"Get out of the way!" he said. And he urged on his steed so quicklythat Katheline was forced to loose hold of the bridle, and she fellon to the road, and the horse went over her, leaving a bleeding woundupon her forehead. Then the bailiff inquired of the pale horseman asto whether he knew aught of the woman.
"I know her not," was the answer. "She is out of her wits, doubtless."
But by this time Nele had helped up Katheline from the ground. "Ifthis woman is mad," she said, "at least, my Lord, I am not. And I amready to die here and now of this snow that I am eating"--and hereNele took and ate of the snow with her fingers--"if this horseman hasnot had knowledge of my mother, and if he has not forced her to lendhim money, nay, all the money that she had, and if it was not he thatkilled the dog which belonged to Claes, so that he might take fromthe wall of the well those seven hundred caroluses which belonged tothe poor man that is dead."
"Hans, my pet," sobbed Katheline, "give me the kiss of peace. Timewas when you killed your friend because you were jealous, by thedike.... You loved me well in those days."
"Who is that man she speaks of?" demanded the bailiff.
"I know not," said the pale horseman. "The talk of this beggar-womanis no concern of ours. Let us move on."
But by now a crowd of people had collected, workpeople of the town,and they all began to take Katheline's part, crying: "Justice! Justice,my Lord Bailiff! Justice!"
And the bailiff said to Nele: "Who is the one that was killed? Speakthe truth in God's name."
Then Nele said her say, pointing the while at the pale horseman:
"This is the man who came every Saturday to the keet to visit mymother, and to take her money from her. He killed one of his ownfriends, Hilbert by name, in the field of Servaes Van der Vichte;and this he did not from any love of Katheline, as she in her innocentfolly believes, but rather that he might get hold of her seven hundredcaroluses and keep them all for himself."
"You lie," said the pale horseman.
"Oh no!" said Nele. "For it is you that caused the death of Soetkin;you that reduced her orphan son to misery; you--nobleman that youare--who came to us, common people, and the first time you came youbrought money to my mother, so that ever afterwards you might takeher money from her! And you it is that introduced into our house thatfriend of yours to whom you would have given me in marriage; but,as you know, I would have none of him. What did he do, your friendHilbert, that time I tore his eyes with my finger-nails?"
"Nele is naughty," said Katheline. "You must not pay any attentionto her, Hans, my pet. She is angry because Hilbert tried to take herby force; but Hilbert cannot do so any more. The worms have eatenhim. And Hilbert was ugly, Hans, my pet. It is you alone that arebeautiful, and Nele, she is naughty."
Now the bailiff ordered the women to go about their business, butKatheline would not budge from where she stood. They were obliged,therefore, to take her into the cottage by force. And all the peoplethat were there assembled began to cry out:
"Justice, my Lord! Justice!"
At this moment the sergeants of the commune came upon the scene,attracted by the noise, and the bailiff, bidding them wait, addressedhimself to the Lords and nobles in the following manner:
"My Lords and Gentlemen,--Notwithstanding all those privileges whichprotect the illustrious order of the nobility of Flanders, I findmyself constrained to arrest Joos Damman on account of the accusationswhich have been brought against him. And I therefore order him tobe confined to prison until such time as he can be brought to trialaccording to the laws and ordinances of the Empire. Hand me, then,your sword, Sir Joos!"
At this command Joos Damman was seen to hesitate, but all the peoplecried out as with one voice:
"Justice, my Lord! Justice! Let him deliver up his sword!"
And he was obliged to do so in spite of himself; and when he haddismounted from his horse he was conducted by the sergeants to theprison of the commune.
Nevertheless he was not confined in one of the dungeons, but was placedin a room with barred windows, where, for a payment of money, he wasmade not too uncomfortable. For he was provided with a fire, a goodbed, and some good food, half of which, however, went to the gaoler.
XXX
On the morrow there came a soft wind blowing from Brabant. The snowbegan to melt and the meadows were all flooded.
