Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen

A group of people with weapons in hand, dusty and dusty, Escorting a lady to spend the night at the castle; This is me tailing them all the way, learned from their words. Now this group is not far from here. "Ola, A Tragedy" The travelers finally came to the edge of a forest and were about to enter the depths of the dense woods. At that time, it was considered very dangerous, because oppression and poverty made many people become bandits, and they gathered in the forest. Not in their eyes.However, even though it was late, Cedric and Athelstan still had nothing to worry about, thinking that apart from Wang Ba and Ge Si, who were a clown and the other a prisoner, who could not be relied upon, they also had ten servants with them, enough to deal with them. Those outlaws.Not only that, but Cedric and Athelstan thought that there was nothing wrong with walking through the forest late at night, not only because they were brave, but because their blood and status were in their favor.Most of those strongmen are forced to have no other way out under the strict forest laws and regulations, so they take the risk. They are mainly Saxon farmers and villagers who live this kind of fugitive life. Show mercy.

While the travelers were on their way, there were cries for help; and when they came to the place from which these sounds came, they found a cart lying on the ground, and sitting beside it was a richly attired young woman, It seemed to be in Jewish attire, and there was an old man walking up and down, wearing a yellow hat to show that he was also a Jew, and he behaved as if he was in a desperate situation, as if some disaster was about to happen, so that he kept rubbing his hands. folded hands. To the questioning of Athelstan and Cedric, the old Jew had no other answer at first, but kept calling the names of every patriarch in the "Old Testament", begging them to bless him, saying that the descendants of Ishmael were raising Take up the sword and come to kill them.When the horror had grown calmer, Isaac of York (for it was indeed our old friend) at last reported the fact that he had six bodyguards at Ashby, and a pack-boat and some mules. , because a friend was ill.The men promised to escort them to Doncaster.The journey was safe and sound, but when they got here, a woodcutter told them that a group of strong men were ambushing in the woods ahead. It was a dilemma, but the gang of robbers could appear at any time, rob them and even kill them.Finally Isaac said in a humble voice: I beg you strong men, let the poor Jews go with you and protect us. The time of captivity to Babylon. ], the favor that no one has ever received, I swear by our Code of Moses, I will never forget your great kindness.

You Jewish bastard!Athelstan scolded as soon as he opened his mouth, he always cares about all kinds of trivial matters, especially things that offend him, he always holds a grudge, you forgot to compete with us for the stands in the arena, and don't take us seriously Is something wrong?You can resist, you can run away, as you like, or you can partner with those robbers to do business, anyway, this is your specialty, but you can't imagine if you want our help and go with us, people like you plundered the whole world. World, you deserve to be plundered by others. I still think those robbers did the right thing and upheld justice.

Cedric disapproved of his friend's cruelty, and we might as well take care of them, he said, and give them two servants and two horses, and send them back to the neighboring village.This only weakens our strength a little, but with your sword, noble Athelstan, and the help of those who remain, we can easily deal with twenty or so thieves. Rowena, too, startled to hear of the Strongman's attack and proximity, endeavored to agree with her guardian.But at this moment, Rebecca suddenly cheered up, jumped up, squeezed in front of Miss Saxon's horse from among the servants, knelt on the ground, and kissed Rowena's dress hem according to the way of meeting nobles in the East.Then she arose, lifted her veil, and by the great name of the God they both adored, by the law taught on Mount Sinai in which they both believed. Ten Commandments), see Old Testament.Exodus". ], begging her to sympathize with them, to protect them, to allow them to travel together, I do not ask for such care for myself, said Rebecca, nor even for the poor old man.To Christians, I know, to mistreat and injure our people is a negligible fault, if not a merit; in the city, in the desert, or in the field, what difference does our destiny make?But I am asking you, for someone whom many respect, even yours, to leave this patient safe with care and concern under your protection.Because if he encounters misfortune, then I am afraid that at the last moment of your life, you will also be condemned by your conscience for refusing my request.

