The Half Brothers; Or, the Head and the Hand, Tr by L Lawford

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: What need have you of a brother, when you have a faithful people? What can Seville offer more than Coimbra? My lord, said Mothril, must I return to my royal master with the intelligence that your dog, your page, and your people will not allow you to obey his summons ? No, Mothril, replied the young prince, I am ready to depart; forward, my friends ! and waving his hand to the people, he placed himself at the head of the cavalcade?the crowd silently parting before it. They now proceeded to close the gilded gates of the Alcazar, which grated on their hinges like the rusted portal of some empty sepulchre. As long as his master remained in sight, the dog, as though hoping he would change his resolution, and return, kept his position on the steps; but when a turn of the road hid him from view, he started off in pursuit, and in a few moments overtook him, as if, since he could not prevent his rushing into danger, he was at least resolved to share it with him. Ten minutes afterwards they left Coimbra, and took the same route travelled that same morning by both Mothril the Moor and Agenor de Mauleou. CHAPTER III. MUSCARON'S DISCO VERV. The Grand Master's troop, including the Frank chevalier and his squire, but not counting the Moor and his dozen guards, pages, and valets, consisted of in all thirty-eight men. The rich baggage was carried by sumpter mules, for eight days previous to the arrival of Mothril, Don Frederick had been apprised that his brother awaited him at Seville. He was, therefore, prepared for immediate departure, hoping that the Moor would be too fatigued to accompany him, and would remain behind; but in this he was disappointed, for weariness seemed alike unknown both to these sons of the desert and their fleet steeds. On the first day, th...