between
such men would have been enough in itself to cause the keenest
interest, apart from its being the crisis which would decide who
should be the victors of the day. for a moment they waited--the
german sombre and collected, sir nigel quivering in every fibre
with eagerness and fiery resolution. then, amid a long-drawn
breath from the spectators, the glove fell from the marshal's
hand, and the two steel-clad horsemen met like a thunderclap in
front of the royal stand. the german, though he reeled for an
instant before the thrust of the englishman, struck his opponent
so fairly upon the vizor that the laces burst, the plumed helmet
flew to pieces, and sir nigel galloped on down the lists with his
bald head shimmering in the sunshine. a thousand waving scarves
and tossing caps announced that the first bout had fallen to the
popular party.
the hampshire knight was not a man to be disheartened by a
reverse. he spurred back to the pavilion, and was out in a few
instants with another helmet. the second course was so equal
that the keenest judges could not discern any vantage. each
struck fire from the other's shield, and each endured the jarring
shock as though welded to the horse beneath him. in the final
bout, however, sir nigel struck his opponent with so true an aim
that the point of the lance caught between the bars of his vizor
and tore the front of his helmet out, while the german, aiming
somewhat low, and half stunned by the shock, had the misfortune
to strike his adversary upon the thigh, a breach of the rules of
the tilting-yard, by which he not only sacrificed his chances of
success, but would also have forfeited his horse and his armor,
had the english knight chosen to claim them. a roar of applause
from the english soldiers, with an ominous silence from the vast
crowd who pressed round the barriers, announced that the balance
of victory lay with the holders. already the ten champions had
assembled in front of the prince to receive his award, when a
harsh bugle call from the further end of the lists drew all eyes
to a new and unexpected arrival.
chapter xxiv.
how a champion came forth from the east.
the bordeaux lists were, as has already been explained, situated
upon the plain near the river upon those great occasions when the
tilting-ground in front of the abbey of st. andrew's was deemed
to be too small to contain the crowd. on the eastern side of
this plain the country-side sloped upwards, thick with vines in
summer, but now ridged with the brown bare enclosures. over the
gently rising plain curved the white road which leads inland,
usually flecked with travellers, but now with scarce a living
form upon it, so completely had the lists drained all the
district of its inhabitants. strange it was to see such a vast
concourse of people, and then to look upon that broad, white,
empty highway which wound away, bleak and deserted, until it
narrowed itself to a bare streak against the distant uplands.
shortly after the contest had begun, any one looking from the
lists along this road might have remarked, far away in the
extreme distance, two brilliant and sparkling points which
glittered and twinkled in the bright shimmer of the winter sun.
within an hour these had become clearer and nearer, until they
might be seen to come from the reflection from the head-pieces of
two horsemen who were riding at the top of their speed in the
direction of bordeaux. another half-hour had brought them so
close that every point of their bearing and equipment could be
discerned. the first was a knight in full armor, mounted upon a
brown horse with a white blaze upon breast and forehead. he was
a short man of great breadth of shoulder, with vizor closed, and
no blazonry upon his simple white surcoat or plain black shield.
the other, who was evidently his squire and attendant, was
unarmed save for the helmet upon his head, but bore in his right
hand a very long and heavy oaken spear which belonged to his
master. in his left hand the squire held not only the reins of
his own horse but those of a great black war-horse, fully
harnessed, which trotted along at his side. thus the three
horses and their two riders rode swiftly to the lists, and it was
the blare of the trumpet sounded by the squire as his lord rode
into the arena which had broken in upon the prize-giving and
drawn away the attention and interest of the spectators.
"ha, john!" cried the prince, craning h s neck, "who is this
cavalier, and what is it that he desires?"
"on my word, sire," replied chandos, with the utmost surprise
upon his face, "it is my opinion that he is a frenchman."
"a frenchman!" repeated don pedro. "and how can you tell that,
my lord chandos, when he has neither coat-armor, crest, or
blazonry?"
"by his armor, sire, which is rounder a