He put his ear to the ground, and it seemed to him
as if he heard a jarring and hollow noise from townward.
Back to the beach he went hurrying. But the
work was already done; the last body was disarmed
and stripped to the skin, and four fellows were already
wading seaward to commit it to the mercies of the deep.
A few minutes later, when there debauched out of the
nearest lanes of Shoreby some two score horsemen,
hastily arrayed and moving at the gallop of their
steeds, the neighbourhood of the house beside the
sea was entirely silent and deserted.
Meanwhile, Dick and his men had returned to the ale-house
of the Goat and Bagpipes to snatch some hours of sleep
before the morning tryst.
St. Bride’s cross stood a little way back from
Shoreby, on the skirts of Tunstall Forest. Two
roads met: one, from Holywood across the forest;
one, that road from Risingham down which we saw the
wrecks of a Lancastrian army fleeing in disorder.
Here the two joined issue, and went on together down
the hill to Shoreby; and a little back from the point
of junction, the summit of a little knoll was crowned
by the ancient and weather-beaten cross.
Here, then, about seven in the morning, Dick arrived.
It was as cold as ever; the earth was all grey and
silver with the hoarfrost, and the day began to break
in the east with many colours of purple and orange.
Dick set him down upon the lowest step of the cross,
wrapped himself well in his tabard, and looked vigilantly
upon all sides. He had not long to wait.
Down the road from Holywood a gentleman in very rich
and bright armour, and wearing over that a surcoat
of the rarest furs, came pacing on a splendid charger.
Twenty yards behind him followed a clump of lances;
but these halted as soon as they came in view of the
trysting-place, while the gentleman in the fur surcoat
continued to advance alone.
His visor was raised, and showed a countenance of
great command and dignity, answerable to the richness
of his attire and arms. And it was with some
confusion of manner that Dick arose from the cross
and stepped down the bank to meet his prisoner.
“I thank you, my lord, for your exactitude,”
he said, louting very low. “Will it please
your lordship to set foot to earth?”
“Are ye here alone, young man?” inquired
the other,
“I was not so simple,” answered Dick;
“and, to be plain with your lordship, the woods
upon either hand of this cross lie full of mine honest
fellows lying on their weapons.”
“Y’ ’ave done wisely,” said
the lord. “It pleaseth me the rather,
since last night ye fought foolhardily, and more like
a salvage Saracen lunatic than any Christian warrior.
But it becomes not me to complain that had the undermost.”
“Ye had the undermost indeed, my lord, since
ye so fell,” returned Dick; “but had the
waves not holpen me, it was I that should have had
the worst. Ye were pleased to make me yours with
several dagger marks, which I still carry. And
in fine, my lord, methinks I had all the danger, as
well as all the profit, of that little blind-man’s
mellay on the beach.”
