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The Sword Maker by Robert Barr

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"Oh, Guardian, what an imagination is yours! I am sure his Lordship of
Mayence will never forgive me."

"His Lordship of Mayence, my dear, is in a dilemma from which no one
except yourself can extricate him."

"His own cleverness will extricate him."

"Perhaps. Still, I'm not troubling about him. My thoughts are much too
selfish for that. I wish you to lift me from _my_ uncertainty."

"You mean about Prince Roland? I shall do whatever you ask of me."

"I place no command, but I proffer a suggestion."

"It shall be a command, nevertheless."

"We have left your own prison far behind, and are approaching that of
Prince Roland. To the door of that detaining Castle I propose to lead
you. I am forbidden by my compact with the other Electors to see Prince
Roland or to hold any communication with him. The custodian of the
Castle, who knows me well, will not refuse any request I make, even if I
ask to see the young man himself. He will therefore not hesitate to
admit you when I require him to do so. To take away any taint of
surreptitiousness about my action, interfering, as one might say, with
another man's house, I shall this evening write to the Archbishop of
Mayence, tell him exactly what I have done, and why."

"Do you intend, then, that I should see Prince Roland and talk with
him?"

"Yes."

"My dear Guardian!" cried the girl, her face flushing red, "what on
earth can I say to him? How am I to excuse my intrusion?"

"A prisoner, I fancy, does not resent intrusion, especially if the
intruder is--" The old man smiled as he looked at the girl, whose blush
grew deeper and deeper; then, seeing her confusion, he added: "There are
many things to say. Introduce yourself as the ward of his Lordship of
Cologne; reveal that your guardian has confided to you that Prince
Roland is to be the future Emperor; ask for some assurance from him that
the property descending to you from your ancestors shall not be
molested; or perhaps, better still, with the same introduction, tell him
the story of Father Ambrose. Add that this has disquieted you: demand
the truth, hearken to what the youth says for himself, thank him, and
withdraw. It needs no long conversation, though I am prepared to hear
that he wished to lengthen your stay. I am certain that five minutes
face to face with him will completely overturn all Father Ambrose has
said to his disparagement, and a few simple words from him will probably
dispel the whole mystery. If someone is personating him in Frankfort it
is more than likely he knows who it is."

They traveled a generous furlong together in silence, the girl's head
bowed and her brow troubled. At last, as if with an effort, she cleared
doubt away, and raised her head.

"I will do it," she said decisively.

The Archbishop heaved a deep sigh of relief. He knew now he was out of
the wood.

"Is this Assmannshausen we are coming to?" she asked, as if to hint that
the subject on which they had talked so earnestly was finally done with.

"No; this is Lorch, and that is the Castle of Nollich standing above
it."

"I hope," said the girl, with a sigh of weariness, "that no English
Princess about to marry an Emperor lodged there, or no Englishman who
was to become an Emperor--"

The Archbishop interrupted the plaint with a hearty laugh, the first he
had enjoyed for several days.

"The English seem an interfering race," she went on. "I wish they would
attend to their own affairs."

"Nollich is uncontaminated," said the Archbishop, "though in olden days
a reckless knight on horseback rode up to secure his lady-love, and I
believe rode down again with her, and his route is still called the
Devil's Ladder."

"Did the marriage turn out so badly?"

"No; I believe they lived happily ever after; but the ascent was so
cliff-like that mountain sprites are supposed to have given their
assistance."

"How much farther is Assmannshausen?"

"Less than two leagues. We will stop there and refresh ourselves. Are
you tired?"

"Oh no; not in the least. I merely wish the ordeal was past."

"You are a brave girl, Hildegunde."

"I am anything but that, Guardian. Still, do not fear I shall flinch."

After partaking of the midday meal at Assmannshausen, the Countess
proposed that they should leave their horses in the stable, and walk the
short third of a league to Ehrenfels, and to this her guardian agreed.

He found more difficulty with the custodian than had been expected. The
man objected, trembling. Without a written order from his master he dare
not allow any one to visit the prisoner. He would be delighted to oblige
his Lordship of Cologne, but he was merely a poor wretch who had no
option in the matter.

"Very well," said Cologne. "I have just come from your master, who is
stopping with my brother Treves at Stolzenfels. If you persist I must
then request lodgings from you until such time as a speedy messenger can
bring your master hither. This journey may cause him great
inconvenience, and should such be the case, I fear you will fare ill
with him."

