
peding me, has enviously torn my garments, leaving
me thus ashamed before you, but, dear Lady, let not
that work to my despite. Grant my petition and my
prayer shall ever be that the dearest wish of your own
heart go not unsatisfied."

"Alas! " said the Countess, with a deep sigh, " my
dearest wish gives little promise of fulfilment."

Conrad, seeing that the lady thought of her lost son,
frowned angrily, and in low growling tones bade the
girl have a care what she said, but Elsa was not to be
silenced and spoke impetuously.

" Oh, Countess, the good we do often returns to us
tenfold ; mercy calls forth mercy. An acorn planted

:^i

5C3

THE STRONG ARM

hi!

produces an oak ; cruelty sown leaves us cruelty to
reap. It is not beyond imagination that the soothing
of my bruised heart may bring balm to your own."

" Take the girl to the east room, Conrad, and let her
await me there," said the Countess.

" With a guards your Ladyship ? "

" Without a guard, Conrad."

*' Pardon me, my Lady, but I distrust her. She may
have designs against you."

The Countess had little acquaintance with fear. She
smiled at the anxious captain and said :

" Her only desire is to reach my heart, Conrad."

" God grant it may not be with a dagger," grumbled
the captain, as he made haste to obey the commands
of the lady.

When the Countess entered the room in which Elsa
stood, her first question was an inquiry regarding her
visitor's name and station, the telling of which seemed
but an indifferent introduction for the girl, who could
not help noting that the Countess shrank involuntarily
from her when she heard the Outlaw mentioned.

'* Our house has little cause to confer favour on any
kin of the Outlaw of Hundsruck," the lady said at last.

" I do not ask for favour, my Lady. I have come to
give your revenge completeness, if it is revenge you
seek. The young man now imprisoned in Schonburg
is so little esteemed by my uncle that not a single
blow has been struck on his behalf. If the Count
thinks to hurt the Outlaw by executing Wilhclm, he
will be gravely in error, for my uncle and his men re-
gard the captive so lightly that they have gone be-
yond Mayence without even making an effort toward
his rescue. As for me, my uncle bestows upon me
such affection as he is capable of, and would be more

I! I I

THE REVENGE OF THE OUTLAW 51

dty to

lothing

»»
rn.

let her

he may

ir. She

d."

umbled

nmands

Ich Elsa
iing her
. seemed
10 could
untarily
ed.

r on any
d at last,
come to
nge you
lonburg
a single
e Count
iclm, he
men re-
i^one be-
t toward
ipon me
be more

grieved should I die, than if any other of his kin were
taken from him. Release Wilhelm and I will gladly
take his place, content to receive such punishment as
his Lordship, the Count, considers should be imposed
on a relative of the Outlaw."

" What you ask is impossible. The innocent should
not suffer for the guilty."

" My Lady, the innocent have suffered for others
since the world began, and will continue to do so till
it ends. Our only hope of entering Heaven comes
through Him who was free from sin being condemned
in our stead. I do beseech your Ladyship to let me
take the place of Wilhelm.'"

"You love this young man," said the Countess,
seating herself, and regarding the girl with the intent
interest which women, whose own love affair has pros-
pered, feel when they are confronted with an incident
that reminds them of their youth.

" Not otherwise than as a friend and dear com-
panion, my Lady," replied Elsa, blushing. " When he
was a little boy and I a baby, he carried me about in
his arms, and since that time we have been comrades
together."

"Comradeship stands for much, my girl," said the
Countess, in kindly manner, " but it rarely leads one
friend willingly to accept death for another. I have
not seen this young man whom you would so gladly
liberate ; the dealing with prisoners is a matter con-
cerning my husband alone ; I never interfere, but if I
should now break this rule because you have travelled
so far, and are so anxious touching the prisoner's wel-
fare, would you be willing to accept my conditions?"

"Yes, my Lady, so that his life were saved."

" He is a comely young man doubtless, and there arc

«l

I I
! I

!i'

II I III

I j

THE STRONG ARM

some beautiful women within this castle ; would it con-
tent you if he were married to one of my women, and
so escaped with life ? "

A sudden pallor overspread the girl's face, and she
clasped her hands nervously together. Tears welled
into her eyes, and she stood thus for a few moments
unable to speak. At last she murmured, with some
difficulty :

" Wilhelm can care nothing for any here, not hav-
ing beheld them, and it would be wrong to coerce a
man in such extremity. I would rather die for him,
that he might owe his life to me."

" But he would live to marry some one else."

" If I were happy in heaven, v;hy should I begrudge
Wilhclm's happiness on earth ? "

" Ah, why, indeed, Elsa ? And yet you disclaim with
a sigh. Be assured that I shall do everything in my
power to save your lover, and that not at the expense
of your own life or happiness. Now come with me,
for I would have you arrayed in garments more suited
to your youth and your beauty, that you may not be
ashamed when you meet this most fascinating prisoner,
for such he must be, when you willingly risk so much
for his sake."

The Countess, after conducting the girl to the
women's apartments, sought her husband, but found to
her dismay that he showed little sign of concurrence
with her sympathetic views regarding the fate of the
prisoner. It was soon evident to her that Count
Herbert had determined upon the young man's de-
struction, and that there was some concealed reason
for this obdurate conclusion which the Count did
not care to disclose. Herbert von Sc^.onburg was
thoroughly convinced that his son was dead, mutib.ted

THE REVENGE OF THE OUTLAW 53

it con-
in, and

id she
welled
)ments
I some

)t hav-
)erce a
•r him,

grudge

m with
ill my
xpense
th me,

suited
not be
•isoner,

much

to the
)und to
urrence
of the
Count
n's de-
reason
mt did
rg was
itib.ted

beyond recognition by the Outlaw of Hundsruck, yet
this he would not tell to Beatrix, his wife, who cher-
ished the unshaken belief that the boy still lived and
would be restored to her before she died. The Count
for years had waited for his revenge, and even thoug ^
his wife now pleaded that he forego it, the Master of
Schonburg was in no mind to comply, though he said
little in answer to her persuading. The incoming of
Elsa to the castle merely convinced him that some trick
was meditated on the part of the Outlaw, and the senti-
mental consideration urged by the Countess had small
weight with him. He gave a curt order to his captain
to double his guards around the stronghold, and relax
no vigilance until the case of the prisoner had been
finally dealt with. He refused permission for Elsa to
see her cousin, even in the presence of witnesses, as he
was certain that her coming was for the purpose of com-
municating to him some message from the Outlaw, the
news of whose alleged withdrawal he did not believe.

*' With the country at peace, the Outlaw has insti-
gated, and his son has executed, an attack upon this
castle. The penalty is death. To-morrow I shall hear
what he has to say in his defence, and shall deliver
judgment, I hope, justly. If his kinswoman wishes to
see him, she may come to his trial, and then will be in
a position to testify to her uncle that sentence has been
pronounced in accordance with the law that rules the
Rhine provinces.* If she has communication to make
to her cousin, let it be made in the Judgment Hall in
the presence of all therein."

The Countess, with sinking heart, left her husband,
having the tact not to press upon him too strongly the
claims of mercy as well as of justice. She knew that
his kind nature would come to the assistance of her

it!

i ■ ■

'1 11

ll^

( 1

' II

THE STRONG ARM

own suing, and deeply regretted that the time for
milder influences to prevail was so short. In a brief
conference with Elsa, she endeavoured to prepare the
girl's mind for a disastrous ending of her hopes.

Some minutes before the hour set for Wilhelm's
trial, the Countess Beatrix, followed by Elsa, entered
the Judgment Hall to find the Count seated moodily
in the great chair at one end of the long room, in whose
ample inclosure many an important state conference
had been held, each of the forefathers of the present
owner being seated in turn as president of the assem-
blage. Some thought of this seemed to oppress the
Count's mind, for seated here with set purpose to ex-
tinguish his enemy's line, the remembrance that his
own race died with him was not likely to be banished.
The Countess brought Elsa forward and in a whisper
urged her to plead for her kinsman before his judge.
The girl's eloquence brought tears to the eyes of
Beatrix, but the Count's impassive face was sphinx-like
in its settled gloom. Only once during the appeal did
he speak, and that was when Elsa offered herself as a
sacrifice to his revenge, then he said, curtly :

'* We do not war against women. You areas free to
go as you were to come, but you must not return."

A dull fear began to chill the girl's heart and to check
her earnest pleading. She felt that her words were
making no impression on the silent man seated before
her, and this knowledge brought weak hesitation to her
tongue and faltering to her speech. In despair she
wrung her hands and cried : " Oh, my Lord, my Lord,
think of your own son held at the mercy of an enemy.
Think of him as a young man just the age of your
prisoner, at a time when life is sweetest to himi ! Think^
Ihink^ 1 beg of you -"

THE REVENGE OF THE OUTLAW 55

ime for
a brief
are the

ilhclm's
entered
noodily
1 whose
iference
present

assem-
css the
e to ex-
hat his
mished.
whisper

judge,
yes of
inx-like
)cal did
:U as a

free to
•n."

check
is were

before

1 to her
3air she
y Lord,
enemy.
Df your

Think;

I
I

The Count roused himself Hke a lion who had been
disturbed, and cried in a voice that resounded hoarsely
from the rafters of the arched roof, startling the Count-
ess with the unaccustomed fierceness of its tone :

" Yes, I will think of him — of my only son in the
clutch of his bitter foe, and I thank you for reminding
me of him, little as I have for these long years needed
spur to my remembrance. Bring in the prisoner."

When Wilhelm was brought in, heavy manacles on
his wrists, walking between the men who guarded him,
Elsa looked from judge to culprit, and her heart leaped
with joy. Surely such blindness could not strike this
whole concourse that some one within that hall would
not sec that, here confronted, stood father and son, on
the face of one a frown of anger, on the face of the
other a frown of defiance, expressions almost identi-
cal, the only difference being the thirty years that
divided their ages. For a few moments the young man
did not distinguish Elsa in the throng, then a glad cry
of recognition escaped him, and the cloud cleared from
his face as if a burst of sunshine had penetrated the
sombre-coloured windows and had thrown its illumi-
nating halo around his head. He spoke impetuously,
leaning forward :

*' Elsa, Elsa, how came you here ? " then, a shadow
of concern crossing his countenance, " you are not a
prisoner, I trust ? "

" No, no, Wilhelm, I am here to beseech the
clemency of the Count "

" Not for me ! " exclaimed the prisoner, defiantly,
drawing himself up proudly : " not for me, Elsa. You
must never ask favour from a robber and a coward like
Count von Schonburg, brave only in his own Judgment
Hall."

■ttfT

'il !

'ii' i'

I: I

THE STRONG ARM

" Oh, Wilhelm, Wilhelm, have a care what you say,
or you will break my heart. And your proclamation is
far from true. The Count is a brave man who has time
and again proved himself so, and my only hope is that
he will prove as merciful as he is undoubtedly cour-
ageous. Join your prayers with mine, Wilhelm, and
beg for mercy rather than justice."

•* I beg from no man, either mercy or justice. I am
here, my Lord Count, ready to receive whatever you
care to bestow, and I ask you to make the waiting
brief for the sake of the women present, for I am
sure the beautiful, white-haired lady there dislikes this
traffic in men's lives as much as does my fair-haired
cousin."

" Oh, my lord Count, do not heed what he says ; his
words but show the recklessness of youth; hold them
not against him."

" Indeed I mean each word I say, and had I iron in
my hand instead of round my wrists, his Lordship
would not sit so calmly facing me."

Elsa, seeing how little she had accomplished with
either man began to weep h?lplessly, and the Count,
who had not interrupted the colloquy, listening un-
moved to the contumely heaped upon him by the
prisoner, now said to the girl :

" Have you finished your questioning? "

Receiving no answer, he said to the prisoner after a
pause :

"Why did you move against this castle ? "

" Because I hoped to take it, burn it, and hang or
behead its owner."

" Oh, Wilhelm, Wilhelm ! " wailed the girl.

" And, having failed, what do you expect? "

" To be hanged, or behQaded, depending on whether

t
^

THE REVENGE OF THE OUTLAW 57

your Lordship is the more expert with a cord or with
an axe."

" You called me a coward, and I might have retorted
that in doing so you took advantage of your position as
prisoner, but setting that aside, and speaking as man to
man, \\ *iat ground have you for such an accusation ? "

*' We cannot speak as man to man, for I am bound
and you are free, but touching the question of your
cowardice, I have heard it said by those who took part
in the defence of my father's castle, when you attacked
it and destroyed it, commanding a vastly superior force,
my father leaped from the wall and dared you to follow
him. For a moment, they told me, it seemed that you
would accept the challenge, but you contented your-
self with calling on others to do what you feared to do
yourself, and thus my father, meeting no opposition
from a man of his own rank, was compelled to destroy
the unfortunate serfs who stood in his way and so cut
out a path to safety. In refusing to accept the plunge
he took, you branded yourself a coward, and once a
coward always a coward."

" Oh, Wilhelm," cried Elsa, in deep distress at
the young man's lack of diplomacy, while she could
not but admire his ill-timed boldness, " speak not so
to the Count, for I am sure what you say is not
true."

" Indeed," growled Captain Conrad, ** the young
villain is more crafty than we gave him credit for. In-
stead of a rope he will have a challenge from the Count,
and so die honourably like a i.ian, in place of being
strangled like the dog he is."

** Dear Wilhelm, for my sake, do not persist in this
course, but throw yourself on the mercy of the Count.
Why retail here the irresponsible gossip of a camp,

wfim

THE STRONG ARM

which I am sure contains not a word of truth, so far as
the Count is concerned."

Herbert of Schonburg held up his hand for silence,
and made confession with evident difficulty.

" What the young man says with harshness is true
in semblance, if not strictly so in action. For the
moment, thinking of my wife and child, I hesitated,
and when the hesitation was gone the opportunity was
gone with it. My punishment has been severe; by
that moment's cowardice, I am now a childless man,
and therefore perhaps value my life less highly than I
held it at the time we speak of. Hear then, your sen-
tence : You will be taken to the top of the wall, the
iron removed from your wrists, and your sword placed
in your hand. You will then leap from that wall, and
if you are unhurt, I will leap after you. Should your
sword serve you as well as your father's served him, you
will be free of the forest, and this girl is at liberty to
accompany you. I ask her now to betake herself to
the field outside the gate, there to await the result of
our contest."

At this there was an outcry on the part of Countess
Beatrix, who protested against her husband placing
himself in this unnecessary jeopardy, but the Count
was firm and would permit no interference with his
sentence. Elsa was in despair at the unaccountable
blindness of all concerned, not knowing that the Count
was convinced his son was dead, and that the Countess
thought continually of her boy as a child of four, tak-
ing no account of the years that had passed, although
her reason, had she applied reason to that which touched
her affections only, would have told her he must now
be a stalwart young man and not the little lad she had
last held in her arms, For a moment Elsa wavered in

II I

THE REVENGE OF THE OUTLAW 59

her allegiance to the oath she had taken, but she saw
against the wall the great crucifix which had been
placed there by the first crusader who had returned to
the castle from the holy wars and she breathed a prayer
as she passed it, that the heir of this stubborn house
might not be cut ofT in his youth through the sightless
rancour that seemed to pervade it.

The Count tried to persuade his weeping wife not to
accompany him to the walls, but she would not be left
behind, and so, telling Conrad to keep close watch upon
her, in case that in her despair she might attempt to
harm herself, his lordship led the way to the battle-
ments.

Wilhelm, at first jubilant that he was allowed to take
part in a sword contest rather than an execution, paused
for a moment as he came to the courtyard, and looked
about him in a dazed manner, once or twice drawing
his hand across his eyes, as if to perfect his vision.
Some seeing him thus stricken silent and thoughtful,
surmised that the young man was like to prove more
courageous in word than in action ; others imagined
that the sudden coming from the semi-gloom of the
castle interior into the bright light dazzled him. The
party climbed the flight of stone steps which led far up-
ward to the platform edged by the parapet from which
the spring was to be made. The young man walked
up and down the promenade, unheeding those around
him, seeming like one in a dream, groping for some-
thing he failed to find. The onlookers watched him
curiously, wondering at his change of demeanour.

Suddenly he dropped his sword on the stones at his
feet, held up his hands and cried aloud :

" I have jumped from here before — when I was a
lad — a baby almost — I remember it all now — where

I if

THE STRONG ARM

am I — when was I here before — where is my wooden
sword — and where is Conrad, who made it — Conrad,
where are you ? "

The captain was the first to realise what had hap-
pened. He stepped hurriedly forward, scrutinising his
late prisoner, the light of recognition in his eyes.

" It is the young master," he shouted. " My Lord
Count, this is no kinsman of the Outlaw, but your own
son, a man grown."

The Count stood amazed, as incapable of motion as
a statue of stone ; the countess, gazing with dreamy
eyes, seemed trying to adjust her inward vision of the
lad of four with the outward reality of the man of
twenty-one. In the silence rose the clear sweet voice
of Elsa without the walls, her fac" upturned like a
painting of the Madonna, her hands clasped in front
of her.

" Dear Virgin Mother in Heaven, I thank thee that
my prayer was not unheard, and bear me witness that
I have kept my oath — I have kept my oath, and may
Thy intervention show a proud and sinful people the
blackness of revenge."

Count Herbert, rousing himself from his stupor, ap-
pealed loudly to the girl.

" Woman, is this indeed my son, and, if so, why did
you not speak before we came to such extremity ? "

" I cannot answer. I have sworn an oath. If you
would learn who stands beside you, send a messenger
to the Outlaw, saying you have killed him, as indeed
you purposed doing," then stretching out her arms, she
said, with faltering voice : " Wilhelm, farewell," and
turning, fled toward the forest.

" Elsa, Elsa, come back ! " the young man cried,
his foot on the parapet, but the girl paid no heed to

THE REVENGE OF THE OUTLAW 6i

his commanding summons, merely waving her hand
without looking over her shoulder.

♦' Elsa ! "

The name rang out so thrillingly strange that its
reverberation instantly arrested the flying footsteps of
the girl. Instinctively she knew it was the voice of a
man falling rapidly through the air. She turned in
time to see Wilhelm strike the ground, the impetus
precipitating him prone ou liis face, where he lay mo-
tionless. The cry of horror from the battlements was
echoed by her own as she sped swiftly toward him.
The young man sprang to his feet as she approached
and caught her breathless in his arms.

" Ah, Elsa," he said, tenderly, *' forgive me the
fright I gave you, but I knew of old your fleetness of
foot, and if the forest once encircled you, how was I
ever to find you ? "

The girl made no effort to escape from her imprison-
ment, and showed little desire to exchange the embrace
she endured for that of the forest.

" Though I should blush to say it, Wilhelm, I fear i
am easily found, when you are the searcher."

" Then let old Schloss Schonburg claim you, Elsa,
that the walls which beheld a son go forth, may see a
son and daughter return."

: 1

1 \

< r'

, \r

\ ■
)

1 ?

I 'ii

CHAPTER III

A CITY OF FEAR

The Countess Beatrix von Schonburg warmly wel-
comed her lost son and her newly-found daughter.
The belief of Beatrix in Wilhelm's ultimate return
had never wavered during all the long years of his
absence, and although she had to translate her dream of
the child of four into a reality that included a stalwart
young man of twenty-one, the readjustment was
speedily accomplished. Before a week had passed it
seemed to her delighted heart that the boy had never
left the castle. The Countess had liked Elsa from the
first moment when she saw her, ragged, unkempt and
forlorn, among the lowering, suspicious men-at-arms in
the courtyard, and now that she knew the dangers
and the privations the girl had braved for the sake of
Wilhelm, the affectionate heart of Beatrix found ample
room for the motherless Elsa.

With the Count, the process of mental reconstruc-
tion was slower, not only on account of his former
conviction that his son was dead, but also because of
the deep distrust in which he held the Outlaw. He
said little, as was his custom, but often sat with brood-
ing brows, intently regarding his son, gloomy doubt
casting a shadow over his stern countenance. Might
not this be a well-laid plot on the part of the Outlaw
to make revenge complete by placing a von Wcithoff
in the halls of Schonburg as muster of that ancient

stronghold ? The circumstances in which .aentity was
62

A CITY OF FEAR

disclosed, although sufficient to convince every one
else in the castle, appeared at times to the Count but
the stronger evidence of the Outlaw's craft and
subtlety. If the young man were actually the son of
von WeithofT, then undoubtedly the Outlaw had run
great risk of having him hanged forthwith, but on the
other hand, the prize to be gained, comprising as it
did two notable casth^s and two wide domains, was
a stake worth playing high for, and a stake which
appealed strongly to a houseless, landless man, with
not even a name worth leaving to his son. Thus,
while the Countess lavished her affection on young
Wilhelm, noticing nothing of her husband's distrac-
tion in this excessive happiness. Count Herbert sat
alone in the lofty Knight's Hall, his elbows resting on
the table before him, his head buried in his hands,
ruminating on the strange transformation that had
taken place, endeavouring to weigh the evidence pro
and con with the impartial mind of an outsider, be-
coming the more bewildered the deeper he penetrated
into the mystery.

It was in this despondent attitude that Elsa found
him a few days after the leap from the wall that had
caused her return to Schonburg, a willing captive.
The Count did not look up when she entered, and the
girl stood for a few moments in silence near him. At
last she spoke in a low voice, hesitating slightly,
nevertheless going with incisive directness into the
very heart of the problem that baffled Count Herbert.

*' My Lord, you do not believe that Wilhelm is
indeed your son."

The master of Schonburg raised his head slowly
and looked searchingly into the frank face of the girl,
gloomy distrust reflected from his own countenance.

iil

^^li

p <

1 F

« :m

64 THE STRONG ARM

" Were you sent by your uncle to allay my sus-

picion

>'•

" No, my Lord. I thought that a hint of the truth
beinf:j given, Nature would come to the assistance of
mutual recognition. Such has been the case between
my lady and her son, but I see that you are still
unconvinced."

" For my sins, I know something of the wickedness
of this world, a knowledge from which her purity has
protected the Countess. You believe that Wilhelm is
my son? "

" I have never said so, my Lord."

" What you did say was that you had taken an
oath. You are too young and doubtless too innocent
to be a party to any plot, but you may have been the
tool of an unscrupulous man, who knew the oath
would be broken when the strain of a strong affection
was brought to bear upon it."

" Yet, my Lord, I kept my oath, although I saw my —
my "

The girl hesitated and blushed, but finally spoke up
bravely :

" I saw my lover led to his destruction. If Wilhelm
is my cousin, then did his father take a desperate
chance in trusting first to my escape from the camp,
and second to my perjury. You endow him with
more than human foresight, my Lord."

** He builded on your love lor Wilhelm, which he
had seen growing under his eye before either you or
the lad had suspicion of its existence. I know the
man, and he is a match for Satan, his master."

" But Satan has been discomfited ere now by the
angels of light, and even by holy men, if legend tells
truly. I have little knowledge of the world, as you

A CITY OF FEAR

have said, but the case appears to mc one of the
simplest. If my uncle wished the bitterest revenge on
you, what could be more terrible than cause you to be
the executioner of your own son ? The vengeance,
however, to be complete, depends on his being able to
place before you incontrovertible proof that you were
the father of the victim. Send, therefore, a messenger
to him, one from Gudenfels, who knows nothing of
what has happened in this castle of Schonburg, and
who is therefore unable to disclose, even if forced to
confess, that Wilhelm is alive. Let the messenger
inform my uncle that his son is no more, which is true
enough, and then await the Outlaw's reply. And
meanwhile let me venture to warn you, my Lord, that
it would be well to conceal your disbelief from Wil-
helm, for he is high-spirited, and if he gets but an
inkling that you distrust him, he will depart ; for not
all your possessions will hold your son if he once
learns that you doubt him, so you are like to find
yourself childless again, if your present mood masters
you much longer."

The Count drew a deep sigh, then roused himself
and seemed to shake off the influence that *^nchained
him.

" Thank you, my girl," he cried, with something of
the old ring in his voice, " I shall do as you advise,
and if thi" embassy results as you say, you will ever
find your staunchest friend in me."

He held out his hand to Elsa, and departed to his
other castle of Gudenfels on the opposite side of the
Rhine. From thence he sent a messenger who had no
knowledge of what was happening in Schonburg.

When at last the messenger returned from the Out-
law's camp, he brought with him a wailing woman and
5

iN.i,

m\\

THE STRONG ARM

!; ii

.'' I

grim tidings that he feared to deliver. Thrice his
lordship demanded his account, the last time with
such sternness that the messenger quailed before
him.

" My Lord," he stammered at last, " a frightful thing
has taken place — would that I had died before it was
told to me. The young man your lordship hanged
was no other than "

" Well, why do you pause ? You were going to say
he was my own son. What proof docs the Outlaw
offer that such was indeed the case ? "

" Alas ! my Lord, the proof seems clear enough.
Here with me is young Lord Wilhelm's nurse, whose
first neglect led to his abduction, and who fled to the
forest after him, and was never found. She followed
him to the Outlaw's camp, and was there kept prisoner
by him until slie was at last given charge of the lad,
under oath that she would teach him to forget who he
was, the fierce Outlaw threatening death to both
woman and child were his orders disobeyed. She has
come willingly with me hoping to suffer death now
that one she loved more than son has died through
her first fault."

Then to the amazement of the pallid messenger the
Count laughed aloud ard called for Wilhelm, who,
when he was brought, clasped the trembling old wo-
man in his arms, overjoyed to see her again and eager
to learn news of the camp. How was the stout Gott-
lieb ? Had the messenger seen Captain Heinrich ? and
so on.

" Indeed, my young Lord," answered the overjoyed
woman " there was such turmoil in the camp that I
was glad to be quit of it with unbroken bones. When
the Outlaw proclaimed that you were hanged, there

A CITY OF FEAR

was instant rebellion among his followers, who thought
that your capture was merely a trick to be speedily
amended, being intended to form a laughing matter
to your discomfiture when you returned. They swore
they would have torn down Schonburg with their bare
hands rather than have left you in jeopardy, had they
known their retreat imperilled your life."

" The brieve lads ! " cried the young man in a glow
of enthusiasm, *' and here have I been maligning them
'"or cowards ! What was the outcome ? "

" That I do not know, my Lord, being glad to escape
from the ruffians with unfractured head."

The result of the embassy was speedily apparent at
Schonburg. Two days later, in the early morning, the
custodians at the gate were startled by the shrill Out-
law yell, which had on so many occasions carried ter-
ror with it into the hearts of Rhine strongholds.

" Come out, Hangman of Schonburg ! " they shouted,
"come out, murderer of a defenceless prisoner. Come
out, before we drag you forth, for the rope is waiting
for your neck and the gallows tree is waiting for the
rope."

Count Herbert was first on the battlements, and
curtly he commanded his men not to launch bolt at the
invaders, knowing the outlaws mistakenly supposed
him to be the executioner of their former comrade.
A moment later young Wilhelm himself appeared on
the wall above the gate, and, lifting his arms above his
head raised a great shout of joy at seeing there col-
lected his old companions, calling this one or that
by name as he recognised them among the seething,
excited throng. There was an instant's cessation of
the clamour, then the outlaws sent forth a cheer that
echoed from all the hills around. They brandished

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their weapons aloft, and cheered again and again, the
garrison of the castle, now bristling along the battle-
ments, joining in the tumult with strident voices. Gott-
lieb advanced some distance toward the gate, and
holding up his hand for silence addressed Wilhelm.

" Young master," he cried, " we have deposed von
Weithoff, and would have hanged him, but that he es-
caped during the night, fled to Mayence and besought
protection of the Archbishop. If you will be our
leader we will sack Mayence and hang the Archbishop
from his own cathedral tower."

" That can I hardly do, Gottlieb, as a messenger has
been sent to the Archbishop asking him to come to
Schonburg and many Elsa to me. He might take our
invasion as an unfriendly act and refuse to perform the
ceremony."

Gottlieb scratched his head as one in perplexity, see-
ing before him a question of etiquette that he found
difficult to solve. At last he said :

" What need of Archbishop ? You and Elsa have
been brought up among us, therefore confer honour on
our free company by being married by our own Monk
who has tied many a knot tight enough to hold the
most wayward of our band. The aisles of the mighty
oaks are more grand than the cathedral at Mayence or
the great hall of Schonburg."

" Indeed I am agreed, if Elsa is willing. We will be
married first in the forest and then by the Archbishop
in the great hall of Schonburg."

" In such case there will be delay, for now that I be-
think me, his Lordship of Mayence has taken himself to
Frankfort, where he is to meet the Archbishops of
Treves and Cologne who will presently journey to the
capital. We were thinking of falling upon his rever-

A CITY OF FEAR

cnce of Cologne as he passed up the river, unless he
comes with an escort too numerous for us, which, alas !
is most likely, so suspicious has the world grown."

** You will be wise not to meddle with the princes of
the Church, be their escorts large or small."

" Then, Master Wilhelm, be our leader, for we are
likely to get into trouble unless a man of cpality is at
our head."

Wilhelm breathed a deep sigh and glanced sideways
at his father, who stood some distance off, leaning on
his two-handed sword, a silent spectator of the meeting.

''The free life of the forest is no more for me, Got-
tlieb. My duty is here in the castle of my forefathers,
much though I grieve to part with you."

This decision seemed to have a depressing effect on
the outlaws within hearing. Gottlieb retired, and the
band consulted together for a time, then their spokes-
man again advanced.

** Some while since," he began in dolorous tone,
"we appealed to the Emperor to pardon us, promising
in such case to quit our life of outlawry and take
honest service with those nobles who needed stout
blades, but his Majesty sent reply that if w^e came un-
armed to the capital and tendered submission, he would
be graciously pleased to hang a round dozen of us to
be selected by him, scourge the rest through the streets
of Frankfort and so bestow his clemency on such as
survived. This imperial tender we did not accept, as
there was some uncertainty regarding whose neck
should feel the rope and whose back the scourge.
While all were willing to admit that more than a dozen
of us sorely needed hanging, yet each man seemed
loath to claim precedence over his neighbour in wicked-
ness, and desired, in some sort, a voice in the selection

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THE STRONG ARM

of the victims. But if you will accept our following,
Master VVilhelm, we will repair at once to Frankfort
and make submission to his Majesty the Emperor. The
remnant being well scourged, will then return to Schon-
burg to place themselves under your command."

"Are you willing then to bang for me, Gottlieb?"

" I hanker not after the hanging, but if hang we
must, there is no man I would rather hang for than
Wilhelm, formerly of the forest, but now, alas ! of
Schonburg. And so say they all without dissent,
therefore the unanimity must needs include the eleven
other danglers."

"Then draw nigh, all of you, to the walls and hear
my decision."

Gottlieb waving his arms, hailed the outlaws troop-
ing to the walls, and, his upraised hand bringing
silence, Wilhelm spoke :

'* Such sacrifice as you propose, I cannot accept, yet
I dearly wish to lead a band of men like you. Elsa
and I shall be married by our ancient woodland father
in the forest and then by the Abbot of St. Werner in
the hall of Schonburg. We will make our wedding
journey to Frankfort, and you shall be our escort and
our protectors."

There was for some moments such cheering at this
that the young man was compelled to pause in his ad-
dress, and then as the outcry was again and again re-
newed, he looked about for the cause and saw that Elsa
and his mother had taken places on the balcony which
overlooked the animated scene. The beautiful girl had
been recognised by the rebels and she waved her hand
in response to their shouting.

"We will part company," resumed Wilhelm, " as
near Frankfort as it is safe for you to go, and my wife

A CITY OF FEAR

and I, accompanied by a score of men from this castle,
will enter the capital. I will beg your complete par-
don from his Majesty and if at first it is refused, I
think Elsa will have better success with the Empress,
who may incline her imperial husband toward clemency.
All this I promise, providing I receive the consent and
support of my father, and I am not likely to be refused,
for he already knows the persuasive power of my dear
betrothed when she pleads for mercy."

*' My consent and support I most willingly bestow,"
said the Count, with a fervour that left no doubt of his
sincerity.

The double marriage was duly solemnised, and
Wilhclm, with his newly-made wife, completed their
journey to Frankfort, escorted until almost within
sight of the capital by five hundred and twenty men,
but they entered the gates of the city accompanied by
only the score of Schonburg men, the remaining five
hundred concealing themselves in the rough country,
as they well knew how to do.

Neither Wilhelm nor Elsa had ever seen a large city
before, and silence fell upon them as they approached
the western gate, for they were coming upon a world
strange to them, and Wilhelm felt an unaccustomed
elation :jtir within his breast, as if he were on the edge
of some adventure that might have an important bear-
ing on his future. Instead of passing peaceably
through the gate as he had expected, the cavalcade
was halted after the two had ridden under the gloomy
stone archway, and the portcullis was dropped with a
sudden clang, shutting out the twenty riders who fol-
lowed. One of several officers who sat on a stone
bench that fronted the guard-house within the walls,
rose and came forward.

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"What is your name and quality?" he demanded,
gruffly.

" I am VVilhehn, son of Count von Schonberg."

" What is your business here in Frankfort ? "

" My business relates to the emperor, and is not to
be delivered to the first underling who has the impu-
dence to make inquiry," replied Wilhelm in a haughty
tone, which could scarcely be regarded, in the circum-
stances, as diplomatic.

Nevertheless, the answer did not seem to be resented,
but rather appeared to have a subduing effect on the
({uestioner, who turned, as if for further instruction, to
another officer, evidently his superior in rank. The
latter now rose, came forward, doffing his cap, and
said :

*' I understand your answer better than he to whom
it was given, my Lord."

" I am glad there is one m>an of sense at a gate of
the capital," said Wilhelm, with no relaxation of his
dignity, but nevertheless bewildered at the turn the
talk had taken, seeing there was something underneath
all this which he did not comprehend, yet resolved to
carry matters with a high hand until greater clearness
came to the situation.

" Will you order the portcullis raised and permit my
men to follow me ? "

" They are but temporarily detained until we decide
where to quarter them, my Lord. You know," he
added, lowering his voice, " the necessity for caution.
Are you for the Archbishop of Treves, of Cologne, or
of Mayence? "

" I am from the district of Mayence, of course."

" And are you for the archbishop ? "

" For the archbishop certainly. He would have

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A CITY OF FEAR

honoured me by performing our marriage ceremony had
he not been called by important affairs of state to the
capital, as you may easily learn by asking him, now
that he is witliin these walls."

The oft :er bowed low with great obsequiousness
and said :

** Your reply is more than sufHcient, my Lord, and I
trust you will parrlon t1i<- delay we have caused you.
The men of Maycncc are quartered in the Leinwand-
haus, where room will doubtless be made for your fol-
lowers.

" It is not necessary for me to draw upon the hos-
pitality of the good Archbishop, as I lodge in my
father's town house near the palace, and there is room
within for the small escort I bring."

Again the officer bowed to the ground, and the port-
cullis being by this time raised, the twenty horsemen
came clattering under the archway, and thus, without
further molestation, they arrived at the house of the
Count von Schonburg.

" Elsa," said Wilhelm, when they were alone in their
room, " there is something wrong in this city. Men
look with fear one upon another, and pass on hurriedly,
as if to avoid question. Others stand in groups at the
street corners and speak in whispers, glancing furtively
over their shoulders."

" Perhaps that is the custom in cities," replied Elsa.

" I doubt it. I have heard that townsmen are eaf::er
for traffic, inviting all comers to buy, but here most of
the shops are barred, and no customers are solicited.
They seem to me like people under a cloud of fear.
What can it be ? "

" We are more used to the forest path than to city
streets, Wilhelm. They will all become familiar to us

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THE STRONG ARM

in a day or two, yet I feel as if I could not get a full
breath in these narrow streets, and I long for the trees
already, but perhaps content will come with waiting."

" 'Tis deeper than that. There is something omi-
nous in the air. Noted you not the questioning at the
gate and its purport ? They asked me if I favoured
Treves, or Cologne, or Mayencc, but none inquired if
I stood loyal to the Emperor, yet I was entering his
capital city of Frankfort."

" Perhaps you will learn all from the Emperor when
you see him," ventured Elsa.

" Perhaps," said Wilhelm.

The chamberlain of the von Schonburg household,
who had supervised the arrangements for the reception
of the young couple, waited upon his master in the
evening and informed him that the Emperor would not
be visible for some days to come.

" He has gone intc retreat, in the cloisters attached
to the cathedral, and it is the imperial will that none
disturb him on worldly affairs. Each day at the hour
when the court assembles at the palace, the I^mperor
hears exhortation from the pious fathers in the Wahl-
kapelle of the cathedral; the chapel in which emperors
are elected; these exhortations pctaining to the ruling
of the land, which his majesty desires to govern justly
and well.

•' An excellent intention," commented the young
man, with suspicion! of impatience in his tone, " but
meanwhile, how are the temporal affairs of the country
conducted ? "

" The Empress Brunhilda is for the moment the
actual head of the state. Whatever act of the ministers
receives her approval, is sent by a monk to the Emperor,
who signs any documen*: so submitted to him."

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A CITY OF FEAR

" Were her majesty an ambitious woman, such trans-
ference of power mii.;ht prove dangerous."

" She is an ambitious woman, but devoted to her
husband, who, it perhaps may be wiiispered, is more
monk than king," replied the chamberlain under his
breath. " Her majesty has heard of your lordship's
romantic adventures and has been graciously pleased
to command that you and Lcr ladyship, your wife, be
presented to her to-morrow in presence of the court."

" This is a command which it will be a delight to
obey. But tell me, what is wrong in this great town ?
There is a sinister feeling in the air ; uneasiness is
abroad, or I am no judge of my fellow-creatures."

*' Indeed, my Lord, you have most accurately de-
scribed the situation. No man knows what is about
to happen. The gathering of the Electors is regarded
with the gravest apprehension. The Archbishop of
Mayence, who but a short time since crowned the
Emperor at the great altar of the cathedral, is herewith
a thousand men at his back. The Count Palatine of
the Rhine is also within these walls with a lesser en-
tourage. It is rumoured that his haughty lordship, the
Archbishop of Treves, will reach Frankfort to-morrow,
to be speedily followed by that eminent Prince of the
Church, the Archbishop of Cologne. Thus there will
be gathered in che capital four Electors, a majority of
the college, a conjunction that has not occurred for
centuries, except on the death of an emperor, neces-
sitating the nomination and election of his successor."

" But as the Emperor lives and there is no need of
choosing another, wherein lies \\\^. danger?"

" The danger lies in the fact that the college has
the power to depose as well as to elect."

•' Ah ! And do the Electors threaten to depose ? "

THE STRONG ARM

" No. Treves is much too crafty for any straight-
forward statement of poHcy. He is the brains of the
combination, and has put forward ?Jaycnce and the
Count Palatine as the moving spirits, although it is
well known that the former is but his tool and the lat-
ter is moved by ambition to have his imbecile son
selected emperor."

*' Even if the worst befall, it seems but the substitu-
tion of a weak-minded man for one who neglects the
affairs of state, although I should think the princes of
the Church would prefer a monarch who is so much
under the influence of th'i monks."

" The trouble is deeper than my imperfect sketch of
the situation would lead you to suppose, my Lord.
The Emperor periodically emerges from his retirement,
promulgates some s rtling decree, unheeding the
counsel of any adviser, then disappears again, no man
knowing what is coming next. Of such a nature was
his recent edict prohibiting the harrying of merchants
going down the Rhine and the Moselle, which, how-
ever just in theory, is impracticable, for how are the
nobles to reap revenue if such practices are made un-
lawful ? This edict has offended all the magnates of
both rivers, and the archbishops, with the Count
Palatine, claim that their prerogatives have been in-
fringed, so they come to Frankfort ostensibly to pro-
test, while the Emperor in his cloister refuses to meet
them. The other tl.ree Electors hold aloof, as the
edict touches them not, but they form a minority
which is powerless, even if friendly to the Emperor.
Meanwhile his majesty cannot be aroused to an ap-
preciation of the crisis, but says calmly that if it is
the Lord's will he remain emperor, emp^jor he will
remain."

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A CITY OF FEAR

•• Then at its limit, chamberlain, all we have to ex-
pect is a peaceful deposition and election ? "

" Not so, my lord. The merchants of Frankfort are
fervently \oyi\ to the Emperor, who, they say, is the
first monarch to give forth a just law for their protec-
tion. At present the subtlety of Treves has nullified
all combined action on their part, for he has given
out that he comes merely to petition his over-lord,
which privilege is well within his right, and many
citizens actually believe him, but others see that a
majority of the college will be within these walls before
many days are past, and that the present Emperor may
be legally deposed and another legally chosen. Then
if the citizens object, they are rebels, while at this
moment if they fight for the Emperor they are patriots ;
so you see the position is not without its perplexities,
for the citizens well know that if they were to man the
walls and keep out Treves and Cologne, the Emperor
himself would most likely disclaim their interference,
trusting as he does so entirely in Providence that a
short time since he actually disbanded the imperial
troops, much to the delight of the archbishops, who
warmly commended his action. And now, my Lord, if
I may venture to ten'^er advice unasked, I would
strongly counsel you to quit Frankfort as soon as your
business here is concluded, for I am certain that a
change of government is intended. All will be done
promptly, and the transaction will be consummated
before the people are aware that such a step is about
to be taken. The Electors will meet in the Wahlzim-
nier or election room of the Romer and depose the
Emperor, then they will instantly select his successor,
adjourn to the Wahlkapelle and elect him. The
Palatine's son is here with his father, and will be

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crowned at the high altar by the Archbishop of May-
ence. Tlie new Emperor will dine with the Electors in
the Kaisersaal and immediately after show himself on
the balcony to the people assembled in the Romerberg
below. Proclamation of his election will then be made,
and all this need not occupy more than two hours.
The Archbishop of Mayence already controls the city
gates, which since the disbanding of the imperial troops
have been unguarded, and none can get in or out of
the city without that potentate's permission. The
men of Mayence are quartered in the centre of the
town, the Count Palatine's troops arc near the gate.
Treves and Cologne will doubtless command other
positions, and thus between them they will control the
city. Numerous as the merchants and their depend-
ents are, they will have no chance against the disci-
plined force of the Electors, and the streets of Frank-
fort are like to run with blood, for the nobles are but
too eager to see a sharp check given to the rising pre-
tensions of the mercantile classes, who having hereto-
fore led peaceful lives, will come out badly in combat,
despite their numbers; therefore I beg of you, my
Lord, to withdraw with her Ladyship before this hell's
caldron is uncovered."

'* Your advice is good, chamberlain, in so far as it
concerns my wife, and I will beg of her to retire to
Schonburg, although I doubt if she will obey, but, by
the bones of Saint Werner which floated against the
current of the Rhine in this direction, if there must be
a fray, I will be in the thick of it."

" Remember, my Lord, that your house has always
stood by the Archbishop of Mayence."

"It has stood by the Emperor as well, chamber-
lain."

A CITY OF FEAR

The Lady Elsa was amazed by the magnificence of
the Emperor's court, when, accompanied by her hus-
band, she walked the length of the great room to
make obeisance before the throne. At first entrance
she shrank timidly, closer to the side of Wilhelm,
trembling at the ordeal of passing, simply costumed
as she now felt herself to be, between two assemblages
of haughty knights and high-born dames, resplendent
in dress, with the proud bearing that pertained to their
position in the Empire. Her breath came and went
quickly, and she feared that all courage would desert
hrr before she traversed the seemingly endless lane,
flanked by the nobility of Germany, which led to the
royal presence. Wilhelm, unabashed, holding himself
the equal of any there, was not to be cowed by pa-
tronising glance, or scornful gaze. The thought flashed
through his mind :

" How can the throne fall, surrounded as it is by so
many supporters ? "

But when the approaching two saw the Empress, all
remembrance of others faded from their minds. Brun-
hilda was a woman of superb stature. She stood alone
upon the dais which supported the vacant throne, one
hand resting upon its carven arm. A cloak of imperial
ermine fell gracefully from her shapely shoulders and
her slightly-elevated position on the platform added
height to her goddess-like tallness, giving her the ap-
pearance of towering above every other person in the
room, man or woman. The excessive pallor of her
complexion was emphasised by the raven blackness of
her wealth of hair, and the sombre midnight of her
eyes ; eyes with slumbering fire in them, qualified by
a haunted look which veiled their burning intensity.
Her brow was too broad and her chin too firm for a

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■III

painter's 'deal of beauty ; her commanding presence
giving the effect of majesty rather than of loveHness.
Deep lines of care marred the marble of her forehead,
and Wilhehn said to himself :

•' Here is a woman going to her doom ; knowing
it ; yet determined to show no sign of fear and utter
no cry for mercy."

Every other woman there had eyes of varying shades
of blue and gray, and hair ranging from brown to
golden yellow ; thus the Empress st od before tliem
like a creature from another world.

Elsa was about to sink in lowly courtesy before the
queenly woman when the Empress came forward im-
petuously and kissed the girl on either cheek, taking
her by the hand.

" Oh, wild bird of the forest," she cried, "why have
you left the pure air of the woods, to beat your inno-
cent wings in this atmosphere of deceit! And you,
my young Lord, what brings you to h^'ankfort in these
troublous times? Have you an insufficiency of lands
or of honours that you come to ask augmentation of
either? "

** I come to ask nothing for myself, your Majesty."

'* But to ask, nevertheless," said Brunhilda, with a
frown.

** Yes, your Majesty."

" I hope I may live to see one man, like a knight of
old, approach the foot of the throne without a request
on his lips. I thought you might prove an exception,
but as it is not so, propound your question ?"

" I came to ask if my sword, supplemented by the
weapons of five hundred followers, can be of service
to your Majesty."

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A CITY OF FEAR

unexpected reply, and for some moments she gazed at
him searchingly in silence.

At last she said :

" Your followers are the men of Schonburg and
Gudenfels, doubtless?"

" No, your Majesty. Those you mention, acknowl-
edge my father as their leader. My men were known
as the Outlaws of the Hundsruck, who have deposed
von Weithoff, chosen me as their chief, and now de-
sire to lead honest lives."

The dark eyes of the Empress blazed again.

" I see, my Lord, that you have quickly learned the
courtier's language. Under proffer of service you are
really demanding pardon for a band of marauders."

Wilhelm met unflinchingly the angry look of this
imperious woman, and was so little a courtier that he
allowed a frown tO add sternness to his brow.

"Your Majc' uts it harshly," he said, ** I merely
petition for a okc of the pen which will add half a
thousand loyal men to the ranks of the Emperor's sup-
porters."

Brunhilda pondered on this, then suddenly seemed
t(- rive at a decision. Calling one of the ministers
o, state to her side, she said, peremptorily :

"Prepare a pardon for the Outlaws of the Hunds-
ruck. Send the document at once to the Emperor fot
signature, and then bring it to me in the Red Room."

The minister replied with some hesitation :

"I should have each man's name to inscribe on the
roll, otherwise every scoundrel in the Empire will claim
protection under the edict."

" I can give you every man's name," put in Wilhelm,
eagerly.

" It is not necessary," said the Empress.

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THE STRONG ARM

" Your Majesty perhaps forgets," persisted the
minister, " that pardon has already been proffered by
the Emperor under certain conditions that commended
themselves to his imperial wisdom, and that the clem-
ency so graciously tendered was contemptuously re-
fused."

At this veiled opposition all the suspicion in Brun-
hilda's nature turned from Wilhelm to the high official,
and she spoke to him ii tiie tones of one accustomed
to prompt obedience.

" Prepare an unconditional pardon, and send it im-
mediately to the Emperor without further comment,
either to him or to me."

The minister bowed low and retired. The Empress
dismissed the court, detaining Elsa, and said to VVel-
helm :

" Seek us half an hour later in the Red Room.
Your wife I shall take with me, that I may learn from
her own lips the adventures which led to your recog-
nition as the heir of Schonburg, something of which I
have already heard. And as for your outlaws, send
them word if you think they are impatient to lead
virtuous lives, which I take leave to doubt, that be-
fore another day passes they need fear no penalty for
past misdeed, providing their future conduct escapes
censure."

" They are one and all eager to retrieve themselves
in your Majesty's eyes ! "

** Promise not too much, my young Lord, for they
may be called upon to perform sooner than they expect,"
said Brunhilda, with a significant glance at Wilhelm.

The young man left the imperial presence, overjoyed
to know that his mission had been successful.

CHAPTER IV

THE PERIL OF THE EMPEROR

WlLIIELM awaited with impatience the passing of
the half hour the Empress had fixed as the period of
his probation, for he was anxious to have the signed
pardon for the outlaws actually in his hand, fearing
the intrigues of the court might at the last moment
bring about its withdrawal.

When the time had elapsed he presented himself at
the door of the Red Room and was admitted by the
guard. He found the Empress alone, and she advanced
toward him with a smile on her face, which banished
the former hardness of expression.

" Forgive me," she said, " my seeming discourtesy
in the Great Hall. I am surrounded by spies, and
doubtless Mayence already knows that your outlaws
have been pardoned, but that will merely make him
more easy about the safety of his cathedral town, es-
])ecially as he holds Baron von VVeithoff their former
loader. I was anxious that it should also be reported
to him that I had received you somewhat ungraciously.
Your wife is to take up her abode in the palace, as she
refuses to leave Frankfort if you remain here. She
tells me the outlaws are brave men."

" The bravest in the world, your Majesty."
"And that they will follow you unquestioningly."

" They would follow me to the gates of " He

paused, and added as if in afterthought — *' to the gates
of Heaven."

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I 1'

The lady smiled again.

" From what I have heard of them," she said, " I
feared their route lay in another direction, but I haves
need of reckless men, and although I hand you thcif
pardon freely, it is not without a hope that they will
see fit to earn it."

" Strong bodies and loyal souls, we belong to your
Majesty. Command and we will obey, while life is
left us."

'* Do you know the present situation of the Imperial
Crown, my Lord? "

** I understand it is in jeopardy through the act of
the Electors, who, it is thought, will depose the Em-
peror and elect a tool of their own. I am also aware
that the Imperial troops have been disbanded, and that
there will be four thousand armed and trained men
belonging to the Electors within the walls of Frank-
fort before many days are past."

" Yes. What can five hundred do against four thou-
sand?"

" We could capture the gates and prevent the entry
of Treves and Cologne."

" I doubt that, for there are already two thousand
troops obeying Mayence and the Count Palatine now
in Frankfort. I fear we must meet strength by craft.
The first step is to get your five hundred secretly into
this city. The empty barracks stand against the city
wall; if you quartered your score of Schonburg men
there, they could easily assist your five hundred to
scale the wall at night, and thus your force would be
at hand concealed in t* barracks without knowledge
of the archbishops. Treves and his men will be here
to-morrow, before it would be possible for you to cap-
ture the gates, even if such a design were practicable.

THE PERIL OF THE EMPEROR

I am anxious above all things to avoid bloodshed, and
any plan you have to propose must be drafted with
that end in view."

