惊婚记 英文版 Quentin Durward
瓦尔特.司各特 Sir Walter Scott
CHAPTER XXXVII: THE SALLY Page 1
He look'd, and saw what numbers numberlessThe city gates outpour'd.
PARADISE REGAINED
A dead silence soon reigned over that great host which lay in leaguerbefore Liege. For a long time the cries of the soldiers repeatingtheir signals, and seeking to join their several banners, soundedlike the howling of bewildered dogs seeking their masters. But atlength, overcome with weariness by the fatigues of the day, thedispersed soldiers crowded under such shelter as they could meetwith, and those who could find none sunk down through very fatigueunder walls, hedges, and such temporary protection, there to awaitfor morning -- a morning which some of them were never to behold.A dead sleep fell on almost all, excepting those who kept a faintand wary watch by the lodgings of the King and the Duke. The dangersand hopes of the morrow -- even the schemes of glory which many ofthe young nobility had founded upon the splendid prize held out tohim who should avenge the murdered Bishop of Liege -- glided fromtheir recollection as they lay stupefied with fatigue and sleep.But not so with Quentin Durward. The knowledge that he alone waspossessed of the means of distinguishing La Marck in the contest-- the recollection by whom that information had been communicated,and the fair augury which might be drawn from her conveying itto him -- the thought that his fortune had brought him to a mostperilous and doubtful crisis indeed, but one where there was still,at least, a chance of his coming off triumphant -- banished everydesire to sleep and strung his nerves with vigour which defiedfatigue.
Posted, by the King's express order, on the extreme point betweenthe French quarters and the town, a good way to the right of thesuburb which we have mentioned, he sharpened his eye to penetratethe mass which lay before him, and excited his ears to catch theslightest sound which might announce any commotion in the beleagueredcity. But its huge clocks had successively knelled three hoursafter midnight, and all continued still and silent as the grave.
At length, and just when Quentin began to think the attack would bedeferred till daybreak, and joyfully recollected that there wouldbe then light enough to descry the Bar Sinister across the Fleur delis of Orleans, he thought he heard in the city a humming murmur,like that of disturbed bees mustering for the defence of their hives.He listened -- the noise continued, but it was of a character soundistinguished by any peculiar or precise sound, that it might bethe murmur of a wind arising among the boughs of a distant grove,or perhaps some stream, swollen by the late rain, which was dischargingitself into the sluggish Maes with more than usual clamour. Quentinwas prevented by these considerations from instantly giving thealarm, which, if done carelessly, would have been a heavy offence.But, when the noise rose louder, and seemed pouring at the sametime towards his own post, and towards the suburb, he deemed ithis duty to fall back as silently as possible and call his uncle,who commanded the small body of Archers destined to his support.All were on their feet in a moment, and with as little noise aspossible. In less than a second Lord Crawford was at their head,and, dispatching an Archer to alarm the King and his household,drew back his little party to some distance behind their watchfire,that they might not be seen by its light. The rushing sound, whichhad approached them more nearly, seemed suddenly to have ceased,but they still heard distinctly the more distant heavy tread of alarge body of men approaching the suburb.
"The lazy Burgundians are asleep on their post," whispered Crawford;"make for the suburb, Cunningham, and awaken the stupid oxen."
lose thee for two and a plack(an homely Scottish expression for something you value)."things brook no substitution." Then turning on hissaddle?
"Keep well to the rear as you go," said Durward; "if ever I heardthe tread of mortal men, there is a strong body interposed betweenus and the suburb."
"Well said, Quentin, my dainty callant," said Crawford; "thou arta soldier beyond thy years. They only made halt till the otherscome forward. -- I would I had some knowledge where they are!"
"I will creep forward, my Lord," said Quentin, "and endeavour tobring you information."
"Do so, my bonny chield; thou hast sharp ears and eyes, and goodwill -- but take heed -- I would not lose thee for two and a plack(an homely Scottish expression for something you value)."
