Two Penniless Princesses

C >> Charlotte M. Yonge >> Two Penniless Princesses

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There could be no doubt that this was the prison of the
princesses, and the character of the Barons of Balchenburg was
only too well known to the good Franciscans.

'Soevi et feroces,' said the Prior to George, for Latin had
turned out to be the most available medium of communication.
Spite of Scott's averment in the mouth of George's grandson,
Bell the Cat, that--

'Thanks to St Bothan, son of mine,
Save Gawain, ne'er could pen a line,'

the Douglases were far too clever to go without education, and
young nobles who knew anything knew a little Latin. There was
a consultation over what was to be done, and the Prior
undertook to send one of his brethren into Nanci with Ringan,
to explain the matter to King Rene, or, if he had left Nanci
for Provence, to the governor left in charge. But a frontier
baron like Balchenburg was a very serious difficulty to one so
scrupulous in his relations with his neighbours as was good
King Rene.

'A man of piety, peace, and learning,' said the Prior, 'and
therefore despised by lawless men, like a sheep among wolves,
though happy are we in living under such a prince.'

'Then what's the use of him and all his raree shows,' demanded
the Scot, 'if be can neither hinder two peaceful maids from
being carried off, nor will stir a finger to deliver them?
Much should we heed borders and kings if it had been a Ridley
or a Graeme who had laid hands on them.'

However, he consented to the Prior's proposal, and the
incongruous pair set out together,--the sober-paced friar on
the convent donkey, and Ringan on his shaggy pony,--both
looking to civilised eyes equally rough and unkempt. At the
gates they heard that King Rene had the day before set forth on
his way to Aix, which boded ill for them, since more might be
hoped from the impulsive chivalry of the King than from the
strict scrupulosity of a responsible governor.

But they had not gone far on their way across the Place de La
Carriere, where the tournament had been held, before Ringan
startled his companion with a perfect howl, which had in it,
however, an element of ecstasy, as he dashed towards a tall,
bony figure in a blue cap, buff coat, and shepherd's plaid over
one shoulder.

'Archie o' the Brake. Archie! Oh, ye're a sight for sair een!
How cam' ye here?'

'Eh!' was the answer, equally astonished. 'Wha is it that
cries on me here? Eh! eh! 'Tis never Ringan of the Raefoot-sae braw and grand?'

For Ringan was a wonderful step before him in civilisation.

Queries--'How cam' ye here?' and 'Whar' is the Master?'--were
rapidly exchanged, while the friar looked on in amaze at the
two wild-looking men, about whom other tall Scots, more or less
well equipped, began to gather, coming from a hostelry near at
hand.

The Earl of Angus, as they told him, had been neither to have
nor to hold when first his embassy to Dunbar came back, and his
son was found to be missing. He had been very near besieging
the young King, until Bishop Kennedy had convinced him that no
one of the Court had suspected the Master's presence, far less
connived at his disappearance. The truth had been suspected
before long, though there was no certainty until the letter
that George Douglas had at last vouchsafed to write had, after
spending a good deal of time on the road, at last reached
Tantallon. Then the Earl had declared that, since his son had
set out on this fool's errand, he should be suitably furnished
for the heir of Angus, and should play his part as became him
in their sports at Nanci, whither his letter said he was bound,
instead of figuring as a mere groom of Drummond of Glenuskie,
and still worse, in the train of a low-born Englishman like De
la Pole.

So he had sent off ten lances, under a stout kinsman who had
campaigned in France before--Sir Robert Douglas of Harside--
with all their followers, and full equipment, such as might
befit the heir of a branch of the great House of the Bleeding
Heart. But their voyage had not been prosperous, and after
riding from Flanders they had found the wedding over, and no
one in the hostel having heard of the young Master of Angus,
nor even having distinguished Sir Patrick Drummoud, though
there was a vague idea that the Scottish king's sisters had
been there.

Sir Robert Douglas had gone to have an interview with the
governor left in charge. Thus the separation of the party
became known to him--how the Drummonds had gone to Paris, and
the Scottish ladies had set forth for Chalons; but there was
nothing to show with whom the Master had gone. No sooner,
then, had he come forth than half his men were round him
shouting that here was Ringan of the Raefoot, that the Master
had been foully betrayed, and that he was lying sair wounded at
a Priory not far off.

Ringan, a perfectly happy man among those who not only had
Scots tongues, but the Bleeding Heart on shield and breast, was
brought up to him and told of the attack and capture of the
princesses, and of the Master's wounds.

