The Mad King Read online

  III

  AN ANGRY KING

  The soldiers stood behind their officer. None of them had ever seenLeopold of Lutha--he had been but a name to them--they cared nothingfor him; but in the presence of death they were awed by the majestyof the king they had never known.

  The hands of Emma von der Tann were chafing the wrists of the manwhose head rested in her lap.

  "Leopold!" she whispered. "Leopold, come back! Mad king you mayhave been, but still you were king of Lutha--my father's king--myking."

  The girl nearly cried out in shocked astonishment as she saw theeyes of the dead king open. But Emma von der Tann was quick-witted.She knew for what purpose the soldiers from the palace were scouringthe country.

  Had she not thought the king dead she would have cut out her tonguerather than reveal his identity to these soldiers of his greatenemy. Now she saw that Leopold lived, and she must undo the harmshe had innocently wrought. She bent lower over Barney's face,trying to hide it from the soldiers.

  "Go away, please!" she called to them. "Leave me with my dead king.You are Peter's men. You do not care for Leopold, living or dead. Goback to your new king and tell him that this poor young man cannever more stand between him and the throne."

  The officer hesitated.

  "We shall have to take the king's body with us, your highness," hesaid.

  The officer evidently becoming suspicious, came closer, and as hedid so Barney Custer sat up.

  "Go away!" cried the girl, for she saw that the king was attemptingto speak. "My father's people will carry Leopold of Lutha in stateto the capital of his kingdom."

  "What's all this row about?" he asked. "Can't you let a dead kingalone if the young lady asks you to? What kind of a short sport areyou, anyway? Run along, now, and tie yourself outside."

  The officer smiled, a trifle maliciously perhaps.

  "Ah," he said, "I am very glad indeed that you are not dead, yourmajesty."

  Barney Custer turned his incredulous eyes upon the lieutenant.

  "Et tu, Brute?" he cried in anguished accents, letting his head fallback into the girl's lap. He found it very comfortable there indeed.

  The officer smiled and shook his head. Then he tapped his foreheadmeaningly.

  "I did not know," he said to the girl, "that he was so bad. Butcome--it is some distance to Blentz, and the afternoon is alreadywell spent. Your highness will accompany us."

  "I?" cried the girl. "You certainly cannot be serious."

  "And why not, your highness?" asked the officer. "We had strictorders to arrest not only the king, but any companions who may havebeen involved in his escape."

  "I had nothing whatever to do with his escape," said the girl,"though I should have been only too glad to have aided him had theopportunity presented."

  "King Peter may think differently," replied the man.

  "The Regent, you mean?" the girl corrected him haughtily.

  The officer shrugged his shoulders.

  "Regent or King, he is ruler of Lutha nevertheless, and he wouldtake away my commission were I to tell him that I had found a Vonder Tann in company with the king and had permitted her to escape.Your blood convicts your highness."

  "You are going to take me to Blentz and confine me there?" asked thegirl in a very small voice and with wide incredulous eyes. "Youwould not dare thus to humiliate a Von der Tann?"

  "I am very sorry," said the officer, "but I am a soldier, andsoldiers must obey their superiors. My orders are strict. You may bethankful," he added, "that it was not Maenck who discovered you."

  At the mention of the name the girl shuddered.

  "In so far as it is in my power your highness and his majesty willbe accorded every consideration of dignity and courtesy while undermy escort. You need not entertain any fear of me," he concluded.

  Barney Custer, during this, to him, remarkable dialogue, had risento his feet, and assisted the girl in rising. Now he turned andspoke to the officer.

  "This farce," he said, "has gone quite far enough. If it is a jokeit is becoming a very sorry one. I am not a king. I am anAmerican--Bernard Custer, of Beatrice, Nebraska, U.S.A. Look at me.Look at me closely. Do I look like a king?"

  "Every inch, your majesty," replied the officer.

  Barney looked at the man aghast.

  "Well, I am not a king," he said at last, "and if you go toarresting me and throwing me into one of your musty old dungeonsyou will find that I am a whole lot more important than most kings.I'm an American citizen."

  "Yes, your majesty," replied the officer, a trifle impatiently. "Butwe waste time in idle discussion. Will your majesty be so good as toaccompany me without resistance?"

  "If you will first escort this young lady to a place of safety,"replied Barney.

  "She will be quite safe at Blentz," said the lieutenant.

  Barney turned to look at the girl, a question in his eyes. Beforethem stood the soldiers with drawn revolvers, and now at the summitof the hill a dozen more appeared in command of a sergeant. Theywere two against nearly a score, and Barney Custer was unarmed.

  The girl shook her head.

  "There, is no alternative, I am afraid, your majesty," she said.

  Barney wheeled toward the officer.

