Gurth thanked his master and left him to his thoughts.
When Gurth came to Isaacs house in Ashby, a servant let him in. Isaac and his daughter were sitting in a room decorated in the Eastern fashion.
The door opened, and Gurth entered.
Are you Isaac the Jew of York? said Gurth, in Saxon.
I am, replied Isaac, in the same language, and who are you?
It doesnt matter, answered Gurth, I bring money from the Disinherited Knight. It is the price of the armour Kirjath Jairam of Leicester supplied to him on your recommendation. The horse is returned to your stable. I want to know the amount of money which I am to pay for the armour.
I said he was a good man! exclaimed Isaac joyfully. A cup of wine will do you no harm, he added, filling and handing to the swineherd a cup of very expensive wine. And how much money, continued Isaac, have you brought with you?
A small sum.
Well, thensaid Isaac, hesitating between his love of money and a new desire to be generous, if I should say that I would take eighty golden coins for the good horse and the rich armour, do you have enough money to pay me?
Barely, said Gurth, though the sum demanded was more reasonable than he had expected, and it will leave my master almost without money. Nevertheless, if this is your demand, I must be content.
Fill yourself another cup of wine, said the Jew.
Gurth put eighty coins upon the table. The Jews hand trembled with joy when he counted his eighty pieces of gold.
I believe you have more coins in that bag, he added.
Gurth smiled when he replied, About the same amount that I have paid you. He then drank a third goblet of wine without invitation and left the apartment.
When Isaac turned to speak to his daughter, he saw that she had left the apartment.
In the meanwhile, Gurth had reached the hall but was not sure where the door was. At this moment a figure in white with a small silver lamp in her hand asked him to come to another room. Gurth hesitated, then followed his guide to another room where he found to his surprise and relief that it was the daughter of the Jew.
She asked him how much he paid Isaac. He answered.
My father, good fellow, said Rebecca, owes your master for his kindness much more than these armour and horse could pay. In this purse you will find a hundred golden coins. Give to your master eighty and take the rest for yourself. Go now, be careful on the road at night.
By St Dunstan,[19] said Gurth, as he stumbled in the dark, this is not a Jewish maiden, she is an angel from heaven! Ten golden coins from my brave young mastertwenty from this pearl of ZionOh, a happy day! One more day like this and I will buy my freedom.[20]
* * *The adventures of Gurth did not end. When he left the village, he found himself on a dark road. The trees on both sides caught the light of the harvest moon. Gurth began to walk faster but it didnt save him. Four men suddenly jumped on him, two from each side of the road, and seized him so fast, that he wasnt able to resist. Surrender, said one of them, we are your saviors, we will save you from your money.
Gurth was dragged through the forest and then to an open space which was lighted by the moon. Here the robbers were joined by two other persons, apparently belonging to the band. Each had a short sword and a staff, and Gurth could now observe that all the six wore masks.
What money do you have? said one of the thieves.
Thirty coins of my own property, answered Gurth.
He should lose it! shouted the robbers; a Saxon has thirty coins, and returns from a village without getting drunk! He should lose all he has.
What money do you have? said one of the thieves.
Thirty coins of my own property, answered Gurth.
He should lose it! shouted the robbers; a Saxon has thirty coins, and returns from a village without getting drunk! He should lose all he has.
I kept it to buy my freedom, said Gurth.
You are a fool, replied one of the thieves three cups of ale would make you as free as your master.
A sad truth, replied Gurth, but if these same thirty coins can buy my freedom from you, let me go and I will pay them to you.
Hold, said one who seemed to be the leader, this bag which you have, as I can feel through your cloak, contains more coin than you have told us.
It is my masters, answered Gurth, about which I would not have spoken a word, had you been satisfied with taking my own money.
You are an honest fellow, replied the robber, and your thirty coins may yet escape, if you dont lie to us. So saying, he took from Gurths breast the large leathern bag, in which was the rest of the money, and then continued his interrogation. Who is your master?
The Disinherited Knight, said Gurth.
Whose good lance, replied the robber, won the prize in todays tournament? What is his name and lineage?
He wants, answered Gurth, to keep them in secret.
How did your master gain this gold?
By his good lance, answered Gurth, These bags contain the ransom of four good horses, and four good suits of armour.
How much is there? demanded the robber.
