 Preface of A Night of the White Cross Preface, my dear lads, the Order of the Knights of St. John, which for some centuries played a very important part in the great struggle between Christianity and Mohammedanism, was at its origin a semi-religious body, its members being, like other monks, bound by vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty, and pledged to minister to the ones of the pilgrims who flocked to the holy places, to receive them at their great hospital, or guest house at Jerusalem, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and to defend them on their passage to and from the sea, against attack by Muslims. In a comparatively short time, the Constitution of the Order was changed, and the Knights, Hospitallers, became, like the Templars, a great military order pledged to defend the Holy Sepulcher. To war everywhere against the Muslims, the Hospitallers bore a leading share in the struggle which terminated in the triumph of the Muslims, and the capture by them of Jerusalem. The Knights of St. John then established themselves at anchor, but after a valiant defense of that fortress, removed to Crete, and shortly afterwards to Rhodes. There they fortified the town, and withstood two terrible sieges by the Turks. At the end of the second they obtained honorable terms from Sultan Suleiman, and retiring to Malta, established themselves there in an even stronger fortress than that of Rhodes, and repulsed all the efforts of the Turks to dispossess them. The Order was the great ballwork of Christendom, against the invasion of the Turks, and the tale of their long struggle is one of absorbing interest, and of the many eventful episodes none is more full of incident and excitement than the first siege of Rhodes, which I have chosen for the subject of my story. Yours truly, G.A. Henty. End of Preface Recording by Peter Strom, Sabetha, Kansas, on December 18, 2018 Chapter 1 of A Night of the White Cross by G.A. Henty Chapter 1 The Kingmaker A stately lady was looking out of the window of an apartment in the Royal Chateau of Anboi in the month of June, 1470. She was still handsome, though many years of anxiety, misfortune, and trouble had left their traces on her face. In the room behind her a night was talking to a lady sitting at a tambour frame. A lad of seventeen was standing at another window, stroking a hawk that sat on his wrist, while a boy of nine was seated at a table, examining the pages of an illuminated missile. What will come of it, Eleanor? The lady at the window said, turning suddenly and impatiently from it. It seems past belief that I am to meet as a friend this haughty earl, who has for fifteen years been the bitterest enemy of my house. It appears almost impossible. Tis strange indeed, my Queen. But so many strange things have befallen your Majesty, that you should be the last to wonder at this. At any rate, as you said but yesterday, not but good can come of it. He has done his worst against you, and one can scarce doubt that if he chooses, he has power to do as much good for you, as in past times he has done you evil. Tis certain that his coming here shows he is in earnest, for his presence, which is sure sooner or later to come to the ears of the usurper, will cause him to fall into the deepest disgrace. And yet it seemed, the Queen said, that by marrying his daughter to Clarence he had bound himself more firmly than ever to the side of York. I, Madame, the Knight said, but Clarence himself is said to be alike, unprincipled and ambitious, and it may well be that Warwick intended to set him up against Edward. Had he not done so, such an alliance would not necessarily strengthen his position at court. Me thinks your supposition is the true one, Sir Thomas, the Queen said. Edward cares not sufficiently for his brother to bestow much favour upon the father of the Prince's wife. Thus he would gain but little by the marriage, unless he were to place Clarence on the throne. Then he would again become the real ruler of England, as he was until Edward married Elizabeth Woodville, and the House of Rivers rose to the first place in the royal favour, and eclipsed the Star of Warwick. It is no wonder the proud Earl shafes under the ingratitude of the man who owes his throne to him, and that he is ready to dare everything, so that he can but prove to him that he is not to be slighted with impunity. But why come to me when he has Clarence as his puppet? He may have convinced himself, Madame, that Clarence is even less to be trusted than Edward, or he may perceive that but few of the Yorkists would follow him were he to declare against the usurper. While assuredly your adherents would stand aloof altogether from such a struggle, powerful as he is, Warwick could not alone withstand the united forces of all the nobles pledged to the support of the House of York. Since, as I take it, does it happen that he has resolved to throw in his lot with Lancaster? If your Majesty will but forgive the evil he has done your house, and accept him as your ally. No doubt he will have terms to make and conditions to lay down. He may make what conditions he chooses, Queen Margaret said passionately, so that he doesn't but aid me to take vengeance on that false traitor to place my husband again on the throne and to obtain from my son his rightful heritage. As she spoke a trumpet sounded in the courtyard below. He has come, she exclaimed. Once again after years of misery and humiliation I can hope. We had best retire Madame, Sir Thomas Trisham said. He will speak more freely to your Majesty if there are no witnesses. Come, Gervais, it is time that you practice your exercises. And Sir Thomas, with his wife and child, quitted the room, leaving Queen Margaret with her son to meet the man who had been the bitterest foe of her house, the author of her direst misfortunes. For two hours the Earl of Warwick was closeted with the Queen. Then he took horse and rode away. As soon as he did so, a servant informed Sir Thomas and his wife that the Queen desired their presence. Margaret was standing radiant when they entered. Congratulate me, my friends, she said. The star of Lancaster has risen again. Warwick has placed all his power and influence at our disposal. We have both forgiven all the past. I have accountless injuries he has inflicted on my house. He, the execution of his father and so many of his friends. We have both laid aside all our grievances. And we stand united by our hate for Edward. There is but one condition. In this I accepted gladly, namely that my son should marry his daughter Anne. This will be another bond between us. And by all reports, Anne is a charming young lady. Edward has gladly agreed to the match. He could make no alliance, even with the proudest princess in Europe, which would so aid him and so strengthen his throne. God grant that your hopes may be fulfilled, madame. The night said earnestly. And that peace may be given to our distracted country. The usurper has riddered himself unpopular by his extravagance and by the exactions of his tax collectors. And I believe that England will gladly welcome the return of its lawful king to power. When does Warwick propose to begin? He will at once get a fleet together. Louis, who has privately brought about this meeting, will of course throw no impediment in his way. But on the other hand, the Duke of Burgundy will do all in his power to thwart the Enterprise. And will, as soon as he learns of it, warn Edward. I feel new life in me, Eleanor. After fretting powerless for years, I seem to be a different woman now that there is a prospect of action. I am rejoiced at the thought that at last I shall be able to reward those who have ventured and suffered so much in the cause of Lancaster. My hope is, madame, that this Enterprise will be the final one. That once successful, our dear land will be no longer deluged with blood. And that never again shall I be forced to draw my sword against my countrymen. It is a good and pious wish, sir Thomas, and heartily do I join in it. My married life has been one long round of trouble, and none more than I have caused to wish for peace. There is the more hope, madame, that these wars have greatly diminished the number of powerful barons. It is they who are the authors of this struggle. Their rivalries and their ambitions are the ruin of England. Say for their retainers, there would be no army to place in the field. The mass of people stand aloof altogether, desiring only to live in peace and quiet. Tis the same here in France. Tis the powerful vassals of the king that are ever causing trouble. Tis so indeed, sir Thomas, but without his feudal lords, how could a king place an army in the field when his dominions were threatened by a powerful neighbor? Then it would be the people's business to fight, madame, and I doubt not that they would do so in defense of their hearts and homes. Besides, the neighbor would no longer have the power of invasion, where he also without great vassals. These great barons stand between the king and his subjects, and a monarch would be a king indeed where he able to rule without their constant dictation and undisturbed by their rivalry and ambitions. That would be a good time indeed, sir Thomas, the queen said with a smile. But me thinks there is but little chance of its coming about. For at present it seems to me that the vassals are better able to make or unmake kings than kings are able to deprive the great vassals of power. And never since Norman William, set foot in England, were they more powerful than they are at present. What does my chance of recovering our throne rest upon? Not upon our right, but on the quarrel between Warwick and the House of Rivers. We are but puppets that the great lords play against each other. Did it depend upon my will? It should be as you say. I would crush them all at a blow. Then only should I feel really a queen. But that is but a dream that can never be carried out. Not in our time, madame, but perhaps it may come sooner than we expect. This long war which has destroyed many great families and weakened others may greatly hasten its arrival. I presume until Warwick is ready to move, not will be done, Your Majesty. That is not settled yet. Warwick spoke somewhat of causing a rising in the north before he set sail, so that a portion at least of Edward's power may be up there when we make our landing. It would be a prudent step, madame. If we can but gain possession of London, the matter would be half finished. The citizens are ever ready to take sides with those whom they regard as likely to win. And just as they shout at present, long live King Edward. So would they shout, long live King Henry. Did you enter the town? This may perhaps change the thought that you have entertained, sir Thomas, of making your son a knight of St. John. I have not thought the matter over, madame. If there were quiet in the land I should, were it not for my vow, be well content that he should settle down in peace at my old hall. But if I see that there is still trouble and bloodshed ahead, I would, in any case, far rather that he should enter the order and spend his life in fighting the infidel than in strife with Englishmen. My good friend, the grand prior of the order in England, has promised that he will take him as his page. And at any rate in the house of St. John's, he will pass his youth in security. Whatsoever fate may befall me. The child himself already bids fair to do honor to our name and to become a worthy member of the order. He is fond of study and under my daily tuition is making good progress in the use of his weapons. That he is, the prince said, speaking for the first time. It was but yesterday in the great hall downstairs he stood up with blunted swords against young Victor de Palac who has nigh three years his senior. It was amusing to see how the little knaves fought against each other. And by my faith, Gervais held his own staunchly in spite of Victor's superior height and weight. If he joined the order, Sir Thomas, I warned me he will cleave many an infidel's skull and will do honor to the Lang of England. I hope so, Prince, the nice and gravely, the Muslims ever gain in power and it may well be that the knights of St. John will be hardly pressed to hold their own. If the boy joins them it will be my wish that he shall as early as possible repair to roads. I do not wish him to become one of the drones who live in sloth at their commanderies in England and take no part in the noble struggle of the order with Muslim hosts who have captured