HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1931-12-03, Page 6PAGE SIX
THE SEAFORTII NEWS.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1931
(Continued from Last Week)'
OHAPTER L.,
The Din of Battle.
it was a strange uncouth band that
Joan had gut together in a handful of
minutesin order to accompany her •to
the field upon which, sullenly retiring
before a va's'tly more numerous enemy,
Conrad and his little army stood at
bay. Raw lathy fads, wide -hammed
from sitting cross-legged in tailors'
work -shop:; preutices too veambly
and knock-kneed to be taken at the
first draft; old men who had 1!ong
leaned against street corners and rub-
bed the doorways smooth with their
backs; a sprinkling of stout citizens,
reluctant and much afraid, but still
more afraid of the wrath of Joan of
the Sword Hand.
Joan was still scouring the lanes amd
intricate passages for laggards when
Boris and 'Jorian entered the little
square where this company were as-
sembled, most of them embracing
their arbalists as if they had been
sweeping besonts, and the rest holding
their halberds as if they feared they
would do themselves an injury.
The nose of fat Jorian went so high
into the air that, without intending it,
he found 'himself looking up at -Boris;
and at that moment Boris chanced to
he .glancing at Jos'fan down the side
of his high arched beak.
To the herd of the uncouth soldiery
it simply appeared as though the two
war -captains of ,Plassenburg looked at
each other. An observer on the op-
posite side would have noted, how-
ever, that the right eye of Jorian and
the left eye of Boris simultaneously
closed.
Yet when they turned their regard
upon the last levy of the city of
Courtland their faces were grave.
"Whence tome these graveyard
seourlllgs, these skull and crossbones
set up en end?" cried Jorian in face of
them all, And this saying from go
stout a man made their legs \ramble
more than ever. ,..,_..,_ _,�. •_
I'Ratboss rascals, rogues in grain,"
Boris took up the tale, "faith, it makes
a man scratch otily to look at them!
Did you ever see their marrow ?"
The tato captains turned away in
disgust. They walked to and fro a
little apart, and Boris, who loved all
animals, kicked a dog that came his
way. .Boris was unhappy. He avoid-
ed Jorian's eye. At last he broke out.
'We cannot let our Lady Joan set
forth for field with such as these!"
he said.
Boris confided this, es it were to
the housetops. Jorian apparently did
not listen. He was clicking his dag-
ger in its sheath, butt from his next
word it was evident that his mind had
not been inactive.
"What excuse could we make to
Hugo, our Prince?" he said at last.
"Scarcely did he believe us the last
time. And on this occasion we have
his direct orders
"Are we not still ..Envoys?" queried
Boris,
"Extraordinary!" twinkled Jorian,
catching his c'omrade's idea as a bush
of heather catches moorburn,
"And as Envoys of a great princi-
pality
rinci-
alit • lilc
p y e 11't senbu•t•g representa-
tives of the most noble Prince and
Princess in this Empire, should we not
ride with retinue due and fitting? That
is not taking the Palace Guard into
battle. It is only affording due pro-
tection to their Excellencies' represen-
tatives."
"That sounds well enough," answer-
ed Boris doubtfully, "but will it stand
probation, think yell, w:helt Hugo
scowls 'at us from under his brows,
and you see the bar of the fifteen Red
Axes of the vVolftnark stand red ac -
roes his forehead?"
"Tut, man, his anger is naught to
that of Karl the Miller's Son. Yo,ii
c and .1 have stood that. Why s'houad
we fear our quiet Hugo?"
Ave, aye; in our day we have tried
one thing and then another upon Karl
and have borne tip under his anger.
But then Karl only cursed and used
great h'oried words, suchlike as in his
youth he had heard the waggoners by good ;generalship and the high per-
use to encourage their horses up the
mild brae. But Hego—:when he is
angry the says nought, only the red
bar comets up 'slowly, and as it grows
dark and fiery you 'wish he would• or-
der you t'o the scaffold at once, and
be done with it!
"Well," said Jorian, "at all events,
there is always our Helene. I -opine,
wh'a'tever we do, she wmli not forget
old days—the night at the earth
-
houses belike and other things I
think we may risk it!"
