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16 THE PRICE OF TREACHERY.
them, they stopped running, and, being
joined by numbers of others, followed
the pair at a safe distance.
“TIs useless to drive them back,” said
Little John to his companion, “we must
trust to the speed of our feet and the
~ denseness of the woods to give them the
slip. See! here is the place where Will
entered the forest; and there is the guid-
ing mark on the tree yonder.”
In half an hour they rejoined their
comrades, but the Irishmen ‘had tracked
them through the woods, and Little John
knew that they could not escape without
further fighting.
The pursuers had learnt their lesson
not to come to close quarters, but for all
that the little party began to be annoyed
’ with arrows and javelins, which were
constantly being aimed at them from all
sides.
The. denseness of the forest and the
darkness of the night alone saved them
from being severely wounded, until at
last the attack got so persistent that
they found it almost impossible to pro-
ceed.
They had reached a wide, open. space
in the forest, in the centre of which was
a dense thicket of holly, and here Little
John decided to make a stand. They
sere all feeling exhausted by what they
had gone through, and there seemed no
better place than this to rest in. The
trees would offer a protection from the
arrows and javelins, whilst the enemy
would scarce dare to attack them at
close quarters.
Forcing a way through the protecting
branches, the little party threw them-
selves upon the ground to snatch some
short rest before the enemy should
attack them. .
“They are howling round us now,”
said Friar Tuck, “like wolves round’ a
sheep-pen, but let them beware they
como not upon the dogs instead of the
sheep, for they will find they can bite
as'well as bark.” .
The Irish, however, as Little Joh
had foreseen, had little care to come to
close quarters with their formidable foe.
They surrounded the glade on all sides,
and showers. of: arrows and. javelins
rattled against the trees.. Yet the thick
branches turned them or stopped them
altogether, and afforded a complete pro-
tection to the archers. :
Tke latter made no attempt to shoot
in return, for they had not more than
two dozen arrows amongst them, and.
they were loth to use these unless com-
pelled to do so. They knew they had a
long journey before them, and would
have to depend upon what game they
killed for subsistence.
So the night passed till the dawn
began to light up the east, when the
Irishmen, tired of this useless waiting,
determined to assault the position.
Without any previous warning they
rushed out on every side, trying to clear
a way for themselves through the bushes
with their swords, so as to come te close
quarters with the archers. They were
led by three or four of the men whom
Will Scarlet had seen sitting with the
chief in the hall, and it was evident that
they were determined to capture the
band at all cost. “*
The four archers dashed from side to
side, cutting and stabbing with their
swords, but do what they would they
could not keep the enemy from fpene-
trating to the centre of their position.
Groans, and cries, and the clash of
swords rang through the forest, above
which pealed the triumphant shouts of
the Irish, as a dozen of them reached the
centre of the bushes, and attacked the
archers from the rear.»
Little John hurled himself upon them,
fighting with the desperation of despair,
when above the shouts of the com-
batants rang the battle-cry of the
archers, “A Hood! A Hood! and St.
George for Merrie England!”
The cry came from the other side of
the open space, and, alarmed at the |
sound, the Irish drew back. | .
Again and again it was repeated, till
they were seized with panic, evidently
thinking that another force was. upon
them. Mee
The leaders were the first to turn and
flee, an example which their men were
not slow to follow. They dashed away
across’ the clearing, disappearing
amongst the trees and bushes on the
other side, and stopped. not. in their
flight till far from the scene of the
conflict.
--The moment the archers iheard that
shout they answered it with a will, for .
they recognised ithe voice of their chief,
and, overjoyed to ‘think that he “was
safe and close at hand, they dashed
out from ‘their cover, accelerating the
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