CHAPTER XXXV.
The forest of Sherwood, which we have already had so much occasion tonotice, though at that time celebrated for its extent, and thethickness of the woody parts thereof, was not even then what it oncehad been, and vestiges of its former vastness were found for many milesbeyond the spots where the royal meres, or forest boundaries, were thenplaced. A space of cultivated country would intervene; meadows andfields would stretch out, with nothing but a hawthorn or a beechovershadowing them here and there; but then suddenly would burst uponthe traveller's eye a large patch of wood, of several miles in length,broken with the wild, irregular savannahs, dells, dingles, banks, andhills, which characterized the forest he had just left behind.
This was especially the case to the north and east, but one of thelargest tracts of woodland, beyond the actual meres, lay in thesouth-eastern part of Yorkshire. It was separated by some three or fourmiles of ground irregularly cultivated, and broken by occasional clumpsof old trees, and even small woods, from Sherwood itself, and, beingmore removed from the highway between the southern portion of Englandand the northern border, was more wild and secluded than even theactual forest.
In extent it was about five miles long, and from three to four broad,and had evidently, in former times, been a portion of the same vastwoody region which occupied the whole of that part of England. No greattowns lying in the country immediately surrounding it, and no lordlycastle, belonging to any very powerful baron, this tract was withoutthat constant superintendence which was exercised over the forestground in the southern parts of the island; and the game was left openas an object of chase, alike to the yeomen of the lands around, themonks of a neighbouring priory, and some of the inferior nobles whoheld estates in that district.
Under a yellow sandy bank, then, upon the edge of this wood, with talltrees rising above, and the brown leaves of autumn rustling around, satthe old Earl of Monthermer, with his nephew, Hugh, six or eight of hisown retainers, and four of the band of the bold Outlaw, finishing theirforest meal, on a fine afternoon, some three days after the escape ofthe young nobleman from Nottingham Castle.
The old Earl and his own personal attendants had all donned the forestgreen, but Hugh still remained in the same attire which he had worn atthe court; and looking daily for the intelligence that Prince Edwardhad justified him with the King, and pleaded his cause with the oldEarl of Ashby, he entertained not the slightest intention of takingupon him either the outlaw's life or garb.
His uncle, indeed, was of a somewhat rougher school of chivalry thanhimself, and, from his earliest days till his hair had grown white withage, had known little but a life of adventure and privation, so thatthe calm and tranquil passing of peaceful hours seemed dull andwearisome to one whose corporeal vigour was but little decayed, and thewild sports of the forest, the mimic warfare of the chase, the constantchange of circumstance, the very dangers of the outlaw's life, were tohim as familiar things, pleasant as well as wholesome in their use. Theold Earl had never loved but once, and that had been in early days, butlove had been followed by bitterness and regret; and fixing his hopesupon his brother's son, he had forsworn the bonds of domestic life, andhad no tie in wife or children to make him regret the castle hall, whenhe was under the boughs of the forest.
It was not so, however, with Hugh; and, though it might be agreeableenough, for a day or two, to roam the country with a bold band offoresters, yet he looked forward anxiously to the day of his return tothe court, from no great love to the court itself, but for the sake ofLucy de Ashby.
Uncle and nephew, however, and all around, saw cheerfully the sunsinking, growing of a brighter and a brighter yellow as he went down,and beginning to touch the tips of the hills of Derbyshire and theclouds above them with purple and with gold. The merry song, the gaylaugh, and jest passed round; and, if a memory of friends he had lost,and fortunes that were gone, and plans that were defeated, andexpectations that were blasted, crossed the mind of the old Earl, theyshadowed him but for a moment; and, with the true philosophy of the oldsoldier, he thought--"I have done my best, I have won renown, I havefought for the liberty of my country, and as for the rest, 'twill beall the same a hundred years hence."
With Hugh, hope had risen up, as we have shewn, almost as bright asever; for in the heart of truth and honour there is a spring ofconfidence which needs all the burdens of age, experience, anddisappointment, to weigh it down for any length of time.
"Look there!" he cried, at length--"there are three horsemen cominghither by the green road! News from the court, I'll warrant.--A letterfrom Prince Edward, perhaps."
"Who are they, Scathelock?" demanded the Earl. "My eyes are dim,now-a-days; and yours are sharp enough."
