H. C. Bailey

“ Bring me to the king, brother.”
Bayard stared at him. “Turn aside, flinch from the enemy, shun battle—is this what you come to tell him?”
“If you go down to battle in the Parma valley they will hold you against the mountains and crush you to dust. They are five to one and all the good ground they hold. I have seen them. Why man, it is no shame to march another road. You would not break your lance against a castle wall.”
“Name of God, I have not learnt to shun battle because the enemy are strong. When did you learn, Silvain? What has changed you? You do not speak with your own voice. ”

“ Silvain asked him if he had news of the king and the army of France. “—— a word have I heard,” said Gilbert and drank to French swords and King Charles.
“And God send him a horse with a good wind,” said Philibert.
“What sir? Is the army in retreat? I did not know that.”
“Nor did I. But I can guess. If a man goes rabbiting where wasps nest, he will soon be running.”
“Drink again, cousin,” Gilbert laughed and passed the wine along. “See your luck through the wine, it is none so black.”
“Nor is the king’s,” said Silvain. “He has won many a victory and none stand against him.” ”

“ But he marches against the army of France and I must turn my sword upon him and be his enemy.”
“Why?” said Thibaut. “France never gave you anything that you should lose all for her. Look, lord. France has sent her army to the —— but you did not choose to go with them. Then why the —— go after them now?”
“France is our mother,” Silvain said.
“Pity poor me,” Thibaut moaned. “Oh Silvain, my lord, you have an uncomfortable soul. When you go to heaven you will turn upon God to fight for the poor souls in hell.” ”

“ When the teams gave out they dragged those fourteen pieces by man power. Great lords took their share of pulling and hauling, knights who had counted it loss of honor to go afoot trudged in their armor that weary pikemen might ride. And the mass of the army labored on up the steep broken tracks from dawn to dark, straining strength and will to the uttermost.
“Do you fear yet, brother?” Bayard said. “We march like Frenchmen. Like Frenchmen we shall fight.”
“It is an army,” Silvain smiled and tossed back his fair hair and looked up at the peaks of the Apennines. ”

“ It makes you enemies.”
“I live my life, brother,” Silvain smiled. “No matter for me. Who leads the army? Not you nor I. Your little king? He will be a child all his days. He is in the hands of men who send him to war that they may fill their pockets.”
“I must not hear this,” Bayard said coldly. “This is treason.”
“What? To say that Etienne’s men are brigands? You heard them boast of it. To say that Etienne takes bribes from the king’s enemies? The marshal told him so before the king’s face and he had no answer. Who leads the army? ”

“ For we must march and march fast or the rogues will gather and hold the passes against us and we shall be trapped in the mountains and never win out.
“Name of God, how can the man be false? He bids us march on to France and march fast and that is right soldierly reason. But if a man says there is nothing to fear and we can wait and take our ease, I hear Italian gold clink in his pockets.” He looked with a sneering smile at Etienne and Gilbert. “To the —— with all traitors. This knight is true!” he clapped Silvain on the shoulder. “Let us march, my lord!” ”

“ Our heads are high, and our hearts. By Our Lady, we have a right to go proud. All is won that we marched to win. We have given our king a new realm and wide dominion. Our Lord Charles is anointed King of Naples and Emperor of the East and King of Jerusalem. He has put on the robe and crown of Byzant.”
“And sovereignty of dreams,” Silvain said. “And now you turn back to France. How many men have you left behind, Bayard?”
“There are twelve thousand holding Naples,” said Bayard.
Silvain turned in the saddle and looked back down the column of march and crossed himself and murmured a prayer. ”

“ Bayard cried.
One thing Silvain had forgotten, the desire of men to save themselves. What was said in council in that army was not long secret and when that story of a league of enemies passed through the ranks every man was zealous to push on into safety. The marshal had no need to drive them though he drove hard and they marched through the Italian summer, ruthless to themselves and their horses, unwearying. ”

“ Though the castle hall was covered with a low roof of planks and shut in by a patchwork of curtains, something between a hut and a tent, it had rich furniture and plate and the tables were laden with spiced meats and all the wines of Lombardy.
“Do we not live like kings, brother?” Gilbert chuckled with his mouth full of ortolan, and Silvain said that King Charles had no better fare.
“He has worse, I swear,” said Philibert de la Vire. “Well, a man must take what he earns.” ”

“ Suddenly Silvain checked.
“They have a captain there, brother,” he said loudly. “He will hold us here till we have worn out our strength. And then we are meat for his supper. Here we stay waiting till he is ready to eat us and there is the road to France.” He pointed to the other fork of the valley across the Italian front.
After a first grimace of horror Messire Thibaut took his cue. “By my bones, it is time to go,” he grinned. “We should be off with the baggage and leave the noble knights to fight it out behind us.” ”