Quentin, with his harquebuss ready prepared, stole forward, throughground which he had reconnoitred carefully in the twilight of thepreceding evening, until he was not only certain that he was in theneighbourhood of a very large body of men, who were standing fastbetwixt the King's quarters and the suburbs, but also that therewas a detached party of smaller number in advance, and very closeto him. They seemed to whisper together, as if uncertain what to donext. At last the steps of two or three Enfans perdus (literally,lost children), detached from that smaller party, approached himso near as twice a pike's length. Seeing it impossible to retreatundiscovered, Quentin called out aloud, "Qui vive? (who goes there?)"and was answered, by "Vive Li -- Li -- ege -- c'est a dire (thatis to say)" (added he who spoke, correcting himself), "Vive -- laFrance!"
Quentin instantly fired his harquebuss -- a man groaned and fell,and he himself, under the instant but vague discharge of a numberof pieces, the fire of which ran in a disorderly manner along thecolumn, and showed it to be very numerous, hastened back to themain guard.
"Admirably done, my brave boy!" said Crawford. "Now, callants,draw in within the courtyard -- they are too many to mell with inthe open field."
They drew within the courtyard and garden accordingly, where theyfound all in great order and the King prepared to mount his horse.
"Whither away, Sire!" said Crawford; "you are safest here with yourown people."
"Not so," said Louis, "I must instantly to the Duke. He must beconvinced of our good faith at this critical moment, or we shallhave both Liegeois and Burgundians upon us at once."
And, springing on his horse, he bade Dunois command the Frenchtroops without the house, and Crawford the Archer Guard and otherhousehold troops to defend the lusthaus and its enclosures. Hecommanded them to bring up two sakers and as many falconets (piecesof cannon for the field), which had been left about half a mile inthe rear; and, in the meantime, to make good their posts, but byno means to advance, whatever success they might obtain; and havinggiven these orders, he rode off, with a small escort, to the Duke'squarters. The delay which permitted these arrangements to be carriedfully into effect was owing to Quentin's having fortunately shotthe proprietor of the house, who acted as guide to the columnwhich was designed to attack it, and whose attack, had it been madeinstantly, might have had a chance of being successful.
Durward, who, by the King's order, attended him to the Duke's, foundthe latter in a state of choleric distemperature, which almostprevented his discharging the duties of a general, which werenever more necessary; for, besides the noise of a close and furiouscombat which had now taken place in the suburb upon the left oftheir whole army -- besides the attack upon the King's quarters,which was fiercely maintained in the centre -- a third columnof Liegeois, of even superior numbers, had filed out from a moredistant breach, and, marching by lanes, vineyards, and passes knownto themselves, had fallen upon the right flank of the Burgundianarmy, who, alarmed at their war cries of Vive la France! and DenisMontjoie! which mingled with those of Liege! and Rouge Sanglier! andat the idea thus inspired, of treachery on the part of the Frenchconfederates, made a very desultory and imperfect resistance; whilethe Duke, foaming and swearing and cursing his liege Lord and allthat belonged to him, called out to shoot with bow and gun on allthat was French whether black or white, -- alluding to the sleeveswith which Louis's soldiers had designated themselves.
The arrival of the King, attended only by Le Balafre and Quentinand half a score of Archers, restored confidence between France andBurgundy. D'Hymbercourt, Crevecoeur, and others of the Burgundianleaders, whose names were then the praise and dread of war, rusheddevotedly into the conflict; and, while some commanders hastened tobring up more distant troops, to whom the panic had not extended,others threw themselves into the tumult, reanimated the instinctof discipline, and while the Duke toiled in the front, shouting,hacking, and hewing, like an ordinary man at arms, brought theirmen by degrees into array, and dismayed the assailants by the useof their artillery. The conduct of Louis, on the other hand, wasthat of a calm, collected, sagacious leader, who neither sought noravoided danger, but showed so much self possession and sagacity,that the Burgundian leaders readily obeyed the orders which heissued.
The scene was now become in the utmost degree animated and horrible.On the left the suburb, after a fierce contest, had been set onfire, and a wide and dreadful conflagration did not prevent theburning ruins from being still disputed. On the centre, the Frenchtroops, though pressed by immense odds, kept up so close andconstant a fire, that the little pleasure house shone bright withthe glancing flashes, as if surrounded with a martyr's crown offlames. On the left, the battle swayed backwards and forwards, withvaried success, as fresh reinforcements poured out of the town,or were brought forward from the rear of the Burgundian host; andthe strife continued with unremitting fury for three mortal hours,which at length brought the dawn, so much desired by the besiegers.The enemy, at this period, seemed to be slackening their effortsupon the right and in the centre, and several discharges of cannonwere heard from the lusthaus.
