The Buccaneer Chief. Gustave Aimard
the light of the lanthorn held by his lad the landlord perceived that the travellers were seven in number; three masters, three servants, and the coachman on the box. All were wrapped up in thick cloaks, and armed to the teeth.
So soon as the coach had entered the yard, the horsemen dismounted; one of them, who appeared to exercise a certain authority over his companions, walked up to the landlord, while the others brought the coach up to the main entrance of the house, and closed the gates.
"Well, master," said the traveller to whom we allude, with a very marked foreign accent, although he expressed himself very purely in French; "have my orders been punctually executed?"
At this question, which was very embarrassing to him, Master Pivois scratched his head, and then replied like the cunning peasant he was—
"As far as possibly, yes, my lord."
"What do you mean, scoundrel?" the traveller resumed roughly; "Your instructions were precise enough."
"Yes, my lord," the landlord said humbly; "and I will even add that I was liberally paid beforehand."
"In that case, what have you to say?"
"That I have done the best I could," Master Pivois replied in growing confusion.
"Ah! I suppose you mean that you have someone in the house?"
"Alas! yes, my lord," the landlord answered, hanging his head.
The traveller stamped his foot passionately.
"S'blood!" he exclaimed; then, at once resuming an apparent calmness, he continued, "Who are the persons?"
"There is only one."
"Ah!" said the traveller, with satisfaction, "If there be only one, nothing is more easy than to dislodge him."
"I fear not," the landlord ventured timidly, "for this traveller, who is a stranger to me, I swear, looks to me like a rude gentleman, and not at all inclined to surrender his place."
"Well, well, I will take it on myself," the traveller remarked carelessly, "where is he?"
"There, in the kitchen, my lord, warming himself at the fire."
"That will do; is the room ready?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Rejoin those gentlemen, and show them the way yourself; none of your people must know what takes place here."
The landlord, delighted at having got off so cheaply, bowed respectfully, and hastily retired in the direction of the garden; as for the traveller, after exchanging a few whispered words with a footman, who remained with him, he pulled his hat over his eyes, opened the door, and boldly entered the kitchen.
It was deserted: the stranger had disappeared.
The traveller looked anxiously around him; the waiting men, probably in obedience to orders previously received from their master, had withdrawn to their attics.
After a few seconds' hesitation, the traveller returned to the garden.
"Well," the landlord asked, "have you seen him, my lord?"
"No," he replied, "but it is of no consequence; not a word about him to the persons who accompany me; he has doubtless left, but if that be not the case, be careful that he does not approach the apartments you have reserved for us."
"Hum," the landlord muttered to himself, "all this is not clear;" and he withdrew very pensively.
Truth to tell, the worthy man was frightened. His new customers had unpleasant faces, and a rough manner, which reassured him but slightly; and then again he fancied he had seen alarming shadows gliding about among the trees in his garden, a fact which he had carefully avoided verifying, but which heightened his secret apprehensions.
Dame Tiphaine, torch in hand, was waiting at the house door, in readiness to light the travellers, and conduct them to their apartments. When the coach had been turned and stopped, one of the travellers went up to it, opened the door, and assisted a lady in getting out.
This lady, who was magnificently dressed, appeared to be suffering, and she walked with difficulty. Still, in spite of her weakness, she declined the arm of one of the travellers offered her in support, and approached Dame Tiphaine, who, compassionate like all women, hastened to offer her the service she seemed to request of her, and helped her to ascend the rather steep staircase that led to the dais room.
The travellers left the driver and a lackey to guard the coach, which remained horsed, and silently followed the sick lady.
The dais room, the finest in the inn, was spacious and furnished with a certain amount of luxury; a large fire crackled on the hearth, and several candles, placed on the furniture, diffused a rather bright light.
A door half hidden by tapestry communicated with a bedroom, that had a door opening on the passage, for the convenience of the attendants.
When the lady had entered the room, she sank into a chair, and thanked the landlady with a bow.
The latter discreetly withdrew, astonished and almost terrified by the gloomy faces which surrounded her.
"Holy Virgin!" she said to Master Pivois, whom she found walking in great anxiety along the passage, "What's going to happen here? These men frighten me; that poor lady is all of a tremble, and the little I saw of her face behind her mask, is as white as a sheet."
"Alas!" Master Pivois said with a sigh, "I am as frightened as you, my dear, but we can do nothing; they are too great people for us—friends of his Eminence. They would crush us without pity; we have only one thing to do, and that is to retire to our room, as we received orders to do, and to keep quiet till our services are required; the house is theirs, at this moment they are the masters."
The landlord and his wife went into their room, and not satisfied with double locking their door, barricaded it with everything that came to hand.
As Master Pivois had said to his wife, the travellers were certainly masters of the inn, or at least believed themselves so.
The stranger, while feigning the deepest indifference, had watched the landlord's every movement: as soon as the latter left the kitchen to open the door for the newcomers, he rose, threw a purse of gold to the scullions, while putting his finger on his lips to recommend silence to them, and carefully wrapping himself in his mantle, left the kitchen.
The scullions, with the intelligence characteristic of the class, comprehended that this action of the stranger concealed some plans in the execution of which it was to their interest not to interfere; they divided the money so generously given them, and remembering the orders they had received from their master, they hastily decamped, and went off to hide themselves.
The stranger, while the landlord was receiving the travellers, had proceeded to the thickest part of the garden.
On reaching the little gate to which we have referred, he whistled gently.
Almost immediately two men seemed to rise from the midst of the darkness, and came up to him.
Each of these men had a long rapier at his side, pistols in his girdle, and a musketoon in his hand.
"What is there new?" the stranger asked; "Have you seen anything, Michael?"
"Captain," the man answered, to whom the question was addressed, "I have seen nothing, but still I fear a trap."
"A trap?" the stranger repeated.
"Yes," Michael continued, "Bowline has taken bearings of several ill-looking fellows who seem desirous of boarding us."
"Stuff! You are mad, Michael. You have seen the travellers who have just arrived at the inn."
"No, captain; on the contrary, they exactly resemble the fellows who have been chasing us ever since the day before yesterday, regular Cardinal's bloodhounds, I'll wager."
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