The Camp of Refuge: A Tale of the Conquest of the Isle of Ely, Page 3

  CHAPTER I.

  THE MESSENGER.

  It was long ago; it was in the year of grace one thousand and seventy,or four years after the battle of Hastings, which decided the right ofpower between the English and Norman nations, and left the old Saxonrace exposed to the goadings of the sharp Norman lance, that a novicewent on his way from the grand abbey of Crowland to the dependent houseor succursal cell of Spalding,[1] in the midst of the Lincolnshirefens. The young man carried a long staff or pole in his hand, withwhich he aided himself in leaping across the numerous ditches andrivulets that intersected his path, and in trying the boggy groundbefore he ventured to set his feet upon it. The upper end of his staffwas fashioned like unto the staff of a pilgrim, but the lower end wasarmed with a heavy iron ferrule, from which projected sundry long steelnails or spikes. It was a fen-pole,[2] such, I wist, as our fenners yetuse in Holland, Lindsey, and Kesteven. In a strong and bold hand thisstaff might be a good war-weapon; and as the young man raised theskirts of his black garment it might have been seen that he had a shortbroad hunting-knife fastened to his girdle. He was a fair-haired,blue-eyed, and full-lipped youth, with an open countenance and a ruddycomplexion: the face seemed made to express none but joyous feelings,so that the grief and anxiety which now clouded it appeared to be quiteout of place. Nor was that cloud always there, for whensoever theautumn sun shone out brightly, and some opening in the monotonousforest of willows and alders gave him a pleasant or a varied prospect,or when the bright king-fisher flitted across his path, or the wildduck rose from the fen and flew heaven-ward,[3] or the heron raiseditself on its long legs to look at him from the sludge, or the timidcygnet went sailing away in quest of the parent swan, his countenancelighted up like that of a happy thoughtless boy. Ever and anon too someinward emotion made him chuckle or laugh outright. Thus between sadnessand gladness the novice went on his way--a rough and miry way proper togive a permanent fit of ill-humour to a less buoyant spirit, for he hadquitted the road or causeway which traversed the fens and was pursuinga devious path, which was for the greater part miry in summer, but acomplete morass at the present season of the year. Notwithstanding allhis well-practised agility, and in spite of the good aid of his longstaff, he more than once was soused head over ears in a broadwater-course. With a good road within view, it may be thought that hehad some strong motive for choosing this very bad one; and every timethat his path approached to the road, or that the screen of alders andwillows failed him, he crouched low under the tall reeds and bulrushesof the fen, and stole along very cautiously, peeping occasionallythrough the rushes towards the road, and turning his ear every timethat the breeze produced a loud or unusual sound. As thus he went on,the day declined fast, and the slanting sun shone on the walls of atall stone mansion, battlemented and moated--a dwelling-house, but ahouse proper to stand a siege:[4] and in these years of trouble nonecould dwell at peace in any house if unprovided with the means ofholding out against a blockade, and of repelling siege and assault. Allround this manor-house, to a wide space, the trees had been cut downand the country drained; part of the water being carried off to aneighbouring mere, and part being collected and gathered, by means ofvarious cuts, to fill the deep moat round the house.

