Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/53

Rh roads, except where they were concealed by heavy wood growth. He had brought his chart with him to the top of the rock, and now set himself to correct parts of it, and to note certain new features he could make out. Suddenly, as he happened to be looking down upon a certain road that lay to the northward toward the Mortimers' castle, he saw half a dozen horsemen ride from a dense part of the forest out upon the open road. They were between Hugh and the hawking-party, and on the road to the castle. Hugh sprang to his feet, and shading his eyes with his hand did his best to make out the men's equipment. Though he could see that there were not any men in armor among them, yet they carried weapons, for now and then the sun flashed from their spear-points. At once he remembered the flight of the boy into the woods, and he suspected the ambuscade. Apparently these soldiers were traveling slowly so as to make as little noise as possible, and hoped to come upon the hawkers without giving warning of their approach. Hugh knew that Edgar and the falconer were unarmed, except for their hunting-knives and Edgar's light hunting-spear, and would be entirely unable to offer any resistance if attacked. He could see Edgar and Amabel on the road not far ahead of the horsemen, and yet for a moment he could think