Annie On My Mind Epub

[Priamo Gregory]

Inthe darksome depths of a thick forest lived Kalyb the fellenchantress. Terrible were her deeds, and few there were who had thehardihood to sound the brazen trumpet which hung over the iron gate thatbarred the way to the Abode of Witchcraft. Terrible were the deeds ofKalyb; but above all things she delighted in carrying off innocentnew-born babes, and putting them to death.

And this, doubtless, she meant to be the fate of the infant son of theEarl of Coventry, who long long years ago was Lord High Steward ofEngland. Certain it is that the babe's father being absent, and hismother dying at his birth, the wicked Kalyb, with spells and charms,managed to steal the child from his careless nurses.

But the babe was marked from the first for doughty deeds; for on hisbreast was pictured the living image of a dragon, on his right hand wasa blood-red cross, and on his left leg showed the golden garter.

And these signs so affected Kalyb, the fell enchantress, that she stayedher hand; and the child growing daily in beauty and stature, he becameto her as the apple of her eye. Now, when twice seven years had passedthe boy began to thirst for honourable adventures, though the wickedenchantress wished to keep him as her own.

But he, seeking glory, utterly disdained so wicked a creature; thus shesought to bribe him. And one day, taking him by the hand, she led him toa brazen castle and showed him six brave knights, prisoners therein.Then said she:

Then she led him into a magnificent stable where stood seven of the mostbeautiful steeds ever seen. "Six of these," said she, "belong to the sixChampions. The seventh and the best, the swiftest and the most powerfulin the world, whose name is Bayard, will I bestow on thee, if thou wiltstay with me."

Then she took him to the armoury, and with her own hand buckled on acorselet of purest steel, and laced on a helmet inlaid with gold. Then,taking a mighty falchion, she gave it into his hand, and said: "Thisarmour which none can pierce, this sword called Ascalon, which will hewin sunder all it touches, are thine; surely now thou wilt stop with me?"

But he, taking the wand, struck with it a mighty rock that stood by; andlo! it opened, and laid in view a wide cave garnished by the bodies of avast number of innocent new-born infants whom the wicked enchantress hadmurdered.

Thus, using her power, he bade the sorceress lead the way into the placeof horror, and when she had entered, he raised the magic wand yet again,and smote the rock; and lo! it closed for ever, and the sorceress wasleft to bellow forth her lamentable complaints to senseless stones.

And for thirty days and thirty nights they rode on, until, at thebeginning of a new month, they came to a great wide plain. Now in thecentre of this plain, where seven several ways met, there stood a greatbrazen pillar, and here, with high heart and courage, they bade eachother farewell, and each took a separate road.

Hence, St. George, on his charger Bayard, rode till he reached theseashore where lay a good ship bound for the land of Egypt. Takingpassage in her, after long journeying he arrived in that land when thesilent wings of night were outspread, and darkness brooded on allthings. Here, coming to a poor hermitage, he begged a night's lodging,on which the hermit replied:

So, rising at dawn of day, he buckled on his armour, laced his helmet,and with the falchion Ascalon in his hand, bestrode Bayard, and rodeinto the Valley of the Dragon. Now on the way he met a procession of oldwomen weeping and wailing, and in their midst the most beauteous damselhe had ever seen. Moved by compassion he dismounted, and bowing lowbefore the lady entreated her to return to her father's palace, since hewas about to kill the dreaded dragon. Whereupon the beautiful Sbia,thanking him with smiles and tears, did as he requested, and he,re-mounting, rode on his emprise.

Now, no sooner did the dragon catch sight of the brave Knight than itsleathern throat sent out a sound more terrible than thunder, andweltering from its hideous den, it spread its burning wings and preparedto assail its foe.

Its size and appearance might well have made the stoutest heart tremble.From shoulder to tail ran full forty feet, its body was covered withsilver scales, its belly was as gold, and through its flaming wings theblood ran thick and red.

So fierce was its onset, that at the very first encounter the Knight wasnigh felled to the ground; but recovering himself he gave the dragonsuch a thrust with his spear that the latter shivered to a thousandpieces; whereupon the furious monster smote him so violently with itstail that both horse and rider were overthrown.

