er. The groom that rode
with him marvellously escaped death, but was sore wounded by his fall.

"What villain hath done this?" cried the vicomte, in hot anger. "With my
men will I scour the land till I track him."

"Ah, my lord vicomte," I said, "this is the work of Maugher, that I saw
lurking in Coutances. And I grieve that thy good Sieur de Norrey should
thus die by a stroke that was aimed at me."

"If it be as thou sayest," said my uncle, "this venomous man, kinsman
though he be of the duke himself, shall no longer trouble men."

Then, with all sadness, the body of De Norrey was recovered and borne
back to St Sauveur, and we, riding down the stream a mile or more to
where there was a safe ford, crossed safely, and riding sorrowfully and
warily, though we were so near to the duke's presence, came presently in
sight of Valognes.

CHAPTER XVI.

How at length I was brought before _William, Conquestor Invictissimus_,
of all soldiers the greatest, and most invincible of dukes. Of the
manner he received my mission, and of the expedition of _Samson
d'Anville_.

And now, children of my house here in England, I bid you con eagerly
what I write in these next leaves, for, if God will, I will record how I
first met, in that land of the Cotentin, him who was my star of glory
while he lived, being indeed the greatest prince of our day, and, as I
think, as great a soldier as any that ever lived of our race or of any
other. And, following his conquering arms, we came to this haven in our
own fair country, as ye know.

My uncle had with great ease overcome, as a high noble may, all
obstacles in our path; and assuring all who questioned, that indeed we
came on business that could not wait, he won his way in an hour where I
alone might have wasted days, such walls of state there are around the
great ones of the earth.

But with a smile and a good word to one, a meaning whisper of secret
import to another, a high hand and a proud look to a third, he passed
through all barriers with me at his heels; and at length we were led by
a high noble through sundry gates into a broad level mead, all green and
close-shaven by the scythe, where many targets stood, and amid a bevy of
noble gentlemen Duke William himself saw to the training of his archers.

Now it was easy, even in that noble throng, to see who was the duke and
master of the company, not by rich apparel or device of royalty, but by
simple glory of manhood. He stood