The Constant Prince Page 6

chant went up through all the conflictof hope and fear.

  At last they became aware that the Infantes had entered the town, atleast there was no retreat. The long, hot afternoon wore on, when,suddenly from every soldier in reserve, from every sailor in charge ofthe fleet, there rose a mighty shout; for, on the walls of Ceuta, thereappeared the banner of the Cross. The town was taken. Over thefortress above the Crescent still drooped as if in despair.

  Joao shouted and danced, and threw himself about in an ecstasy oftriumph. Fernando felt half stifled; he could not speak. Presently aboat put off from the shore, and was rowed rapidly towards their vessel.

  "What news; what news?" shouted Joao, pressing before captain andchaplains, and nearly throwing himself overboard in his eagerness.

  "Good news, my lord," said the young squire, as he came up the side ofthe ship. "The town is taken, the fortress is yielding to the attack.The King, your father, bids me summon you and my lord Dom Fernando tohis presence, as he is now in a place of safety, and would that youshould see how towns are won."

  "And the Infantes?" said Fernando as he prepared eagerly to obey thesummons.

  "They have shown courage worthy of their name, in particular my lord DomEnrique, to whom, in great part, this happy result is owing."

  The young princes were taken by a strong guard through thehalf-conquered city, for on the outskirts the battle still continued, orrather the Portuguese soldiers were still engaged in completing theirconquest. The wonderful architecture, with its splendid colouring ofred, blue, and gold all blazing in the hot light of an August sunagainst a sapphire sky, astounded the Portuguese princes, in whosenative country the Moors had left no trace. All along the streets asthey passed lay the bodies of the slain, Christian and Infidel side byside, while here and there frightful groans were uttered. Most of theinhabitants had fled or hidden themselves; but by chance a face scowledat the new-comers from the windows, and once they passed a group ofdark-skinned, strangely-attired children, who were uttering in theirunknown language griefs which needed no interpretation.

  "We will make them Christians," thought Fernando, as he shrank a littlefrom the terrible sights around him, through all the thrill of triumph.

  They were taken to a mosque in the middle of the town, where theirfather, in full armour, was seated, receiving reports and giving ordersto his different captains. Duarte was standing behind his father'schair; he looked grave and troubled. The King made a sign to the boysto wait while he listened to Dom Pedro, who was speaking to him.

  "And so, sire, we fear my brother must have been surrounded, and hisretreat cut off. Duarte and I have endeavoured to show ourselves worthyto be your sons, but Enrique--"

  Pedro paused, and Duarte added with a faltering voice, "It was he whoforced a way into the town and beat back the enemy. If we have losthim, would the victory were a defeat?"

  The King's face was pale as when he had stood by the death-bed of hisbeloved wife, but he answered firmly, "My sons, this is the fortune ofwar. If my son Dom Enrique has fallen, he has fallen as becomes aChristian prince. Weep not for him, but see that we make sure of thatwhich we have gained, and to-morrow shall the traces of the accursedworship be removed from this mosque. And in a Christian temple will Igive you the knighthood you have so nobly won. And for my son Enriquethere is a martyr's crown."

  Many and many a time had Fernando, in daydreams and fancies, pictured tohimself the fall of Ceuta. He had seen his brothers triumphant in thefresh honours of their knighthood, had heard the Infidel city proclaimedthe property of Christ and of His Church, seen the Cross raised and theCrescent cast down. And now these things had come to pass, and for him,instead of joy and triumph, were grief and sorrow of heart. Ceuta wasChristian, but Enrique was dead! This was the cost of the victory!

  Probably, if the alarm had arisen earlier, the boys would not have beensent for into the city; but now their father welcomed them with the samestern self-control, and bid them listen to the orders he gave, and hearof their brothers' prowess. Nothing would ordinarily have pleased thembetter; and the excitement and novelty prevented Joao from realisingtheir loss. Fernando stood still, pale and silent, till the ever-kindDuarte, in a pause of the arrangements, beckoned him up to his side andput his arm round him, and Fernando knew by the grasp of Duarte's handthat he was quite as unhappy as himself. How long this lasted Fernandocould not tell; he felt as if it was a whole day since he came into thecity, but it could not have been much more than an hour, for the sun hadnot yet gone down, when there was a great shouting among the soldierswho were guarding the mosque without, the door was flung back, andEnrique, alive and unhurt, came hurriedly in and dropped on his kneesbefore his father.