And the bell that is called Borgstorm summoned the judges to thetribunal of the Vierschare. And they sat under the penthouse, becausethe grassy banks where they were accustomed to sit were too damp. Andround about the tribunal stood the people of the town.
Joos Damman was brought before the judges. He was not in bonds, and hestill wore the dress of a nobleman. Katheline was also brought there,but her hands were tied in front of her, and she wore a grey dress,the dress of a prisoner.
On being examined, Joos Damman pleaded guilty to the charge of havingkilled his friend Hilbert with a sword in single combat; and this heconfessed willingly because, as he said, he was protected by the lawof Flanders, which made a murderer safe from conviction after thespace of ten years.
Then the bailiff asked him if he was a sorcerer.
"No," replied Damman.
"Prove it," said the bailiff.
"That I will do at the right time and in the proper place," said JoosDamman, "but not now."
Then the bailiff began to question Katheline. She, however, paid noattention to his questions, but kept her eyes fixed on Hans, saying:
"You are my green master. Beautiful you are as the Sun himself. Putout the fire, my pet!"
Then Nele spoke on Katheline's behalf.
"She can tell you naught, my Lord, that you do not know already. Sheis not a sorceress. She is only out of her mind."
Then the bailiff said his say:
"A sorcerer, I would remind you, is one who knowingly employs adevilish art, or devilish arts, for the attainment of a certainobject. Well, these two persons, the man and the woman, I find tobe sorcerers both in intention and in fact; the man because, asthe evidence states, he gave to this woman the balm of the Witches'Sabbath, and made his visage like unto Lucifer so as to obtain moneyfrom her and the satisfaction of his wanton desires. And the woman alsoI find to be a sorceress because she submitted herself to the man,taking him for a devil and abandoning herself to his will. I ask,therefore, if the gentlemen of the tribunal are agreed that it is acase where the prisoners should both be sent to the torture?"
The aldermen did not answer, but showed clearly enough that such wasnot their desire, so far at any rate as Katheline was concerned.
Then the bailiff spake again:
"Like you I am moved with pity and compassion for the woman, but madas she undoubtedly is and obedient in all things to the devil, is itnot probable that at the behest of her leman she might have committedthe most horrible crimes and abominations, as do all those who resignthemselves to the devil's will? No. Since Joos Damman has refusedto acknowledge any crime save that of murder, and since Kathelinehas not told us anything at all, it is clear that by the laws of theEmpire we are bound to proceed in the manner I have indicated."
And the aldermen gave sentence to the effect that the two prisonerswere to be committed to torture on the following Friday, which wasthe day but one following.
And Nele cried out for mercy upon Katheline, and the people joinedwith her in supplication, but all in vain. And the prisoners weretaken back into the gaol.
There, by order of the tribunal, the keeper of the gaol was orderedto provide a couple of guards for each prisoner, and these guardswere commanded to beat them whenever they looked like going off tosleep. Now the two guards that were allotted to Katheline suffered herto sleep during the night; but they that were assigned to Joos Dammanbeat him unmercifully every time that he closed his eyes or even hunghis head down. And neither of the prisoners was given anything toeat through all that Wednesday, and through all the night and daywhich followed. But on the Thursday evening they were given foodand drink--meat, that is to say, which had bee
n soaked in salt andsaltpetre, and water which had been salted in a similar fashion. Andthis was the beginning of their torture. And in the morning, crying outwith thirst, they were led by the sergeants into the chamber of doom.
There they were set opposite to one another, bound as they were,each to a separate bench which itself was covered with knotted cordsthat hurt them grievously. And they were both made to drink a glassof water saturated with salt and saltpetre.
Joos Damman began to fall off to sleep where he was, but the sergeantssoon beat him awake again. And Katheline said:
"Do not beat him, kind sirs. He has committed but a single crime,when he killed Hilbert--and that was done for love's sake. Oh, but Iam thirsty! And you also are thirsty, Hans, my beloved! Pray give himsomething to drink first of all. Water! Water! My body is burning meup. But spare him. I will die for him. Water!"