"True," meditated, Boris, "you say
well. There is always Helene. The
Little Playmate will not let our necks
be stretched! Not at least for suc-
couring a ,Princess in distress."
`"Eh, what's that you say?" said
Boris, turning quickly upon him. He
had .been regarding With interest a
shackled -kneed varlet holding a hal-
berd in 'his arms as if h had been a
fractious bairn.
]But Jorian was already addressing
the company before him.
"Here, ye un'baked .potsherd!s—dis-
miss, if ye know what that means.
Get ye to the wall's, and if ye cannot
stand erect, lean against them, and
hold bro'oms in your hand's that the
Muscovite may take ,them'for muskets
and you for men if he comes nigh
enough, Our lady is not Joan tof .the.
Dfsclout, that such draught -house rag -
pickers as- you should be pinned to
her tail. Set bolsters stuffed' With
bran on the w'allsl Man the gates with
faggots. Cleave beech b!lilets half in.
two and set them athwart wooden'
horses for officers. But insult not the
sunshine by letting your shadows fall
outside the city. Break off! Dismiss!,
Go! 'Get out o' this!"
As Jorian stood before t'he le•vieis
and vomited his insults upon them, a
gleam of joy passed across chops hi-
therto white like fish -bellies with the
fear of death, Bleared eyes flashed
with relief, And there ran a murmur
through the ragged' ranks which
sounded like "Thank you, great cap-
tain!"
* *
In a short quarter of an hour the
drums of the P-las'senbung Palace
Guard had 'beaten to arm's. From gate
to gate the light sea -wind 'h'ad home
the cheerfttl trumpet cat, and When
Joan returned, heartless and down-
cast, with half a dozen more mouldy
rascals, smelling of muck -rakes and
damp stable straw, she found before
her more than 'half the horsemen of
Plassenburg armed cap-apie in bur-
nished steel. Whereats she could only
look at Boris 1'n a'sionis'h•ment.
"Your Highness," said that captain,
saluting gravely, "we are only able to
accompany you as Envoys Extraord-
inary of the Prince and Princess of
Plassen:burg. But as s'u'ch we feelit
our duty in order properly. 10 support
our state, to take with uls a suitable
attendance. We are sure that neither
Prince Hugo nor yet his 'Princess
Helene would wish it otherwise!"
Before Jloan could reply a meeseng
er came springing up the long narrow
streets along which the disbanded lev-
ies, so vigorously contemned of Jor
fan, were hurrying to their places up-
on the walls with .detail of Plassen-
a
burg me'n behind them, driving them
like sheep.
jean took the letter and opened it.
with a jerk.
"Front High Captain von. Orseln to
the Princesls Joan -
"Come with all speed, if you would
he in time. IVe are 'hard, beset. The
enemy are all about us. The Prince
'las ordered a charge]''
The face of the woman Whitened as.
she read, but at the same moment the
fingers of Joan of the Sword HHant1
tightened upon the hilt. She road the
letter winos. There was no comment.
Boric crier] an order. Jorian dropped
to the rear, and the retinue iof the En-
voys Extraoidinary swung out on the
road towards the great battle.
Outnumbered and beaten 'bark by
the locust flock which spread to either
side, lar outflanking and sometimes
completely enfolding hits small army,
Prince. Conrad still mainlfained himself
sora]coglage which •stimulated his 1 head of the Prince, A trickle of bloo'd
wetted a clinging curl oil his fore-
head and
oreheadand stole' dawn his pale. cheek.
Werner von Crocks, begrimed arc!
drunken Yeith battle, bestrode the
body of Prince Conrad. His defiance
rase 'above the din of battle.
"Come on, cowards of, the N'orth!
Taste good German -steel I to me,
Kerne'h rg i To me, H!o'henstein !
Curs of -Courtland, would ye desert
your Prince ? Curses on you all
•swart hounds Of the Balltic!. Let me.
out of this and never a dog of you
shall ever bite bread again 1"
And so, foaming in his battle anger,
theancientwar-captain would have
stricken down his m'is'tress. For he
saw all things :red and his heart Was
bitter within him.
