"No, no; you never saw me, though I have been very near to you once or twice. Yet, your pardon, look again."
Hugh obeyed, and this time, for a second only, perceived that the Man"s head was surrounded by a mult.i.tude of doves. Two endless lines of doves, one line black and the other line white, stretched from his right shoulder and from his left shoulder, till miles away they melted into the lofty gloom of the sky that was full of the soughing sound of their wings.
Now he knew, and for the first time in his life fell upon his knees to a man, or to what bore the semblance of man.
"You are named Murgh, Gate of the G.o.ds," he said. "Murgh, whom old Sir Andrew saw in that courtyard over which the iron dragons watch in the country called Cathay, that courtyard with the pool of water and the many doors."
"Ay," answered the Man in a new voice, a great voice that seemed to fill the air like the mutter of distant thunder. "I am Murgh, Gateway of the G.o.ds, and since you have striven to defend Murgh, he who is the friend of all men, although they know it not, will above all be your friend and the friend of those you love."
He stretched out his long arms and laid his white-gloved hands for an instant, one of them upon Hugh"s head and one on the shoulder of Grey d.i.c.k, who sat upon the pillar of stone.
Hugh muttered, "I thank you," not knowing what else to say. But in his heart he wondered what kind of friendship this mighty and awful being would show to him and his. Perhaps he might hold that the truest kindness would be to remove him and them from the miseries of a sinful world.
If Murgh read his thoughts he only answered them with that smile of his cold eyes which was more awful than the frown of any mortal man. Turning his head slowly he began to contemplate d.i.c.k sitting on his stone.
"If I had a son," he said, "by that face of yours you might be he."
"Perchance," answered d.i.c.k, "since I never knew for certain who my father was. Only I have always heard that Life begets, not Death."
"Death! You honour me with a great name. Well, life and death are one, and you and I are one with the moon and the stars above us, and many other things and beings that you cannot see. Therefore the begetter and the begotten are one in the Hand that holds them all."
"Ay," answered d.i.c.k, "and so my bow and I are one: I"ve often thought it. Only you nearly made me one with my own arrow, which is closer kinship than I seek," and he touched the cut upon his chin. "Since you are so wise, my father, or my son, tell me, what is this Hand that holds them all?"
"Gladly. Only if I do, first I must ask you to die, then--say in a minute or two--you shall know."
d.i.c.k peered at him doubtfully, and said:
"If that be so, I think I"ll wait for the answer, which I am sure to learn soon or late."
"Ah! Many men have thought the same, and you have sent some to seek it, have you not, being so good an archer. For instance, that was a long shaft you shot before Crecy fray at the filthy fool who mocked your English host. Doubtless now he knows the answer to your riddle."
"Who told you of that?" asked d.i.c.k, springing up.
"A friend of mine who was in the battle. He said also that your name was Richard the Archer."
"A friend! I believe that you were there yourself, as, if you are Death, you may well have been."
"Perhaps you are right, Richard. Have I not just told you that we all are one; yes, even the slayer and the slain. Therefore, if my friend--did you call him Death?--was there, I was there, if you were there I was there and it was my hand that drew yonder great black bow of yours and my eye that guided the straight shaft which laid the foulmouthed jester low. Why, did you not say as much yourself when your master here bade farewell to his father in the ship at Calais? What were the words? Oh, I remember them. You wondered how One I may not name,"
and he bowed his solemn head, "came to make that black bow and yours and you "the death that draw it.""
Now at length Grey d.i.c.k"s courage gave out.
"Of no man upon earth am I afraid," he said. "But from you, O G.o.d or devil, who read the secret hearts of men and hear their secret words, my blood flows backward as it did when first my eyes fell on you. You would kill me because I dared to shoot at you. Well, kill, but do not torture.
It is unworthy of a knight, even if he took his accolade in h.e.l.l," and he placed his hands before his eyes and stood before him with bent head waiting for the end.
"Why give me such high names, Richard the Fatherless, when you have heard two humbler ones? Call me Murgh, as do my friends. Or call me "The Gate," as do those who as yet know me less well. But talk not of G.o.ds or devils, lest suddenly one of them should answer you. Nay, man, have no fear. Those who seek Death he often flees, as I think he flees from you to-night. Yet let us see if we cannot send a longer shaft, you and I, than that which we loosed on Crecy field. Give me the bow."
d.i.c.k, although he had never suffered living man to shoot with it before, handed him the black bow, and with it a war shaft, which he drew from his quiver.
"Tell me, Archer d.i.c.k, have you any enemy in this town of Venice?
Because if so we might try a shot at him."
"One or two, Gate Murgh," answered d.i.c.k, "Still whatever your half of me may do, my bit of you does not love to strike down men by magic in the dark."
"Well said and better thought. Then bethink you of something that belongs to an enemy which will serve as well for a test of shooting. Ah!
I thank you, well thought again. Yes, I see the mark, though "tis far, is it not? Now set your mind on it. But stay! First, will you know this arrow again?"
"Surely," answered d.i.c.k, "I made it myself. Moreover, though two of the feathers are black, the third is white with four black spots and a little splash of brown. Look on it, Sir Hugh; it cannot be mistook."
