St. George and St. Michael

by George MacDonald

  CHAPTER XLIII.

  LADY AND BISHOP.

  In the meantime a succession of events had contributed to enhance theinfluence of Cromwell in the parliament, and his position and power inthe army. He was now, therefore, more able to put in places of trustsuch men as came nearest his own way of thinking, and amongst the restRoger Heywood, whom, once brought into the active service for whichmodesty had made him doubt his own fitness, he would not allow to leaveit again, but made colonel of one of his favourite regiments of horse,with his son as major.

  Richard continued to ride Bishop, which became at length famous forcourage, as he had become at once for ugliness. Fortunately they foundthat he had developed friendly feelings towards one of the mares of thetroop, never lashing out when she happened to be behind him; so theygave her that place, and were freed from much anxiety. Still the rideron each side of him had to keep his eyes open, for every now and then asudden fury of biting would seize him, and bring chaos in the regimentfor a moment or two. When his master was made an officer, the brute'stemptations probably remained the same, but his opportunities ofyielding to them became considerably fewer.

  It was strange company in which Richard rode. Nearly all were of theindependent party in religious polity, all holding, or imagining theyheld, the same or nearly the same tenets. The opinions of most of them,however, were merely the opinions of the man to whose influences theyhad been first and principally subjected: to say what their belief was,would be to say what they were, which is deeper judgment than a man canreach. In Roger Heywood and his son dwelt a pure love of liberty; theardent attachment to liberty which most of the troopers professed, wouldhave prevented few of them indeed from putting a quaker in the stocks,or perhaps whipping him, had such an obnoxious heretic as a quaker beenat that time in existence. In some was the devoutest sense of personalobligation, and the strongest religious feeling; in others was nothingbut talk, less injurious than some sorts of pseudo-religious talk, inthat it was a jargon admitting of much freedom of utterance andreception, mysterious symbols being used in commonest interchange. Thatthey all believed earnestly enough to fight for their convictions, willnot go very far in proof of their sincerity even, for to most of themfighting came by nature, and was no doubt a great relief to the muchoppressed old Adam not yet by any means dead in them.

  At length the king led out his men for another campaign, and wasfollowed by Fairfax and Cromwell into the shires of Leicester andNorthampton. Then came the battle at the village of Naseby.

  Prince Rupert, whose folly so often lost what his courage had gained,having defeated Ireton and his horse, followed them from the field,while Cromwell with his superior numbers turned Sir Marmaduke Langdale'sflank, and thereby turned the scale of victory.

  But Sir Marmaduke and his men fought desperately, and while the contestwas yet undecided, the king saw that Rupert, returned from the pursuit,was attacking the enemy's artillery, and dispatched Rowland in hot hasteto bring him to the aid of Sir Marmaduke.

  The straightest line to reach him lay across a large field to the rearof Sir Marmaduke's men. As he went from behind them, Richard caughtsight of him and his object together, struck spurs into Bishop's flanks,bored him through a bull-fence, was in the same field with Rowland, andtore at full speed to head him off from the prince.

  Rowland rode for some distance without perceiving that he was followed;if Richard could but get within pistol-shot of him, for alas, he seemedto be mounted on the fleeter animal! Heavens!--could it be? Yes it was!it was his own lost Lady the cavalier rode! For a moment his heart beatso fast that he felt as if he should fall from his horse.

  Rowland became aware that he was pursued, but at the first glimpse ofthe long, low, rat-like animal on which the roundhead came flounderingafter him, burst into a laugh of derision, and jumping a young hedgefound himself in a clayish fallow, which his mare found heavy. SoonRichard jumped the hedge also, and immediately Bishop had the advantage.But now, beyond the tall hedge they were approaching, they heard thesounds of the conflict near: there was no time to lose. Richard breatheddeep, and uttered a long, wild, peculiar cry. Lady started,half-stopped, raised her head high, and turned round her ears. Richardcried again. She wheeled, and despite spur, and rein, though thepowerful bit with which Rowland rode her seemed to threaten breaking herjaw, bore him, at short deer-like bounds, back towards his pursuer.

