Heroines of the CrusadesBloss, C. A. (Celestia Angenette)
History
Heroines of the Crusades
Bloss, C. A. (Celestia Angenette)
Crusades; Crusades -- Biography; Women -- Biography
Now the roar seemed advancing and now retreating, when a barge loosing
from the tower stairs, drew the concourse in that direction. It was the
Queen of Henry III. with her children, seeking to escape to Windsor
castle, where Prince Edward was quartered with his troops. Cries of "Drown
the Witch! Down with the Witch! No favor to foreigners! Death to the
Italians!" rent the air. The mob tore up the paving stones, stripped the
tiles from the houses, plundered butchers' shambles, and hucksters' shops,
and a shower of deadly missiles rained upon the river. The boat approached
the bridge, at the west end of which thousands of fierce eyes glared for
its appearance, and thousands of bloody hands were raised for its
destruction. At this moment the figure of an armed knight, of lofty
stature, appeared upon the bridge. Forcing his way through the mob, he
shouted to the sailors as the boat was about to shoot the arch, "Back!
Bear back!! upon your lives!!! Return to the tower!!!!" The frightened
boatmen turned at the critical moment, and the knight, by the prowess of
his single arm, diverted the attack to himself, till the queen was again
sheltered by the walls of the fortress.
Roar upon roar again swelled through the streets. The crowd hurried on in
search of prey, swaying to and fro, like trees in a tempest. Again the
feeble walls that sheltered the fair Castilian, felt the terrible presence
of demons in human form. The sight of a French attendant again raised the
cry of "Death to foreigners," and madly they rushed to the onslaught. But
the strange knight was already at the door, and backed by Guy de Lusignan
and the retainers, for some hours kept the infuriated multitude at bay,
but at every moment the crowd became denser, the cries more terrific, and
Eleanora drawing the little Eva to her bosom, and surrounded by her own
maidens, and the females of the household, was striving to recall the
prayers for the dying, when a distant shout of rescue swelled upon the
breeze. The shrill blast of a trumpet confirmed the uncertain hope, and
the defiant threats of the multitude began to give place to the howlings
of baffled rage. On came the tramp of horsemen, the clangor of armor;
louder roared the din of the fight; not now the sounds of falling
dwellings, flying missiles, and female shrieks, but the ringing clash of
Damascus steel, and the regular tramp of mounted horsemen. The warlike
shout of "Edward to the rescue," "Give way to the prince," drove on the
motley mass like sands before the desert wind, and scattered them through
all the lanes and alleys of the vast metropolis. At the sound of her
husband's name, Eleanora sprang from her knees and rushed to the door-way,
where she beheld, advancing at the head of the troops, taller than all
his compeers, more firmly seated upon his noble destriar, and more
gracefully managing the rein and wielding the sword, her long-absent lord.
He raised his vizor, as he paused to return the salutation of his uncle,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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