FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101  
102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   >>   >|  
Lebanon. Bid him remember the vow he made to Andrew D'Arcy, the English knight. If any can aid you, it will be Jebal, who hates the Houses of Nur-ed-din and of Ayoub. So, I charge you, let nothing--I say nothing--turn you aside from seeking him. "Afterwards act as God shall guide you. If they still live, kill that traitor Nicholas and Hugh Lozelle, but, save in open war, spare the Emir Hassan, who did but do his duty as an Eastern reads it, and shown some mercy, for he could have slain or burnt us all. This riddle has been hard for me; yet now, in my dying hour, I seem to see its answer. I think that Saladin did not dream in vain. Keep brave hearts, for I think also that at Masyaf you will find friends, and that things will yet go well, and our sorrows bear good fruit. "What is that you said? She left you my father's sword, Wulf? Then wield it bravely, winning honour for our name. She left you the cross, Godwin? Wear it worthily, winning glory for the Lord, and salvation to your soul. Remember what you have sworn. Whate'er befall, bear no bitterness to one another. Be true to one another, and to her, your lady, so that when at the last you make your report to me before high Heaven, I may have no cause to be ashamed of you, my nephews, Godwin and Wulf." For a moment the dying man was silent, until his face lit up as with a great gladness, and he cried in a loud, clear voice, "Beloved wife, I hear you! O, God, I come!" Then though his eyes stayed open, and the smile still rested on his face, his jaw fell. Thus died Sir Andrew D'Arcy. Still kneeling on either side of him, the brethren watched the end, and, as his spirit passed, bowed their heads in prayer. "We have seen a great death," said Godwin presently. "Let us learn a lesson from it, that when our time comes we may die like him." "Ay," answered Wulf, springing to his feet, "but first let us take vengeance for it. Why, what is this? Rosamund's writing! Read it, Godwin." Godwin took the parchment and read: "Follow me to Saladin. In that hope I live on." "Surely we will follow you, Rosamund," he cried aloud. "Follow you through life to death or victory." Then he threw down the paper, and calling for the chaplain to come to watch the body, they ran into the hall. By this time about half of the folk were awake from their drugged sleep, whilst others who had been doctored by the man Ali in the barn staggered into the hall--wild-eyed, white-fa
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101  
102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Godwin

 

Follow

 

Rosamund

 
Andrew
 
winning
 

Saladin

 
watched
 

brethren

 

spirit

 

passed


gladness
 

Beloved

 

moment

 

silent

 

rested

 
stayed
 

kneeling

 

calling

 

chaplain

 
drugged

staggered

 
whilst
 

doctored

 

victory

 

springing

 

answered

 

lesson

 
prayer
 

presently

 

Surely


follow

 

parchment

 

vengeance

 

writing

 

Hassan

 

Nicholas

 

traitor

 

Lozelle

 

Eastern

 

riddle


knight

 

English

 

Lebanon

 

remember

 

Houses

 

seeking

 
Afterwards
 

charge

 

befall

 

bitterness