  Here the young man, in fear of being discovered by those who occupiedthat warlike yet fair-looking dwelling, almost crawled on the ground.Nevertheless he quitted his track to get nearer to the house; and then,cowering among some reeds and bulrushes, he put his open hand above hiseyebrows, and gazed sharply at the moat, the drawbridge, the lowgateway with its round-headed arch, the battlements, and the blackNorman flag that floated over them. The while he gazed, the blast of atrumpet sounded on the walls, and sounded again, and once again; and,after the third blast, a noise as of many horses treading the high roador causeway was heard among the fen reeds. The novice muttered, andalmost swore blasphemously, (albeit by the rules of the order he wasbound to use no stronger terms than _crede mihi_, or _plane_, or_certe_, or _benedicamus Domina_;)[5] but he continued to gaze underhis palm until the sounds on the road came nearer and trumpet repliedto trumpet. Then, muttering "This is not a tarrying place for the feetof a true Saxon!" he crawled back to the scarcely perceptible track hehad left, and kept on, in a stooping posture but at a rapid pace, untilhe came to a thick clump of alders, the commencement of a wood whichstretched, with scarcely any interruption, to the banks of the riverWelland. Here, screened from sight, he struck the warlike end of hisstaff against the trunk of a tree, and said aloud, "Forty Normanmen-at-arms! by Saint Etheldreda[6] and by the good eye-sight thatSaint Lucia[7] hath vouchsafed unto me! Forty Norman cut-throats, andwe in our succursal cell only five friars, two novices, twolay-brothers, and five hinds! and our poor upper buildings all made ofwood, old and ready to burn like tow! and not ten bows in the place orfive men knowing how to use them! By Saint Ovin[8] and his cross! wereour walls but as strong as those of the monks of Ely, and our war-gearbetter, and none of us cowards, I would say, 'Up drawbridge! defy thisNorman woodcutter, who felled trees in the forest for his bread untilbrought by the bastard to cut Saxon throats and fatten upon the landsof our thanes and our churches and monasteries! I would spit at thebeard of this Ivo Taille-Bois, and call upon Thurstan my Lord Abbat ofEly, and upon the true Saxon hearts in the Camp of Refuge, forsuccour!'" And the passionate young man struck the trunk of the poorunoffending tree until the bark cracked, and the long thin leaves,loosened by autumn, fell all about him.

  He then continued his journey through the low, thick, and monotonouswood, and after sundry more leaps, and not a few sousings in the waterand slips in the mud, he reached the bank of the Welland at a pointjust opposite to the succursal cell of Spalding. A ferry-boat wasmoored under the walls of the house. He drew forth a blast horn; butbefore putting it to his lips to summon the ferryman across, hebethought him that he could not be wetter than he was, that he had gothis last fall in a muddy place, and that the readiest way to cleansehimself before coming into the presence of his superior would be toswim across the river instead of waiting to be ferried over. This alsosuited the impatient mood he was in, and he knew that the serf whomanaged the boat was always slow in his movements, and at times liableto sudden and unseasonable fits of deafness. So, throwing his heavystaff before him, like a javelin, and with so much vigour that itreached and stuck deep into the opposite bank, he leaped into the riverand swam across after it. Before he came to the Welland the sun hadgone down; but it was a clear autumnal evening, and if he was not seenin the twilight by a lay-brother stationed on the top of the house towatch for his return and to keep a look-out along the river, it musthave been because the said lay-brother was either drowsy and had goneto sleep, or was hungry and had gone down to see what was toward in thekitchen.

  The succursal cell of Spalding was but a narrow and humble placecompared with its great mother-house at Crowland: it seemed to standupon piles[9] driven deep into the marshy ground; the lower part of thebuilding was of stone, brick, and rubble, and very strong; but all theupper part was of wood, even as the wayfaring novice had lamented. Afew small round-headed arches, with short thick mullions, showed wherewas the chapel, and where the hall, which last served as refectory,chapter, and for many other uses. Detached from the chapel was a lowthick campanile or bell-tower, constructed like the main building,partly of stone, brick, and rubble, and partly of timber, the upperpart having open arches, through which might be seen the squat old belland the ponderous mallet, which served instead of a clapper. TheWelland almost washed the back of the house,[10] and a deep trench,filled by the water of the river, went round the other sides. Withoutbeing hailed or seen by anyone, the young man walked round from theriver bank to the front of the house, where the walls were pierced by alow arched gateway, and one small grated window a little above thearch. "The brothers are all asleep, and before supper time!" said thenovice, "but I must rouse old Hubert." He then blew his horn as loud ashe could blow it. After a brief pause a l
oud but cracked voice criedfrom within the gates, "Who comes hither, after evening song?"

  "It is I, Elfric[11] the novice."

  "The voice is verily that of child Elfric; but I must see with my eyesas well as hear with mine ears, for the Norman be prowling all about,and these be times when the wolf counterfeiteth the voice of the lamb."

