Natheless, did I
hang over such a skin of Rhenish as this, and three churls sat beneath a
drinking it and offered me not a drop, I'd soon be down among them."
"Denys! Denys!"
"My spirit would cut the cord, and womp would come my body amongst ye,
with a hand on the bottle, and one eye winking, t'other."
Gerard started up with a cry of horror and his fingers to his ears, and
was running from the place, when his eye fell on the watcher's axe. The
tangible danger brought him back. He sat down again on the axe with his
fingers in his ears.
"Courage, l'ami, le diable est mort!" shouted Denys gaily, and offered
him a piece of bear's ear, put it right under his nose as he stopped his
ears. Gerard turned his head away with loathing.
"Wine!" he gasped. "Heaven knows I have much need of it, with such
companions as thee and--"
He took a long draught of the Rhenish wine: it ran glowing through his
veins, and warmed and strengthened his heart, but could not check his
tremors whenever a gust of wind came. As for Denys and the other, they
feasted recklessly, and plied the bottle unceasingly, and drank healths
and caroused beneath that creaking sepulchre and its ghastly tenants.
"Ask him how they came here," said Denys, with his mouth full, and
pointing up without looking.
On this question being interpreted to the watcher, he replied that
treason had been their end, diabolical treason and priest-craft.
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