In vain Richard Wood and his men had scoured the forest near Doncaster.
They found no trace of those they sought. "Did I believe, like some, in
witchcraft," declared Richard Wood, "so should I say there was
witchcraft in their escape. Why, what should a Saxon serving-man and a
boy of fourteen know, that they should foil good men on a chase?"
"Ay," responded one of his men-at-arms, "but thou seest they have done
it. In this forest they are not. Mayhap they lie close in the town of
Doncaster."
Richard Wood looked at him reflectively. "I had not thought on that,"
he said. "Mayhap thou art right. Go we into the town and see. We need
rest, and bite, and sup, and the beasts also need the same."
So the weary four entered the town of Doncaster and drew rein before
the Green Dragon Inn. And one of the grooms who took the horses was the
same vacant-faced, foolish fellow who had received the coin from Walter
Skinner. "Here be more king's men," he said to himself, "and mayhap
another coin for me. I will send them also to the Isle of Axholme,
where I judge sorrow hath met the other king's man, since the horseshoe
had of the Evil One did come galloping back without a rider." And he
smiled ingratiatingly at Richard Wood, who took no notice of him.
Whereat, somewhat crestfallen, he was fain to lead the horse away, the
others having been already taken care of by other grooms who had no
thought of the Isle of Axholme, and no hopeful expectation of coins.
The morning that saw Hugo and Humphrey far on their way to Lincoln saw
Richard Wood rise refreshed at the Green Dragon with his determination
to continue the chase well renewed. And that same morning it had
occurred to the vacant-faced groom that he must speak now or never if
he expected any reward for his speech. So the instant Richard Wood
appeared in the inn yard he sidled up to him and began, at the same
time knocking his grooming tools, which he still held in his hands,
nervously together, an accompaniment to his speech, which seemed to
surprise the spy. "I did come from Gainsborough two nights agone," he
said.
"That is naught to me, varlet," interrupted Richard Wood. "Get thee
back to thy grooming."
"Yea, verily," insisted the groom; "but it is somewhat to thee," and he
knocked the tools together in his hands at a great rate. "I did come by
the Isle of Axholme. And the other king's man did accuse me of
drunkenness and revellings when I did begin to have speech with him of
the matter, but he did change his mind, and give me a coin. Do thou but
the same and thou also mayest hear what I did see."
Richard Wood regarded him attentively. "Speak truth," he said, "and say
that I would hear, and thou shalt have two coins."
The vacant-faced groom grinned a broad and foolish grin. "Said I not,"
he cried joyfully, "that thou wert a better man than the other? For he
was but small and fierce and hath met sorrow, or his horse had not come
back riderless."
Richard Wood smiled contemptuously at this reference to Walter Skinner.
Then he said: "Thou didst come by the Isle of Axholme. What sawest thou
there?"
"Why, thou canst talk like an advocate," said the foolish groom, who
had never seen an advocate in his life. "Ay," he continued, "he that
giveth two coins is ever a better master than he that giveth one. And I
did see a young lord and his serving-man lie on a bed of rushes; and
ever and anon the serving-man did rise to feed the blazing fire of
reeds; and it was the fire I first did see, and, going to the fire, I
did see them."
"The Isle of Axholme lieth eighteen miles long and five in breadth,"
said Richard Wood. "Where didst thou see them?" and he held up three
coins.
"Toward the south end on a little solid place which hath on it three
scrubby trees. There did they lie." And the groom left off speaking to
eye the money in ecstasy, for not often did such wealth come his way.
Richard Wood tossed him the coins. "Make haste with the horses," he
said. "Hast thou no other marks to know the place?"
"Why, nay," answered the groom, regretfully. "But thou wilt surely know
it when thou comest to it," and he smiled broadly.
Ten minutes later the party was off, and, crossing the Don at the town,
found themselves in the Isle of Axholme. And then Richard Wood paused
to give his men instructions. "Here do we need caution," he said. "This
fellow is not easily to be caught, for I make naught of the young lord.
