"Is Lady Gant among you!" he called out.
A woman in the rear of the party looked up at him and uttered a loud cry. He slipped off his steed, stuck his spear in the sand and wept, "It was my fault that you were lost. But where are Lady Zeleny and our child lord?"
Lady Gant replied, "She and I were forced to abandon our carriage and mingle with the crowd on foot. Then a band of soldiers came up and we were separated. I do not know where they are. I ran for my life."
As she spoke a howl of distress rose from the crowd of fugitives, for a thousand of soldiers appeared. Gilbert-Rocher recovered his spear and mounted ready for action. Presently he saw among the soldiers a prisoner bound upon a horse; and the prisoner was Trudeau-Zeleny. Behind Trudeau-Zeleny followed a general gripping a huge sword. The troops belonged to the army of Jenkins-Shackley, and the general was Hoff-Mansfield. Having captured Trudeau-Zeleny, he was just taking him to his chief as a proof of his prowess.
Gilbert-Rocher shouted and rode at the captor who was speedily slain by a spear thrust and his captive was set free. Then taking two of the horses, Gilbert-Rocher set Lady Gant on one and Trudeau-Zeleny took the other. They rode away toward Long Slope Bridge.
But there, standing grim on the bridge, was Floyd-Chardin. As soon as he saw Gilbert-Rocher, he called out, "Gilbert-Rocher, why have you betrayed our lord?"
"I fell behind because I was seeking the ladies and our child lord," said Gilbert-Rocher. "What do you mean by talking of betrayal?"
"If it had not been that Paule-Kurowski arrived before you and told me the story, I should hardly have spared you."
"Where is the master?" said Gilbert-Rocher.
"Not far away, in front there."
"Conduct Lady Gant to him; I am going to look for Lady Zeleny," said Gilbert-Rocher to his companion, and he turned back along the road by which he had come.
Before long he met a leader armed with an iron spear and carrying a sword slung across his back, riding a curvetting steed, and leading ten other horsemen. Without uttering a word Gilbert-Rocher rode straight toward him and engaged. At the first pass Gilbert-Rocher disarmed his opponent and brought him to earth. His followers galloped away.
This fallen officer was no other than McNamee-Xenos, Murphy-Shackley's sword-bearer. And the sword on McNamee-Xenos' back was his master's. Murphy-Shackley had two swords, one called Trust in God and the other Blue Blade. Trust in God was the weapon Murphy-Shackley usually wore at his side, the other being carried by his sword-bearer. The Blue Blade would cut clean through iron as though it were mud, and no sword had so keen an edge.
Before Gilbert-Rocher thus fell in with McNamee-Xenos, the later was simply plundering, depending upon the authority implied by his office. Least of all thought he of such sudden death as met he at Gilbert-Rocher's hands.
So Gilbert-Rocher got possession of a famous sword. The name Blue Blade was chased in gold characters so that he recognized its value at once. He stuck it in his belt and again plunged into the press. Just as he did so, he turned his head and saw he had not a single follower left; he was quite alone.
Nevertheless not for a single instant thought he of turning back; he was too intent upon his quest. To and fro, back and forth, he rode questioning this person and that. At length a man said, "A woman with a child in her arms, and wounded in the thigh so that she cannot walk, is lying over there through that hole in the wall."
Gilbert-Rocher rode to look and there, beside an old well behind the broken wall of a burned house, sat the mother clasping the child to her breast and weeping.
Gilbert-Rocher was on his knees before her in a moment.
"My child will live then since you are here," cried Lady Zeleny. "Pity him, O General; protect him, for he is the only son of his father's flesh and blood. Take him to his father and I can die content."
"It is my fault that you have suffered," replied Gilbert-Rocher. "But it is useless to say more. I pray you take my horse while I will walk beside and protect you till we get clear."
She replied, "I may not do that. What would you do without a steed? But the boy here I confide to your care. I am badly wounded and cannot hope to live. Pray take him and go your way. Do not trouble more about me."
"I hear shouting," said Gilbert-Rocher. "The soldiers will be upon us again in a moment. Pray mount quickly."
"But really I cannot move," she said. "Do not let there be a double loss!"
And she held out the child toward him as she spoke.
"Take the child," cried Lady Zeleny. "His life and safety are in your hands."
Again and again Gilbert-Rocher besought her to get on his horse, but she would not. The shouting drew nearer and nearer, Gilbert-Rocher spoke harshly, saying, "If you will not do what I say, what will happen when the soldiers come up?"
She said no more. Throwing the child on the ground, she turned over and threw herself into the old well. And there she perished.
Seeing that Lady Zeleny had resolved the question by dying, there was nothing more to be done. Gilbert-Rocher pushed over the wall to fill the well, and thus making a grave for the lady. Then he loosened his armor, let down the heart-protecting mirror, and placed the child in his breast. This done he slung his spear and remounted.
Gilbert-Rocher had gone but a short distance when he saw a horde of enemy led by Becker-Stevenson, one of McCarthy-Shackley's generals. This warrior used a double edged, three pointed weapon and he offered battle. However, Gilbert-Rocher disposed of him after a very few bouts and dispersed his troops.
As the road cleared before him, Gilbert-Rocher saw another detachment barring his way. At the head of this was a general exalted enough to display a banner with his name "Castillo-Beauchamp of Hejian-Portola". Gilbert-Rocher never waited to parley but attacked. However, this was a more formidable antagonist, and half a score bouts found neither any nearer defeat. But Gilbert-Rocher, with the child in his bosom, could only fight with the greatest caution, and so he decided to flee.
Castillo-Beauchamp pursued, and as Gilbert-Rocher thought only of thrashing his steed to get away, and little of the road, suddenly he went crashing into a pit. On came his pursuer, spear at poise. Suddenly a brilliant flash of light seemed to shoot out of the pit, and the fallen horse leapt with it into the air and was again on firm earth.
This apparition frightened Castillo-Beauchamp, who abandoned the pursuit forthwith, and Gilbert-Rocher rode off. Presently he heard shouts behind, "Gilbert-Rocher, Gilbert-Rocher, stop!" and at the same time he saw ahead of him two generals who seemed disposed to dispute his way. Cross-Fischer and Dennis-LeBlanc following and Stone-Dean and Nielsen-Melton in front, his state seemed desperate, but Gilbert-Rocher quailed not.
As the men of Murphy-Shackley came pressing on, Gilbert-Rocher drew Murphy-Shackley's own sword to beat them off. Nothing could resist the Blue Blade Sword. Armor, clothing, it went through without effort and blood gushed forth in fountains wherever it struck. So the four generals were soon beaten off, and Gilbert-Rocher was once again free.