Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/55

Rh the old man, leaning upon his great bow, gave a sigh of satisfaction as he saw that it had fallen, point downward, into the roadway not far beyond Edgar and Amabel.

Hugh waited until he saw them reach the arrow, saw Edgar lean from the saddle and pluck the arrow out of the ground, and then he hurried to his horse and mounted with all speed. Anyone who had seen the old soldier only in times of inaction, would have been amazed at his activity now, as he forced his horse down the steep hillside at a gallop, taking risks that frightened the easy-going old steed herself. Hugh was not at all careful to go quietly, and on the contrary shouted to his horse, cheered her on, and made all the noise he could.

Reaching the level road again, Hugh drove his spurs into his amazed steed, and set off at a run after the Ferrers men-at-arms. As they were still traveling rather slowly, it was not many minutes before he was within sight and even hailing distance of them. When he suddenly reached the end of a straight stretch of road and could see them, they were just climbing a rise in the road, and in a moment they were upon its top, and plainly outlined against the sky. Evidently the first two who reached this elevation must have caught sight of the Mortimer party, for with a