"That may be, my Lord, but I must do my duty."

"Are you sure you have already done it on all occasions?" asked the
Archbishop severely.

The man's face became ghastly in its pallor.

"I don't know what you mean, my Lord."

"Then I will quickly tell you what I mean. It is rumored that Prince
Roland has been seen on the streets of Frankfort."

"How--how could that be, my Lord?"

"That is exactly what I wish to know. I believe the Prince is not in
your custody."

"I assure you, my Lord," said the now thoroughly frightened man, "that
his Highness is in his room."

"Very well; then conduct this lady thither. Although she does not know
the Prince, a relative of hers who does asserts that he met his Highness
in Frankfort. I said this was impossible if you had done that duty you
prate so much about. The lady merely wishes to ask him for some
explanation of this affair, so make your choice. Shall she go up with
you now, or must I send for the other two Archbishops?"

There was but one comforting phrase in this remark, namely, that the
lady did not know the Prince. Still, it was a dreadful risk, yet the
custodian hesitated no longer. He took down a bunch of keys, and asked
the Countess to follow him. Ascending the stair, he unlocked the door,
and stood aside for the Countess to pass through.

Some one with wildly tousled hair sat sprawling in a chair; arms on the
table, and head sunk forward down upon them. A full tankard of wine
within his reach, and a flagon had been overset, sluicing the table with
its contents, which still fell drip, drip, drip, to the floor.

The young man raised his head, aroused by the harsh unlocking of the
door, and with the crash it made as his father flung it hard against the
stone wall for the purpose of giving him warning, but the youth was in
no condition to profit by this thoughtfulness, nor to understand the
signals his father made from behind the frightened girl. He clutched
wildly at the overturned flagon, and with an oath cried:

"Bring me more wine, you old--"

Staggering to his feet, he threw the flagon wide, then slipped on the
spilled wine and fell heavily to the floor, roaring defiance at the
world.

The panic-stricken girl shrank back, crying to the jailer:

"Let me out! Close the door quickly, and lock it!" an order obeyed with
alacrity.

When Hildegunde emerged to the court her guardian asked no question. The
horror in her face told all.

"I am sorry, my Lord," said the cringing custodian, "but his Highness is
drunk."

"Does this--does this happen often?"

"Alas! yes, my Lord."

"Poor lad, poor lad! The sins of the fathers shall be visited on the
children to the third and fourth generation. Hildegunde, forgive me. Let
us away and forget it all."

The next morning the Countess began her imprisonment in Pfalz.




XV

JOURNEYS END IN LOVERS' MEETING


Roland slept until the sun was about an hour high over the western
hills. He found the captain waiting patiently for him to awake, and then
that useful martinet instantly set his crew at tying up the bales which
had been torn open, placing them once more in the hold. He was about to
do the same with the weapons captured from Furstenberg, but Greusel
stepped forward, and asked him to put pikes, battle-axes, and the long
swords into the cabin.

Roland nodded his approval, saying:

"They may prove useful instruments in case of an attack on the barge.
Our own swords are just a trifle short for adding interest to an
assault."

When once more the hatches were down, and the deck clear, supper was
served. Shortly after sunset, Roland told the captain to cast off,
directing him to keep to the eastern shore, passing between what might
be called the marine Castle of Pfalz and the village of Caub, with the
strictest silence he could enjoin upon his crew. Pfalz stands upon a
rock in the Rhine, a short distance up the river from Caub, while above
that village on the hill behind are situated the strong, square towers
of Gutenfels.

"Don't you intend to pay a call upon Pfalzgrafenstein?" asked Ebearhard.
"It is notoriously the most pestilent robber's nest between Mayence and
Cologne."

"No," said Roland. "On this occasion Pfalz shall escape. You see,
Ebearhard, on our first trip down the Rhine it is not my intention to
fight if I can avoid conflict. The plan which proved successful with the
four castles we have visited is impossible so far as Pfalz is concerned.
If we attempted to enter this waterschloss by stealth, we would be
discovered by those levying contributions on the barge. There is no
cover to conceal us, so I shall give Pfalz the go-by, and also
Gutenfels, because the latter is not a robber castle, but is owned by
the Count Palatine, a true gentleman and no thief. The next object of
our attentions will be Schonburg, on the western side of the river, near
Oberwesel."

