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BELTANE THE SMITH


BY


JEFFERY FARNOL


AUTHOR OF "THE BROAD HIGHWAY," "THE AMATEUR GENTLEMAN," ETC.

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY ARTHUR E. BECHER





TO

FREDERICK HUGHSON HAWLEY

TO WHOM BELTANE IS NO STRANGER I DEDICATE THIS ROMANCE

Jeffery Farnol

London, August, 1915.



CONTENTS

      I HOW BELTANE LIVED WITHIN THE GREENWOOD

     II HOW BELTANE HAD WORD WITH THE DUKE, BLACK IVO

    III HOW LOVE CAME TO BELTANE IN THE GREENWOOD

     IV OF THE LOVE AND THE GRIEF OF HELEN THE PROUD

      V WHICH TELLS OF THE STORY OF AMBROSE THE HERMIT

     VI HOW BELTANE FARED FORTH OF THE GREEN

    VII HOW BELTANE TALKED WITH ONE HIGHT GILES BRABBLECOMBE, WHO WAS
      A NOTABLE AND LEARNED ARCHER

   VIII HOW BELTANE HELD DISCOURSE WITH A BLACK FRIAR

     IX WHEREIN IS SOME ACCOUNT OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF FOLLY AND THE
      WISDOM OF A FOOL

      X HOW BELTANE MADE COMRADE ONE BLACK ROGER THAT WAS A HANGMAN

     XI WHICH TELLS HOW THREE MIGHTY MEN SWARE FEALTY TO BELTANE: AND
      HOW GOOD FRIAR MARTIN DIGGED A GRAVE IN THE WILD

    XII WHICH TELLS HOW DUKE IVO'S GREAT GALLOWS CEASED TO BE

   XIII HOW THEY BRAKE OPE THE DUNGEON OF BELSAYE

    XIV HOW BELTANE CAME NIGH TO DEATH

     XV HOW BELTANE HAD WORD WITH PERTOLEPE THE RED, AND HOW THEY
      LEFT HIM IN THE FOREST

    XVI OF THE RUEFUL KNIGHT OF THE BURNING HEART

   XVII OF THE AMBUSHMENT NEAR THORNABY MILL

  XVIII HOW BELTANE MET SIR GILLES OF BRANDONMERE

    XIX CONCERNING THE EYES OF A NUN

     XX HOW BELTANE PLIGHTED HIS TROTH IN THE GREEN

    XXI OF THE TALE OF GODRIC THE HUNTSMAN

   XXII CONCERNING THE WILES OF WINFRIDA THE FAIR

  XXIII OF THE HUMILITY OF HELEN THE PROUD

   XXIV OF WHAT BEFELL AT BLAEN

    XXV HOW BELTANE BECAME CAPTIVE TO SIR PERTOLEPE

   XXVI OF THE HORRORS OF GARTHLAXTON KEEP, AND HOW A DEVIL ENTERED
      INTO BELTANE

  XXVII HOW BELTANE TOOK TO THE WILD-WOOD

 XXVIII OF THE PLACE OF REFUGE WITHIN THE GREEN

   XXIX HOW BELTANE SLEW TOSTIG AND SPAKE WITH THE WILD MEN

    XXX HOW THEY SMOTE GARTHLAXTON

   XXXI HOW GILES MADE A MERRY SONG

  XXXII HOW BELTANE MET WITH A YOUTHFUL KNIGHT

 XXXIII HOW BELTANE HAD NEWS OF ONE THAT WAS A NOTABLE PARDONER

  XXXIV HOW THEY CAME TO BELSAYE

   XXXV HOW GUI OF ALLERDALE CEASED FROM EVIL

  XXXVI HOW THE FOLK OF BELSAYE TOWN MADE THEM AN END OF TYRANNY

 XXXVII HOW THEY LEFT BELSAYE

 XXXVIII OF BELTANE'S BLACK AND EVIL MOOD, AND HOW HE FELL IN WITH THE
     WITCH OF HANGSTONE WASTE

   XXXIX HOW BELTANE FOUGHT FOR ONE MELLENT THAT WAS A WITCH

      XL FURTHER CONCERNING THE MAID MELLENT; AND OF THE HUE AND CRY

     XLI HOW THEY RODE INTO THE WILDERNESS

    XLII HOW BELTANE DREAMED IN THE WILD-WOOD

   XLIII HOW BELTANE KNEW GREAT HUMILITY

    XLIV HOW A MADNESS CAME UPON BELTANE IN THE WILD-WOOD

     XLV HOW BLACK ROGER TAUGHT BELTANE GREAT WISDOM

    XLVI HOW BLACK ROGER PRAYED IN THE DAWN: AND HOW HIS PRAYERS WERE
      ANSWERED

   XLVII HOW BELTANE SWARE AN OATH

  XLVIII HOW BELTANE SET OUT FOR HANGSTONE WASTE

    XLIX HOW BELTANE FOUND PEACE AND A GREAT SORROW

       L TELLETH HOW BELTANE WENT FORTH TO HIS DUTY

      LI HOW BLACK ROGER WON TO FULLER MANHOOD

     LII HOW THEY HAD NEWS OF WALKYN

    LIII OF JOLETTE, THAT WAS A WITCH

     LIV HOW BELTANE FOUGHT WITH A DOUGHTY STRANGER

      LV HOW THEY MARCHED FOR WINISFARNE

     LVI WHAT THEY FOUND AT WINISFARNE

    LVII TELLETH OF THE ONFALL AT BRAND

   LVIII HOW BELTANE HAD SPEECH WITH THE ABBESS

     LIX TELLETH HOW SIR BENEDICT WENT A-FISHING

      LX TELLETH HOW THEY MARCHED FROM THE VALLEY OF BRAND

     LXI HOW THE FOREST FOUGHT FOR THEM

    LXII HOW THEY CAME TO BELSAYE FOR THE THIRD TIME

   LXIII TELLETH SOMEWHAT OF THE WOES OF GILES O' THE BOW

    LXIV HOW GILES CURSED BELSAYE OUR OF HER FEAR

     LXV TELLETH OF ROSES

    LXVI CONCERNING A BLUE CAMLET CLOAK

   LXVII TELLETH WHAT BEFELL IN THE REEVE'S GARDEN

  LXVIII FRIAR MARTIN'S DYING PROPHECY

    LXIX HOW AT LAST THEY CAME TO PENTAVALON CITY

     LXX WHICH SPEAKETH FOR ITSELF