Joos said to her:
"Ugly old witch that you are, go and die for all I care! Throw herinto the fire, my Lords! Oh, but I am thirsty!"
Meanwhile the clerks of the court were busy writing down every wordthat was being said. And the bailiff asked him:
"Have you nothing to confess?"
"I have nothing more to say," replied Damman. "You know all thatthere is to know."
"Forasmuch as he persists in his denials," said the bailiff, "let himremain where he is until he shall have made a complete avowal of hiscrimes. Let him neither eat nor drink nor go to sleep."
"So be it," said Joos Damman. "And I will amuse myself by watchingthe sufferings of this old witch here."
And Katheline answered him, saying:
"Cold arms, warm heart, Hans, my beloved! I am thirsty, my headis burning!"
The clerk of the court wrote down what she said, and the bailiffasked her:
"Woman, have you nothing to say in your own defence?"
But Katheline only gazed at Joos Damman, and said very amorously:
"It is the hour of the sea-eagle, Hans, my pet. They say that you willgive me back the seven hundred caroluses. Put out the fire! Put outthe fire!" Then she began to cry out most horribly: "Water! Water! Myhead is burning! God and His angels are eating apples in heaven!"
And she lost consciousness.
Thereupon the bailiff ordered her to be released from the bench oftorture; which was done, and thereafter she was seen to stagger toand fro because of her feet, which were all swollen from the cordsthat had been bound too tight.
"Give her to drink," said the bailiff.
And they gave her some fresh water which she swallowed greedily,holding the goblet between her teeth as a dog holds a bone and refusingto let it go. Then they gave her more water, and this she would havecarried over to Joos Damman had not the torturer wrested the gobletfrom her hand. And she fell down asleep, like a piece of lead.
But Joos Damman cried out in his fury:
"I also am thirsty and sleepy. Why do you give her to drink? Why doyou let her fall asleep?"
"She is a woman," answered the bailiff. "And she is weak and out ofher mind."
"Her madness is only pretence," said Joos Damman. "She is a witch. Iwant to drink, and I want to sleep."
And he closed his eyes, but his tormentors struck him in the face.
"Give me a knife," he cried, "that I may cut these varlets inpieces. I am a nobleman; no one has ever struck me in the facebefore! Water! Let me sleep. I am innocent. It is not I that tookthe seven hundred caroluses, it was Hilbert. Water! I have nevercommitted any sorceries nor any incantations. I am innocent. Leaveme alone and give me something to drink."
But the bailiff only asked him how he had passed the time after heleft Katheline.
"I do not know Katheline at all," he said, "therefore I never lefther. You have asked me an unfair question, and I am not bound toanswer it. Give me something to drink. Let me go to sleep. I tellyou it was Hilbert who was responsible for everything."
"Take him away," said the bailiff, "put him back into his prison. Butsee that he has nothing to drink, and that he does not fall asleepuntil he has admitted his sorceries and incantations."
And now Damman suffered the most cruel torture of all, and he criedout continually in his prison: "Water! Water!" And so loudly did hecry that the people outside could hear him, nevertheless they feltno pity for him. And when he began to fall off to sleep the guardsstruck him in the face, and he cried out again, like a tiger:
"I am a nobleman, and I will kill you, you varlets! I will go to theKing our master. Water!"
But he would confess nothing at all, and they left him where he was.
XXXI
It was the month of May. The Tree of Justice was green again. Greenalso were those grassy banks where the judges were wont to seatthemselves. Nele was summoned to give evidence, for it was the dayon which the judgment was to be promulgated. And the people--men andwomen--of Damme, stood around the open space of the court, and thesun shone brightly.
Katheline and Joos Damman were now brought before the tribunal, andDamman appeared more pale than ever because of the torture he hadsuffered, the many nights he had passed without sleep or anything todrink. As for Katheline, she could scarcely support herself on hertottering legs, and she pointed to the sun continually, and cried out:"Put out the fire! My head is burning!" And she gazed at Joos Dammanwith tender love. And he looked back at her with hate and despite. Andhis friends, the Lords and gentlemen who had been summoned to Damme,were all present there before the tribunal as witnesses.