  Not until the mare refused obedience did Rowland begin to suspect whohad followed him. Then a vague recollection of something Richard hadsaid the night he carried him home to Raglan, crossed his mind, and hegrew furious. But in vain he struggled with the mare, and all the timeRichard kept ploughing on towards him. At length he saw Rowland take apistol from his holster. Instinctively Richard did the same, and when hesaw him raise the butt-end to strike her on the head, firmed--andmissed, but saved Lady the blow, and ere Rowland recovered from thestart it gave him to hear the bullet whistle past his ear, utteredanother equally peculiar but different cry. Lady reared, plunged, threwher heels in the air, emptied her saddle, and came flying to Richard.

  But now arose a fresh anxiety:-what if Bishop should, as was mostlikely, attack the mare? At her master's word, however, she stood, a fewyards off, and with arched neck and forward-pricked ears, waited, whileBishop, moved possibly with admiration of the manner in which she hadunseated her rider, scanned her with no malign aspect.

  By this time Rowland had got upon his feet, and mindful of his duty,hopeful also that Richard would be content with his prize, set off ashard as he could run for a gap he spied in the hedge. But in a momentBishop, followed by Lady, had headed him.

  'Thou wert better cry quarter,' said Richard.

  The reply was a bullet, that struck Bishop below the ear. He stoodstraight up, gave one yell, and tumbled over. Scudamore ran towards themare, hoping to catch her and be off ere the roundhead could recoverhimself. But, although Bishop had fallen on his leg, Richard was unhurt.He lay still and watched. Lady seemed bewildered, and Rowland comingsoftly up, seized her bridle, and sprung into the saddle. The samemoment Richard gave his cry a second time, and again up went Rowland inthe air, and Lady came trotting daintily to her master, scared, butobedient. Rowland fell on his back, and before he came to himself,Richard had drawn his leg from under his slain charger, and his swordfrom its sheath. And now first he perceived who his antagonist was, anda pang went to his heart at the remembrance of his father's words.

  'Mr. Scudamore,' he cried, 'I would thou hadst not stolen my mare, sothat I might fight with thee in a Christian fashion.'

  'Roundhead scoundrel!' gasped Scudamore, wild with wrath. 'Thyunmannerly varlet tricks shall cost thee dear. Thou a soldier? A jugglerwith a mountebank jade--a vile hackney which thou hast taught to caper!A soldier indeed!'

  'A soldier and seatless!' returned Richard. 'A soldier and rail! Asoldier and steal my mare, then shoot my horse! Bah! an' the rest werelike thee, we might take the field with dog-whips.'

  Scudamore drew a pistol from his belt, and glanced towards the mare.

  'An' thou lift thine arm, I will kill thee,' cried Richard. 'What! shalla man not teach his horse lest the thief should find him not broke tohis taste? Besides, did I not give thee warning while yet I judged theean honest man, and a thief but in jest? Go thy ways. I shall do mycountry better service by following braver men than by taking thee. Getthee back to thy master. An' I killed thee, I should do him less hurtthan I would. See yonder how thy master's horse do knot and scatter!'

  He approached Lady to mount and ride away.

  But Rowland, who had now with the help of his anger recovered from theeffects of his fall, rushed at Richard with drawn sword. The contest wasbrief. With one heavy blow that beat down his guard and wounded himseverely in the shoulder, dividing his collarbone, for he was butlightly armed, Richard stretched his antagonist on the ground; thenseeing prince Rupert's men returning, and sir Marmaduke's in flight andsome of them coming his way, he feared being surrounded, and leapinginto the saddle, flew as if the wind
were under him back to hisregiment, reaching it just as in the first heat of pursuit. Cromwellcalled them back, and turned them upon the rear of the royalistinfantry.

  This decided the battle. Ere Rupert returned, the affair was so hopelessthat not even the entreaties of the king could induce his cavalry toform again and charge.

  His majesty retreated to Leicester and Hereford.