"Then I will go and see them," said the lad, picking up his bow and arrows. "You can wait here till I come back, Beniah, and keep Bladud company--for he is accustomed to company now! Who knows but I may pick up this _foolish_ girl on my way to the camp!"
The lad hurried into the woods without waiting a reply; but he had not gone a hundred yards when he turned and shouted, "Hi, Beniah!" at the same time beckoning with his hand.
The Hebrew hurried towards him.
"Beniah," said the lad impressively, as he drew near, "go back and examine Bladud"s arm, and let me know when we meet again what you think of it."
"But how--why--wherefore came you--?" exclaimed the Hebrew, pausing in perplexity.
"Ask no questions, old man," returned the youth with a laugh. "There is no time to explain--. He will suspect--robbers--old mother--bad son-- escape--boy"s dress--fill up that story if you can! More hereafter.
But--observe, if you say one word about _me to anybody_, Gadarn"s sword is sharp and his arm strong! You promise?"
"I promise."
"Solemnly--on your word as a Hebrew?"
"Solemnly--on my word as a Hebrew. But--?"
With another laugh the boy interrupted him, turned, and disappeared in the woods.
"A strange, though a good and affectionate boy," remarked Bladud when the Hebrew returned. "What said he?"
"He bade me examine your arm, and tell him what I think of it on his return."
"That is of a piece with all the dear boy"s conduct," returned the prince. "You have no idea what a kind nurse he has been to me, at a time when I was helpless with fever. Indeed, if I had not been helpless and delirious, I would not have allowed him to come near me. You have known him before, it seems?"
"Yes; I have known him for some time."
From this point the prince pushed the Hebrew with questions, which the latter--bearing in remembrance the sharpness of Gadarn"s sword, and the solemnity of his promise--did his best to evade, and eventually succeeded in turning the conversation by questioning Bladud as to his intercourse with the hunter of the Swamp, and his mode of life since his arrival in that region. Then he proceeded to examine the arm critically.
"It is a wonderful cure," he said, after a minute inspection. "Almost miraculous."
"Cure!" exclaimed the prince. "Do you, then, think me cured?"
"Indeed I do--at least, very nearly so. I have had some experience of your complaint in the East, and it seems to me that a perfect cure is at most certain--if it has not been already effected."
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.
DESCRIBES AN ARDENT SEARCH.
While the prince and the Hebrew were thus conversing, Cormac was speeding towards the camp of Gadarn. He quickly arrived, and was immediately arrested by one of the sentinels. Taken before one of the chief officers, he was asked who he was, and where he came from.
"That I will tell only to your chief," said the lad.
"_I_ am a chief," replied the officer proudly.
"That may be so; but I want to speak with _your_ chief, and I must see him alone."
"a.s.suredly thou art a saucy knave, and might be improved by a switching."
"Possibly; but instead of wasting our time in useless talk, it would be well to convey my message to Gadarn, for my news is urgent; and I would not give much for your head if you delay."
The officer laughed; but there was that in the boy"s tone and manner that induced him to obey.
Gadarn, the chief, was seated on a tree-stump inside of a booth of boughs, leaves, and birch-bark, that had been hastily constructed for his accommodation. He was a great, rugged, north-country man, of immense physical power--as most chiefs were in those days. He seemed to be brooding over his sorrows at the time his officer entered.
"A prisoner waits without," said the officer. "He is a stripling; and says he has urgent business to communicate to you alone."
"Send him hither, and let every one get out of ear-shot!" said Gadarn gruffly.
A minute later Cormac appeared, and looked wistfully at the chief, who looked up with a frown.
"Are you the pris--"
He stopped suddenly, and, springing to his feet, advanced a step with glaring eyes and fast-coming breath, as he held out both hands.
With a cry of joy, Cormac sprang forward and threw his arms round Gadarn"s neck, exclaiming--
"Father!--_dear_ father!"
For a few moments there was silence, and a sight was seen which had not been witnessed for many a day--two or three gigantic tears rolled down the warrior"s rugged cheeks, one of them trickling to the end of his weather-beaten nose and dropping on his iron-grey beard.
"My child," he said at length, "where--how came you--why, this--"
"Yes, yes, father," interrupted the lad, with a tearful laugh. "I"ll tell you all about it in good time; but I"ve got other things to speak of which are more interesting to both of us. Sit down and let me sit on your knee, as I used to do long ago."
Gadarn meekly obeyed.
"Now listen," said Cormac, putting his mouth to his father"s ear and whispering.
The chief listened, and the first effect of the whispering was to produce a frown. This gradually and slowly faded, and gave place to an expression of doubt.
"Are you sure, child?--sure that you--"
"Quite--quite sure," interrupted Cormac with emphasis. "But that is not all--listen!"
Gadarn listened again; and, as the whispering continued, there came the wrinkles of humour over his rugged face; then a snort that caused Cormac to laugh ere he resumed his whispering.
"And he knows it?" cried Gadarn, interrupting and suppressing a laugh.
"Yes; knows all about it."
"And the other doesn"t?"
"Has not the remotest idea!"
"Thinks that you"re a--"
Here the chief broke off, got up, placed his hands on both his sides and roared with laughter, until the anxious sentinels outside believed that he had gone mad.