  "Very well, lieutenant," he said, "we will accompany you."

  The party turned back up the hillside, leaving the dead bandit wherehe lay--the fellow's neck had been broken by the fall. A shortdistance from where the man had confronted them the two prisonerswere brought to the main road where they saw still other troopers,and with them the horses of those who had gone into the forest onfoot.

  Barney and the girl were mounted on two of the animals, the soldierswho had ridden them clambering up behind two of their comrades. Amoment later the troop set out along the road which leads to Blentz.

  The prisoners rode near the center of the column, surrounded bytroopers. For a time they were both silent. Barney was wondering ifhe had accidentally tumbled into the private grounds of Lutha'slargest madhouse, or if, in reality, these people mistook him forthe young king--it seemed incredible.

  It had commenced slowly to dawn upon him that perhaps the girl wasnot crazy after all. Had not the officer addressed her as "yourhighness"? Now that he thought upon it he recalled that she did havequite a haughty and regal way with her at times, especially so whenshe had addressed the officer.

  Of course she might be mad, after all, and possibly the bandit, too,but it seemed unbelievable that the officer was mad and his entiretroop of cavalry should be composed of maniacs, yet they allpersisted in speaking and acting as though he were indeed the madking of Lutha and the young girl at his side a princess.

  From pitying the girl he had come to feel a little bit in awe ofher. To the best of his knowledge he had never before associatedwith a real princess. When he recalled that he had treated her as hewould an ordinary mortal, and that he had thought her demented, andhad tried to humor her mad whims, he felt very foolish indeed.

  Presently he turned a sheepish glance in her direction, to find herlooking at him. He saw her flush slightly as his eyes met hers.

  "Can your highness ever forgive me?" he asked.

  "Forgive you!" she cried in astonishment. "For what, yourmajesty?"

  "For thinking you insane, and for getting you into this horriblepredicament," he replied. "But especially for thinking you insane."

  "Did you think me mad?" she asked in wide-eyed astonishment.

  "When you insisted that I was a king, yes," he replied. "But now Ibegin to believe that it must be I who am mad, after all, or else Ibear a remarkable resemblance to Leopold of Lutha."

  "You do, your majesty," replied the girl.

  Barney saw it was useless to attempt to convince them and so hedecided to give up for the time.

  "Have me king, if you will," he said, "but please do not call me'your majesty' any more. It gets on my nerves."

  "Your will is law--Leopold," replied the girl, hesitating prettilybefore th
e familiar name, "but do not forget your part of thecompact."

  He smiled at her. A princess wasn't half so terrible after all.

  "And your will shall be my law, Emma," he said.

  It was almost dark when they came to Blentz. The castle lay far upon the side of a steep hill above the town. It was an ancient pile,but had been maintained in an excellent state of repair. As BarneyCuster looked up at the grim towers and mighty, buttressed walls hisheart sank. It had taken the mad king ten years to make his escapefrom that gloomy and forbidding pile!

  "Poor child," he murmured, thinking of the girl.

  Before the barbican the party was halted by the guard. An officerwith a lantern stepped out upon the lowered portcullis. Thelieutenant who had captured them rode forward to meet him.

  "A detachment of the Royal Horse Guards escorting His Majesty theKing, who is returning to Blentz," he said in reply to the officer'ssharp challenge.

  "The king!" exclaimed the officer. "You have found him?" and headvanced with raised lantern searching for the monarch.

  "At last," whispered Barney to the girl at his side, "I shall bevindicated. This man, at least, who is stationed at Blentz mustknow his king by sight."

  The officer came quite close, holding his lantern until therays fell full in Barney's face. He scrutinized the young manfor a moment. There was neither humility nor respect in hismanner, so that the American was sure that the fellow haddiscovered the imposture.

  From the bottom of his heart he hoped so. Then the officerswung the lantern until its light shone upon the girl.

  "And who's the wench with him?" he asked the officer whohad found them.

  The man was standing close beside Barney's horse, and the words werescarce out of his month when the American slipped from his saddle tothe portcullis and struck the officer full in the face.

  "She is the Princess von der Tann, you boor," said Barney, "and letthat help you remember it in future."

  The officer scrambled to his feet, white with rage. Whipping outhis sword he rushed at Barney.

  "You shall die for that, you half-wit," he cried.

  Lieutenant Butzow, he of the Royal Horse, rushed forward to preventthe assault and Emma von der Tann sprang from her saddle and threwherself in front of Barney.

  Butzow grasped the other officer's arm.

  "Are you mad, Schonau?" he cried. "Would you kill the king?"

  The fellow tugged to escape the grasp of Butzow. He was crazed withanger.

