第63章 The Lord of Death(3)

"But these knights say that you stole her, their kinswoman, from them, and one of them has struck you and challenged you to single combat, which challenge you have accepted.I sanction the combat gladly, who have long desired to see two knights of the Franks fight in tourney according to their custom.I will set the course, and you shall be given the best horse in my kingdom; this knight shall ride his own.These are the conditions--the course shall be on the bridge between the inner and outer gates of the castle city, and the fight, which must be to the death, shall take place on the night of the full moon--that is, three days from now.If you are victor, we will talk of the matter of the lady for whom you bargained as a wife.""My lord, my lord," answered Lozelle, "who can lay a lance on that terrible place in moonlight? Is it thus that you keep faith with me?""I can and will!" cried Wulf."Dog, I would fight you in the gates of hell, with my soul on the hazard.""Keep faith with yourself," said Sinan, "who said that you accepted the challenge of this knight and made no conditions, and when you have proved upon his body that his quarrel is not just, then speak of my faith with you.Nay, no more words; when this fight is done we will speak again, and not before.Let him be led to the outer castle and there given of our best.Let my great black horse be brought to him that he may gallop it to and fro upon the bridge, or where he will within the circuit of the walls, by day or by night; but see that he has no speech with this lady whom he has betrayed into my power, or with these knights his foes, nor suffer him to come into my presence.I will not talk with a man who has been struck in the face until he has washed away the blow in blood."As Masouda finished translating, and before Lozelle could answer, the lord Sinan moved his head, whereon guards sprang forward and conducted Lozelle from the terrace.

"Farewell, Sir Thief," cried Wulf after him, "till we meet again upon the narrow bridge and there settle our account.You have fought Godwin, perhaps you will have better luck with Wulf."Lozelle glared back at him, and, finding no answer, went on his way.

"Your report," said Sinan, addressing the tall fedai who all this while had lain upon his face before him, still as the form that was stretched upon the bier."There should have been another prisoner, the great emir Hassan.Also, where is the Frankish spy?"The fedai rose and spoke.

"Lord," he said, "I did your bidding.The knight who has gone steered the ship into the bay, as had been arranged.I attacked with the daylight.The soldiers of Salah-ed-din fought bravely, for the lady here saw us, and gave them time to gather, and we lost many men.We overcame and killed them all, except the prince Hassan, whom we took prisoner.I left some men to watch the ship.

The crew we spared, as they were the servants of the Frank Lozelle, setting them loose upon the beach, together with a Frankish woman, who was the servant of the lady here, to find their way to the nearest city.This woman I would have killed, but the lady your captive begged for her life, saying she had come from the land of the Franks to seek her husband; so, having no orders, let her go.Yesterday morning we started for Masyaf, the prince Hassan riding in a litter together with that Frankish spy who was here a while ago, and told you of the coming of the ship.At night they slept in the same tent; I left the prince bound and set a guard, but in the morning when we looked we found him gone--how, I know not--and Iying in the tent the Frankish spy, dead, with a knife-wound through his heart.Behold!" and withdrawing the cloth from the stretcher he revealed the stiff form of the spy Nicholas, who lay there dead, a look of terror frozen on his face.

"At least this one has come to an end he deserved," muttered Wulf to Godwin.

"So, having searched without avail, I came on here with the lady your prisoner and the Frank Lozelle.I have spoken."Now when he had heard this report, forgetting his calm, Sinan arose from the cushion and stepped forward two paces.There he halted, with fury in his glittering eyes, looking like a man clothed in a black bell.For a moment he stroked his beard, and the brethren noted that on the first finger of his right hand was a ring so like to that which hung about the neck of Godwin that none could have told them apart.