"Go," said the King to Le Balafre and Quentin, the instant his earhad caught the sound; "they have got up the sakers and falconets-- the pleasure house is safe, blessed be the Holy Virgin! -- TellDunois to move this way, but rather nearer the walls of Liege, withall our men at arms, excepting what he may leave for the defenceof the house, and cut in between those thick headed Liegeois onthe right and the city from which they are supplied with recruits."
The uncle and nephew galloped off to Dunois and Crawford, who, tiredof their defensive war, joyfully obeyed the summons, and, filingout at the head of a gallant body of about two hundred Frenchgentlemen, besides squires, and the greater part of the Archersand their followers, marched across the field, trampling down thewounded till they gained the flank of the large body of Liegeois,by whom the right of the Burgundians had been so fiercely assailed.The increasing daylight discovered that the enemy were continuingto pour out from the city, either for the purpose of continuingthe battle on that point, or of bringing safely off the forces whowere already engaged.
"By Heaven!" said old Crawford to Dunois, "were I not certain itis thou that art riding by my side, I would say I saw thee amongyonder banditti and burghers, marshalling and arraying them withthy mace -- only, if yon be thou, thou art bigger than thou artwont to be. Art thou sure yonder armed leader is not thy wraith,thy double man, as these Flemings call it?"
"My wraith!" said Dunois; "I know not what you mean. But yonderis a caitiff with my bearings displayed on crest and shield, whomI will presently punish for his insolence."
"In the name of all that is noble, my lord, leave the vengeance tome!" said Quentin.
"To thee, indeed, young man," said Dunois; "that is a modest request.
"No -- these things brook no substitution." Then turning on hissaddle, he called out to those around him, "Gentlemen of France,form your line, level your lances! Let the rising sunbeams shinethrough the battalions of yonder swine of Liege and hogs of Ardennes,that masquerade in our ancient coats."
The men at arms answered with a loud shout of "A Dunois! a Dunois!Long live the bold Bastard! -- Orleans to the rescue!"
And, with their leader in the centre, they charged at full gallop.They encountered no timid enemy. The large body which they chargedconsisted (excepting some mounted officers) entirely of infantry,who, setting the butt of their lances against their feet, the frontrank kneeling, the second stooping, and those behind presentingtheir spears over their heads, offered such resistance to the rapidcharge of the men at arms as the hedgehog presents to his enemy.Few were able to make way through that iron Wall; but of those fewwas Dunois, who, giving spur to his horse, and making the nobleanimal leap wore than twelve feet at a bound, fairly broke his wayinto the middle of the phalanx, and made toward the object of hisanimosity. What was his surprise to find Quentin still by his side,and fighting in the same front with himself -- youth, desperatecourage, and the determination to do or die having still kept theyouth abreast with the best knight in Europe; for such was Dunoisreported, and truly reported at the period.
Their spears were soon broken, but the lanzknechts Were unable towithstand the blows of their long, heavy swords; while the horsesand riders, armed in complete steel, sustained little injury fromtheir lances. Still Dunois and Durward were contending with rivalefforts to burst forward to the spot where he who had usurped thearmorial bearings of Dunois was doing the duty of a good and valiantleader, when Dunois, observing the boar's head and tusks -- theusual bearing of William de la Marck -- in another part of theconflict, called out to Quentin, "Thou art worthy to avenge thearms of Orleans! I leave thee the task. -- Balafre, support yournephew; but let none dare to interfere with Dunois's boar hunt!"
That Quentin Durward joyfully acquiesced in this division of labourcannot be doubted, and each pressed forward upon his separateobject, followed, and defended from behind, by such men at arms aswere able to keep up with them.
