"Le diable noir!" he cried. "Simon, the Englishman! What make you here?"Simon put his hand upon his shoulder. "Sit here!" said he, and he forced the King into his seat. "Do you sit on the farther side of him, Aylward. We make a merry group, do we not? Often have Iserved at this table, but never did I hope to drink at it. Fill your cup, Samkin, and pass the flagon."The King looked from one to the other with terror in his bloodshot eyes. "What would you do?" he asked. "Are you mad, that you should come here. One shout and you are at my mercy.""Nay, my friend, I have lived too long in your house not to know the ways of it. No man-servant ever slept beneath your roof, for you feared lest your throat would be cut in the night-time. You may shout and shout, if it so please you. It chanced that I was passing on my way from England in those ships which lie off La Brechou, and I thought I would come in and have speech with you.""Indeed, Simon, I am right glad to see you," said the King, cringing away from the fierce eyes of the soldier. "We were good friends in the past, were we not, and I cannot call to mind that Ihave ever done you injury. When you made your way to England by swimming to the Levantine there was none more glad in heart than!""If I cared to doff my doublet I could show you the marks of what your friendship has done for me in the past," said Simon. "It is printed on my back as clearly as on my memory. Why, you foul dog, there are the very rings upon the wall to which my hands were fastened, and there the stains upon the boards on which my blood has dripped! Is it not so, you king of butchers?"The pirate chief turned whiter still. "It may be that life here was somewhat rough, Simon, but if I have wronged you in anyway, Iwill surely make amends. What do you ask?""I ask only one thing, and I have come hither that I may get it.
It is that you pay me forfeit for that you have lost your wager.""My wager, Simon! I call to mind no wager.""But I will call it to your mind, and then I will take my payment.
Often have you sworn that you would break my courage. `By my head!' you have cried to me. `You will crawl at my feet!' and again: `I will wager my head that I will tame you!' Yes, yes, a score of times you have said so. In my heart, as I listened, Ihave taken up your gage. And now, dog, you have lost and I am here to claim the forfeit."His long heavy sword flew from its sheath. The King, with a howl of despair, flung his arms round him, and they rolled together under the table. Aylward sat with a ghastly face, and his toes curled with horror at the sight, for he was still new to scenes of strife and his blood was too cold for such a deed. When Simon rose he tossed something into his bag and sheathed his bloody sword.
"Come, Samkin, our work is well done," said he.
"By my hilt, if I had known what it was I would have been less ready to come with you," said the archer. "Could you not have clapped a sword in his fist and let him take his chance in the hall?""Nay, Samkin, if you had such memories as I, you would have wished that he should die like a sheep and not like a man. What chance did he give me when he had the power? And why should I treat him better? But, Holy Virgin, what have we here?"At the farther end of the table a woman was standing. An open door behind her showed that she had come from the inner room of the house. By her tall figure the comrades knew that she was the same that they had already seen. Her face had once been fair, but now was white and haggard with wild dark eyes full of a hopeless terror and despair. Slowly she paced up the room, her gaze fixed not upon the comrades, but upon the dreadful thing beneath the table. Then as she stooped and was sure she burst into loud laughter and clapped her hands.
"Who shall say there is no God?" she cried. "Who shall say that prayer is unavailing? Great sir, brave sir, let me kiss that conquering hand!""Nay, nay, dame, stand back! Well, if you must needs have one of them, take this which is the clean one.""It is the other I crave - that which is red with his blood! Oh!
joyful night when my lips have been wet with it! Now I can die in peace!""We must go, Aylward," said Simon. "In another hour the dawn will have broken. In daytime a rat could not cross this island and pass unseen. Come, man, and at once!"But Aylward was at the woman's side. "Come with us, fair dame,"said he. "Surely we can, at least, take you from this island, and no such change can be for the worse.""Nay," said she, the saints in Heaven cannot help me now until they take me to my rest. There is no place for me in the world beyond, and all my friends were slain on the day I was taken.
Leave me, brave men, and let me care for myself. Already it lightens in the east, and black will be your fate if you are taken. Go, and may the blessing of one who was once a holy nun go with you and guard you from danger!"Sir Robert Knolles was pacing the deck in the early morning, when he heard the sound of oars, and there were his two night-birds climbing up the side.
"So, fellow," said he, "have you had speech with the King of Sark?""Fair sir, I have seen him."
"And he has paid his forfeit?"
"He has paid it, sir!"
Knolles looked with curiosity at the bag which Simon bore. "What carry you there?" he asked.
"The stake that he has lost."
"What was it then? A goblet? A silver plate?"For answer Simon opened his bag and shook it on the deck.
Sir Robert turned away with a whistle. "'Fore God!" said he, "it is in my mind that I carry some hard men with me to Brittany."