Two hundred coins.
Name those who paid the gold.
Gurth did so.
The armour and horse of the Templar Brian de Bois-Guilbert, at what ransom were they held? You see you cannot deceive me.
My master, replied Gurth, will take nothing from the Templar except for his life.
And what were you doing at Ashby with such a sum of money?
I went there to return to Isaac the Jew of York, replied Gurth, the price of a suit of armour with which he fitted my master for this tournament.
And how much did you pay to Isaac? I paid to Isaac, said the Saxon, eighty coins, and he restored me a hundred.
What?! exclaimed all the robbers at once, You are lying!
What I tell you, said Gurth, is as true as the moon is in heaven. You will find the money in a silken purse separate from the rest of the gold.
The Captain said, You are talking about a Jewas unable to return gold, as the dry sand of the desert is to return water.
It is, however, as I say, said Gurth.
Strike a light, said the Captain, I will examine this miracle.
Somebody made a light, and the robber examined the purse. The others crowded around him, and even the two who were holding Gurth relaxed while they stretched their necks to see. By a sudden effort Gurth shook himself free of their hold, and might have escaped, but he didnt want to leave his masters property. He took a staff, struck down the Captain and almost succeeded in taking back the money. The thieves, however, were too strong for him, and again secured both the bag and himself.
Knave! said the Captain, getting up, you have broken my head, and other men of our sort would have killed you. Ill tell you what Im going to do, only stand still. Friends! he then said, addressing his band, this purse has words in Hebrew on it, and I well believe the yeomans story is true. We will not take his masters money. He is too like ourselves for us to rob him.
Like us? answered one of the band, I would like to hear why.
You fool, answered the Captain, is he not poor and disinherited as we are? Doesnt he win his food with his sword as we do? Has he not beaten Front-de-Boeuf and Malvoisin, as we would beat them if we could?
The man replied: And this man, he too will leave unharmed?
Not if you can harm him, replied the Captain. Here, fellow, he said to Gurth, can you use the staff?
I think, said Gurth, you can answer that question.
True, replied the Captain, do the same for this fellow, and you will pass freely. Take your staff, Miller, he added, and keep your head, and give the fellow a staffthere is enough light to fight.
The two champions stepped forward into the centre of the open space. For a long time they fought equally, until the Miller began to lose temper because his opponent was strong and his companions started to laugh at him. This gave Gurth the opportunity to win which he used immediately.
The Miller pressed furiously forward, using both ends of his weapon, while Gurth defended himself against the attack, covering himself by shifting his weapon with great speed. When the Miller was out of breath, Gurth pretended to attack him with one side of his staff and suddenly struck him on the left side of the head with the other end of the weapon. The Miller fell to the ground.
Well done! shouted the robbers, Old England forever! The Saxon has saved both his purse and his head, and the Miller has met his match.[21]
You can go, my friend, said the Captain, and I will give you two men to guide you to your masters tent. Only remember that you have refused to tell his namedont ask about ours, and dont try to discover who we are.
Gurth thanked the Captain, and promised to follow his recommendation. Two of the bandits took him to the open place from which he could see the lists and the tents. Here the thieves stopped.
Good night to you, kind sirs, said Gurth and he went to the tent of his master, where he told the knight about his adventures.
The Disinherited Knight was filled with astonishment, no less at the generosity of Rebecca, than that of the robbers.
* * *Next morning was dedicated to the general tournament. The Disinherited Knight was the leader of one group of knights and Brian de Bois-Guilbert was the first champion of the other band. Many knights who were not prepared to challenge a single opponent of high reputation wanted to show themselves in the general combat. On the present occasion, there were about fifty knights on each side.
Simple people and nobles all came to watch the fight, including Cedric the Saxon with the Lady Rowena. Athelstane, however, put on his armour and, to Cedrics surprise, joined the part of the Templar. His only reason for doing so was to punish the champion of the preceding day for choosing Rowena (whom Athelstane considered to be his bride) as the Queen of Love and Beauty.
As soon as Prince John saw that the Queen of the day had arrived upon the field, he rode forward to meet her, dismounted and helped the Lady Rowena to get down from her horse.
This is, said Prince John, how we set the example of loyalty to the Queen of Love and Beauty. Then the Prince led Rowena to the seat of honour opposite his own.