A Boys Ride

A Boy's Ride

The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Boy's Ride, by Gulielma Zollinger
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Title: A Boy's Ride
Author: Gulielma Zollinger
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[Illustration: "Yield Thee in the King's Name"]

A BOY'S RIDE

BY GULIELMA ZOLLINGER
1909

ILLUSTRATIONS AND COVER DESIGN BY FANNY M.
CHAMBERS
ILLUSTRATIONS
"Yield thee in the king's name!"
Hugo seeks shelter within the walls
"Thou art welcome, my lad," said Lady De Aldithely
"It is well thou hast me to lead thee"
Humphrey and Hugo in the oak tree
The little spy and Humphrey
Hugo looked about him with interest
Humphrey started up, snatching a great bunch of long, flaming reeds
None knew which way to turn to escape
Richard Wood finds Walter Skinner
Walter Skinner's horse refused to be controlled
Richard Wood beckoned the Saxons to approach
He rode to the edge of the moat and looked down
Humphrey in priest's garb
Bartlemy bore garments for disguise
Humphrey, half turning in his saddle, saw a priest

A BOY'S RIDE

CHAPTER I
It was the last of May in the north of England, in the year 1209. A very
different England from what any boy of to-day has seen. A chilly east
wind was blowing. The trees of the vast forests were all in leaf but the
ash trees, and they were unfolding their buds. And along a bridle-path a
few miles southwest of York a lad of fourteen was riding, while behind
him followed a handsome deerhound. A boy of fourteen, at that age of
the world, was an older and more important personage than he is to-day.
If he were well-born he had, generally, by this time, served his time as
a page and was become an esquire in the train of some noble lord. That
this lad had not done so was because his uncle, a prior in whose charge
he had been reared since the early death of his parents, had designed
him for a priest. Priest, however, he had declined to be, and his uncle
had now permitted him to go forth unattended to attach himself as page
to some lord, if he could.
To-day he seemed very much at home in the great wood as he glanced
about him fearlessly, but so he would have been anywhere. Apparently
he was unprotected from assault save by the bow he carried. In reality
he wore a shirt of chain mail beneath his doublet, a precaution which he
the more willingly took because of his good hope one day to be a
knight, when not only the shirt of mail, but the helmet, shield, sword,
and lance would be his as well.
It was not far from noon when he came to the great open place cleared
of all timber and undergrowth which announced the presence of a castle.
And looking up, he saw the flag of the De Aldithelys flying from its
turrets.
There was a rustle in the thicket, horse and deerhound pricked up their
ears, and then ran pursued by flying arrows. And now ride! ride, my
brave boy, and seek shelter within the walls! For till thou reach them,
thy shirt of mail must be thy salvation.

The drawbridge was yet down, for a small party of men-at-arms had
just been admitted, and across it rushed boy, and horse, and dog before
the warder had time to wind his horn: the horse and rider unharmed, but
the deerhound wounded.
[Illustration: Hugo Seeks Shelter within the Walls]
The warder stared upon the strange boy, and the boy stared back at him.
And then the warder