" Oh, ho ! Friar John," he muttered to himself, " thou thinkest thyself a fine soldier, truly ! But it is high time now to call the Giant." So he shouted w T ith the full strength of his sturdy lungs : —
" Help ! help ! help ! Prince Gargantua to the rescue ! "
One might live to be as old as Methuselah, and never see such a change in either a general or his army as that which took place in King Picrochole and his troops when they first heard the Friar's cry. The guns dropped from their hands, and all they could do was to turn with white faces and staring eyes towards the opening in the wood.
Then appeared a fearful apparition !
It was that of the Giant, holding, poised as a lance, the trunk of an enormous tree
PICROCHOLE DEFENDS THE CASTLE.
stripped bare of its branches ; his eyeballs swollen and blazing with anger; his legs drawn tight to the saddle, while he gave free rein to his Mare, and dashed with the speed of a cyclone straight down upon them. The Mare seemed as mad as the master, for smoke rolled and curled around her wide-open nostrils ; she gave short and horrible neighs, as if she couldn't get to Picrochole's rogues fast enough; her mane was still' and hard, while her broad tail, streaming like a comet behind her, whisked men right and left, high into the air, and jerked down such trees as were in the way as she swept thundering down the hill. So terrible a sight changed the whole field. For a moment or two the enemy seemed stunned. But, as the dreadful Mare came near and nearer, Picrochole's cowardice broke the fearful spell that had come upon himself and men. " It is the Giant! " he shouted ; " save himself who can ! " and dashed back into the open gates of the city, intending to escape, through another gate, into the country beyond. '" The Mare! the Mare! Save us from the Mare!" was all the poor men, as they tried to follow their king, could gasp.
Some were lucky enough to gain the city-gates. But before Gargantua could rein in his powerful steed, she had bitten and trampled many to death, to say nothing of those she had swept into the air with her great tail. Gargantua had good reason to be pleased with his victory. It was a decisive one, and gained by himself alone, and the Mare. He rode all over the field, petting the good Mare
THE DEFEAT Off P1CKOCHOLE.
meanwhile, and never ceasing to look among the killed for Picrochole. Of every officer that returned from pursuit of those who tried to escape he asked : —
THE FLIGHT OF PICROCHOLE.
" Hast thou caught Picrochole ? "
No, nobody had.
" With all my heart I am sorry," said Gargantua, "that Picrochole is not here. For I would have made this little king know that it was not for any riches or for my name that this war was made. As he is lost, let the kingdom remain with his son. But, as this child is not yet five years old, he should have governors. Let Ponocrates govern those governors."
Then, under his breath, the Giant muttered : —
"Ho! a pretty king, this Picrochole, to be lost in battle." And a giant's mutter is louder than a small man's shout.
CHAPTER XXI.
SHOWING WHAT GARGANTUA DID AFTER THE BATTLE, AND HOW GRANDGOUSIER WELCOMED HIM HOME.
WHEN Gargantua, after the battle, made his triumphant entrance into the city, it was easy enough for him to find the Palace where Picrochole had stopped, but not quite so easy to get hold of the King himself. And when he reached the Palace, he heard that those wicked advisers and councillors of Picrochole, who had done their best to keep mischief alive, — Swashbuckler, Durtaille, and Smaltrash, — had all managed to escape helter-skelter from the city, just six hours before the battle.
Gargantua's first duty was to order a muster of his troops, by which he learned, much to his satisfaction, that they had not suffered greatly in the battle, the four soldiers who had been killed happening to belong to the band of one of his officers, Captain Tolrnere. He had the pleasure of shaking his old master Ponocrates by the hand on his lucky escape in having his doublet, instead of his portly body, jagged by an archer's bolt. It was a mild shake, for a hearty one would have made a jelly of it. The Chief Treasurer was ordered to see that all his brave followers should be feasted, each with his troop, at the Prince's expense. He directed, moreover, that, after the feast, the army should assemble in the great Square before the Palace, and receive a full six months' pay on the spot.
This being joyfully done, the next order was for the assembling of all that remained of Picrochole's party. All his princes and captains being present, Gargantua made a speech, which was as full of wisdom as it was rich in praise of his good old father, King Grand-gousier. He concluded with these words, spoken in a stern voice : —
"I impose on those who have wickedly attacked us but one condition. They must deliver into my hands that knave Marquet, who was the groundwork of this most unjust war."
Marquet, who had been a great man all during the war, and who had strutted around, crowing and looking wise, and had been con-
GARGANTUA S CAPTIVES
suited, and patted on the back, and stroked on the head, ever since his fight with Forgier, had been silly enough, instead of running away as fast as his legs could take him, to go to the assembly to hear what the Prince had to say. The moment Gargantua mentioned his name, quiet, well-to-do neighbors, who had all along been vexed at the airs he had put on, — being on every side of him, — pointed him out with their fingers, slily, wickedly whispering, "You want Marquet, — there he is, that man over there !" The wretch was at once seized by a dozen strong and willing hands, and hauled and hustled about, till, at last, he stood, breathing hard, before Gargantua. The Giant, towering above him,— there was no chair in the Palace large enough for him to sit comfortably in, —looked at him for a moment with scorn.
" So it is thou who art Marquet, art thou?"
"Yes, may it please Your Most Gracious, Most Merciful Highness," gasped Marquet, stuttering horribly, and turning very pale.
" Gymnaste," said Gargantua,"! make thee responsible for this wretch, and his safe delivery to our Headsman for immediate execution."
Gymnaste, after bowing respectfully, collared Marquet and marched him off.
After the rogue had been borne away to the block, Gargantua ordered that all who had been killed should be honorably buried in the Black Soil Valley. For the wounded, he made ample provision in his Royal Hospital. To the survivors, he did no other hurt than to put them to work on the printing-presses which he had lately set up. When leaving, he graciously thanked his weather-beaten, if not warbeaten, veterans, and sent them to winter-quarters with rich gifts for each one ; for, even though Picrochole had run away, there was no telling but what the Bunmakers might make another fight, and so it was thought wiser to keep the army together for a while. But to this rule he made special exception of those of his legions who had had the good luck, during the pursuit, of doing some gallant deed. There were a good many of those brave soldiers who had marched, rank upon rank, after the staff of the Giant himself, and had done some brave action upon Picrochole's men, while their master's great Mare was switching her terrible tail, and knocking men down with the right whisk and the left, and driving from the field all who were lucky enough to get out of her way.
The Giant breathed a rumbling sigh of relief at getting through so much hard work. '' I start for home at daybreak," he said. "Let my staff and these brave men, worthy of laurels, follow me."