nay, the camp is in arms, and it would be rank madness. Who are
you, fellow?" he added in Spanish, "and how is it that you dare to wear
the arms of Castile?"

The prisoner was bent recovering the consciousness which had been
squeezed from him by the grip of Hordle John. "If it please you," he
answered, "I and nine others are the body-squires of the king, and must
ever wear his arms, so as to shield him from even such perils as have
threatened him this night. The king is at the tent of the brave Du
Guesclin, where he will sup to night. But I am a caballero of Aragon,
Don Sancho Penelosa, and, though I be no king, I am yet ready to pay a
fitting price for my ransom."

"By Saint Paul! I will not touch your gold," cried Sir Nigel. "Go back
to your master and give him greeting from Sir Nigel Loring of Twynham
Castle, telling him that I had hoped to make his better acquaintance
this night, and that, if I have disordered his tent, it was but in my
eagerness to know so famed and courteous a knight. Spur on, comrades!
for we must cover many a league ere we can venture to light fire or to
loosen girth. I had hoped to ride without this patch to-night, but it
seems that I must carry it yet a little longer."

CHAPTER XXXVI. HOW SIR NIGEL TOOK THE PATCH FROM HIS EYE.

It was a cold, bleak morning in the beginning of March, and the mist was
drifting in dense rolling clouds through the passes of the Cantabrian
mountains. The Company, who had passed the night in a sheltered gully,
were already astir, some crowding round the blazing fires and others
romping or leaping over each other's backs for their limbs were chilled
and the air biting. Here and there, through the dense haze which
surrounded them, there loomed out huge pinnacles and jutting boulders
of rock: while high above the sea of vapor there towered up one gigantic
peak, with the pink glow of the early sunshine upon its snow-capped
head. The ground was wet, the rocks dripping, the grass and ever-greens
sparkling with beads of moisture; yet the camp was loud with laughter
and merriment, for a messenger had ridden in from the prince with words
of heart-stirring praise for what they had done, and with orders that
they should still abide in the forefront of the army.

Round one of the fires were clustered four or five of the leading men
of the archers, cleaning the rust from their weapons, and glancing
impatiently from time to time at a great pot which smoked over the
bl