Sir Robert, after many imprecations, turned back to the
governor, who heard the story in a far more complete form than
if it had been related to him by Ringan and the friar.

But his hands were tied till he could communicate with King
Rene, for border warfare was strictly forbidden, and
unfortunately Duke Sigismund had left Nanci some days before
for Luxembourg to meet the Duke of Burgundy.

However, just as George Douglas had persuaded the infirmarer to
let him put on his clothes, there had been a clanging and
jangling in the outer court, and the Lion and Eagle banner was
visible. Duke Sigismund had drawn up there to water the
horses, and to partake of any hospitality the Prior might offer
him.

The first civilities were passing between them, when a tall
figure, his red hair crossed by a bandage, his ruddy face
paled, his steps faltering, came stumbling forward to the
porch, crying, in his wonderful dialect between Latin and
French, 'Sire, Domine Dux! Justitia! You loved the Lady
Eleanor. Free her! They are prisoners to latroni--un routier-
-sceleratissimo--reiver--Balchenburg!'

Sigismund, ponderous and not very rapid, opened wide his big
blue eyes, while the Prior explained in French, 'It is even so,
beau sire. This poor man-at-arms was found bleeding on the
way-side by our brethren, having been left for dead by the
robbers of Balchenburg, who, it seems, descended on the ladies,
dispersed their escort, and carried them off to the castle.'

Sigismund made some tremendously emphatic exclamation in
German, and turned upon Douglas to interrogate him. They had
very little of common language, but Sigismund knew French,
though he hated it, and was not devoid of Latin, so that the
narrative was made tolerably clear to him, and he had no doubts
or scruples as to instantly calling the latrones to account,
and releasing the ladies. He paced up and down the guest-
chamber, his spurs clattering against the stone pavement,
growling imprecations in guttural German, now and then tugging
at his long fair hair as he pictured Eleanor in the miscreants'
power, putting queries to George, more than could be understood
or answered, and halting at door or window to shout orders to
his knights to be ready at once for the attack. George was
absolutely determined that, whatever his own condition, he
would not be left behind, though he could only go upon Ringan's
pony, and was evidently in Sigismund's opinion only a faithful
groom.

It was hard to say whether he was relieved or not when there
was evidently a vehement altercation in German between the Duke
and a tough, grizzled old knight, the upshot of which turned
out to be that the Ritter Gebhardt von Fuchstein absolutely
refused to proceed through those pine and beech forests so late
in the day; since it would be only too easy to lose the way,
and there might be ambuscades or the like if Balchenburg and
his crew were on the watch, and there was no doubt that they
were allied with all the rentiers in the country.

Sigismund raged, but he was in some degree under the dominion
of his prudent old Marskalk, and had to submit, while George
knew that another night would further restore him, and would
besides bring back his attendant.

The next hour brought more than he had expected. Again there
was a clattering of hoofs, a few words with the porter, and to
the utter amazement of the Prior, as well as of Duke Sigismund,
who had just been served with a meal of Franciscan diet, a
knight in full armour, with the crowned heart on his breast,
dashed into the hall, threw a hasty bow to the Prior, and
throwing his arms round the wounded man-at-arms, cried aloud,
'Geordie--the Master--ye daft callant! See what you have brought yourself to! What would the Yerl your father say?'

'I trow that I have been striving to do my devoir to my liege's
sisters,' answered George. 'How does my father?--and my
mother? Make your obeisance to the Duke of the Tirol, Rab. Ye
can knap the French with him better than I. Now I can go with
him as becomes a yerl's son, for the freedom of the lady!'

Sir Robert, a veteran Scot, who knew the French world well, was
soon explaining matters to Duke Sigismund, who presently
advanced to the heir of Angus, wrung his hand, and gave him to
understand that he accepted him as a comrade in their doughty
enterprise, and honoured his proceeding as a piece of knight-
errantry. He was free from any question whether George was to
be esteemed a rival by hearing it was the Lady Joanna for whose
sake he thus adventured himself, whereas it was not her beauty,
but her sister's intellect that had won the heart of Sigismund.
Perhaps Sir Robert somewhat magnified the grandeur of the house
of Douglas, for Sigismund seemed to view the young man as an
equal, which he was not, as the Hapsburgs of Alsace and the
Tirol were sovereign princes; but, on the other hand, George
could count princesses among his ancestresses, and only Jean's
personal ambition had counted his as a mesalliance.

