The ballium, or outer court, which lay between the inner and outer walls of the castle and entirely surrounded it, was, upon the north or valley side, given over entirely to knightly practice and training. Here the ballium was very wide, and against the inner wall was built a wooden grand stand that could be quickly removed in the event of an attack upon the castle.
Jousts and tilts were held here weekly, while the great tourneys that occurred less often were given upon a field outside the castle wall upon the floor of the valley.
Daily many knights and ladies came to watch the practice and training that filled the ballium with life and action and color during the morning hours. Good-natured banter flew back and forth, wagers were laid, and woe betide the contender who was unhorsed during these practice bouts, for the thing that a knight dreaded even more than he dreaded death was ridicule.
In the formal jousts that were held weekly greater decorum was observed by the audience, but during the daily practice their raillery verged upon brutality.
It was before such an audience as this that Blake received his training, and because he was a novelty the audiences were larger than usual, and because the friends of Sir Malud and the friends of Sir Richard had tacitly acknowledged him as an issue both the applause and the ridicule were loud and boisterous.
Even the Prince came often and Guinalda always was there. It was soon apparent that Prince Gobred leaned slightly to the side of Sir Malud, with the natural result that Malud's party immediately acquired numerous recruits.
The training of the lads who were squires to the knights and who would one day be admitted to the charmed circle of knighthood occupied the earlier hours of the morning. This was followed by practice tilts between knights, during which Sir Richard or one of his friends undertook the training of Blake at the far side of the ballium, and it was during this practice that the American's outstanding horsemanship became apparent, even Gobred being led to applause.
''Od's bodikins,' he exclaimed, 'the man be a part of his charger!'
''Twas but chance that saved him from a fall,' said Malud.
'Mayhap,' agreed Gobred, 'but at that me likes the looks of him within a saddle.'
'He doeth not too ill with his lance,' admitted Malud. 'But, 'od's blud! didst ever see a more awkward lout with a buckler? Methinks he hath had more use for a trencher.' This sally elicited roars of laughter in which the Princess Guinalda did not join, a fact which Malud, whose eyes were often upon her, was quick to note. 'Thou still believest this churl to be a knight, Princess Guinalda?' he demanded.
'Have I said aught?' she asked.
'Thou didst not laugh,' he reminded her.
'He is a stranger knight, far from his own country and it seemeth not a knightly nor a gentle thing to ridicule him,' she replied. 'Therefore I did not laugh, for I was not amused.'
Later that day as Blake joined the others in the great court, he ran directly into Malud's party, nor was it at all an accident, as he never made any effort to avoid Malud or his friends and was, seemingly, oblivious to their thinly veiled taunts and insinuations. Malud himself attributed this to the density and ignorance of a yokel, which he insisted Blake to be, but there were others who rather admired Blake for his attitude, seeing in it a studied affront that Malud was too dense to perceive.
Most of the inmates of the grim castle of Nimmr were inclined pleasantly toward the newcomer. He had brought with him an air of freshness and newness that was rather a relief from the hoary atmosphere that had surrounded Nimmr for nearly seven and a half centuries. He had brought them new words and new expressions and new views, which many of them were joyously adopting, and had it not been for the unreasoning antagonism of the influential Sir Malud, Blake had been accepted with open arms.
Sir Richard was far more popular then Malud, but lacked the latter's wealth in horses, arms and retainers and consequently had less influence with Prince Gobred. However there were many independent souls who either followed Sir Richard because they were fond of him or arrived at their own decisions without reference to the dictates of policy, and many of these were staunch friends to Blake.
Not all of those who surrounded Malud this afternoon were antagonistic to the American, but the majority of them laughed when Malud laughed and frowned when he frowned, for in the courts of kings and princes flourished the first order of 'yes men.'
Blake was greeted by many a smile and nod as he advanced and bowed low before the Princess Guinalda, who was one of the company and, being of princely blood, entitled to his first devoirs.
'Thou didst well this morning, Sir James,' said the princess, kindly. 'It pleases me greatly to see thee ride.'
'Methinketh 'twould be a rarer treat to see him serve a side of venison,' sneered Malud.
This provoked so much laughter that Malud was encouraged to seek further applause.
'Odzooks!' he cried, 'arm him with a trencher and carving knife and he would be at home.'
'Speaking of serving,' said Blake, 'and Sir Malud's mind seems to be more occupied with that than with more knightly things, does any of you know what is necessary quickly to serve fresh pig?'
'Nay, fair sir knight,' said Guinalda, 'we know not. Prithee tell us.
'Yes, tell us,' roared Malud, 'thou, indeed, shouldst know.'
'You said a mouthful, old scout, I do know!'
'And what be necessary that you may quickly serve fresh pig?' demanded Malud, looking about him and winking.
'A trencher, a carving knife and you, Sir Malud,' replied Blake.
It was several seconds before the thrust penetrated their simple minds and it was the Princess Guinalda who first broke into merry laughter and soon all were roaring, while some explained the quip to others.
No, not all were laughing—not Sir Malud. When he grasped the significance of Blake's witticism he first turned very red and then went white, for the great Sir Malud liked not to be the butt of ridicule, which is ever the way of those most prone to turn ridicule upon others.
'Sirrah,' he cried, 'darest thou affront Malud? 'Od's blud, fellow! Low born varlet! Only thy blood canst atone this affront!'
'Hop to it, old thing!' replied Blake. 'Name your poison!'
'I knowest not the meaning of thy silly words,' cried Malud, 'but I know that an' thou doest not meet me in fair tilt upon the morrow I shall whip thee across the Valley of the Holy Sepulcher with a barrel starve.'
'You're on!' snapped back Blake. 'Tomorrow morning in the south ballium with———'
'Thou mayst choose the weapons, sirrah,' said Malud,
'Don't call me sirrah, I don't like it,' said Blake very quietly, and now he was not smiling. 'I want to tell you something, Malud, that may be good for your soul. You are really the only man in Nimmr who didn't want to treat me well and give me a chance, a fair chance, to prove that I am all right.
'You think you are a great knight, but you are not. You have no intelligence, no heart, no chivalry. You are not what we would call in my country a good sport. You have a few horses and a few men-at-arms. That is all you have, for without them you would not have the favor of the Prince, and without his favor you would have no friends.
'You are not so good or great a man in any way as is Sir Richard, who combines all the qualities of chivalry that for centuries have glorified the order of knighthood; nor are you so good a man as I, who, with your own weapons, will best you on the morrow when, in the north ballium, I meet you on horseback with sword and buckler!'
The members of the party, upon seeing Malud's wrath, had gradually fallen away from Blake until, as he concluded his speech, he stood alone a few paces apart from Malud and those who surrounded him. Then it was that one stepped from among those at Malud's side and walked to Blake. It was Guinalda.
'Sir James.' she said with a sweet smile, 'thou spokest with thy mouth full!' She broke into a merry laugh. 'Walk with me in the garden, sir knight,' and taking his arm she guided him toward the south end of the eastern court.
'You're wonderful!' was all that Blake could find to say.
'Dost really think I be wonderful?' she demanded. 'I had to know if men speak the truth to such as I. The truth, as people see it, is spoke more oft to slaves than princes.'
'I hope to prove it by my conduct,' he said.
They had drawn a short distance away from the others now and the girl suddenly laid her hand impulsively
