Evening star., 1905-11-10
CHAPTER XXXIV.
How the Company Made Sport in the
Vale of Pampeluna.

1oW the company maue SPoil Al Ihe
Vale Of Pampeluna.
While the council was sitting in Pampe-
luna. the White Company. having encamp-
cd in a neighboring valley, close to the
companies of La Mutt and of Black Ortin-
go, were amusing themselves with sword
play, wrestling and shooting at the shields,
which they had placed upon the hillside to
serve them as butts. The younger archers,
with their coats of mail thrown aside, their
brown or f1aXen hair tossing in the wind.
and their jenkins turned back to give free
play to their brawny chests and arms,
stood in lines, each loosng his shaft IN
turn, while Johnston. Aylward, Black ST.
mon and half a score of the elders lounged
up and down with critical eyes, and word
OF rough praise or of curt censure for the
marksmen. Behind stood knots of Gascon
and Brabant cross-bowmen from the COM
panies of Ortingo and of La Mutt leaning
upon their uusightly weapons and watching
the practice of the EHgllshmen.
"A good shot, Hewett, good s'hot!' said
old Johnston to a young bowman, VINO
stood with his bow in his left hand, gaz-
ing with parted lips after his flying shaft.
You see. she finds the ring, as | knew she
would from the moment that your string
twanged."
Loose 1t easy, steady, and yet sharp"
said Aylward. by my hlt! mon gar, 1t is
very well when you do but shoot at
shield, but when there Is man Dehino
the shield. and he rides at you with wave
of sword and CLINT of eyes from behind his
vizor you may find him less easy mark
at is a mark that l have found before
now" answered the young bowman.
And shall again, camarade, 1 doubt not.
But hola! Johnston. who is this who holos
hsi bow like a crow keeper?
ut is Silas Peterson Of Harsham. DO
not wink with one eye and look with the
other, Silas, and do not hop and dance al
ter you shoot, with your tongue out, for
that will not speed 1t upon its way. Stand
stra,gh: and firm God made you. Move
not the bow arm, and steady with the draw
ing hand!''
T. faith" said Black Simon, II am
spearman myself. and am more fitted for
hand-strokes than for such work as THIS
Yet 1 have spent my days among bowmen'
and L have seen many brave shaft sped.
l will not say but that we have sope gooo
marksmen here and that this company
would be accounted a fine body of archers
at any time or place. Yet l do not see any
men who bend so strong bow or shoot as
true shaft those whom | have known.
you say sooth," said Johnston, turning
his scanned and grizzled face upon the man
alarms See yonder," he added, point
ing to q lombard which lay within the
camp; there is what hath done scath TO
good bowmanship with its filthy SCOT and
foolish roaring mouth. l wonder that a
true knight like our prince. should carry
such a scurvy thing in his train. Robin.
thou red d-headed lurden, how oft must / tell
thee not to shoot straight with quarter
wind blowing across the mark?'
by these ten fnger-bones! there We're
some fine bowmen at the intaklng OF
Calais" said Awkward. II we'll remember
that, on occasion of an outfall a Genoan
raised his arm over his mantlet. and shook
it at us, a hundred PAGES from our line
There were twenty who loosed shafts at
him, and when the man was afterward slain
eighteen
through his forearm
And 1 can cali to mind" remarked
Johnston, that when the great cog, Chris
topher' which the French had taken from
US was moored two hundred PAGES from
the shore two arChers, little Robin With
staff and Elias Maddlesmere, in four shots
each cut every strand of her hempen an
chOr-cOrd, so that she Well-nlgh came upon
the rocks"
Good shooting, + faith, rare shooting"
said Black Simon. but l have seen you,
Johnston, and you, Samkin Aylward, and
one or two others, who are still with us,
shoot as well as the best Was it not you,
Johnston who took the fat OK al F'!nsbury
butts against the pick of London town?'
A sunburned and black-eyed Brabanter
had stood near the old archers, leaning
upon a large cross-bow and listening to
their talk which had been carried on in
that hybrid camp dialect which both ma
tions could understand. He was squat,
bull-necked man, cad in the iron helmet
mail tunic and wooden gambesson of his
class. A Jacket with hanging sleeves,
slashed with velvet at the neck and wrists.
showed that he was man of some consld-
Grafton, an under-otticer, or file-leader OF
II can not think" said he, "why you
rglish should be so fond of your six-foot
stick. If 1t amuse you TO bend 1t, well ana
good; but why should l strain and pull,
when my little mOulinet will do al for me,
and better than I can do it for myseitY'
~ have seen good shooting with the prod
and with the latch" said Aylward, but,
by my hilt! camarade, with all respect to
you and 10 your bow l think that Is but
wcman's weapon. which woman can point
and loose as easily as a man.
II know rot about that" answered the
B-abanter. but this I know, that though
l have served for fourteen years, l have
never yet seen an Englshman do aught
with the longbow which l could not do
better with my arbalest BY the three
kirgsl 1 would even go further, and say
that l have done things with my arbalest
which no Englishman could do with his
long bow
well said. mon gar" cried Aylward. "a
good cock has ever a brave call. Now, l
have shot little of late. but there is John
ston here who will try round with you
for the honor of the company"
And I will lay gallon OF Jurancon wine
upon the long-bow." said Black Simon.
though had rather. for my own drinking.
thai it were a quart of Twynham ale
II take both your challenge and your
wager said the man OF BraDanl, throwing
off his Jacket and glancing keenly about
hin, with his black. twinkling eyes. II can
not see any fitting mark. for l care not to
waste a bolt upon these shields, which
drunken boor could not miss at O. village
kermesse"
This is a perilous man." whispered an
English man-at-arms, plucking at Ayl-
wards sleeve. He is the best marksman
of all the cross-bow companies, and 1t was
he who brought down the Constable de
Rourdon at Brignais. l fear that your man
will come by little honor with him.
''Yet I have seen Johnston shoot this
twenty wears and I will not finch from It.
How saw YOU old war-hound, will you not
have a flight shot or two with this spring
ald?"
."rut, tut Aylward!' said the old bow
man MY day is past, and 1t Is for the
Younger ones to hold what we have gained.
take it unkindly of thee, Sam
kin. that thou shouldst call all eyes
thus upon a broken bowman who could
once shoot a fair shaft. Let me feel that
how Wilkins! It is a Scotch bow, I see
for the upper mock is without and the
lower within. BY the black rood 1t Is
good piece of yew. well nocked, well
Strung. we'll waxed, and very joyful 10 the
feel I think even now that might nit
anv large and goodly mark with a bow
like this, Turn thy culver to me, Ayiward:
T love an ash arrow pieced with cornell
wood for a rowing shaft"
"Ry nv hilt! and SO do l. cried Aylward
Inr- y{rlp