Denys, if he felt curious, would not show it; he took out two bears' ears from his bundle, and running sticks through them, began to toast them."'Twill be eating coined money," said he;"for the burgomaster of Dusseldorf had given us a rix-dollar for these ears, as proving the death of their owners; but better a lean purse than a lere stomach.""Unhappy man!" cried Gerard, "could you eat food here?""Where the fire is lighted there must the meat roast, and where it roasts there must it be eaten; for nought travels worse than your roasted meat.""Well, eat thou, Denys, an thou canst! but I am cold and sick;there is no room for hunger in my heart after what mine eyes have seen," and he shuddered over the fire."Oh! how they creak! and who is this man, I wonder? what an ill-favoured churl!"Denys examined him like a connoisseur looking at a picture, and in due course delivered judgment."I take him to be of the refuse of that company, whereof these (pointing carelessly upward) were the cream, and so ran their heads into danger.
"At that rate, why not stun him before he wakes?" and Gerard fidgeted where he sat.
Denys opened his eyes with humorous surprise."For one who sets up for a milksop you have the readiest hand.Why should two stun one?
tush! he wakes: note now what he says at waking, and tell me."These last words were hardly whispered when the watcher opened his eyes.At sight of the fire made up, and two strangers eyeing him keenly, he stared, and there was a severe and pretty successful effort to be calm; still a perceptible tremor ran all over him.
Soon he manned himself, and said gruffly."Good morrow.But at the very moment of saying it he missed his axe, and saw how Gerard was sitting upon it, with his own laid ready to his hand.He lost countenance again directly.Denys smiled grimly at this bit of byplay.
"Good morrow!" said Gerard quietly.keeping his eye on him.
The watcher was now too ill at ease to be silent."You make free with my fire," said he; but he added in a somewhat faltering voice, "you are welcome."Denys whispered Gerard.The watcher eyed them askant.
"My comrade says.sith we share your fire, you shall share his meat.""So be it," said the man warmly."I have half a kid hanging on a bush hard by, I'll go fetch it;" and he arose with a cheerful and obliging countenance, and was retiring.
Denys caught up his crossbow, and levelled it at his head.The man fell on his knees.
Denys lowered his weapon, and pointed him back to his place.He rose and went back slowly and unsteadily, like one disjointed; and sick at heart as the mouse, that the cat lets go a little way, and then darts and replaces.
"Sit down, friend," said Denys grimly, in French.
The man obeyed finger and tone, though he knew not a word of French.
"Tell him the fire is not big enough for more than thee.He will take my meaning."This being communicated by Gerard, the man grinned; ever since Denys spoke he had seemed greatly relieved."I wist not ye were strangers," said he to Gerard.
Denys cut a piece of bear's ear, and offered it with grace to him he had just levelled crossbow at.
He took it calmly, and drew a piece of bread from his wallet, and divided it with the pair.Nay, more, he winked and thrust his hand into the heap of leaves he sat on (Gerard grasped his axe ready to brain him) and produced a leathern bottle holding full two gallons.He put it to his mouth, and drank their healths, then handed it to Gerard; he passed it untouched to Denys.
"Mort de ma vie!" cried the soldier, "it is Rhenish wine, and fit for the gullet of an archbishop.Here's to thee, thou prince of good fellows, wishing thee a short life and a merry one! Come, Gerard, sup! sup! Pshaw, never heed them, man! they heed not thee.
Natheless, did I hang over such a skin of Rhenish as this, and three churls sat beneath a drinking it and offered me not a drop, I'd soon be down among them.""Denys! Denys!"
"My spirit would cut the cord, and womp would come my body amongst ye, with a hand on the bottle, and one eye winking, t'other."Gerard started up with a cry of horror and his fingers to his ears, and was running from the place, when his eye fell on the watcher's axe.The tangible danger brought him back.He sat down again on the axe with his fingers in his ears.
"Courage, l'ami, le diable est mort!" shouted Denys gaily, and offered him a piece of bear's ear, put it right under his nose as he stopped his ears.Gerard turned his head away with loathing.
"Wine!" he gasped."Heaven knows I have much need of it, with such companions as thee and - "He took a long draught of the Rhenish wine: it ran glowing through his veins, and warmed and strengthened his heart, but could not check his tremors whenever a gust of wind came.As for Denys and the other, they feasted recklessly, and plied the bottle unceasingly, and drank healths and caroused beneath that creaking sepulchre and its ghastly tenants.
"Ask him how they came here," said Denys, with his mouth full, and pointing up without looking.
On this question being interpreted to the watcher, he replied that treason had been their end, diabolical treason and priest- craft.
He then, being rendered communicative by drink, delivered a long prosy narrative, the purport of which was as follows.These honest gentlemen who now dangled here so miserably were all stout men and true, and lived in the forest by their wits.Their independence and thriving state excited the jealousy and hatred of a large portion of mankind, and many attempts were made on their lives and liberties; these the Virgin and their patron saints, coupled with their individual skill and courage constantly baffled.But yester eve a party of merchants came slowly on their mules from Dusseldorf.The honest men saw them crawling, and let them penetrate near a league into the forest, then set upon them to make them disgorge a portion of their ill-gotten gains.But alas!