Hugh looked and nodded; speak he could not for the life of him.
Then Murgh began to play a little with the bow, and oh! strange and dreadful was the music that came from its string beneath the touch of his gloved fingers. It sang like a harp and wailed like a woman, so fearfully indeed that the lad Day, who all this while stood by aghast, stopped his ears with his fingers, and Hugh groaned. Then this awful archer swiftly set the arrow on the string.
"Now think with your mind and shoot with your heart," he said in his cold voice, and, so saying, drew and loosed as though at a hazard.
Out toward Venice leaped the shaft with a rushing sound like to that of wings and, as it seemed to the watchers, light went with it, for it travelled like a beam of light. Far over the city it travelled, describing a mighty arc such as no arrow ever flew before, then sank down and vanished behind some palace tower.
"A very good bow," said the shooter, as he handed it back to d.i.c.k.
"Never have I used a better, who have used thousands made of many a substance. Indeed, I think that I remember it. Did you chance to find it years ago by the seash.o.r.e? Yes? Well, it was a gift of mine to a famous archer who died upon a ship. Nay, it is not strained; I can judge of the breaking strength of a bow. Whether or no I can judge of the flight of an arrow you will learn hereafter. But that this one flew fast and far cannot be doubted since--did you watchers note it?--its speed made it shine like fire. This is caused by the rubbing of the air when aught travels through it very quickly. This night you have seen a meteor glow in the same fashion, only because the air fretted it in its pa.s.sage.
In the East, whence I come, we produce fire just so. And now let us be going, for I have much to do to-night, and would look upon this fair Venice ere I sleep. I"ll lead the way, having seen a map of the town which a traveller brought to the East. I studied it, and now it comes back to my mind. Stay, let that youth give me his garment," and he pointed to David Day, who wore a silk cloak like the others, "since my foreign dress might excite remark, as it did but now."
In a moment Day had stripped himself of his light silk-hooded gown, and in another moment it was on the person of Murgh, though how it got there, when they came to think of it afterward, none could remember.
Still, the yellow and red head-dress, the coal-black silky furs, the yellow skirt, the gleaming pearls, all vanished beneath it. Nothing remained visible except the white fingerless gloves--why were they fingerless, and what lay beneath them? Hugh wondered--and the white shoes.
Forward they went across the Place of Arms, past the timber stand ornamented with banners, which Murgh stayed to contemplate for an instant, until they came to the mouth of the street up which men had followed them, apparently with evil intent.
"Sir Murgh," said Hugh, stepping forward, "you had best let me and my companion Grey d.i.c.k walk first down this place, lest you should come to harm. When we pa.s.sed it a while ago we thought that we heard robbers behind us, and in Venice, as we are told, such men use knives."
"Thank you for your warning, Sir Hugh," and even beneath the shadow of the silk hood Hugh thought that he saw his eyes smile, and seeing, remembered all the folly of such talk.
"Yet I"ll risk these robbers. Do you two and the lad keep behind me," he added in a sterner voice.
So they advanced down the narrow street, the man called Murgh going first, Hugh, Grey d.i.c.k and the lad following meekly behind him. As they entered its shadows a low whistle sounded, but nothing happened for a while. When they had traversed about half its length, however, men, five or six of them in all, darted out of the gloom of a gateway and rushed at them. The faint light showed that they were masked and gleamed upon the blue steel of the daggers in their hands. Two of these men struck at Murgh with their knives, while the others tried to pa.s.s him, doubtless to attack his companions, but failed. Why they failed Hugh and d.i.c.k never knew. All they saw was that Murgh stretched out his white-gloved hands, and they fell back.
The men who had struck at him fell back also, their daggers dropping to the ground, and fled away, followed by their companions, all except one whom Murgh had seized. Hugh noted that he was a tall, thin fellow, and that, unlike the rest, he had drawn no weapon, although it was at his signal that the other bravoes had rushed on. This man Murgh seemed to hold with one hand while with the other he ripped the mask off his face, turning him so that the light shone on him.
Hugh and d.i.c.k saw the face and knew it for that of the priest who had accompanied Acour to England. It was he who had drugged Red Eve and read the ma.s.s of marriage over her while she was drugged.
"Who are you?" asked Murgh in his light, cold voice. "By your shaven head a priest, I think--one who serves some G.o.d of love and mercy. And yet you come upon this ill errand as a captain of a.s.sa.s.sins. Why do you seek to do murder, O Priest of the G.o.d of mercy?"
Now some power seemed to drag the answer from Father Nicholas.
"Because I must," he said. "I have sold myself and must pay the price.
Step leads to step, and he who runs may not stop upon them."
"No, priest Nicholas, since ever they grow more narrow and more steep.
Yet at the foot of them is the dark abyss, and, Murderer Nicholas, you have reached the last of all your steps. Look at me!" and with one hand he threw back the hood.
Next instant they saw Nicholas rush staggering down the street, screaming with terror as he went. Then, as all the bravoes had gone, they continued their march, filled with reflections, till they came to the little landing-stage where they had left the boat. It was still there though the boatman had gone.