With all the power that Was in her,
ri'gh't and left Joan s'mo'te to clear her
way to Conrad, praying that,she cou'l'd
swehim,
B;ut by this time Captains Boris and
jllari'an, leaving their horsemen to ride
at the second line, had wheeled and
now came thrusting their lances'
freely into Co'ss'ack .backs. These last,
finding themselves thus taken in the
rear, turned and fled,
"Hey, Werner, good lad, do not
slay your comrades! Ddwn blade, old
Thirsty. Hest thou not drunken 'en-
ough blood this morning?" So cried
the war -captains as Werner dashed
the blood and tears out of his eyes.
"'Black! b'ac'k!" he cried, as soon as
he knew with whom he lead td do.
"Go h'a'ck! Conrad is slain or hath a
broken head They were l'as'hing at
him as he lay to kill' Iviin outright! Ah
viper, would you sting?" (11 -le 'thrust
a wounded Muscovite through as he
was crawling nearer to Conrad with a
broad knife im his hand.) "These
beaten curs oif Courtlannders broke at
the first attack. Get hint to horse!
Quick, I say, My Lady Joan, what' do
you in this place?"
!For even while he'spo'ke Joan had
dismounted and was holding Conrad's
head on her lap. With the soft white
kerchief which she wore on her helm
as a favour she wiped the wound on
his scalp. Bt was long, butdid not
appear to be very deep.
As Werner stood as'tonis'hed, gazing
at his mistress, Boris summoned the
trunf!pe'ter who had wheeled with him.
"Sound the recall!" he bade him.
And in a moment clear notes rang
out.
"He is not dead!' Lift him u:p, you
twol" Joan cried suddenly. "No, I will
take hint on my steed. It is the
strongest, and I the lightest. I alone
will bear hint
.And before any could` speak she
sprang into the saddle without assist-
ance with all her old lightness of ac-
tion, most like that of a lithe tad who
chases the colts in his father's croft
that he may ride them bareib'ack.
ISo Werner von Orsela lifted the
head and Boris the feet, bearing hint
tenderly that they .might set him• upon.
Joan's 'horse. And so firm was her
seat (for she rode as the elaid rode
into Orleans with Dunois on one side
and Gilles de Reis .on the other), that
She did not even quiver as she receiv-
followers. The hardy : Kent be, gr,rs
hotdl horse and foot, whom ivIaurice
had brought up, provecl the backbone
of the defence,' 33tesides which Wern-
er von Orseln had striven by rebuke
and'chals'tening, as we'll as by appeals
to their honnlur, to impart some'ste'a'd-
iness into the Courtland ranks. Batt
save the free knights from the laald-
ward parts, who .were driven wild by
the sight of the ever -(spre'ad'ing yfusco-.
'vite desolation, there was little st'aur
iha among `the burghers. They were,
indeed, 1'oud' aisd turbulent upon oc-
casion, but they understood but ill any
concerted action. In this they differed
conspicuan'sly from their fehibws' of
the Hansa League, or even from the
cl!othlweavers' of the Netherland
cities.
As Joan and the war -captains of
Plassenlaurg came nearer they heard a
low growling roar like the' distant
sound of the brealeens ole the outer
shlore. at Isle Rugen, I't rose ant fell
as the fitful wind bore it towards
Ghent, but it never entirely ceased.
They dashed through the fords of
the Alla, the three, hundred lances of
the Plassenburg Guard clattering ea-
gerly behind them. Joan led, on a
black horse which Conrad had given
her. The two war -captains with one
inismd set their steel caps more firmly
on their he'ad's, and as his steed
breasted the river bank Dorian laugh-
ed aloud, Angrily Joan turned in her
saddle to seewhatthe little man was
]laughing at. But with quick instinct
site perceived that he laughed only as
the war-horse neighs When he scents
the battle from 'afar. He was. once.
more the born fighter of men. Dorian
and his mate would never be generals,
but they were the best tools any 'gen-
era.]
en-era'] could have.
They came 'nearer. A few wreaths
o'f snvake, hanging over the yet. dist-
ant field, told where Russ and Teuton
met in battle array, A solemn slunvb-
erous reverberation heard at intervals
split the dull general roar apart. It
was the new cannon which had come
'from- the 13argra'f George to help beat
back the cont•n'ton foe. Again and
again broke .in upon; their advance
that appalling sound, which set the in-
ward parts of men quivering. Pres-.
ently they began'to pass limping leen
basting cityward, then fleeing and
panic-stricken wretches who looked
over their shoulders as if they say'
steel flashing at their backs.
