urage and bravery of his knights that the king depended, and upon
that alone rested his hopes of victory.

The great baron whose standard they followed would have sent them
assistance if he had deemed it necessary. The king, unless on the day of
battle, would not trouble about such a detail. As for the remark, that
they had had "a good main of cocks that morning," he simply expressed
the feeling of the whole camp. The spectacle Felix had seen was, in
fact, merely an instance of the strength and of the weakness of the army
and the monarch himself.

Felix afterwards acknowledged these things to himself, but at the
moment, full of admiration for the bravery of the four knights and their
followers, he was full of indignation, and uttered his views too freely.
His fellow-grooms cautioned him; but his spirit was up, and he gave way
to his feelings without restraint. Now, to laugh at the king's
weaknesses, his gluttony or follies, was one thing; to criticise his
military conduct was another. The one was merely badinage, and the king
himself might have laughed had he heard it; the other was treason, and,
moreover, likely to touch the monarch on the delicate matter of military
reputation.

Of this Felix quickly became aware. His mates, indeed, tried to shield
him; but possibly the citizen, his master, had enemies in the camp,
barons, perhaps, to whom he had lent money, and who watched for a chance
of securing his downfall. At all events, early the next day Felix was
rudely arrested by the provost in person, bound with cords, and placed
in the provost's booth. At the same time, his master was ordered to
remain within, and a guard was put over him.

CHAPTER XX

IN DANGER

Hope died within Felix when he thus suddenly found himself so near the
executioner. He had known so many butchered without cause, that he had,
indeed, reason to despair. Towards the sunset he felt sure he should be
dragged forth and hanged on the oak used for the purpose, and which
stood near where the track from Aisi joined the camp. Such would most
probably have been his fate, had he been alone concerned in this affair,
but by good fortune he was able to escape so miserable an end. Still, he
suffered as much as if the rope had finished him, for he had no means of
knowing what would be the result.

His heart swelled with bitterness; he was filled with inexpressible
indignation, his whole being rebelled against the blundering, as it
were, of even