"The man that made the millstone," answered Scathelock, "cannot seemuch further through it than another. And, good faith, my lord, theyare still too far for me to tell who they are; though I do wish withall my heart you, my good lord, had trusted to my eyes some six monthsago. We should have had no Evesham, then."
"How so?" demanded the Earl, turning eagerly towards him.
"Why," replied Scathelock, "I sent you word there was a traitor amongstyou, and told you who he was; but I was not believed. And Richard deAshby was left to snap asunder the ties between his house and the causeof the people, and to furnish the horse that bore Prince Edward fromHereford. There is more venom yet in that viper's fangs--it were wellthey were drawn."
"'Tis Robin himself!" cried another of the men, who had risen, and,shading his eyes from the setting sun, was gazing out over the groundsbelow, while the old Earl had let his head droop at the memories whichScathelock's speech called up, and sat looking sadly on the greenblades of grass. "'Tis Robin himself! I see his broad shoulders and hislittle head. You will hear his horn anon."
"By my faith, your eyes are keen!" cried Scathelock, as the momentafter, the mellow winding of the Outlaw's horn came in round, softnotes, up the side of the hill. "'Tis Robin's own mots! There's nonecan bring such sounds out of the brass as he can. Forgive me, my lord!"he continued, to the Earl--"I have vexed you."
"Not so, not so, good fellow," answered the old man; "'twas but thememories of the past. I acted then as ever, Scathelock--by what seemedbest and noblest to be done; and that man's a fool, be his conduct whatit will, who, having shaped it by the best light God gives, feelsregret when he can lay his hand upon his breast, and say, 'My heart ispure!'--This, then, is Robin coming? Doubtless he brings good news."
"To us, he is rarely an ill-omened bird," replied Scathelock; "but, bymy faith, the Abbot of St. Anne's, after he has skinned his poortenants of a heavy donation, or a king's warden, full of fines and freegifts, or the Sheriff of Nottingham's bailiff and collector, would notthink the sight of Robin Hood's nut head and brawny arms thepleasantest apparition he could meet with between Nottingham andDoncaster."
"Well, well," rejoined another, "if he frightens the purse-proud andthe greedy, his footstep, on the threshold of the poor and theoppressed, has no ill sound, Scathelock."
"Wind your horn, Tim of the Lane!" cried Scathelock. "He cannot see usthough we see him."
In such conversation some ten minutes passed away; at the end of whichtime Robin Hood and two of his companions came round under the bank,and sprang to the ground in the midst of the little party thereassembled. He greeted them all frankly and with cheerful speech; butalthough no frown wrinkled his brow, it was easy to perceive that hismood was not a gay one.
"Come," he said, after his first salutation to the two noblemen wasover, "what have you here to eat? By my life, we three are hungry andthirsty too. A fat brawn's head and a bustard scarcely touched! By ourLady, a supper for an emperor! Why, my lord, it seems you have notfinished yet?"
"We had well-nigh ended," said the Earl: "but in such an evening asthis one loves to prolong the minutes with careless talk, good Robin.There is rich store of the prior's wine, too, under the bank.Scathelock, it seems, resolved to make us merry."
"He is ri
ght, he is right," replied Robin; "the King can make men richand noble too; but not every one can make you merry for the nonce. Iwish it were."
"Why, Robin, you seem sad," observed Hugh de Monthermer, sitting downbeside him. "If you bring me bad tidings, let me hear them quickly."
"Good or bad, as you take them," answered Robin Hood; "though some arefoul enough for any ears."
"Well, then, speak, speak!" said Hugh de Monthermer. "The sting of badtidings is suspense, Robin. The burden is soon borne, when once it istaken up.--They do not believe my story;--is it so?"
"No," answered Robin Hood; "the Prince, as I hear, has done youjustice. He came over from Derby at once. I took care your lettershould reach him instantly; and ere twelve hours from the time yourhead was to be struck off, the sentence was reversed, and you weredeclared innocent."
"And this is the administration of the law under Henry the Third?"said the old Earl. "The life of a peer of England is a king'splaything.--This will mend itself."
"Ha!" cried Robin Hood, with a degree of sorrowful impatience in histone, "others have been making sport of peers' lives besides the King.Has not that news reached you, that Lindwell Castle has a new lord?"
Hugh de Monthermer started up, with a look of half increduloussurprise--"Dead?" he exclaimed,--"the Earl of Ashby dead?"
"Ay, marry," answered Robin Hood.--"murdered! so they say, by theBull's hawthorn, under Lindwell Green, nor far from the skirt ofThornywood--You know the place, my lord?"