  "Open, Hubert, open," cried the novice, "open, in the name of SaintChad![12] for I am wet, tired, and a-hungred, and the evening wind isbeginning to blow coldly from the meres. Open thy gate, Hubert, and letfall the bridge; I am so hungry that I could eat the planks! Prithee,is supper ready?"

  To this earnest address no answer was returned; but after a minute ortwo the twilight showed a cowled head behind the grates of thewindow--a head that seemed nearly all eyes, so intensely did thedoor-porter look forth across the moat--and then the voice which beforehad been heard below, was heard above, saying, "The garb and figure beverily those of Elfric, and the water streams from him to the earth.Ho! Elfric the novice--an thou be he--throw back thy hood, and give thesign!"

  "Abbat Thurstan[13] and Saint Etheldreda for the East Englanders!"shouted the young man.

  Here, another voice was heard from within the building calling out"Hubert, whom challengest? Is it Elfric returning from Crowland?"

  "Yea," quoth the portarius, "it is Elfric the novice safe back fromCrowland, but dripping like a water-rat, and shivering in the wind.Come, help me lower the bridge, and let him in."

  The gate was soon opened, and the narrow drawbridge lowered. The youthentered, and then helped to draw up the bridge and make fast theiron-studded door. Within the archway every member of the littlecommunity, except those who were preparing the evening repast orspreading the tables in the refectory, and the superior who wasprevented by his gout and his dignity from descending to the door-wayto meet a novice (be his errand what it might), was standing ontip-toe, and open-mouthed for news; but Elfric was a practisedmessenger, and knowing that the bringer of bad news is apt to meet witha cold welcome, and that the important tidings he brought ought to becommunicated first to the head of the house, he hurried through thethrong, and crossing a cloistered court, and ascending a flight ofstairs, he went straight to the cell of Father Adhelm,[14] thesub-prior of Crowland Abbey, who ruled the succursal cell of Spalding.The monks followed him into the room; but the novices and lay-brothersstopped short at the threshold, taking care to keep the door ajar sothat they might hear whatsoever was said within. "I give thee mybenison, oh, my child! and may the saints bless thee, for thou art backsooner than I weened. But speak, oh Elfric! quick! tell me what gladtidings thou bringest from my Lord Abbat and our faithful brethren atCrowland, and what news of that son of the everlasting fire, our evilneighbour Ivo Taille-Bois?"

  After he had reverentially kissed the hand of his superior, Elfric thenovice spake and said:--

  "Father, I bring no glad tidings; my news be all bad news! IvoTaille-Bois is coming against us to complete his iniquities, byfinishing our destruction; and the Abbat[15] and our faithful brethrenat Crowland are harassed and oppressed themselves, and cannot help us!"

  The faces of the monks grew very long; but they all said in one voice,"Elfric, thou dreamest. Elfric, thou speakest of things that cannot be;for hath not my Lord Abbat obtained the king's peace, and security forthe lives of all his flock and the peaceful possession of all ourhouses, succursal cells, churches and chapels, farms and landswhatsoever, together with our mills, fisheries,[16] stews, warrens, andall things appertaining to our great house and order?"[17]

  One of the primary duties imposed upon novices was to be silent whenthe elders spake. Elfric stood with his hands crossed upon his breastand with his eyes bent upon the floor, until his superior said "Peace,brothers! let there be silence until the youth hath reported what hehath heard and seen." And then turning to Elfric, Father Adhelm added,"Bring you no missive from our good Abbat?"

  "Yea," said the novice, "I am the bearer of an epistle from my LordAbbat to your reverence; and lo! it is here." And he drew forth fromunder his inner garment a round case made of tin, and presented it mostrespectuously to the superior.

  "I am enduring the pains of the body as well as the agony of thespirit," said the superior, "and my swollen right hand refuses itsoffice; brother Cedric, undo the case."

  Cedric took the case, opened it, took out a scroll of parchment, kissedit as if it had been a relic, unrolled it, and handed it to thesuperior.

