The Honour of Savelli: A Romance
oh, signore, is that not superb?"
With an Italian's inborn love for the beautiful, he pointed to the
view around us, and although not a Florentine, I could feel why it was
that her citizens so loved the City of the Lily. The sun was setting
in opal and rose, and as we turned to give a last look behind, we saw
that this light was reflected from the west, on the great fleecy
masses of clouds that were slumbering in the pure blue of the sky, and
was again thrown back, or rather downwards, on to Florence itself,
bathing in its glow the campaniles of the churches, the grim palace of
the Signory, and the towers of the houses of the nobles. Where the
light did not fall, the shadows were in soft greys, that deepened to a
purple black, and a yellow band marked where the walls clasped the
city like a girdle. To the east, as we looked, the hills of the Prato
Magno rose in a heavy solid outline, with the jagged peaks, trying as
it were to stab at the sky; to the north, covered with a heavy pine
forest, lay Senario, shutting from sight the upper Voldarno, and the
Mugello; whilst, as we faced slowly round by our left, we saw the
silver ribbon of the Arno, and the heights of Monte Orlando, the
landscape being closed in on the west by San Miniato, over whose
cypress crowned heights the sun now hung like a soft ball of fire. As
I gazed upon this, a sadness came upon me, and my mind filled again
with the image of the woman, whom I began to realise that I loved in
spite of all; and I almost laughed in the bitterness of my heart, when
I thought that this burden of a hopeless passion was added to the
weight I already had to bear. I began to fairly despise myself for my
weakness, in that for the moment I felt inclined to turn my horse's
head and ride back to Florence. It was gall to know, that if she but
lifted her finger, I would go back like a beaten dog, and it required
me to summon all my pride to rescue myself at the time. It was such
hopeless folly, such madness, that I began to think I must be little
short of an idiot, and cursed myself with such hearty good will, that
Jacopo, who was always a trifle free with his tongue, began to let it
wag.
"If your excellency is so liberal with curses on yourself, methinks
you will have none to spare for your enemies," he said.
"True, Jacopo," I answered, "but the word enemies reminds me, that you
should keep your arquebus ready for instant use, and now I think we
had better jog on."
Jacopo's answer was to unsling his arquebus, which he rested crosswise
on his thigh, and we began to slowly descend the slope towards the
river, the loose gravel crunching under our horses' feet.
"It is loaded," said Jacopo, somewhat irrelevantly, as we came to the
banks of the stream; but I understood he was speaking of his piece.
"It is loaded, excellency," he repeated, "with three balls, which I
have had dipped in holy water, and on each of which I have cut a cross
for luck. I lay my life on it, that if discharged, it will bring down
whatever it is aimed at--saint or sinner."
"Heaven grant that it may be the sinner, Jacopo; but only take care
you are ready to discharge it when the time comes."
"Never fear, signore. Jacopo Jacopi is too old a soldier to be caught
napping," with these words we plunged into the Greve, and after much
careful stepping on the part of the horses, for the animals found
their foothold an uncertain one in the smooth round stones under the
water, we reached the opposite bank, and trotted on with the horses'
noses in a line towards San Miniato. The sun had now sunk behind the
hill, which was so full of memories for me, and although there would
be a moon later on, we had for the present to face a rapidly
increasing darkness.
"By keeping at this pace, excellency," said Jacopo as we trotted on,
"we shall reach the Resa shortly before it gets quite dark, and I
submit that we stop there to feed the horses. As your honour
commanded, I have brought a meal for them, and there was space enough
in the sack for a snack for me, which would do at a pinch for two, if
your excellency would but condescend to taste of it."
"You say well, Jacopo; but I also am an old soldier, and my
saddle-bags are full. A fasting body makes but a faint heart, whether
for man or beast--on the other bank of the Resa then, we shall call a
halt. There is a little light still, enough to increase the pace--so
onwards!"
We broke into a hand gallop, keeping one behind the other, and
following the windings of a cattle track, for I had purposely avoided
the road after receiving the information I had extracted from the
sentry at the San Frediano Gate. It was evident, that the party of
men, followed by Ceci's nephew, had left Florence to carry out some
desperate design. I had been dogged all day by this man, and now he
had galloped off in disguise to join the men who had left Florence
before he had, and amongst whom was his uncle. Ceci's words at our
last interview, and the persistent manner in which I was followed,
left me no room to doubt that I was the object of their attention, and
that it would be necessary to keep well on the alert. I did not
apprehend danger at once, but thought that if an attack were made, it
would be in the narrow valley between the low hills to the north of
Montespertoli, or at Ponte a Elsa, each of which places was
particularly suited for an ambuscade, although of course, considering
their numbers, the attempt might be made anywhere, and openly, without
very much danger. So with another hurried word of warning to Jacopo,
and holding my sword ready, I galloped along, increasing the pace as
much as possible, whenever we went past a clump of trees, and both of
us keeping as sharp a look-out as the light, or rather darkness,
permitted. We avoided the regular ford of the Resa on the
Montespertoli road, crossing higher up in the direction of Montelupo,
and here got a good wetting, for the water was deeper than we
anticipated. Had Ceci and his friends only lain in wait for us at this
point, we should have had no chance. As it happened, however, we had
taken a zig-zag route, which had either thrown them off the track
entirely, or we would meet them further on, either at one of the two
spots mentioned by me, or in some other equally convenient locality.