As the grotesque, hexagonal bulk of the Pfalz, with its numerous jutting
corners and turrets, and over all the pentagonal tower, appeared dimly
in the center of the Rhine, under the clear stars, the captain ordered
his men to lie flat on the deck, himself following their example. Roland
and his company were already seated in the cabin, and the great barge,
lying so low in the water as to be almost invisible with its black
paint, floated noiseless as a dream down the swift current.

Without the slightest warning came a shock, and every man on the lockers
was flung to the floor of the cabin, with cries of dismay, for too well
they recognized the preliminary to their disasters of the night before.
Roland sprang up on deck, and found the boat swinging round broadside to
the current, which had swept it so near to the Castle that at first it
seemed to have struck against one of the outlying rocks. The fantastic
form of the Pfalz hung over them, looking like some weird building seen
in a nightmare, its sharp, pointed pinnacles outlined against the
starlit sky.

The captain, muttering sonorous German oaths, ordered his men to the
sweeps, but Roland saw at once that they were too close to the ledge of
rock for any chance of escape. He hurried down into the cabin.

"Every man his sword, and follow me as silently as possible!"

Up on deck again, Roland said to the captain:

"Let your rowers help the chain to bring the barge alongside, but when
the robbers appear, pretend to be getting away, although you must
instantly obey them when ordered to cease your efforts."

The prow of the boat ground against the solid rock, jammed in between
the stout chain and the low cliff. Roland was the first to spring
ashore, and the rest nimbly followed him. With every motion of the barge
the bell inside the Castle rang, and now they could hear the bestirring
of the garrison, and clashing of metal, although the single door of the
Pfalz had not yet been opened. This door stood six feet above the
plateau of rock, and could be entered or quitted only by means of a
ladder.

Roland led his men to a place of effective concealment along the western
wall of the Pfalz, only just in time, for as he peered round the corner,
his men standing back against the wall to the rear, he saw the flash of
torches from the now-open door, and the placing of a stout ladder at a
steep angle between the threshold and the floor of rock below. Most of
the garrison, however, did not wait for this convenience, but leaped
impetuously from doorway to rock. Others slid down the ladder, and all
rushed headlong towards the barge, which made its presence known by the
grinding of its side against the rock, and also by the despairing orders
of the captain, and the hurrying footsteps of his men on deck.

More leisurely down the ladder came two officers, followed by one whom
Roland recognized as lord of the Castle, Pfalzgraf Hermann von Stahleck,
a namesake and relative of the Laughing Baron of Furstenberg, and quite
as ruthless a robber as he.

"Cease your efforts at the prow," shouted the Pfalzgraf to the captain
when he had descended the ladder, "and concentrate your force at the
stern, swinging your boat round broadside on to the landing."

The captain obeyed, and presently the boat lay in such position as the
nobleman desired. Now there was a great commotion as, at a word from the
Pfalzgraf, the garrison fell on the barge, and began to wrench off the
hatches, a task which they well knew how to perform.

"Follow as quietly as possible," whispered Roland to the two lieutenants
behind him, who, under their breath, passed on word to the men. Roland
ran nimbly up the ladder. No guard was set where none had ever been
needed before. Greusel was the last to ascend, then the ladder was
pulled up, and the massive door swung shut, bolted and chained.

The invaders found torches stuck here and there along the wall, and the
picturesque courtyard, with its irregular balconies and stairways,
seemed, in the flickering light, more spacious than was actually the
case.

Although for the moment in safety, Roland experienced a sense of
imprisonment as he gazed round the narrow limits of this enclosure. He
had endeavored to count the number of men who followed the Pfalzgraf,
but their impetuosity in seeking the barge prevented an accurate
estimate, although he knew there were more than double the force that
obeyed him, and therefore it would be suicidal to lead his untrained
coterie against the seasoned warriors of Stahleck.

He ordered Greusel to take with him six men, and search the Castle,
bringing into the courtyard whomsoever they might find; also to discover
whether any window existed that looked out upon the eastern
landing-place. The remainder of his men he grouped at the door, under
command of Ebearhard.

"I fear, Ebearhard," he said, "that I boasted prematurely in thinking
good luck would attend me now that I lead what appears to be an obedient
following. Here we are in a trap, and unless we can escape through
rat-holes, I admit that I fail to see for the moment how we are to get
safely afloat again."

