Nought6 befell them of evil that day, but ever fresh companies joined them on the road; and they gat harbour in another walled town, hight Sevenham, and rested there in peace that night, and were now grown to eighty hundreds.
Again on the morrow they were on the road betimes, and again much folk joined them, and they heard no tidings of any foeman faring against them; whereat Jack o' the Tofts marvelled8, for he and others had deemed that now at last would Rolf the traitor9 come out against them. Forsooth, when they had gone all day and night was at hand, it seemed most like to the captains that he would fall upon them that night, whereas they were now in a somewhat perilous10 pass; for they must needs rest at a little thorpe amidst of great and thick woods, which lay all round about the frank of Oakenham as a garland about a head. So there they kept watch and ward11 more heedfully than their wont12 was; and King Christopher lodged13 with Goldilind at the house of a good man of the thorpe.
Now when it lacked but half an hour of midnight, and Jack o' the Tofts and Oliver Marson and the Captain of Woodwall had just left him, after they had settled the order of the next day's journey, and Goldilind lay abed in the inner chamber14, there entered one of the men of the watch and said: "Lord King, here is a man hereby who would see thee; he is weaponed, and he saith that he hath a gift for thee: what shall we do with him?"
Said Christopher: "Bring him in hither, good fellow." And the man went back, and came in again leading a tall man, armed, but with a hood15 done over his steel hat, so that his face was hidden, and he had a bag in his hand with something therein.
Then spake the King and said: "Thou man, since thy face is hidden, this trusty man-at-arms shall stand by thee while we talk together."
"Lord," said the man, "let there be a dozen to hear our talk I care not; for I tell thee that I come to give thee a gift, and gift-bearers are oftenest welcome."
Quoth the King: "Maybe, yet before thou bring it forth I would see thy face, for meseems I have an inkling of thy voice."
So the man cast back his hood, and lo, it was Simon the squire16. "Hah!" said Christopher, "is it thou then! hast thou another knife to give me?"
"Nay," said Simon, "only the work of the knife." And therewith he set his hand to the bag and drew out by the hair a man's head, newly hacked17 off and bleeding, and said: "Hast thou seen him before, Lord? He was a great man yesterday, though not so great as thou shalt be to-morrow."
"Once only I have seen him," said Christopher, "and then he gave me this gift" (and he showed his father's ring on his finger): "thou hast slain18 the Earl Marshal, who called himself the King of Oakenrealm: my traitor and dastard19 he was but thy friend. Wherefore have I two evil deeds to reward thee, Simon, the wounding of me and the slaying21 of him. Dost thou not deem thee gallows-ripe?"
"King," said Simon, "what wouldst thou have done with him hadst thou caught him?"
Said Christopher: "I had slain him had I met him with a weapon in his fist; and if we had taken him I had let the folk judge him."
Said Simon: "That is to say, that either thou hadst slain him thyself, or bidden others to slay20 him. Now then I ask thee, King, for which deed wilt22 thou slay me, for not slaying thee, or for doing thy work and slaying thy foe7?"
Said Christopher to the guard: "Good fellow, fetch here a good horse ready saddled and bridled23, and be speedy."
So the man went: and Christopher said to Simon: "For the knife in my side, I forgive it thee; and as to the slaying of thy friend, it is not for me to take up the feud24. But this is no place for thee: if Jack of the Tofts, or any of his sons, or one of the captains findeth thee, soon art thou sped; wherefore I rede thee, when yonder lad hath brought thee the horse, show me the breadth of thy back, and mount the beast, and put the most miles thou canst betwixt me and my folk; for they love me."
Said Simon: "Sorry payment for making thee a king!"
Said Christopher: "Well, thou art in the right; I may well give gold for getting rid of such as thou." And he put his hand into a pouch25 that hung on his chair, and drew out thence a purse, and gave it unto Simon, who took it and opened it and looked therein, and then flung it down on the ground.
Christopher looked on him wrathfully with reddened face, and cried out: "Thou dog! wouldst thou be an earl and rule the folk? What more dost thou want?"
"This!" cried out Simon, and leapt upon him, knife aloft. Christopher was unarmed utterly26; but he caught hold of the felon's right arm with his right hand, and gripped the wrist till he shrieked27; then he raised up his mighty28 left hand, and drave it down on Simon's head by the ear, and all gave way before it, and the murderer fell crushed and dead to earth.
Therewith came in the man-at-arms to tell him that the horse was come; but stared wild when he saw the dead man on the ground. But Christopher said: "My lad, here hath been one who would have thrust a knife into an unarmed man, wherefore I must needs give him his wages. But now thou hast this to do: take thou this dead man and bind29 him so fast on the horse thou hast brought that he will not come off till the bindings be undone30; and bind withal the head of this other, who was once a great man and an evil, before the slayer31 of him, so that it also may be fast; then get thee to horse and lead this beast and its burden till ye are well on the highway to Oakenham, and then let him go and find his way to the gate of the city if God will. And hearken, my lad; seest thou this gold which lieth scattering32 on the floor here? this was mine, but is no longer, since I have given it away to the dead man just before he lifted his hand against me. Wherefore now I will keep it for thee against thou comest back safe to me in the morning betimes, as I deem thou wilt, if thou wilt behight to St. Julian the helping33 of some poor body on the road. Go therefore, but send hither the guard; for I am weary now, and would go to sleep without slaying any man else."
So departed the man full of joy, and Christopher gathered his money together again, and so fared to his bed peacefully.
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收听单词发音
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1
thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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nought
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| n.／adj.无，零 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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marvelled
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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12
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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13
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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14
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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15
hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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16
squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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17
hacked
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| 生气 | |
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18
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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19
dastard
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| n.卑怯之人，懦夫；adj.怯懦的，畏缩的 | |
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20
slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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21
slaying
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| 杀戮。 | |
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wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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23
bridled
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| 给…套龙头( bridle的过去式和过去分词 )； 控制； 昂首表示轻蔑（或怨忿等）； 动怒，生气 | |
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feud
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| n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇 | |
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pouch
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| n.小袋，小包，囊状袋；vt.装...入袋中，用袋运输；vi.用袋送信件 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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27
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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28
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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29
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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31
slayer
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| n. 杀人者，凶手 | |
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32
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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