The Knight of Malta Part 14

With a light bound the Bohemian jumped over the railing of the balcony, and entered the gallery, which served as dining-room on important occasions, where he found the remains of the abundant dinner of which the baron's guests had just partaken.

The recorder remained in the court with his escort, not knowing upon what course to resolve.

He looked at the unlucky door with a vague disquietude, while the old gentleman and his friends betrayed some impatience as they waited for the end of this scene.

Finally, Master Isnard, wishing to get out of an embarra.s.sing position, turned to the baron and said, with a solemn air:

"I call to witness the people who accompany me if anything unbecoming happens to me, and you will answer, sir, for any dangerous and secret ambuscade which could hurt the dignity of the law or of justice, or our honourable person."

"Eh, Manjour! what are you crowing about? n.o.body here wishes to interfere with your office; my arms and my artillery are there: enter, examine, and count; the key is in the door!"

"Yes, yes, go in, the key is in the door," repeated the chorus of guests, with a sneer which seemed a sinister omen to the recorder.

Exasperated beyond measure, but keeping himself at a respectful distance from the door, the recorder said to his scribe:

"Clerk, go and open this door; let us make an end of--"

"But, Master Isnard--"

"Obey, clerk, obey," said the recorder, still drawing back.

The poor scribe showed the register which he held in one hand, and the pen that he held in the other.

"My hands are not free. I must be ready to draw up an official report.

If some sorcery bursts out of that door, ought I not, on the very instant, enter it upon my verbal process?"

These reasons appeared to make some impression on the recorder.

"Little John, open that door," said he to the lackey.

"Oh, master, I dare not," replied Little John, getting behind the recorder.

"Do you hear me, you wretch?"

"Yes, sir, but I dare not; there is some sorcery there."

"But, on my oath, if you--"

"If the salvation of my soul depended on it, sir, I would not open it," said Little John, in a resolute tone.

"Come, come!" said the recorder, overcome with vexation, as he addressed the halberdiers, "it will be said, my brave fellows, that you alone acted as men in this stupid affair! Open that door, and put an end to this ridiculous scene."

The two guards retreated a step, and one of them said:

"Listen, Master Isnard, we are here to give you a.s.sistance as far as we are able, if any one rebels against your orders, but no one forbids you to enter. The key is in the door; enter alone, if you wish to do so."

"What, an old pandour like you afraid!"

The halberdier shook his head, and said:

"Listen, Master Isnard, halberds and swords are worth nothing here; what we need is a priest with his stole, and a holy water sprinkler in his hand."

"Michael is right, Master Isnard," said the other guard; "it is my opinion that we will have to do what was done to exorcise the dolphins that infested the coast last year."

"If that dog of a Bohemian had not run away like a coward," said the recorder, stamping his foot with rage, "he might have opened the door."

Then, happening to turn his head, the recorder discovered several men and women standing at the windows of Maison-Forte; they were partially hidden by the bas.e.m.e.nt, but were looking curiously into the court.

More from self-esteem than courage, Master Isnard, seeing that he was observed by so many persons, walked deliberately to the door, and put his hand on the key.

At that moment his heart failed him.

He heard in the magazine a rumbling noise and extraordinary excitement, which he had not detected before.

The sounds were harsh, with nothing human in them.

A magic charm seemed to fasten the recorder's hand to the key in the door.

"Come, recorder, my boy, go on! there you are! go on!" cried one of the guests, clapping his hands.

"I wager he is as warm as if it were the month of August, although the wind is blowing from the north," said another.

"Give him time to invoke his patron and make a vow," said a third.

"His patron is St. Coward," said the lord of Signerol; "no doubt he is making a vow never to brave another danger if he delivers him from this one."

Pushed to extremity by these jeers, and reflecting that, after all, Raimond V. was not so cruel as to force him into real danger, the recorder opened the door, and suddenly jumped back.

At that moment he was roughly overthrown by the onset of two Camargnan bulls, that rushed from the stable, head downward, and uttering a peculiar and stifled bellowing, for they were muzzled.

The two animals were not of very large size, but were full of vigour.

One was tawny, streaked with dark brown; the other was black as jet.

The first use they made of their liberty was to bound over the court, paw the earth with their fore feet, and try to divest themselves of their muzzles.

The appearance of the two bulls was greeted with hurrahs and bravos by the guests of the baron.

"Eh, well, recorder, your inventory?" cried Raimond V., holding his sides, and giving full vent to his hilarity. "Come, clerk, enter upon your official report my bulls, Nicolin and Saturnin. Ah! you demand the arms that I possess,--there they are. It is with the horns of these fellows from Camargne that I defend myself. Eh, Man-jour! I see by your fear that you recognise them as arms, serious and offensive. Come, recorder, label Nicolin, and draw up Saturnin."

"G.o.d's death!" cried the lord of Signerol, "these bulls look as if they would like to make an inventory of the clerk's and recorder's breeches!"

"By Our Lady, in spite of his corpulence, the recorder made a leap then that would do honour to a toreador!" "And the clerk,--how he winds around the trees! He is equal to a frightened weasel!"

"Christmas! Christmas! Nicolin has a piece of his cloak!"

It is needless to say that these different exclamations described the phases of the improvised race with which Raimond V. entertained his friends.

The bulls were in hot pursuit of the recorder and his clerk, whom they wished first to attack. The halberdiers and Little John had prudently availed themselves of the protection of the wall.