Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1840-02-14
sTRoUDsBURG MoNRog COUNTY PA FRIDAY FEBRUARY H.

he touched the earth AT the same point of time I
the clatter Of the hoofs of the third archer who had
passed the tree and in whom all their hopes of
safety now vested, might be heard telling of
his flight and their abandonment
They were entrapped almost beyond hope of
redemption or resistance! Before them and be-
hind, the road barred by masses Of felled tim
bor which hours of labor would hardly suffice to
remove-on their right hand a deep and fordess
rivulet, with its banks guarded by the ambushed
Saxons, and on their LETT, dark impossible mo-
rass. Yet, still in this extremity Sir Americ dis
played his wonted gallantry and conduct. Down
with your lances y he exclaimed, there be no
use of them Out axes and dismount You, Da-
man,' he continued, with Lancelot and Raoul
hew away at yon timber as you best may, to clear
path-we, with Gods aid, will gard yet
/ Down from their saddles sprang the men-at-
arms and in the face of dreadful odds, went stea,
dily, and even cheerfully, about their work. The
! light-armed spearmen clustered about the person
of their leader, who, with his long two-handed
sword unsheathed sat perfectly unnoved on his
! tall war-horse. The two remaining archers had
| fallen back with the females to that side of the
causeway nearest the moraSs, and therefore least
exposed to instant peril But the plot thckened
for the instant the first blow fell upon the timber
dozen Saxons showed themselves on the farther
side, and with ther bills and bOar-spears, COM
menced SO violent an assault upon the men-at-
arms, as checked entirely their progress. At the
1 same instant, Hereward stepped forward-with
javelin in his right hand, and his huge giSai1ne in
his left-beyond the bushes of the thicket directly
in the face OF Amerlc while half score, at least,
'of his rude followers, half-armed, and utterly
disciplined, but hardy bold, and goaded into fury
, by unnumbered wrongs, appeared behind him.
Sir Americ de Bottetourt,' exclaimed th> Sax
on, as he saw his foeman, using the hngua tranca,
then the sole medium of communication between
the hostile races, this day your hour is come :
: Twas this night. seven years
1t was replied the Norman, interrupting him,
this very night. seven years agone, that tins hand
slew each living dog of your accnrsed race, save
Fthyself, only, who escaped me then, but to fill up
II nv triumphs now. Come forth and meet thy
ii death. dog, an thou darest in fair fight with a
Norman noble .
81 Heaven Judge betwixt US, Hereward hissed
Sbeween his teeth, close-set, and launched his Sc
cond jaFeIia full al he speakers body This time
d however, his aim was less true than before, fol
grazing ti tiIiE;iI OF i;ts ccIIIy, -oJsl
. pierced demipique and housing of the Norman'S
charger, bearing him earthward in the agonies o
: death
e 'Callest thou this fair ight!' shouted the now
infuriated Baron, caest thou this fair fight &
then will we drive you from your vantage! Gil
> bert thy lght-armed hobbler hath cleared abroad
er trench than that before thee; over, and charge
O the dog-tnere is | trow, good footIngr
- Without one word, the young and daring spear
, man sprmed his horse at the fearful leap the
fiery charger faced it gallantly, but in the very ac
e of springing, the treaCherous footing failed, and
It though he made noble effort, his fore-eet barely
. reached the farther brink, while his hind quarter:
were engulfed in the tenacious quagmlre the II
i der struggled up for moment from the mry ditch
h but it was only for moment the ponderous axe
e of Hereward fell like thunderbolt upon his head
e piece, and crushed the very skull beneath it.
st. George! St. George for merry England
and planting one foot firmly on the back OF the ex
o hausted horse Hereward sprang across the stream
/ let, followed by all his dauntless comrades, anc
q was assailed Immediately by Americ. The fray
was ended in ten seconds between the vassal;
: of the Norman and the impetuous outlaws, who
= caring for neither wounds nor death, bore then
e down to the ground by the weight of mum
o bers, and numerically slew them to the last man
Not so, however, nor so rapidly, the en-
counter ended between the Norman Baron anC
g Hereward, the Hunter. Both men of power anC
2 muscular strength almost unrvailed, both anima
IS ted by unusual fury, fighting for his life, The
other, dearer to him than life, for vengeance, they
e struggled long and desperately. Many and dan
,r gerous wounds were interchanged before Amerlc:
2, two-handed sword was shivered to the hilt, anC
Il himself beaten to his knee by one blow of The
o Saxon giSa,me.
n Not sol cried Hereward, not so with wea
> pons in thy hand shalt thou die, Savage Norman
r Thou shalt not boast in He'll that Hereward wa
e cowardly avenged; give him an axe, good Elbertl
> His orders were Obeyed without dispute, tho
is evidently with reluctance, and armed anew by hi
y foes mercy or contempt, Americ renewed tht
% combat Not long, however, did it now last, TO
l. less accustomed to the bill than the sword, Ameri
" failed TO parry the third blow, which, glancinl
d from his head piece, Glove deep into his shoulder
g and was Immediately succeeded by fourth which
is crushed the helmet like a nutshell, and laid tht
ofI yran at the feet Of the avenger, quivering anc
Is lileless corpse.
The last rays of the sun barely sufliced for thC
- conclusion Of the fierce encounter, but the palt
Of moon cleaning through the forest, before the
outlaws, with the lady and her female followers
d their honorable caphves, and treated with due ho
it nor turned to the shelter of their woodland fast
q ness leaving as Hereward had boasted, TO the ra
&c ven and the fox, the bodies of their vahquishec
ID conquerors. H.
i An ugly stick Of bachelor, iTdiscoursing
matrimony, remarked that the frogs in HsoI
e were extremely wise; they had great mine
e for some water, but they would not leap into til,
n n well, because they could not leap out.