Pabo, the Priest: A NovelBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
Pabo, the Priest: A Novel
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Great Britain -- History -- Henry I, 1100-1135 -- Fiction; Priests -- Fiction; Wales -- Fiction
"We have found you," said Howel. "But for her I would not have dared to
enter. Yet she would have gone alone. She saw thy flint and steel on a
stone at the entrance. She was full of fear, and left me no rest till I
agreed to accompany her. Tell me, what was that fearful cry?"
"I know not. The place is full of phantoms."
"Was there none with thee?"
"None. Were ye alone?"
"We were alone."
"Then it was the cry of Gwen, or of some evil spirit. And oh! Howel.
_Auri moles prægrandis._"
"I understand not."
"Come and see."
Pabo started to his feet now, disengaging himself gently from the arms
of his wife; but not relaxing the hold of her hand which he clasped.
A few steps were retraced to the hall, and there lay the fallen wax
taper, and there, piled up, were ingots of gold.
"See!" exclaimed Pabo. "For Griffith ap Rhys. With this--at last
something may be done."
Howel passed his lantern over it meditatively.
"Yes," he said, "it is just what has been the one thing that has failed
us hitherto."
"Not the only thing; the other--a true man."
"Right. We have here the means of success, and in Griffith--the true
leader."
"Come!" said Pabo. "I must to the light. I am weary of darkness."
He rekindled his wax taper at Howel's light, and all proceeded on their
way; and before many minutes had elapsed were in the domed chamber,
traversed from above by a tiny ray of moonlight.
Pabo stood still. His head spun.
"But the well! the well!"
His wife and Howel looked at him with surprise.
"How came you to me? How did you pass the chasm?"
"There was no chasm. We have returned as we went."
Pabo clasped his head.
"There is a well. I leaped it. I feared to fall into it."
Then all at once, clear before him stood the plan as drawn by the
hermit. From the chamber where light was there were two passages leading
to the treasure--one had it in the well--that was the turn to the right,
and the direction had been to go to the left. He who had seen the map
had gone wrong. They who had never seen it went right. But, we may ask,
what was that cry? From whom did it issue?
All that can be said is this: Goronwy, after having given the message,
watched curiously, and saw Morwen go to the house of Howel. Had he not
been inquisitive to know the meaning of the meeting in Ogofau, he would
have betrayed her at once to Rogier. As it was, he resolved to follow
and observe, unseen.
He had done so, and at a distance, after Howel and Morwen, he had
entered the mine.
More cannot be said.
Goronwy was never seen again.
CHAPTER XXIV
THE PYLGAIN OF DYFED
Like an explosion of fire-damp in a coal-mine--sudden, far-reaching,
deadly--so was the convulsion in South Wales.
All was quiet to-day. On the morrow the whole land from the Bay of
Cardigan to Morganwg, was in flames. The rising had been prepared for
with the utmost caution.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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