"There is your road to freedom," he said, pointing to the hole."Creep along that narrow passage, and it will bring you to a small loophole in the wall, not many feet from the ground.The loophole is guarded by a bar of iron, but it is moved by a spring in the upper part of the stone in which it appears to be mortised.This impediment removed, you will easily force your way through the loophole.Drop cautiously, for fear of the sentinels on the walls; then make your way to the forest, and if you 'scape the arquebusiers who are scouring it, conceal yourself in the sandstone cave below the beech-tree.""And what of you?" asked Fenwoif.
"I have more to do here," replied Herne impatiently-"away!"Thus dismissed, Fenwolf entered the aperture, which was instantly closed after him by Herne.Carefully following the instructions of his leader, the keeper passed through the loophole, let himself drop softly down, and keeping close to the walls of the tower till he heard the sentinels move off, darted swiftly across the street and made good his escape.
Meanwhile Herne drew the cowl over his head, and stepping to the door, knocked loudly against it.
"What would you, father? "cried the guard from without.
"Enter, my son, and you shall know," replied Herne.
The next moment the door was unlocked, and the guard advanced into the dungeon.
"Ha!" he exclaimed, snatching up the lamp and looking around, "where is the prisoner?""Gone," replied Herne.
"What! has the fiend flown away with him?" cried the man, in mixed astonishment and alarm.
"He has been set free by Herne the Hunter!" cried the demon."Tell all who question thee so, and relate what thou now seest."At the words a bright blue flame illumined the chamber, in the midst of which was seen the tall dark figure of Herne.His Franciscan's gown had dropped to his feet, and he appeared habited in his wild deer-skin garb.With a loud cry, the guard fell senseless on the ground.
A few minutes after this, as was subsequently ascertained, a tall Franciscan friar threaded the cloisters behind Saint George's Chapel, and giving the word to the sentinels, passed through the outer door communicating with the steep descent leading to the town.
X.How Herne the Hunter was himself hunted.
On the guard's recovery, information of what had occurred was immediately conveyed to the king, who had not yet retired to rest, but was sitting in his private chamber with the Dukes of Suffolk and Norfolk.The intelligence threw him into a great fury: he buffeted the guard, and ordered him to be locked up in the dungeon whence the prisoner had escaped; reprimanded the canon; directed the Duke of Suffolk, with a patrol, to make search in the neighbourhood of the castle for the fugitive and the friar; and bade the Duke of Norfolk get together a band of arquebusiers; and as soon as the latter were assembled, he put himself at their head and again rode into the forest.
The cavalcade had proceeded about a mile along the great avenue, when one of the arquebusiers rode up and said that he heard some distant sounds on the right.Commanding a halt, Henry listened for a moment, and, satisfied that the man was right, quitted the course he was pursuing, and dashed across the broad glade now traversed by the avenue called Queen Anne's Ride.As he advanced the rapid trampling of horses was heard, accompanied by shouts, and presently afterwards a troop of wild-looking horsemen in fantastic garbs was seen galloping down the hill, pursued by Bouchier and his followers.The king immediately shaped his course so as to intercept the flying party, and, being in some measure screened by the trees, he burst unexpectedly upon them at a turn of the road.
Henry called to the fugitives to surrender, but they refused, and, brandishing their long knives and spears, made a desperate resistance.
But they were speedily surrounded and overpowered.Bouchier inquired from the king what should be done with the prisoners.
"Hang them all upon yon trees! " cried Henry, pointing to two sister oaks which stood near the scene of strife.
The terrible sentence was immediately carried into execution.Cords were produced, and in less than half-an-hour twenty breathless bodies were swinging from the branches of the two trees indicated by the king.
"This will serve to deter others from like offences," observed Henry, who had watched the whole proceedings with savage satisfaction.
"And now, Bouchier, how came you to let the leader of these villains escape?""I did not know he had escaped, my liege," replied Bouchier, in astonishment.
"Yea, marry, but he has escaped," rejoined Henry; "and he has had the audacity to show himself in the castle within this hour, and the cunning, moreover, to set the prisoner free."And he proceeded to relate what had occurred.
"This is strange indeed, my liege," replied Bouchier, at the close of the king's recital, "and to my thinking, is proof convincing that we have to do with a supernatural being.""Supernatura!--pshaw!- banish the idle notion," rejoined Henry sternly.
"We are all the dupes of some jugglery.The caitiff will doubtless return to the forest.Continue your search, therefore, for him throughout the night.If you catch him, I promise you a royal reward."So saying, he rode back to the castle, somewhat appeased by the wholesale vengeance he had taken upon the offenders.
