He led him into Branksome hall, Before the beards of the warders all; And each did after swear and say, There only passed a wain of hay. And the door might not be opened, He had laid him on her very bed. Whate'er he did of gramarye,* Was always done maliciously; He flung the warrior on the ground, And the blood welled freshly from the wound, XII. As he repassed the outer court, He spied the fair young child at sport: For, at a word, be it understood, He was always for ill, and never for good. Seemed to the boy, some comrade gay On the draw-bridge the warders stout Saw a terrier and lurcher passing out. XIII. He led the boy o'er bank and fell, Until they came to a woodland brook ; Had strangled him in fiendish spleen; But his awful mother he had in dread, So he but scowled on the startled child, And darted through the forest wild; The woodland brook he bounding crossed, And laughed, and shouted, "Lost! lost! lost!" XIV. Full sore amazed at the wonderous change, At the wild yell and visage strange, And the dark words of gramarye, The child, amidst the forest bower, And when at length, with trembling pace, He sought to find where Branksome lay, He feared to see that grisly face Glare from some thicket on his way. Thus, starting oft, he journeyed on, And deeper in the wood is gone, For aye the more he sought his way, Until he heard the mountains round Ring to the baying of a hound. XV. And hark! and hark! the deep-mouthed bark Comes nigher still, and nigher; Bursts on the path a dark blood-hound, His tawny muzzle tracked the ground, And his red eye shot fire. Soon as the wildered child saw he, He flew at him right furiouslie. I ween you would have seen with joy When, worthy of his noble sire, His wet cheek glowed 'twixt fear and ire! He faced the blood-hound manfully, And held his little bat on high; So fierce he struck, the dog, afraid, At cautious distance hoarsely bayed, But still in act to spring; When dashed an archer through the glade, And when he saw the hound was stayed, He drew his tough bow-string; But a rough voice cried, "Shoot not, hoy! Ho! shoot not, Edward-'Tis a boy!" XVI. The speaker issued from the wood, And checked his fellow's surly mood, He was an English yeoman good, And born in Lancashire. Well could he hit a fallow deer Five hundred feet him fro; With hand more true, and eye more clear, No archer bended bow. His coal-black hair, shorn round and close, Set off his sun-burned face; Old England's sign, St George's cross, His barret-cap did grace; His bugle-horn hung by his side, All in a wolf-skin baldric tied; And his short faulchion, sharp and clear, |