" I will ride to the place where my outlaws are en-
camped on the Rhine, having first quartered the Schon-
burg men in the barracks with instructions regarding
our reception. If the tales which the spies tell the
Archbishop of Maycnce concerning my arrival and re-
ception at court lead his lordship to distrust me, he
will command the guards at the gate not to re-admit
me. By to-morrow morning, or the morning after at
latest, I expect to occupy the barracks with five hun-
dred and twenty men, making arrangement meanwhile
for the quiet provisioning of the place. When I have
consulted Gottlieb, who is as crafty as Satan himself,
I shall have a plan to lay before your Majesty."

Wilhelm took leave of the Empress, gave the neces-
sary directions to the men he left behind him, and
rode through the western gate unmolested ana unques-
tioned. The outlaws hailed him that evening with
acclamations that re-echoed from the hills which sur-
rounded them, and their cheers redoubled when Wil-
helm presented them with the parchment which made
them once more free citizens of the Empire. That
night they marched in five companies, each containing
a hundred men, and the cat's task of climbing the
waUs of Frankfort in the darkness before the dawn,
merely gave a pleasant fillip to the long tramp. Day-
light found them sound asleep, sprawling on the floors
of the huge barracks.

When Wilhelm explained the situation to Gottlieb
the latter made light of the difificulty, as his master
expected he would.

" 'Tis the easiest thing in the world," he said.

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THE STRONG ARM

" There are the Mayence men quartered in the Lein-
wandhaus. The men of Treves are here, let us say,
and the men of Cologne there. Very well, we divide
our company into four parties, as there is also the
Count Palatine to reckon with. We tie ropes round
the houses containing these sleeping men, set fire to
the buildings all at the same time, and, pouf ! burn the
vermin where they lie. The hanging of the four Elec-
tors after, will be merely a job for a dozen of our men,
and need not occupy longer than while one counts five
score."

Wilhelm laughed.

" Your plan has the merit of simplicity, Gottlieb, but
it does not fall in with the scheme of the Empress, who
is anxious that everything be accomplished legally and
without bloodshed. But if we can burn them, we can
capture them, imprisonment being probably more to
the taste of the vermin, as you call them, than crema-
tion, and equally satisfactory to us. Frankfort prison
is empty, the Emperor having recently liberated all
within it. The place will amply accommodate four
thousand men. Treves has arrived to-day with much
pomp, and Cologne will be here to-morrow. To-mor-
row night the Electors hold their first meeting in the
election chamber of the Romer. While they are de-
liberating, do you think you and your five hundred
could lay four thousand men by the heels and leave
each bound and gagged in the city prison with good
strong bolts shot in on them?"

" Look on it as already done, my Lord. It is a task
that requires speed, stealth and silence, rather than
strength. The main point is to see that no alarm is
prematurely given, and that no fugitive from one com-
pany escape to give warning to the others. We fall

THE PERIL OF THE EMPEROR

upon sleeping men, and if some haste is used, all are
tied and gagged before they are full awake."

** Very well. Make what preparations are necessary,
as this venture may be wrecked through lack of a cord
or a gag, so see that you have everything at hand, for
we cannot afford to lose a single trick. The stake, if
we fail, is our heads."

Wilhelm sought the Empress to let her know that he
had got his men safely housed in Frankfort, and also
to lay before her his plan for depositing the Electors'
followers in prison.

Brunhilda listened to his enthusiastic recital in silence,
then shook her head slowly.

" How can five hundred men hope to pinion four
thousand ?" she asked. ** It needs but one to make
an outcry from an upper window, and, such is the state
of tension in Frankfort at the present moment that
the whole city will be about your ears instantly, thus
bringing forth with the rest the comrades of those you
seek to imprison."

" My outlaws are tigers, your Majesty. The Elec-
tors* men will welcome prison, once the Hundsruckers
are let loose on them.

" Your outlaws may understand the ways of the
forest, but not those of a city."

" Well, your Majesty, they have sacked Coblentz, if
that is any recommendation for them."

The reply of the Empress seemed irrelevant.

" Have you ever seen the hall in which the Emperors
are nominated — or deposed ? " she asked.

" No, your Majesty."

" Then follow me."

The lady led him along a passage that seemed inter-
minable, then down a narrow winding stair, through *^

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THE STRONG ARM

vaulted tunnel, the dank air of which struck so cold
and damp that the young man felt sure it was subter-
ranean ; lastly up a second winding stair, at the top
of which, pushing aside some hanging tapestry, they
stood within the noble chamber known as the Wahl-
zimmer. The red walls were concealed by hanging
tapestry, the rich tunnel groining of the roof was dim
in its lofty obscurity. A long table occupied the
centre of the room, with three heavily-carved chairs
on either side, and one, as ponderous as a throne, at
the head.

" There," said the Empress, waving her hand, " sit
the seven Electors when a monarch of this realm is to
be chosen. There, to-morrow night will sit a major-
ity of the Electoral College. In honour of this assem-
blage I have caused these embroidered webs to be
hung round the walls, so you see, I, too, have a plan.
Through this secret door which the Electors know
nothing of, I propose to admit a hundred of your men
to be concealed behind the tapestry. My plan differs
from yours in that I determine to im^. on four men,
while you would attempt to capture four thousand ; I
consider therefore that my chances of success, compared
with yours, are as a thousand to one. I strike at the
head ; you strike at the body. If I paralyse the head,
the body is powerless."

Wilhelm knit his brows, looked around the room,
but made no reply.

** Well," cried the Empress, impatiently, " I have
criticised your plan ; criticise mine if you find a flaw
m it.

" Is it your Majesty's intention to have the men
take their places behind the hangings before the arcb-
l^ishops as^ernble ? "

THE PERIL OF THE EMPEROR

" Assuredly."

" Then you will precipitate a conflict before all the
Electors are here, for it is certain that the first prince
to arrive will have the place thoroughly searched for
spies. So momentous a meeting will never be held
until all fear of eavesdroppers is allayed."

" That is true, Wilhelm," said the Empress with a
sigh, " then there is nothing left but your project ;
which I fear will result in a mel^e and frightful
slaughter."

" I propose, your Majesty, that we combine the two
plans. We will imprison as many as may be of the
archbishops* followers and then by means of the secret
stairway surround their lordships."

** But they will, in the silence of the room, instantly
detect the incoming of your men."

" Not so, if the panel which conceals the stair, work
smoothly. My men are like cats, and their entrance
and placement will not cause the most timid mouse to
cease nibbling."

" The panel is silent enough, and it may be that
your men will reach their places without betraying
their presence to the archbishops, but it would be well
to instruct your leaders that in case of discovery they
are to rush forward, without waiting for your arrival
or mine, hold the door of the Wahlzimmer at all haz-
ards, and see that no Elector escapes. I am firm in
my belief that once the persons of the archbishops are
secured, this veiled rebellion ends, whether you im-
prison your four thousand or not, for I swear by my
faith that if their followers raise a hand against me,
I will have the archbishops slain before their eyes,
even though I go down in disaster t^C moment

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he stern determination of the Empress would have
inspired a less devoted enthusiast than Wilhelm. He
placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

" There will be no disaster to the Empress," he said,
fervently.

They retired into the palace by the way they came,
carefully closing the concealed panel behind them.

As Wilhelm passed through the front gates of the
Palace to seek Gottlieb at the barracks, he pondered
over the situation and could not conceal from himself
the fact that the task he had undertaken was almost
impossible of accomplishment. It was an unheard of
thing that five hundred men should overcome eight
times their number and that without raising a disturb-
ance in so closely packed a city as Frankfort, where,
as the Empress had said, the state of tension was already
extreme. But although he found that the pessimism
of the Empress regarding his project was affecting his
own belief in it, he set his teeth resolutely and swore
that if it failed it would not be through lack of taking
any precaution that occurred to him.

At the barracks he found Gottlieb in high feather.
The sight of his cheerful, confident face revived the
drooping spirits of the young man.

" Well, master," he cried, the freedom of outlawry
still in the abruptness of his speech, ** I have returned
from a close inspection of the city."

"A dangerous excursion," said Wilhelm. " I trust
no one else left the barracks,"

" Not another man, much as they dislike being
housed, but it was necessary some one should know
where our enemies are placed. The Archbishop of
Treves, with an assurance that might have been ex-
pected of him, hc^s stalled his men in the gathedral, no

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THE PERIL OF THE EMPEROR

less, but a most excellent place for our purposes. A
guard at each door, and there you are."

" Ah, he has selected the cathedral not because of
his assurance, but to intercept any communication
with the Emperor, who is in the cloisters attached to
it, and doubtless his lordship purposes to crown the
new emperor before daybrea : at the high altar. The
design of the archbishop is deeper than appears on
the surface, Gottlieb. His men in the cathedral gives
him possession of the Wahlkapelle where emperors are
elected, after having been nominated in the Wahl-
zimmer. His lordship has a taste for doing things
legally. Where are the men of Cologne ? "

** In a church also ; the church of St. Leonhard on the
banks of the Main. That is as easily surrounded and
is as conveniently situated as if I had selected it my-
self. The Count Palatine's men are in a house near
the northern gate, a house which has no back exit, and
therefore calls but for the closing of a street. Noth-
ing could be better."

** But the Drapers' Hall which holds the Mayence
troops, almost adjoins the cathedral. Is there not a
danger in this circumstance that a turmoil in the one
may be heard in the other?"

" No, because we have most able allies."

" What ? the to vnsmen ? You have surely taken
none into your confidence, Gottlieb ?"

" Oh, no, my Lord. Our good copartners are none
other than the archbishops themselves. It is evident
they expect trouble to-morrow, but none to-night.
Orders have been given that all their followers are to
get a good night's rest, each man to be housed and asleep
by sunset. The men of both Treves and Cologne are
tired with their long and hurried margh and will sleep

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like the dead. We will first attack the men of Ma-
yence, surrounding the Leinwandhaus, and I warrant
you that no matter what noise there is, the Treves
people will not hear. Then being on the spot, we will,
when the Mayence soldiers are well bound, tie up those
in the cathedral. I purpose if your lordship agrees, to
leave our bound captives where they are, guarded by
a sufficient number of outlaws, in case one attempts
to help the other, until we have pinioned those of Co-
logne and the Count Palatine. When this is off our
minds we can transport all our prisoners to the fortress
at our leisure."

Thus it was arranged, and when night fell on the
meeting of the Electors, so well did Gottlieb and his
men apply themselves to the task that before an hour
had passed the minions of the Electors lay packed in
heaps in the aisles and the rooms where they lodged,
to be transported to the prison at the convenience of
their captors.

Many conditions favoured the success of the seem-
ingly impossible feat. Since the arrival of the soldiery
there had been so many night brawls in the streets
that one more or less attracted little attention, either
from the military or from the civilians. The very bold-
ness and magnitude of the scheme was an assistance
to it. Then the stern cry of " In the name of the Em-
peror ! " with which the assaulters once inside cathe-
dral, church or house, fell upon their victims, deadened
opposition, for the common soldiers, whether enlisted
by Treves, Cologne, or Mayence, knew that the Em-
peror was over all, and they had no inkling of the de-
signs of their immediate masters. Then, as Gottlieb
had surmised, the extreme fatigue of the followers of
Ti'cves and Cologne, after their toilsome march from

THE PERIL OF THE EMPEROR

their respective cities, so overcame them that many
went to sleep when being conveyed from church and
cathedral to prison. There was some resistance on
the part of officers, speedily quelled by the victorious
woodlanders, but aside from this there were few heads
broken, and the wish of the Empress for a bloodless
conquest was amply fulfilled.

Two hours after darkness set in, Gottlieb, somewhat
breathless, saluted his master at the steps of the palace
and announced that the followers of the archbishops and
the Count Palatine were behind bars in the Frankfort
prison, with a strong guard over them to discourage
any attempt at jailbreaking. When Wilhelm led his
victorious soldiery silently up the narrow secret stair,
pushed back, with much circumspection and caution,
the sliding panel, listened for a moment to the low
murmur of their lordships' voices, waited until each
of his men had gone stealthily behind the tapestry,
listened again and still heard the drone of speech, he
returned as he came, and accompanied by a guard of
two score, escorted the Empress to the broad public
stairway that led up one flight to the door of the Wahl-
zimmer. The two sentinels at the foot of the stairs
crossed their pikes to bar the entrance of Brunhilda,
but they were overpowered and gagged so quickly and
silently that their two comrades at the top had no
suspicion of what was going forward until they had
met a similar fate. The guards at the closed door,
more alert, ran forward, only to be carried away with
their fellow-sentinels. Wilhelm, his sword drawn,
pushed open the door anc' ried in a loud voice:

" My Lords, I am commanded to announce to you
that her Majesty the Empress honours you with her
presence."

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THE STRONG ARM

It would have been difficult at that moment to find
four men in all Germany more astonished than were
the Electors. They saw the young man who held open
the door, bow low, then the stately lady so sonorously
announced come slowly up the hall and stand silently
before them. Wilhelm closed the door and set his
back against it, his naked sword still in his right hand.
Three of the Electors were about to rise to their feet,
but a motion of the hand by the old man of Treves,
who sat the head of the table, checked them.

*' I have come," said the Empress in a low voice, but
distinctly heard in the stillness of the room, " to learn
why you are gathered here in Frankfort and in the
Wahlzimmer, where no meeting has taken place for
three hundred years, except on the death of an em-
peror."

** Madame," said the Elector of Treves, leaning back
in his chair and placing the tips of his fingers together
before him, " all present have the right to assemble in
this hall unquestioned, with the exception of yourself
and the young man who erroneously styled you Empress,
with such unnecessary flourish, as you entered. You
are the wife of our present Emperor, but under the
Salic law no woman can occupy the German throne.
If flatterers have misled you by bestowing a title to
which you have no claim, and if the awe inspired by
that spurious appellation has won your admission past
ignorant guards who should have prevented your ap-
proach, I ask that you will now withdraw, and permit
us to resume deliberations that should not have been
interrupted."

" What is the nature of those deliberations, my
Lord?"

*' The question is one improper for you to ask. To

THE PERIL OF THE EMPEROR

answer it would be to surrender our rights as Electors
of the Empire. It is enough for you to be assured,
madame, that we are lawfully assembled, and that our
purposes are strictly legal."

** You rest strongly on the law, my Lord, so strongly
indeed that were I a suspicious person I might sur-
mise that your acts deserved strict scrutiny. I will ap-
peal to you, then, in the name of the law. Is it the law
of this rjalm that he who directly or indirectly conspires
against the peace and comfort of his emperor is ad-
judged a traitor, his act being punishable by death ? "

** The law stands substantially as you have cited it,
madame, but its bearing upon your presence in this
room is, I confess, hidden from me."

** I shall endeavour to enlighten you, my Lord. Are
you convened here to further the peace and comfort
of his Majesty the Emperor?"

" We devoutly trust so, madame. His Majesty is so
eminently fitted for a cloister, rather than for domestic
bliss or the cares of state, that we hope to pleasure him
by removing all barriers in his way to a monastery "

"Then until his Majesty is deposed you are, by your
own confession, traitors."

" Pardon me, madame, but the law regarding traitors
which you quoted with quite womanly inaccuracy, and
therefore pardonable, docs not apply to eight persons
within this Empire, namely, the seven Electors and
the Emperor himself."

** I have been unable to detect the omission you
state, my Lord. There arc no exceptions, as I read the
law."

" The exceptions are implied, madame, if not ex-
pressly set down, for it would be absurd to clothe Elec-
tors with a power in the exercise of which they would

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constitute themselves traitors. But this discussion is
as painful as it is futile, and therefore it must cease.
In the name of the Electoral College here in session
assembled, I ask you to withdraw, madame."

** Before obeying your command, my Lord Arch-
bishop, there is another point which I wish to submit
to your honourable body, so learned in the law. I see
three vacant chairs before me, and I am advised that
it is illegal to depose ai jmperor unless all the mem-
bers of the college are present and unanimous."

" Again you have been misinformed. A majority of
the college elects ; a majority can depose, and in re-
tiring to private life, madame, you have the consola-
tion of knowing that your intervention prolonged your
husband's term of office by several minutes. For the
third time I request you to leave this room, and if you
again refuse I shall be reluctantly compelled to place
you under arrest. Young man, open the door and
allow this woman to pass through."

" I would have you know, my Lord," said Wilhelm,
" that I am appointed commander of the imperial
forces, and that I obey none but his Majesty the
Emperor."

" I understood that the Emperor depended upon the
Heavenly Hosts," said the Archbishop, with the sus-
picion of a smile on his grim lips.

" It does not become a prince of the Church to sneer
at Heaven or its power," said the Empress, severely.

" Nothing was further from my intention madame,
but you must excuse me if I did not expect to see the
Heavenly Hosts commanded by a young man so pal-
pably German. Still all this is aside from the point.
Will you retire, or must I reluctantly use force ? "

" I advise your lordship not to appeal to force."

THE PERIL OF THE EMPEROR

The old man of Treves rose slowly to his feet, an
ominousglitter in his eyes. He stood for some minutes
regarding angrily the woman before him, as if to give
her time to reconsider her stubborn resolve to hold her
ground. Then raising his voice the Elector cried ;

" Men of Treves ! enter ! "

While one might count ten, dense silence followed
this outcry, the seated Electors for the first time glanc-
ing at their leader with looks of apprehension.

" Treves ! Treves ! Treves ! "

That potent name reverberated from the lips of its
master, who had never known its magic to fail in call-
ing round him stout defenders, and who could not yet
believe that its power should desert him at this junc-
ture. Again there was no response.

" As did the prophet of old, ye call on false gods."

The low vibrant voice of the Empress swelled like the
tones of a rich organ as the firm command she had held
over herself seemed about to depart.

" Lord Wilhelm, give them a name that carries
authority in its sound."

Wilhelm strode forward from the door, raised his
glittering sword high above his head and shouted :

" The Emperor ! Cheer, ye woodland wolves ! "

With a downward sweep of his sword, he cut the
two silken cords which, tied to a ring near the door,
held up the tapestry. The hangings fell instantly like
the drop curtain of a theatre, its rustle overwhelmed
in the vociferous yell that rang to the echoing roof.

" Forward ! Close up your ranks ! "

With simultaneous movement the men stepped over
the folds on the floor and stood shoulder to shoulder,
an endless oval line of living warriors, surrounding
the startled group in the centre of the great hall.
7

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" Aloft, rope-men."

Four men, with ropes wound round their bodies, de-
tached themselves from the circle, and darting to the
four corners of the room, climbed like squirrels until
they reached the tunnelled roofing, where, making their
way to the centre with a dexterity that was marvellous,
they threw their ropes over the timbers and came spin-
ning down to the floor, like gigantic spiders, each sus-
pended on his own line. The four men, looped nooses
in hand, took up positions behind the four Electors,
all of whom were now on their feet. Wilhelm saluted
the Empress, bringing the hilt of his sword to his fore-
head, and stepped back.

The lady spoke :

" My Lords, learned in the law, you will perhaps
claim with truth that there is no precedent for hang-
ing an Electoral College, but neither is there precedent
for deposing an Emperor. It is an interesting legal
point on which we shall have definite opinion pro-
nounced in the inquiry which will follow the death of
men so distinguished as yourselves, and if it should be
held that I have exceeded my righteous authority in
thus pronouncing sentence upon you as traitors, I shall
be nothing loath to make ample apology to the state."

" Such reparation will be small consolation to us,
your Majesty," said the Archbishop of Cologne, speak-
ing for the first time. " My preference is for an ante-
mortem rather than a post-mortem r.djustment of the
law. My colleague of Treves, in the interests of a
better understanding, I ask you to destroy the docu-
ment of deposition, which you hold in your hand, and
which I beg to assure her Majesty, is still unsigned."

The trembling fingers of the Archbishop of Treves
proved powerless to tear the tough parchment, so he

THE PERIL OF THE EMPEROR

held it for a moment until it was consumed in the flame
of a taper which stood on the table.

"And now, your Majesty, speaking entirely for my-
self, I give you my word as a prince of the Church and
a gentlemen of the Empire, that my vote as an Elector
will always be against the deposition of the Emperor,
for I am convinced tliat imperial power is held in firm
and capable hands."

The great prelate of Cologne spoke as one making
graceful concession to a lady, entirely uninfluenced by
the situation in which he so unexpectedly found him-
self. A smile lit up the face of the Empress as she
returned his deferential bow.

" I accept your word with pleasure, my Lord, fully
assured that, once given, it will never be tarnished by
any mental reservation."

" I most cordially associate myself with my brother
of Cologne and take the same pledge," spoke up his
Lordship of Mayence.

The Count Palatine of the Rhine moistened his dry
lips and said :

" I was misled by ambition, your Majesty, and thus
in addition to giving you my word, I crave your im-
perial pardon as well."

The Archbishop of Treves sat in his chair like a man
collapsed. He had made no movement since the burn-
ing of the parchment. All eyes were turned upon him
in the painful stillness. With visible effort he enun-
ciated in deep voice the two words : " And L"

The face of the Empress took on a radiance that had
long been absent from it.

" It seems, my Lords, that there has been merely a
slight misunderstanding, which a few quiet words and
some legal instruction has entirely dissipated. To

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seal our compact, I ask you all to dine with me to-
morrow night, when I am sure it will afford intense
gratification to prelates so pious as yourselves to send
a message to his Majesty the Emperor, informing him
that his trust in Providence has not been misplaced."

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CHAPTER V

THE NEEDLE DAGGER

WiLHELM VON ScHONBURG, Commander of the Im-
perial Forces at Frankfort, applied himself to the task
of building up an army round his nucleus of five hun-
dred with all the energy and enthusiasm of youth. He
first put parties of trusty men at the various city gates
so that he might control, at least in a measure, the
human intake and output of the city. The power
which possession of the gates gave him he knew to be
more apparent than real, for Frankfort was a commer-
cial city, owing its prosperity to traffic, and any mate-
rial interference with the ebb or flow of travel had a
depressing influence on trade. If the Archbishops
meant to keep their words given to the Empress, all
would be well, but of their good faith Wilhelm had the
gravest doubts. It would be impossible to keep secret
the defeat of their Lordships, when several thousands
of their men lay immured in the city prison. The
whole world would thus learn sooner or later that the
great Princes of the Church had come to shear and
had departed shorn ; and this blow to their pride was
one not easily forgiven by men so haughty and so
powerful as the prelates of Treves, Mayence and Co-
logne. Young as he was, Wilhelm's free life in the for-
est, among those ^ittle accustomed to control the raw
passions of humanity, had made him somewhat a judge
of character, and he had formed the belief that the

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Archbishop of Cologne was a gentleman, and would
keep his word, that the Archbishop of Treves would
have no scruple in breaking liis, while the Archbishop
of Mayence would follow the lead of Treves. This
suspicion he imparted to th« Empress Brunhilda, but
she did not agree with him, believing that all three,
with the Count Palatine, would hereafter save their
heads by attending strictly to their ecclesiastical busi-
ness, leaving the rule of the Empire in the hands which
now held it.

" Cologne will not break the pledge he has given
me," she said ; " of that I am sure. Mayence is too
great an opportunist to follow an unsuccessful leader ;
and the Count Palatine is too great a coward to enter
upon such a dangerous business as the deposing of an
emperor who is my husband. Besides, I have given
the Count Palatine a post at Court which requires his
constant presence in Frankfort, and so I have him in
some measure a prisoner. The Electors are powerless
if even one of their number is a defaulter, so what can
Treves do, no matter how deeply his pride is injured,
or how bitterly he thirsts for revenge ? His only re-
source is boldly to raise the flag of rebellion and march
his troops on Frankfort. He is too crafty a man to
take such risk or to do anything so open. For this pur-
pose he must set about the collection of an army se-
cretly, while we may augment the Imperial troops in the
light of day. So, unless he strikes speedily, we will
have a force that will forever keep him in awe."

This seemed a reasonable view, but it only partly
allayed the apprehensions of Wilhelm. He had caught
more than one fierce look of hatred directed toward
him by the Archbishop of Treves, since the meeting
in the Wahlzimmer, and the regard of his Lordship of

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103

Maycnce had been anything but benign. Tlicse two
dignitaries had left Frankfort together, their way lying
for some distance in the same direction. Wilhelm
liberated their officers, and thus the two potentates
had scant escort to their respective cities. Their men
he refused to release, which refusal both Treves and
Mayence accepted with bad grace, saying the withhold-
ing cast an aspersion on their honour. This example
was not followed by the suave Archbishop of Cologne,
who departed some days after his colleagues. He
laughed when Wilhelm informed him that his troops
would remain in Frankfort, and said he would be at
the less expense in his journey down the Rhine, as his
men were gross feeders.

Being thus quit of the three Archbishops, the ques-
tion was what to do with their three thousand men.
It was finally resolved to release them by detachments,
drafting into the Imperial army such as were willing
so to serve and take a special oath of allegiance to the
Emperor, allowing those who declined to enlist to de-
part from the city in whatever direction pleased them,
so that they went away in small parties. It was found,
however, that the men cared little for whom they
fought, providing the pay was good and reasonably
well assured. Thus the Imperial army received many
recruits and the country round Frankfort few vagrants.

The departed Archbishops made no sign, the Count
Palatine seemed engrossed with his duties about the
Court, the army increased daily and life went on so
smoothly that Wilhelm began to cease all questioning
of the future, coming at last to believe that the Em-
press was right in her estimate of the situation. He
was in this pleasing state of mind when an incident
occurred which would have caused hirn greater anxiety

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than it did had he been better acquainted with the
governing forces of his country. On arising one morn-
ing he found on the table of his room a parchment,
held in place by a long thin dagger of peculiar con-
struction. His first attention was given to the weapon
and not to the scroll. The blade was extremely thin
and sharp at the point, and seemed at first sight to be
so exceedingly frail as to be of little service in actual
combat, but a closer examination proved that it was
practically unbreakable, and of a temper so fine that
nothing made an impression on its keen edge. Held
at certain angles, the thin blade seemed to disappear
altogether and leave the empty hilt in the hand. The
hilt had been treated as if it were a crucifix, and in
slightly raised relief there was a figure of Christ, His
outstretched arms extending along the transverse guard.
On the opposite side of the handle were the sunken
letters " S. S. G. G."

Wilhelm fingered this dainty piece of mechanism
curiously, wondering where it was made. He guessed
Milan as the place of its origin, knowing enough of
cutlery to admire the skill and knowledge of metallurgy
that had gone to its construction, and convinced as he
laid it down that it was foreign. He was well aware
that no smith in Germany could fanhion a lancet so
exquisitely tempered. He then turned his attention
to the document which had been fastened to the table
by this needle-like stiletto. At the top of the parch-
ment were the same letters that had been cut in the
handle of the dagger.

o. vS. Cr. Cr.

First warning. Wear this dagger thrust into your
doublet over the heart, and folloiv hint wJio accosts yc

THE NEEDLE DAGGER

105

fearing nothing if your heart be true and loyal. In
strict silence safety lies.

Wilhelm laughed.

" It is some lover's nonsense of Elsa's," he said to
himself. " * If your heart be true and loyal,' that is a
woman's phrase and nothing else."

Calling his wife, he held out the weapon to her and
said :

" Where did you get this, Elsa ? I would be glad
to know who your armourer is, for I should dearly love
to provide my men with weapons of such temper."

Elsa looked alternately at the dagger and at her
husband, bewildered.

" I never saw it before, nor anything like it," she
replied. " Where did you find it? It is so frail it
must be for ornament merely."

" Its frailness is deceptive. It is a most wonderful
instrument, and I should like to know where it comes
from. I thought you had bought it from some armourer
and intended me to wear It as a badge of my office.
Perhaps it was sent by the Empress. The word ' loy-
alty ' seems to indicate that, though how it got
into this room and on this table unknown to me is a
mystery."

Elsa shook her head as she studied the weapon and
the message critically.

" Her Majesty is more direct than this would indi-
cate. If she had aught to say to you she would say
it without ambiguity. Do you intend to wear the
dagger as the scroll commands ? "

" If I thought it came from the Empress I should,
not otherwise."

" You may be assured some one else has sent it.

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Perhaps it is intended for me," and saying this Elsa
thrust the blade of che dagger through the thick coil
of her hair and turned coquettishly so that her husband
might judge of the effect.

" Are you ambitious to set a new fashion to the
Court, Elsa?" asked Wilhelm, smiling.

" No ; I shall not wear it in public, but I will keep
the dagger if I may."

Thus the incident passed, and Wilhelm gave no more
thought to the mysterious warning. His duties left
him little time for meditation during the day, but as he
returned at night from the barracks his mind reverted
once more to the dagger, and he wondered how it came
without his knowledge into his private room. His
latent suspicion of the Archbishops became aroused
again, and he pondered on the possibility of an emissary
of theirs placing the document on his table. He had
given strict instructions that if any one supposed to be
an agent of their lordships presented himself at the
gates he was to be permitted to enter the city without
hindrance, but instant knowledge of such advent was to
be sent to the Commander, which reminded him that he
had not seen Gottlieb that day, this able lieutenant hav-
ing general charge of all the ports. So he resolved to
return to the barracks and question his underling regard-
ing the recent admittances. Acting instantly on this
determination, he turned quickly and saw before him a
n<ian whom he thought he recognised by his outline in
the darkness as von Brent, one ot the officers of Treves
whom he had released, and who had accompanied the
Archbishop on his return to that city. The figure, how-
ever, gave him no time for a closer inspection, and, al-
though evidently taken by surprise, reversed his direc-
tion, making off with speed down the street. Wilhelm,

THE NEEDLE DAGGER

107

plucking sword from scabbard, pursued no less fleetly.
The scanty lighting of the ci'-y thoroughfares gave
advantage to the fugitive, but Wilhclm's knowledge of
the town was now astonishingly intimate, considering
the short time he had been a resident, and his wood-
lore, applied to the maze of tortuous narrow alleys
made him a hunter not easily baffled. He saw the
flutter of a cloak as its wearer turned down a narrow
lane, and a rapid mental picture of the labyrinth
illuminating his mind, Wilhelm took a dozen long
strides to a corner and there stood waiting. A few
moments later a panting man with cloak streaming be-
hind him came near to transfixing himself on the point
of the Commander's sword. The runner pulled himself
up with a gasp and stood breathless and speechless.

" I tender you good-evening, sir," said Wilhelm,
civilly, " and were I not sure of your friendliness, I
should take it that you were trying to avoid giving me
salutation."

" I did not recognise you, my Lord, in the darkness."

The man breathed heavily, which might have been
accounted for by his unaccustomed exertion.

" 'Tis strange, then, that I should have recognised
you, turning unexpectedly as I did, while you seem-
ingly had me in your eye for some time before."

" Indeed, my Lord, and that I had not. I but just
emerged from this crooked lane, and seeing you turn so
suddenly, feared molestation, and so took to my heels,
which a warrior should be shamed to confess, but I had
no wish to be embroiled in a street brawl."

" Your caution does you credit, and should commend
you to so peacefully-minded a master as his Lordship of
Treves, who, I sincerely trust, arrived safely in his
ancient city."

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" He did, my Lord."

" I am deeply gratified to hear it, and putting my
knowledge of his lordship's methods in conjunction
with your evident desire for secrecy, I should be loath
to inquire into the nature of the mission that brings
you to the capital so soon after your departure from it."

" Well, my Lord," said von Brent, with an attempt at
a laugh, " I must admit that it was my purpose to visit
Frankfort with as little publicity as possible. You are
mistaken, however, in surmising that I am entrusted
with any commands from my lord, the Archbishop,
who, at this moment, is devoting himself with energy
to his ecclesiastical duties and therefore has small need
for a soldier. This being the case, I sought and ob-
tained leave of absence, and came to Frankfort on pri-
vate affairs of my own. To speak truth, as between
one young man and another, not to be further gossiped
about, while, stationed here some days ago, J became
acquainted with a girl whom I dearly wish to meet
again, and this traffic, as you know, yearns not for either
bray of trumpet or rattle of drum."

" The gentle power of love," said Wilhelm in his
most affable tone, " is a force few of us can resist. In-
deed, I am myself not unacquainted with its strength,
and I must further congratulate you on your celerity of
conquest, for you came to Frankfort in the morning,
and were my guest in the fortress in the evening, so
you certainly made good use of the brief interval. By
what gate did you enter Frankfort ? "

" By the western gate, my Lord."

" This morning? "

" No, my Lord. I entered but a short time since, just
before the gates were closed for the night."

" Ah ! that accounts for my hearing no report of your

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109

arrival, for it is my wish, when distinguished visitors
honour us with their presence, that I may be able to
offer them every courtesy."

Von Brent laughed, this time with a more genuine
ring to his mirth.

" Seeing that your previous hospitality included lodg-
ing in the city prison, my Lord, as you, a moment ago,
reminded me, you can scarcely be surprised that I had
no desire to Invite a repetition of such courtesy, if you
will pardon the frank speaking of a soldier."

" Most assuredly. And to meet frankness with its
like, I may add that the city prison still stands intact.
But I must no longer delay an impatient lover, and so,
as I began, I give you a very good evening, sir."

Von Brent returned the salutation, bowing low,
and Wilhelm watched him retrace his steps and dis-
appear in the darkness. The Commander, returning
his blade to its scabbard, sought Gottlieb at the
barracks.

" Do you remember von Brent, of Treves' staff ? "

" That hangdog-looking officer ? Yes, master. I had
the pleasure of knocking him down in the Cathedral
before pinioning him."

" He is in Frank: rt to-night, and said he entered by
the western gate just before it was closed."

" Then he is a liar," commented Gottlieb, with his
usual bluntness.

" Such I strongly suspect him to be. Nevertheless,
here he is, and the question I wish answered is, how did
he get in ? "

" He must have come over the wall, which can hardly
be prevented, if an incomer has a friend who will throw
him a rope."

It may be prevented if the walls are efficiently

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THE STRONG ARM

patrolled. Sec instantly to that, Gottlieb, and set none
but our own woodlandcrs on watch."

Several days passed, and Wilhclm kept a sharp look-
out for von Brent, or any oth.cr of the Archbishop's
men, but he saw none such, nor could he learn that
the lieutenant had left the city. He came almost to
believe that the officer had spoken the truth, when dis-
trust again assailed him on finding in the barracks a
second document almost identical with the first, except
that it contained the words, *' Second warning," and
the dirk hac been driven half its length into the lid of
the desk. At first he thought it was the same parch-
ment and dagger, but the different wording showed
him that at least the former was not the same. He
called Gottlieb, and demanded to know who had been
allowed to pass the guards and enter that room. The
honest warrior was dismayed to find such a thing could
have happened, and although he was unable to read the
lettering, he turned the missive over and over in his
hand as if he expected close scrutiny to unravel the
skein. He then departed and questioned the guards
closely, but was assured that no one had entered except
the Commander.

" I cannot fathom it," he said on returning to his
master, ** and, to tell truth, I wish we were well back
in the forest again, for I like not this mysterious city
and its ways. We have kept this town as close sealed
as a wine butt, yet I dare swear that I have caught
glimpses of the Archbishop's men, flitting here and
there like bats as soon as darkness gathers. I have
tried to catch one or two of them to make sure, but I
seem to have lost all speed of foot on these slippery
stones, and those I follow disappear as if the earth
swallowed them."

THE NEEDLE DAGGER

III

" Have you seen von Brent since I spoke to you
about liim ? "

" I thouglit so, Master Wilhelm, but I am like a man
dazed in the mazes of an evil dream, who can be certain
of nothing. I am afraid of no man who will stand
boldly up to me, sword in hand, with a fair light on
both of us, but this chasing of shadows with nothing
for a pike to pierce makes a coward of me."

" Well, the next shadow that follows me will get my
blade in its vitals, for I think my foot is lighter than
yours, Gottlieb. There is no shadow in this town that
is not cast by a substance, and that substance will feel
a sword thrust if one can but get within striking dis-
tance. Keep strict watch and we will make a dis-
covery before long, never fear. Do you think the men
we have enlisted from the Archbishop's company
are trying to play tricks with us ? Are they to b2
trusted ? "

*• Oh, they are stout rascals with not enough brains
among them all to plan this dagger and parchment
business, giving little thought to anything beyond
eating and drinking, and having no skill of lettering."

'* Then we must look elsewhere for the explanation.
It may be that your elusive shadows will furnish a
clue."

On reaching his own house Wilhelm said carelessly
to his wife, whom e did not wish to alarm unneces-
sarily :

" Have you still in your possession that dagger which
I found on my table ? "

" Yes, it is here. Have you found an owner for it or
learned how it came there?"

*' No. I merely wished to look at it again."

She gave it to him, and he saw at once that it was a

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duplicate of the one he had hidden under his doublet.
The mystery was as far from solution as ever, and the
closest examination of the weapon gave no hint per-
taining to the purport of the message. Yet it is probable
that Wilhelm was the only noble in the German Empire
who was ignorant of the significance of the four letters,
and doubtless the senders were amazed at his temerity
in nonchalantly ignoring the repeated warnings, which
would have brought pallor to the cheeks of the highest
in the land. Wilhelm had been always so dependent
on the advice of Gottlieb that it never occurred to him
to seek explanation from any one else, yet in this
instance Gottlieb, from the same cause of woodland
training, was as ignorant as his master.

It is possible that the two warnings might have made
a greater impression on the mind of the young man
were it not that he was troubled about his own status
in the Empire. There had been much envy in the
Court at the elevation of a young man practically un-
known, to the position of commander-in-chief of the
German army, and h* h officials had gone so far as to
protest against what t \ey said was regarded as a piece
of unaccountable favouritism. The Empress, howevei',
was firm, and for a time comment seemed to cease, but
it was well known that Wilhelm had no real standing,
unless his appointment was confirmed by the Emperor,
and his commission made legal by the royal signature.
It became known, or, at least, was rumoured that twice
the Empress had sent this document to her husband
and twice it had been returned unsigned. The Emperor
went so far as to refuse to see his wife, declining to
have any discussion about the matter, and Wilhelm
well knew that every step he took in the fulfilment of
his office was an illegal step, and if a hint of this got to

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113

the ears of the Archbishops they would be more than
justified in calling him to account, for every act he
performed relating to the army after he knew that his
monarch had refused to sanction his nomination was an
act of i-ebcllion and usurpation punishable by death.
The Empress was well awaro of the jeopardy in which
her attache 9,\.ood, but she ii. ,jlored him not to give up
the position, although helpless to make his appoint-
ment regular. She hoped her husband's religious fervour
would abate and that he would deign to bestow some
attention upon earthly things, allowing himself to be
persuaded of the necessity of keeping up a standing
army, commanded by one entirely faithful to him.
Wilhclm himself often doubted the wisdom of his inter-
ference, which had allowed the throne to be held by a
man who so neglecled all its duties that intrigues and
unrest were honeycombing the whole fabric of society,
beginning at the top and working its way down until
now even the merchants were in a state of uncertainty,
losing faith in the stability of the government. The
determined attitude of Wilhclm, the general knowledge
that he came from a family of fighters, and the whole-
some fear of the wild outlaws under his command, did
more than anything else to keep down open rebellion
in Court and to make the position of the Empress
possible. It was believed that Wilhclm would have
little hesitation in obliterating half the nobility of the
Court, or the whole of it for that matter, if but reason-
able excuse were given him for doing so, and every one
was certain that his cut-throats, as they were called, would
obey any command he liked to give, and would delight
in whatever slaughter ensued. The Commander held
aloof from the Court, although, because of his position,
he had a room in the palace which no one but the

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THE STRONG ARM

monarch and the chief officer of the army might enter,
yet he rarely occupied this apartment, using, instead,
the suite at the barracks.

Some days after the second episode of the dagger he
received a summons from the Empress commanding his
instant presence at the palace. On arriving at the
Court, he found Brunhilda attended by a group of
nobles, who fell back as the young commander ap-
proached. The Empress smiled as he bent his knee
and kissed her hand, but Wilhelm saw by the anxiety
in her eye that something untoward had happened,
guessing that )iis commission was returned for the
third time unsigned from the Emperor, and being
correct in his surmise.

** Await me in the Administration Room of the
Army," said the Empress. " I will see you presently.
You have somewhat neglected that room of late, my
Lord."

" I found I could more adequately fulfil your Maj-
esty's command and keep in closer touch with the
army by occupying my apartments at the barracks."

** I trust, then, th^it you will have a good report to
present to me regarding the progress of my soldiers,"
replied the Empress, dismissing him with a slight incli-
nation of her head.

Wilhelm left the audience chamber and proceeded
along the corridor with which his room was connected.
The soldier at the entrance saluted him, and Wilhelm
entered the Administration Chamber. It was a large
room and in the centre of it stood a large table. After
closing the door Wilhelm paused in his advance, for
there in the centre of the table, buried to its very hilt
through the planks, was a duplicate of the dagger he
had concealed inside his doublet. It required some

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115

exertion of Wilhelm's great strength before he dis-
lodged the weapon from the timber into which it had
been so fiercely driven. The scroll it affixed differed
from each of the other two. It began with the words,
" Final warning," and ended with " To Wilhelm of
Schonburg, so-called Commander of the Imperial
forces," as if from a desire on the part of the writer
that there should be no mistake regarding the destina-
tion of the missive. The young man placed the knife
on the parchment and stood looking at them both until
the Empress was announced. He strode forward to
meet her and conducted her to a chair, where she seated
herself, he remainini^ on his feet.

" I am in deep trouble," she began, " the commission
authorising you to command the Imperial troops has
been returned for the third time unsigned ; not or\ly
that, but the act authorising the reconstruction of
the army, comes back also without the Emperor's
signature."

Wilhelm remained silent, for he well knew that the
weakness of their position was the conduct of the Em-
peror, and this was an evil which he did not know
how to remedy.

" When he returned both documents the first time,"
continued the Empress. " I sent to him a request for an
interview that I might explain the urgency and neces-
sity of the matter. This request was refused, and
although I know of course that my husband might
perhaps be called eccentric, still he had never before
forbade my presence. This aroused my suspicion."

" Suspicion of what, your Majesty ? " inquired Wil-
helm.

*' My suspicion that the messages I sent him have
been intercepted."

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THE STRONG ARM

" Who would dare do such a thing, your Majesty?"
cried Wilhelm in amazement.

" Where large stakes are played for, large risks must
be taken," went on the lady. " I said nothing at the
time, but yesterday I sent to him two acts which he
himself had previously sanctioned, but never carried
out ; these were returned to me to-day unsigned, and
now I fear one of three things. The Emperor is ill, is
a prisoner, or is dead."

" If it is your Majesty's wish," said Wilhelm, " I will
put myself at the head of a body of men, surround the
cathedral, search the cloisters, and speedily ascertain
whether the Emperor is there or no."

*' I have thought of such action," declared the Em-
press, " but I dislike to take it. It would bring me in
conflict with the Church, and then there is always the
chance that the Emperor is indeed within the cloisters,
and that, of his own free will, he refuses to sign the
documents I have sent to him. In such case what
excuse could we give for our interference ? It might
precipitate the very crisis we are so anxious to avoid."

The Empress had been sitting by the table with her
arm resting upon it, her fingers toying unconsciously
with the knife while she spoke, and now as her remarks
reached their conclusion her eyes fell upon its hilt and
slender blade. With an exclamation almost resembling
a scream the Empress sprang to her feet and allowed
the dagger to fall clattering on the floor.

" Where did that come from ? " she cried. ** Is it in-
tended for me ? " and she shook her trembling hands as
if they had touched a poisonous scorpion.

" Where it comes from I do not know, but it is not
intended for your Majesty, as this scroll will inform
you."

THE NEEDLE DAGGER

117

Brunhilda took the parchment he offered and held it
at arm's length from her, reading its few words with
dilated eyes, and Wilhelm was amazed to see in them
the fear which they failed to show when she faced the
three powerful Archbishops. Finally the scroll fluttered
from her nerveless fingers to the floor and the Empress
sank back in her chair,

" You have received two other warnings then ? " she
said in a low voice.

" Yes, your Majesty. What is their meaning ? **

" They are the death warrants of the Fehmgerichte,
a dread and secret tribunal before which even emperors
quail. If you obey this mandate you will never be
seen on earth again ; if you disobey you will be secretly
assassinated by one of these daggers, for after ignoring
the third warning a hundred thousand such blades are
lying in wait for your heart, and ultimately one of them
will reach it, no matter in what quarter of Germany
you hide yourself."

" And who are the members of this mysterious as-
sociation, your Majesty ? "

" That, you can tell as well as I, better perhaps, for
you may be a member while I cannot be. Perhaps the
the soldier outside this door belongs to the Fehmge-
richte, or your own Chamberlain, or perhaps your most
devoted lieutenant, the lusty Gottlieb."

" That, your Majesty, I'll swear he is not, for he was
as amazed as I when he saw the dagger at the barracks."

Brunhilda shook her head.

"You cannot judge from pretended ignorance," she
said, " because a member is sworn to keep all secrets of
the holy Fehm from wife and child, father and mother,
sister and brother, fire and wind ; from all that the sun
shines on and the rain wets, and from every being

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THE STRONG ARM

between heaven and earth. Those are the words of the
oath."

Wilhelm found himself wondering how his informant
knew so much about the secret court if all those rules
were strictly kept, but he naturally shrank from any
inquiry regarding the source of her knowledge. Never-
theless her next reply gave him an inkling of the truth.

" Who is the head of this tribunal ? " he asked.

" The Emperor is the nominal head, but my husband
never approved of the Fehmgerichte ; originally organ-
ised to redress the wrongs of tyranny, it has become a
gigantic instrument of oppression. The Archbishop of
Cologne is the actual president of the order, not in his
capacity as an elector, nor as archbishop, but because
he is Duke of Westphalia, where this tragic court had
its origin."

" Your Majesty imagines then, that this summons
comes from the Archbishop of Cologne ?' '

" Oh, no. I doubt if he has any knowledge of it.
Each district has a freigraf, or presiding judge, assisted
by seven assessors, or freischoffen, who sit in so called
judgment with him, but literally they merely record the
sentence, for condemnation is a foregone conclusion."

" Is the sentence always death ? "

" Always, at this secret tribunal ; a sentence of death
immediately carried out. In the open Fehmic court,
banishment, prison, or other penalty may be inflicted,
but you are summoned to appear before the secret
tribunal."

" Does your Majesty know the meaning of thes'^
cabalistic letters on the dagger's hilt and on the parch-
ment?"

" The letters * S. S. G. G.' stand for Strick, Stein,
Gras, Griin : Strick meaning, it is said, the rope which

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119

hangs you ; Stein, the stone at the head of your grave,
and Gras, Griin, the green grass covering it."

" Well, your Majesty," said Wilhelm, picking up the
parchment from the floor and tearing it in small pieces,
" if I have to choose between the rope and the dagger,
I freely give my preference to the latter. I shall not
attend this secret conclave, and if any of its members
think to strike a dagger through my heart, he will have
to come within the radius of my sword to do so."

" God watch over you," said the Empress fervently,
" for this is a case in which the protection of an earthly
throne is of little avail. And remember, Lord Wilhelm,
trust not even your most intimate friend within arm's
length of you. The only persons who may not become
members of this dread order are a Jew, an outlaw, an
infidel, a woman, a servant, a priest, or a person ex-
communicated."

Wilhelm escorted the Empress to the door of the red
room, and there took leave of her ; he being unable to
suggest anything that might assuage her anxiety re-
garding her husband, she being unable to protect him
from the new danger that threatened. Wilhelm was as
brave as any man need be, and in a fair fight was con-
tent to take whatever odds came, but now he was con-
fronted by a subtle invisible peril, against which ordi-
nary courage was futile. An unaccustomed shiver
chilled him as the palace sentinel, in the gathering
gloom of the corridor, raised his hand swiftly to his
helmet in salute. He passed slowly down the steps of
the palace into the almost deserted square in front of
it, for the citizens of Frankfort found it expedient to
get early indoors when darkness fell. The young man
found himself glancing furtively from right to left,
Starting at every shadow and scrutinising every passer-

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THE STRONG ARM

by who was innocently hurrying to his own home.
The name " Fehmgerichte " kept repeating itself in his
brain like an incantation. He took the middle of the
square and hesitated when he came to the narrow street
down which his way lay. At the street corner he
paused, laid his hand on the hilt of his sword and drew
a deep breath.

'• Is it possible," he muttered to himself, " that I am
afraid ? Am I at heart a coward ? By the cross which
is my protection," he cried, *' if they wish to tiy their
poniarding, they shall have an opportunity ! "

And drawing his sword he plunged into the dark and
narrow street, his footsteps ringing defiantly in the
silence on the stone beneath him as he strode resolutely
along. He passed rapidly through the city until he
came to the northern gate. Here accosting his warders
and being assured that all was well, he took the street
which, bending like a bow, followed the wall until it
came to the river. Once or twice he stopped, thinking
himself followed, but the darkness was now so impene-
trable that even if a pursuer had been behind him he
was safe from detection if he kept step with his victim
and paused when he did. The street widened as it ap-
proached the river, and Wilhelm became convinced
that some one was treading in his footsteps. Clasping
his sword hilt more firmly in his hand he wheeled about
with unexpectedness that evidently took his follower
by surprise, for he dashed across the street and sped
fleetly towards the river. The glimpse Wilhelm got of
him in the open space between the houses made him
sure that he was once more on the track of von Brent,
the emissary of Treves. The tables were now turned,
the pursuer being the pursued, and Wilhelrr set his
t^eth, resolved to put a sudden end to this continue4

THE NEEDLE DAGGER

121

espionage. Von Brent evidently remembered his
former interception, and now kept a straight course.
Trusting to the swiftness of his heels, he uttered no
cry, but directed all his energies toward flight, and Wil-
helm, equally silent, followed as rapidly.

Coming to the river, von Brent turned to the east,
keeping in the middle of the thoroughfare. On the
left hand side was a row of houses, on the right flowed
the rapid Main. Some hundreds of yards further up
there were houses on both sides of the street, and as
the water of the river flowed against the walls of the
houses to the right, Wilhelm knew there could be no
escape that way. Surmising that his victim kept the
middle of the street in order to baffle the man at his
heels, puzzling him as to which direction the fugitive
intended to bolt, Wilhelm, not to be deluded by such a
device, ran close to the houses on the left, knowing
that if von Brent turned to the right he would be
speedily stopped by the Main. The race promised to
reach a sudden conclusion, for Wilhelm was perceptibly
gaining on his adversary, when coming to the first
house by the river the latter swerved suddenly, jumped
to a door, pushed it open and was inside in the twin-
kling of an eye, but only barely in time to miss the
sword thrust that followed him. Quick as thought
Wilhelm placed his foot in such a position that the
door could not be closed. Then setting his shoulder
to the panels, he forced it open in spite of the resist-
ance behind it. Opposition thus overborne by superior
strength, Wilhelm heard the clatter of von Brent's foot-
steps down the dark passage, and next instant the door
was closed with a bang, and it seemed to the young
man that the house had collapsed upon him. He
he^rd his sword snap and felt it br^ak beneath him,

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122

THE STRONG ARM

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and he was gagged and bound before he could raise a
hand to help himself. Then when it was too late, he
realised that he had allowed the heat and fervour of
pursuit to overhelm his judgment, and had jumped
straight into the trap prepared for him. Von Brent
returned with a lantern in his hand and a smile on his
face, breathing quickly after his exertions. Wilhelm,
huddled in a corner, saw a dozen stalwart ruffians
grouped around him, most of them masked, but two or
three with faces bare, their coverings having come off
in the struggle. These slipped quickly out of sight,
behind the others, as if not wishing to give clue for
future recognition.