Constantinople and now threaten all Europe. We were childless some years after our marriage and Eleanor and I vowed that were a son born to us if he would join the order of the white cross and dedicate his life to the defense of Christian Europe against the infidel. Our prayers for a son were granted and Gervais will enter the order as soon as his age will permit him. That is why I rejoice that the grand priors offer to take him as his page for he will dwell in the hospital safely until old enough to take the first steps towards becoming a knight of the order. I would that I had been born the son of a baron like yourself, the prince said earnestly, and that I were free to choose my own career. Assuredly in that case, I too would have joined the noble order and has spent my life in fighting in so grand a cause free from all the quarrels and disputes and enmities that rend England. Even should I someday gain a throne, surely my lot is not to be envied. Yet as I have been born to the rank, I must try for it and I trust to do so worthily and bravely, but who can say what the end will be? Warwick has ever been our foe and though my royal mother may use him in order to free my father and place him on the throne, she must know well enough that he but uses us for his own ends alone and that he will ever stand beside the throne and be the real ruler of England. For a time, Edward, the queen broke in. We have shown that we can wait and now it seems that our great hope is likely to be fulfilled. After that the rest will be easy. There are other nobles, well nigh as powerful as he, who look with jealousy upon the way in which he lords it and be assured that they will look with still less friendly eye upon him when he stands. As you say, beside the throne, once your father is again seated there, we can afford to bide our time and assuredly it will not be long before a party is formed against Warwick. Until then we must bear everything. Our interests are the same. If he is content to remain a prop to the throne and not to eclipse it, the memory of the past will not stand between us and I shall regard him as the weapon that has beaten down the house of York and restored us to our own and shall give him my confidence and friendship. If on the other hand he assumes too much and tries to lord it over us, I shall seek other support and gather a party which even he will be unable successfully to withstand. I should have thought, Edward, that you would be even more glad than I that this long time of weary waiting for action is over and that once again the banner of Lancaster will be spread to the winds. I shall be that, mother, rather would I meet death in the field and live cooped up here a pensioner of France, but I own that I should feel more joy at the prospect if the people of England had declared in our favor instead of its being Warwick, whom you have always taught me to fear and hate, who thus comes to offer to place my father again on the throne, and whose good will towards us is simply the result of peak and displeasure because he is no longer first in the favor of Edward. It does not seem to me that a throne won but the aid of a trader can be a stable one. You are a foolish boy, the Queen said angrily. Do you not see that by marrying Warwick's daughter you will attach him firmly to us? Marriages do not count for much, mother. Another of Warwick's daughters married Clarence. Edward's brother, and yet he purposes to dethrone Edward. The Queen gave an angry gesture and said, you have my permission to retire, Edward. I am in no mood to listen to auguries of evil at the present moment. The Prince hesitated for a moment as if about to speak, but with an effort control himself and bowing deeply to his mother left the room. Edward is in a perverse humor, the Queen said in a tone of much vexation to serve Thomas Treisham when Gervais had left the room. However, I know he will bear himself well when the hour of trial comes. That I can warrant, he will, madame. He has a noble character, frank and fearless and yet thoughtful beyond his years. He will make, I believe, a noble king and may well gather round him all parties in the state. But your majesty must make excuses for his humor. Young people are strong in their likes and dislikes. He has never heard you speak out but ill of Warwick and he knows how much harm the Earl has done to your house. The question of expediency does not weigh with the young as with their elders. While you see how great are the benefits that will accrue from an alliance with Warwick and are ready to lay aside the hatred of years and to forget the wrongs you have suffered. The young Prince is unable so quickly to forget that enmity against the Earl that he has learnt from you. You are right, Sir Thomas. And I cannot blame Edward that he is unable, as I am, to forget the past. What steps would you advise that I myself should take? Shall I remain passive here or shall I do what I can to rouse our partisans in England? I should say the latter, madame. Of course it will not do to trust two letters for were one of these to fall into the wrong hands it might cause the ruin of Warwick's expedition. But I should say that a cautious message sent by word of mouth to some of our old adherents would be of great use. I myself will if your majesty chooses to entrust me with the mission, undertake to carry it out. I should take ship and land in the west and would travel in the guise of a simple country gentleman and call upon our adherents in all the western counties. It would be needful first to make out a list of the nobles who have shown themselves devoted to your cause. And I should bid these hold themselves and their retainers in readiness to take the field suddenly. I should say no were to Warwick, but merely hint that you will not land alone, but with a powerful array and that all the chances are in your favor. But it would be a dangerous mission, Sir Thomas. Not greatly so, madame. My own estates lie in Sussex and there would be but little chance of my recognition saved by your own adherents who may have seen me among the leaders of your troops in battle. And even that is improbable. At present Edward deems himself so securely seated on the throne that men can travel hither and thither through the country without being questioned. And the Lancastrians live quietly with the Yorkists. Unless I were so unfortunate as to meet a Yorkist noble who knew that I was a vanished man and one who had the honor of being in your majesty's confidence, I do not think that any danger could possibly arise. What say you, wife? I cannot think that there is no danger, Lady Treesham said. But even so I would not say were to hinder you from doing service to the cause. I know of no one else who could perform the mission. You have left my side to go into battle before now and I cannot think that the danger of such an expedition can be as great as that which you would undergo in the field. Therefore, my dear Lord, I would say no word now to stay you. She spoke bravely and unfalteringly, but her face had paled when Sir Thomas first made the proposal and the color had not yet come back to her cheeks. Bravely spoken, Dame, the Queen said warmly, well Sir Thomas, I accept your offer and trust that you will not be long separated from your wife and son, who will of course journey with me when I go to England, where doubtless you will be able to rejoin us a few days after we land. Now let us talk over the noblemen and gentlemen in the West, upon whom we can rely, if not to join our banner as soon as it is spread, at least to say no word that will betray you. Two days later Sir Thomas Treesham started on his journey while the Queen remained at Amboy, eagerly awaiting the news that Warwick had collected a fleet and was ready to set sail. Up to this point the Duke of Clarence had sided with Warwick against his brother and had passed over with him to France, believing no doubt that if the Earl should succeed in dethroning Edward, he intended to place him, his son-in-law upon the throne. He was rudely awakened from this delusion by Charles of Burgundy, who being in all but open rebellion against his Souserain, the King of France, kept himself intimately acquainted with all that was going on. He dispatched a female emissary to Clarence to inform him of the leak Warwick had made with the Lancasterians and the intended marriage between his daughter Aeon and the young Prince, imploring him to be reconciled with his brother and to break off his alliance with the Earl, who was on the point of waging war against the House of York. Clarence took the advice and went over to England where he made his peace with Edward, the more easily because the King, who was entirely given up to pleasure, treated with contempt the warnings the Duke of Burgundy sent him of the intended invasion by Warwick. And yet a moment serious reflection should have shown him that his position was precarious. The crushing exactions of the tax-gatherers, in order to provide the means for Edward's lavish expenditure, had already caused very serious insurrections in various parts of the country, and his unpopularity was deep in general. In one of these risings, the royal troops had suffered a crushing defeat. The Earl Rivers, the father, and Sir John Woodbill, one of the brothers of the Queen, had with the Earl of Devon been captured by the rebels. The three had been beheaded, and the throne had only been saved by the intervention of Warwick. Thus then Edward had every reason for fearing the result should the Earl appear in arms against him. He took however no measures whatever to prepare for the coming storm. And although the Duke of Burgundy dispatched a fleet to blockade Harfleur, where Warwick was fitting out his expedition and actually sent the name of the port at which the Earl intended to land if his fleet managed to escape from Harfleur, Edward continued carelessly to spend his time in pleasure and dissipation, bestowing his full confidence upon the Archbishop of York and the Marquis of Montague, both brothers of the Earl of Warwick. The elements favored his enemies. For early in September, the Duke of Burgundy's fleet of Harfleur was dispersed by a storm, and Warwick as soon as the gale abated, set sail, and on the thirteenth landed on the Devonshire coast. His force was a considerable one, for the French king had furnished him both with money and men. On affecting his landing, he found no army assembled to oppose him. A few hours after his disembarkation, he was joined by Sir Thomas Treisham, who gave him the good news that the whole of the West was ready to rise, and that in a few days all the great landowners would join him with their retainers. This turned out to be the case, and Warwick with a great array marched eastward, Kent had already risen, and London declared for King Henry, Warwick therefore instead of marching thither, moved toward Lincolnshire, where Edward was with his army, having gone north to repress an insurrection that had broken out there at the instigation of Warwick. Lord Montague now threw off the mask and declared for King Henry. Most of the soldiers followed him, and Edward, finding it hopeless to oppose Warwick's force, which was now within a short march of him, took ship with a few friends who remained faithful and sailed for Holland. Warwick returned to London, where he took King Henry from the dungeon in the tower, into which he himself had five years before thrown him, and proclaimed him king. On the day that this took place, Dame Treisham arrived in London with her son. The Queen had found that she could not for the present cross, as she was waiting for a large French force which was to accompany her. As it was uncertain how long the delay might last, she counseled her friend to join her husband. The revolution had been accomplished without the loss of a single life, with the exception of that of the Earl of Worcester, who was hated for his cruelty by the people. Edward's principal friends took refuge in various religious houses. The Queen, her three daughters and her mother, fled to the sanctuary at Westminster. All these were left unmolested, nor was any step taken against the other adherents of the House of York. Warwick was now virtually King of England. The King, whose intellect had always been weak, was now almost an imbecile, and Margaret of Angeau was still detained in France. Sir Thomas Treisham went down to his estates in Kent, and there lived quietly for some months. The Duke of Clarence had joined Warwick as soon as he saw that his