The Armourer's Apprentice — page 27: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

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' é > ‘ ~ 5 - . : . : ¢ . oo! 7 » ~ ra + e NY ln men cheered, and under the guidance af ight of arrows into the enemy’s vessel, ing aa damage. _But Sir Bidulph wasaskilled warrior, and \y re rere returned the shots with deadly “Put up the shields!” cried Sir Stephen. _ “Shoot from behind your shields.” _ This was quickly done, and by it many _ lives were saved. | Bia th vessels put about, and once more _the Leopard attempted to run down Sir Stephen’s ship ; but for the second time our hero managed to shift the helm with such _ dexterity that, well-steered as the Leopard _ Was. she missed her mark again, and shot _ past, receiving as she did so not only a flight of arrows, but. someone of the crew— Stephen never knew who it was—threw a + varrel of lighted tar into the ill-fated ship. _ he barrel broke and in a minute the a ng liquid was running all over the ~ ac r. A os " y “oF as the flames caught the wood, sending 4 4“, . } & cp, 4 __ *Vield—yield!” cried Sir Stephen, as he leaped up by the side of the mast and hailed the burning ship. _. “Never!” cried Sir idulph de Boischene, _ as he pointed defiantly at his flag, on which owas depicted a leopard tearing open the breast of a man and devouring his heart. _ “No; I can die ss bravely as 1 have lived, and hating you as much, I know these seas well. Ji perish look to yourself.” — stalled eel the saints! the rascal has spoken the truth for once in his life,” muttered Ne tg Will. “T have heard it said that no man _ breathing knows this coast as well as Sir sein. We mustlook to ourselves. Ah! what fi is that leaping upon the poop oi the Leopard? By Heaven! it is Lord de Courcy. Down, Sir Stephen, down! He hath a bow and arrow in his hand, and—” \ _ Before old Will could finish his speech DeCourey had discharged the arrow, and that with such force that it buried itself son é inches deep into the mast, just beneath mi no ace round which our hero had placed iba joward !’ said Sir Stephen, as he broke off the arrow and fiung it from him, ’ “This is the reward of all such treachery!” eried Will, and seizing a bow and arrow, he discharged a shaft with such good aim that Ind it wot been for the vessel lurching 16 mM ust have been fatal, for, as 1é Was, it _ buried itself deeply into the left shoulder _ of De Courcy, who fell back, screaming 10 oy y, OF the deck. 3 ee , . “Yield, Sir Bidulph, yield!” cried Sir hen. “To struggle further will be but é 4 a 4 r Ste / £2 ‘ae to waste valuable lives. Pledge me your Cet lee 1 z é - word that you and your men surrender A FIERCE COMBAT. lleaped to the gunwale, and poured _ There arose a yell of horror and despsir rT aayelare over the sea and up to the skies. ‘Yie > ye . e% f Are yourselves my prisoners, and J will promise you all fair treatmeat until I deliyer you one o the mercy of king Richard of Eng- an 1? “Who is about as merciful as the lion after whom he is named,” replied Sir Bidulph, with a bitter langh. “Crowd on - all saul, there! Courage, my men, we will yet give this boaster the slip, who dares to order us to yield, whilst he threatens us with therage of King Richard. Dashwater — over the ropes and mast. If they but bold one half an hour longer we shall be safe. We outsail them splendidly.” ee “Yield! or I will order.my archers to — shoot upon you, distressed as you are!” shouted Reached. : ‘Do so!” roared back Sir Bidulph, and I tell you that the first man of mine falling, I wul have the smith’s pretty daughter. Alice, sae te up on the deck, load herwith — irons, and fling her into the sea. Ha, ha, ha! Methinks that method of rescuing your mistress from the claws of the Leopard would scarcely beto your liking. Out oars, there! Pull for your lives—every moment is valuable!” } ae What could Sir Stephen do? He knew that Bidulph the Brutal, as he had been | well named, would keep his word ifdriven to despair; and yet to let these fellows escape seemed fo be a crime. Still, he dared not risk placing Alice in such dan- er. | A hasty council of war was called, whilst orders were given to the seamen to make all sail in pursuit of the Leopard. Sir Stephen found that he had lost a great many of his men, first by the mutiny and then by the battle, for the archers on™ board the Leopard were exceedingly well trained. Then he had lost both the captain, or sailing-master, and his pilot, and soon dis- covered that the rest of the crew knew little or nothing of seamanship, beyond how to set and take in sails at the captain's orders. Even the first mate was so severely wounded that it was doubtful if he cowd help them. “T would do anything rather than let that vulain, Sir Bidulph, escape,’ he mut- tered. “Think, Will—is there not some plan by which to catch him ?” “None that [ know, Sir Stephen. I would that we were in a calmer sea, or had a pilot on board. But all that wecan dois to follow Sir Bidulph. He does know how to steer—knows the coast so well that he is sure to go safely to port.” “Tt is our only chance,” said Sir Svphen. “See that all sail is made. At all events the Leopard shall nof escape us.” Once more Sir Stephen stood upon the deck, his eyes fixed upon the burning ship which he was pursuing, .. COMME LIOO <S (ECO)