" Well, my Lord," said von Brent, smiling, " you see
that gagging and binding is a game that two may play
at."

There was no reply to this, first, because Wilhelm
was temporarily in a speechless condition, and, second,
because the proposition was not one to be contradicted.

" Take him to the Commitment Room," commanded
von Brent.

Four of the onlookers lifted Wilhelm and carried him
down a long stairway, across a landing and to the foot
of a second flight of steps, where he was thrown into a
dark cell, the dimensions of which he could not esti-
mate. When the door was closed the prisoner lay with
his head leaning against it, and for a time the silence
was intense. By and by he found that by turning his
head so that his ear was placed against the panel of the
door, he heard distinctly the footfalls outside, and even
a shuffling sound near him, which seemed to indicate
that a man was on guard at the other side of the oak.
Presently some one approached, and in spite of the
low tones used, Wilhelm not only heard what was

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THE NEEDLE DAGGER

123

being said, but recognised the voice of von Brent, who
evidently was his jailer.

" You have him safely then ? "

" Gagged and bound, my Lord."

" Ls he disarmed ? "

" His sword was broken under him, my Lord, when
we fell upon him."

" Very well. Remove the gag and place him with
No. 13. Bar them in and listen to their conversation.
I think they have never met," but I want to be sure
of it."

" Is there not a chance that No. 13 may make him-
self known, my Lord ? "

" No matter if he does. In fact, it is my object
to have No. 13 and No. 14 known to each other, and
yet be not aware that we have suspicion of their
knowledge."

When the door of the cell was opened four guards
came in. It was manifest they were not going to allow
Wilhelm any chance to escape, and were prepared to
overpower him should he attempt flight or resistance.
The gag was taken from his mouth and the thongs
which bound his legs were untied, and thus he was
permitted to stand on his feet. Once outside his cell
he saw that the subterranean region in which he found
himself was of vast extent, resembling the crypt of a
cathedral, the low roof being supported by pillars of
tremendous circumference. From the direction in
which he had been carried from the foot of the stairs
he surmised, and quite accurately, that this cavern was
under the bed of the river. Those who escorted him
and those whom he met were masked. No torches
illuminated the gloom of this sepulchral hall, but each
individual carried, attached in some way to his belt, a

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THE STRONG ARM

small horn lantern, which gave for a little space around
a dim uncertain light, casting weird shadows against
the pillars of the cavern. Once or twice they met a
man clothed in an apparently seamless cloak of black
cloth, that covered the head and extended to the feet.
Two holes in front of the face allowed a momentary
glimpse of a pair of flashing eyes as the yellow light
from the lanterns smote them. These grim figures
were presumably persons of importance, for the guards
stopped, and saluted, as each one approached, not going
forward until he had silently passed them. When
finally the door of the cell they sought was reached,
the guards drew back the bolts, threw it open, and
pushed Wilhclm into the apartment that had been
designated for him. Before closing the door, however,
one of the guards placrd a lantern on the floor so that
the fellow-prisoners might have a chance of seeing
each other. Wilhelm beheld, seated on a pallet of
straw, a man well past middle age, his face smooth-
shaven 'and of serious cast, yet having, nevertheless, a
trace of irresolution in his weak chin. His costume
was that of a mendicant monk, and his face seemed in-
dicative of the severity of monastic rule. There was,
however, a serenity of courage in his eye which seemed
to betoken that he ^- as a man ready to die for his
opinions, if once his wavering chin allowed him to
form them. Wilhelm remembering that priests were
not allowed to join the order of the Fehmgerichte re-
flected that here was a man who probably, from his
fearless denunciations of the order, had brought down
upon himself the hatred of the secret tribunal, whose
only penalty was that of death. The older man was
the first to speak.
• " So you also are 4 victim of the Fehmgerichte f "

THE NEEDLE DAGGER

125

" I have for some minutes suspected as much," re-
plied von Schonburg.

" Were you arrested and brought here, or d'd you
come here willingly ? "

" Oh, I came here willingly enough. I ran half a
leagu in my eagerness to reach this spot and fairly
jumped into it," replied Wilhelm, with a bitter laugh.

** You were in such haste to reach thic spot ? " said
the old man, sombrely, " what s your crime ? "

" That I do not know, but I shall probably soon
learn when I come before the court."

" Are you a member of the order, then ? "

" No, I am not."

" In that case, it will require the oaths of twenty-one
members to clear you, therefore, if yn i have not that
many friends in the order I look upon you as doomed."

" Thank you. That is as God wills."

** Assuredly, assuredly. We are all in His hands,"
and the good man devoutedly crossed himself.

** I have answered your questions," said Wilhelm,
" answer you some of mine. Who are you ? "

" I am a seeker after light."

" Well, there it is," said Wilhelm, touching the lan-
tern with his foot as he paced up and down the limits
of the cell.

" Earthly light is but dim at best, it is the light of
Heaven I search after."

** W^ell, I hope you may be successful in finding it.
I know of no place where it is needed so much as
here."

" You speak like a scoffer. I thought from what you
said of God's will, that you were a religious man."

" I am a religious man, I hope, and I regret if my
words seem lightly spoken.

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126

THE STRONG ARM

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" Wi.at action of man, think you then, is most pleas-
ing to God ? "

** That is a question which you, to judge by your
garb, are more able to answer than I."

" Nay, nay, I want your opinion."

" Then in my opinion, the man most pleasing to
God is he who does his duty here on earth."

" Ah ! right, quite right," cried the older man,
eagerly. " But there lies the core of the whole prob-
lem. What is duty ; that is what I have spent my life
trying to learn."

" Then at a venture I should say your life has been
a useless one. Duty is as plain as the lighted lantern
there before us. If you are a priest, fulfil your priestly
office well ; comfort the sick, console the dying, bury
the dead. Tell your flock not to speculate too much
on duty, but to try and accomplish the work in hand."

"• But I am not a priest," faltered the other, rising
slowly to his feet.

" Then if you are a soldier, strike hard for your
King. Kill the man immediately before you, and if,
instead, he kills you, be assured that the Lord will look
after your soul when it departs through the rent thus
made in your body."

" There is a ring of truth in that, but it sounds
worldly. How can we tell that such action is pleasing
to God ? May it not be better to depend entirely on
the Lord, and let Him strike your blows for you ? "

" Never ! What docs He give you arms for but to
protect your own head, and what does He give you
swift limbs for if not to take your body out of reach
when you are threatened with being overmatched ?
God must despise such a man as you speak of, and
rightly so. I am myself a commander of soldiers, and

THE NEEDLE DAGGER

12;

if I had a lieutenant who trusted all to me and refused
to strike a sturdy blow on his own behalf I should tear
his badge from him aiid have him scourged from out
the ranks."

" But may we not, by misdirected efforts, thwart the
will of God ? "

" Oh ! the depths of human vanity ! Thwart the
will of God ? What, a puny worm like you ? You
amaze me, sir, with your conceit, and I lose the respect
for you which at first your garb engendered in my
mind. Do your work manfully, and flatter not your-
self that your most strenuous efforts are able to cross
the design of the Almighty. My own poor belief is
that He has patience with any but a coward and a
loiterer."

The elder prisoner staggered into the centre of the
room and raised his hands above his head.

" Oh, Lord, have mercy upon me," he cried. " Thou
who hast brought light to me in this foul dungeon
which was refused to me in the radiance 01 Thy Cathe-
dral. Have mercy on me, oh, Lord, the m'^anest of
Thy servants — a craven Emperor."

" Tli^ Emperor ! " gasped Wilhelm, the more amar.ed
because he had his Majesty in mind when he spoke so
bitterly of neglected duty, unconsciously blaming his
sovereign rather than his own rashness for the extreme
predicament in which he found himself.

Before either could again speak the door suddenly
opened wide, and a deep voice solemnly enunciated
the words :

" Wilhelm of Schonburg, pretended Commander of
his Majesty's forces, you are summoned to appear
instantly before the court of the Holy Fehm, now in
session and awaiting you."

■

CHAPTER VI

THE HOLY FEHM

When the spokesman of the Fehmgerichte had
finished his ominous summons, his attendants crowded
round Wilhelm swiftly and silently as if to forestall
any attempt at resistance either on his part or on the
part of the Emperor. They hurried their victim im-
mediately out of the cell and instantly barred the door
on the remaining prisoner. First they crossed the low-
roofed, thickly-pillared great hall, passing through a
doorway at which two armed men stood guard, masked,
as were all the others. The Judgment Hall of the
dread Fehmgerichte was a room of about ten times the
extent of the cell Wilhelm had just left, but still hardly
of a size that would justify the term large. The walls
and vaulted roof were of rough stone, and on the side
opposite the entrance had been cut deeply the large
letters S. S. G. G. A few feet distant from this lettered
wall stood a long table, and between the wall and the
table sat seven men. The Freigraf, as Wilhelm sur-
mised him to be, occupied in the centre of this line a
chair slightly more elevated than those of the three
who sat on either hand. Seven staples had been driven
into the interstices of the stones above the heads of
the Court and from each staple hung a lighted lantern,
which with those at the belts of the guard standing
round, illuminated the dismal chamber fairly well. To

the left of the Court was a block draped in black and
128

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THE HOLY FEHM

129

beside it stood the executioner with his arms resting
on the handle of his axe. In the ceiling above his
head was ar iron ring and from this ring depended a
rope, the noose of which dangled at the shoulder of
the headsman, for it was the benevolent custom of the
Court to allow its victim a choice in the manner of his
death. It \vas also a habit of the judges of this Court
to sit until the sentence they had pronounced was car-
ried out, and thus there could be no chance of mistake
or rescue. No feature of any judge was visible except
the eyes through the holes pierced for the purposes of
vision in the long black cloaks which completely en-
veloped their persons.

As Wilhelm was brought to a stand before this as-
semblage, the Freigraf nodded his head and the guards
in silence undid the thongs which pinioned together
wrists and elbows, leaving the prisoner absolutely un-
fettered. This done, the guard retreated backwards to
the opposite wall, and Wilhelm stood alone before the
seven sinister doomsmen. He expected that his ex-
amination, if the Court indulged in any such, woi M be
begun by the Freigraf, but this was not the case. The
last man to the left in the row had a small bundle of
documents on the table before him. He rose to his
feet, bowed low to his brother judges, and then with
less deference to the prisoner. He spoke in a voice
lacking any trace of loudness, but distinctly heard in
every corner of the room because of the intense still-
ness. There was a sweet persuasiveness in the accents
he used, and his sentences resembled those of a lady
anxious not to give offence to the person addressed.

" Am I right in supposing you to be Wilhelm, lately
of Schonburg, but now of Frankfort ? "

" You are right,"
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130

THE STRONG ARM

; ':

" May I ask if you are a member of the Fehmge-
richte ? "

" I am not. I never heard of it until this after-
noon."

" Who was then your informant regarding the
order ? "

" I refuse to answer."

The examiner inclined his head gracefully as if,
while regretting the decision of the witness, he never-
theless bowed to it.

'* Do you acknowledge his lordship the Archbishop
of Mayence as your over lord ? "

" Most assuredly."

" Have you ever been guilty of an act of rebellion or
insubordination against his lordship ? "

" My over-lord, the Archbishop of Mayence, has
never preferred a request to me which I have refused."

" Pardon me, I fear I have not stated my proposition
with sufficient clearness, and so you may have misun-
derstood the question. I had in my mind a specific
act, and so will enter into further detail. Is it true
that in the Wahlzimmer you entered the presence of
your over-lord with a drawn sword in your hand, com-
manding a body of armed men lately outlaws of the
Empire, thus intimidating your over-lord in the just
exercise of his privileges and rights as an Elector ? "

" My understanding of the Feudal law," said VVil-
helm, " is that the commands of an over-lord are to be
obeyed only in so far as they do not run counter to
orders from a still higher authority."

" Your exposition of the law is admirable, and its in-
terpretation stands exactly as you have stated it. Are
we to understand then that you were obeying the
orders of some person in authority who is empowered

THE HOLY FEHM

131

to exercise a jurisdiction over his lordship the Arch-
bishop, similar to that which the latter in his turn
claims over you ? "

" That is precisely what I was about to state."

" Whose wishes were you therefore carrying out ? ''

" Those of his Majesty the Emperor."

The examiner bowed with the utmost deference
when the august name was mentioned.

" I have to thank you in the name of the Court," he
went on, " for your prompt and comprehensive replies,
which have thus so speedily enabled us to come to a
just and honourable verdict, and it gives me pleasure to
inform you that the defence you have made is one that
cannot be gainsaid, and, therefore, with the exception
of one slight formality, there is nothing more for us to
do but to set you at liberty and ask pardon for the
constraint we regret having put upon you, and further
to request that you take oath that neither to wife nor
child, father nor mother, sister nor brother, fire nor
wind, will you reveal anything that has happened to
you ; that you will conceal it from all that the sun
shines on and from all that the rain wets, and from
every being between heaven and earth. And now be-
fore our doors are thus opened I have to beg that you
will favour the Court with the privilege of examining
the commission that his Majesty the Emperor has
signed."

" You cannot expect me to carry my commission
about on my person, more especially as I had no idea I
should be called upon to undergo examination upon it."

" Such an expecvation would cer^'^inly be doomed to
disappointment, but you are doubtless able to tell us
where the document lies, and I can assure you that,
wherever it is placed, an emissary of this order will

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THE STRONG ARM

speedily fetch it, whether it is concealed in palace or in
hut. Allow me to ask you then, where this commis-
sion is ?

'* I cannot tell you."

" Do you mean you cannot, or you will not ? "

" Take it whichever way you please, it is a matter of
indifference to me."

The examiner folded his arms under his black cloak
and stood for some moments in silence, looking re-
proachfully at the prisoner. At last he spoke in a
tone which seemed to indicate that he was pained at
the young man's attitude :

** I sincerely trust I am mistaken in supposing that
you refuse absolutely to assist this Court in the secur-
ing of a document which not only stands between you
and your liberty, but also between you and your
death."

" Oh, a truce to this childish and feigned regret,"
cried Wilhelm with rude impatience. " I pray you
end the farce with less of verbiage and of pretended
justice. You have his Majesty here a prisoner. You
have, through my own folly, my neck at the mercy of
your axe or your rope. There stands the executioner
eager for his gruesome work. Finish that which you
have already decided upon, and as sure as there is a
God in heaven there will be quick retribution for the
crimes committed in this loathsome dungeon."

The examiner deplored the introduction of heat into
a discussion that required the most temperate judg-
ment.

" But be assured," he said, " that the hurling of un
founded accusations against this honourable body will
not in the least prejudice their members in dealing
with your case."

THE HOLY FEHM

153

" I know it," said Wilhelm with a sneering laugh.

" We have been informed that no such commission
exists, that the document empowering you to take
instant command of the Imperial troops rests in the
hands of the wife of his Majesty the Emperor and is
unsigned."

" If you know that, then why do you ask me so
many questions about it ? "

" In the sincere hope that by the production of the
document itself, you may be able to repudiate so seri-
ous an accusation. You admit then that you have
acted without the shelter of a commission from his
Majesty?"

" I admit nothing."

The examiner looked up and down the row of silent
figures as much as to say, " I have done my best ; shall
any further questions be put?" There being no re-
sponse to this the examiner said, still without raising
his voice :

" There is a witness in this case, and I ask him to
stand forward,"

A hooded and cloaked figure approached the table.

" Are you a member of the Fehmgerichte ? "

" I am."

" In good and honourable standing ? "

•* In good and honourable standing."

" You swear by the order to which you belong that
the evidence you give shall be truth without equivoca-
tion and without mental reservation ? "

" I swear it."

" Has the prisoner a commission signed by the
Emperor empowering him to command the Imperial
troops ? "

** He has not, and never has had such a commission.

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THE STRONG ARM

A document was made out and sent three times to
his Majesty for signature ; to-day it was returned for
the third time unsigned."

" Prisoner, do you deny that statement ? "

" I neither deny nor affirm."

Wilhelm was well aware that his fate was decided
upon. Even if he had appeared before a regularly con-
stituted court of the Empire instead of at the bar of an
underground secret association, the verdict must in-
evitably have gone against him, so long as the Em-
peror's signature was not appended to the document
which would have legalised his position.

" It would appear then," went on the examiner,
" that in the action you took against your immediate
over-lord, the Archbishop of Mayence, you were un-
protected b}' the mandate of the Emperor. Freigraf
and Freischoffen have heard question and answer.
With extreme reluctance I am compelled to announce
to this honourable body, that nothing now remains
except to pronounce the verdict."

With this the examiner sat down, and for a few
moments there was silence, then the Freigraf enun-
ciated in a low voice the single word :

" Condemned."

And beginning at the right hand, each member of
the Court pronounced the word " Condemned."

Wilhelm listened eagerly to the word, expecting each
moment to hear the voice of one or other of the Arch-
bishops, but in this he was disappointed. The low
tone universally used by each speaker gave a certain
monotony of sound which made it almost impossible
to distinguish one voice from another. This evident
desire for concealment raised a suspicion in the young
man's mind that probably each member of the Court

THE HOLY FEHM

I3S

did not know who his neighbours were. When the ex-
aminer at the extreme left had uttered the word ** Con-
demned " the Freigraf again spoke :

** Is there any reason why the sentence just pro-
nounced be not immediately carried out?"

The examiner again rose to his feet and said quietly,
but with great respect :

" My Lord, I ask that this young man be not exe-
cuted immediately, but on the contrary, be taken to
his cell, there to be held during the pleasure of the
Court."

There seemed to be a murmured dissent to this, but
a whispered explanation passed along the line and the
few that had at first objected, nodded their heads in
assent.

" Our rule cannot be set aside," said the Freigraf,
" unless with unanimous consent. Does any member
demur? "

No protests being made the Freigraf ordered Wil-
hclm to be taken to a cell, which was accordingly done.

The young man left alone in the darkness felt a
pleasure in being able to stretch his arms once more,
and he paced up and down the narrow limits of his cell,
wondering what the next move would be in this mys-
terious drama. In the Judgment Chamber he had
abandoned all hope, and had determined that when
the order was given to seize him he would pluck the
dagger of the order from the inside of his doublet, and
springing over the table, kill one or more of these
illegal judges before he was overpowered. The sudden
change in tactics persuaded him that something else
was required of him rather than the death which seemed
so imminent. It was palpable that several members of
the Court at least were unacquainted with the designs

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THE STRONG ARM

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of the master mind which was paramount in his pros-
ecution. They had evinced surprise when the exam-
iner had demanded postponement of the execution.
There was something behind all this that betrayed the
crafty hand of the Archbishop of Treves. He was
not long left in doubt. The door of the cell opened
slowly and the pale rays of a lantern illuminated the
blackness which surrounded him. The young man
stopped in his walk and awaited developments. There
entered to him one of the cloak-enveloped figures, who
might, or might not, be a member of the Holy Court.
Wilhelm thought that perhaps his visitor was the ex-
aminer, but the moment the silence was brt>ken, in
spite of the fact that the speaker endeavoured to modu-
late his tones as the others had done, the young man
knew the incomer was not the person who had ques-
tioned him.

" We are somewhat loth," the intruder began, *' to
cut short the career of one so young as you arc,
and one who gives promise of becoming a notable
captain."

'* What have you seen of me," inquired Wilhelm,
" that leads you to suppose I have the qualities of a
capable oflficer in me ? "

The other did not reply for a moment or two ; then
he said slowly :

" I do not say that I have seen anything to justify
such a conclusion, but I have heard of your action in
the Wahlzimmer, and by the account given, I judge
you to be a young man of resource."

" ± am indebted to you for the good opinion you
express. It is quite in your power to set me free, and
then the qualities you are kind enough to commend,
may have an opportunity for development."

THE HOLY FEHM

137

" Alas ! " said the visitor, " it is not in my power to
release you ; that lies entirely with yourself."

"You bring comforting news. What is the price?"

" You are asked to become a member of the Fehm-
gerichte." •

" I should suppose that to be easily accomplished, as
I am now a partaker of its hospitality. What else ? "

" The remaining proviso is that you take service with
his lordship, the Archbishop of Treves, and swear
entire allegiance to him."

" I am already in the service of the Emperor."

" It has just been proven that you are not."

** How could the Archbishop expect faithful service
from me, if I prove traitor to the one I deem my
master? **

" The Archbishop will probably be content to take
the risk of that."

** Are you commissioned to speak for the Arch-
bishop?"

" I am."

" Are you one of the Archbishop's men ? "

" My disposition towards him is friendly ; I cannot
say that I am one of his men."

" Granting, then, that I took service with the Arch-
bishop to save my life, what would he expect me to
do?"

" To obey him in all things."

" Ah, be more explicit, as the examiner said. I am not
a man to enter into a bargain blindly. I must know
exactly what is required of me."

" It is probable that your first order would be to
march your army from Frankfort to Treves. Would
the men follow you, do you think ? "

" Undoubtedly. The men will follow wherever I

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THE STRONG ARM

choose to lead them. Another question. What bc-
comes.of the Emperor in case I make this bargain? "

" That question it is impossible at the present
moment, to answer. The Court of the Holy Fehm is
now awaiting rny return, and when I take my place on
the bench the Emperor will be called upon to answer
for his neglect of duty."

" Nevertheless you may hazard a guess regarding his
fate."

" I hazard this guess then, that his fate will depend
largely upon himself, just as your fate depends upon
yourself."

** I must see clearly where I am going, therefore I
request you to be more explicit. What will the Court
demand of the Emperor that he may save his life ? "

" You are questioning me touching the action of
others ; therefore, all I can do is merely to surmise. My
supposition is that if the Emperor promises to abdicate
he will be permitted to pass unscathed from the halls
of the Fehmgerichte."

"And should he refuse?"

" Sir, I am already at the end of my patience through
your numerous questions," and as the voice rose in
someth'ncT approaching anger, Wilhelm seemed to
recog*^ i ring. " I came here, not to answer your

qy J but to have you answer mine. What is your

c on ? "

" My decision is that you are a confessed traitor ; die
the death of such ! "

Wilhelm sprang forward and buried the dagger of
the Fehmgerichte into the heart of the man before
him. ' His action was so unexpected that the victim
could make no motion to defend himself. So truly
was the fierce blow dealt that the doomed man, with-

THE HOLY FEHM

»39

out a cry or even a groan, sank in his death collapse at
the young man's feet in a heap on the floor.

Wilhclm, who thought little of taking any man's life
in a fair fight, shuddered as he gazed at the helpless
bundle at his feet ; a moment before, this uncouth heap
stood erect, a man like himself, conversing with him,
then the swift blow and the resulting huddle of clay.

** Oh, God above me. Over-lord of all, I struck for my
King, yet I feel myself an assassin. If I am, indeed,
a murderer in Thy sight, wither me where I stand, and
crush me to the ground, companion to this dead body."

For a few moments Wilhelm stood rigid, his face
uplifted, listening to the pulsations in his own throat
and the strident beatings of his own heart. No bolt
from heaven came to answer his supplication. Stoop-
ing, he, with some difficulty, drew the poniard from
its resting-place. The malignant ingenuity of its con-
struction had caused its needle point to penetrate the
chain armour, while its keen double edge cut link after
link of the hard steel as it sunk into the victim's breast.
The severed ends of the links now clutched the blade
as if to prevent its removal. Not a drop of blood fol-
lowed its exit, although it had passed directly through
the citad*^ \ of life itself. Again concealing the weapon
within his doublet, a sudden realisation of the necessity
for speed overcame the assaulter. He saw before him
a means of escape. He had but to don the all-conceal-
ing cloak and walk out of this :.ubterranean charnel
house by the way he had entered it, if he could but
find the foot of the stairs, down which they had carried
him. Straightening out the body he pulled the cloak
free from it, thus exposing the face to the yellow light
of the lantern. His heart stood still as he saw that
the man he had killed was no other than that exalted

140

THE STRONG ARM

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ill

1 1

Prince of the Church, the v^cnerable Archbishop of
Treves. He drew the body to the pallet of straw in
the corner of the cell, and there, lying on its face, he
left it. A moment later he was costumed as a high
priest of the order of the I'Y'hmgerichtc. Taking the
lantern in his hand he paused before the closed door.
He could not remember whether or not he had heard
the bolts shot after the Archbishop had entered. Con-
ning rapidly in lis mind the startling change in the
situation, he stood there until he had recovered com-
mand of himself, resolved that if possible no mistake
on his part should now mar his chances of escape, and
in this there was no thought of saving his own life, but
merely a determination to get once more into the
streets of Frankfort, rally his men, penetrate into these
subterranean regions, and rescue the Emperor alive.
He pushed with all his might against the door, and to
his great relief the heavy barrier swung slowly round
on its hinges. Once outside he pushed it shut again,
and was startled by two guards springing to his assist-
ance, one of them saying :

" Shall we thrust in the bolts, my Lord ? "

** Yes," answered Wilhelm in the low tone which all,
costumed as he was, had used. He turned away but
was dismayed to find before him two brethren of the
order arrayed in like manner to himself, who had evi-
dently been waiting for him.

" What is the result of the conference ? Does he
consent ? "

Rapidly Wilhelm had to readjust events in his own
mind to meet this unexpected emergency.

" No," he replied slowly, " he does not consent, at
least, not just at the moment. He has some scruples
regarding his loyalty to the Emperor."

THE HOLY FEHM

141

" Those scruples will be speedily removed then, when
we remove his Majesty. The other members of the
Court are but now awaiting us in the Judgment Cham-
ber. Let us hasten there, and make a quick disposal
of the Emperor."

Wilhelm saw that there was no possibility of retreat.
Any attempt at flight would cause instant alarm and
the closing of the exits, then both the Emperor and
liimself would be caught like rats in a trap, yet there
was almost equal danger in entering the Council Cham-
ber. He had not the remotest idea which seat at the
table he should occupy, and he knew that a mistake in
placing himself would probably lead to discovery. He
lagged behind, but the others persistently gave him
precedence, which seemed to indicate that they knew
the real quality of the man they supposed him to be.
He surmised that his seat was probably that of the
Freigraf in the centre, but on crossing the threshold
past the saluting guards, he saw that the Freigraf
occupied the elevated seat, having at his left three
Freischoffen, while the remaining seats at his right
were unoccupied. It was a space of extreme anxiety
wnen his two companions stopped to allow him to go
first. He dared not take the risk of placing himself
wrongly at the board. There was scant time for con-
sideration, and Wilhelm speedily came to a decision.
It was merely one risk to take where several were pre-
sented, and he chose that which seemed to be the
safest. Leaning towards his companions he said
quietly :

" I beg of you, be seated. I have a few words to
address to the Holy Court."

The two inclined their heads in return, and one of
them in passing him murmured the scriptural words.

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142

THE STRONG ARM

" The first shall be last," which remark still further
assisted in reversing Wilhelm's former opinion and
convinced him that the identity of the Archbishop was
known to them. When they were seated, the chair
at the extreme right was the only one vacant-, and
W'lhelm breathed easier, having nothing further to
fear from that source, if he could but come forth
scatheless from his speech.

" I have to acquaint the Court of the Holy Fehm,"
he said, speaking audibly, but no more, " that my mis-
sion to the cell of the prisoner who has just left us,
resulted partly in failure and partly in success. The
young man has some hesita lon in placing himself in
open opposition to the Emperor. I therefore suggest
that we go on with our deliberations, leaving the final
decision of his case until a later period."

To this the Court unanimously murmured the word :
" Agreed," and Wilhelm took his place at the table.

"Bring in prisoner No. 13," said the Freigraf, and
a few moments later the Emperor of Germany stood
before the table.

He regarded the dread tribunal with a glance of
haughty scorn while countenance and demeanour ex-
hibited a dignity which Wilhelm had fancied was lack-
ing during their interview in the cell.

The examiner rose to his feet and in the same suave
tones he had used in questioning Wilhelm, propounded
the usual formal interrogatory regarding name and
quality. When he was asked :

"Are you a member of the Holy Order of the Fehm-
gerichte ? " the Emperor's reply seemed to cause some
consternation among the judges.

" I am not only a member of the Fehmgerichte, but
by its constitution^ I am the head of it, and I warn

P
o

sti

THE HOLY FEHM

you that any action taken by this Court without my
sanction, is, by the statutes of the order, illegal."

The examiner paused in his questioning apparently
taken aback by this assertion, and looked towards the
Freigraf as if awaiting a decision before proceeding
further.

" We acknowledge freely," said the Freigraf, " that
you are the figure-head of the order, and that in all
matters pertaining to a change of constitution your
consent would probably be necessary, but stretching
your authority to its utmost limit, it does not reach to
the Courts of the Holy Fehm, which have before now
sat in judgment on che highest in the land. For more
than a century the position of the Emperor as head of
the Fehmgerichte has been purely nominal, and I
know of no precedent where the ruler of the land has
interfered with the proceedings of the secret Court.
\Vc avow allegiance to the actual head of the order,
who is the Duke of Westphalia."

" Is the Duke of Westphalia here present ? "

" That is a question improper for you to ask."

" If the Duke of Westphalia is one of the members
of this Court, I command him by the oa'tii which he
took at his installation, to descend from his place and
render his seat to me, the head of this order."

" The nominal head," corrected the Freigraf.

" The actual head," persisted the prisoner. ** The
position remained nominal only because the various
occupants did not choose to exercise the authority
vested in them. It is my pleasure to resume the func-
tion which has too long remained in abeyance, thus al-
lowing inferior officers to pretend to a power which is
practical usurpation, and which, according to the con-
stitution of our order, is not to be tolerated. Disobey

'11

11
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144

THE STRONG ARM

i j

at your peril. I ask the Archbishop of Cologne, Duke
of Westphalia, as the one, high vassal of the Empire,
as the other, my subordinate in the Fehmgerichte, to
stand forth and salute his chief."

Wilhelm's heart beat rapidly underneath his black
cloak as he saw this spectacle of helpless prisoner defy-
ing a power, which, in its sphere of action, was almost
omnipotent. It was manifest that the Emperor's
trenchant sentences had disturbed more than one mem-
ber of the convention, and even the Frcigraf glanced in
perplexity towards the supposed Archbishop of Treves
as if for a hint anent the ansvv^er that should be given.
As if in response to the silent appeal, Wilhelm rose
slowly to his feet, while the examiner seated himself.

" It is my privilege," he began, ** on behalf of my
fellow members, to inform the prisoner that the Court
of the Holy Fchm has ever based its action on the
broad principles of eternal justice."

A sarcastic smile wreathed the lips of the Emperor
at this. Wilhelm went on unheeding.

" A point of law has been raised by the prisoner,
which, I think, at least merits our earnest considera-
tion, having regard for the future welfare of this organ-
isation, and being anxious not to allow any precedent
to creep in, which may work to the disadvantage of
those who follow us. In order that our deliberations
may have that calm impartiality which has ever dis-
tinguished them, I ask unanimous consent to my sug-
gestion that the prisoner be taken back to his cell until
we come to a decision regarding the matter in dispute."

This proposition being agreed to without a dissent-
ing voice, the pr >ner was removed from the room- and
the eyes of all l;be judges were turned towards Wil-
helm, The Freigraf was the first to break the silence,

THE HOLY FEHM

t4$

" Although I have agreed to the removal of the pris-
oner," he saic', "yf^t I see not the use of wasting so
many words on him. While there is undoubted wisdom
in winning to our side the man who controls the army,
there seems to me little to gain in prolonging discussion
with the Emperor, who is a nonentity at best, and has
no following. The path to the throne must be cleared,
and there is but one way of doing it."

** Two, I think," murmured Wilhelm.

" What other than by this prisoner's death ? "

•* His abdication would suflfice."

" But, as you know, he has already refused to abdi-
cate."

" Ah, that was before he saw the executioner stand-
ing here. I thin' , he is now in a condition to recon-
sider his determination. Thus we will avoid discussion
of the knotty points which he raised, and which I, for
one, would prefer to see remain where they are. The
moment he consents to abdicate, the commander of the
forces is willing to swear allegiance to us. It must not
be forgotten that even if we execute these two men we
have still the troops who hold the city of Frankfort to
reckon with, and although their leader may have dis'
appeared, the young man has some sturdy lieutenants
who will give us trouble."

** What do you propose? " asked the Freigraf.

" If the colleague at my left will accompany me, wc
will visit the prisoner and may have some proposals to
submit to you on our return."

This being acceded to, the two left the Judg-
ment Cham.ber and proceeded slowly to the cell of
No. 13. On the way thither Wilhelm said to his com-
panion :

" As the prisoner may be on his guard if we enter
10

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146

THE STRONG ARM

together, I prefer to sound him first alone, and at the
proper moment, if you stay outside the door of the
cell, I shall summon you to enter."

This meeting the sanction of Wilhelm's companion,
the young man entered the cell alone, carefully closing
the door behind him.

" Your Majesty," he whispered, " the situation is ex-
tremely critical, and I entreat you to maintain silence
while I make explanation to you. I am Wilhelm, the
loyal commander of the Imperial forces, your Majesty's
most devoted servant."

** Are you then," said the amazed monarch, " also a
member of the Fehmgerichte? I thought you came
here as a prisoner, and, like myself, a victim."

Wilhelm drew off over his head the cloak which en-
veloped him, leaving his limbs free, standing thus in
his own proper person before the Kmperor.

" I was, indeed, a prisoner, and was visited in my
cell by the Archbishop of Treves. It was in his robe
that I emerged from my cell undetected, hoping to
escape and bring rescue to your Majesty, but other
brethren were awaiting me outside, and I found myself
compelled to sit in the Court before which you made
such an able defence."

" It was you, then, who proposed that I should be
taken back to my cell ?"

"Yes, your Majesty. And now a colleague remains
outside this door, who waits, expecting a summons to
enter, but first I came to give warning to your Majesty
that you may make no outcry, if you should see what
appears to be two brothers of the order struggling
together."

" I shall keep strict silence. Is the Archbishop of
Treves then a prisoner in your cell?"

th(

the

T^^E, HOLV PEHM

. "VoVVo;rC'/t"fr"-•'•
^<= -""^t be in haste, th<^, £V^l "T^" '"'"'^''■
'-•■ascs hiniself from hi bonds h ' '^"'''^' i' '<=■

"P-r i„ hi. een that s^-tn ,"7 ''™'"" ■^-'' -

f'x-- bonds /n which I 1"^ h T"'""'''

T'-cyc-s will hold hin, firm unti w ' '^''^'''''•^''"P of

°' vipers. And now, y^ur m1 . '''' ""'''"^'^ ""■^ "»t

°" this cloak which havel'^^^' ' '"'^ '"'" '° P"t

'«ve mc free .speedily to overn ''''^""^- "'"•^'> -'"

The Emperor arnv.H Z^T"' °"' ^''^'t"'--"
f""y entitled .0 r^ IJr"" ''"" ^'"^-d, a.s he was
Fchmjjerichte. VVilhelm . '°"!"""<-''' -"^'-"ber of the
softly: '^'"'"'"' °P'--"-d tl.c- door and sailj

" Enter, brother tlv.f t
""^"ts just made ar^ oi fi rn '";T ■'''"' '" "•^- ''^""Sc

Tbe light within hul h ' , '^' ^""'' '^'■'^'''""•-
°f ti.o cell, and tl e vi Ir "'T ^' "'^- ^'"•"'- -d
'""'"'•"""•<'". The ml T:" ''"'"-■"' ^'^'^ but .scant

If 'be a.ssaulted man attemp d , ? '" ""•' ^'™""d.
was muffled by the fokis T ,• ' '"'''''-' ^"^ »0""d, it

;'t-. bowever'vVilSn ::^, 'rr '^'"'>'- ^ "'°--t

liroat, and holdin,. him th, ' n'", ^"■''' °" '"'^ bare

from him, revealing tlenalT'f ''""''' "^^^^ '"^ '".sguisc

Mayonce. The y^u rr;^.!^ f'? "' ""^ Archbishop of

''■-■"■sideof hisdo bt": /'r 1 •"•^ '^'^'^'- f^""
the prostrate man. '' ^^'"""^ " "t the breast of

of the Fehmgericht' a y;:: t"" •'' ■'^ "><-• "'- -n
chain armour." ^°" '^"°"' 't will penetrate

" ""'' ''"'"' '^- '^^ -cken Archbishop was

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148

THE STRONG ARM

t[ I I

much too frightened to do anything to help himself,
and Wilhelm unbuckling his own empty sword-belt,
proceeded to tie his trembling limbs. The Emperor
whispered :

" The cords which bound me are still here, as well as
the gag which silenced me."

Wilhelm put those instruments of tyranny to imme-
diate use, and shortly the Archbishop was a helpless
silent heap in the further corner of the room. Wilhelm
and the Emperor each with a lantern, and each indi:)
tinguishable from other members of the secret organisa-
tion, pushed open the door and emerged from the cell.
Closing the door again, Wilhelm said to the guard :

" Bolt this portal firmly and allow no one to enter
who does not give you this password."

The young man stooped and whispered into the ear
of the guard the word " Elsa," The two fugitives then
walked slowly along the great hall, the young man
peering anxiously to his right for any sign of the stair-
way by which he had descended. They passed nu-
merous doors, all closed, and at last Wilhelm began to
wonder if one of these covered the exit which he
sought. Finally they came to the end of the large
hall without seeing trace of any outlet, and Wilhelm
became conscious of the fact that getting free from this
labyrinth was like to prove more difficult than the en-
tering had been. Standing puzzled, not knowing where
next to turn, aware that precious time was being wasted
fruitlessly, Wilhelm saw a man masked and accoutred
as a guard approach them.

" Is there anything in which I can pleasure your
Lordships ? " he asked deferentially.

"Yes," said Wilhelm, "we d'isire to have a breath
of fresh air ; where is the exit ? "

THE HOLY FEHM

149

" If your Lordship has the password, you may go
out by the entrance in the city. If you have not the
word, then must you use the exit without the wall,
which is a long walk from here."

** That does not matter," replied Wilhelm, *' it is the
country air we wish to breathe."

" I cannot leave my post, but I shall get one who
will guide you."

So saying, the man left them for several anxious
minutes, going into a room that apparently was used
as guard-house, and reappearing with a man who
rubbed his eyes sleepily, as if newly awakened. Then
the first guard drew bolts from a stout door and pulled
it open, revealing a dark chasm like the entrance to a
cell. Both Wilhelm and the Emperor viewed this
black enigma with deep suspicion, but their guide
with his lantern plunged into it and they followed,
after which the door was closed and barred behind
them.

It was, indeed, as the first man had said, a long walk,
as Wilhelm knew it must be if it extended under the
western gate and out into the country. The passage
was so narrow that two could not walk abreast, and
frequently the arched ceiling was so low that the guide
ahead warned them to stoop as they came on. At last
he reached the foot of a stairway, and was about to
mount when Wilhelm said to him :

" Stand here till we return. Allow no one to pass
who does not give you this word," and again he whis-
pered the word " Elsa " in the man's ear.

To the dismay of Wilhelm, the Emperor addressed
the guard :

" Are there many prisoners within ? "

'* There are two only," replied the man, " numbers

ISO

THE STRONG ARM

13 and 14. I helped to carry No. 14 down the stair,
and am glad his sword broke beneath him as he fell,
for, indeed, we had trouble enough with him as it was."

Here Wilhelm took the liberty of touching the Em-
peror on the arm as if to warn him that such discourse
was untimely and dangerous. With beating heart the
young man led the way up the stairs, and at the top
of the second flight, came into what seemed to be the
vestibule of a house, in which, on benches round the
wall, there sat four men seemingly on guard, who
immediately sprang to their feet when they saw the
ghostly apparitions before them.

** Unbar the door," said Wilhelm, quietly, in the
tone of one whose authority is not to be disputed.
" Close it after us and allow none to enter or emerge
who does not give you tl e word " Elsa."

This command was so promptly obeyed that Wilhelm
could scarcely believe they had won so easily to the
outer air. The house stood alone on the bank of the
river at the end of a long garden which extended to
the road. Facing the thoroughfare and partly conceal-
ing the house from any chance straggler was a low
building which Wilhelm remembered was used as a
wayside drinking-place, in which wine, mostly of a
poor quality, was served to thirsty travellers. The gate
to the street appeared deserted, but as the two ap-
proached by the walk leading from the house, a guard
stood out from the shadow of the wall, scrutinised for
a moment their appearance, then saluting, held the gate
open for them.

Once on the road, the two turned towards the city,
whose black wall barred their way some distance ahead,
and whose towers and spires stood out dimly against
the starlit sky. A great silence, broken only by the

THE HOLY FEHM

151

soothing murmur of the river, hiy on the landscape.
Wilhchii cast a glance aloft at the star-sprinkled dome
of heaven, and said :

** I judge it to be about an hour after midnight."

" It may be so," answered the Emperor, " I have
lo t all count of time."

** Has your Majesty been long in prison ? "

" That I do not know. I may have lain there two
days or a dozen. I had no means of measuring the
length of my imprisonment."

" May I ask your Majesty in what manner you were
lured into the halls of the Fehmgerichte ? "

" It was no lure. While I lay asleep at night in the
cloisters by the Cathedral I was bound and gagged,
carried through the dark streets helpless on a litter
and finally flung into the cell in which you found me."

" May I further inquire what your Majesty's inten-
tions are regarding the fulfilment of the duties imposed
upon you by your high office ? "

There was a long pause before the Emperor replied,
then he said :

" Why do you ask ? "

** Because, your Majesty, I have on several occasions
imperilled my life for an Emperor who does not rule,
who has refused even to sign rrty commission as officer
of his troops."

" Your commission was never sent to me."

" I beg your Majesty's pardon, but it was sent three
times to you in the cloisters of the Cathedral, and re-
turned three times unsigneH."

" Then it is as I suspected," returned the Emperor,
" the monks must have connived at my capture. I
have pleasure in confirming your appointment. I am
sure th»t the command gould not be in inore capable

lilt

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152

THE STRONG ARM

hands. And in further reply to your question, if God
permits me to sec the h'ght of day, I shall be an em-
peror who rules."

" It delights my heart to hear you say so. And now
I ask, as a favour, that you allow me to deal untram-
melled with the Fehmgerichte."

" I grant that most willingly."

By this time they were almost under the shadow of
the great wall of the city, and VVilhelm, stopping, said
to the Emperor :

*' I think it well that we now divest ourselves of these
disguises."

They had scarcely thrown their cloaks behind the
bushes at the side of the road when they were accosted
by the guard at the top of the wall.

" Halt ! Who approaches the gate ? "

Wilhelm strode forward.

" Is Gottlieb at the guard-house or at the barracks?"
he asked.

" He is at the guard-house," replied the sentinel,
recognising the questioner.

" Then arouse him immediately, and open the gates."

" Gottlieb," said Wilhelm, when once within the
walls, " take a score of men with you and surround the
first house on the margin of the river up this street. I
shall accompany you so that there may be no mistake.
Send another score under a trusty leader to the house
which stands alone outside of the gates also on the
margin of the stream. Give orders that the men are
to seize any person who attempts to enter or to come
out ; kill if necessary, but let none escape you. Let a
dozen men escort me to the Palace."

Having seen the Emperor safely housed in the
palace, Wilbclm returned quickly to the place where

THE HOLY KEIIM

153

Gottlieb and his score held guard over the town en-
trance of the cellars he had quitted.

" Gottlieb, are you fully awake?" asked Wilhelm.

" Oh, yes, mastei ; awake and ready for any emer-
gency."

" Then send for some of your most stalwart sappers
with tools to break through a stone wall, and tell them
to bring a piece of timber to batter in this door."

When the men arrived three blows from the oaken
log sent the door shattering from its hinges. Wilhelm
sprang at once over the prostrate portal, but not in
time to prevent the flight of the guard down the stair-
way. Calling the sappers to the first landing, and
pointing to the stone wall on the right. :

" Break through that for me," he cried.

" Master," expostulated Gottlieb, " if you break
through that wall I warn you that the river will flow
in."

" Such is my intention, Gottlieb, and a gold piece to
each man who works as he has never wrought before."

For a few moments there was nothing heard but the
steady ring of iron on stone as one by one the squares
were extracted, the water beginning to ooze in as the
energetic sappers reached the outer course. At last
the remaining stones gave way, carried in with a rush
by the torrent.

" Save yourselves ! " cried Wilhelm, standing knee
deep in the flood and not stepping out until each man
had passed him. There was a straining crash of rend-
ing timber, and Gottlieb, dashing down, seized his
master by the arm, crying :

" My Lord, my Lord, the house is about to fall ! "

With slight loss of time commander and lieutenant
stood together in the street and found that the latter's

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154

THE STRONG ARM

panic was unwarranted, for the house, although it
trembled dangerously and leaned perceptibly toward
the river, was stoutly built of hewn stone. Grey day-
light now began to spread over the city, but still
Wilhelm stood there listening to the inrush of the
water.

" By the great wine tub of Hundsriick ! " exclaimed
Gottlieb in amazement, *' that cellar is a large one. It
seems to thirst for the whole flood of the Main."

** Send a messenger," cried Wilhelm, *' to the house
you are guarding outside the gates and discover for me
whether your men have captured any prisoners."

It was broad daylight when the messenger returned,
and the torrent down the stair had become a rippling
surface of water at the level of the river, showing that
all the cavern beneath was flooded.

" Well, messenger, what is your report ? " demanded
his commander.

** My Lord, the officer in charge says that a short iime
ago the door of the house was blown open as if by a
strong wind ; four men rushed out and another was
captured in the garden ; all were pinioned and gagged,
as you commanded."

" Are the prisoners men of quality or common sol-
diers ? "

** Common soldiers, my Lord."

" Very well ; let them be taken to the prison. I will
visit them later in the day."

As Wilhelm, thoroughly fatigued after a night so
exciting, walked the streets of Frankfort toward his
home the bells of the city suddenly began to ring a
merry peal, and, as if Frankfort had become awakened
by the musical clangor, windows v/ere raised and doors
opened, while citizens incjuired of each other the mean-

THE HOLY FEHM

155

ing of the clangor, a question which no one seemed
prepared to answer.

Reaching his own house, Wilhelm found Elsa await-
ing him with less of anxiety on her face than he had
expected.

" Oh, Wilhelm ! " she cried, " what a fright you gave
me, and not until I knew where you were, did any
peace come to my h :^rt."

"You knew where i was?" said Wilhelm in amaze-
ment. " Where was I, then ? "

" You were with the F.mperor, of course. That is
why the bells arc ringing ; the Emperor has returned, as
you know, and is resolved to take his proper place at
the head of the state, much to the delight of the Em-
press, I can assure you. But what an anxious time we
spent until shortly after midnight, when the Emperor
arrived and told us you had been with him."

" How came you to be at the Palace ? "

" It happened in this way. You had hardly left the
court last night when his lordship the Archbishop of
Cologne came and seemed anxious about the welfare of
the Emperor."

" The Archbishop of Cologne ! Is he still there or
did he go elsewhere ? "

'* He is still there, and was there when the Emperor
came in. Why do you ask so eagerly ? Is there any-
thing wrong ? "

" Not so far as the Archbishop is concerned, ap-
parently. He has kept his word and so there is one
less high office vacant. Well, what did the Archbishop
say ? "

" He wished . j see you, and so the Empress sent
for you, but search as we would, you were nowhere to
be found. On hearing this I becanie alarmed find

156

THE STRONG ARM

went at once to the Palace. The Archbishop seemed
in deep trouble, but he refused to tell the Empress the
cause of it, and so increased our anxiety. However,
all was right when the Emperor came, and now they
are ringing the bells, for he is to appear before the
people on the balcony of the Romer, as if he were
newly crowned. We must make haste if we are to
see him."

Wilhelm escorted his wife to the square before the
Romer, but so dense was the cheering crowd that it
was impossible for him to force a way through. They
were in time to see the Emperor appear on the balcony,
and Wilhelm, raising his sword aloft, shouted louder
than any in that throng, Elsa herself waving a scarf
above her head in the enthusiasm of the momei.t.

THE COUNT'S APOLOGY

The fifteen nobles, who formed the Council of State
for the Moselle Valley, stood in little groups in the
Rittersaal of Winneburg's Castle, situated on a hill-top
in the Ender Valley, a league or so from the waters of
the Moselle. The nobles spoke in low tones together,
for a greater than they were present, no other than
their over-lord, the Archbishop of Treves, who, in his
stately robes of office, paced up and down the long
room, glancing now and then through the narrow win-
dows which gave a view down the Ender Valley.

There was a trace of impatience in his Lordship's
bearing, and well there might be, for here was the
Council of State in assemblage, yet their chairman
was absent, and the nobles stood there helplessly, like
a flock of sheep whose shepherd is missing. The chair-
man was the Count of Winneburg, in whose castle they
were now collected, and his lack of punctuality was
thus a double discourtesy, for he was host as well as
president.

Each in turn had tried to soothe the anger of the
Archbishop, for all liked the Count of Winneburg, a
bluff and generous-hearted giant, who would stand by
his friends against all comers, was the quarrel his own
or no. In truth little cared the stalwart Count of
Winneburg whose quarr . it was so long as his arm got
opportunity of wielding a blow in it. His Lordship of

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THE STRONG ARM

Treves had not taken this championship of the absent
man with good grace, and now strode apart from the
group, holding himself haughtily ; muttering, perhaps
prayers, perhaps something else.

When one by one the nobles had arrived at Winne-
burg's Castle, they v^'ere informed that its master had
gone hunting that morning, saying he would return in
time for the mid-day meal, but nothing had been heard
of him since, although mounted messengers had been
sent forth, and the great bell in the southern tower had
been set ringing when the Archbishop arrived. It was
the general opinion that Count Winncburg, becoming
interested in the chase, had forgotten all about the
Council, for it was well known that the Count's body
was better suited for athletic sports or warfare than
was his mind for the consideration of questions of
State, and the nobles, themselves of similar calibre,
probably liked him none the less on that account.

Presently the Archbishop stopped in his walk and
faced the assemblai;e. *' My Lords," he said, ** we have
already waited longer than the utmost stretch of cour-
tesy demands. The esteem in which Count Winnc-
burg holds our deliberations is indicated by his inex-
cusable neglect of a duty conferred upon him by you,
and voluntarily accepted by him. I shall therefore
take my place in his chair, and I call upon you to seat
yourselves at the Council table."