brother's cause was lost. And as the Duke had no knowledge of his changed feelings towards him, he was heartily welcomed. An act of settlement was passed by Parliament entailing the crown on Henry's son Edward, Prince of Wales, and in the case of that Prince's death without issue on the Duke of Clarence. On the 12th of March, following 1471, Edward suddenly appeared with a fleet with which he had been secretly supplied by the Duke of Burgundy, and sailing north landed in the Humber. He found the northern population by no means disposed to aid him. But upon his taking a solemn oath that he had no designs whatever upon the throne, but simply claimed to be restored to his rights and dignities as Duke of York, he was joined by a sufficient force to enable him to cross the Trent. As he marched south, his army speedily swelled, and he was joined by many great lords. Warwick had summoned Henry's adherents to the field and marched north to meet him. When the armies approached each other, the Duke of Clarence, who commanded a portion of Henry's army, went over with his whole force to Edward, and Warwick, being no longer in a position to give battle, was obliged to draw off and allow Edward to march unopposed towards London. The citizens, with their usual fickleness, received him with the same outburst of enthusiasm, with which five months before they had greeted the entry of Warwick. The unfortunate King Henry was again thrown into his dungeon in the tower, and Edward found himself once more King of England. Sir Thomas Treisham, as soon as he heard of the landing of Edward, had hastened up to London. In his uncertainty how matters would go, he brought his wife and son up with him and left them in lodgings while he marched north with Warwick. As soon as the defection of Clarence opened the road to London, he left the Earl, promising to return in a few days and road to town, arriving there two days before Edward's entry, and purchasing another horse took his wife and son down to St. Albans, where, leaving them, he rejoined Warwick. In a few days, the latter had gathered sufficient forces to enable him to risk the fortunes of a battle. In marching south, he encamped with his army on the common north of Barnett. Edward had come out to meet him, and the two armies slept on Easter Eve within two miles of each other. Late in the evening, Clarence sent a messenger to the Earl, offering to mediate, but the offer was indignantly refused by Warwick. In the darkness, neither party was aware of the other's precise position. Warwick was much stronger than the king in artillery and had placed it on his right wing. The king, in his ignorance of the enemy's position, had placed his troops considerably more to the right than those of Warwick's army. The latter believing that Edward's line was facing his, kept up a heavy cannonade all night upon where he supposed Edward's left to be, a cannonade which was thus entirely futile. In the morning, April 14th, a heavy mist covered the country and prevented either force from seeing the other's dispositions. Warwick took the command of his left wing, having with him the Duke of Exeter. Somerset was in command of his center and Montague and Oxford of his right. Edward placed himself in the center of his array, the Duke of Gloucester, commanded on his right, and Lord Hastings on his left. Desirous from his inferiority in artillery to fight out the battle hand to hand, Edward at six o'clock in the morning ordered his trumpets to blow and after firing a few shots, advanced through the mist to attack the enemy. His misconception as to Warwick's position, which had saved his troops from the effects of the cannonade during the night, was now disadvantages to him. For the Earl's right so greatly outflanked his left that when they came into contact, Hastings found himself nearly surrounded by a vastly superior force. His wing fought valiantly, but was at length broken by Oxford's superior members and driven out of the field. The mist prevented the rest of the armies from knowing what had happened on the king's left. Edward himself led the charge on Warwick's center and having his best troops under his command, pressed forward with such force and vehemence that he pierced Somerset's lines and threw them into confusion, just as Warwick's right had outflanked the king's left so his own left was outflanked by Gloucester. Warwick's troops fought with great bravery and in spite of the disaster to his center were holding their ground until Oxford, returning from his pursuit of the king's left came back through the mist. The king's emblem was a sun that of Oxford a star with streaming rays. In the dim light, this was mistaken by Warwick's men for the king's device and believing that Oxford was far away on the right, they received him with a discharge of arrows. This was at once returned and a conflict took place. At last the mistake was discovered, but the confusion caused with irreparable. Warwick and Oxford each suspected the other of treachery and the king's right still pressing on, the confusion increased and the battle which had been so nearly won by the Earl soon became a complete defeat and by 10 in the morning, Warwick's army was in full flight. Accounts differ as to the strength of the forces engaged but it is probable that there was no great inequality and that each party brought some 15,000 men into the field. The number of slain is also very uncertain. Some historians placed in the total at 10,000, others as low as 1,000, but from the number of nobles who fell the former computation is probably nearest to the truth. Warwick, his brother Montague and many other nobles and gentlemen were killed. The only great nobles on his side who escaped to being the Earl's of Somerset in Oxford. Many were also killed on Edward's side and the slaughter among the ordinary fighting men was greater than usual. Hitherto in the battles that had been fought during the Civil War while the leaders taken on the field were frequently executed. The common soldiers were permitted to return to their homes as they had only been acting under the orders of their feudal superiors and were not considered responsible for their acts. Ab Barnett, however, Edward smarting from the humiliation he had suffered by his enforced flight from England owing to the whole country declaring for his rival gave orders that no quarter was to be granted. It was an anxious day at St. Albans where many ladies whose husbands were with Warwick's army had like Dame Treisham, taken up their quarters. It was but a few miles from the field of battle. In the event of victory they could at once join their husbands while in case of defeat they could take refuge in the sanctuary of the Abbey. Messengers the night before had brought the news that the battle would begin at the dawn of day and with intense anxiety they waited for the news. Dame Treisham and her son attended early mass at the Abbey and had returned to their lodgings when Sir Thomas rode up at full speed. His armour was dented and his plume shorn away from his helmet. As he entered the house he was met by his wife who had run downstairs as she heard his horse stop at the door. A glance at his face was sufficient to tell the news. We have lost the day, he said. Warwick and Montague are both killed, all is lost here for the present. Which will you do, my love? Ride with me to the west where Queen Margaret will speedily land if indeed she has not landed already or take sanctuary here with the boy. I will go with you," she said. I would vastly rather do so. I will tell you more on the road," he said. There is no time to be lost now. The woman of the house was called and at once set her son to saddle the other horse and to give a feed to that of the night. Dame Treisham visit herself with packing the saddlebags while her husband partook of a hasty meal. In ten minutes after his arrival they set off, Gervais riding behind his father, while the latter led the horse on which his wife was mounted. A thick mist hung over the country. This mist told against us in the battle-wife, for as we advanced our forces fell into confusion and more than once friend attacked friend, believing that he was an enemy. However, it has proved an advantage to us now for it has enabled great numbers to escape who might otherwise have been followed and cut down. I was very fortunate. I had left my horse at a little farmhouse two miles in the rear of our camp. And in the fog had but small hope of finding it, but soon after leaving the battlefield I came upon a rustic hurrying in the same direction as myself. And upon questioning him it turned out that he was a hand on the very farm, at which I had left the horse. He had, with two or three others, stolen out after midnight to see the battle, and was now making his way home again. Having seen indeed but little, but having learned from fugitives that we had been defeated, he guided me to the farmhouse which otherwise I should assuredly never have reached. His master was favorable to our party and let the man take one of the cart-horses, on which he rode as my guide until he had placed me upon the high road to St. Albans. And I was then able to gallop on at full speed, and Warwick and his brother Montague are both killed. Both. The great Earl will make and unmake no more kings. He has been a curse to England, with his boundless ambition, his vast possessions, and his readiness to change sides and to embroil the country in civil war for purely personal ends. The great nobles are a curse to the country wife. They are, it is true, a check upon kingly ill-doing and oppression, but were they, with their great arrays of retainers and feudal followers, out of the way, me thanks that the citizens in Yeoman would be able to hold their own against any king. Was the battle a hard-fought one? I know but little of what past, except near the standard of Warwick himself. There the fighting was fierce indeed, for it was against the Earl that the king finally directed his chief onslaught, doubtless he was actuated both by a deep personal resentment against the Earl for the part he had played and the humiliation he had inflicted upon him, and also by the knowledge that a defeat of Warwick personally would be the heaviest blow that he could inflict upon the cause of Lancaster. Then do you think the cause is lost? I say not that. Pembroke has a strong force in Wales, and if the West Rises and Queen Margaret Unlanded can join him, we may yet prevail. But I fear that the news of the field of Barnett will deter many from joining us. Men may risk lands and lies for a cause which seems to offer a fair prospect of success, but they can hardly be blamed for holding back when they see that the chances are all against them. Moreover, as a French woman, it cannot be denied that Margaret has never been popular in England. And her arrival here, aided by French gold, and surrounded by Frenchmen, will tell against her with the country people. I went as far as I could on the day before I left Emboy, urging her on no account to come hither until matters were settled. It would have been infinitely better had the young Prince come alone and landed in the West without a single follower. The people would have admired his trust in them, and would, I am sure, have gathered strongly around his banner. However, we must still hope for the best. Fortune was against us today. It may be with us next time we give battle, and with parties so equally divided throughout the country, a signal victory would bring such vast numbers to our banners that Edward would again find it necessary to cross the seas. End of Chapter 1 Recording by Peter Strom and Sabetha Kansas on December 18th, 2018 Chapter 2 of A Night with a White Cross by G. A. Hinty This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter 2 The Battle of Tewkesbury Riding fast, Sir Thomas Trisham crossed the Thames at Reading before any news of the Battle of Barnet had arrived there. On the third day after leaving Saint Albans, he reached Westbury, and there heard that the news had been received of the Queen's Landing at Plymouth on the very day on which her friends had been defeated at Barnet. To that she had already been joined by the Duke of Somerset, the Earl of Devon, and others, and that Exeter had been named as the point of rendezvous for her friends. As the Lancastrians were in the majority in Wiltshire and Somerset, there was no longer any fear of arrest by partisans of York. And after resting for a day, Sir Thomas Trisham rode quietly on to Exeter, where the Queen