Tom Burke Of "Ours" Volume I Part 46

"_Tonnerre de ciel_! and is there no other way across?" said the dragoon, in a voice of pa.s.sion.

I waited not to hear more, but giving the spur to my horse, dashed up the steep bank, and the next moment saw the light of the chteau,--for such I guessed to be a bright star that twinkled at a distance. "Speed now will do it," said I, and put my strong Norman to his utmost. The wind tore past me scarce faster than I went, while the beating rain came round me. The footway soon altered, and I found that we were crossing a smooth turf like a lawn. "Ha! this is the old gate," thought I, as a tall archway, overhung with ivy and closed by a strong door, opposed farther progress. I beat loudly against it with the heavy handle of my whip, but to no purpose; the hoa.r.s.e voice of the storm drowned all such sounds. I dismounted and endeavored to make myself heard by knocking with a large stone. I shouted, I cried aloud, but all in vain. My terror increased every instant. What was to be done? The dragoon might arrive at any moment, and then I myself must share the ruin of the others.

Maddened by the emergency that each moment grew more pressing, I sprang into the saddle, and following the direction of the wall, rode round to the other side of the chteau, seeking some open spot, some break whereby to enter.

I had not gone far when I saw a portion of the wall which broken and dilapidated, afforded the opportunity desired. I hesitated not, but dashed wildly at it. My horse, unaccustomed to such an effort, chested the barrier, and came rolling head foremost to the earth, throwing me several yards before him. A cry of pain escaped me as I fell; and I scarcely could gain my knees to rise, when the hoa.r.s.e bay of a savage dog broke upon my ear, and I heard the animal tearing through the brushwood towards me. I drew my sabre in a trice, and scarce knowing at what side to defend myself, laid wildly about me, while I shouted with all my might for help. The furious beast sprang like a tiger at my throat, and, though wounded by a chance cut, seized me in his terrible fangs. Fortunately the strong collar of my uniform served to protect me; but the violence of the a.s.sault carried me off my balance, and we rolled one over the other to the ground. Grasping his throat with both hands, I endeavored to strangle him, while he vainly sought to reach my face.

At this critical moment my cries were heard within, and numerous lights flitted up and down in front of the chteau, and a crowd of persons, all armed, were quickly about me. Seizing the dog by his collar, a peasant tore him away; while another, holding a lantern to my face, cried out in a voice of terror, "They are upon us! we are lost!"

"_Parbleu!_ you should let Colbert finish his work,--he is a 'blue;'

they are but food for dogs any day."

[Ill.u.s.tration: The Chouans 327]

"Not so," said another, in a low, determined voice; "this is a surer weapon.', I heard the c.o.c.k of a pistol click as he spoke.

"Halt there! stop, I say!" cried a voice, in a tone of command. "I know him; I know him well. It 's Burke; is it not?"

It was De Beauvais spoke, while at the same moment he knelt down beside me od the gra.s.s, and put his arm round my neck. I whispered one word into his ear. He sprang to his feet, and with a hasty direction to a.s.sist me towards the house, disappeared. Before I could reach the door he was again beside me.

"And you did this to save me, dear friend?" said he, in a voice half stifled with sobs. "You have run all this danger for my sake?"

I did not dare to take the merit of an act I had no claim to, still less to speak of her for whose sake I risked my life, and leaned on him without speaking, as he led me within the porch.

"Sit down here for a moment,--but one moment," said he, in a whisper, "and I'll return to you."

I sat down upon a bench, and looked about me. The place had all the evidence of being one of consequence in former days. The walls, wainscoted in dark walnut wood, were adorned with grotesque carvings of hunting scenes and instruments of venery. The ceiling, in the same taste, displayed trophies of weapons, intermingled with different emblems of the _cha.s.se_; while in the centre, and enclosed within a garter, were the royal arms of the Bourbons,--the gilding that once shone on them was tarnished and faded; the fleurs-de-lis, too, were broken and dilapidated; while but a stray letter of the proud motto remained, as if not willing to survive the downfall of those on whom it was now less a boast than a sarcasm.

As I sat thus, the wide hall was gradually filled with men, whose anxious and excited faces betokened the fears my presence had excited, while not one ventured to speak or address a word to me. Most of them were armed with cutla.s.ses, and some carried pistols in belts round their waists; while others had rude pikes, whose coa.r.s.e fashion betokened the handiwork of a village smith. They stood in a semicircle round me; and while their eyes were riveted upon me with an expression of most piercing interest, not a syllable was spoken. Suddenly a door was opened at the end of a corridor, and De Beauvais called out,--

"This way, Burke; come this way!"