Saying which the Archbishop strode to the vacant
chair, and seated himself in it at the head of the board.
The nobles looked one at the other with some dismay,
for it was never their intention that the Archbishop
should preside over their meeting, the object of which
was rather to curb tliat high prelate's ambition, than to
confirm still further the power he already held over them.

THE COUNT'S APOLOGY

159

When, a year before, these Council. > of State had been
inaugurated, the Archbishop had opposed them, but,
finding that the Emperor was inclined to defer to the
wishes of his nobles, the Lord of Treves had insisted
upon his right to be present during the deliberations,
and this right the Emperor had conceded. He further
proposed that the meeting should be held at his own
castle of Cochem, as being conveniently situated mid-
way between Coblcntz and Treves, but to this the
nobles had, with fervent unanimity, objected. Cochem
Castle, they remembered, possessed strong walls and
deep dungeons, and they had no desire to trust them-
selves within the lion's jaws, having little faith in his
Lordship's benevolent intentions towards them.

The Emperor seemed favourable to the selection of
Cochem as a convenient place of meeting, and the
nobles were nonplussed, because they could not give
their real reason for wishing to avoid it, and the Arch-
bishop continued to press the claims of Cochem as
being of equal advantage to all.

" It is not as though I asked them to come to
Treves," said the Archbishop, " for that would entail a
long journey upon those living near the R'line, and in
going to Cochem I shall myself be called upon to
travel as far as those who come from Coblentz."

The Emperor said :

" It S'^'^ms a most reasonable selection, and, unless
some strong objection be urged, I shall confirm the
choice of Cochem."

The nobles were all struck with apprehension at
these words, and knew not what to say, when suddenly,
to their great delight, up spoke the stalwart Count of
Winneburg.

" Vour Majesty," he said, *' my Castle stands but a

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THE STRONG ARM

short league from Cochcm, and has a Rittcrsaal as
largo as that in the pinnacled palace owned by the
Archbishop. It is equally convenient for all concerned,
and every gentleman is right welcome to its hospitality,
My cellars are well filled with good wine, and my
larders are stocked with an abundance of food. All that
can be urged in favour of Cochem applies with equal truth
to the Schloss Winneburg. If, therefore, the members
of the Council will accept of my roof, it is theirs."

The nobles with universal enthusiasm cried :

" Yes, yes ; Winneburg is the spot."

The Emperor smiled, for he well knew that his
Lordship of Treves was somewhat miserly in the dis-
pensing of his hospitality. He preferred to see his
guests drink the wine of a poor vintage rather than tap
the cask which contained the yield of a good year.
His Majesty smiled, because he imagined his nobles
thought of the replenishing of their stomachs, whereas
they were concerned for the safety of their necks ; but
seeing them unanimous in their choice, he nominated
Schloss Winneburg as the place of meeting, and so it
remained.

When, therefore, the Archbishop of Treves set himself
down in the ample chair, to which those present had,
without a dissenting vote, elected Count Winneburg,
distrust at once took hcild of them, for they were ever
jealous of the encroachments of their over-lord. The
Archbishop glared angrily around him, but no man
moved from where he stood.

" I ask you to be seated. The Council is called to
order."

Baron Beilstein cleared his throat and spoke, seem-
ingly with some hesitation, but nevertheless wl...i a
touch of obstinacy in his voice :

THE COUNT'S APOLOGY

i6i

" May we beg a little more time for Count Winne-
burg? He has doubtless gone farther afield than he
intended when he set out. I myself know something of
the fascination of the chase, and can easily understand
that it wipes out all remembrance of lesser things."

*' Call you this Council a lesser thing ? " demanded
the Archbishop. ** We have waited an hour already,
and I .^hall not give the laggard a moment more."

" Indeed, my Lord, then I am sorry to hear it. I
would not willingly be the man who sits in Winne-
burg's chair, should he come suddenly upon us."

** Is that a threat ?" asked the Archbishop, frowning.

" It is not a threat, but rather a warning. I am a
neighbour of the Count, and know him well, and what-
ever his virtues may be, calm patience is not one of
them. If time hangs heavily, may I venture to suggest
that your Lordship remove the prohibition you pro-
claimed when the Count's servants offered us wine,
and allow me to act temporarily as host, ordering the
flagons to be filled, which I think will please Winne-
burg better when he comes, than finding another in his
chair."

"This is no drunken revel, but a Council of State,"
said the Archbishop sternly ; " and I drink no wine
when the host is not here to proffer it."

" Indeed, my Lord," said Beilstein, with a shrug of
the shoulders, ** some of us are so thirsty that we care
not who makes the offer, so long as the wine be
sound."

What reply the Archbishop would have made can
only be conjectured, for at that moment the door burst
open and in came Count Winncburg, a head and
shoulders above any man in that room, and huge in
proportion,
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1 62

THE STRONG ARM

" My Lords, my Lords," he cried, his loud voice
booming to the rafters, " how can I ask you to excuse
such a breach of hospitaUty. What ! Not a single
riagon of wine in the room ? This makes my deep
refjret almost unbearable. Surely, Beilstein, you might
have amended that, if only for the sake of an old and
constant comrade. Truth, gentlemen, until I heard
the bell of the castle toll, I had no thought that this
was the day of our meeting, and then, to my despair,
I found myself an hour away, and have ridden hard
to be among you."

Then, noticing there was something ominous in tl^e
air, and an unaccustomed silence to greet his words, he
looked from one to the other, and his eye, travelling up
the table, finally rested upon the Archbishop in his
chair. Count Winneburg drew himself up, his ruddy
face colouring like fire. Then, before any person could
reach out hand to check him, or move lip in counsel, the
Count, with a fierce oath, strode to the usurper, grasped
him by the shoulders, whirled his heels high above his
head, and flung him like a sack of corn to the smooth
floor, where the unfortunate Archbishop, huddled in a
helpless heap, slid along the polished surface as if he
were on ice. The fifteen nobles stood stock-still, ap-
palled at this unexpected outrage upon their over-lord.
Winneburg seated himself in the chair with an emphasis
that made even the solid table rattle, and bringing
down his huge fist crashing on the board before him,
shouted :

" Let no man occupy my chair, unless he has weight
enough to remain there."

Baron Beilstein, and one or two others, hurried to
the prostrate Archbishop and assisted him to his feet.

"Count Winnebuig," said Beilstein, "you can ex-

THE COUNTS APOLOGY

163

pect no sympathy from us for such an act of violence
in your own hall."

" I want none of your sympathy," roared the angry
Count. " Bestow it on the man now in your hands
who needs it. If you want the Archbishop of Treves
to act as your chairman, elect him to that position and
welcome. I shall have no usurpation in my Castle.
While I am president I sit in the chair, and none
other."

There was a murmur of approval at this, for one and
all were deeply suspicious of the Archbishop's continued
encroachments.

His Lordship of Treves once more on his feet, his
lips pallid, and his face colourless, looked with undis-
guised hatred at his assailant. " Winneburg," he said
slowly, " you shall apologise abjectly for this insult,
and that in presence of the nobles of this Empire, or I
will see to it that not one stone of this castle remains
upon another."

" Indeed," said the Count nonchalantly, " I shall
apologise to you, my Lord, when you have apologised
to me for taking my place. As to the castle, it is said
that the devil assisted in the building of it, and it is
quite likely that through friendship for you, he may
preside over its destruction."

The Archbishop made no reply, but, bowing haugh-
tily to the rest of the company, who looked glum enough,
well knowing that the episode they had witnessed
meant, in all probability, red war let loose down the
smiling valley of the Moselle, left the Rittersaal.

" Now that the Council is duly convened in regular
order," said Count Winneburg, when the others had
seated themselves round his table, " what questions of
state come up for discussion ? "

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THE STRONG ARM

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For a moment there was no answer to this query, the
delegates looking at one another speechless. But at
last Baron Bcilstein shrugging his shoulder, said drily :

" Indeed, my Lord Count, I think the time for talk
is past, and I suggest that we all look closely to the
strengthening of our walls, which are likely to be tested
before long by the Lion of Treves. It was perhaps
unwise, Winneburg, to have used the Archbishop so
roughly, he being unaccustomed to athletic exercise ;
but, let the consequences be what they may, I, for one,
will stand by you/'

"And I; and I; and I; and I," cried the others,
with the exception of the Knight of Ehrenburg, who,
living as he did near the town of Coblentz, was learned
in the law, and not so ready as some of his comrades
to speak first and think afterwards.

" My good friends," cried their presiding officer,
deeply moved by this token of their fealty, '* what I
have done I have done, be it wise or the reverse, and
the results must fall on my head alone. No words of
mine can remove the dust of the floor from the Arch-
bishop's cloak, so if he comes, let him come. I will
give him as hearty a welcome as it is in my power to
render. All I ask is fair play, and those who stand
aside shall see a good fight. It is not right that a hasty
act of mine should embroil the peaceful country side,
so if Treves comes on I shall meet him alone here in
my castle. But, nevertheless, I thank you all for your
offers of help ; that is all, except the Knight of Ehren-
burg, whose tender of assistance, if made, has escaped
my ear."

The Knight of Ehrenburg had, up to that moment,
been studying the texture of the oaken table on which
his flagon sat. Now he looked up and spoke slowly.

The COUNT'S apologv

165

" I made no proffer of help," he said, " because none
will be needed, I believe, so far as the Archbishop of
Treves is concerned. The Count a moment ago said
that all he wanted was fair play, but that is just what
he has no right to expect from his present antagonist.
The Archbishop will make no attempt on this castle ;
he will act much more subtly than t.iat. The Arch-
bishop will lay the redress of his quarrel upon the
shoulders of the Emperor, and it is the oncoming of
the Imperial troops you have to fear, and not an inva-
sion from Treves. Against the forces of the Emperor
we are powerless, united or divided. Indeed, his Maj-
esty may call upon us to invest this castle, whereupon,
if we refuse, we are rebels who have broken our oaths."

'* What then is there left for me to do ? " asked the
Count, dismayed at the coil in which he had involved
himself.

" Nothing," advised the Knight of Ehrenburg, " ex-
cept to apologise abjectly to the Archbishop, and that
not too soon, for his Lordship may refuse to accept it.
But when he formally demands it, I should render it to
him on his own terms, and think myself well out of an
awkward position."

The Count of Winneburg rose from his seat, and
lifting his clinched fist high above his head, shook it
at the timbers of the roof.

" That," he cried, " will I never do, while one stone
of Winneburg stands upon another."

At this, those present, always with the exception of
the Knight of Ehrenburg, sprang to their feet, shout-
ing:

" Imperial troops or no, we stand by the Count of
Winneburg ! "

Some one flashed forth a sword, and instantly a glitter

i66

THE STRONG ARM

of blades was in the air, while cheer after cheer rang to
the rafters. When the uproar had somewhat subsided,
the Knight of Ehrenburg said calmly:

" My castle stands nearest to the capital, and will be
the first to fall, but, nevertheless, hoping to do my
shouting when the war is ended, I join my forces with
those of the rest of you."

And amidst this unanimity, and much emptying of
flagons, the assemblage dissolved, each man with his
escort taking his way to his own stronghold, perhaps
to con more soberly, next day, the problem that con-
fronted him. They were fighters all, and would not
flinch when the pinch came, whatever the outcome.

Day followed day with no sign from Treves. Winne-
burg employed the time in setting his house in order
to be ready for whatever chanced, and just as the Count
was beginning to congratulate himself that his deed
was to be without consequences, there rode up to his
castle gates a horseman, accompanied by two lancers,
and on the newcomer's breast were emblazoned the
Imperial arms. Giving voice to his horn, the gates
were at once thrown open to him, and, entering, he
demanded instant speech with the Count.

" My Lord, Count Winneburg," he said, when that
giant had presented himself, " His Majesty the Em-
peror commands me to summon you to the court at
Frankfort."

** Do you take me as prisoner, then ? " asked the
Count.

" Nothing was said to me of arrest. I was merely
commissioned to deliver to you the message of the
Emperor."

" What are your orders if I refuse to go ? "

A hundred armed men stood behind the Count, a

THE COUNT'S APOLOGY

167

thousand more were within call of the castle bell ; two
lances only were at the back of the messenger ; but the
strength of the broadcast empire was betokened by
the symbol on his breast.

" My orders are to take back your answer to his Im-
perial Majesty," replied the messenger calmly.

The Count, though hot-headed, was no fool, and he
stood for a moment pondering on the words which the
Knight of Ehrenburg had spoken on taking his leave :

" Let not the crafty Archbishop embroil you with
the Emperor."

This warning had been the cautious warrior's parting
advice to him.

" If you will honour my humble roof," said the Count
slowly, " by taking refreshment beneath it, I shall be
glad of your company afterwards to Frankfort, in obe-
dience to his Majesty's commands."

The messenger bowed low, accepted the hospitality,
and together they made way across the Moselle, and
along the Roman road to the capital.

Within the walls of Frankfort the Count was lodged
in rooms near the palace, to which his conductor guided
him, and, although it was still held that he was not a
prisoner, an armed man paced to and fro before his
door all night. The day following his arrival. Count
Winneburg was summoned to the Court, and in a large
ante-room found himself one of a numerous throng,
conspicuous among them all by reason of his great
height and bulk.

The huge hall was hung with tapestry, and at the
further end were heavy curtains, at each edge of which
stood half-a-dozen armoured men, the detachments
being under command of two gaily-uniformed officers.
Occasionally the curtains were parted by menials who

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THE STRONG ARM

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stood there to perform that duty, and high nobles
entered, or came out, singly and in groups. Down the
sides of the hall were packed some hundreds of people,
chattering together for the most part, and gazing at
those who passed up and down the open space in the
centre.

The Count surmised that the Emperor held his
Court in whatever apartment was behind the crimson
curtains. He felt the eyes of the multitude upon him,
and shifted uneasily from one foot to another, cursing
his ungainliness, ashamed of the tingling of the blood
in his cheeks. He was out of place in this laughing,
talking crowd, experiencing the sensations of an uncouth
rustic suddenly thrust into the turmoil of a metropolis,
resenting bitterly the supposed sneers that were flung
at him. He sucpected that the whispering and the
giggling were directed towards himself, and burned to
draw his sword and let these popinjays know for once
what a man could do. As a matter of fact it was a
buzz of admiration at his stature which went up when
he entered, but the Count had so little of self-conceit
in his soul that he never even guessed the truth.

Two nobles passing near him, he heard one of them
say distinctly :

" That is the fellow who threw the Archbishop over
his head," while the other, glancing at him, said :

** By the Coat, he seems capable of upsetting the
three of them, and J, for one, wish more power to his
muscle should he attempt it."

The Count shrank against the tapestried walls, hot
with anger, wishing himself a dwarf that he might
escape the gaze of so many inquiring eyes. Just as
the scrutiny was becoming unbearable, his companion
touched him on the elbow, and said in a low voice :

THE COUNT'S AfOLOGV

i6g

*' Count Winneburg, follow me."

He held aside the tapestry at the back of the Count,
and that noble, nothing loth, disappeared from view
behind it.

Entering a narrow passage-way, they traversed it
until they came to a closed door, at each lintel of
which stood a pikeman, fronted with a shining breast-
plate of metal. The Count's conductor knocked
gently at the closed door, then opened it, holding it so
that the Count could pass in, and when he had done
so, the door closed softly behind him. To his amaze-
ment, Winneburg saw before him, standing at the
further end of the small room, the Emperor Rudolph,
entirely alone. The Count was about to kneel awk-
wardly, when his liege strode forward and prevented
him.

" Count Winneburg," he said, " from what I hear of
you, your elbow-joints are more supple than those of
your knees, therefore let us be thankful that on this
occasion there is no need to use either. I see you are
under the mistaken impression that the Emperor is
present. Put that thought from your mind, and regard
me simply as Lord Rudolph — one gentleman wishing
to have some little conversation with another."

" Your Majesty " stammered the Count.

" I have but this moment suggested that you forget
that title, my Lord. But, leaving aside all question of
salutation, let us get to the heart of the matter, foi I
think we are both direct men. You are summoned to
Frankfort because that high and mighty Prince of the
Church, the Archbisop of Treves, has made complaint
to the Emperor against you, alleging what seems to be
an unpardonable indignity suffered by him at your
hands."

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THE STRONG ARM

'• Your Majesty — my Lord, I mean," faltered the
Count. ** The indi<jnity was of his own seeking ; he
sat down in my chair, where he had no right to place
himself, and I — I — persuaded him to relinquish his
position."

" So I am informed — that is to say, so his Majesty
has been informed," replied Rudolph, a slight smile
hovering round his finely chiselled lips. " We are
not here to comment upon any of the Archbishop's
delinquencies, but, granting, for the sake of argument,
that he had encroached upon your rights, nevertheless,
he was under your roof, and honestly, 1 fail to see that
you were justified in cracking his heels against the
same."

" Well, your Majesty — again I beg your Majesty's
pardon "

" Oh, no ma er," said the Emperor, '* call me what
you like ; names signify little."

" If then the Emperor," continued the Count, ** found
an intruder sitting on his throne, would he like it,
think you?"

" Kis feeling, perhaps, would be one of astonishment,
my Lord Count, but speaking for the Emperor, I am
certain that he would never lay hands on the usurper,
or t-'eat him like a sack of corn in a yeoman's barn."

The Count laughed heartily at this, and was relieved
to find that this quitted him of the tension which the
great presence had at first inspired.

"Truth to tell, youi Majesty, I am sorry I touched
him. I should have requested him to withdraw, but
my arm has always been more prompt in action than
my tongue, as you can readily see since I came into
this room."

"Indeed, Count, your tongue does you very good

THE COUNTS APOLOGY

171

service," continued the Emperor, " and I am glad to
have from you an expression of regret. I hope, there-
fore, that you will have no hesitation in repeating that
declaration to the Archbishop of Treves."

" Does your Majesty mean that I am to apologise
to him?"

** Yes," answered the Emperor.

There was a moment's pause, then the Count said
slowly :

" I will surrender to your Majesty my person, my
sword, my castle, and my lands. I will, at your word,
prostrate myself at your feet, and humbly beg pardon
for any offence I have committed against you, but to
tell the Archbishop I am sorry when I am not, and to
cringe before him and supplicate his grace, well, your
Majesty, as between man and man, I'll see him damned
first."

Again the Emperor had some difficulty in preserving
that rigidity of expression which he had evidently
resolved to maintain.

" Have you ever met a ghost, my Lord Count?" he
asked.

Winneburg crossed himself devoutly, a sudden pallor
sweeping over his face.

" Indeed, you Majesty, I have seen strange things,
and things for which there was no accounting ; but it
has been usually after a contest with the wine flagon,
and at the time my head was none of the clearest, so I
could not venture to say whether they were ghosts or
no."

" Imagine, then, that in one of the corridors of your
castle at midnight you met a white-robed transparent
figure, through whose form your sword passed scath-
lessly. What would you do, my Lord ? "

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titE STRONG ARM

*• Indeed, your Majesty, I would take to my heels,
and bestow myself elsewhere as speedily as possible."

'* Most wisely si)oken and you, who are no coward,
who fear not to face willingly in combat anythinjjf
natural, would, in certain circumstances, trust to swift
flight for your protection. Very well, my Lord, you
are now confronted with something aj^ainst which your
stout arm is as unavailing as it would be if an appari-
tion stood in your path. There is before you the
spectre of subtlety. Use arm instead of brain, and you
are a lost man.

" The Archbishop expects no apology. He looks for
a stalwart, stubborn man, defying himself and the
Empire combined. You think, perhaps, that the
Imi)erial troops will surround your castle, and that you
may stand a siege. Now the Emi)eror would rather
have you fight with him than against him, but in truth
there will be no contest. Hold to your refusal, and
you will be arrested before you leave the precincts of
this palace, /ou will be thrown into a dungeon, your
castle and your lands sequestered ; and I call your at-
tention to the fact that your estate adjoins the [)osses-
sions of the Archbishop at Cochem, and I leaven fend
me for hinting that his Lordship casts covetous eyes
over his boundary ; yet, nevertheless, he will probably
not refuse to accept your i)ossessions in reparation for
the insult bestowed upon him. Put it this way if you
like. Would you rather pleasure me or pleasure the
Archbishop of Treves ? "

'* There is no question as to that," answered the
Count.

"Then it will please mc well if you promise to apolo-
gise to his Lordship the Archbishop of Treves. That his
Lordship will be equally pleased, I very much doubt."

THE COUNT'S APOLOGY

173

"Will your Majesty command me in open Court to
apologise ?"

** I shall request you to do so. I must uphold the
Feudal law."

" Then I beseech your Majesty to command me, for
I am a loyal subject, and will obey."

" God give mc many such," said the ICmperor
fervently, "and bestow u[)<)n me the wisdom to deserve
them ! "

He extended his hand to the Count, then touched a
bell on the table beside him. The officer who had con-
ducted Winneburj^ entered silently, and acted as his
[;uide back to the throniad apartment they had left.
The Count saw that the ^reat crimson curtains were
now looped up, ^ivinj^ a view of the noble interior of
the room beyond, thronged with the notables of the
Empire. The hall leadiuj^ to it was almost deserted,
and the Count, under convoy of two lancemen, him-
self nearly as tall as their weapons, j)assed in to the
Throne Room, and fnuntl all eyes turned ui)on him.

He was brought to a stand before an elevated dais,
the centre of winch was occupied by a lofty throne,
which, at the moment, was emi)ty. Near it, on the
elevation, stood the three Archbishops of Treves,
Cologne, and Mayence, on the other side the Count
Palatine of the Rhine with the rcmaininj^ three Electors.
The nobles of the realm occupied places according to
their decree.

As the stalwart Count came in, a bu// of conversa-
tion swept over the hall like a breeze amonj^ the leaves
of a forest. A malignant scowl darkened the counte-
nance of the Archbishop of Treves, but the faces of
Cologne and Mayence expressed a certain Christian
resignation regarding the contumely which had been

, : > ^

^ i:',if|

174

THE STRONG ARM

endured by their colleague. The Count stood stolidly
where he was placed, and gazed at the vacant throne,
turning his eyes neither to the right nor the left.

Suddenly there was a fanfare of trumpets, and instant
silence smote the assembly. First came officers of the
Imperial Guard in shining armour, then the immediate
advisers and councillors of his Majesty, and last of all,
the Emperor himself, a robe of great richness clasped
at his throat, and trailing behind him ; the crown of
the Empire upon his head. His face was pale and stern,
and he looked what he was, a monarch, and a man.
The Count rubbed his eyes, and ..ould scarcely believe
that he stood now in the presence of one who had
chatted amiably with him but a few moments before.

The Emperor sat on his throne and one of his
councillors whispered for some moments to him ; then
the Emperor said, in a low, clear voice, that penetrated
to the farthest corner of the vast apartment :

" Is the Count of Winneburg here ? '*

" Yes, your Majesty."

" Let him stand forward."

The Count strode two long steps to the front, and
stood there, red-faced and abashed. The officer at his
side whispered :

" Kneel, you fool, kneel."

And the Count got himself somewhat clumsily down
upon his knees, like an elephant preparing to receive
his burden. The face of the Emperor remained impas-
sive, and he said harshly :

" Stand up."

The Count, once more upon his feet, breathed a deep
sigh of satisfaction at finding himself again in an up-
right posture.

" Count of Winneburg," said the Emperor slowly,

THE COUNT'S APOLOGY

175

" it is alleged that upon the occasio.i of the last meet-
ing of the Council of State for the Moselle valley, you,
in presence of the nobles there assembled, cast a slight
upon your over-lord, the Archbishop of Treves. Do
you question the statement ? "

The Count cleared his throat several times, which in
the stillness of that vaulted room sounded like the dis-
tant booming of cannon.

** If to cast the Archbishop half the distance of this
room is to cast a slight upon him, I did so, your Maj-
esty."

There was a simultaneous ripple of laughter at this,
instantly suppressed when the searching eye of the
Emperor swept the room.

" Sir Count," said the Emperor severely, ** the par-
ticulars of your outrage are not required of you' ; only
your admission thereof. Hear, then, my commands.
Betake yourself to your castle of Winneburg, and hold
yourse'.' . r^ in readiness to proceed to Treves on a
day a^^.ointed by his Lordship the Archbishop, an
Elector of this Empire, there to humble yourself be-
fore him, and crave his pardon for the offence you
have committed. Disobey at your peril."

Once or twice the Count moistened his dry lips, then
he said :

** Your Majesty, I will obey any command you place
upon me."

" In that case," continued the Emperor, his severity
visibly relaxing, " I can promise that your over-lord
will not hold this incident against you. Such, I under-
stand, is your intention, my Lord Archbishop ? " and
the Emperor turned toward the Prince of Treves.

The Archbishop bowed low, and ihus veiled the
malignant hatred in his eyes.

rri

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i;6

THE STRONG ARM

" Yes, your Majesty," he replied, *' providing the
apology is given as publicly as was the insult, in pres-
ence of those who were witnesses of the Count's fool-
ishness."

" That is but a just condition," said the Emperor.
" It is my pleasure that the Council be summoned to
Treves to hear the Count's apology. And now, Count
of VVinneburg, you are at liberty to withdraw."

The Count drew his mammoth hand across his brow,
and scattered to the door the moisture that had col-
lected there. He tried to speak, but apparently could
not, then turned and walked resolutely towards the
door. Theie was instant outcry at this, the Chamber-
lain of the Court standing in stupefied amazement at a
breach of etiquette which exhibited any man's back to
the Emperor ; but a smile relaxed the Emperor's lips,
and he held up his hand.

" Do not molest him," he said, as the Count disap-
peared. " He is unused to the artificial manners of a
Court. In truth, I take it as a friendly act, for I am
sure the valiant Count never turned his back upon a
foe," which Imperial witticism was well received, for the
sayings of an Emperor rarely lack applause.

The Count, wending his long way home by the route
he had come, spent the first half of the journey in
cursing the Archbishop, and the latter half in thinking
over the situation. By the time he had reached his
castle he had formulated a plan, and this plan he pro-
ceeded to put into execution on receiving the summons
of the Archbishop to come to Treves on the first day
of the following month and make his apology, the
Archbishop, with characteristic penuriousness, leaving
the inviting of the fifteen nobles, who formed the
Council, to Winneburg, ancj thus his Lordship o£

THE COUNT'S APOLOGY

^11

Treves was saved the expense of sending special mes-
sengers to each. In case Winneburg neglected to
summon the whole Council, the Archbishop added to
his message, the statement that he would refuse to re-
ceive the apology if any of the nobles were absent.

Winneburg sent messengers, first to Hcilstcin, asking
him to attend at Treves on the second day of the
month, and bring with him an escort of at least a thou-
sand men. Another he asked for the third, another
for the fourth, another for the fifth, and so on, resolved
that before a complete quorum was present, half of the
month would be gone, and with it most of the Arch-
bishop's prov«,'ndcr, for his Lordship, according to the
laws of hospitcJity, was bound to entertain free of all
charge to thcmsc'vcs the various nobles and their fol-
lowings.

On the first day of the month Winneburg entered
the northern gate of Treves, accompanied by two hun-
dred horsemen and eight hundred foot soldiers. At;
first the ofificers of the Archbishop thought that an in-
vasion was contemplated, but Winneburg suavely ex-
plained that if a thing was worth doing at all, it was
worth doing well, and he was not going to make any
hole-and-corner affair of his apology. Next day Beil-
stein came along accompanied by five hundred cav-
alry, and five hundred foot soldiers.

The Chamberlain of the Archbishop was in despair
at having to find quarters for so many, but he did the
best he could, while the Archbishop was enraged to
observe that the nobles did not assemble in greater
haste, but each as he came had a plausible excuse for
his delay. Some had to build bridges, sickness had
broken out in another camp, while a third expedition
had lost its way and wandered in the forest.

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178

THE STRONG ARM

The streets of Treves each night resounded with
songs of revelry, varied by the clash of swords, when a
party of the newcomers fell foul of a squad of the town
soldiers, and the officers on either side had much ado
to keep the peace among their men. The Arch-
bishop's wine cups were running dry, and the price
of provisions had risen, the whole surrounding
country being placed under contribution for pro-
vender and drink. When a week had elapsed the
Archbishop relaxed his dignity and sent for Count
Winneburg.

" We will not wait for the others," he said. " I have
no desire to humiliate you unnecessarily. Those who
arc here shall bear witness that you have apologised,
and so I shall not insist on the presence of the laggards,
but will receive your apology to-morrow at high noon
in the great council chamber."

" Ah, there speaks a noble heart, ever thinking gen-
erously of those who dcspitefully use you, my Lord
Archbishop," said Count Winneburg. " But no, no, I
cannot accept such a sacrifice. The Emperor showed
me plainly the enormity of my offence. In the pres-
ence of all I insulted you, wretch that I am, and in the
presence of all shall I abase myself."

" But I do not seek your abasement," protested the
Archbishop, frowning. •

"The more honour, then, to your benevolent nature,"
answered the Count, " and the more shameful would it
be of me to take advantage of it. As I stood a short
time since on the walls, I saw coming up the river the
banners of the Knight of Ehrenburg. His castle is the
furthest removed fr" Treves, and so the others cannot
surely delay long. We will wait, my Lord Archbishop,
until all are here. But I thank you just as much for

;

THE COUNTS APOLOGY

179

your generosity as if I were craven enough to shield
myself behind it."

The Knight of Ehrenburg in due time arrived, and
behind him his thousand men, many of whom were com-
pelled to sleep in the public buildings, for all the rooms
in Treves were occupied. Next day the Archbishop
summoned the assembled nobles and said he would hear
the apology in their presence. If the others missed it,
it was their own fault — they should have been in time.

" I cannot apologise," said the Count, " until all are
here. It was the Emperor's order, and who arn I to
disobey my Emperor ? We must await their coming
with patience, and, indeed, Treves is a goodly town, in
which all of us find ourselves fully satisfied."

" Then, my blessing on you all," said the Archbishop
in a sour tone most unsuited to the benediction he was
bestowing. " Return, I beg of you, instantly, to your
castles. I forego the apology."

" But I insist on tendering it," crijd the Count, his
mournful voice giving some indication of the sorrow
he felt at his offence if it went unrequited. " It is my
duty, not only to you, my Lord Archbishop, but also
to his Majesty the Emperor."

" Then, in Heaven's name get on with it and depart.
I am willing to accept it on your own terms, as I have
said before."

" No, not on my own terms, but on yours. What
matters the delay of a week or two ? The hunting
season does not begin for a fortnight, and we are all
as well at Treves as at home. Besides, how could I
ever face my Emperor again, knowing I had disobeyed
his commands ? "

" I will make it right with the Emperor," said the
Archbishop.

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THE STRONG ARM

The Knight of Ehrenburg now spoke up, calmly, as
was his custom :

" 'Tis a serious matter," he said, " for a man to take
another's word touching action of his Majesty the Em-
peror. You have clerks here with you ; perhaps then
you will bid them indite a document to be signed by
yourself absolving my friend, the Count of Winneburg,
from all necessity of apologising, so that should the
Emperor take offence at his disobedience, the parch-
ment may hold him scathless."

" I will do anything to be quit of you," muttered the
Archbishop more to himself than to the others.

And so the document was written and signed. With
this parchment in his saddle-bags the Count and his
comrades quitted the town, drinking in half flagons the
health of the Archbishop, because there was not left in
Treves enoucrh wine to fill the measures to the brim.

"WT

CONVERTED

In the ample stone-paved courtyard of the Schloss
Grunevvald, with its mysterious bubbling spring in the
centre, stood the Black Baron beside his restive horse,
both equally eager to be away. Round the Baron were
grouped his sixteen knights and their saddled chargers,
all waiting the word to mount. The warder was slowly
opening the huge gates that hung between the two
round entrance towers of the castle, for it was the Baron's
custom never to ride out at the head of his men until
the great leaves of the strong gate fell full apart, and
showed the green landscape beyond. The Baron did
not propose to ride unthinkingly out, and straightway
fall into an ambush.

He and his sixteen knights were the terror of the
country-side, and many there were who would have been
glad to venture a bow shot at him had they dared.
There seemed to be some delay about the opening of
the gates, and a great chattering of underlings at the
entrance, as if something unusual had occurred, where-
upon the rough voice of the Baron roared out to
know the cause that kept him waiting, and every one
scattered, each to his own affair, leaving only the
warder, who approached his master with fear in his
face.

" My Lord,** he began, when the Baron had shouted

l3i

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l82

THE STRONG ARM

H 1
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':i

what the devil ailed him, " there has been nailed against
the outer gate, sometime in the night, a parchment with
characters written thereon."

" Then tear it down and bring it to me," cried the
Baron. '* What's all this to-do about a bit of parch-
ment ? "

The warder had been loath to meddle with it, in terror
of that witchcraft which he knew pertained to all writ-
ten characters ; but he feared the Black Baron's frown
even more than the fiends who had undoubtedly nailed
the documents on the gate, for he knew no man in
all that wcU-cowed district would have the daring to ap-
proach the castle even in the night, much less meddle
with the gate or any other belonging of the Baron von
Grunewald ; so, breathing a request to his patron saint
(his neglect of whom he now remembered with remorse)
for protection, he tore the document from its fastening
and brought it, trembling, to the Baron. The knights
crowded round as von Grunewald held the parchment
in his hand, bending his dark brows upon it, for it con-
veyed no meaning to him Neither the Baron nor his
knights could read.

" What foolery, think you, is this ? " he said, turning
to the knight nearest him. " A Defiance ? "

The knight shook his head. " I am no clerk," he
answered.

For a moment the Baron was puzzled ; then he
quickly bethought himself of the one person in the castle
who could read.

" Bring hither old Father Gottlieb," he commanded,
and two of those waiting ran in haste towards the scul-
lery of the place, from which they presently emerged
dragging afte.- them an old man partly in the habit of
^ monk and partly in that of a scullion, who wiped his

(J rffl

^m^

CONVERTED

183

hands on the coarse apron that was tied around his
waist, as he was hurried forward.

** Here., good father, excellent cook and humble serv-
itor, I trust your residence with us has not led you to
forget the learning you put to such poor advantage in
the Monastery of Monnonstein. Canst thou construe
this for us ? Is it in good honest German or bastard
Latin ?"

" It is in Latin," said the captive monk, on glancing
at the document in the other's hand.

" Then translate it for us, and quickly."

Father Gottlieb took the parchment handed him by
the Baron, and as his eyes scanned it more closely, he
bowed his head and made the sign of the cross upon
his breast.

" Cease that mummery," roared the Baron, " and
read without more waiting or the rod's upon thy back
again. Who sends us this ? "

" It is from our Holy Father the Pope," said the
monk, forgetting his menial position for the moment,
and becoming once more the scholar of the monastery.
The sense of his captivity faded from him as he real-
ised that the long arm of the Church had extended
within the impregnable walls of that tyrannical castle.

" Good. And what has our Holy Father the Pope
to say to us ? Demands he the release of our excellent
scullion, Father Gottlieb ? "

The bent shoulders of the old monk straightened, his
dim eye brightened, and his voice rang clear within the
echoing walls of the castle courtyard.

" It is a ban of excommunication against thee. Lord
Baron von Grunewald, and against all within these walls,
excepting only those unlawfully withheld from free-
dom."

^11
4

if ,

184

THE STRONG ARM

" Which means thyself, worthy Father. Read on,
good clerk, and let us hear it to the end."

As the monk read out the awful words of the mes-
sage, piling curse on curse with sonorous voice, the
Baron saw his trembling servitors turn pale, and even
his sixteen knights, companions in robbery and rapine,
fall away from him. Dark red anger mounted to his
temples ; he raised his mailed hand and smote the read-
ing monk flat across the mouth, felling the old man
prone upon the stones of the court.

" That is my answer to our Holy Father the Pope,
and when thou swearest to deliver it to him as I have
given it to thee, the gates are open and the way clear
for thy pilgrimage to Rome."

But the monk lay where he fell and made no reply.

" Take him away," commanded the Baron impa-
tiently, whereupon several of the menials laid hands on
the fallen monk and dragged him into the scullery he
had left.

Turning to his men-at-arms, the Baron roared : " Well,
my gentle wolves, have a few words in Latin on a bit
of sheep-skin turned you all to sheep?"

" I have always said," spoke up the knight Segfried,
"that no good came of captured monks, or meddling
with the Church. Besides, we are noble all, and do not
hold with the raising of a mailed hand against an un-
armed man."

There was a low murmur of approval among the
knights at Segfried's boldness.

" Close the gates," shouted the maddened Baron.
Every one flew at the word of command, and the great
oaken hinges studded with iron, slowly came together,
shutting out the bit of landscape their opening had dis-
covered. The Bargn flun^ the reins on his charger's

CONVERTED

185

neck, and smote the animal on the flank, causing it to
trot at once to its stable.

" There will be no riding to-day," he said, hi.-> voice
ominously lowering. The stablemen of the castle came
forward and led away the hoises. The sixteen knights
stood in a group together with Segfried at their head,
waiting with some anxiety on their brov 1 for the next
move in the game. The Baron, his sword drawn in his
hand, strode up and down before them, his brow bent
on the ground, evidently struggling to get the master
hand over his own anger. If it came to blows the odds
were against him and he was too shrewd a man to en-
gage himself single-handed in such a contest.

At length the Baron stopped in his walk and looked
at the group. He said, after a pause, in a quiet tone of
voice : " Segfried, if you doubt my courage because I
strike to the ground a rascally monk, step forth, draw
thine own good sword, our comrades will see that all is
fair betwixt us, and in this manner you may learn that
I fear neither mailed nor unmailed hand."

But the knight made no motion to lay his hand upon
his sword, nor did he move from his place. " No one
doubts your courage, my Lord," he said, " neither is it
any reflection on mine that in answer to your challenge
my sword remains in its scabbard. You are our over-
lord and it is not meet that (-ur weapons should be
raised against you."

" I am glad that point is firmly fixed in your minds.
I thought a moment since that I would be compelled
to uphold the feudal law at the peril of my own body.
But if that comes not in question, no more need be
said. Touching the unarmed, Segfried, if I remember
aright you showed no such squeamishness at our sack-
ing of the Convent of St. Agnes,"

i ••'.

1 86

THE STRONG ARM

" A woman is a different matter, my Lord," said Seg-
fried uneasily.

The Baron lauglied and so did some of the knights,
openly relieved to find the tension of the situation re-
laxing.

" Comrades ! " cried the Baron, his face aglow with
enthusiasm, all traces of his former temper vanishing
from his brow. " You are excellent in a mel6e, but use-
less at the council board. You see no further ahead of
you than your good right arms can strike. Look round
you at these stout walls ; no engine that man has yet
devised can batter a breach in them. In our vaults are
ten years' supply of stolen grain. Our cellars are full
of rich red wine, not of our vintage, but for our drink-
ing. Here in our court bubbles forever this good
spring, excellent to drink when wine gives out, and
medicinal in the morning when too much wine has
been taken in." He waved his hand towards the over-
flowing well, charged with carbonic acid gas, one of the
many that have since made this region of the Rhine
famous. " Now I ask you, can this Castle of Grune-
wald ever be taken — excommunication or no excom-
munication ? "

A simultaneous shout of " No ! Never ! " arose from
the knights.

The Baion stood looking grimly at them for several
moments. Then he said in a quiet voice, " Yes, the
Castle of Grunewald can be taken. Not from without
but from within. If any crafty enemy sows dissension
among us ; turns the sword of comrade against com-
rade ; then falls the Castle of Grunewald ! To-day we
have seen how nearly that has been done. We have
against us in the monastery of Monnonstein no fat-
headed Abbot, but one who was a warrior before he

CONVERTED

187

turned a monk. 'Tis but a few years since, that the
Abbot Ambrose stood at the right hand of the Em-
peror as Baron von Stern, and it is known that the Ab-
bot's robes are but a thin veneer over the iron knight
within. His hand, grasping the cross, still itches for
the sword. The fighting Archbishop of Treves has
sent him to Monnonstein for no other purpose than to
leave behind him the ruins of Grunewald, and his first
bolt was shot straight into our courtyard, and for a
moment I stood alone, without a single man-at-arms to
second me."

The knights looked at one another in silence, then
cast their eyes to the stone-paved court, all too shamed-
faced to attempt reply to what all knew was the truth.
The Baron, a deep frown on his brow, gazed sternly at
the chap-fallen group. ... " Such was the effect of
the first shaft shot by good Abbot Ambrose, what
will be the result of the second ? "

" There will be no second," said Segfried stepping
forward. " We must sack the Monastery, and hang
the Abbot and his craven monks in their own cords."

" Good," cried the Baron, nodding his head in ap-
proval, "the worthy Abbot, however, trusts not only in
God, but in walls three cloth yards thick. The monas-
tery stands by the river and partly over it. The be-
sieged monks will therefore not suffer from thirst.
Their larder is as amply provided as are the vaults of
this castle. The militant Abbot understands both
defence and sortie. He is a master of siege-craft inside
or outside stone walls. How then do you propose to
sack and hang, good Segfried ? "

The knights were silent. They knc the Monastery
was as impregnable as the castle, in fact it was the only
spot for miles round that had never owned the sway of

i'i

1 88

THE STRONG ARM

Baron von Grunewald, and none of them were well
enough provided with brains to venture a plan for its
successful reduction. A cynical smile played round
the lips of their over-lord, as he saw the problem had
overmatched them. At last he spoke.

"We must meet craft with craft. If the Pope's Ban
cast such terror among my good knights, steeped to the
gauntlets in blood, what effect, think you, will it have
over the minds of devout believers in the Church and
its power? The trustful monks know that it has been
launched against us, therefore are they doubtless wait-
ing for us to come to the monastery, and lay our necks
under the feet of their Abbot, begging his clemency.
They are ready to believe any story we care to tell
touching the influence of such scribbling over us. Ycu
Segfried, owe me some reparation for this morning's
temporary defection, and to you, therefore, do I trust
the carrying out of my plans. There was always some-
thing of the monk about you, Segfried, and you will
yet end your days sanctimoniously in a monastery, un-
less you are first hanged at Treves or knocked on the
head during an assault.

" Draw, then, your longest face, and think of the
time when you will be a monk, as Ambrose is, who, in
his day, shed as much blood as ever you have done.
Go to the Monastery of Monnonstein in most dejected
fashion, and unarmed. Ask in faltering tones, speech
of the Abbot, and say to him, as if he knew nought of
it, that the Pope's Ban is on us. Say that at first I
defied it, and smote down the good father who was
reading it, but add that as the pious man fell, a sick-
ness like unto a pestilence came over me and over my
men, from which you only are free, caused, you sus-
pect, by your loudly protesting against the felling of

CONVERTED

189

the monk. Say that we lie at death's door, grieving
for our sins, and groaning for absolution. Say that we
are ready to deliver up the castle and all its contents to
the care of the holy Church, so that the Abbot but sees
our tortured souls safely directed towards the gates of
Paradise. Insist that all the monks come, explaining
that you fear we have but few moments to live, and
that the Abbot alone would be as helpless as one
surgeon on a batt'2-field. Taunt them with fear of
the pestilence if they hesitate, and that will bring
them."

Segfried accepted the commission, and the knights
warmly expressed their admiration of their master's
genius. As the great red sun began to sink behind the
west./ard hills that border the Rhine, Sc^jfriied departed
on horseback through the castle gates, and journeyed
toward the monastery with bowed head and dejected
mien. The gates remained open, and as darkness fell,
a lighted torch was thrust in a wrought iron receptacle
near the entrance at the outside, throwing a fitful,
flickering glare under the archway and into the desert-
ed court. Within, all was silent as the ruined castle is
to-day, save only the tinkling sound of the clear waters
of the effervescing spring as it flowed over the stones
and trickled down to disappear under the walls at one
corner of the courtyard.

The Baron and his sturdy knights sat in the darkness,
with growing impatience, in the great Rittersaal
listening for any audible token of the return of Seg-
fried and his ghostly company. At last in the still
night air there came faintly across the plain a monkish
chant growing louder and louder, until finally the steel-
shod hoofs of Segfried's charger rang on the stones of
the causeway leading to the castle gates. Pressed be-

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■:Ul

190

THE STRONG ARM

hind the two heavy open leaves of the gates stood
the warder and his assistants, scarcely breathing, ready
to close the gates sharply the moment the last monk
had entered.

Still chanting, led by the Abbot in his robes of
office, the monks slowly marched into the deserted
courtyard, while Segfried reined his horse close inside
the entrance. " Peace be upon this house and all
within," said the deep voice of the Abbot, and in uni-
son the monks murmured " Amen," the w d echoing
back to them in the stillness from the four grey walls.

Then the silence was rudely broken by the ponder-
ous clang of the closing gates and the ominous rattle of
bolts being thrust into their places with the jingle of
heavy chains. Down the wide stairs from the Rittcr-
saal came the clank of armour and rude shouts of
laughter. Newly lighted torches flared up here and
there, illuminating the courtyard, and showing, dan-
gling against the northern wall a score of ropes with
nooses at the end of each. Into the courtyard clat-
tered the Baron and his followers. The Abbot stood
with arms folded, pressing a gilded cross across his
breast. He was a head taller than any of his fright-
ened, cowering brethen, and his noble emaciated face
was thin with fasting caused by his never-ending con-
flict with the world that was within himself. His pale
countenance betokened his office and the Church ; but
the angry eagle flash of his piercing eye spoke of the
world alone and the field of conflict.

The Baron bowed low to the Abbot, and said : Wel-
come, my Lord Abbot, to my humble domicile ! It
has long been the wish of my enemies to stand within
its walls, and this pleasure is now granted you. There
is little to be made of it from without.**

:-ii|.#'

CONVERTED

tgt

" Baron Grunewald," said the Abbot, " I and my
brethren are come hither on an errand of mercy, and
under the protection of your knightly word."

The Baron raised his eyebrows in surprise at this,
and, turning to Segfried, he said in angry tones : " Is
it so ? Pledged you my word for the safety of these
men?"

" The reverend Abbot is mistaken," replied the
knight, who had not yet descended from his horse.
"There was no word of safe conduct betvv'ecn us."

" Safe conduct is implied when an officer of the
Church is summoned to administer its consolations to
the dying," said the Abbot.

" All trades," remarked the Baron suavely. " have
their dangers — yours among the rest, as well as ours.
If my follower had pledged my word regarding your
safety, I would now open the gates and let you free.
As he has not done so, I shall choose a manner for
your exit more in keeping with your lofty aspirations."

Saying this, he gave some rapid orders ; his servitors
fell upon the unresisting monks and bound them hand
and foot. They were then conducted to the northern
wall, and the nooses there adjust'^d round the neck of
each. When this was done, the Baron stood back from
the pinioned victims and addressed them :

'* It is not my intention that you should die without
having time to repent of the many wicked deeds you
have doubtless done during your lives. Your sentence
is that ye be hanged at cockcrow to-morrow, which was
die hour when, if your teachings cling to my memory,
the first of your craft turned traitor to his master. If,
however, you tire of your all-night vigil, you can at
once obtain release by crying at the top of your voices
' So die all Christians.' Thus you will hang your-

'1'

• 1 I

' i

■111

'iil'i

192

THE STRONG ARM

>.|

ii I

selves, and so remove some responsibility from my
perhaps overladen conscience. The hanging is a device
of my own, of which I am perhaps pardonably proud,
and it pleases me that it is to be first tried on so worthy
an assemblage. With much labour we have elevated to
the battlements an oaken tree, lopped of its branches,
which will not burn the less brightly next winter in that
it has helped to commit some of you to hotter flames,
if all ye say be true. The ropes are tied to this log,
and at the cry ' So die all Christians,* I have some
stout knaves in waiting up above with levers, who will
straightway fling the log over the battlements on which
it is now poised, and the instant after your broken
necks will impinge against the inner coping of the
northern wall. And now good-night, my Lord Abbot,
and a happy release for you all in the morning."

" Baron von Grunewald, I ask of you that you will
release one of us who may thus administer the rites of
the Church to his brethren and receive in turn the same
from me."

" Now, out upon me for a careless knave ! " cried the
Baron. " I had forgotten that ; it is so long since I
have been to mass and such like ceremonies myself.
Your request is surely most reasonable, and I like you
the better that you keep up the farce of your calling to
the very end. But think not that I am so inhospitable
as to force one guest to wait upon another, even in
matters spiritual. Not so. We keep with us a ghostly
father for such occasion., and use him between times to
wait on us with wine and other necessaries. As soon
as he has filled our flagons, I will a'^k good Father
Gottlieb to wait upon you, and I doubt not he will
shrive with any in the land, although he has been this
while back somewhat out of practice. His habit is

CONVERTED

193

rather tattered and stained with the drippings of his
new vocation, but I warrant you, you will know tne
sheep, even though his fleece be torn. And now, again,
good-night, my Lord."

The Baron and his knights returned up the broad
stairway that led to the Rittersaal. Most of the
torches were carried with them. The defences of the
castle were so strong that no particular pains were taken
to make all secure, further than the stationing of an
armed man at the gate. A solitary torch burnt under
the archway, and here a guard paced back and forth.
The courtyard was in darkness, but the top of the
highest turrets were silvered by the rising moon. The
doomed men stood with the halters about their necks,
as silent as a row of spectres.

The tall windows of the Rittersaal, being of coloured
glass, threw little light into the square, although they
glowed with a rainbow splendour from the torches within.
Into the silence of the square broke the sound of song
and the clash of flagons upon the oaken table.

At last there came down the broad stair and out Into
the court a figure in the habit of a monk, who hurried
shufflingly across the stones to the grim row of brown-
robed men. He threw himself sobbing at the feet of
the tall Abbot.

" Rise, my son, and embrace me," said his supeilor.

When Father Gottlieb did so, the other whispered in
his ear : " There is a time to weep and a time tor action.
Now is the time for action. Unloosen quickly the
bonds around me, and slip this noose from my neck."

Father Gottlieb acquitted himself of his task as well
as his agitation and trembling hands would let him.

" Perform a like service for each of the others,"
whispered the Abbot curtly. *' Tell eacii in alow voice
13

■•'I

194

THE STRONG ARM

11-'

to remain standing just as if he were still bound. Then
return to me."

When the monk had done what he was told, he
returned to his superior.

*' Have you access to the wine cellar ? " asked the
Abbot.

"Yes, Father."

" What are the strongest wines ? "

" Those of the district are strong. Then there is a
barrel or two of the red wine of Assmannshausen."

** Decant a half of each in your flagons. Is there
brandy ? "

" Yes, Father."

" Then mix with the two wines as much brandy as
you think their already drunken palates will not detect.
Make the potation stronger with brandy as the night
wears on. When they drop off into their sodden sleep,
bring a flagon to the guard at the gate, and tell h'm
the Baron sends it to him."

" Will you absolve me, Father, for the "

" It is no falsehood, Gottlieb. I, the Baron, send it.
I came hither the Abbot Ambrose ; I am now TJaron
von Stern, and if I have any influe.ice with our mother
Church the Abbot's robe shall fall on thy shoulders, if
you but do well what I ask of you to-night. It will be
some compensation for what, I fear, thou hast already
suffered."

