Produced by Patricia L. Ehler, Suzanne L. Shell, Charles
Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
[Illustration: "Yield Thee in the King's Name"]
1909
"Yield thee in the king's name!"
Hugo seeks shelter within the walls
"Thou art welcome, my lad," said Lady De Aldithely
"It is well thou hast me to lead thee"
Humphrey and Hugo in the oak tree
The little spy and Humphrey
Hugo looked about him with interest
Humphrey started up, snatching a great bunch of long, flaming reeds
None knew which way to turn to escape
Richard Wood finds Walter Skinner
Walter Skinner's horse refused to be controlled
Richard Wood beckoned the Saxons to approach
He rode to the edge of the moat and looked down
Humphrey in priest's garb
Bartlemy bore garments for disguise
Humphrey, half turning in his saddle, saw a priest
It was the last of May in the north of England, in the year 1209. Avery different England from what any boy of to-day has seen. A chillyeast wind was blowing. The trees of the vast forests were all in leafbut the ash trees, and they were unfolding their buds. And along abridle-path a few miles southwest of York a lad of fourteen was riding,while behind him followed a handsome deerhound. A boy of fourteen, atthat age of the world, was an older and more important personage thanhe is to-day. If he were well-born he had, generally, by this time,served his time as a page and was become an esquire in the train ofsome noble lord. That this lad had not done so was because his uncle, aprior in whose charge he had been reared since the early death of hisparents, had designed him for a priest. Priest, however, he haddeclined to be, and his uncle had now permitted him to go forthunattended to attach himself as page to some lord, if he could.
To-day he seemed very much at home in the great wood as he glancedabout him fearlessly, but so he would have been anywhere. Apparently hewas unprotected from assault save by the bow he carried. In reality hewore a shirt of chain mail beneath his doublet, a precaution which hethe more willingly took because of his good hope one day to be aknight, when not only the shirt of mail, but the helmet, shield, sword,and lance would be his as well.
It was not far from noon when he came to the great open place clearedof all timber and undergrowth which announced the presence of a castle.And looking up, he saw the flag of the De Aldithelys flying from itsturrets.
There was a rustle in the thicket, horse and deerhound pricked up theirears, and then ran pursued by flying arrows. And now ride! ride, mybrave boy, and seek shelter within the walls! For till thou reach them,thy shirt of mail must be thy salvation.
The drawbridge was yet down, for a small party of men-at-arms had justbeen admitted, and across it rushed boy, and horse, and dog before thewarder had time to wind his horn: the horse and rider unharmed, but thedeerh