Read Ebook: An Artist in Crime by Ottolengui Rodrigues

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Ebook has 1437 lines and 74893 words, and 29 pages

PLATE

FACING PAGE

"... The noble science once The study and delight of every gentleman."

"And thus the story Of great deeds was told."

PEEPS AT HERALDRY

AN INTRODUCTORY TALK ABOUT HERALDRY

What is heraldry?

The art of heraldry, or armoury, as the old writers called it, consists in blazoning the arms and telling the descent and history of families by certain pictorial signs. Thus from age to age an authenticated register of genealogies has been kept and handed on from generation to generation. The making and keeping of these records have always been the special duty of a duly appointed herald.

Perhaps you think that explanation of heraldry sounds rather dull, but you will soon find out that very much that is interesting and amusing, too, is associated with the study of armorial bearings.

For heraldry, which, you know, was reckoned as one of the prime glories of chivalry, is the language that keeps alive the golden deeds done in the world, and that is why those who have once learnt its secrets are always anxious to persuade others to learn them too.

"Although," says the old writer, Montague; "our ancestors were little given to study, they held a knowledge of heraldry to be indispensable, because they considered that it was the outward sign of the spirit of chivalry and the index also to a lengthy chronicle of doughty deeds."

Now, it is in a language that is all its own that heraldry tells its stories, and it is unlike any other in which history has been written.

This language, as expressed in armorial bearings, contains no words, no letters, even, for signs and devices do the work of words, and very well they do it. And as almost every object, animate and inanimate, under the sun was used to compose this alphabet, we shall find as we go on that not only are the sun, moon and stars, the clouds and the rainbow, fountains and sea, rocks and stones, trees and plants of all kinds, fruits and grain, pressed into the service of this heraldic language, but that all manner of living creatures figure as well in this strange alphabet, from tiny insects, such as bees and flies and butterflies, to the full-length representations of angels, kings, bishops, and warriors. Mythical creatures--dragons and cockatrices, and even mermaidens--have also found their way into heraldry, just as we find traditions and legends still lingering in the history of nations, like the pale ghosts of old-world beliefs.

And as though heavenly bodies and plants and animals were not sufficient for their purpose, heralds added yet other "letters" to their alphabet in the shape of crowns, maces, rings, musical instruments, ploughs, scythes, spades, wheels, spindles, lamps, etc.

Each of these signs, as you can easily understand, told a story of its own, as did also the towers, castles, arches, bridges, bells, cups, ships, anchors, hunting-horns, spears, bows, arrows, and many other objects, which, with their own special meaning, we shall gradually find introduced into the language of heraldry.

But perhaps by now you are beginning to wonder how you can possibly learn one-half of what all these signs are meant to convey, but you will not wonder about that long, for heraldry has its own well-arranged grammar, and grammar, as you know, means fixed rules which are simple guides for writing or speaking a language correctly.

Moreover, happily both for teacher and learner, the fish and birds and beasts do not come swarming on to our pages in shoals and flocks and herds, but we have to do with them either singly or in twos and threes.

Now, even those people who know nothing about heraldry are quite familiar with the term, "a coat of arms." They know, too, that it means the figure of a shield, marked and coloured in a variety of ways, so as to be distinctive of individuals, families, etc.

I will tell you.

"Now, the principal end for which these signs were first taken up and put in use," says Guillim, "was that they might serve as notes and marks to distinguish tribes, families and particular persons from the other. Nor was this their only use. They also served to describe the nature, quality, and disposition of their bearer."

Sir G. Mackenzie goes farther, and declares that heraldry was invented, or, at any rate, kept up, for two chief purposes:

Some derive their names as well as their armorial bearings from some great feat that they may have performed. Thus:

"The son of Struan Robertson for killing of a wolf in Stocket Forest by a durk--dirk--in the King's presence, got the name of Skein, which signifies a dirk in Irish, and three durk points in pale for his arms."

We shall meet with numbers of other instances in heraldry where armorial bearings were bestowed upon the ancestors of their present bearers for some special reason, which is thereby commemorated.

Indeed, it is most interesting and amusing to collect the legends as well as the historical facts which explain the origin and meaning of different coats of arms.

