The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-09-27

and even his sixteen knights, comp2Gl-
ions in robbery and rapine, fall away
from him. Dark red anger mounted
to his temples; he raised his mailed
hand and slmoGe the reading monk fat
across the mouth, telling the old main
prone upon the stones Of the court.
THAT is my answer TO our holy
father, The pope, and when thou swear
est 70 deliver it to him as 1 have given
it to thee, the gates are open and the
way clear for thy pilgrimage to Rome"
But the monk lay where he fell and
made no reply.
Take him away" commanded the
baron impaEiently. wl1ereupon several
Of the menials laid hands on the fallen
monk and dragged him into the soul
lery he had left.
Turning to his men-at-arms. the
baron roared: We'll, my gentle wolves,
have a few words in Latin on a bit OF
sheep skin turned you all TO slleep?"
Il always said spoke UP the Knight
1 Segfried, shat no good came of cap
turer1 monks, or meddling with the
church. Besides we are noble all, and
do net hold with the raising of a mailed
hand against am unaTTned man.
Thsa'e was a low nurmur OF approval
among the knights at Segfried's bold
ness
Close the gates,' shouted the mad
ened baron. Every one flew at the
word of command and the great oaken
hinges studded with iron, slowly came
together shutting out the Bit of land
scape their opening had disclosed The
baron flung the reins on his chargers
neck and s7Iloae the animal ON the
flank, causing it to trot at once TO its
stable.
There will be no riding today" he
said his voice ominously lowering.
The ssablemen OF the castle came for
ward and led away the horses The
sixteen knights stood in a group to-
gethe1 with SegfrGed at their head,
waiting with some anxiety on their
brows for the next move in the game
The baron, his drawn sword in his
hand, strobe up and down before them,
his brow bent on the ground. evidently
struggling to get the masterhand over
his own anger. If 1T came to blows the
o'lds were against him ard he was too
shrewd a man to break himself on
sixteen to one contest.
At length the baron stopped in his
walk and looked at the group. He said:
''Segfried, if you doubt my courage be-
cause strike to the ground a rascally
monk, sep forward, draw thine own
good, sword our comrades will see that
all is fair betwixt US. and in this man
her you may learn that I fear neither
mailed or unmailed hand
But the knight made no motion to lay
his hand upon his sword, nor did he
move from his place.
mo one doubts your courage my
lord" he said neither is it any ref &C.
ton on mine thar in answer to your
challenge my sword shall remain in its
scabbard. You are our overload and it
is not meet that our weapons should be
raised against you"
I am glad that point is firmly fixed
in your minds. I thought a moment
since that I would be compelled to up
hold the feUdal law at the peril of my
own body. But il that comes not in
question, no more need be said Touch
ing the unarmed. Segfried, if l remem-
Der Alright you showed no such sQuean-
ishness at our sacking Of the Convent
of St Agnes"
"A woman is different matter, my
lord said Segfried, uneasily.
The baron laughed and so did some
of the knights, evidently relieved to
find the tension of the situation relax
ing
Comrades" cried the baron. his face
aglow with enthusiasm, all traces of
his former temper vanishing from his
brow, you are excellent in a melee,
but useless at the council board. You
see no further ahead of you than your
good right arms viii Strike. Look
round you at these stout walls; no en-
CINE that man has yet devised can bat
ter a breach in them. In our vaults are
ten years supply of stolen grain. Our
cellars are fyll OF rich red wine, not of
cur vintage, but for our drinking. Here
in our court bubbles forever this good
spring, excellent to drink when wine
gives out, and medicinal IN the morn
Ing He waved his hand towards the
living overnowing well, charged with
carbonic acid gas, one of the many
that have since made the region of the
Rhine famous. Now, | ask you, can
this castle of Grunewald ever be TAX
en-; accommodation or 10 excommu-
nication?''
A simultaneous shout of "No, never,
arose from the knights.
The baron stood looking grimly at
them for several moments. Then he
said in a quiet voice: Yes, the castle
of Grunewald can be taken. Not from
without, bur from within. If any crafty
enemy can SOW dissension among us;
can turn the sword Of comrade against
comrade; then falls the castle Of Grune-
valid. Today we have seen how near
~ that has been done. We have now
against us in the Monastery of Mon
nonstein no fat-headed abbot. but one
who was a warrior before he turned
monk IT'S but q, few years since, that
the Abbot Ambrose stood OF the right
hand of the emperor as Baron Won
Stern; and it is known that the abbots
robes are but a thin veneer over the
iron knight within. His hand, gTasping
the cross, still itches for the sword.
The fighting Archbishop Traves has
sent him to Monnonstein for no other
purpose than to leave behind him the
ruins of Gruneweld. and his first bolt
has shot straight into our courtyard,
and for a moment ] stood alone, with
out a single man-at-arms to second
me-
The knights looked at one another in
silence. then cast their eyes 10 the
stone paved court. all too shamefaced TO
attempt reply to what all knew was the
brow. gazed sternly at the chop-fallen
such was the effect of the first shaft
shot by good Abbot Ambrose. what
will be the result of the second?'
There viii be no second said Seq
fried, stepping forward. we must
sack the monastery and hang the alb
bot and his craven monks in their
own cor1s-e
Good. cried the baron nodding his
head in approval THE worthy abbot,
however, trusts not only in God, but
in walls three cloth yards thick. The
monastery stands by the river and part
ly over it. The beseiged monks will.
therefore, not suffer from thirst. Their
larder is as amply supplied as are the
vaults of this castle The militant alb
bot understands both defense and sor-
tee. He is a master of siege-craft in
side or outside stone walls. How. then,
do you propose to sack and hang, good
seSfried?"