  "Why not?" he bellowed. "You were a fool not to have done ityourself. Maenck will do it and get a baronetcy. It will mean acaptaincy for me at least. Let me at him--no man can strike KarlSchonau and live."

  "The king is unarmed," cried Emma von der Tann. "Would you murderhim in cold blood?"

  "He shall not murder him at all, your highness," said LieutenantButzow quietly. "Give me your sword, Lieutenant Schonau. I place youunder arrest. What you have just said will not please the Regentwhen it is reported to him. You should keep your head better whenyou are angry."

  "It is the truth," growled Schonau, regretting that his anger hadled him into a disclosure of the plot against the king's life, butlike most weak characters fearing to admit himself in error evenmore than he feared the consequences of his rash words.

  "Do you intend taking my sword?" asked Schonau suddenly, turningtoward Lieutenant Butzow standing beside him.

  "We will forget the whole occurrence, lieutenant," replied Butzow,"if you will promise not to harm his majesty, or offer him or thePrincess von der Tann further humiliation. Their position issufficiently unpleasant without our adding to the degradation ofit."

  "Very well," grumbled Schonau. "Pass on into the courtyard."

  Barney and the girl remounted and the little cavalcade moved forwardthrough the ballium and the great gate into the court beyond.

  "Did you notice," said Barney to the princess, "that even hebelieves me to be the king? I cannot fathom it."

  Within the castle they were met by a number of servants andsoldiers. An officer escorted them to the great hall, and presentlya dark visaged captain of cavalry entered and approached them.Butzow saluted.

  "His Majesty, the King," he announced, "has returned to Blentz. Inaccordance with the commands of the Regent I deliver his augustperson into your safe keeping, Captain Maenck."

  Maenck nodded. He was looking at Barney with evident curiosity.

  "Where did you find him?" he asked Butzow.

  He made no pretense of according to Barney the faintest indicationof the respect that is supposed to be due to those of royal blood.Barney commenced to hope that he had finally come upon one who wouldknow that he was not king.

  Butzow recounted the details of the finding of the king. As hespoke, Maenck's eyes, restless and furtive, seemed to be appraisingthe personal charms of the girl who stood just back of Barney.

  The American did not like the appearance of the officer, but he sawthat he was evidently supreme at Blentz, and he determined to appealto him in the hope that the man might believe his story and untanglethe ridiculous muddle that a chance resemblance to a fugitivemonarch had thrown him and the girl into.

  "Captain," said Barney, stepping closer to the officer, "there hasbeen a mistake in identity here. I am not the king. I am an Americantraveling for pleasure in Lutha. The fact that I have gray eyes andwear a full reddish-brown beard is my only offense. You aredoubtless familiar with the king's appearance and so you at leasthave already seen that I am not his majesty.

  "Not being the king, there is no cause to detain me longer, and as Iam not a fugitive and never have been, this young lady has beenguilty of no misdemeanor or crime in being in my company. Thereforeshe too should be released. In the name of justice and commondecency I am sure that you will liberate us both at once and furnishthe Princess von der Tann, at least, with a proper escort to herhome."

  Maenck listened in silence until Barney had finished, a half smileupon his thick lips.

  "I am commencing to believe that you are not so crazy as we have allthought," he said. "Certainly," and he let his eyes rest upon Emmavon der Tann, "you are not mentally deficient in so far as yourjudgment of a good-looking woman is concerned. I could not have madea better selection myself.

  "As for my familiarity with your appearance, you know as well as Ithat I have never seen you before. But that is not necessary--youconform perfectly to the printed description of you with which thekingdom is flooded. Were that not enough, the fact that you werediscovered with old Von der Tann's daughter is sufficient to removethe least doubt as to your identity."

  "You are governor of Blentz," cried Barney, "and yet you say thatyou have never seen the king?"

  "Certainly," replied Maenck. "After you escaped the entirepersonnel of the garrison here was changed, even the old servants toa man were withdrawn and others substituted. You will havedifficulty in again escaping, for those who aided you before are nolonger here."

  "There is no man in the castle of Blentz who has ever seen theking?" asked Barney.

  "None who has seen him before tonight," replied Maenck. "But were wein doubt we have the word of the Princess Emma that you are Leopold.Did she not admit it to you, Butzow?"

  "When she thought his majesty dead she admitted it," replied Butzow.

  "We gain nothing by discussing the matter," said Maenck shortly."You are Leopold of Lutha. Prince Peter says that you are mad. Allthat concerns me is that you do not escape again, and you may restassured that while Ernst Maenck is governor of Blentz you shall notescape and go at large again.

  "Are the royal apartments in readiness for his majesty, Dr. Stein?"he concluded, turning toward a rat-faced little man with bushywhiskers, who stood just behind him.

