of weather, and there heard how the land lay in Gaul.  Philip had won over Raymond of Toulouse, Saint-Pol heading a joint-army of theirs was near Marseilles, ready to destroy him.  King Richard was to walk into a trap.  By this time, you must know, he had no more to his power than the galley he rode in, and three others.  He had no Des Barres, no Gaston, no Beziers; he had not even Mercadet his captain, and no thought where they might be.  The trap would have caught him fast.

‘Pretty work,’ he said, ‘pretty work.  But I will better it.’  He put about, and steered round Sicily for the coast of Dalmatia; here was caught again by furious gales, lost three ships out of the four he had, and finally sought haven at Gazara, a little fishing village on that empty shore.  His intention was to travel home by way of Germany and the Low Countries, and so land in England while his brother John was still in France.  Either he had forgotten, or did not care to remember, that all this country was a fief of the Archduke Luitpold’s.  He knew, of course, that Luitpold hated him, but not that he held him guilty of Montferrat’s murder.  Suspecting no great difficulty, he sent up messengers to the lord of Gazara for a safe-conduct for certain merchants, pilgrims.  This man was an Austrian knight called Gunther.

‘Who are your pilgrims?’ Gunther asked; and was told, Master Hugh, a merchant of Alost, he and his servants.

‘What manner of a merchant?’ was Gunther’s next question.

‘My lord,’ they said, who had seen him, ’a fine man, tall as a tree, and strong and straight, having keen blue eyes, and a reddish beard on his chin, as the men of Flanders do not use.’

Gunther said, ‘Let me see this merchant,’ and went down to the inn where King Richard was.

Now Richard was sitting by the fire, warming himself.  When Gunther came in, furred and portly, he did not rise up; which was unfortunate in a pretended merchant.

‘Are you Master Hugh of Alost?’ Gunther asked, looking him over.

‘That is the name I bear,’ said Richard.  ‘And who are you, my friend?’

The Austrian stammered.  ’Hey, thou dear God, I am Lord Gunther of this castle and town!’ he said, raising his voice.  Then the King got up to make a reverence, and in so doing betrayed his stature.

’I should have guessed it, sir, by your gentleness in coming to visit me here.  I ask your pardon.’  Thus the King, while Gunther wondered.

‘You are a very tall merchant, Hugh,’ says he.  ’Do they make your sort in Alost?’ King Richard laughed.

’It is the only advantage I have of your lordship.  For the rest, my countrywomen make straight men, I think.’

‘Were you bred in Alost, Master Hugh?’ asked Gunther suspiciously; and again Richard laughed as he said, ’Ah, you must ask my mother, Lord Gunther.’

‘Lightning!’ was the Austrian’s thought; ’here is a pretty easy merchant.’