CHAPTER x.x.xII. THE CHTEAU d'ANCRE.

Before I had time to collect myself, I was hurried on by De Beauvais into a room, when the moment I had entered the door was closed and locked behind me. By the light of a coa.r.s.e and rudely formed chandelier that occupied the middle of a table, I saw a party of near a dozen persons who sat around it,--the head of the board being filled by one whose singular appearance attracted all my attention. He was a man of enormous breadth of chest and shoulders, with a lofty ma.s.sive head, on either side of which a quant.i.ty of red hair fell in profusion; a beard of the same color descended far on his bosom, which, with his overhanging eyebrows, imparted a most savage and ferocious expression to features which of themselves were harsh and repulsive. Though he wore a blouse in peasant fashion, it was easy to see that he was not of the lower walk of society. Across his brawny chest a broad belt of black leather pa.s.sed, to support a strong straight sword, the heavy hilt of which peeped above the arm of his chair. A pair of handsomely-mounted pistols lay before him on the table; and the carved handle of a poniard could be seen projecting slightly from the breast-pocket of his vest.

Of the rest who were about him I had but time to perceive that they were peasants; but all were armed, and most of them wearing a knot of white ribbon at the breast of their blouses.

Every eye was turned towards me, as I stood at the foot of the table astonished and speechless--while De Beauvais, quitting my arm, hastened to the large man's side, and whispered some words in his ear. He rose slowly from his chair, and in a moment each face was turned to him.

Speaking in a deep guttural tone, he addressed them for some minutes in a patois of which I was totally ignorant; every word he uttered seemed to stir their very hearts, if I were to judge from the short and heavy respiration, the deep-drawn breath, the flushed faces and staring eyes around me. More than once some allusion seemed made to me,--at least, they turned simultaneously to look at me; once, too, at something he said, each man carried his hand round to his sword-hilt, but dropped it again listlessly as he continued. The discourse over, the door was unlocked, and one by one they left the room, each man saluting the speaker with a reverence as he pa.s.sed out. De Beauvais closed the door and barred it as the last man disappeared, and turning hastily round, called out,--

"What now?"

The large man bent his head down between his hands, and spoke not in reply; then suddenly springing up, he said,--

"Take my horse--he is fresh and ready for the road--and make for Quilleboeuf; the ford at Montgorge will be swollen, but he 'll take the stream for you. At the farmer's house that looks over the river you can stop."

"I know it, I know it," said De Beauvais. "But what of you, are you to remain behind?"

"I 'll go with him," said he, pointing towards me. "As his companion, I can reach the Bois de Boulogne; in any case, as his prisoner. Once there, you may trust me for the rest."

De Beauvais looked at me for a reply. I hesitated what to say, and at last said,--

"For your sake, Henri de Beauvais, and yours only, have I ventured on a step which may, in all likelihood, be my ruin. I neither know, nor wish to know, your plans; nor will I a.s.sociate myself with any one, be he who he may, in your enterprise."

"Jacques Tisserand, the tanner," continued the large man, as if not heeding nor caring for my interruption, "will warn Armand de Polignac of what has happened; and Charles de la Riviere had better remain near Deauville for the English cutter,--she 'll lie off the coast to-morrow or next day. Away! lose not a moment."

"And my dear friend here," said De Beauvais, turning to me, "who has risked his very life to rescue me, shall I leave him thus?"

"Can you save him by remaining?" said the other, as he coolly examined the priming of his pistols. "We shall all escape, if you be but quick."

A look from De Beauvais drew me towards him, when he threw his arms around my neck, and in a low, broken voice, muttered, "When I tell you that all I lived for exists to me no longer,--the love I sought refused me, my dearest ambition thwarted,--you will not think that a selfish desire for life prompts me now; but a solemn oath to obey the slightest command of that man,--sworn before my sovereign,--binds me, and I must not break it."

"Away, away! I hear voices at the gate below," cried the other.

"Adieu! adieu forever," said De Beauvais, as he kissed my cheek, and sprang through a small doorway in the wainscot which closed after him as he went.

"Now for our movements," said the large man, unhooking a cloak that hung against the wall. "You must tie my hands with this cord in such a way that, although seemingly secure, I can free myself at a moment; place me on a horse, a fast one too, beside you; and order your troopers to ride in front and rear of us. When we reach the Bois de Boulogne, leave the Avenue des Cha.s.seurs and turn towards St. Cloud. _Tonnerre de del_, they're firing yonder!" An irregular discharge of small arms, followed by a wild cheer, rang out above the sound of the storm. "Again! did you hear that? there are the carbines of cavalry; I know their ring.