had already arrived. The Battle of Barnet had not, in reality, greatly weakened the Lancastrian cause. The Earl of Warwick was so detested by the adherents of the Red Rose that comparatively few of them had joined him, and the fight was rather between the two sections of Yorkists than between York and Lancaster. The Earl's death had broken up his party, and York and Lancaster were now face to face with each other, without his disturbing influence on either side. Among those who had joined the Queen was Trisham's great friend, the Grand Prior of St. John's. Sir Thomas took up his lodgings in the house where he had established himself. The Queen was greatly pleased at the arrival of Dame Trisham, and at her earnest request the latter shared her apartments, while Gervais remained with his father. So this is the young knight of St. John. The Prior said, on the evening of the arrival of Sir Thomas, I would, Trisham, that I were at present at Rhodes, doing battle with the Infidels rather than engaged in this warfare against Englishmen and fellow Christians. I can well understand that, Sir Thomas said. I could not hold aloof here, Trisham. The vows of our order by no means hinder us from taking part in the affairs of our own country. The rule of the order is indeed against it, but the rule is constantly broken. For otherwise there could be no commandaries in this or any other country we should have on entering the order, to abandon our nationality and to form part of one community in the east. The order is true to its oaths. We cannot defend the Holy Sepulchre for that, for the present is hopelessly lost, but we can endure wage war with the Infidel. For this funds are necessary as well as swords, and our commandaries throughout Europe supply the funds by which the struggle is maintained. And when it is needed, send out contingents to help those fighting in the east. It was from the neglect of this cardinal point that the Templars fell. Their commandaries amassed wealth and wide possessions, but unlike us the knights abstained altogether from fulfilling their vows, and ceased to resist the Infidel. Therefore they were suppressed, and with the general approval of Europe. A portion of their possessions were handed over to the knights of Saint John. However, as I understand it is your wish that as soon as the boy comes of age to wield arms he shall go to Rhodes and become an active member of the order. This is indeed the rule with all neophytes, but having served a certain time they are then permitted to return and join one of the commandaries in their native countries. I do not wish that for Gervais, his father said. At least I wish him to remain at Rhodes until all the civil troubles are absolutely at an end here. My life has been ruined by them, loving retirement and quiet, and longing for nothing so much as a life among my tenetry. I have almost from a boy been actively engaged in warfare or have been away as an exile. Here every one of gentle blood has been more or less mixed up in these civil broils. Too few of us does it personally matter whether a member of the palace of York or Lancaster sits on the throne. And yet we have been almost compelled to take sides with one or the other, and now in my middle age I am on the eve of another battle in which I risk my life and fortune. If we win I gain not, but the satisfaction of seeing young Edward made King of England. If we lose I am going into exile again, or I may leave my wife a widow and my child penniless. It is too true, Treesham, and as I am as likely to fall as you are, the child might be left without a protector as well as fatherless. However, against that I will provide. I will write a letter to Peter de Abasen, who is the real governor of Rhodes, for the Grand Master Orsini is so old that his rule is little more than nominal. At his death de Abasen is certain to be elected Grand Master. He is a dear friend of mine. We entered the order the same year, and we're comrades in many a fight with the Muslims. And I am quite sure that when I tell him that it is my last request of him, he will, in memory of our long friendship, appoint your son as one of the Grand Master's pages. As you know, no one, however high his rank, is accepted as a novice before the age of 16. After a year's probation, he is received into the body of the order as a professed night, and must go out and serve for a time in Rhodes. After three years of active service, he must reside two more at the convent, and can then be made a commander. There is but one exception to the rule, namely that the pages of the Grand Master are entitled to the privilege of admission at the age of 12, so that they become professed knights at 13. Your son is now at nine, you say, and we must remember that de Abasen is not yet Grand Master, and Orsini may live for some years yet. De Abasen, however, can doubtless get him to appoint the boy as one of his pages, but in any case there are three years yet to be passed before he can go out. Doubtless these he will spend under his mother's care, but as it is as well to provide against everything, I will furnish your dame with a letter to the knight who will probably succeed me as Grand Prior of the English Lang, asking him to see to the care and education of the boy up to the time when he can proceed to Rhodes. We may hope, my dear Tricia, that there will be no occasion to use such documents, and that you and I may both be able personally to watch over his career. Still, it is as well to take every precaution. I shall, of course, give de Abasen full particulars about you, your vow and your wishes. I thank you greatly, old friend, Sir Thomas said. It has taken a load off my mind. I shall leave him here with his mother when we march forward, and bid her, if ill befalls me, cross again to France, and then to keep her vise with her until she can bring herself to part with him. She has her jewels, and a considerable sum of money which I accepted from the man who has been enjoying my estates for the last five years, in lieu of the monies that he had received during that time. Therefore, she will not lack means for some years to come. Besides, Queen Margaret has a real affection for her, and will doubtless be glad to have her with her again in exile. When I am old enough, Gervais said, suddenly looking up from a missile of the grand priors which he had been examining, I will chop off the head of the Duke of York, and bring mother back to England. You will be a valiant champion, no doubt, my boy. The priors said, lacking, but that is just what your father does not want. Chop off the heads of as many infidels as you will, but leave Englishmen alone, be they dukes or commoners. It is a far more glorious career to be aiding to defend Europe against the Muslims than to be engaged in wars with your own countrymen. If the great lords will fight, let them fight it out themselves without our aid. But I hope that long before you become a man, even they will be tired of these perpetual broils, and that some agreement may be arrived at in peace reign in this unhappy land. Besides, Gervais, his father added, you must bear in mind always that my earnest wish and hope is that you will become a champion of the cross. I took a solemn vow before you were born, that if a son were granted to me, I would dedicate him to the service of the cross, and if I am taken from you, you must still try to carry that oath into effect. I trust that, at any rate for some years after you attain manhood, you will expend your whole strength and powers in the defense of Christianity, and as a worthy knight of the Order of Saint John, too many of the knights after serving for three years against the infidels, return to their native countries and pass the rest of their lives in slothful ease at their commanderies. Say perhaps when at any great crisis they go out for a while and join in the struggle. Such is not the life I should wish you to lead. At the death of your mother and myself, you will have no family ties in England. Nothing to recall you here. If the House of York succeeds in establishing itself firmly on the throne, my estates will be forfeited. Therefore regard Rhodes as your permanent home, and devote your life to the Order. Beginning so young, you may hope to distinguish yourself, to gain high rank in it. But remember that those of these are my wishes. They are not my orders, and that your career must be in your own hands. I will be a brave knight, father, the boy said firmly. That is right, my boy. Now go upstairs to your bed. It is already late. I do not regret my vow, he went on after Gervais had left the room. Though I regret that he is my only son, it is singular that men should care about what comes after them, but I suppose it is human nature. I should have liked to think that my descendants would sit in the old house, and that men of my race and name would long own the estates. But doubtless, it is all for the best, for at least I can view the permanent loss of my estates in case of the Yorkists triumph without any poignant regret. Doubtless it is for the best, Treesham, and you must remember that things may not even now turn out as you think. A knight who has done a brave service does not find much difficulty in obtaining from the Pope a dispensation from his vows. Numbers of knights have so left the Order, and have married and perpetuated their name. It is almost a necessity that it should be so, for otherwise many princes and barons would object to their sons entering the Order. Its object is to keep back the eruption of the Muslims, and when men have done their share of hard work, no regret need be felt they desire to leave the Order. Our founder had no thought of covering Europe with monasteries, and beyond the fact that it is necessary there should be men to administer our manners and estates. I see no reason why any should not freely leave when they reach the age of 30 or 35, and indeed believe that it would strengthen rather than weaken us with vows taken at the age of 17 to be for 15 years only. There is something in that, the knight said thoughtfully, however, that is far in the distance and concerns me but little. Still I agree with you, for I see no advantage in men after their time of usefulness to the Order's past, being bound to settle down to a monastic life if by nature and habit unsuited for it. There are some spirits who, after long years of warfare, are well content so to do, but there are assured the others to whom a life of force in activity, after a youth and manhood spent in action, must be well my unendurable. And now tell me, frankly, what you think of our chances here? Everything depends upon time. Promises of aid have come in from all quarters, and if Edward delays we shall soon be at the head of an overwhelming force, but Edward, with all his faults and vices, is an able and energetic leader, and must be well aware that if he is to strike successfully, he must strike soon. We must hope that he will not be able to do this. He cannot tell whether we intend to march direct to London, or to join Pembroke in Wales, or to march north, and until he devines our purpose he will hardly dare to move, lest we should, by some rapid movement, interpose between himself and London. If he gives us a month, our success is certain. If he can give battle in a fortnight, no one can say how the matter will end. Edward, indeed, was losing no time. He stayed for a few days in London after his victory at Barnett, and on the 19th of April left for Windsor, ordering all his forces to join him there. The Lancastrians had endeavored to puzzle him as to their intended movements by sending parties out in various directions. But as soon as he had gathered a force, numerically small, but composed of veteran soldiers, he hurried west, determined to bring on a battle at the earliest opportunity. The Queen's advisors determined to move first to Wales. As from that point they could either go north or march upon London. Edward entered Abingdon on the 27th, and then, finding the Lancastrians still at Wales, marched to the north-west, by which means he hoped to intercept them if they moved north, while he would be able to fall back and bar their road to London if they advanced in that direction. He therefore moved to Syrincester, and waited there for news until he learned that they had visited Bristol, and there obtained reinforcements of men and supplies of money and cannon, and had then started on the high road to Colossus Jur. He at once sent off messengers to Lord Beauchamp, who held the castle of