mightdrive them into it, and as it is in roaring flood just now, most of themwill probably be drowned. The few who escape will do us service bytelling the tale of their defeat to their friends."
He ceased to whisper, for just then the dawning light showed them thedusky forms of the enemy stealing noiselessly but swiftly over the flat.
At their head strode Addedomar and a few of his stoutest men. Reachingthe slope that led to the camp the four hundred men rushed up, still,however, in perfect silence, expecting to take their victims bysurprise. But before they gained the summit a body of men burst outfrom the woods on either side of the track, and leaped upon them with aprolonged roar that must have been the rudimentary form of a Britishcheer.
The effect on the robbers was tremendous. On beholding the huge formsof Gadarn, Konar, and Beniah coming on in front they turned and fledlike autumn leaves before a gale, without waiting even to discharge asingle arrow. The courageous Addedomar was overwhelmed by the panic andcarried away in the rush. Gadarn, supposing that the attack would havebeen made earlier and in the dark, had left the bows of his forcebehind, intending to depend entirely on swords and clubs. But he foundthat the robbers were swift of foot and that terror lent wings, for theydid not overtake them at once. Down the slope went the robbers, anddown went the roaring northmen, until both parties swept out upon theflat below.
They did not scatter, however. Addedomar's men had been trained to keeptogether even in flight, and they now made for the gully between themounds, their chief intending to face about there and show fight on theslopes of the pass. But the flying host had barely entered it, whenthey were assaulted and driven back by the forces under Gunrig, who wentat them with a shout that told of previous severe restraint. Thefugitives could not stand it. The arrows, which even during flight werebeing got ready for Gadarn's host, were suddenly discharged at the menin the gully; but the aim was wild, and the only shaft which tookserious effect found its billet in the breast of Gunrig himself. Heplucked it savagely out and continued the charge at the head of his men.
Turning sharp to the left, the robbers then made for the lower end ofthe flat, still followed closely by Gadarn's band, now swelled by thatof Gunrig. As had been anticipated, they almost ran into the arms ofBladud's contingent, which met them with a yell of rage, and the yellwas answered by a shriek of terror.
Their retreat being thus cut off in nearly all directions, thepanic-stricken crew doubled to the left again, and sprang into theswamp, closely followed by their ever-increasing foes. At first and atsome distance from the fountain-head the water felt warm and grateful tothe lower limbs of the fugitives, but as they plunged in deeper andnearer to the springs, it became uncomfortably hot, and they began toscatter all over the place, in the hope of finding cool water. Some whoknew the locality were successful. Others, who did not know it, rushedfrom hot to hotter, while some, who were blindly struggling toward thesource of the evil, at last began to yell with pain, and no wonder, forthe temperature of the springs then--as it has been ever since, and isat the present day--was 120 degrees of Fahrenheit--a degree of heat, inwater, which man is not fitted to bear with equanimity.
"Now, Konar, give them a tune from _your_ pipe," said Gadarn, whose eyeswere blazing with excitement.
The hunter of the Swamp obeyed, and it seemed as though a mammoth bullof Bashan had been suddenly let loose on the fugitives.
To add to the turmoil a large herd of Bladud's pigs, disturbed fromtheir lair, were driven into the hot water, where they swam about in afrantic state, filling the whole region with horrid yells, which,mingling with those of the human sufferers, and the incessant barking ofBrownie, rendered confusion worse confounded, and caused the wildanimals far and near to flee from the region as if it had becomePandemonium!
The pigs, however, unlike the men, knew how to find the cooler parts ofthe swamp.
Perceiving his error when he stood knee-deep in the swamp, Gadarn nowsought to rectify it by sending a detachment of swift runners back forhis bows and arrows. But this manoeuvre took time, and before it couldbe carried out the half-boiled host had gained the other side of theSwamp, and were massing themselves together preparatory to a retreatinto the thick woods.