Gottlieb hurried away, as the knights were already
clamouring for more wine. As the night wore on and
the moon rose higher the sounds of revelry increased,
and once there was a clash of arms and much uproar,
which subsided under the over-mastering voice of the
Black Baron. At last the Abbot, standing there with
the rope dangling behind him, saw Gottlieb bring a

CONVERTED

195

:her
•s, if
be
jady

huge beaker of liquor to the sentinel, who at once sat
down on the stone bench under the arch to enjoy it.

Finally, all riot died away in the hall except one thin
voice singing, waveringly, a drinking song, and when
that ceased silence reigned supreme, and the moon
shone full upon the bubbling spring.

Gottlieb stole stealthily out and told the Abbot
that all the knights were stretched upon the floor, and
the Baron had his head on the table, beside his over-
turned flagon. The sentinel snored upon the stone
bench.

" I can now unbar the gate," said Father Gottlieb,
" and we may all escape."

" Not so," replied the Abbot. " We came to con-
vert these men to Christianity, and our task is still to
do."

The monks all seemed frightened at this, and wished
''lemselves once more within the monastery, able to
Sciy all's well that ends so, but none ventured to offer
counsel to the gaunt man who Jed them. He bade
each bring with him the cords that had bound him, and
without a word they followed him into the Rittersaal,
and there tied up the knights and their master as they
themselves had been tied.

"Carry them out," commanded the Abbot, "and lay
them in a row, their feet towards the spring and their
heads under the ropes. And go you, Gottlieb, who
know the ways of the castle, and fasten the doors of
all the apartments where the servitors are sleeping."

When this was done, and they gathered once more
in the moonlit courtyard, the Abbot took off his robes
of office and handed them to Father Gottlieb, saying
significantly : " The lowest among you that suffers ai.d
is true shall be exalted." Turning to his own flock, he

196

THE STRONG ARM

I ' : f •

commanded them to go in and obtain some rest after
such a disquieting night ; then to Gottlieb, when the
monks had obediently departed : " Bring me, an' ye
know where to find such, the apparel of a fighting man
and a sword."

Thus arrayed, he dismissed the old man and alone
in the silence, with the row of figures like effigies on a
tomb beside him, paced up and down through the night,
as the moon dropped lower and lower in the heavens.
There was a period of dark before the dawn, and at
last the upper walls began to whiten with the coming
day, and the Black Baron moaned uneasily in his
drunken sleep. The Abbot paused in his walk and
looked down upon them, and Gottlieb stole out from
the shadow of the door and asked if he could be of
service. He had evidently not slept, but had watched
his chief, until he paused in his march.

" Tell our brothers to come out and see the justice
of the Lord."

When the monks trooped out, haggard and wan, in
the pure light of the dawn, the Abbot asked Gottlieb
to get a flagon and dash water from the spring in the
faces of the sleepers.

The Black Baron was the first to come to his senses
and realise dimly, at first, but afterwards more acutely,
the changed condition of affairs. His eye wandered
apprehensively to the empty noose svv^aying slightly in
the morning breeze above him. He then saw that the
tall, ascetic man before him had doffed the Abbot's
robes and wore a sword by his side, and from this he
augured ill. At the command of the Abbot the monks
raised each prostrate man and placed him against the
north wall.

" Gottlieb," said the Abbot slowly, " the last ofifice

:' ;:

CONVERTED

197

that will be required of you. You took from our necks
the nooses last night. Place them, I pray you, on the
necks of the Baron and his followers."

The old man, trembling, adjusted the ropes.

" My Lord Abbot " began the Baron.

" Baron von Grunewald," interrupted the person ad-
dressed, " the Abbot Ambrose is dead. He was foully
assassinated last night. In his place stands Conrad
von Stern, who answers for his deeds to the Emperor,
and after him, to God."

" Is it your purpose to hang me. Baron ? "

" Was it your purpose to have hanged us, my Lord ? "

" I swear to heaven, it was not. 'Twas but an ill-
timed pleasantry. Had I wished to hang you I would
have done so last night."

" That seems plausible."

The knights all swore, with many rounded oaths,
that their over-lord spoke the truth, and nothing was
further from their intention than an execution.

" Well, then, whether you hang or no shall depend
upon yourselves."

" By God, then," cried the Baron, " an' I have aught
to say on that point, I shall hang some other day."

" Will you then, Baron, beg admittance to Mother
Church, whose kindly tenets you have so long out-
raged ? "

" We will, we do," cried the Baron fervently, whis-
pering through his clenched teeth to Segfried, who
stood next him : " Wait till I have the upper hand
again." Fortunately the Abbot did not hear the whis-
per. The knights all echoed aloud the Baron's pious
first remark, and, perhaps, in their hearts said * Amen "
to his second.

The Abbot spoke a word or two to the monks, and

,;!l

(

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198

THE STRONG ARM

they advanced to the pinioned men and there performed
the rites sacred to their office and to the serious situa-
tion of the penitents. As the good brothers stood
back, they begged the Abbot for mercy to be extended
towards the new converts, but the sphinx-like face of
their leader gave no indication as to their fate, and the
good men began to fear that it was the Abbot's inten-
tion to hang the Baron and his knights.

" Now — brothers," said the Abbot, with a long pause
before he spoke the second word, whereupon each of
the prisoners heaved a sigh of relief, " I said your fate
would depend on yourselves and on your good intent."

They all vociferously proclaimed that their inten-
tions were and had been of the most honourable kind.

" I trust that is true, and that you shall live long
enough to show your faith by your works. It is writ-
ten that a man digged a pit for his enemy and fell him-
self therein. It is also written that as a man sows, so
shall he reap. If you meant us no harm >:hen your
signal shouted to the battlements will do you no harm."

" For God's sake, my Lord ..." screamed the
Baron. The Abbot, unheeding, raised his face towards
the northern wall and shouted at the top of his voice :

" So die SUCH Christians ! " varying the phrase by
one word. A simultaneous scream rose from the
doomed men, cut short as by a knife, a the huge log
was hurled over the outer parapet, and the seventeen
victims were jerked into the air and throttled at the
coping around the inner wall.

Thus did the Abbot Ambrose save the souls of Baron
von Grunewald and his men, at some expense to their
necks.

AN INVITATION

The proud and warlike Archbishop Baldwin of
Treves was well mounted, and, although the road by
the margin of the river was in places bad, the august
horseman nevertheless made good progress along it,
for he had a long distance to travel before the sun
went down. The way had been rudely constructed by
that great maker of roads — the army — and the troops
who had built it did not know, when they laboured at
it, that they were preparing a path for their own
retreat should disaster overtake them. The grim and
silent horseman had been the brains, where the troops
were the limbs ; this thoroughfare had been of his
planning, and over it, back into Treves, had returned a
victorious, not a defeated, army. The iron hand of the
Archbishop had come down on eveiy truculent noble
in the land, and every castle gate that had not opened
to him through fear, had been battered in by force.
Peace now spread her white wings over all the country,
and where opposition to his Lordship's stubborn will
had been the strongest, there was silence as well, with,
perhaps, a thin wreath of blue smoke hovering over
the blackened walls. The provinces on each bank of
the Moselle from Treves to the Rhine now acknowl-
edged Baldwin their over-lord — a suzerainty technically

claimed by his Lordship's predecessors — but the iron

199

' (

500

THE StRONG ARM

iii-

\\\

Archbishop had changed the nominal into the actual,
and it had taken some hard knocks to do it. His
present journey was well earned, for he was betaking
himself from his more formal and exacting Court at
Treves to his summer palace at Cochcm, there to rest
from the fatigues of a campaign in which he had used
not only his brain, but his good right arm as well.

The palace which was to be the end of his journey
was in some respects admirably suited to its master,
for, standing on an eminence high above Cochem, with
its score of pinnacles glittering in the sun, it seemed,
to one below, a light and airy structure ; but it was in
reality a fortress almost impregnable, and three hundred
years later it sent into a less turbulent sphere the souls
of one thousand six hundred Frenchmen before its flag
was lowered to the enemy.

The personal appearance of the Archbishop and the
smallncss of his escort were practical illustrations of
the fact that the land was at peace, and that he was
master of it. His attire was neither clerical nor warlike,
but rather that of a nobleman riding abroad where no
enemy could possibly lurk. He was to all appearance
unarmed, and had no protection save a light chain mail
jacket of bright steel, which was worn over his vesture,
and not concealed as was the custom. This jacket
sparkled in the sun as if it were woven of fine threads
strung with small and innumerable diamonds. It might
ward ofT a dagger thrust, or turn aside a half-spent
arrow, but it was too light to be of much service against
sword or pike. The Archbishop was well mounted on
a powerful black charger that had carried him through
many a hot contest, and it now made little of the diffi-
culties of the ill-constructed road, putting the other
horses on their mettle to equal the pace set to them.

AN IN ITATION

:20t

The escort consisted of twelve men, all lightly armed,
for Gottlieb, the monk, who rode sometimes by the
Archbishop's side, but more often behind him, could
hardly be counted as a combatant should defence
become necessary. When the Archbishop left Treves
his oldest general had advised his taking an escort of a
thousand men at least, putting it on the ground that
such a number was necessary to uphold the dignity of
his office ; but Baldwin smiled darkly, and said that
where he rode the dignity of the Electorship would be
safe, even though none rode beside or behind him.
Few dared offer advice to the Elector, but the bluff
general persisted, and spoke of danger in riding down
the Moselle valley with so small a following.

" Who is there left to molest me ? " asked the Arch-
bishop ; and the general was forced to admit that there
was none.

An army builds a road along the line of the least re-
sistance ; and often, when a promontory thrust its rocky
nose into the river, the way led up the hill through the
forest, getting back into the valley again as best it
could. During these inland excursions, the monk,
evidently unused to equestrianism, fell behind, and
sometimes the whole troop was halted by command of
its chief, until Gottlieb, clinging to his horse's mane,
emerged from the thicket, the Archbishop curbing the
impatience of his charger and watching, with a cynical
smile curling his stern lips, the reappearance of the
good father.

After one of the most laborious ascents and descents
they had encountered that day, the Archbishop waited
for the monk ; and when he came up with his leader,
panting and somewhat dishevelled, the latter said,
" There appears to be a lesson in your tribulations

jti

.;!

? t

202

THE STRONG ARM

In?- „1.-

which hereafter you may retail with profit to your
flock, relating how a good man leaving the right and
beaten path and following his own devices in the wil-
derness may bring discomfiture upon himself."

" The lesson it conveys to me, my Lord," said the
monk, drily, ** is that a man is but a fool to leave the
stability of good stout sandals with which he is accus-
tomed, to venture his body on a horse that pays little
heed to his wishes."

"This is our last detour," replied the Elector ;" there
are now many miles of winding but level road before
us, and you have thus a chance to retrieve your repu-
tation as a horseman in the eyes of our troop."

** In truth, my Lord, I never boasted of it," returned
the monk, " but I am right glad to learn that the way
will be less mountainous. To what district have we
penetrated ? "

" Above us, but unseen from this bank of the river,
is the castle of the Widow Starkenburg. Her days
of widowhood, however, are nearly passed, for I intend
to marry her to one of my victorious knights, who will
hold the castle for me."

" The Countess of Starkenburg," said the monk,
" must surely now be at an age when the thoughts turn
toward Heaven rather than toward matrimony."

" I have yet to meet the woman," replied the Arch-
bishop, gazing upward, " who pleads old age as an ex-
cuse for turning away from a suitable lover. It is thy
misfortune, Gottlieb, that in choosing a woollen cowl
rather than an iron head-piece, thou should'st thus have
lost a chance of advancement. The castle, I am told,
has well-filled wine vaults, and old age in wine is
doubtless more to thy taste than the same quality in
woman. 'Tis a pity thou art not a knight, Gottlieb,"

AN INVITATION

203

" The fault is not beyond the power of our Holy
Father to remedy by special dispensation," replied the
monk, with a chuckle.

The Elector laughed silently, and looked down on
his comrade in kindly fashion, shaking his head.

" The wines of Castle Starkenburg are not for thy
appreciative palate, ghostly father. I have already
selected a mate for the widow."

" And what if thy selection jumps not with her
approval. They tell me the countess has a will of her
own."

" It matters little to me, and I give her the choice
merely because I am loth to war with a woman. The
castle commands the river and holds the district. The
widow may give it up peaceably at the altar, or forcibly
at the point of the sword, whichever method most com-
mends itself to her ladyship. The castle must be in the
command of one whom I can trust."

The conversation here met a startling interruption.
The Archbishop and his guard were trotting rapidly
round a promontory and following a bend of the river,
the nature of the country being such that it was im-
possible to see many hundred feet ahead of them.
Suddenly, they came upon a troop of armed and
mounted men, standing like statues before them. The
troop numbered an even score, and completely filled
the way between the precipice on their left and the
stream on their right. Although armed, every sword
was in its scabbard, with the exception of the long two-
handed weapon of the leader, who stood a few paces in
advance of his men, with the point of his sword resting
on the ground. The black horse, old in campaigns,
recognised danger ahead, and stopped instantly, with-
out waiting for the drawing of the rein, planting his

y ill

204

THE STRONG ARM

two forefeet firmly in front, with a suddenness of action
that would have unhorsed a less alert rider. Before
the archbishop could question the silent host that
barred his way, their leader raised his long sword until
it was poised perpendicularly in the air above his head,
and, with a loud voice, in measured tones, as one repeats
a lesson he has learned by rote, he cried, " My Lord
Archbishop of Treves, the Countess Laurette von
Starkenburg invites you to sup with her."

In the silence that followed, the leader's sword still
remained uplifted untrcmbling in the air. Across the
narrow gorge, from the wooded sides of the opposite
mountains, came, with mocking cadence, the echo of
the last words of the invitation, clear and distinct, as if
spoken again by some one concealed in the further
forest. A deep frown darkened the brow of the fight-
ing archbishop.

" The Countess is most kind," he said, slowly.
"Convey to her my respectful admiration, and ex-
press my deep regret that I am unable to accept
her hospitality, as I ride to-night to my Castle at
Cochem."

The leader of the opposing host suddenly lowered
his upraised sword, as if in salute, but the m.otion
seemed to be a preconcerted signal, for every man
behind him instantly whipped blade from scabbard, and
stood there with naked weapon displayed. The leader,
raising his sword once more to its former position,
repeated in the same loud and monotonous voice, as if
the archbishop had not spoken. " My Lord Arch-
bishop of Treves, the Countess Laurette von Starken-
burg invites you to sup with her."

The intelligent war-horse, who had regarded the
obstructing force with head held high, retreated slowly

AN INVITATION

205

step by step, until now a considerable distance separated
the two companies. The captain of the f^uard had seen
from the first that attack or defence was equally useless,
and, with his men, had also given way gradually as the
strange colloquy went on. Whether any of the oppos-
ing force noticed this or not, they made no attempt to
recover the ground thus almost imperceptibly stolen
from them, but ^cood as if each horse were rooted to
the spot.

Baldwin the Fighter, whose compressed lips showed
how loth he was to turn his back upon any foe, never-
theless saw the futility of resistance, and in a quick,
clear whisper, he said, hastily, " Back ! Back ! If we
cannot fight them, we can at least out-race them."

The good monk had taken advantage of his privilege
as a non-combatant to retreat well to the rear while the
invitation was being given and declined, and in the suc-
ceeding flight found himself leading the van. The cap-
tain of the guard threw himself between the Starken-
burg men and the prince of the Church, but the former
made no effort at pursuit, standing motionless as they
had done from the first until the rounding promontory
hid them from view. Suddenly, the horse on which
the monk rode stood stock still, and its worthy rider,
with a cry of alarm, clinging to the animal's mane, shot
over its head and came heavily to the ground. The
whole flying troop came to a s- Men halt, for there
ahead of them was a band exactly similar in numbers
and appearance to that from which they were galloping.
It seemed as if the same company had been transported
by magic over the promontory and placed across the
way. The sun shone on the uplifted blade of the
leader, reminding the archbishop of the flaming sword
that barred the entrance of our first parents to Paradise,

■Wi-^'

206

THE S'T'RONG ARM

The leader, with ringhig voice, that had a touch of
menace in it, cried :

" My Lord Archbishop of Treves, the Countess
Laurette von Starkenburg invites you to sup with
her."

** Trapped, by God ! " muttered the Elector between
his clinched teeth. His eyes sparkled with anger, and
the sinister light that shot from them had before now
made the Emperor quail. He spurred his horse toward
the leader, who lowered his sword and bowed to the
great dignitary approaching him.

" The Countess of Starkenburg is my vassal," cried
the Archbishop. ** You are her servant ; and in much
greater degree, therefore, are yc j mine. I command
you to let us pass unmolested on our way ; refuse at
your peril."

" A servant," said the man, slowly, " obeys the one
directly above him, and leaves that one to account to
any superior authority. My men obey me ; I take my
orders from my lady the countess. If you, my Lord,
wish to direct the authority which commands me, my
lady the countess awaits your pleasure at her castle of
Starkenburg."

" What are your orders, fellow ? " asked the Arch-
bishop, in a calmer tone.

" To convey your Lordship without scathe to the gates
of Starkenburg."

" And if you meet resistance, what then ? "

" The orders stand, my Lord."

" You will, I trust, allow this mendicant monk to pass
peaceably on his way to Treves."

" In no castle on the Moselle does even the humblest
servant of the Church receive a warmer welcome than
at Starkenburg. My lady would hold me to blame

ass

"est
lan

ime

AN INVITATION

207

were she prevented from offering her hospitality to the
mendicant."

" Does the same generous impulse extend to each of
my followers? "

" It includes them all, my Lord."

" Very well. We will do ourselves the honour of wait-
ing upon this most bountiful hostesj."

By this time the troop which had rirst stopped the
Archbishop's progress came slowly up, and the little
body-guard of the Elector found themselves hemmed
in with twenty men in the front and twenty at the rear,
wh; 2 the rocky precipice rose on one hand and the
rapid river flowed on the other.

The cortdgc reformed and trotted gently down the
road until it came to a by-way leading up the hill. Into
this by-way the leaders turned, reducing their trot to a
walk because of the steepness of the ascent. The Arch-
bishop and his men followed, with the second troop of
Starkenburg bringing up the rear. His Lordship rode
at first in sullen silence, then with a quick glance of his
eye he summoned the captain to his side. He slipped
the ring of office from his finger and passed it unper-
ceived into the officer's hand.

" There will be some confusion at the gate," he said,
in a low voice. " Escape then if you can. Ride for
Treves as you never rode before. Stop not to fight
with any ; everything depends on outstripping pursuit.
Take what horses you need wherever you find them,
and kill them all if necessary, but stop for nothing.
This ring will be warrant for whatever you do. Tell
my general to invest this castle instantly with ten thou-
sand men and press forward the siege regardless of my
fate. Tell him to leave not one stone standing upon
another, and to hang the widow of Starkenburg from

liiiiljl

<s\\

208

THE STRONG ARM

i '

her own blazing timbers. Succeed, and a knighthood
and the command of a thousand men awaits you."

"I will succeed or die, my Lord."

"Succeed and live," said the Archbishop, shortly.

As the horses slowly laboured up the zigzagging road,
the view along the silvery Moselle widened and ex-
tended, and at last the strong grey walls of the castle
came into sight, with the ample gates wide open. The
horsemen in front drew up in two lines on each side of
the gates without entering, and thus the Archbishop, at
the head of his little band, slowly rode first under the
archway into the courtyard of the castle.

On the stone steps that led to the principal entrance
of the castle stood a tall, graceful lady, with her women
behind her. She was robed in black, and the head-
dress of her snow-white hair gave her the appearance
of a dignified abbess at her convent door. Her serene
and placid face had undoubtedly once been beautiful ;
and age, which had left her form as straight and slen-
der as one of her own forest pines, forgetting to place
its customary burden upon her gracefi;! shoulders, had
touched her countenance with a loving hand. With
all her womanliness, there was, nevertheless, a certain
firmness in the finely-moulded chin that gave evidence
of a line of ancestry that had never been too deferential
to those in authority.

The stern Archbishop reined in his black charger
when he reached the middle of the courtyard, but made
no motion to dismount. The lady came slowly down
the broad stone steps, followed by her feminine train,
and, approaching the Elector, placed her white hand
upon his stirrup, in mute acknowledgment of her vas-
salage.

" Welcome, prince of the Church and protector of

AN INVITATION

2og

our Faith," she said. " It is a hundred years since my
poor house hi^s sheltered so august a guest."

The tones were smooth and soothing as the scarcely
audible plash of a distant fountain ; but the incident
she citec struck ominously on the Archbishop's recol-
lection, rousing memory and causing him to dart a
quick glance at the countess, in which was blended
sharp enquiry and awakened foreboding; but the lady,
unconscious of his scrutiny, stood with drooping head
and downcast eyes, her shapely hand still on his stirrup-
iron.

" If I remember rightly, madame, my august prede-
cessor slept well beneath this roof."

" Alas, yes ! " murmured the lady, sadly. " "We have
ever accounted it the greatest misfortune of our line,
that he should have died mysteriously here. Peace be
to his soul ! "

" Not so mysteriously, madame, but that there were
some shrewd guesses concerning his malady."

" That is true, my Lord," replied the countess, simply.
" It was supposed that in his camp upon the lowlands
by the river he contracted a fever from which he died."

" My journey by the Moselle has been of the briefest.
I trust, therefore, I have not within me the seeds of his
fatal distemper."

" I most devoutly echo that trust, my Lord, and pray
that God, who watches over us all, may guard your
health while sojourning here."

** Forgive me, madame, if, within the shadow of these
walls, I say * Amen ' to your prayer with some em-
phasis."

The Countess Laurette contented herself with bow-
ing low and humbly crossing herself, making no verbal
reply to his Lordship's remark. She then beseeched
14

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III:

■'?!■■;

210

THE STRONG ARM

the Archbishop to dismount, saying something of his
need of rest and refreshment, begging him to allow her
to be his guide to the Rittersaal.

When the Archbishop reached the topmost step that
led to the castle door, he cast an eye, not devoid of
anxiety, over the court-yard, to see how his following
had fared. The gates were now fast closed, and forty
horses were ranged with their tails to the wall, the
silent riders in their saddles. Rapid as was his glance,
it showed him his guard huddled together in the centre
of the court, his own black charger, with empty saddle,
the only living thing among them that showed no sign
of dismay. Between two of the hostile horsemen stood
his captain, with doublet torn and headgear awry, evi-
dently a discomfited prisoner.

The Archbishop entered the gloomy castle with a
sense of defeat tugging down his heart to a lower level
than he had ever known it to reach before ; for in days
gone by, when fate had seemed to press against him,
he had been in the thick of battle, and had felt an
exultation in rallying his half-discouraged followers,
who had never failed to respond to the call of a born
leader of men. But here he had to encounter silence,
with semi-darkness over his head, cold stone under
foot, and round him the unaccustomed hiss of women's
skirts.

The Countess conducted her guest through the lofty
Knight's Hall, in which his Lordship saw preparations
for a banquet going forward. An arched passage led
them to a small room that seemed to be within a turret
hanging over a precipice, as if it were an eagle's nest.
This room gave an admirable and extended view over
the winding Moselle and much of the surrounding
country. On a table were flagons of wine and empty

AN INVITATION

2It

his
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cups, together with some light refection, upon all of
which the Archbishop looked with suspicious eye. He
did not forget the rumoured poisoning of his predeces-
sor in office. The countess asked him, with deference,
to seat himself ; then pouring out a cup of wine, she
bowed to him and drank it. Turning to rinse the cup
in a basin of water which a serving-woman Iield, she
was interrupted by her guest, who now, for the first
time, showed a trace of gallantry.

" I beg of you, madame," said the Archbishop, rising;
and, taking the unwashed cup from her hand, he filled
it with wine, drinking prosperity to herself and her
home. Then, motioning her to a chair, he said seating
himself : " Countess von Starkenburg, I am a man
more used to the uncouth rigour of a camp than the
dainty etiquette of a lady's boudoir. Forgive me,
then, if I ask you plainly, as a plain man may, why you
hold me prisoner in your castle."

" Prisoner, my lord ? " echoed the lady, with eye-
brows raised in amazement. " How poorly are we
served by our underlings, if such a thought has been
conveyed to your lordship's mind. I asked them to
invite you hither with such deference as a vassal should
hold toward an over-lord. I am grievously distressed
to learn that my commands have been so ill obeyed."

** Your commands were faithfully followed, madame,
and I have made no complaint regarding lack of defer-
ence, but when two-score armed men carry a respectful
invitation to one having a bare dozen at his back,
then all option vanishes, and compulsion takes its
place."

" My lord, a handful of men were fit enough escort
for a neighbouring baron should he visit us, but, for a
prince of the Church, all my retainers are but scanty

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212

THE STRONG ARM

acknowledgment of a vassal's regard. I vvoulJ they
had been twenty thousand, to do you seemly honour."

" I am easily satisfied, madame, and had they been
fewer I might have missed this charming outlook. I
am to understand, then, that you have no demands to
make of me, and that I am free to depart, accompanied
by your good wishes."

*' With my good wishes now and always, surely, my
Lord. I have no demands to make — the word ill befits
the lips of a humble vassal ; but, being here "

"Ah! But, being here " interrupted the Arch-
bishop, glancing keenly at her.

" I have a favour to beg of you. I wish to ask per-
mission to build a castle on the heights above Trarbach,
for my son."

" The Count Johann, third of the name ? "

" The same, my Lord, who is honoured by your Lord-
ship's remembrance of him."

" And you wish to place this stronghold between
your castle of Starkenburg and my town of Treves?
Were I a suspicious man, I might imagine you had
some distrust of me."

" Not so, my lord. The Count Johann will hold the
castle in your defence."

** I have ever been accustomed to look to my own
defence," said the Archbishop, drily ; adding, as if it
were an afterthought, ** with the blessing of God upon
my poor efforts."

The faintest suspicion of a smile hovered for an instant
on the lips of the countess, that might have been
likened to the momentary passing of a gleam of sun-
shine over the placid waters of the river far below ; for
she well knew, as did all others, that it was the habit
of the fighting Archbishop to smite sturdily first, and

AN INVITATION

213

own

if it

|upon

istant
been
sun-
; for
habit
:, and

ask whatever blessing might be needed on the blow
afterwards.

"The permission being given, what follows?"

" That you will promise not to molest me during the
building."

'* A natural corollary. 'Twould be little worth to
give permission and then bring up ten thousand men
to disturb the builders. That granted, remains there
anything more ? "

" I fear I trespass on your Lordship's patience, but
this is now the end. A strong house is never built
v/ith a weak purse. I do entreat your lordship to
cause to be sent to me from your treasury in Treves
a thousand pieces of gold, that the castle may be a
worthy addition to your province."

The Archbishop arose with a scowl on his face, and
paced the narrow limits of the room like a caged lion.
The hot anger mounted to his brow and reddened it,
but he strode up and down until he regained control of
himself, then spoke with a touch of hardness in his
voice :

" A good fighter, madame, holds his strongest reserves
to the last. You have called me a prince of the Church,
and such I am. But you flatter me, madame ; you rate
me too high. The founder of our Church, when be-
trayed, was sold for silver, and for a lesser number of
pieces than you ask in gold."

The lady, now standing, answered nothing to this
taunt, but the colour flushed her pale cheeks.

" I am, then, a prisoner, and you hold me for ran-
som, but it will avail you little. You may ciose your
gates and prevent my poor dozen of followers from
escaping, but news of this outrage will reach Treves,
and then, by God, your walls shall smoke for it. There

214

THE i:trong arm

will be none of the Starkenburgs left, either to kidnap
or to murder future archbishops."

Still the lady stood silent and motionless as a marble
statue. The Elector paced up and down for a time,
muttering to himself, then smote his open palm against
a pillar of the balcony, and stood gazing on the fair
landscape of river and rounded hill spread below and
around him. Suddenly he turned and looked at the
Countess, meeting her clear, fearless grey eyes, noticing,
for the first time, the resolute contour of her finely-
moulded chin.

" Madame," he said, with admiration in his tone,
" you are a brave woman.*'

" I am not so brave as you think me, my Lord," she
answered, coldly. ** There is one thing I dare not do.
I um not brave enough to allow your Lordship to go
free, if you refuse what I ask."

"And should I not relent at first, there are dungeons
in Starkenburg where this proud spirit, with which my
enemies say I am cursed, will doubtless be humbled."

" Not so, my Lord. You will be treated with that
consideration which should be shown to one of your
exalted station."

" Indeed ! And melted thus by kindness, how long,
think you, will the process take ? "

" It will be of the shortest, my Lord, for if, as you
surmise rumour should get abroad and falsely proclaim
that the Archbishop lodges here against his will, there's
not a flying baron or beggared knight in all the land
but would turn in his tracks and cry to Starkenburg,
* In God's name, hold him, widow, till we get our own
again ! ' Willingly would they make the sum I beg of
you an annual tribute, so they might be certain your
J-,ordship were well housed in this castl^.**

AN INVITATION

215

" Widow, there is truth in what you say, even if a
woman hath spoken it," replied the Archbishop, with a
grim smile on his lips and undisguised admiration
gleaming from his dark eye. " This cowardly world is
given to taking advantage of a man when opportunity
offers. But there is one point you have not reckoned
upon : What of my stout army lying at Treves ? "

" What of the arc'i when the keystone is withdrawn ?
What of the sheep when the shepherd disappears ? My
Lord, you do yourself and your great military gifts a
wrong. Through my deep regard for you I gave strict
command that not even the meanest of your train should
be allowed to wander till all were safe within these
gates, for I well knew that, did but a whisper of my
humble invitation and your gracious acceptance of the
same reach Treves, it might be misconstrued ; and al-
though some sturdy fellows would be true, and beat
their stupid heads against these walls, the rest would
scatter like a sheaf of arrows suddenly unloosed, and
seek the strongest arm upraised In the mel^e sure to
follow. Against your army, Icaderless, I would myself
march out at the head of my two-score men without a
tremor at my heart ; before that leader, alone and army-
less, I bow my head with something more akin to fear
than I have ever known before, and crave his generous
pardon for my bold request."

The Archbishop took her unresisting hand, and, bend-
ing, raised it to his lips with that dignified courtesy
which, despite his disclaimer, he knew well how, upon
occasion, to display.

" Madame," he said, " I ask you to believe that your
request was granted even before you marshalled such
unanswerable arguments to stand, like armoured men,
ground it. There is ^ stern and stringent law of our

2l6

THE STRONG ARM

great Church which forbids its servants suing for a
lady's hand. Countess, I never felt the grasp of that
iron fetter until now."

Thus came the strong castle above Trarbach to be
builded, and that not at the expense of its owners.

THE ARCHBISHOP'S GIFT

Arras, blacksmith and armourer, stood at the door
of his hut in the valley of the A If, a league or so from
the Moselle, one summer evening. He was the most
powerful man in all the Alf-thal, and few could lift the
iron sledge-hammer he wielded as though it were a toy.
Arras had twelve sons scarce less stalwart than himself,
some of w'\om helped him in his occupation of black-
smith and armourer, while the others tilled the ground
near by, earning from the rich soil of the valley such
sustenance as the whole family required.

The blacksmith thus standing at his door, heard,
coming up the valley of the Alf, the hoof-beats of a
horse, and his quick, experienced ear told him, though
the animal was yet afar, that one of its shoes was loose.
As the hurrying rider came within call, the blacksmith
shouted to him in stentorian tones :

" Friend, pause a moment, until I fasten again the
shoe on your horse's foot."

" I cannot stop," was the brief answer.

" Then your animal will go lame," rejoined the black-
smith.

" Better lose a horse than an empire," replied the
rider, hurrying by.

" Now what does that mean ? " said the blacksmith
to himself as he watched the disappearing rider, while

2l8

THE STRONG ARM

the click-clack of the loosened shoe became fainter and
fainter in the distance.

Could the blacksmith have followed the rider into
Castle Bertrich, a short distance further up the valley,
he would speedily have learned the meaning of the
hasty phrase the horseman had flung behind him as he
rode past. Ascending the winding road that led to the
gates of the castle as hurriedly as the jaded condition
of his beast would permit, the horseman paused, un-
loosed the horn from his belt, and blew a blast that
echoed from the wooded h lis around. Presently an
officer appeared above the gateway, accompanied by
two or three armed men, and demanded who the
stranger was and why he asked admission. The horse-
man, amazed at the officer's ignorance of heraldry that
caused him to inquire as to his quality, answered with
some haughtiness :

" Messenger of the Archbishop of Treves, I demand
instant audience with Count Bertrich."

The officer, without reply, disappeared from the castle
wall, and presently the great leaves of the gate were
thrown opea, wlereupon the horseman rode his tired
animal into the courtyard and flung himself off.

*' My horse's shoe is loose," he said to the Captain.
" I ask you to have your armourer immediately attend
to it." "

" In truth," replied the officer, shrugging his
shoulders, "there is more drinking than fighting in
Castle Bertrich ; consequently we do not possess an
armourer. If you want blacksmithing done you must
betake yourself to armourer Arras in the valley, who will
put either horse or armour right for you."

■^'^ith this the messenger was forced to be content ;
I vj, begging the attendants who took charge of his

THE ARCHBISHOP'S GIFT

219

horse to remember that it had travelled far and had
still, when rested, a long journey before it, he followed
the Captain into the great Rittersaal of the castle, where,
on entering, after having been announced, he lound the
Count of Bertrich sitting at the head of a long table,
holding in his hand a gigantic wine flagon which he was
industriously empt; ng. Extending down each side of
the table were man) nobles, knights, and warriors, who,
to judge by the hasty glance bestowed upon them by
the Archbishop's messenger, seemed to be en 'rgetically
following the example set them by their over-lord at
the head. Count Bertrich's hair was unkempt, his face
a purplish red, his eye bloodshot ; and his corselet,
open at the throat, showed the great bull-neck of the
man, on whose gigantic frame constant dissipation
seemed t have merely temporary effect.

" Well ! " roared the nobleman, in a voice that made
the rafters ring. " What would you with Count Ber-
trich ? "

" I bear an urgent despatch to you from my Lord the
Archbishop of Treves," replied the messenger.

" Then down on your knees and present it," cried the
Count, beating the table with his flagon.

" I am Envoy of his Lordship of Treves," said the
messenger, sternly.

" You told us that before," shouted the'Count ; " and
now you stand in the hall of Bertrich. Kneel, there-
fore, to its master."

" I represent the Archbish >p," reiterated the mes-
senger, " and I kneel to noae but God and the Em-
peror."

Count Bertrich rose somewhat uncertainly to his feet,
his whole frame trembling with anger, and volleyed
forth oaths upon threats. The tall nobleman at his

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220

THE STRONG ARM

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right hand also rose, as did many of the others who sat
at the table, and placing his hand on the arm of his
furious host, said warningly :

" My Lord Count, the man is right. It is against
the feudal law that he should kneel, or that you should
demand it. The Archbishop of Treves is your over-
lord, as well as ours, and it is not fitting that his mes-
senger should kneel before us."

" That is truth — the feudal law," muttered others
down each side of the table.

The enraged Count glared upon them one after an-
other, partially subdued by their breaking away from
him.

The Envoy stood calm and collected, awaiting the
outcome of the tumult. The Count, cursing the absent
Archbishop and his present guests with equal impar-
tiality, sat slowly down again, and flinging his empty
flagon at an attendant, demanded that it should be
refilled. The others likewise resumed their seats ; and
the Count cried out, but with less of truculence in his
tone:

" What message sent the Archbishop to Castle
Bertrich ? "

" My Lord, the Archbishop of Treves requires me to
inform Count Bertrich and the assembled nobles that
the Hungarians have forced passage across the Rhine,
and are now about to make their way through the
defiles of the Eifel into this valley, intending to march
thence upon Treves, laying that ancient city in ruin and
carrying havoc over the surrounding countiy. His
Lordship commands you, Count Bertrich, to rally your
men about you and to hold the infidels in check in the
defiles of the Eifel until the Archbishop comes, at the
head of his army, to your relief from Treves,"

THE ARCHBISHOP'S GIFT

221

There was deep silence in the vast hall after this
startling announcement. Then the Count replied :

** Tell the Archbishop of Treves that if the Lords of
the Rhine cannot keep back the Hungarians, it is hardly-
likely that we, less powerful, near the Moselle, can do it."

" His Lordship urges instant compliance with his
request, and I am to say that you refuse at your peril.
A few hundred men can hold the Hungarians in check
while they are passing through the narrow ravines of
the Eifel, while as many thousands might not be suc-
cessful against them should they once reach the open
valleys of the Alf and the Moselle. His Lordship
would also have you know that this campaign is as
much in your own interest as in his, for the Hunga-
rians, in their devastating march, spare neither high nor
low."

" Tell his Lordship," hiccoughed the Count, " that I
sit safely tn my Castle of Bertrich, and that I defy all
the Hungarians who were ever let loose to disturb me
therein. If the Archbishop keeps Treves as tightly
as I shall hold Castle Bertrich, there is little to fear
from the invaders."

" Am I to return to Treves then with your refusal? "
asked the Envoy.

" You may return to Treves as best pleases you, so
that you rid us of your presence here, where you mar
good company."

The Envoy, without further speech, bowed to Count
Bertrich and also to the assembled nobles, passed
silently out of the hall, once more reaching the court-
yard of the castle, where he demanded that his horse
be brought to him.

" The animal has had but scant time for feeding and
rest," said the Captain.

Mtml

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222

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THE STRONG ARM

« »'

Twill be sufficient to carry us to the blacksmith's
hut," answered the Envoy, as he put his foot in stir-
rup.

The blacksmith, still standing at the door of his
smithy, heard, coming firm the castle, the click of the
broken shoe, but this time the ider drew up before
him and said :

" The offer of help which you tendered me a li*^tle
ago I shall now be glad to accept. Do your work
well, smith, and know that in performing it, you are
obliging an envoy of the Archbishop of Treves."

The armourer raised his cap at the mention of the
august name, and Invoked a blessing upon the head of
that renowned and warlike prelate.

" You said something," spoke up the smith, " of loss
of empire, as you rode by. I trust there is no disquiet-
ing news from Treves ? "

** Disquieting enough," replied the messenger.
" The Hungarians have crossed the Rhine, and are
now making their way towards the defiles of the Eifel.
There a hundred men could hold the infidels in check;
but you breed a scurvy set of nobles in the Alf-tha), for
Count Bertrich disdains the command of his over-
lord to rise at the head of his men and stay the prog-
ress of the invader until the Archbishop can come to
his assistance."

" Now, out upon the drunken Count for a base cow-
ard ! " cried the armourer in anger. " May his castle
be sacked and himself hanged on the highest tu ret,
for refusing aid to his over-lord in time of need. I and
my twelve sons know every rock and cave in the Eifel.
Would the Archbishop, think you, accept the aid of
such underlings as we, whose only commendation is
that our hearts are stout as our sinews ? "

▼

THE ARCHBISHOP'S GIFT

223

" What better warranty could the Archbishop ask
than that ? " repHed the Envoy. " If you can hold
back the Hungarians for four or five days, then I doubt
not that whatever you ask of the Archbishop will
speedily be granted."

"We shall ask nothing," cried the blacksmith, "but
his blessing, and be deeply honoured in receiving it."

Whereupon th-" blacksmith, seizing his hammer,
went to the door of his hut, where hung part of a suit
of armour, that served at the same time as a sign of
his profession and as a tocsin. He smote the hanging
iron with his sledge until the clangorous reverberation
sounded through the valley, and presently there came
hurrying to him eight of his stalwart sons, who had
been occupied in tilling the fields.

" Scatter ye," cried the blacksmith, " over the land.
Rousc the people, and tell them the Hungarians are
upon us. Urge all to collect here at midnight, with
whatever of arms or weapons they may possess. Those
who have no arms, let them bring poles, and mean-
while your brothers and myself will make pike-heads
for them. Tell them they are called to action by a
Lord from the Archbishop of Treves himself, and that
I shall lead them. Tell them they fight for their
homes, their wives, and their children. And now
away."

The eight young men at once dispersed in various
directions. The smith himself shod the Envoy's horse,
and begged him to inform the Archbishop that they
would defend the passes of the Eifel while a man of
them remained alive.

Long before midnight the peasants came straggling
to the smithy from all quarters, and by daylight the
blacksmith had led them over the volcanic hills to the

224

THE STRONG ARM

lip of the tremendous pass through which the Hun-
garians must come. The sides of this chasm were pre-
cipitous and hundreds of feet in height. Even the
peasants themselves, knowing the rocks as they did,
could not have climbed from the bottom of the pass to
the height they now occupied. They had, therefore,
no fear that the Hungarians could scale the walls and
decimate their scanty band.

When the invaders appeared the blacksmith and his
men rolled great stones and rocks down upon them,
practically annihilating the advance guard and throwing
the whole army into confusion. The week's struggle
that followed forms one of the most exciting episodes
in German history. Again and again the Hungarians
attempted the pass, but nothing could withstand the
avalanche of stones and rocks wherewith they were over-
whelmed. Still, the devoted little band did not have
everything its own way. They were so few — and they
had to keep watch night and day — that ere the week was
out many turned longing eyes towards the direction
whence the Archbishop's army was expected to appear.
It was not until the seventh day that help arrived, and
then the Archbishop's forces speedily put to flight the
now demoralised Hungarians, and chased them once
more across the Rhine.

" There is nothing now left for us to do," said the
tired blacksmith to his little following ; " so I will get
back to my forge and you to your farms."

And this without more ado they did, the cheering
and inspiring ring of iron on anvil awakening the echoes
of the Alf-thal once again.

The blacksmith and his twelve sons were at their
noon-day meal when an imposing cavalcade rode up to
the smithy. At the head was no other than the Arch-

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THE ARCHBISHOP'S GIFT

22$

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bishop himself, and the blacksmith and his dozen sons
were covered with confusion to think that they had
such a distinguished visitor without the means of re-
ceiving him in accordance with his station. But the
Archbishop said :

" Blacksmith Arras, you and your sons would not
wait for me to thank you ; so I am now come to you
that in presence of all these followers of mine I may pay
fitting tribute to your loyalty and your bravery."

Then, indeed, did the modest blacksmith consider he
had received more than ample compensation for what
he had done, which, after all, as he told hiS neighbours,
was merely his duty. So why should a man be thanked
for it ?

" Blacksmith," said the Archbishop, as he mounted
his horse to return to Treves, " thanks cost little and
are easily bestowed. I hope, however, to have a picsent
for you that will show the whole country round how
much I esteem true valour."

At the mouth of the Alf-thal, somewhat back from
the small village of Alf and overlooking the Moselle,
stands a conical hill that completely commands the
valley. The Archbishop of Treves, having had a lesson
regarding the dangers of an incursion through the
volcanic region of the Eifel, put some hundreds of men
at work on this conical hill, and erected on the top a
strong castle, which was the wonder of the country.
The year was nearing its end when this great strong-
hold was completed, and it began to be known through-
out the land that the Archbishop intended to hold
high revel there, and had invited to the castle an the
nobles in the country, while the chief guest was no
other than the Emperor himself. Then the neighbours
of the blacksmith learned that a gift was about to be

226

THE STRONG ARM

bestowed upon that stalwart man. He and his twelve
sons received notification to attend at the castle, and
to enjoy the whole week's festivity. He was com-
manded to come in his leathern apron, and to bring witii
him his huge sledge-hammer, which, the Archbishop
said, had now become a weapon as honourable as the
two-handed sword itself.

Never before had such an honour been bestowed upon
a common man, and though the peasants were jubilant
that one of their caste should be thus singled out to
receive the favour of the famous Archbishop, and meet
not only great nobles, but even the Emperor himself,
still, it was gossiped that the Barons grumbled at this
distinction being placed upon a serf like the blacksmith
Arras, and none were so loud in their complaints as
Count Bertrich, who had remained drinking in the
castle while the blacksmith fought for the land. Never-
theless, all the nobility accepted the invitation of the
powerful Archbishop of Treves, and assembled in the
great room of the new castle, each equipped in all
the gorgeous panoply of full armour. It had been
rumoured among the nobles that the Emperor would not
permit the Archbishop to sully the caste of knighthood
by asking the Barons to recognise or hold converse with
one in humble station of life. Indeed, had it been
otherwise. Count Bertrich, with the Barons to back
him, were resolved to speak out boldly to the Emperor,
upholding the privileges of their class, and protesting
against insult to it in presence of the blacksmith and
liis sons.

When all assembled in the great hall they found at
the centre of the long side wall a magnificent throne
erected, with a daYs in front of it, and on this throne
sat the Emperor in state, while at his right hand stood

THE ARCHBISHOP'S GIFT

227

;lve

and

om-

kvith

shop

i the

upon

)ilant

>ut to
meet

mself,

It this

:smith

nts as

in the

Never-
of the
in the
in all

d been
uld not
hthood
'sc with
it been
o back
|mperor,
.testing
ith and

found at
throne
Is throne
id stood

the lordly Archbishop of Treves. But what was more
disquieting, they beheld also the blacksmith standing
before the dais, some distance in front of the Emperor,
clad in his leathern apron, with his big brawny hands
folded over the top of the handle of his huge sledge-
hammer, ik'hind him were ranged his twelve sons.
There were deep frowns on the brows of the nobles
when they saw this, and, after kneeling and protesting
their loyalty to the Emperor, they stood aloof and
apart, leaving a clear space between themselves and the
plebeian blacksmith on whom they cast lowering looks.
When the salutations of the Emperor had been given,
the Archbishop took a step forward on the dais and
spoke in a clear voice that could be heard to the further-
most corner of the room.

*' My Lords," he said," I have invited you hither that
you may have the privilege of doing honour to a brave
man. 1 ask you to salute the blacksmith Arras, who,
when his country was in danger, crushed the invaders
as effectually as ever his right arm, wielding sledge,
crushed hot iron."

A red flush of confusion overspread the face of the
blacksmith, but loud murmurs broke out among the
nobility, and none stepped forward to salute him. One,
indeed, stepped forward, but it was to appeal to the
Emperor.

*' Your Majesty," exclaimed Count Bertrich, " this is
an unwarranted breach of our privileges. It is not
meet that we, holding noble names, should be asked to
consort with an untitled blacksmith. I appeal to your
Majesty against the Archbishop under the feudal law."

All eyes turned upon the Emperor, who, after a pause,
said :

" Count Bertrich is rig-ht. and I sustain his appeal."

.;!

\ t

228

THE STRONG ARM

An expression of triumph came into the red bibulous
face of Count Bertrich, and the nobles shouted joy-
ously :

** The Emperor, the Emperor ! "

The Archbishop, however, seemed in no way non-
plussed by his defeat, but, addressing the armourer,
said :

" Advance, blacksmith, and do homage to your
Emperor and mine."

When the blacksmith knelt before the throne, the
Emperor, taking his jewelled sword from his side,
smote the kneeling man lightly on his broad shoulders,
saying :

** Arise, Count Arras, noble of the German Empire,
and first Lord of the Alf-thal."

The blacksmith rose slowly to his feet, bowed lowly
to the Emperor, and backed to the place where he had
formerly stood, again resting his hands on the handle
of his sledge-hammer. The look of exultation faded
from the face of Count Bertrich, and was replaced by
an expression of dismay, for he had been until that
moment, himself first Lord of the Alf-thal, with none
second.

" My Lords," once more spoke up the Archbishop,
" I ask you to salute Count Arras, first Lord of the
Alf-thal."

No noble moved, and again Count Bertrich appealed
to the Emperor.

" Are we to receive on terms of equality," he said, " a
landless man ; the count of a blacksmith's hut ; a first
lord of a forge ? For the second time I appeal to your
Majesty against such an outrage."

The Emperor replied calmly :

*' Again I support the appeal of Count Bertrich."

I" ■"

THE ARCHBISHOP'S GIFT

229

top,
the

kled

,"a
first

*•

There was this time no applause from the surround-
ing nobles, for many of them had some smattering
idea of what was next to happen, though the muddled
brain of Count Bertrich gave him no intimation of it.

" Count Arras," said the Archbishop, " I promised
you a gift when last I left you at your smithy door. I
now bestow upon you and your heirs forever this
castle of Burg Arras, and the lands adjoining it. I ask
you to hold it for me well and faithfully, as you held
the pass of the Eifel. My Lords," continued the
Archbishop, turning to the nobles, with a ring of
menace in his voice, " I ask you to salute Count Arras,
your equal in title, your equal in possessions, and the
superior of any one of you in patriotism and bravery.
If any noble question his courage, let him neglect to
give Count of Burg Arras his title and salutation as he
passes before him."

" Indeed, and that will not I," said the tall noble
who had sat at Bertrich's right hand in his castle, " for,
my Lords, if we hesitate longer, this doughty black-
smith will be Emperor before we know it." Tnen,
advancing towards the ex-armourer, he said : " My
Lord, Count of Burg Arras, it gives me pleasure to
salute you, and to hope that when Emperor or Arch-
bishop are to be fought for, your arm will be no less
powerful in a coat of mail than it was when you wore
a leathern apron."

One b)' one the nobles passed and saluted as their
leader had done. Count Bertrich hung back until the
last, and then, as he passed the new Count of Burg
Arras, he hissed at him, with a look of rage, the single
word, " Blacksmith ! "

The Count of Burg Arras, stirred to sudden anger,
and forgetting in whose presence he stood, swung his

230

THE STRONG ARM

i. r

'f t

huge sledge-hammer round his head, and brought it
down on the armoured back of Count Bertrich, roaring
the word " AwiL ! "

The armour spHntered Hke crushed ice, and Count
Bertrich fell prone on his face and lay there. There
was instant cry of " Treason ! Treason ! and shouts
of " No man may draw arms in the Emperor's presence."

" My Lord Emperor," cried the Count of Burg
Arras, " I crave pardon if I have done amiss. A man
does not forget the tricks of his old calling when he
takes on new honours. Your Majesty has said that I
am a Count. This man, having heard your Majesty's
word, proclaims me blacksmith, and so ^ave the lie to
his Emperor. For this I struck him, and would again,
even though he stood before the throne in a palace, or
the altar in a cathedral. If that be treason, take from
me your honours, and let me back to my forge, where
this same hammer will mend the armour* it has broken,
or beat him out a new back-piece."

" You have broken no tenet of the feudal law," said
the Emperor. ** You have broken nothing, I trust,
but the Count's armour, for, as I see, he is arousing
himself, doubtless no bones are broken as well. The
feudal law does not regard a blacksmith's hammer as a
weapon. And as for treason, Count of Burg Arras,
may my throne always be surrounded by such treason
as yours."

And for centuries after, the descendants of the black-
smith were Counts of Burg Arras, and held the castle
of that name, whose ruins to-day attest the excellence
of the Archoishop's building.

t it
ring

3unt
here

lOUtS

♦»
nee.