Gloucestershire for him, assuring him that he was following at full speed, and would come to his aid forthwith. The messengers arrived in time, and when the Queen, after a long march, arrived before Gloucestershire, she found the gates shut in her face. The governor had taken steps to prevent her numerous adherents in the town from rising on her behalf, and many the walls refused to surrender, knowing that Edward was coming up rapidly. It was evident that there was no time to spare in an attempt to take the town, and the Queen's army therefore pressed on, without waiting, to Tewkesbury. Once across the river they would speedily be joined by the Earl of Pembroke, and Edward would be forced to fall back at once. By the time they reached the river, however, they were thoroughly exhausted. They had marched 36 miles without rest, along bad roads and through woods, and were unable to go farther. The Queen urged that the river should be crossed, but the leaders of the force were of opinion that it was better to halt. Edward would be able to follow them across the river, and were he to attack them when in disorder, and still further weary by the operation of making the passage, he would certainly crush them. Moreover, a further retreat would discourage the soldiers, and as a battle must now be fought, it was better to fight where they were, especially as they could choose a strong position. The Queen gave way, and the army encamped on a large field in front of the town. The position was well calculated for defense, for the country around was so broken, and intercepted with lanes and deep hedges and ditches, that it was extremely difficult to approach. In the evening Edward came up, his men having also marched some six and thirty miles, and then camped for the night within three miles of the Lancastrian position. The Queen's troops felt confident of victory. In point of numbers they were superior to their antagonists, and had the advantage of a strong position. Sir Thomas Treisham had, as he proposed, left his wife and son at Exeter, when the force marched away. Do not be despondent, love, he said to his weeping wife as he bade her goodbye. Everything is in our favor, and there is a good hope of a happy termination of this long struggle. But when I lose, be assured it is the last time I will draw my sword. I have prued my fidelity to the House of Lancaster. I have risked life and fortune in their cause, but I feel that I have done my share in more. In whichever way providence may now decide the issue of the struggle, I will accept it. If we lose, and I come scathless from the field, I will ride hither, and we will embark at Plymouth for France. And there live quietly until the time when Edward may feel himself seated with sufficient firmness on the throne, to forgive past offenses, and to grant an amnesty to all who have fought against him. In any other case, dear, you know my wishes, and I bid you carry them out within 24 hours of your receiving news of a defeat, without waiting longer for my appearance. As soon as it was light, Edward advanced to the attack. The Duke of Glossester was in command of the vanguard. He himself led the center, while the rear was commanded by the Marquis of Dorset and Lord Hastings. The most advanced division of Lancasterians was commanded by the Duke of Somerset and his brother, the Grand Prior of the Order of St. John, and Lord Winlock were stationed in the center. The Earl of Devon with the reserve. Refreshed by their arrest, the Queen's troops were in good spirits, while awaiting the attack she and the Prince wrote among the ranks, encouraging the men with fiery speeches and promising large rewards to all in case of victory. Glossester made his advance with great difficulty. The obstacles to his progress were so many and serious that his division was brought to a halt before it came into contact with the dependers. He therefore brought up his artillery and opened a heavy cannonade upon Somerset's position, supporting his guns with flights of arrows, and inflicting such heavy loss upon him that the Duke fell compelled to take the offensive. Having foreseen that he might be obliged to do so, he had early in the morning carefully examined the ground in front of him, and had found some lanes by which he could make a flank attack on the enemy. Moving his forces down these lanes, were the trees and hedges completely hit his advance from the orcas. He fell suddenly upon Edward's center, which, taken by surprise at the unexpected attack, was driven in confusion up the hill behind it. Somerset was quick to take advantage of his success, and wheeling his men round fell upon the Duke of Glossester's division and was equally successful in his attack upon it. Had the center under Lord Wenlock moved forward at once to his support, the victory would have been assured. But Wenlock lay inactive, and Somerset was now engaged in conflict with the whole of Edward's force, but even under these circumstances he still gained ground, when suddenly the whole aspect of the battle was changed. Before it began, Edward had sent 200 spearmen to watch a wood near the defender's lines, as he thought that the Lancasterians might place a force there to take him in flank as he attacked their front. He ordered them, if they found the wood unoccupied, to join in the fight as opportunity might offer. The wood was unoccupied, the spearmen seeing the two divisions of their army driven backwards and being thereby cut off from their friends, issued from the wood, and charging down in a body fell suddenly upon Somerset's rear. Astounded and confused by an attack from such a quarter, and believing that it was an act of treachery by one of their own commanders, Somerset's men, who had hitherto been fighting with the greatest bravery, fell into confusion. Edward's quick eye soon grasped the opportunity, and rallying his troops he charged impetuously down upon the Lancasterians, seconded hotly by Glacistor and his division. The disorder in Somerset's line speedily grew into a panic, and the division broke up and fled through the lanes to the right and left. Somerset, after in vain trying to stop the panic, rode furiously back into the camp, followed by his principal officers, and riding up to Lord Winnlock, he cleft his head in two with a battle axe. His resentment, although justified by the inactivity of this nobleman at such a crisis, was yet disastrous, as it left the center without a leader, and threw it into a state of disorganization. As many must have supposed that Somerset had turned traitor and gone over to the enemy, before any disposition could be made, Edward and Glacistor poured their forces into the camp, and the Lancasterians at once broke and fled. Many of their leaders took refuge in the church, an asylum which they deemed inviolable, and which the Lancasterians had honorably respected in their hour of triumph. Among them were the Duke of Somerset, the grand prior of the Order of Saint John, Sir Humphrey Oddly, Sir Gervus of Clifton, Sir William Gainesby, Sir William Kerry, Sir Henry Rose, Sir Thomas Treisham, and Seven Esquires. Margaret Evangio fell into the hands of the victors, as through the fate of the young prince accounts differ. Some authorities say that he was overtaken and slain on the field, but the majority related that he was captured and taken before Edward, who asked him, What brought you to England? On his reply in boldly, my father's crown and my own inheritance, Edward struck him in the mouth with his gauntlet, and his attendants, or some say his brothers, at once dispatched the youth with their swords. The king with Glacistor and Clarence then went to the church at Tuxbury, where the knights had taken refuge, burst open the door, and entered it. A priest burying the holy vessels threw himself before the king, and would not move until he promised to pardon all who had taken sanctuary there. The king then retired, entrusting in the royal word. The gentleman made no attempt to escape, although it is said that they could easily have done so. Two days later a party of soldiers by the king's orders broke into the church, dragged them from the foot of the altar, and beheaded them outside. The news of the issue of the fatal battle at Tuxbury, the capture of the queen, and the death of the prince, was born to Exeter by fugitives on the following day, beyond the fact that the Earl of Devon and other nobles were known to have been killed, and some are set with a party of knights had taken sanctuary, they could give no details as to the fate of individuals. In the deepest distress at the utter ruin of the cause, and in ignorance of the fate of her husband, who she could only hope was one of those who had gained sanctuary, Dame Trisham prepared for flight. This accomplished she had only to wait, and sit in tearless anguish at the window, listening intently whenever a horseman rode past. All night her watch continued. Gervais, who had cried himself to sleep, lay on a couch beside her, morning dawned, and she then knew that her husband would not come. For had he escaped from the field, he would long ere this had been with her. The messenger with the news had arrived at eight the previous morning, and faithful to her husband's wishes, at that hour she ordered the horses to be brought round, and joining a party of gentlemen who were also making for the coast, rode with them to Plymouth. Arrangements were at once made with the captain of a small ship in the port, and two days later they landed at Hanfleur, where Sir Thomas had enjoined his wife to wait until she heard from him, or obtained sure news of his fate. A week after her arrival the news was brought by other fugitives of the violation of the sanctuary by the king, and the murder of Somerset and the gentleman with him, of whom Sir Thomas Treisham was known to have been one. The blow proved fatal to Dame Treisham. She had gone through many trials and misfortunes, and had ever borne them bravely, but the loss of her husband completely broke her down. Save to see his wishes concerning their son carried out, she had no longer any interest in life, or any wish to live. But until the future of Gervais was assured, her mission was unfulfilled. His education was her sole care. His mornings were spent at a monastery, where the monks instructed the sons of such of the nobles and gentry of the neighborhood, as cared that they should be able to read and write. In the afternoon he had the best masters in the town in military exercises. His evenings he spent with his mother, who strove to instill in him the virtues of patience, mercy to the vanquished, and valor, by stories of the great characters of history. She herself spent her days in pious exercises, in attending the services of the church, and in acts of charity and kindness to her poorer neighbors. But her strength failed rapidly, and she was but a shadow of her former self when, two years and a half after her arrival at Hanfleur, she felt that if she was herself to hand Gervais over to the Order of St. John, she must no longer delay. Accordingly she took ship to London, and landing there made her way with him to the dwelling of the Order at Clerkenwell. It was in process of rebuilding, for in 1381 it had been first plundered and then burned by the insurgents under Watt Tyler. During the ninety years that had elapsed since that event, the work of rebuilding had proceeded steadily. Each grand prior making additions to the pile, which although not yet fully completed, was already one of the grandest and stateliest abodes in Evened. On inquiring for the grand prior, and stating that she had a letter of importance for him, Dame Treisham and her son were shown up to his apartment, and on entering were kindly and courteously received by him, when informed that she was the widow of the late Sir Thomas Treisham. I am the bearer of a letter for you, given into my hand by my husband's dear friend, your predecessor. She said, a few days before his murder at Tewkesbury, it relates to my son here. The grand prior opened the letter and read it. Assuredly, Madame, I will carry out the wishes here expressed, he said. They are that I should forward at once the letter he has given you to Sir Peter de Ubesen, and that intel and answers received from him I should take care of the boy here, and see that he is instructed in all that is needful for a future night of our order. I grieve to see that you yourself are looking so ill. My course is well and I run, she said. I have me thanks but a few days to live. I am thankful that it