gave
me strength and cooled me to ice.

"Come!" I said, "you would not slay your heir; or are you going to make
room for me, Simon?" And my sword point ripped his doublet.

The answer was a thrust that ripped my coat in turn, and then followed
the rasp of our blades. It was almost dark above us now, but a lance
height from the ground the horizon was still flaming red. We could
barely see each other's blades, but guided ourselves by the little
circles of light the sword points made as they flashed hither and
thither, seeking for an opening, to slip forward like a snake's tongue.

Twice had I been touched. The first time it was a parry _en prime_
that saved me; the second time Simon had hit me on my bridle arm. It
was only a touch; but I felt the warm blood on my sleeve, and Simon
laughed like a devil.

But he mistook his man. Collecting all my strength I made so furious
an attack that I slowly drove him against the belting of trees, and
then there was a lightning thrust in tierce, a quick parry, and a
return over Simon's heart, but the point of my blade glanced from a
steel vest he wore. In glancing, however, it slipped upwards, and
catching the mask almost rent it from my brother's face, leaving it
half hanging, and almost blinding him.

In my fury I followed up the thrust with another, but with the skill
that was his alone he partly parried it, though my blade found his
sword arm, just above the elbow joint; but as Simon's now useless hand
fell to his side he saw his defeat, and, with matchless presence of
mind, drove his spurs into his horse, and dashing off at full speed was
lost to view in a moment.

It was useless to follow, though I rode a few yards after him, and
then, restraining myself, I pulled round and came back. Then I heard a
voice thank me, and Pierrebon appeared at my horse's head, as though he
had dropped from the clouds, and as I dismounted he burst forth: "Now,
praise to St. Hugo of Orrain! We have defeated the bandits."

CHAPTER VII

DIANE

Man of the world and of many experiences as I was; old courtier, who
had seen the fairest of my land in the galleries of the Tournelles, or
the salons of the Louvre, I confess that I had never seen so graceful a
figure, or heard so sweet a voice as that which thanked me now. As for
her, when I stepped up, my sword still in my hand, some thought that
she had only escaped the beak of the vulture to feel the talons of the
hawk made her shr