"Hah!" said Simon. "Is this next tale true, that this Jack o' the Toftsslew a good knight before the altar, so that the priest's mass-hackle was allwet with his blood, whereas the said priest was in the act of putting theholy body into the open mouth of the said knight?"
Christopher said eagerly: "True was it, by the Rood! and well was itdone, for that same Sir Raoul was an ugly traitor, who had knelt downwhere he died to wed the Body of the Lord to a foul lie in his mouth;whereas the man who knelt beside him he had trained to his destruction,and was even then doing the first deal of his treason by forswearing himthere."
"And that man who knelt with him there," said Simon, "what betid tohim?"
Said Christopher: "He went out of the church with Jack of the Toftsthat minute of the stroke; and to the Tofts he went with him, and abodewith him freely: and a valiant man he was...and is."
"Hah!" said Simon again. "And then there is this: that the sevensons of Jack of the Tofts bore off perforce four fair maidens of gentleblood from the castle wherein they dwelt, serving a high dame in allhonour; and that moreover, they hanged the said dame over thebattlements of her own castle. Is this true, fair sir?"
"True is it as the gospel," said Christopher: "yet many say that thehanged dame had somewhat less than her deserts; for a foul & cruel whorehad she been; and had done many to be done to death, and stood by whilethey were pined. And the like had she done with those four damsels, hadthere not been the stout sons of Jack of the Tofts; so that the dear maidenswere somewhat more than willing to be borne away."
Simon grinned: "Well, lad," said he, "I see that thou knowest Jack ofthe Tofts even better than I do; so why in the devil's name thou art loth tolead me to him, I wot not."
Christopher reddened, and held his peace awhile; then he said: "Wellfellow-farer, at least I shall know something of him ere next midnight."
"Yea," said Simon, "and shall we not come to the Tofts beforenightfall?"
"Let us essay it," said Christopher, "and do our best, it yet lacketh three hours of noon." Therewith he spurred on, for the greensward washard under the hooves, and they had yet some way to go before theyshould come amongst the trees and thickets.
Into the said wood they came, and rode all day diligently, but night fellon them before they saw either house or man or devil; then said Simon:"Why should we go any further before dawn? Will it not be best to cometo this perilous house by daylight?"
Said Christopher: "There be perils in the wood as well as in thehouse. If we lie down here, maybe Jack's folk may come upon ussleeping, and some mischance may befall us. Withal, hereabout be no wildhorses to wake thee and warn thee of thy foeman anigh. Let us press on;there is a moon, though she be somewhat hidden by clouds, andmeseemeth the way lieth clear before me; neither are we a great way fromthe Tofts."
Then Simon rode close up to Christopher, and took his rein and stayedhim, and said to him, as one who prayeth: "Young man, willest thou mydeath?"
"That is as it may be," said Christopher; "willest thou mine?"
Simon held his peace awhile, and Christopher might not see what wasin his face amidst the gathering dusk; but he twitched his rein out of thesquire's hand, as if he would hasten onward; then the squire said: "Nay, Ipray thee abide and hear a word of me."
"Speak then," said Christopher, "but hasten, for I hunger, and I wouldwe were in the hall." And therewith he laughed.
Said Simon: "Thus it is: if I go back to my lord and bear no tokenof having done his errand to Jack of the Tofts, then am I in evil case; and ifI come to the Tofts, I wot well that Jack is a man fierce of heart, and readyof hand: now, therefore, I pray thee give me thy word to be my warrant, sofar as thou mayst be, with this woodman and his sons."
At that word Christopher brake out a-laughing loudly, till all the duskwood rang with the merry sound of his fresh voice; at last he said: "Well,well, thou art but a craven to be a secret murderer: the Lord God wouldhave had an easy bargain of Cain, had he been such as thou. Come on,and do thine errand to Jack of the Tofts, and I will hold thee harmless, so far as I may. Though, sooth to say, I guessed what thine errand was, afterthe horses waked thee and put a naked sword in thine hand last night.Marry! I had no inkling of it when we left the Castle yesterday morning,but deemed thy lord needed me to do him some service. Come on then!or rather go thou on before me a pace; there, where thou seest the glimmerbetwixt the beech-trees yonder; if thou goest astray, I am anigh thee for aguide. And I say that we shall not go far without tidings."
Simon went on perforce, as he was bidden, and they rode thus a whileslowly, Christopher now and then crying, as they went: "To the right,squire! To the left! Straight on now!" and so on. But suddenly they heardvoices, and it was as if the wood had all burst out into fire, so bright a lightshone out. Christopher shouted, and hastened on to pass Simon, goingquite close to his right side thereby, and as he did so, he saw steel flashingin his hand, and turned sidling to guard him, but ere he could do aughtSimon drave a broad dagger into his side, and then turned about and fledthe way they had come, so far as he knew how.
Christopher fell from his horse at once as the stroke came home, butstraightway therewith were there men with torches round about him, adozen of them; men tall and wild-looking in the firelight; and one of them,a slim young man with long red hair falling all about his shoulders, kneltdown by him, while the others held his horse and gat his feet out of thestirrups.
The red-head laid his hand on his breast, and raised his head up till thelight of a torch fell on it, and then he cried out: "Masters, here hath beena felon; the man hath been sticked, and the deed hath to do with us; for loyou, this is none other than little Christopher of the Uttermost March, whostumbled on the Tofts last Yule, and with whom we were so merry together.Here, thou Robert of Maisey, do thy leechdom on him if he be yet living;but if he be dead, or dieth of his hurt, then do I take the feud on me, tofollow it to the utmost against the slayer; even I, David the Red, though Ibe the youngest of the sons of Jack of the Tofts. For this man I meantshould be my fellow in field and fell, ganging and galloping, in hall andhigh-place, in cot and in choir, before woman and warrior, and priest andproud-prince. Now thou Robert, how does he?"