Volume Ii Part 61 (1/2)

”The admiral's son is detained at the Ecoutete's: we must deliver him.”

Going into the house of the Ecoutete, they see the son they sought in the company of a big monk with a n.o.ble belly, who was preaching wrathfully to him, fain to make him return to the bosom of our Mother Holy Church. But the lad would by no means consent thereto. He departed with Ulenspiegel. Meanwhile Lamme, seizing the monk by the cowl, made him walk before him in the streets of Antwerp, saying:

”Thou art worth a hundred florins ransom: pack up and march on. Why dost thou hang back? Hast thou lead in thy sandals? March, bag of lard, victual press, soup belly!”

”I march, Master Beggar, I march; but saving the respect due to your arquebuse, you are as big in the belly as myself, a paunchy, vasty fellow.”

Then Lamme, pus.h.i.+ng him on:

”Dost thou dare indeed, foul monk,” said he, ”to liken thy cloistral, useless, lazy grease to my Fleming fat honourably sustained and fed by toils, fatigues, and battles? Run, or I shall make thee go like a dog, and that with the spur at the end of my boot-sole.”

But the monk could not run, and he was all out of breath, and Lamme the same. And so they came to the s.h.i.+p.

XXI

Having taken Rammekens, Gertruydenberg, Alckmaer, the Beggars came back to Flus.h.i.+ng.

Nele, now hale and cured, was waiting for Ulenspiegel at the harbour.

”Thyl,” said she, ”my love, Thyl, art thou not wounded?”

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 My second skin is forged of steel.”

”Alas!” said Lamme, dragging a leg, ”the bullets, grenades, chain shot rain around him; he feels but the wind of them. Thou art without doubt a spirit, Ulenspiegel, and thou, too, Nele, for I behold thee ever brisk and young.”

”Why dost thou drag thy leg?” asked Nele of Lamme.

”I am no spirit and never will be,” said he. ”And so I took an axe stroke in the thigh--how round and white my wife's was!--see, I am bleeding. Alas! why have I her not here to tend me!”

But Nele, angry, replied:

”What need hast thou of a wife forsworn?”

”Say naught ill of her,” replied Lamme.

”Here,” said Nele, ”here is balsam; I was keeping it for Ulenspiegel; put it upon the wound.”

Lamme, having dressed his wound, was joyous, for the balsam put an end to the keen anguish; and they went up again to the s.h.i.+p all three.

Seeing the monk who was walking to and fro there with his hands bound:

”Who is that one?” she said. ”I have seen him already and I think I know him.”

”He is worth a hundred florins ransom,” replied Lamme.

XXII

That day aboard the fleet there was a feast. In spite of the sharp December wind, despite the rain, despite the snow, all the Beggars of the fleet were on the decks of the s.h.i.+ps. The silver crescents gleamed lurid upon the bonnets of Zealand.