Evening star., 1905-10-07
THE WHITE COMPANY
BY A. CONAN DOYLE.

flash of his white teeth.
"A tot, mon garcon!" he cried. Hast
surely never seen a man-at-arms that thou
shouldst stare SOP
Il never have" said Alleyne. frankly,
though 1 have oft heard talk of their
deeds.'
by my hilt!'' cried the other ''if you
were to cross the narrow sea, you would
find them as thick as bees at a tee-hole.
Couldst not shoot a bolt down any street
of Bordeaux, l warrant, but you would
pink archer, squire or knight. There are
more breastplates than. gaberdines to be
seen, l promise you.'
And where got you all these pretty
things?' asked Horde John, pointing at
the heap in the corner.
Where there is as much more waiting
for any brave lad to pick 1t up. Where a
good man can always earn a good wage
and where he need look upon no man as his
paymaster, but just reach his hand out
and help himself Ay, it is a goodly and a
proper life. And here I drink to mine old
comrades. and the saints be with them!
Arouse all together, mes enfants, under
pain of my displeasure. To Sir Claude La
tour and the White Company!
Sir Claude Latour and the White Com
rany'' shouted the travellers, draining off
their goblets.
Well quaffed, mes braves! 1t is for me
10 MI your cups again. since you have
GRAINED them to my dear lads of the white
jerkin. Hola! mon ange. bring wine and
ale How runs the old stava?-
Wen drink all together
To the gray goose feather
And the land where the gray goose few"
He roared out the catch in a harsh. un-
musical voice and ended with shout of
laughter. II trust that I am a better bow
man than a minstrel said he.
Methlnks I have some remembrance of
the lilt,' remarked the gleeman, running
his fingers over the strings. Hoping that
1t VIII give thee no offense, most holy sir
with vicious snap at Alleyne-"and with
the kind permit of the company, 1 will even
venture upon IT.
Many time In the after days Alleyne
EdIlcson seemed to see that scene, for all
that SO many which We're stranger and
more stirring were to crowd upon
him. The fat. redfaced gleeman, the listen
ing group, the archer with upraised finger
beating In time tc the music, and the huge,
sprawlfng figure of Horde john all thrown
into red light and black shadow by the
hiekering fire in the center-memory was
to come aften lovingly back to it. At the
elme ne was lost in admiration at the deft
way In which the jongleur disguised the
loss or his two missing strings and the
lusty, hearty fashion in which he trolled
out his little ballad of the outland bowmen.
"hich ran in some such fashion as this:
What of the bow?
Inc Dow was made IN England;
of true wood, of yew wood,
Inc wood OF English bows.
So, men who free
Love the old yew tree
AND the land where the yew tree grows
What of the cord?
The cord made in England:
A rough cord, tough cord
cord that bowmen love
So Wen drain our lacks
To the English fax
And the land where the hemp was wova
What Of the shaft?
The shaft cut in England
long shaft strong shaft.
Barbed and trim aud true:
So Well drink all together
To the gray goose feather
And the land where the gray goose flew
What of the men?
The men were bred in England;
The bowman-the yeoman-
The lads of dale and fell:
Here's to you-and to you
To the hearts hat are true
And the land where the true hearts dwell"
(To be continued tomorrow