The Legend of Ulenspiegel Volume Ii Part 21

The meesevangers were full ten in number, all red, bloated with wine and cervoise ale, with waggling heads, dragging their tottering legs and crying out in a voice so hoa.r.s.e and so broken that it seemed to the timid girls that they were rather listening to wild beasts in a wood than men in a house.

However, as they never stopped saying, speaking singly or all at once: "I would have the one I love." "We are his that pleaseth us. To-morrow to the rich in florins! To-day to the rich in love!" the meesevangers replied: "Florins we have and love as well; to us then the light ladies. He that draws back is a capon. These are t.i.ts, and we are sportsmen. Rescue! Brabant for the good duke!"

But the women said, laughing loudly: "Fie! the ugly muzzles that think to eat us! 'Tis not to swine that men give sherbets. We take whom we please and do not want you. Barrels of oil, bags of lard, thin nails, rusty blades, you stink of sweat and mud. Get out of here; you will be well and duly d.a.m.ned without our help."

But the men: "The Frenchies are dainty to-day. Disgusted ladies, you can well give us what you sell to everybody."

But the women: "To-morrow," they said, "we will be slaves and dogs, and will accept you; to-day we are free women and we cast you out."

The men: "Enough words," they cried. "Who is thirsty? Let us pluck the apples!"

And so saying they threw themselves upon them, without distinction of age or beauty. The girls, resolute in their minds, threw at their heads chairs, quart pots, jugs, goblets, tankards, flasks, bottles, raining thick as hail, wounding them, bruising them, knocking out their eyes.

Ulenspiegel and Lamme came down at the tumult, leaving their trembling lovers above at the top of the ladder. When Ulenspiegel saw these men striking at the women, he took up a broom in the courtyard, tore away the twigs from the head, gave another to Lamme, and with them they beat the meesevangers without pity.

The game seemed hard to the drunkards; thus belaboured, they stopped for an instant, by which profited the thin girls who desired to sell themselves and not to give, even in this great day of love voluntary as Nature wills it. Like snakes they glided among the injured, caressed them, tended their wounds, drank wine of Amboise for them, and emptied so well their pouches of florins and other moneys, that they had left not a single liard. Then, as the curfew was ringing, they put them to the door through which Ulenspiegel and Lamme had already taken their way.

XXIX

Ulenspiegel and Lamme were marching towards Ghent and came at daybreak to Lokeren. The earth in the distance sweated dew; white cool mists glided along the meadows. Ulenspiegel, as he pa.s.sed before a forge, whistled like the lark, the bird of liberty. And straightway appeared a head, tousled and white, at the door of the forge, and imitated the warlike clarion of the c.o.c.k in a weak voice.

Ulenspiegel said to Lamme:

"This is the smitte Wasteele, who forges by day spades, mattocks, plough shares, hammering the iron when it is hot to fashion with it fine gratings for the choirs of churches, and oftentimes, at night, making and furbishing arms for the soldiers of freedom of conscience. He has not won the looks of health at this game, for he is pale as a ghost, sad as a d.a.m.ned soul, and so lean that his bones poke holes in his skin. He has not yet gone to rest, having doubtless toiled all night long."

"Come in, both of you," said the smitte Wasteele, "and lead your a.s.ses into the meadow behind the house."

This being done, Lamme and Ulenspiegel being in the forge, the smitte Wasteele took down into a cellar of his house all the swords he had furbished and the lance heads he had cast during the night, and made ready the day's work for his men.

Looking at Ulenspiegel with lack-l.u.s.tre eye, he said to him:

"What news do you bring me from the Silent?"

"The prince has been driven out of the Low Countries with his army because of the misconduct of his mercenaries, who shout 'Geld, Geld! money, money!' when they ought to fight. He has gone away towards France with the faithful soldiers, his brother Count Ludovic and the Duke of Deux-Ponts, to help the King of Navarre and the Huguenots; from thence he pa.s.sed over into Germany, to Dillenbourg, where many that have fled from the Low Countries are with him. You must send him arms and what money you have collected, while we, we shall ply the task of free men upon the sea."