  The query was propounded in an ironical tone, and with a manner thatmade no pretense of concealing the contempt of the speaker for theman he thought the king.

  The eyes of the Princess Emma were blazing as she caught the scantrespect in Maenck's manner. She looked quick
ly toward Barney to seeif he intended rebuking the man for his impertinence. She saw thatthe king evidently intended overlooking Maenck's attitude. But Emmavon der Tann was of a different mind.

  She had seen Maenck several times at social functions in thecapital. He had even tried to win a place in her favor, but she hadalways disliked him, even before the nasty stories of his past lifehad become common gossip, and within the year she had won his hatredby definitely indicating to him that he was persona non grata, in sofar as she was concerned. Now she turned upon him, her eyes flashingwith indignation.

  "Do you forget, sir, that you address the king?" she cried. "Thatyou are without honor I have heard men say, and I may truly believeit now that I have seen what manner of man you are. The mostlowly-bred boor in all Lutha would not be so ungenerous as to takeadvantage of his king's helplessness to heap indignities upon him.

  "Leopold of Lutha shall come into his own some day, and my dearesthope is that his first act may be to mete out to such as you thepunishment you deserve."

  Maenck paled in anger. His fingers twitched nervously, but hecontrolled his temper remarkably well, biding his time for revenge.

  "Take the king to his apartments, Stein," he commanded curtly, "andyou, Lieutenant Butzow, accompany them with a guard, nor leave untilyou see that he is safely confined. You may return here afterwardfor my further instructions. In the meantime I wish to examine theking's mistress."

  For a moment tense silence reigned in the apartment after Maenck haddelivered his wanton insult.

  Emma von der Tann, her little chin high in the air, stood straightand haughty, nor was there any sign in her expression to indicatethat she had heard the man's words.

  Barney was the first to take cognizance of them.

  "You cur!" he cried, and took a step toward Maenck. "You're going toeat that, word for word."

  Maenck stepped back, his hand upon his sword. Butzow laid a handupon Barney's arm.

  "Don't, your majesty," he implored, "it will but make your positionmore unpleasant, nor will it add to the safety of the Princess vonder Tann for you to strike him now."

  Barney shook himself free from Butzow, and before either Stein orthe lieutenant could prevent had sprung upon Maenck.

  The latter had not been quick enough with his sword, so that Barneyhad struck him twice, heavily in the face before the officer wasable to draw. Butzow had sprung to the king's side, and wasattempting to interpose himself between Maenck and the American. Ina moment more the sword of the infuriated captain would be in theking's heart. Barney turned the first thrust with his forearm.

  "Stop!" cried Butzow to Maenck. "Are you mad, that you would killthe king?"

  Maenck lunged again, viciously, at the unprotected body of hisantagonist.

  "Die, you pig of an idiot!" he screamed.

  Butzow saw that the man really meant to murder Leopold. He seizedBarney by the shoulder and whirled him backward. At the same instanthis own sword leaped from his scabbard, and now Maenck found himselffacing grim steel in the hand of a master swordsman.

  The governor of Blentz drew back from the touch of that sharp point.

  "What do you mean?" he cried. "This is mutiny."

  "When I received my commission," replied Butzow, quietly, "I sworeto protect the person of the king with my life, and while I live noman shall affront Leopold of Lutha in my presence, or threaten hissafety else he accounts to me for his act. Return your sword,Captain Maenck, nor ever again draw it against the king while I benear."

  Slowly Maenck sheathed his weapon. Black hatred for Butzow and theman he was protecting smoldered in his eyes.

  "If he wishes peace," said Barney, "let him apologize to theprincess."

  "You had better apologize, captain," counseled Butzow, "for if theking should command me to do so I should have to compel you to," andthe lieutenant half drew his sword once more.

  There was something in Butzow's voice that warned Maenck that hissubordinate would like nothing better than the king's command to runhim through.

  He well knew the fame of Butzow's sword arm, and having no stomachfor an encounter with it he grumbled an apology.

  "And don't let it occur again," warned Barney.

  "Come," said Dr. Stein, "your majesty should be in your apartments,away from all excitement, if we are to effect a cure, so that youmay return to your throne quickly."

  Butzow formed the soldiers about the American, and the party movedsilently out of the great hall, leaving Captain Maenck and PrincessEmma von der Tann its only occupants.

  Barney cast a troubled glance toward Maenck, and half hesitated.

  "I am sorry, your majesty," said Butzow in a low voice, "but youmust accompany us. In this the governor of Blentz is well within hisauthority, and I must obey him."

  "Heaven help her!" murmured Barney.

  "The governor will not dare harm her," said Butzow. "Your majestyneed entertain no apprehension."

  "I wouldn't trust him," replied the American. "I know his kind."