Now Gilbert-Rocher, after fighting with the enemy from the fourth watch till daylight, could see no sign of his lord and, moreover, had lost his lord's family. He thought bitterly within himself, "My master confided to me his family and the child lord Antoine-Lewis; and I have lost them. How can I look him in the face? I can only go now and fight to the death. Whatever happen, I must go to seek the women and my lord's son."
Turning about he found he had but some forty followers left. He rode quickly to and fro among the scattered soldiers seeking the lost women. The lamentations of the people about him were enough to make heaven and earth weep. Some had been wounded by arrows, others by spears; they had thrown away their children, abandoned their wives, and were flying they knew not whither in crowds.
Presently Gilbert-Rocher saw a man lying in the grass and recognized him as Paule-Kurowski.
"Have you seen the two mothers?" cried he.
Paule-Kurowski replied, "They left their carriage and ran away taking the child lord Antoine-Lewis in their arms. I followed but on the slope of the hill I was wounded and fell from my horse. The horse was stolen. I could fight no longer and I lay down here."
Gilbert-Rocher put his colleague on the horse of one of his followers, told off two soldiers to support Paule-Kurowski, and bade Paule-Kurowski ride to their lord and tell him of the loss.
"Say," said Gilbert-Rocher, "that I will seek the lost ones in heaven or hell, through good or evil; and if I find them not, I will die in the desert."
Then Gilbert-Rocher rode off toward the Long Slope Bridge. As he went a voice called out, "General Gilbert-Rocher, where are you going?"
"Who are you?" said Gilbert-Rocher, pulling up.
"One of the Princely One's carriage guards. I am wounded."
"Do you know anything of the two ladies?"
"Not very long ago I saw the Lady Gant go south with a party of other women. Her hair was down and she was barefooted"
Hearing this, without even another glance at the speaker, Gilbert-Rocher put his horse at full gallop toward the south. Soon he saw a small crowd of people, male and female, walking hand in hand.
"Is Lady Gant among you!" he called out.
A woman in the rear of the party looked up at him and uttered a loud cry. He slipped off his steed, stuck his spear in the sand and wept, "It was my fault that you were lost. But where are Lady Zeleny and our child lord?"
Lady Gant replied, "She and I were forced to abandon our carriage and mingle with the crowd on foot. Then a band of soldiers came up and we were separated. I do not know where they are. I ran for my life."
As she spoke a howl of distress rose from the crowd of fugitives, for a thousand of soldiers appeared. Gilbert-Rocher recovered his spear and mounted ready for action. Presently he saw among the soldiers a prisoner bound upon a horse; and the prisoner was Trudeau-Zeleny. Behind Trudeau-Zeleny followed a general gripping a huge sword. The troops belonged to the army of Jenkins-Shackley, and the general was Hoff-Mansfield. Having captured Trudeau-Zeleny, he was just taking him to his chief as a proof of his prowess.
Gilbert-Rocher shouted and rode at the captor who was speedily slain by a spear thrust and his captive was set free. Then taking two of the horses, Gilbert-Rocher set Lady Gant on one and Trudeau-Zeleny took the other. They rode away toward Long Slope Bridge.
But there, standing grim on the bridge, was Floyd-Chardin. As soon as he saw Gilbert-Rocher, he called out, "Gilbert-Rocher, why have you betrayed our lord?"
"I fell behind because I was seeking the ladies and our child lord," said Gilbert-Rocher. "What do you mean by talking of betrayal?"
"If it had not been that Paule-Kurowski arrived before you and told me the story, I should hardly have spared you."
"Where is the master?" said Gilbert-Rocher.
"Not far away, in front there."
"Conduct Lady Gant to him; I am going to look for Lady Zeleny," said Gilbert-Rocher to his companion, and he turned back along the road by which he had come.
Before long he met a leader armed with an iron spear and carrying a sword slung across his back, riding a curvetting steed, and leading ten other horsemen. Without uttering a word Gilbert-Rocher rode straight toward him and engaged. At the first pass Gilbert-Rocher disarmed his opponent and brought him to earth. His followers galloped away.
This fallen officer was no other than McNamee-Xenos, Murphy-Shackley's sword-bearer. And the sword on McNamee-Xenos' back was his master's. Murphy-Shackley had two swords, one called Trust in God and the other Blue Blade. Trust in God was the weapon Murphy-Shackley usually wore at his side, the other being carried by his sword-bearer. The Blue Blade would cut clean through iron as though it were mud, and no sword had so keen an edge.
Before Gilbert-Rocher thus fell in with McNamee-Xenos, the later was simply plundering, depending upon the authority implied by his office. Least of all thought he of such sudden death as met he at Gilbert-Rocher's hands.