It was determined to advance upon the Castle of Balchenburg the
next morning, the ten Scottish lances being really forty men,
making the Douglas's troop not much inferior to the Alsatian.

A night's rest greatly restored George, and equipments had been
brought for him, which made him no longer appear only the man-
at-arms, but the gallant young nobleman, though not yet
entitled to the Golden Spurs.

Ringan served as their guide up the long hills, through the
woods, up steep slippery slopes, where it became expedient to
leave behind the big heavy war-horses under a guard, while the
rest pushed forward, the Master of Angus's long legs nearly
touching the ground, as, not to waste his strength, he was
mounted on Ringan's sure-footed pony, which seemed at home
among mountains. Sigismund himself, and the Tirolese among his
followers, were chamois-hunters and used enough to climbing,
and thus at length they found themselves at the foot of the
green rounded slopes of the talchen or ballon, crowned by the
fortress with its eight corner-turrets and the broader keep.

Were Elleen and Jean looking out--when the Alsatian trumpeter
came forward in full array, and blew three sonorous blasts,
echoing among the mountains, and doubtless bringing hope to the
prisoners? The rugged walls of the castle had, however, an
imperturbable look, and there was nothing responsive at the
gateway.

A pursuivant then stood forth--for Sigismund had gone in full
state to his intended wooing at Nanci--and called upon the
Baron of Balchenburg to open his gates to his liege lord the
Duke of Alsace.

On this a wicket was opened in the gate; but the answer, in a
hoarse shout, was that the Baron of Balchenburg owned
allegiance only, under the Emperor Frederick, to King Rene,
Duke of Lorraine.

What hot words were thereupon spoken between Sigismund,
Gebhardt, and the two Douglases it scarcely needs to tell; but,
looking at the strength of the castle, it was agreed that it
would be wiser to couple with the second summons an assurance
that, though Duke Sigismund was the lawful lord of the
mountain, and entrance was denied at the peril of the Baron,
yet he would remit his first wrath, provided the royal ladies,
foully and unjustly detained there in captivity, were instantly
delivered up in all safety.

To this the answer came back, with a sound of derisive mockery-
-One was the intended wife of Baron Rudiger; the other should
be delivered up to the Duke upon ransom according to her
quality.

'The ransom I will pay,' roared Sigismund in German, 'shall be
by the axe and cord!'

The while George Douglas gnashed his teeth with rage when the
reply as to Jean had been translated to him. The Duke hurled
his fierce defiance at the castle. It should be levelled with
the ground, and the robbers should suffer by cord, wheel, and
axe.

But what was the use of threats against men within six or eight
feet every way of stone wall, with a steep slippery slope
leading up to it? Heavily armed horsemen were of no avail
against it. Even if there were nothing but old women inside,
there was no means of making an entrance. Sigismund possessed
three rusty cannon, made of bars of iron hooped together; but
they were no nearer than Strasburg, and if they had been at
hand, there was no getting them within distance of those walls.

There was nothing for it but to blockade the castle while
sending after King Rene for assistance and authority. The
worst of it was, that starving the garrison would be starving
the captives; and likewise, so far up on the mountain, a troop
of eighty or ninety men and horses were as liable to lack of
provisions as could be the besieged garrison. Villages were
distant, and transport not easy to find. Money was never
abundant with Duke Sigismund, and had nearly all been spent on
the entertainments at Nanci; nor could he make levies as lord
of the country-folk, since the more accessible were not
Alsatian, but Lorrainers, and to exasperate their masters by
raids would bring fresh danger. Indeed, the two nearest
castles were on Lorraine territory; their masters had not a
much better reputation than the Balchenburgs, and, with the
temptation of war-horses and men in their most holiday
equipment, were only too likely to interpret Sigismund's attack
as an invasion of their dukedom, and to fall in strength upon
the party.

All this Gebhardt represented in strong colours, recommending
that this untenable position should not be maintained.

Sigismund swore that nothing should induce him to abandon the
unhappy ladies.

'Nay, my Lord Duke, it is only to retreat till King Rene sends
his forces, and mayhap the French Dauphin.'

'To retreat would be to prolong their misery. Nay, the felons
would think them deserted, and work their will. Out upon such
craven counsel!'