A camp-nrars'hal or two was trying
to stay these, beating them over the
head with the flat Of their swords; but
not a man of the Plassenburge'rs 'even
looked towards them.- Their eyes
were on that distant tossing line dim-
ly 'seen amid clouds of dust, and those
strange wreaths of White smoke going
upward from the cannons' mouths,
roar grew louder; there were gaps in
the fighting line; a banner went down
amid great shooting. They could see
the glinting of sunshine upon armour.
"Kernsber'g!" cried Joan, her sword
high in the air as she sett spurs in her
black stallion and swept onward a
good twenty yards before the rush of
the horsemen of P'lassetvburg.
iNow they began to see the arching ed the weight. The noble 'black look -
arrow -hail, grey against the skyline ed around once and then as if under -
like gnat swarms dancing in the dusk
of sunnier trees: The quarrels buzz-
ed. The great catapults, still used .by
the ?Muscovites, twanged like the
breaking of viol cords.
!The 'horses instinctively quickened
their pace to take the wounded in
their stride. There—there was the
thickest of the fray, where the great
cannon of the 1•fargral George thun-
dered and were instantly wrapped in
their awn white pall,
Joan's quick glance about her for
Conrad told her nothing of his where-
abouts. But the twa war -captains,
more experienced, perceived that the
`iVfuscov'i'tes were already everywhere
victorious. Their horsemen out -flank-
ed and overlapped the slender array
of Courtland, Only about the cannon
and on the far right did any seem to
be making a stand,
"'There!" cried Jorian, couching his
lance, "there by the cannon is where
we will get our bellyfulof fighting."
'Hie pointed where, amid a confusion
of fighting -leen, wounded and strug-
gling horses, and the great black
tube f
a ]hell
ar ray
S cannon, g they
save the sturdy form of 'Werner von
Orseln, grown larger through : the
smoke and dusty smother, bestriding
the body of a fallen knight. He
fought as one fights a swarm of angry
bees, striking every way with a des-
perate courage,
'The charging squadrons of P•las-
senburg divided to pass right and left
of the cannon, " Joan first of all, with
her sword lifted and crying not
herusberg now, drove straight into
the heart of the Cossack swarm, At
the trampling of the horses' feet the
Muscovites lifted their eyes. They
had been too intent to kill to waste a
thought on any possible succour.
Joan felt herself strike right and
left. Her heart was crazed within her
so that 'she set spars to lier, steed and
rode hili forward, plunging and ful-
oac. Then a blowing wisp of white
plume was swept aside, and through a
helmet (broken as a nut shell is crack-
ed and falls apart) Joan saw the fair
standing the thing that was required
of him, he gentled himself and began
to pace slow• and stately towards the
city. On either side walked tall Boris
and sturdy Werner, who steadied the.
unconscious Prince with the palms of
their hands.
'Meanwhile the Palace Guard, with
Jorian at its head. defended the slow
retreat, while on the flanks Maurice
and his staunch Kerns!bergers check-
ed the victorious advance of the Mus-
covites. Yet t'he disaster was com-
plete. They left the dead, they left
the tamp, they left the munitions of
w=ar, They abandoned the Margrafs
cannon and all his great store of pow-
der. And there were many that wept
and some that only ground teeth and
cursed as they fell back, alio heard
the b=ailing of the women and saw the
fear whitening on the faces• they
loved.
Only the Kernsibergers bit their lips
and watched the eye of \latn•ice, by
whose side a slim page in chain -mail
had ridden all day with visor down.
And the men of the Palace Guard
rayed for-
Prince IIu
prayed oto come.
g
As for Joan she cared nothing for
victory or defeat, loss or gain.
Yet with great gentleness she gave
'him down into loving hands, and af-
terwards stood marble -pale beside the
couch while 'T'heresa von Lynar un-
laced his armour and washed his
wounds. Then, nerving herself to see
him suffer, she murmured over to
herself, once, twice and a hundred
times, "God help- me to do so and
more also to those who have wrought
this --Specially to Louis of Courtland
and Ivan of ?iftusco'vY•"
"Abide ye, little one—be patient.
