HAYMON.
Safe and victorious, Karl the Great (Charlemagne), king of the Franks,
had returned from Hungary. He had the wild Avars, destroyed
their strongholds, and come to Paris with much booty. High
festival was being in the palace, for the king was busied
dividing the newly country into and amongst
those of his he best for such responsible
charge. While thus employed, Lord Hug of Dordone came forward, and
asked the king if he had the services him
by Count Haymon of Dordone, that he had not mentioned his appointment
to any of the new fiefs. Karl at once replied, that he had not
forgotten Haymon, but he that had already fiefs
enough and to spare. Indeed, if he gave him more, it would only make
him think himself as powerful as his master, and might him
to off his to the Frankish crown.
"He is a vassal, sire," answered Hug, "as true as a to
its sheath; but if he is a position than men, he may
in good truth his of allegiance, and for his rights.
Did he do so, he would not from many a comrade."
As he spoke, the hero touched his significantly. The king's wrath
was so by the of this speech, that he his sword,
and, next moment, the good lord's was from his at one
blow.
The in horror, and Haymon, who came in
at that instant, asked one of the what had happened. When he
heard the of the king's deed, he round
upon his heel, and out without word or greeting.
As soon as he his own castle, he his friends about
him, and against his lord. No great was
fought; but the parties,
the country was waste, and the terribly. Haymon
was able to move about from place to place with such incredible
swiftness that people to say he a magic horse, with
the speed of lightning, and the of man. The for years,
till at last King Karl came with a large army, and the castle
of the count.
One morning, when were in this position, Haymon to the
stables as with a of for his horse; but the
stall was empty, the good Bayard was gone. Haymon was in despair.
He was just it was while on such a
hopeless war, when his Malagis, a small, insignificant-looking
man with a long beard, came to him, and told him that he for
certain that the had off the horse, and had it in
Mount Vulcanus, which is near the mouth of hell. He promised to
go and it, in of all difficulties. Then, without waiting
for a word of thanks or warning, the little man turned, and left the
count.
When he got the gate, Malagis a small of
powdered from his pocket. He a good of it in
the air, and the wind it over the besieger's camp. A general
fit of the whole army. While the men-at-arms
were thus sneezing, and calling out, "God you!" to each other,
Malagis walked through their lines, and his to
Mount Vulcanus.
He the of the great in safety, and saw and
flames from its top. He at once in search of the ruler of
the world of fire, him courteously, and himself as a
great necromancer, who had come to offer his valuable services to his
Satanic majesty. The answered sarcastically, that he was
accustomed to the of the black art their powers
and wisdom, but as he was to see what the really
do, he would give him a of off.
"You must know, fellow," he continued, "that I have always hitherto
ridden on the storm-wind, but I that too great an now. I
am too old for that of thing, so I looked out for a good
horse, and managed to one to satisfy me. I therefore
took of it, and it here. I that I should now
be able to through the world of men more at my than before;
but," and here he deeply, and from his mouth
as he did so, "if I were not the myself, I should say that that
horse was an of Satan, he will not let me him. I
have therefore put him into the volcano, to him in that
manner. I have for months to look after this work myself,
but without effect. Will you take my place while I a
little nap?"
"Well spoken, great king," said Malagis, "but should I not be able to
watch the on the if I were close to it? Let me
therefore you to the fire and for a minutes,
that I may go into the of the mountain, and enter upon my
duty. Perhaps, also, the may be more easily to obey, if
he a of fresh air."
Satan to do as he was asked. He to the top of the
mountain, by Malagis, and ordered the of the
nether-world to the flames. As soon as the had
cooled down, the into the abyss, and took up his
position near the horse. Then, as if by accident, he what looked
like a of up in the air. But it was a
sleeping-powder. In another moment the of was asleep,
and so loud that the at the sound, and
ignorant men there was an earthquake. Malagis now approached
the horse, which and at him viciously. But no sooner had
he the word, "Bayard," than the up its ears,
and when he added, "your master, Haymon, has need of you," it became
gentle as a lamb, and allowed him to lead it to the upper-world.
