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22
Hood promptly. “No man. were he
friend or foe, ever asked or ever shall
ask for justice in the greeiiwood and
find! it denied him. “Vino striick you
dowii 3""
The porter ‘gasped for lI'l'9i.‘ltll and 2
gleam of terror was in his eyes as he
wliispered :
"'I‘lie lord of the dark house !"
Having, thus (l0I10il].Il('9‘d Sir Robert-
Feltre, he: swooned. and slipping from
the support of Robin Hood. lay inert
on the giie-en sward.
" He is dead!" Alfred said.
Robin Hood. however. after feeling
G11I]‘lIl1‘T‘0T1'iS lieart. motioiied to his men.
" The port-er lives.” he said -, “ though
whether we shall save him t"rom death
I know not-. Yet we cannot leave him
to perisli like a dog; and, besides, I
am assured he has Solllrefllillg to say to
us which may help us in. our fight
against Sir R-U<l)9I"b. He has been badly
served by his wicked m<.'1$t(‘I'S, and in-
tends to revenge liimself by lietiayiiig
them.”
As a ge.ne.;al X‘U1ll(‘ Robin Hood was not
over-fond of dea-lings with traitors or
i'(-negades: but in this case he felt
justified in learning all he could from
Giinthroii. since on this information
might easily depend the fate of Algal‘
aiitl Cedric.
The archers made it. hastily-coin
struetxed but effective litter of biianclies
and grass, on which they C-2l.X'X‘I8d Gun-
thron to tthe. c.a.mp.
"here the porter t-ossvd and turned on
:1. bed the outlaws made for him out of
garments and do-ersliiiis; and it was
possible to guess something from his
incoherent words. althmig:h mnvh.
iiaturally. remziined hidden. Even
when be partially reeovc-i'ed his senses
later on in the day) a.ft.e.i' Allan-a-Dale
and this coiiipaiiioii had gone on their
errand to Bai'nesd,+ilc. his werikiiess pre-
vented him from saying mm-h.
How Ma.ste.i' .Nrnulpli had lngell mixed
up in the n1Zlg‘I('iiHl bai'on's wicked
tlemls, Gunthron would not tell. He
had himself assisted in the work. what-
ever its n:it,ni'e, which the two had
carried on tUQCwllH.‘I'. and was obviously
a.l'r.1i(l of being puiiislied for what he
Jiagl. done if he cotit'esso:d the whole.
THE ’PRENTICE BOWMEN OF NOTTINGHAM
“But. I .i‘efu-.sed to have any:-lling
more to do with the ‘cruel work.” Gun-
“11‘011 tfasped out. “I iefused to hell)
to steii any more boys. My niaster,
vile; Iiiweevi‘. fiowiietl, but Sir Rolwrt.
smiled and S‘d.l(l smoothly t.l.t;1t. 1 could
go. I was waiidciiiig in the desmted.
streets last night, wonde.i‘iii.g wliitlier
I should go, wlien I llcafd a.iisoft; font-
SWI3 behiiid Iller-“zllll siiirli :1 soft foot-
step. Robin Hood!-and the niagician
l)>:l.I'Ul1 hissed in my ear: "Iiiis for vour
treason, dog!‘ and Si&IblH‘d me’ and.
tleeing, left me for dead. No ()l)O)ll(WZIl‘d
or saw auglit. and. tlie>i'ei'oi'c, none
eaiiie to help me. But I d'i‘a.gg;-ed mv-
>:elvt' to the forest‘. to seek Von.” '
"“'liyE"" '
The porter it2.lI'8(l L'UIlll].<L'nlly, and
bruswlieul back his long, lllatittd hair with
a. sliaking hand.
“I liiiow riot." he: said I1OL!l'.$(‘ly, “ and
yetvzind yet--- Ah. I rcineinherl I.
wished to niake atonement for the evil
flint. is being deiiic. and to ask vou to
help the boy oaiptives of the (l:iI'l(‘llO11SQ.
I tried t0'tlI'iLg1', iiiysvlf on until I found
you; but I fell in the tliicket. and, as
I fell, my li'nge.rs toiiclicd the horn,
wliieli one of your men niust have let.
falil and foi'g0t,ten. Go to the clarlc
house. Robin Hood. but bewavrc-be
ware of the black star!”
With this last SiI‘a.Y)5I9 W'aI'[1IIl.(r on
his lips. G‘iiiit.lii‘u.ii sank oiicc II1()I""9Dil1t0
uii(roiiscioiisiiess. and no sense could be
made oi’ the words he muttered in his
ti(."lII'I1IiIIl.
It was noondiziy hefme Littl-it J0-hn
i'etu;rned from his mission to No‘ttiiivg-
ham. “
“The sheritf and Sir Robert Feltire
are in league tog;etliei'," he said. “I
lcja:i'iied that as I wandered tzlirodgh t-he
vity uiisuspeetecl and Iiniiiolcstvd. 'I“he
people are t:.iJ‘l;iiig of nothing else, Tlm
haron wislics all the li11.gitiVe appren-
tices to he oaptiii‘ed and clomimil to
death. sutliat thosu in Nottiiighani may
he cowod by terror. and tlie Norinaii
tyrants mt-et no t'iii‘t-her tmtihlo or
‘-’l’I’U5‘-i21‘JY1. I10 liiiittei‘ Wliat oppi'es,<ioi1
or wi'on<.r-doiiig they are gniltv of."
“WK,-ll?" i
“Sir Robe-i"t Ft-ltun wislim; the sliei‘iif
to hunt down the fugitives, and capture