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“I have none. of the appreiitioes in
my hands." the sheriff said Slllleinly.
“I have never had any of them as pri-
.+o’ners in Nottin.g,liai1i (lastle, exeept
the hot’, Alfred. Sir ILoher’r- Fe"-lti‘o
l((‘p't t-hem hidden in his st-roiighold."
“It was Sir Robert who stole them
away, then?" denianded Robin Hood.
“Yes,“ .a.iiswei'ed the sheriff, shrink-
ing from the oiitla.w's stern gaze.
‘ But I know not for what purpose. I
owed Sir Robert a la.i';z,e sum of gold,
Wl1I("li he had lent to me. and he pro-
niised not to press me for payiiient if I
took no notiee of what he did in the
Pity. I agreed; and. I-I'l(Hl'gZI1 I guessed
that it Was he who stole away the boys.
I never dared to ask why. And I swear
I know nothing: of What he did witli
IINJITI l"
The sheriff was sp-eaking the tiiztli.
and Robin Hood had. perfume. to he
<-onteiit. with it. At, least. he hail
learned sometliiiigg, and made up his
mind to storm the dark lioiiso without
delay
(‘-HAPTER. 9.
The Magician Baron Defeated.
AN hour Ii('Itt1(‘I- tho oirtlaw chief and
his men had siirroimded Sir Robert.
I"0ltre‘s stronghold. which looked
gglooniicxr and more desolate than ever.
No response was made to his siiiirmons
M the niaqiriialn haron to SlH‘I‘GlI(IPT1
and the only answer was the dull echo
of their tnlows upon the door ringing
I.l'II‘O1l.QIl, the hlllltllhg.
The -‘liouse of the villain was. in tart.
Ht)-?lh(I0l1’9d.
Sir Robert Felt-re had dreaded an
attaek from the areliers. who he feiairexl
u'oii'd (IISITJLQIIIYI his tlireat-s ainiad
a;:;i.iiist (7‘wlinir- and Algal‘. and he had
t,:lI(’(‘H tliszlit. i-arryinp; his eaptives with
him.
Itiit wliitiliei‘ IWHI he fled?
'l"lii:< was the qiiestion hV Whl<'lI Rollin
Hood u':i.< ("'tnr.Il‘i)lllK"(I when the great
rloor of the d:irl< I1Ul1Kf! had he-en hrokeii
IIHWH and the art-liers and 8ppl‘("l]l.-l(‘,('.:
i-iiterwl I.Il(‘T(‘lH. As they stood irre.<o-.
lut.-- and rivr-rrawerl hy the silent-e. of the
;.;,,‘,1.y ‘il;H‘1" 3 hollow groan It'll nrl
tlieii‘ ears,
‘rm-: ’PRENTlCE BOWMEN or NOTTINGHAM‘
At first tliey ('(‘)1ll(I not tell vrlieiir-e it
c-aiiie; but Robin Hood went from
clianiher to nlianiher in the ghastly
PIMP. holding a torch above his head.
It was like a, tomb. with heavy chains
tlziiigliiig from the Walls of glltnlliy dens.
Iii an inner room I-I10)‘ found :1 man
'l.V’l"lZ On the floor. pjilsplllig out his life.
It was Master Ariiiilph, the niereer.
dying fromp a terrihlew woniid in the
h'I‘<‘f1st.. ‘ His appireiiit-ieo. AIII‘(“(l. knelt.
heside him. All bitterness and resent-
ment ranislietl in the shadow of death.
‘ f‘ Is it you. Alfred?" Arniilph gasped
l’-'Hn1il,V. “I am. dying; but I am well
served for leagiiiiig nivselt with in.
villain!" ‘I
“ VVlio stlahhed yo-ii, niast,ei'?"
“Stir Itnliert I7i‘ltr(‘l" gaspmi the
‘l.V’l"LI m?m:- “ Follow him. and van
may he in time to save some of his ‘viv-
tiiiis. He has fled tollristrol (‘itV, and
'5‘? tZ‘""$Z ti” "QV3-R<‘ to Moi'o<"<'o ‘to sell
the Saxon lroys. He stole I:I]0l1) all that.
he niiiglit dispose of them as slaves to
the Moors!“
So this was the secret, of the vanished
a ppreiiti ees.
By the dying words of Master
.-‘triiiilph it was (‘l(‘21v1‘ that Sir Robert
F eltre had been nothinyz, more nor less
than a. slave;-trader, who I(iidnapp(>-(I
Saxon boys that he might sell them
to the Moors of Tripoli, who. in turn.
sold them to niaste-rs who carried them
away fa.r into Afrii-.a,.
Sir Robert Feltne was no niagician;
I)1liD he had made discoveries in soienee
and physics whieli enabled him to claim
what passed as extraordin-arv powers;
and he had disctmwi-retl a certain drug
vshioh, in the shape of :1. white powder,
had only to he tlirown in the fare of
vi<-tini to ma.k'e liim iiiieoiisi-ioiis and
helpless. He had stolen on the appren-
tiees in this way. and carried them off
to the dark house While they were in-
e.a.pahle, ot (I(‘IPl‘HIIIl;( theiiiselv s. The
Jews and the Moors whom Alfred lmil
seen were some of Iilltim" with vihom he
traded, wlin liad stolen iiitn Notting
ham in the dead of night. to ha.r;,:aio
with liiim.
His chief r-onferlerate. I)()n”(xV(Wr‘ hm]
heen Mast:-r Arniilph The iiierr-m
p<‘iss:esseil ships of his nun, whivh had