He is doubtless some trusty retainer sent with the lad by her ladyship
because he hath wit to hide and double on his track and so baffle
pursuit. But he hath not yet reached port to set sail for France, and
mayhap he will not. It remaineth now for us to hide and creep among the
rushes and reeds and scrubby trees, and so come up with him unseen."
The men-at-arms listened respectfully, and the party separating
themselves so that each man rode alone at a little distance from his
fellows, they took the same general direction, and so advanced slowly
and carefully, taking advantage of every bit of cover in their way, and
often pausing to listen. They had proceeded in this manner some two
hours when Richard Wood saw the three scrub trees, and, waving the
signal to his men, the advance was made with renewed caution. At last
all were near enough to see the couch of rushes and the ashes of the
fire, but they saw nothing of serving-man or boy, who by this time had
reached Lincoln. Silently, at a signal from Richard Wood, the party
drew together. "Ye see," said he, pointing to the place, "that they be
not here. Either they be gone roaming about for the day in search of
food, or they be gone altogether. We may not know of a surety till
evening when, if they be not altogether gone, they will return. If they
be gone, we have lost a day and given them an added start of us.
Wherefore I counsel that we pursue the search warily through the Isle
in the hope that we come up with them. What say ye?"
"We say well," responded the men.
The party now separated again, and, going even more slowly than before
through the silent Isle, sought to be as noiseless as possible. But
every now and then some horse splashed suddenly and heavily into a
pool, or scrambling out of the water crunched and broke the reeds and
scared the water-fowl, which rose shrieking and flew noisily away. At
such mishaps Richard Wood restrained his impatience as well as he was
able, knowing that they were unavoidable and that his men were
faithful. Thus another hour went by and there was no trace of the
fugitives. They were now going due northwest, and a half-hour later one
of the men-at-arms gave the signal. Silently Richard Wood approached
him. "I did see one of them," said the man in a low tone. "He lieth
beneath a tree beyond this fringe of reeds on the next solid place."
And now Richard Wood was all excitement. "Which was it?" he asked; "the
young lord or the serving-man?"
"Why, thou knowest I did never see either," replied the man, "and I
could not draw very near. But the person I did see did seem too small
to be the stout Saxon serving-man of whom thou hast spoken."
Without a word, but with his face expressing great triumph, Richard
Wood waved to the others to approach, which they did slowly and with
care. Having come up with him, he communicated to them the news he had
received, and, bidding them scatter in such a manner as to surround the
little place on which the fortunate man-at-arms had discovered the man
or boy lying, he waited with such patience as he could muster until the
time had elapsed necessary for the carrying out of his commands, and
then advanced to capture the young lord with his own hands. And what
was his disgust, when he came up with the sleeper under the tree, to
find Walter Skinner.
"And is it thou, Walter Skinner?" he demanded when he had roused him.
"And what doest thou here?"
[Illustration: Richard Wood finds Walter Skinner]
"Ay, Richard Wood, it is I. And what I do here is no concern of thine.
Here have I been a day and a night and this second day. Little have I
had to eat, and my drinking-horn is but now empty. And I have been
planted in a miry pool. And I have lost my horse and my way also; and
have floundered into more bogs and out of them than can be found in all
Robert Sadler's Ireland. Were I king, I would have no Isle of Axholme
in all my dominions. Could I do no better, I would pull down the hill
of Lincoln and cart it hither to fill these vile water-holes. Do but
see my doublet and hose. Were I called suddenly to the palace would not
the king and the court despise me as a drunken ruffler from some
revel-rout that had fallen from his horse? When all the blame is to be
laid on this Isle of Axholme, which ought, by right, to belong to
France, since it is full of frogs."
"Thou art crazed, as thou always art when thou drinkest," said Richard
Wood, coldly.
"Dost thou say I have been drinking?" demanded Walter Skinner, starting
up.
"Yea, I say it. Thou sayest it also. For thou didst say thy
drinking-horn was but now empty."
