[061]
The two men then held a short consultation, at the close of
which they said: "Lo now; we are sorry for thee, and so we
make thee a fair offer. If thou wilt join with us in a little matter
which we have in hand, we doubt not but thy share of the gain
will greatly exceed what thou hast lost."
[062]
Andreuccio, being now
desperate, answered that he was ready to join them.
[063]
Now Messer
Filippo Minutolo, Archbishop of Naples, had that day been buried
with a ruby on his finger, worth over five hundred florins of gold,
besides other ornaments of extreme value. The two men were
minded to despoil the Archbishop of his fine trappings, and imparted
their design to Andreuccio,
[064]
who, cupidity getting the better of
caution, approved it; and so they all three set forth. But as they
were on their way to the cathedral, Andreuccio gave out so rank an
odour that one said to the other: "Can we not contrive that he
somehow wash himself a little, that he stink not so shrewdly?"
[065]
"Why yes," said the other, "we are now close to a well, which
is never without the pulley and a large bucket; 'tis but a step
thither, and we will wash him out of hand."
[066]
Arrived at the well,
they found that the rope was still there, but the bucket had been
removed; so they determined to attach him to the rope, and
lower him into the well, there to wash himself, which done, he
was to jerk the rope, and they would draw him up. Lowered
accordingly he was; but just as, now washen, he jerked the rope,
[067]
it
so happened that a company of patrols, being thirsty because 'twas a
hot night and some rogue had led them a pretty dance, came to the
well to drink. The two men fled, unobserved, as soon as they caught
sight of the newcomers, who, parched with thirst,
[068]
laid aside their
bucklers, arms and surcoats, and fell to hauling on the rope, supposing
that it bore the bucket, full of water. [069]When, therefore, they saw
Andreuccio, as he neared the brink of the well, loose the rope and
clutch the brink with his hands, they were stricken with a sudden
terror, and without uttering a word let go the rope, and took to flight
with all the speed they could make. Whereat Andreuccio marvelled
mightily, and had he not kept a tight grip on the brink of the well,
he would certainly have gone back to the bottom and hardly have
escaped grievous hurt, or death. Still greater was his astonishment,
when, fairly landed on terra firma, he found the patrols' arms lying
there, which he knew had not been carried by his comrades.
[070]
He
felt a vague dread, he knew not why; he bewailed once more his
evil fortune; and without venturing to touch the arms, he left the
well and wandered he knew not whither. As he went, however, he
fell in with his two comrades, now returning to draw him out of the
well; who no sooner saw him than in utter amazement they
demanded who had hauled him up. Andreuccio answered that he
knew not, and then told them in detail how it had come about, and
what he had found beside the well.
[071]
They laughed as they apprehended
the circumstances, and told him why they had fled, and who
they were that had hauled him up. Then without further parley,
for it was now midnight, they hied them to the cathedral. They had
no difficulty in entering and finding the tomb, which was a magnificent
structure of marble, and with their iron implements they raised
the lid, albeit it was very heavy, to a height sufficient to allow a man
to enter, and propped it up.
[072]
This done, a dialogue ensued. "Who
shall go in?" said one.
[073]
"Not I," said the other.
[074]
"Nor I,"
rejoined his companion; "let Andreuccio go in."
[075]
"That will not I," said Andreuccio.
[076]
Whereupon both turned upon him and said:
"How? thou wilt not go in? By God, if thou goest not in, we
will give thee that over the pate with one of these iron crowbars
that thou shalt drop down dead."
[077]
Terror-stricken, into the tomb
Andreuccio went, saying to himself as he did so: "These men will
have me go in, that they may play a trick upon me: when I have
handed everything up to them, and am sweating myself to get out
of the tomb, they will be off about their business, and I shall be left
with nothing for my pains." So he determined to make sure of his
own part first; and bethinking him of the precious ring of which he
had heard them speak, as soon as he had completed the descent, he
drew the ring off the Archbishop's finger, and put it on his own: he
then handed up one by one the crosier, mitre and gloves, and other of
the Archbishop's trappings, stripping him to his shirt; which done, he
told his comrades that there was nothing more.
[078]
They insisted that
the ring must be there, and bade him search everywhere. This he
feigned to do, ejaculating from time to time that he found it not;
and thus he kept them a little while in suspense. But they, who
were in their way as cunning as he, kept on exhorting him to make
a careful search, and, seizing their opportunity, withdrew the prop
that supported the lid of the tomb, and took to their heels, leaving
him there a close prisoner. You will readily conceive how Andreuccio
behaved when he understood his situation.
[079]
More than once he
applied his head and shoulders to the lid and sought with might and
main to heave it up; but all his efforts were fruitless; so that at
last, overwhelmed with anguish he fell in a swoon on the corpse of
the Archbishop, and whether of the twain were the more lifeless,
Andreuccio or the Archbishop, 'twould have puzzled an observer to
determine.