Here are a few instances of some rather odd charges.

To begin with the Redman family:

They bear three pillows, the origin of which Guillim explains--viz.: "This coat of arms is given to the Redman family for this reason: Having been challenged to single combat by a stranger, and the day and the place for that combat having been duly fixed, Redman being more forward than his challenger, came so early to the place that he fell asleep in his tent, whilst waiting for the arrival of his foe.

"The people being meanwhile assembled and the hour having struck, the trumpets sounded to the combat, whereupon Redman, suddenly awakening out of his sleep, ran furiously upon his adversary and slew him. And so the pillows were granted to him as armorial bearings, to remind all men of the doughty deed which he awakened from sleep to achieve."

In many cases the charges on a coat of arms reflect the name or the calling of the bearer.

The arms of the Abbot of Ramsey furnish, perhaps, one of the most glaring examples of canting heraldry, for on his shield a ram is represented struggling in the sea!

On the shield of the Swallow family we find the mast of a ship with all its rigging disappearing between the capacious jaws of a whale, whilst the Bacons bear a boar.

But whoever designed the coat of arms of a certain Squire Malherbe must have surely been in rather a sn in that instance have taken precautions. But with my secret in the possession of a second party, the position is more complex."

"I assure you on my honor that I will not betray you. I will agree to forfeit five times the wager in such an event."

"I prefer that you should be perfectly at liberty in the matter. I expect it to be thus: in your own mind at present you do not think that I shall carry out my purpose. Therefore, your friendship for me is undisturbed. Then you count that, if I do commit a crime, it will be some trivial one that you may bring your conscience to excuse, under the circumstances. But let us suppose that a really great crime should be reported, and for some reason you should suspect me. You will hurry to my rooms before I get out of bed, and ask me flatly whether I am guilty. As flatly I should refuse to enlighten you. You would take this as a confession of guilt. You would perhaps argue that if your surmise were correct you would be an accessory before the fact, and to shield yourself and do your duty you would make a clean breast of it."

"I am beginning to be offended, Bob. I did not think you would trust me so little!"

"Don't get angry, old man. Remember that only a few minutes ago you warned me that you would cut me dead after the crime. We artistic criminals must be prepared against every contingency."

"I did not think when I spoke. I did not mean it."

"Yes, you did, and I am not at all angry. Let it be understood then that you will be at liberty to repeat the facts about this wager should your conscience prick you. It will be best for me to expect and be prepared for such action. But you have not asked what the second danger of discovery is. Can you guess?"

"Not unless you mean as you suggested, your own confession."

"No, though that really makes a third chance. Yet it is so simple. Have you noticed that we can hear a man snoring?"

"No!"

"Listen a moment! Do you not hear that? It is not exactly a snore, but rather a troubled breathing. Now that man is in the third section from us. Do you see the point?"

"I must confess that I would not make a detective."

"Oh, I guess not. Everybody is asleep."

"The common criminal from necessity takes chances like that, without counting on them. I shall not. There is a possibility, however remote, that some one, in Number Ten say, has overheard us. Again he may even be a detective, and worse yet it might be your Mr. Barnes himself."

"Well, I must say if you prepare against such long odds as that you deserve to escape detection!"

"That is just what I will do. But the odds are not so great as you imagine. I read in an afternoon paper that Mr. Barnes had remained in Boston in connection with properly securing his prisoner during the day, but that he would leave for New York to-night. Of course the newspaper may have been wrong. Then in saying "to-night" it may have been inaccurate; but supposing that the statement were true, then there were three trains upon which he might have started, one at seven o'clock, one at eleven, and this one. One in three is not long odds."

"But even if he is on this train, there are ten coaches."

"Again you are wrong. After his hard work on this Pettingill case he would be sure to take a sleeper. Now if you recall the fact, I did not decide to go to New York to-night till the last minute. Then we found that we could not get a whole section, and were about to bunk together in a lower berth when, several more people applying, they determined to put on another coach. Therefore, unless Mr. Barnes secured his ticket during the day, he would inevitably have been assigned to this coach."

"Had you any special reason for suggesting Number Ten?"

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