the company who had passed the night in a sheltered were already some crowding round the blazing fires and others or leaping over each other s backs for their limbs were chilled and the air biting here and there through the dense haze which surrounded them there loomed out huge and of rock while high above the sea of there up one gigantic peak with the pink glow of the early sunshine upon its head the ground was wet the rocks dripping the grass and sparkling with beads of moisture yet the camp was loud with laughter and merriment for a messenger had ridden in from the prince with words of heart stirring praise for what they had done and with orders that they should still bide in the of the army round one of the fires were clustered four or five of the leading men of the cleaning the from their weapons and glancing impatiently from time to time at a great pot which smoked over the blaze there was cross legged in his shirt while he away at his chain mail whistling loudly the while on one side of him sat old who was busy in the feathers of some arrows to his liking and on the other john who lay with his great limbs all and his balanced upon his uplifted foot black of crouched amid the rocks an ballad to himself i while he his sword upon a flat stone which lay his knees while beside him sat and the silent squire of sir holding out their chilled hands toward the cast on another john and stir the with thy sword growled looking anxiously for the twentieth time at the pot by my cried now that john hath come by this great he will scarce abide the fare of poor lads how say you when you see once more there will be no penny ale and fat bacon but and baked day of the seven i know not about that said john kicking his up into the air and catching it in his hand i do but know that whether the be ready or no i am about to dip this into it it and it cried pushing his hard lined face through the smoke in an instant the pot had been plucked from the blaze and its contents had been up in half a dozen steel head pieces which were balanced their owners knees while with spoon and with of bi they devoured their morning meal it is ill weather for bows remarked john at last when with a long sigh he had drained the la t drop from his my strings are as limp as a cow s tail this morning you should rub them with water you remember that it was than this on the morning of cr and yet i cannot call to mind that there was aught amiss w ith our strings it is in my thoughts said black still grinding his sword that we may have need of your strings ere i dreamed of the red cow last night and what is this red cow asked i know not young sir but i can only say that on the v of and on the eve of cr and on tbe eve of i dreamed of a red cow and now the dream ha come upon me again so i am now setting a very keen to my blade well said old war dog cried by my i pray that your dream may come true for the hath not set us out here to drink or to gather one more fight and i am ready to hang up my bow marry a wife and take to the fire comer but how now robin who is it that you seek f the lord your attendance in his tent aid a to the rose and proceeded to the where he nd the knight seated upon a cushion with his legs ip front of him and a broad ribbon of laid across his knees over which he was with frown ing brows and lips it came this morning by the prince s messenger said lie and was brought from england by sir john who is new come from what make you of this upon the outer side it is fairly and clearly written answered and it to sir knight of castle by the hand of the servant of god at the of so i read it said sir now i pray you to read what is set forth within turned to the letter and as his eyes rested upon it his face pale and a cry of surprise and grief burst from his lips what then asked the knight peering up at him anxiously there is amiss with the lady mary or with the i it is my brother � my poor unhappy brother cried with his hand to his brow he is dead by st paul i have never heard that he had shown go much love for you that you should mourn him so he was my brother � the only or kin that i bad upon earth he had cause to be bitter against me for his land was given to the abbey for my alas alas and i raised my staff against him when last we met i he has been slain � and slain i fear amidst crime and violence ha said sir read on i pray you god be with thee my honored lord and have thee in his holy keeping the lady hath asked me to set down in writing what hath befallen at and all that concerns the death of thy ill neighbor the of for when ye had left us this evil man gathered around him all and men until they were come to such a force that they and scattered the king s men who went against them then coming forth from the woods 