and fended his friends, and saved his own head more times than he could
number, and now he gave it to me who had, he said, saved more than his
life."

"And these outlandish signs and marks upon the blade?" asked Alden,
peering down at the sword.

"There, now, thou callest for another tale," replied Standish smiling
good-naturedly. "But as they seem to need us not in disemboweling yon
granary, and here we are guard against surprise from whoever may rightly
own the treasure and come to claim it, I will e'en tell thee the rest.

"Thou knowest Pastor Robinson of Leyden, though thou wast never out of
England thyself?"

"I know his fame as a pious teacher and a learned man, well beloved of
his people."

"Beloved? Ay, none more so," exclaimed Standish heartily. "I ever wished
I might see him in some great peril and prove my love by cutting down a
round dozen of his foes. And learned! Why, man, he disputed with the
most learned among their Dutch scholars openly in the big church, and
left them not a leg to stand on, or a tongue to wag. Why, 't is no more
to him to read Hebrew than for me to spell out my Bible. So then,
knowing his learning and his love of all that is old and curious, I one
day showed him my sword and asked if he could rede me fairly the
mystical texts or whatever they might be upon the blade. But mind thee I
said naught to him of any charm or amulet about it, lest I might wound
his conscience, which is tender as a maid's. Thou shouldst have seen the
dear old man, barnacles on nose, peering and peeping and muttering over
the queer device, all at one as he were a wizard himself and working
some spell. But at the last he heaved a mighty sigh, and gave me back
the sword saying, nay, he could not make out more than that there were
two legends in two different tongues and by different hands, and that
the effigies of the sun and moon and stars pointed, he feared, to
idolatrous emblems, and were not such as a Christian man might safely
deal withal. So I asked him would it be better should I have the Holy
Rood wrought above them as did the Crusaders of old, and beshrew me, but
this device seemed to please him less than the other."

"Nay, our teachers like not the look of the Cross, nor use it as our
fathers used. It savoreth of Popery, they say," interposed Alden
glancing at the captain's face for sure approval, but to his surprise he
saw it overcast and frowning.

"Thou knowest," replied he a little haughtily,