Evening star., 1905-11-07
Nearer and clearer. swelling up out of
the piPht- came the gay marching lit:

Nearer and clearer. swelling up out of
the night. came the gay marching lit:
what of the bow2
The bow was made in England,
The wood Of English bows:
For men who free
Love the old yew-tree
And the land where the yew tree grows.
what Of the menl
The men who were bred In England,
The bowmen. the yeomen,
The lads of the dale and fell.
Here's to you and to yeu,
And the land where the true hearts dwell
'They sing very joyfully," said Du Cues
elm. ..as though they were going to fes-
tival."
TT is their wont when there is work to
be done"
by st. Paul! quoth Sir Nigel. 'Tt is in
my mind that they come too late, for can
not See how we areto come down from this
tower"
There they come the hearts of goldr"
cried Aylward. ''See. they move out from
the shadow. Now they cross the meadow.
They are on the further side Of the moat.
Hola, camarades, hola! Johnston. Eccles.
Cooke. Harvard. Bligh! Would ye see a
fair lady and two gallant knights done
foully to death?'
"Who is there?" shouted deep voice
from below. ''Who is this who speaks with
an English tongue?
at is I, old lad. 1t Is Sam Aylward of
the company; and here is your captain, Sir
to be grilled like an Easterlings herrings."
Curse me ii l did not think that 1t was
the style Of speech of old Samkin Ayl-
ward!' said the voice, amid buzz from
the ranks. Wherever there are knocks
going there is Sammy in the heart Of IT..
But who are these ill-faced rogues who
block the path? To your kennels. canaille!
What! you dare look us in the eyes? Out
| swords. lads and give them the fiat OF
them! Waste not your shafts upon such
runagate knaVeSr'
There was little fight left in the peasants,
however. still dazed by the explosion.
amazed at their own losses, and disheart-
ened by the arrival of the disciplined arch
ers. In a very few minutes they were in
full flight for their brushwood homes leav-
ing the morning sun TO rise upon black
i ened and blood-stained ruin. where it had
left the night before the magnificent castle
of the Seneschal of Auvergne. Already the
white lines in the east were deepening into
pink the archers gathered round the
keep and took counsel how to rescue the
survivors.
Had We a rope said Alleyne, there Is
one side which is not yet on fire, down
which we might slip
But how to get roper?
TT is an old trick" quoth Aylward.
even as you did at Maupertius in the war
time"
The grizzled archer thus addressed took
several lengths of rope from his COM
.
| he stretched them out In the long shadow
which the rising sun threw from the
| frowning keep. Then he fixed the yew-
stave Of his bow upon end and measured
the long. thin. black line which 1t threw
| upon the turf.
"A slxfoot stave throws a twelve-foot
| shadow, he muttered. The keep throws
| a shadow of sixty PAGES. Thirty PAGES of
rope will be enow and to spare Another
strand. Watkin! Now pull at the end that
| ali may be safe. So! 1t is ready for them"
| but how are they to reach it?" asked
| the young archer beside him.
Watch and see. young FOOLS head. ="
growled the old bowman. He took a long
string from his pouch and fastened one
end to an arrow.
"An ready. Samkinf"
Ready, camarade."
"Close to your hand. then"
With an easy pull he sent the shaft flick
ering gently up. falling upon the stonework
| within a foot of where Aylward was stand
| ing. The other end was secured to the rope
so that In minute good strong cord was
dangling from the only sound side of the
blazing and shattered tower. The Lady Tip
| haine was lowered with moose drawn fast
under the arms, and the other five slid
| swiftly down. amid the cheers aud joyous
outcry of their rescuers
CTo be continued tomorrow.)