has been permitted to me to carry out my husband's wishes, and to place my boy in your hands. That done my work on earth is finished, and glad indeed am I that the time is at hand when I can rejoin my dear husband. We have buildings here where we can lodge ladies in distress or need dame treacham, and trust that you will take up your abode there. I shall indeed be thankful to do so, she replied. I know no one in London, and few would care to lodge a dying woman. We are hospitalers, the grand prior said. That was our sole mission when we were first founded, and before we became a military order, and it is still a part of our sworn duty to aid the distressed. A few minutes later dame treacham was conducted to a comfortable apartment, and was given into the charge of a female attendant. The next day she had another interview with the grand prior, to whom she handed over her jewels and remaining money. This she prayed him to devote to the furnishing of the necessary outfit for Gervais. She spent the rest of the day in the church of the hospital, had a long talk with her son in the evening, giving him her last charges as to his future life and conduct, and that night as if she had now fulfilled her last duty on earth, she passed away, and was found by her attendant, lying with a look of joy and peacefulness on her dead face. Gervais's grief was for a time excessive. He was nearly 12 years old, and had never until now been separated from her even for a day. She had often spoken to him of her end being near, but until the blow came, he had never quite understood that it could be so. She had, on the night before her death, told him that he must not grieve over much for her, for that in any case they must have soon been sundered, and that it was far better that he should think of her as at rest and happy, than as leading a lonely and sorrowful life. The grand prior, however, wisely gave him but little time to dwell upon his loss, but as soon as her funeral had taken place, handed him over to the knights who had charged with the novices on probation, and instructed them in their military exercises, and that the chaplain who taught them such learning as was considered requisite for a night of the order. The knights were surprised that the proficiency the lad had already attained in the use of his weapons. By Saint Agatha, one of them exclaimed after the conclusion of his first lesson, you have had good teachers lad, and have availed yourself rarely of them. If you go on like this you will become a distinguished knight of our order, with a few more years to strengthen your arms, I warn't me you will bear your part well in your first tussle with the Muslim corsairs. It fortunately happened that a party of knights were starting for roads a few days after the admission of Gervais to the hospital, and the letter to Sir Peter de Abbasin was committed to their charge. They were to proceed to Bordeaux by ship, then to journey by land to Marseille, and thence being joined by some French knights to sail direct to roads. Two months later an answer was received, de Abbasin wrote to the grand prior saying that he would gladly carry out the last wishes of his dead friend, and that he had already obtained from the grand master the appointment of Gervais Tricham as one of his pages, and begged that he might be sent out with the next party of knights leaving England. It was three months before such an opportunity occurred. During that time Gervais remained at the house of Saint John's, studying diligently and continuing his military exercises. These were severe, for the scions of noble houses who hoped someday to distinguish themselves as knights were put through many gymnastic exercises, were taught to spring onto a horse when clad in full armor, to wield heavy battle axes, to run and climb, and to prepare themselves for all the possibilities of the mode of fighting of the day. Gervais gained the incomiums not only of his special preceptor, but of the various knights in the house, and of the grand prior himself, both for his strength and activity, and for the earnestness with which he worked. With a time approach for his leaving England, the grand prior ordered for him the outfit, which would be necessary in his position as a page of the grand master. The dresses were numerous and rich, for although the knights of Saint John were over their armor, the simple mantle of their order, which was a sleeveless garment of black, relieved only by a white cross on the chest, they indulged in the finest and most costly armor, and enriched garments beneath their black mantles, when not in armor. I am well pleased with you, Gervais, the grand prior said on the evening before he was to leave, and I see in you the making of a valiant night of the order, maintain the same spirit you have shown here, be obedient and reverent to your superiors, give your whole mind to your duty, strive earnestly during the three or four years that your pagedom will last, to perfect yourself in military exercises, that when the time comes for you to buckle on armor, you will be able to bear yourself worthily. Remember that you will have to win your knighthood, for the order does not bestow this honor, and you must remain a professed knight until you receive it at the hands of some distinguished warrior. Ever bear in mind that you are a soldier of the cross, avoid luxury, live simply and modestly, be not led away by others upon whom their vows may sit but lightly. Keep ever in your mind that you have joined the order, neither to gain fame nor personal advantage, but simply that you may devote the strength and the intelligence that God has given you to protect Christendom from the advance of the infidel. I shall hear of you from time to time, from to a bussin, and feel sure that the expectations I have formed of you will be fulfilled. End of Chapter 2 The Battle of Tuxbury Recording by Peter Strong in Sabetha, Kansas on December 19, 2018 Chapter 3 of A Night of the White Cross by G. A. Hinty This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter 3 The Grand Master's Page The Grand Prior had, in accordance with Dame Treisham's request, sent the steward of the house to one of the principal jewelers of the city, who, as the order were excellent customers, paid a good price for her jewels. After the payment for the numerous dresses required for the service that they paid to the Grand Master, the Grand Prior handed the balance of the money Dame Treisham had brought with her, and that obtained by the sale of her jewels to one of the knights under whose charge Gervais was to travel, to be given by him to the Abbasin for the necessities of Gervais as a page. During their term of service, the pages received no remuneration, all their expenses being paid by their families. Nevertheless, the post was considered so honorable, and of such great advantage to those entering the order, that the appointments were eagerly sought after. The head of the party was Sir Guy Redcar, who had been a commander in England, but who was now relinquishing that post in order to take a high office in the convent at the island. With him were four lads between seventeen and twenty, who were going out as profess knights, having served their years of probation as novices at the Grand Priory. With these Gervais was already acquainted, as they had lived, studied, and performed their military exercises together. The three eldest of these Gervais liked much, but the youngest of the party, Robert Rivers, a relation of the Queen, had always shown a very different spirit from the others. He was jealous that a member of one of the defeated and disinherited Lankastrian families should obtain a post of such honor and advantage as that of a page to the Grand Master. And that thus, although five years younger, Gervais should enter the order on inequality with him. In point of strength and stature he was, of course, greatly superior to Gervais, but he had been spoiled from his childhood, was averse to exercise and dull at learning, and while Gervais was frequently commended by his instructors, he himself was constantly reprude, and it had been more than once a question whether he should be received as a professed knight at the termination of his year of novitiate. Thus, while the other lads treated Gervais kindly, and indeed made rather a pet of him, Robert Rivers, ignored him as much as possible, and if obliged to speak to him did so with a pointed rudeness that more than once brought upon him a sharp reprude from his companions. Gervais himself was but little affected by Robert's manner, he was of an exceptionally good tempered nature, and indeed was so occupied with his work, and so anxious to satisfy his teachers that Robert's ill humor passed almost unnoticed. The journey was performed without incident. During their passage across the south of France, Gervais's perfect knowledge of the language gained for him a great advantage over his companions, and enabled him to be of much use to Sardai. They had fine weather during their passage up the Mediterranean, and in the day their leader gave them their first lessons in the management and discipline of a ship. You will be nearly as much at sea as you are on land for the five years you must stay at the convent, he said, and it is essential to the education of a knight of our order to know all things connected with the management of a ship, even to its building. We construct our own galleys at Rhodes, using of course the labor of slaves, but under our own superintendents, and it is even more essential to us to know how to fight on sea than on land. There is too you see a rivalry among ourselves, for each Lang has its duties, and each strives to perform more gallant deeds and to bring in more rich prizes than the others. We of England are among the smallest of the Langs, and yet he thinks we do a fair portion of the work, and gain fully our share of honor. There is no fear of your having much time on your hands, for it is quite certain that there will soon be open war between Muhammad and the order. In spite of the nominal truths, constant skirmishes are taking place, so that, in addition to our fights with pirates, we have sometimes encounters with the sultan's galleys. Seven years ago a number of our order took part in the defense of Lesbos, and lost their lives at his capture, and we have sure information that Muhammad is preparing for an attack on the island. No doubt he thinks it will be an easy conquest, for in 57 he succeeded in landing 18,000 men on the island, and in Ravaging, a large district, carrying off much booty. Since then however, the defenses of roads have been greatly strengthened. Zacosta, our last grandmaster, labored diligently to increase the fortifications, and specially built on one side of the entrance to the harbour a strong tower, called Hort St. Nicholas. Orsini has carried on the works, which have been directed by Diabasin, who has captained in general the forces of the island, and who has deepened the ditches, and built a wall on the sea front of the town 600 feet in length, and 20 feet in height, money being found by the grandmaster from his private purse. At present we are not sure whether the great armament that Muhammad is preparing is intended for the capture of Negropont, which belongs to Venice, or of Rhodes. Unfortunately, Venice and Rhodes are not good friends. In the course of our war with Egypt in 58 we captured from some Venetian vessels, in which they were travelling several Egyptian merchants with a great store of goods. The Venetians protested that as the ships were theirs we had no right to interfere with our enemies who were travelling in them, and without giving time for the question to be discussed, at once attacked our galleys and sent a fleet against Rhodes. They landed on the island and not only pillaged the district of Halki, but a number of natives having sought shelter in a cave. The Venetians blocked up the entrance with brushwood, set it on fire and suffocated them all. Shortly afterwards another enlarger fleet appeared off Rhodes and demanded the restitution of the Egyptians and their merchandise. There was a great division of opinion in the council, but seeing the great danger that threatened us both from the Turks at Constantinople and the Venetians, and that it was madness at such a time to engage in war with a Christian power, the Grandmaster persuaded the council to accede to their request. There has never been any friendly feeling between Venice and ourselves since that time. Still I trust that our