Burg

man
m he
hat I
esty's
Ue to
again,
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jroken,

' said
trust,
rousing
The

aer as a
Arras,
treason

black-
castle
cellence

COUNT KONRAD'S COURTSHIP

It was nearly midnight when Count Konrad von
Hochstaden reached his castle on the Rhine, with a
score of very tired and hungry men behind him. The
warder at the gat*" of Schloss Hochstaden, after some
cautious parley with the newcomers, joyously threw
apart the two great iron-spudded oaken leaves of the
portal when he was convinced that it was indeed his
young master who had arrived after some tumultuous
years at the crusades, and Count Konrad with his fol-
lowers rode clattering under the stone arch, into the
ample courtyard. It is recorded that, in the great hall
of the castle, the Count and his twenty bronzed and
scarred knights ate such a meal as had never before been
seen to disappear in Hochstaden, and that after drink-
ing with great cheer to the downfall of the Saracene
and the triumph of the true cross, they all lay on the
floor of the Rittersaal and slept the remainder of the
night, the whole of next day, and did not awaken until
the dawn of the second morning. They had had years
of hard fighting in the east, and on the way home they
had been compelled to work their passage through the
domains of turbulent nobles by good stout broadsword
play, the only argument their opposers could under-
stand, and thus they had come through to the Rhine

without contributing aught to their opponents except

231

■i

ill

THE STRONG ARM

fierce blows, which were not commodities as marketable
as yellow gold, yet with this sole exchange did the
twenty-one win their way from Palestine to the Palati-
nate, and thus were they so long on the road that those
in Schloss Hochstaden had given up all expectation of
their coming.

Count Konrad found that his father, whose serious
illness was the cause of his return, had been dead for
months past, and the young man wandered about the
castle which, during the past few years, he had beheld
only in dreams by night and in the desert mirages by
day, saddened because of his loss. He would return to
the Holy Land, he said to himself, and let the castle
be looked after by its custodian until the war with the
heathen was ended.

The young Count walked back and forth on the stone
paved terrace which commanded from its height such
a splendid view of the winding river, but he paid small
attention to the landscape, striding along with his hands
clasped behind him ; his head bent, deep in thought.
He was awakened from his reverie by the coming of
the ancient custodian of the castle, who shuffled up to
him and saluted him with reverential respect, for the
Count was now ' ^ last of his race ; a fighting line,
whose memb*"' ly came to die peaceably in their

beds as Ko lather had done.

The Couu., looking up, swept his eye around the
horizon and then to his astonishment saw the red battle
flag flying grimly from the high northern tower of
Castle Bernstein perched on the summit of the next
hill to the south. In the valley were the white tents
of an encampment, and fluttering over it was a flag
whose device, at that distance, the Count could not dis-
cern.

ble
the
iati-

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ious
i for
t the
iheld
is by
rn to
castle
:h the

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n their

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1 battle
iwer of
le next
te tents
a flag
not dis-

COUNT KONRAD'S COURTSHIP 233

'• Why is the battle flag flying on Bernstein, Gottlieb,
and what means those tents in the valley ? *' asked
Konrad.

The old man looked in the direction of the encamp-
ment, as if the sight were new to him, but Konrad
speedily saw that the opposite was the case. The tents
had been there so long that they now seemed a perma-
nent part of the scenery.

" The Archbishop of Cologne, my Lord, is engaged in
the besiegement of Schloss Bernstein, and seems like
to have a long job of it. He has been there for nearly
a year now."

" Then the stout Baron is making a brave defence ;
good luck to him ! "

*' Alas, my Lord, I am grieved to state that the Baron
went to his rest on the first day of the assault. He
foolishly sallied out at the head of his men and fell
hotly on the Archbishop's troops, who were surrounding
the castle. There was some matter in dispute between
the Baron and the Archbishop, and to aid the settlement
thereof, his mighty Lordship of Cologne sent a thousand
armed men up the river, and it is said that all he wished
was to have parley with Baron Bernstein, and to over-
awe him in the dis ussion, but the Baron came out at
the head of his men and fell upon the Cologne troops
so mightily that he nearly put the whole battalion to
flight, but the officers rallied their panic-stricken host,
seeing how few were opposed to them, an*^. the order
was given that the Baron should be taken prisoner, but
the old man would not have it so, and fought so stur-
dily with his long sword, that he nearly entrenched
himself with a wall of dead. At last the old man was
cut down and died gloriously, with scarcely a square
inch unwounded on his whole body. The officers of

SSmBS

(Hi

: :

*
i'

234

THE STRONG ARM

the Archbishop then tried to carry the castle by assault,
but the Lady of Bernstein closed and barred the gate,
ran up the battle flag on the northern tower and bid
defiance to the Archbishop and all his men."

" The Lady of Bernstein ? I thought the Baron
was a widower. Whom, then, did he again marry?"

" 'Twas not his wife, but his daughter."

" His daughter ? Not "^•-unhilda? She's but a child
of ten."

" She was when you went away, my Lord, but now
she is a woman of eighteen, with all the beauty of her
mother and all the bravery of her father."

" Burning Cross of the East, Gottlieb ! Do yc>u
mean to say that for a year a prince of the Church has
been warring with a girl, and her brother, knowing
nothing of this cowardly assault, fighting the battles
for his faith on the sands of the desert? Let the bugle
sound ! Call up my men and arouse those who are
still sleeping."

" My Lord, my Lord, I beg of you to have caution in
this matter."

" Caution ? God's patience ! Has caution rotted the
honour out of the bones of all Rhine men, that this out-
rage should pass unmolested before their eyes ! The
father murdered ; the daughter beleaguered ; while
those who call themselves mer sleep sound in their
safe castles ! Out of my way, old man ! Throw open
the gates ! "

But the ancient custodian stood firmly before his
over-lord, whose red angry face seemed like that of the
sun rising so ruddily behind him.

" My Lord, if you insist on engaging in this enterprise
it must be gone about sanely. You need the old head
as well as the young arm. You have a score of well.

COUNT KONRAD'S COURTSHIP 235

seasoned warriors, and we can gather into the castle
another hundred. But tlie Archbishop has a thousand
men around Bernstein. Your score would but meet
the fate of the old Baron and would not better the case
of those within the castle. The Archbishop has not
assaulted Bernstein since the Baron's death, but has
drawn a tight line around it and so has cut off all
supplies, daily summoning the maiden to surrender.
What they now need in Bernstein is not iron, but food.
Through long waiting they keep slack watch about the
castle, and it is possible that, with care taken at mid-
night, you might reprovision Bernstein so that she
could hold out until her brother comes, whom it is
said she has summoned from the Holy Land."

** Thou art wise, old Gottlieb," said the Count slowly,
pausing in his wrath as the difficulties of the situation
were thus placed in array before him ; " .vise and cau-
tious, as all men seem to be who now keep ward on the
Rhine. What said my father regarding this contest ? "

" My Lord, your honoured father was in his bed
stricken with the long illness that came to be his un-
doing at the last, and we never let him know that the
Baron was dead or the siege in progress."

" Again wise and cautious, Gottlieb, for had he known
it, he would have risen from his deathbed, taken down
his two-handed sword from the wall, and struck his
last blow in defence of the right against tyranny."

"Indeed, my Lord, under danger of your censure, I
venture to say that you do not yet know the cause of
the quarrel into which you design to precipitate your-
self. It may not be tyranny on the part of the over-
lord, but disobedience on the part of the vassal, which
causes the environment of Bernstein. And the Arch-
bishop is a prince of our holy Church."

236

THE STRONG ARM

I
i

a i

III

" I leave those nice distinctions to philosophers like
thee, Gottlieb. It is enough for me to know that a
thousand men are trying to starve one woman, and as
for being a prince of the Church, I shall give his devout
Lordship a taste of religion hot from its birthplace,
and show him how we uphold the cause in the East,
for in this matter the Archbishop grasps not the cross
but the sword, and by the sword shall he be met. And
now go, Gottlieb, set ablaze the fires on all our ovens
and put the bakers at work. Call in your hundred
men as speedily as possible, and bid each man bring
with him a sack of wheat. Spend the r'ay at the bak-
ing and fill the cellars with grain and wuie. It will be
reason enough, if any make inquiry, to say that the
young Lord has returned and intends to hold feasts in
his castle. Send hither my Captain to me."

Old Gottlieb hobbled away, and there presently
came upon the terrace a stalwart, grizzled man, some-
what past middle age, whose brown face showed more
seams of scars than remnants of beauty. He saluted
his chief and stood erect in silence.

The Count waved his hand toward the broad valley
and said grimly :

" There sits the Archbishop of Cologne, besieging
the Castle of Bernstein."

The Captain bowed low and crossed himself.

" God prosper his Lordship," he said piously.

" You may think that scarcely the phrase to use,
Captain, when I tell you that you will lead an assault
on his Lordship to-night."

" Then God prosper us, my Lord," replied the Captain
cheerfully, for he was ever a man who delighted more
in fighting than in inquiring keenly into the cause
thereof.

■^ITl

-ging

iptain
more
cause

COUNT KONRAD'S COURTSHIP 237

" You may see from here that a ridge runs round
from this castle, bending back from the river, which it
again approaches, touching thus Schloss Bernstein.
There is a path along the summit of the ridge which I
have often trodden as a boy, so I shall be your guide.
It is scarce likely that this path is guarded, but if it
is we will have to throw its keepers over the precipice ;
those that we do not slay outright, when we come upon
them."

" Excellent, my Lord, most excellent," replied the
Captain, gleefully rubbing his huge hands one over the
other.

" But it is not entirely to fight that we go. You are
to act as convoy to those who carry bread to Castle
Bernstein. We shall leave here at the darkest hour
after midnight and you must return before daybreak so
that the Archbishop cannot estimate our numbers.
Then get out all the old armour there is in the castle
and masquerade the peasants in it. Arrange them along
the battlements so that they will appear as numerous
as possible while I stay in Castle Bernstein and make
terms with the Archbishop, for it seems he out-mans us,
so we must resort, in some measure, to strategy. On
the night assault let each man yell as if he were ten
and lay about him mightily. Are the knaves astir
yet ? "

" Most of them, my Lord, and drinking steadily the
better to endure the dryness of the desert when we go
eastward again."

" Well, see to it that they do not drink so much as
to interfere with clean sword-play against to-night's
business."

" Indeed, my Lord, I have a doubt if there is Rhine
wine enough in the castle's vaults to do that, and the

«,;

?«!l

J i

il i

238

THE STRONG ARM

men yell better when they have a few gallons within
them."

At tiic appointed hour Count Konrad and his com-
pany went silently forth, escorting a score more who
carried sacks of the newly baked bread on their backs,
or leathern receptacles filled with wine, as well as a
stout cask of the same seductive fluid. Near the
Schloss Bernstein the rescuing party came upon the
Archbishop's outpost, who raised the alarm before the
good sword of the Captain cut through the cry. There
were bugle calls throughout the camp and the sound of
men hurrying to their weapons, but all the noise of
preparation among the besiegers was as nothing to the
demoniac din sent up by the Crusaders, who rushed to
the onslaught with a zest sharpened by their previous
rest and inactivity. The wild barbaric nature of their
yells, such as never before were heard on the borders
of the placid Rhine, struck consternation into the op-
position camp, because some of the Archbishop's troops
had fought against the heathen in the East, and they
now recognised the clamour which had before, on many
an occasion, routed them, and they thought that the
Saracenes had turned the tables and invaded Germany ;
indeed from the deafening clamour it seemed likely
that all Asia was let loose upon them. The alarm
spread quickly to Castle Bernstein itself, and torches
began to glimmer on its battlements. With a roar the
Crusaders rushed up to the foot of the wall, as a wave
dashes against a rock, sweeping the frightened bread-
carriers with them. By the light of the torches Konrad
saw standing on the wall a fair young girl clad in chain
armour whose sparkling links glistened like countless
diamonds in the rays of the burning pitch. She leaned
on the cross-bar of her father's sword and, with wide-

^-^. ^ ,, J ;

COUNT KONRAD'S COURTSHIP 239

open, eager eyes peered into the darkness beyond,
questioning the gloom for reason of the terrifying
tumult. When Konrad strode within the radius of the
torches, the girl drew back slightly and cried :

'* So the Archbishop has at last summoned courage to
attack, after all this p^stient waiting."

" My Lady," shouted the Count, " these are my
forces and not the Archbishop's. I am Konrad, Count
of Hochstaden."

** The more shame, then, that you, who have fought
bravely with men, should now turn your weapons against
a woman, and she your neighbour and the sister of
your friend."

" Indeed, Lady Brunhilda, you luisjudge mc. I am
come to your rescue an 1 not to your disadvantage.
The Archbishop's men were put to some inconvenience
by our unexpected arrival, and to gather from the
sounds far down the valley they have not ceased run-
ning yet. We come with bread, and use the sword but
as a spit to deliver it."

" Your words are welcome were I but sure of their
truth," said the lady with deep distrust in her tone,
for she had had experience of the Archbishop's craft on
many occasions, and the untimely hour of the succour
led her to fear a ruse. '* I open my gates neither to
friend nor to foe in the darkness," she added.

" *Tis a rule that may well be commended to others
of your bewitching sex," replied the Count, '* but we
ask not the opening of the gates, although you might
warn those within your courtyard to beware what
comes upon them presently."

So saying, he gave the word, and each two of his
servitors seized a sack of bread by the ends and, heav-
ing it, flung it over the wall. Some of the sacks fell

240

THE STRONG ARM

III

llJI

•li

short, but the second effort sent them into the court-
yard, where many of them burst, scattering the round
loaves along the cobble-stoned pavement, to be eagerly
pounced upon by the starving servitors and such men-
at-arms as had escaped from the encounter with
the Archbishop's troops when the Baron was slain.
The cries of joy that rang up from within the castle
delighted the ear of the Count and softened the suspi-
cion of the lady on the wall.

" Now," cried Konrad to his Captain, " back to
Schloss Hochstaden before the dawn approaches too
closely, and let there be no mistake in the Archbishop's
camp that you are on the way."

They all departed in a series of earsplitting, heart-
appalling whoops that shattered the still night air and
made a vocal pandemonium of that portion of the fair
Rhine valley. The colour left the cheeks of the Lady
of Bernstein as she listened in palpable terror to the
fiendish outer}- which seemed to scream for blood and
that instantly, looking down she saw the Knight of
Hochstaden still there at the foot of her wall gazing
up at her.

" My Lord," she said with concern, " if you stay thus
behind your noisy troop you will certainly be captured
when it comes day."

" My Lady of Bernstein, I am already a captive, and
all the Archbishop's men could not hold me more in
thrall did they surround me at this moment."

" I do not understand you, sir," said Brunhilda coldly,
drawing herself up with a dignity that well became her,
" your language seems to partake of an exaggeration
that doubtless you have learned in the tropical East,
and which we have small patience with on the m*"re
temperate banks of the Rhine,"

COUNT KONRAD'S COURTSHIP 24I

" The language that I use, fair Brunhilda, knows
neither east nor west ; north nor south, but is common to
every land, and if it be a stranger to the Rhine, the
Saints be witness 'tis full time 'twere introduced here,
and I hold myself as competent to be its spokesman, as
those screeching scoundrels of mine hold themselves the
equal in battle to all the archbishops who ever wore the
robes of that high office."

" My Lord," cried Brunhilda, a note of serious warn-
ing in her voice, " my gates are closed and they remain
so. I hold myself your debtor for unasked aid, and
would fain see you in a place of safety."

** My reverenced Lady, that friendly wish shall pres-
ently be gratified," and saying this, the Count unwound
from his waist a thin rope woven of horse-hair, having
a long loop at the end of it. This he whirled round
his head and with an art learned in the scaling of east-
ern walls flung the loop so that it surrounded one of
the machicolations of the bastion, and, with his feet
travelling against the stone work, he walked up the
wall by aid of this cord and was over the parapet be-
fore any could hinder his ascent. The Maid of the
Schloss, her brows drawn down in anger, stood with sword
ready to strike, but whether it was the unwieldiness of
the clumsy weapon, or whether it was the great celerity
with which the young man put his nimbleness to the
test, or whether it was that she recognised him as per-
haps her one friend on earth, who can tell ; be that
as it may, she did not strike in time, and a moment
later the Count dropped on one knee and before
she knew it raised one of her hands to his bending
lips.

" Lovely V/arder of Bernstein/' cried Count Konrad,

with a tremor of emotion in his voice that thrilled the
16

24^

TH£ STRONG ARM

girl in spite of herself, " I lay my devotion and my life
at your feet, to use them as you will."

" My Lord," she said quaveringly, with tears nearer the
the surface than she would have cared to admit, " I
like not this scaling of the walls ; my permission un-
asked."

*' God's truth, my Lady, and you are not the first to
so object, but the others were men, and I may say,
without boasting, that I bent not the knee to them when
I reached their level, but I have been told that custom
will enable a maid to look more forgivingly on such
escapades if her feeling is friendly toward the invader,
and I am bold enough to hope that the friendship with
which your brother has ever regarded me in the distant
wars, may be extended to my unworthy self by his
sister at home."

Count Konrad rose to his feet and the girl gazed at
him in silence, seeing how bronzed and manly he
looked in his light well-polished eastern armour, which
had not the cumbrous massiveness of western mail, but,
while amply protecting the body, bestowed upon it
lithe freedom for quick action ; and unconsciously she
compared him, not to his disadvantage, with the cravens
on the Rhine, who, while sympathising with her, dared
not raise weapon on her behalf against so powerful an
over-lord as the warlike Archbishop. The scarlet cross
of the Crusader on his broad breast seemed to her swim-
ming eyes to blaze with lambent flame in the yellow
torchlight. She dared not trust her voice to answer
him, fearing its faintness might disown the courage with
which she had held her castle for so long, and he, see-
ing that she struggled to hold control of herself, stand-
ing there like a superb Goddess of th^^ Rhine, pre-
tended to notice nothing and spoke jauntily with a

COUNT KONRAD*S COURTSHIP 243

'life

rthe

t,"I

n un-

rst to
r say,
when
astom
1 such
vader,
p with
iistant
by his

azed at
nly he
, which
lil, but,
ipon it
ly she
cravens
, dared
rful an
et cross
r swim-
yellow
answer
ige with
he, see-
f, stand-
ne, pre-
with a

wave of his hand : " My villains have brought to the
foot of the walls a cask of our best wine which we dared
not adventure to cast into the courtyard with that free-
dom which forwarded the loaves ; there is also a packet
of dainties more suited to your Ladyship's consideration
than the coarse bread from our ovens. Give command,
I beg of you, that the gates be opened and that your
men bring the wine and food to safety within the court-
yard, and bestow on me the privilege of guarding the
open gate while this is being done."

Then gently, with insistent deference, the young man
took from her the sword of her father which she yielded
to him with visible reluctance, but nevertheless yielded,
standing there disarmed before him. Together in si-
lence they went down the stone steps that led from the
battlements to the courtyard, followed by the torch-
bearers, whom the lightening east threatened soon to
render unnecessary. A cheer went up, the first heard
for many days within those walls, and the feastcrs,
flinging their caps in the air, cried " Hochstaden ! Hoch-
staden ! " The Count turned to his fair companion and
said, with a smile :

" The garrison is with me, my Lady."

She smiled also, and sighed, but made no other re-
ply, keeping her eyes steadfast on the stone steps be-
neath her. Once descended, she gave the order in a
low voice, and quickly the gates were thrown wide,
creaking grumblingly on their hinges, long unused.
Konrad stood before the opening with the sword of
Bernstein in his hands, swinging it this way and that to
get the hang of it, and looking on it with the admira-
tion which a warrior ever feels for a well hung, trusty
blade, while the men-at-arms nodded to one another
and said : " There stands a man who knows the use of

244

THE STRONG ARM

a weapon. I would that he had the crafty Archbishop
before him to practise on."

When the barrel was trundled in, the Lady of Bern-
stein had it broached at once, and with her own hand
served to each of her men a flagon of the golden wine.
Each took his portion, bowing low to the lady, then
doffing cap, drank first to the Emperor, and after with an
enthusiasm absent from the Imperial toast, to the young
war lord whom the night had flung thus unexpectedly
among them. When the last man had refreshed him-
self, the Count stepped forward and begged a flagon full
that he might drink in such good company, and it
seemed that Brunhilda had anticipated such a request,
for she turned to one of her women and held out her
hand, receiving a huge silver goblet marvellously en-
graved that had belonged to her i orefathers, and plen-
ishing it, she gave it to the Count, who, holding it aloft,
cried, "The Lady of Bernstein," whereupon there arose
such a shout that the troubled Archbishop heard it in
his distant tent.

" And yet further of your hospitality must I crave,"
said Konrad, " for the morning air is keen, and gives
me an appetite for food of which I am deeply ashamed,
but which nevertheless clamours for an early breakfast."

The lady, after giving instruction to the maids who
waited upon her, led the way into the castle, where
Konrad following, they arrived in the long Rittersaal,
at the end of which, facing the brightening east, was
placed a huge window of stained glass, whose great
breadth was gradually lightening as if an unseen painter
with magic brush was tinting the»glass with transparent
colour, from the lofty timbered ceiling to the smoothly
polished floor. At the end of the table, with her back
to the window. Brunhilda sat, while the Count took a

COUNT KONRAD'S COURTSHIP

245

gives

amed,

fast."

who
where
rsaal,
t, was

great
3ainter
parent
oothly
ir back
took a

place near her, by the side, turning so that he faced
her, the ever-increasing radiance illumining his scintil-
lating armour. The girl ate sparingly, saying little and
glancing often at her guest. He fell to like the good
trencherman he was, and talked unceasingly of the wars
in the East, a; d the brave deeds done there, and as he
talked the girl forgot all else, rested her elbows on the
table and her chin in her hands, regarding him intently,
for he spoke not of himself but of her brother, and of
how, when grievously pressed, he had borne himself so
nobly that more than once, seemingly certain defeat
was changed into glorious victory. Now and then
when Konrad gazed upon Brunhilda, his eloquent
tongue faltered for a moment and he lost the thread of
his narrative, for all trace of the warrior maid had de-
parted, and there, outlined against the glowing window
of dazzling colours, she seemed indeed a saint with her
halo of golden hair, a fit companion to the angels that
the marvellous skill of the artificer had placed in that
gorgeous collection of pictured panes, lead-lined and cut
in various shapes, answering the needs of their gifted
designer, as a paint-brush follows the will of the artist.
From where the young man sat, the girl against the
window seemed a member of that radiant company, and
thus he paused stricken speechless by her beauty.

She spoke at last, the smile on her lips saddened by
the down turning of their corners, her voice the voice
of one hovering uncertain between laughter and
tears.

" And you," she said, " you seem tr have had no
part in all this stirring recital. It was my brother and
my brother and my brother, and to hear you one
would think you were all the while hunting peacefully
in your Rhine forests. Yet still I do believe the Count

246

THE STRONG ARM

if t

of Hochstaden gave the heathen to know he was
somewhat further to the east of Germany."

" Oh, of me," stammered the Count. " Yes, I was
there, it is true, and sometimes — well, I have a fool of
a captain, headstrong and reckless, who swept me now
and then into a mel6e, before I could bring cool investi-
gation to bear upon his mad projects, and once in the
fray of course I had to plead with my sword to protect
my head, otherwise my bones would now be on the
desert sands, so I selfishly lay about me and did what
I could to get once more out of the turmoil."

The rising sun now struck living colour into the great
window of stained glass, splashing the floor and the
further wall Avith crimson and blue and gold. Count
Konrad sprang to his feet. " The day is here," he
cried, standing in the glory of it, while the girl rose
more slowly. " Let us have in your bugler and see if
he has forgotten the battle call of the Bernsteins.
Often have I heard it in the desert. * Give us the bat-
tle call,* young Heinrich would cry, and then to its
music all his followers would shout * Bernstein ! Bern-
stein ! ' until it seemed the far-off horizon must have
heard."

The trumpeter came, and being now well fed, blew
valiantly, giving to the echoing roof the war cry of the
generations of fighting men it had sheltered.

" That is it," cried the Count, " and it has a double
significance. A challenge on the field, and a summons
to parley when heard from the walls. We shall now
learn whether or no the Archbishop has forgotten it,
and I crave your permission to act as spokesman with
his Lordship."

" That I most gratefully grant," said the Lady of th(?
Castle,

COUNT KONRAD'S COURTSHIP 247

Once more on the battlements, the Lord of Hoch-
staden commanded the trumpeter to sound the call
The martial music rang out in the still morning air
and was echoed mockingly by the hills on the other
side of the river. After that, all was deep silence.

" Once again," said Konrad.

For a second time the battle blast filled the valley,
and for a second time returned faintly back from the
hilfs. Then from near the great tent of the Archbishop,
by the margin of the stream, came the answering call,
accepting the demand for a parley.

When at last the Archbishop, mounted on a black
charger, came slowly up the winding path which led to
the castle, attended by only two of his officers, he
found the Count of Hochstadcn awaiting him on the
battlements above the gate. The latter's hopes arose
when he saw that Cologne himself had come, and had
not entrusted the business to an envoy, and it was also
encouraging to note that he came so poorly attended,
for when a man has made up his mind to succumb he
wishes as few witnesses as possible, while if he intends
further hostilities, he comes in all the pomp of his
station.

" With whom am I to hold converse?" began the
Archbishop, ** I am here at the behest of the Bernstein
call to parley, but I see none of that name on the wall
to greet me."

** Heinrich, Baron Bernstein, is now on his way to
his castle from the Holy Land, and were he here it
were useless for me to summon a parley, for he would
answer you with the sword and not with the tongue
when he learned his father was dead at your hand."

" That is no reply to my question. With whom dp
J hold gonvprs^ ? "

ill

:i I

'1 !'

248

THE STRONG ARM

*' I am Konrad, Count of Hochstaden, and your
Lordship's vassal."

" I am glad to learn of your humility and pleased to
know that I need not call your vassalage to your mem-
ory, but I fear that in the darkness you have less re-
gard for either than you now pretend in the light of
day."

" In truth, my Lord, you grievously mistake me, for
in the darkness I stood youi friend. I assure you I
had less than a thousand rascals at my back last night,
and yet nothing would appease them but that they
must fling themselves upon your whole force, had I not
held them in check. I told them you probably out-
numbered us ten to one, but they held that one man
who had gone through an eastern campaign was worth
ten honest burghers from Cologne, which indeed I verily
believe, and for the fact that you were not swept into
the Rhine early this morning you have me and my
peaceful nature to thank, my Lord. Perhaps you heard
the iogues discussing the matter with me before dawn,
and going angrily home when I so ordered them."

" A man had need to be dead and exceedingly deep
in his grave not to have heard them," growled the Arch-
bishop.

" And there they stand at this moment, my Lord,
doubtless grumbling among themselves that I am so
long giving the signal they expect, which will permit
them to finish this morning's work. The men I can
generally control, but my captains are a set of impious
cut-throats who would sooner sack an Archbishop's
palace than listen to the niceties of the feudal law
which protects over-lords from such pleasantries."

The Archbishop turned on his horse and gazed on the
huge bulk of Schloss Hochstaden, and there a wonder-

mm.,

COUNT KONRAD'S COURTSHIP 249

ful sight met his eye. The walls bristled with armed
men, the sun glistening on their polished breastplates
like the shimmer of summer lightning. The Arch-
bishop turned toward the gate again, as though the
sight he beheld brought small comfort to him.

" What is your desire ? " he said with less of trucu-
lence in his tone than there had been at the beginning.

" I hold it a scandal," said 'he Count gravely, "that
a prince of the Church shoula assault Christian walls
while their owner is absent in the East venturing his
life in the uplifting of the true faith. You can now
retreat without loss of prestige ; six hours hence that
may be impossible. I ask you then to give your as-
surance to the Lady of Bernstein, pledging your knight-
ly word that she will be no longer threatened by you,
and I ask you to withdraw your forces immediately to
Cologne where it is likely they will find something to
do if Baron Heinrich, as I strongly suspect, marches
directly on that city."

" I shall follow the advice of my humble vassal, for
the strength of a prince is in the sage counsel of his
war lords. Will you escort the lady to the battle-
ments ? "

Then did Count Konrad von Hochstaden see that his
cause was v;on, and descending he came up again, lead-
ing the Lady Brunhilda by the hand.

** I have to acquaint you, madame," said the Arch-
bishop, '* that the siege is ended, and I give you my
assurance that you will not again be beleaguered by my
forces."

The Lady of Bernstein bowed, but made no answer.
She blushed deeply that \e Count still held her hand,
but she did not withdraw it.

" And noW; my Lord Archbishop, that this long-held

!■

i Ml

■■■■■I

250

THE STRONG ARM

contention is amicably adjusted," began Von Hoch-
staden, " I crave that you bestow on us two your gracious
blessing, potentate of the Church, for this lady is to be
my wife."

" What ! " cried Brunhilda in sudden anger, snatching
her hand from his, " do you think you can carry me by
storm as you did my castle, without even asking my
consent ? "

" Lady of my heart," said Konrad tenderly, " I did
ask your consent. My eyes questioned in the Ritter-
saal and yours gave kindly answer. Is there then no
language but that which is spoken ? I offer you here
before the world my open hand ; is it to remain
empty ? "

He stood before her with outstretched palm, and she
gazed steadfastly at him, breathing quickly. At length
a smile dissolved the sternness of her charming lips,
she glanced at his extended hand and said :

" 'Twere a pity so firm and generous a hand should
remain tenantless," and with that she placed her palm
in his.

The Archbishop smiled grimly at this lovers' by-play,
then solemnly, with upraised hands, invoked God's
blessing upon them.

THE LONG LADDER

Every fortress has one traitor within its walls ; the
Schloss Eltz had two. In this, curiously enough, lay
its salvation ; for as some Eastern poisons when mixed
neutralise each other and form combined a harmless
fluid, so did the two traitors unwittingly react, the one
upon the other, to the lasting glory of Schloss Eltz,
which has never been captured to this day.

It would be difficult to picture the amazement of
Heinrich von Richenbach when he sat mute upon his
horse at the brow of the wooded heights and, for the
first time, beheld the imposing pile which had been
erected by the Count von Eltz. It is startling enough
to come suddenly upon a castle where no castle should
be ; but to find across one's path an erection that could
hardly have been the product of other agency than the
lamp of Aladdin was stupefying, and Heinrich drew the
sunburned back of his hand across his eyes, fearing that
they were playing him a trick ; then seeing the won-
drous vision still before him, he hastily crossed himself,
an action performed somewhat clumsily through lack
of practice, so that he might ward off enchantment, if,
as seemed likely, that mountain of pinnacles was the
work of the devil, and not placed there, stone on stone,
by the hand of man. But in sr'te of crossing and the
clearing of his eyes, Eltz Castle remained firmly seated

252

THE STRONG ARM

on its stool of rock, and, when his first astonishment
had somewhat abated, Von Richenbach, who was a
most practical man, began to realise that here, purely
by apiece of unbelievable good luck, the very secret he
had been sent to unravel had been stumbled upon, the
solving of which he had given up in despair, returning
empty-handed to his grim master, the redoubtable
Archbishop Baldwin of Treves.

It was now almost two months since the Archbishop
had sent him on the mission to the Rhine from which
he was returning as wise as he went, well knowing that
a void budget would procure him scant welcome from
his imperious ruler. Here, at least, was important
matter for the warlike Elector's stern consideration — an
apparently impregnable fortress secretly built in the
very centre of the Archbishop's domain ; and knowing
that the Count von Eltz claimed at least partial juris-
diction over this district, more especially that portion
known as the Eltz-thal, in the middle of which this
mysterious citadel had been erected. Heinrich rightly
surmised that its construction had been the work of
this ancient enemy of the Archbishop.

Two months before, or nearly so, Heinrich von
Richenbach had been summoned into the presence of
the Lion of Treves at his palace in that venerable
city. When Baldwin had dismissed all within the
room save only Von Richenbach, the august prelate
said :

" It is my pleasure that you take horse at once and
proceed to my city of Mayence on the Rhine, where I
am governor. You will inspect the garrison there and
report to me."

Heinrich bowed, but said nothing.

" You will then go down the Rhine to Elfield, where

THE LONG LADDER

253

my new castle is built, and I shall be pleased to have
an opinion regarding it."

The Archbishop paused, and again his vassal bowed
and remained silent.

" It is my wish that you go without escort, attracting
as little attention as possible, and perhaps it may be-
advisable to return by the northern side of the Moselle,
but some distance back from the river, as there are
barons on the banks who might inquire your business,
and regret their curiosity when they found they ques-
tioned a messenger of mine. We should strive, during
our brief sojourn on this inquisitive earth, to put our
fellow creatures to as little discomfort as possible."

Von Richenbach saw that he was being sent on a
secret and possibly dangerous mission, and he had been
long enough in the service of the crafty Archbishop to
know that the reasons ostensibly given for his journey
were probably not those which were the cause of it, so
he contented himself with inclining his head for the
third time and holding his peace. The Archbishop
regarded him keenly for a few moments, a derisive
smile parting his firm lips; then said, as if his words
were an afterthought :

" Our faithful vassal, the Count von Eltz, is, if I
mistake not, a neighbor of ours at Elfield?"

The sentence took, through its inflection, the nature
of a query, and ^or the first time Hcinrich von Richen-
bach ventured reply.

'' He is, my Lord."

The Archbishop raised his eyes to the vaulted ceiling,
and seemed for a time lost in thought, saying, at last,
apparently in soliloquy, rather than by direct address:

" Count von Eltz has been suspiciously quiet of late
for a man so impetuous by nature. It might be prof-

■.^^^

254

THE STRONG ARM

itable to know what interests him during this unwonted
seclusion. It behooves us to acquaint ourselves with
the motives that actuate a neighbour, so that, oppor-
tunity arising, we may aid him with counsel or encour-
agement. If, therefore, it should so chance that, in
the intervals of your inspection of governorship or
castle, aught regarding the present occupation of the
noble count comes to your ears, the information thus
received may perhaps remain in your memory until you
return to Treves."

The Archbishop withdrew his eyes from the ceiling,
the lids lowering over them, and flashed a keen, rapier-
like glance at the man who stood before him.

Heinrich von Richenbach made low obeisance and
replied :

" Whatever else fades from my memory, my Lord,
news of Count von Eltz shall remain there."

" Sec that you carry nothing upon you, save your
commission as inspector, which my secretary will
presently give to you. If you are captured it will be
enough to proclaim yourself my emissary and exhibit
your commission in proof of the peaceful nature of
your embassy. And now to horse and away."

Thus Von Richenbach, well mounted, with his com-
mission legibly engrossed in c'.erkly hand on parch-
ment, departed on the Roman ;oad for Mayence, but
neither there nor at Elfield could he learn more of
Count von Eltz than was already known at Treves,
which was to the effect that this nobleman, repenting
him, it was said, of his stubborn opposition to the Arch-
bishop, had betaken himself to the Crusades in expia-
tion of his wrong in shouldering arms againsl one who
was both his temporal and spiritual over-lord ; and this
rumour coming to the ears of Baldwin, had the imme-

THE LONG LADDER

255

diate effect of causing that prince of the Church to
despatch Von Richenbach with the purpose of learning
accurately what his old enemy was actually about ;
for Baldwin, being an astute man, placed little faith in
sudden conversion.

When Heinrich von Richenbach returned to Treves
he was immediately ushered into the presence of his
master.

" You have been long away," said the Archbishop, a
frown on his brow. " I trust the tidings you bring
offer some slight compensation for the delay."

Then was Heinrich indeed glad that fate, rather
than his own perspicacity, had led his horse to the
heights above Schloss Eltz.

*' The tidings I bring, my Lord, are so astounding
that I could not return to Treves without verifying
them. This led me far afield, for my information was
of the scantiest ; but I am now enabled to vouch for
the truth of my well-nigh incredible intelligence."

" Have the good deeds of the Count then translated
him bodily to heaven, as was the case with Elijah ?
Unloose your packet, man, and waste not so much
time in the vaunting of your wares."

" The Count von Eltz, my Lord, has built a castle
that is part palace, part fortress, and in its latter office
well-nigh impregnable."

" Yes ? And where ? "

" In the Eltz-thal, my Lord, a league and a quarter
from the Moselle."

" Impossible ! " cried Baldwin, bringing his clenched
fist down on the table before him. " Impossible ! You
have been misled. Von Richenbach."

** Indeed, my Lord, I had every reason to believe so
until I viewed the structure wi

eye*

I , !

256

THE STRONG ARM

" This, then, is the fruit of Von Eltz's contrition .'
To build a castle without permission within my juris-
diction, and defy me in my own domain. By the
Coat, he shall repent his temerity and wish himself
twice over a captive of the Saracen ere I have done
with him. I will despatch at once an army to the
Eltz-thal, and there shall not be left one stone upon
another when it returns.'"

" My Lord, I beseech you not to move with haste in
this matter. If twenty thousand men marched up to
the Eltz-thal they could not take the castle. No such
schloss was ever built before, and none to equal it will
ever be built again, unless, as I suspect to be the case
in this instance, the devil lends his aid."

" Oh, I doubt not that Satan built it, but he took
the form and name of Count von Eltz while doing so,"
replied the Archbishop, his natural anger at this bold
defiance of his power giving way to his habitual cau-
tion, which, united with his resources and intrepidity,
had much to do with his success. " You hold the
castle, then, to be unassailable. Is its garrison so
powerful, or its position so strong ? "

" The strength of its garrison, my Lord, is in its
weakness ; I doubt if there are a score of men in the
castle, but that is all the better, as there are fewer
mouths to feed in case of siege, and the Count has
some four years' supplies in his vaults. The schloss is
situated on a lofty, unscalable rock that stands in the
centre of a valley, as if it were a fortress itself. Then
the walls of the building are of unbelievable height,
with none of the round or square towers which castles
usually possess, but having in plenty conical turrets,
steep roofs, and the like, which give it the appearance
of a tairy palace in a wide, enchanted amphitheatre of

I ;

THE LONG LADDER

257

green wooded hills, making the Schloss Eltz, all in all,
a most miraculous sight, such as a man may not behold
in many years' travel."

" In truth, Von Richenbach," said the Archbishop,
with a twinkle in his eye, " we should have made you one
of our scrivening monks rather than a warrior, so mar-
vellously do you describe the entrancing handiwork of
our beloved vassal, the Count von Eltz. Perhaps you
think it pity to destroy so fascinating a creation."

** Not so, my Lord. I have examined the castle well,
and I think were I entrusted with the commission I
could reduce it."

" Ah, nov/ we have modesty indeed ! You can take
the stronghold where I should fail."

" I did not say that you would fail, my Lord. I said
that twenty thousand men marching up the valley
would fail, unless they were content to sit around the
castle for four years or more."

" Answered like a courtier, Heinrich. What, then,
is your method of attack ? "

"On the height to the. east, which is the nearest
elevation to the castle, a strong fortress might be built,
that would in a measure command the Schloss Eltz,
although I fear the distance would be too great for any
catapult to fling stones within its courtyard. Still, we
might thus have complete power over the entrance to
the schloss, and no more provender could be taken in."

" You mean, then, to wear Von Eltz out ? That
would be as slow a method as besiegement."

" To besiege would require an army, my Lord, and
would have this disadvantage, that, besides withdraw-
ing from other use so many of your men, rumour would
spread abroad that the Count held you in check. The
building of a fortress on the height would merely be
17

Hi
I •!

'1 ^ *—

258

THE STRONG ARM

doing what the Count has already done, and it could
be well garrisoned by tvvoscore men at the most,
vigilant night and day to take advantage of any move-
ment of fancied security to force way into the castle.
There need be no formal declaration of hostilities, but
a fortress built in all amicableness, to which the Count
could hardly object, as you would be but following his
own example."

" I understand. We build a house near his for
neighbourliness. There is indeed much in your plan
that commends itself to mc, but 1 confess a liking for
the underlying part of a scheme. Remains there any-
thing else which you have not unfolded to me ? "

" Placing in command of the new fortress a stout
warrior who was at the same time a subtle man "

"In other words, thyself, Heinrich — well, what
then ? "

" There is every chance that such a general may
learn much of the castle from one or other of its in-
mates. It might be possible that, through neglect or
inadvertence, the drawbridge would be left down some
night and the portcullis raised. In other words, the
castle, impervious to direct assault, may fall by strat-
egy."

" Excellent, excellent, my worthy warrior ! I should

dearly love to have captain of mine pay such an in-
formal visit to his estimable Countship. We shall build
the fortress you suggest, and call it Baldwineltz. You
shall be its commander, and I now bestow upon you
Schloss Eltz, the only proviso being that you are to
enter into possession of it by whatever means you
choose to use."

Thus the square, long castle of Baldwineltz came to
be builded, sjad thus Heinrich von Kichenbach, brave,

THE LONG LADDER

259

aid

3St,

)ve-
itlc.
but
)unt

; his

for
plan
r for
any-
stout

»»

what

may

its in-

ect or
some
s, the
strat-

Lhould
Ian in-
|l build
You
[n you
are to
lis you

ime to
brave,

ingenious, and unscrupulous, was installed captain of
it, with twoscore men to keep him company, together
with a plentiful supply of gold to bribe whomsoever he
thought worth suborning.

Time went on without much to show for its passing,
and Hcinrich began to grow impatient, for his attempt
at corrupting the garrison showed that negotiation3
were not without their dangers. Stout Baumstein,
captain of the gate, was the man whom Heinrich most
desired to purchase, for Baumstein could lessen the dis-
cipline at the portal of Schloss Eltz without attracting
undue attention. But he was an irascible German,
whose strong right arm was readier than his tongue;
and when Heinrich's emissaiy got speech with him,
under a flag of truce, whispering that much gold might
be had for a casual raising of the portcullis and lower-
ing of the drawbridge, Baumstein at first could not
understand his purport, for he was somewhat thick in
the skull ; but when the meaning of the message at
last broke in upon him, he vvasted no time in talk, but,
raising his ever-ready battle-axe, clove the Envoy to the
midriff. The Count von Eltz himself, coming on the
scene at this moment, was amazed at the deed, and
sternly demanded of his gate-captain why he had vio-
lated the terms of a parley. Baumstein's slowness of
speech came near to being the undoing of him, for at
first he merely said that such creatures as the messen-
ger should not be allowed to live and that an honest
soldier was insulted by holding converse with him ;
whereupon the Count, having nice notions, picked up
in polite countries, regarding the sacredness of a flag of
truce, was about to hang Baumstein, scant though the
garrison was, and even then it was but by chance that
the true state of affairs became known to the Count.

;

26o

THE STRONG ARM

He was on the point of sending back the body of the
Envoy to Von Richenhach with suitable apology for
his destruction and offer of recompense, stating that
the assailant would be seen hanging outside the gate,
when Baumstein said that while he had no objection
to being hanged if it so pleased the Count, he begged
to suggest that the gold which the Envoy brought with
him to bribe the garrison should be taken from the
body before it was returned, and divided equally among
the guard at the gate. As Baumstein said this, he wa^
taking off his helmet and unbuckling his corselet, thus
freeing his neck for the greater convenience of the
castle hangman. When the Count learned that the
stout stroke of the battle-axe was caused by the proffer
of a bribe for the betraying of the castle, he, to the
amazement of all present, begged the pardon of Baum-
stein ; for such a thing was never before known under
the feudal law that a noble should apologise to a com-
mon man, and Baumstein himself muttered that he wot
not what the world was coming to if a mighty Lord
might not hang an underling if it so pleased him, cause
or no cause.

The Count commanded the body to be searched, and
finding thereon some five bags of gold, distributed the
coin among his men, as a good commander should,
sending back the body to Von Richenbach, with a
most polite message to the effect that as the Archbishop
evidently intc nded the money to be given to the gar-
rison, the Count had endeavoured to carry out his Lord-
ship's wishes, as was the duty of an obedient vassal.
But Heinrich, instead of being pleased with the court-
esy of the message, broke into violent oaths, and spread
abroad in the land the false saying that Count von Eltz
had violated a flag of truce.

THE LONG LADDER

261

the
for
that
jate,
tion

with
1 the
nong
e was
, thus
►f the
.t the
)roffer
;o the
Baum-
under
1 com-
he wot
Lord
, cause

ed, and
ted the
;hould,
with a
\bishop
he gar-
Lord-
vassal.
e court-
i spread
^on Eltz

But there was one man ui the castle who did not
enjoy a share of the gold, because he was not a warrior,
but a servant of the Countess. This was a Spaniard
named Rego, marvellously skilled in the concocting of
various dishes f pastry and other niceties such as high-
born ladies have a fondness for. Rego was disliked by
the Count, and, in fact, by all the stout Germans who
formed the garrison, not only because it is the fashion
for men of one country justly to abhor those ot another,
foreigners being in all lands regarded as benighted
creatures whom we marvel that the Lord allows to live
when he might so easily have peopled the whole world
with men like unto ourselves ; but, aside from this,
Rego had a cat-like tread, and a furtive eye that never
met another honestly as an eye should. The count,
however, endured the presence of this Spaniard, be-
cause the Countess admired his skill in confections, then
unknown in Germany, and thus Rego remained under
her orders.

The Spaniard's eye glittered when he saw the yellow
lustre of the gold, and his heart was bitter that he did
not have a share of it. He soon learned where it came
from, and rightly surmised that there was more in the
same treasury, ready to be bestowed for similar service
to that which the unready Baumstein had so emphati-
cally rejected ; so Rego, watching his opportunity, stole
away secretly to Von Richenbach and offered his aid
in the capture of the castle, should suitable compensa-
tion be tendered him. Heinrich questioned him closely
regarding the interior arrangements of the castle, and
asked him if he could find any means of letting down
the drawbridge and raising the nortcullis in the night.
This, Rego said quite truly, was impossible, as the
guard at the gate, vigilant enough before, had become

lib

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262

THE STRONG ARM

much more so since the attempted bribery of the Cap-
tain. Tiicre was, however, one way by which the cas-
tle might be entered, and that entailed a most perilous
adventure. There was a platform between two of the
lofty, steep roofs, so elevated tliat it ^ave a view over
all the valley. On this platform a sentinel was sta-
tioned night and day, whose duty was that of outlook,
like a man on the cross-trees of a ship. From this
platfovm a stair, narrow at the top, but widening as it
descended to the lower stories, gave access to the whole
castle. If, then, a besieger constructed a ladder of
enormous length, it might be placed at night on the
narrow ledge of rock far below this platform, standing
almost perpendicular, and by this means man after man
would be enabled to reach the roof of the castle, and,
under the guidance of Rego, gain admittance to the
lower rooms unsuspected.

" But the sentinel?" objected Von Richenbach.

"The sentinel I will myself slay. I will steal up be-
hind him in the night when you make your assault, and
running my knife into his neck, fling him over the
castle wall ; then I shall be ready to guide you down
into the courtyard."

Von Richenbach, remembering the sheer precipice
of rock at the foot of the castle walls and the dizzy
height of the castle roof above the rock, could scarcely
forbear a shudder at the thought of climbing so high
on a shaky ladder, even if such a ladder could be made,
of which he had some doubts. The scheme did not
seem so feasible as the Spaniard appeared to imagine.

" Could you not let down a rope ladder from the
platform when you had slain the sentinel, and thus
allow us to climb by that ? "

" It would be impossible for me to construct and con-

THE LONG LADDER

263

icipice
dizzy
arcely
high
made,
id not

ceal a contrivance strong enough to carry more than
one man at a time, even if I had the materials," said the
wily Spaniard, whose thoughtfulness and ingenuity
Keinrich could not but admire, while despising him as
an oily foreigner. " If you made the rope ladder there
would be no method of getting it into Schloss Eltz ;
besides, it would need to be double the length of a
wooden ladder, for you can place your ladder at the
foot of the ledge, then climb to the top of the rock,
and, standing there, pull the ladder up, letting the higher
end scrape against the castle wall until the lower end
stands firm on the ledge of rock. Your whole troop
could then climb, one following another, so that there
would be no delay."

Thus it was arranged, and then began and was com-
pleted the construction of the longest and most wonder-
ful ladder ever made in Germany or anywhere else, so
far as history records. It was composed of numerous
small ladders, spliced and hooped with iron bands by
the castle armourer. At a second visit, which Rego paid
to Baldwineltz when the ladder was completed, all ar-
rangements were made and the necessary signals agreed
upon.

It was the pious custom of those in the fortress of
Baldwineltz to ring the great bell on Saints' days and
other festivals that called for special observance, because
Von Richenbach conducted war on the strictest prin-
ciples, as a man knowing his duty both spiritual and
temporal. It was agreed that on the night of the as-
sault, when it was necessary that Rego should assassin-
ate the sentinel, the great bell of the fortress should be
rung, whereupon the Spaniard was to hie himself up
the stair and send the watchman into another sphere of
duty by means of his dagger. The bell-ringing seems

: >>:

i t

11 V

264

THE STRONG ARM

a perfectly justifiable device, and one that will be ap-
proved by all conspirators, for the sounding of the bell,
plainly heard in Schloss Eltz, would cause no alarm, as
it was wont to sound at uncertain intervals, night and
day, and was known to give tongue only during mo-
ments allotted by the Church to devout thoughts. But
the good monk Ambrose, in setting down on parch-
ment the chronicles of this time, gives it as his opinion
that no prosperity could have been expected in thus
suddenly changing the functions of the bell from sacred
duty to the furtherance of a secular object. Still, Am-
brose was known to be a sympathiser with the house
of Eltz, and, aside from this, a monk in his cell cannot
be expected to take the same view of military necessity
that would commend itself to a warrior on a bastion ;
therefore, much as we m< admire Ambrose as an his-
torian, we are not compelled to accept his opinions on
military ethics.

On the important night, which was of great darkness,
made the more intense by the black environment of
densely-wooded hills which surrounded Schloss Eltz,
the swarthy Spaniard became almost pale with anxiety
as he listened for the solemn peal that was to be his
signal. At last it tolled forth, and he, with knife to
hand in his girdle, crept softly along the narrow halls
to his fatal ti\sk. The interior of Schloss Eltz is full of
intricate passages, unexpected turnings, here a few steps
up, there a few steps dow n, for all the world like a maze,
in which even one knowing the castle might well go
astray. At one of the turnings Rego came suddenly
upon the Countess, who screamed at sight of him, and
then recognising him said, half laughing, half crying,
being a nervous woman :

** Ah, Rego, thank heaven it is you ! I am so dis-

THE LONG LADDER

265

dis-

traught with the doleful ringing of that bell that I am
frightened at the sound of my own footsteps. Why
rings it so, Rcgo?"

" 'Tis some Church festival, my Lady, which they,
fighting for the Archbishop, are more familiar with than
I," answered the trembling Spaniard, as frightened as
the lady herself at the unexpected meeting. But the
Countess was a most religious woman, well skilled in
the observances of her Church, and she replied :

" No, Rego. There is no cause for its dolorous
music, and to-night there seems to me something
ominous and menacing in its tone, as if disaster im-
pended."