  "Verily this is a long missive," said the superior, running his eyesover it, "and alack, and woe the while, it commenceth with words of illomen! Brethren my eyes are dim and cannot read by twilight:[18] thebody moreover is faint, I having fasted from everything but prayer andmeditation since the mid-day refection; and then, as ye can bearwitness, I ate no meat, but only picked a stewed pike[19] of thesmallest. Therefore, brethren, I opine that we had better read my LordAbbat's epistle[20] after supper (when will they strike upon thatrefectory bell?), and only hear beforehand what Elfric hath to say."

  The cloister-monks gladly assented, for they were as hungry as theirchief, and, not being very quick at reading, were glad that thesuperior had not called for lights in the cell, and called upon them toread the letter.

  "Now speak, Elfric, and to the point; tell the tale shortly, and afterthe evening meal the lamp shall be trimmed and we will draw our stoolsround the hearth in the hall, and read the abbat's epistle anddeliberate thereupon."

  Upon this injunction of Father Adhelm, the youth began to relate withvery commendable brevity, that the abbey of Crowland was surrounded andin good part occupied by Norman knights and men-at-arms, who wereeating the brotherhood out of house and home, and committing every kindof riot and excess; that the abbat had in vain pleaded the king'speace, and shown the letters of protection granted him by Lanfranc,[21]the new foreign primate of the kingdom; that the Normans had seizedupon all the horses and mules and boats of the community; and that theabbat (having received disastrous intelligence from the north[22] andfrom other parts of England where the Saxon patriots had endeavoured toresist the conqueror), had fallen sick, and had scarcely strength todictate and sign the letter he brought.

  "These are evil tidings indeed," said the superior, "but the storm isyet distant, and may blow over without reaching us. It is many a roodfrom Crowland to Spalding, and there is many a bog between us. Thoseaccursed knights and men-at-arms will not readily risk their horses andtheir own lives in our fens; and now that Ivo Taille-Bois hath so oftenemptied our granaries, and hath crippled or carried off all our cattle,we have the protecting shield of poverty. There is little to be gothere but bare walls, and Ivo, having the grant of the neighbouringlands from the man they call King William, is not willing that anyrobber but himself should come hitherward. His mansion guards thecauseway, and none can pass thereon without his _bene placet_. But, ohElfric! what of the demon-possessed Ivo? Rests he not satisfied withthe last spoils he made on our poor house? Abides he not true to hiscompact that he would come no more, but leave us to enjoy his king'speace and the peace of the Lord? Heeds he not the admonition addressedto him by Lanfranc? Speak, Elfric, and be quick, for methinks I hearthe step of the cellarer by the refectory door."

  "The strong keep no compact with the weak," responded the novice, "andthese lawless marauders care little for William their king, less fortheir archbishop, and nothing for the Lord! While I was hid in CrowlandAbbey waiting for my Lord Abbat's letter, I heard from one of thefriars who can interpret their speech, that some of these Normans weresaying that Ivo Taille-Bois wanted the snug nest at Spalding to putcleaner birds into it: that Ivo had made his preparations to dispossessus. And lo! as I came homeward through the fens, and passed as near asI might to the manor-house which Taille-Bois made his own by forciblymarrying the good Saxon[23] owner of it, I heard the flourish oftrumpets, and anon I saw, tramping along the causeway towards thewell-garrisoned manor-house, forty Norman men-at-arms!"

  "Not so, surely not so, Elfric," said the superior in a quake, "dan
gercannot be so near us as that!"

  "His eyes must have deceived him," cried all the brothers.

  "Nay," said the youth, "I saw, as plainly as I now see the faces ofthis good company, their lances glinting in the setting sun, and theirbright steel caps and their grey mail, and...."

  "Fen-grass and willows,"[24] cried the superior, who seemed determinednot to give credit to the evil tidings, "what thou tookest for spearswere bulrushes waving in the breeze, and thy steel-caps and grey mailswere but the silvery sides of the willow-leaves turned upwards by thewind! Boy, fasting weakens the sight and makes it dim!"