'The captive ladies may be secured from an injury if your
lordship holds a parley, demands the amount of ransom, and,
without pledging yourself, undertakes to consult the Dauphin
and their other kinsmen on the matter.'

'Detained here in I know not what misery, exposed to insults
endless? Never, Gebhardt! I marvel that you can make such
proposals to any belted knight!'

Gebhardt grumbled out, 'Rather to a demented lover! The Lord
Duke will sing another tune ere long.'

Certainly it looked serious the next day when Sir Robert
Douglas had had the greatest difficulty in hindering a hand-to-
hand fight between the Scots and Alsatians for a strip of
meadow land for pasture for their horses; when a few loaves of
black bread were all that could be obtained from one village,
and in another there had been a fray with the peasants,
resulting in blows by way of payment for a lean cow and calf
and four sheep. The Tirolese laid the blame on the Scots, the
Scots upon the Tirolese; and though disputes between his
Tirolese and Alsatian followers had been the constant trouble
of Sigismund at Nanci, they now joined in making common cause
against the Scots, so that Gebhardt strongly advised that these
should be withdrawn to Nanci for the present, the which advice
George Douglas hotly resented. He had as good a claim to watch
the castle as the Duke. He was not going to desert his King's
sisters, far less the lady he had followed from Scotland. If
any one was to be ordered off, it should be the fat lazy
Alsatians, who were good for nothing but to ride big Flemish
horses, and were useless on a mountain.

Gebhardt and Robert Douglas, both experienced men of the world,
found it one of their difficulties to keep the peace between
their young lords; and each day was likely to render it more
difficult. They began to represent that it could be made a
condition that the leaders should be permitted to see the
ladies and ascertain whether they were treated with courtesy;
and there was a certain inclination on Sigismund's part, when
he was driven hard by his embarrassments, to allow this to be
proposed.

The very notion of coming to any terms made Geordie furious.
If the craven Dutchman chose to sneak off and go in search of a
ransom, forsooth, he would lie at the foot of the castle till
he had burrowed through the walls or found a way over the
battlements.

'Ay,' said Douglas of Harside drily, 'or till the Baron sticks
you in the thrapple, or his next neighbour throws you into his
dungeon.'

In the meantime the captives themselves were suffering, as may
well be believed, agonies of suspense. Their loophole did not
look out towards the gateway, but they heard the peals of the
trumpet, started up with joy, and thought their deliverance was
come. Eleanor threw herself on her knees; Lady Lindsay began
to collect their properties; Jean made a rush for the stair
leading to the top of the turret, but she found her way barred
by one of the few men-at-arms, who held his pike towards her in
a menacing manner.

She tried to gaze from the window, but it told her nothing,
except that a certain murmur of voices broke upon the silence
of the woods. Nothing more befell them. They eagerly
interrogated Barbe.

'Ah yes, lady birds!' she said, 'there is a gay company
without, all in glittering harness, asking for you, but my
Lords know 'tis like a poor frog smelling at a walnut, for any
knight of them all to try to make way into this castle!'

'Who are they? For pity's sake, tell us, dear Barbe,'
entreated Eleanor.

'They say it is the Duke himself; but he has never durst meddle
with my Lords before. All but the Hawk's tower is in Lorraine,
and my Lord can bring a storm about his ears if he lifts a
finger against us. A messenger would soon bring Banget and
Steintour upon him. But never you fear, fair ladies, you have
friends, and he will come to terms,' said good old Barbe,
divided between pity for her guests and loyalty to her masters.

'If it is the Duke, he will free you, Elleen,' said Jean
weeping; 'he will not care for me!'

'Jeanie, Jeanie, could you think I would be set free without
you?'

'You might not be able to help yourself. 'Tis you that the
German wants.'

'Never shall be have me if he be such a recreant, mansworn
fellow as to leave my sister to the reiver. Never!'

'Ah! if poor Geordie were there, he would have moved heaven and
earth to save me; but there is none to heed me now,' and Jean
fell into a passion of weeping.

When they had to go down to supper, the younger Baron received
them with the news--'So, ladies, the Duke has been shouting his
threats at us, but this castle is too hard a nut for the like
of him.'

'I have seen others crack their teeth against it,' said his
father; and they both laughed, a hoarse derisive laugh.

The ladies vouchsafed not a word till they were allowed to
retire to their chamber.

They listened in the morning for the sounds of an assault, but
none came; there was absolutely nothing but an occasional hum
of voices and clank of armour. When summoned to the mid-day
meal, it was scanty.