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Thus Helen the Proud, the Beautiful, yielded her lips to his

Now did she look on him 'neath drooping lash, sweet-eyed and languorous

Beltane stood up armed in shining mail from head to foot

So came Winfrida, and falling on her knee gave the goblet into her
lady's hand

She stared and stared beyond Sir Gui, to behold one clad as a dusty
miller

Her eyes swept him with look calm and most dispassionate



BELTANE THE SMITH



CHAPTER I

HOW BELTANE LIVED WITHIN THE GREENWOOD


In a glade of the forest, yet not so far but that one might hear the
chime of bells stealing across the valley from the great minster of
Mortain on a still evening, dwelt Beltane the Smith.

Alone he lived in the shadow of the great trees, happy when the piping
of the birds was in his ears, and joying to listen to the plash and
murmur of the brook that ran merrily beside his hut; or pausing 'twixt
the strokes of his ponderous hammer to catch its never failing music.

A mighty man was Beltane the Smith, despite his youth already great of
stature and comely of feature. Much knew he of woodcraft, of the growth
of herb and tree and flower, of beast and bird, and how to tell each by
its cry or song or flight; he knew the ways of fish in the streams, and
could tell the course of the stars in the heavens; versed was he
likewise in the ancient wisdoms and philosophies, both Latin and Greek,
having learned all these things from him whom men called Ambrose the
Hermit. But of men and cities he knew little, and of women and the
ways of women, less than nothing, for of these matters Ambrose spake
not.

Thus, being grown from youth to manhood, for that a man must needs
live, Beltane builded him a hut beside the brook, and set up an anvil
thereby whereon he beat out bill-hooks and axe-heads and such
implements as the charcoal-burners and they that lived within the green
had need of.

Oft-times, of an evening, he would seek out the hermit Ambrose, and
they would talk together of many things, but seldom of men and cities,
and never of women and the ways of women. Once, therefore, wondering,
Beltane had said:

"My father, amongst all these matters you speak never of women and the
ways of women, though history is full of their doings, and all poets
sing praise of their wondrous beauty, as this Helena of Troy, whom men
called 'Desire of the World.'"

But Ambrose sighed and shook his head, saying:

"Art thou indeed a man, so soon, my Beltane?" and so sat watching him
awhile. Anon he rose and striding to and fro spake sudden and
passionate on this wise: "Beltane, I tell thee the beauty of women is
an evil thing, a lure to wreck the souls of men. By woman came sin
into the world, by her beauty she blinds the eyes of men to truth and
honour, leading them into all manner of wantonness whereby their very
manhood is destroyed. This Helen of Troy, of whom ye speak, was nought
but a vile adulteress, with a heart false and foul, by whose sin many
died and Troy town was utterly destroyed."

"Alas!" sighed Beltane, "that one so fair should be a thing so evil!"

Thereafter he went his way, very sad and thoughtful, and that night,
lying upon his bed, he heard the voices of the trees sighing and
murmuring one to another like souls that sorrowed for sin's sake, and
broken dreams and ideals.

"Alas! that one so fair should be a thing so evil!" But, above the
whispers of the trees, loud and insistent rose the merry chatter of the
brook speaking to him of many things; of life, and the lust of life;
the pomp and stir of cities; the sound of song and laughter; of women
and the beauty of women, and of the sweet, mad wonder of love. Of all
these things the brook sang in the darkness, and Beltane sighed, and
sighing, fell asleep.

Thus lived my Beltane in the woodland, ranging the forest with eye
quick to see the beauty of earth and sky, and ear open to the thousand
voices around him; or, busied at his anvil, hearkening to the wondrous
tales of travel and strange adventure told by wandering knight and
man-at-arms the while, with skilful hand, he mended broken mail or dented
casque; and thereafter, upon the mossy sward, would make trial of their