Vengeance will come to bout!" said
Theresa, "I, who.do not promise
lightly; promise it your"
And she laid her hand on the girl's
shoulder. Never before .had the Du-
chess Joan been called "little one!"
Yet for all her 'brave deeds she laid
her head oil Theresa's. shoulder.
Theresa kissed her brow.
"Ali," she said, "the prayers of such
as Thr,] tea. -volt Lynar would, avail
little, Yet she may be a weapon in
the hatazl of the Cod of vengeance, Is
it n'ot w'ritteli that they that take the
sword shall,p erish 'by the sword?
But already; Joan had forgotten
vengeance. The crying of the v'ictor
ious Muscovites could be heard out-
side the tval.
Then ensued a lung silence, through
which broke a ,gust of iron -Throated
daughter. It'ti'aa the roar o'f the Mar-,
gra'y's captured cannon firing the salvo,
of victory,
CHAPTER LI.
Theresa's Treachery,
That night the Whole city of Court-'
land cowered in fear before its trium-
phan't enemy. At the nearest posts the.
Mus'cov'ites- were in: great strength,
and the sight of their burnin'gs fret-
ted the' souls of the citizens on guard'..
Some came near euougal 30 cry in'su'lts
u!p to the defenders.
.woald not have your own true
Prince. Now ye shall have ours. We
will see .how you like ties exchange!"
iTh'is was the cry of some renegade
Court'lwn'd'er, or of a Muscovite learn-
ed ('as afttini'e's they are). in the
speech of the West.
'But within the wall's and at the
gates the m7,etr of Kerntaberg and. Hoh-
ensteiD ru'b'bed their, hand's and nudg-
ed each other.
"Brisk lads," one said, "Pet us make
our will and send them . by pigeon
posit."
"Methinks that last will do 'thy,
Gretchen most service," said his com-
panion, "since the others have gone to
the vintner's long ago!"
'Thou are the greater knave to say
so," retorted' his companion; "and
by Go•d's'grace we come safe out of
this I will break'thy head for 'thy1
r'oguery!
PROFESSIONAL CARDS.
Medical
DR.' H. WO1GIT-1 FIO!SIS, P'hysician:.
and ,Surgeon. Late of London Hos-
pital, London, England. Special ,
attention to diseases of the eye, ear,
nose and throat. Office 'and resi-
dence behind Dominion Bank. Office.
Phone No, 5; Residence Phone 104.
DR. F. J. BURROWS, , Seaforth.
Office and residence, Goderich street,
east of the United Cliurc''h. Coroner
for Che County of Huron. Telephone
No. 46.
DR. C. MIA!GIOAY.—C.: Mackay,
honor graduate of Trinity University
and gold medallist of Trinity Medical
College; mem'ber of the College of
Physicians and Surgeons • of Ontario.
(To Be Continued)
'White ash is an eastern tree species
that does not grow west of Lake
Huron,
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P!RIOIPERITY, ON L Y, INS'UR'ED
Officers 'John Benn'ewies, 'Brod-
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Nose and Throat. Graduate in Medi-
cine, University of Toronto 1697.
Late Assistant New York Ophthal-
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Eye, and Golden Square throat hospi
tads,, London, England. At Comm.
ercial Hotel, Seaforth, 3rd Monday'ia.
each . month, from . 11 a.m, to 3 p.m.
DDR, W. C. SIPIR'OAT,—Graduate ai
Faculty of Medicine, University of
Western Ontario, London. Member
of College of Physicians .and Sur-
geon's of Ontario. Office in rear of
Aberhart's drug store, Seaforth.
Phone 90. Hours 1.30-4 p.m., 7.36
-9 p.m. Other hours by appointment.
Dental
DR. J. A. 1'ILiNN, Successor to
Dr, R. R. Ross, 'g:aduate of North-
western University, Chicago, Ill. Li-
centiate Royal College of Dental Sur-
geons, Toronto. Office over Sufis'
hardware, . Main St., Seaforth. : Pfeoae
151.
DR. F. J. BIECHIELY, graduate
Royal College of Dental Surgeon,
Toronto. Office over W. R. Smith's
grocery, Main St., Seaforth. Phones,,
office 185'W, residence 1'85J.'
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