On a sudden, a whistle was again heard in the distance, which was once more answered by a low tone or two of Hayraddin's horn. Presently afterwards, a tall, stout, soldierly-looking man, a strong contrast in point of thewes and sinews to the small and slender-limbed Bohemians, made his appearance. He had a broad baldric over his shoulder, which sustained a sword that hung almost across his person; his hose were much slashed, through which slashes was drawn silk or tiffancy, of various colours; they were tied by at least five hundred points or strings, made of ribbon, to the tight buff-jacket which he wore, and the right sleeve of which displayed a silver boar's head, the crest of his Captain. A very small hat sat jauntily on one side of his head, from which descended a quantity of curled hair, which fell on each side of a broad face, and mingled with as broad a beard, about four inches long. He held a long lance in his hand; and his whole equipment was that of one of the German adventurers, who were known by the name of lanzknechts, in English, spearmen, who constituted a formidable part of the infantry of the period. These mercenaries were, of course, a fierce and rapacious soldiery, and having an idle tale current among themselves, that a lanzknecht was refused admittance into heaven on account of his vices, and into hell on the score of his tumultuous, mutinous, and insubordinate disposition, they manfully acted as if they neither sought the one, nor eschewed the other.
"Donner and blitz!" was his first salutation, in a sort of German-French, which we can only imperfectly imitate, "Why have you kept me dancing in attendance dis dree nights?"
"I could not see you sooner, Meinherr," said Hayraddin, very submissively; "there is a young Scot, with as quick an eye as the wild-cat, who watches my least motions. He suspects me already, and, should he find his suspicion confirmed, I were a dead man on the spot, and he would carry back the women into France again."
"Was henker!" said the lanzknecht; "we are three – we will attack them to-morrow, and carry the women off without going farther. You said the two valets were cowards – you and your comrade may manage them, and the Teufel sall hold me, but I match your Scots wild-cat."
"You will find that foolhardy," said Hayraddin; "for, besides that we ourselves count not much in fighting, this spark hath matched himself with the best knight in France, and come off with honour – I have seen those who saw him press Dunois hard enough."
"Hagel and sturmwetter! It is but your cowardice that speaks," said the German soldier.
"I am no more a coward than yourself," said Hayraddin; "but my trade is not fighting. – If you keep the appointment where it was laid, it is well – if not, I guide them safely to the Bishop's Palace, and William de la Marck may easily possess himself of them there, provided he is half as strong as he pretended a week since."
"Poz tausend!" said the soldier, "we are as strong and stronger; but we hear of a hundreds of the lances of Burgund, – das ist, – see you, – five men to a lance do make five hundreds, and then hold me the devil, they will be fainer to seek for us, than we to seek for them; for der Bischoff hath a goot force on footing – ay, indeed!"
"You must then hold to the ambuscade at the Cross of the Three Kings, or give up the adventure," said the Bohemian.
"Geb up – geb up the adventure of the rich bride for our noble hauptman – Teufel! I will charge through hell first. – Mein soul, we will be all princes and hertzogs, whom they call dukes, and we will hab a snab at the wein-kellar, and at the moudly French crowns, and it may be at the pretty garces too, when He with de beard is weary on them."
"The ambuscade at the Cross of the Three Kings then still holds?" said the Bohemian.
"Mein Got, ay, – you will swear to bring them there; and when they are on their knees before the cross, and down from off their horses, which all men do, except such black heathens as thou, we will make in on them, and they are ours."
"Ay, but I promised this piece of necessary villainy only on one condition," said Hayraddin. – "I will not have a hair of the young man's head touched. If you swear this to me, by your Three dead Men of Cologne, I will swear to you, by the Seven Night Walkers, that I will serve you truly as to the rest. And if you break your oath, the Night Walkers shall wake you seven nights from your sleep, between night and morning, and, on the eighth, they shall strangle and devour you."
"But, donner and hagel, what need you be so curious about the life of this boy, who is neither your bloot nor kin?" said the German.
"No matter for that, honest Heinrick; some men have pleasure in cutting throats, some in keeping them whole – So swear to me, that you will spare him life and limb, or, by the bright star Aldeboran, this matter shall go no further – Swear, and by the Three Kings, as you call them, of Cologne – I know you care for no other oath."
"Du bist ein comische man," said the lanzknecht, "I swear" –
"Not yet," said the Bohemian – "Faces about, brave lanzknecht, and look to the east, else the Kings may not hear you."
The soldier took the oath in the manner prescribed, and then declared that he would be in readiness, observing the place was quite convenient, being scarce five miles from their present leaguer.
"But, were it not making sure work to have a fahnlein of riders on the other road, by the left side of the inn, which might trap them if they go that way?"
The Bohemian considered a moment, and then answered, "No – the appearance of their troops in that direction might alarm the garrison of Namur, and then they would have a doubtful fight, instead of assured success. Besides, they shall travel on the right bank of the Maes, for I can guide them which way I will; for, sharp as this same Scottish mountaineer is, he hath never asked any one's advice, save mine, upon the direction of their route. – Undoubtedly, I was assigned to him by an assured friend, whose word no man mistrusts till they come to know him a little."
"Hark ye, friend Hayraddin," said the soldier, "I would ask you somewhat. – You and your bruder were, as you say yourself, gross sternen-deuter, that is, star-lookers and geister-seers – Now, what henker was it made you not foresee him, your bruder Zamet, to be hanged?"
"I will tell you, Heinrick," said Hayraddin; – "if I could have known my brother was such a fool as to tell the counsel of King Louis to Duke Charles of Burgundy, I could have foretold his death as sure as I can foretell fair weather in July. Louis hath both ears and hands at the Court of Burgundy, and Charles's counsellors love the chink of French gold as well as thou dost the clatter of a wine-pot. – But fare thee well, and keep appointment – I must await my early Scot a bow-shot without the gate of the den of the lazy swine yonder, else will he think me about some excursion which bodes no good to the success of his journey."
"Take a draught of comfort first," said the lanzknecht, tendering him a flask, – "but I forget; thou art beast enough to drink nothing but water, like a vile vassal of Mahound and Termagund."
"Thou art thyself a vassal of the wine-measure and the flagon," said the Bohemian, – "I marvel not that thou art only trusted with the bloodthirsty and violent part of executing what better heads have devised. – He must drink no wine, who would know the thoughts of others, or hide his own. But why preach to thee, who hast a thirst as eternal as a sand-bank in Arabia? – Fare thee well. – Take my comrade Tuisco with thee – his appearance about the monastery may breed suspicion."