The Greeley tribune., 1906-08-16

battle array and Sir Nlgel having re-
cru''nd his ranks with the two hum
- members of the original White
Company. from the woods near Mont
pezard joined the army and received
the honorable commission from the
Prince. to push ahead into Spain ana
discover the location and strength or
the Spanish and French army undcr
King Henry of Transtamare. The lit
tie band wound through the passes of
Navarro and into the rugged land of
Spain.
Sir Nigel had with him Sir william
FELTON,. Sir Oliver Buttesthorn. stout
old Sir simon Rurley, the Scotch knight
errant. the Earl Of Angus. and Sir Rich
ard Causton. all accounted among the
hravest knights in the army, together
with sixty veteran men-at-arms. and
three hundred and twenty archers. Spies
had been sent ont in the morning. and
returned after night-fall to say that
the King of Spain was encamped some
fourteen miles of In the direction of
Burgon, having with him twenty thou
sand horse and forty-fve thousand foot
A dry-wood Are had been lit, and round
this the leaders crouched. the glare
beating upon their rugged faces. while
tho hardy archers lounged and chatted
amid the tethered horses. while they
munched their scanty provisions.
For my part" said Sir Simon Bur-
ley, l am of the opinion that we have
already done that "hlch we nave come
for. For do we not now know where
the king is. and how great a following
he hath, which was the end of our jour-
new
True" answered Sir William FELTON,,
but I have come on this venture be-
cause 1t is a long time since I have
broken a spear in war, and. certes,
shall not go back until ! have run
course with some cavalier of SPAIN"
II will not leave you. Sir William"
returned Sir Simon Burley; "and yet, as
an old soldier and one who hath seen
much OF war. I cannot but think that it
is an Ill thing for four hundred men
TO find themselves between
of sixty thousand on the one side and
a broad river on tho other"
Yet" said Sir Richard Causton. I'VE
rannot for the honor of England go
back without a blow struck"
Nor for the honor of Scotland,
either" cried the Earl of Angus.
BY Saint Paul! you have spoken
very well.' said Sir Nigel, '.and I have
always heard that there We're very
worthy gentlemen among the Scots,
and hne skirmishing to he had upon
their border. Bethink you, Sir Simon,
of common spies, who can scarce tell
US as much of the enemy and of his
forces AZ the prince would wish to
hear
All night they led their horses.
stumbling and groping through wild
lefiles and rugged alleys, following the
guidance of a frightened peasant who
was strapped by the wrist to Black Si-
mons stirrup-leather. With the early
dawn they found themselves in a dark
ravine, with others sloping away from
1t on either side. and the bare brown
crags rising in long bleak terraces all
round them.
III 1t please you, fair lord" said
Black Simon. this man hath misled us,
and since there is no tree upon which
we may hang him. 1t might be well
to hurl him over yonder cliff.'
The peasant. reading the soldiers
meaning in his fierce eyes and harsh
accents dropped upon his knees, scream
ing loudly for mercy.
How comes 1t. dog?" asker Sir Will
camp to which you swors you would
lead us?"
BY the sweet Virgin! BY the blessed
Mother of God." cried the trembling
peasant. :" swear to you that in the
darkness have myself lost the path.
I-"At the instant, there rose the
scream of hundred bugles. with the
deep rolling of drums and the clashing
OF cymbals. all sounding together in one
deafening uproar. knights and arch
ers sprang to arms. convince
some great host was upon them; but
the SulQe dropped upon MS knee8 ana
thanked Heaven for it's mercies.
I'VE have found them caballeros!"
he cried. This is their morning call"
As he spoke he scrambled down one
OF the narrow ravines. and. climbing
over a low ridge at the further end. he
led them into short valley with a
stream purling down the centre of 1t,
and very thick growth of elder and
box upon either side. Pushing their
way through the dense brushwood. they
looked upon scene which made their
hearts beat harder and their breath
come faster.
In front of them lay broad plain.
watered by two winding streams and
covered with grass, stretching away to
where. in the furthest distance, the
towers of Burgos bristled up against
the light blue morning sky. Over all
this vast meadow there lay a great city
of tents--thousands upon thousands OF
them. laid out in streets and squares
like a well-ordered town. High silken
payilions or colored marquees, shoot
ing up from among the crowd of mean
er dwellings, marked where the great
lords and barons of Leon and CASTLE
displayed their standards, while over
the white roofs, as far as eye could
reach, the waving of ancients, pavons.
pensils, and banderoles. with flash of
gold and glow of colors, proclaimed
that all the chivalry of Iberia were
mustered in the plain beneath them.
Far Off, in the centre of the camp, a
huge palace of red and white silk,
with the royal arms of CASTLE waving
from the summit. announced that the
gallant Henry lay there in the midst
of his warriors
As the English adventIfers. preping
ont from behind their brushwood
screen. looked down upon this wondrous
sight. they could see that the vast army
In front of them was already afoot. The
.g,,Nr terh% NJ tba vi ct tylif
tered upon the steel caps and breast
plates of dense masses of singers and
crossbowmen. who drilled and marched
In the spaces which hnd been left for
their exercise. A thousand columns
OF smoke reeked up into the pure
corning air where the faggots were
lied and the camp-kettles already
s''ome-'nE. In the open plain. clouds
~ light horse gailopcd and swooped
with sway.ng bodies ana waving jave-
l'ns. after the fashion which the Span
ish had adopted from their Moorish en-