  "Would it were so," quoth Elfric; "but so was it not! I heard thetrumpet give challenge from the battlements--I heard the other trumpetgive response--I heard the tramping of many hoofs along the hard solidcauseway; and, creeping nearer to the road, I saw lances and horses andmen--and they were even forty!"

  "It cannot be," said one of the monks, "for, when he made his lastpaction with us, Ivo Taille-Bois swore, not only by three Saxon saintsbut eke by six saints of Normandie, that he would do us and our houseno further wrong."

  "The senses are deceptions," said another of the brotherhood.

  "The foul fiend, who often lurks in these wildernesses and plays fierypranks in our fens, may have put it into this youth's head to mar ourpeace with false alarms;" quoth another monk.

  "Say _warning_, and not false alarm," rejoined Elfric ratherpetulantly. "If you will not be warned, you will be surprised in yoursleep or at your meals. These forty men-at-arms cannot come hither forother purpose than that of finishing our ruin and driving us hence. Assure as the sun riseth they will be here to-morrow morning."

  "The boy chafes, and loses respect for his elders," said the monk whohad last spoken.

  "Let him sup with the cats!" cried the superior.

  At this moment a bell was struck below; and at the signal the novicesand lay-brothers ran from the door at which they had been listening,and the superior, followed by the monks, and at a respectful distanceby the reproved and vexed novice, hobbled down stairs to the refectory.

  The aspect of that hall, with its blazing wood fire, abundant tapersand torches, and well-spread tables, intimated that the superior'saccount of the poverty and destitution to which Ivo the Norman hadreduced the house was only figurative or comparative. That good fathertook his place at the head of the table; the monks took their seatsaccording to their degree of antiquity; the novices and thelay-brothers sat below the salt;[25] and poor Elfric, submissive to hispenance, sat down cross-legged on the rushes in the middle of thefloor, and in the midst of all the cats of the establishment, who, Iwist, knew as well as the monks the meaning of the dinner and supperbell, and always trooped into the refectory to share the fragments ofthe feast. One of the novices ascended a little pulpit raised high inone of the angles of the hall, and the superior having blessed the goodthings placed before him, this young novice read from the book ofPsalms while the rest of the company ate their meal. After all had beenserved, even to the meanest of the lay-brothers, Elfric's bread andmeat and his stoup of wine were handed to him on the floor--and thenwas seen what it signified to sup with the cats, for tabbies, greys,blacks, and whites all whisked their tails, and purred and mewed, andscratched round about him, greedy to partake with him, and some of themost daring even dipped their whiskers into his porringer, or scratchedthe meat from his spoon before it could reach his mouth. Neverthelessthe young man made a hearty meal, and so, in spite of their fears andanxieties, did all the rest of that devout community. As grace wassaid, and as the reader was descending from the pulpit to do as theothers had done, the superior, after swallowing a cup of wine, saidrather blithely, "Now trim the good lamp and feed the fire, close thedoor, and place seats and the reading-desk round the hearth." As thenovices and lay-brothers hastened to do these biddings, Father Cedricwhispered to the superior, "Would it not be fitting to shut out theyoung and the unordained, and deliberate by ourselves, _maturifratres_?"[26] "No," replied the superior, "we be all alike concerned;let novices and lay-brothers stay where they are and hear the words ofour Lord Abbat. If danger be so nigh, all must prepare to meet it, andsome may be wanted to run into Spalding town to call upon all goodChristians and true Saxons there to come to the rescue." Then turningto the youth on the rushes he said, "Elfric the messenger, thou mayestrise and take thy seat in thy proper place: I cannot yet believe allthy news, and thou spokest when thou oughtest not to have spoken; butthese are days of tribulation, and mischief may be nearer than wethought it. Yet, blessed be God! that provides food and drink for hiscreatures, and that makes the bounteous meal and the red wine revivethe heart and courage of man, I feel very differently now from what Ifelt before supper, and can better bear the weight of evil news, andmore boldly face the perils that may lie in my path." By words or bylooks all the brotherhood re-echoed this last sentiment.