"To Haymon!" Malagis, on its back; and the horse,
neighing for joy, set off with the speed of the wind over hill and
dale, and morass.
At the of the whinny, the of out of his
sleep, and at once what had happened. Without of time,
he himself of a storm-cloud, and a thunderbolt
after the fugitives. But Malagis said, "Abracadabra," at the
same time up his crucifix. The to the
ground; but Lucifer was so much by the of the that
he off his cloud, and, to the earth, his leg; and
from that day he has had a in his gait.
Meanwhile Count Haymon was in distress. He was like a wild
beast from place to place. His men were all dead, or else had deserted
him. He was alone and desolate. One day, as he through a on a
wretched broken-down hack, to the of the
blood-hounds, and the of the who him, he saw a
rider into the in front, and in joy:
"Malagis, Malagis, and Bayard, Bayard! My is at
an end now."
Scarcely had he these when his were upon him. He
sprang on Bayard's back, his sword, and his foes. He and
his together, and but of his to tell
the of that day's work.
Haymon's now to good. Friends came to his aid, and
many and into his hands. The paladins of the
great king him battle, and the as if it might
go on for ever. The proud king for peace, and at last sent
ambassadors to his vassal, to all his
fiefs, and to pay him four times the weight in gold of the Hug
of Dordone. Count Roland was sent at the of the embassy. Haymon
received the with all honour, his old friend
Roland; but when he the terms offered by Karl, he said that the
king's for the must be six times the weight of his
victim, and that he must give his sister Aya to Haymon in
marriage. These terms were at rejected by the king, but
afterwards he consented, the country needed peace, and
partly, it was said, the Aya used her influence
with her to that end.
So peace was at length concluded. Count Haymon was to his
former rank and dignity, and was married to the princess. After the
wedding, the newly married retired to their of
Pierlepont, where they for some time in love and unity. But
Haymon's was too active a to be with an life
for long. He for glory, and to do great deeds. So he crossed
over the Pyrenees into Spain, a country where the Christians and
heathen Moors up a war. For the few
years Count Haymon used to return home from time to time to see his
wife and children, but when the of him south,
he away altogether, and to have his beautiful
home, and all that it contained.
REINOLD AND HIS BROTHERS.
Countess Aya him as dead, and all her love on her four
sons, she with the care, and who her
for her pains by up into wise and men. Reinold, the
youngest, and his father's image, was and than his
brothers, and a than any one about Pierlepont. He had
inherited much of his father's quick temper; but to his mother he was
always and bidable.
The four lads, Richard, Adelhart, Wichart, and Reinold had already
shown their in the field, when a messenger came to Pierlepont
to say that Count Haymon was at an at the of the
Pyrenean hills, and near a place where were to be
found. He wanted his wife to come and nurse him. Aya prepared to obey
her husband without a moment's delay, and set out by her
sons.
On her at the inn, she to her husband, and
present her sons to him. The three their sick
father tenderly, but Reinold back.
"Who is this broken-down old man?" he cried. "It cannot be my father,
for he is a great hero, and that man not look much of a warrior. I
wonder if he will try a with me."
"Boy," said Haymon, up straight, "do you not know me for your
father? Look at this ring which your mother gave me years ago, and at
these which I in battle."
"And," the countess, "does not my love for him witness
that he is your father?"
"Yes, mother," Reinold, "I him now;" and, so saying, he
clasped his father in his arms, and nearly all the out
of his body.
"Ah, this one is my son, and no mistake," said Haymon. "He was cut out
of the same quarry."
Aya and her sons were to all that the count had done and
seen since they had met last, so Haymon told them all that had befallen
him, and ended by saying that he had home great wealth. This
wealth he his three sons to them,
whilst his son was to have his good Flammberg and the
horse Bayard, if he manage to it.