"Now is _our_ time," said Arkal, rising up and drawing his sword. Then,with a nautical shout, and almost in the words of a late warrior ofnote, he cried, "Up, men, and at them!"
And the men obeyed with such alacrity and such inconceivable violence,that the stricken enemy did not await the onset. They incontinentlysloped at an angle of forty-five degrees with mother earth, and scootedtowards the river, into which they all plunged without a moment'sconsideration.
Arkal and his men paused on the brink to watch the result; but theseaman was wrong about the probable fate of the vanquished, for everyman of the robber band could swim like an otter, besides being in a fitcondition to enjoy the cooler stream. They all reached the oppositebank in safety. Scrambling out, they took to the woods without oncelooking back, and finally disappeared.
During the remainder of that day Gadarn could do little else thanchuckle or laugh.
Bladud's comment was that it had been "most successful."
"A bloodless victory!" remarked Beniah.
"And didn't they yell?" said Arkal.
"And splutter?" added Maikar.
"And the pigs! oh! the pigs!" cried Gadarn, going off into anotherexplosion which brought the tears to his eyes, "it would have beennothing without the pigs!"
The gentle reader must make allowance for the feelings of men fresh fromthe excitement of such a scene, existing as they did in times so veryremote. But, after all, when we take into consideration thecircumstances; the nature of the weapons used; the cause of the war, andthe objects gained, and compare it all with the circumstances, weapons,causes, and objects of modern warfare, we are constrained to admit thatit was a "most glorious victory"--this Battle of the Springs.
CHAPTER THIRTY.
SMALL BEGINNINGS OF FUTURE GREAT THINGS.
There was one thing, however, which threw a cloud over the rejoicingwith which the conquerors hailed this memorable victory.
Gunrig's wound turned out to be a very severe one--much more so than hadbeen at first supposed--for the arrow had penetrated one of his lungs,and, breaking off, had left the head in it.
As Bladud was the only one of the host who possessed any knowledge ofhow to treat complicated wounds, he was "called in," much against thewish of the wounded man; but when the prince had seen and spoken to him,in his peculiarly soft voice, and with his gentle manner, besidesaffording him considerable relief, the chief became reconciled to hisnew doctor.
"I thought you a savage monster," said the invalid, on the occasion ofthe amateur doctor's third visit; "but I find you to be almost as tenderas a woman. Yet your hand was heavy enough when it felled me at thegames!"
"Let not your mind dwell on that, Gunrig; and, truth to tell, if it hadnot been for that lucky--or, if you choose, unlucky--blow, I might havefound you more than my match."
The chief held out his hand, which the doctor grasped.
"I thought to kill you, Bladud; but when I get well, we shall befriends."
Poor Gunrig, however, did not from that day show much evidence ofgetting well. His case was far beyond the skill of his amateur doctor.It was, therefore, resolved, a day or two later, to send him home underan escort led by Beniah.
"I will follow you ere long," said Gadarn, as he grasped the hand of theinvalid at parting, "for I have business at the court of King Hudibras."
Gunrig raised himself in the litter in which he was borne by four men,and looked the northern chief earnestly in the face.
"You have not yet found your daughter?" he asked.
"Well--no. At least not exactly."
"Not exactly!" repeated Gunrig in surprise.
"No; not exactly. That's all I can say at present. All ready in frontthere? Move on! My greetings to the king, and say I shall see himsoon. What, ho! Konar, come hith
er! Know you where I can find PrinceBladud?"
"In his booth," replied the hunter.
"Send him to me. I would have speech with him."
When the prince entered the booth of the commander-in-chief, he foundthat worthy with his hands on his sides, a tear or two in his eyes, andvery red in the face. He frowned suddenly, however, and became verygrave on observing Bladud.
"I sent for you," he said, "to let you know my intended movements, andto ask what you mean to do. To-morrow I shall start for your father'stown with all my men."
"What! and leave your daughter undiscovered?"
