Barbarossa and his court now occupied Goslar, the walled city of Prussia
which the two comrades were approaching. Giovanni wished to have the
Emperor's permission to go on to Saxony. It might save his being detained
as a spy or interfered with in some other way.

He wished also to discover how far the preparations for the invasion of
Italy had gone. From what he had heard he thought that Barbarossa was
about to gather his forces. He himself intended to join the army of the
Lombard League as soon as he had delivered his letter.

There was not much difficulty in finding an inn where they could have
supper, and sleep, rolled up in their cloaks, on the floor in a corner of
the common room. The donkey was unloaded and fed, and the saddle-bags were
brought in to serve as pillows. Having eaten, they lay down to the
dreamless sleep of healthy youth. Cimarron's mountain-bred ears caught the
sound, two hours after, of clanking swords and trampling horses, and he
signaled silently to Giovanni. Troopers clattered in, laughing, cursing,
calling for this and that, and not seeing the two motionless figures in
the dark corner at all. When all was still again Cimarron whispered,

"Who are they?"

"They are Swabian cavalry," answered the other. "We were none too soon.
The army is mustering already."

Next morning Giovanni cast about for means to get inside the walls of the
great castle, where the Imperial banner floated in the cold blue air. But
there seemed to be no disposition to encourage foreigners. Cimarron, who
could sometimes gain admittance as a horse-boy, was kicked out. There was
tumult and excitement in the streets. Giovanni, retreating to a narrow