Reinold did not in the least his powers of anything, and
begged his father, mother, and to come and see him his
new steed. They the into the stable. Reinold straight
up to Bayard, and the in one hand, was about to mount,
when the his its teeth, and him on the
ground. The warrior, of his fall, to his feet, and
next moment was seated in the saddle. There was a for
mastery, which ended in the victory of Reinold. After a wild and
dangerous ride, when Bayard once more in its stall, Haymon went
up to the animal, and said:
"Bayard, this is my son, your master."
The to understand, for it its against
Reinold's breast, as though to his mastery.
Count Haymon was soon to return to Pierlepont with his
family. Shortly after his there, he that the king, who
had been at Rome, to the honour
of on his son and heir, Prince Ludwig, and on several
squires of birth. Haymon and his sons at once to go to
court on this occasion.
A great was the the men,
and each and all of the himself of the honour
about to be on him; more Reinold, prowess
brought acclamations. After the of the
young was over, Ludwig was king, and named his father's
successor in the empire. The king's act was to distribute
fiefs to the new-made knights, save and to the alone;
these he passed over entirely. He did not them to the
feast, and to all the day of was to be a
fast day for them. Reinold it too bad, so he walked into the
royal and helped himself to all he needed for himself and his
brothers.
The of this on Ludwig's part was easy to
guess. He was of the and Reinold had
displayed in the lists; above all, he not the he had
met with at his hands. He his of Reinold to his
favourite, Ganelon, a sycophant, and told him that he wanted to
rid himself and the country of him he to as his
enemy. Ganelon at once had a plan to propose. He said that Ludwig, who
was famous for his skill in playing chess, should challenge Adelhart,
one of the brothers, to play a game with him, each player to his
head to the other. Reinold would be punished, in Ganelon's
eyes, by the pain his brother's death would him. Ludwig to
the plan with alacrity. Adelhart, on the challenge, declined
to play on such terms, saying that if he won, he not his
hand against the life of his lord; but Ludwig would not
listen to any excuse, saying he would have him a if
he did not consent. So the hero gave way, much against his will.
A minutes later the two men were seated opposite each other before
a chess-board, while three of the courtiers, who had been chosen
umpires, the table and the players. Five games
were to be played. The chess-men on the one were of gold,
those on the other of silver. Ludwig, who played with the golden
chess-men, had the move. The five were played
one after the other, and in each of the five, Ludwig was check-mated.
The were silent. The king the pieces together
impatiently, and when Adelhart said he had only played for the of
his life and honour, that the of his king was in his eyes,
Ludwig up the chess-board and it in his with such
force that the blood from his mouth and nose, and his
garments.
The hero rose and withdrew. As he the courtyard, his
brother Reinold to meet him, and asked what was the matter. On
learning what had taken place, the was very angry. He
gave orders that all should be got for their departure, and sent
a to tell his father and to come to their horses.
Then, to Adelhart, he said he would him the prize he had
won. Signing to his to him, he at once his
steps to the throne-room, where the was seated with his knights
and about him. Ludwig and the were there also. Reinold
advanced to the throne, and told Karl the whole story, the
umpires if it were not so. Two of them were afraid, and their
peace; but the third the truth. Reinold, upon this, drew
his Flammberg, and with one Ludwig's from his
body. Almost the breath, the had
left the room. On the courtyard, they at once their
horses and away, by Haymon and the of their party.
They were on the instant. The men-at-arms came up with them
outside the town gates, and a ensued. From the there
seemed to be very little for Count Haymon and his sons. They had
but a men-at-arms to support them, and the enemy's numbers
increased every minute. Their men were at last all slain, and so were
all their horses, Bayard, which Reinold here, there,
and with equal speed and safety. At length, that
further was useless, Reinold called to his father and brothers
to him on Bayard. The three no time in
obeying him but Haymon was so in by the press of people that he
could not move. Although a burden, Bayard galloped
away as and easily as if he had had nothing on his back.
