Don Rodriguez; Chronicles of Shadow ValleyDunsany, Lord
Science
Don Rodriguez; Chronicles of Shadow Valley
Dunsany, Lord
Fantasy fiction, English; Magicians -- Fiction; Spain -- Fiction
"Master," Morano said, for it was beginning to cool, "let me make
another small fire."
"Knave, call me not master," said Rodriguez.
Morano, who knew when speech was good, was silent now, and blew on the
smouldering end of the log he carried and gathered a handful of twigs
and shook the rain off them; and soon had a small fire again, warming
the bacon. He had nothing to say which bacon could not say better. And
when Rodriguez had finished up the bacon he carefully reconsidered the
case of Morano, and there were points in it which he had not thought of
before. He reflected that for the execution of knaves a suitable person
was provided. He should perhaps give Morano up to la Garda. His next
thought was where to find la Garda. And easily enough another thought
followed that one, which was that although on foot and still some way
behind four of la Garda were trying to find him. Rodriguez' mind, which
was looking at life from the point of view of a judge, changed somewhat
at this thought. He reflected next that, for the prevention of crime,
to make Morano see the true nature of his enormity so that he should
never commit it again might after all be as good as killing him. So
what we call his better nature, his calmer judgment, decided him now to
talk to Morano and not to kill him: but Morano, looking back upon this
merciful change, always attributed it to fried bacon.
"Morano," said Rodriguez' better nature, "to offend the laws of
Chivalry is to have against you the swords of all true men."
"Master," Morano said, "that were dreadful odds."
"And rightly," said Rodriguez.
"Master," said Morano, "I will keep those laws henceforth. I may cook
bacon for you when you are hungry, I may brush the dust from your
cloak, I may see to your comforts. This Chivalry forbids none of that.
But when I see anyone trying to kill you, master; why, kill you he
must, and welcome."
"Not always," said Rodriguez somewhat curtly, for it struck him that
Morano spoke somehow too lightly of sacred things.
"Not always?" asked Morano.
"No," said Rodriguez.
"Master, I implore you tell me," said Morano, "when they may kill you
and when they may not, so that I may never offend again."
Rodriguez cast a swift glance at him but found his face so full of
puzzled anxiety that he condescended to do what Morano had asked, and
began to explain to him the rudiments of the laws of Chivalry.
"In the wars," he said, "you may defend me whoever assails me, or if
robbers or any common persons attack me, but if I arrange a meeting
with a gentleman, and any knave basely interferes, then is he damned
hereafter as well as accursed now; for, the laws of Chivalry being
founded on true religion, the penalty for their breach is by no means
confined to this world."
"Master," replied Morano thoughtfully, "if I be not damned already I
will avoid those fires of Hell; and none shall kill you that you have
not chosen to kill you, and those that you choose shall kill you
whenever you have a mind."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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