Even therewith came a man to the gate of the sheep-cote by the grange,
and caught sight of them, and had the wits to run back at once shouting out:
"Hugh, Wat, Richard, and all ye, out with you, out a doors! Here be men!
Ware the Dry Tree! Bows and bills! Bows and bills!"
With that those fellows of Ralph made no more ado, but set off running
at their best toward the wood aforesaid, which crowned the slope
leading up from the grange, and now took no care to go softly,
nor heeded the clashing of their armour. Ralph ran with the best
and entered the wood alongside the slim youth aforesaid,
who stayed not at the wood's edge but went on running still:
but Ralph stayed and turned to see what was toward, and beheld
how that tall man was the last of their company, and ere he entered
the wood turned about with a bent bow in his hand, and even
as he nocked the shaft, the men from the Grange, who were seven
in all, came running out from behind the barn-gable, crying out:
"Ho thieves! ho ye of the Dry Tree, abide till we come! flee
not from handy strokes." The tall man had the shaft to his ear
in a twinkling, and loosed straightway, and nocked and loosed
another shaft without staying to note how the first had sped.
But Ralph saw that a man was before each of the shafts, and had
fallen to earth, though he had no time to see aught else, for even
therewith the tall man caught him by the hand, and crying out,
"The third time!" ran on with him after the rest of their company;
and whereas he was long-legged and Ralph lightfooted, they speedily
came up with them, who were running still, but laughing as they ran,
and jeering at the men of the Burg; and the tall man shouted
out to them: "Yea, lads, the counterfeit Dry Tree that they
have raised in the Burg shall be dry enough this time.
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