" It may be the birthday of the Archbishop, my
Lady, or of the Pope himself."

" Our Holy Father was born in May, and the Arch-
bishop in November. Ah, I would that this horrid
strife were done with ! But our safety lies in Heaven,
and if our duty be accomplished here on earth, we
should have naught to fear ; yet I tremble as if great
danger lay before me. Come, Rego, to the chapel, and
light the candles at the altar."

The Countess passed him, and for one fateful mo-
ment Rego's hand hovered over his dagger, thinking
to strike the lady dead at i»iS feet ; but the risk was
too great, for there might at any time pass along
the corridor one of the servants, who would in-
stantly raise the alarm and bring disaster upon him.
He dare not disobey. So grinding his teeth in im-
potent rage and fear, he followed his mistress to the
chapel, and, as quickly as he could, lit one candle after
another, until the usual number burned before the
sacred image. The Countess was upon her knees is he
tried to steal softly from the room. " Nay, Rego," she

ff^

266

THE STRONG ARM

said, raising her bended head, " light them all to-night.
Hearken ! That raven bell has ceased even as you
lighted the last candle."

The Countess, as has been said was a devout lady,
and there stood an unusual number of candles before the
altar, several of which burned constantly, but only on
notable occasions were all the candles lighted. As
Rego hesitated, not knowing what to do in this crisis,
the lady repeated : " Light a// the candles to-night,
Rego."

" You said yourself, my Lady," murmured the ago-
nised man, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead,
" that this was not a Saint's day."

" Nevertheless, Rego," persisted the Countess, sur-
prised that even a favourite servant should thus attempt
to thwart her will, " I ask you to light each candle.
Do so at once."

She bowed her head as one who had spoken the fikial
word, and again her fate trembled in the balance ; but
Rego heard the footsteps of the Count entering the
gallery above him, that ran across the end of the chapel,
and he at once resumed the lighting of the candles,
making less speed in his eagerness than if he had gone
about his task with more care.

The monk Ambrose draws a moral from this episode,
which is suflficiently obvious when after-events have
confirmed it, but which we need not here pause to con-
sider, when an episode of the most thrilling nature is
going forward on the lofty platform on the roof of Eltz
Castle.

The sentinel paced back and forward within his
narrow limit, listening to the depressing and monoto-
nous tolling of the bell and cursing it, for the platform
was a lonely place and the night of inky darkncsc At

THE LONG LADDER

267

^ Eltz

his
moto-
tform

last the bell ceased, and he stood resting on his long
pike, enjoying the stillness, and peering into the black-
ness surrounding him, when suddenly he became aware
of a grating, rasping sound below, as if some one were
attempting to climb the precipitous beetling cliff of
castle wall and slipping against the stones. His heart
stood still with fear, for he knew it could be nothing
human. An instant later something apppeared over
the parapet that could be seen only because it was
blacker than the distant dark sky against which it was
outlined. It rose and rose until the sentinel saw it
was the top of a ladder, which was even more amazing
than if the fiend himself had scrambled over the stone
coping, for we know the devil can go anywhere, while
a ladder cannot. But the soldier was a common-sense
man, and, dark as was the night, he knew that, tall as
such a ladder must be, there seemed a likelihood that
human power was pushing it upward. He touched it
with his hands and convinced himself that there was
nothing supernatural about it. The ladder rose inch
by inch, slowly, for it must have been no easy task for
even twoscore men to raise it thus with ropes or other
devices, especially when the bottom of it neared the
top of the ledge. The soldier knew he should at once
give the alarm : but he was the second traitor in the
stronghold, corrupted by the sight of the glittering
gold he had shared, and only prevented from selling
himself because the rigours of military rule did not give
him opportunity of going to Baldwineltz as the less
exacting civilian duties had allowed the Spaniard to
do and thus market his ware. So the sentiy made no
outcry, but silently prepared a method by which he
could negotiate with advantage to himself when the
first head appeared above the parapet. He fixed the

\ i if
i'i

;

268

THE STRONG ARM

point of his hincc against a round of the ladder, and
when the leading warrior, who was none other than
Heinrich von Richenbach, himself came slowly and
cautiously to the top of the wall, the sentinel, exerting
all his strength, pushed the lance outward, and the top
of the ladder with it, until it stood nearly perpendicular
some two yards back from the wall.

** In God's name, what are you about? Is that you,
Rego ? "

The soldier replied, calmly :

" Order your men not to move, and d not move
yourself, until I have some converse with you. Have
no fear if you are prepared to accept my terms ; other-
wise you will have ample time to say your prayers
before you reach the ground, for the distance is great."

Von Richenbach, who now leaned over the top round,
suspended thus between heaven and earth, grasped the
lance with both hands, so that the ladder might not
be thrust beyond the perpendicular. In quivering
voice he passed down the word that no man was to
shift foot or hand until he had made bargain with the
sentinel who held them in such extreme peril.

" What terms do you propose to me, soldier?" he
asked, breathlessly.

" I will conduct you down to the courtyard, and
when you have surprised and taken the castle you will
grant me safe conduct and give me five bags of gold
equal in weight to those offered to our captain."

" All that will I do and double the treasure. Faith-
fully and truly do I promise it."

" Vou pledge me your knightly word, and swear also
by the holy coat of Treves? "

" I pledge and swear. And pray you be careful ; in-
cline the ladder yet a little more toward the wall."

THE LONG LADDER

269

" I trust to your honour," said the traitor, for traitors
love to prate of honour, " and will now admit you to
the castle ; but until we are in the courtyard there
must be silence."

** Incline the ladder gently, for it is so weighted that
if it come suddenly against the wall, it may break in
the middle."

At this supreme moment, as the sentinel was prepar-
ing to bring them cautiously to the wall, when all was
deep silence, there crept swiftly and noiselessly through
the trap-door the belated Spaniard. His catlike eyes
beheld the shadowy form of the sentinel bending appar-
ently over the parapet, but they showed him nothing
beyond. With the speed and precipitation of a spring-
ing panther, the Spaniard leaped forward and drove
his dagger deep into the neck of his comrade, who,
with a gurgling ry, plunged headlong forward, and
down the precipirp *^hrusting his lance as he fell. The
Spaniard's dag: " vvent with the doomed sentinel, stick-
ing fast in his throat, and its presence there passed a
fatal noose around the neck of Rego later, for they
wrongly thought the false sentinel had saved the castle
and ' hat the Spaniard had murdered a faithful watch-
n\i ■ .

Rego leaned panting over the stone coping, listening
for the thud of the body. Then was he frozen with
horror when the still night air was split with the most
appalling shriek of combined human voice in an agony
of fear that ever tortured the ear of man. The shriek
ended in a terrorising crash far below, and silence again
filled the valley.

™

S^f

t '

"GENTLEMEN: THE KING!

The room was large, but with a low ceiling, and at
one end of the lengthy, bro.J apartment stood a gi-
gantic fireplace, in which was heaped a pile of blazing
logs, whose light, rather than that of several lanterns
hanging from nails a.v^ng the timbered walls, illuminated
the faces of the twenty men who sat within. Heavy tim-
bers, blackened with age and smoke, formed the ceiling.
The long, low, diamond-paned window in the middle
of the wall opposite the door, had been shuttered
as completely as possible, but less care than usual
was taken to prevent the light from penetrating into the
darkness beyond, for the night was a stormy and tem-
pestuous one, the rain lashing wildly against the hunting
chalet, which, in its time, had seen many a merry
hunting party gathered under its ample roof.

Every now and then a blast of wind shook the
wooden edifice from garret to foundation, causing a
puff of smoke to come down the chimney, and the
white ashes to scatter in little whirlwinds over the
hearth. On the opposite side from the shuttered win-
dow was the door, heavily barred. A long, oaken table
occupied the centre of the room, and round this in
groups, seated and standing, were a score of men, all
with swords at their sides ; bearing, many of them,
that air of careless hauteur which is supposed to be a

characteristic of noble birth.
270

«^ .^

"GENTLEMEN: THE KING!"

271

the
the
win-
;able
s in
1, all
em,
be a

Flagons were scattered upon the table, and a barrel
of wine stood in a corner of the room farthest from the
fireplace, but it was evident that this was no ordinary
drinking party, and that the assemblage was brought
about by some high purport, of a nature so serious
that it stamped anxiety on every brow. No servants
were present, and each man who wished a fresh flagon of
wine had to take his measure to the barrel in the corner
and fill for himself.

The hunting chalet stood in a wilderness, near the
confines of the kingdom of Alluria, twelve leagues from
the capital, and was the property of Count Staumn,
whose tall, gaunt form stood erect at the head of the
table as he silently listened to the discussion which
every moment was becoming more and more heated,
the principal speaking parts being taken by the obsti-
nate, rough-spoken Baron Brunfels, on the one hand,
and the crafty, fox-like ex-Chancellor Steinmetz on the
other.

" I tell you," thundered Baron Brunfels, bringing his
fist down on the table, " I will not have the King killed.
Such a proposal goes beyond what was intended when
we banded ourselves together. The King is a fool, so
let him escape like a fool. I am a conspirator, but not
an assassin."

" It is justice rather than assassination," said the ex-
Chancellor suavely, as if his tones were oil and the
Baron's boisterous talk were troubled waters.

"Justice!" cried the Baron, with great contempt.
" You have learned that cant word in the Cabinet of the
King himself, before he thrust you out. He eternally
prates of justice, yet, much as I loathe him, I have no
wish to compass his death, either directly or through
gabbling of justice."

1 1

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272

THE STRONG ARM

" Will you permit me to point out the reason that
induces me to believe his continued exemption, and
State policy, will not run together?" replied the advo.
cate of the King's death. *' If Rudolph escape, he will
take up his abode in a neighbouring territory, and there
will inevitably follow plots and counter-plots for his
restoration — thus Alluria will be kept in a state of con-
stant turmoil. There will doubtless grow up within the
kingdom itself a party sworn to his restoration. We
shall thus be involved in difficulties at home and abroad,
and all for what ? Merely to save the life of a man who
is an enemy to each of us. We place thousands of
lives in jeopardy, render our own positions insecure,
bring continual disquiet upon the State, when all
might be avoided by the slitting of one throat, even
though that throat belong to the King."

It was evident that the lawyer's persuasive tone
brought many to his side, and the conspirators seemed
about evenly divided upon the question of life or death
to the King. The Baron was about to break out again
with some strenuousness in favour of his own view of
the matter, when Count Staumn made a proposition
that was eagerly accepted by all save Brunfels himself.

" Argument," said Count Staumn, " is ever the
enemy of good comradeship. Let us settle the point
at once and finally, with the dice-box. Baron Brunfels,
you are too seasoned a gambler to object to such a
mode of terminating a discussion. Steinmetz, the
law, of which you are so distinguished a representative,
is often compared to a lottery, so you cannot look
with disfavour upon a method that is conclusive, and as
reasonably fair as the average ^cision of a judge. Let
us throw, therefore, for the life of the King. I, as
chairman of this meeting, will be umpire. Single

"GENTLEMEN: THE KING!"

' m

*iirows, and the highest number wins. Baron Brunfcls,
you will act for the King, and, if you win, may bestow
upon the monarch his life. Chancellor Stcinmetz
stands for the State. If he wins, then is the King's life
forfeit. Gentlemen, are you agreed ? "

" Agreed, agreed," cried the conspirators, with prac-
tically unanimous voice.

Baron Brunfels grumbled somewhat, but when the
dice-horn was brought, and he heard the rattle of the
bones within the leathern cylinder, the light of a gam-
bler's love shone in his eyes, and he made no further
protest.

The ex-Chancellor took the dice-box in his hand, and
was about to shake, when there came suddenly upon
them three stout raps against the door, given apparently
with the hilt of a sword. Many not already standing,
started to their feet, and nearly all looked one upon
another with deep dismay in their glances. The full
company of conspirators was present ; exactly a score
of men knew of the rendezvous, and now the twenty-
first man outside was beating the oaken panels. The
knocking was repeated, but now accompanied by the
words :

" Open, I beg of you."

Count Staumn left the table and, stealthily as a cat,
approached the door.

** Who is there ? " he asked.

" A wayfarer, weary and wet, who se'^.-ks shelter from
the s'.orm."

" My house is already filled," spoke up the Count.
" I 1 ave no room for another."

" Open the door peacefully," cried the outlander,

"and do not put me to the necessity of forcing it."

There was a ring of decision in the voice which sent
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274

THE STRONG ARM

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quick pallor to more than one cheek. Ex-Chancellor
Steinmet/. rose to his feet with chattering teeth, and
terror in his eyes ; he seemed to recognise the tones of
the invisible speaker. Count Staumn looked over his
shoulder at the assemblage with an expression that
plainly said : " What am I to do ? "

" In the fiend's name," hissed Baron Brunfels, taking
the precaution, however, to speak scarce above his
breath, " if you are so frightened when it comes to a
knock at the door, what will it be when the real knocks
are upon you. Open, Count, and let the insistent
stranger in. Whether he leave the place alive or no,
there are twenty men here to answer."

The Count undid the fastenings and threw back the
door. There entered a tall man completely enveloped
in a dark cloak that was dripping wet. Drawn over
his eyes was a hunter's hat of felt, with a drooping
bedraggled feather on it.

The door was immediately closed and barred behind
him, and the stranger, pausing a moment when con-
fronted by so many inquiring eyes, flung off his cloak,
throwing it over the back of a chair ; then he removed
his hat with a sweep, sending the raindrops flying.
The intriguants gazed at him, speechless, with varying
emotions. They saw before them His Majesty, Ru-
dolph, King of Alluria.

If the King had any suspicion of his danger, he gave
no token of it. On his smooth, lofty forehead there
was no trace of frown, and no sign of fear. His was
a manly figure, rather over, than under, six feet in
height ; not slim and gaunt, like Count Staumn, nor
yet stout to excess, like Baron Brunfels. The finger of
Time had touched with frost the hair at his temples,
and there were threads of white in his pointed beard,

"GENTLEMEN: THE KING!"

275

but his sweeping moustache was still as black as the
night from which he came.

His frank, clear, honest eyes swept the company,
resting momentarily on each, then he said in a firm
voice, without the suspicion of a tremor in it : ** Gentle-
men, I give you good evening, and although the hospi-
tality of Count Staumn has needed spurring, I lay that
not up against him, because I am well aware his appar-
ent reluctance arose through the unexpectedness of my
visit ; and, if the Count will act as cup-bearer, we will
drown ciU remembrance of a barred door in a flagon of
wine, for, to tell truth, gentlemen, I have ridden hard
in order to have the pleasure of drinking with you."

As the King spoke these ominous words, he cast a
glance of piercing intensity upon the company, and
more than one quailed under it. He strode to the fire-
place, spurs jingling as he went, and stood with his
back to the fire, spreading out his hands to the blaze.
Count Staumn left the bolted door, took an empty
flagon from the shelf, filled- it at the barrel in the cor-
ner, and, with a low bow, presented the brimming
measure to the King.

Rudolph held aloft his beaker of Burgundy, and, as
he did so, spoke in a loud voice that rang to the beams
of the ceiling :

" Gentlemen, I give you a suitable toast. May none
here gathered encounter a more pitiless storm than
that which is raging without ! "

With this he drank off the wine, and, inclining his
head slightly to the Count, returned the flagon. No
one, save the King, had spoken since he entered.
Every word he had uttered seemed charged with double
meaning and brought to the suspicious minds of his
hearers visions of a trysting place surrounded by troops,

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276

THE STRONG ARM

and the King standing there, playing with them, as a
tiger plays with its victims. His easy confidence
appalled them.

When first he came in, several who were seated re-
mained so, but one by one they rose to their feet, with
the exception of Baron Brunfels, although he, when
the King gave the toast, also stood. It was clear
enough their glances of fear were not directed towards
the King, but towards Baron Brunfels. Several pairs
of eyes beseeched him in silent supplication, but the
Baron met none of these glances, for his gaze was fixed
upon the King.

Every man present knew the Baron to be reckless of
consequences ; frankly outspoken, thoroughly a man
of the sword, and a despiser of diplomacy. They
feared that at any moment he might blurt out the pur-
port of the meeting, and more than one was thankful
for the crafty ex-Chancellor's planning, who throughout
had insisted there should be no documentary evidence
of their designs, either in their houses or on th^-v per-
sons. Some startling rumour must have reacL-^ the
King's car to bring him thus unexpectedly upon them.

The anxiety of all was that some one should persuade
the King they were merely a storm-besieged hunting
party. They trembled in anticipation of Brunfels'
open candor, and dreaded the revealing of the real
cause of their conference. There was now no chance to
warn the Baron ; a man who spoke his mind ; who
never looked an inch beyond his nose, even though his
head should roll off in consequence, and if a man does
not value his own head, how can he be expected to care
for the heads of his neighbours?

" I ask you to be seated," said the King, with a
wave of the hand.

"GENTLEMEN: THE KING!"

277

Now, what should that stubborn fool of a Baron do
but remain standing, when all but Rudolph and himself
had seated themselves, thus drawing His Majesty's
attention directly towards him, and making a colloquy
between them well-nigh inevitable. Those next the ex-
Chancellor were nudging him, in God's name, to stand
also, and open whatever discussion there must ensue
between themselves and His Majesty, so that it might
be smoothly carried on, but the Chancellor was ashen
grey with fear, and his hand trembled on the table.

"My Lord of Brunfels," said the King, a smile hover-
ing about his lips, " I see that I have interrupted you
at your old pleasure of dicing ; while requesting you to
continue your game as though I had not joined you,
may I venture to hope the stakes you play for are not
high ? "

Every one held his breath, awaiting with deepest con-
cern the reply of the frowning Baron, and when it
came growling forth, there was little in it to ease their
disquiet.

'* Your Majesty," said Baron Brunfels, " the stakes
are the highest that a gambler may play for."

" You tempt me, Baron, to guess that the hazard is
a man's soul, but I see that your adversary is my worthy
ex-Chancellor, and as I should hesitate to impute
to him the character of the devil, I am led, there-
fore, to the conclusion that you play for a human life.
Whose life is in the cast, my Lord of Brunfels ? "

Before the Baron could reply, ex-Chancellor Steinmetz
arose, with some indecision, to his feet. He began in
a trembling voice :

" I beg yourgracious permission to explain the reason
of our gathering "

" H«?rr Steinmetz," cried the King sternly, " when I

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278

THE STRONG ARM

desire your interference I shall call for it ; and remember
this, Herr Steinmetz ; the man who begins a game
must play it to the end, even though he finds luck run-
ning against him."

The ex-Chancellor sat down again, and drew his
hand across his damp forehead.

** Your Majesty," spoke up the Baron, a ring of de-
fiance in his voice, " I speak not for my comrades, but
for my ;elf. I begin no game that I fear to finish.
We wen^ about to dice in order to discover whether
Your Majesty should live or die."

A simultaneous moan seemed to rise from the
assembled traitors. The smile returned to the King's
lips.

" Baron," he said, " I have ever chided myself for
loving you, for you were always a bad example to weak
and impressionable natures. Even when your over-
bearing, obstinate intolerance compelled me to dismiss
you from the command oi my army, I could not but
admire your sturdy honesty. Had I been able to graft
your love of truth upon some of my councillors, what
a valuable group of advisers might I have gathered
round me. But we have had enough of comedy and
now tragedy sets in. Those who are traitors to their
ruler must not be surprised if a double traitor is one
of their number. Why am I here ? Why do two hun-
dred mounted and armed men surround this doomed
chalet? Miserable wretches, what have you to say
that judgment be not instantly passed upon you ? "

" I have this to say," roared Baron Brunfels, drawing
his sword, " that whatever may befall this assemblage,
you, at least, shall not live to boast of it."

The King stood unmoved as Baron Brunfels was
^bout to rush upon him, but Count Staumn £ind others

"GENTLEMEN: THE KING!"

279

threw themselves between the Baron and his victim,
seeing in the King's words some intimati'^n of mercy
to be held out to them, could but actual assault upon
his person be prevented.

" My Lord of Brunfels," said the King, calmly,
" sheath your sword. Your ancestors have often drawn,
it, but always for, and never again t the occupant of
the Throne. Now, gentlemen, hear my decision, and
abide faithfully by it. Seat yourselves at the table, ten
on each side, the dice-box between you. You shall not
be disappointed, but shall play out the game of life and
death. Each dices with his opposite. He who throws
the higher number escapes. He who throws the lower
places his weapons on the empty chair, and stands
against yonder wall to be executed for the traitor that
he is. Thus half of your company shall live, and the
other half seek death with such courage as may be
granted them. Do you agree, or shall I give the
signal ? "

With unanimous voice they agreed, all excepting
Baron Brunfels, who spoke not,

" Come, Baron, you and my devoted ex-Chancellor
were about to play when I came in. Begin the game."

" Very well," replied the Baron nonchalantly.
" Steinmetz, the dice-box is near your hand : throw."

Some one placed the cubes in the leathern cup and
handed it to the ex-Chancellor, whose shivering fingers
relieved him of the necessity of shaking the box. The
dice rolled out on the table ; a three, a four, and a one.
Those nearest reported the total.

" Eight ! " cried the King. '' Now, Baron."

Baron Brunfels carelessly threw the dice into their
receptacle, and a moment after the spotted bones clat-
tered on the table.

28o

THE STRONG ARM

** Three sixes ! " cried the Baron. '' Lord, if I only-
had such luck when I played for money ! "

The ex-Chancellor's eyes were starting from his head,
wild with fear.

" We have three throws," he screamed.

" Not so," said the King.

" I swear I understood that we were to have three
chances," shrieked Steinmetz, springing from his chair.
" But it is all illegal, and not to be borne. I will
not have my life diced away to please either King or
commons."

He drew his sword and placed himself in an attitude
of defence.

" Seize him ; disarm him, and bind him," commanded
the King. " There are enough gentlemen in this com-
pany to see that the rules of the game are adhered to."

Steii:metz, struggling and pleading for mercy, was
speedily overpowered and bound ; then his captors
placed him against the wall, and resumed their seats at
the table. The next man to be doomed was Count
Staumn. The Count arose from his chair, bowed first
to the King and then to the assembled company ; drew
forth his sword, broke it over his knee, and walked to
the wall of the condemned.

The remainder of the fearful contest was carried on
in silence, but with great celerity, and before a quarter
of an hour was past, ten men had their backs to the
wall, while the remaining ten were seated at the table,
some on one side, and some on the other.

The men ranged against the wall were downcast, for
however bravely a soldier may meet death in hostile
encounter, it is a different matter to face it bound and
helpless at the hands of an executioner.

A shade of sadness seemed to overspread the ggun-

"GENTLEMEN: THE KING!"

281

tenance of the King, who still occupied the position he
had taken at the first, with his back towards the fire.

Baron Brunfcls shifted uneasily in his seat, and
glanced now and then with compassion at his sentenced
comrades. He was first to break the silence.

" Your Majesty," he said, " I am always loath to see
a coward die. The whimpering of your former Chan-
cellor annoys me ; therefore, will I gladly take his
place, and give to him the life and liberty you perhaps
design for me, if, in exchange, I have the privilege of
speaking my mind regarding you and your precious
Kingship."

"Unbind the valiant Steinmetz," said the King.
" Speak your mind freely, Baron Brunfels."

The Baron rose, drew sword from scabbard, and
placed it on the table.

"Your Majesty, backed by brute force," he began,
" has condemned to death ten of your subjects. You
have branded us as traitors, and such we are, and so
find no fault with your, sentence ; merely recognis-
ing that you represent, for the time being, the upper
hand. You have reminded me that my ancestors
fought for yours, and that they never turned their
swords against their sovereign. Why, then, have our
blades been pointed towards your breast ? Because,
King Rudolph, you are yourself a traitor. You belong
to the ruling class and have turned your back upon
your order. You, a King, have made yourself a brother
to the demagogue at the street corner ; yearning for the
cheap applause of the serf. You ^ave shorn nobility
of its privileges, and for what ? "

" And for what ? " echoed the King with rising voice.
" For this ; that the ploughman on the plain may reap
>vh£^t he has ,sown ; that the shepherd on the hillside

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282

THE STRONG ARM

i 1
I

)

may enjoy the increase which comes to his flock ; that
taxation may be Hght ; that my nobles shall deal hon-
estly with the people, and not use their position for
thievery and depredation ; that those whom the State
honours by appointing to positions of trust shall con-
tent themselves with the recompense lawfully given,
and refrain from peculation ; that peace and security
shall rest on the land ; and that bloodthirsty swash-
bucklers shall not go up and down inciting the people
to carnage and rapine under the name of patriotism.
This is the task I set myself when I came to the Throne.
What fault have you to find with the programme, my
Lord Baron ? "

" The simple fault that it is the programme of a
fool," replied the Baron calmly. " In following it you
have gained the resentment of your nobles, and have
not even received the thanks of those pitiable hinds,
the ploughman in the valley or the shepherd on the
hills. You have impoverished us so that the clowns
may have a few more Cv.ins with which to muddle in
drink their already stupid brains. You are hated in
cot and castle alike. You would not stand in your
place for a moment, were not an army behind you.
Being a fool, you think the comn«on people love
honesty, whereas, they only curse that they have not
a share in the thieving."

" The people," said the King soberly, " have been
misled. Their ear has been abused by calumny and
falsehood. Had it been possible for me personally to
explain to them the good that must ultimately accrue
to a land where honesty rules, I am confident I would
have had their undivided support, even though my
nobles deserted me."

" Not so, Your Majesty ; they would listen to you

"GENTLEMEN: THE KING!"

283

you

and cheer you, but when the next orator came among
them, promising to divide the moon, and give a
share to each, they would gather round his banner and
hoot you from the kingdom. What care they for recti-
tude of government ? They see no farther than the
shining florin that glitters on their palm. When your
nobles were rich, they came to their castles among the
people, and s :attered their gold with a lavish hand.
Little recked the peasants how it was got, so long as
they shared it. * There,' they said, ' the coin comes to
us that we have not worked for.*

** But now, with castles deserted, and retainers dis-
missed, the people have to sweat to wring from traders
the reluctant silver, and they cry : ' Thus it was not in
times of old, and this King is the cause of it,' and so
they spit upon your name, and shrug their shoulders,
when your honesty is mentioned. And now, Rudolph
of AUuria, I have done, and I go the more jauntily to
my death that I have had fair speech with you before
the end."

The King looked at the company, his eyes veiled
with moisture. " I thought," he said slowly, " until
to-night, that I had possessed some qualities at least
of a ruler of men. I came here alone among you, and
although there are brave men in this assembly, yet I
had the ordering of events as I chose to order them,
notwithstanding that odds stood a score to one against
me. I still venture to think that whatever failures have
attended my eight years' rule in Alluria arose from
faults of my own, and not through imperfections in the
plan, or want of appreciation in the people.

" I have now to inform you that if it is disastrous for
a King to act without the co-operation of his nobles,
it is equally disastrous for them to plot against thejr

284

THE STRONG ARM

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11 ti '■ '

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'• 1

leader. I beg to acquaint you with the fact that the
insurrection so carefully prepared has broken out pre-
maturely. My capital is in possession of the factions,
who are industriously cutting each other's throats to
settle which one of two smooth-tongued rascals shall be
their President. While you were dicing to settle the
fate of an already deposed King, and I was sentencing
you to a mythical death, we were all alike being in-
volved in common ruin.

** I have seen to-night more property in flames than
all my savings during the last eight years would pay
for. I have no horsemen at my back, and have stum-
bled here blindly, a much bedraggled fugitive, having
lost my way in every sense of the phrase. And so I
beg of the hospitality of Count Staumn another flagon
of wine, and either a place of shelter for my patient
horse, who has been left too long in the storm without,
or else direction towards the frontier, whereupon my
horse and I will set out to find it."

"Not towards the frontier !" cried Baron Brunfels,
grasping again his sword and holding it aloft, " but to-
wards the capital. We will surround you, and hew for
you a way through that fickle mob back to the throne
of your ancestors."

Each man sprang to his weapon and brandished it
above his head, while a ringing cheer echoed to the
timbered ceiling.

" The King ! The King! " they cried.

Rudolph smiled and shook his head.

" Not so," he said. " I leave a thankless throne with
a joy I find it impossible to express. As I sat on horse-
back, half-way up the hill above the burning city, and
heard the clash of arms, I was filled with amazement to
think thsit men would actually fight for the position of

"GENTLEMEN: THE KING!"

285

ruler of the people. Whether the insurrection has
brought freedom to themselves or not, the future alone
can tell, but it has at least brought freedom to mc. I
now belong to myself. No man may question either
my motives or my acts. Gentlemen, drink with me
to the new President of AUuria, whoever he may be."

But the King drank alone, none other raising flagon
to lip. Then Baron Brunfels cried aloud :

" Gentlemen : the King ! "

And never in the history of Alluria was a toast so
heartily honoured.

« i

I- . !

i t

THE HOUR-GLASS

Bertram Eastford had intended to pass the shop
of his old friend, the curiosity dealer, into whose pockets
so much of his money had gone for trinkets gathered
from all quarters of the globe. He knew it was weak-
ness on his part to select that street when he might
have taken another, but he thought it would do no
harm to treat himself to one glance at the seductive
window of the old curiosity shop, where the dealer was
in the habit of displaying his latest acquisitions. The
window was never quite the same, and it had a con-
tinued fascination for Bertram Eastford ; but this time,
he said to himself resolutely, he would not enter, hav-
ing, as he assured himself, the strength of mind to
forego this temptation. However, he reckoned without
his window, for in it there was an old object newly dis-
played which cai'^iit his attention as effectually as a half-
driven nail arrests the hem of a cloak. On the central
shelf of the window stood an hour-glass, its framework
of some wood as black as ebony. He stood gazing at it
for a moment, then turned to the door and went inside,
greeting the r icient shopman, whom he knew so well.

** I want to look at the hour-glass you have in the
window," he said.

" Ah, yes," replied the curiosity dealer ; " the cheap
watch has driven the hour-glass out of the commercial
market, and we rarely pick up a thing like that nowa-
days."

286

THE HOUR-GLASS

2S7

He took the hour-glass from the shelf in the window,
reversed it, and placed it on a table. The ruddy sand
began to pour through into the lower receptacle in a
thin, constant stream, as if it were blood that had been
dried and powdered. Eastford watched the ever-in-
creasing heap at the bottom, rising conically, changing
its shape every moment, as little avalanches of the
sand fell away from its heightening sides.

" There is no need for you to extol its antiquity,"
said Eastford, with a smile. " I knew the moment I
looked at it that such glasses are rare, and you are not
going to find me a cheapening customer."

*' So far from over-praising it," protested the shop-
man, " I was about to call your attention to a defect.
It is useless as a measurer of time."

" It doesn't record the exact hour, then ? " asked
Eastford.

" Well, I suppose the truth is, they were not very
particular in the old days, and time was not money, as
it is now. It measures the hour with great a'^curacy,"
the curio dealer went on — " that is, if you watch it ;
but, strangely enough, after it has run for half an hour,
or thereabouts, it stops, because of some defect in the
neck of the glass, or in the pulverising of the sand, and
will not go again until the glass is shaken."

The hour-glass at that moment verified what the old
man said. The tiny stream of sand suddenly ceased,
but resumed its flow the moment its owner jarred the
frame, and continued pouring without further inter-
ruption.

" That is very singular, said Eastford. " How do
you account for it ? "

" I imagine it is caused by some inequality in the
grains of sand ; probably a few atoms larger than the

288

THE STRONG ARM

others come together at the neck, and so stop the per-
colation. It always does this, and, of course, I cannot
remedy the matter because the glass is hermetically
sealed."

" Well, I don't want it as a timekeeper, so we will
not allow that defect to interfere with the sale. How
much do you ask for it ? "

The dealer named his price, and Eastford paid the
amount.

" I shall send it to you this afternoon."

" Thank you," said the customer, taking his leave.

That night in his room Bertram Eastford wrote
busily until a late hour. When his work was concluded^
he pushed away his manuscript with a sigh of that deep
contentment which comes to a man who has not wasted
his day. He replenished the open fire, drew his most
comfortable arm-chair in front of it, took the green
shade from his lamp, thus filling the luxurious apart-
ment with a light that was reflected from armour and
from ancient weapons standing in corners and hung
along the walls. He lifted the paper-cov( red package,
cut the string that bound it, and placed the ancient
hour-glass on his table, watching the thin stream of
sand which his action had set running. The constant,
unceasing, steady downfall seemed to hypnotise him.
Its descent was as silent as the footsteps of time itself.
Suddenly it stopped, as it had done in the shop, and its
abrupt ceasing jarred on his tingling nerves like an un-
expected break in the stillness. He could almost im-
agine an unseen hand clasping the thin cylinder of the
glass and throttling it. He shook the bygone time-
measurer and breathed again more steadily when the
sand resumed its motion. Presently he took the glass
from the table and examined it with some attention.

THE HOUR-GLASS

289

He thought at .irst its frame was ebony, but further
inspection convinced him it was oak, bhickened with
age. On one round end was carved rudely two hearts
overlapping, and twined about them a pair of ser-
pents.

" Now, I wonder what that's for?" murmured East-
ford to himself. '* An attempt at a coat of arms, per-
haps."

There was no clue to the meaning of the hieroglyph-
ics, and Eastford, with the glass balanced on his knee,
watched the sand still running, the crimson thread
sparkling in the lamplight. He fancied he saw dis-
torted reflections of faces in the convex glass, although
his reason told him they were but caricatures: of his
own. The great bell in the tower near by, with slow
solemnity, tolled twelve. He counted its measured
strokes one by one, and then was startled by a decisive
knock at his door. One section of his brain considered
this visit untimely, another looked on it as perfectly
usual, and while the two were arguing the matter out,
he' heard his own voice cry: " Come in."

The door opened, and the discussion between the
government and the opposition in his mind ceased to
consider the untimeliness of the visit, for here, in the
visitor himself, stood another problem. He was a
young man in military costume, his uniform being that
of an officer. Eastford remembered seeing something
like it on the stage, and knowing little of military
affairs, thought perhaps the costume of the visitor be-
fore him indicated an officer in the Napoleonic war.

" Good evening! " said the incomer. " May I intro-
duce myself? I am Lieutenant Sentore, of the regular
army."
19

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J90

THE STRONG ARM

" You are very welcome," returned his host. " Will
you be seated ?"

" Thank you, no. I have but a few moments to stay.
I have come for my hour-glass, if you will be good
enough to let me have it."

" F(?«r hour-glass? " ejaculated Eastford, in surprise.
*' I think you labour under a misapprehension. The
glass belongs to me ; I bought it to-day at the old curi-
osity shop in Finchmore Street."

** Rightful possession of the glass would appear to rest
with you, technically ; but taking you to be a gentle-
man, I venture to believe that a mere statement of my
priority of claim will appeal to you, even though it might
have no effect on the minds of a jury of our country-
men."

" You mean to say that the glass has been stolen from
you and has been sold ? "

** It has been sold undoubtedly over and over again,
but never stolen, so far as I have been able to trace its
history,"

** If, then, the glass has been honestly purchased by
its different owners, I fail to see how you can possibly
establish any claim to it."

" I have already admitted that my claim is moral
rather than legal," continued the visitor. " It is a long
story ; have I your permission to tell it ? "

** I shall be delighted to listen," replied Eastford,
*' but before doing so I beg to renew my invitation, and
ask you to occupy this easy-chair before the fire."

The officer bowed in silence, crossed the room be-
hind Eastford, and sat down in the arm-chair, placing
his sword across his knees. The stranger spread his
hands before the fire, and seemed to enjoy the comfort-
ing warmth. He remained for a few moments buried

-TTTHl

THE HOUR-GLASS

291

in deep reflection, quite ignoring the presence of his
host, who, glancing upon the hour-glass in dispute up-
on his knees, seeing that the sands had all run out silent-
ly reversed it and set them flowing again. This action
caught the corner of the stranger's eye, and brought him
to a realisation of why he was there. Drawing a heavy
sigh, he began his story.

** In the year 1706 I held the post of lieutenant in
that part of the British Army commanded by General
Trelawny, the supreme command, of course, being in
the hands of the great Marlborough."

Eastford listened to this announcement with a feeling
that there was something wrong about the statement.
The man sitting there was calmly talking of a time one
hundred and ninety-two years past, and yet he himself
could not be a day more than twenty-five years old.
Somewhere entangled in this were the elements of ab-
surdity. Eastford found himself unable to unravel them*
but the more he thought of the matter, the more rea-
sonable it began to appear, and so, hoping his visitor
had not noted the look of surprise on his face, he said,
quietly, casting his mind back over the history of Eng-
land, and remembering what he had learned at school : —

" That was during the war of the Spanish Succes-
sion ?

*' Yes : the war had then been in progress four years,
and many brilliant victories had been won, the greatest
of which was probably the Battle of Blenheim."

" Quite so," murmured Eastford.

" It was the English," Casper cried,
" That put the French to rout ;
But what they killed each other for,
I never could make out,"

292

THE STRONG ARM

¥'\ ':¥ ii

The officer looked up in astonisbment.

" I never heard anything like that said about the war.
The reason for it was perfectly plain. We had to fight
or acknowledge France to be the dictator of Europe.
Still, politics have nothing to do with my story. Gen-
eral Trelawny and his forces were in Brabant, and were
under orders to join the Duke of Marlborough's army.
We were to go through the country as speedily as pos-
sible, for a great battle was expected. Trelawn) 's in-
structions were to capture certain towns and cities that
lay in our way, to dismantle the fortresses, and to pa-
role their garrisons. We could not encumber ourselves
with prisoners, and so marched the garrisons out, pa-
roled them, destroyed their arms, and bade them dis'
perse. But, great as was our hurry, strict orders had
been given to leave no strongholds in our rear untaken.

" Everything went well until we came to the town of
Elsengore, which we captured without the loss of a man.
The capture of the town, however, was of little avail,
for in the centre of it stood a strong citadel, which we
tried to take by assault, but could not. General Tre-
lawny, a very irascible, hotheaded man, but, on the
whole, a just and capable officer, impatient at this un-
expected delay, offered the garrison almost any terms
they desired to evacuate the castle. But, having had
warning'of our coming, they had provisioned the place,
were well supplied with ammunition, and their comman-
der refused to make terms with General Trelawny.

" ' If you want the place,' said the Frenchman, ' come
and take it.'

" General Trelawny, angered at this contemptuous
treatment, flung his men again and again at the citadel,
but without making the slightest impression on iv.

" We were in no wise prepared for a long siege,

THE HOUR-GLASS

293

nor had we e>'pectcd stubborn resistance. Marching
quickly, as was our custom heretofore, we possessed
no heavy artillery, and so were at a disadvantage when
attacking a fortress as strong as that of Elsengore.
Meanwhile, General Trelawny sent mounted messen-
gers by different roads to his chief giving an account of
what had happened, explaining his delay in joining the
main army, and asking for definite instructions. He
expected that one or two, at least, of the mounted mes-
sengers sent away would reach his chief and be enabled
to return. And that is exactly what happened, for one
day a dusty horseman came to General Trelawny's head-
quarters with a brief note from Marlborough. The Com-
mander-in-Chief said : —

" * I think the Frenchman's advice is good. We
want the place ; therefore, take it.*

" But he sent no heavy artillery to aid us in this task,
for he could not spare his big guns, expecting, as he
did, an important battle. General Trelawny having
his work thus cut out for him, settled down to accom-
plish it as best he might. He quartered officers and
men in various parts of the town, the more thoroughly
to keep watch on the citizens, of whose good inten-
tions, if the siege were prolonged, we were by no means
sure.

" It fell to my lot to be lodged in the house of Bur-
gomaster Seidelmier, of whose conduct I have no rea-
son to complain, for he treated me well. I was given
two rooms, one a large, low apartment on the first floor,
and communicating directly with the outside, by means
of a hall and a separate stairway. The room was lighted
by a long, many-paned window, leaded and filled with
diamond-shaped glass. Beyond this large drawing-room
was my bedroom. I must say that I enjoyed my stay

294

THE STRONG ARM

; J. I

in Burgomaster Seidelmier's house none the less be-
cause he had an only daughter, a most charming girl.
Our acquaintance ripened into deep friendship, and af-
terwards into but that has nothing to do with what

I have to tell you. My story is of war, and not of love.
Gretlich Seidelmier presented me with the hour-glass
you have in your hand, and on it I carved the joined
hearts entwined with our similar initials."

" So they are initials, are they ? " said Eastford,
glancing down at what he had mistaken for twining
serpents.

" Yes," said the officer ; " I was more accustomed to
a sword than to an etching tool, and the letters are but
rudely drawn. One evening, after dark, Gretlich and I
were whispering together in the hall, when we heard
the heavy tread of the general coming up the stair.
The girl fled precipitately, and I, holding open the
door, waited the approach of my chief. He entered
and curtly asked me to close the door.

** * Lieutenant,' he said, * it is my intention to cap-
ture the citadel to-night. Get together twenty-five of
your men, and have them ready under the shadow of
this house, but give no one a hint of what you intend
to do with them. In one hour's time leave this place
with your men as quietly as possible, and make an
attack on the western entrance of the citadel. Your
attack is to be but a feint and to draw off their forces
to that point. Still, if any of your men succeed in
gaining entrance to the fort they shall not lack reward
and promotion. Have you a watch ? *

*' * Not one that will go, general ; but I have an hour-
glass here.'

" * Very well, set it running. Collect your men, and
exactly at the hour lead them to the west front ; it is

THE HOUR-GLAS^

49^

but five minutes' quick march from here. An hour
and five minutes from this moment I expect you to
begin the attack, and the instant you arc before the
western gate make as much noise as your t^venty-five
men are capable of, so as to lead the enemy to believe
that the attack is a serious one.'

" Saying this, the general turned and made his way,
heavy-footed, through the hall and down the stairway.

" I set the hour-glass running, and went at once to
call my men, stationing them where I had been ordered
to place them. I returned to have a word with Gret-
lich before I departed on what I knew was a dangerous
mission. Glancing at the hour-glass, I saw that not
more than a quarter of the sand had run down during
my absence. I remained in the doorway, where I could
keep an eye on the hour-glass, while the girl stood
leaning her arm against the angle of the dark passage-
way, supporting her fair cheek on her open palm ; and,
standing thus in the darkness, she talked to me in
whispers. We talked and talked, engaged in that
sweet, endless conversation that murmurs in subdued
tone round the world, being duplicated that moment
at who knows how many places. Absorbed as I was
in listening, at last there crept into my consciousness
the fact that the sand in the upper bulb was not di-
minishing as fast as it should. This knowledge was
fully in my mind for some time before I realised its
fearful significance. Suddenly the dim knowledge took
on actuality. I sprang from the door-lintel, saying: —

" * Good heavens, the sand in the hour-glass has
stopped running ! '

" I remained there motionless, all action struck from
my rigid limbs, gazing at the hour-glass on the table.

296

THE STRONG ARM

Grctlich, peering in at the doorway, looking at the
hour-glass and not at me, having no suspicion of the
ruin involved in the stoppage of that miniature sand-
storm, said, presently : —

" ' Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you it does that now and
then, and so you must shake the glass.*

'* She bent forward as if to do this when the leaden
windows shuddered, and the house itself trembled with
the sharp crash of our light cannon, followed almost
immediately by the deeper detonation of the heavier
guns from the citadel. The red sand in the glass began
to fall again, and its liberation seemed to unfetter my
paralysed limbs. Bareheaded as I was, I rushed like
one frantic along the passage and down the stairs.
The air was resonant with the quick-following reports
of the cannon, and the long, narrow street was fitfully
lit up as if by sudden flashes of summer lightning.
My men were still standing where I had placed them.
Giving a sharp word of command, I marched them down
the street and out into the square, where I met General
Trclawny coming back from his futile assault. Like
myself, he was bareheaded. His military countenance
was begrimed with powder-smoke, but he spoke to me
with no trace of anger in his voice.

" ' Lieutenant Sentore,' he said, * disperse your men.'

" I gave the word to disband my men, and then stood
at attention before him.

" * Lieutenant Sentore,' he said, in the same level
voice, * return to your quarters and consider yourself
under arrest. Await my coming there.*

" I turned and obeyed his orders. It seemed incred-
ible that the sand should still be running in the hour-
glass, for ages appeared to have passed over my head
since last I was in that room. I paced up and down,

THE HOUR-GLASS

297

awaiting the coming of my chief, feeling neither fear
nor regret, but rather dumb despair. In a few minutes
his heavy tread was on the stair, followed by the meas-
ured tramp of a file of men. He came into the room,
and with him were a sergeant and four soldiers, fully
armed. The general was trembling with rage, but held
strong control over himself, as was his habit on serious
occasions.

" * Lieutenant Scntore,' he said, * why were you not
at your post? '

'''The running sand in the hour-glass' (I hardly
recognised my own voice on hearing it) * stopped when
but half exhausted. I did not notice its interruption
until it was too late.'

" The general glanced grimly at the hour-glass. The
last sands were falling through to the lower bulb. I
saw that he did not believe my explanation.

" ' It seems now to be in perfect working order,' he
said, at last.

" He strode up to it and reversed it, watching the
sand pour for a few moments, then he spoke abruptly : —

.** ' Lieutenant Sentore, your sword.'

" I handed my weapon to him without a word.
Turning to the sergeant, h( said : ' Lieutenant Sentore
is sentenced to death. He has an hour for whatever
preparations he cares to make. Allow him to dispose
of that hour as he chooses, so long as he remains within
this room and holds converse with no one whatever.
When the last sands of this hour-glass are run, Lieu-
tenant Sentore will stand at the other end of this room
and meet the death merited by traitors, laggards, or
cowards. Do you understand your duty, sergeant?'

" * Yes, general.'
General Trelawny abruptly left the room, and we

29$

THE STRONG ARM

heard his heavy steps echoing throughout the silent
house, and later, more faintly on the cobble-stones of
the street. When they had died away a deep stillness
set in, I standing alone at one end of the room, my
eyes fixed on the hour-glass, and the sergeant with his
four men, like statues at the other, also gazing at the
same sinister object. The sergeant was the first to
break the silence.

" ' Lieutenant,' he said, • do you wish to write any-
thing ?•

" He stopped short, being an unready man, rarely
venturing far beyond * Yes * and * No.*

" * I should like to communicate with one in this
household,' I said, * but the general has forbidden it, so
all I ask is that you shall have my body conveyed from
this room as speedily as possible after the execution.'

" ' Very good, lieutenant,' answered the sergeant.

" After that, for a long time no word was spoken.
I watched my life run redly through the wasp waist of
the transparent glass, then suddenly the sand ceased to
flow, half in the upper bulb, half in the lower.

" * It has stopped,' said the sergeant ; * I must shake
the glass.'

" * Stand where you are ! * I commanded, sharply.
* Your orders do not run to that.'

" The habit of obedience rooted the sergeant to the
spot.

" ' Send one of your men to General Trelawny,' I
said, as if I had still the right to be obeyed. ' Tell
him what has happened, and ask for instructions. Let
your man tread lightly as he leaves the room."

" The sergeant did not hesitate a moment, but gave
the order I required of him. The soldier nearest the
door tip-toed out of the house. As we all stood there

THE HOUR-GLASS

299

the silence seeming the deeper because of the stopping
of the sand, we heard the hour toll in the nearest
steeple. The sergeant was visibly perturbed, and
finally he said : —

" Lieutenant, I must obey the general's orders. An
hour has passed since he left here, for that clock struck
as he was cjoing down the stair. Soldiers, make ready.
Present."

The men, like impassive machines levelled their
muskets at my breast. I held up my hand.

" Sergeant," I said as calmly as I could, " you are
now about to exceed your instructions. Give another
command at your peril. The exact words of the gen-
eral were, * When the last sands of this hour-glass are
run.' I call your attention to the fact that the condi-
tions are not fulfilled. Half of the sand remains in the
upper bulb."

The sergeant scratched his head in perplexity, but
he had no desire to kill me, and was only actuated by
a soldier's wish to adhere strictly to the letter of his
instructions, be the victim friend or foe. After a few
moments he muttered, ** It is true," then gave a com-
mand that put his men into their former position.

Probably more than half an hour passed, during which
time no man moved ; the sergeant and his three re-
maining soldiers seemed afraid to breathe ; then we
heard the step of the ger al himself on the stair. I
feared that this would give the needed impetus to the
sand in the glass, but, when Trelawny entered, the
status quo remained. The general stood looking at the
suspended sand, without speaking.

** * That is what happened before, general, and that
is why I was not at my place. I have committed the
crime of neglect, and have thus deservedly earned my

300

THE STRONG ARM

>■ V

'V, ' 1

death ; but I si»all die the happier if my general be-
lieves I am neither a traitor nor a coward.'

" The general, still without a word, advanced to the
table, slightly shook the hour-glass, and the sand be-
gan to pour again. Then he picked the glass up in his
hand, examining it minutely, as if it were some strange
kind of toy, turning it over and over. He glanced up
at me and said, quite in his usual tone, as if nothing in
particular had come between us : —

" ' Remarkable thing that, Sentore, isn't it ? '

" * Very,' I answered, grimly.

** He put the glass down.

" * Sergeant, take your men to quarters. Lieutenant
Sentore, I return to you your sword ; you can perhaps
make better use of it alive than dead. I am not a man
to be disobeyed, reason or no reason. Remember that,
and now go to bed.*

" He left me without further word, and buckling on
my sword, I proceeded straightway to disobey again.

" I had a great liking for General Trelawny. Know-
ing how he fumed and raged at being thus held help-
less by an apparently impregnable fortress in the unim-
portant town of Elsengore, I had myself studied the
citadel from all points, and had come to the conclusion
that it might be successfully attempted, not by the
great gates that opened on the square of the town, nor
by the inferior west gates, but by scaling the seemingly
unclimbable cliffs at the north side. The wall at the
top of this precipice was low, and owing to the height
of the beetling cliff, was inefficiently watched by one
lone sentinel, who paced the battlements from corner
tower to corner tower. I had made my plans, intend-
ing to ask the general's permission to risk this venture,
but now I resolved to try it without his knowledge or

THE HOUR-GLASS

301

be-

consent, and thus retrieve, if I could, my failure of the
foregoing part of the night.