But at this moment the column which De la Marck had proposed tosupport, when his own course was arrested by the charge of Dunois,had lost all the advantages they had gained during the night; whilethe Burgundians, with returning day, had begun to show the qualitieswhich belong to superior discipline. The great mass of Liegeoiswere compelled to retreat, and at length to fly; and, falling backon those who were engaged with the French men at arms, the wholebecame a confused tide of fighters, fliers, and pursuers, whichrolled itself towards the city walls, and at last was poured intothe ample and undefended breach through which the Liegeois hadsallied.
Quentin made more than human exertions to overtake the specialobject of his pursuit, who was still in his sight, striving, byvoice and example, to renew the battle, and bravely supported by achosen party of lanzknechts. Le Balafre and several of his comradesattached themselves to Quentin, much marvelling at the extraordinarygallantry displayed by so young a soldier. On the very brink of thebreach, De la Marck -- for it was himself -- succeeded in effectinga momentary stand, and repelling some of the most forward of thepursuers. He had a mace of iron in his hand, before which everythingseemed to go down, and was so much covered with blood that it wasalmost impossible to discern those bearings on his shield whichhad so much incensed Dunois.
Quentin now found little difficulty in singling him out, for thecommanding situation of which he had possessed himself, and theuse he made of his terrible mace, caused many of the assailants toseek safer points of attack than that where so desperate a defenderpresented himself. But Quentin, to whom the importance attached tovictory over this formidable antagonist was better known, sprungfrom his horse at the bottom of the breach, and, letting thenoble animal, the gift of the Duke of Orleans, run loose throughthe tumult, ascended the ruins to measure swords with the Boarof Ardennes. The latter, as if he had seen his intention, turnedtowards Durward with mace uplifted; and they were on the pointof encounter, when a dreadful shout of triumph, of tumult, and ofdespair, announced that the besiegers were entering the city atanother point, and in the rear of those who defended the breach.Assembling around him, by voice and bugle, the desperate partnersof his desperate fortune, De la Marck, at those appalling sounds,abandoned the breach, and endeavoured to effect his retreat towardsa part of the city from which he might escape to the other sideof the Maes. His immediate followers formed a deep body of welldisciplined men, who, never having given quarter, were resolved nownot to ask it, and who, in that hour of despair, threw themselvesinto such firm order that their front occupied the whole breadthof the street, through which they slowly retired, making head fromtime to time, and checking the pursuers, many of whom began toseek a safer occupation, by breaking into the houses for plunder.It is therefore probable that De la Marck might have effected hisescape, his disguise concealing him from those who promised themselvesto win honour and grandeur upon his head, but for the stanch pursuitof Quentin, his uncle Le Balafre, and some of his comrades. Atevery pause which was made by the lanzknechts, a furious combattook place betwixt them and the Archers, and in every melee Quentinsought De la Marck; but the latter, whose present object was toretreat, seemed to evade the young Scot's purpose of bringing himto single combat. The confusion was general in every direction. Theshrieks and cries of women, the yelling of the terrified inhabitants,now subjected to the extremity of military license, sounded horriblyshrill amid the shouts of battle -- like the voice of misery anddespair contending with that of fury and violence, which should beheard farthest and loudest.
It was just when De la Marck, retiring through this infernal scene,had passed the door of a small chapel of peculiar sanctity, thatthe shouts of "France! France! -- Burgundy! Burgundy!" apprisedhim that a part of the besiegers were entering the farther end ofthe street, which was a narrow one, and that his retreat was cutoff.
"Comrade," he said, "take all the men with you. -- Charge yonderfellows roundly, and break through if you can -- with me it isover. I am man enough, now that I am brought to bay, to send someof these vagabond Scots to hell before me."
His lieutenant obeyed, and, with most of the few lanzknechts whoremained alive, hurried to the farther end of the street, for thepurpose of charging those Burgundians who were advancing, and soforcing their way, so as to escape. About six of De la Marck's bestmen remained to perish with their master, and fronted the Archers,who were not many more in number.
"Sanglier! Sanglier! Hola! gentlemen of Scotland," said the ruffianbut undaunted chief, waving his mace, "who longs to gain a coronet-- who strikes at the Boar of Ardennes? -- You, young man, have,methinks, a hankering; but you must win ere you wear it."