"Right well," replied Hugh de Monthermer;--"but is it sure, Robin?"
"Nothing is sure," answered Robin Hood--"nothing is sure in this worldthat I know of. But this news is all over the country; and as I came bySouthwell this morning, I heard proclamation made upon the Greenconcerning this sad murder."
"This is most strange," said Hugh; "such things will make us infidels:while fools and villains reach to honours and renown, honest men aredriven to herd in Sherwood with the beasts of the forest, and good menmurdered at their own castle-gate. Who can have done this, Robin?--Doyou know?"
"I know right well," replied Robin Hood. "'Tis Richard de Ashby hasdone it; and now the base beast--part wolf, part fox, partserpent--contrives to put the bloody deed upon another. But he shallfind himself mistaken, if my advice is followed--I will see to it, Iwill see to it; for I am somewhat in fault in this matter. I was warnedof the purpose, and might have stopped it; but in the hurry of otherthings, I forgot, and was too late."
"Yes," said Hugh de Monthermer, "it could be none other--the basevillain! But can you bring him to punishment, Robin?"
"That must be your affair," replied Robin Hood, "I will prove hisguilt; but you must punish him."
"That will I, right willingly," cried Hugh de Monthermer, "I willaccuse him of the deed, and dare him to show his innocence in arms."
"Nay, that is not needful," answered Robin Hood; "'tis he accuses you."
"Me? me?" asked Hugh de Monthermer.
"What! my nephew," exclaimed the old Earl--"a prisoner or a fugitive?"
"Even so," replied the Outlaw, "ay, and with fair and specious showing,makes his case good; forges a letter, as I hear, and doubtless hashired witnesses, too. I have not been able to gather much of how thisnew plot has been framed; but, as I was going to tell you, my goodlords: on Southwell Green this morning, as I passed, I saw a king'spursuivant with sundry men-at-arms, and stopping amongst the crowd, wholaughed to see bold Robin Hood, the outlaw, the robber, the murderer,of much venison, stay and front the royal officers, I heard them makeproclamation, saying, 'Know all men that Hugh Monthermer, Lord ofAmesbury and Lenton, is accused, on strong suspicion, of traitorouslyand feloniously doing to death William Earl of Ashby, and that he ishereby summoned to appear before the King at Nottingham, to purgehimself of the said charge by trial, oath, ordeal, or wager of battle,at his choice, according to the laws of the realm and chivalry.'--Thoseare the very words."
"And strange ones, too," said the old Earl. "The form is somewhatvaried from the usual course, and the name of the accuser leftunmentioned."
"All is out of course now," answered Robin Hood, "and this not morethan the rest. But it matters not--'twill come to the same in the end."
Hugh de Monthermer, while this was passing, stood buried in thought,with his arms folded on his chest.
"The villain!" he repeated, at length--"the villain! But he shall ruethe day.--I will away at once, Robin, and face him ere the world be aday older. If my right hand fail me against Richard de Ashby, myconscience must be worse than I believe it. I will away at once; I mustnot lie beneath such a charge an hour longer than needful."
"Nay, nay, my good lord," cried Robin Hood, "sit down and be ruled byme!--haste may spoil all. I have the clue fully in my hands; andalthough I do hope and trust to see your lance an arm's length throughthe traitor, or your good sword in his false throat, yet I promise,that you shall, moreover, have the means in your hand of proving to allmen's conviction, not only that you are innocent, but that he himselfis the doer of the deed. In the first place, then, you must not go tothe court of England without a safe-conduct. Methinks you should knowbetter than that."
"Oh, but Prince Edward!" cried Hugh de Monthermer.
"Prince Edward may be away again," interrupted the Outlaw; "you musthave a safe-conduct, and the time spent will not be lost. Sit youdown--sit you down, my lord, and take a cup of wine.--This news hasshaken you.--I will arrange it all. The third day hence, you shall beat the English court; but even then you must contrive to delay thecombat for a week. Then, ere you go to the lists, you shall put theproofs which I will give you in the hand of the Prince, to be openedwhen the fight is over. Come, sit you down, and let us talk of it; I'llshow you reasons for so doing. Here, one of your own men shall ride tothe Prince, and ask for a safe-conduct.--He may be back by to-morrownight."
