FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138  
139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   >>   >|  
ir soldier, I am not a wolf; and thou knowest, a bien petite occasion se saisit le loup du mouton.'" "Let us drop wolves and sheep, being men; my meaning is, that a good soldier never pillages-a comrade. Come, young man, too much suspicion becomes not your years. They who travel should learn to read faces; methinks you might see lealty in mine sith I have seen it in yourn. Is it yon fat purse at your girdle you fear for?" (Gerard turned pale.) "Look hither!" and he undid his belt, and poured out of it a double handful of gold pieces, then returned them to their hiding-place. "There is a hostage for you," said he; "carry you that, and let us be comrades," and handed him his belt, gold and all. Gerard stared. "If I am over prudent, you have not enow." But he flushed and looked pleased at the other's trust in him. "Bah! I can read faces; and so must you, or you'll never take your four bones safe to Rome." "Soldier, you would find me a dull companion, for my heart is very heavy," said Gerard, yielding. "I'll cheer you, mon gars." "I think you would," said Gerard sweetly; "and sore need have I of a kindly voice in mine ear this day." "Oh! no soul is sad alongside me. I lift up their poor little hearts with my consigne: 'Courage, tout le monde, le diable est mort.' Ha! ha!" "So be it, then," said Gerard. "But take back your belt, for I could never trust by halves. We will go together as far as Rhine, and God go with us both!" "Amen!" said Denys, and lifted his cap. "En avant!" The pair trudged manfully on, and Denys enlivened the weary way. He chattered about battles and sieges, and things which were new to Gerard; and he was one of those who make little incidents wherever they go. He passed nobody without addressing them. "They don't understand it, but it wakes them up," said he. But whenever they fell in with a monk or priest. He pulled a long face, and sought the reverend father's blessing, and fearlessly poured out on him floods of German words in such order as not to produce a single German sentence--He doffed his cap to every woman, high or low, he caught sight of, and with eagle eye discerned her best feature, and complimented her on it in his native tongue, well adapted to such matters; and at each carrion crow or magpie, down came his crossbow, and he would go a furlong off the road to circumvent it; and indeed he did shoot one old crow with laudable neatness and despatch, and carried it to th
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138  
139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Gerard

 
German
 

poured

 

soldier

 

chattered

 

manfully

 

enlivened

 

battles

 

sieges

 

circumvent


things

 

furlong

 

trudged

 

crossbow

 

halves

 

carried

 

despatch

 

laudable

 

lifted

 

neatness


magpie

 

blessing

 

father

 

fearlessly

 

floods

 

discerned

 

reverend

 

native

 

sought

 

complimented


feature

 

doffed

 
caught
 
sentence
 

produce

 

single

 

tongue

 

addressing

 

carrion

 

passed


incidents

 

understand

 

adapted

 

matters

 

pulled

 

priest

 

lealty

 

travel

 

methinks

 
handful