With Ring of Shield

by Knox Magee

One drunken fellow, which did recognize us as being the persons who had brought the good news, caught my horse by the head and insisted upon our joining him in a friendly bowl at a near by inn. When I tried to persuade him to let me go, and to excuse the duty that did make our presence with him impossible, he said:—

"No, by the Virgin, your Royal Highness shall not pass out of the old city of your father without drinking with some of its citizens. Were his Royal Highness, thy father, alive he would not pass out till he had made the whole town drunk, and so shall not you. Stay and revel with us, for this is a glorious day for England,—glorious day," and he did lean his head against the neck of my horse, and seemed inclined to spend the night thus.

I spurred my steed sharply and, as he bounded forward, the poor tradesman was thrown to the ground; but as we rode on we could still hear him calling out to "his Royal Highness," so long as he could make himself heard above the uproar that was going on around us. He evidently thought that I was the Duke of Gloucester, and he was most determined to show his patriotism and loyalty, by giving us what he considered a glorious time.

We were permitted to pass through the gates, when we had told our business; and so we rode forth from the city and on to the moon-lit road, upon a long night's ride, through alternate wood and open country.

All that long night we rode on, now dozing in our saddles, and then waking with a start, when an owl would break the stillness of the forest with his unearthly noise, which seemed to us to be in keeping with bats, serpents, brimstone, and all the general sounds of Hades, more than the peaceful quiet of our weary ride through the forest. Then, after cursing all these hideous disturbers, we would spur our horses on, and let the cool breezes, as they played against our faces and whistled past our ears and through our hair, refresh us and help to drive away those heavy veils that did seem ever to be settling down upon our brains and blotting out our consciousness with their soothing folds.

The wolves, as they howled in the distance, seemed to be humming some unearthly lullaby, in keeping with the scene and with our feelings; and so weird-sweet did it sound that we would surely have gone to sleep, had not our horses, which had better sense than their riders, quickened their paces at each of these, to us, melodious outbursts. How we kept our seats that night hath ever since been, to me, a mystery; for I have but scant recollection of that agonizing ride from York.

When we entered Northampton, early the next day (for this was the road we came), we had to be lifted from our saddles, so stiff were we, after that awful night. Here we did refresh ourselves with wine and food, and had about an hour's sleep. Then we were rubbed with strong waters, the which did greatly refresh us, and then, mounting our seventh pair of horses, we did set out for Windsor.

We stopped but twice before we reached our destination, and then only whilst we could get some refreshments and changes of horses.

We reached Windsor that evening, and were so exhausted that we had to be assisted into the palace, and to the King's apartments. When I saw the King, however, I remembered my mission, and this did seem to revive me; for I rushed forward and, dropping to one knee, presented the Duke of Gloucester's message to his Majesty. So soon as we had entered the room Harleston, regardless of etiquette, flung himself into a chair and was sound asleep almost the instant that he touched it. When I had handed the packet unto the King my duty was done and I had no ambition to support me further. Mine ears did ring; the room began to whirl all around me; weights then did seem to hang upon my weary eyelids; my head sank lower; and there, at the King's feet, I fell into a heavy sleep.