common danger will reunite us, and that whether Negropont or Rhodes is attacked by the Muslims, we shall render loyal aid to each other. There was great excitement among Gervais and his companions when it was announced that Rhodes was in sight, and as they approached the town they gazed with admiration at the castle with its stately buildings, the palace of the Grandmaster, and the hospital of St. John. Rising above the lower town, the massive walls strengthened by projecting bastions and the fortifications of the port. Of these there were two, the separate entrances, divided from each other by a narrow tongue of land. At its extremity stood Fort St. Nicholas, which was connected by a strong wall running along the promontory to the town. The inner port, as it was called, was of greater importance, as it adjoined the town itself. It was defended in the first place by Fort St. Nicholas, and at the inner entrance stood the towers of St. John and St. Michael, one on either side. Into this the vessel was steered. There were many craft lying there, among them eight or ten of the galleys of the order. We will go first to the house of our Lang, Sir Guy said, and tell them to send down slaves to fetch up our baggage. Then I will take you, Gervais, to Sir Peter de Abuson, and hand you over to his care. On landing, Gervais was surprised at the number of slaves who were laboring at the public works, and who formed no small proportion of the population in the streets. Their condition was pitiable. They were, of course, enemies of Christianity, and numbers of them had been pirates. But he could not help pitting their condition as they worked in the full heat of the sun under the vigilant eye of numbers of overseers, who carried heavy whips, in addition to their arms. Their progress to the upper city was slow, for on their way they met many knights, of whom several were acquainted with Sir Guy, and each after greeting him demanded the latest news from England, and in return gave him particulars of the state of things at Rhodes. At last they arrived at the house of the English Lang. The order was divided into Langs or nationalities. Of these there were Provence, Avernille, France, Italy, Germany, England, Aragon, and Castile, and Portugal. The French element was by far the strongest. The order had been founded in that country, and as it possessed no less than three Langs, and held the greater part of the high official positions in the order, it was only kept in check by the other Langs acting together to demand their fair share of dignities. The Grand Master's authority was considerable, but it was checked by the Council, which was composed of the Bailefs, and knights of the highest order, known as Grand Crosses. Each Lang had its Bailef elected by itself. These resided constantly at Rhodes. Each of these Bailefs held a high office. Thus the Bailef of Provence was always the Grand Commander of the order. He controlled the expenditure, superintended the stores, and was Governor of the Arsenal. The Bailef of Avernille was the Commander-in-Chief of all the forces, army, and navy. The Bailef of France was the Grand Hospitaler, with the supreme direction of the hospitals and informaries of the order. A hospital in those days signifying a guest house. The Bailef of Italy was the Grand Admiral, and the Bailef of England was Chief of the Light Cavalry. Thus the difficulties and jealousies that would have arisen at every vacancy were avoided. In the early days of the order, when Jerusalem was in the hands of the Christians, the care of the hospitals was its cheat and most important function. Innumerable pilgrims visited Jerusalem, and these were entertained at the immense guest house of the order. But with the loss of Jerusalem and the expulsion of the Christians from Palestine, that function had become of very secondary importance, although there was still a guest house and infirmary at roads, where strangers and the sick were carefully attended by the knights. No longer did these ride out to battle on their warhorses, it was on the sea that the foe was to be met, and the knights were now sailors rather than soldiers. They dwelt at the house of their respective lengths. Here they ate at a common table, which was supplied by the Bailef, who drew rations for each night, and received in addition a yearly sum for the supply of such luxuries, as were not included in the rations. The average number of knights residing in each of these langs averaged from a hundred to a hundred and fifty. It was not until some hours after his arrival that Ser Guy could find time to take gerbets across to the house of the Lang of Avrini, to which Dia Busson belonged. It was a larger and more stately pile than that of the English Lang, but the arrangements were similar in all these buildings. In the English house, gerbets had not felt strange, as he had the companionship of his fellow voyagers. But as he followed Ser Guy through the spacious halls of the Lang of Avrini, where no familiar face met his, he felt more lonely than he had done since he entered the house at Clerkenwell. On sending in his name, Ser Guy was at once conducted to the chamber, occupied by Dia Busson. The night was seated at his table, examining some plans. The room was furnished with monastic simplicity, save that the walls were hung with rich silks and curtains, captured from Turkish galleys. Welcome back to us, Ser Guy. Dia Busson said, rising and warmly shaking his visitor's hand. I have been looking for your coming, for we need men with clear heads, of strong arms and valiant spirits we have no lack, but men of judgment and discretion, who can be trusted to look at matters calmly and not to be carried away by passion, are welcome indeed to us. I was expecting you about this time, and when I heard that a ship had arrived from Marseille, I made inquiries, and was glad to find that you were on board. I am heartily glad to be back, Dia Busson. I am sick of the dull life of the Commandery, and rejoice at the prospect of stirring times again. This lad is young Treesham, who has come out in my charge, and for whom you have been good enough to obtain the post of page, the Grand Master. And no slight business was it to do so, Dia Busson said with a smile. It happened there was a vacancy when the letter concerning him arrived, and had it been one of the highest offices in the order, there could not have been a keener competition for it. Every bailiff had his candidate ready, but I seldom asked for anything for members of my lane, and when I told the other bailiffs that it was to me a matter of honor to carry out the last request of my dead friend. They all gave way. You see, I am placed in a position of some little difficulty. The Grand Master is so enfeebled and crippled, that he leaves matters almost entirely in my hands. And it would be an abuse of my position, and would excite no little jealousy, were I to use the power I possess to nominate friends of my own to appointments. It is only by the most rigid impartiality, and by defining as fairly as possible all eight offices between the eight Langs, that all continue to give me their support. As you know, we have had great difficulties and hard burnings here, but happily, they have to a great extent been set at rest by forming a new Lang of Castile in Portugal, out of that of Aragon. This has given one more vote to the smaller Langs, and has so balanced the power that of late the jealousies between us have greatly subsided, and all are working well together in face of the common danger. Well, young sir, and how like you the prospect of your paid ship. I like it greatly, sir, but shall still like more the time when I can buckle on armor, and take a share of the fighting with the infidels? I would fain, sir, offer to you my deep and humble thanks for the great kindness you have shown me in procuring me to appointment of pay to the Grand Master. The night smiled kindly. There are the less thanks, do lad, and so much as I did it not for you, but for the dear friend who wrote to me on your behalf. However, I trust that you will do credit to my nomination by your conduct here. There is a letter from our grand prior, which I have brought to you, sir Guy said. He commanded the lad to me warmly, and seems to be greatly pleased with his conduct. D. Abbasin cut the silken string that bound the missive together, and read the letter. He does indeed speak warmly. He said as he laid it down on the table, he tells me that the lad young as he was had been well trained when he came, and that he worked with great diligence during the five months he was in the house, and displayed such skill and strength for his age, as to surprise his preceptors, who prophesied that he would turn out a stout swordsman, and would be a credit to the order. He is well furnished with garments, both for ordinary and state occasions, sir Guy said. And in this packet are some sixty gold crowns, which are the last remains of his patrimony, in which I was to hand to you in order to pay the necessary expenses during his payship. He could have done without that, D. Abbasin said. Recommended to me as he is, I would have seen that he lacked nothing, but was provided with all necessaries for his position. I will in the future take care that in all things he is on a par with his companions. He touched a bell on the table, and a servitor entered. Tell Richard de Duville to come here. A minute later, the hangings at the door were pushed aside, and a lad about a year older than Gervais appeared, and bowing deeply to the night, stood in a respectful attitude, awaiting his orders. Duville, take this youth, Gervais Treisham, to your room. He has appointed one of the pages of the Grand Master. He is English, but he speaks French as well as you do, having lived in France for some years. Take him to your apartment and treat him kindly and well, seeing that he is a stranger and new to all here. Tomorrow he will go to the palace. Gervais bowed deeply to the two knights, and then followed the page. I suppose you arrived in that ship which came in today, the latter said, as soon as they had left the room. You are in luck indeed to have obtained a paid ship at the Grand Masters. You begin to count your time at once, while we do not begin to count ours until we are seventeen. Still, good luck may befall us yet, for if the Grand Master dies, Sir Peter is sure to be chosen to succeed him. Then you see, we too shall be pages of the Grand Master. How many are there of you? Only de Lille and myself. Of course, de Abussen will take on the Grand Master's present pages, but as there are five vacancies on an average every year, he will be able to find room for us among the number. Why? How many pages has the Grand Master? Gervais asked in surprise. Sixteen of them, so you may guess the duties are easy enough, as only two are generally employed, except of course on solemn occasions. Are there any other English besides myself? The boy shook his head. There are eight belonging to the French Langues. The others are Spaniards, Italians, or Germans. There, this is our room, and this is de Lille. De Lille, this is the Grand Master's new page. Master Gervais treats him, and our Lord says we are to treat him kindly and entertain him well until tomorrow, when he will go to the palace. He speaks our language, and has been some years in France. How came you to be there? de Lille asked Gervais. My father was a Lancastrian, and my mother a great friend of our Queen Margaret of Angeau, and they were with her all the time she was in exile. How qurelsome you English are, de Lille said. You seem to be always fighting among yourselves. I don't think, Gervais said with a smile. There is any love lost between Louis of France and the Duke of Burgundy, who say nothing of other great lords. No, you are right there, but though we talk a great deal about fighting, it is only occasionally that we engage in it. The page's room was a small one. It contained two pallets, which served as seats by day, and two wooden chests, in which they kept their clothes. Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of a bell. That is supper, de Lille said, jumping up. We will leave you here while we go down to stand to find our lords' chairs. When the meal is over, we will bring you pastry or something else good, and a measure of wine, and have our supper together up here, and we will tell the servitors to bring up another pallet for you. Of course, you can go down with us if you like. Thank you. I would much rather stay here. Everyone would be strange to me, and having nothing to do, I should feel in the way. The boys nodded, and taking their caps rain off, while Gervais, tired by the excitement of the day, lay down on the bed which a servant brought up a few minutes after they had left him, and slept soundly until their return. I think I have been asleep, he said, starting up when they entered the room again. You look as if you had anyhow, de Lille laughed. It was the best thing you could do. We have brought up supper. We generally sit down and eat after the nights have done, but this is much better as you are here. They sat down on the beds, carved the pasty with their daggers, and after they had finished Gervais gladly accepted the proposal of the others to take a walk round the walls. They started from the corner of the castle, looking down upon the spit of land dividing the two ports. You see, de Lille said, there is a row of small islands across the mouth of the outer port, and the guns of St. Nicholas and those on this wall would prevent any hostile fleet from entering. I hardly see what use that port is, for it lies altogether outside the town, and vessels could not unload there. No, still it forms a useful place of refuge. In case a great fleet came to attack us, our galleys would lay up in the inner port, which would be cleared of all the merchantcraft, as these would hamper the defense. They would therefore be sent round into the outer port, where they would be safe, from any attack by sea, although they would doubtless be burnt did any army besiege the town. Passing along the walls of the Grand Master's palace, which was a strongly fortified building, and formed a citadel that could be defended after the lower town and the rest of the castle had been taken, they came to the western angle of the fortifications. You must know that each land has charge of a separate part of the wall. From the foot of the mole of St. Nicholas to the Grand Master's palace, it is in charge of France, on the line where we now are, between the palace and the gate of St. George, it is held by Germany. From that gate to the Spanish tower, Aberny is posted. England takes the wall between the Spanish tower and that of St. Mary. You defend only the lower story of that tower, the upper part being held by Aragon, whose charge extends up to the gate of St. John. Then stood the tower of Italy, behind which lies the Jews' quarter, province is in charge, while the sea front, thence to the mole of St. Nicholas, is held by Italy and Castile, each taking half. Not only have the lengths the charge of defending each its portion of the wall, but keeping it in order at all times, and I may say that nowhere is the wall better kept or more fairly decorated with carvings than where England holds. You have not told me who defends the palace itself. That is in charge of a force composed of equal numbers of picked knights from each lane. Gervais lent on the battlement and looked with admiration at the scene beyond. The landside was surrounded by hills, the ground rising very gradually from the foot of the walls. Every yard of ground was cultivated and was covered with brilliant vegetation. Groves and orchards occurred thickly, while the slopes were dotted with chapels, summer houses in which the natives of the city spent most of their time in the hot season, and other rustic buildings. What a rich and beautiful country, he said. It is very pleasant to look at. Delil agreed. But all this would be a sore disadvantage to us if the Turks were besieging us, for the Groves and Orchards would conceal their approaches. The walls and buildings would give them shelter, and our cannons would be of little use until they reached the farther side of the ditch. But the Turks come, I hear it is decided to level all the buildings and walls, and to chop down every tree. If they were to plant their cannon on the hills, they would do us much harm, Groves remarked. The Turks are clumsy gunners, they say, Deuville replied, and they would but waste their powder and ball at that distance, without making a breach in our walls. Even if they did, they could surely scarce pass that deep fussy, Groves said, looking down into the tremendous cutting and the solid rock that ran round the whole circuit of the walls. It was from forty to sixty feet deep, and from ninety to a hundred and forty feet wide. It was from this great cutting that the stones for the construction of the walls, towers, and buildings of the town had been taken, the work having been going on ever since the knights established themselves at Groves, and being performed by a host of captives taken in war, together with labor hired from the neighboring islands. Upon this immense work, the order had expended no small proportion of their revenue since their capture of the island in thirteen ten, and the result was a fortress that under the conditions of warfare at that age seemed almost impregnable, this without any natural advantage of position. In addition to the five great towers or bastions, the wall was strengthened by square towers at short intervals, while looking down from the wall upon which the three pages were standing, on to the lower town, the view was a singular one. The houses were all built of stone with flat roofs, after the manner of most eastern cities. The streets were very narrow, and were crossed at frequent intervals by broad stone arches. These had the effect, not only of giving shelter from an enemy's fire, but of a forty means by which troops could march rapidly across the town upon the roofs of the houses to reinforce the defenders of the wall, were ever pressed by the enemy. Thus the town from above presented the appearance of a great pavement, broken only by dark and frequently interrupted lines. How different to the towns at home, Groves exclaimed, as after gazing long upon the beautiful country, outside the walls he turned and looked inward. One would hardly know that it was a town at all. Yes, it is rather different to the view from the top of the tower of Notre Dame, which I ascended while I was staying in Paris, but this sort of building is best here. The thickness of the stone roofs keeps out the heat of the sun, and it is only when it is almost overhead that it shines down into the narrow streets. As you can see by the number of people on the roofs, they use them as a resort in the evenings. Then carpets are spread and they receive visitors, and can talk to their neighbors over the low walls that separate the roofs. You can trace the divisions. Some of the house roofs are larger than others, but all are upon the same level, this being the regulation, in order that there might be free passage everywhere for the troops. By the time they had made the circuit of the walls, darkness had fallen, and concealed the martial features of the scene. Lights twinkled everywhere upon the stone terraces. The sound of loops and other musical instruments came up softly on the still air, with the hum of talk and laughter. The sea lay as smooth as a mirror, and reflected the light of the stars, and the black halls of the galleys and ships in the harbor lay still and motionless. Greatly pleased with his first experience of the city that was to be his future home, Gervais returned with his companions to the Average of Averny. The next morning, the bailiff, the Upperson, bade Gervais accompany him to the palace of the Grand Master. Here he introduced him to Orsini, an old and feeble man, who after a few kind words handed him over to the Chamberlain, who in turn led him to the official who was in charge of the pages. That officer took him down to the courtyard, where four young knights were engaged in super-intending the military exercises of the pages. The scene was exactly the same as that to which Gervais had been accustomed at the house in London. Some of the lads were fighting with blunted swords. Others were swinging heavy bars of iron, climbing ropes, or vaulting onto the back of a wooden horse. All paused as the official entered with his charge. This is your new comrade, boys, he said. Master Gervais treat him a member of the English Lang. Be good comrades to him. By the reports I hear I am sure that you will find him a worthy companion. The pages had been prepared to light the newcomer. Port was well known that he owed his appointment to the bailiff of Averny, who was the most popular of the officials of the Order, if he was already regarded as the Grand Master. His appearance confirmed their anticipation. His fair complexion, and not brown hair tinged with gold, cut somewhat short but with a natural way, contrasted with their darker locks and faces bronze by the sun. There was an honest and frank look in his grey eyes, and an expression of good temper on his face, though the square chin and firm lips spoke of earnestness and resolution of purpose. The official took him round the circle and presented him first to the knights and then to each of his comrades. You may as well join them in their exercises, in that way you will sooner become at home with them. Gervais at once laid down his mantle, removed his doublet, and then joined the others. There was but one half hour remaining before they broke off to go to dinner, which was at half past ten. But the time sufficed to show, the young pages, that this English lad was the equal of all, except two or three of the oldest, both in strength and in knowledge of arms. He could climb the rope with any of them, could vault onto the wooden horse, with a heavy caress and back piece on him, and held his own in a bout with swords against Conrad von Birkhoff, who was considered the best sword player among them. As soon as the exercises were over, all proceeded to the bath, and then to dinner. The meal was a simple one, but Gervais enjoyed it thoroughly, for the table was loaded with an abundance of fruits of kinds, altogether novel to him, in which he found delicious. The officer in charge of them sat at the head of the table, and the meal was eaten in silence. After it was over and they had retired to their own rooms, discipline was at an end, and they were free to amuse themselves as they liked. There were many questions to be asked and answered, but his display of strength and skill in the courtyard, save Gervais from a good deal of the teasing to which a newcomer among a party of boys is always exposed. He on his part learned that the duties of the pages were very light. Two only were on duty each day, being in constant attendance on the Grand Master, and accompanying him wherever he went. When he dined in public four of them waited on him at table, and one of them performed the duties of Taster. If he returned to the palace after dark, six others lined the staircase with torches, on occasions a state ceremony, and at the numerous religious festivals, all were in attendance. By this time Gervais' trunks had been brought over from the English Abirj, where they had been conveyed from the ship, and his garments were taken out and inspected by his comrades, who all admitted that they were in point of beauty of colour and material, and in fashion equal to their own. You will have to get one more suit, Gervais, one of the lads said. At one or two of the Grand Ceremonies every year, we are all dressed like, that is the rule, on other occasions we wear what we choose, so that our garments are handsome, and I think it looks a good deal better than when we are dressed like, though no doubt in religious processions that is more appropriate. The Ribamont, our governor, will give orders for the supply of your state costume, he is a good fellow, of course he has to be rather strict with us, but so long as there is nothing done that he considers discreditable to our position, he lets us do pretty nearly as we like. We have four hours a day at our military exercises, and two hours with the sub-chathlin, who teaches us our books and religious duties, the rest of our time we can use as we like, except that every day, eight of us ride for two hours and practice with the lads, for although it is at sea we fight the Muslims, we are expected to become Finnish knights in all matters. These aid horses are kept for our service, and such as chews may at other times ride them. On Saturdays we are free from all our exercises, then some of us generally go on horseback for long excursions on the island, while others take boats and go out on the sea. One afternoon in the week we all make a trip in a galley to learn our duties on board. End of Chapter 3, Recording by Peter Strom, in Sobeth, Kansas, on December 23rd, 2018.