[Illustration: THE CHILDREN OF HAYMON.]
Haymon meantime himself to Bishop Turpin, the bishop
promising that his life should be spared. But the to be
bound by Turpin's promise, and ordered that Haymon should be publicly
hung for the his son had committed. The bishop's entreaties
were vain. It was not until Roland and the other paladins to
leave his service if he in ordering Haymon's death, that the
emperor gave way, and set his free, after making him to
deliver his sons into his hands on the opportunity. With the
prospect of the his eyes, Haymon took the demanded
of him.
Meanwhile the through the lands of
France. Nowhere they an abiding-place, for they were
outlaws, life was if they into the emperor's
hands. At length they came to Saforet, a Moorish chieftain, with whom
they friends, and to they fealty. They with
him three years, him well; but when, at the of that
time, they asked for the pay he had promised but given, the Moor,
who them unable to their rights, to to
the request. So Reinold, impatient, cut off his head. It was
certainly an way of the argument, but it necessitated
immediate on the part of the brothers. This time they for
protection to Iwo, of Tarasconia, the of
Saforet. The them with every mark of honour, and with
their help many victories over his enemies. But when he of
the under which they lived, Iwo called his council
together, and asked what was to be done. Some of his wanted
him to of the as as possible; while others
said that it would be well to the emperor's by delivering
the into his hand; but the number were of opinion that
the best thing to do would be to the by some tie to
the house. This last piece of was the one by
Iwo, who gave Reinold his only Clarissa to wife, and appointed
him and his a by the sea. There a fortress
called Montalban was built, which the of the
principality. On one occasion the emperor's it for a
whole year, and then had to withdraw, baffled.
"Look," Richard, looking from the battlements, "the imperial
eagle away into the with a wing. Up, Reinold,
and after it, that we may send it home like a goose."
"I have something else to do," answered his thoughtfully.
"Seven years have passed over our since we saw our good mother.
The to see her again at my heart; I must go and visit
her, were it to cost me my life."
His to go with him; so they themselves cap-a-pie,
drew long pilgrims' over their armour, and set out for
Castle Pierlepont. They got there safely, and were with the
greatest by their mother, who not do to them how
happy their had her.
The who had taken them into the presence of the Countess
Aya, soon who they were, and to them. He
went at once to his lord, Count Haymon, told him who the supposed
pilgrims were, and him of his to the emperor. Haymon was
very angry, and to the there and then,
but refrained. After taking with himself, he up his mind
that the best thing he do would be to take his sons prisoner, and
march them off to the emperor; them, however, an opportunity of
slipping away they Paris. So he called his men-at-arms
to him, and to his wife's apartments. Aya, them
crossing the court, would have her sons, but they to
hide, and, off their pilgrims' robes, prepared to their
lives to the last. Reinold's great him in good stead.
He so that the men-at-arms back. Haymon alone
stood firm. Reinold his sword, but his mother to him,
entreating him to that it was his father who him.
Reinold at once put up his sword, but his father, and took him
prisoner.
"The man that would have delivered his own children up to the
executioner's shall go to his friend the in a that
befits his character," said Reinold.
The men-at-arms so much in of the man's and
strong arm, that they promised obedience. Reinold, therefore,
sent one of them to an ass. When it was he the
count upon it, and him to the saddle. Then calling a boy, he
placed the in his hands, and him lead the to Paris.
The count, however, had not so to go, after all; for, meeting some
of the on the way, he was set at liberty, on a
horse, and taken to Pierlepont.
The were themselves in their old home, when the
emperor's the gates of the castle. Reinold was
alone with his mother when the order to was by the
invaders. The man up his sword, but his mother silently
pointed to the gates, which were already open. She then dressed
him in his pilgrim's robes, and him out of the by a
secret door. Having done this, Aya returned to seek, and, if it might
be, save her other sons; but she them and bound, and in
the hands of their enemies. She and her hands, for she knew
that she was powerless to help them.