"Ay. Of what use is it to search any longer? There is not a hole orcorner of the land that we have not ransacked. I am certain that she isnot here, wherever she may be; so I must go and seek elsewhere. Wilt gowith me?"
"That will not I," returned Bladud decisively.
"Wherefore? The Hebrew tells me you are cured; and your father will beglad to have you back."
"It matters not. I leave not this region until I have made a morethorough search for and found the lad Cormac, or at least ascertainedhis fate."
"Why so anxious about the boy? is he of kin to you?" said Gadarn in atone that seemed to convey the slightest possible evidence of contempt.
"Ay, he is of kin," returned Bladud, warmly; "for it seems to mesometimes that friendship is a closer tie than blood. At all events, Iowe my life to him. Moreover, if he has been captured by robbers, Ifeel assured that he will escape before long and return to me."
"Indeed! Are you, then, so sure of his affection? Has he ever dared tosay that he--he is fond of you?"
"Truly, he never has; for we men of the southern parts of Albion are notprone to speak of our feelings, whatever you of the north may be. Butsurely you must know, chief, that the eyes, the tones, and the actions,have a language of their own which one can well understand though thetongue be silent. Besides, I do not see it to be a very daring act forone man to tell another that he is fond of him. And you would notwonder at my regard, if you only knew what a pure-minded, noble fellowthis Cormac is,--so thoughtful, so self-sacrificing, for, you know, itmust have cost him--it would cost any one--a terrible effort ofself-denial to dwell in such a solitude as this for the sole purpose ofnursing a stranger, and that stranger a doomed leper, as I thought atfirst, though God has seen fit to restore me."
"Nevertheless, I counsel you to come with me, prince, for I have nointention of giving up the search for my child, though I mean to carryit on in a more likely region; and who knows but we may find Cormac--ha!" (here there was a peculiar catch in Gadarn's throat which hesought to conceal with a violent sneeze)--"ha! find Cormac in the sameregion!"
"That is not likely. I see no reason why two people who were lost atdifferent times, and not, as far as we know, in exactly the same place,should be found"--(here the chief had another fit of sneezing)--"befound together. At any rate, I remain here, for a time at least. Myold friend Dromas will remain with me, and some of my father's men."
As Gadarn could not induce the prince to alter his decision, and, forreasons of his own, did not choose to enlighten him, they parted there--the chief setting off with his troops in the direction of Hudibras'town, and the prince returning to his booth, accompanied by CaptainArkal, little Maikar, the hunter of the Hot Swamp, and about thirty ofhis father's men, who had elected to stay with him.
"As I am now cured, good Konar," said Bladud to the hunter, whilereturning to the booth, "and as I have enough to do in searching for mylost friend, I fear that I must end my service with you, and make overthe pigs to some other herd."
"As you please, prince," returned the eccentric hunter with the utmostcoolness, "the pigs were well able to look after themselves before youcame, and, doubtless, they will be not less able after you go."
Bladud laughed, and, putting his hand kindly on the man's shoulder,assured him that he would find for him a good successor to herd hispigs. He also asked him if he would agree to act as hunter to hisparty, as he intended to remain in that region and build a small townbeside the springs, so that people afflicted with the disease from whichhe had suffered, or any similar disease, might come and be cured.
Konar agreed at once, for a new light burst upon him, and the idea ofliving to serve other people, and not merely to feed himself, seemed toput new life into him.
"Do you really mean to build a town here?" asked Dromas, when he heardhis friend giving orders to his men to erect a large booth to shelterthem all for some time to come.
"Indeed, I do. So thankful am I, Dromas, for this cure, that I feelimpelled to induce others to come and share the blessing. I only wish Icould hope that you would stay in Albion and aid me. But I supposethere is some fair one in Hellas who might object to that."
"No fair one that I know of," returned Dromas, with a laugh, "and as Ihave left neither kith nor kin at home, there is nothing to prevent mytaking the proposal into consideration."
"That is good news indeed. So, then, I will ask you to come along withme just now, and mayhap you will make up your mind while we walk. I goto fix on a site for the new town, and to set the men to work."