'Ay,' said the elder Baron, we shall have to live hard for a
day or two, but those outside will live harder.'

'Till they fall out and cut one another's throats,' said his
son. 'Fasting will not mend the temper of Hans of Schlingen
and Michel au Bec rouge.'

'Or till Banget descends on him for meddling on Lorraine
ground,' added old Balchenburg. 'Eat, lady,' he added to Jean;
'your meals are not so large that they will make much odds to
our stores. We have corn and beer enough to starve out those
greedy knaves outside!'

Poor Jean was nearly out of her senses with distress and
uncertainty, and being still weak, was less able to endure.
She burst into violent hysterical weeping, and had to be helped
up to her own room, where she sometimes lay on her bed;
sometimes raged up and down the room, heaping violent words on
the head of the tardy cowardly German; sometimes talking of
loosing Skywing to show they were in the castle and cognisant
of what was going on; but it was not certain that Skywing, with
the lion rampant on his hood, would fly down to the besiegers,
so that she would only be lost.

Eleanor, by the very need of soothing her sister, was enabled
to be more tranquil. Besides, there was pleasure in the
knowledge that Sigismund had come after her, and there was
imagination enough in her nature to trust to the true knight
daring any amount of dragons in his lady's cause. And the lady
always had to be patient.

CHAPTER 11

FETTERS BROKEN

Then long and loud the victor shout
From turret and from tower rang out;
The rugged walls replied.
SCOTT, Lord of the Isles.

'Sir,I have something to show you.'

It was the early twilight of a summer's morning when Ringan
crept up to the shelter of pine branches under which George
Douglas was sleeping, after hotly opposing Gebhardt, who had
nearly persuaded his master that retreat was inevitable, unless
he meant to be deserted by more than half his men.

George sat up. 'Anent the ladies?' he said.

Ringan bowed his head, with an air of mystery and George
doubted no longer, but let him lead the way, keeping among the
brushwood to the foot of the quarry whence the castle had been
built. It had once been absolutely precipitous, no doubt, but
the stone was of a soft quality, on which weather told: ivy and
creepers had grown on it, and Ringan pointed to what to
dwellers on plains might have seemed impracticable, but to
those who had bird's-nested on the crags of Tantallon had quite
a different appearance. True, there was castle wall and turret
above, but on this, the weather side, there had likewise been a
slight crumbling, which had been neglected, perhaps from over
security, perhaps on account of the extreme difficulty of
repairing, where there was the merest ledge for foothold above
the precipitous quarry; indeed, the condition of the place
might never even have been perceived by the inhabitants, as
there were no traces of the place below having been frequented.

'Tis a mere staircase as far as the foot of the walls compared
with the Guillemot's crag,' observed Ringan.

'And a man with a heart and a foot could be up the wall in the
corner where the ivy grows,' added George. 'It is well,
Ringan, thou hast done good service. Here is the way.'

'With four or five of our own tall carles, we may win the
castle, and laugh at the German pock-puddings,' added Ringan.
'Let them gang their gate, and we'll free our leddies.'

George was tempted, but he shook his head. 'That were scarce
knightly towards the Duke,' he said. 'He has been gude friend
to me, and I may not thus steal a march on him. Moreover, we
ken na the strength of the loons within.'

'I misdoot there being mair than ten of them,' said Ringan.
'I have seen the same faces too often for there to be many.
And what there be we shall take napping.'

That was true; nevertheless George Douglas felt bound in honour
not to undertake the enterprise without the cognisance of his
ally, though he much doubted the Germans being alert or courageous enough to take advantage of such a perilous clamber.

Sigismund had a tent under the pine-trees, and a guard before
the entrance, who stood, halbert in hand, like a growling
statue, when the young Scot would have entered, understanding
not one word of his objurgations in mixed Scotch and French,
but only barring the way, till Sigismund's own 'Wer da?'
sounded from within.

'Moi--George of Angus!' shouted that individual in his awkward
French. 'Let me in, Sir Duke; I have tidings!'

Sigismund was on foot in a moment. 'And from King Eene?' he
asked.

'Far better, strong heart and steady foot can achieve the
adventure and save the ladies unaided! Come with me, beau
sire! Silently.'

George had fully expected to see the German quail at the
frightful precipice and sheer wall before him, but the Hapsburg
was primarily a Tirolean mountaineer, and he measured the rock
with a glistening triumphant eye.

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