"I shall do what is to be done," said the smitte Wasteele; "I have arms and nine thousand florins. But did you not come riding on a.s.ses?"

"Aye," they said.

"And have you not, on your way, heard news of three preachers, slain and stripped and thrown into a hole among the rocks of the Meuse?"

"Aye," said Ulenspiegel, with the utmost boldness, "these three preachers were three spies of the duke's, a.s.sa.s.sins, paid to kill the prince of freedom. Together we two, Lamme and I, sent them from life to death. Their money is ours and their papers likewise. We shall take what we need from it for our journey; the rest we shall give to the prince."

And Ulenspiegel, opening his own doublet and Lamme's, pulled out from them papers and parchments. The smitte Wasteele having read them:

"They contain," he said, "plans of battle and conspiracy. I will have them sent to the prince, and he will be told that Ulenspiegel and Lamme Goedzak, his trusty vagabonds, saved his n.o.ble life. I will have your a.s.ses sold that you may not be recognized from your mounts."

Ulenspiegel asked the smitte Wasteele if the sheriff's court at Namur had already set their catchpolls on their track.

"I will tell you what I know," replied Wasteele. "A smith of Namur, a stout reformer, pa.s.sed through here the other day, under pretext of asking me to help him with the screens, weatherc.o.c.ks, and other ironwork of a castle that is to be built near the Plante. The usher of the sheriff's court told him that his masters had already met, and that a tavern keeper had been summoned, because he lived a few hundred fathom from the place where the murder had taken place. Asked if he had seen the murderers or not, or any he might suspect as such, he had replied: 'I saw country folk men and women travelling on donkeys, asking me for something to drink and staying seated on their mounts, or getting down to drink in my house, beer for the men, hydromel for the women and girls. I saw two bold rustics that talked of shortening Messire of Orange by a foot.' And so saying, the host, whistling, imitated the sound of a knife going into the flesh of the neck. 'By the Steel-wind,' he said, 'I will speak with you in private, being empowered to do so.' He spoke and was released. From that time the councils of justice have without doubt sent despatches to their subordinate councils. The host said he had seen only country men and country women riding upon a.s.ses; it will therefore follow that pursuit will be directed against all persons that may be found bestriding a donkey. And the prince hath need of you, my children."

"Sell the a.s.ses," said Ulenspiegel, "and keep the price for the prince's treasury."

The a.s.ses were sold.

"You must now," said Wasteele, "have each a trade free and independent of the guilds; do you know how to make bird cages and mouse traps?"

"I have made such long ago," said Ulenspiegel.

"And thou?" asked Wasteele of Lamme.

"I will sell eete-koeken and olie-koeken; these are pancakes and b.a.l.l.s of flour cooked in oil."

"Follow me; here are cages and mouse traps all ready; the tools and copper filigree work also which are needed to mend them and to make others. They were brought me by one of my spies. This is for you, Ulenspiegel. As for you, Lamme, here is a little stove and a bellows; I will give you flour, b.u.t.ter, and oil to make the eete-koeken and the olie-koeken."

"He will eat them," said Ulenspiegel.

"When shall we make the first ones?" asked Lamme.

Wasteele replied:

"First ye shall help me for a night or two; I cannot finish my great task alone by myself."

"I am hungry," said Lamme, "can one eat here?"

"There is bread and cheese," said Wasteele.

"No b.u.t.ter?" asked Lamme.

"No b.u.t.ter," said Wasteele.

"Have you beer or wine?" asked Ulenspiegel.

"I never drink them," he answered, "but I will go in het Pelicaen, close by here, and fetch some for you if you wish."

"Aye," said Lamme, "and bring us some ham."

"I will do as you wish," said Wasteele, looking at Lamme with great disdain.

All the same he brought dobbel-clauwert and a ham. And Lamme, full of joy, ate enough for five.

And he said:

"When do we set to work?"