‘I am ready, sire,’ says Gunther, manifestly unready.  He rose and shook himself.

‘Lead, then,’ Richard said.

‘I follow you, sire.’

‘Lead, you white dog,’ said the King, and showed his teeth for a moment.  The Austrian obeyed.  One of Richard’s few attendants, a Norman called Martin Vaux, adopted for his own salvation the simple expedient of staying behind; and Gunther was in far too exalted a mood to notice such a trifle.  When he and his troop had rounded the forest road, Martin Vaux rounded it also, but in the opposite direction.  He was rather a fool, though not fool enough to go to prison if he could help it.  Being a seaman by grace, he smelt for his element, and by grace found it after not many days.  More of him presently.

Archduke Luitpold was in his good town of Gratz when news was brought him, and the man.  ‘Du lieber Gott!’ he crowed.  ‘Ach, mein Gunther!’ and embraced his vassal.

His fiery little eyes burned red, as Mars when he flickers; but he was a gentleman.  He took Richard’s proffered hand, and after some fumbling about, kissed it.

‘Ha, sire!’ came the words, deeply exultant, from his big throat.  ’Now we are on more equal terms, it appears.’

‘I agree with you, Luitpold,’ said the King; and then, even as the Archduke was wetting his lips for the purpose, he added, ’But I hope you will not stretch your privilege so far as to make me a speech.’

Austria swallowed hard.  ’Sire, it would take many speeches to wipe out the provocations I have received at your hands.  All the speeches in the councils of the world could not excuse the deaths of my second cousin the Count of Saint-Pol and of my first cousin the Marquess of Montferrat.’

‘That is true,’ replied Richard, ’but neither could they restore them to life.’

‘Sire, sire!’ cried the Archduke, ’upon my soul I believe you guilty of the Marquess’s death.’

‘I assumed that you did,’ was the King’s answer; ’and your protestation adds no weight to my theory, but otherwise.’

‘Do you admit it, King Richard?’ The Archduke, an amazed man, looked foolish.  His mouth fell open and his hair stuck out; this gave him the appearance of a perturbed eagle in a bush.

‘I am far from denying it,’ says Richard.  ’I never deny any charges, and never make any unless I am prepared to pursue them; which is not the case at present.’

‘I must keep you in safe hold, sire,’ the Archduke said.  ’I must communicate with my lord the Roman Emperor.’

‘You are in your right, Luitpold,’ said King Richard.

The end of the day’s work was that the King of England was lodged in a high tower, some sixty feet above the town wall.

* * * * *