The sublime and majestic air with which Rebecca made the appeal gave it redoubled force over the Saxon beauty. The man was old and infirm, she said to her guardian, and his daughter was young and beautiful, and their friends were sick and in danger; and though they were Jews, we, as Christians, should not let them die.Let our men unload the two mules, and pack the luggage behind the two slaves.The mule can carry the pack, and the two horses we lead can be used by the old man and his daughter. Cedric readily agreed to her proposal, and Athelstan only put one condition on it: they could only follow our ranks, where, he said, let Wang Ba serve them with his boar-boar shield .

That shield was thrown on the field for me long ago, answered the jester, and many knights greater than I have had to do the same. Athelstan's face flushed, for that was what happened to him at the tourney the next day.Rowena, on the contrary, was delighted, and, as if apologizing for the rude jeers of her indifferent suitor, specifically asked Rebecca to ride beside her. I'm afraid that's not quite right, replied Rebecca, looking both self-respecting and modest, as I can only bring shame on my protector. The men and luggage were quickly refitted, for the presence of the bandit made every servant quick and fast, and the growing darkness heightened the sense of terror.Ge Si was dragged off his horse in a flurry, and he took this opportunity to beg the clown to loosen the rope that bound his arm.Wang Ba re-tied the rope casually, perhaps on purpose, so that Ge Si broke free of his arm without any effort, then slipped into the bushes, and left the team without anyone noticing.

It was a mess and it took a while for anyone to notice that Ge Si was missing; on the next leg of the journey he was supposed to be in line behind a servant, but every servant thought someone else was watching him until they found Ge Si When they really escaped and talked about it, the team might be attacked by robbers at any time, and no one had the heart to ask about it. The road they now passed was so narrow that it barely allowed two horses to walk side by side.Then the road began to incline into a deep ravine, through which a stream ran, with uneven and swampy banks, and dwarf willows growing on both sides.Cedric and Athelstan walked ahead. They saw that they could be beaten at any time on this kind of path, but neither of them had much combat experience. They felt that the only way to prevent danger was to speed up and pass this pass as soon as possible.The whole team rushed forward in a chaotic manner, some of them had just crossed the stream, and suddenly they were attacked at the same time, front, back, left, and right, and the attack was fierce; they were in this chaotic and unprepared situation, and they were unable to make an effective counterattack for a while, Bai Long !White Dragon!St. George bless merry England! [Note: St. George is the patron saint of Britain, and St. George and the white dragon became the pictures and battle cry on the ancient British battle flag. ] came from every direction the assailants pretending to be Saxon brigands; now they were advancing swiftly from all sides, and so appeared to be numerous.

Two Saxon chieftains were taken captive at the same time, but in different circumstances, showing their respective characteristics.Cedric, at the instant of the first enemy's appearance, hurled at him the remaining dart, and more accurately than the one thrown at Fance, drove the man into a hazel-bush behind him. tree.After Cedric got his hands, he leapt at the second man, drew out his sword, and in his anger, without thinking, he raised his sword and slashed at a thick branch above his head. The sword fell to the ground.Immediately he became a prisoner, and was unhorsed by two or three bandits who surrounded him.Athelstan was also taken prisoner, his bridle was seized, and his body was dragged to the ground before he could draw his weapon and make any resistance.

The servants had to take care of the luggage and were stunned by what happened to their master, so they had to catch them one by one.Miss Rowena, who was in the middle of the procession, and the Jewish father and daughter who followed the procession, also fell into the same misfortune. In the whole team, only Wang Ba escaped the bad luck, and on this occasion he behaved much braver than those who boasted of being brave.A servant was hesitant and was about to draw his sword slowly, but Wang Ba snatched it away and swung it like a lion, repelling several people who were rushing towards him, desperately trying to break into the crowd, rescued his master, but without success.Finding himself outnumbered, the clown had to dismount from his horse, slip into the bushes, and thanks to the chaos, escaped from the scene of the fight.

However, once the brave clown found himself out of danger, he couldn't help hesitating, and several times wanted to turn around and go back, to share the joys and sorrows with his beloved master, and to be a prisoner together. I've heard many people talk about the happiness of being free, he said to himself, but I wish some wise man could tell me what to do now that I'm free. Just as he was talking, a voice nearby cautiously called him: Wang Ba!At the same moment a dog, wagging its tail, jumped up beside him, which he recognized as Fance.So Wang Ba also replied softly: Ge Si!Then the pig-herder appeared in front of him.

