The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-10-03

Scotland and to the conquest of ireland
has paid but scant attention to the re
markable and stirring story of the name
in which the remnants of the ancien
5B1ftons, the successors of Arthur and hi
knights, maintained themselves for $
inany centuries against Saxon and Nor
man The main facts, dryly and brief
told, have seemed TO suffice the majorit
of historians when treating of this chap
ter In the making of Great Britain. Ye
THE Betrothed" shows what wealtl
of romantic history lies in the vein iron
which Sir Walter took a single piece o
ore. Perhaps some day an author vii
arise who will do for Wales what Scot
did for Scotland.
ENROM the donjon tower Of the Gard
Doloureuse, that stately Norman
= castle upon the borders or marches
of Wales, fioated the banner of the, Ray
mond Berenger, knight grown old il
wars and chivalry, who kept the hold 4
bulwark against the fierce and warlikt
Cy1nri. At the time this story opens there
was peace upon the borderside Baldwin
Archbishop of Canterbury, had preached
The crusade throughout England, and had
even penetrated into the remotest valleys
of Wales. calling to arms for the recov-
cry Of the holy sepulchre
Among the Welshmen who had an
swered the summons was Gwenwyn,
Prince of Fowls, haughtiest and most
powerful of the three great chiefs who
ruled over the Cymri. For years the
prince and the Lord Mareher Berenger
had fought each other and vowed each
others death; but now that the truce of
the cross lay on the land, the old knight
hunted in the woods of Powis nnscathed
and Gwenwyn broke bread in the lofty
hall of the Garde Doloureuse. 1t was
at the great banquet Berenger gave his
former enemy at the castle that the
Prince of Fowls saw Eveline, the mother
less daughter of his noble host, girl Of
surprising beauty, only 10 years old, and
sole heir TO the Iordships and wealth of
her father.
The prince returned to Fowls with his
mind full of the charms of Eveline and
after much debate with himself and his
councillors as to whether he, the heir of a
line Of Independent princes whose origin
was lost in the mists of an extreme an
tiquity, he the lords of 100 mountains
might condescend to take to wife the
daughter of a petty Norman baron-sent
10 the Garde Doloureuse formal demand
for the young lady's hand. Gwenwyn was
filed with surprise and rage when to hi
suit old Berenger returned an unfavor
able answer At once the horns wer'
sounding through the valleys and aloni
the mountain sides of Cambria summon
ing the warriors of Fowls to follow thu
plume of their prince to battle,
Well knowing what would be the result
of the rejection of the suit of Gwenwyn
Berenger had placed his castle in state
of defense and had called in to augment
its garrison the Flemings who, under
vilkin Hammock, their leader, had es
tablished cloth mills upon the stream
which flowed near the walls of the Gardf
Doloureuse Wilkin was man STURDY
of frame, of blunt speech and few words
His daughter, Rose a fair-haired, blue
eyed damsel, was bower maiden TO Eve
line Rerenger, who treated her almost al
a
Wilkin stood together on the battlement
watching the swarm of Welsh as they ap
peared through the mountain passes ana
shouting their war cries, swept over TN
level stretch which lay between the hlsh
lands and the hill upon which towerel
the Norman fortress. Three bowshot
hevond the castle walls was a marrow
bridge where oft before the Welsh MAJ
been met and thrown back.
But Gwenwyn, when a guest at IN
castle. had tainted Berenger that it wa
his castles strength rather than IN
strength of his chivalry which had save
the Garde Doloureuse from the Cymrl
Both were excited by wine, and Berenge
had replied that when next the banne
of Powis appeared before the hold II
would wait until it was planted on Tn
hither side of the bridge and then sail
out to engage the Wolf of Plnlimmon !
a fair and open field. This he had swor
nnon his honor as a knight and gentle
man. OWN to the Truce of the Cross tn
border had been almost denuded of sol
diers and most of the military power 0
the region had been drawn off TO TN
camp of the Constable of Chester, VIII
Law at Gloucester. where he was prepar
ing for the Crusade.
When the Welsh were finally across tn
bridge and the banner of the Code
Dragon famed in the sun the draw
bridge fell, the portcullis rose and on
,pmlred knights and squires, bowen an
men at arms, following in his desperat
charge the standard of Raymond Be
renger. Though the AngloNorma
chivalry fought with almost superhuma
courage and the old Lord Marche
hewed his way up to the very standar
Of Fowls, exchanging blows with tn
Prince himself, who stood beside il
there was but one possible issue to III
unequal contest. Berenger received h
deathblow from the hand of Gwenwy
and the remnants of the Anglo Norma
force fled for refuge to the castle,
which the Welsh Immediately laid sieg
Perilous, indeed, was the situation of II
inhabitants of the Garde Doloureuse. Wi
kin Hammock and his stout FLEMING
with a handful of English which RENAME
alive were unable to properly man Il
walls and they beat back with difficult
the repeated and fierce attempts of ii
Welsh to carry the place by storm. II
tale of dead and wounded among the
was daily diminishing their already sma
numbers, while the supply of food WI
growing alarmingly low. Eveline, thous
torn with grief at the death Of her fathe
had been all her life amid such scenes