Chapter I: Preface

I must plead guilty to having, for the purposes of the story, placed my hero’s castle (which unhappily no longer exists) much nearer to Rennes than it actually was; but the chief events of his life are given here very much as I found them in the old French chronicles.

DAVID KER.

CONTENTS

CHAP. Page

I. THE BROKEN BOUGH 1

II. FACING A MONSTER 7

III. A MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE 16

IV. BERTRAND’S DREAM 29

V. A TIMELY RESCUE 37

VI. MIGHTY TO STRIKE 51

VII. A STRANGE TALE 67

VIII. LANCE TO LANCE 79

IX. INTO THE DRAGON’S JAWS 93

X. THE WAGES OF JUDAS 103

XI. A MIDNIGHT BATTLE 110

XII. CROWNING AN ENEMY 126

XIII. A RED STAIN 133

XIV. THE BLACK DEATH 140

XV. A NIGHT ALARM 148

XVI. THE BOLDEST DEED OF ALL 161

XVII. THE HAUNTED CIRCLE 168

XVIII. A PHANTOM WARRIOR 177

XIX. IN A ROBBER CAMP 189

XX. DOOMED 194

XXI. THE BLACK WOLF 206

XXII. A CLEVER STRATAGEM 215

XXIII. POSSESSED SWINE 222

XXIV. THROUGH THE DARKNESS 235

XXV. A CASE OF CONSCIENCE 246

XXVI. CRESCENT AND CROSS 259

XXVII. AN ASTOUNDING REVELATION 268

XXVIII. PLOT AND COUNTER-PLOT 276

XXIX. TREACHERY 283

XXX. A VILLAGE FESTIVAL 299

XXXI. A STRANGE MEETING 313

XXXII. NEWS OF AN OLD FRIEND 326

XXXIII. THE LAST SUNSET 337

ILLUSTRATIONS

Page

BERTRAND DEFENDS THE JESTER _Frontispiece_ 61

BERTRAND GRAPPLES WITH THE WOLF 9

THE BLACK CHAMPION CONQUERS 88

“THE BLACK KNIGHT TURNED LIKE A HUNTED LION” 163

“THE SHOUTING ASSAILANTS BURST IN” 220

“HE STARED AT HIS FOE’S REVEALED FACE” 266