  "My father, I grieve to have alarmed you, but I and my troop weresurrounded in a mosque at the farther end of the town, and had much adoto cut our way out. We have now crushed the last efforts at resistance;the town is ours by the grace and mercy of God, we can offer what termswe will."

  There was no drawback now to the joy of victory. The King and his sonsembraced Enrique, and presently a messenger was sent to demand thesurrender of the fortress where Zala-ben-Zala with the remnant of histroops had taken refuge, and, after some delay, terms for its deliveryon the next morning were agreed upon. The inhabitants of Ceuta were tobe offered the choice of leaving the city or of submitting to theChristian rule. The mosques were to be turned into Christian churches,a Bishop to be appointed, and every effort made to induce the people toadopt the faith of their conquerors, which faith the Portuguese princeswere too high-minded and far-seeing to discredit by permitting cruelty,plunder, or rapine to their troops, as was too often done in likecircumstances.

  So all was quiet and orderly when the sun went down, and the Kingretired to rest in a house near the central mosque, taking his twoyounger sons with him, while the other princes occupied themselves inthe disposal of the troops.

  CHAPTER SIX.

  THE CAPTURED CITY.

  "Where bells make Catholic the trembling air."

  Royal prince though he was, Fernando had never slept under suchembroidered coverlets, nor seen such hangings of gold and silver, suchcarving and fretwork, as met his waking eyes in the dawn of the new day.The horseshoe arch of the window framed a piece of deep blue sky,against which a gilded dome, surmounted by a crescent, glittered in themorning sun.

  Fernando sat upright and devoutly crossed himself, with a thrill of joy,as he thought how soon that symbol of evil would give place to thegolden cross brought with them so carefully from Lisbon for the purpose.Presently he became aware that Enrique, still fully dressed but withthe heavier parts of his armour removed, was lying asleep near thewindow, his long limbs extended on a coverlet of pink and silver, as ifhe had thrown himself down, wearied with his day of fighting. AsFernando looked round the room he heard an extraordinary chattering andscreaming, a noise quite unknown to him, and, not having any confidencein the character of his surroundings, he began to feel frightened. Whatpowers of evil might not lurk amid those unnatural splendours! Joao wasin the next room, and Enrique slept through the increasing clatter,which actually sounded like spoken words in an unknown tongue; and yes,a peal of horrible mocking laughter apparently just over his head.

  Fernando could bear it no longer. He jumped up and seized his brother'sarm.

  "Enrique--Enrique, wake up! I think the foul fiend is in this room?"

  "Fernando, hark! there is some Moorish devilry here!" and Joao, lookingquite pale with alarm, peeped out of the inside chamber, then fled toEnrique as a refuge. The latter awoke, considerably surprised to feelhis little brothers pulling at each arm, and as they had considered ittheir duty, as soldiers in war-time, to go to bed in their clothes, withtheir long hair rumpled and their dress disordered, they presentedrather a startling aspect.

  "What ails you both?" cried Enrique.

  "Enrique, listen! it is certainly the devil."

  Enrique sat up and looked round, and presently began to laugh heartilyhim
self. "There are your foul fiends," he said, painting to somecarving over the window, where were perched two huge green and scarletbirds with hooked bills, the like of which the boys had never seenbefore.

  "Are they birds?" said Joao, slowly.

  "Yes, they are parrots," said Enrique. "Once, when I went to the Courtof Castile, I saw such a one that the King of Granada had sent as apresent to my aunt Catalina. Moreover I have read of them in thewritings of the ancients. They were sent formerly from Africa to Rome,and these are doubtless favourites of the ladies of this house. For Isuspect we are in the ladies' chamber."

  "But it is wonderful--they laugh," said Joao.

  "Ay, and speak, though not in our tongue. There are wonderful things inthe world that we know not of."

  "Well," said Joao, "since no one can tell _what_ there may be in