"We are in better fettle than the Pfalzgraf and his men outside,"
returned Ebearhard, "because this fortress is doubtless well supplied
with provisions, and is considered impregnable, while the Pfalzgraf's
impetuous chaps, who did not know enough to stay in comfortable quarters
when they had them, are without shelter and without food. You have
certainly done the best you could in the circumstances, and for those
circumstances you are free of blame, since, not being a wizard, you
could scarcely know of the chain."

"Indeed, Ebearhard, it is just in that respect I blame myself,
neglecting your own good example, who discovered the chain at
Furstenberg. This trap is a new invention, and, so far as I know, has
never before been attempted on the Rhine. I might have remembered that
Stahleck here is cousin to the Red Margrave, who likely has told him of
the device. Indeed, the chances are that Stahleck himself was the
contriver of the chain, for he seems a man of much more craft and
intelligence than that huge, laughing animal farther up the river. I
should have ordered the captain to tie up against the eastern bank, and
then sent some men in a small boat to learn if the way was clear. No,
Ebearhard, I blame myself for this muddle, and, through anxiety to pass
the Pfalz, I have landed myself and my men within its walls. I must pace
this courtyard for a time, and ponder what next to do. Go you,
Ebearhard, with the men to the door. Allow no talking or noise. Listen
intently, and report to me if you hear anything. You see, Ebearhard, the
devil of it is that Stahleck, like his cousin with Cologne, swears
allegiance to the Archbishop of Mayence, and here am I, after destroying
the fief of one Archbishop, securely snared in the fief of another. I
fear their Lordships' next meeting with me will not pass off so amicably
as did the last."

"_Next_ meeting?" cried Ebearhard in astonishment; "have you ever met
the Archbishops?"

Roland gasped, realizing that his absorption in one subject had nearly
caused him to betray his momentous secret.

"Ah, I remember," continued Ebearhard. "It was on account of the
Archbishop's presence in Bonn that you returned from that town when
first you journeyed up the Rhine."

"Yes," said Roland, with relief.

"It seems to me," went on Ebearhard consolingly, "that even if we may
not leave the Castle, at least the Pfalzgraf cannot penetrate into the
stronghold, therefore we are safe enough."

"Not so, Ebearhard," replied his chief. "The Pfalzgraf has the barge,
remember, and it can carry his whole force to Caub or elsewhere,
returning with ample provisions and siege instruments that will batter
in the door despite all we can do. Nevertheless, let us keep up our
hearts. Get you to the gate, Ebearhard. I must have time to think before
Greusel returns."

Alone, with bent head, he paced back and forwards across the courtyard
under the wavering light of the torches. Very speedily he concluded that
no plan could be formed until Greusel made his report regarding the
intricacies of the Castle.

"My luck is against me! My luck is against me!" he said aloud to
himself, as if the sound of his own voice might suggest some way out of
the difficulty.

"Luck always turns against a thief and a marauder," said a sweet and
clear voice behind him; "and how can it be otherwise, when the
gallows-tree stands at the end of his journey."

Roland stopped in his walk, and turned abruptly towards the sound. He
saw standing there, just descended from the stairway at her back, one
quite evidently a lady; not more than eighteen, perhaps, but
nevertheless with a flash of defiance in her somber eyes, which were
bent fearlessly upon him. The two tirewomen accompanying her shrank
timorously to the background, palpably panic-stricken, and ready to
faint with fright.

"Ah, Madam, how came you here?" cried Roland, ignoring her insulting
words, too much surprised by her beauty of face and form to think of
aught else.

"I came here, because your bully upstairs hammered at my door and bade
me open, which I would not do, defying him to break it down if he had
the power. It so happened that he possessed the power, and used it."

"I deeply regret that you should have been disturbed, Madam. My
lieutenant erred through over-zeal, and I ask your pardon for the
offense."

The girl laughed.

"Why, sir, you are the politest of pirates, but, indeed, your lieutenant
seems a harsh man. Without even removing his bonnet, he commanded me to
betake myself to the courtyard and report to his chief, which obediently
I have done."

"I did not guess that women inhabited this robber's nest. My lieutenant
is searching for men in hiding, so please accept my assurance that you
will suffer no further annoyance. You are surely not alone in this
house?"

"Oh no. Her ladyship the Pfalzgraf's wife, and her entourage, have
sought shelter in another part of the Castle, and presently they will
all troop down here, prisoners to your most ungallant subordinate; that
is, should their doors prove no stouter than mine, or if your furious
men have not dislocated their shoulders."

"How came you to be absent from her ladyship's party?"