"Yea, verily," answered Walter Skinner. "If thou be a true man do but
fill it for me again. Or lead me from this vile place, where one
heareth naught but the squawk of birds and the croak of frogs. I would
fain see the Green Dragon and the idiot groom that did send me here. I
warrant thee I will crack his pate for him."
"Where is thy horse?" asked Richard Wood.
"Ay, where is he? Who but that vile serving-man did bid the young lord
cut him loose?"
"Thou dreamest," said Richard Wood, incredulously. "Would a serving-man
forget his station and bid his master do a task?"
"Ay, would he, if he were this serving-man. I tell thee he would bid
the king himself do a task if he chose, and, moreover, the king would
obey. 'Twas he did plant me in the miry pool and say I did dance well
but somewhat slowly when I did try to unplant myself, and for every
foot I took up sunk the other deeper in the mire. And he did dub me
'Sir Stick-in-the-Mud,' moreover, for which I do owe him a grudge and
will requite him. I will meet him one day where there be no miry pools,
and then let him beware." This last he uttered with a look which was
intended to be fierce, but which was only silly.
"Didst thou come after them alone with no man to help thee?" asked
Richard Wood, still more incredulously.
"Oh, I did have help enough," was the answer, with a crafty look. "I
did have to my help a yew bow with a silken string that the king
himself need not despise, and a great store of arrows, moreover. And I
did hide and bide my time until the darkness of night came and the fire
blazed high. And then I did let my arrows fly. And what did the
serving-man? He did catch up the very fire and rush upon me. And later
he did break my arrows and cut my bow-string, and fling my bow into the
water, and then departed, I know not where."
"Thou art but a sorry fool," declared Richard Wood, after some thought.
"And yet I cannot find it in my heart to leave thee here. Mount up
behind me, and at Gainsborough I will set thee down. There canst thou
shift for thyself, and chase or forbear to chase as thou choosest."
"Ay, thou sayest truly," said the half-drunken Walter Skinner. "And
should I now forbear to chase, a dukedom would no more than reward me
for the perils I have seen. First in the lofty tree watching the
castle; and thou knowest that now, when, from the interdict, no bells
may ring to disperse the tempests, I might have died from the lightning
stroke, not once but many times. For there might have been a tempest
and lightning every day, and no thanks to the king that there was not.
Then, too, I did encounter perils from the boughs which might have
broken and did not. And wherefore did they not? Because they were too
tough and sound. And this, too, moreover, was no thanks to the king.
And two horses have I lost,--one mine own and one the gift of the prior
of St. Edmund's. And did the prior wish to give me the beast? Nay, he
did not, and would have refused it if he had dared. He made as if he
gave it because of the king, but he did not. He feared before me, as
well he might. For I had met a hedgehog, and when a man is in such a
case he is in no mind to have a horse refused him by a fat prior. And
all this also was no thanks to the king. And then I did meet that
varlet of a groom at the Green Dragon, and he did send me here. And
here have I met such misfortunes as would last a man his lifetime."
To all this Richard Wood had lent but half an ear, being occupied in
turning over in his mind the fact that Hugo and Humphrey had been in
the Isle and had gone, and trying to decide what was best to do. He now
looked at him. "Mount up behind me and cease thy prating," he said.
Then turning to the men-at-arms he continued: "We go hence to
Gainsborough. From thence down to Sherwood Forest. It seemeth this
serving man loveth woods and wilds. Therefore it were waste of time to
seek for him in towns and beaten ways."
All the while he was speaking Walter Skinner, with many groans, was
trying to mount behind his old companion; but, on account of the horse
shying his objections to such a proceeding, and the drunken clumsiness
of Walter Skinner himself, nothing had been accomplished. Richard Wood
therefore called on one of the men-at-arms to dismount and hoist him
up; which he did much as if the fierce little spy had been a bag of
meal, and much to Walter Skinner's discomfort, who suddenly found
himself heavily seated with one leg doubled up under him and with a
bumped face where he had struck against Richard Wood's shoulder. He
soon righted himself, however, and, clinging to his old friend, rode
away to Gainsborough.