How is this going?Ge Si asked anxiously, where did all these shouts and swords come from? It's not a popular activity today!Wang Ba said that they were all taken away. Who took it?Ge Si shouted, impatient. My lord, my lady, Athelstan, Henderbert, and Oswald. Oh my god!Ge Si said, how were they taken away?To whom? My master is too quick, answered the jester, Athelstan is too slow, and the rest don't want to do it at all.They're captives now to the guys in the green coats and the black masks, all bound hand and foot on the grass like sour apples you shake down from a tree to feed your pigs.It was so funny to me, but I should have cried.The righteous clown actually shed a few tears that weren't fake. Ge Si's face became agitated, Wang Ba, he said, you have a sword, and your courage has always been stronger than your brain; there are only two of us, but the sudden attack launched by two people who are not afraid of death is still very powerful. You can do a lot, come with me! where?for what purposethe clown asked. Rescue Cedric. But you just had to break it off with him.Wang Ba said. That was when he was proud, Ge Si replied, come with me! The clown was about to follow him when a third person suddenly appeared and ordered them both to stop.According to his clothes and weapons, Wang Ba almost thought that this was also one of the robbers who attacked his master just now, but this man was not only not wearing a mask, but also had a shiny silk shoulder strap hanging on his body. He hung a precious horn, and his voice and manner seemed so serene and majestic, and despite the darkness of the night, the clown recognized Locksley, the farmer who had won the archery competition under extremely unfavorable conditions. What's going on in all this?Who, he asked, arrests people in these forests, extorts them, and kidnaps passers-by? You might as well look at the clothes of those people, Wang Ba said, and you will know if they are your minions; they are dressed exactly like you, they are all like green pods, and you can't tell each other. I'll investigate right away, Locksley replied, now you stand here and don't move, otherwise your life will be in danger, you wait for me to come back.Take my word for it, it will be good for you and your master.But wait, I have to make myself as much like those people as possible. He said so, untied the shoulder strap of the horn, took the feathers from the hat, and handed them to Wang Ba, then took out a mask from his pocket, and told them to stand where they were, Then he went to perform his reconnaissance mission. Ge Si, should we stand still?Wang Ba said, why not run away while he is away?In my fool's opinion, he doesn't seem like a good guy, with all his robber gear on and ready to turn into a robber at any moment. It doesn't matter if he is a devil, Ge Si said, if we wait for him to come back, we may not necessarily suffer.If he really belonged to that gang, he must have tipped off, and we can't escape, and we can't beat them.Besides, my recent experiences have taught me that real robbers aren't the toughest villains in the world. After a few minutes, the farmer came back. My friend Ge Si, he said, I mingled among those people and learned who sent them and where they were going.The way I see it, they don't really want to kill the people they catch.It is only delusional that we have three men to deal with them now, because they are all accustomed to fighting, and there are sentries around them, so no one can get close to them.But despite their tight defenses, I have the means to muster a force at once and defeat them.Both of you are servants, I think, loyal to Cedric the Saxon, who upholds the rights of the English, and he will not be in danger without the help of the English.So you still come with me, wait for me to gather people to rescue him. So saying, he strode straight into the wood, with the Clown and the Pigman following him.But he doesn't talk all the time, which doesn't fit Wang Ba's personality. I saw these things, he spoke, and looked at the sash and horn still in his hand, and thought of the arrow that won these fine prizes, as if it were still before my eyes, much nearer than Christmas . I can also swear, Ge Si said, I have heard the voice of the hero who shoots arrows day and night, counting that moonlit night is only three days away from now. Two honest friends, the farmer replied, who I am and what I do have nothing to do with the matter at hand; when I rescue your master, you will understand that I am the best thing you have ever met in your life. friend.As to my use of this or that name, my arrow being better or worse than a cattleman's, my liking in the sun or in the moonlight, these things are none of your business, and therefore you need not worry about them. Our heads stuck into the lion's mouth, and Wang Ba whispered in Ge Si's ear, we must retract quickly. Hush, don't make a sound, Ge Si said, as long as you don't offend him with nonsense, I believe we will be fine.