Then the bailiff spoke as follows:
"The girl Nele here, who is protecting her mother Katheline withsuch great and brave affection, has found sewn into the pocket ofKatheline's Sunday dress a letter signed by Joos Damman. And I myself,when I was inspecting the dead body of Hilbert Ryvish, which was dug upin the field near Katheline's cottage, found thereon a second letter,addressed to him and signed by the said Joos Damman, the accused nowpresent before you. Is it your pleasure that these letters be nowread to you?"
"Read them, read them!" cried the crowd. "Nele is a brave girl! Readthe letters! Katheline is no witch!"
And the clerk of the court read out as follows:
"To Hilbert, son of William Ryvish, knight, Joos Damman, knight, Greeting.
"Most excellent friend, let me advise you to lose no more of your money in gambling, dicing, and other foolishness of that kind. I will tell you a way of making money safe and sound. My plan is that we should disguise ourselves as devils, such as are beloved by women and girls, and then choose out for ourselves all the pretty ones, leaving alone all such as are ugly or poor; for we will make them pay for their pleasure. Do you know that when I was in Germany I acquired by this means as much as five thousand rixdaelders, and all within the space of six months? For a woman will give her last denier to the man she loves. When, therefore, such an one is willing to receive you in the night, the thing is to announce your coming by crying like a night-bird, so it may seem that you are really and truly a devil; and if you want to make your countenance appear devilish you must rub it all over with phosphorus, for phosphorus burns when it is damp, and the smell of it is horrible; and the women mistake it for the odour of hell itself. And if anything gets in your way, be it man, woman, or beast, kill it.
"Before long we will go together to one Katheline, a handsome woman I know. And she has a daughter--a child of mine forsooth, if indeed Katheline has proved faithful to me. And she is a right comely lass, and I give her to you, for these bastards are nothing to me. And you must know that I have already had from the mother a sum of three and twenty caroluses. This money all belonged to her. But somewhere, unless I am a dunce, she keeps secreted the fortune of Claes, that heretic, you remember, who was burned alive at Damme--seven hundred caroluses in all, and liable to confiscation. But the good King Philip, who has burned so many of his subjects for the sake of their inheritance, cannot lay his claw upon this, and assuredly it will weigh heavier in m
y purse than ever it would in his. Katheline will tell me where it is hidden, and we will share it between us. Fortune favours the young, as His Sacred Majesty Charles V was never tired of saying, and he was a past master in all the arts of love and war."
Here the clerk of the court stopped reading and said:
"Such is the letter, and it is signed Joos Damman."
And the people cried out:
"To the death with the murderer! To the death with the sorcerer!"
But the bailiff ordered them to keep silence so that judgment might bepassed on the prisoners with every form of freedom and legality. Afterthat he addressed himself again to the aldermen.
"Now I will read to you the second letter, which is the letter Nelefound sewn into the pocket of Katheline's Sunday gown. These are theterms of it:
"Sweet witch, here is the recipe of a mixture which was sent to me by the wife of Lucifer himself. By the aid of this mixture it is possible to be transported to the sun, the moon, and the stars, and you can hold converse with the elemental spirits who carry the prayers of men to God, and can traverse the cities, towns, rivers, and fields of all the world. Mix equal parts of the following: stramonium, solanum, somniferum, henbane, opium, fresh ends of hemp, belladonna, and thorn-apple. Then drink. If it is your wish we will go this very night to the Sabbath of the Spirits. But you must love me more, and not be cold to me like you were the other night, refusing to give me even ten florins, and denying that you had got them! For I know very well you have a treasure in your hiding but will not tell me where. Do you not love me any more, my sweetheart?--Your cold devil,
Légende d'Ulenspiegel. English Page 27
