THE FOOL ERRANT - World eBook Library - World Public Library

caroused far into the night. It was densely dark, save for the chance flames of the fire, when I heard them all wrangling together
and had some hopes of a fight which might turn to our advantage. But whatever was the subject of their disputations, their fury
died down into grumbling. They had decided on drawing lots for possession of us, as I now understand—but some were too
drunk to take a part, and some too indifferent. It came down to three who went on with the contest, while three fell asleep and
snored through all the noise.
I saw the whole affair: how three billets were put into an empty crock and one was drawn out. The man who drew it had won
me, I could tell, because when he had shown his paper to the others, he came over to where I was and touched me with his
foot to learn whether I was safe. I shammed sleep, and never moved; so presently he lay down by the side of me and himself
slept. Meantime another, of the remaining two, had drawn Belviso and had gone towards his victim. I saw the loser creep after
him, and lost sight of both in the dark; but then, after a horrible pause, I heard my wretched friend begin to cry for mercy, to
confess the truth, to pray to God, to shriek in a way I shuddered to hear. The ruffian at my side, like his companions by the fire,
slept through all, and this dared me to what sounds like an act of madness. With a temerity born of my anguish on Belviso's
account, I rolled over and over until I was close to the fire. There, I thrust my ankles into the flames, regardless of the
excruciating pain, and burnt away the cord that tied me. I served my hands in the same way, and springing up, crept swiftly to
where I heard the crying lad and the scuffling. By what light the fire afforded I saw that the two men were fighting for
possession. One was full length on the ground, the other crouched over him and upon him with a knife in his teeth, but so intent
upon his murderous design that he had no eyes for me. I came quite close, made a sudden snap at the knife, and plunged it with
all my force into the neck of the topmost. It drove right through him and pierced his victim; I think they must have died at once,
for except for one horrible gasping snort I heard nothing. At the moment I felt myself caught by the ankle and heard, "Francis,
Francis, it is I." I pulled Belviso to his feet, cut the cord at the wrist and plunged forward into the black of the wood, running
downhill, as near as I could judge, towards where I knew the brook was. We were pursued, but in a darkness so impenetrable
the chances were in our favour, and we were never within a quarter-mile of being caught. We gained the river side. "Jump!" I
cried, and dragged Belviso in after me. We could just bottom it. There we stayed, under a shelving bank, up to our necks in
cold water until the day began to break—not daring to move lest we should happen upon our enemies, our teeth chattering
together, in a state of semi-death. How we endured it I don't know; but life is sweet to young men.
Looking about with great caution, I could see nothing nor hear anything of the brigands. We crossed the river and ran as fast as
we could— Belviso in dripping weeds and myself in my wet rags of the comedy. By very good luck he had had some four lire
in the pocket of his gown.
When we had recovered something of blood and heart by our running, I told Belviso to keep himself snug in some bushes while
I went marketing with his four lire. I had seen some herdboys on the hill and was determined to supply him with clothes proper
to his sex. I went up to the boys and offered a lire for a pair of breeches. Half a dozen pairs were off and under my nose before
I had done speaking. I chose two pair, begged a hunch of bread into the bargain, and made them happy as kings with three lire.
I asked them my whereabouts and learned that I was four leagues from Volterra and seven from Pomarance. I was south of
Volterra, south-west of Siena, but Pomarance was on my road to Arezzo. To Pomarance, therefore, so soon as we were
clothed in the one indispensable garment of manhood, we determined to go.
To reach our haven it was necessary to cross one of the main lines of communication with Siena, that from Florence, namely, by
the Val d'Elsa, or that from Rome by San Quirico and the Val d'Orcia. We agreed that the latter was the safer for us as being
further from the seat of Government, though much the more difficult. The country was mountainous and thinly populated. If we
ran in no danger of robbery—as how should we, who had nothing but rags and empty stomachs about us?—we might easily
starve, or keep the beasts from starvation. There were wolves in these hills, and dogs, turned rogue, which were as bad or
worse. All this, however, we were ready to face so soon as we had eaten bread, washed ourselves at a well by the roadside,
and commended ourselves to God. "Come, brother," I said, "our fortunes must needs mend since they can never be more
broken. In this world there is no stay, but a thing gets better or worse. I believe we may be happy yet."
"Brother," replied Belviso, "I am sure of it, and I promise you I have never looked forward to happiness before. This well in
which I have washed myself is lustral water. I have fouled it with the vile thing I was once. In return it has made a new creature
of me, thanks to God and you."
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