Now, by great good chance, St. George was flung under the shade of aflowering orange tree, whose fragrance hath this virtue in it, that nopoisonous beast dare come within the compass of its branches. So therethe valiant knight had time to recover his senses, until with eagercourage he rose, and rushing to the combat, smote the burning dragon onhis burnished belly with his trusty sword Ascalon; and thereinafterspouted out such black venom, as, falling on the armour of the Knight,burst it in twain. And ill might it have fared with St. George of MerrieEngland but for the orange tree, which once again gave him shelter underits branches, where, seeing the issue of the fight was in the Hands ofthe Most High, he knelt and prayed that such strength of body should begiven him as would enable him to prevail. Then with a bold andcourageous heart, he advanced again, and smote the fiery dragon underone of his flaming wings, so that the weapon pierced the heart, and allthe grass around turned crimson with the blood that flowed from thedying monster. So St. George of England cut off the dreadful head, andhanging it on a truncheon made of the spear which at the beginning ofthe combat had shivered against the beast's scaly back, he mounted hissteed Bayard, and proceeded to the palace of the King.

Now the King's name was Ptolemy, and when he saw that the dreaded dragonwas indeed slain, he gave orders for the city to be decorated. And hesent a golden chariot with wheels of ebony and cushions of silk to bringSt. George to the palace, and commanded a hundred nobles dressed incrimson velvet, and mounted on milk-white steeds richly caparisoned, toescort him thither with all honour, while musicians walked before andafter, filling the air with sweetest sounds.

Now the beautiful Sbia herself washed and dressed the weary Knight'swounds, and gave him in sign of betrothal a diamond ring of purestwater. Then, after he had been invested by the King with the goldenspurs of knighthood and had been magnificently feasted, he retired torest his weariness, while the beautiful Sbia from her balcony lulledhim to sleep with her golden lute.

Almidor, the black King of Morocco, who had long wooed the PrincessSbia in vain, without having the courage to defend her, seeing that themaiden had given her whole heart to her champion, resolved to compasshis destruction.

Telling St. George that his love and loyalty needed further trial, heentrusted him with a message to the King of Persia, and forbade himeither to take with him his horse Bayard or his sword Ascalon; nor wouldhe even allow him to say farewell to his beloved Sbia.

St. George then set forth sorrowfully, and surmounting many dangers,reached the Court of the King of Persia in safety; but what was hisanger to find that the secret missive he bore contained nothing but anearnest request to put the bearer of it to death. But he was helpless,and when sentence had been passed upon him, he was thrown into a loathlydungeon, clothed in base and servile weeds, and his arms stronglyfettered up to iron bolts, while the roars of the two hungry lions whowere to devour him ere long, deafened his ears. Now his rage and fury atthis black treachery was such that it gave him strength, and with mightyeffort he drew the staples that held his fetters; so being part free hetore his long locks of amber-coloured hair from his head and wound themround his arms instead of gauntlets. So prepared he rushed on the lionswhen they were let loose upon him, and thrusting his arms down theirthroats choked them, and thereinafter tearing out their very hearts,held them up in triumph to the gaolers who stood by trembling with fear.

After this the King of Persia gave up the hopes of putting St. George todeath, and, doubling the bars of the dungeon, left him to languishtherein. And there the unhappy Knight remained for seven long years, histhoughts full of his lost Princess; his only companions rats and miceand creeping worms, his only food and drink bread made of the coarsestbran and dirty water.

At last one day, in a dark corner of his dungeon, he found one of theiron staples he had drawn in his rage and fury. It was half consumedwith rust, yet it was sufficient in his hands to open a passage throughthe walls of his cell into the King's garden. It was the time of nightwhen all things are silent; but St. George, listening, heard the voicesof grooms in the stables; which, entering, he found two groomsfurnishing forth a horse against some business. Whereupon, taking thestaple with which he had redeemed himself from prison, he slew thegrooms, and mounting the palfrey rode boldly to the city gates, where hetold the watchman at the Bronze Tower that St. George having escapedfrom the dungeon, he was in hot pursuit of him. Whereupon the gates werethrown open, and St. George, clapping spurs to his horse, found himselfsafe from pursuit before the first red beams of the sun shot up into thesky.

Now, ere long, being most famished with hunger, he saw a tower set on ahigh cliff, and riding thitherward determined to ask for food. But as heneared the castle he saw a beauteous damsel in a blue and gold robeseated disconsolate at a window. Whereupon, dismounting, he called aloudto her:

Hearing this St. George laughed loud and long. "Go tell him then, fairdame," he cried, "that a Christian Knight waits at his door, and willeither satisfy his wants within his castle or slay the owner thereof."

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