Once a Week (magazine)/Series 1/Volume 1/A good fight - Part 5
A Good Fight.
BY CHARLES READE.
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CHAPTER IX.
One bright morning unwonted velvet shone, unwonted feathers waved, and horses’ hoofs glinted and rang through the streets of Tergou, and the windows and balconies were studded with wondering faces. The French Ambassador was riding through to sport in the neighbouring forest.
Besides his own suite he was attended by several servants of the Duke of Burgundy, lent to do him honour and minister to his pleasure. The duke’s tumbler rode before him with a grave, sedate majesty, that made his more noble companions seem light, frivolous persons. But ever and anon, when respect and awe neared the oppressive, he rolled off his horse so ignobly and funnily that even the ambassador was fain to burst out laughing. He also climbed up again by the tail in a way provocative of mirth, and so he played his part. Towards the tail of the pageant rode one that excited more attention still—the duke’s leopard. A huntsman mounted on a Flemish horse of prodigious size and power carried a long box fastened to the rider’s loins by straps curiously contrived, and on this box sat a huge leopard crouching. She was chained to the huntsman. The people admired her glossy hide and spots, and pressed near, and one or two were for feeling her, and pulling her tail; then the huntsman shouted in a terrible voice, “Beware! At Antwerp one did but throw a handful of dust at her, and the duke made dust of him.”
“Gramercy!”
“I speak sooth. The good duke shut him up in prison, in a cell under ground, and the rats cleaned the flesh off his bones in a night. Served him right for molesting the poor thing.” There was a murmur of fear, and the Tergovians shrank from tickling the leopard of their sovereign.
But an incident followed that raised their spirits again. The duke’s giant, a Hungarian seven feet four inches high, brought up the rear. This enormous creature had, like some other giants, a treble, fluty voice of little power. He was a vain fellow, and not conscious of this or any defect. Now it happened he caught sight of Giles sitting Page:Once a Week Jul - Dec 1859.pdf/103 Page:Once a Week Jul - Dec 1859.pdf/104 Page:Once a Week Jul - Dec 1859.pdf/105 Page:Once a Week Jul - Dec 1859.pdf/106 cheek pale with fear. She gasped, and could not speak, but pointed to the window with trembling finger. Their eyes followed hers, and there in the twilight crouched a dark form with eyes like glowworms.
It was the leopard!