"Because, urbane pirate captain, I am an unwilling prisoner in this
stronghold, being an obstreperous person, who refused to obey my
superiors; those set in authority over me. Consequently am I immured in
this dismal dungeon of the water-rats, and thus, youthful pirate, I
welcome even so red-handed an outlaw as yourself."

"Then are we in like case, my lady of midnight beauty, for I, too, am a
prisoner in Pfalzgrafenstein, and, when you came, was cogitating some
plan of escape. Therefore, rebellious maiden, the sword of this
red-handed freebooter is most completely at your service," and the
speaker once more doffed his bonnet with a gallant sweep that caused the
plume to kiss the flagstones at his feet, and he bowed low to the brave
girl who had shown no fear of him.




XVI

MY LADY SCATTERS THE FREEBOOTERS AND CAPTURES THEIR CHIEF


Greusel appeared on one of the balconies, and called down to his leader.

"There are," he said, "a number of women in the western rooms of the
Castle. They have bolted their doors, but tell me that the rooms contain
the Pfalzgravine von Stahleck and other noble ladies, with their
tirewomen. What am I to do?"

"Place a guard in the corridor, Greusel, to make sure that these ladies
communicate with no one outside the fortress."

"I thought it well," explained Greusel, "not to break in the doors
without definite instructions from you to that effect."

"Quite right. Tell the ladies we will not molest them."

"You molested me!" cried the handsome girl in the courtyard, her dark
eyes flashing in the glow of the torches.

"This person," said the unemotional Greusel, betraying no eye for
beauty, "called us every uncomplimentary name she could think of. We
were the scum of the earth, according to her account."

The girl laughed scornfully.

"But I would not have dislodged her," continued Greusel, unperturbed,
"had she not said there was a window in her room, which is on the
eastern side of the Castle, overlooking the operations of the Pfalzgraf
on the barge, and she proclaimed her determination to warn Stahleck that
his Castle was filled with freebooters, as soon as she could make her
voice heard above the din at the landing. Therefore I broke in the door,
ordering her and the tirewomen to descend to the courtyard. On examining
her room I find there is no such window as she described, and she could
not communicate with the Count, so I advise that you send her back
again."

Once more the young lady laughed, and exclaimed:

"I could not break down the door for myself, so compelled you and your
clods to do it. I am immured here; a reluctant captive. You will not
have me sent back to my cell, I hope, Commander?"

"No; if you are really my fellow-prisoner, and not one of the enemy."

"She may be deluding you also," warned Greusel.

"I will take the risk of that," replied Roland, smiling at the girl, who
smiled back at him. She had a will of her own, but seemed sensitively
responsive to fair treatment.

"Are there any men-servants?" asked Roland.

"Only three, and they are tottering with age," replied Greusel, "more
frightened than the women themselves. Nevertheless, one of the retainers
is important, being, as he told me, keeper of the treasure-house. I
relieved him of his keys, and find that the strong-room is well supplied
with bags of gold. 'Twill be the richest haul yet, excepting our two
barrels of coin from--"

"Hush, hush!" cried Roland. "Mention no names. Did you discover any
other exit excepting the door by which we entered?"

"No; but at the northern end there is a window through which a man of
ordinary size might pass. It is, however, high above the rocks, and I
discern floating in the tide a fleet of small boats."

"Ah," said Roland, "that is important."

"Taken in conjunction with the gold, most amiable robber," suggested the
girl.

"Taken in conjunction with the gold," repeated Roland, smiling again;
and adding, "Taken also in conjunction with a lady who, if I understand
her, wishes to escape from the Pfalz."

"You are right," agreed the young girl archly. "Do I receive a share of
the money?"

"Yes; if you join our band."

"Oh!" she cried, with a pout of feigned disappointment, "I thought you
had already accepted me as a member. And what am I to call my new
overlord, who acquires wealth so successfully that he does not wish the
amount mentioned, or the place from which it was taken specified?"

"My name is Roland. Will you consent to a fair exchange?"

"I am called Hilda by my friends."

"Then, Hilda," said the young man, looking at her with admiration, "I
welcome you as one of my lieutenants."

"One, indeed!" she exclaimed, with affected indignation. "I shall be
first lieutenant or nothing."

"Up to this moment Herr Joseph Greusel, who so unceremoniously made your
acquaintance, has been my chief lieutenant, but I willingly depose him,
and give you his place."

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