yonder tree upon the bank, and see

the tower which rises behind it. if these two be held in a line,

even as we hold them now, it may be done, though our ship draws

two good ells more than when she put forth."

"god speed you, master hawtayne!" cried sir oliver. "twice have

we come scathless out of peril, and now for the third time i

commend me to the blessed james of compostella, to whom i vow----

"

"nay, nay, old friend," whispered sir nigel. "you are like to

bring a judgment upon us with these vows, which no living man

could accomplish. have i not already heard you vow to eat two

carp in one day, and now you would venture upon a third?"

"i pray you that you will order the company to lie down," cried

hawtayne, who had taken the tiller and was gazing ahead with a

fixed eye. "in three minutes we shall either be lost or in

safety."

archers and seamen lay flat upon the deck, waiting in stolid

silence for whatever fate might come. hawtayne bent his weight

upon the tiller, and crouched to see under the bellying sail.

sir oliver and sir nigel stood erect with hands crossed in front

of the poop. down swooped the great cog into the narrow channel

which was the portal to safety. on either bow roared the shallow

bar. right ahead one small lane of black swirling water marked

the pilot's course. but true was the eye and firm the hand which

guided. a dull scraping came from beneath, the vessel quivered

and shook, at the waist, at the quarter, and behind sounded that

grim roaring of the waters, and with a plunge the yellow cog was

over the bar and speeding swiftly up the broad and tranquil

estuary of the gironde.

chapter xviii.

how sir nigel loring put a patch upon his eye.

it was on the morning of friday, the eight-and twentieth day of

november, two days before the feast of st. andrew, that the cog

and her two prisoners, after a weary tacking up the girondo and

the garonne, dropped anchor at last in front of the noble city of

bordeaux. with wonder and admiration, alleyne, leaning over the

bulwarks, gazed at the forest of masts, the swarm of boats

darting hither and thither on the bosom of the broad curving

stream, and the gray crescent-shaped city which stretched with

many a tower and minaret along the western shore. never had he

in his quiet life seen so great a town, nor was there in the

whole of england, save london alone, one which might match it in

size or in wealth. here came the merchandise of all the fair

countries which are watered by the garonne and the dordogne--the

cloths of the south, the skins of guienne, the wines of the

medoc--to be borne away to hull, exeter, dartmouth, bristol or

chester, in exchange for the wools and woolfels of england. here

too dwelt those famous smelters and welders who had made the

bordeaux steel the most trusty upon earth, and could give a

temper to lance or to sword which might mean dear life to its

owner. alleyne could see the smoke of their forges reeking up

in the clear morning air. the storm had died down now to a

gentle breeze, which wafted to his ears the long-drawn stirring

bugle-calls which sounded from the ancient ramparts.

"hola, mon petit!" said aylward, coming up to where he stood.

"thou art a squire now, and like enough to win the golden spurs,

while i am still the master-bowman, and master-bowman i shall

bide. i dare scarce wag my tongue so freely with you as when we

tramped together past wilverley chase, else i might be your guide

now, for indeed i know every house in bordeaux as a friar knows

the beads on his rosary."

"nay, aylward," said alleyne, laying his hand upon the sleeve of

his companion's frayed jerkin, "you cannot think me so thrall as

to throw aside an old friend because i have had some small share

of good fortune. i take it unkind that you should have thought

such evil of me."

"nay, mon gar. 'twas but a flight shot to see if the wind blew

steady, though i were a rogue to doubt it."

"why, had i not met you, aylward, at the lynhurst inn, who can

say where i had now been! certes, i had not gone to twynham

castle, nor become squire to sir nigel, nor met----" he paused

abruptly and flushed to his hair, but the bowman was too busy

with his own thoughts to notice his young companion's

embarrassment.

"it was a good hostel, that of the 'pied merlin,' " he remarked.

"by my ten finger bones! when i hang bow on nail and change my

brigandine for a tunic, i might do worse than take over the dame

and her business."

"i thought," said alleyne, "that you were betrothed to some one

at christchurch."

"to three," aylward answered moodily, "to three. i fear i may

not go back to christchurch. i might chance to see hotter

service in hampshire than i have ever done in gascony. but mark

you now yonder lofty turret in the centre, which stands ba