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310 'A pretty thing this, John,' said he. 'Thou wilt have holy Church upon you if you hang her champions upon iron hooks in an inn kitchen.'

'It was done without thinking,' he answered apologetically, while Aylward burst into a shout of laughter.

'By my hilt! mon petit,' said he, 'you would have laughed also could you have seen it. For this man was so swollen with pride that he would neither drink with us, nor sit at the same table with us, nor as much as answer a question, but must needs talk to the varlet all the time that it was well there was peace, and that he had slain more Englishmen than there were tags to his doublet. Our good old John could scarce lay his tongue to French enough to answer him, so he must needs reach out his great hand to him and place him very gently where you saw him. But we must on, for I can scarce hear their hoofs upon the road.'

'I think that I can see them yet,' said Ford, peering down the moonlit road.

'Pardieu! yes. Now they ride forth from the shadow. And yonder dark clump is the Castle of Villefranche. En avant, camarades! or Sir Nigel may reach the gates before us. But hark, mes amis, what sound is that?'

As he spoke the hoarse blast of a horn was heard from some woods upon the right. An answering call rung forth upon their left, and hard upon it two others from behind them.

'They are the horns of swineherds,' quoth Aylward. 'Though why they blow them so late I cannot tell.' 'Let us on, then,' said Ford, and the whole party, setting their spurs to their horses, soon found themselves at the Castle of Villefranche, where the drawbridge had already been lowered and the portcullis raised in response to the summons of Du Guesclin.