At any rate, we were safe for the present, and that was something to
be thankful for, even if we were in darkness. So my thoughts ran on,
as we scrambled somehow to the opposite bank of the Resa, and groped
our way up until we felt soft grass under our feet, for we had
dismounted on fording the stream, and led our horses by their bridles
up the steep left bank. Here we called a halt, determined to await the
moon, and Jacopo managed somehow to tether the horses; fastening the
halters to the stump of a tree he discovered by stumbling against, and
on which he wasted some of those curses he was so anxious for me to
reserve for my enemies. After giving the horses their feed, which they
nosed out readily enough, despite the darkness, he joined me where I
sat on the grass trying to dry, and wrapping up the lock of his
arquebus in a woollen cap, which he produced, to keep it from damp, he
took his seat beside me at my invitation.
"It is too dark to eat now, excellency," he said. "I for one, like a
light of some kind, even if it be my Lady Moon, with my meals, and we
have some little time to wait--ill-luck to it! Do you call to mind,
signore, it was just such a night as this when we lay outside the
breach at Arx Sismundea, waiting for the signal rockets?"
"I do, Jacopo."
"Ah, that was a fight! We have had nothing like it since then--not
even Fornovo--but good times are coming, excellency, and maybe we will
see them again."
"How comes it, Jacopo, that with this prospect before you, you left
the army?"
"There was trouble, excellency, big trouble at Siena, and I left to
avoid the attentions of Messer Braccio Fortebraccio, whom your worship
doubtless remembers."
I could get no further explanation from Jacopo, but afterwards found
out that he had fought with and grievously wounded a man who had
spoken disparagingly of me; and fearing lest the swift discipline
which D'Alegres maintained might overtake him, had immediately
deserted, making his way to Florence, where a lucky chance threw him
in my way. I thought it well, at this time, to explain to Jacopo, the
danger I feared of an ambuscade, and he, knowing the road as well as I
did, agreed with me in regard to the spots most likely to be chosen
for the attack.
"Would it not be prudent, excellency, to await daylight, and, keeping
out of the beaten track, avoid these gentlemen?"
"You see, Jacopo," I answered, "we have not time for all this, and
must take some risk. I mean, therefore, to go as far as we can
to-night."
"As your worship desires. It is not that I fear the danger, but I do
not like putting my head in a bag. _Buono!_ There is the moon, and I
already begin to taste my supper, after which, excellency, I have no
care which way we travel, either by broad daylight, or through the
teeth of these brigands."
As he spoke the stars began to pale, and the moon rose slowly above
the horizon. In a few minutes, so bright and clear was the light, that
one may have easily read by it, and I was glad to see, moreover, that
the shifting clouds were gone, and there was every prospect of a fine
night. It was fall-to, now, to our supper, and adding my store to my
faithful follower's supply, I sunk distinctions of rank, and we
enjoyed a meal, with a hearty contentment that had been a stranger to
me for many a day. When the last drop of wine in the bottle was
finished, and we had picked our last bone, Jacopo arose with a sigh.
"Before supper, excellency, I was ready to eat and then fight my way
through an army; now beshrew me, if a sound nap of an hour or so is
not much to my taste!"
I could not forbear smiling, but did not rise to the hint, and when
our horses were saddled again, and every buckle and strap examined
with the minutest care, we mounted and set off. As although we both
well knew the direct road to Leghorn, but were not acquainted with the
district so as to correctly pursue our way by moonlight, I decided to
run the gauntlet of the ambuscade, if there was any, and take the risk
of coming off with a whole skin, to the certainty of losing our track
by chancing short cuts, which might lead to, Heaven alone knew where!
Now that we were once more on the road, we trotted along at a fairish
pace through the silent night. The way led for some distance over an
uneven plain, covered with a multitude of white stones, that shone in
the moonlight like water. The plain gradually narrowed to where it was
intersected by a chain of low hills, and it was in crossing these that
we should have to ride through a narrow gut, and possibly meet our
danger. As we approached the hills, the short, stunted foliage that
tufted the plain, changed to a half-grown forest, in the midst of
which the road wound, and here we halted for a second, whilst Jacopo
examined his piece to see that all was aright, and gingerly blew at
the match thereon, to give the fire a little strength. This being
done, we proceeded with the greatest caution, riding one behind the
other, and going slowly, as we feared a pitfall of some kind among the
trees. Luckily there was none, and at last we got out of the immediate
presence of the forest, and into the gut, where the precipice rose
high on each side of us. All was rock and stone, but the road was
fairly even, a trap could have been seen, and going slow a mistake
here, so we clapped spurs to the horses, and sent them along, and
although momentarily expecting to see the flash of an arquebus, we
were agreeably disappointed, and got out of the passage without mishap