The Legend of Ulenspiegel Volume Ii Part 16

Nele heard the cries of joy of the lads and la.s.ses when the May bride was found on the edge of a ditch, hidden among the tall gra.s.ses.

And she wept, thinking on the sweet time when they hunted for her and her friend Ulenspiegel.

XXVI

Meanwhile, Lamme and he were riding along well astraddle upon their a.s.ses.

"Listen here, Lamme," said Ulenspiegel, "the n.o.bles of the Low Countries, through jealousy against Orange, have betrayed the cause of the confederates, the holy alliance, the valiant covenant signed for the good of the land of our fathers. Egmont and de Hoorn were traitors alike and with no advantage to themselves. Brederode is dead; in this war there is nothing left us now but the poor common folk of Brabant and Flanders waiting for loyal chiefs to go forward; and then, my son, the isles, the isles of Zealand, North Holland, too, over which the Prince is governor; and farther still and on the sea, Edzard, Count of Emden and East Frisia."

"Alas," said Lamme, "I see it clear; we journey between rope, rack, and stake, dying of hunger, gaping for thirst, and with no hope of rest."

"We are but at the beginning," replied Ulenspiegel. "Deign to consider how that all in this is pleasure for us, slaying our enemies, mocking them, having our pouches full of florins; well laden with meat, with beer, with wine, with brandy. What would you have more, feather bed? Would you like us to sell our a.s.ses and buy horses?"

"My son," said Lamme, "the trotting of a horse is very severe on a man of my corpulence."

"You will sit on your steed as peasants do," said Ulenspiegel, "and no man will mock at you, since you are clad like a peasant, and do not wear the sword like me, but only carry a pikestaff."

"My son," said Lamme, "are you sure that our two pa.s.ses will avail for the little towns?"

"Have not I the cure's certificate," said Ulenspiegel, "with the great seal of the Church in red wax hanging from it by two tails of parchment, and our confession cards? The soldiers and catchpolls of the duke have no power against two men so well armed. And the black paternosters we have for sale? We are two reiters, both of us, you a Fleming and I a German, travelling by express command from the duke, to win over the heretics of this land to the Holy Catholic faith by the sale of sacred articles. We shall thus enter everywhere the houses of n.o.ble lords and the fat abbes. And they will give us rich hospitality. And we shall surprise their secrets. Lick your chops, my gentle friend."

"My son," said Lamme, "we will then be carrying on the trade of spies."

"By law and right of war," replied Ulenspiegel.

"If they hear of the affair of the three preachers, we shall die without a doubt," said Lamme.

Ulenspiegel sang:

"My standards 'Live' as motto bear Live ever in a suns.h.i.+ne land My skin the first is buff well tanned And steel the second skin I wear."

But Lamme, sighing:

"I have nothing but one skin, and a soft one; the least stroke of a dagger would make a hole in it immediately. We should do better to settle in some useful trade than to gad about in this way over hill and valley, to serve all these great princes who, with their feet in velvet hose, eat ortolans on gilded tables. To us the blows, perils, battle, rain, hail, snow, the thin soups that fall to vagabonds. To them the fine sausages, fat capons, savoury thrushes, succulent fowls."

"The water is coming into your mouth, my gentle friend," said Ulenspiegel.

"Where are ye, fresh bread, golden koekebakken, delicious creams? But where art thou, my wife?"

Ulenspiegel replied:

"The ashes beat upon my heart and drive me on to the battle. But thou, mild lamb that hast naught to avenge, neither the death of thy father nor of thy mother, nor the grief of those thou lovest, nor thy present poverty, leave me alone to march whither I say, if the toils of war affright thee."

"Alone?" said Lamme.

And he pulled up his a.s.s, which began to eat a tuft of thistles, of which there was a great plantation on that wayside. Ulenspiegel's a.s.s stopped and ate likewise.

"Alone," said Lamme. "You will not leave me alone, my son; that would be an infamous cruelty. To have lost my wife and then further to lose my friend, that is impossible. I will whine no more, I promise you. And since it must be"--and he raised his head proudly--"I will go under the rain of bullets. Aye! And in the midst of swords; aye! in the face of those foul soldiers that drink blood like wolves. And if one day I fall at your feet b.l.o.o.d.y and death-stricken, bury me; and if you see my wife, tell her that I died because I could not bear to live without being loved by someone in this world. No, I could not do it, my son Ulenspiegel."

And Lamme wept. And Ulenspiegel was moved to see that mild courage.

XXVII

At this time the duke, dividing his army into two corps, made the one march towards the Duchy of Luxembourg and the other towards the Marquisate of Namur.

"This," said Ulenspiegel, "is some military decision unknown to me; it is all one to me, let us go towards Maestricht boldly."

As they went alongside the Meuse near the city Lamme saw Ulenspiegel looking attentively at all the boats that were moving in the river; and he stopped before one of them that bore a siren on the prow. And this siren held a scutcheon on which there was marked in gold letters on a sable ground the sign J. H. S., which is that of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ulenspiegel signed to Lamme to stop and began to sing merrily like a lark.

A man came up on the boat, crowed like a c.o.c.k, and then, on a sign from Ulenspiegel, who brayed like a donkey and pointed him to the people gathered on the quay, he began to bray terribly like a donkey. Ulenspiegel's two a.s.ses laid back their ears and sang their native song.

Women were pa.s.sing; men, too, riding the towing horses, and Ulenspiegel said to Lamme:

"That boatman is mocking us and our steeds. Suppose we go and attack him on his boat?"

"Let him rather come hither," replied Lamme.

Then a woman spoke and said:

"If you do not want to come back with arms cut off, broken backs, faces in bits, let that Stercke Pier bray in peace as he pleases."

"Hee haw! hee haw! hee haw!" went the boatman.

"Let him sing," said the goodwife, "we saw him the other day lift up on his shoulders a cart laden with huge casks of beer, and stop another cart pulled by a powerful horse. There," she said, pointing to the inn of the Blauwe-Toren, the Blue Tower, "he pierced with his knife, thrown from twenty paces off, an oaken plank twelve inches thick."

"Hee haw! hee haw! hee haw!" went the boatman, while a lad of twelve years old got up on the bridge of the boat and started to bray also.

Ulenspiegel replied:

"Much we care for your strong Peter! However Stercke Pier he may be, we are more of it than he is, and there is my friend Lamme who would eat two of his size without a hiccup."

"What are you saying, my son?" asked Lamme.

"What is," replied Ulenspiegel; "do not contradict me through modesty. Aye, good people, goodwives and artisans, soon you will behold him try the work of his arms and annihilate this famous Stercke Pier."

"Hold your tongue," said Lamme.