“ Men are not all fools.”
Gilbert struck in quickly to make peace. Between more wine and gross stories and coarse songs Silvain heard some of Gilbert’s philosophy. Italy was a —— good country if a man knew how to use it. But that way was not the king’s way of marching with an army. Nothing in that but glory and smoke as Cousin Philibert said. But a brisk company watching the high roads could make a duke’s ransom every week. No such country as Italy for fat merchants’ caravans and fine lords and ladies who had guards that would not fight. ”

“ You will need every sword.”
“Your heart is heavy, brother. What do you fear? There are no troops in Italy will stand against a French charge. We shall win great glory of this host.”
There rose up before Silvain a vision of Philibert’s low brow and his little gloomy eyes and he heard Philibert’s growl—
“What has he won, poor loon? Glory and smoke.”
Bayard looked at him curiously. “What is in your mind? It is not like you to go sad upon danger.”
“I think of the men about the king. When I told you of danger, your heart was glad. But there was no joy in that tent, Bayard.” ”

“ I pray you do him honor, for he has won this battle.”
The marshal frowned, the marshal stared.
The king tossed his big head and cried out:
“Who leads this army then? It seems I do not know. I thought it was the king of France.”
“Silvain de St. Lo?” the marshal growled. “Are you mad? That is the knave who brought us into this Italian trap. Why man, he is false as ——. It was he who set the baggage train in flight, telling the fools to save themselves for all was lost. Body of God, if we are not betrayed, no fault of his for he has worked hard enough.” ”

“ So have I seen a man when the shadow of death fell cold upon him.”
But Silvain pushed on fast and came through the Apennines and beyond Pisa and there in the country by the sea saw the banners of the French army.
He was kneeling by a wayside shrine to give thanks when horsemen rode out from the vanguard and challenged him and brought him to their captain.
⁠A KNIGHT who sat tall on a great charger shaded his eyes to look.
Silvain cried out “Bayard!” and galloped on. “I said in my heart that it would be you, brother. There is none but Bayard to lead the vanguard of France.” ”

“ He turned away on a rough track steering by the stars and the loom of the mountain peaks and climbed for a high pass which the road forsook to find an easier way by a long circuit. When he saw below him again after many a mile the gray band of the road on a black shoulder of mountain he halted and listened and after a little heard the beat of hoofs. ”

“ Who sent him?”
⁠A LOOSE-MADE man thrust forward. Silvain saw the red face of Gilbert du Marais grin at him.
“I can tell you that, Sir Etienne,” Gilbert cried. “This knight spied upon us when we laid an ambush to seize the Lady of Mantua to be a hostage for her lord and brought the Mantuans down upon us and delivered her. But for him we should have had her safe and my lord of Mantua would not dare to lead his league against France.”
“Why, the man is a traitor!” cried Etienne.
“He fights for Mantua, not France. Bear me witness, Philibert.” Gilbert turned and thrust his cousin forward. ”

“ We will be off with the dawn and march round them and they shall never see any of us but our dust. The —— speed them, we can outmarch all Italy once we are down in the plain.”
He bustled off into the king’s tent again.
Silvain turned to find Thibaut at his elbow.
“How is it with him, lord?” Thibaut croaked.
“He trusts me, brother. He is for Fornovo. He has gone now to the King. He will have his way. He knows what he wants, and that is to save himself.”
“Pity me, so do I. We are not all Bayards, lord. That is a mad knight. But I know one who is madder.” ”

“ It is a wild youth,” Taddeo smiled indulgently. “He must wear out many a horse. He ranges to and fro like a dog. But I do not fear to trust him.”
“That is gracious,” said the lady. “Then you will give me leave to speak with him? Bid him come.”
But Silvain did not come. He was resolved that the lady should fall into no other ambush and he rode far ahead of Taddeo’s stolid column, searching the ground. It was not till the walls of Mantua were in sight that he halted beside the road and waited for her litter. From the town where her family ruled a troop was riding out to meet her. ”

“ I am a dead man else. Turn, man, death and the ——, he is but one.” So Gilbert, spitting and swearing and struggling to get free from his fallen horse.
Philibert halted and looked back and turned and rode at Silvain, bending low in the saddle, a little man hidden behind his horse’s neck holding his sword like a lance. So he rushed on, but Silvain going easily leaned out of the saddle as he came and his sword sliding along Philibert’s sword held it off and went into Philibert’s neck between helmet and breastplate and pierced him through and through and thrust him from his horse. ”

“ Taddeo and all his unmounted men, who had pikes and swords, and the baggage and some of the horsemen kept the road. Silvain picked out a dozen who were young and well mounted and led them off by the way he had come through the hills.
⁠SO THE sentries of Gilbert and Philibert saw at last the expected Mantuan company. It marched with a couple of horsemen ahead, a guard of horsemen in the rear, and in the midst a long train of mules and litters with pikemen marching on either side. There beyond doubt was the lady Isabella. The first horsemen were suffered to pass. ”