Hugh sat down beside him again, the old Lord leaned upon the grass, hisfaithful followers and those of the bold forester made a circle at alittle distance, passing the wine-cup round; and--as with thegeneral world, in which mirth and gaiety and every-day idleness havetheir common course, while many a tragedy is acting in the housesnear--while, in the one group the jest, and the laugh, and the songwent on; in the other, was grave and deep thought, regret, andindignation, and that feeling of awe with which great crimes naturallyinspire the mind of man. The golden sun went down, and a cold, clear,autumnal night succeeded. A fire was lighted of dry branches, servingthe purpose of a torch likewise, and still those three sat discussingthe subject which was uppermost in their thoughts with long and earnestdebate.
About an hour after nightfall a letter was written with materials whichone or other of the forest party was seldom without; and, as soon as itwas ready, it was dispatched to Nottingham by an attendant of the oldEarl, who promised to return with all speed. Still, however, the Earl,his Nephew, and the Outlaw continued their conversation, while thestars came out bright and clear, and everything around was lost to theeye but the dim outlines of the trees. The wind whispered through thebranches with a long, sighing sound, and every now and then, in themanifold long pauses that broke the conference, the rustling noise washeard of a withered leaf dropping upon its dead companions that onceflourished green upon the same bough, but had fallen before it to theearth. It was as an image of the passing away of mortal life; and such,probably, as the rustle of that leaf, is the only sound that rises upto superior beings as, one by one, we drop into the tomb which hasreceived before us the bright and beautiful we have known; an existenceis extinguished, a state of being is over, and other things are readyto spring up from the mouldering remnants of our decay.
At length, however, the quick ear of the Outlaw caught something more:a creeping, quiet, but rapid noise--and exclaiming "Hark!" he lookedaround, adding in a loud voice, "Who goes there?"
There was no answer, but the instant after, with a bound from the topof the bank, came down the dwarf Tangel into the party below.
"Ha! Robin--ha!" he exclaimed--"I never yet
could discover whether thouart ass or hare."
"How now, sirrah?" cried Robin Hood, striking him a light blow with hishand; "I pr'ythee find more savoury comparisons."
"Why one or the other thou must be," said Tangel, "by thy long ears. Dowhat I will, I cannot catch thee napping. But I think thou art mostlike a hare, which we see sitting with one long ear resting, while theother stands upright, like a sentinel upon the top of a mound. But Ihave come far, Robin, to bring a lady's errand to a truant knight.Here, runaway--here is a billet for thee!--It was sent for Robin Hoodor any of his people--the messenger took me for a people, and so gaveit to me, though, Heaven knows, they might as well have taken me for asteeple, as far as the difference of size is concerned."
As he spoke, he handed a small billet or note, to the Outlaw, whostirred the fire into a blaze, and was opening it to read, when heremarked some words written on the outside, which ran--"To the LordHugh of Monthermer, with speed, if he may be found--If not, for RobinHood of Sherwood."
"'Tis for you, my lord," said Robin, handing it to Hugh, who instantlytore it open, and ran his eye eagerly over the contents.
When he had done so, he turned back again and read aloud, omitting onesentence at the beginning.
"Your accuser is Richard de Ashby,"--so ran the letter; "and I tremblewhen I tell you my suspicion lest it should be unjust. But I havemarked it on his face,--I have seen it in his changing colour,--I haveheard it in the very tone of his voice. There is an impression upon mewhich nothing can efface that this deed was his. I know not how tocounsel or advise, but it is fitting that you should know this; yourown wisdom must do the rest. I fear for you; I fear for my brotherAlured, too. There is but one between that man and the wealth and rankwhich he has long envied; he has gone too far to pause at any humanmeans; and my apprehensions are very great for him who stands in theway."
"Thus it is," said the old Earl--"thus it is with the wicked; they veryoften contrive to cloak their acts from the wise and prudent of thisworld, but to innocence and simplicity seems to be given light fromHeaven to detect them under any disguise."
"Give me a woman for finding out man's heart," cried Robin Hood; "thatis, if she loves him not; for then all are fools.--But, come, mylord--let us seek a better place of shelter for the night; my blood isnot very chilly, but still I feel it cold.--Make much of Tangel, merrymen, and give him a leg of the bustard and a cup of wine; but look tothe flask, look to the flask, with him. Remember last Christmas eve,Tangel, when you mistook a stag-hound for a damsel in distress, andsagely wondered in your drunkenness how she came by such a beard."
Forest Days: A Romance of Old Times Page 35