Its massy and gloomy walls gave her terrible ideas of imprisonment and suffering: yet, as she advanced, some degree of hope mingled with her terror; for, though this was certainly the residence of Montoni, it was possibly, also, that of Valancourt, and she could not approach a place, where he might be, without experiencing somewhat of the joy of hope.
They continued to wind along the valley, and, soon after, she saw again the old walls and moon-lit towers, rising over the woods: the strong rays enabled her, also, to perceive the ravages, which the siege had made,--with the broken walls, and shattered battlements, for they were now at the foot of the steep, on which Udolpho stood.
Massy fragments had rolled down among the woods, through which the travellers now began to ascend, and there mingled with the loose earth, and pieces of rock they had brought with them.The woods, too, had suffered much from the batteries above, for here the enemy had endeavoured to screen themselves from the fire of the ramparts.
Many noble trees were levelled with the ground, and others, to a wide extent, were entirely stripped of their upper branches.'We had better dismount,' said Ugo, 'and lead the mules up the hill, or we shall get into some of the holes, which the balls have left.Here are plenty of them.Give me the torch,' continued Ugo, after they had dismounted, 'and take care you don't stumble over any thing, that lies in your way, for the ground is not yet cleared of the enemy.'
'How!' exclaimed Emily, 'are any of the enemy here, then?'
'Nay, I don't know for that, now,' he replied, 'but when I came away I saw one or two of them lying under the trees.'
As they proceeded, the torch threw a gloomy light upon the ground, and far among the recesses of the woods, and Emily feared to look forward, lest some object of horror should meet her eye.The path was often strewn with broken heads of arrows, and with shattered remains of armour, such as at that period was mingled with the lighter dress of the soldiers.'Bring the light hither,' said Bertrand, 'I have stumbled over something, that rattles loud enough.'
Ugo holding up the torch, they perceived a steel breastplate on the ground, which Bertrand raised, and they saw, that it was pierced through, and that the lining was entirely covered with blood; but upon Emily's earnest entreaties, that they would proceed, Bertrand, uttering some joke upon the unfortunate person, to whom it had belonged, threw it hard upon the ground, and they passed on.
At every step she took, Emily feared to see some vestige of death.
Coming soon after to an opening in the woods, Bertrand stopped to survey the ground, which was encumbered with massy trunks and branches of the trees, that had so lately adorned it, and seemed to have been a spot particularly fatal to the besiegers; for it was evident from the destruction of the trees, that here the hottest fire of the garrison had been directed.As Ugo held again forth the torch, steel glittered between the fallen trees; the ground beneath was covered with broken arms, and with the torn vestments of soldiers, whose mangled forms Emily almost expected to see; and she again entreated her companions to proceed, who were, however, too intent in their examination, to regard her, and she turned her eyes from this desolated scene to the castle above, where she observed lights gliding along the ramparts.Presently, the castle clock struck twelve, and then a trumpet sounded, of which Emily enquired the occasion.
'O! they are only changing watch,' replied Ugo.'I do not remember this trumpet,' said Emily, 'it is a new custom.' 'It is only an old one revived, lady; we always use it in time of war.We have sounded it, at midnight, ever since the place was besieged.'
'Hark!' said Emily, as the trumpet sounded again; and, in the next moment, she heard a faint clash of arms, and then the watchword passed along the terrace above, and was answered from a distant part of the castle; after which all was again still.She complained of cold, and begged to go on.'Presently, lady,' said Bertrand, turning over some broken arms with the pike he usually carried.'What have we here?'
'Hark!' cried Emily, 'what noise was that?'
'What noise was it?' said Ugo, starting up and listening.
'Hush!' repeated Emily.'It surely came from the ramparts above:'
and, on looking up, they perceived a light moving along the walls, while, in the next instant, the breeze swelling, the voice sounded louder than before.
'Who goes yonder?' cried a sentinel of the castle.'Speak or it will be worse for you.' Bertrand uttered a shout of joy.'Hah! my brave comrade, is it you?' said he, and he blew a shrill whistle, which signal was answered by another from the soldier on watch; and the party, then passing forward, soon after emerged from the woods upon the broken road, that led immediately to the castle gates, and Emily saw, with renewed terror, the whole of that stupendous structure.
'Alas!' said she to herself, 'I am going again into my prison!'
'Here has been warm work, by St.Marco!' cried Bertrand, waving a torch over the ground; 'the balls have torn up the earth here with a vengeance.'
'Aye,' replied Ugo, 'they were fired from that redoubt, yonder, and rare execution they did.The enemy made a furious attack upon the great gates; but they might have guessed they could never carry it there; for, besides the cannon from the walls, our archers, on the two round towers, showered down upon them at such a rate, that, by holy Peter! there was no standing it.I never saw a better sight in my life; I laughed, till my sides aked, to see how the knaves scampered.Bertrand, my good fellow, thou shouldst have been among them; I warrant thou wouldst have won the race!'