That day the voices of toilers, and the sound of hatchets and the crashof falling trees, were heard in the neighbourhood of the Hot Swamp,while the prince and his friend examined the localities around in theimmediate vicinity of the fountain-head.
On coming to the fountain itself, the young men paused to look at it, asit welled up from the earth. So hot was it that they could not endureto hold their hands in it, and in such volumes did it rise, that itoverflowed its large natural basin continually, and converted a largetract of ground into a morass, while finding its way, by many rills andchannels, into the adjacent river.
"What a singular work of Nature!" remarked Dromas.
"Why not say--a wonderful work of God?" replied the prince.
"Come now, my friend, let us not begin again our old discussions. Whatwas suitable for the groves of Hellas is not appropriate to the swampsof Albion!"
"I agree not with that, Dromas."
"You were ever ready to disagree, Bladud."
"Nay, not exactly to disagree, but to argue. However, I will fall inwith your humour just now, and wait for what you may deem a more fittingtime. But what, think you, can be the cause of this extraordinary hotspring?"
"Fire!" returned the Greek promptly.
"Truly that must be so," returned the prince, with a laugh. "You areunusually sharp this morning, my friend. But what originates the fire,and where is it, and why does it not set the whole world on fire, seeingthat it must needs be under the earth?"
"It would be better to put such questions to the wise men of Egypt, nexttime you have the chance, than to me," returned Dromas, "for I am notdeep enough in philosophy to answer you. Nevertheless, it does not seempresumptuous to make a guess. That there is abundance of fire beneaththe ground on which we tread is clear from the burning mountains whichyou and I have seen on our way from Hellas. Probably there are manysuch mountains elsewhere, for if the fire did not find an escape in manyplaces, it would assuredly burst our world asunder. What set the insideof the world on fire at the beginning is, of course, a puzzle; and whyeverything does not catch fire and blaze up is another puzzle--for it isplain that if you were to set fire to the inside of your booth, theoutside would be shrivelled up immediately. Then," continued Dromas,knitting his brows and warming with his subject, "there must be a biglake under the earth somewhere, and quite close to the fire, which setsit a-boiling and makes it boil over--thus."
He pointed to the fountain as he spoke.
"There may be truth in what you say, Dromas. At all events your theoryis plausible, and this, I know, that ever since I came here, there hasnot been the slightest diminution in the volume of hot water that haspoured forth; from which I would conclude that it has been flowing thusfrom the beginning of time, and that it will go on flowing thus to theend."
We know not whether the reader will b
e inclined to class Bladud amongthe prophets, but there are some prophets who have less claim to thetitle, for it is a fact that in this year of grace, 1892, the output ofhot water from the same fountain, in the town of Bath, is one milliontons every year, while the quantity and the temperature never vary inany appreciable degree, summer or winter, from year to year!
Having discussed the philosophical aspect of the fountain, the twofriends proceeded with the work then in hand.
Of course, as they gazed around at the richly wooded hills andattractive eminences, which were not only charming sites for the littletown, but also well suited for fortresses to resist invasions they werenaturally tempted to sacrifice the useful to the safe and beautiful.Fortunately wisdom prevailed, and it was that day decided that the sitefor Swamptown should be on a slope that rose gently from the river bank,passed close by the Hot Swamp, and was finally lost in the lovelywood-clad terraces beyond.
"We must, of course, confine the hot stream within banks, train it tothe river, and drain the Swamp," observed Bladud, as he sat broodingover his plans that night at supper.
"Ay, and make a pond for sick folk to dip in," said Dromas.
"And another pond for the healthy folk," suggested Captain Arkal; "welike to give ourselves a wash now and then, and it would never do forthe healthy to go spluttering about with the sick--would it?"
"Certainly not," interposed little Maikar, "but what about the women?They would need a pond for themselves, would they not? Assuredly theywould keep us all in hot water if they didn't
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