The Geste of Duke Jocelyn Part 33

The sinking sun had set the West aflame, When our three riders to the wild-wood came, Where a small wind 'mid sun-kissed branches played, And deep'ning shadows a soft twilight made; Where, save for leafy stirrings, all was still, Lulled by the murmur of a bubbling rill That flowed o'ershadowed by a mighty oak, Its ma.s.sy bole deep-cleft by lightning stroke. Here Robin checked his steed. "Good friends," quoth he,

My daughter Gillian suggesteth:

Gill: That's rather good, But, still, I should In prose prefer the rest; For if this fytte Has love in it, Prose is for love the best.

All ord'nary lovers, as every one knows, Make love to each other much better in prose.

If, at last, our Sir Pertinax means to propose, Why then--just to please me, Father, prose let it be.

Myself: Very well, I agree!

Then said Robin, quoth he: "Good friends, here are we safe!" And, checking his steed within this pleasant shade, he dismounted.

"Safe, quotha?" said Sir Pertinax, scowling back over shoulder. "Not so!

Surely we are close pursued--hark! Yonder be hors.e.m.e.n riding at speed--ha, we are beset!"

"Content you, sir!" answered Robin. "Think you I would leave behind good booty? Yonder come ten n.o.ble coursers laden with ten goodly armours the same won a-jousting to-day by this right wondrous Fool, my good gossip--"

"Thy gossip, forsooth!" snorted Sir Pertinax. "But tell me, presumptuous fellow, how shall these ten steeds come a-galloping hither!"

"Marry, on this wise, Sir Simple Innocence--these steeds do gallop for sufficient reason, namely--they are to gallop bidden being ridden, bestridden and chidden by whip and spur applied by certain trusty men o' my company, which men go habited, decked, dressed, clad, guised and disguised as smug, sleek citizens, Sir Innocent Simplicity--"

"Par Dex!" exclaimed Sir Pertinax, scowling. "And who 'rt thou, sirrah, with men at thy beck and call?"

"Behold!" said Robin, unhelming. "Behold the king of all masterless rogues, and thy fellow gallow's-bird, Sir High Mightiness!"

"Ha, is 't thou?" cried Sir Pertinax. "Now a plague on thy kingdom and thee for an unhanged, thieving rogue--"

"E'en as thyself," nodded Robin, "thou that flaunted thy unlovely carca.s.s in stolen armour."

"Ha!" roared Sir Pertinax, clapping hand on sword. "A pest--a murrain! This to me, thou dog's-meat? Malediction! Now will I crack thy numbskull for a pestilent malapert--"

"Nay, Sir Grim-and-gory," laughed Robin, "rather will I now use thee as thou would'st ha' served me on a day but for this generous and kindly Fool, my good comrade!" And speaking, Robin sprang nimbly to the great oak tree and thrusting long arm within the jagged fissure that gaped therein drew forth a hunting-horn and winded it loud and shrill. And presently was a stir, a rustle amid the surrounding brushwood and all about them were outlaws, wild men and fierce of aspect, and each and every grasped long-bow with arrow on string and every arrow was aimed at scowling Sir Pertinax.

"Per Dex!" quoth he, "and is this death, then?"

"Verily!" nodded Robin, "an I do speak the word."

"So be it--speak!" growled Sir Pertinax. "Come, Death--I fear thee not!"

And out flashed his long sword; but even then it was twisted from his grasp and Lobkyn Lollo, tossing the great blade aloft and, catching it very neatly, laughed and spake:

"Five times, five times ten Are we, all l.u.s.ty men.

An hundred twice and fifty deaths are we, So, an Rob speak, dead thou 'lt as often be."

"Nay, hold a while, sweet lads!" laughed Robin, "the surly rogue shall sing for his life and our good pleasaunce."

"Sing?" roared Sir Pertinax. "I sing! I? Ha, dare ye bid me so, base dog?

Sing, forsooth? By Og and Gog! By the Seven Champions and all the fiends, rather will I die!" And here, being defenceless, Sir Pertinax clenched mighty fists and swore until he lacked for breath.

Then spake Jocelyn, gentle-voiced.

"Sing, Pertinax," quoth he.

"Ha--never! Not for all the--"

"I do command thee, Pertinax. As Robin once sang for his life, now must thou sing for thine. Song for song, 't is but just! Sing, Pertinax!"

"Nay," groaned the proud knight, "I had rather drink water and chew gra.s.s like a rabbit. Moreover I ha' no gift o' song--"

"Do thy best!" quoth Robin.

"I'm harsh o' voice--knave!"

"Then croak--rogue!" quoth Robin.

"No song have I--vermin!"

"Make one--carrion! But sing thou shalt though thy song be no better than hog-song which is grunt. Howbeit sing thou must!"

Hereupon Sir Pertinax gnashed his teeth and glaring balefully on Robin lifted hoa.r.s.e voice and burst forth into fierce song:

"Thou base outlaw, Vile clapper-claw, Since I must sing a stave, Then, here and now, I do avow Thou art a scurvy knave!

Thy hang-dog air Doth plain declare Thou 'rt very scurvy knave.

"Rogues breed apace In each vile place, But this I will avow, Where e'er rogues be No man may see A viler rogue than thou,

Since it were vain To meet again A rogue more vile than thou.

"As rogue thou art, In every part, Then--"

"Hold there--hold!" cried Robin, stopping his ears. "Thy voice is unlovely as thy look and thy song as ill as thy voice, so do we forgive thee the rest. Ha' done thy bellowing and begone--"

"Ha--not so!" quoth Sir Pertinax. "For troth I do sing better than methought possible, and my rhyming is none so ill! So will I rhyme thy every knavish part and sing song till song and rhyme be ended. Have at thee again, base fellow!

Since rogue thou art In every part--part--

Ha, plague on't, hast put me out, rogue! I was about to hang thy every roguish part in rhyme, but my rhymes halt by reason o' thee, rogue."

"Forsooth!" laughed Robin. "Thus stickest thou, for thy part, at my every part, the which is well since I am man of parts. Thus then rhyme thou rhymes upon thyself therefore; thus, thyself rhyming rhymes of thee, thou shalt thyself, rhyming of thyself, thyself pleasure thereby, thou thus rhyming of thee, and thee, thou. Thus thy thee and thou shall be well accorded. How think'st thou?"

But Sir Pertinax, astride his charger that cropped joyously at sweet, cool gra.s.s, sat chin on fist, lost in the throes of composition, nothing heeding, even when came the ten steeds with the ten suits of armour.

Now these ten horses bare eleven riders, tall, l.u.s.ty fellows all, save one shrouded in hood and cloak and whom Jocelyn viewed with quick, keen eyes.

And thus he presently whispered Robin who, laughing slyly, made signal to his followers, whereupon, by ones and twos they stole silently away until there none remained save only Sir Pertinax who, wrestling with his muse, stared aloft under knitted brows, all unknowing, and presently brake out singing on this wise:

"All men may see A man in me, A man who feareth no man, Thus, fearless, I No danger fly--"

"Except it be a woman!" sang a soft, sweet voice hard by, in pretty mockery. Hereat Sir Pertinax started so violently that his mail clashed and he stared about him eager-eyed but, finding himself quite alone, sighed and fell to reverie.

"A woman?" said he aloud. "'Except it be a woman--'"