" Taking with me a long, thin rope which I had in
my room, anticipating such a trial for it, I roused five
of my picked men, and silently we made our way to
the foot of the northern cliff. Here, with the rope
around my waist, I worked my way diagonally up along
a cleft in the rock, which, like others parallel to it,
marked the face of the precipice. A slip would be
fatal. The loosening of a stone would give warning to
the sentinel, whose slow steps I heard on the wall
above me, but at last I reached a narrow ledge without
I jcident, and standing up in the darkness, my chin was
level with the top of the wall on which the sentry
paced. The shelf between the bottom of the wall and
the top of the cliff was perhaps three feet in width,
and gave ample room for a man careful of his footing.
Aided by the rope, the others, less expert climbers than
myself, made their way to my side one by one, and the
six of us stood on the ledge under the low wall. We
were all in our stockinged feet, some of the men, in
fact, not even having stockings on. As the sentinel
passed, we crouching in the darkness under the wall,
the most agile of our party sprang up behind him.
The soldier had taken off his jacket, and tip-toeing be-
hind the sentinel, he threw the garment over his head,
tightening it with a twist that almost strangled the
man. Then seizing his gun so that it would not clatter
on the stones, held him thus helpless while we five
climbed up beside him. Feeling under the jacket, I put
my right hand firmly on the sentinel's throat, and
nearly choking the breath out of him, said : —

" * Your life depends on your actions now. Will you
utter a sound if I let go your throat ? '

302

THE STRONG ARM

" The man shook his head vehemently, and I released
my clutch.

" ' Now,' I said to him, * where is the powder stored ?
Answer in a whisper, and speak truly."

** ' The bulk of the powder,' he answered, * is in the
vault below the citadel."

" * Where is the rest of it ? ' I whispered.

" * In the lower room of the round tower by the gate.'

" * Nonsense,' I said : ' they would never store it in
a place so liable to attack.'

** * There was nowhere else to put it,' replied the
sentinel, * unless they left it in the open courtyard,
which would be quite as unsafe.'

** * Is the door to the lower room in the tower
bolted ? '

" ' There is no door,' replied the sentry, * but a low
archway. This archway has not been closed, because
no cannon-balls ever come from the northern side.'

*' ' How much powder is there in this room ? '

" * I do not know ; nine or ten barrels, I think.'

" It was evident to me that the fellow, in his fear,
spoke the truth. Now, the question was, how to get
down from the wall into the courtyard and across that
to the archway at the southern side? Cautioning the
sentinel again, that if he made the slightest attempt to
escape or give the alarm, instant death would be meted
to him, I told him to guide us to the archway, which
he did, down the stone steps that led from the northern
wall into the courtyard. They seemed to keep loose
watch inside, the only sentinels in the place being those
on the upper walls. But the man we had captured not
appearing at his corner in time, his comrade on the
western side became alarmed, spoke to him, and obtain-
ing no answer, shouted for him, then discharged his

iW^

THE HOUR-GLASS

303

gun. Instantly the place was in an uproar. Lights
flashed, and from different guard-rooms soldiers poured
out. I saw across the courtyard the archway the sen-
tinel had spoken of, and calling my men made a dash
for it. The besieged garrison, not expecting an enemy
within, had been rushing up the stone steps at each
side to the outer wall to man the cannon they had so
recently quitted, and it was some minutes before a
knowledge of the real state of things came to them.
These few minutes were all we needed, but I saw there
was no chance for a slow match, while if we fired the
mine we probably would die under the tottering tower.

" By the time we reached the archway and discovered
the powder barrels, the besieged, finding everything
silent outside, came to a realisation of the true condi-
tion of affairs. We faced them with bayonets fixed»
while Sept, the man who had captured the sentinel,
took the hatchet he had brought with him at his girdle,
flung over one of the barrels on its side, knocked in the
head of it, allowing the dull black powder to pour on
the cobblestones. Then filling his hat with the explo-
sive, he came out towards us, leaving a thick trail be-
hind him. By this time we were sorely beset, and one
of our men had gone down under the fire of the enemy,
who shot wildly, being baffled by the darkness, other-
wise all of us had been slaughtered. I seized a musket
from a comrade and shouted to the rest : —

" * Save yourselves, and to the garrison, in French, I
gave the same warning; then I fired the musket into
the train of powder, and the next instant found myself
half stunned and bleeding at the farther end of the
courtyard. The roar of the explosion and the crash of
the falling tower were deafening. All Elsengore was
aroused by the earthquake shock. I called to my men

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304

THE STRONG ARM

when I could find my voice, and Sept answered from
one side, and two more from another. Together we
tottered across the dSrts-strcwn courtyard. Some
woodwork inside the citadel had takra fire and was
burning fiercely, and this lit up the ruins and made
visible the great gap in the wall at the fallen gate. Into
the square below we saw the whole town pouring,
soldiers and civilians alike coming from the narrow
streets into the open quadrangle. I made my way,
leaning on Sept, over the broken gate and down the
causeway into the square, and there, foremost of all,
met my general, with a cloak thrown round him, to
make up for his want of coat.

" * There, general,' I gasped, * there is your citadel,
and through this gap can we march to meet Marlbor-
ough.'

" * Pray, sir, who the deuce are you ? * cried the gen-
eral, for my face was like that of a blackamoor.

" * I am the lieutenant who has once more disobeyed
your orders, general, in the hope of retrieving a former
mistake.'

" * Sentore ! ' he cried, rapping out an oath. * I
shall have you court-martialled, sir.'

" * I think, general,' I said, * that I am court-martialled
already,' for I thought then that the hand of death was
upon me, which shows the effect of imagination, for
my wounds were not serious, yet I sank down uncon-
scious at the general's feet. He raised me in his arms
as if I had been his own son, and thus carried me to
my rooms. Seven years later, when the war ended, I
got leave of absence and came back to Elsengore for
Gretlich Seidelmier and the hour-glas«."

As the lieutenant ceased speaking, Eastford thought

THE HOUR-GLASS 36$

he heard again the explosion under the tower, and
started to his feet in nervous alarm, then looked at the
heutenant and laughed, while he said :—

" Lieutenant, I was startled by that noise just now,
and imagined for the moment that I was in Brabant!
You have made good your claim to the hour-glass, and
you are welcome to it."

But as Eastford spoke, he turned his eyes towards
the chair in which the lieutenant had been seated, and
found it vacant. Gazing round the room, in half som-
nolent dismay, he saw that he was indeed alone. At his
feet was the shattered hour-glass, which had fallen from
his knee, its bioodred sand mingling with the colours
on the carpet. Eastford said, with an air of surprise •—
" By Jove ! "
20

! '

i'Jliil
i

!■

THE WARRIOR MAID OF SAN CARLOS

The young naval officer came into this world with
two eyes and two arms ; he left it with but one of each
— nevertheless the remaining eye was ever quick to see,
and the remaining arm ever strong to seize. Even his
blind eye became useful on one historic occasion. But
the loss of eye or arm was as nothing to the continual
loss of his heart, which often led him far afield in the find-
ing of it. Vanquished when he met the women ; in-
vincible when he met the men ; in truth, a most human
hero, and so we all love Jack — the wc, in this instant, as
the old joke has it, embracing the women.

In the year 1780 Britain ordered Colonel Poison to
invade Nicaragua. The task imposed on the gallant
Colonel was not an onerous one, for the Nicaraguans
never cared to secure for themselves the military
reputation of Sparta. In fact, some years after this, a
single American, Walker, with a few Californian rifles
under his command, conquered the whole nation and
made himself President of it, and perhaps would have
been Dictator of Nicaragua to-day if his own country
had not laid him by the heels. It is no violation of
history to state that the entire British fleet was not
engaged in subduing Nicaragua, and that Colonel Pol-
son felt himself amply provided for the necessities of
the crisis by sailing into the harbour of San Juan del

Norte with one small ship. There were numerous for-
306

with
f each
;o see,
en his
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itinual
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•aguans
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was not
)nel Pol-
asities of
Juan del
;rous for-

THE WARRIOR MAID OF SAN CARLOS 30;

tifications at the mouth of the river, and in about an
hour after landing, the Colonel was in possession of
them all.

The flight of time, brief as it was, could not be com-
pared in celerity with the flight of the Nicaraguans,
who betook themselves to the backwoods with an im-
petuosity seldom seen outside of a race-course. There
was no loss of life so far as the British were concerned,
and the only casualties resulting to the Nicaraguans
were colds caught through the overheating of them-
selves in their feverish desire to explore immediately
the interior of their beloved country. ** He who bolts
and runs away will live to bolt another day," was the
motto of the Nicaraguans. So far, so good, or so bad,
as the case may be.

The victorious Colonel now got together a flotilla of
some half a score of boats, and the flotilla %vas placed
under the command of the young naval officer, the hero
of this story. The expedition proceeded cautiously up
the river San Juan, which runs for eighty miles, or
thereabouts, from Lake Nicaragua to the salt water.
The voyage was a sort of marine picnic. Luxurious
vegetation on either side, and no opposition to speak
of, even from the current of the river; for Lake Nica-
ragua itself is but a hundred and twenty feet above the
sea level, and a hundred and twenty feet gives little
rapidity to a river eighty miles long.

As the flotilla approached the entrance to the lake
caution increased, for it was not known how strong
Fort San Carlos might prove. This fort, perhaps the
only one in the country strongly built, stood at once
on the shore of the lake and bank of the stream. There
was one chance in a thousand that the speedy retreat
of the Nicaraguans had been merely a device to lure

I 1 f

308

THE STRONG ARM

filif

T '

the British into the centre of the country, where the
little expedition of two hundred sailors and marines
might be annihilated. In these circumstances Colonel
Poison thought it well, before coming in sight of the
fort, to draw up his boats along the northern bank of
the San Juan River, sending out scouts to bring in
necessary information regarding the stronghold.

The young naval officer all through his life was noted
for his energetic and reckless courage, so it was not to
be wondered at that the age of twenty-two found him
impatient with the delay, loth to lie inactive in his boat
until the scouts returned ; so he resolved upon an actio
that would have justly brought a court-martial upoit
his head had a knowledge of it come to his superior
officer. He plunged alone into the tropical thicket,
armed only with two pistols and a cutlass, determined
to force his way through the rank vegetation along the
bank of the river, and reconnoitre Fort San Carlos for
himself. If he had given any thought to the matter,
which it is more than likely he did not, he must have
known that he ran every risk of capture and death, for
the native of South America, then as now, has rarely
shown any hesitation about shooting prisoners of war.
Our young friend, therefore, had slight chance for his
life if cut off from his comrades, and, in the circum-
stances, even a civilised nation would have been per-
fectly within its right in executing him as a spy.

After leaving the lake the river San Juan bends
south, and then north again. The scouts had taken
the direct route to the fort across the land, but the
young officer's theory was that, if the Nicaraguans
meant to fight, they would place an ambush in the
dense jungle along the river, and from this place of
concealment harass the flotilla before it got within

THE WARRIOR MAID OF SAN CARLOS 309

gunshot of the fort. This ambuscade could easily
fall back upon the fort if directly attacked and de-
feated. This, the young man argued was what he
himself would have done had he been in command of
the Nicaraguan forces, so it naturally occurred to him
to discover whether the same idea had suggested itself
to the commandant at San Carlos.

Expecting every moment to come upon this ambus-
cade, the boy proceeded, pistol in hand, with the ut-
most care, crouching under the luxuriant tropical foli-
age, tunnelling his w.iy, as one might say, along the
dark alleys of vegetation, roofed in by the broad leaves
overhead. Through cross-alleys he caught glimpses
now and then of the broad river, of which he was desir-
ous to keep within touch. Stealthily crossing one of
these riverward alleys the young fellow came upon his
ambuscade, and was struck motionless with amazement
at the form it took. Silhouetted against the shining
water beyond was a young girl. She knelt at the very
verge of the low, crumbling cliff above the water ; her
left hand, outspread, was o-n the ground, her right rested
against the rough trunk of a palm-tree, and counter-
balanced the weight of her body, which leaned far for-
ward over the brink. Her face was turned sideways
towards him, and her lustrous eyes peered intently
down the river at the British flotilla stranded along the
river's bank. So intent was her gaze, so confident was
she that she was alone, that the leopard-like approach
of her enemy gave her no hint of attack. Her perfect
profile being towards him, he saw her cherry-red lips
move silently as if she were counting the boats and im-
pressing their number upon her memory.

A woman in appearance, she was at this date but
sixteen years old, and the breathless young man who

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310

THE STRONG ARM

llii

stood like a statue regarding her thought he had never
seen a vision of such entrancing beauty, and, as I have
before intimated, he was a judge of feminine loveliness.
Pulling himself together, and drawing a deep but silent
breath, he went forward with soft tread, and the next
instant there was a grip of steel on the wrist d the
young girl that rested on the earth. With a cry of dis-
may she sprang to her feet and confronted her assailant,
nearly toppling over the brink as she did so ; but he
grasped her firmly, and drew her a step or two up the
arcade. As he held her left wrist there was in the air
the flash of a stiletto, and the naval officer's distin-
guished career would have ended on that spot had he
not been a little quicker than his fair opponent. His
disengaged hand gripped the descending wrist and held
her powerless.

" Ruffian ! " she hissed, in Spanish.

The young man had a workable knowledge of the
language, and he thanked his stars now that it was so.
He smiled at her futile struggles to free herself, then
said : —

" When they gave me my commission, I had no hope
that I should meet so charming an enemy. Drop the
knife, senorita, and I will release your hand."

The girl did not comply at first. She tried to wrench
herself free, pulling this way and that with more
strength than might have been expected from one so
slight. But finding herself helpless in those rigid bonds,
she slowly relaxed the fingers of her right hand, and
let the dagger drop point downward into the loose soil,
where it stood and quivered.

" Now let me go," she said, panting. " You
promised."

The young man relinquished his hold, and the girl,

THE WARRIOR MAID OF SAN CARLO'S 311

with the quick movement of a humming-bird, dived
into the foHage, and would have disappeared, had he
not with equal celerity intercepted her, again imprison-
ing her wrist.

" You liar ! " she cried, her magnificent eyes ablaze
with anger. " Faithless minion of a faithless race, you
promised to let me go."

" And I kept my promise," said the young man, still
with a smile. " I said I would release your hand, and
I did so ; but as for yourself, that is a different matter.
You see, seflorita, to speak plainly, you are a spy. I
have caught you almost within our lines, counting our
boats, and, perhaps, our men. There is war between
our countries, and I arrest you as a spy."

" A brave country, yours," she cried, " to war upon

women

*' Well," said the young man, with a laugh, " what
are we to do ? The men won't stay and fight us."

She gave him a dark, indignant glance at this, which
but heightened her swarthy beauty.

" And what are you," she said, ** but a spy ? "

'*Not yet," he replied. " If you had found me peer-
ing at the fort, then, perhaps, I should be compelled to
plead guilty. But as it is, you are the only spy here
at present, senorita. Do you know what the fate of a
spy IS ?

The girl stood there for a few moments, her face
downcast, the living gyves still encircling her wrists.
When she looked up it was with a smile so radiant
that the young man gasped for breath, and his heart
beat faster than ever it had done in warfare.

"But you will not give me up?" she murmured,
softly.

" Then would I be in truth a faithless minion," cried

H f

'■' V

.If'

•■I

312

THE STRONG ARM

theyoun^ man, fervently ; " not, indeed, to my country,
but to your fascinating sex, which I never adored so
much as now."

" You mean that you would be faithless to your
country, but not to me ? "

** Well," said the young man, with some natural
hesitation, " I shouldn't care to have to choose between
my allegiance to one or the other. En«jland can sur-
vive without warring upon women, as you have said ;
so I hope that if we talk the matter amicably over, we
may find that my dut; need not clash with my inclina-
tion.

*' I am afraid that is impossible," she answered,
quickly. " I hate your country."

" But not the individual members of it, I hope."

" I know nothing of its individual members, nor do
I wish to, as you shall soon see, if you will but let go
my wrist."

" Ah, sePiorita," exclaimed the young man, " you
are using an argument now that will make me hold you
forever."

" In that case," said the girl, ** I shall change my
argument, and give instead a promise. If you release
me I shall not endeavour to escape — I may even be so
bold as to expect your escort to the fort, where, if I
understand you aright, you were but just now going."

" I accept your promise, and shall be delighted if
you will accept my escort. Meanwhile, in the interest
of our better acquaintance, can I persuade you to sit
down, and allow me to cast myself at your feet ? "

The girl, with a clear, mellow laugh, sat down, and the
young man reclined in the position he had indicated,
gazing up at her with intense admiration in his eyes.

" If this be war/' he said to himself, ** long may I re-

THE WARRIOR MAID OF SAN CARLOS 313

main a soldier." Infatuated as he certainly was, his
natural alertness could not but notice that her glance
wandered to the stiletto, the perpendicular shining
blade of which looked like the crest of a glittering,
dangerous serpent, whose body was hidden in the leaves.
She had seated herself as close to the weapon as possi-
ble, and now, on one pretext or another, edged nearer
and nearer to t. At last the young man laughed aloud,
and, sweeping his foot round, knocked down the
weapon, then indolently stretching tit his arm, he
took it.

" Sefiorita," he said, examining its keen edge, " will
you give me this dagger as a memento of our meeting ? "

" It is unlucky," she murmured, "to make presents
of stilettos."

" t think," said the young man, glancing up at her
with a smile on his lips, " it will be more lucky for me
if I place it here in my belt than if I allow it to reach
the possession of another."

"Do you intend to steal it, sefior?"

" Oh, no. If you refuse to let me have it, I will
give it back to you when our interview ends ; but I
should be glad to possess it, if you allow me to keep it."

** It is unlucky, as I have said, to make a present of
it, but I will exchange. If you will give me one of your
loaded pistols, you may have the stiletto."

*' A fair exchange," he laughed, but he made no mo-
tion to fulfil his part to the barter. *' May I have the
happiness of knowing your name, sefiorita ? " he asked.

" I am called Donna Rafaela Mora," answered the
girl, simply. " I am daughter of the Commandant of
Fort San Carlos. I am no Nicaraguan, but a Spaniard.
And, sefior, what is your name ? "

" Horatio Nelson, an humble captain in His Majesty'3

III

314

THE STRONG ARM

naval forces, to be heard from later, I hope, unless
Donna Rafaela cuts short my thread of life with her
stiletto."

** And does a captain in His Majesty's forces con-
descend to play the part of a spy ? " asked the girl,
proudly.

" He is delighted to do so when it brings him the
acquaintance of another spy so charming as Donna
Rafaela. My spying, and I imagine yours also, is but
amateurish, and will probably be of little value to our
respective forces. Our real spies are now gathered
round your fort, and will bring to us all the informa-
tion we need. Thus, I can recline at your feet, Donna
Rafaela, with an easy conscience, well aware that my
failure as a spy will in no way retard our expedition."

"How many men do you command, Seflor Cap-
tain ? " asked the girl, with ill-concealed eagerness.

" Oh, sometimes twenty-five, sometimes fifty, or a
hundred or two hundred, or more, as the case may be,"
answered the young m;in, carelessly.

*' But how many are there in your expedition now ?/'

" Didn't you count them. Donna? To answer truly,
I must not, to answer falsely, I will not. Donna."

" Why ? " asked the girl, impetuously. " There is
no such secrecy about our forces ; we do not care who
knows the number in our garrison."

" No? Then how many are there, Donna? "

" Three hundred and forty," answered the girl.

"Men, or young ladies like yourself. Donna? Be
careful how you answer, for if the latter, I warn you
that nothing will keep the British out of Fort San
Carlos. We shall be with you, even if we have to go
as prisoners. In saying this, I feel that I am speaking
for our entire company."

THE WARRIOR MAID OF SAN CARLOS 315

The girl tossed her head scornfully.

" There are three hundred and forty men," she said," as
you shall find to your cost, if you dare attack the fort."

" In that case," replied Nelson, "you are nearly two
to one, and I venture to think that we have not come
up the river for nothing."

" What braggarts you English are ! "

" Is it bragging to welcome a stirring fight ? Are
you well provided with cannon ? "

" You will learn that for yourself when you come
within sight of the fort. Have you any more questions
to ask, Senor Sailor?"

" Yes ; one. The number in the fort, v/hich you
give, corresponds with what I have already heard. I
have heard also that you were well supplied with
cannon, but I have been told that you have no cannon-
balls in Fort San Carlos."

*' That is not true ; we have plenty."

" Incredible as it may seem, I was told that the can-
non-balls were made of clay. When I said you had
none, I meant that you had none of iron."

" That also is quite true," answered the girl.

" Do you mean to say that you are going to shoot
baked clay at us ? It will be like heaving bricks," and
the young man threw back his head and laughed.

" Oh, you may laugh," cried the girl, " but I doubt
if you will be so merry when you come to attack the
fort. The clay cannon-balls were made under the
superintendence of my father, and they are filled with
links of chain, spikes, and other scraps of iron."

"By Jove!" cried young Nelson, " that's an origi-
nal idea. I wonder how it will work?"

" You will have every opportunity of finding out, if
you are foolish enough to attack the fort."

3i6

THE STRONG ARM

" You advise us then to retreat ? '

" I most certainly do."

" And why, Donna, if you hate our country, are you
so anxious that we shall not be cut to pieces by your
scrap-iron ? "

The girl shrugged her pretty shoulders.

" It doesn't matter in the least to me what you do,"
she said, rising to her feet. " Am I your prisoner,
Senor Nelson? "

" No," cried the young man, also springing up ; "I
am yours, and have been ever since you looked at
me."

Again the girl shrugged her shoulders. She seemed
to be in no humour for light compliments, and betrayed
an eagerness to be gone.

'* I have your permission, then, to depart? Do you
intend to keep your word ? "

" If you will keep yours. Donna."

" I gave you no promise, except that I would not
run away, and I have not done so. I now ask your per-
mission to depart."

'* You said that I might accompany you to the fort."

" Oh, if you have the courage, yes," replied the girl,
carelessly.

They walked on together through the dense alleys of
vegetation, and finally came to an opening which showed
them a sandy plain, and across it the strong white stone
walls of the fort, facing the wide river, and behind it
the blue background of Lake Nicaragua.

Not a human form was visible either on the walls or
on the plain. Fort San Carlos, in spite of the fact that
it bristled with cannon, seemed like an abandoned
castle. The two stood silent for a moment at the mar-
gin of the jungle, the young officci running his eye

THE WARRIOR MAID OF SAN CARLOS 31;

rapidly over the landscape, always bringing back his
gaze to the seemingly deserted stronghold.

'* Your three hundred and forty men keep themselves
well hidden," he said at last.

" Yes," replied the girl, nonchalantly, " they fear that
if they show themselves you may hesitate to attack a
fortress that is impregnable."

" Well, ^'ou may disabuse their minds of that error
when you return."

" Are you going to keep my stiletto ? " asked the
girl, suddenly changing the subject.

** Yes, with your permission."

" Then keep your word, and give me your pistol in
return."

" Did I actually promise it?"

" You promised, Sefior."

" Then in that case, the pistol is yours."

" Please hand it to me."

Her eagerness to obtain the weapon was but partially
hidden, and the young man laughed as he weighed the
fire-arm in his hand, holding it by the muzzle.

" It is too heavy for a slim girl like you to handle,"
he said, at last. " It can hardly be called a lady's
toy."

"You intend, then, to break your word," said the
girl, with quick intuition, guessing with unerring in-
stinct his vulnerable point.

" Oh, no," he cried, " but I am going to send the
pistol half-way home for you," and with that, holding
it still by the barrel, he flung it far out on the sandy
plain, where it fell, raising a little cloud of dust. The
girl was about to speed to the fort, when, for the third
time, the young man grasped her wrist. She looked at
him with indignant surprise.

y-'U-: ^

.tikid ,

318

THE STRONG ARM

" Pardon me," he said, " but in case you should wish
to fire the weapon, you must have some priming. L'"^t
me pour a quantity of this gunpowder into your
hand."

" Thank you," she s'-t'd, veiling her eyes, to hide
their hatred.

He raised the tiny hand to his lips, without opposi-
tion, and then into her satin palm, from his powder-
horn, he poured a little heap of the black grains.

" Good-bye, sefior," she said, hurrying away. She
went directly to where the pistol had fallen, stooped
and picked it up. He saw her pour the powder from
her hand on its broad, unshapely pan. She knelt on
the sand, studied the clumsy implement, resting her
elbow on her knee. The young man stood there
motionless, bareheaded, his cap in his hand. There
was a flash and a loud report ; and the bullet cut the
foliage behind him, a little nearer than he expected.
He bowed lo\v to her, and she, rising with an angry
gesture, flung the weapon from her.

" Donna Rafaela," he shouted, " thank you for firing
the pistol. Its report brings no one to the walls of San
Carlos. Your fortress is deserted, Donna. To-mor-
row may I have the pleasure of showing you how to
shoot ? "

The girl made no answer, but turning, ran as fast as
she could towards the fort.

The young man walked toward the fort, picked up
his despised weapon, thrust it in his belt, and went
back to the camp. The scouts were returning, and re-
ported that, as far as they could learn, the three hun-
dred and forty Nicaraguans had, in a body, abandoned
Fort San Carlos.

" It is some trick," said the Colonel. " We must ap-

THE WARRIOR MAID OF SAN CARLOS 319

proach the fortress cautiously, as if the three hundred
and forty were there."

The flotilla neared the fort in a long line. Each boat
was filled with men, and in each prow was levelled a
small cannon — a man with a lighted match beside it —
ready to fire the moment word was given. Nelson
himself stood up in his boat, and watched the silent fort.
Suddenly the silence was broken by a crash of thunder,
and Nelson's boat (and the one nearest to it) was
wrecked, many of the men being killed, and himself
severely wounded.

" Back, back ! " cried the commander. " Row out
of range, for your lives ! " The second cannon spoke,
and the whole line of boats was thrown into inextri-
cable confusion. Cannon after cannon rang out, and
of the two hundred men who sailed up the river San
Juan only ten reached the ship alive.

The Commandant of the fort lay ill in his bed, un-
able to move, but his brave daughter fired the cannon
that destroyed the flotilla. Here Nelson lost his eye,
and so on a celebrated occasion was unable to see the
signals that called upon him to retreat. Thus victory
ultimately rose out of disaster.

The King of Spain decorated Donna Rafaela Mora,
made her a colonel, and gave her a pension for life.
So recently as 1857, her grandson. General Martinez,
was appointed President of Nicaragua solely because
he was a descendant of the girl who defeated Horatio
Nelson.

'^''fiii^l

\':V:--H

IT"'

^l!

y.i.ii

:-!■

THE AMBASSADOR'S PIGEONS

Haziddin, the ambassador, stood at the door of his
tent and gazed down upon the famous city of Baalbek,
seeing it now for the first time. The night before, he
had encamped on the heights to the south of Baalbek,
and had sent forward to that city, messengers to the
Prince, carrying greetings and acquainting him with the
fact that an embassy from the Governor of Damascus
awaited permission to enter the gates. The sun had
not yet risen, but the splendour in the East, lighting
the sky with wondrous colourings of gold and crimson
and green, announced the speedy coming of that god
which many of the inhabitants of Baalbek still wor-
shipped. The temples and palaces of the city took
their tints from the flaming sky, and Haziddin, the
ambassador, thought he had never seen anything so
beautiful, notwithstanding the eulogy Mahomet him-
self had pronounced upon his own metropolis of Da-
mascus.

The great city lay in silence, but the moment the rim

of the sun appeared above the horizon the silence was

broken by a faint sound of chanting from that ornate

temple, seemingly of carven ivory, which had bestowed

upon the city its Greek name of Heliopolis. The

Temple of the Sun towered overall other buildings in

the place, and, as if the day-god claimed his own, the

rising sun shot his first rays upon this edifice, striking
320

THE AMBASSADOR'S PIGEONS 321

from it instantly all colour, leaving its rows of pillars a
dazzling white as if they were fashioned from the pure
snows of distant Lebanon. The sun seemed a main-
spring of activity, as well as an object of adoration, for
before it had been many minutes above the horizon the
ambassador saw emerging from the newly opened gate
the mounted convoy that was to act as his escort into
the city ; so, turning, he gave a quick command which
speedily levelled the tents, and brought his retinue
into line to receive their hosts.

The officer, sent by the Prince of Baalbek to welcome
the ambassador and conduct him into the city, greeted
the visitor with that deferential ceremony so beloved
of the Eastern people, and together they journeyed
down the hill to the gates, the followers of the one
mingling fraternally with the followers of the other.
As if the deities of the wonderful temples they were
approaching wished to show the futility of man's fore-
sight, a thoughtless remark mado by one of the least in
the ambassador's retinue to one of the least who fol-
lowed the Baalbek general, wrought ruin to one em-
pire, and saved another from disaster.

A mule-driver from Baalbek said to one of his lowly
profession from Damascus that the animals of the
northern city seemed of superior breed to those of the
southern. Then the Damascus man, his civic pride
disturbed by the slighting remark, replied haughtily
that if the mules of Baalbek had endured such hard-
ships as those of Damascus, journeying for a month
without rest through a rugged mountain country, they
would perhaps look in no better condition than those
the speaker then drove.

" Our mules were as sleek as yours a month ago,

when we left Damascus."
21

322

THE STRONG ARM

I , fill

As IJaalbck is but thirty-one miles north of Damas-
cus, the muleteer of the former place marvelled that so
long a time had been spent on the journey, and he
asked his fellow why they had wandered among the
mountains. The other could but answer that so it
was, and he knew no reason for it, and with this the
man of Baalbek had to content himself. And so the
tale went from mouth to ear of the Baalbek men until
it reached the general himself. He thought little of it
for the moment, but, turning to the ambassador, said,
having nothin;^ else to say :

" How long has it taken you from Damascus to
Baalbek?"

Then the ambassador answered :

" Wc have done the journey in three days ; it might
have taken us but two, or perhaps it could have been
accomplished in one, but there being no necessity for
speed we travelled leisurely."

Then the general, remaining silent, said to himself :

" Which has lied, rumour or the ambassador ? "

He cast his eyes over the animals the ambassador had
brought with him, and saw that they indeed showed
signs of fatigue, and perhaps of ijregular and improper
food.

Prince Ismael himself received Haziddin, ambassador
of Omar, Governor of Damascus, at the gates of Baal-
bek, and the pomp and splendour of that reception was
worthy of him who gave it, but the general found op-
portunity to whisper in the ear of the Prince :

" The ambassador says he was but three days coming,
while a follower of his told a follower of mine that they
have been a month on the road, wandering among the
mountains."

Suspicion is ever latent in the Eastern mind, and the

THE AMBASSADOR'S PIGEONS 323

Linas-
at so
d he
r the
so it
is the
jo the
, until
e of it
, said,

:us to

might
'C been
iity for

iclf :

dor had
showed
nproper

>assador
of Baal-
tion was
3und op-

1 coming,
hat they
nong the

I, and the

Prince was quick to sec a possible meaning for this
sojourn among the mountains. It might well be that the
party were seeking a route at once easy and unknown
by which warriors from Damascus might fall upon
Baalbek ; yet, if this were the case, why did not the ex-
plorers return directly to Damascus rather than venture
within the walls of Baalbek? It seemed to Prince Is-
mael that this would have been the more crafty method
to pursue, for, as it was, unless messengers had returned
to Damascus to report the result of their mountain ex-
cursion, he had the whole party practically prisoners
within the walls of his city, and he could easily way-
lay any envoy sent by the ambassador to his chief in
Damascus. The iVince, however, showed nothing in
his manner of what was passing through his mind, but
at the last moment he changed the programme he had
laid out for the reception of the ambassador. Prepara-
tion had been made for a great public breakfast, for
Haziddin was famed throughout the East, not only as
a diplomatist, but also as physician and a man u(
science. The Prince now gave orders that his officers
were to entertain the retinue of the ambassador at the
public breakfast, while he bestowed upon the ambassa-
dor the exceptional honour of asking him to his private
table, thus giving Haziddin of Damascus no opportu-
nity to confer with his followers after they had entered
the gates of l^aalbek.

It was impossible for Haziddin to demur, so he could
but bow low and accept the hospitality which might at
that moment be most unwelcome, as indeed it was.
The Prince's manner was so genial and friendly that
the physician, Haziddin, soon saw he had an easy man
to deal with, and he suspected no sinister motive be-
neath the cordiality of the Prince.

324

THE STRONG ARM

The red wine of Lebanon is strong, and his High-
ness, Ismacl, pressed it upon his guest, urging that his
three days' journey had been fatiguing. The ambassa-
dor had asked that his own servant might wait upon
him, but the Prince would not hear of it, and said that
none should serve him who were not themselves among
the first nobles in Baalbek.

** You represent Omar, Governor of Damascus, son of
King Ayoub, and as such I receive you on terms of
equality with myself."

The ambassador, at first nonplussed with a lavishness
that was most unusual, gradually overcame his diffi-
dence, became warm with the wine, and so failed to
notice that the Prince himself remained cool, and drank
sparingly. At last the head of Haziddin sank on his
breast, and he reclined at full length on the couch he
occupied, falling into a drunken stupor, for indeed he
was deeply fatigued, and had spent the night before
sleepless. As his cloak fell away from him it left ex-
posed a small wicker cage attached to his girdle con-
taining four pigeons closely huddled, for the cage was
barely large enough to hold them, and here the Prince
saw the ambassador's swift messengers to Damascus.
Let loose from the walls of Baalbek, and flying direct,
the tidings would, in a few hours, be in the hands of
the Governor of Damascus. Haziddin then was spy as
well as ambassador. The Prince also possessed carrier
pigeons, and used them as a means of communication
between his armies at Tripoli and at Antioch, so he
was not ignorant of their consequence. The fact that
the ambassador himself carried this small cage under
his cloak attached to his girdle showed the great im-
portance that was attached to these winged messen-

1 1

THE AMBASSADOR'S PIGEONS 325

High-
at his
bassa-
upon
d that
imong

son of
rms of

ishncss
s diffi-
iled to
I drank
: on his
)uch he
ieed he
before
left ex-
ile con-
igc was
- Prince
Lfnascus.
g direct,
liands of
s spy as
d carrier
inication
:h, so he
fact that
ge under
great im-
i messen-

gers, otherwise Haziddin would have entrusted them to
one of his subordinates.

" Bring me," whispered the Prince to his general,
*' four of my own pigeons. Do not disturb the thongs
attached to the girdle when you open the cage, but
take the ambassador's pigeons out and substitute four
of my own. Keep these pigeons of Damascus separate
from ours; we may yet have use for them in commu-
nicating with the (jovernor."

The general, quick to see the scheme which was in
the Prince's mind, brought four Baalbek pigeons,
identical with the others in size and colour. I le brought
with him also a cage into which the Damascus pigeons
were put, and thus the transfer was made without the
knowledge of the slumbering ambassador. Mis cloak
was arranged about him so that it concealed the cage
attached to the girdle, then the ambassador's own
servants were sent for, and he was confided to their
care.

When Haziddin awoke he found himself in a sump-
tuous room of the palace. He had but a hazy remem-
brance of the latter part of the meal with the Prince, and
his first thought went with a thrill of fear towards the
cage under his cloak ; finding, however, that this was in-
tact, he was much relieved in his mind, and could but
hope that in his cups he had not babbled anything of his
mission which might arouse suspicion in the mind of
the Prince. His first meeting with the ruler of Baal-
bek after the breakfast they had had together, set all
doubts finally at rest, because the Prince received him
with a friendship which was unmistakable. The phy-
sician apologised for being overcome by the potency
of the wine, and pleaded that he had hitherto been
unused to liquor of such strength. The Prince waved

It* .

326

THE STRONG ARM

away all reference to the subject, saying that he him-
self had succumbed on the same occasion, and had but
slight recollection of what had passed between them.

Ismael assigned to the ambassador one of the palaces
near the Pantheon, and Haziddin found himself free
to come and go as he pleased without espionage or re-
striction. He speedily learned that one of the armies
of Baalbek was at the north, near Antioch, the other to
the west at Tripoli, leaving the great city practically
unprotected, and this unprecedented state of affairs
jumped so coincident with the designs of his master,
that he hastened to communicate the intelligence. He
wrote :

" If Baalbek is immediately attacked, it cannot be
protected. Half of the army is on the shore of the
Mediterranean, near Tripoli, the other half is north, at
Antioch. The Prince has no suspicion. If you con-
ceal the main body of your army behind the hills to the
south of Baalbek, and come on yourself with a small
retinue, sending notice to the Prince of your arrival, he
will likely himself come out to the gates to meet you,
and having secured his person, while I, with my fol-
lowers, hold the open gates, you can march into Baal-
bek unmo) ^^'. Once with a force inside the walls of
Baalbe^ .ty is as nearly as possible impregnable,

and ' ^ the Prince prisoner, you may make with

himy^urown terms. The city is indescribably rich,
and probably never before in the history of the world
has there been opportunity of accumulating so much
treasure with so little risk."

This writing Haziddin attached to the leg of a pigeon,
and throwing the bird aloft from the walls, it promptly
disappeared over the housetops, and a few moments
later was in the hands of its master, the Prince of Baal-

THE AMBASSADOR'S PIGEONS

327

bck, who read the treacherous message with amaze-
ment. Then, imitating the ambassador's writing, he
penned a note, saying that this was not the time to
invade Baalbek, but as there were rumours that the
armies were about to leave the city, one going to the
north and the other to the west, the ambassador would
send by another pigeon news of the proper moment to
strike.

This communication the Prince attached to the leg
of one of the Damascus pigeons, and throwing it into
the air, saw with satisfaction that the bird flew straight
across the hills towards the south.

Ismael that night sent messengers mounted on swift
Arabian horses to Tripoli and to Antioch recalling his
armies, directing his generals to avoid Baalbek and to
join forces in the mountains to the south of that city
and out of sight of it. This done, the Prince attended
in state a banquet tendered to him by the ambassador
from Damascus, where he charmed all present by his
genial urbanity, speaking touchingly on the blessings
of peace, and drinking to a thorough understanding
between the two great cities of the East, Damascus and
Baalbek, sentiments which were cordially reciprocated
by the ambassador.

Next morrung the second pigeon came to the palace
of the Prince.

" Ismael is still unsuspicious," the document ran.
" He will fall an easy prey if action be prompt. In
case of a failure to surprise, it wouh' be well to impress
upon your generals the necessity of surrounding the
city instantly so that messengers cannot be sent to the
two armies. It will then be advisable to cut off the
water-supply by diverting the course of the small river
which flows into Baalbek. The walls of the city are in-

328

THE STRONG ARM

credibly strong, and a few men can defend them suc-
cessfully against a host, once the gates are shut.
Thirst, however, will soon compel them to surrender.
Strike quickly, and Baalbek is yours."

The Prince sent a note of another tenor to Damascus,
and the calm days passed serenely on, the ambassador
watching anxiously from his house-top, his eyes turned
to the south, while the Prince watched as anxiously
from the roof of hi palace, his gaze turning now west-
ward now northward.

The third night after the second message had been
sent, the ambassador paced the long level promenade
of his roof, ever questioning the south. A full moon
shone down on the silent city, and in that clear air the
plain outside the walls and the nearer hills were as dis-
tinctly visible as if it were daylight. There was no
sign of an approaching army. Baalbek lay like a city
of the dead, the splendid architecture of its countless
temples gleaming ghostlike, cold, white and unreal in
the pure refulgence of the moon. Occasionally the
ambassador paused in his walk and leaned on the par-
apet. He had become vaguely uneasy, wondering why
Damascus delayed, and there crept over him that sensa-
tion of dumb fear which comes to a man in the middle
of the night and leaves him with the breaking of day.
He realised keenly the extreme peril of his own position
— imprisoned and at the mercy of his enemy should
his treacheiy be discovered. And now as he leaned
over the parapet in the breathless stillness, his alert ear
missed an accustomed murmur of the night. Baalbek
was lulled to sleep by the ever-present tinkle of run-
ning water, the most delicious sound that can soothe
an Eastern ear, accustomed as it is to the echoless
silence of the arid rainless desert.

THE AMBASSADOR'S PIGEONS 329

The little river which entered Baalbek first flowed
past the palace of the Prince, then to the homes of the
nobles and the priests, meandering through every street
and lane until it came to the baths left by the Romans,
whence it flowed through the poorer quarters, and at
last disappeared under the outer wall. It might be
termed a liquid guide to Baalbek, for the stranger, leav-
ing the palace and following its current, would be led
past every temple and residence in the city. It was
the limpid thread of life running through the veins of
the town, and without it Baalbek could not have ex-
isted. As the ambassador leaned over the parapet
wondering whether it was his imagination which made
this night seem more still than all that had gone before
since he came to the city, he suddenly became aware
that what he missed was the purling trickle of the
water. Peering over the wall of his house, and gazing
downward on the moonlit street, he saw no reflecting
glitter of the current, and realised, with a leap of the
heart, that the stream had run dry.

The ambassador was quick to understand the mean-
ing of this sudden drying of the stream. Notwith-
standing his vigilance, the soldiers of Damascus had
stolen upon the city unperceived by him, and had al-
ready diverted the water-course. Instantly his thoughts
turned toward his own escape. In the morning the
fact of the invasion would be revealed, and his life
would lie at the mercy of an exasperated ruler. To flee
from Baalbek in the night he knew to be no easy task ;
all the gates were closed, and not one of them would
be opened before daybreak, except through the inter-
vention of the Prince himself. To spring from even
the lowest part of the wall would mean instant death.
In this extremity the natural ingenuity of the man

330

THE STRONG ARM

■5 ■'

h: ■ I

(. f

came to his rescue. That which gave him warning
would also provide an avenue of safety.

The stream, conveyed to the city by a lofty aqueduct,
penetrated the thick walls througli a tunnel cut in the
solid stone, just large enough to receive its volume.
The tunnel being thus left dry, a man could crawl on
Ills hands and knees through it, and once outside, walk
upright on the top of the viaduct, along the empty bed
of the river, until he reached the spot where the water
had been diverted, and there find his comrades. Wast-
ing not a thought on the jeopardy in which he left his
own followers, thus helplessly imprisoned in Baalbek,
but bent only on his own safet , he left his house
silently, and hurried, deep in the shadow, along the
obscure side of the street. He knew he must avoid
the guards of the palace, and that done, his path to the
invading army was clear. But before he reached the
palace of the Prince there remained for him another
stupefying surprise.

Coming to a broad thoroughfare leading to the square
in which stood the Temple of Life, he was amazed to
see at his feet, flowing rapidly, the full tide of the
stream, shattering into dancing discs of light the reflec-
tion of the full moon on its surface, gurgling swiftly
towards the square. The fugitive stood motionless
and panic-stricken at the margin of this transparent
flood. He knew that his retreat had been cut off.
What had happened ? Perhaps the strong current had
swept away the impediment placed against it by the
invaders, and thus had resumed its course into the city.
Perhaps — but there was little use in surmising, and the
ambassador, recovering in a measure his self-possession,
resolved to see whether or not it would lead him to his
own palace.

THE AMBASSADOR'S PIGEONS 331

Crossing the wide thoroughfare into the shadow be-
yond, he followed it towards the square, keeping his
eye on the stream that rippled in the moonlight. The
rivulet flowed directly across the square to the Temple
of Life ; there, sweeping a semicircle half round the
huge building, it resumed its straight course. The
ambassador hesitated before crossing the moonlit square,
but a moment's reflection showed him that no suspicion
could possibly attach to his movements in this direc-
tion, for the Temple of Life was the only sacred edifice
in the city for ever open.

The Temple of Life consisted of a huge dome,
which was supported by a double circle of pillars, and
beneath this dome had been erected a gigantic marble
statue, representing the God of Life, who stood motion-
less with outstretched arms, as if invoking a blessing
upon the city. A circular opening at the top of the
dome allowed the rays of the moon to penetrate and
illuminate the head of the statue. Against the white
polished surface of the broad marble slab, which lay at
the foot of the statue^ the ambassador saw the dark
forms of several prostrate figures, and knew that each
was there to beg of the sightless statue, life ^or some
friend, lying at that moment somewhere on a bed of
illness. For this reason the Temple of Life was al-
ways open, and supplicants prostrated themselves
within it at any hour of the night or day. Remember-
ing this, and knowing that it was the resort of high
and low alike, for Death respects not rank, Haziddin,
with gathering confidence, entered the moonlit square.
At the edge of the great circular temple he paused,
meeting there his third surprise. He saw that the
stream was not deflected round the lower rim of the
edifice, but that a stone had been swung at right angles

332

THE STRONG ARM

i:.: »

with the lower step, cutting off the flow of the stream
to the left, and allowing its waters to pour underneath
the temple. Listening, the ambassador heard the low
muffled roar of pouring water, and instantly his quick
mind jumped at an accurate conclusion. Underneath
the Temple was a gigantic tank for the storage of
water, and it was being filled during the night. Did
the authorities of Baalbek expect a siege, and were they
thus preparing for it ? Or was the filling of the tank
an ordinary function performed periodically to keep
the water sweet ? The ambassador would have given
much for an accurate answer to these questions, but
he knew not whom to ask.

Entering th^ Temple he prostrated himself on the
marble slab, and remained there for a few moments,
hoping that, if his presence had been observed, th?'s
action would provide excuse for his nocturnal wander-
ings. Rising, he crossed again the broad square, and
hurried up the street by which he had entered it. This
street led to the northern gate, whose dark arch he saw
at the end of it, and just as he was about to turn down
a lane which led to his palace, he found himself con-
fronted with a fourth problem. One leaf of the pon-
derous gate swung inward, and through the opening
he caught a glimpse of the moonlit country beyond.
Knowing that the gates were never opened at night,
except through the direct order of the Prince, he
paused for a moment, and then saw a man on horse-
back enter, fling himself hurriedly from his steed, leav-
ing it in care of those in charge of the gates, and dis-
appear down the street that led directly to the Prince's
palace. In a most perturbed state of mind the am-
bassador sought his own house, and there wrote his
final despatch to Damascus. He told of his discovery

THE AMBASSADOR'S PIGEONS 333

of the water-tank, and said that his former advice re-
garding the diverting of the stream was no longer of
practical value. He said he would investigate further
the reservoir under the Temple of Life, and discover,
if possible, how the water was discharged. If he suc-
ceeded in his quest he would endeavour, in case of a long
siege, to set free Baalbek's store of water; but he
reiterated his belief that it was better to attempt the
capture of the city by surprise and fierce assault. The
message that actually went to Damascus, carried by the
third pigeon, was again different in tenor.

" Come at once," it said. " Baalbek is unprotected,
and the Prince has gone r a hunting expedition.
March through the Pass of £1-Zaid, which is unpro-
tected, because it h the longer route. The armies of
Baalbek are at Tripoli and at Antioch, and the city is
without even a garrison. The southern gate will be
open awaiting your coming."

Days passed, and the ambassador paced the roof of
his house, looking in vain towards the south. The
streamed flowed as usual through the city. Anxiety
at the lack of all tidings from Damascus began to plough
furrows in his brow. He looked careworn and haggard.
To the kindly inquiries of the Prince regarding his
health, he replied that there was nothing amiss.

One evening, an urgent message came from the
palace requesting his attendance there. The Prince
met him with concern on his brow.

" Have you had word from your master, Omar, Gov-
ernor of Damascus, since you parted with him ? " asked
Ismael.

" I have had no tidings," replied the ambassador.

" A messenger has just come in from Damascus,
who says that Omar is in deadly peril. I thought

334

THE STRONG ARM

I I

you should know this speedily, and so I sent for
you."

'* Of what nature is this peril ? " asked the ambas-
sador, turning pale.

" The messenger said sometViing of his falling a pris-
oner, sorely wounded, in the hands of his enemies."

" Of his enemies," echoed the ambassador. ** He
has many. Which one has been victorious ?"

" I have had no particulars, and perhaps the news
may not be true," answered the Prince, soothingly.

" May I question your messenger ? "

" Assuredly. He has gone to the Temple of Life,
to pray for some of his own kin, who are in danger.
Let us go there together and find him."

But the messenger had already left the Temple be-
fore the arrival of his master, and the two found the
great place entirely empty. Standing near the edge of
the slab before the mammoth statue, the Prince said :

" Stand upon that slab facing the statue, and it will
tell you more faithfully than any messenger whether
your master shall live or die, and when."

" I am a Moslem," answered Haziddin, *' and pray
to none but Allah."

"In Baalbek," said the Prince, carelessly, "all reli-
gions are tolerated. Here we have temples for the wor-
ship of the Roman and the Greek gods and mosques
for the Moslems. Here Christian, or Jew, Sun-worship-
per or Pagan implore their several gods unmolested,
and thus is Baalbek prosperous. I confess a liking for
this Temple of Life, and come here often. I should,
however, warn you that it is the general belief of those
who frequent this place that he who steps upon the
marble slab facing the god courts disaster, unless his
heart is as free from treachery and guile a.> this stone

THE AMBASSADOR'S PIGEONS 335

«<

beneath him is free from flaw. Perhaps you have heard
the rumour, and therefore hesitate."

" I have not heard it heretofore, but having heard
it, do not hesitate." Saying which, the ambassador
stepped upon the stone. Instantly, the marble turn 1
under him, and falling, he clutched its polished surface
in vain, dropping helplessly into the reservoir beneath.
The air under his cloak bore him up and kept him from
sinking. The reservoir into which he had fallen proved
to be as large as the Temple itself, circular in form,
as was the edifice above it. Steps rose from the water
in unbroken rings around it, but even if he could have
reached the edge of the huge tank in which he found
himself, ascent by the steps was impossible, for upon
the first three burned vigorously some chemical sub-
stance, which luridly illuminated the surface of this
subterranean lake. He was surrounded immediately
by water, and beyond that by rising rings of flame, and
he rightly surmised that this substance was Greek fire,
for where it dripped into the water it still burned, float-
ing on the surface. A moment later the Prince ap-
peared on the upper steps, outside the flaming circum-
ference.

" Ambassador," he cried, " I told you that if you
stepped on the marble slab, you would be informed
truly of the fate of your master. I now announce to
you that he dies to-night, being a prisoner in my hands.
His army was annihilated in the Pass of El-Zaid, while
he was on his way to capture this city through your
treachery. In your last communication to him you
said that you would investigate our water storage, and
learn how it was discharged. This secret I shall pro-
ceed to put you in possession of, but before doing so, I
beg to tell you that Damascus has fallen and is in my

I I

1 1

i' I

336

THE STRONG ARM

possession. The reservoir, you will observe, is emptied
by pulling this lever, which releases a trap-door at the
centre of the bottom of the tank."

The Prince, with both hands on the lever, exerted
his strength and depressed it. Instantly the ambas-
sador felt the result. First, a small whirlpool became
indented in the placid surface of the water, exactly in
the centre of the disc : enlarging its influence, it grew
and grew until it reached the outer edges of the reser-
voir, bringing lines of fire round with it. The ambas-
sador found himself floating with increased rapidity,
dizzily round and round. He cried out in a voice that
rang against the stone ceiling :

"An ambassador's life is sacred. Prince of Baalbek.
It is contrary to the law of nations to do me injury,
much less to encompass my death."

" An ambassador is sacred," replied the Prince, " but
not a spy. Aside from that, it is the duty of an am-
bassador to precede his master, and that you are about
to do. Tell him, when you meet him, the secret of the
reservoir of Baalbek."

This reservoir, now a whirling maelstrom, hurled its
shrieking victim into its vortex, and then drowned
shriek and man together.

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ambas-
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it grew
e reser-
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