Accursed dogs, that would not do my bidding!" cried he, stamping with pa.s.sion on the ground, while, throwing off his blouse, he stuck his pistols in a belt around his waist, and prepared for mortal combat.

Meanwhile pistol-shots, mingled with savage shouts and wild hurrahs, were heard approaching nearer and nearer; and at length a loud knocking at the front door, with a cry of "They 're here! they 're here!"

The large man, now fully armed, and with his drawn sword in his hand, unlocked the door. The pa.s.sage without was full of armed peasants, silent and watchful for his commands. A few words in the former patois seemed sufficient to convey them, and their answer was a cheer that made the walls ring.

The chief moved rapidly from place to place through the crowds, who at his bidding broke into parties: some of them occupied doorways which enfiladed the hall; others knelt down to suffer some to fire above their heads; here were two posted, armed with hatchets, at the very entrance itself; and six of the most determined-looking were to dispute the pa.s.sage with their muskets. Such was the disposition of the force, when suddenly the light was extinguished, and all left in utter darkness.

The deep breathing of their anxious b.r.e.a.s.t.s alone marked their presence; when without doors the sounds of strife gradually died away, and the storm alone was heard.

As for me, I leaned against a doorway, my arms folded on my bosom, my head sunk, while I prayed for death, the only exit I could see to my dishonor.

There was a terrible pause,--the very hurricane seemed to abate its violence, and only the heavy rain was heard as it fell in torrents,--when, with a loud crash, the door in front was burst open, and fell with a bang upon the floor. Not a word from those within, not a motion, betrayed their presence; while the whispered tones of a party without showed that the enemy was there.

"Bring up the torches quickly here," called out a voice like that of an officer; and as he spoke the red flare of lighted pine branches was seen moving through the misty atmosphere.

The light fell upon a strong party of dismounted dragoons and _gendarmerie_, who, carbine in hand, stood waiting for the word to dash forward. The officer, whose figure I could distinguish as he moved along the front of his men, appeared to hesitate, and for a few seconds all stood motionless. At length, as if having resolved on his plan, he approached the doorway, a pine torch in his hand; another step, and the light must have disclosed the dense array of armed peasants that stood and knelt around the hall, when a deep low voice within uttered the one word, "Now!--and quick," as if by his breath the powder had been ignited, a volley rang out, pattering like hail on the steel breastplates and through the branches of the trees. A mingled shout of rage and agony rose from those without, and without waiting for a command, they rushed onward.

The peasants, who had not time to reload their pieces, clubbed them in their strong hands, and laid wildly about them. The fight was now hand to hand; for, narrow as was the doorway, some three or four dragoons pressed every moment in, and gradually the hall became a dense ma.s.s of indiscriminate combatants. The large man fought like one possessed, and cleft his way towards the entrance with a long straight dagger, as if regardless of friends or foes. " moi! a moi!" cried a tall and powerful man, as he sprang at his throat; "this is he!" The words were his last, as, stabbed to the very heart, he sprang backward in his death-agony; but at the moment a perfect shower of bullets rattled around the large man, one of which alone took effect in his shoulder. Still he strove onwards, and at last, with a spring like a savage tiger, he lowered his head, and bounded clean out into the court. Scarcely, however, had his foot touched the wet gra.s.s, when he slipped forward, and fell heavily on his back. A dozen swords flashed above him as he lay, and only by the most immense efforts of the officer was he spared death in a hundred wounds.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Capture of the "Red-Beard" 334]

The defeat of their leader seemed to subdue all the daring courage of his party; the few who were able to escape dashed hither and thither, through pa.s.sages and doorways they were well acquainted with; while the flagged floor was bathed in blood from the rest, as they lay in mangled and frightful forms, dead and dying on every side.

Like one in some dreadful dream, I stood spectator of this savage strife, wishing that some stray bullet had found my heart, yet ashamed to die with such a stain upon my honor. I crossed my arms before my breast, and waited for my doom. Two gendarmes pa.s.sed quickly to and fro with torches, examining the faces and looks of those who were still likely to live, when suddenly one of them cried out, as he stood before me,--

"What 's this? An officer of hussars here!"

The exclamation brought an officer to the spot, who, holding a lantern to my face, said quickly,--"How is this, sir? how came you here?"

"Here is my sword, sir," said I, drawing it from the scabbard; "I place myself under arrest. In another place, and to other judges, I must explain my conduct."