Читать «Айвенго / Ivanhoe» онлайн - страница 26

“Who attacks travellers in this forest?” said he.

“You can go and check whether they are your men or not,” said Wamba, “because they look exactly like you.”

“I will check it right now,” answered Locksley; “and you must not move from this place until I return. Obey me, and it will be better for you and your masters.” He returned in a few minutes.

“Friend Gurth,” he said, “I have seen these men. We cannot attack them right now, but I think I can collect such a force that will be enough to defeat them. You are both servants and, I think, faithful servants of Cedric the Saxon, the friend of the rights of Englishmen. There will be enough English hands to help him in these circumstances. Come then with me, until I collect more force.”

* * *

After a long walk the servants of Cedric with their guide came to a small glade in the centre of which grew an enormous oak-tree. Beneath this tree four or five yeomen lay on the ground. Their guide was welcomed with every sign of respect.

“Where is the Miller?” was his first question.

“On the road towards Rotherham with six men.

“And where is Allan-a-Dale?” said Locksley, who seemed to be the leader of these people.

“Went to the big road to watch for the Prior of Jorvaulx.”

“That is well,” replied the Captain, “and where is the Friar?”

“In his house.”

“That’s where I will go,” said Locksley. “Go and look for your companions. Collect as many as you can. Meet me here in the morning.”

The men went to do what he asked, and their leader with his two companions went to the monk’s hut. When they came close, they heard the sounds of music. “That is well sung,” said Wamba, “but who would ever expect to hear such a cheerful prayer come out from a hermit’s house at midnight?”

In fact at that moment the hermit and his guest were performing an old drinking song as loudly as they could. After some time Locksley’s loud and repeated knocks disturbed them.

“I swear,” said the hermit, stopping his song, “here come more guests. I don’t want them to see what we were doing. All men have their enemies, Sir Knight.”

“Holy Clerk, it is true that all have their enemies,” replied the knight, “so I will put on my helmet.”

“Mad priest,” said the voice from without, “open to Locksley!”

“All’s safe—all’s right, it is a friend,” said the hermit to his companion. He opened the door, and let in Locksley with his two companions.

“Why, hermit,” was the yeoman’s first question as soon as he saw the knight, “what cheerful companion do you have here?”

“A brother of our order,” replied the Friar, “we have been praying all night.”

“Friar, you must lay down your prayer-book,” answered Locksley; “and take up the staff; we will need every one of our men”.

The monk took off his clothes, and put on a yeoman’s dress with a green cloak.

Locksley led the knight apart and said to him: “Don’t deny it, Sir Knight—you are the one who helped the English party win on the second day of the tournament at Ashby.”